Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Surrender or die, rebel scum!” EJ yelled around the corner. 

A half dozen shots impacted the wall near her head when she leaned out to catch a glimpse of the targets through the half open doorway. 

“We will never surrender to the likes of you!” The response was loud and clear through the mostly empty hallway. 

The Sergeant next to her returned fire, a scary smile on his face as he shot off several rounds towards their enemy. 

Evan rolled his eyes as he motioned the young Lieutenant behind him into position.  All four team members of AR- 2 were dressed in the standard black BDUs and tactical vests, each of them carrying a fully loaded MP5 and the standard issue nine millimeter handgun. 

EJ tilted her head to one side, flipping her blonde braid back over her shoulder, and signaled for silence.  

After a moment, EJ whispered to the three men standing around her, “Four people in the room.  One of them should be Dr. McKay.  He was in his office when the rebel scum invaded.  He’s the one who managed to sound the alert.  Your orders, Major?” 

“We split up,” Evan commanded quietly, “Take both entrances at once.  Sgt. Young, you’re with Agent Baran at this door.  Keep them busy while Lt. Jones and I make our way to the other entrance.  We’ll use flash-bangs as a distraction.  Enter on my signal, not before.  The hostage’s safety is priority, so switch to your sidearms.  Try to leave one assailant alive for questioning.  Understood?” 

“Yes, sir,” rang all three voices in unison. 

“And Agent Baran?  They are not ‘rebel scum’.  It is an unknown hostile alien force.  Try to take this seriously,” Evan's mouth twitched in an effort not to smile.  He made a quick motion to the lieutenant and they began making their way silently to the other entrance. 

As they turned the second corner, Evan heard another spatter of gunfire and EJ yelled again, “Surrender or die, unknown hostile alien force!” 

Evan and Jones got into position close the second door.  Evan clicked his radio three times to signal he was in position.  He got another three clicks in answer.  He released his MP5 to hang loosely from his vest and pulled his sidearm out.  He turned to see Lt. Jones doing the same thing.  Jones also pulled a flash grenade from his vest, holding his gun in one hand as he pulled the pin, and nodded his readiness to Lorne. 

Evan raised his gun and spoke very softly into his radio, “3…2…1…go.” 

Jones lobbed the grenade through the open doorway and there was a bright wash of light.  The two pairs burst through both doors at the same time, easily avoiding the stray shots from the people inside. 

Then several things happened at once. 

Sgt. Young fired two shots into the chest of the short woman advancing rapidly towards him.  The woman collapsed to the ground and EJ rushed forward to kick the gun out of her hand, making it clatter across the ground until it hit the wall. 

At the other entrance, a large man charged towards Evan, aimed low to tackle him.  Lt. Jones fired two rapid shots into the man’s thigh, causing him to fall to his knees.  The large man raised his arm to aim his forgotten gun, but Lorne swiftly knocked it out of his hand, sending it scattering across the room.  Lt. Jones stepped forward quickly to yank the man’s arms behind his back, pulling a set flex cuffs tight around his wrists, before he pulled his gun again, aiming this time at the man’s head. 

“Back away now, or this man dies.” 

The third person was half hidden behind Rodney, a gun pressed against the doctor’s temple.  Evan nodded to EJ and Young who both took a step back, without lowering the weapons they had trained on the man with the gun.  Rodney, for once, was keeping his mouth shut. 

“Let the hostage go and we’ll see that you are treated fairly,” Evan spoke evenly, keeping his own gun trained steadily at the man. 

“No.  I want guaranteed safe passage through your City to the Ancestral Ring.  After I am safely on a planet of my choosing, I will release him and he can return to you through the Ring.”  

“I’m afraid we can’t let you leave with Dr. McKay,” Evan's voice was still calm, “Release him and we’ll talk.” 

“Let me go or he dies.” 

“Agent,” Evan spoke just loud enough that EJ could hear him, “Avez-vous une image claire?” [French: Do you have a clear shot?] 

“Tu veux que je le tue ou blesse lui?” EJ responded just as quietly.  [French: Do you want me to kill him or wound him?] 

“Il a un otage.  Tuez coup.”  [French: He has a hostage.  Kill shot.] 

“Si Rodney même remue, je pouvais le frapper. Pouvez-vous lui faire tomber en panne?”  [French: If Rodney even twitches, I could hit him. Can you get him to drop down?] 

“Oui, mais il ne sera pas comme cela.”  [French: Yes, but he won’t like it.] 

“Last chance,” Evan addressed the man behind Rodney again, “Let Dr. McKay go.” 

“No. Safe passage first.” 

“Sorry, Dr. McKay,” Evan said softly. 

Evan lowered his gun slightly and shot McKay in the right thigh.  Rodney exclaimed indignantly and crumpled heavily to the ground.  As soon as the man lost his grip on Rodney, EJ fired two shots directly at his heart.  He fell to the ground behind Rodney.  

Evan stepped forward to check on Rodney as EJ kicked the gun out of the fallen man’s hand. 

“Report,” Evan ordered. 

“Clear,” responded Young, standing next to the body of the short woman. 

“Clear,” said EJ from above the man next to Rodney. 

“Prisoner secure, sir,” Jones stated, his gun still trained on the large man in cuffs in front of him. 

“AR-2 is all-clear.  Hostage secure, two hostiles eliminated, one in custody,” Evan smiled widely as he spoke into the room, “Time?” 

“Total time is 23 minutes, 19 seconds.  Chuck informs me that the time is a new record,” came Woolsey’s amused voice over the PA in the room. 

All four members of Evan's team cheered as Woolsey continued, “The hostage was injured by friendly fire, so we may have to come up with a penalty for that next time.  Combined with their scores from the other drills, AR-2 has passed certification for SRE operations.” 

“Yeah, next time, can we NOT shoot me?  Whose idea was it to shoot the hostage?” Rodney complained loudly as Evan helped him stand, “You guys have been spending too much time with Special Agent Baran.  You’re all turning violent.” 

“Tis but a scratch,” EJ grinned at him. 

Rodney rolled his eyes, “First Star Wars, now Monty Python?  I think you enjoy these exercises a little too much, EJ.  And since when do you speak French, Lorne?” 

“Took it all four years of high school,” Evan announced proudly, “Never thought it would be so useful.” 

EJ toed the man on the floor in front of her carefully, “You going to get up, Colonel?  Or are you taking a nap down there?” 

John opened his eyes to glare at EJ.  Exasperated hazel-green met amused violet. 

“You take two In’tar rounds to the chest and tell me how spry you feel, Agent,” John said dryly. 

Young bent down to help Teyla off the floor as Jones pulled his knife out to cut Ronon’s arms free. 

“I was also hit twice in the chest, John,” Teyla said coolly, brushing her clothing off as Young handed her the gun from across the room. 

John turned his head to glare at Teyla instead as he leaned up on his elbows, “Two different spots in the chest, yes.  Two shots directly over the heart, no.” 

John turned back to EJ, who held out a hand to pull him to his feet. 

“Couldn’t you have aimed the second shot somewhere else, Emmaline?  Was it really necessary to hit the exact same spot twice?” 

“Sorry, John.  I was trained very well,” EJ smiled sweetly at him, “Evan ordered a kill shot.  Double tap straight to the heart ensures the muscle is irreparably damaged and the target bleeds out within a couple minutes.  If you’d like, I can shoot you in the head next time.” 

John gave Evan a dirty look, “How about next time we do certification drills, AR-2 can be the bad guys instead?  Let you guys get shot at, cuffed, and generally thrown around for two days.” 

“Nah, none of us make convincing hostages.  We all have short attention spans.  We’d end up shooting each other out of boredom,” EJ turned to Evan, “I think he’s just upset we beat his team's time, Evan.  What do you think?” 

“I think that we should reset the scenario and let the next team start,” Evan answered diplomatically. 

“Froussard,” EJ huffed under her breath.  [French: coward] 

“Qu'il n'est pas lâcheté, c'est l'intelligence,” Evan waved the two other members of his team out of the room, “Vous pourrez peut-être me botter le cul, mais il est mon commandant.  Je ne reçois pas dans le milieu.”  [French:  It is not cowardice, it is intelligence.]  [French: You may be able to kick my ass, but he is my commanding officer.  I'm not getting in the middle.] 

EJ laughed and turned back to John.  She rubbed one hand gently over the spot where she had shot him. 

“Feeling better now, carissime?” she spoke quietly. [Latin: my dear] 

“I’m fine, Em,” John placed a hand over hers on his chest, “We’ve still got eight more teams scheduled today, so I’ll be here pretty late.” 

“I’ll probably be in my lab until 2300.  If you finish before then, come find me,” EJ smiled warmly at him, “If not, I’ll see you and Ronon at 0600 for our run.” 

“You don’t want me to stop by your room when I finish here?” John pouted as he dropped his hand from hers. 

EJ laughed as she leaned closer to answer, “We both know if you come over neither of us will get any sleep.  There’s a staff meeting at 0800 tomorrow.  We were both late last week because of you.  Richard will get cranky if we’re late for two in a row.” 

“It was worth it though, right?” John smirked at her. 

“Definitely worth it,” EJ agreed easily. 

EJ turned to Evan, who had been chatting quietly with Teyla and Ronon. 

“All set, Evan?” 

“All set, EJ,” Evan motioned to the closest door and followed her out. 

“Try not to get shot any more, Colonel,” Evan joked over his shoulder. 

“Definitely playing the bad guys next time,” John mumbled to himself.  He raised his voice so Evan could hear him as walked down the hallway, “Try not to shoot any other innocent people today, Major!” 

John heard the laughter from the hallway as Woolsey’s voice came over the PA again, “The next team is ready, in positions please.” 

The four members of AR-1 took their places as Sheppard tapped his radio, “We’re ready.” 

Chapter Text

Woolsey checked his watch for the third time.  It was 0810.  He always scheduled the senior staff meetings for the first day of the week, exactly at 0800.  He disliked having his timetable disrupted by late arrivals.  Almost all of his senior staff were sitting around the table, chatting quietly amongst themselves.  The only empty chair was the one between himself and Colonel Sheppard, usually reserved for Dr. Baran.        

“Has anyone seen EJ this morning?” Woolsey asked his staff. 

Several of them shook their heads. 

“She was still in her lab at 2200 when I went by last night,” McKay offered, looking across the table to Sheppard, “She said she would be leaving soon.  Did you see her after that?” 

“I was doing the SRE certification drills until 2530 last night,” Sheppard shrugged, “I haven’t seen her since Lorne’s team finished yesterday." 

"She didn’t show up for our run this morning,” Ronon grunted.  

“She wasn’t at breakfast, sir,” Lorne added. 

Woolsey frowned and tapped his earpiece, “Dr. Baran, please respond.” 

“Vai via. Ho da fare,” EJ’s harsh voice came over the radio.  [Italian: I’m busy.  Go away.] 

“Dr. Baran, this is Mr. Woolsey.  We had a staff meeting at 0800.  It is now 0810.  Where are you?” 

“Richard?  Credo di averlo trovato. L'impianto di produzione. Oppure uno di loro comunque. Potremmo essere in grado di ottenere più droni. E ZPM. Un sacco di ZPM!” the words tumbled out of EJ’s mouth.  [Italian: I think I found it.  The manufacturing facility.  Or one of them anyway.  We may be able to get more drones.  And ZPMs.  Lots of ZPMs!] 

“English, EJ," Woolsey sighed, "And slower please, so I can understand what you're saying.” 

“Sorry, I’ve been working on this all night.  I haven’t slept and I’ve had a lot of coffee," though she did speak slightly slower this time, EJ's excitement was still clear, "Richard, I think I found one of the Ancient manufacturing facilities.  It’s on a planet we haven’t been to yet.  They may have been producing ZPMs there…or maybe weapons…I haven’t figured that part out yet.”

“Are you certain?” Woolsey questioned as his eyebrows shot up. 

“I'm about seventy-five percent certain, yes.  I’m not sure about some of the engineering portions.  They were manufacturing something, a lot of somethings actually, I’m just not sure what the somethings were yet.  I know I’m supposed to be at the staff meeting, but I emailed you all my reports yesterday afternoon, and I’d really like to finish this translation.  If it’s possible, could you send Rodney or Radek to help me with the science junk?  This could be a huge asset for Atlantis.” 

“Of course, EJ,” Woolsey agreed readily, “I will send Dr. McKay to assist with the technical specifications.  I would like the two of you to send me a copy of your report as soon as you are positive of your results.” 

“I will.  Thanks, Richard.” 

Woolsey tapped his earpiece off before addressing McKay, “Dr. McKay, could you go down to EJ’s lab and help her with the translation she is working on?  She is in need of your technical expertise.” 

“What’s so urgent that we are both excused from the weekly staff meeting?” McKay asked as he stood, “Not that these meetings aren’t loads of fun.” 

“EJ believes she may have found the gate address of an Ancient facility for manufacturing ZPMs or weapons in the database,” Woolsey responded carefully.  

“EJ…ZedPMs…WHAT?” McKay sputtered. 

“She wanted clarification on some engineering aspects, but she is relatively sure,” Woolsey held back a smile at the scientist's reaction.   

McKay opened and closed his mouth several more times, making happy, incoherent noises. 

“Don’t stand there gaping like ryba, Rodney,” Zelenka urged, handing McKay's tablet to him, “Go.  Find ZPMs.”  [Czech: fish] 

McKay dashed from the room, almost running into the doors as they swung open in front of him. 

Sheppard looked at Lorne across the table. 

“Rock, paper, scissors for who gets to go to the planet with the cool Ancient stuff?” Sheppard raised his fist, mouth quirking into half a smile. 

Lorne refrained from rolling his eyes at his CO, but Woolsey spoke before he could respond. 

“If and when I receive confirmation from Doctors Baran and McKay that the facility does exist and does produce something of value, I will decide who goes,” Woolsey looked back and forth between Sheppard and Lorne, who both wisely remained silent, “I believe we can get started with the meeting now.” 

*OrderOrderOrderOrderOrderOrderOrder* 

John didn’t hear from EJ or Rodney the rest of the morning.  Shortly after one of the new biologists ran from EJ’s lab in tears, a handwritten sign appeared on the door.  It stated clearly ‘DO NOT ENTER ON PAIN OF SEVERE TONGUE LASHING BY ANGRY PHYSICIST’.  When a young airmen, who really should’ve known better since he’d been here over a year, went in to talk to EJ, he also ran out, red-faced.  ‘PENALTIES ALSO INCLUDE: BEING ASSIGNED AS A TRAINING ASSISTANT TO CAFFEINE-ADDICTED CIA AGENT’ was added to the sign.  No one tried to bother them after that.   

When John finished his duties for the day at 2330 and there was still no contact from either doctor, he decided to stop by the lab to check on them.  He rolled his eyes when he read the elaborate, but accurate sign on the door.  He waved his hand over the crystals and the door slid open. 

“Go away!” yelled two voices in unison.  Neither Rodney nor EJ turned away from what they were doing to see who had dared to open the door. 

John stepped in quietly and surveyed the room as the door slid shut behind him.  Rodney was sitting in front of the high table at the side of the room, hunched over a laptop.  His hair was sticking up in short tufts and he had discarded his gray uniform jacket, his black tee shirt and gray slacks rumpled since the morning.  There were several power bar wrappers crumpled up next to his laptop, along with a half-eaten package of Oreos and an empty coffee cup.  Rodney had one hand wrapped tightly around a second large mug filled with steaming coffee. 

EJ had long since given up on sitting at the table and had instead spread out on the floor.  She was still wearing the black t-shirt and BDU pants from the training exercise the day before.  She had Rodney’s jacket and her uniform shirt rolled up underneath her, supporting her head.  One of her boots was under the small table holding the coffee maker, on the opposite side of the room from Rodney.  The other boot was tipped over sideways in the middle of the room.  She had her hair tie around her wrist, letting her long, blonde hair fall in loose waves around her.  She had her own laptop open across her legs but she was staring absently past it to one of the large screens covered in Ancient writing. 

“Crustulum,” EJ mumbled.  [Latin: Cookie] 

Without looking away from his laptop, Rodney used his free hand to toss an Oreo in EJ’s direction.  She caught it mid-air one-handed, also without looking away from her screen, and started to nibble on it. 

“Have you two eaten anything besides cookies and power bars all day?” John asked patiently. 

“Coffee,” Rodney raised his mug to take a long drink.  He scrolled down the screen on his laptop before taking a cookie for himself. 

EJ only waved her half-eaten Oreo in the air as a response and turned her head to look the other large hanging screen. 

John sighed and walked over to the coffee pot.  He switched it off, dumping what little sludge remained in the bottom into the small sink next to it. 

“No more coffee today, for either of you,” John ordered.   

Two heads finally turned toward him, both faces wearing pitiful looks. 

“You’ve been in here for two days, Emmaline.  You’ve got one minute to wrap up whatever you are doing, then we’re going to the cafeteria for real food,” EJ pouted but started typing keys on the laptop as John continued, “Rodney, I’m sending your girlfriend down here in an hour.  You can deal with Jennifer’s wrath if this mess isn’t cleaned up when she gets here.  You know how she gets when you’ve been mainlining sugar and caffeine all day.” 

“You wouldn’t,” Rodney narrowed his eyes. 

“I would and I will,” John insisted, “I suggest you get started now.” 

“I just emailed you the final copy of my report, Rodney,” EJ spoke quickly to avoid any argument between the two men, “Just add yours and forward them to Richard when you’re done.” 

“Yeah, sure, fine,” Rodney said, waving his empty hand in dismissal as he turned back to his screen. 

EJ closed the laptop and handed it to John.  He set it on the table by Rodney as she stood up.  She bent down to grab both shirts off the floor.  She shook Rodney’s jacket out, then threw it over the back of the second, empty chair.  She dragged her black uniform shirt over her shoulders, trying to smooth the wrinkles out as she did up the buttons. 

“Okay, let’s go,” EJ headed towards the door. 

“Shoes, Em,” John said as his lips twitched upwards into a smile. 

“What?  Oh, right,” EJ looked around the room, “Where…?” 

She spotted the one in the middle of the floor and plopped down to put it on.  When she stood up and looked around confused for a moment, John pointed a finger at the other boot across the room.  She hobbled over and grabbed it.  She hopped on one foot to try to pull it on and almost fell over.  John held her arm to steady her and she managed to get the boot on her foot. 

“How long has it been since you slept?” John asked warily. 

“I’m not sure.  What day is it?” EJ answered absently. “Since before our run the morning of the certification tests.  Why?”

“Damn it, Emmaline, that’s almost 46 hours and I know you didn't get more than four hours the night before,” John swore as he slipped an arm around her waist to lead her from the room, “You’re off-duty for the next fourteen hours.  After we eat, you’re going to get some sleep.”

EJ sighed and leaned against him as they made their way down the hall, something she wouldn’t normally do in public, a sign of how tired she really was. 

“Can we snuggle in your bed?  I always sleep better when I’m with you,” EJ smiled up at him. 

John gave an exaggerated sniff and wrinkled his nose, “Maybe if you shower first.” 

“But I’m so sleepy,” EJ said in her most innocent voice, “What if I fall over in the shower and bump my head?” 

“I’m sure we can come up with a solution,” John's hazel-green eyes met hers.  He leaned down to whisper in her ear, “I could be convinced to take a second shower today.  For the sake of helping a friend.” 

“A friend?” she stopped and turned to sulk at him, “Rodney is your friend.  Ronon is your friend.  You shower with them too?” 

“Thanks for that image, Emma.  That’s just wrong,” he kissed her pouty mouth, “I only shower with you, sweetheart.” 

“Good,” she patted his cheek and pulled away as they made their way to the nearest transporter, “I’d hate to have to arrange an unfortunate accident.” 

John chuckled as he stepped in and the doors slid shut behind them. 

Chapter Text

EJ woke gradually, the light from New Lantea’s sun filtering through the stained glass window.  She stretched her slightly sore muscles and smiled at the memory of how she had gotten them.  She had managed to convince John to shower with her, which had of course led to certain other pleasurable activities.  The very long shower had caused both of them to fall exhausted into the bed afterwards.  Not so exhausted that they didn’t repeat their extra-curricular activities in bed when EJ woke in the middle of the night.  And again when John woke early for his morning run. 

EJ sighed when she heard her radio start beeping and reached over to pick up the earpiece. 

“Dr. Baran,” she said breezily, slipping the earpiece into place over her ear. 

“Good morning, Emma,” came John’s voice, “Time to get up.  It’s 0845.  Woolsey scheduled a briefing at 0930 for you and Rodney in the main conference room.  If you get up now, you should have enough time to shower and grab some breakfast.” 

