Chapter Five
Gibbs walked on the East Pier, hands shoved in his pockets. He knew Sheppard was out here somewhere, but the East Pier was enormous, and it was taking too long to find the man. “Don’t suppose you’d point me in the right direction?”
A light along the railing to his left flickered briefly.
“Thanks.” He hadn’t had a reaction to the city when he’d first arrived, but had reluctantly agreed to try the gene therapy. He apparently had enough Ancient genetics that whatever the gene therapy turned on caused him to have a fairly significant connection with the city.
He’d be shipping out on the Daedalus in two days, and as much as he’d be glad to get back to Earth, he was pretty sure he’d miss the hum of the city in the back of his mind.
He found Sheppard leaning on a railing, staring out over the water, expression pensive.
Gibbs mirrored his pose, standing about a foot away. “It wasn’t personal, John.”
Sheppard dropped his head, taking in a deep breath. “It felt personal.” He looked over at Gibbs. “He called on our friendship to get me to agree to back his play.”
“Is that what he did?” Gibbs turned to brace one elbow on the railing so he could face Sheppard. “There was this case a while back—multiple missing Marines from the same unit. We suspected their CO was behind it, but hadn’t been getting anywhere. Then one of them turned up dead. We got stuck in this loop of no leads, and Tony…” Gibbs shook his head, smiling fondly at the memory. It still wasn’t easy to talk about Tony, but if anyone deserved to hear about him it was Sheppard. “He was bouncing off the walls. Wanted to go out and surveil our prime suspect, just keep an eye on to see what he would do. He practically begged me to let him go, promised he could handle it.”
“And he couldn’t?”
“Yes and no. If it had been what we thought, he’d have been fine, but that was all of our mistake—thinking the case was what it appeared to be. He stuck to the rules and called me every hour to check in, kept his distance from the subject. But he’d been drugged by the actual perpetrator while he was keeping his distance. He was taken while he was on the phone with me.” Which was up there in one of the ten worst moments of Gibbs’ life.
Sheppard winced. “So you went and got him back, I take it?”
Gibbs chuckled. “We figured out where he was but, by then, he’d already saved himself and another Marine who’d been abducted. He was resourceful that way. Thing is, I was pissed because he promised me he could handle it. That’s the reason I told myself that I was pissed.”
“But he couldn’t have—” Sheppard broke off and winced.
“Right. It wasn’t that he couldn’t handle it or that he wasn’t skilled enough, but our line of work is unpredictable, and sometimes you’re looking at a man you think is the killer and it’s really the woman you’ve been getting helpful information from.”
“Why were you really angry?”
“Mostly at the things outside of our control—that I’d missed the perpetrator right in front of us. Then there was the issue that I’d let him go out there alone. It’s discouraged to operate alone in the field, though permissible in certain circumstances. Short-term surveillance from a distance should have been okay, but the truth was that there were too many unknowns to ever assume safety.”
“Was he hurt?”
“Not really. Headache from the drugs, but he could have died.” The real wound had been to Tony’s feelings because Gibbs had played off like he hadn’t cared that Tony had been missing. The truth was that most of Gibbs’ anger had been at himself for letting Tony go out there alone. “Tony’s one of the best at what he does, and he’s not used to not succeeding.”
Sheppard glanced away. “Rodney’s the same.”
“It’s harder on them when they fail. But Rodney failed at his work, John, he didn’t fail you.”
Nodding, Sheppard continued to stare out of the water. “Boyd angry?”
“No, and neither is Caldwell. Military minds tend to think big weapons are worth big risk.” Gibbs shrugged. “He’ll learn—we all will. Then we’ll move on.”
“Yeah.” After another pregnant silence, Sheppard said, “Sometimes you talk about him like he’s alive and others like he’s dead.”
Gibbs blew out a breath at the change in topic. “Feels wrong to talk about him either way. He’s not here, but I guess he’s not really gone either.”
Sheppard shot him a sympathetic look. “Maybe he’ll come back.”
“It’s been six months.” Gibbs stared at the water, watching something like a very, very large whale off in the distance.
“You cared about him.”
“Mm-hm.” Gibbs considered briefly if he should meddle in other people’s relationships. Again. Then he mentally said fuck it. “Think about why you took what happened so personally.”
“What are you saying?”
“Don’t make the same mistake I did and wait. You might wake up one day and it’s too late. It won’t hurt any less because you sat on how you felt.”
“That’s interesting advice from an NCIS agent,” Sheppard said carefully.
“I’m not on duty. Besides, the Secretary of Defense sets the parameters of the NCIS Resident Agency, Cheyenne Mountain, of which Atlantis is included. And that section of the UCMJ is not within my mandate.”
“That’s…interesting.”
* * *
Frank Boyd closed the door to his office after Gibbs then took a seat at the small conference table. “I’d offer you tea, but I imagine you’d find that highly insulting.”
Gibbs snorted in amusement. “Need to put a bug in the general’s ear about increasing the coffee rations sent on the Daedalus.”
“I’m sure the standard coffee requisition will be sufficient once you’re no longer on the city.”
With an unrepentant grin, Gibbs just shrugged.
“We’ll be sorry to see you leave tomorrow, Jethro. You certain you won’t reconsider staying on out here?”
Gibbs glanced out the windows at the bustling activity. There was an off-world mission for AR-3 in about an hour. “I’m tempted—more than I thought I’d be—but I need to go back.”
“Well, there’s nothing to say that you can’t come back if the mood strikes. I’m fairly certain General O’Neill will give you your choice of post.”
“Maybe.” He considered the other man for a few moments. “You think you’ll be happy here?”
Boyd smiled faintly. “It’s an interesting adventure, something I could never have imagined for myself. Retirement was boring.”
“I guess this is anything but boring.” He considered all the things in process and the things still left to do. “Dr. McKay all right?” He hadn’t seen McKay since right after the incident on Doranda. The scientist had shut himself in his lab.
“He’ll get there. It’s always difficult for the best and brightest to not succeed at something. He worries more than he should that people will hold the failure against him, but we’ll take care of him.”
“Good.”
“If I could beg your counsel one last time…?”
“Yep.”
“It’s related to a project Dr. Beckett has proposed.” Boyd passed over one of the tablet thingies they used on Atlantis. He understood why they tried to minimize paper use out here, but the adjustment hadn’t been the easiest for him.
Gibbs read through the research proposal, eyebrows climbing higher and higher. “How far along is he with this?”
“Further than I would like, especially considering that this is the first anyone has heard about it.” Frank steepled his fingers under his chin, looking troubled. “He specifically said to me ‘in the wake of Rodney’s failure on Doranda, this may be our only choice.’” That sounded like emotional manipulation to Gibbs.
