Welcome to Atlantis Part 2
Author: Azolean
Date: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00
Keywords: SGA; aaaa; KDOC Z Fan Fic

Welcome to Atlantis Part 2 (Lorne’s POV) by Azolean

"I've been shocked, splattered with muck, had bombs going off in my head, body slammed by an invisible force, trapped in a force field, burned, bruised, battered, and deep fried. It's a good thing I like you, Colonel." "Why is that?" Sheppard asked warily. "Because things may be more laid back here, but I believe revenge pranking your CO is still frowned upon, sir,"

Prologue

The shock of the blast ringing in his skull, Major Lorne barely had a chance to comprehend what was happening before his body impacted the water hard enough to feel like he'd just shattered every bone. It forced the air out of his lungs as black spots danced across his vision. The frigid waters shocked him back to awareness enough that his body took over instinctively. His arms and legs flailed as if unwilling to obey his commands. His first real sense of awareness was his chest burning even as the rest of his body froze.

Finally his head broke the surface, only to be slapped with another wave as he tried to breathe. Choking and gasping, his oxygen starved brain finally began to make sense of what had happened and where he was. Looking up, he knew that aside from the velocity of the blast wave that had thrown him off the other side of the pier, he had dropped a very, very long ways. No wonder it had felt like impacting a brick wall when he landed. Shivering uncontrollably he looked up at the pier towering above him.

Dear God this water was cold! Struggling to comprehend the entirety of his situation, he flailed aching limbs he could almost no longer feel just to tread water. The gently rolling waves were pushing him closer and closer to the solid metal wall. But as the waves dipped, he could also see the few feet of exposed underside of the pier. If the waves pushed him up under there, he was as good as dead. If he didn't get out of this frigid water soon, he was dead. With a numb hand he reached for his radio only to find it was gone. It must have been flung off in the blast.

"D-Damn," Lorne swore softly with chattering teeth.

Silently he convinced himself that they knew he was alive. They were sending a Jumper right now. He just had to hold on. Forcing all else out of his mind, he turned himself against the waves and forced himself to swim. With a growl to himself and a mental command to get it together, Lorne forced away the cold and tried to get the blood flowing to his nearly numb limbs. As long as he kept going against the flow of the water, he wouldn't wind up shoved under the pier. As long as he kept moving, he was buying them time to get to him. As long as he could keep his head above water, he could…

He was just so tired, though. His arms didn't want to cooperate and his legs were already somewhere far away. His eyelids were growing heavier by the second. The sudden shock of salty water going down his throat as he began to sink had him spluttering and coughing weakly. Where had his arms gone? Why was he in the water? Why was there a wall of metal towering above him? Where was he?

Suddenly it didn't feel so cold anymore. Rolling over onto his back and letting the warmth wash over him, he let the gently rolling waves lull him into sleep.

Chapter One – Welcome to Atlantis

"'Welcome to Atlantis', he says. 'I'll just leave that as a surprise', he says," Major Lorne grumbled to himself, mocking the conversation he'd so recently had with his new CO, Colonel Sheppard.

For a moment Lorne allowed himself to enjoy the image of punching the man right in the nose. The man obviously had a very sick or twisted sense of humor. In the three days since that first conversation in Sheppard's office, Lorne hadn't had a minute's peace. Right after their introduction, the Major headed to the Jumper bay. Making use of Sergeant Stackhouse's experience with the Jumpers, he finally got introduced to his new love, the Puddle Jumpers, as they were called. Taking one out over the ocean outside of Atlantis, Lorne had made it dance. Despite its odd, ridiculously non-aerodynamic shape, it was amazingly maneuverable. But it still didn't have anything on an F-302 in his opinion.

Grinning hugely and feeling better than he had in quite some time, the Major had parked the Jumper and hopped out the back to find himself facing nearly a dozen scientists of all kinds. Apparently word had spread that there was someone new with the ATA gene. In seconds he'd been bombarded with requests from all quarters. Feeling the need to execute a strategic retreat, he'd ducked into a transporter and escaped long enough to return to his quarters for a shower and some sleep.

The next morning the real fun began. He hadn't even heard his alarm go off yet when the door chimes woke him from a dead sleep. Trying to blink away the fog of sleep, he realized it was only three in the morning. Normally he was up and about by four and ready for duty by five. But this? Thinking it had to be some kind of emergency Lorne threw on a shirt to go with his sweatpants as he headed for the door.

"Oh, good morning, Major. Did I wake you?" Doctor McKay asked, eyeing the city's new XO. Not even waiting for a response, he continued, "Oh well, there's plenty of coffee in the mess hall. Right now I need—"

"Doctor McKay," Lorne finally cut off the man's rapid-fire speech. "Is there some kind of emergency?"

"Oh, well no, actually, but—"

"You do realize it's three in the morning?"

"Yes, well Sheppard said you were an early-riser. So before you started your day I would like to borrow—"

With a groan Lorne dropped his head. He already knew where this was going. "Good night, Doctor McKay." Closing the door and locking it, he shook his head. Pulling off his shirt he crawled back into bed.

That had only been the beginning.

As he attempted to get a quick cup of coffee in the mess hall before his morning run, McKay pounced on him again. Of course the astrophysicist just happened to be in the mess hall at the same ungodly hour of the morning. Seeing the man headed his way, the Major wondered if the scientist was using the city sensors to track him or something. That thought made him groan mentally, as it was probably very true.