“Rodney finished his report?” she sat up in the bed, the sheet pooling around her waist, “What were they making?  Was I right?”

“I didn’t ask him, but he has that weird glint in his eyes,” John drawled, “It’s either something cool and Ancienty or magical coffee trees.  We’ll find out at 0930.” 

“Do I have clean clothes in your room still or do I have to go back to mine?” 

“Second drawer down in the dresser.  Uniform shirt hung up in the right side of the closet.” 

“Vos mirabilia.  Want to come back and hold me up in the shower again?”   [Latin: You are wonderful.] 

“Emma.  I’m at the shooting range with half a dozen airmen,” John's voice dipped to a lower register. 

“So I shouldn’t tell you that I’m naked in your bed?” EJ flirted, “Or that I’m about to be naked and wet in your shower?” 

“I’ll get you for this.  0930 in the briefing room.” 

EJ laughed as his radio clicked off. 

*OrderOrderOrderOrderOrderOrderOrder* 

EJ walked into the briefing room two minutes before 0930, dressed in clean, black BDUs, her pony-tailed hair still wet, holding a cup of coffee in one hand and her tablet in the other.  Woolsey was already sitting the head of the table, an anxious Rodney in the chair next to him.  Evan and Radek were sitting next to him, talking quietly.  John was sitting on the opposite side, EJ’s empty chair between him and Woolsey. 

EJ set her things on the table and frowned down at her watch, “I’m not late this time, am I?” 

“No, EJ,” Woolsey assured her, “It appears everyone was extremely interested in your findings and arrived early.  Shall we get started?” 

“Absolutely,” EJ motioned to Rodney as she sat down. 

Rodney tapped his tablet, sending information to the large screen behind them. 

“I got bored the other night so I started browsing through the list of planets we haven’t been to yet," EJ started, "Atlantis highlighted this address for me as something she thought would be of interest.  It’s a space gate orbiting an uninhabited planet.  Normally, there are only a couple lines describing the condition of the planet itself attached to addresses like these, but this one was different.  It had a large section of text combined with several technical diagrams.  I was skimming through the text when I noticed a couple of keywords: potentia and telum.  Roughly translated, they mean power and weapon.  I translated the rest of the text and found there was a secret manufacturing facility on the planet.  It was shut down during the siege of Atlantis, so it’s quite possible the Wraith never found it.  I’m not an engineer, so I wasn’t sure what they were manufacturing, but they were making a lot of whatever it was.” 

“That would be where I come in,” Rodney declared with a haughty smirk, “It looks like the facility was mainly used for manufacturing weapons, including drones and hand-held energy weapons.  The particularly interesting thing is the fact that the facility itself is powered by seven rotating ZedPMs.  Since the Ancients abandoned it during the siege, the ZedPMs are probably still there.  If even one of them is still fully charged, it would be a huge stroke of luck.  Not to mention, if the facility hasn’t fallen into too much disrepair, we could have enough drones to survive another Wraith siege.  We really need to go this planet and look for this facility.” 

“I agree, Dr. McKay,” Woolsey stated, “Colonel Sheppard, there is an opening today at 1400.  Can your team be ready at that time?” 

“For the promise of drones, we can be ready now,” John retorted. 

“I should probably go as well, Richard,” EJ insisted, “The text also mentioned elaborate locking mechanisms to protect the facility from unauthorized entry-”

“I can handle any locks we find,” Rodney interrupted. 

“-as well as several safeguards put in place in case of tampering,” EJ finished as if Rodney hadn't spoken. 

“What kind of safeguards?” Rodney narrowed his eyes. 

“The kind that end with the detonation of the ZPMs in a chain reaction, destroying the facility and most likely the planet in the process,” one corner of EJ’s mouth lifted in a half-smirk, “My Ancient is a lot better than yours Rodney.  I’d hate for you to blow yourself up by doing something as simple as trying to open a door.” 

“Permission to include Dr. Baran in the mission?” John requested, “Dr. McKay’s blown up enough planets already.” 

“HEY!  That wasn’t my fault!” Rodney protested loudly. 

“AR-2 doesn’t have any missions scheduled for four days, correct, Major Lorne?”  Woolsey addressed Evan, who nodded his agreement. 

“Permission granted, Colonel Sheppard,” Woolsey spoke into the room, “Provided we can establish a lock on the planet, AR-1 and Dr. Baran will take a jumper through to P37-020.  Attempt to locate the facility on the planet and ascertain the viability of reopening it for our use.  I’m sure I don’t have to stress the value of having an Ancient weapons manufacturing facility under our control.  Doctors McKay and Baran?  Do not to blow anything up.” 

Rodney's forehead crinkled and EJ's lower lip stuck out in a pout.   

“Why am I included in the ‘blowing-up-things’ warning?” EJ questioned. 

“He read the report from P21-658,” Evan offered wryly. 

“But that wasn’t my fault!” EJ’s protest was just as loud as Rodney’s. 

“You blew up the home of the village elder’s sister,” Teyla said evenly.   

“Not on purpose though,” EJ defended, “I had no way of knowing that those two liquids would cause that much destruction when they combined.  And I still managed to get them to give us access to their temple.” 

“My orders stand,” Woolsey looked between EJ and Rodney, “No explosions, accidental or otherwise.  1400 in the jumper bay.  Dismissed.” 

“Dress cool, it’s the middle of summer on P37-020.  The temperatures can get into the high 90s during the day,” EJ informed them as everyone started to stand. 

*OrderOrderOrderOrderOrderOrderOrder* 

AR-1, plus EJ, left Atlantis in a jumper at 1400.  John flew down to the planet while Rodney tried to locate any power signatures that would indicate a secret facility.  He found a low-level field of EM interference covering a mountain on the small southern continent.  John landed in a clearing a mile from the edge of the field and the group proceeded on foot.  After about half an hour of searching, they found a large stone door in the side of the mountain, mostly covered in vines.  Ronon and John cleared the vegetation away from the door and the surrounding area.  There were three small indentations evenly spaced in the center of the door and a small crystal control panel in the rock to the side. 

Rodney pulled long silver cables from his bag and connected his tablet to the panel.  He and EJ were standing with the tablet between them, arguing in half completed sentences again. 

“Any idea how long this is going to take, Doctors?” John inquired. 

“A while,” Rodney snapped. 

“How long is a while?” John asked patiently. 

“I hope you brought dinner, Colonel,” EJ pointed to something on the tablet that made Rodney frown, “It’s going to be a long while.   Especially if Rodney keeps arguing with me when he knows that I’m right.” 

“You are not right, EJ.  Look at this,” Rodney poked at a different spot on the tablet and the two of them dissolved back into their argument. 

John rolled his eyes and turned to Ronon, “Let’s go check out the area, Chewie.  Seems we’re going to be here a while.  Teyla, mind the children.  We’ll stop by the jumper to grab some MREs and extra water for dinner.” 

“I trust you will not be gone long?” Teyla raised one eyebrow at John as the voices behind her got louder. 

“No more than an hour, promise,” John winced as Rodney insulted EJ again.  She responded with something in Chinese that was extremely vulgar, judging from her tone. 

“And we’ll check in every fifteen minutes to make sure they haven’t killed each other before we get back,” John added.   

Ronon smirked at Teyla before he started off into the trees, John following close behind him. 

The last thing they heard was Rodney yelling, “If you can’t argue in a language I can understand, just shut up!” 

Chapter Text

John kept his promise and returned an hour later with food and water from the jumper.  It wasn’t until a couple hours later that either Rodney or EJ paid enough attention to actually eat something.  They had given up arguing and were both sitting on the ground, leaning against the rock face below the panel.  Rodney still had his tablet plugged into the control panel but EJ had gotten her own out and plugged it into a separate slot.  She was studying it, muttering quietly to herself in Ancient.  Occasionally, one of them would grunt and hold out their tablet for the other to look at.  Ronon, Teyla, and John took turns baby-sitting the two mostly oblivious scientists while the others went to check out the surrounding areas.  At one point, John took the jumper back up to the gate to check in with Woolsey, filling him in on the little progress his team had made. 

The sun went down and neither doctor moved from their positions against the mountain, both still engrossed in the tablets in front of them.   

John looked at his watch and winced at the time.  He stood from the fallen log he had been sitting on and walked over to the two doctors. 

“It’s been over nine hours, any progress?” he asked. 

“Yes and no,” EJ answered, face lit by the glow of her tablet. 

“Meaning?” John prompted. 

“Meaning,” Rodney answered, “we know in theory how the door is supposed to open, but we haven’t figured out the practicalities yet.” 

“I’m working on figuring out what the lock actually requires to open,” EJ tilted her head at Rodney, “Doctor Cranky-Pants over there is working on a way to bypass the locking mechanism without blowing us all to kingdom come.” 

Rodney scowled at EJ and she stuck her tongue out at him before turning back to her screen.   

“Any chance either of you are going to finish in the next hour or so?” John looked between the two of them. 

“Unlikely,” Rodney snorted, “There are several trillion lines of Ancient code to go through.  Even I’m not that smart.  I have to double and triple check everything to make sure I don’t trip one of the fail-safes in the system.  It’s slow work; could take days.  I haven’t been able to access any blueprints either.  I have no idea how big the facility is; it could be the entire mountain for all I know.  I can’t even get an accurate scan of what’s inside because of all the interference.  The good news is, the EM field causing the problems does cover the entirety of the mountain.  Anything that large has to be powered by a ZedPM.  The field shows no sign of weakening, so the ZedPM still has some juice left in it.” 

EJ was frowning and muttering again by the time Rodney finished his explanation. 

“What about you, EJ?” John looked at her expectantly. 

When EJ didn’t answer and her brow furrowed even further, Rodney elbowed her. 

“That doesn’t make sense,” she mumbled, “That shouldn’t be here.  How can that be here?” 

“What shouldn’t be there?” Rodney leaned over to look at her tablet. 

“This,” EJ pointed at a small section of text at the center of the screen. 

“How can you tell?” Rodney squinted. 

EJ scowled even further. 

“Well, it’s not that it shouldn’t be here, it’s more I don’t know why it would be," EJ clarified, "‘Caretaker’ is an Atlantis subroutine.  What does it have to do with weapons manufacturing?” 

“Caretaker?” John questioned thoughtfully, “I’ve heard that before.  Why do I know that?” 

“You’re Atlantis’ favorite,” EJ snorted, “She probably tells you about it every time you sit in the control chair.  She nags me about it when I ask her to find a specific section of the database for me.” 

“What do you mean ‘she nags you’?” Rodney eyed her warily, “Atlantis is just a city.  A very advanced city, but still.  A city doesn’t have a gender and it definitely doesn’t nag.” 

“You mean the prompt she shows me when I get out of the chair?” John ignored Rodney, “I didn’t realize that was a separate program.  My Ancient isn't that great.  I assumed it was just general term for whoever was sitting in the chair.” 

“Atlantis is not a she,” Rodney insisted loudly, “And it does not talk to people.” 

“The City of Atlantis is run by a very intricate AI,” EJ looked over at Rodney, “And that AI has a definite female personality.  She’s actually tried to speak to you for years.  She’s still a little upset that you don’t listen to her.” 

Rodney goggled at her, “Atlantis tries to talk to me?” 

“Of course.  She tries to talk to all the ATA positives.  Haven’t you ever felt that tickle in the back of your brain?  She even has her own special names for some of the people in the City too.” 

“Really?” Rodney was curious now, “What do you mean special names?  What does she call us?” 

“She calls you the ‘Curious Mind’.  John is the ‘Once-Lost Son’.  Richard is the ‘Rule Maker’,” EJ smiled.     

“What about you?” Rodney inquired. 

John shared a knowing smile with EJ before turning back to Rodney, “Don’t change the subject, Rodney.  Can you two finish this tonight or not?” 

“No,” EJ decided finally, “I need to go back to Atlantis and research the Caretaker program.  It says ‘Trias Cultores de ingressu primo requiritur.’  ‘Primary triad of Caretakers required for entry.’  I’ve never actually looked at the whole subroutine so I have no idea what that means.” 

“Pack it up then,” John ordered, "We're heading back." 

“But I’m not done!” cried Rodney, “I might be able to find a way around the lock without tripping the safeguards.” 

“Not tonight, you won’t, Rodney,” John said wryly, “You can come back tomorrow with Zelenka and a science team.” 

EJ started disconnecting the cables from the control panel and putting them away in her discarded pack. 

“You said it could take days, Rodney,” EJ said wisely, “Do you really want to be on this planet for days?  I know you didn’t bring that much coffee.” 

“Hey, Chewie!” John called over his shoulder. 

The taller man ambled over. 

“If Rodney’s not ready to leave in ten minutes, shoot him and throw him over your shoulder.” 

Ronon grinned and pulled his blaster from his holster, twirling it playfully. 

“Teyla,” John turned back toward the small fire they had made, “We’re leaving in ten minutes.” 

Everyone, including Rodney, was packed and ready to go eight minutes later. 

*OrderOrderOrderOrderOrderOrderOrder* 

The next morning Woolsey agreed to send Doctors McKay and Zelenka, along with several engineers they had chosen, back to the planet to study the Ancient lock.  They were accompanied by a small team of marines sent to watch over them and scout the surrounding area of the mountain. 

After her morning run and breakfast with John, EJ headed into her lab to start her research.  When John stopped by with a tray of food five hours later, she was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the floor, music blaring, staring up at the hanging screens, typing on the laptop open in her lap.  John set the tray of food on the small table by the coffee maker.  EJ tilted her head back and he dropped a kiss on her forehead before he left. 

Later that evening, Rodney returned with an update on the science team’s progress.  Woolsey called EJ to his office so he could get updates from both of them.  She walked in, tablet in hand, saw Rodney on the short couch and John in the chair next to her customary one by the door.  Woolsey was sitting behind his desk, waiting patiently. 

EJ sat down and looked over to Rodney, “Making any progress?” 

“Not any good progress,” Rodney frowned, “It’s worse than I thought.” 

“How much worse, Dr. McKay?” Woolsey asked. 

“The good news is; I’m sure I can figure out a way to work around the lock without tripping the fail-safes,” Rodney started. 

“And the bad news?” John questioned. 

“The bad news is; in order to do so, I would need the computing power of the entire network here on Atlantis, every byte of it, every computer programmer, and every person who even thinks they can speak Ancient for the next eighteen months to do it,” Rodney finished bitterly. 

“That’s a lot of bad news, McKay,” John grimaced. 

Woolsey looked at EJ, “What about you, EJ?  Have you made better progress than Rodney?” 

“I guess I have good news and bad news as well,” EJ said hesitantly. 

“Let’s hear it then,” John sighed. 

“Well, more like good news, bad news, and good news,” EJ began evenly, “The good news is; I’ve located the Caretaker program in the Atlantis database.  The bad news is; the program is a lot bigger than I originally thought.  Even with just the text, it’s massive.  The subroutine was partially activated when the Atlantis expedition originally arrived in the City, but now it’s in some sort of stasis.  The other good news is; it will take me much less than eighteen months to translate it.” 

“How long?” Woolsey inquired. 

“By myself?  A couple months, maybe,” EJ gave John a quick glance, “But I may have an alternative.” 

John narrowed his eyes at her tone. 

“Your alternative, Dr. Baran?” Woolsey asked.   

“I’d like to go back to Earth and have Daniel help me translate it,” EJ said quickly. 

“No,” John snapped, “That is not a good idea.” 

“Wait, hear me out,” EJ held up a hand to halt his protests, “The Daedalus is scheduled to leave Earth in five days.  If I leave during the scheduled dial-up tomorrow morning, that’s only four days on Earth.  I can work with Daniel in the Mountain until we are beamed up to the Daedalus.  By the time we get back here in three weeks, the translation should be finished.  The risk is minimal, especially when you weigh it against the potential rewards if this works.” 

Woolsey’s forehead crinkled as he spoke, “Is there any other way to open the door or enter the facility other than those two options?” 

“We don’t even know exactly where the facility is,” Rodney huffed, “We still haven’t been able to break through the EM interference.  We can’t start randomly digging holes or blasting through things and hope we hit the right spot.  The Ancients could have other safeguards in place.” 

“And you can’t complete the translation on your own, here on Atlantis?” Woolsey looked at EJ expectantly. 

“I can,” EJ spoke each word distinctly, “But it will take me about three months of working solely on this for about twenty hours a day.  Like I said, the risk in me going to the Mountain is minimal and I'm willingly to take it if it gets us a drone manufacturing facility.  Only General O’Neill and one other person with access to my background know I came to Atlantis.  My handlers won’t think to look for me at the SGC; four of them don’t even know it exists.  Please, Richard, let me do this.  Three and a half weeks is much less time than three months.” 

Woolsey drummed his fingers on his desk. 

“Very well, EJ," Woolsey agreed reluctantly, "Please do not take any unnecessary risks the four days you’re on Earth.” 

“I promise to stay inside the Mountain the entire time I’m there,” EJ assured him before turning to Rodney, “Could you make two copies of the Caretaker subroutine, text only, for me to take back?” 

“I will, sure,” Rodney waved a hand at her, “But I want to go back to the planet and keep working.  If we concentrate on breaking through the EM interference, maybe we can get a good look at what we’re all trying so hard to get.” 

John finally spoke again, “I’d like to set up a temporary outpost on the planet, including a platoon of Marines for security.  It’ll be easier and attract a lot less attention if we’re not flying all the equipment back and forth every day in the jumpers.” 

“A wise precaution,” Woolsey nodded, “We should survey the rest of the planet as well, since it seems we will be spending some time there.” 

“I’ll arrange it first thing in the morning,” John replied easily. 

“Thank you, Colonel,” Woolsey turned to his laptop to finish his work for the night, “Please be in the gate room at 0800 for the scheduled dial-out to Earth, EJ.” 

“I will, Richard,” EJ stood to leave as Rodney and John did the same. 

They walked out the door and EJ sent another quick glance to John.  Seeing the grim expression on his face, she spoke quickly to Rodney, “Could you just leave those copies in my lab, Rodney?  I’ll stop by in the morning to get them before I leave.” 

“Can’t you just come get them now?” Rodney huffed impatiently. 

“No.  I have some things to take care of tonight,” EJ shook her head.   

Rodney looked between EJ and John.  Whatever he saw in John’s face had him agreeing. 

“Fine, fine.  The hard-drives with the copies will be next to your laptop,” Rodney stomped off towards the labs. 

EJ turned back to John and linked her fingers through his. 

“Why don’t you come to my room and help me pack?” she whispered softly. 

Chapter Text

John sat on the bed brooding as EJ carefully folded and packed her clothes in a large duffel bag.  He saw several of his shirts that she liked to use as pajamas go into her bag.  When she finally zipped up the bag and set it next to the door, John opened his mouth to protest again.  EJ straddled his lap and fused her mouth to his, distracting him from whatever he was going to say.  Their clothing was discarded quickly after that, both eager to feel skin against skin.  They fell back onto the bed, taking their time exploring and memorizing each other.  They made love, slow and lazy, late into the night.  Afterwards, they fell asleep naked and wrapped around each other. 

EJ woke the next morning to the sound of the shower cutting off.  A minute later, John stepped out of the bathroom, towel wrapped low around his hips.  He saw EJ awake and bent down to give her a quick kiss.  She tried to pull him down for more, but he smiled and escaped to the dresser. 

John was pulling his clothes out of the bottom drawer when he finally spoke, “So, I was going over the room assignments the other day and I noticed there were some vacant rooms two floors up from mine.  They’re a lot bigger and have private balconies.” 

“Really?” EJ smothered a grin as she stood, pulling the sheets from the bed to pile in the hamper, “You thinking of moving your quarters?” 

“Actually, I was thinking that when you get back, we could both move our quarters,” John pulled a shirt over his head. 

“I dunno,” EJ twitched her hips as she went into the bathroom and turned on the shower, “If both of us take new quarters, everyone else will want new quarters, and I’m sure there aren’t enough big rooms to go around.” 

John came into the bathroom, buckling his belt tight, “That’s not what I meant and you know it, Emma.” 

EJ scrubbed shampoo through her long hair, grinning widely since John couldn’t see her. 

“Ohhhhh.  You meant move our quarters together.” 

“I just figured since we spend so much time in each other’s rooms anyway, we could combine our stuff and get a bigger room with a nice view,” he crossed his arms across his chest and leaned against the counter. 

“Why, John Sheppard," EJ quickly rinsed the shampoo from her hair and sent a thought to Atlantis to switch off the water, "Are you asking me to move in with you?”  

“Yes, Emmaline Baran,” John handed her a towel, “I suppose I am.” 