“I’m not a scientist, so correct me if I’m misunderstanding something…”
Boyd nodded.
“He’s talking about genetic suppression of the wraith traits that they somehow got from these bugs…?”
“Correct.”
“Not a change but suppression.”
“Yes.”
“So, it’s not permanent.”
“No.”
“Then what’s the point? Even if this genetic mask lasts a year, it’s not sustainable or scalable. And you’d be looking at an enormous prison population that would have to be maintained out here because you’d never get approval to move these prisoners back to Earth.”
“I mentioned the issue of staffing an internment camp of any size, and Dr. Beckett seemed surprised.”
“Is he an idiot?”
“Not intellectually speaking, no.”
“But in any form of common sense, yes?”
Boyd dipped his head in acknowledgment.
Gibbs rubbed his hand over his face, feeling a headache coming on. “He really thinks we can cover up the people-eating side of them for an unknown duration and take it on faith that they’ll come back on time for their booster shots? He really doesn’t see that he’s talking about a solution that’s life in some sort of prison?”
“Apparently not.”
“Don’t ever let him be in charge of anything important.”
“Other than being the base’s Chief Medical Officer?”
“We might need to look into that,” Gibbs snarked.
“So you think the research should not proceed at all?”
“With those parameters? I wouldn’t think so, but something with that inherent risk and potential manpower drain should be approved all the way up the chain.”
“Well, I’ll include it in my report, but I’m certainly not going to authorize this research as it stands.”
“Then what’d you need my help for?”
“Two things. First, I think there’s some troubling implications here. And the second is in regards to research about the wraith in general.”
“I don’t know that I have much of an opinion on the research side of it.”
“Oh?”
Gibbs considered what to say. “On the face of it, I want to say we should know as much as we can about an enemy. But what he’s proposing, to perform experiments on living beings, would violate the Geneva Conventions.”
“Which probably doesn’t apply out here or to races not from Earth.”
“Legally speaking. But if the only thing that makes it permissible is a legal loophole, I’m not sure we should be doing it. Or rather a bigger group of people with more authority need to be looking at the problem. The Marine in me who doesn’t want to be someone’s food thinks we should pursue learning everything we can about them with the goal of defeating them. But someone’s got to draw some lines, and that thing I just read said Beckett’s not the person to be doin’ it.”
“Which leads to the troubling implications I mentioned.”
“You mean that his ethical lines aren’t in a place you’re comfortable with?”
Boyd nodded. “That and how much of the obvious issues are not a problem for him. It makes me question his judgment. But, also, how he’s gotten as far as he has without telling anyone.”
Gibbs rubbed his jaw absently, thinking through the situation. “I think we need to look into his past projects. Make sure he’s not been cutting corners that are going to bite us all in the ass later.”
“Agreed. If you’ll run that back home, I’d appreciate it. In the interim, as soon as Dr. McKay is feeling more himself, I’ll loop him in on the issue and have him do a peer review of Dr. Beckett’s past work.”
* * *
“Agent Gibbs,” a deep voice called from behind him.
Gibbs turned around, shouldering his bag. “Specialist Dex.”
“Sheppard said you’re leaving.” Dex hadn’t been part of Gibbs’ duties the last week, so he hadn’t had the opportunity to mention his departure.
“Yep. Atlantis was a temporary assignment. Security assessments and helping Dr. Boyd get settled.”
“You’re paranoid about security.”
“Yep.”
“I like that.”
“I’m sure you do.” Gibbs had been on the fence about giving his recommendation to someone else from off-world joining the expedition, but he had cautiously given his okay to Boyd along with some advice about what to pay attention to going forward. He was glad Dex was working out. He’d be a strong ally on Sheppard’s team.
“You’re also a good shot. We could use more of that around here. You’re good at killing wraith.”
Gibbs chuckled because the wraith were not a selling point when it came to this place. “I’m needed back on Earth, but I’ll have an assortment of sniper rifles sent for you to try out on the next run from the Daedalus.” Gibbs had only encountered the wraith once—when he was reviewing beta sites with Sheppard. Because Gibbs had been well briefed on how to kill a wraith and the known vulnerabilities of their darts, he’d been able to handle himself well. Headshots to the wraith on the ground were well within his skillset.
Dex grinned.
“You should let Dr. McKay study your gun.”
“No.”
“How else is he going to make more?”
The grin this time had more teeth. “No.”
Gibbs just shook his head. He really, really wanted that gun.
Still smiling, Dex extended his hand, which Gibbs shook readily, and then he went back to wherever he’d come from.
Gibbs continued his journey to the East Pier, giving a pat to the wall. He was gonna miss this crazy city—she felt good. But even more so than the SGC, Atlantis made him think of Tony. How much Tony would love, how well he’d fit in. And with Tony’s genetics, the city would come to life for him. It made Gibbs ache with the loss of it all.
* * *
Tony kept his attention on Gibbs while babysitting the facility he was bartering for. He didn’t think the Ancients would be such enormous dicks that they’d move or destroy the place, but he didn’t want to take any chances. It was easy enough to construct his “piano” in this place as anywhere else. It probably drew the attention of the others more since he was using psionic energy on the temporal plane, but he’d already shown his hand, so he had nothing left to hide.
When Tony had decided to give in to the pull of the psionic planes, he’d had his mind set on Oma and how he might help her. He also wanted to figure out the next thing for him. Over his last year with NCIS, he’d felt untethered from his life. Due largely to his feelings for Gibbs. He didn’t even know exactly when he fell completely in love with his boss, but it’d been this gradual thing, and then one day it’d just been right in front of him. This huge thing that he thought could go nowhere. Every day, it had been harder to stay, harder to put on the mask and pretend that everything was fine.
He’d had the idle thought that he should move on to a new job to give him time to get over Gibbs, to find someone to love who might reciprocate. And then he’d inhaled a bunch of white powder and, in those moments, ascending didn’t seem much different from taking a new job. It would be just the next thing…
Gibbs’ obvious grief at Tony’s loss was painful to witness. Even more painful was the reality of his bad assumptions. He’d decided immediately that he was going back, but he had to figure out how. Going back with no memories was not an option because Tony had his target in his sights now, and he wasn’t going to let amnesia fuck up his future.
So he’d waited and he’d planned. Right now, the waiting was the hardest part.
He let his fingers drift over the keys, each tuned to a different thing he wanted to learn. The Ancients were so rigid in how they approached eternity. They didn’t even bother to learn anymore. They just existed. It made it entirely too easy for Tony to work around them. To find new ways to look at the present and the past.
He felt Janus’ arrival, so he willed away the construct. Now that Janus knew what it was, he didn’t want to give him time to examine it.
“Hello, Janus.”