"Good morning, Doctor McKay," Lorne greeted with a grin, unable to stop himself from tweaking the man. "Sleep well?"

"Actually no, but—"

"Sorry to hear that, Doctor. If you'll excuse me, I'm just headed for a quick jog before I have to get to work."

Hoping the man would take a hint, he set his empty cup in the bin with the others and turned to leave. No such luck. Instead McKay managed to maneuver himself around to Lorne's front. Putting on an excited look he opened his mouth to say something, when Lorne had an idea. From what he'd heard of the man's physical condition, he'd hoped it would be enough to deter him. "Hey, Doc. Why don't you jog with me and we'll discuss it?"

The sudden change from smile to blank expression on McKay's face was almost comical.

Ha! Lorne thought to himself, just barely repressing a grin.

"No? Well, too bad. Maybe another time, Doctor," Lorne tossed over his shoulder a little too cheerfully.

Feeling like he'd scored a victory, Lorne set his mind to his jog. It had always helped him to clear away the fogginess from a rough night of sleep, but he'd learned that without it, he tended to feel cooped up and restless throughout the day; and that was something he couldn't tolerate. Knowing he was going to be trapped in his new office for most of the day sorting through paperwork and acquainting himself with Atlantean systems and routines, he was adamant about having his run today. He was willing to sacrifice breakfast, if need be, but not his run.

A half an hour later as he kicked off his running shoes to head for a quick shower and change of clothes, his door chimes went off again. Expecting McKay, Lorne growled softly. Already preparing his next rebuttal, he opened the door with a scowl. Instead of the astrophysicist he'd been expecting, he found himself faced with a young, brunette with wide soft brown eyes.

"Hi, Major Lorne, right?"

"Yes, ma'am," he said, curiosity piqued. "How can I help you?"

"Well, Maj-Colonel Sheppard mentioned you were new to Atlantis. I just wanted to say welcome."

Now here was a welcome he could appreciate. Smiling, he put out his hand. "Evan Lorne."

"Doctor Selene Parker," she replied taking his hand with a smile. "Have you had breakfast, yet?"

Glancing at his watch Lorne noted it wasn't as late as he thought. "No. Is that an invitation?"

"Yeah, if you're interested."

"Sounds good. Look, I've got to take a shower real quick. Meet you in the mess hall in say twenty minutes?"

"Great! I'll be there."

Lorne couldn't help the grin as he watched her shapely figure heading down the corridor before he closed his door. Twenty minutes after that his disappointment was complete. The moment he approached her table with his breakfast tray in hand, she had beamed a smile at him. A split second later she plopped something on the table that looked like it had come out of his old Isuzu pickup truck form decades ago. Only this one was coated in some kind of foul smelling slime. Before he even had a chance to comprehend his precarious position, she began chattering away about how she'd found it in one of the flooded sections of the city, and she wasn't quite sure what it was, and she was just certain he would be able to help her, and…

Is she really flirting with me just to get me to help her mess with this thing? he wondered, not quite believing it himself.

Making some excuse about paperwork and making a good impression on his new CO and all that, Lorne practically ran for his new office.

She was just the first.

The best thing about being new is that no one knew where his office was. For the first half of the day he got a rather impressive amount of work done as he was left undisturbed. Feeling accomplished, but cooped up, he decided to swing by the mess hall and grab a quick lunch to enjoy out on a balcony or somewhere with some fresh air. Suddenly three more women wanted to welcome him to Atlantis. Oh, and if he had a moment…

Major Lorne found himself practically fleeing the mess hall clinging to his dignity as the three women degenerated to arguing about who would get to borrow him first and failed to notice his well-executed escape. Safely back in the confines of his office, he breathed a sigh of relief. It didn't last long, however as Doctor McKay made a reappearance.

He must be tracking me, he thought with irritation. Hoping the irritation came through in his expression he turned his attention to the chattering scientists. Does he ever shut up?

"Yes, Doctor. I'll be there. Now, if you'll excuse me, I really need to get back to work."

"Oh, that stuff," McKay replied, already distracted with whatever was on his tablet. "Really?"

"Really what?" Lorne replied, having no idea what the clearly distracted man was referring to in this case.

"Oh uh, you'll be there?"

"Yes, Doctor," he repeated, wondering why his CO kept this guy around. Lorne hadn't been able to make out even half of what the man had been babbling about. He just hoped agreeing to donate some of his off time would get everyone else off his back after word had spread that McKay had claimed him, first. Besides, women flirting with him over a gene was just creepy. It made him feel like some kind of potential breeding stud or something.

"Huh, I just hadn't expected it to be that easy."

"Easy?"

"Well, Sheppard usually…never mind. I'm a busy man. I have to get back to work."

Desk, this is Head. Head, meet Desk. You two will get along great. I can tell already, Lorne thought to himself as the man finally made his way out through the office door still working on something on his tablet. Lorne turned back to his work. The next time he saw Sheppard he was going to have to have a word with that man about his idea of "surprise".