EJ wrapped the towel around herself and tilted her head to the side, looking up at him, “How big are the showers?” 

“There is a shower and a bathtub,” he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her up against him, “Both big enough for two.” 

“You got yourself a deal,” she stood on her toes to give him a quick kiss, “Now go away so I can get dressed.  You’re incredibly distracting in that black tee shirt.” 

John smirked and gave her a last kiss before heading towards the door. 

*OrderOrderOrderOrderOrderOrderOrder* 

EJ was standing in the control room chatting with the tech on duty when Woolsey came in. 

“Ready to go, EJ?” Woolsey asked. 

“I have two hard drives with copies of the Caretaker program in my bag,” EJ assured him, “If all goes to plan, Daniel and I should have the completed translation when we return in three and a half weeks.  Just don’t let Rodney and his geeks blow up the planet before then.” 

Woolsey motioned to the tech, who began dialing Earth.  John came up the steps just as the wormhole connected.  Woolsey began speaking to General Landry quietly, giving him the weekly update.  

“Remember, be careful,” John reminded EJ, “No unnecessary risks.” 

“I’ll be fine, John,” she squeezed his hand at his side, “I’ll be in the Mountain surrounded by all those guards all four days.” 

“They are ready for you, Dr. Baran,” Woolsey interrupted. 

“On my way,” EJ dropped John’s hand to start down the steps. 

“Special Agent Baran.”  

The tone of John’s voice stopped her and she turned back to him. 

He held out a hand, palm up. 

She blinked up at him innocently. 

He made a ‘gimme’ gesture with his hand. 

She stuck her lower lip out in an exaggerated pout, “Jooooohn.” 

“Emmaline,” he raised an eyebrow at her. 

She gave a very loud sigh and pulled a small holster holding a sleek silver handgun from beneath the shirt at her back and slapped it into his palm.  He stuck it in the back of his own waistband and held his hand out again. 

“Oh, come on!” EJ protested, “I gave you the bigger one.” 

John remained silent with his hand out. 

She pouted again and bent down to pull up her left pants leg to remove the ankle holster containing a second much smaller revolver.  She handed it to him. 

“Happy now?” 

“And the knives,” John held out his other hand, “Both of them.” 

At this point, everyone in the control room, including Woolsey, was staring at the two of them, expressions both confused and amused at the same time. 

EJ scowled at John.  She pulled a small knife from behind her belt buckle, then bent to remove the knife from the heel of her right boot.  She put both in his empty hand. 

“I can’t believe you’re making me go unarmed,” she sulked. 

“If you are staying in the Mountain the entire time,” John said dryly, “you don’t need weapons.” 

“But, what if-”

John leaned close to whisper in her ear, “Besides, I know you have a Glock in your duffel and three throwing knives in your laptop case.” 

EJ rolled her eyes and smiled as he leaned back. 

“They are waiting for you, Dr. Baran,” Woolsey said, a hint of amusement in his voice. 

EJ started down the steps, but turned back halfway through once again.  She walked quickly up to John and pulled his head down for a fierce kiss, in full view of everyone in the gate room. 

“Thought you weren’t big on public displays of intimacy,” John smiled widely as she leaned back. 

“Couldn’t leave without a good-bye kiss,” EJ shrugged. 

“Not good-bye,” John leaned down to kiss her softly once more, “See you later, Em.” 

“See you later, John.” 

EJ dashed down the steps, grabbed her bags, and stepped through the event horizon. 

Chapter Text

Daniel was predictably very excited about working on the Ancient program.  He found EJ a guest room to set down her things, then they both got to work.  Daniel printed out hundreds of papers filled with Ancient text, preferring the sensation of paper to an electronic screen.  They made quick progress, soon discovering the program required specific genetic components.  Very specific genetic components. 

A long phone call to General O’Neill, which mostly consisted of Daniel rambling away at top speed and Jack ‘uh-huh-ing’ at random intervals, had the General clearing his schedule for the next month and packing his bag for a trip to Atlantis.  The three of them beamed up to the Daedalus on the fourth day, Daniel and EJ with boxes of printouts and three extra computer bags in addition to their individual bags.   

The two scientists took over a long table in the common room of the Daedaelus, spreading out their papers and laptops.  Jack would stop by occasionally, propping his feet up on an empty chair and playing with his yo-yo.  He would listen to EJ and Daniel jabber back and forth in several different languages and not understand a word of it.  A couple times a day a young airmen would come in with a full carafe of coffee and exchange it for the empty one.  He blushed brightly every time EJ smiled and thanked him.  Jack commented on it one time, causing EJ to roll her eyes and Daniel to throw a chewed up pen at him. 

Sometime at the beginning of the second week, Jack walked into the common room to find Daniel scowling furiously and glaring at EJ.  She was trying to muffle her giggles with one hand, but failing horribly. 

“What’s going on, children?” Jack asked as he plopped down in his chair, “EJ, what did you do to my archaeologist?  I haven’t seen that particular face since one of new officers moved an artifact during one of his digs.” 

“EJ has a horrible sense of humor,” Daniel grumbled. 

“I told you, I didn’t come up with it, Atlantis did,” EJ broke into another round of loud giggles, “She thought it was quite appropriate.”

“I still don’t believe you,” Daniel pouted. 

Jack bobbed the yo-yo up and down. 

“Someone want to explain?” Jack asked curiously. 

“Atlantis has nicknames for some of the people in the City,” EJ bit her bottom lip to stop herself from laughing, “Daniel doesn’t like the name she gave him.” 

“Because even the most advanced AI doesn’t have that kind of humor,” Daniel protested loudly. 

“She’s several million years old, Danny,” EJ rolled her eyes, “and she went ten thousand years without talking to anyone.  I’d be more worried if she didn’t have a sense of humor.  Besides, it’s not like the name isn’t accurate.” 

“What name?” Jack stopped playing with the yo-yo to glance back and forth between Daniel and EJ. 

Daniel looked down at his papers and mumbled something under his breath. 

“What was that, Danny?” Jack asked, cupping his hand around his ear. 

“Atlantis calls him ‘Scolaris Mortui’,” EJ grinned widely, “It means ‘Dead Scholar’.  She thinks it’s funny that someone who studies dead cultures has died so many times himself.” 

Jack let out a loud bark of laughter and Daniel turned to glare at him. 

“I’m glad you find this so humorous, Jack,” Daniel huffed and pursed his lips, “A highly advanced artificial intelligence built by a powerful alien race thinks it’s funny I’ve died a couple times.” 

“I think if you’ll take the time to analyze that last part of that sentence, Daniel,” Jack pointed out, “you’ll understand why everyone finds it funny.” 

“At least you’re taking this whole ‘AI’ thing better than Rodney,” EJ pointed out, “He didn’t believe me that Atlantis has her own personality.” 

“Wouldn’t be the strangest thing we’ve ever encountered,” Daniel shrugged.

“Ain’t that the truth,” Jack nodded in agreement and started bobbing the yo-yo up and down again, “So who else does she have names for?” 

“She calls you the ‘Ducem Recusantem’,” EJ declared pleasantly. 

Jack looked at Daniel who provided the translation with a smirk, “Reluctant Leader.” 

“Could be worse,” Jack grinned, “And you, EJ?” 

“Secretum Custode,” EJ responded quietly, a mysterious smile spreading over her face.    

“Secret Keeper,” Daniel translated, “I still don’t understand that one.” 

“Oh, really?” Jack raised an eyebrow at EJ. 

“We should probably get back to work,” EJ turned back to her laptop, “We’ve only got a little over a week left.” 

*OrderOrderOrderOrderOrderOrderOrder* 

The night before the Daedalus was scheduled to arrive at Atlantis, EJ and Daniel were alone in the common room.  They had finished the translation that morning and finally cleaned off the table, packing everything away for transport to Atlantis. 

“You’re sure about all of this?” Daniel pulled his glasses off and swiped a hand across his face. 

“As sure as you are, Daniel,” EJ stretched out in her chair.  She was exhausted.  She wanted to blame it on the excessive amount of bad coffee she had been drinking, but the truth was, she had been having strange dreams since they left Earth.  She never quite remembered them when she woke, only that they made her feel strangely sad and happy at the same time. 

“So, what are we going to do about it?” Daniel’s voice brought EJ’s drifting attention back to him. 

“If we tell Richard everything, he'll feel obligated to tell the IOA,” EJ tilted her head, considering all the options carefully, “If they find out what the Caretaker program really does, they'll never let us activate it, no matter what it gets us.  Especially considering the people Atlantis chose.  Even a steady supply of drones and energy weapons won’t convince them.” 

“And McKay still hasn’t found a way around the lock?” Daniel wondered with a small frown. 

“I have been emailing him since we came back into communications range with Atlantis.  He said he may have under-estimated the time it would take him to hack the lock.  The facility was one of the Ancients most highly guarded secrets.  They took extra precautions to make sure no one else could enter it.  I can only imagine what the ZPM facility was like.” 

“We lie then,” Daniel suggested evenly.   

“Not necessarily lie, just omit certain details of the program," EJ shrugged, "But only to those not directly involved.  The rest of the Caretakers should know the complete truth so they can make an informed decision.  Atlantis won’t like it, but she can choose others if it becomes necessary.” 

“Do you think the others will agree to do it?” Daniel asked curiously. 

EJ smiled before she answered, “Atlantis chose well.  I know you and I have already agreed.  I don’t foresee any major complications.” 

“Jack won’t like it,” Daniel smiled back at her. 

“Probably not, but that doesn’t mean he won’t do it,” she yawned loudly and stood. 

Daniel followed her out of the room, passing only the few crew members that were still awake. 

“Wirst du mir irgendwann erklären, was dein Name für eine Bedeutung hat?” Daniel asked as they walked into the hallway housing both their rooms.  [German: Are you ever going to tell me what your name means?] 

EJ stopped at her door and pushed the button to open it. 

“Es bedeutet, dass sie mich besser als die Meisten kennt. Gute Nacht, Daniel,” she answered as she closed the door behind her.  [German: It means she knows me better than most.  Good night, Daniel.] 

Chapter Text

The Daedalus landed on the east pier the next afternoon.  Evan was waiting with a squad of uniformed men to begin off-loading supplies when EJ came down the ramp, followed by a bickering Daniel and Jack.  Evan took the large duffel bag from her hands and smiled wryly. 

“Glad to have you back, EJ,” Evan said evenly. 

EJ noted the look on his face and narrowed her eyes, “Que faisait-il?”  [French: What did he do?] 

“Il a passé la première semaine torturer les gens pendant la formation.  Puis il fit son aide de l'équipe déplacer tous vos trucs dans l'une des chambres les plus grandes. Ils modifièrent les meubles à trois reprises,” Evan rolled his eyes, “Ronon and Teyla were impressed with the extensive weapon collection the two of you have, but Rodney threatened to shut off power to my room if I didn’t find something to keep him occupied.”  [French: He spent the first week torturing people during training.  Then he made his team help move all your stuff into one of the bigger rooms.  They rearranged the furniture three times.] 

EJ sighed as Evan continued, “Woolsey finally sent him to P37-020 to supervise the security set-up a couple days ago.  He’s due back at 2000 this evening.” 

“Good, that gives me enough time to go see Jennifer and unpack my stuff,” EJ checked her watch, now back on Atlantis time, “Could you make sure General O’Neill and Dr. Jackson get to the guest quarters?” 

“Yes, ma’am,” Evan mock-saluted her.

Jack and Daniel had quit arguing and caught up to her.  Both men looked at her funny when Evan saluted.    

“Evan, we’ve talked about this,” EJ warned, “If you call me ma’am or salute me one more time…” 

“You’ll beat my ass with Teyla’s sticks again?” Evan responded cheekily. 

EJ narrowed her eyes.  She crossed her arms across her chest in a manner eerily similar to John. 

“I’ll tell Rodney you’re the one who stole from his secret chocolate stash last month,” she declared. 

“You can’t do that,” Evan paled as his eyes widened, “I won’t have hot water for months.” 

“Try me,” EJ articulated. 

“Mal femme,” Evan muttered as he pulled an earpiece from his pocket and dropped it in her hand.  [French: Evil woman.] 

“Will you have some of the boys take our research to my lab?  We’ll need one of the bigger conference rooms in the morning, but I’ll call Richard about that later.  It’s going to be a crowded debrief,” EJ informed him as she slipped the earpiece on, “And have them take my bag to the new room, please?  I’ll have Atlantis show me where it is after I’m done with Jennifer.” 

Evan was a little concerned now, “You okay?  You hate going to the infirmary.” 

“I’m fine,” EJ waved a hand at him as she started towards the City, “Just a little trouble sleeping.” 

Evan frowned after her for a moment, then turned back to the men standing in front of him. 

“General O’Neill, Dr. Jackson, if you’ll follow me, I can show you to the guest quarters,” he motioned towards the City.    

*OrderOrderOrderOrderOrderOrderOrder*   

John returned in a jumper a couple minutes after 2000 that night.  He had an extremely short debrief with Woolsey and hurried the nurse in the infirmary through his physical.  When the door to his new quarters opened, he saw a pair of small black combat boots on the mat by the door.  He grinned as he turned the corner to see a trail of black uniform clothing to the bathroom.  John picked up the clothes and dumped them in the tall hamper by the bathroom door, then discarded his own clothing into the basket as well.  He went through the open door into the bathroom and saw EJ in the giant bathtub, long hair wet and slicked back from her face. 

EJ smiled as John slipped into the bath behind her.  She leaned back against his chest and gave a contented sigh. 

“This was definitely a good idea,” she murmured quietly, “I could get used to this.” 

John nuzzled the side of her neck and whispered, “Told you.” 

“I hear you were terrorizing all of Atlantis while I was gone,” she teased. 

“Were you gone?” he lifted his head from her neck, “I didn’t notice.” 

EJ reached a hand down and pinched his thigh. 

“Ok, fine,” John sighed and leaned down to kiss her neck again, “I might have missed you…a little.” 

“Better,” EJ leaned her head further to the side to give him better access, “Before you get me all distracted and I forget to tell you, Daniel and I finished the translation.  There’s a briefing scheduled for tomorrow at 0900.” 

“Yeah, I heard you brought home a General,” John bit down in a particularly sensitive spot and a moan escaped EJ. 

“Atlantis likes his DNA,” she breathed, “And I think we should be done talking about that now.” 

She turned toward him, water sloshing over the side of the tub.  Their mouths met and neither of them talked until long after the water had gone cold. 

*OrderOrderOrderOrderOrderOrderOrder*   

EJ was standing in a room she didn’t recognize.  She turned slowly, taking in the blues and greens of the décor, and decided she was most likely still on Atlantis.  She wondered briefly how she had gotten there before she noticed her reflection in a tall standing mirror.  Her long, blonde hair hung in loose waves down her back.  She was wearing a loose, short-sleeved shirt and wide linen pants, both in the same stark white.  Her feet were bare against the oddly warm floor. 

“Hello, filiole.”  [Latin: dear child] 

EJ turned to face the deep voice that had come from the opposite side of the small room.  A tall man, who hadn’t been standing there previously, smiled gently at her.  He was wearing the same style of clothing as her, bare feet planted firmly on the floor like hers.  There were faint, pale tattoos covering both his forearms from wrist to elbow.  He had short, messy blonde hair, only a shade or two darker than her own and sharply defined features.  But what stood out the most to EJ were the man's eyes.  They were the same exotic shade of violet as hers. 

“Who are you?” EJ demanded, “And how did I get here?” 

“You are dreaming,” the man answered. 

“So you’re just a figment of my imagination?”

He laughed, the sounded rolling over EJ in a wave of warmth.

“No, filiole,” he assured her, “I am as real as you are.” 

“Why do you keep calling me that?”

“What else should I call you?” he inquired, head tilting in a familiar way. 

“Most people call me by my name,” she insisted. 

“I am not most people, Emmaline,” the man explained, “And I don’t have much time left.” 

“Time for what?”

“Tomorrow you will become Defensor,” the man straightened, “You must find the Pignus.  It is your birthright.”  [Latin: Guardian]  [Latin: pledge]

“What is the ‘pledge’?” EJ asked curiously, “And how do I find it?” 

The man raised his arms, indicating the markings on his forearms, as he started to fade.

*OrderOrderOrderOrderOrderOrderOrder*   

An alarm chirped from somewhere next to EJ’s head and she groaned. 

John reached an arm over her to slap at the noise until it stopped.  He dropped a fleeting kiss on her cheek before throwing the covers back to get up. 

EJ rolled over to bury her face in the pillow and waited for the strange happy/sad feeling to fade. 

Chapter Text

EJ and Daniel were waiting in the large conference room, chatting quietly in Greek when people started filing in.  Woolsey and Jack both took seats by the head of the table.  John, Evan, Rodney, Jennifer, Ronon and Teyla filled in the remaining seats.  The doors swung shut and Woolsey looked to EJ. 

“Dr. Baran, Dr. Jackson,” Woolsey started, “I understand you were able to complete the translation during your time on the Daedalus.” 

“We did,” EJ answered.  She tapped several keys on her tablet and the large flat-screen beside her filled with Ancient writing, “By now, most of you are already aware that Atlantis is controlled by an elaborate artificial intelligence program.  The Cultore or Caretaker program was designed as a way for Ancients, or in our case ordinary humans, to interface with the City's systems and the AI consciousness.” 

“There were nine Caretakers in total, forming a sort of council,” Daniel explained, “Three levels of three people, each level called a ‘Trinitas’ or Triad.  The original nine Caretakers were chosen by the City’s AI as a way to streamline Atlantis' operations.  The nine positions were passed down through the families after that.  Each ‘Trinitas’ consisted of three people.  One represents ‘corpus’ or body; they were considered warriors or soldiers.  One represents ‘mens’ or mind; they were scholars and scientists.  One was ‘medius’ or neutral; they were exactly that, neutral parties.  There were three each of corpus, mens, and medius.  The lock on P37-020 requires ‘Prima Cultores de Ternario’ or the ‘Primary Triad of Caretakers’.  They are the leaders of the council, one from each group.” 

“The program interface is DNA based so it has been dormant since the Ancients abandoned the City ten thousand years ago,” EJ continued where Daniel left off, “The last of the Cultore council set the program to slumber along with the AI.  When the Atlantis expedition first arrived seven years ago, the City’s AI was reactivated along with the rest of her systems.  The reason she woke up so quickly was because she detected Caretaker DNA.  She’s been trying to get someone to fully reactivate the program ever since.” 

“You mean me?” John was surprised. 

“Yes,” EJ beamed at him, “Atlantis says you are a direct descendant of the Prima Corpus, the First Body.” 

Rodney gave an exaggerated roll of his eyes as John smirked at him. 

“So why did I need to sit in hyperspace twiddling my thumbs for three weeks?” Jack asked. 

“Because you’re also Prima Trinitas, Jack,” Daniel pushed his glasses back into place, “You are descended from the Prima Medius, the First Neutral.” 

“Sweet,” Jack grinned. 

“And the third?” Woolsey asked patiently. 

EJ looked down at the table shyly as Daniel answered, “EJ would be the Prima Mens, the First Mind.” 

“Makes sense in a way,” Jennifer decided, “The three of you have the highest ATA compatibility.” 

“You said there were nine Caretakers,” Rodney pointed out, “What about the rest of them?” 

“Evan, Daniel, and Rodney also have compatible DNA,” EJ said easily.  She saw the protest forming in Rodney’s mouth and spoke before he could, “I know that you have the gene artificially imposed, Rodney.  The 48% of people that the gene therapy works on actually have the ATA gene hidden, dormant, in their DNA.  The three of you are all descended from Caretakers, but you have all turned out differently.  The gene manifested positively in Evan, but was hidden in Rodney until he received the gene therapy.  Daniel is a unique case.  We looked over his records and the gene was active in him before he ascended.  Something the Others did when they sent him back must have made the gene dormant.  Atlantis will still recognize him though.” 

“So why are Ronon, Jennifer and I here?” Teyla asked thoughtfully, “We do not have this Ancestral gene.” 

“You don’t,” Daniel agreed, “According to Atlantis, the last three lines of Caretakers died out on Earth thousands of years ago.  However, the person who designed the program took into consideration that eventual outcome.  If one of the lines dies out, Atlantis can choose another compatible person.  She decided that even though the three of you don’t have the ATA gene, you had other qualities that she would accept.” 

“The program requires all nine of us to activate it,” EJ turned to Woolsey, “We will need everyone to sit in the control chair, one at a time, to activate the program.  After the ninth person finishes, General O’Neill, Colonel Sheppard, and I will be able to open the door on P37-020.” 