“Anthony.”
“That took much longer than I expected.”
“I can’t say that it won’t be even longer. At times, we make decisions very quickly, and other times our deliberations might be described by you as ‘glacial.’”
“Joy.”
“There are going to be some negotiations.”
“I assumed.” He didn’t let it show how relieved he was that they were even entertaining the idea.
“They want to know how you’ll deal with the problem before we go further.”
Tony laughed at the audacity. “So, give you the solution on blind faith? I don’t think so, Janus.”
“It’s that simple?” Janus asked with a raised brow. “It’s not something you will have to do?”
“It’s pretty straightforward, yeah. Whether you’re willing to do what needs to be done, well, that’s another issue.”
Janus’ expression hardened. “I’ll do whatever it takes, Anthony, do not doubt me.”
“Yet, you do nothing.”
“Oma made a great sacrifice to protect the universe. I will not dishonor that. But if there is a way to free her without loosing Anubis to wreak havoc, I will do so. I ask again, how can this be accomplished?”
“You haven’t agreed to my terms, Janus.”
“They will give you this facility—that they will agree to.”
“And everything inside? No messing around with it so it’s less than it should be?”
“No, Anthony, we are not tricksters.”
“Forgive me for not trusting you. You dumped Daniel Jackson naked on another planet with no knowledge of who he was. You created the wraith and then left them to feed on an entire galaxy. You sat and watched as the goa’uld enslaved and subjugated millions using your technology, and you did nothing. And you divorce yourselves entirely from the Ori while they oppress an entire galaxy, demanding to be worshiped as gods. Yet you stand there and are offended that I doubt your word?”
“We do not lie. We may choose to honor our choice not to interfere, but that does not mean we are dishonest.”
“It’s curious what gets your knickers in a knot.”
Janus looked confused.
Sighing, Tony looked out over the gently rolling hills. “So you say they’ll let me have this. With no conditions?”
“There will be conditions.”
“Are you gonna tell me or do you need to go pow-wow with the glacial negotiators of the higher planes?”
Janus shot him an exasperated look. “No more than four potentia may be taken to Earth. One will remain in your command center within Cheyenne Mountain. One will be for the control chair at the outpost but must be returned to Atlantis if your governments decide to decommission the outpost or the control chair. Two may be used in your battle cruisers called Apollo and Daedalus. If you build additional battle cruisers, you may take more for that specific use. They are to be used in the Milky Way for no other purpose.”
“That bargain is for four new. Because we both know there are others lying around, and I’m not going to get into a situation where we violated the letter of the law and not the spirit.”
Janus inclined his head. “The rest must remain in Pegasus. Also, any you find or have in the Milky Way that are discharged must be returned to Pegasus.”
“Are you willing to explain why?”
Sighing, Janus waved his hand and two comfortable chairs appeared. He sat, leaning his head back, and stared at the sky. “I have never been satisfied with how we left things here—you are not wrong in your criticisms of us as it pertains to the wraith. I have persuaded the others that the potentia are already here. That we are simply allowing you to keep the knowledge of what might be discovered regardless.”
“So you persuaded them it was a small concession because you want the resources to remain in Pegasus?”
“In the pursuit of protection of this galaxy and fighting the wraith, yes. Also, there are others like myself who simply needed this reason to give help to Pegasus.”
“And if they should have to move the city? To the Milky Way? Or if the wraith should make it out of Pegasus?”
Janus’ lips pursed and he considered for several seconds. “We will have to refine the nature of our agreement.”
“Yes, we really will.”
“What else do you require?”
“I want to de-ascend, which I will do myself.”
“You truly think yourself capable?”
“I do.”
“You cannot retain all the knowledge you have gained here. Your physical body could not sustain it.”
“I’m aware, but I also know I can retain something.”
Janus looked wary.
“Don’t worry so much. I have a list,” he said brightly. It appeared on Janus’ lap. Some items glowed, which was the only method of highlighting at his disposal. “The items I’ve called out are non-negotiable. I can be persuaded on the others.”
After reviewing it for a long time, Janus folded the paper in half, and then it disappeared. “I will negotiate with the others.”
“No issue with the amount of knowledge?”
“Your mind can sustain that much, and more, which I gather you’ve already deduced, but it’s a matter of will they allow it. I can agree to the mandatory ones, though there may be conditions.”
“Such as?”
“For instance, you request to retain the knowledge of Merlin’s weapon, the Sangraal. They may grant this, but it’s likely the condition will be that you can only reveal it to others if the Ori should make advances into the Milky Way. Or they may block your knowledge of it until that event occurs.”
“I’d agree to that.” He shot Janus a speaking look. “You know I don’t have any interest in wiping you guys out even if I do think you’re a bag of unrepentant assholes.”
“Why ever might we think you disdain us enough to destroy us?” Janus asked, tone Sahara dry.
“Because there’s literally nothing in it for me or the people of Earth? I mean, yeah, you guys have been hands-off for the most part, but we can’t even attempt to manipulate you into helping out if you’re dead. Your non-involvement doesn’t make you a threat, it just makes you a bag of dicks.”
“I reluctantly see your point.” Janus got to his feet. “If you’ll tell me now how to save Oma I will negotiate on your behalf to the best of my ability, attempting to see you granted everything you’ve asked for.”
Tony pursed his lips, wondering if he should be so reckless as to give the game up so soon. But, to be fair, he was always going to have to tell them before they fulfilled their promises. It was always going to be a leap of faith on his part that they wouldn’t screw him in the end.
“Okay,” he finally conceded. “I’ll trust you, but you also have to promise that if Oma is pissed at me, that you’ll take the heat.”
“You think she will be angry with you?”
“I honestly have no idea. I’m not sure if she’ll find all of this entertaining or vastly disappointing.”
“I will intercede on your behalf in this matter as well.”
“Fine.” Tony hesitated again, hating having to extend faith to these guys. Even if Janus was pretty decent as far as an Ancient went. “So, you guys don’t really have any control of this half-ascended dude.”
“Correct.”
“And your attempts to force him to fully ascend were unsuccessful.”
Janus cocked his head to the side. “How do you know we attempted this?”
“Because despite your non-interference policy, you guys have forced ascension before.”
Looking unimpressed at Tony snooping into their past deeds, Janus just laced his fingers together and stared at him.
“You get that the reason why you’re able to ascend is that there’s a similar…frequency, for lack of a better term, between the energy that fuels this plane of existence and the human consciousness?”
“Oft called psionic energy. Yes, I’m aware.”
“And that the reason why goa’uld can only suppress the consciousness of their host, rather than truly merge with or consume it, is that their wee little brains do not at all resonate with that psionic energy?”
Janus’ eyes widened comically then he vanished.
