A/N We don't own any of the franchises used in this story. We are just fans.
Chapter 3
Standing outside the jumper was Rodney McKay. He was, for lack of a better way of putting it, Chief Engineer of Atlantis. If anyone knew how to work with Lantean technology, it was Rodney McKay. As the GD people stepped out of the jumper, they stared at their surroundings in awe. Here was a city that was built in a completely alien way. Yet it wasn't alien. The proportions were all normal for humans. In fact, the jumper that they had flown in was clearly built for someone with a human physique. Dr. McKay stepped forward. "It's a pleasure to meet all of you," he said smoothly. "I've heard a lot about GD, and I've seen some of the technology that's come out of there. Some of it is really quite impressive."
O'Neill gave McKay a dirty look, and General Carter stepped forward. "Some of it, Rodney?"
McKay shrugged. "The phasing vest is cool." He paused and then shrugged as if he didn't know what else to say.
Doctor Deacon held out his hand, rescuing McKay from his own arrogance. "I'm sure living in Atlantis makes even the extraordinary seem mundane."
O'Neill shook his head. "No, Dr. Deacon. Rodney is just an arrogant jerk, but he's pretty smart, which is why he's still here."
Teal'c nodded sagely and said dryly, "Indeed, O'Neill. If one were to buy Rodney McKay for what they thought of him, and sell him for what he thought of himself, that individual would never have to work for money as long as they were to live."
Colonel Sheppard stepped out of the jumper at that moment and quipped, "I don't think such a transaction would be legal because of the consequences for the poor person who bought him."
McKay shook his head. "You people are unreal. I've just met these people, and you're already running me down to them."
Sheppard started to say something, but O'Neill held up his hand. "McKay's right. We shouldn't run him down like this. We'll let the people from GD form their own opinions regarding him. It shouldn't take too long for them to come to the same conclusions we have."
Rodney started to say something again, but this time O'Neill stopped McKay from commenting. "Whaddaya want, McKay? I'm not running you down now. I'm letting you do it yourself." With that, O'Neill started away from the jumper, and McKay had no choice but to follow, stewing.
As they stepped away from the jumper, the Eureka people took in the scene. Fifteen jumpers were arrayed in a circular pattern on two levels. Rodney explained that the jumper bay was directly above the gate room, and that the jumpers were designed to fit through the eye of a stargate. "When we want to take a jumper through, we lower it to the gateroom. Each jumper has a DHD built into the control console, so they can even program their destination and return safely."
He led the way down to the gate room, so they could see what he was talking about. When Carter saw the Stargate, he commented on the difference between it and the one at SG1. McKay nodded. "Yes, this stargate has no moving parts, unlike its Milky Way Galaxy equivalent. The dialup sequence is much faster as well. It's a next generation stargate, however, it is completely compatible with the Milky Way Stargate network. We can receive incoming wormholes right here. Or, we can open a wormhole and send people anywhere we choose. At the moment, the SGC has orders to let us receive incoming, so they've powered down. Only one stargate can be active at a time on any given planet. Actually, this stargate will supercede any Milky Way equivalent."
Henry Deacon and Fargo were captivated by the stargate. Zane was trying to be nonchalant about it, but he was failing miserably at that. "So you can open a wormhole to anywhere in our galaxy from here?" He asked.
"Not exactly, Dr. Donovan," McKay said. "We can only open a wormhole to another stargate. However, there are thousands of stargates on thousands of different worlds here in our galaxy, and thousands more in the Pegasus Galaxy."
Allison had been slowly walking towards the gate, but at McKay's words, she stopped. "You mean to tell me that a person can walk through that gate and be in another galaxy?"
"Yes, Dr. Carter. That's how we first travelled to Atlantis. Actually, Dr. Deacon, you'd be very interested to see how our wormhole drive works. It's very similar in operation to a stargate, but we can move the entire cityship through the wormholes generated by it."
Fargo's shoulders slumped, and his features took on a downcast demeanor as he said, "It looks like I'm out of a job then. That would make the Astreaus look like a snail by comparison."
Mr. Woolsey stepped up beside Fargo, who was still facing the Gate. "Actually, Dr. Fargo, we've only used the wormhole drive once, and it was deemed to be something we didn't want to use again until a lot more study had been done on it. It almost destroyed Atlantis. It's very unstable. We were hoping that you and Dr. Deacon would work with Dr. McKay and Dr. Carter to try to fix it. We'd very much like to be able to use it again."
Fargo looked surprised for a moment, but recovered quickly. "Of course! I'd be happy to help with it."
Woolsey smiled at that, and then turned to the rest of the group. "And now, I'd like to show you Atlantis. I think you'll be somewhat…. Impressed."
The group left the gate room and took a meandering tour of the accommodations in the city. They then made their way to the medical center where they were startled to meet Rodney McKay's wife, who was the doctor in charge. O'Neill said in an aside to Carter, "We're really not sure what she sees in him, but to each his or her own, ya know?"
Carter nodded and responded, "Some people would say the same of Allison and me though."
O'Neill nodded. "You've got a point there."
