Time's Glory

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`

Elizabeth rested her arms on the railing and gazed at the Gate, marveling at
how something so innocuous could change the course of so many lives. She sighed
as she enjoyed the peaceful moment as they were so infrequent. When she wasn't
trying to deal with imminent catastrophe, she was monitoring the off-world
missions and keeping track of friends and foes.

What the hell? In less than it took her to blink, two men appeared in
the Gateroom. There had been no light like that given off from an Asgard beam
and the Gate hadn't activated. It was a new and possibly dangerous technology.
She was just about to call for Security when she noticed one of the men wore an
SGC uniform. The other was unfamiliar. As the SGC man slowly turned she
recognized the face and smiled. "Dr. Jackson, what brings you to
Atlantis?"

"Dr. Weir. Elizabeth. It's good to see you. I was on a mission last time
you were at the SGC. Though how you could pull yourself away... This place is
amazing."

"It is, isn't it?" Elizabeth knew that Daniel would go on
indefinitely if given the chance. "You still didn't answer me."

"I brought him," said the other man.

"Oh, sorry. Dr. Elizabeth Weir, Col. Alan Kelly."

Elizabeth got a better look at the man as they shook hands. He was just about
six-feet tall with an athletic build. His sandy brown hair was a bit longer
than the normal military cut but it looked good on him. His eyes were a deep
emerald green that held some amusement like he was the only one who knew the
punch-line.

"Have we met before, Colonel? Your name is familiar."

"I don't think so, Doctor."

Then she remembered. "You helped SG-1 on a mission four years ago."

"I forgot you read the files," said Daniel.

"One of the more sensational ones, too. I mean, time travel?"

"Believe me, we were all a bit skeptic to begin with," said Daniel.
"As a matter of fact, Sam, Teal'c, and Col. Mitchell are still in the
future."

"Daniel," Col. Kelly warned.

The archeologist reigned in his enthusiasm. "I'd better not say any more.
I might let something slip."

"If you gentlemen would care to follow me, I'd like to introduce you to
some of the expedition members and then we can find you some quarters."

As she walked, Elizabeth spoke into her comms unit. "Will Col. Sheppard,
Dr. McKay, Dr. Beckett, Teyla, and Ronan please come to the briefing room? We
have visitors." She led them up the stairs past the control center for the
Gate and a large number of the city's systems. The technicians looked warily at
the new arrivals before turning back to their work.

"Sam would love to take a look at this," commented Daniel.

"Col. Carter joining you?"

"In a couple of days," answered Col. Kelly. "Along with the rest
of SG-1 and my team."

"You have a team as well, Colonel?"

"Alan, please. And yes. We're very similar to SG-1 in a way. I'm sure the
others at the briefing will have questions and I'd rather explain it all at
once."

"Of course. Right this way."

*********

Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard was ready to enjoy a little downtime. He had
his beer, some popcorn, and War and Peace. Sitting back on his bed, he
opened the book to page 26 and read one line before he heard Elizabeth's voice
calling him to the briefing room. Visitors? It's too early for the
Daedalus to be back and I doubt any of our allies want to associate with us
right now. He closed his book, swung himself off his bed, and then headed
up to meet the visitors.

He met up with Rodney just outside. "Any idea what's going on?"

"I'm just as much in the dark as you are, Rodney. I was just trying to get
some reading done."

"Reach page 30 yet? I, on the other hand, was trying to run some
diagnostics to improve the interface between our technology and the
Ancients'."

John sighed inwardly at Rodney's not-so-subtle bragging. Yes, the man was
brilliant, but he came with an equal dose of arrogance. All he needed was to be
firm and Rodney would stop rambling. "I'm sure you'll be back to your
diagnostics before too long. Well just have to make a show of some sort and
then they'll go."

The briefing room door was open and he could see that he and Rodney were the
last to arrive. Elizabeth, Teyla, Beckett, and Ronan were sitting at the table
with the two visitors. One in civvies--denim shirt, grey pants, bomber
jacket--was around 6-foot and carried himself like he was military though the
hair was even longer than his own. He then looked at the other and recognized him
from his brief time at the Ancient outpost in Antarctica. "Dr.
Jackson."

"Is the rest of SG-1 here?" asked Rodney eagerly. Practically
everyone knew he had a thing for Col. Carter.

"John, if you and Rodney would take a seat, we can make introductions and
get the briefing underway."

John took his seat between Teyla and McKay.

Elizabeth began. "Some of you know Dr. Daniel Jackson from the SGC. He is
largely responsible for this expedition."

"I really don't think--" Dr. Jackson started.

"Our other guest is Col. Alan Kelly who has assisted SG-1 in the past.
I'll leave it to them to explain their presence."

Dr. Jackson coughed a little nervously. "I'd just like to say that I'm
glad to have finally made it here and would love to take the time to examine all
that you've found. As for how I got here, it wasn't through the Gate or via Daedalus.
This is where I need you to suspend your disbelief." He took a deep
breath. "Col. Kelly is from 300 years in the future and has the ability to
time travel."

John could not believe what he was hearing. Granted, a couple of years ago he
would have scoffed at aliens and the Lost City of Atlantis. He surreptitiously
looked at everyone around the table and the only one who didn't seem too
stunned was Elizabeth. Could she have known about this already? It's the
only explanation. Of course! She was in charge of the SGC at one point. She
must've read the mission report.

"It's a theoretical impossibility!" blurted Rodney. "The energy
needed is massive and--"

"Dr. McKay, you're talking to the wrong person. I don't know how it works;
only that it does. I've been to Bosworth Field, Elizabethan London, and I flew
in World War I."

John couldn't help himself. "What?"

The colonel looked at him. "Sopwith Camel."

John was impressed. From all he had read, he knew those were difficult to
handle. "So what are you doing here?"

"SG-1 helped us defeat an agitator who turned out to be Ba'al. I was
placed on sick leave so I thought I'd bring Daniel here as a thank you."

"Were you wounded in battle?" asked Teyla.

"I was shot with a staff weapon. I had a reaction to the medication Dr.
Lam gave me and it got infected."

"They kept him sedated for two days to get a head start on the healing
process," put in Dr. Jackson. "He's only been awake for about four
hours."

Wow! If I'd been in a hospital for two days after a serious wound, I'd just
want to veg on the couch. John could see Ronon was looking at the colonel
with the closest thing he had ever seen to admiration. He was so stoic it was
hard to tell.

"We'll try to make your stay as restful as possible, Colonel."

"Thank you, Dr. Weir. I'm sure I can find a few things to interest me
here."

"That's it!"

All eyes turned to Beckett. "What?" John asked the doctor.

"The Competition," he stated looking at Kelly. "It's been
bothering me but now I know why you're so familiar. You were in The
Competition."

"What? That sixties band?" asked McKay.

"Congratulations, Dr. Beckett. It took Daniel a lot longer to come to that
conclusion."

"Hey!"

**************

Teyla looked at the visitors, trying to get a feel for their character. She had
heard Dr. Daniel Jackson's name spoken with both respect and admiration. For,
as she understood, he was the one who discovered the Gate address to Atlantis.
He was also a soldier, helping to destroy many of Earth's enemies. She could
tell, however, that first and foremost he was a scholar.

The other, Col. Kelly, was most definitely a soldier. She could see it in the
way he held himself, seemingly relaxed but constantly alert. Though she knew
none of the incidents he listed from Earth's history, the list itself was
impressive.

"It must be difficult going into the past, knowing what's to come."

"And not to say a word. That takes willpower," said McKay.

"Why wouldn't you say what you know?" questioned Ronan.

"In the times Alan visited, to claim to know the future was viewed as
heresy and it could get you killed. Even nowadays not many would believe,"
explained Dr. Jackson as the scholar emerged. "Even so, to try and change
the past would completely erase the future."

"That's why we're called the Temporal Observers," said the
colonel. "It's the first rule."

"What's the second?" Sheppard asked.

"I don't think we've come up with that one yet."

Teyla knew she was going to enjoy spending time with the new arrivals.

**************************

Rodney could not believe it when he saw Dr. Jackson in the briefing room. His
first instinct was to look around for the rest of SG-1. Usually wherever he
was, she-they weren't far behind.

And as for the colonel. Time travel. A likely story. His hands itched to get a
hold of his time machine, though. Ugh, that sounds so B-movie. I'll just
call it his temporal device. Yeah, that sounds much better. "Hey, how
did you know I was Dr. McKay?"

"Dr. Weir called you Rodney."

"So?"

"I guess it couldn't hurt to say."

"Are you sure, Alan?" asked Dr. Jackson. "I just thought you
might want to contain it or something."

"I'm not going to give out any details so don't try to pry anything out of
me. Everything and everyone associated with this expedition are well-known in
my time. It's acquired near-mythic status."

Rodney's chest puffed up at that thought. They probably studied him alongside
Einstein and Keppler.

"Dr. Beckett's study of Wraith biology was groundbreaking."

"Wh--?"

"Sorry, Rodney," said Sheppard in mock sympathy. "Looks like
medicine won after all."

Rodney looked over at Carson who was sitting up a little straighter. Well,
maybe he needs a little boost. Me, I know my work will live on.