“Yeah, you need to get the goa’uld out of the host!” Tony called after Janus loudly. “Goa’uld can’t ascend!”
Half-ascended his ass. The host was ascended with an unascendable passenger along for the ride in control of the body. The answer had been right in front of them all along, but the Ancients ascended and then spent millennia reveling in their enlightenment and never learning a damn thing.
“Good talk,” he muttered to no one.
Chapter Six
Tony felt her arrive but didn’t stop playing.
“Hello, Tony.”
“Oma.”
There was a long silence as he felt her moving closer. “Janus said your piano was just a construct that you were learning through, that it didn’t actually make sounds.” She stepped into his line of sight, looking much the same as he remembered from his childhood.
“I didn’t need it anymore, and this is actually my piano. There’s no one in my apartment, so I figured why settle for whatever I could will into existence when I could have this.” He frowned. “I have no idea how functional a conjured piano would be. Is ‘conjured’ even the right word?”
“It serves as well as anything. I could explain in more depth, but is there a point?”
He briefly paused playing then resumed. “No, I suppose not.”
“The music is lovely. What is it?”
“It’s a chorale titled, Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring, and it was composed by Johann Sebastian Bach; he died a little over 250 years ago.” He shot her a quick look. “Blink of an eye, no?”
“In the infinite span of time, yes. Though our arts didn’t last nearly so long.”
“You stopped focusing on them because they were a distraction on your path to ascension?”
“Yes.” She moved closer, trailing her fingertips along the side of the piano. “Do you compose yourself?”
“More jazz arrangements than anything, but I find classical restful. And it reminds me of my mother—the good stuff, anyway.” He side-eyed her. “It feels like it’s been a long time since I gave Janus the information on how to free you.”
“About two months by Earth’s measures.”
“And did it take them that long to free you or have you been occupied?”
She was silent for a long time, but eventually asked, “If they had not agreed to your terms, would you have left me locked with Anubis for eternity?”
“No,” he replied without hesitation. “I ascended for you, Oma. Figuring out how to free you was always my main purpose, but I had nothing else to bargain with.”
“And you truly do not wish to stay?”
“Hell no. You guys don’t do anything but exist. You don’t even clean up your messes.”
“You judge us harshly.”
He hit the wrong note, causing a discordant sound to reverberate. He stopped playing, turning on the bench to face her. “I think I’ve judged you pretty fairly. You sought eternity, but you do nothing with it. You don’t even learn anymore.”
“Don’t you think someone like you could help us see things differently?”
“Maybe, but do you think those old stuffed shirts are even willing to learn? Look at what you did to Daniel Jackson when he wouldn’t fit into your mold. Because of what you did to Daniel, I had to play a long game to get what I wanted and have my memories intact.”
“Daniel would not stop interfering in mortal affairs.”
“You mean he wouldn’t stop caring about those he’d left behind.”
She pursed her lips.
“I made it here, Oma. Yes, you showed me where the path was, but I achieved this on my own, no?”
“You did.”
“But none of you think I’m all that enlightened. And maybe I’m not, but the closed-mindedness you all display isn’t really reflective of enlightenment either. Really, what you call enlightenment is figuring out how to let go of the life you had. Congratulations, you’ve mastered apathy.”
“You’re angry.”
He glared. “Yes, I am. It sucks to sit here and see people die, being eaten because you guys wanted to figure out how to lose your give a fuck. This isn’t a gig I want to be a part of.”
“Many of us agree with you, but we are very slow to change when eternity stretches out before us.”
He sighed, tired of their excuses for not dealing with the messes they left behind, and turned the discussion back to the question she’d never answered. “Did it really take them so long to free you?”
“No. Janus didn’t even bother to get the permission of the others. He broke into our battle and removed Anubis from the host. The host immediately ascended and we were left with a goa’uld.”
“Charming.”
“The others arrived, some of them upset with Janus for taking action without consulting them, but we were then left with three issues: what to do with the goa’uld, acclimating the former host to his new life, and then you.”
“Let’s take it from the top, then, shall we? What’d you decide to do with the goa’uld?”
She glanced away. “I did not wish to end Anubis’ existence, Tony.”
He froze. “What are your options? You can’t stick him in another host—that would be unconscionable. You can’t force ascension on him. So…what?”
“The goa’uld is dead. Janus delivered him to one of the leaders of the free Jaffa and gave them leave to decide his fate. They executed him.”
“And that pains you? Really?” He got to his feet and walked away, keeping his back to her. He found her sympathy for a single goa’uld to be repellent considering the millions the goa’uld had subjugated or killed not to mention the many more millions the Ancients had sat back and watched die.
“I understand your anger,” she said from right behind him. “There is little we can do for the masses, so it is sometimes easier to care for the one.”
“That’s just another example of sounding enlightened when it’s really pretty disgusting. There are a lot of individual lives you could care about. That you chose Anubis is… I can’t even talk about it anymore. Moving on. What’d you do about the host?”
“He did not wish to remain. Feeling as if he’d had no life of his own, his will subjugated for hundreds of years, he wished a mortal life.”
That sounded more enlightened to Tony than what the Ancients had on offer. “So he wanted the whole memory wipe deal? The full Daniel Jackson treatment?”
“Yes. He has no memory of who he was, but I feared there was a chance he might be recognized eventually as bearing a strong resemblance to Anubis, so I’ve placed him in Chaya’s care. He will live out his life in the Pegasus galaxy amongst her people and will face no great threat ever again.”
“And me?”
She sighed. “I wish you did not desire to leave us, but I understand your reasoning.” She circled around to stand in front of him. “Janus told me he revealed the nature of our emotional connection to you.”
“Is this sentiment?”
“You are as close as Janus and I will ever come to a child, and I am fond of you. I know you could make a difference here.”
“In what…? Ten thousand years?” He glanced away. “Is there a reason we can’t revisit this after I’ve had a mortal life?”
“You cannot achieve ascension if you’re running from death.”
“Yeah, I know. But it’s interesting how you guys have decided that the only way an elderly person would ascend was to escape death. As if the only enlightened position is to leave behind many years of life stretching in front of you.” He waved his hand, dismissing the discussion they were never going to agree on. “I am going back, Oma. You’re not talking me out of it.”
“Very well.” The list he’d given Janus appeared in her hand and she passed it back to him. “All of your requests were granted though some with the provisions that Janus expected the others would ask for. For instance, the knowledge of any weapons that can affect an ascended being will be blocked until such time as the Ori make incursions to your galaxy.”
Tony sighed. “Or you guys could do something about those assholes.”
“I will try to reason with them, but this is all we have now.”
“I’ll take it, then.”
“There is one condition on all of it.”