“What happens to Atlantis and the Caretakers after the program is activated?” Woolsey asked cautiously. 

Daniel looked to EJ as she tilted her head to the side before answering, “The program shouldn’t affect the day-to-day operations on Atlantis.  It is mainly just an interface for the City’s AI.  Each Caretaker receives a mark on the palm of their left hand to identify them, but it’s relatively painless.” 

“The program was originally intended to be a quicker way to interface with the City,” Daniel added calmly. 

John narrowed his eyes at EJ, but didn’t say anything as Woolsey turned to Jack, “General O’Neill, what is your opinion?” 

“I think an Ancient weapons manufacturing facility is something I’d really like to have,” Jack said easily, “As long as Daniel and EJ promise I’m not going to grow an extra head or something, I can let Atlantis borrow some of my DNA.” 

EJ rolled her eyes at the General. 

“You’re not going to grow any extra limbs, Jack,” Daniel gave an exasperated sigh. 

“Let’s do it then,” Jack declared. 

“Agreed,” Woolsey nodded, “EJ, how long will you need the control chair?” 

“I'll need a few minutes to talk to each person,” EJ informed him, “to explain to them exactly what to expect when they sit in the chair.  I’m not sure how long the actual activation will take.  No more than a day, my best estimate.” 

“Very well,” Woolsey stood, “Proceed.  I'll inform the security team on P37-020 that the three of you," he indicated John, EJ, and Jack, "will be there at 1000 Atlantis time, tomorrow morning.  That should give you plenty of time.” 

“Thank you, Richard,” EJ smiled at him as he left, “If no one objects, we can go down to the chair room now and I can give you the details of what to expect.” 

“Might as well get it over with,” Rodney huffed. 

Everyone stood and most headed for the door. 

John and Jack stayed behind and waited for the doors to close before John spoke. 

“What did you leave out?” John directed his question to EJ, “You did the head tilt-y thing again.  You had to think about your response to Woolsey.  You only do that when you aren’t telling the whole truth.” 

When she didn’t answer, Jack narrowed his eyes at Daniel. 

“Dr. Jackson?” 

“General O’Neill?” 

“Daniel.” 

“Jack.” 

“Daniel.” 

“Jaaaaaaack.” 

“Sir,” EJ interrupted before Jack could speak again, “I will explain everything in the chair room.  I’d rather just go through it once.” 

Chapter Text

EJ was the last one into the chair room and she waved the door closed behind her. 

“Atlantis, seal the room and mute all audio surveillance.  Block all radio signals, except for the emergency channel,” she spoke clearly into the room. 

“What’s going on?” Rodney asked nervously. 

“Dr. Baran and Dr. Jackson left some things out of the briefing,” John drawled. 

“Again, EJ?” Evan sighed. 

“What does he mean again?” Daniel asked her. 

“This isn’t the first time EJ has kept secrets,” Jack said pointedly. 

“Ist es das, was sie meint, indem Ihr Name?” Daniel eyed EJ.  [German: Is that what she means by your name?] 

“Unter anderem, ja,” EJ shrugged she answered.  [German: Among other things, yes.] 

“English, please, children,” Jack scolded. 

“There are a few things you need to know before we do this,” EJ started slowly, “Daniel and I did leave out a few important details during the briefing.” 

EJ paused briefly before continuing, “The Cultore program is much more than just an interface with the City’s AI, although that is what it was originally intended to do.  After the first council was chosen, Atlantis altered the subroutine to better serve the needs of the City.  Each Caretaker was given a job, specific duties unique to their position.  Once the program is fully activated, the council of nine Caretakers has complete control Atlantis.  The DNA of the Caretakers acts as extra security for Atlantis’ systems.  If the program had been fully active when the Tria arrived, Helia would not have been able to override control of the City the way she did.  As long as one of the Caretakers remains in the City, Atlantis will not answer to anyone we don’t want her to.  The mark each of the Cultores receives on their hand enables telepathic communication between the City and other Caretakers.” 

“I don’t know if I like the sound of that,” Jack said warily. 

“Oh, no, no, no, no, no.  I don’t want anyone else in my head,” Rodney protested, “Been there, done that.  Never again.” 

“It’s not complete telepathy,” Daniel explained patiently, “And it’s not constant.  You can only hear thoughts that are specifically projected.  It would be kind of like…speaking in your head to another person, just like you would out loud.  Unless you direct a message to specific person, your thoughts are still your own.  The City uses the telepathic link to speak directly the Caretakers.  From what we gathered, it’s also a translation matrix so those who don’t speak Ancient can understand her.  Everything is communicated using the mark on the hand.  As long as the mark is there, so is the link.” 

“Can we not turn the program off when we no longer require it?” Teyla inquired calmly, “Or remove the mark from those who do not wish to bear it?” 

“It’s not that simple,” EJ hesitated, “Once the program is activated and the Caretakers marked, only death can break the connection with the City.  The Caretaker positions are passed down through genetics.  That means if one of them dies, whichever of their children is best suited to the position will be called by the City, no matter the age.  There is only the one exception, if a Caretaker dies without an heir.  Then Atlantis will choose another and the cycle begins again.  Ronon, Teyla, Jennifer, the three of you have to make the decision not only for yourselves, but for your descendants as well.  You can decide now not to be a Caretaker and Atlantis will choose someone else.  But please bear in mind, she chose you above all others, including those who have the ATA gene. A several million year-old AI doesn’t make decisions lightly.” 

“And the rest of us?” John questioned softly, “Do we have a choice?” 

“If we want to do this…you, Jack and I do not,” EJ responded quietly, “Atlantis will accept no others for her most trusted Caretakers while we are still alive.  Since the program has been inactive for the last ten thousand years, Atlantis can choose for second and third triads.” 

“I’ll do it,” Lorne stepped forward. 

“So will I,” Rodney agreed carefully.   

“Me too,” Ronon grunted. 

“And me,” Jennifer added brightly. 

“I wouldn’t miss this for anything,” Daniel grinned. 

Jack huffed, “It seems I don’t get much of a choice, but I agree too, if anyone cares.” 

EJ looked to John. 

“Atlantis is my City,” he nodded. 

“Teyla,” EJ said softly, “No one here will think any less of you if you decide not to do this.  I know your first duty is always to protect Torren, as it should be.” 

Teyla smiled and inclined her head to EJ, “The City of the Ancestors has chosen me to care for her.  I could not say no.” 

EJ smiled at each of them in turn, “Thank you.  All of you.” 

EJ sat down in the control chair.  It automatically reclined and lit up.  EJ turned to John, "Don't panic, carissime.  Atlantis says I will be fine." 

She closed her eyes before anyone could question her and the system began humming eagerly. 

“Ut omnes intellegant me, quis dabit Vocem meam?” a disconnected, mechanical female voice came over the speakers.  [Latin: Who will be my Voice so all may understand me?] 

Daniel opened his mouth to answer, but EJ spoke first. 

“Et ego ero vobis Vocem, Atlantus,” EJ spoke in a clear, melodic tone. [Latin: I will be your Voice, Atlantis.]

The chair hummed loudly once more.  A large spark leapt from the chair to EJ’s body and she gasped. Her body began to twitch furiously, her back bowing away from the chair. John took a step towards her, but Jack grabbed his arm to hold him in place. 

EJ’s body relaxed as the chair straightened.  She sat up as the lights in the chair went off. 

Jack released his hold on John.  Before John could reach out to touch EJ, she stood and opened her eyes.  The normal violet was gone; her irises were glowing a pale shade of blue-silver.  

“I have not harmed your mate in any way, my Once-Lost Son,” EJ spoke but the inflection and tone were not her own, “It was a simple electric current to temporarily transfer part of my consciousness to her brain.  I am merely borrowing her body so all may understand me before the marks are given.” 

EJ/Atlantis looked at each of the people gathered before her, “It pleases me greatly that you have all agreed to become my Caretakers.  Let us begin.” 

EJ/Atlantis walked over to Teyla and took her hand, guiding her to the chair. 

“Wise Mother, you will be my Guide.  You are Tertius Medius.  You are responsible for the faith and mental well-being of my inhabitants.  You will advise those who need it and listen to all those who speak to you.  You will always show us the moral way.  I give you the knowledge of all the Guides who came before you.”  [Latin: Third Neutral] 

Teyla smiled peacefully as images floated around her. 

Keep us true, Deductor.  The words were not spoken out loud, but inside Teyla’s mind.  [Latin: Guide] 

Teyla stood and EJ/Atlantis walked over to Ronon next.  She spoke as he sat.   

“Silent Warrior, you will be my Hunter.  You are Tertius Corpus.  You are the strongest soldier; a weapon forged in battle, made to hunt, track, and kill our enemies.  I give you the knowledge of all the Hunters who came before you.”  [Latin: Third Body] 

Ronon broke into a savage grin as he saw the images above him. 

Hone your skills, Bellator.  [Latin: literal translation – warrior, soldier; used as hunter in this case] 

Ronon stood as EJ/Atlantis' hand reached out to take Daniel’s. 

“Dead Scholar, you will be my Historian.  You are Tertius Mens.  You are responsible for the truthful recording of our history, all of the good and all of the bad.  You must pass it on to each new generation.  I give you the knowledge of all the Historians who came before you.”  [Latin: Third Mind] 

Daniel gasped in delight as holographic images floated above him. 

Teach us well, Historicus.  [Latin: Historian]

EJ/Atlantis reached over to Jennifer, pulling her easily towards the chair. 

“Gentle Physician, you will be my Healer.  You are Secundus Medius.  You are responsible for the physical health of all present and future inhabitants of my City.  You must use all your skills to keep them healthy and repair them when they are not.  I give you all the knowledge of the Healers that came before you.”  [Latin: Second Neutral] 

Jennifer’s eyes widened in awe as images floated by. 

Keep them whole, Medicum.   [Latin: Healer]

Jennifer stared at her palm curiously as she stood.  EJ/Atlantis guided Evan to the chair. 

“Loyal Companion, you will be my Commander.  You are Secundus Corpus.  You are responsible for lives of the soldiers that guard our City and our people.  You follow the orders of the Prima Corpus, but it is you the soldiers look to for guidance.  I give you the knowledge of all the Commanders who came before you.”  [Latin: Second Body]  [Latin: First Body]   

Evan swallowed thickly as his images passed by. 

Take care with their lives, Legatus.  [Latin: literal translation – legate, deputy; used as Commander in this case] 

Evan stood slowly.  EJ/Atlantis took Rodney’s hand and pulled him to the chair. 

“Curious Mind, you will be my Custodian.  You are Secundus Mens.  You are responsible for keeping the City in one piece and functioning smoothly.  When it becomes necessary in the future, I will teach you to expand my walls and build more.  I give you the knowledge of all the Custodians who came before you.”  [Latin: Second Mind] 

Rodney’s mouth gaped open as technical schematics and blueprints floated around him. 

Use your mind, Custodem.  [Latin: Custodian] 

Rodney closed his mouth into a huge grin as he stood.  EJ/Atlantis walked over to Jack and took his hand, directing him to the chair. 

“Reluctant Leader, you will by my Judge.  You are Prima Medius.  You are the arbiter of disputes and the deciding vote in all Caretaker matters.  You are the leader, the Law, and the voice heard above all others.  You must have the strength and courage to always do what is necessary, whether it be for good or for evil.  I give you the knowledge of all the Judges who came before you.”  [Latin: First Neutral] 

Jack’s brow furrowed in concentration as images floated by him. 

Be wise, Iudex, and do not falter.  [Latin: Judge]

Jack stood carefully and EJ/Atlantis turned to John.  She laid a tender palm against his cheek before taking his hand to guide him to the chair. 

“Once-Lost Son, my favorite child who woke me from my long slumber, you will be my Protector.  You are Prima Corpus.  I regret that I must give you this responsibility, though I would trust no other in your place.  You are responsible for protecting this City, your City, and all those who live within her.  You are my sword, my Knight, and the line between victory and defeat.  You must do whatever is necessary to keep us safe from all who would harm or destroy us…even if the cost is your life.  I give you the knowledge of all the Protectors who came before you.” 

Images swirled around him, frenzied and peaceful at the same time. 

Keep us from harm, Imperator, but please stay safe.  I do not wish anything to happen to you.  [Latin: literal translation – General; used as Protector in this case] 

John stood from the chair and EJ/Atlantis turned to sit, chair reclining and glowing just a little brighter than before.   

“Secret Keeper, you will be my Guardian.  You are Prima Mens.  I give you something most precious; all my secrets, all my knowledge, everything that I am, and everything that I will become.  You must keep my knowledge safe from those who would use it to harm.  You are my shield, my Voice, and my last, best defense.  I know what was done to you as a child.  While I can never change what happened to you, I can promise you this: I will always be your safe haven, your home, in this life and beyond.  You need only ask and I will answer.  Because of what you have become, in spite of what they tried to make you, I am also giving you an additional responsibility I have never given another.  You are responsible for the lives of all my Caretakers.  I give you the knowledge of all the Guardians who came before you.”  [Latin: First Mind] 

The images around EJ/Atlantis danced and twirled. 

Keep our secrets, Defensor, and keep our family safe.  I will accept your Pledge, should you choose to give it, as a Verus Defensor.  Few have been worthy of that honor, child, so make your decision with care.  [Latin: literal translation – defender, champion; used as Guardian in this case]  [Latin: True Guardian] 

The room was quiet as Atlantis spoke her final words through EJ, “Remember your duties, Caretakers, and fulfill them well.” 

The glowing blue-silver in EJ’s eyes faded back to violet and she slumped back in the chair, eyes closing with a shaky exhale. 

Chapter Text

“Emma?” John rushed forward, leaning over to put a hand on EJ’s cheek, “Are you okay?” 

EJ let out a long, harsh stream of words that had Daniel’s eyes widening and a light blush spreading across his cheeks.  She lightly swatted John’s hand away and leaned forward to drop her head into her hands, palms pressed against her eyes. 

“What did she say, Jackson?” John asked without turning around. 

“She…uh…” Daniel faltered, clearing his throat before he continued, “I don’t think I caught all of it.  There were some colorful remarks involving a goat’s mother doing…uhhh…some rather inappropriate things with a cactus.  Followed by something about evisceration by spoon.  And odd threats about releasing mutated mice into the power grid.  That was the gist of it anyway.  She used a couple languages I’m not really that familiar with.”   

I can provide you a full translation if you wish, Historicus.  

Everyone but John and EJ startled when the feminine voice came into their heads. 

EJ picked her head up out of her hands and pointed an angry finger at the ceiling, “You stay quiet.  When you said you had to borrow me, you didn’t say you were going to leave me with the hangover from hell.” 

I did inform you that the residual electrical current could give you a headache. 

“A headache?” EJ glowered at the ceiling, “I feel like someone set off a hellfire missile inside my brain.  We really need to work on your communication skills.” 

My apologies, Defensor.  Perhaps I should have been more specific.  The electric shock your body received was roughly the equivalent to what I believe your soldiers refer to as ‘taser’ and was used to transfer an extremely minor portion of the most advanced artificial intelligence in the known universe to your body.  It is probable that your tiny brain was ill-equipped to handle the stress and reacted in a manner that caused you pain.  However, it is my understanding that you have endured worse pain previously, so you should, and forgive me if I get this quote incorrect, put on your big girl panties and deal with it. 

“Was that snark?” EJ gaped, jaw dropping wide, “Did you just snark at me?” 

I am unsure, it has been said I need to work on my communication skills . 

EJ dropped her head back into her hands and muttered, “Awfully cheeky for a computer program.  I think you’ve spent too much time observing Rodney.” 

“That was so…cool,” Rodney exclaimed after a minute of stunned silence, “I could hear her in my head.” 

“I believe she spoke to all of us,” Teyla stated wisely, “The City of the Ancestors is truly wonderful.” 

“Oh, please don’t say that out loud, Teyla,” EJ moaned, “She’s already got a bit of superiority complex.  She really doesn’t need further encouragement.” 

“EJ?” Jennifer stepped closer, “Are you alright?” 

“I’m fine, Jennifer,” EJ mumbled into her hands, “No need to be worried, couple aspirin and I’ll be back to normal.” 

You sure you’re okay, Em? John put a hand on the back of her neck, the mark in the center of his palm a cool contrast to his warm skin. 

“I’d still feel better if you came to the infirmary with me and let me see for myself that you’re fine,” Jennifer urged gently.    

“I’d rather not," EJ protested, "There’s really no need to waste a scan.”  

Just a bit of a headache, EJ assured John.  He gave her neck a reassuring squeeze and let his hand fall back to his side. 

“You did just have part of an alien AI transferred into your brain,” Lorne observed evenly. 

A minor portion, Legatus.  I would not give her more than her body could handle. 

“EJ, let the good doctor scan you,” Jack said, a gentle command in his voice. 

“Is that an order, sir?” EJ moved one hand away from her eye to fix the older man with a pathetic stare. 

“Good god, you’re almost as bad as Carter,” Jack rolled his eyes, “Yes, Baran, that’s an order.” 

“If you insist, sir,” EJ dropped both hands into her lap and leaned back in the chair once more, “Just as soon as the room stops spinning.” 

“So how does this work exactly?” Rodney stuck a finger into the palm of his left hand, scratching carefully at the mark there, “What’s it made out of?  How did Atlantis put it there?” 

“One question at a time, Rodney,” EJ groaned and rolled her eyes. 

I can answer your questions, Custodem, if you wish. 

“Ummm, sure?” Rodney gave a nervous glance towards the ceiling. 

The gel that makes up the interface on my control chair is a liquid form of the crystal filament in the control crystals used throughout my construction.  I super-heated the gel to a temperature that would permanently fuse it to the skin cells in your hand.  As long there is electrical current in your body, the mark will continuously regenerate.  Once the bonding is fully completed in all of you, you will be able to utilize the mark to its full potential, including the use of telepathic communication between the Caretakers.  All Ancient systems throughout the Universe will recognize you as Caretaker and react accordingly.  The bonding process will take approximately twenty of your Earth hours for the Tertius Trinitas, approximately twelve hours for the Secundus Trinitas, and approximately four hours for the Imperator and the Iudex.  The Defensor’s bond is complete until such time as she chooses to make her Pledge. 

“Why is EJ’s bond already complete?” Rodney asked curiously. 

The Defensor has different biochemistry than the rest of you.  Her body is designed to more readily accept my bond. 

“Because of the modifications?” Jennifer joined the conversation, “Does this have anything to do with what they did to her?” 

The lights flared brighter in the room and the air swirled in hot gusts around everyone. 

EJ put her left hand on the control chair and stroked it in soothing motions. 

“It was a long time ago, 'lantis,” EJ said reassuringly, “I’m fine now.  You’re going to freak everyone out.  Please calm down.  And turn the lights back down, I still have a headache.” 

The lights dimmed to their normal illumination and the air stilled. 

“What the hell was that?” John demanded. 

“I may have shared my file with Atlantis,” EJ admitted, “She gets a little upset when she thinks about it.” 

“What file?  What modifications?” Daniel questioned rapidly, “What’s going on here?  Why is everyone, including the advanced alien City, so upset about EJ’s past?  What am I missing?” 

“So much, Daniel, so much,” Jack clapped a hand on his shoulder, “Atlantis doesn’t call her Secret Keeper for nothing.” 

“You’d better fill Daniel in about my file, Jack,” EJ started to stand, using John’s outstretched hand as support. 

“You sure EJ?” Jack looked at her uncertainly. 

“He is family now,” EJ smiled, swaying as she stood straight, “I trust him.  If he wants to know, that’s fine, but the same restrictions apply to him.  He can’t tell the rest of his team.” 

Defensor, I would advise you to return to a seated position immediately.  You are about to- 

EJ’s eyes rolled into the back of her head and she collapsed into John’s arms. 

-faint. 

*OrderOrderOrderOrderOrderOrderOrder*  

EJ was standing in her empty lab.  She looked down to see that she was once again wearing the loose, white linen clothing, then turned around to face the tall man standing in front of her door. 

“Hello, filiole.” 

“Hello,” EJ smiled, “Am I dreaming again?” 

“You are,” the man returned her smile with an approving nod. 

“Does that mean I’m sleeping?  The last thing I remember was passing out in the chair room.” 

“You are unconscious in your medical bay.  The bonding activated some of your previously dormant Alteran DNA.”

“But the Ancient gene was already active in my DNA before I bonded with Atlantis,” EJ insisted. 

“What the humans refer to as the ‘Ancient gene’ is only a small portion of your genetic makeup.  You do indeed have more Alteran DNA, but the majority of it has been dormant up until now.  It will take some time for your body to adjust and you may develop certain mental abilities over the coming months.  Do not fear them, they are a natural evolution of our kind.” 