***************

Hearing that his work would be considered groundbreaking, Carson sat up a
little straighter. He now had his own ammunition that would be sure to quiet
Rodney. Whenever he felt he wasn't getting anywhere on his research, he'd remember
this moment to help him keep going. The look on Rodney's face would make him
smile as he did so.

He also wouldn't mind trying to get some of the colonel's blood to attempt to
discover why he had a reaction to basic antibiotics. He would probably have to
be sneaky about it. As the city's chief physician, he would need to check the
progress of his wound, make sure he was healing properly. That would be the
best way to go about it.

"How did you get to be The Competition?" he asked.

"It was a lark, basically. It was for my brother Evan's birthday that we
went to Hamburg to meet the Beatles. We became friends and when we met them
again in London 1963, they talked us into recording. Simple really."

"So you can just take these machines and go when and where you like?"

"I'm the only one who can use it anyway. After a nasty incident, the
inventor added a little something that makes it respond to the original
wearer's biochemistry. Besides, we can return before we're missed."

"How are your missions chosen?" asked Elizabeth.

"There's a committee made up of both Government and Military officials. I
don't know what criteria they follow, but they choose the missions, and believe
me, they're not always the most peaceful. The French Revolution, Battle of the
Boyne, 12th century England, World War I. On top of that, I still have to fly
regular missions."

"I'd never know if I were coming or going," commented Col. Sheppard.

"I'd probably have a nervous breakdown," said Rodney.

"As this is meant to be a fact-finding tour for Daniel, I'm closing the
floor."

"Very well," said Elizabeth. "We'll find your quarters where you
can stow your gear and then we can start the tour."

*****************

Ronon watched as everyone filed out of the briefing room. McKay tried to get close
to the new colonel to get his hands on the machine. To Ronon, the concept was
like something out of the myths and legends he had heard as a child. To see it
as something real was strange, but he wasn't doubtful of the possibility. The
man was here after all.

Even though Sheppard and Weir vouched for Jackson, who in turned vouched for
Kelly, Ronon still felt they could have some ulterior motive or they could just
have something against him. He would take his time assessing them, waiting for
some outward sign of acceptance. Only then would he befriend them.

***************

Daniel couldn't believe it! He had finally made it to Atlantis! Granted, he
wouldn't be able to use the excuse anymore, but that was a minor concession. He
tried to take in everything as they walked the corridors to the living
quarters.

"Daniel, you'll have time to examine everything at your leisure
later," said Elizabeth with a slight laugh.

"I know. I just can't help it. To have searched for it for so long only to
find it and not be able to go..."

"You'll just have to make a video for Jack," said Alan as he tried to
shake off McKay.

"Oh, like he taped his trip?"

"A camcorder would have stood out in the early 1900s. Besides, were you
the least bit interested in seeing the Cubs win the Series?"

"Not really, no." Daniel reached into his bag and pulled out his
camcorder. He immediately turned it on Elizabeth. "Smile."

"Why don't you save it for the tour?" she said.

Daniel turned it off and replaced it. "Good idea. Don't want to waste the
batteries."

"We've a number of different batteries," put in McKay. "I'm sure
we could..." His voice trailed off after receiving a glare from Elizabeth.

"Thanks, McKay. I'll check into that for backup."

The room they gave him was quite spacious, similar to a hotel suite. "I
could get spoiled by this."

"As long as you don't tell Gen. Landry of our accommodations," joked
Sheppard. "Then everyone'll wanna come here."

"And before you know it, there goes the neighborhood," said Alan as
he rejoined them.

Daniel set his pack down on the bed and removed his vest. There was no need for
it here.

"Are you ready?" asked Elizabeth.

"I don't think you really need to ask that," said McKay as Daniel
hurried through the door.

Partway down the hall he realized he forgot something. He held up his hand,
turned and headed back to his room to grab his camcorder.

***************

Alan was impressed with the condition of the city. After being abandoned for so
many years, the members of the expedition had done a marvelous job of getting
it up and working. Going by its size, there was no way it was completely
occupied.

In his time it was a bustling metropolis, a sought-after resort. There had been
a time after the knowledge of the Stargate had been lost that coming out to the
Pegasus Galaxy was a long journey, not one to be taken for a weekend getaway.
However, once the engines were revamped, travel time was reduced by something
like 75%, it was opened to tourists.

"Is the tour boring you?" questioned Sheppard.

"Sorry, my mind was elsewhere. Actually, I was thinking of what it will
look like."

"Better or worse?"

Alan mimed buttoning his lip.

They continued on and Daniel was full of questions regarding what they had
discovered pertaining to each room or general area. Then they arrived at the
jumper bay and it was Alan's turn to be full of questions. Even though they
weren't much to look at, he knew there was advanced technology inside. He just
itched to go in one.

"Amazing," said Daniel. "We found one of these on a mission and
it was fitted with a temporal drive."

"What? You're saying the Ancients had the ability to time travel?"
That was the first Alan had heard of it.

"What happened to the jumper?" asked Elizabeth.

"You know, I'm not sure. It's probably in Area 51 or something."

"You don't know what happened to it?" McKay was indignant. "I
would think that S-Col. Carter would be tearing it apart to find out how it
works."

"I don't think it ever happened," Alan interrupted. "I don't
remember ever hearing about time travel experiments at this time."

"You've said the future can change. What if they find it and use it
now?"

"It could be but I doubt it." The day was finally catching up to him.
"I think I had better get some rest. My brother'll kill me if I don't take
care of myself."

"He's tried before," joked Daniel.

"This time he'll have backup in the form of Shannon and Eric."

"Your brother tried to kill you?" questioned Ronon.

"We didn't know we were brothers at the time." He headed for his
quarters. "If you really want the story, Daniel can tell you. I'm dead on
my feet."

"Rest well, Colonel," said Teyla.

Maybe it wasn't the smartest thing, rushing off like that after getting out of
hospital. He really was beat. Maybe just a little nap and I'll be fine. At
least Daniel is having a great time. I doubt he'll sleep for days.

Upon reaching his quarters, Alan collapsed on the bed and was asleep in
seconds.

*****************

Elizabeth was getting coffee in the mess when she spotted Col. Kelly having
breakfast. "Sleep well, Colonel?" she asked with a smile.

He looked up. "As I slept for almost 14 hours, I think that's a silly
question." He motioned for her to join him.

She sat across from him. "Perhaps you weren't ready for all that walking
we did yesterday."

"It could just be that I needed sleep. I haven't had some downtime in
awhile."

"Daniel said we should leave you alone. He checked on you himself a couple
of times."

"I take it he didn't sleep at all last night, making use of the city's
archives, pulling an all-nighter."

Elizabeth smiled. Everyone knew that once Dr. Jackson found something to
intrigue him, he wouldn't sleep. As the story went, that was how he deciphered
the symbols on the Stargate. "So you slept for him as well."

"So it would seem." He finished his coffee.

"I don't mean to tell you what do to, but I think you should pay Dr.
Beckett a visit."

"I was already thinking that. I won't be able to tell him what medications
I'm on and if he were to examine my blood, he might find certain things he
shouldn't."

"I'll come with you to make sure his professional curiosity doesn't get
the better of him."

"Thank you." He stood and carried his tray over to where the bins for
dirty plates and utensils were placed. He paused and looked out the window onto
Atlantis and the ocean. The look on his face was something like longing.

"It's quite a sight, isn't it?"

"It looks so tranquil. All I need is a lounge chair and a pitcher of beer
and I'd be happy."

"You don't get much time to unwind? I would have thought that you could go
to some tropical paradise to relax."

"The last time I was on a tropical beach, I was being chased by pirates.
My breaks start out promising but they never seem to end that way."

"I'll take that as a warning."

They walked to the infirmary and were practically pounced upon by Carson.
"You're looking much better, Colonel."

"I got in a full night's sleep."

"And part of the day from what I understand."

"Carson, Col. Kelly has stressed to me how important it is that you do not
use any blood samples for research. I know it's hard to contain your curiosity,
but anything beyond checking on his infection could reveal something we're not
meant to learn."

Carson was crestfallen but he hid it behind his professionalism. "Very
well, Dr. Weir. There is one thing I would like to test for, however."

"The gene? I would think so if you ignore any other 'discrepancies' you
may find."

"You want to test to see if I carry the Ancient gene?"

"It would be interesting to know if it still exists in the future,"
commented Carson in a somewhat pleading tone.

"OK if you take the path of least temptation."

Once they were settled, Elizabeth moved on to check Rodney's progress. John
found her and walked alongside. "Did you want something?"

"I want to follow up a lead on Ford."

"Every lead we've had has fallen apart. How do we know he's even been
there?"

"We won't find out until we go, will we?" He looked at her as if
daring her to say no.

She knew she couldn't refuse. She shared a sense of his guilt in thinking they
had somehow failed Ford by not expressing their concern and compassion for his
condition. If they could find him and bring him back to Atlantis, she knew
there was a way to help him. "Very well."

"Great! Thanks! You tell Rodney and I'll get Teyla and Ronon!" He
rushed off down the corridor.

Elizabeth shook her head as she entered Rodney's lab.

************

Rodney looked up as Elizabeth walked in shaking her head.
"Elizabeth," he stated in greeting.

"Rodney. How are you progressing?"

"Quite well, actually. Another few hours should let me know if I'm on the
right track."