Tony fought back instant anger. “So they added an overarching condition when we already had at least partial agreement? Great.”
“In a manner of speaking. Please hear me out.”
He gestured for her to get on with it.
“The items Janus had already negotiated for and disclosed to you are unencumbered beyond the stipulations you already discussed. But if you want your entire list, including a few things you didn’t ask for but that I think you might find useful,” she reached out and took both of his hands in hers, “then you must live your life on Atlantis.”
Tony blinked. “You want me to stay in the Pegasus galaxy?”
“We wish for you to stay on Atlantis, wherever she may be, as long as it is possible. Obviously, you would not be held to this bargain if the city were to be destroyed or become uninhabitable.” Oma winced even as she said the words. “You will de-ascend and reveal none of our bargain until your leaders have agreed. When they’ve accepted the terms, you may take them the potentia. But only you, Dr. McKay, and Colonel Sheppard may know about this place. Your leaders must agree to that stipulation as well.”
“I can never return to Earth?”
“You may visit for short times, but Atlantis must be your home. Outside of the four potentia slated for Earth, the knowledge you’ve gained must primarily be for the benefit of Pegasus.”
“So you got them to agree to this level of ‘interference’ because the wraith are your mess, while the other stuff going on are a progression of events that didn’t have much to do with you.” He gave her an unimpressed look. “Except for how you left your technology lying around for the goa’uld to use to exploit millions.”
“You will never persuade the others they bear any responsibility for what others might do with what we left behind, but the wraith, well, that is a stain on our people that time will never erase.”
“So, I get everything I asked for if I stay on Atlantis. Do I really have a choice?”
“Yes. You may stay here and we will still give the leaders of your expedition the opportunity to access the potentia under the same stipulations. Or you may return with just your knowledge of this place and do as you wish with your life.”
“Or I get everything but I’m bound to Atlantis.”
“Not bound, Tony. You will love the city.” She smiled softly. “Your Jethro loved the city very much. But the city made him think of you so he left.”
Eyes narrowing, Tony replied, “I’m pretty sure you were locked in combat with Anubis when Gibbs was on this city.”
“And yet he recently spoke of it to Daniel Jackson and why he does not wish to go back.”
Tony tried not to overly spy on Gibbs, though he tuned in frequently so he’d know if something went drastically wrong. He’d noticed that while Gibbs could still be…taciturn on a good day, he’d opened up and communicated more since Tony’s ascension. Maybe because Tony wasn’t there to fill in the communication void for him.
“I guess Atlantis it is,” Tony finally said and took a steadying breath even though he didn’t really need to breathe anymore. “Let’s talk about the nuance of all this because, as I explained to Janus, I don’t want to get dinged by you guys for violating the letter of the agreement.”
“Clarity is a worthy aim, but we are not interested in being punitive with you. I know your intention is to de-ascend yourself, but you will need me to remove the memories and knowledge of this plane of existence that would overburden your human mind.”
Tony nodded, worried about having anyone rooting around in his brain but not able to do much about it. He glanced over at the piano, sticking out like a sore thumb in the grassy landscape. “I guess if I’m going to Atlantis, there’s not a lot of point in sending my piano back to my old apartment.”
“I will protect it for you. Simply call on me when you have quarters and I will bring it to you.” She reached up and squeezed his arms. “I will always come if you call, Tony. Always.”
* * *
Tony lay in the grass and tried to get his bearings. He was pretty sure he’d been sitting when he’d started this whole thing.
There were holes in his memory, but he knew why they existed. Knowledge kept him from complete panic, but it didn’t make the adjustment any easier.
“Just take deep breaths. Your mind will settle soon,” Oma assured him as she ran fingers through his hair. He felt everything. He’d adapted very quickly to not having typical physical sensations or ailments and it was odd to feel breath truly moving in his lungs and the tickle of the grass under his palms. “Sleep, Tony. The mind is very adaptable, and it can recover more easily while at rest.”
He let his eyes drift shut.
When he woke, he was in basically the same position, but his muscles felt stiff and sore. Oma was seated beside him, watching him closely. “How long?” he croaked.
“Two days.”
“Well, that would explain why I’m so stiff, but you’d think I’d desperately need to pee…” He levered himself up on his elbows, his whole body feeling creaky and old.
Oma laughed, looking surprised. “We may not choose to use our powers for much, but they’re more than sufficient for the task of ridding the body of waste products.”
“Nice.” He got to a seated position, wincing at sore muscles. He realized he was wearing some sort of weird white tunic with matching pants. Vaguely pajama-like but nothing like the blue PJs he’d been wearing in the hospital when he’d ascended.
Oma curled her hand around his wrist, and all the pain he was feeling vanished.
“Thanks.”
She nodded and rose gracefully to her feet. “It’s time to return you to Atlantis. You’ll be in time to avert what could be a minor crisis. I’ve left the information in your mind that you’ll need regarding the stasis pods John Sheppard’s team have encountered and brought back to Atlantis.”
“Oma,” he said softly, “thank you for helping. And for letting me go. This whole observer-for-eternity gig isn’t for me. I need to be part of something, you know?”
“I know. I used to feel much the same.” Her smile was sad.
* * *
Flashes of light were the first thing he registered as they appeared on the city right before what felt like being mentally hugged. “Is that her?” They were in an empty corridor that he knew from his time ascended could be just about any corridor on the city.
“Yes,” Oma murmured. “There has to be full power for the city’s avatar to manifest, but the city is aware that one of her children has come home.”
“She’s that excited to see you?”
“I was referring to you. While the city has been programmed to recognize ascended beings, it sees mortals with our genetic legacy as her children.”
“Oh.” He reached out and touched the wall, feeling the hum under his fingertips. “What’s with all the lights?”
“She’s greeting you, but you can ask her to stop. The diversion was probably useful as the city’s reaction to your arrival would have distracted Dr. McKay from opening that pod.” Oma reached up to touch his cheek, and the touch was odd. Both there and not—when he’d been ascended, her touch had felt fully real. “This is where I leave you to walk into your future. Use the information you have wisely.”
She pressed a kiss to his cheek then stepped back just as Janus appeared.
Janus just smiled as he curled his arm around Oma’s waist, nodding to Tony before they both vanished in a flash of light.
“Hmm. Should probably have gotten clarification about where the hell I am and where I need to go.” He reached out and touched the wall again. “You can stop with the light show, sweetie. It’s gonna freak people out, but it’s nice to meet you too.”
Her pleased mental hum was the reply, and the lights stopped.
“Don’t suppose you could help me get to Dr. McKay, could you? It seems we need to stop some pods being opened.”
Atlantis guided him with subtle flashes of light on wall panels straight to a transporter that put him out near the lab where they’d taken the stasis pods. He only encountered one distracted scientist until he got closer to the lab, at which point a couple of Marines took notice of his arrival.