“Our kind?  Who are you?” 

The man raised his left palm.  There was a glowing symbol etched into his palm. 

EJ looked at her own hand before raising her eyes to meet his again. 

“You’re a Guardian.” 

“I am the Prima Verus Defensor.  I am the original Guardian of Atlantis," the man's voice seemed to resonate as he spoke his title, "I was the one who helped her alter her programming.  I also created the Pignus.” [Latin: First True Guardian] 

“What is the Pledge?  Atlantis said she would accept it from me, if I wanted to give it to her.  I don’t understand.” 

“The Pignus is proof of the depth of trust between a Verus Defensor and the City they defend,” the man tilted his head to the side and began to fade again. 

“We are out of time, filiole.  Find the Pignus and make your decision.  You must remember this dream when you wake.” 

“Wait,” EJ reached for the fading man, “How will I know when I’ve found it?” 

The man laughed, “It is yours, filiole.  You will know.” 

“Ancients and their stupid riddles,” EJ replied with an annoyed huff. 

*OrderOrderOrderOrderOrderOrderOrder*  

Daniel shook his head as Jack finished his story. 

“That’s…awful,” Daniel decided, pulling his glasses off and dropping them onto the table, “Although, it does put some of the things she’s said into perspective.” 

“Woolsey has the second copy of her file,” Jack swallowed the last of his coffee, “I’ll tell him you have authorization to read it.  You can’t say anything to anyone, Daniel, not even the rest of SG-1.  She's in danger as long as the traitor is still out there.” 

“She shouldn’t have come back to Earth,” Daniel frowned, “Why did she take that risk?  Why not just stay here on Atlantis?” 

“The thing about EJ is,” Jack gave a wry smile, “she's incredibly loyal and extremely protective.  She believes that whatever is on that planet will help protect Atlantis, the place she considers her home, and in turn the people she considers her family.  She’s taken bigger risks for things that meant nothing to her.” 

“I want to help her,” Daniel’s voice was determined now, “What can I do?” 

Jack looked Daniel up and down, “I haven’t been able to make much progress on my own.  How do you feel about spies and politics?” 

Chapter Text

EJ blinked her eyes open to see a short, dark-haired woman coming towards her with a needle. 

“Don’t you dare stick me with that!” EJ sat up in the bed, startling the woman into stopping in her tracks. 

“Welcome back, EJ,” Evan said wryly.  He stood from the chair beside her bed and turned to the nurse, “Marie, please tell Dr. Keller that Dr. Baran is conscious again.” 

As soon as the nurse was out of sight, EJ started pulling the wires that connected her chest to a nearby monitor from under her hospital gown. 

“Maybe you should leave those on,” Evan suggested carefully. 

EJ threw the last wire onto the bed beside her and threw the covers back. 

“Quick, Evan, help me escape before Jennifer gets here,” EJ swung her legs over the side of the bed. 

“Why?” Evan smothered a laugh, “So she can come after me instead?  No, thank you.” 

“Come on, Evan, I’m your friend.  I’m your teammate.  We’re family.  Don’t let her get me,” EJ pleaded. 

“Let who get you?” Jennifer pulled the privacy curtain to the side. 

When EJ groaned and fell back onto the bed, Jennifer glanced up from the tablet in her hands to look between Evan and EJ. 

“Too late, I’m doomed,” EJ sighed heavily. 

Evan bit back a chuckle at EJ’s dramatics. 

“I’d better let Sheppard know you’re awake,” Evan turned to leave, “He went to give Woolsey an update about the Caretaker activation after the Doc kicked him out.  I think Ronon took him to the gym to spar after that.” 

He gave a quick nod to Keller as he left. 

EJ leaned up on her elbows to look at Jennifer, “Why’d you kick him out this time?” 

Your mate becomes…anxious when you are injured.  When his bonding was fully complete, he started unintentionally interfering with the medical equipment. 

“That’s kind of an understatement,” Jennifer rolled her eyes, “He nearly fried the scanner.” 

“I wasn’t actually inj- Wait.  How long was I out?” EJ questioned as she sat up fully again.

You were unconscious for seven hours, thirty-five minutes, and twelve seconds.

“I’d say about seven and a half hours,” Jennifer grinned, “Enough time to run most of the tests I wanted without any interference.” 

EJ narrowed her eyes at the smiling doctor, “You stuck me again, didn’t you?  Bloody vampire.” 

I believe a vampire is, by definition, inherently ‘bloody’.  You do not need to say both. 

Are you going to eavesdrop the entire time?  Don’t you have anything better to do? EJ grumbled. 

I am capable of simultaneously performing several hundred thousand tasks, Defensor.  I am ‘multi-talented like that’.

When did you become such a smartass? 

Although I am an extremely advanced sentient computer program, I do not technically have a gluteus maximus, therefore that particular term does not apply to me. 

Seriously? EJ rolled her eyes, Go flirt with Jack for a while.  You should spend time with him while you can.  He won’t be here long. 

EJ felt an amused agreement brush the back of her mind and Atlantis’ presence receded.  

“Were you just talking with the City?” Jennifer asked curiously, “The crystal in your hand started to glow faintly.” 

“I told Atlantis to quit eavesdropping on our conversation and go bug Jack,” EJ informed her. 

“I’m sure he’ll enjoy that,” Jennifer laughed. 

“I won’t tell him if you won’t," EJ shrugged, "Can I get out of here now?” 

“Actually, I need to talk to you about your scan,” Jennifer sobered quickly. 

*OrderOrderOrderOrderOrderOrderOrder*  

“I’d appreciate it if you kept this between us for now,” EJ said as she did up the laces on her boots. 

“As long as it doesn’t impact your duties in a detrimental way,” Jennifer agreed cautiously, “But if it progresses, you may not be able to keep it secret.” 

EJ straightened and slipped her arms through her uniform shirt, deftly doing up the buttons. 

“I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it,” EJ replied carefully.  

“I’ll let Woolsey know you’re cleared for regular duty,” Jennifer made a note on the tablet she still held.   

There will be retribution, Baran, Jack’s annoyed voice came into EJ’s head and she winced.  You. Will. Pay. 

“Crap.  I have to go find a place to hide from Jack.  See you later, Jen,” EJ headed towards the door quickly, Jennifer's laughter following behind her. 

*OrderOrderOrderOrderOrderOrderOrder*  

EJ headed straight for Woolsey's office after leaving the infirmary to confirm the mission to P37-020 the following morning.  She checked in with John via radio, letting him know Keller had given her a clean bill of health, then spent the rest of her day not hiding in one of the xenobiology labs where she hoped Jack would never think to look her for. 

EJ spent most of the next morning in her lab talking with the City and learning more about their new link.  She was standing in front of her hanging screens reading quietly when the door slid open behind her.  Without turning around, she knew all the other Caretakers were coming in.  She felt John come in last and close the door behind him. 

Tizzy, could you interfere with the audio surveillance in this room until we are finished? 

It seems as though an unexpected small solar flare has caused the audio in this room to become garbled beyond recognition.

That’s just too bad, EJ sent a flicker of amused satisfaction towards the City. 

Good morning, everyone, EJ spoke into the minds of the people standing around her lab. 

“I just wanted to go over a few things before we left for the planet today,” EJ said out loud, “I know some of you have tried out the link already.  Each of you will be able to do different things with it.  You can experiment with the connection as much as you want, just be careful when interacting with Atlantis’ systems.” 

I will be able to guide your interactions with my systems until you learn to fully utilize the link.  Each Trinitas will have different levels of access and each Cultore will have different capabilities according to their position. 

“I thought the mark was supposed to provide a translation,” Jack said dryly, “What does that mean in regular people terms?” 

“Maybe you better let me do the explaining, Tizzy,” EJ grinned. 

“Tizzy?” Daniel inquired curiously. 

My Defensor has informed me that humans sometimes give each other ‘nicknames’ to as a sign of closeness.  I believe my Defensor has shortened my name to ‘Tizzy’ in an attempt to show her affection for me. 

“EJ gave the City a nickname,” Evan laughed. 

“You can’t call her Tizzy,” Rodney groaned, “That’s a terrible name.  What’s wrong with calling her Atlantis?  That’s her proper name.” 

EJ raised an eyebrow, “This coming from the man who goes by ‘Rodney’ when his name is really ‘Meredith’?” 

“Who told you that?” Rodney gaped as he looked around the room accusingly. 

“No one told me, Meredith,” EJ teased, “I hacked your file last year.  Super-spy, remember?” 

“Baran, what did I tell you?” Jack scolded playfully. 

“To behave myself,” EJ pretend-pouted at him. 

“And is hacking into Meredith’s file behaving yourself?” 

“No, sir, it’s not,” EJ sighed heavily, “But it was last year.  And I mostly did it to prove that the firewall was susceptible.” 

“I believe we may have gotten off-track,” Teyla said in her best ‘mother knows best’ voice. 

We were discussing the uses of the link. 

“What Tizzy was trying to say is,” EJ explained, “Each level of Caretaker has a certain level of access in Atlantis’ systems, just like with our computer systems.  The three of you who are Tertius have the lowest level of access and Secundus have mid-level access.  Jack is able to interact with all but two of Atlantis’ systems, while John and I can access all but one of her systems.  Each person has different capabilities within their level of access.  For example, Jennifer can access any of Atlantis’ medical systems and files, while Rodney can access any of the engineering and maintenance systems.  There is some overlap, of course, but you can’t access a system without the proper authorization.” 

Until each of you learns an appropriate level of mental control I will limit the telepathic link to my systems.  You can enable your access by pressing the crystal filaments embedded in your left hand to any of my surfaces. 

“Like this,” EJ moved to the wall and placed her left palm against it, “If you press it against any of the Lantean surfaces; consoles, walls, even the floor, you will have access to Atlantis’ systems.  Most of your access will eventually become mental,” she came back to stand in front of the group again, “however, there are certain systems that will always require a physical connection, usually those that require several programs to interact, like the shields or the star drive.” 

Our bonding also enables telepathic communication between all the Cultores.  While you will be able to speak to each other anywhere on the planet on which I now reside, the effective range of the link will be limited to approximately five hundred kilometers or three hundred ten miles any where else. 

“Will we be able to block people out?” John asked calmly, "Or the City, if we need to?"   

EJ hesitated, “With one minor exception, yes.”  

“What exception?” Jack asked carefully. 

“There are a lot of ways you can block stuff out,” EJ explained evenly, “The easiest way is to imagine yourself in a bubble.  You can see out, but nothing can get in.  That applies to both the telepathic communication between us and interaction with the City, once she determines your level of control is adequate enough to warrant it.  The exception being, the link between each of you and me.  Since it is my job to protect you, in addition to linking each of you to the City, Atlantis created a link between each of you and me.  This enables me to accurately pinpoint your location within half a meter and any messages I send through our link will override any other telepathic communications not sent by Atlantis.” 

The nine of you have exhibited varying degrees of reckless behavior in the past.  I have never encountered a group of people more willing to endanger themselves.  I felt it necessary to bind each of you to my Defensor in a manner that would enable her to protect you as she does me. 

Evan snorted, “You obviously haven’t read all AR-2’s mission reports.  She’s just as bad as the rest of us.” 

“Hey!” EJ protested. 

While that is…accurate-

“HEY!” EJ objected loudly. 

-she also has skills that many of you do not have.  Over time, her genetic makeup will provide further- 

EJ crouched down and slapped her palm to the floor, cutting off the voice inside their heads abruptly. 

Do not finish that sentence, Atlantis.  I don’t want them to know yet. 

My Medicum already possesses the information, child.  And as she has stated, it is only a matter of time before you cannot hide what you are. 

That may be true, but I still want to tell them in my own time.  There are certain…interested parties on Earth that would want to study me if they found out.  I don’t want to be someone’s lab rat again.  Please, give me time to sort it out. 

As you wish, Defensor.

Thank you, Atlantis, EJ stood. 

“Is there a problem, Baran?” Jack asked, concern on his face. 

“No, sir,” EJ assured him, “Just a quick discussion with Atlantis about privacy.” 

More secrets, Emmaline? John asked softly. 

Only for now, carissime, EJ insisted, Just a few things I have to figure out first. 

“Practice sending each other messages when you can,” EJ encouraged, “Again, just be careful.  If the IOA finds out about this, there could be…problems.” 

“’Problems’ is EJ speak for the IOA throwing us in jail or a nuthouse for the rest of our lives,” Jack deadpanned. 

“I wasn’t going to say it like that,” EJ snorted, “but yes.  Telling the IOA that almost all of Atlantis’ senior staff, plus the head of Homeworld Command and the man responsible for opening the Stargate, have a telepathic connection to an alien City would result in several rounds of psychiatric evaluations at the very least.” 

“I think that’s a bit of an understatement,” Rodney rolled his eyes, “How do you know how to do all this, EJ?  You talk with the City like your old friends but you were linked at the same time as the rest of us.” 

“I’ve been talking with Tizzy since I first came here only now it's easier,” EJ shrugged, “There was never any doubt in my mind she was intelligent.  She tries to contact all the ATA positive people, but only some of them can hear her.  And out of those that can hear her, almost everyone ignored her.  Those that didn’t ignore her didn't want to say anything because they didn’t want people to think they were crazier than normal.  Also, as Guardian, I have access to quite literally everything she knows, including how to best utilize the link, which is what I was reading when you guys came in this morning.” 

“This is so awesome,” Daniel smiled widely. 

EJ laughed, “Some of us have places to be, so get out of my lab.”   

Imperator, Iudex, EJ said into Jack and John’s minds as the room started to clear, I need you to stay behind for a moment please. 

“What did you leave out this time?” Jack sighed as the door closed behind the last person. 

“Something that I didn’t think the others needed to know,” EJ said softly, “As Prima Trinitas we have almost complete access to all of Atlantis’ systems.  The only systems Jack can’t access are the weapons and defensive systems.  John, as Imperator, you're the only one who can access Atlantis' weapons systems from anywhere in the City.” 

Unless you designate specially authorized users, I will continue to allow access to other gene-bearers from the control chair.  You will also find you have much greater control and ease of use should you still in the chair yourself. 

“I have access to all of Atlantis’ defensive systems, both internal and external, including the cloak that Rodney modified.  I know there is already a self-destruct sequence using the naquadah reactors, but Atlantis has a better one.  It will completely wipe the Ancient database, erase her AI, and obliterate the City.  It requires confirmation from all three of us at the same time.  I thought it would be best if we were the only ones who knew about it.” 

“Is there a confirmation code or something?” John asked warily, “’Cause I’d hate for the three of us to be thinking about blowing up the City at the same time and accidently activate it.” 

“It is activated by a specific phrase, unique to each person, in combination with the mark being in contact with Atlantis.  You can choose your phrase at any time.  Make it something you aren’t likely to use regularly, but something you won’t forget.  Don’t tell anyone besides Atlantis.” 

“Great,” Jack said, his voice dripping with sarcasm, “Anything else?” 

I would like to request that you use my self-destruct only as a final resort.  I am rather fond of my programming. 

Chapter Text

John's team was waiting in the 'jumper bay when he walked in at 0955.  Ronon was twirling his blaster impatiently as Teyla and Rodney chatted quietly in the back of the 'jumper. 

“Where’s General O’Neill?” John asked as he came closer. 

“Right behind you,” Jack stepped into the large bay. 

EJ came in right behind him, both of them checking their weapons a final time. 

Jack, John, Rodney, and EJ were all wearing black tee shirts with their BDU pants and tactical vests, P90s clipped to the front. Teyla was geared almost the same, substituting one of her tight Athosian vests instead of a tee shirt.  Rodney and Teyla both carried Wraith stunners holstered on their thighs and Jack carried a standard-issue nine millimeter.  John and EJ each had their own personal choice of sidearm; John's Colt .45 and one of EJ's modified Glock 22's.  Ronon was wearing a faded tan tunic over his brown leather pants, his blaster low on his hip and his sword slung across his back. 

EJ stepped closer to the 'jumper and tilted her head to the side as she looked at Ronon. 

“Seven again?” EJ asked carefully. 

“Eight.  Got a new one,” Ronon grinned in response, “You?” 

“Still only three.  Quality over quantity, Ronon,” EJ shook her head with a small smile. 

John rolled his eyes as he walked past the group to sit in the pilot’s seat. 

“There’s something very wrong with the two of you,” Rodney insisted as he claimed the seat behind John. 

Teyla sat on the long bench in the back of the 'jumper and Ronon settled in opposite her. 

EJ motioned for Jack to take the co-pilot’s seat, taking the seat behind him for herself. 

As John started his pre-flight check, Jack leaned over and asked cautiously, “Do I want to know?” 

John rolled his eyes, “Knives, sir.” 

“Knives?” Jack looked back at EJ, then leaned over a bit further to look at Ronon, both of them grinning as he surveyed them. 

“Where are they putting them all?” Jack wondered aloud. 

“I really don’t know, sir,” John said seriously, “I’m kind of afraid to ask.” 

“General O’Neill, Special Agent Baran, AR-1,” Woolsey’s voice came over the radio, “Send someone to update me with your progress in six hours.  Good luck.” 

“Six hours, got it,” John responded easily as he powered up the 'jumper. 

Bring back drones, Imperator.  My current stock is woefully inadequate. 

I'll do my best, John agreed with a grin. 

We’ll be back soon, Tizzy, EJ assured her, Play nice with the others while we’re gone. 

I always ‘play nice’, Defensor, came the haughty reply, I believe I will spend some time with my Historicus.  He seems to be the most appreciative of our bond. 

EJ laughed as the 'jumper went through the gate. 

*OrderOrderOrderOrderOrderOrderOrder* 

John said a few words to the Captain in charge of the small outpost, who snapped to attention when he saw General O’Neill walking closer, before he led the group to the large stone door. 

Rodney scowled at the engineer working by the control panel and waved him away impatiently, taking the tablet from his hands. 

“Okay, EJ,” Rodney said skeptically, “Work your voodoo and open the door.” 

“It’s not voodoo, Rodney,” EJ rolled her eyes at him, “just because you don’t understand the technology behind it.” 

EJ walked to the door and placed her hand in the far right slot.  Part of the door lit up in veins of pale blue-silver. 

Iudex, take the center slot.  Imperator, the far left.  Place your left hand in the indentation and think ‘open’. 

The two men stepped forward and did as EJ instructed.  As soon as all three were in place, the entire stone door lit up with the same veins of blue-silver.  It shuddered once, then began to lift up into the mountain.  The three of them stepped back as dirt and grass kicked up around their feet. 

“It worked!” Rodney exclaimed, then started scrolling furiously through the screens on his tablet, “I can’t believe that actually worked.” 

John motioned to Ronon, “Chewie, you take point, EJ right behind him.  Let’s make sure there aren’t any surprises.  Teyla, keep an eye on Rodney, make sure he doesn’t get distracted and wander off.  I’ll watch our six.” 

John saw the eager look on Jack’s face. 

“You coming too, General?” John asked dryly. 

“Thought you’d never ask, Colonel,” O’Neill grinned. 

“Teyla, General, watch our six,” John altered his orders, “Agent Baran will keep an eye on Rodney and I’ll go in front with Ronon.  No one touch anything until Dr. McKay or Dr. Baran look at it first.  After all the trouble we went through to get this place open, I’d hate to blow it up now.” 

Ronon pulled his gun out and walked towards the door. 

Mind the children, John sent to Teyla, Make sure they don’t get distracted wander off. 

Always, Teyla agreed with a smile as the six of them walked through the large opening. 

*OrderOrderOrderOrderOrderOrderOrder* 

The group explored the entrance to the facility, winding through dark tunnels, before they found a large room filled with the typical Ancient consoles and screens.  Rodney’s eyes lit up with a manic glee as he began checking over the largest console in the room.  As soon as EJ touched it, lights in the room started flickering on and the console began to glow, Ancient symbols scrolling across the large screen hanging over the top of it.  Rodney found a spot to plug his tablet into the underside of the console.  The two scientists huddled over the small screen and quickly started arguing. 

“Before we get to the insulting portion of this,” John interrupted, waving a hand between the two of them, “Can you tell us what you found?” 

“We need more men,” EJ said, looking over Rodney’s arm at the tablet, “It’s exactly what we thought it was.  The facility is huge.  I’d recommend a minimum of ten groups of three uniforms, more if Lorne can part with them and one of Zelenka's engineers to accompany each group.  Also, at least one person in each group should be ATA positive to ensure access to all areas.” 