"You'll need to put that off for a bit. Col. Sheppard has requested to
follow up a lead on Ford."

"He would interrupt my work for a possible wild goose chase." He set
down his handheld. "When do we head out?"

"Within 30 minutes I should think. He ran off to tell Teyla and Ronon
before we could discuss departure."

"I'll just need to set things up so they'll function while I'm gone."

"Come to the Gateroom when you're ready." She left.

Rodney sighed. Being part of Sheppard's team cut in drastically on his lab
work. It was amazing he got anything done at all. He didn't mind the scientific
challenges provided on off-world missions. It was the danger aspect that
dampened his enthusiasm. He didn't cope well with fear. He had a tendency to
hyperventilate which led to passing out.

I bet Kelly only passes out due to medical reasons like exhaustion or
trauma. I have to get a look at that machine of his though. I need to see how
it works. But if I do, it could affect everything I do from then on, not
something that is good for the continuum.

He looked at his supposed assistants to see who he could trust to keep an eye
on his project while he was gone.

***********

Daniel was having one of the best times of his life--or lives. The information
stored in the archives was massive. Maybe he could somehow get it copied so he
could take it back to the SGC, which, of course, would mean more sleepless
nights.

There were a number of archivists each set to translating their own section so
there would be no danger of overlapping. The woman who was there at the moment
had proven to be quite proficient and a great help.

He felt more than saw someone new enter the room and sit across from him. He
marked his place with his index finger before looking up to see Alan grinning
at him. "You're looking much better."

"I'm great, thanks. Carson wanted to run a gamut of tests, but Elizabeth
and I talked him into only testing what was necessary."

"Did he consider testing for the Ancient gene necessary?"

"Yes, he did. Made him take a swab of saliva. No extra blood for him to
examine." He leaned forward to peer at the items spread across the table.
"Have you found anything of great import?"

"Nothing truly earth-shattering, no, but fascinating just the same. I
don't want to bore you--"

"Thank you."

"So I'll tell you that what I've translated so far mostly revolves around
daily life on Atlantis and their interaction with other planets."

"So nothing on ascension or the Wraith."

"Not yet, but the archivists and translators here are making great
progress so it shouldn't be long until we do find something."

"Since you seem to have this in hand, I'm going to see if I can find
Sheppard and get a ride in a jumper."

"Typical pilot," commented Daniel to his back before resuming his
translations, immersing himself to the exclusion of all else.

****************

Teyla sparred with one of the soldiers who wished to learn to fight with
Athosian fighting sticks. They were proficient in the technique but she could
not find anyone outside her own people who knew the art, the finesse of their
use.

After vanquishing her challenger, Teyla turned to towel herself off and saw
Col. Kelly standing, watching. "May I help you?"

"I'm sorry. I was looking for Col. Sheppard." He picked up a set of
sticks and touched them with great reverence. "These are remarkably
versatile weapons. He twirled one in his hand. "Good balance. May I?"

"Are you sure you're ready for such activity?"

"I think I can manage it. We'll start easy and see how I do."

"Very well." She picked up her set and approached him. "First we
bow to acknowledge the honor of the confrontation." She bowed her head as
she spoke, lifting her eyes to see that Kelly did the same. She then took up a
ready stance.

Teyla started off slow to see how well he could handle the fighting sticks. She
then picked up speed and came at him from both sides, making sure to avoid his
right side where he was injured. Still he blocked all her advances. "You
are doing quite well, Colonel. Are you sure you have never fought with these
before?"

"Quite sure."

"How are you feeling?"

"Ready to take it up a notch."

Teyla added spins and feints as well as more speed. He met and blocked every
blow like a master. He then unexpectedly took the offensive, raining down blows
on all sides. Before long, he had disarmed her and had both sticks crossed at
her throat.

"Well, that's something I never thought I'd see." Sheppard was
leaning in the doorway. "Granted, Ronon did it by brute force, but this
was amazing."

"I have a knack with weapons," Kelly said as he lowered the sticks
and bowed. "I merely watched Teyla's moves and adopted them to fit my
style."

"No wonder you joined the military." Sheppard turned to her.
"Teyla, we're off to track down another lead on Ford."

"I will be ready in ten minutes." She paused in the doorway.
"Thank you, Colonel."

"Thank you for not treating me like a invalid."

With a nod, she continued on to her quarters to change and prepare for the
mission.

******************

John looked at Kelly. "Ready to go?" When the man only stared at him,
he continued. "I promised you a ride in a jumper, didn't I?"

"I was thinking just a little jaunt around the planet, not
off-world."

"As you're basically along for the ride, I would like you to stay in the
jumper until we check things out. Elizabeth would have my hide should anything
happen to you, let alone what SG-1 would do."

"I think I can manage to stay out of the way."

They arrived at the jumper bay and boarded Jumper 1. "I've got to go talk
with Elizabeth but it shouldn't take long. I don't want to sound like I'm
talking down to you, but--"

"I won't touch anything no matter how much my curiosity nags me." To
prove his point, he sat on his hands.

"Great." John left for the Gateroom knowing he could trust Kelly to
keep his word.

They met at the control room and Elizabeth started. "Before I forget, I
want to let you know that Dr. Beckett's test show that Col. Kelly does not
possess the Ancient gene."

"And you're telling us why?"

"Weren't you just the least bit curious, Rodney? To see if there are those
in the future who possess it?"

"All it would have shown is that one man possesses it. It hardly
proves that his whole civilization does."

"I'll bet Beckett was disappointed," said John. "He was so
eager."

"I think that was more about the other tests he wanted to do." She
then got down to the topic at hand. "I want you to treat this as a basic
search-and-rescue mission. Anything beyond that, contact Atlantis is you are
able. If not, use your discretion." She looked pointedly in his direction.
"The Wraith still believe Atlantis is destroyed and we cannot afford to
lose that advantage. If you can't bring Ford home, bring us a step closer."

"I know the drill," he said. "We'll do our best."

When the team arrived at the jumper bay, Kelly was waiting outside.
"What's the matter? Why aren't you inside?"

"I was hearing this weird buzzing that was driving me mad."

"What's he doing here?" demanded Ronon.

"I said I'd take him for a ride in the jumper." He entered the ship
and stood still. "I don't hear anything."

"Sheppard, this is a mission, not a joyride. We shouldn't be taking him
with us."

"The two of us already talked it over. He's going to stay in the jumper
until we check the place out. Once we know it's OK, he can join us."

"And what has Dr. Weir said to this?" questioned Teyla as she joined
him in the cockpit.

"Uh, nothing." He powered up the ship as the others took their seats and
buckled in.

"Because you didn't tell her," said Ronon.

"If it's going to cause such a problem, you can always take me for a ride
later."

"It's a basic recon mission that might turn into search-and-rescue.
Besides, it's not like you're a civilian."

Rodney looked at Kelly. "Still hearing that buzzing?"

"A bit. It's not as bad as it was."

"It could be the electronics affecting you somehow."

"Has anyone else had the same reaction?"

"Not that I'm aware of."

"Maybe enough exposure to it will build up an immunity," John said as
the ship lowered to the Gateroom.

"I hope so." He looked at the open Gate in front of them. "I
don't think I'll ever get used to this."

"Do not the Gates exist in your time?" asked Teyla.

"Oh, they exist. The knowledge of how to use them was lost. I wouldn't be
surprised if Col. Carter is trying to remedy the situation."

"If anyone can, it's her," declared Rodney.

"Did you just pay someone a compliment?" asked John as they
materialized on the other side.

"Well, since I'm not there..."

John landed the jumper in a field outside the nearest city and engaged the
cloak. "OK, let's go explore."

****************

Ryan Kelly stood at attention in Gen. McGuire's office knowing it should be his
brother standing there getting a tongue-lashing, not him. But no, once Alan
learned that the general public had discovered the existence of the TOC due to
bringing SG-1 to the present, he scarpered, declaring he was taking sick leave.

"Now I know you knew nothing of your brother's decision but I have to make
it look like I'm upbraiding someone." The general took a seat behind his
desk. "I think we all got carried away by seeing SG-1 that we were a bit
lax in security." He motioned for Ryan to sit. "Do you have any idea
where he went?"

"Only coordinates. We're to meet him there."

"Would I be right in assuming it's in the past?"

"He hinted to Dr. Jackson that it would be something he would enjoy, so
I'd say that's a good guess."

"He can make friends with just about anybody."

"Even his enemies have a grudging respect for him."

"Speaking from experience?"

"Oh, definitely. I had the perfect setup until he got involved."

"I'll just have to have something waiting for him upon his return. Perhaps
a week-long press junket. You know how he hates that."

Ryan grinned. "Sounds perfect, sir. If he asks me how it all went, I'll
try to make him think it's all been settled." He stood. "I had better
go check on the others, sir. I know they want to join Alan and Dr.
Jackson."

"Very good. Remember, not a word."

Ryan zipped his lip before saluting and leaving. He never thought he'd be
plotting pranks with a general. With a smile on his lips, he contacted Shannon.
{Where are you?}

{With Teal'c and Cameron. Hernandez has them flying again.}

(And Sam?}

{Eric's taken her to see the Gate enthusiasts to help them get it working
again.}

{OK, you get Teal'c and Mitchell to my rooms on the Base and I'll get Sam and
Eric. It's time to go meet Alan and Daniel.}

Because of what happened, he had been called back to the Base while Eric and
Shannon played guide and guard for SG-1. Shannon was still on the Dreadnought
and Eric was at the World Institute of Technology.