At the looks of suspicion, Tony made a placating gesture before they decided to point their very large guns in his direction. “I was looking for Dr. McKay or Colonel Sheppard.”
“They’re inside, but who are you? Did you beam down from the Daedalus?”
“Not exactly, though there was something sort of beamish involved. If you could get Colonel Sheppard, that’d be great.”
“And who are you?”
“Very Special Agent Anthony DiNozzo, at your service.”
To his surprise, the Marine looked unamused and pointed the P90 his direction. “Not funny.”
“No, Mark, I think it is,” the other guy whispered. “He looks just like DiNozzo’s picture.” They’d put his pictures out even with the Atlantis teams in case they encountered an amnesiac matching his description in the wrong galaxy. Because the SGC rightly inferred that the Ancients were that kind of an asshole.
The doubter, Mark, cocked his head to the side and gave Tony a once-over. “I guess it is, but it’s not up to me to verify that. Wait here.” He nodded to the other Marine. “Watch him.”
Tony called out, “Tell them not to open the pods!”
Mark frowned but nodded then disappeared around the corner. There was the faint swish sound of a door opening. Not even a minute later, a whole gaggle of people appeared. Colonels Sheppard and Caldwell, Dr. McKay, Admiral Boyd, Ronon Dex, and several more Marines.
Everyone just sort of goggled at him, so Caldwell cleared his throat. “Agent DiNozzo, we were instructed to verify your identity by asking for the last word of the movie quote Agent Gibbs used shortly after you met.”
“Bifocals. Though this isn’t a great security measure against meddling from ascended beings. Also wouldn’t help if my memories had been erased like a hacker’s hard drive when the FBI comes knocking.”
But Admiral Boyd was grinning as he stepped forward. “Jesus, kid, it’s damn good to see you.” He yanked Tony into a hug, which Tony readily returned.
“Good to see you too, Admiral.”
Boyd pulled back. “Just Frank, Tony.” His expression sobered. “Are you just stopping in?” His tone was hesitant.
“No, I’m not doing a drive-by. I negotiated the terms for me to de-ascend. Which is a long, complicated story, but in the short-term, I need to be sure you guys don’t open those pods.”
McKay waved a tablet. “Are you responsible for the power fluctuations about ten minutes ago?”
“Yeah, probably. Oma and Janus dropped me off and the city was a little excited.”
Sighing, McKay tapped the tablet against his thigh. “And what’s wrong with the pods?”
“The people in them are already past the point of their bodies sustaining their lives. When the pods determined they would never again regain consciousness, it downloaded their minds, for lack of a better word. Problem is, the pod is designed to plug that consciousness straight into the first compatible body it encounters.”
“Oh.” McKay looked appalled. “I vote we not open the pods.”
“Are you certain about your intel?” Caldwell pressed.
Tony shrugged. “Oma supplied the information, but there’s not really any reason to lie to me about it. However, if you really want to test it, make sure whoever you sacrifice upon the altar of being possessed is kept away from any significant access or, god forbid, the inhabitant of the other pod. They’re mortal enemies and would burn the city down in order to kill each other.”
Caldwell’s eyes narrowed. “Isn’t Oma Desala locked in combat with Anubis for all eternity?”
“We fixed that,” Tony said with a negligent wave.
McKay snorted.
Boyd smiled at Tony. “I think we need to debrief so you can bring us all up to speed. How about we adjourn to a conference room?”
Sheppard had been watching Tony very closely and, at Boyd’s suggestion, he said, “Can I have a moment with DiNozzo?”
Boyd shot Sheppard a faint smile. “Of course, Colonel.” He looked back to Tony. “Are you hungry?”
“Now that you mention it…”
“Colonel Sheppard, perhaps you could take Tony to get something to eat while we figure out what to do with these pods. Then a quick stop by medical if you would. We can hold the rest of the introductions until you’re finished.”
Sheppard nodded then watched as the hallway cleared out, leaving just the two of them and the two Marines on guard duty. Sheppard tilted his head the direction Tony had come from. “Food first or would you like something normal to wear?”
“Something else to wear would be really appreciated because this alien PJ thing isn’t doing it for me.”
“Let’s visit the quartermaster first.”
They’d been walking down various hallways in silence for so long that Tony finally felt compelled to ask, “Are you trying to figure out how to break it to me?”
Sheppard halted in his tracks. “You already know.”
“Yep.” Tony faced him. “I didn’t miss out on much while I was up there. And I’m not upset or anything if you’re worried about that.”
“Not even finding out that the man you thought was your father isn’t?”
“Nah. That’s kind of a relief, really. He’s a dick.”
Sheppard snorted. “Yeah, okay.” He blew out a breath. “So…”
“Come on, let’s go eat and talk about frivolous shit while we get to know each other.”
Grinning, Sheppard started walking again. “What are your thoughts about Johnny Cash?”
* * *
Tony followed John into medical, relieved to find Dr. Biro was on duty. He had serious reservations about Carson Beckett and wasn’t eager to let his biological matter get into Beckett’s hands. He wasn’t sure if it was poor ethics or idealism without common sense—or maybe just fear—but, whatever the cause, Tony didn’t think the guy belonged out here.
Biro had already been prepared for their arrival, so she pointed Tony to a private medical bay.
“You want me to wait out here?” John asked.
“Nah, you can come in. I mean, unless she wants to give me a prostate exam, I think we’re good.”
John smirked and followed Tony, sprawling out on the chair. They’d taken a little more than an hour to get Tony some plain, insignia-less BDUs, and then they’d had lunch on the balcony outside the mess. The conversation had been lighthearted and gone a long way toward breaking the ice. John didn’t get too much into the family stuff, but he did tell Tony some basic info about Matthew and David. Neither of them had brought up whether or not to tell Patrick Sheppard about Tony’s existence. That was a thorny topic for another day.
Tony hopped up on the medical bed and let Dr. Biro do a basic examination. When she wanted to take some blood, Tony said, “I’m willing to let you do that because I know you have a protocol about tests that have to be run whenever anyone has been off-world. But other than that and an identity verification, I want to be clear that I do not give my permission for my blood to be used in any other way.”
She raised an eyebrow. “Of course, Agent DiNozzo. We’d never use your biological material without your consent.”
“Really? So Colonel Sheppard was consulted ahead of time when Dr. Beckett used his DNA to develop the ATA gene therapy?”
“Wait. What?” John sat up, brows furrowed.
“I think you must be mistaken. That gene therapy was in process before Colonel Sheppard joined the SGC.”