Carter did a double take, then looked injured. "Well, you don't have to agree with me!"
O'Neill looked startled, and as Carter looked away, he smiled broadly. The smile vanished as Carter looked back. O'Neill was all innocence as Carter asked, "So what does Sam see in you?"
Sam had been watching, and as her brother placed O'Neill on the hotseat regarding her, she blushed and looked back at Jennifer McKay, who was explaining some of her instruments to Allison and Zoe. She did, however, steal a glance back at O'Neill a couple of minutes later. His mood was still good, but as she caught his eyes, he became a bit introspective. She looked away, so as not to embarrass him, and as she did so, she had the distinct impression that she was being watched by someone else. Her head snapped around, almost involuntarily, as she looked for her observer. There was nothing there. Then, the feeling dissipated. No… It wasn't gone, but it had receded, as if it had known that she discovered it, and had hid itself away. She shuddered, and pulled herself back to reality.
A bit later, they came to the ZPM room, and O'Neill enjoyed watching as Henry, Zane, and Fargo crowded around to see the small, golden glowing power supplies. It was Grace Deacon, however, who gave voice to all of their awe as she gazed at one of the ZPMs. "That one unit can supply enough power to hold back an ocean and still supply enough power for daily life in the city? That's incredible!"
Jo Lupo had been hanging back on the fringes of the group watching with interest as they toured the jumper bay, gate room, infirmary, and then the ZPM room. All of that was incredibly fascinating, yes, but it was all up Zane's alley. Then, they arrived at the drone storage facility. Jo had watched the videos as Dr. Jackson explained how ancient technology worked, including the ancient gene, and the "chairs" that the gene allowed someone to control. It had not escaped her notice earlier, that as Colonel John Sheppard flew the jumper, he touched no controls. Now, her attention was captivated by the racks of drones. Like one in a trance, she slowly moved to one of the drones and tentatively reached out to touch it. She ran her hand almost lovingly over the smooth surface as Mr. Woolsey explained the defenses of his city.
"One drone can take out multiple targets. Often, the person controlling them will simply ram a drone through multiple ships. In battles with the Wraith, with a fully charged ZPM, I've seen Colonel Sheppard take out as many as twelve Wraith darts and two hive ship with a single drone," he said.
Sheppard shrugged his shoulders and commented, "I targeted the reactor core. As long as the drone still functions, it's useful. They're incredibly responsive and agile. They can change directions almost as fast as you can tell them to."
Jo was enthralled. "What's the power source?"
McKay answered her. "Each drone has a pulse/wave engine powered by a mini ZPM." Jo shrugged her shoulders and made a 'give me more' gesture as she shook her head.
McKay gave a long suffering sigh as he prepared to lecture. "The pulse/wave engine utilizes a laser which shoots pulses of energy into a small bit of fuel. When the fuel is converted to energy, the shields around the combustion chamber inhibit the energy from being expended. As more and more fuel is converted to energy, it creates a warping of space, which is able to propel the drone. By altering the location of the warping inside the combustion chamber, we can change the direction of the drone."
"I see," Jo said.
"Sure you do," Rodney quipped. " Then you can let me know when you have some improvements to incorporate into it."
Zane had been quietly talking to Sheppard in the back of the group, but at McKay's implied sneer at his fiance's intelligence, his head snapped up and the color drained from his face. Sheppard saw his reaction and quietly asked, "Did McKay just set a date with destiny?"
Zane looked his friend in the eye and said, "Let's just say if Jo were to pick a fight with Thor's legend, I'd place my money on her."
Sheppard nodded solemnly. "Then I'd say she needs to have a sparring match with our Teyla."
Jo stiffened at McKay's words, but didn't say anything about it. Allison looked at her husband who was simply shaking his head. As the group left the drone room, Allison took Jack's hand and said in a low voice. "Now we won't even get to know McKay before Jo kills him."
Jack shook his head. "That's ok. He reminds me too much of Parrish. I don't think I want to get to know him."
Sam and O'Neill fell into step beside the Carters. Allison took note of the fact that O'Neill's hand was lightly on her sister-in-law's back as well.
"I kinda noticed the resemblance between the two when we met Dr. Parrish. I'd be afraid of the two in the same room. Their ego's would suffocate anyone unlucky enough to be there with them," O'Neill commented.
Jack Carter nodded enthusiastically, and had to bite his tongue to keep from mentioning Nathan Stark, Allison's late ex-husband.
Samantha leaned over to her brother and whispered, "Was Nathan really as bad?"
"Worse!" he said, then stopped in his tracks. "Wait a minute, Sam. I didn't say anything!"
"And if you hadn't said anything just now, no one would have been the wiser," she countered.
All four of the group had stopped now, as the rest of the tour continued up the corridor. "Did I miss something?" O'Neill asked.
Samantha looked her brother in the eye and he clearly heard her ask, "Shall we tell them?" in his mind, although her mouth didn't move.
He nodded, and in her turn she heard, "We may as well, now. You go ahead."
"Recently, Jack and I have found we can communicate, …. well... telepathically."
O'Neill looked concerned. "How recently?"