He homed in on Eric's machine and appeared beside him. "How're things
going?"

Eric looked up from his handheld. "Seems to me that the techies have a
good grasp of what Sam's been saying. It's way beyond me, though. What did
McGuire have to say?"

"He yelled a bit and said we should have known better." Ryan decided
not to share his secret.

Sam saw that he had arrived and came over. "Ryan, it's good to see
you."

"And whole, as you can see. Do these guys have a good enough grasp of
things that you can leave them to it?"

"I believe so. Is it time for us to go?"

"Plan is to meet the others at my quarters on the Base before going to the
coordinates Alan gave us."

Sam said goodbye to the technicians then walked back. "Gentlemen, I'm
ready."

Ryan put out his left arm while Eric put out his right. "I'll do the
driving," Ryan said and set the coordinates.

*****************

Cameron Mitchell was enjoying himself way too much. These ships handled like a
dream. Everything back home would feel clunky in comparison. Plus he was flying
in space!

Shannon's voice came over the radio. "Sorry, Cam, it's time to come back
down. We've got to meet the others."

"Sure thing." That could only mean it was time to join Jackson and
Kelly. He steered into the bay and landed with only a couple of bumps.

"Not bad," said Hernandez. "After a few more lessons, you'd be
ready for the Rangers."

"Thanks." Cam removed his helmet and shook hands with his teacher.
Shannon and Teal'c were waiting for him. "Now that's a ride!"

"Indeed. If we had such a ship in our time, we would easily defeat the
Goa'uld."

"That's something you can only speculate on. Let's get your gear and then
we'll be off."

They walked to the quarters that had been set aside for them. Shannon kept
stressing that they could only take what they came with--no extras allowed.
While he and Teal'c were putting on their vests, she placed a call to Adm.
Kotsovitch to let him know they were leaving.

"It was an honor having you aboard the Dreadnought, gentlemen. Give
my regards to Col. Carter and Dr. Jackson."

"Will do, Admiral." Cam couldn't help but salute him. Probably
just made his decade. That was the least he deserved for how he handled the
insanity that broke out when the news spread of their presence.

He took hold of Shannon's right arm while Teal'c took her left and they were
back on the Base. Sam, Ryan, and Eric were already there.

"Everybody have everything?" Ryan programmed his machine.
"Gather close." And they were whipped off again-

To arrive in a large room to find automatic rifles aimed at them.
"Whoa!"

******************

Shannon's first thought on seeing the guns aimed at them was Great, what has
Alan dropped us into? She followed the lead of the others and mover her
hands away from her body to show there was no harm intended but it was not
surrender.

"OK, guys, I don't think that's necessary," said Cam.

A major approached them. "Col. Mitchell. Col. Carter. Teal'c." He
motioned the men to lower their weapons. "You, uh, surprised us."

"Your reflexes are quick."

"Thanks, Teal'c. We've had some experience."

"Maj. Lorne, I'll take over from here." A woman with dark hair
somewhere in her __s came down a wide set of stairs. Shannon felt a bit left
out because the others seemed to know her. "Welcome to Atlantis. I'm Dr.
Elizabeth Weir and I am in charge of the expedition. SG-1 I know, so you must
be Col. Kelly's team."

Ryan made the introductions. "Maj. Shannon Flynn, Maj. Eric Rader, and I'm
Capt. Ryan Kelly."

"You're related to the colonel?"

"He's my brother."

"Then I should tell you he had a checkup today and he's healing
nicely."

"That was part of the reason for his coming here," Shannon said.
"He also knew we'd check on him when we got here."

"What was the other reason?" asked Maj. Lorne.

"That would be bringing Jackson here," put in Cam. "At least
this means I won't have to keep hearing how he missed Daedalus that
first trip."

"Where is Daniel Jackson now?" questioned Teal'c.

"He's practically been living in the Archives since he arrived," Dr.
Weir told them.

"That sounds like Daniel," Sam smiled.

"I'll take you to him. Perhaps we'll find Col. Kelly on the way."

Shannon opened her mind to see if she could sense Alan. Nothing. "He's not
here."

"Are you sure?"

"Shannon, Alan, and Ryan are telepathic," Eric informed her. "If
she say's he's not here, he isn't."

"He must have slipped aboard the jumper with Col. Sheppard's team."

"Unless it was by invitation. I wouldn't put it past John."

"Being a pilot, I wouldn't put it past Alan to have asked for a chance to
fly in the jumper," commented Eric.

"It's a recon mission so there shouldn't be any trouble," said Dr
Weir.

" 'Shouldn't be'?" Shannon was concerned by that phrase.

"Col. Sheppard's team doesn't have the best luck when it comes to
run-of-the-mill missions," put in Maj. Lorne.

"Sounds familiar," said Cam.

"We'll know when they make their scheduled call."

Dr. Weir took them into the hallway and pressed a panel on the wall. A door
slid open revealing a room about the size of a lift. It was too small for all
of them so Dr. Weir took Ryan, Sam, and Cam first. The door slid closed on
them. When Maj. Lorne opened it, they were gone. Teleporter. It has to be.
She, Eric, and Teal'c joined the major inside where a lit panel seemed to show
a lit model of the city. He pressed a finger to a section and, after a second
or two of lightheadedness, the door slid open and the others were waiting.

"The Archives are just down here." Dr. Weir led them down the hall.

Shannon still couldn't get over the fact that this was the legendary Atlantis.
She had gotten the story from the others after Alan and Daniel had gone. It
would explain why nobody could find the ruins.

When another door slid open, Shannon knew they had arrived for it had that
library feel. All that was missing were the actual books and the smell of
leather. Sitting at one of the many tables was Daniel, bent over parchment.

"Jackson!" called Cam.

"Oh, hi, guys. You made it."

"It appears you have found all that you wished, Daniel Jackson."

"It's all fascinating from an archeological perspective, but I still
haven't found anything regarding ascension or the Ori."

"Anything of the Wraith?" asked Dr. Weir.

"A few mentions of them existing but nothing on the war." He looked
around. "Have you seen Alan yet?"

"He's gone on a mission with Col. Sheppard," Eric answered.

"He did mention something about a ride in a jumper."

Shannon went over to Daniel and looked at the items before him. "Does this
shed any light on their time on Earth?"

"I forgot you were an historian."

"It's easily done. I don't exactly look the part."

At that moment, Shannon heard Dr. Weir say, "I'll be right there."
She looked at the rest of them. "We've an incoming message--from Col.
Kelly."

**************

Alan poked around the back of the ship while he waited for the all-clear from
Sheppard. After about 30 minutes, he had checked all the storage cabinets in
the limited area. He sat on one of the bench seats and the buzzing started
again. He stood and staggered into the cockpit hoping it would lessen, but it
grew stronger. In a fit of anger he slammed his hand down on the control panel.

The buzzing stopped to be replaced by something else, a presence in his mind.
It was different from when he spoke with Ryan and Shannon, but there was something
there. It wasn't invasive, it wasn't probing, it was just there.

Somehow knowing it wasn't dangerous, he turned his attention to the others.
They should have contacted him by now saying it was okay. He didn't want to try
calling them in case they were in a tight spot. That only left calling
Atlantis, but he didn't know the Gate address. At that very moment, the DHD
began dialing itself. It was the ship that had melded with his mind! It
had read his thoughts and dialed the Gate!

"Atlantis, this is Kelly. I haven't had any contact from Sheppard or his
team since they left a little over twenty minutes ago. I plan to follow their
intended path to see if I can find some sign of them."

"Col. Kelly, this is Dr. Weir. Your team and SG-1 have arrived. Would you
like them sent as backup?"

Now they arrive! "Give me about another hour. If you don't have any
contact by then, it would be a good idea. My team should be able to home in on
me once they get here."

"Good luck, Colonel."

Alan ended the connection to Atlantis then went to the back of the ship where
he equipped himself with a couple of sidearms, tucking one into the waistband
of his pants as a backup. He also took some spare clips and put them in his
jacket pocket. The jumper lowered its ramp and he slowly walked out. When he
was on the ground, he turned as the ramp closed, hiding all signs of its
presence.

"That is so cool."

He then set off in the direction he saw the team take. The path joined a dirt
road which he followed, not meeting another soul. There wasn't much noise
coming from the surrounding fields either. For something that looked like a
farming society, one would expect cows and sheep, or something.

The dirt became large, flat stones reminiscent of Roman roads. It was here that
he saw his first locals. A trio of men dressed as laborers were driving a
horse-cart in his direction. He nodded at them and smiled as they went past. He
turned to continue and felt a blast hit him in the back and he fell to the
ground unconscious.

*********************

Sam looked at Dr. Weir. "Is there anything we should do to prepare?"

"I'll need to get you a pilot. Only those with the Ancient gene can
operate the jumpers."

"Yes, I remember. Col. Sheppard must have given Alan the address for this
type of situation."

"Good thing, too," put in Daniel.

"No, Alan would have come here himself if there was no other way,"
said Shannon.

"You will be able to home in on him like he said, right?"