“I can give you a list of the slightly-less-incompetent engineers from our staff,” Rodney stated, “and I’ll try to download blueprints and schematics from the system onto tablets for them to follow.  Make sure your grunts, especially the ATA positive ones, know not to touch any of the equipment until it has been cleared by an engineer.” 

EJ grabbed the tablet from Rodney’s hands and scrolled quickly through screens, a frown starting to form on her face. 

“So the facility is viable for use then?” Jack asked patiently. 

“I’m going to start running diagnostics, but at first glance, everything looks okay,” confirmed Rodney with half a smile, “We should visually inspect everything before we try to start any of the drone manufacturing equipment up.  Better safe than sorry.  Some of the equipment may need to be reinitialized as well, hence the ATA positive in each group.” 

EJ scowled at the tablet before she shoved it at Rodney and walked over to a different console to start pressing keys, muttering to herself. 

“Exploration should take conservatively…two, maybe three days,” Rodney continued dismissively, “depending on how many people you can get.  To have the engineers go over everything to make sure it’s in working order, I’d say probably at least another week.  Depending on the charge left in the ZedPMs, we should be able to fully reactivate the facility, so once we get things started up, we shouldn’t have to-“  

“Rodney, shut up,” EJ said harshly, “Is this what I think it is?” 

Rodney glowered at her as she pointed to the screen in front of her.  He unplugged his tablet from the bigger console and plugged it into the one by EJ.  He tapped the screen and his eyes widened as the information came across it. 

“Baran?” John asked warily, “We have a problem?” 

Bellator, something might still be in here, EJ spoke into Ronon’s mind. 

Ronon pulled his blaster from the holster and moved closer to the door. 

“It’s been over ten thousand years,” Rodney protested nervously, “They couldn’t have-” 

“Look at it closely, Rodney,” EJ demanded. 

John stepped forward, “One of you needs to tell me what’s going on.  Now.” 

“There’s a problem with the entry and exit logs,” EJ informed him without looking away from the screen, “They don’t match.  There is a final record of entry prior to our reopening of the facility, but no corresponding exit.” 

“So, what’s the problem?” Jack asked calmly, “I doubt anyone could have survived in here for that long.” 

Teyla, do you feel anything? EJ asked carefully. 

Teyla looked puzzled but shook her head. 

“The problem is, sir,” EJ finally turned around, “The log says that six Wraith life-signs entered and they are very capable of surviving for ten thousand years.” 

John cursed loudly. 

Chapter Text

“How is that possible?” Jack growled, “It took three of us to even open the door and a group of Wraith just waltzed right on in?” 

“I’m not sure, sir,” EJ said carefully, “It shouldn’t be possible.  One of the fail-safes should’ve been tripped.” 

“We’re leaving,” John ordered. 

EJ yanked Rodney’s cables out from the console and stuffed them in his bag as he rapidly put his tablet away. 

The group made their way cautiously and quickly to the stone door.  The uniformed men at the entrance were surprised to see them again so soon, but were immediately on guard when John informed them there were possible Wraith in the facility.  Four more men, all with heavy machine guns, came over to stand by the entrance.  Ronon and Teyla joined them, eyes watchful and weapons ready.   

John stomped over to the small tent set up as a command center and started throwing out orders, getting his men ready to search the facility.  Jack followed him into the tent, but stayed out of the way in the corner. 

Rodney and EJ spent a couple minutes speaking hurriedly in front of the control panel at the door, Rodney’s tablet once again plugged in and being passed between them.  EJ said something very quietly to Rodney that made him glare furiously at her before he pulled the cables from his tablet and stomp towards the tent.  EJ followed calmly behind him. 

John looked over at the two scientists as they came in and the scowl on his face became deeper. 

“Dr. McKay, take Dr. Baran and General O’Neill back to Atlantis and update Woolsey,” John commanded, “Have Major Lorne bring more men to search the facility.” 

“We can’t leave yet,” Rodney insisted, “There are too many places Wraith can hide in there.  You’ll never find them.  We have to bring the internal sensors back online and figure out how the fail-safes were bypassed.” 

“McKay, I gave you an order,” John said much more calmly than he looked, “You can come back with Lorne and I’ll assign a team to guard you while you do what you have to.”  

“That’s not what I-” Rodney started. 

“When Rodney said ‘we’, Colonel, he meant him and me,” EJ spoke softly. 

“No, absolutely not,” John stated emphatically. 

“There are too many subroutines and too much coding for Dr. McKay to do it on his own," EJ insisted patiently, "Most of the systems won’t answer to him yet anyway.  I didn’t have a chance to figure out how to authorize access for anyone other than Prima Trinitas.” 

“So I’ll stay,” Jack offered from his place in the corner. 

“You don’t read Ancient, sir,” EJ continued calmly, “And you don’t get along with technology.  It will take too long to go through the system with you ‘helping’.  It would be better if you went back to Atlantis to give Woolsey the report.  Tell Lorne to bring a squad of marines and make sure he includes Berger, Hickson, and the two Winchesters, if they’re not off-world.  The four of them are the best in my training sessions and they won’t get complacent if this takes a while.  They can guard the control room while McKay and I go through the system.” 

“Emma,” John’s voice took on a dangerous tone. 

“The faster we get through the system and reactivate the sensors, the faster the men will be able to locate the Wraith.  We have to figure out how they were able to bypass the fail-safes and undo whatever they may have done.  I don’t have to tell you what this facility would mean to Atlantis,” EJ directed her statement to O’Neill, avoiding meeting Sheppard’s eyes, “Or what it would mean if it fell into the hands of the Wraith.  The facility started coming back on-line when I touched the console.  If the Wraith wake up before we find them, they could wreak havoc.” 

“Special Agent Baran,” John straightened to his full height, “I am ordering you to return to Atlantis with Dr. McKay.  If he wants to come back, that’s his choice, but you are to remain in the City.” 

“Excuse me?” EJ asked incredulously, “You’re letting Rodney go in, but not me?” 

“You spent eight hours unconscious in the infirmary yesterday,” John said evenly, “McKay didn’t.” 

EJ’s eyes narrowed.  Several of the uniformed men in the tent began to shift nervously on their feet and Rodney's nervous glance slipped back and forth between John and EJ. 

“Clear this tent,” EJ commanded, “Now.” 

Everyone but Jack left quickly, eager to get away from their tense commander. 

“I have been fully cleared for this mission by both the Chief Medical Officer and Leader of the Atlantis expedition,” EJ seethed, “I assure you, I am in perfect health.” 

“I am the military commander of Atlantis,” John countered, “I have final say over civilian personnel going off-world and I am ordering you to return to the City.” 

“I out-rank you, you kibirli piç kurusu,” EJ ground out between her teeth, “The DOD commissioned me as a full-bird Colonel in the Marine Corps special forces six years ago.  That commission is valid until the year 2018.  The only person who has the authority to ground me is General O’Neill.  Not even Woolsey can restrict me without O’Neill’s approval.  I only answer to Richard as a courtesy and out of respect for him.  I haven’t been considered a civilian in the Atlantis expedition since I was asked to help with internal security.  I have been working under the full authority of my rank at the DOD for the past eight months.  I suggest you read the emails from Woolsey around that time before you start telling me what I can and cannot do, Lieutenant Colonel.”  [Turkish: arrogant son of a bitch] 

EJ turned on her heel and left, throwing the tent flap closed behind her. 

“Wow.  You really stepped in it that time, Sheppard,” Jack half-smirked at the younger man. 

“Is what she said true, sir?” John asked crossly. 

“Yes, it is,” Jack answered matter-of-factly, “I cleared her handler at the DOD as the traitor after Woolsey asked to her consult on military matters and internal security.  After I had a long talk with the man, he agreed to release her from all other duties and keep her commissioned rank as long as she reported only to me.  She agreed to answer to Woolsey while she was on Atlantis, as long as the information about her new status was kept within the senior staff.  Most of the people she’s been working with are under the impression she is a CIA agent.  She didn’t want anyone asking questions about why she was suddenly a Colonel.  Woolsey send out an email to the senior staff explaining the whole situation.” 

John’s frown only deepened at the response. 

“A bit of friendly advice, Sheppard?” Jack headed towards the door, “Strong women like EJ tend to get upset if you try to protect them unnecessarily.  Believe me, I've had some experience in the matter.  No matter how much we want them to, they will never stay behind where it's safe when there are people in danger.  I usually recommend flowers in this situation, maybe some chocolates, but knowing EJ, you're probably better off with some sort of caffeinated beverage.” 

*OrderOrderOrderOrderOrderOrderOrder* 

Evan landed on the planet forty minutes after Jack returned to Atlantis with the update.  The hatch opened and the squad of marines jammed in the back of the jumper started filing out.  The large group of uniformed men normally stationed on the planet stood near the entrance, waiting to be split into smaller search groups and get their LSDs with the blueprints from Rodney. 

Teyla requested in John’s mind that each of the four Caretakers joining the search be in different groups, to better facilitate communications if anything were to happen.  He agreed and started giving orders, dividing the large group of people into smaller sets of four before sending them inside.  His group followed EJ and Rodney, along with the four men assigned to them, to the control room.  He turned to address the guards one last time before he left to begin the search for the Wraith. 

“Doctors Baran and McKay are not to go anywhere in this facility unaccompanied,” John ordered calmly, “They are not to leave this room unless absolutely necessary and you will radio me before you even think about moving them.  Check in every fifteen minutes.  If you hear the command to withdraw, you will get them out of here immediately.  Understood?” 

“Yes, sir,” came the chorus of four voices. 

“McKay, Baran,” John turned to them, “Get the sensors online and figure out what happened to the fail-safes.  Don’t stay any longer than necessary.” 

“But I wanted to-” Rodney started. 

“AH!” John cut him off with a quick gesture, “No, Rodney.  You can geek out after we find the Wraith.” 

“As soon as the sensors are back online, let us know,” John turned back to the four guards, “If anything happens-” 

“We’ll be fine, Colonel Sheppard,” EJ interrupted, unclipping her P90 to set it on the floor next to the largest console, “Please don’t terrorize the men.” 

Two of the marines guarding her snickered. 

John glared at them furiously, “They’re my men, Dr. Baran.  I can terrorize them anytime I want.  I can even assign them to baby-sitting duty with the waste-disposal engineers.  Or to accompany the botanists next time they want to camp for a month on the mainland.  Or to inventory all of the supplies.  Which I will not hesitate to do if they don’t follow my orders to the letter.” 

“Let’s go,” John directed the three marines in his group before leaving the room. 

“He won’t really do any of that stuff,” EJ assured the two younger men that had paled at John's statement, “He’s just a little cranky right now because of the Wraith.” 

“Watching the CO’s stubborn-ass girlfriend and his pet scientist,” one of the guards groaned, “How exactly did we get this detail?” 

“I’m not his girlfriend and we can hear you, Dean,” EJ turned towards a console and pulled cables from her bag. 

“Yes, ma’am, I know,” Dean smirked. 

EJ looked back to the four guards, “I’m the one who volunteered the four of you, so I'll try to behave myself as best I can.” 

“No offense, ma'am,” said the tallest marine, “But that doesn’t mean much.  I’m friends with Bobby.  He’s told me about how you ‘behave’ during AR-2’s missions.” 

“Scandalous lies,” EJ insisted, “And really Sammy, you should know better than to listen to Bobby.  He’s a horrible gossip.  Now, go…guard something.  Let Rodney and me work.” 

Three of the marines stood at the doors.  The tallest one, Sammy, stood closer to the two scientists as they began working, their ritual argument heating up quickly. 

*OrderOrderOrderOrderOrderOrderOrder* 

It took Rodney and EJ almost forty minutes to find and activate the internal sensors, only to find the Wraith life-signs weren't visible.  Rodney made an off-hand remark about hibernating and they got back to work.  After that, both doctors quit talking out-loud, but continued to argue in each other’s heads.  One of the marines would radio in every fifteen minutes, but the room was otherwise quiet. 

An hour later, Rodney pulled a couple power bars from his vest and after a quick mental poke from EJ, he tossed one of them over to her. 

Shortly after crumpling the wrapper to stick in an empty pocket, EJ found something on one of the screens hanging above a smaller console that made her curse violently in Russian. 

“What’s wrong?” Rodney walked over to her console quickly. 

EJ ignored him and tapped her radio, “Colonel Sheppard, this is Agent Baran, do you copy?” 

“This is Sheppard.” 

“Tell your men to take the Wraith alive.” 

“…Why?  What’s going on?” 

“I'll need to talk to one of them.” 

“Agent Baran, don’t make me ask you why again.” 

The fail-safe is paused part-way through the countdown, EJ said into all the Caretakers minds. 

Crap, Rodney replied, shoving in front of her at the console. 

So fix it, John said calmly. 

I can’t fix it if I don’t know how they did it in the first place, Rodney said, annoyance clear in this tone.   

Can you not figure it out, Doctor McKay? Teyla asked gently. 

Not without un-pausing the program, which would detonate the ZPMs, EJ answered before Rodney could say something rude. 

“Big boom,” was all EJ said over the radio. 

“Crap,” John echoed Rodney's earlier statement.   

“Exactly.  We need to question the Wraith.” 

“Are you done with what you need to do?” John couldn’t quite keep the worry out of his tone. 

“Not quite.” 

“As soon as you’re done-” 

“I heard you the first time, Sheppard,” EJ tapped her earpiece off. 

EJ heard John give the order over the radio to capture the Wraith alive as she and Rodney got back to work.  They seemed to work even faster than before, stopping only once to drink from the canteen EJ pulled out of her vest. 

After an hour and a half of silent working, one of the smaller consoles began beeping. 

“Is that the-” Rodney started to move to the console. 

“Yes,” EJ’s reply was tense as she beat Rodney to the console, “Keep working Rodney.  Figure out what the Wraith did to the system." 

EJ tapped a couple keys on the small console and a map blinked onto the screen in front of her. 

“Of course you’re there,” EJ mumbled to herself as she tapped her radio, “Sheppard, a Wraith life-sign just appeared.  It’s awake and moving towards one of the ZPMs.” 

“Where?” John’s reply was swift. 

“Two lefts, all the way to the end of the corridor on the right.  Your team is closest.” 

“On my way.”

“Ronon, take your team to the other side, block him in.  Take a right, go two corridors down, then another right.  Everyone, watch your fire in the ZPM room.  Remember, we need the Wraith alive and able to answer questions.” 

 “Got it.”

Hurry, Bellator.  Please, EJ pleaded into Ronon’s mind. 

EJ’s hand gripped the butt of the gun strapped to her thigh as she watched the dots on the screen move.  Rodney came over to stand close so he could see the screen as well.    

“You can’t go,” Rodney said shortly. 

“I know, Rodney,” EJ replied tightly. 

“I’m serious,” he insisted without looking at her, “You’ll only distract him if you go.” 

“I said I know.” 

“That’s why he wanted to send you back to Atlantis.  He worries about you.” 

“I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself.” 

“He knows that.  Doesn’t stop him from worrying though.”

EJ’s jaw tightened, “I know, Rodney.” 

“It’s one Wraith that’s been hibernating in here for ten thousand years.  Sheppard and Ronon can handle that in their sleep.” 

“Shut up, McKay,” EJ hissed, “Before I decide to do something mildly violent to you.” 

They saw John's group of dots arrive at a small room on the map as voices started coming over the radio.  There were loud shots over the radio as the Wraith attacked.  They heard the Wraith screech and a loud ‘thump’ and EJ felt John in pain.  She grabbed anxiously at Rodney’s forearm and her fingers dug in.  Four other dots got close on the screen and they heard the sound of Ronon’s gun.  There was a cut-off snarl from the Wraith, then a short silence.   

“Wraith's out,” Ronon said gruffly. 

“Colonel Sheppard?” EJ asked, her voice falsely calm. 

“I’m fine,” John’s voice was slightly strained. 

“Ronon, he’s in pain.  What happened?” EJ ignored John’s response. 

“Wraith caught him in the ribs. Threw him into a console.  Hit his head pretty hard.” 

“I said I was fine,” John insisted. 

“He’s taken a lot worse than that,” Rodney laid a hand over EJ’s tight grip on his arm. 

She nodded slowly before releasing him. 

Sorry, EJ said softly to Rodney, I probably bruised your arm. 

“We have another problem,” John stated warily, “It’s a Queen.” 

EJ let out another violent string of curses, this time in a language no one recognized. 

“There’s Wraith tech attached to one of the consoles in here," John continued, "Baran, take a couple guards back to the outpost and grab some heavy-duty restraints, then head down here with McKay to take a look.” 

“I hope those restraints are for the Wraith and not Rodney,” EJ moved from the console to pick up her P90, “Because Rodney might enjoy it a bit too much and I really don’t want that image in my head.” 

Rodney spluttered and huffed at her as John bit back a laugh. 

"Pack this stuff up, Rodney, and I'll pick my pack up on the way back in," EJ headed towards the door to the entrance.  

Keep that thing unconscious until I get there, Bellator, EJ ordered, but don’t kill it yet.  I’d like a few words with it first. 

“Let’s go, boys,” EJ directed the two marines she had been talking to earlier, “Before Rodney’s brain explodes imagining those handcuffs.” 

Chapter Text

EJ walked in to the small, crowded room fifteen minutes later.  John was leaning carefully against a console while Ronon and the marines stood around the thin, unconscious Wraith sprawled across the center of the floor, weapons held ready in front of them.   

EJ put her hands on her hips, “How many times did you stun her, Ronon?” 

“Four,” Ronon answered with a glare at the body on the floor, “You told me to make sure she stayed down.” 

“I also told you I needed to talk to her,” EJ rolled her eyes. 

Rodney gave the Wraith a wide berth as he crossed the room to start studying the tech attached to one of the larger consoles.  When no one else moved, EJ drew herself up and stepped forward, handing the restraints she carried to Ronon. 

“What the fuck are you all standing around for?” EJ commanded, “Winchester, other Winchester, help Ronon secure the Wraith and move her to the side of the room, away from all the equipment.  Berger, Hickson, you stand guard at this door.  Coulson, Rogers, you take the second one.  Partridge, Hill, go find Teyla, bring her here.  Tell the rest of her team to keep clearing the facility.  Banas, Resendiz, head back to the outpost and have them send someone to update Mr. Woolsey and General O’Neill.  Tell them to have Dr. Zelenka gather the least-irritating of his engineers and as much coffee as they need and bring them to the planet, but don't let them inside until we give the all-clear.  After you pass on the message, join Partridge and Hill and continue searching the facility.  No one touch anything in the facility or I’ll use you as a training dummy next session.” 

The marines who didn’t know EJ that well stood around for a moment, slightly dumbfounded by the commanding tone coming from the small blonde woman. 

“You heard Special Agent Baran,” John said, obviously amused, “I’d do what the lady says.  Preferably before she feels the need to start shooting things.” 

The men hurried to comply with their orders.  EJ un-clipped her P90 and set it on the console furthest from the Wraith.  She walked over to John as the room cleared. 

“Anyone ever tell you that you’re sexy as hell when you’re ordering people around?” John whispered quietly. 

“I’m glad you think so,” EJ raised an eyebrow at him, “Because I’m about to be absolutely stunning.  Take off your vest and lift your shirt so I can check your ribs.” 

“Emmaline,” he protested, mostly on principle. 

“Vest off and shirt up now, Sheppard, or I will do it for you, right in front of all these nice marines,” EJ ordered.   

John sighed as he began stripping his vest off slowly.  EJ set his vest and gun carefully down on the console next to her.  He grimaced as he lifted his tee-shirt, exposing the right side of his chest. 

EJ ran her fingers over the bruises blooming low on his ribs, feeling carefully for breaks.  John winced a couple times, but remained silent. 

“I don’t feel any breaks,” EJ pronounced after a minute, “But it’s going to be pretty colorful the next couple days.  Jennifer can put you under a scanner when we get back, just to make sure.  Lean forward.” 

John let his shirt fall back down as tilted his head down obediently and she carefully prodded the small lump at the back of his head. 

“I know your head hurts, but there’s no blood, so I think you’re okay for now,” EJ handed him his vest and gun back, “Tell me if it gets any worse.” 

“Yes, ma’am.  Any other orders?” John drawled lazily. 

“Not any that won’t break indecency laws in several different countries,” EJ’s lips twitched into a smile. 

John’s hazel-green eyes darkened, “We’ll have to revisit that thought tonight when we get home.” 

I’m sorry, Emma, he said softly, I was only trying to pro-

I understand, carissime, she brushed her hand across his cheek, I’m sorry too. 

“Baran, stop flirting with Sheppard and make yourself useful,” Rodney said from his position by the Wraith tech. 

“He started it,” EJ grinned at John before moving over to Rodney. 