Chapter Two – Welcome to Hell

Three days later it hadn't even come close to slowing down. But now they knew where to find him. Lorne wasn't sure if it was Colonel Sheppard who had given out the location of his office, or if it had been McKay. He was fairly certain it had been Sheppard, because McKay liked to keep his personal ATA gene assistant Major Lorne to himself. Come to find out, Lorne's gene was easily as strong as that of Doctor Beckett and Colonel Sheppard. Which made him among the top three to pester any time there was something a scientist wanted to investigate. Though the artificial gene worked, the real thing worked far better.

This currently had Major Lorne re-evaluating his definition of hell.

At this point he was holed up in his office hours after he should have vacated it. He was leaned back in his chair with his arms and legs splayed out staring at the ceiling and wondering what he'd done in his life to have earned this. And that was where his CO found him. Staring through the glass doors, Sheppard wondered if the man had just lost all will to live. Maybe he had let it go a bit too far. Not quite feeling bad for the Major, he plastered on a jaunty grin and entered the little office. Lorne's head came up just long enough for Sheppard to catch the look of pale misery on the man's face before his eyes scrunched closed in pain.

"Sorry, sir. You said this place was a bit more laid back, right?"

"Yeah, you okay?"

His eyes still scrunched shut, Lorne let his head fall back. "Good, because I'm not up to standing at the moment, Colonel."

Now clearly concerned, Sheppard leaned on the chair opposite the desk. "Should I call Doctor Beckett?"

"No, sir. Just a headache."

"That's one hell of a headache, then."

"Purgatory."

"What?"

"Permission to speak freely, sir?"

"I said always, Major. And I meant it."

"What did I do to piss you off, sir?"

Now Sheppard chuckled. "So, it's true. Your gene is just as strong as mine?"

"Unfortunately yes, sir," he replied, cracking open an eye to attempt a glare at his CO.

"Then you might as well get used to it. Have you played with the chair?"

Now it was Lorne's turn to laugh, albeit darkly. "Thankfully, yes, sir. Otherwise I might very well have destroyed one of the labs by now not realizing there was a mental component," Lifting up a hand he began to count off with his fingers, "I've been shocked, splattered with muck, had bombs going off in my head, body slammed by an invisible force, trapped in a force field, burned, bruised, battered, and deep fried. At this point, I'm willing to accept the post in McMurdo except for the fact that they have Ancient tech there, too. So I'd be in for more of the same without the nice view off the balconies."

Having enough decency not to laugh outright in the face of the man's misery, Sheppard still failed to look serious. "Paperwork can wait. Why don't you head over to the infirmary and get something for that headache?"

"Because there's an entire city of scientists between me and said infirmary, sir," Lorne said, finally finding enough energy to sit up straighter.

Now Sheppard did laugh. "Would you like a security detail?"

Lorne glared death at his CO wondering just how far he could take his freedom of speech around here. Taking the wiser course, he kept his mouth shut against the words that actually ran though his mind.

Sheppard came around and sat in the chair. "So just tell them no."

"I tried, sir. They even flirt with me trying to lure me into their labs."

"You too? You make it sound like a bad thing."

Giving a groan Lorne pushed himself to his feet. "When I can't tell friendly from hostile, yes."

"Hostile?"

"Yes, sir. At this rate, they're going to kill me before I even make it off world."

Now Sheppard was laughing. He was liking his new XO more by the minute. He appeared to be handling things fare more gracefully than he, himself had in the beginning. And, from what he'd heard, the man hadn't even threatened bodily harm, yet. That alone impressed Sheppard. "Sounds like you've earned a beer. Take a break, Major. Go see what magic Beckett can do for your headache and meet me on the sixth floor west balcony in half an hour. I'll bring the beer."

Looking down at his still-seated CO, Lorne put his hands on his hips and quirked a grin. "Trying to assuage the guilt, sir?"

"I have no idea what you're talking about," Sheppard replied, knowing he was busted.

Lorne crossed his arms, his face still a bit pale. "Oh really? You said, and I quote, 'I'll let the rest be a surprise, then, Major.' While it has been quite a surprise to me, I'm fairly certain it wasn't for you. You could have given me some warning, sir."

"What's the fun in that?" Sheppard asked, pushing himself up out of the chair.

Lorne grunted shaking his head with a grin. "It's a good thing I like you, Colonel."

"Why is that?" Sheppard asked warily, seeing the wicked gleam in his SiC's blue eyes.

"Because out here in the Pegasus Galaxy things may be more laid back, but I believe revenge pranking your CO is still frowned upon, sir."

"And you would be correct in that."

Lorne's smile widened. "I'll try to remember that, sir."

"Good. Want that beer?"

"I'll be there."

~o~o~o~

Half an hour later Major Lorne appeared on the balcony beside Sheppard, and apparently in one piece. Whatever Beckett had given him must have kicked in, since the lines of pain around his eyes had lessened somewhat. He definitely didn't look as pale as he had. Sheppard glanced up as his SiC appeared and tossed a can of beer in his direction, earning him an irritated glare for the surprise. He waited for the Major to take in the scenery as he sat down.

"Not bad," Lorne commented. "A bit more ocean under me than I would prefer, but it's a nice view."

Sheppard just nodded. For a while they sat in comfortable silence. Lorne seemed to visibly relax as he sipped his beer and let the slightly chilly wind wash over him. After a while Lorne set down his beer and stretched with a contented groan. "So, want to tell me the real reason you brought me out here, sir?" he finally asked.

"Save the formality for duty time. We're off. Call me John."