"We can home in on his machine or his thoughts," Ryan answered.

"Then I think we ought to get you some weapons." Dr. Weir began to
walk away.

The man at the controls immediately turned to his computer. "I'll pull up
a list of available pilots."

"Very good. I'll take our visitors to the armory."

"So, assuming things went south, who do you think would have taken
them?" questioned Cam.

"Aside from the Wraith, I believe there is only one enemy we have
encountered that would go out of their way like this to capture one of our
teams," Dr. Weir informed them. "The Genii. I only wonder if Sheppard
and his team were the intended targets.

"They are the people who attempted to take over Atlantis during the
hurricane, are they not?" asked Teal'c.

"Yes. Because John was mostly responsible for their failure--with help
from Rodney, Teyla, and myself--they would do anything to get him."

"What exactly was the mission?" Sam wanted to know.

"During the siege by the Wraith, one of Sheppard's men, Lt Ford, nearly
died at the hands of one of them and in the process became addicted to an
enzyme secreted by a gland. It gives him super-human strength and speed. He
fled the city believing we wanted to hurt him. Ever since then we've been
searching for him."

"So the Genii got word of this and set up a trap, giving a false report of
a sighting knowing Sheppard couldn't pass up the chance," concluded Eric.

Sam wondered if ticking off potential allies was a particular knack of male Air
Force colonels.

*******************

Ronon growled in frustration and anger. How could they have let themselves be
taken so easily? He should have known something was wrong when the townspeople
virtually ignored them. He would have expected fear or curiosity. Looking back
on it now he realized they must have been told to go about their business.

They had been in the tavern and Sheppard was asking about Ford when they were
all shot from behind. He came to in a cell empty save for the rest of the team,
each slowly waking up.

"What the hell happened?" demanded McKay.

"We were shot by the people in the tavern," Ronon answered.

"Why just stun us? Why not kill us?"

"I do not know, but we will find out before too long." Teyla walked
to the door where she took up position listening for any approach.

"Hey, Kelly's in the jumper. He'll contact Atlantis if he doesn't hear
from us and then come looking."

Sheppard was too much of an optimist. "He can't contact Atlantis because
he doesn't know the Gate address."

"Ah. OK, he can go when he wants and contact them."

"Would he leave us?" McKay was sounding more paranoid.

"No. He's military. He wouldn't leave unless he saw no other option."

"I'm sure if Dr. Weir does not hear from us she will send another
team."

"Doesn't anyone want to make a break for it?"

"And what do you propose?" asked McKay. "In case you hadn't
noticed, we're unarmed."

"We overpower the guards next time they come back, take their weapons,
then get back to the ship."

"Not bad except we don't know what's on the other side of that door. How
many more guards are there? Where in the town are we? I say we wait until we
see who has us and get some more information."

Ronon grudgingly recognized the truth in Sheppard's statement. They needed more
information before making an escape plan.

"Someone is coming." Teyla moved away from the door.

"Move to the far wall!" ordered the guard from outside.

They moved away, opposite the door. Ronon heard the lock turn and the door
opened slowly and another body was dragged inside. He recognized the jacket. It
was Kelly. So much for Plan B.

At that moment a man with a scarred and pock-marked face entered the room.
Ronon saw the others stiffen. "Maj. Sheppard. Dr. McKay. How kind of you
to accept my invitation."

"Kolya. It's Lieutenant Colonel now."

"Congratulations." Kolya looked at Ronon. "This is the
lieutenant's replacement?" He then turned away. "I heard of your
search for Lt. Ford. Has he deserted his post?"

"You arranged for all this," said McKay. "You knew we would come
for Ford."

"Of course. The Genii have spies on many worlds. We knew you were
searching for him and arranged this trap. I knew Sheppard would not pass up
such a chance to rescue a comrade."

Kelly groaned and slowly turned his head. "Did anyone get the number of
the truck that hit me?"

"He's not dressed like you," Kolya said facing Sheppard, "but he
came from the same direction as you." He headed for the door. "We
will talk more later." The door was securely locked behind him.

Teyla went to help Kelly stand. "I did plan to rescue you," he said.
"They just got me from behind."

"Now we can only hope Elizabeth will send another team before too
soon."

"I'd say about another ten, fifteen minutes."

"How do you know?"

Kelly looked at him. "I talked to her. Remember that buzzing I heard?
Believe it or not, it was the jumper."

"Oh, be serious."

"Rodney, I feel like it's reading my mind all the time." He turned
back to Kelly. "But you don't have the gene."

"But I am telepathic. Maybe that's all it needed. Anyway, it dialed
Atlantis and I told Elizabeth that if she didn't head from us within an hour to
send another team."

"When they arrive, how can we warn them? The Genii have our radios."

"Did I forget to mention that it'll be my friends and SG-1?"

**************************************

Acastus Kolya, former general and hero of the Genii, walked up the stairs to
the pitiful room that acted as his headquarters for this mission. Yes, it was
still a mission with an objective and plan. His defeat and humiliation by
Sheppard and his team-twice-was not something easily overcome. His position,
his life, was taken from him and he knew he had to leave his home world before
Cowen put an order out to kill him. Now that he had the Atlantis team locked up
with no escape, he could take them back to Cowen and regain his position.

He closed the door to the office and sat behind the desk. Once he heard that
Lt. Ford had left the city and that there were teams searching for him, it was
easy to plant information to bait the trap. He had men positioned throughout
the village and surrounding area to wait for the rescue team Weir would
definitely send. There was no way they could get to his captives without being
seen.

He would let them stew down there for a few hours before telling them his
plans. Yes, this was a good day so far.

***************************

Eric followed Dr Weir to the armory where they were all given an automatic
pistol and semi-automatic rifle with plenty of extra clips. "Why is it
that our little vacation getaways never seem very relaxing?"

"Because we usually go with Alan," commented Shannon.

"You do have a point." Eric adjusted his vest, checking that its many
compartments were closed.

"What can you tell us about the planet's culture?" asked Daniel.

"From what Teyla has told me, it's an agrarian society. I would place its
technology near medieval level."

"So there shouldn't be too much of a problem getting them out," said
Ryan. "If they are locked up, it's probably a very basic cell with a
simple lock. As for weapons--unless it's the Genii--we can easily overpower
them."

"Before we do anything, we should find out if the locals had any part in
the trap," said Sam. "After all, we don't want to give the people the
wrong

impression and create enemies."

"Once contact is made with Colonel Kelly, he will inform us of what has
transpired."

"Then I think we're ready," Mitchell said.

"I'll take you to the jumper bay where you can meet your pilot."

The group followed Dr Weir to the jumper bay where a young pilot was waiting
for them. He grinned when he recognized SG-1. "Sgt. Lewis," he
saluted. "I was told I was needed to fly a rescue mission, but I didn't
realize it would be you."

Sam and Mitchell returned his salute while Daniel explained. "As we were
here, we volunteered."

Mitchell made the introductions. "There may be a few things you'll see and
hear during this mission that you will need to immediately forget."

Lewis eyes the members of the TOC somehow knowing the strange happenings would
originate with them. "Yes, sir. I'll wipe it from my mind."

"We'll need to fly in stealth mode," Sam instructed. "They may
have been taken by hostiles who will be watching for a rescue ship."

The TOC followed SG-1 into the jumper. Eric remembered when he and Alan were
fresh out of the Academy flying shuttles they used to pretend they were flying
jumpers. Now here he was in the real thing. It just added another level of
surrealism to the experience.

He looked over at Ryan and Shannon to see them wincing in pain, fingers
massaging their temples. You guys okay?"

"I just have this buzzing in my head," groaned Ryan.

"It's like an incessant droning," put in Shannon.

"Do you want anything? I'm sure there's some aspirin in the first aid
kit," said Daniel.

"No, it should be ok. I'll let you know."

Knowing his comrades were all right, Eric made his way past SG-1 where Mitchell
was hearing from the other three how they had come across a similar ship on a
previous mission. He entered the cockpit and spoke to Lewis. "Mind if I
join you?"

"No, take a seat." He rested his hands on the control panel and the
ship came to life. He next reached over and punched the keys that would open
the Gate. "So, you're friends with Col. Kelly?"

"We're his team." The ship lowered into the Gateroom and Eric looked
at the rippling blue in front of him. "This is just so--"

"Cool?" Lewis supplied. "I know. It's still relatively new to me
too. I've only been here a few months so I haven't been assigned a regular team
yet."

"Part of the pilot pool, eh?"

Lewis chuckled. "I like that. Here we go!"

****************

John finished explaining their history with the Genii. Relating it like that
made it sound like some great epic that PBS could air for a couple months.

"Kolya's certainly restraining himself well if that's why he wants
revenge," commented Kelly. "He must have something planned for
you."

"Sorry you had to get caught up in this."

"So we know the Genii have us but we didn't learn anything else,"
declared Rodney. "Really doesn't help our situation any."

"We did gain one thing from that visit," said Teyla.

"What?"

"We will now be able to communicate with the rescue team," she smiled
with a glance at Kelly.

"For that matter, why can't he just use his little doohickey and get us
out of here?"

Kelly pushed up both his sleeves showing his bare arms. "Don't you think I
would have?"

"How did they know what it was?" asked Ronon.