Samantha took a deep breath. "For about the last two years." At O'Neill's sharp glance, she hurried on. "Jack's and my security clearance are about the same, General."
"I'm not worried about that kind of security clearance, General," O'Neill stressed her title since she had used his. "There are other things he definitely does not have clearance for."
At Samantha's blush, Allison was very glad that she wasn't a fair haired blonde like her sister-in-law. The crimson color in Sam's cheeks left no doubt whatsoever of the type of clearance her brother lacked.
Sam glared at Jack the General. "And if you hadn't said anything, no one would have been the wiser on that either. Normally Jack and I have to intentionally communicate with each other."
Allison asked, innocently enough, "What do you mean by normally?"
Jack Carter turned to his wife. "Unless we're really emotional about something..." He realized this was not helping. "I mean we have to get excite... what I mean is..." He stopped. He was going to have a hard time digging his way out of this.
Allison confirmed his fears. "You're digging deeper, not out."
He nodded. "I know."
She nodded with him, a small smile playing across her lips. "Uh huh… Couch tonight?"
He nodded again. "I figured." He turned and started slowly walking toward the group that had stopped several yards up the corridor. The others followed.
The last stop on the itinerary was the docks. These were enormous pads arrayed like lily pads around the central spires of the city.
Once the tour was complete, they came back to the gate room. When they all filed in, Mr. Woolsey answered a few questions about the city, then he turned things over to Samantha Carter. She stepped forward and waited until everyone was paying attention to her.
"Several years ago, we traveled to a planet that had been uninhabitable for eleven thousand years. Even though it wasn't habitable by organic beings, there was a... person... there. He was an android whose creator had download his consciousness into, when the planet had ceased to support organic life. Harlan, as we found his name to be, had been tending the machinery that supported his mechanical life for those eleven thousand years. Harlan made duplicates of us to help him, and to keep him company. We left the duplicates of us there, but they were destroyed on another occasion. We have since communicated with Harlan, and have negotiated a treaty to build a shipbuilding complex there. Now, the complex is completed, and is ready to start production."
O'Neill stepped forward, and Samantha deferred to him. "Until such time as we can transport Dr. Jackson's stargate to your section five in Global Dynamics, Atlantis will remain here in Lake Archimedes, as a means of transportation to Altair, as Harlan's planet is called. We would like both Doctor Deacons, Doctor Fargo, and Doctor Donovan to work closely with General Carter, who is in charge of the Altair shipyards, and Doctor McKay in improving the design of our 305, now called the GD-305. As well, personally, I would like to see Doctor Donovan's mites used to improve production speed on the GD-305. I think they can be a real asset to the production facilities there."
Fargo raised his hand tentatively. "Uh, General O'Neill... I don't know about the others, but I really don't want to be duplicated. Uh... We've had some experience with that and I know I really didn't like it."
"Not to worry, Dr. Fargo. Harlan isn't in the android making business anymore. He's learning the shipbuilding trade," O'Neill reassured him.
Again, Fargo raised his hand. "General O'Neill. Also... I really think Doctor Marten would be an asset to the team."
Samantha laughed softly at that, as did her brother. O'Neill looked at Sam who nodded affirmatively. He gestured to her, and she answered. "Dr. Marten is very welcome on the team, Dr. Fargo. I would love to hear any input she has. I know she's quite a scientist."
"And now, everyone. We'd like to show you Altair."
Mr. Woolsey nodded to the control room on the balcony, and the gate came alive. There was a gasp from a few of the GD people when the wormhole flashed momentarily into the room, then as it stabilized into what looked like a pond in the middle of the ring, the anticipation became palpable. Each of the people in the room had dedicated their lives to discovery of one type or another. Even Sheriff Carter who tried to discover the truth. None of the GD personnel expected to be leaving Earth that morning, but they welcomed the opportunity to see another world. General Carter and Rodney stepped through the eye and disappeared, followed by Sheppard and the man and woman who had been standing on the balcony waving when they approached the city in the jumper. They had been introduced briefly as Teyla and Ronan.
Allison looked at Jack Carter, who nodded reassuringly. Zoe grinned broadly at her father, and stepped eagerly forward. Only Fargo held back for a moment. "Does it hurt?"
Sheriff Carter stepped towards the gate, then turned to him. "Oh, come on, Fargo. I've gone through before."
Fargo hesitated. "Yes, but you are always doing sheriffy things. You're used to risking your life. I'm not."
"Oh... Like you don't risk your life every time you push a button you know nothing about."
Grace Deacon held out her hand to Fargo. "You know, Doug. I don't know what it feels like, but SG1 has gone through literally hundreds of times and they're all ok. I want to see what's on the other side of that gate. Don't you?"
Fargo stood still, undecided for a moment, then nodded, and lunged forward. With a yell of "Bonzai!" he leaped through the gate and was gone.
O'Neill stood still for a moment staring at the gate. Then he looked towards the Sheriff. "Is he always that way?"
Carter nodded. "Yeah. He's a... He's Fargo." He shrugged his shoulders and stepped through the gate with his wife at his side. He honestly couldn't think of anything else to say or do.