"Yes, sir," Evan replied with a smirk.

John grunted. "As for an ulterior motive, the free beer wasn't enough?"

Chuckling Evan shook his head. "No, that was paid for in blood and pain thanks to your sense of humor."

"How is it my fault that you go around touching things you don't know anything about?"

"You still haven't answered my question," Lorne pointed out, leaning back comfortably against the wall behind him.

"Fair enough. I know your jacket, but I don't know you. We're going to be working closely for the next however long. Is it so surprising that I would want to know what I'm dealing with?"

Even though his eyes never left the horizon view before them, Sheppard didn't miss the frown bordering on a scowl Lorne gave before he caught himself and put in a blank mask. Getting no verbal response, Sheppard turned to him. "Come on, Evan, you gotta admit, it is kinda suspicious."

"What might that be?" Lorne asked, his expression still completely neutral.

"You. You were a couple months away from a Bachelor's of Geophysics, and you dropped everything to join the Air Force?"

"Ah, that," he replied crossing his arms and scowling at the horizon. "Just the usual. Fell in love, got distracted, got dropped like a bad habit at the altar, found out she was cheating, decided a career change was in order. The usual."

"Really?" Sheppard asked, amazed he'd gotten so much so easily.

Lorne's mischievous grin was back in full force, dimples and all, "No."

Sheppard couldn't help the laugh. "Okay, I deserve that."

"Really, John, there's just not much to talk about. Normal, if not boring, life. Nothing special. Probably the only relevant thing you won't find in my jacket are my hobbies. One of which I'm sure you'd find out anyway. I'm a martial arts junkie. I hear there's plenty of classes around the city with the new personnel. I haven't had time for much else since Basic."

Sheppard just nodded, going back to enjoying his beer. He could take a hint. He wasn't one to talk about his life before the military, either. Hell, for that matter he didn't talk about his life, period. If his XO shared that mentality, all the better. People who didn't know Sheppard never realized just how much information he'd pick up on such a simple interchange as this one. Already he learned more than enough to satisfy his immediate curiosity. The rest he would learn as the usual round of Atlantean crises would eventually follow.

Evan finished his beer and they just sat for a few minutes more. The Major's yawn, eventually broke things up. "Well, sir, as fun as this has been, I've had a long day," he said afterward, stretching again.

"Eh, more for me," Sheppard replied. "Don't forget to watch your back."

"For what?"

"Never know when another scientist will want to flirt their way right into your bed. And she might even be armed with Ancient tech."

Lorne groaned shaking his head as he walked away. He wasn't even going to dignify that. But as he headed down the still-busy corridors toward his quarters, he wondered just how much truth there might actually be to that. After all, Sheppard's had over a year of experience here.

Chapter Three – Welcome to McKay's Lab

"No."

"Oh come on! It's just a little—"

"I said no, Doctor, and I meant no."

"Oh, I get it," McKay said, crossing his arms and looking smug. "You're not up to it. I get it. No, that's fine. I'll just radio Sheppard and—"

Obviously laughter was not the reaction McKay had been expecting. His face ran through disappointment and hopped right to irritation. "Nice try, Doc. Please, go right ahead. Have the Colonel show me how it's done. I'll just wait right over here," Lorne said seating himself on a stool in the corner of Rodney's lab.

In the last two days he'd not only learned to say no to just about everyone—not quite everyone, because some of the women he'd met were too good looking for his own good—but he'd also learned how to haggle. If they were going to use him, he was going to get something out of it. Peace and quiet being among the most precious commodities used in his negotiations. He'd already earned a three day reprieve from one group of scientists. If he was going to give in to McKay, he was going to get a week of peace out of it at the very least. Because more than ten minutes in a room with him was enough to make him want to shoot the man.

Heaving a sigh, McKay finally gave in and dropped his arms. "Fine, two days."

"Ha! Try two weeks."

"Five days."

Lorne pretended to be considering. "Any negative side effects get me a week, minimum. Bodily harm gets me ten days."

"Deal."

With a triumphant grin Major Lorne left the stool behind and approached the device on the table. By the looks of it, it could have been anything from some Ancient toaster oven to a full entertainment center with virtual reality and all. Lorne had no idea and really didn't care. All he cared about was a week without the damned astrophysicist hounding him every thirty minutes about making something light up, turn on, make noise, dance a jig, or whatever the hell else he theorized it would or could do. Just one week of peace from him was enough to make him risk just about anything right now. Suddenly he longed for the days of world-hopping throughout the Milky Way, Goa'uld threat and all. If Sheppard didn't let him off this planet and away from McKay soon, he was going to have to take measures into his own hands.

Heaving a sigh, Lorne walked around the table where the two foot by two foot cube of encased metal sat, hoping to find some indication what it was before he used his gene and thoughts to try to activate it.

"Look will you just—"

With a glare and a single raised finger, Lorne managed to silence the man. McKay had learned already that pushing the Major would get him nowhere. And that particular look indicated that he was one word away from Lorne walking right out the door. Lorne went back to his inspection. No writing. No pictograms. No indication whatsoever what the hell this thing might or could do. He sighed heavily. These were the ones he hated. He had already learned to hate surprises in his time here, but some of the devices they'd found packed a nasty punch. Finally he stood back scowling at it.

"You said it's emitting some sort of energy?"

"Yes."