"They didn't, that's why they took it. Didn't want to take any
chances." John paced the room.

"I might have an idea." Kelly sat cross-legged on the floor against
the wall. He closed his eyes and slowed his breathing.

To John it looked like he was going into a trance, but for what purpose? Maybe
it helped boost his telepathy or something. It was probably similar to the
techniques Teyla used when she attempted to connect with the Wraith. She and
Ronon watched patiently waiting to see what would come of his trance. Rodney,
however, squatted and stared at his face. John was waiting for him to poke
Kelly just to see if he would feel it.

A couple minutes later, Kelly opened his eyes and Rodney fell back with a
start. "How long?"

"A little over five minutes," John answered.

"OK. Aside from your friend Kolya, there are at least five others within
the building and maybe about a dozen out searching for the ship."

John wondered how Kelly did it but now was not the time to question it. He
helped the other man stand. "Any ideas where we are?"

"From what I could tell, the cellar of the local government
building."

"It would be the only one to have cells such as this," commented
Teyla.

"What of weapons?" asked Ronon. "What are we up against?"

"Wait a minute here! This guy sits on the floor, goes into a 'trance' then
tells us about the Genii? You really believe this?"

"Would you have believed sharing your body with another consciousness if
it hadn't happened to you?" countered Kelly.

John chuckled. He remembered how they all thought McKay had gone around the
bend that time. So now that they had that extra information they wanted, what
were they going to do with it?

"So now what? The odds are still against us."

"Not anymore." Kelly smiled. "They're here."

*****************

When they materialized on the other side of the Stargate, Teal'c looked at Ryan
Kelly and Shannon Flynn who both seemed in some pain. He hoped that the
medication Colonel Carter found for them would relieve the cause. Why were they
the only ones affected? It could not be because they were from the future or
Eric Rader would have similar complaints. "Could your pain be connected to
your abilities?" he inquired.

"I never thought of that," said Ryan Kelly.

"Maybe because we're sensitive to certain wavelengths or whatever,"
added Shannon Flynn.

"I think I've located Alan if you guys are up to making contact,"
called Eric Rader from the cockpit.

"OK." The two members of the TOC closed their eyes and contacted
their friend.

Such a way of communication would be a boon to the war against the Ori. Even if
there were one psychic on each SG team, it would keep tactics and strategy
secret. Perhaps if one were powerful enough, a psychic could cause disruption
among the Ori, possibly isolate a Prior from his masters.

Shannon Flynn and Ryan Kelly opened their eyes. "They're being held by the
Genii in the cellar of the government building--that's what Alan called it
anyway." Ryan Kelly stood and walked to the cockpit.

"What of guards?" questioned Colonel Mitchell. "That might help
a smidge."

"Aside from Kolya, there are five others in the building and more out
searching for the ship." She walked to the cockpit as well.

Teal'c stood and followed her and watched as she and Ryan Kelly placed their
hands on the control panel by Sergeant Lewis. A look of intense relief passed
over her face and Ryan Kelly smiled.

"What are you two doing?" questioned Eric Rader.

"Alan told us he heard the buzzing in his head too and this is how he got
it to stop," answered Shannon Flynn.

"Did it work?"

"Oh, yeah. With an added bonus," Ryan Kelly said.

Teal'c wondered what such a bonus could be.

*****************

Rodney still could not come to grips with Kelly's "abilities". He
believed in facts and numbers. Physics was the science. For him, this
telepathy and stuff was like something out of Trek. They only had his
word about how many Genii they were facing. They hadn't actually seen anything.

"So are we just going to sit here and play 'I Spy' while we wait?"
The idea of sitting here helpless was not the impression he wanted to make for
his reunion with Samantha Carter.

"Of course not, Rodney. We'll coordinate an attack with SG-1 and Kelly's
team." Sheppard said it so matter-of-factly it irked.

"So we get to overpower the guards after all." Ronon was just happy
to have the opportunity to hit someone.

"Then we retrieve our weapons from Kolya," put in Teyla.

"I do have another idea," said Kelly. "One of my team can bring
us some weapons. It'll give us a better chance."

"Sure. That'll be great," agreed Sheppard.

Now that I have to see.

A few minutes later a man appeared in the center of the room a few steps away
from Kelly. He just appeared: no Gate, no beam, and no rings. Just a small
device strapped to the wrist. To have such a device could change the course of
their battle against the Wraith... His mind went into overdrive contemplating
the possibilities.

The newcomer looked about. "You've certainly ventured off the beaten path
this vacation." He unslung the pack from his shoulder and opened it to
reveal a number of guns, clips, and even a couple zats.

"You should know I don't go to the usual tourist traps."

"Wha-- How did-- That's impossible!"

"Obviously not," said Teyla.

"I'm not one to question the science of how you got here. Lt. Col. John
Sheppard." He held out his hand.

"Capt. Ryan Kelly. Yes, we're brothers."

"Twins, actually," said Alan Kelly.

After introductions were made, Ronon got straight to the point. "So what's
the plan?"

********************

Daniel smiled as Ryan disappeared with the weapons to help the Atlantis team
escaped. In the back of his mind, he could hear Jack saying We gotta get
some of those!

"I still can't get used to that," said Mitchell.

"Every once and awhile it hits me what we're doing and I'm amazed,"
said Eric.

Mitchell looked at Shannon. "You'll let us know the moment you hear from
them, right?"

"Of course."

Daniel put that comment down to nerves and waiting and hoped that Mitchell
would realize that Shannon wouldn't keep anything from them. Not knowing if
Mitchell would say anything, he did. "Not that we think you're holding
anything back."

"I'm sorry," Mitchell apologized. "It was a stupid thing to say.
I'm just not used to all this," he said motioning to his head.

"Apology accepted."

"What do you think they'll do?" Daniel wanted to know.

"Alan will probably be able to locate the Genii leader and Ryan will move
them to where they can retrieve their weapons and Alan's device. That's
probably when they'll need us to create a diversion," speculated Sam.

"We just have to hope that Sheppard doesn't want to make it
personal," Mitchell said.

"He might if it's Kolya," put in Eric.

"Let's just say it is Kolya," said Daniel. "Would this be
something sanctioned by the Genii or is it a personal matter on his
part?"

"It is most likely the latter," answered Teal'c. "From what we
have learned, the Genii would be content with any of the Atlantis teams. Kolya
has arranged this to specifically lure that of Col. Sheppard."

With a look towards the town, Daniel wondered what the showdown between the two
men would come to.

****************

Teyla felt better armed and she could tell Col. Sheppard and Ronon felt the
same. McKay was given a strange weapon he and the brothers called a zat and he
appeared comfortable with it.

"From what I can tell, Kolya is away from the office where he has probably
stashed our gear," said Col. Kelly.

"I'll be able to home in on Alan's machine but as we don't know what we're
up against, everyone face away from me when we go."

"What are you talking about?" demanded Dr McKay.

"The machine generates a field that will enable us all to travel together.
The closer you stand to me, the better."

Teyla watched as Col. Kelly took position beside his brother. She then stood
next to him, her back to Capt. Kelly. Col. Sheppard stood nest to her and McKay
and Ronon were the last to join the circle.

"Weapons ready," ordered Col. Kelly. "Time to tell the others
we're on the move."

After a moment of disorientation, she saw she was in an office of sorts. There
was no one inside and Ronon moved to the only doorway to watch for the approach
of any Genii. At that same moment, gunfire could be heard coming from below. That
must be the diversion.

Col. Sheppard, Dr. McKay, and the Kelly brothers began to search the desk and
cabinets. "We'd better hurry in case Kolya realizes it's a
diversion," said the colonel.

She walked to the window that overlooked the square. The townspeople had
disappeared inside so it was easy to see both sides of the fight. Across the
square she could see six figures under cover firing weapons similar to what she
carried. They could only be SG-1 and the other members of Col. Kelly's team.
She changed her angle to try to see the Genii but it was near impossible.

*********************

"How does it look, Teyla?" John asked.

"SG-1 has taken position on the opposite side of the square and are firing
upon the Genii. I cannot see the Genii below us."

"Bingo!" shouted McKay. "False bottom to the chest." He
took out the weapons and handed them out.

Kelly held out his hand and McKay reluctantly returned the machine.
"You've had enough accomplishments, Rodney. You don't need to steal
someone else's thunder."

John turned to Ronon. "We clear?"

"Clear."

"All right." He took the lead and everyone fell in behind him, the
brothers in the rear. As they neared the stairs, he heard footsteps rushing up
towards him and paused at the corner waiting for whoever it was to get closer.

A man turned the corner and stopped, seeing six weapons pointed at him. His
hands moved out from his body. "I underestimated you, Col. Sheppard."

"It's becoming habit with you, Kolya." He nodded for Ronon to disarm
him. "I will say you are looking good for a dead man."

"As long as Cowen believes it."

He motioned for Kolya to turn around and walk ahead of them. "It doesn't
really matter what Cowen thinks as he's dead."

Kolya stopped. "Why don't I believe you?"

"Why would I lie? I didn't like either of you but at least you were up
front about what you wanted."

"There was a coup," put in McKay. "Ladon is the new
leader."

"And how do you know all this?"

"Ladon used us to get Cowen and his guard away from your world. Also, as
we helped cure his sister, I believe we're on his good side at the
moment."