“Did not,” John replied with a smile of his own. 

“Did too.” 

“Did not.” 

“Did too.” 

“And people think I’m the immature one,” Rodney rolled his eyes. 

*OrderOrderOrderOrderOrderOrderOrder* 

The two marines EJ sent after Teyla returned with her while Rodney and EJ were connecting the Wraith tech to their tablets, but left immediately after.  Teyla stood next to Ronon and the marines guarding the Wraith, watching over the Queen warily.  Rodney and EJ bickered, switching back and forth between the Ancient and Wraith tech as they did so.  The men who hadn’t previously worked with Rodney and EJ at the same time stared at the two of them oddly as they started insulting each other loudly and slapping each other out of the way of the tech.  John assured the Marines it was a normal activity for the two doctors and it actually meant they were making progress. 

An hour later, Zelenka was escorted to the room by two large marines, who after a scowl from John informed him that the engineer insisted on being allowed to help McKay with the Wraith tech.  Before the Marines made it all the way out of the room, the previous argument grew into a loud, three-sided, multi-lingual mess.  The three of them managed to interface with the Wraith tech and were going through lines of coding when the unconscious Wraith started to stir.  Zelenka moved to the far side of Rodney, away from the Wraith, but continued to work quietly. 

EJ gripped the butt of her holstered gun tightly and moved closer to the Queen as she stirred. 

Deductor, can you block her from reaching out to the other Wraith? EJ asked carefully, Don’t take control of her unless she tries to hurt someone. 

I will do my best, Defensor, Teyla assured her, but I cannot guarantee it.  I will at least know if she tries to contact them. 

“Don’t stun her yet, Big Guy,” John said, “We need her to answer some questions.” 

Ronon, Teyla and the two Winchesters all kept their weapons pointed at the thin Wraith, who now had her eyes open, staring at John angrily, and was kneeling stiffly on the floor.  The Queen had long, straight, black hair that fell to the middle of her lower back and pale blue-green skin, a dark, intricate curling tattoo stretching from above her left eyebrow to down past the top of her simple, dark gray dress. The dress left the Queen’s neck and shoulders exposed, draping down her body, and the two bullet holes in her right shoulder were slowly dripping blood down her front, staining her dress with blue-black as they continued to slowly knit themselves closed.  

“You got a name?” John asked evenly. 

“Nothing the likes of you could pronounce, Human,” the Wraith hissed at him. 

“That always seems to be the case with you guys,” John drawled, “Let’s call you…Jane.  You look like a Jane to me.  What do you think, Agent Baran?  She look like a Jane to you?” 

“Sure does, Colonel,” EJ agreed easily, “I have a couple questions for you, Jane.” 

“I suggest you answer Agent Baran,” John informed the Wraith, “She tends to get upset if people don’t answer her.  Then bad things start happening and I end up having to clean blood off the floor again.” 

“I do not answer to my food,” Jane-the-Queen hissed, the words reverberating with power, “You should kneel before a superior being.” 

EJ felt John's strain of effort as the Wraith tried to force him into obeying her.  EJ stepped between them and felt the wave of relief go through him. 

The Queen snarled and turned her gaze to EJ. 

EJ felt the intrusion into her mind, like a thick, heavy oil trying to coat her brain and drag her consciousness down.  She fought against the sensation as she drew the gun from the holster at her left thigh and fired a single shot into the Wraith’s previously unharmed shoulder. 

The slimy feeling receded from her mind. 

“You try that again and I won’t bother with the questions,” EJ said severely, “I’ll let Ronon blast a hole in the back of your skull with that pretty gun of his.  I'm fairly positive you won’t regenerate from that.” 

“You are different from the others, Lantean,” Jane-the-Queen intoned curiously. 

“I am, Jane,” EJ said evenly, “I am very different.” 

EJ lifted her hand and the Ancient symbol etched into her palm began to glow as she spoke, the words strong and unwavering, “I am the Defensor, Caretaker of Atlantis.” 

“Impossible,” Jane-the-Queen scoffed, “My hive captured and killed all of the Caretakers during the siege of Atlantis.  I used their corpses to gain entry to this place.” 

Is that possible? Rodney wondered. 

EJ smiled viciously and shot Jane-the-Queen in the same side as before, three inches down from the previous wound in her shoulder. 

No, it’s not.  The link with the City is severed after death.  The door wouldn’t respond to dead bodies, she answered. 

“Oh, I forgot to warn you, your majesty,” John smirked, recovered from his short mental battle with the Queen, “Agent Baran really doesn’t like being lied to.  And she can almost always tell when someone is lying to her.” 

“I believe you captured some of the Caretakers, Jane,” EJ acknowledged, “And I believe you tortured them for information.  I even believe they eventually broke and opened the door for you.  This brings me to my first question: Are you the only Wraith still in here?” 

“Do the others know what you are, Defensor, or have you kept it from them?” the Queen taunted EJ, "I can tell the difference in your scent."

EJ fired a third shot into her side, three inches down from the second shot. 

Jane-the-Queen only curled her lip up in a gruesome smile and continued to stare at EJ. 

“I’m beginning to think you like being shot, Jane,” EJ speculated, holstering her gun, “Let’s play this game a different way, shall we?” 

EJ stepped over to Ronon, holding an empty hand out, “Left boot.” 

The tall man grinned savagely as he reached down to remove a small knife from the lining of his boot.  It was the same size as EJ’s hand, the thin blade sharply tapered to a point.  He handed it to EJ and she turned back towards the Wraith. 

“That tiny blade does not scare one such as myself, Lantean,” the Queen hissed, “It will not force me to answer.” 

EJ’s face became a blank mask as she crouched in front of the kneeling Wraith. 

“The blade itself?  No, you shouldn’t worry about that,” EJ ran the knife carefully down the side of the Wraith’s neck to her shoulder in an obscene parody of intimacy, “You should, however, be concerned with what is on the blade.” 

EJ stuck the knife gently into one of the healing holes in the Queen’s shoulder.  The Wraith howled as EJ began to dig around in the wound. 

“Our scientists found this wonderful mineral inside the ruins of an Ancient outpost a couple months ago,” EJ spoke evenly over the screaming Wraith, “We discovered, quite by accident, it reacts to the presence of Wraith blood in a most peculiar manner.  It causes the red blood cells to turn on each other.  The body starts destroying itself from the inside out.” 

EJ popped the mushroomed slug from her gun out of the Wraith’s shoulder.  It hit the ground in with a soft ‘clink’ as the Queen quieted. 

“I haven’t had the chance to test it out on a live Wraith before now,” EJ stood, looking down at the panting Wraith in front of her, “Do you feel like answering my questions now or shall I go digging for the rest of my bullets?” 

“What is it you wish to know, Defensor?” Jane-the-Queen asked, looking up at her with a sneer. 

“Are you the only Wraith left alive in this facility?” 

“I am.” 

“What happened to the others?” 

“I fed on them to maintain my strength while in hibernation.  They served their Queen well with their deaths.”   

“How were you able to enter this facility?” 

“My hive managed to capture the Prima Trinitas during the siege of Atlantis.  I drained the life from their bodies then returned it, again and again, until their minds finally broke.  They were more cooperative after that." 

“Why only let six Wraith into the mountain?  Why not your entire army?” 

“My hive did not believe I could over-ride the Lantean safeguards even with the cooperation of the Caretakers,” Jane-the-Queen snarled, “Another Queen took control of my ship, aided by my own soldiers.  I was expendable to her, sent only to test the theory of this place.” 

“I see you managed to prove her wrong.” 

“I did.  I brought the Caretakers in with me.  After I fed off the Imperator in front the others, they were persuaded not to detonate the potentias, and we began our research.” 

“Then what happened, Jane?  Something interesting must have happened after that, because you have all this lovely tech attached to the potentia and the fail-safe is paused halfway through the countdown.” 

“It seems while my fellow Queen underestimated my intelligence, I underestimated the stupidity of the Lanteans," Jane hissed, "The one who called himself Defensor before you triggered the detonation countdown.  I was able to pause it, but in doing so, I froze the remaining systems.  I was unable to continue my research after that.” 

“That just makes my poor heart break, Jane.  What happened to the Defensor and the Iudex after that?” 

“I fed on them in my rage.  I sent a message to another hive to retrieve me and destroy this place so the Lanteans could no longer use it.  You arrived before they could, Lantean.” 

“It’s been over ten-thousand years since the siege of Atlantis,” E informed her evenly.

“Impossible," the Wraith argued, "The City of Atlantis was already sunk deep in the ocean when I came to this planet.  My kind would have destroyed all the Lanteans in that time.” 

“That’s the second time you’ve told me something is impossible.  I don’t think we have the same definition of the word.  Atlantis survived.  Your hive never came for you.  They left you here to rot,” EJ smiled grimly.   

“Then we have nothing more to discuss, Defensor.” 

“Now, that’s not quite true, is it, Jane?  You still have to tell me how you paused the countdown.” 

“Why would I tell you, Lantean, when it would be so much simpler to let you destroy us all?” Jane-the-Queen smiled widely, showing all her jagged teeth. 

EJ crouched down and set the knife against the second wound in the Wraith’s side. 

“Because I asked you nicely.  How did you pause the countdown?” EJ jammed the knife into the wound and Jane-the-Queen howled again. 

Wait, John’s calm voice came into her head, She said a Guardian triggered the fail-safe, right?  Will the system let one of the Prima Trinitas rescind the order? 

That could work, Rodney said thoughtfully, but I think it would have to be EJ.  If the Defensor triggered it and the Caretaker program is DNA based, it makes sense that she should be able to stop it. 

The Wraith is reaching out with her mind, searching for others of her kind, Teyla’s voice was strained, I will not be able to hold her back much longer. 

EJ didn’t respond.  She plunged the knife as deep as she could into the Queen’s wound and stood. 

She stepped back, pulling her gun, and emptied the remainder of her clip in a tight grouping into the chest of Jane-the-Queen, shots echoing down the hall.  She released the empty clip quickly and slammed a full one into place. 

The Wraith lay on the floor, gasping for breath, as EJ stood over her aiming the gun at her head. 

“You share his eyes, Lantean,” Jane-the-Queen wheezed, voice once again taunting, “Such a strange color.  If I did not drain the life from the Defensor myself, I would say you were his child.” 

Fury flashed across EJ’s face as she lowered her gun. 

Stun her again? Ronon asked. 

EJ took a small step forward and kicked the Wraith in the side of the head viciously.  The bones in her neck snapped, the sound loud in the otherwise silent room, and she rattled one final breath before stilling. 

EJ raised her gun again and emptied the second clip into the head of the dead Queen, splattering blood and bone across the floor. 

“Guess not,” Ronon grunted as he put his blaster back in the holster, bending down to retrieve his knife from her chest. 

Zelenka stood with his mouth open, gaping at EJ as she released the second empty clip from her gun and replaced it with a full one before holstering the pistol. 

“Remind me not to piss you off, ma’am,” Sammy snorted. 

“You have no idea,” John drawled, “Was the second clip necessary, Emmaline?  You snapped her neck.  Pretty sure she was dead." 

“Not strictly necessary, no, but it made me feel better,” EJ frowned at the blood on the floor, “Has anyone else noticed how bad these things smell?” 

“I’m going to need a new pair of boots,” Dean looked down at himself with disgust, “There's Wraith blood on mine.  That shit doesn’t come out.” 

“Nikdy nepochopím vojáky. Ty jsi ji zabil dřív, než nám řekl o fail-safe,” Zelenka muttered as he shook his head and went back to the tablet he was holding.  [Czech: I will never understand soldiers.  You killed her before she told us about the fail-safe.] 

“Já nejsem voják, Radek. Řekla nám, co jsme potřebovali vědět,” EJ replied as she walked over to the console in front of the ZPM.  [Czech: I am not a soldier, Radek.  She told us what we needed to know.] 

“She would not have answered further questions,” Teyla said simply, "She was attempting to contact other Wraith."   

This might take me a minute, EJ told the others. 

EJ placed her left palm against the largest console and closed her eyes, diving into the mire of Ancient coding.  She felt the systems stutter several times before responding to her.  She asked the computer to show her any anomalies in the system.  Programming flashed quickly through her head, Wraith mixed in with Ancient.  A frown began to form on her face.  She backtracked through the code, resurfacing to open her eyes and turn to Rodney. 

Custodem, put your left hand on the skin of my arm, EJ ordered. She felt his hesitance and rolled her eyes, I’m not going to hurt you, Rodney.  Quit being a baby and get over here.  I need your help.   

Her words had the desired effect and Rodney stepped closer to lay his palm gently against her forearm. 

Close your eyes, she continued, closing her own eyes again, and don’t let go.  Open your mind, see what I see. 

EJ found the connection between them in her mind, a pinprick in Rodney's consciousness connected to hers by a glowing gold string.  She ripped open the bond and forced his mind in sync with hers.  She retraced her previous steps in the computer, dragging Rodney along with her, until they came to the part of the computer with the Wraith code. 

Is there a way to get rid of it? EJ asked cautiously . 

I don’t think so.  Not from here.  But we might be able to…maybe…hmmm… Rodney trailed off, looking around at the code with a scowl. 

Rodney?  EJ watched as Rodney’s consciousness moved around and through the lines of Ancient code, I can't keep this connection forever. 

Can you tell the computer to bypass only the sections containing Wraith coding? Rodney frowned at the Wraith code.

I can try, the strain was becoming clear in EJ's voice.   

She instructed the computer to bypass all Wraith coding until it could be removed.  The computer complied after several more stutters, rerouting its systems. 

EJ, look there, Rodney indicated a section of code nervously, I can’t access that program. 

EJ saw the detonation countdown start up and requested that the system grant her full access.  She felt the console pulse against the mark on her hand and accept her as the new Guardian.  She deactivated the safe-guard quickly.  She further instructed the computer to follow commands given by the other Caretakers.  She enabled full access for John and Rodney, telling the computer to let them designate others as authorized operators. 

She smiled briefly as the computer complied smoothly. 

I’m going to narrow the bond now, EJ warned Rodney, Don’t let go until I do. 

She concentrated on reducing the bond between them until it was once again just a glowing string. 

Okay, let go, EJ whispered. 

She felt Rodney remove his hand from her arm and step back with a deep exhale.  She took one final look around the inside of the computer, making sure everything was working properly before she started to untangle herself from the system.  When the last line of code fled from her mind, she lifted her palm from the console and opened her eyes.  John was standing on the opposite side of the console, watching her nervously. 

Her relieved violet eyes met his worried hazel-green ones before they rolled back into her head and she fell silently to the ground.

Chapter Text

EJ felt a strong, callused hand pressing against her cheek and turned her head into the gentle touch. 

“Emma?” the worry was clear in John’s voice.  He stroked his thumb across her cheek as she blinked open her eyes. 

“Capite meo dolet,” EJ mumbled, “Quid accidit? Ego iustus deficimus?”  [Latin: My head hurts.  What happened?  Did I faint?] 

“She is speaking Ancient,” Zelenka said uneasily, “What did she do to computer?  What did computer do to her?” 

“She does that sometimes,” Rodney answered vaguely. 

“Quid praedicas aliquando facio ut?” EJ tried to glare at him, but it didn’t quite work since she was still sprawled out on the floor.  [Latin: What do you mean I do that sometimes?] 

“English, sweetheart,” John replied evenly. 

“Oh, that,” EJ leaned her head back against John’s warm hand again, “Yeah, it’s not really Ancient.  It’s Latin mainly, with some Ancient thrown in.  Latin was the first language I learned, at the same time I was learning English, so I tend to fall back on that.  I spend so much time reading Ancient it seems to have seeped into my brain permanently.” 

“See?” Rodney insisted, “She’s fine.  Now, what did you do to the computer?” 

And to me? Rodney added silently. 

“McKay,” John warned. He met EJ’s eyes, “Are you okay?  You fell pretty hard.  You smacked your head on the console behind you.” 

“I might be,” EJ sat up slowly, “It depends.  Did I just pass out in front of the Marines?  ‘Cause that’s not okay.” 

“Yup. You fainted in front of the marines,” John smiled at her, “I think your reputation is still intact though; you did it after killing a Wraith Queen by kicking her in the head.” 

“Yes, you’re a Bad-Ass Barbie,” Rodney waved an impatient hand at her, “What did you do to the computer? I'd like to know if we're all going to be blown up soon.” 

“Calm yourself, Rodney.  Have you not had your coffee today?” EJ asked as John helped her stand slowly, “I did what you said.  I told the computer to ignore all Wraith coding until it could be removed.  I deactivated the safe-guard after the computer recognized me as the new Defensor.  The system will now accept basic commands from all the Caretakers.  I also enabled full access for you and John.  The two of you can designate authorized operators within the system, but I suggest you work on removing whatever Jane put in there first.” 

“That was all it took?” Rodney asked incredulously, “One touch from the Guardian and everything’s fixed? Why didn’t you just do that earlier? We could’ve saved hours of work and there wouldn’t be dead Wraith all over the floor.” 

You wouldn't have been in my brain, he accused. 

I think, technically, you were in my brain, EJ replied wryly.   

Because that's so much better, Rodney rolled his eyes. 

It was necessary at the time, she explained calmly, I didn’t want to make a mistake. 

So you’re admitting I’m smarter than you? 

“I admit no such thing, Dr. McKay.  And there would still be dead Wraith on the floor,” EJ sighed at him, “It just would’ve been there sooner.  The system-”-and our link-“-is not meant to be used that way.  It’s a built-in emergency protocol only.”  I had to force the connection to widen, to sync your mind with mine.  “It’s extremely taxing on a Caretaker to do what I did, hence the passing out.  Jane said all the systems froze when she paused the countdown.  Until I heard that, I didn’t know there was anything wrong with the system.  I thought it was just slow.” 

“Caretaker?  Guardian?” Zelenka asked curiously, “What does this mean?  The Wraith called you Defensor.  How are you able to do all that by only touching console?” 

“Ancient tech likes my DNA,” EJ said with a mysterious smile and a quick shrug. 

“Nemyslím si, že je plná odpovědí, EJ,” Zelenka pushed his glasses back into place and stared at her.  [Czech: I don't think that is the full answer, EJ.] 

“Je to jediná odpověď, dám vám, Radek,” EJ said evenly.  [Czech: It is the only answer I will give you, Radek.] 

“I thought we decided to speak English,” Rodney interrupted, “We need to get this Wraith tech off the console and out of the system.  The sooner we get started, the sooner we can get everything up and running.  And can someone please get rid of the dead Wraith?” 

“Let’s get to work then,” EJ started to move towards the console, but John stopped her. 

“Not you, Emmaline,” John held her by the elbow.    

“But John-” EJ pouted. 

“You can come back tomorrow after Keller clears you.” 

“It’s just a little headache from hitting my head on the console.  I’m not the one who got tossed around by a Wraith Queen.” 

“People who faint after messing with alien computer systems-"-after doing Vulcan mind-melds with Rodney-"-go to the infirmary.  McKay and Zelenka can handle it,” John insisted.  

“Fine,” EJ huffed in annoyance, “But I’ll only go if you do.” 

John turned to the Marines still guarding the room, “Coulson, Rogers, help Ronon and Teyla get rid of the Wraith body.  After you’re done, head back to the outpost and wait for Lorne.  I’ll let him know the engineers are cleared to enter as soon as the remaining Wraith corpses are recovered.  Berger, Hickson, Winchester, Winchester, you get to baby-sit McKay and Zelenka.  Make sure they don’t kill each other.  Major Lorne is in command until I get back.” 

Without waiting to see if his orders were followed, John steered EJ out the closest door and headed towards the entrance. 

Major, I’m taking Emma back to Atlantis to get checked out, John informed his XO, The Wraith Queen is dead.  The fail-safe has been disabled so we’re not going to blow up…hopefully.  Inform the all of the search groups that there are five Wraith corpses that need to be found.  After they’re found, have everyone go back to the outpost to pick up an engineer and start checking out the equipment.  Spread the ATA positives and Caretakers out among the groups as much as you can, just in case there are any problems.  McKay and Zelenka are in one of the ZPM rooms getting rid of the Wraith junk.  You might want to switch out the marines guarding them in an hour or so, give them a break since they've been baby-sitting scientists all day.  Don’t let anyone turn anything on until McKay gives the okay. 

Yes, sir, came Lorne’s steady reply, I’ll take care of it.  How badly are you two hurt? 

Why do you assume I’m hurt? 

EJ is letting you take her to the infirmary.  She wouldn’t leave if it was just her that was injured. 

You’re right; she won’t go unless I go.  I have some bruised ribs and a possible concussion.  Emma passed out and hit her head after linking with the computer system here.    