"And it's very faint, but you think it would increase once turned on?"

"Yes."

"No radioactivity?"

"No, Major. Will you just—"

Again Lorne raised a finger with a glare. McKay's mouth shut, but it looked like it was going to cause him to give himself a stroke for it. Staring at it wasn't going to get him anywhere and McKay was clueless.

Well, here goes nothing, he thought to himself.

Holding his breath in anticipation, he started with thoughts first. On. Nothing. Activate. Nothing. Power. Nothing. Start. Nothing. Letting out the breath he'd been holding he turned to the scientist. "Well, nothing with thought alone."

"Did you try 'initiate'?" McKay suggested.

"Yes, Doctor. I even tried rollover and play dead."

McKay's look of irritation was almost worth it. Almost. Again he held his breath ready for anything as he reached out and gingerly touched it. Nothing. So he started again while touching it. On. Nothing. Power. Nothing. Activate. Nothing. Start.

Something appeared in red letters above the device making Lorne jump back. He'd already learned what Ancient writing looked like, but anything red couldn't be good.

"Sequence initiated?" McKay read, poking around at something on his tablet. "Huh. Very good. I was right. It seems to be—"

Before he could say anything else, all hell broke loose. From somewhere nearby alarms started sounding. McKay's tablet began to spark badly enough he dropped it. The laptop on the opposite table went up in smoke. The lights began to flicker. The doors were opening and closing all around them. Even his radio crackled painfully in his ear. Already cursing the scientist, Lorne put his hands on the device again and thought. Off! Stop! Freeze! Quit! Cease!

Somewhere in the back of his mind he could feel…something. It was as if the device was almost communicating with him. He could feel…chaos. Shaking his head, trying to clear the ringing, he found he was unable to shake off the sensation of something still going on in the back of his mind that definitely wasn't him. A moment later McKay stood up from where he'd been crouching nearby.

"You did it!"

"No, I didn't," Lorne grated out, finally letting go.

Then it all started again. Lights sparking, equipment sparking, things exploding, doors opening and closing, radio screeching.

What the hell?! Lorne thought, putting his hands on it again and trying to concentrate on turning it off. Whatever he had felt before in the back of his mind now came back with a vengeance nearly knocking him off his feet.

MALFUNCTION. WARNING. MALFUNCTION. WARNING. MALFUNCTION.

"Holy…" the Major whispered, realizing this thing really was in his head somehow. "McKay…"

"Don't move, Major," McKay said, in a slightly shaky voice as things calmed down again and he dug out another tablet from some niche. "Whenever you touch it, it stops."

"It's in my head, McKay!"

"What? Really? What—"

"It says 'warning' and 'malfunction'. That's all. But they're huge red letters."

"Really?" the scientist asked, looking like a kid about to play with a new toy. "I wonder if I—"

"No! Focus, Doc! What the hell is going on and how do I shut it off?"

McKay turned his attention back to the tablet with a disappointed expression. One that turned to horror a minute later. "Oh no…"

"McKay—"

"Colonel Sheppard for Doctor McKay."

"Colonel!" Rodney shouted, working furiously with his tablet now. "You've got to get everyone out of the spire, right now!"

"What's going on, Rodney? We got reports of—"

"There's no time, Sheppard! Evacuate the spire, now! This thing, when not in connected to a person is connecting to the city. And every time it does it's getting closer to an overload!" he explained in full panic mode.

"What?!" Lorne shouted, very nearly letting go.

"No more time to explain. But it's still building a charge even with Lorne connected, and I don't know if I can stop it in time."

"What the hell—" Lorne started.

"If this thing blows with as much power as I think it will, it will de-stabilize the base of the entire tower, which is right here above the labs. Get everyone out, now!"

"Roger that. Sheppard out."

Having gone from freaked out to terrified and now downright calm as he tried to grasp the situation, Major Lorne glared death at the astrophysicist. "Doctor, would you mind filling me in?"

"You already heard most of it," he mumbled working furiously on his tablet.

"Yes, sir. I did," Lorne agreed still speaking very softly despite McKay having missed this fact. "What I didn't hear was how we're going to turn this thing off before it overloads."

"I'm working on it."

"How long?"

"Give me a minute. I've got to figure out what's causing it to malfunction."

"You misunderstand me, Doctor. How long before it blows up if I don't let go?"

"Um…fifteen minutes…maybe."

"Fifteen minutes?"

"Yeah."

"And how long if I let go."

"Thirty seconds, give or take."

For all outward appearances, Lorne seemed to be considering this as if making a choice between a sandwich or salad for dinner. On the inside, he almost considered letting go just to rid the universe of the menace known as McKay. "So, what you're saying is that if I let go it's going to explode destabilizing the entire spire, possibly causing it to collapse. But, if I hang on to it, it's going to explode with the same results."

"I said give me a minute to—"

"It's malfunctioning, McKay!" Lorne shouted, losing some of his cool as he grasped the consequences to the rest of the city. "That means there's no guarantee it is even capable of turning off again!"

McKay didn't quite cringe, but close. Before he could open his mouth, though, Colonel Sheppard appeared in the door.

"Colonel! Get out of the doorway!" Lorne shouted, sensing it coming.