"How wonderful for you."

"If you tell your men to lay down their weapons and end this, we might be
able to make a deal."

******************

Sam was surprised when the Genii suddenly stopped fighting. It was highly
unlikely that they would just stop so they must have succeeded inside. She
slowly stood, hoping the halt of fire wasn't just a ply to draw them out. Out
of the corner of her eye she saw the others stand as well.

Mitchell was the first to move towards the building, finger on the trigger just
in case. As they fell in behind him, Shannon said, "It's okay. They got
Kolya."

Sure enough when they reached the entrance, the Genii soldiers were standing
with their hands behind their heads. The doors opened and Sam could see the
group approaching. The first through the door had to be Kolya as he was dressed
as the other Genii. Behind him were the members of SGA-1 as well as the Kelly
brothers.

"I see the plan worked," commented Daniel.

Col. Sheppard saw them waiting and gave them a casual salute. "Thanks for
the rescue. When Kelly said you were they team coming after us, I didn't
believe it."

"We were in the neighborhood." Mitchell returned the salute.

"We were working on a plan," interjected a familiar voice.

"McKay?" Is he actually holding a zat?

"Col. Carter." He sounded cold and uncaring but his fidgeting told
her he was nervous.

"I will contact you in three days' time, Colonel," said Kolya.
"We can discuss the rest of the matter then."

"Definitely." Sheppard and his team began to walk away.

With a quick look at her Mitchell started after Sheppard. "You gonna tell
me why you made a deal with that guy?"

"I'll fill you in on the way back to the jumper."

"Where are you going?" asked Rodney as he pushed his way forward.

"To the jumper. I kinda wanna get back to Atlantis."

"I thought we could, um..." He glanced over at Alan who was now
reunited with his team.

"After being locked up in that cell, I really want a walk in fresh
air."

Of course McKay would try to get out of any strenuous activity.

"Me too," said a tall man with a beard and dreadlocks. Must be
Ronon Dex.

McKay seemed to be ready with some witty retort but caught her eye and changed
his mind. I wonder if he's trying to show me he's changed?

"I'll call Sgt. Lewis and let him know we're on our way back."

"Good idea, Sam. He can send word back to Atlantis," agreed Mitchell.

She spoke into her radio. "Sgt. Lewis, we're on our way back. You can
power up the ship and send the news back to Dr. Weir."

"Yes, ma'am. Whoa! How did that happen?"

"How did what happen, sergeant?"

"The jumper just powered up on its own and dialed the Gate."

Sam worried that the Genii had done something after all until she saw the
members of the TOC smiling. "I don't think you need to worry. Just pass
the word to Atlantis."

"Why did you tell him not to worry?" asked Daniel. "This could
be serious."

"Because I think I know who did it." She faced the TOC. "That's
how you got the buzzing to stop. It was the ship recognizing your abilities.
You bonded with it somehow and you can control it from a distance."

"That is how you were able to contact Atlantis without knowledge of the
Gate address," stated Teal'c.

"That's...convenient," said McKay.

"It's goddamn awesome!" declared Mitchell and Sheppard in near
unison.

*************

Elizabeth smiled as she thought on the return of her Number One team and their
guests and wondered if they were all equally prone to finding themselves in
similar situations. SG-1 she knew from experience had such a tendency and mused
on whether it was part and parcel of being a flagship team. From what she knew
of Col. Kelly and his team, they were the only members of the TOC, which
greatly increased the odds.

After Carson had examined everyone and re-bandaged Col. Kelly's wound, they
held a quick debriefing where she first learned of John's offer to Kolya. On
top of his making the offer without consulting her, John wanted her to call
Ladon and make arrangements.

She approached the large glass door at the end of the corridor and, as it
opened, she inhaled deeply. There was nothing like the sea air. She followed
the sound of conversation and beer bottles and came upon the three teams
sitting in what could pass for beach chairs exchanging tales of one-upmanship.
"The Dirty Dozen. I had a feeling I'd find you here."

"And how did you know that?" asked Rodney.

"Col. Kelly looked down at the water after his 'nap' and said all he
needed was a lounge chair and a pitcher of beer and he'd be happy."

"I'm surprised you remembered," replied Alan.

"I think she stores up information on everyone in case she needs it
later," commented John.

"Are you accusing me of blackmail?" she asked, feigning shock.

"No, just advantageous negotiating."

"Elizabeth, sit down and take a load off. I'm sure the city can spare you
for awhile." Daniel motioned to an extra chair.

"Please," added Shannon. "Teyla, Sam, and I could use another
woman to help the

odds."

Elizabeth sat down and took a beer from Ronon. "I wanted to let you know I
contacted Ladon and he's willing to talk with Kolya on a neutral planet of our
choosing. I told him that you would get back to him with the details."

"Great. I'll contact Kolya tomorrow." John sounded less than
enthusiastic.

Elizabeth took a sip of her beer. "So, are you here solving the problems
of the universe?"

"Nothing so grand," responded Teyla. "It is more like children
trying to out-do one another."

"Daniel can't use his ascension story," put in Eric. "It has to
be something we can at least come close to."

"Who's in the lead?"

"I believe that the colonels are too close to call in this instance,"
Teal'c informed her.

"But don't you have an edge?" she asked Alan.

"No stories from the past. Same rules as Daniel."

"I think we're in the final round," said Ronon.

"OK. I believe one of my better schemes was when I instigated a war then
sold arms to both sides." Ryan took a swig from his bottle.

"Not bad," said Col. Mitchell. "But I think I have you beat. In
a cavern under Glastonbury Tor, I pulled the sword from the stone and fought a
hologram knight in order to gain access to Merlin's treasure." The look on
his face seemed to say 'Top that!'

"Ah, but did you figure out a way to open every Stargate simultaneously
then use an Ancient weapon to annihilate the Replicators?"

"Ooh, good one, Sam, but not good enough."

"Oh, come on! That was an amazing story!" declared John. "I just
have to hear yours."

Alan looked down at his left hand and wiggled his fingers.

"Oh, yeah, that should do it," commented Eric with a grin.

"I fought a duel with a mercenary and lost my hand."

"You look pretty whole to me," said Col. Mitchell.

"Looks can be deceiving." Alan extended his hand, exposing the wrist,
and gently touched the area with the index finger of his right hand and a small
panel opened to reveal sophisticated circuitry.

"How very Luke Skywalker of you," said Rodney dryly.

"I think I can come close to or better that," said John. "How
about flying a nuclear bomb into a hive ship?"

"The Daedalus beamed you out of that," argued Rodney.

"But I didn't know it was there, did I?"

"I don't think I've ever done anything that crazy," commented Alan.

"What about the time--" started Shannon.

"I don't think we need to go on," Ryan said, stopping her. "This
could easily go on well into the night. I don't know about the rest of you, but
the beer and sun has made me tired and a little lightheaded."

"I could do with something more substantial than chips and dip
myself," agreed Col. Mitchell.

"Well, there's the cafeteria," put in Rodney, "but I don't know
if I'd call it substantial."

Elizabeth could easily see that the adrenaline rush had ended and everyone's
energy levels were low. By mutual consent they began to pick up after
themselves each taking a chair and splitting the empty bottles. Ronon found
himself in charge of the cooler. This easy bond between them was wonderful to
see and she wondered if it would have happened without the mission.

As they all made their way inside, she reminded her team of their
responsibilities. "Rodney, John, remember we have our weekly briefing with
the SGC tomorrow." She heard a groan and couldn't tell who it was.

She lingered, looking over the ocean. They were lucky, she knew, that Col.
Kelly and his team arrived with SG-1 when they did. She didn't want to think on
what could have happened if they hadn't.

"Dr. Weir, is anything the matter?"

"No, Teyla. I was just thinking in what we would have done if SG-1 and the
TOC hadn't been here."

"You would have done the same thing. It just would have taken a little
longer, that is all. We were already forming a plan. It is no use to wonder on
what might have been especially when the resolution was positive in
nature."

"Thank you, Teyla. I know I have a tendency to over-think things. We have
a saying 'It's no use crying over spilt milk'." She smiled at the other
woman's puzzled look. "It doesn't make sense to show regret over things
that can't be changed. You just have to carry on. Which I guess I have to do
now. I have a few things to finalize for tomorrow as well."

"Good evening, Dr. Weir."

***************

Cam woke up the next morning a little later than usual. He didn't know if he
should attribute it to the time lag, the mission, the beer, or the late-night
gab session in Jackson's room. And the rooms were just fantastic, like some
post-modern art-deco suite. All it needed was the large plasma TV on the wall,
the matching sound system, and, of course, the wet bar.

He rolled out of bed and made his way to the bathroom and relieved himself of
all his excess liquid libations. He then splashed his face with cold water to
help himself fully wake. He then tugged at his shirt in a vain attempt to get
rid of the wrinkles.

He sat on the edge of the bed and shoved on his boots. As he was tying up the
first one there was a knock on his door. "Come in!"

The door opened he saw Teal'c, Carter, Eric, and Shannon. "It appears we
have all overslept."

Cam finished tying his bootlaces. "I'm guessing Jackson is down in the
Archives."

"I haven't seen him," said Carter, "but it's a safe bet."

"Where are the brothers?"