“I’m not mistaken. Beckett wasn’t getting anywhere before he had John’s blood, but feel free to check it out for yourself. The point is that I want it clear that whatever blood isn’t needed for the tests is to be destroyed.” At her skeptical look, he added, “My blood has already been used inappropriately by the SGC, so I have precedent beyond Sheppard for what I’m saying.”
“Very well.”
Some of the tests were run the old-fashioned Earth way with a centrifuge and microscope, but they had managed to make use of some of the advanced medical equipment on the city. Tony knew they’d find even more when they were at full power and with someone to guide them on where to find it.
As soon as she dropped some of his blood in the Ancient device, a display lit up, startling Dr. Biro. “Colonel, the city just updated your next of kin to be…” she trailed off and stared between them.
“We already know we’re brothers. It’s not common knowledge, but that inappropriate use of blood back on Earth unearthed that little secret. So, we know, but not many others do.”
John was sitting back in the seat, brow furrowed and looking lost in thought.
The screen flashed again and Biro reviewed the results. “You’re…” She cocked her head. “I’d say you’re mostly Anthony DiNozzo.”
“Mostly?” Tony and John said at the same time.
Tony hopped off the bed and went to review the information on the in-wall display. He understood the scientific information better than he should. “Huh. I’m not sure if it’s part of the ascension/de-ascension thing or what, but I have more Ancient DNA than I used to.”
Biro turned to him. “I’m confident confirming identification, but I would like to study the results a little further. No additional tests will be run.”
“Okay.” He wondered why he was more Ancient than he used to be. As soon as the question crossed his mind, the answer supplied itself. It was a parting gift from Janus to ensure that there were no parts or functions in the city that would be inaccessible to them due to insufficient Ancient genetics. He decided not to voice that quite yet and wait to see if it would ever come up.
“You’re as healthy as anyone else on this city, Agent DiNozzo,” Dr. Biro said with a faint smile. “The blood panels that require our standard equipment will be a few more minutes, but I feel confident giving you over to Colonel Sheppard’s care.”
“Thank you, Dr. Biro.” He shook hands with her then followed John out of the infirmary.
John tapped his headset and let someone know they were on their way to the conference room.
“You look…pensive,” Tony offered as they walked. He barely knew John, but he felt a sort of kismet with him. Like they’d known each other a long time. It was weird the idea that they were brothers, but he figured it was one of the less weird of all the weird things in his life lately.
John stepped into the transporter but didn’t select a destination when the doors closed. He rubbed his hand over his face. “I was just thinking about Beckett. Are you already aware of Dr. Boyd’s recommendation…?”
“If you mean that he’s requested a new Chief Medical Officer and that he wants Beckett rotated back to Earth, then, yes, I’m aware.”
Huffing a laugh, John shook his head. “Be sure to let Dr. Boyd know that you know all the things that only senior staff are supposed to know. It’ll save the conversational tap dancing.”
“Noted.”
“Anyway, I’d been advocating for Carson to stay, you know? We all went through the wars together last year. Now I’m wondering if that was the right choice.”
“It may have been the right choice with what you knew, but only you can say if the choice was made strictly out of loyalty or because there was something more concrete to back it up.”
John crossed his arms and leaned back against the wall. “The question of ethics has been raised a few times. I hadn’t wanted to look into it too closely. Maybe that was naïve. Especially considering how he won’t give up on this idea of getting a wraith for us to ‘cure.’”
Tony blew out a breath. “Look, John, you need to have to have Beckett’s computers audited.”
John just shot him a questioning look.
“I don’t want to be tattling on anyone, but he’s doing private research that he’s not disclosed to anyone that’s…questionable. Definitely unethical to do it without sanction or peer review, but the really problematic part is that he’s doing it with your DNA.”
“Mine?”
“Since your, um, blue phase recently, he’s become obsessed with, well,” he waved to all of John.
“Jesus.” John’s jaw muscles flexed. “I can’t believe he’d do that to me.”
“He probably doesn’t see it as any kind of betrayal because it’s just science, but his science is lacking in boundaries. He’s very much on the wrong side of the Jeff-Goldblum-in-Jurassic-Park argument.”
“He’s senior staff, which means he’s going to be at this meeting we’re headed to.”
“Yeah, I’m gonna have to nix that idea. I don’t trust the guy. But don’t worry, I’ll play the heavy on this one.”
“You’re 100 percent sure that he’s doing stuff he’s not supposed to be doing?”
“Yep.”
“Then I’ll handle it. I’ll have Boyd and McKay meet us ahead of time to explain this.”
“I don’t know who all is in this meeting, but it should be limited to you, me, Caldwell, Boyd, and McKay.”
“Okay.” He tapped his earpiece. “Dr. Boyd, we’re on the way, but DiNozzo has requested that the meeting be limited.” He rattled off the list of participants then listened for a second. “Yes, sir. We’ll be there shortly.” He cracked his neck. “Let’s do this thing.”
“By the way, full disclosure about the things I know…” He raised his eyebrows meaningfully.
John sighed. “Rodney.”
“Yep. Nice work.”
Scowling, John snapped, “That a problem?”
“Hell no. I was being serious, John. He’s awesome.”
“Most people think he’s an asshole.”
Tony shrugged. “I have my sights set on a complete bastard, so…”
Smirking, John pressed a button on the console. “Maybe it’s a family trait.”
“Yeah, we like a challenge.”
“Word.”
* * *
They wound up meeting in Dr. Boyd’s office around the small conference table, and there was a coffee tray already set up.
“So why are we cutting out the rest of the senior staff?” McKay asked before they even had the door closed.
“The stuff I need to discuss with you is confidential and needs to be run up the chain back home before anyone else finds out,” Tony replied as he poured some coffee and added cream.
“But before we get to what Tony needs to tell us,” John interjected, “we have another issue that we need to deal with.” He squared his shoulders and met Dr. Boyd’s gaze squarely. “Tony informed me that Dr. Beckett is continuing unauthorized research into a wraith ‘cure,’ specifically using my blood and tissue samples that he took from my medical exams. Further, it seems he used my blood samples, again without my consent, for his research into the ATA gene therapy.”
“Fuck.” McKay dragged his hands through his hair. “Are you sure?” He pinned Tony with a look.
Tony shrugged. “I expect you’ll verify it easily enough.”
McKay shot to his feet and started pacing. Caldwell seemed about to say something, but Frank waved him down.
“Dr. McKay,” Frank said gently. When he got no response, just more pacing, he got to his feet and stepped into McKay’s path. “Rodney, I know it’s difficult to know what to do—”
“It’s really not,” McKay snapped. “It’s really fucking clear cut. The rules about what the science people are and are not allowed to work on are crystal clear. And the ethics around research should be etched into his memory. He’s gone. So fucking gone. What’s difficult is how betrayed I feel.” He slumped into his chair and took Tony’s coffee.