Not a half second after Sheppard jumped back, the door slammed leaving Lorne certain it would have killed him. Turning his focus back to the device, he did…something. To him it was almost like mentally squeezing silly putty. The more pressure he put on it, the more seemed to slip out of the sides. But it at least contained some of it.

"What the hell—" Sheppard started when the door opened.

"It's overloading everything," McKay started to explain.

"I know. What—"

"The doors, the computers, the lights, the water…Everything is being systematically affected. It's like it's overloading the systems themselves, even when he's trying to stay connected."

"Out," Lorne grated through clenched teeth as his head began to feel like it was being squeezed in a vice.

"Major—"

"Get out," he growled again. "I can't keep it under control, sir. Get everyone out."

Glaring at Rodney, knowing this had to somehow be his fault, Sheppard said, "We can't. The doors opening and closing are too dangerous. One guy already lost an arm."

Whatever McKay had thought about time, he'd been dead wrong. Lorne knew they had a couple of minutes at most. Standing up, he hefted it to find that it wasn't as heavy as he'd feared. He could feel his nose bleeding as the pressure in his head seemed to be increasing steadily.

"Where the hell are you going?" McKay asked as Lorne shoved past them.

"Pier!" was all Lorne managed to shout over his shoulder as he made a run for the nearest transporter.

Sheppard took off after him, realizing the Major's plan. But before he could get to the transporter, Lorne had already hit a destination and the door was closing. The last the Colonel saw of his SiC was the man squeezing his eyes shut as blood ran from his nose. Turning around Sheppard grabbed McKay by the arm and shoved him in the direction of the control room. Somehow they had to get back there in one piece.

Chapter Four – Welcome to Lantea

Son of a bitch that hurts! Major Lorne thought as another wave of what felt like psychic static blasted him, making him stagger as he exited the transporter.

He had no idea where he was, and it didn't matter. He just knew he was on one of the piers and he could see daylight beyond the door. Regaining his balance he kept his intense focus on whatever the device was trying to do. But he knew it was already too late. There was no time. It was as if the thing was already fracturing in his head. Almost like some kind of explosion in slow motion.

Managing as much of a run as he could, Lorne nearly laughed with relief as he managed to get close enough to the end of the pier to throw the damn thing over the side. Turning, he tried to run in the opposite direction. No such luck. He felt the explosion rather than heard it. The concussion picked him up off his feet and slung him in the air. His dazed, pressure-relieved mind couldn't even make sense of the swirling colors and motion all around him.

Then he slammed into the icy water.

~o~o~o~

"Where the hell is he, McKay?" Sheppard shouted standing behind the scientist in the command center.

"How the hell should I know? The city sensors—"

"Find him!"

"Look, I can't just make—"

"Sir! We're getting reports of an explosion on the southern tip of the Northwest Pier!" one of the techs called out.

"Got it!" McKay said. "Oh no…"

"Rodney!"

"One life sign…in the water."

"Colonel Sheppard to Sergeant Stackhouse…Meet me in the Jumper Bay, in five minutes," Sheppard called on his radio already at a flat run toward the infirmary. "Colonel Sheppard to Doctor Beckett…I need you to grab some stuff and have it ready in two minutes….Explosion, Doc. But you may need to bring gear for possible drowning and hypothermia…I don't care. Just have it ready when I get there."

Sheppard skid to a halt just inside the door of the infirmary. Beckett was grabbing the emergency equipment kept closest to the door. Without a word Sheppard grabbed a couple of the bags and ran back out the door. He was still at a flat run when he entered the Jumper Bay with Beckett in tow. Stackhouse must have already heard what was going on, because he had the Jumper fired up and ready.

"Southern tip of the Northwest Pier," Sheppard called, already having dropped the bags and searching for rope.

He had no idea what condition the Major was in, just that he was alive less than five minutes ago. And that was enough for him. Being in the far, north hemisphere of the planet, the frigid waters from the pole flowed down and around Atlantis during certain parts of the year. This was one of them. He didn't have much experience with hypothermia, but he'd had enough training to know what it could do and how fast. The trip from the Jumper Bay to the Northwest Pier felt like it took forever, but Sheppard knew it could not have been more than a few minutes. One end of the rope he tied to a wall support in the Jumper. Hoping to throw the other end to the Major and just pull him up, he hefted the coil.

"Sir, the life sign is gone."

"Shit! Get to the last known position," he said, dropping the coil and tying the other end around himself instead.

Sheppard watched out the back of the open Jumper looking for any sign of Lorne's blue uniform jacket. Nothing. He watched the direction of the waves. Visually following them, he scanned the waves for anything that did look like just water. Nothing.

"Get closer to the wall! The water's moving—"

There! He spotted Lorne floating on his back right up against the wall of the pier. Launching himself out of the Jumper, Sheppard nearly gasped water right into his lungs at the shock of the cold. This water couldn't be much above freezing. Shaking it off, he began to swim frantically toward the Major trusting Beckett to guide Stackhouse. He was less than twenty feet away when the water along the wall dipped down, still flowing in that direction. Sheppard nearly screamed in frustration as Lorne disappeared under the edge of the pier's overhang which normally sat below the water level when the sea was relatively calm.