"Rodney wanted to run some tests with the jumpers," answered Eric.
"Something about the reaction time of a hands-on pilot versus the psychic
link. I'm kinda upset they didn't wake me. I would've liked to have seen
it."

"That's probably why they didn't," said Shannon as they left his
rooms and walked the hall. "You know Alan likes to show off when he has an
audience."

"I think that most pilots do," Cam agreed. "You can't really
help it."

They made a stop at the mess for coffee and a quick bite before heading to the
balcony where McKay was conducting his experiment. Cam was surprised to see the
fourth member of his team there with a camcorder in his hand. "Jackson,
what're you doing here? I thought you were in the Archives."

"I was," Jackson answered. "I heard McKay and Sheppard talking
about this when I was getting coffee and figured Jack would want to see
it."

"How many hours do you have?" asked Sam.

"I'm not really sure." He aimed the camera back to the sky.
"They're due back in a bit."

"Will you quit your yammering?" demanded McKay. "I'm trying to
study these read-outs."

"They're not even here yet," protested Eric.

Sam put up a hand as if to prevent any further argument and sidled up to the
physicist. Leaning over his shoulder, she asked, "What are we looking
at?"

McKay got flustered and, between stutters, explained that the readings were
near identical, Alan having a slightly quicker reaction time since he didn't
need to worry about controls. "We have one more move planned. Perhaps you
should watch to see if you can tell which is which."

"You're not going to tell us?" asked Shannon.

"Of course not. Where's the fun in that?" He spoke into his
communicator. "OK, gentlemen, last one when you're ready."

Sam joined them at the rail. "What was that all about?" Cam asked,
hooking his thumb back towards McKay.

"He has a bit of a crush on me," she answered somewhat embarrassed.
"I just thought I'd take advantage of it."

Cam grinned. "I just never pictured you as using your feminine wiles like
that."

"Well, I know it works on Rodney and puts him off-balance enough that he
forgets what he was arguing about."

"They are starting," Teal'c stated indicating the sky in front of
them.

Cam didn't know what he was expecting to see; certainly not something that
would rival the Blue Angels. It was intricately choreographed and all that was
missing was the colorful exhaust. He was having a hard time picking which one
was Sheppard and which was Kelly. Just when he was decided, the other jumper
would do something to make him question his choice. They finished with a
dramatic fly-over.

"Damn! I wouldn't expect that kind of movement by the way they look,"
he commented.

"Granted they don't look as slick as some, but they can move," McKay
said proudly as if he had designed them himself.

"So who was who?" asked Jackson. "I say the one on the right is
Alan."

"I guess I can have them show you." McKay spoke to the pilots through
his communicator yet again. "Your audience wants to know who's who so do
something special."

One of the jumpers built up speed, pulling away from the other. It then went
vertical at a 90° angle for a good while before banking left and straightening
out. Cam's jaw dropped at the move. "What the hell was that?"

"Ace's High," answered Eric proudly.

"By elimination, the other must be Col. Sheppard," stated Teal'c.

"Looks like he's not even going to try to do anything," Sam observed.

"Not many do," Shannon said with a smile.

"Who can blame them?"

***********************

John was floored by that move. He would have to figure that one out. Aside from
its jaw-dropping effect, it would be ideal for evasive purposes as it would be
unexpected.

He looked out at the open sky. He so did not want to go back. He hadn't had the
chance to just fly. He had missed the exhilaration, the freedom it provided. If
it weren't for the weekly briefing he would stay up and try a few more tricks
but the last thing he needed was Gen. Landry thinking him irresponsible. He saw
Alan was already directing his jumper back to the bay and he reluctantly
followed.

That he had to admit was truly amazing. To be able to control and
maneuver the ship by thought alone was unbelievable. He knew McKay had
mentioned to Kelly about testing range and distance too. That would need to
wait until after the briefing.

The brothers were waiting for him in the jumper bay. "That was some move
you did at the end. You have to teach me."

"We called it 'Ace's High' at the Academy. Last I checked, only two pilots
could do it."

"Who's the other?"

"Eric." He took a deep breath.

"Are you okay?" John asked him.

"Yeah. It just took more our of me than I thought."

"Let's get you off your feet then. Don't need you falling down and
re-injuring yourself. That's my job."

"I could do with a coffee and maybe some form of sugar."

They headed down the stairs to the control room, "Do you think it will
always take two to work it?"

"I was just there to ground Alan and relay messages from Rodney. I'm sure
if we stayed around to get more proficient, there'd be no need," answered
Ryan.

"Don't tell that to Rodney or he'll never let you leave."

"They met up with the others outside the briefing room. Elizabeth looked
at her watch the moment she saw him. "I am impressed. You made it with
minutes to spare."

"Hey, I'm usually on time for these."

"True, but with you flying and Rodney involved in a new project, I didn't
expect to see you at all." She looked to Rodney. "How did it
go?"

"My preliminary findings show that Col. Kelly's reaction time was about
20% quicker than Col. Sheppard's. What I'd like to try next is increase the
distance between the colonel and the jumper to see his range."

"I don't see why we need to do all these tests when no one on Atlantis is
telepathic," commented Ronon. "It seems to me that you're doing all
this work for nothing."

"It will give us more insight to the Ancients," answered Col. Carter
before Rodney could start. "It will let us understand how the technology
worked."

"Plus it shows us that they were telepathic," added Daniel.

"And if someone else with these abilities arrives, we'll know what to
do," Elizabeth finished.

"So this is worth pursuing?" asked Teyla.

"Definitely," McKay replied. "The more tests we run, the better
our chances of mastering this."

"I'm willing to help out," volunteered Mitchell. "I don't have
the gene, but I'm sure there's something I can do."

"Ah, not this time 'round," said Alan. "You guys are going
through the Gate when they dial the SGC."

***********************

Daniel looked at Alan. Is he always dropping bombs like this? "Why
would we do that when you can take us back any time?"

"I like to keep my promises. Besides, Landry could use a laugh. Well, at
least a chuckle."

"What are you talking about?" asked Sam.

"You'll know when you get there," he replied with a sly smile.

Daniel knew Alan was being cryptic for the fun of it, not because it was
something to do with the timeline so he didn't bother asking any more
questions. His teammates must have felt the same because they stayed quiet as
well.

"Why do you not question his reasons?" asked Teyla.

"It is because he knows things we do not," responded Teal'c.

"And for your convenience, the porters have brought your bags," said
Eric as he and Shannon arrived with everyone's packs.

"You had this thing planned," accused Mitchell.

"Pretty much." Alan shook Mitchell's hand. "You take it
easy."

"You're not going back with us?" questioned Sam.

"No, I think we'll hang out for a bit till they get this thing with the
Genii sorted."

"You just don't want to face what's waiting for you," teased Daniel.

"There is that."

"It was an honor working with you once again, Col. Kelly," said
Teal'c.

"Perhaps when we meet again, it will be under more pleasurable
circumstances."

"Same here, Teal'c. A nice little spot away from it all."

"Don't stay a stranger," Daniel said holding out his hand.

"'Course not. I'm sure I can arrange a few more field trips."

"Dial the Gate," Elizabeth ordered. As it was being dialed, she
turned to them. "Now that you've seen our accommodations, you'll have to
spread the word."

"We'll make it the most sought-after vacation spot in two galaxies. Hell,
Jackson can edit his film into a promotional video," joked Mitchell.

The wormhole opened. "Stargate Command, this is Atlantis. Before we begin
out briefing, I'm sending something through."

After a slight delay, WO Harriman's voice sounded through the Gateroom.
"Very well, Dr. Weir. The iris is open and we are ready to receive your
package."

Daniel looked to the upper level where Elizabeth stood and experienced a
strange twist on déjà vu. The action and the view were near identical to that
before every mission but the location was wrong.

Sheppard gave them a casual salute while McKay looked longingly at Sam, not
caring if anyone noticed. Teyla and Ronon just stood still nearby.

"SG-1, you have a go," Elizabeth said with a smile.

Daniel smiled genuinely in response before turning around and walking through
the Gate.

**************

Gen. Hank Landry walked into the Gateroom to await the arrival of the package
from Atlantis. Odds were it was some sort of Ancient device that wanted Dr.
Jackson to look at. Too bad he wasn't here, having just left with the rest of
SG-1 on some mission to the future. He chuckled and shook his head. I can't
believe I think of that so matter-of-fact.

He stood at the base of the ramp and was surprised to see his flagship team
walk through the Gate. "Col Mitchell, how did you end up in Atlantis? You
just left--" he looked at his watch "-five minutes ago."

Jackson laughed. "That's why."

"What is amusing, Daniel Jackson?"

" 'I like to keep my promises.'"

Col. Carter realized what he meant. "Alan promised he would have us back
five minutes after we left."

"Damn, he is good!" Col. Mitchell exclaimed in appreciation.

"It sounds like we have a long debriefing ahead of us. Despite
how...interesting it sounds, we have to wait until after the conference with
Atlantis."

"Very good, sir."

With that, Landry walked up to the briefing room, a slight bounce in his step.
Leave it to SG-1 to keep things from getting stale. Too bad he had to sit
through the drudgery that was the weekly Atlantis briefing before he could hear
about the mission. He sat at his chair in the empty briefing room. "Dr.
Weir, let's get this started."

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