This one time, Tony decided not to spork Rodney to death for the most heinous crime of coffee theft. He prepared a new cup.
Frank took his seat as well. “I think we need to find a pretense to keep Dr. Beckett busy while we audit his computer and all his communication logs. I’d like a complete picture of what’s been happening.”
“Why the subterfuge?” McKay gritted out. “Seize his tablet and laptop and confine him to quarters.”
“Based on what evidence?” Boyd countered.
McKay waved to Tony.
“While I do not doubt Tony, I feel it would set a bad precedent to essentially arrest someone based on what amounts to hearsay.”
“He’ll admit it,” Tony offered. “He doesn’t think he’s done anything wrong. Ask him, and when he says he has been doing unauthorized research, then confine him to quarters and take what you need for your investigation. I also think you should look at his emails very carefully. There’s something fishy about how long it takes him to compose them.”
Rodney passed his hand over his eyes, looking pained. John looked like wanted to offer comfort.
Frank looked to Tony. “Should we deal with that before we have our discussion?”
“While I have a lot to tell you, it can’t really be done until we get some agreements in place, so I can give you the highlights that you’ll need to report to the SGC for authorization before we can talk about anything.”
Caldwell and Frank shared a look, and Caldwell nodded. While John was second in command of the expedition, it had been decided that everyone had to defer to Caldwell if the Daedalus were on Atlantis and there were issues that might affect Earth.
“All right, Tony,” Frank shot him a smile. “Let’s hear it.”
“So the short pitch: I figured out how to get Oma Desala out of her eternal combat thing and offered the information if they’d let me come back with all my memories of my life intact as well as knowledge of some useful information.”
“Useful in what way?” Caldwell asked.
“I can’t tell you that yet. The thing is that the Ancients only agreed to let me do all this if certain terms were met. There are some useful things and important information that I was allowed to keep knowledge of, but the use of all of it has to be within defined parameters. Only certain people will be allowed to know certain things and some things will only be known if it becomes important.”
Everyone just stared at him.
“Could you possibly be any more vague?” McKay asked, tone desert-dry.
“Probably, because I’m multi-talented that way. And believe me, figuring out how to say that without saying anything hurt me more than it did you.”
“I sincerely doubt that,” McKay muttered.
Frank’s expression was decidedly unimpressed. “So there are things that we could get that could be helpful—”
“Will be helpful.”
“Will be helpful,” Frank dutifully repeated. “But we have to agree to use things we don’t know about on terms we don’t won’t know until we agree.”
“Right. It’s awful, I know, but I fully believe if you knew what it was that you’d agree in a heartbeat.”
“Would we all agree?” Caldwell asked, watching Tony closely.
“Definitely. Anyone who’d say no to this is crackers, honestly.”
McKay pointed at him. “It’s a ZPM.”
Tony held up his hands, expression giving nothing away. “I can’t tell you anything about anything unless there’s agreement from on high. And this also affects Earth, so there has to be complete agreement.”
“And if the agreement is violated?” Caldwell’s attention was laser-focus.
“I’m pretty sure the Ancients would be put out and seize everything you got. Perhaps even snatch the knowledge of where everything came from right from everyone’s heads.” Tony waved off the next question. “Look, pushing for clarification isn’t going to get us anywhere. I can’t tell you any more than I have. If the higher-ups agree, they get cool shit. If they don’t agree, they get nothing. If they agree and break the terms, all their toys are going to be taken away. There’s nothing else to discuss really.” He remembered the big caveat. “Oh! If everyone agrees and you get your goodies, I have to stay on Atlantis. For all time, apparently.”
“Like you literally won’t be able to leave?” McKay asked, looking utterly bemused. The expression was mirrored on everyone else’s face.
“No, I can make visits to Earth and go off-world or whatever, but this has to become my home. The whole picture will become clear when everything is revealed. Suffice it to say that they want the majority of this information that I sussed out while I was mentally roaming the galaxy to be for the benefit of Pegasus. Though the SGC will get some nice bonuses.”
John fiddled with his coffee cup, not giving much away in his expression. “They feel bad, don’t they? For leaving Pegasus rather than dealing with the wraith. They walked out on a war when they were the only real combatant.”
“John, the wraith were an ascension experiment,” Tony said softly.
John paled and jerked back as if Tony had slapped him. “What?”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” McKay whispered.
“They messed up and created something they couldn’t possibly hope to control, mixing irtaus with Ancient and got the wraith. But they didn’t care to clean up their mess because the war was interfering with their path to ascension. I’ve been doing my best to guilt-trip the fuck out of them for not doing anything about the situation once they had phenomenal cosmic powers. And maybe it worked to some small degree because they’re letting me keep vital information provided the benefit be primarily to the efforts in this galaxy and that I stay on Atlantis.”
The other four men exchanged looks before Frank said, “I will prepare a communique for the next databurst, which is in a little over five hours. Hopefully, we’ll have an answer soon. Is there anything else you can tell us?”
“There is one other little condition, if you agree, that I can tell you about. If there should arise a circumstance where Atlantis has to be evacuated from this galaxy, the city must be returned as soon as reasonably possible. I can’t give many more details because it would require me to explain too much about what’s up here,” he tapped his temple, “but they want Atlantis to stand in defense of Pegasus, so that has to be a factor in the decision making.”
“Then I think we should adjourn for now. We need to discuss how to deal with the matter of Dr. Beckett, and I should review this arrangement you’ve proposed with the command staff so I can prepare ahead of the databurst,” Frank said diplomatically.
Tony smiled. “I get it.” He wasn’t part of the expedition yet, so they absolutely should not be talking about this with him around. “Just tell me where to go and I’ll get out of your hair.”
“I asked that quarters near Colonel Sheppard be prepared for you. Major Lorne will be along shortly to show you around and help you get acclimated.” Frank typed something on his tablet then looked back at Tony. “One question, Tony, if the SGC does not agree to this vague deal, will the Ancients, um, reclaim you?”
“No, I don’t think they want to put up with me again.”
Caldwell and John both gave amused snorts.
“So your return to the living, as it were, is not contingent upon these purported gifts you come bearing?”
“No, but they might take the memories if there’s no agreement.” Tony got to his feet. “But if the SGC wants to shoot itself in the foot, I can’t really control that. I came back for personal reasons, but I wanted to get something out of it for everyone here if I could. If they don’t want it, I’ll be happy to not remember that colossal stupidity.” He headed for the door. “I’ll wait for Major Lorne out here.”
“Tony,” Frank called after him, “do you think you’ll find what you came back for?”
“I didn’t let ascension get in my way, so I sure the hell am not going to let anything else.”