Nearly numb already, Sheppard dove under the surface just as he was about to reach the metal wall. Flailing in the dark, he prayed for a miracle. Nothing. Ignoring the burning in his lungs he reached just a little further. Nothing. Putting his hand on the underside of the pier above him he pushed down. Nothing. Desperately needing a breath he flailed one last time in the murk. For a second he thought he felt something. Not even thinking anymore, he gripped and pulled. A second later he wrapped his arm around something that might have been solid, but he was too cold to tell. Yanking on the rope behind him a couple of times to signal Beckett, he wrapped both arms around the object and held on.

Sheppard wasn't sure how long he hung on to the thing in his arms, waiting to be pulled out from under the edge of the pier, but it was an eternity to him. He couldn't feel his arms or legs anymore to try to swim even if he'd wanted. His lungs were on fire and he had no choice but to release the breath he'd been holding for way to long. He could feel the darkness encroaching on the edges of his vision even as he was dragged back into the sunlit waters. For the moment, all he could do was focus on not breathing in and holding on to whatever was in his arms.

When his head finally broke the surface, he nearly lost his grip on Lorne as he gasped in relief. As it was, his arms were so completely numb he couldn't figure out how he was still holding on while shivering violently enough to feel like some kind of seizure. Breathing. Holding on. These were the only two things on his mind as he struggled to do both. By the time Stackhouse maneuvered the Jumper almost right up to the wall and down to the edge of the water so Beckett could help pull them in, Sheppard was feeling lost. For a moment he wasn't even sure why he was there or where he was as the cold began to set into his brain. Then Beckett's grip on his jacket distracted him. Whatever was in his arms slipped almost out of the loop he had formed.

No, stupid! Don't let go! he screamed at himself, realizing it was a body he was holding.

"L-L-Lorne," Sheppard said through chattering teeth, not sure if he was trying to remind himself who he was holding and where he was, or trying to tell Beckett something; even he wasn't sure anymore.

Not even sparing a moment to speak, Beckett adjusted his grip to just under Sheppard's arms and heaved backward with all his weight. Sheppard's upper body made it on to the open Jumper door. His cold-numbed mind finally managed to make enough of a coherent thought to know what was going on.

"T-t-t-ake him!" he told the doctor, trying to convey that he was tied to the Jumper and would be okay, but he wasn't going to be able to hang on to Lorne much longer.

Beckett must have read something of this in the Colonel's expression, because he lunged forward and managed to grab ahold of Lorne around the neck a split second after Sheppard lost his grip. Adjusting his grip Beckett managed to get an arm around Lorne's chest as Sheppard slipped off the door and back into the water. Knowing he couldn't help them both, he threw himself backward managing to get Lorne into the back of the Jumper between the benches. Scrambling forward to grip the rope, he nearly fell on his butt when Sheppard startled him by throwing himself out of the water just enough to get his chest up and onto the door. Reaching forward, Beckett grabbed the Colonel by the wrists and dragged him fully into the Jumper.

"I've got them!" he shouted to Stackhouse who was already closing the door and heading up toward the spire.

Seeing Sheppard shivering too violently to sit up, he paused just long enough to throw a thermal blanket on him before turning his attention to Lorne. His best estimate based on what Stackhouse had said, was that Lorne's heart had stopped almost five minutes ago. Under the circumstances, though, he wasn't going to give up hope. He'd heard of hypothermia patients surviving much worse after much longer. Setting to work, he took stock of the situation and focused his initial efforts to Sheppard shivering miserably nearby. As long as he could prevent the Colonel from suffering the worst effects, with his limited supplies there wasn't much more he could do until he got them into the infirmary. He wasn't aware of anything else until the door of the Jumper began to lower again.

As instructed, there were two gurneys and two teams waiting. One team swooped in and scooped up Sheppard before he had a chance to even attempt a protest. They carried him to the gurney and left at a run for the infirmary. The moment they were out of the way, the second team stepped into the Jumper to assist Beckett.

A few feet away McKay watched them wheeling Sheppard away. Feeling thoroughly wretched, he saw how blue Sheppard was and wondered if there was any hope for the man they were now hauling out of the back of the Jumper.

Chapter Five – Welcome Back

The slow beeping of the cardiac monitor accompanied by the rhythmic sounds of the ventilator and cardiopulmonary bypass machine were all that he could hear. The last thing Colonel Sheppard remembered was a bunch of people standing around him cutting his clothes off and wrapping him in stuff. Why, he had no idea. But as hearing gradually turned into an awareness of light beyond his closed eyelids, he remembered the cold. There had been somebody there and cold. Lots of water.

Shit, Lorne! He suddenly remembered as the whole mess came flooding back. Struggling up out of sleep, Sheppard shook himself, trying to move.

"Colonel! If you don't stop moving right now I'll have Doctor Beckett tie you to that bed," a voice threatened, penetrating the fog of sleep.

Suddenly he remembered that opening his eyes was a part of being awake. Blinking several times against the bright lights of the infirmary, he found himself confronted with an irritated nurse trying to keep his IV arm in place. Ignoring the nurse, he looked around, still somewhat dazed and confused.

"Where's—"

He had no need to finish his question. At that moment he caught sight of Beckett a few feet away. He was standing over Major Lorne in another bed frowning darkly as he conferred with another doctor. The two of them eyed Major Lorne who was now connected to enough equipment to seem like a part of some massive computer core. The slow, steady beeping, though convinced Sheppard that at least the man was alive. For now.

Still feeling confused and exhausted, Sheppard let himself drift off again.

