Trust Once Broken | SGA John Sheppard

0.113.0

They all froze in shock. This was really happening. They had lost Atlantis. It was over.

O'Neill fidgeted with his tie. "I said forty-eight hours, unless you need more?" He promoted, arching a brow that suggested they had better not need more time.

Elizabeth shook her head. "No, that should be enough," she said hollowly.

"That's it? We're just going to take this lying down?" McKay challenged. "We rescued them!" He sputtered indignantly.

John's whole body was locked down as his mind raced. They were leaving. There was nothing they could do. They were being forced to vacate Atlantis. The only place he had ever thought of as a home and he had to give it up. He couldn't remember ever feeling this helpless.

It was over.

"And they are immensely grateful," Woolsey soothed. "From their point of view Doctor McKay, they're being extremely generous. Keep in mind that when they left Atlantis, we were basically a hunter-gatherer species."

"Well, did you remind them if we hadn't hunted and gathered them out of the void between galaxies they would still be stuck there," McKay challenged angrily.

"We should have left them out there," John muttered slowly as he shook his head in disbelief. This couldn't be happening. Forty-eight hours until they had to leave. His eyes ran over the control room and the gate room below. So much blood had been spilt to preserve this place. Their home.

"I know you feel as though you are losing the city-" Woolsey started to say and John's eyes snapped up to meet his, rage burning in their hazel depths. Woolsey hesitated, swallowing nervously.

Elizabeth quickly stepped forward. "This is about more than losing the city Richard. I mean, this is about losing an opportunity to talk with and learn from living, breathing ancients."

Woolsey glanced at Colonel Sheppard but whatever rage he had seen in the other man's eyes was under control now. He had always considered himself an excellent judge of character and he had never once considered Colonel John Sheppard to be a man of short temper. Tensions were high, he supposed. He licked his lips and continued. "They are willing, over time, to let us back in the city. Just not right now. That way, we get all the benefits of Atlantis with very little of the risk and expense."

"Yeah, it's not like we don't have our own Galaxy to worry about," O'Neill told them, he glanced towards Sheppard. "Colonel?"

Sheppard lifted his gaze to meet O'Neill's. His jaw felt like granite as he gritted his teeth to keep his emotions in check. Somewhere he knew he was dumping all over Kai. He needed to get himself together and reassure her but he couldn't just yet.

"I'd like you to supervise the withdrawal," O'Neill commanded.

John shifted uncomfortably but nodded. "Yes, sir," he agreed after a moment.

There was a long pause where everyone stood frozen, unwilling or incapable of making the first move to make this a reality.

"Go ahead children," O'Neill said gesturing towards the door and John and McKay headed out of Elizabeth's office.

Once they were a ways down the corridor John turned to McKay. "I want you to round up all the science folks and have them start packing up the labs."

McKay nodded distractedly.

"And make sure you don't take anything that we aren't supposed to be taking," John added as an afterthought. Just his luck, McKay would start an intergalactic incident over some ancient screwdriver or something.