~o~o~o~

The next time Sheppard woke was much more gradual. There were still the sounds of several hushed voices and the equipment Lorne was connected to. But, this time, the pale haggard face of his favorite doctor greeted him upon opening his eyes. Oh, and the inevitable light shining in his eyes just for good measure; because light spikes into the brain through the eyes are just so helpful and all. With a groan Sheppard batted away the man's hands.

"Back to your usual cooperative standards, I see," Beckett commented, the irritation clear in his expression. "You had a concussion on top of moderate hypothermia, Colonel."

Finally able to form a coherent thought, Sheppard frowned in irritation. "How's Lorne?"

Beckett sighed and shoved his hands in his lab coat pockets. "Alive."

"Carson…" he started, trying to force himself upright.

With barely a touch Beckett had him lying flat again. The lack of effort on the Doctor's part spoke volumes about Sheppard's condition alone. "Stay put, Colonel. He's right over there," he pointed to a few feet away. "We're rewarming him now. But if we do it too fast, it will cause further damage. We managed to resuscitate him a few hours ago. All we can do is wait until he's normothermic and assess the damages then."

"Damages?"

Beckett sighed, obviously exhausted. "I'm not an expert in hypothermia, but many cases of extreme accidental hypothermia without any other visible cause of death tend to make a full recovery."

Sheppard shook his head, still feeling slow and dull-witted. "Wait, other visible cause of death…"

"As far as we can tell he sustained no external or internal injuries as a result of the blast. There was some water in his lungs, but not enough to account for drowning prior to hypothermia setting in."

"So he's going to be okay?" Sheppard persisted, needing a direct and clear answer with his mind feeling like it was packed with wet wool.

Beckett nodded, rubbing his head forehead as if trying to wipe away his exhaustion. "Provided there are no complications, that's what we're hoping."

"Complications?" Sheppard asked, starting to feel like a parrot.

"Pneumonia, among others," Beckett answered. "We'll wait and see. Right now, you need to rest and quit giving my staff such a hard time."

Not really feeling the humor at the moment, Sheppard didn't even bother to reply. Staring at the man in the bed beside his, he frowned darkly as he nodded to the doctor's last statement.

~o~o~o~

Two weeks later Major Lorne was happy to note that his cough was nearly gone as he finished his morning run. By the time Beckett had let him out of the infirmary he had practically left skid marks on his way out. Even when he'd had pneumonia as a kid he hadn't felt that damn miserable and cooped up. And the fact that he hadn't even mentioned Doctor McKay's name once during the entire stay seemed to terrify the man. Good. Just once McKay had come by trying to give something akin to an apology. The Major's silence combined with a slowly spreading grin was enough to have Sheppard dragging the scientist out by the back of his neck whining. Sheppard knew when there was danger present, even if McKay didn't.

Kicking off his shoes and pulling off his shirt, Lorne sighed contentedly. It felt good to back to what passed for normal around here. And that fact that Doctor Weir had finally begun to set some very, very strict regulations on playing with unknown Ancient tech had made his life so much easier. Since his escape from the infirmary he'd had nothing but peace and quiet in that quarter. For the rest, he'd finally managed to pick his new off world team, and had acquainted himself with the programs used throughout the city.

By the time Lorne made it to the mess hall for a quick breakfast, he was feeling downright chipper. He had just grabbed a tray and was turning back to a table when a five foot four missile slammed into him tipping the tray and its contents right down the front of his uniform jacket. She managed to catch herself on his shoulder before ending up on the floor.

"Son of a…" she hissed, her face flaming red as she let go of his shoulder to turn and glare at a coffee spill she had just skid through. Turning back toward her savior, she brushed a few strays of blond hair out of her face as she summoned her remaining dignity. "Thank you, Major. But I'm fairly certain that was not how you wanted your breakfast. So if you'll excuse me I'm going to go crawl under a rock now."

Lorne couldn't help it. He laughed. Her humiliated expression changing to offended indignation. He found himself apologizing, but wasn't unhappy about this in the least. Those pale blue eyes remained suspicious as explained.

"I promise, I'm not laughing at you, ma'am. Just my luck since I've been here, that's all."

Still suspicious she eyed him for a moment before her eyes widened. "Wait, you're the Major that..."

"Decided to go for a swim my first month here? Yep, that would be me."

Giving him a look that screamed incredulity, she shot back, "I was going to say saved the lives of a crap-ton of idiot scientists, myself included. But yeah, we'll go with that, instead."

Lorne laughed again. "Thank you, ma'am."

"I'm Bailee. Well considering this was the second time you saved my life, how about I make it up to you? Want to meet up for dinner sometime?"

Good mood fading fast, the Major didn't even bother to hide his suspicion. "What's the catch?"

"What?" She asked, before understanding dawned on her features. "Oh! No catch. Nothing to worry about here. I'm a botanist. Not particularly fond of tech junk myself. Soil. Water. Plants. Nice, and simple."

Match made in heaven, Lorne thought, his smile returning. "Sounds good. Just tell me when and where. And, if this place doesn't kill me, I'll be there."

The red having faded from her face at last, Bailee smiled wickedly. "Don't worry, Major. This place is probably just getting warmed up. Survive long enough and you'll see just about everything around here."

"That's what I'm afraid of," he replied as he watched Bailee walk away, heading for the food tables.