Matching concussions, that’s cute, Lorne’s amusement was clear, Most couples go for matching tattoos or jewelry. 

Are you being a wiseass, Lorne?    

Course not, sir. 

*OrderOrderOrderOrderOrderOrderOrder* 

When John landed the jumper on Atlantis and opened the hatch, Jennifer was already standing there waiting with a medic. 

“It’s always you two, isn’t it?” Jennifer sighed as EJ and John handed off their gear to the waiting uniformed men. 

“Hey!” EJ protested, “I only came back so he would. There’s nothing wrong with me.” 

Jennifer raised an eyebrow, “Who do you think you’re talking to, EJ?” 

According to Atlantis' internal sensors, EJ has a big lump on the back of her head and a headache that has nothing to do with it, Jennifer spoke into their minds, John has several moderately bruised ribs and a mild concussion.    

EJ laughed into the other woman’s mind, Been practicing, I see. 

“Tizzy and I had a wonderful conversation this morning while you were gone,” Jennifer smiled brightly, “She showed me how to do a few new things.” 

“I knew this was a terrible idea,” John rolled his eyes, “Now the vampire lady is even more dangerous.”

My Medicum is indeed quite bright.  She has exhibited an eagerness to learn that should be noted by certain other Caretakers.

Jack didn’t want to play with you anymore? EJ asked, biting her cheek in amusement.  

He seemed more interested in using crude equipment to capture local aquatic specimens, Atlantis huffed. 

I think what you mean to say is he went fishing, John smiled. 

The confused medic looked between the three wildly grinning people and shook his head. 

“I need to update Jack and Richard,” EJ started towards the staircase to the control room.  She made it only two steps away before John had a hold of her arm again. 

“They can come to the infirmary and you can update them while you’re getting checked out,” John said, steering her towards the other door. 

EJ rolled her eyes, “I doubt a ten minute update will make that big of a difference, John.” 

The time will not make a difference, Defensor. Your mate is simply worried about you, as am I. 

Tizzy, I’m fine, EJ insisted, You heard Jen.  A lump and a headache, that’s all.  John is hurt worse than I am. 

The Imperator did not interface with the manufacturing computer and he is not bound to the other Cultores as you are.  You should not have done that.  The Custodem could have found another way. 

EJ stopped walking towards the infirmary and laid her palm against the nearest wall. 

Look in my memory and see what happened, EJ said calmly, There was no other way to get around what the Wraith had done.  I repaired the bond between Rodney and me.  There are no lasting effects. 

John gave EJ a worried look as she stood still for several moments, hand against the wall. 

The lights in the corridor flared brighter for a short moment before a decorative wall sconce shattered, startling the people walking by them.  EJ petted the wall twice and the lights dimmed once again. She dropped her hand and turned to see the look on John’s face.  She shrugged before resuming her walk to the infirmary. 

“Tizzy was worried about the interface,” EJ explained quietly, “I showed her what happened and now she's pissed about what the Wraith did to her Cultores.  I convinced her that blowing all the lights in the corridor out would upset people, but she’s still mad.  You may want to talk to her when you get a chance.” 

John winced, “Why do I have to talk down the angry AI?” 

“Because I’m pissed about what the Wraith did too,” EJ admitted, “I don’t normally waste ammunition on dead bodies, John.” 

“Is she upset because you are or the other way around?” John wondered out loud. 

“It doesn’t work like that.  We’re both independently angry.  But I’m unlikely to explode power conduits while I’m angry.” 

“Unlikely?  Does that mean you could?” 

“I could, but so could you and Jack,” EJ shrugged again, “I wouldn’t recommend doing it though.  Rodney will get upset at the extra work.”  

“You know, my life was almost normal before I met you,” John said evenly, slowing his steps as they got close to the infirmary, “I only had to deal with space vampires and the IOA, not a cranky AI who wants to blow things up.” 

EJ looked over her shoulder and smirked, “Sounds like it was terribly dull.  Besides, it’s not my fault you’re her favorite.” 

EJ walked through the door as John spoke into her mind, Just her favorite? 

You’re my favorite too, John. 

Chapter Text

Jennifer decided to scan both John and EJ after their physical exam, just in case she had gotten something wrong with her new-found abilities.  EJ insisted that John get scanned first, stating that his ribs were much worse than her head.  John agreed without much resistance, not eager to find out the consequences of arguing with the two blonde women when they ganged up on him.  He did send a quick thought to Daniel, asking him to bring some food to the infirmary, as neither him nor EJ had really eaten the since breakfast.    

Woolsey and O'Neill walked into the infirmary several minutes later, just as Sheppard was laying down in the scanner, followed by Daniel with a tray of healthy foods and two large bottles of water.  Daniel gave Sheppard a quick wink, brushed a hand against the nearest wall, and left the infirmary all without saying a word. 

Woolsey noted the exchange, along with the expectant stares Keller, Sheppard, and even O’Neill gave EJ before she finally threw her hands up in exasperation.  She muttered to herself as she stomped over to the tray.  Woolsey heard the words ‘meddlesome mother-hens’ before she took a large, ripe piece of fruit from the tray and bit into it. 

“Satisfied?” EJ said petulantly, “Don’t make me come over there and pinch you, John.” 

Woolsey looked over to Sheppard laying in the scanner with his eyes closed, the smirk on his face the only evidence he had heard her. 

“I will assume I missed an interesting conversation before I arrived,” Woolsey said evenly. 

“Something like that,” O’Neill grinned. 

“I see,” Woolsey continued, “Can I also assume that since the two of you are the only ones in the infirmary the Wraith were found with relative ease?” 

Sheppard snorted from his place in the scanner. 

“Yes, Richard,” EJ rolled her eyes at Sheppard, “Unfortunately, Dr. McKay and I discovered the safeguard that would detonate the ZPMs had been activated after the Wraith entered the facility.  It was paused halfway through the countdown.  I asked Colonel Sheppard to have his men capture the Wraith alive so we could interrogate him.  McKay and I managed to get the internal sensors working.  After a while, the sensors detected a Wraith life-sign in one of the ZPM rooms.  Sheppard and Ronon’s teams were closest and they managed to subdue the Wraith.  Not before John got smacked in the ribs into a console and hit his head.” 

“I didn’t do it on purpose,” Sheppard cracked open one eye to glare at EJ. 

“If that excuse doesn’t work for me, carissime, it doesn’t work for you," EJ took another bite of the fruit.  She chewed quietly and swallowed before continuing her report, “The Wraith turned out to be a Queen.  There was Wraith tech attached to the main console in the ZPM room so Sheppard called McKay and me down there.  They restrained the Queen while we started working on interfacing with the tech.  That would be when you got the update earlier today.  When Zelenka arrived, we managed to interface with the tech without blowing ourselves up.  The three of us were going through the coding when Jane woke up.” 

“Jane?” O’Neill asked curiously. 

“The Wraith, sir,” John smirked as his scan finished and he sat up on the edge of the scanner, “They don’t like giving humans their names. I like to come up with alternatives. This one seemed like a Jane.” 

“In any case,” EJ swallowed another bit of fruit, “I was the one who interrogated Jane.  She was initially reluctant to talk, but I persuaded her to answer my questions.  Turns out, her hive captured the Prima Trinitas sometime after Atlantis was already sunk in the ocean.  They were tortured into cooperation.  Her hive ship was taken over by a rival Queen who sent Jane to the planet thinking that she would get blown up.  Obviously that didn’t happen.” 

Sheppard stood up and walked over to the tray, grabbing a drink for himself.   

“Into the scanner, EJ,” Keller motioned toward the place Sheppard had vacated. 

“I thought Colonel Sheppard was the only one injured capturing the Wraith?” Woolsey asked with concern. 

“I keep trying to tell them I’m fine, Richard,” EJ stepped over to the machine with a huff, “But no one believes me.” 

“Dr. Baran interacted with the computer at the facility then fainted,” Sheppard informed him, “She hit her head on the way down.” 

“I only have a little headache,” EJ insisted as she laid down, “A full scan is really not needed.” 

“What do you mean she ‘interacted’ with the computer?” Woolsey asked cautiously. 

“I’m not really sure how it works,” Sheppard admitted as he stuck his hands in his pockets. 

“One of the previous Caretakers, Prima Mens like me, purposefully activated the fail-safe,” EJ said above the hum of the machine, “He was trying to blow up the Wraith before they could learn anything important.  Jane managed to stop the countdown, but it froze all the remaining systems.  She went into hibernation after that.  The mark on our hands can act as an interface with Ancient tech.  Since Prima Mens activated the countdown, only Prima Mens could rescind the order.” 

“I see,” Woolsey said evenly, “And the Wraith?” 

“All dead, sir,” Sheppard answered before EJ could, “The Queen’s body was being disposed of when we left.  I left Major Lorne in charge of the search for the remaining five corpses.  I also left orders to distribute engineers throughout the facility to begin checking the equipment as soon as the bodies were removed.  Doctors McKay and Zelenka are working on removing the Wraith tech.  When they get it all out, they’ll start checking over the systems.  Originally, Rodney estimated it would be a week and a half before we got everything up and running.” 

“I didn’t want to say anything while Rodney was in hearing range,” EJ started, sitting up as the scan finished, “But I took a quick look around while I was in the computer system.  There isn’t an unlimited supply of raw materials left in that mountain.  There's enough to run the facility at full power for about four years.  That’s several million drones.  I would like to suggest a couple things before we get everything going, if I may.” 

“Only suggestions?” O’Neill questioned. 

“Yes, sir?” EJ smiled. 

“Let’s hear it then,” O’Neill rolled his eyes at her. 

“I think we should take three of the seven ZPMs from the facility,” EJ started. 

“I understand why you didn’t want to say anything in front of Rodney,” Sheppard snorted. 

“Even with four ZPMs, the facility can run for several years on the materials in the mountain,” EJ continued, “We should take two of the fully charged potentias for Atlantis.  Give us full power again.  Ours were over halfway depleted from the trip to Earth and back.  We can trade one of ours for the mostly dead ZPM on 677 with all the kids, give their EM field a little more range, and send the other partially depleted one back to the planet.  The third charged ZPM should be sent to Earth.  That way the SGC can open a wormhole here for supplies and we can use the Daedalus to transport the drones.  Trying to transfer millions of drones by jumper is going to get extremely tedious, extremely fast.  It would be nice to have a 304 stationed at Atlantis for a while.  Her crew can be rotated back to Earth as needed through the wormhole.” 

“That’s actually not a bad idea,” O’Neill said thoughtfully. 

“I'll bring it up with General Landry and the IOA,” Woolsey agreed easily, “And I’ll ask Colonel Caldwell to delay his return to Earth until we have a decision.  What was the other suggestion?” 

EJ stood, brushing a hand against the Ancient machine, “I strongly suggest that no one tells Rodney until the ZPMs are already out of the facility.  And I would like to formally request that I not be present when he's told.”  

“But it was your wonderful suggestion, Dr. Baran,” O’Neill grinned widely, “Don’t you want to be the one to tell him?” 

“Absolutely not, sir,” EJ shook her head. 

*OrderOrderOrderOrderOrderOrderOrder* 

Jennifer released both EJ and John from the infirmary, after carefully wrapping John’s ribs and prescribing them both mild painkillers she knew neither would actually take.  John's team returned from the planet with Evan in tow in the evening and the nine Caretakers had a lengthy supper together, sitting around a long table on the balcony laughing and sharing stories, before retreating to their respective rooms for the night.   

Jack, Daniel, and Jennifer stayed in Atlantis when everyone else headed back to the planet early the next morning.  Rodney and Zelenka had gotten rid of the Wraith tech the first evening and EJ joined them in going through the computer system, making sure everything was working properly.  John had a few words with the marines guarding the three scientists, then went to join the exploration of the facility.

The next couple days passed the same way.  Someone would come by a couple times during the day with meals for the three scientists, saying he had orders not to leave until they finished eating.  It took them three days to go through the entire computer system and pronounce that everything should work properly.  Rodney and Radek joined the groups of engineers checking over the equipment.  EJ returned to Atlantis and spent some time with Daniel, learning the history of the Caretakers and the City itself. 

If anyone noticed the way the nine of them had started brushing their hands lovingly over various parts of the City, or the way they had all started talking aloud to no one in particular, or the way the small mark that had appeared on each of their palms would glow faintly from time to time, no one said anything. 

The IOA and SGC agreed to EJ’s plan involving the ZPMs and the Daedalus, so when Jack and Daniel finally left through the Stargate a week later, they were carrying a case containing a fully charged ZPM.  Rodney had reacted as badly as predicted when he found the ZPMs being carried out of the manufacturing facility.  John managed to calm him down while EJ was hiding in a remote section of the new greenhouse, explaining that two of the ZPMs were going to stay on Atlantis, bringing her back to full power. 

The day after Jack and Daniel left, the Daedalus arrived at the planet and started beaming up the first set of newly-manufactured drones.  The journey from P37-020, which Atlantis had eventually informed them was called Videtur, to New Lantea took two days and it took half a day to unload the drones into their proper place.  For the next two months, the Daedalus went back and forth between the two planets every three days, loading and unloading drones. 

On one of the trips back to Atlantis, the Daedalus carried a cargo-hold full of Ancient energy weapons.  There were more than enough to distribute among the military and the scientists.  Woolsey and Sheppard sent out a joint email saying that the energy weapons would now be required gear for everyone going off-world.  John, EJ, and Evan spent the next two weeks at the shooting range making sure everyone was qualified to use them. 

It was an all-around quiet two months.  Which was probably why John was getting restless.  He was in the gym, watching Ronon and EJ spar using thin wooden swords, stretching his sore muscles from his previous bout with Ronon.  After deflecting an easy blow from the taller man, EJ’s movements faltered and she froze long enough for Ronon to land a hard strike against her upper back. 

John came forward as she was rolling the pain from her shoulders, You okay?  What happened? 

“Evan’s back from Videtur,” EJ explained, setting her wooden sword back in its place in a nearby rack, “and he is extremely irritated.  Something not good happened, but he won’t tell me what.” 

John picked up his radio just in time to hear Woolsey call him to his office.  Ronon and EJ both took a minute to wipe the sweat from their faces before all three of them headed out the door. 

*OrderOrderOrderOrderOrderOrderOrder* 

Evan was sitting on the short couch in Woolsey’s office when they arrived.  EJ sat down in her customary chair by the glass door while Evan stood, joined by Ronon and John in the middle of the room. 

“It seems we might have a small problem,” Woolsey started. 

Evan exhaled sharply and EJ raised an eyebrow at the outward display of annoyance that marred his normally calm demeanor.   

“Approximately one hour ago,” Evan started in a crisp tone, “the facilities external sensors picked up a ship in orbit of the planet.  I sent a jumper with a team of Marines to investigate.  Only one of them came back, carrying a message for Colonel Sheppard.” 

“Me?” John asked curiously. 

“Who did you piss off this time, John?” EJ looked up at him. 

“No one…I think…” John stuck his hands in his pockets. 

“Recently,” Ronon grunted. 

“The message was from Larrin,” Evan turned to his CO. 

EJ saw the almost imperceptible flinch John gave before Lorne continued. 

“She said you can have your men back when you come in person to tell her what the hell is going on down on the planet,” Evan finished. 

“That’s just great,” John huffed, “I knew things were going too smoothly.  Permission to take Ronon with me, Mr. Woolsey?” 

“Permission granted, Colonel Sheppard,” Woolsey answered. 

EJ stood from her chair, “I’ll be going as well.” 

“Are you sure that’s wise, EJ?” Woolsey asked as John glared at her, “From what I understand, Ms. Larrin is given to…mild violence.  She has a history with Colonel Sheppard that will-”

“It’s precisely that history that I’m worried about,” EJ interrupted him, “She tends to take what she wants from the Colonel without thought of the consequences.  She has apparently already irritated the Major and Ronon is as likely to shoot her as he is to talk to her.  This situation will require a more delicate hand than the three of them can provide right now.  I’m the best person to find out when she’s lying and exactly what she wants.  With all due respect, Richard, I was informing you as a courtesy.  I very rarely disregard your orders, so I hope you understand, but I am going no matter what you say.” 

“I see,” Woolsey raised an eyebrow at her, “Very well then.  Major Lorne will fly the three of you in a jumper to meet with Larrin.  Please be in the jumper bay in twenty minutes.” 

“Yes, sir,” replied Evan and John before the three men left the room. 

EJ waited until the door slid shut behind them before addressing Woolsey once again. 

“She’s going to want something, most likely weapons when she finds out what’s on the planet,” EJ said calmly, “What are you willing to give her to keep her mouth shut?” 

“No drones,” Woolsey tapped his fingers on his desk, “They don’t have the capability to fire them anymore.  They have their own energy weapons, but the power sources are exhaustible.  Offer her one crate of hand-held weapons to start, but go no higher than five.” 

“She’s going to assume Colonel Sheppard is the one to negotiate with,” EJ crossed her arms over her chest, “How much force am I-are we allowed to use to convince her to release Colonel Sheppard's men and accept our deal?” 

“No lethal force, Special Agent Baran,” Woolsey said quickly, “and try not to permanently injure any of her crew members.  The Travelers have been valuable allies in the past.” 

“I’ll try not to break anyone,” EJ rolled her eyes, “But I will defend myself and the others.” 

“Understood,” Woolsey nodded, “But you also need to let them protect you as well.  No unnecessary risks.” 

EJ’s lips twitched into a smile as she responded, “Of course, Richard.  If you’ll excuse me, I have less than twenty minutes to get changed and calm Sheppard down.” 

*OrderOrderOrderOrderOrderOrderOrder* 

John was waiting, fully dressed in his black BDUs, when EJ got to their room. 

“I have one question,” he said with a false calm, “Are you going because of a misguided notion that I need protection from Larrin?” 

EJ stepped closer to him, placing one palm on his chest, “Only partly.” 

“Emmaline,” he sighed heavily. 

“I have read the reports on the Travelers, John.  Larrin wouldn’t be here if she didn’t want something from you.  Don’t take this the wrong way but, you two have a…past.  She will use that to her advantage.  I will let you and Ronon be my bodyguards, protect me, without any complaints, if you let me do the talking.” 

John wrapped his arms around EJ and pulled her closer. 

“Fine, I’ll let you be in charge.  Just…please be careful.” 

“I will,” EJ tilted her head back and John dropped a quick kiss on her lips before releasing her. 

“Can you ask Evan and Ronon not to act weird around us?” she asked, stepping over to their shared closet, “I’d rather not give Larrin the advantage of knowing we’re together.” 

“And here I was planning on having sex with you in front of everyone.  Silly me,” he rolled his eyes, “How is she going to know that they’re acting weird because of you?” 

“Women know these things, John,” EJ slipped a blue tee shirt over her head and grabbed her gray uniform jacket, “Besides, do you really want to be in the middle when your ex-girlfriend meets your current girlfriend?” 

“She is not my ex-girlfriend,” John insisted. 

“Whatever you say, carissime.” 

John narrowed his eyes at her. 

“Did you insist on going because you’re jealous?” he asked cautiously, “That’s the first time you’ve willingly called yourself my girlfriend.” 

EJ tilted her head to one side and smiled widely, “Would I do something like that?” 

Chapter Text

Years of practiced calm and indifference were the only things keeping EJ from killing Larrin on the spot.  In lieu of a normal greeting, as soon as John had stepped off the ramp of the 'jumper, Larrin had punched him hard across the mouth, then soothed the pain with a searing kiss.  EJ felt the odd mixture of lust and hostility the other woman directed towards John.  She also felt John’s uncomfortableness and Evan's quiet concern for his men.  EJ clenched her fists tightly, unnoticed by anyone, digging her blunt nails into her palms, trying to clear the extra emotions she felt from everyone else from her head. 

“Haven’t seen you in a couple years, Sheppard,” Larrin said as she finally stepped back. 

“Been busy,” John replied evenly, “You didn’t have to kidnap my men to get my attention. You could have just called.” 

Larrin let a throaty laugh, “Where’s the fun in that?” 

Larrin motioned to one of the men behind her, who walked over to a nearby door and pressed the control to open it.  Five very unhappy Marines came through, weapons and vests held in their hands. 

“Here are your boys, Sheppard,” Larrin waved a hand at them, “Alive and unharmed.” 

Larrin dragged her eyes over the people standing by John, “I’m flattered you thought you needed bodyguards.  Going to introduce me?” 

EJ stepped forward and plastered a fake smile on her face. She spoke in a sweet, southern belle voice, “I’m afraid the bodyguards aren’t here for Colonel Sheppard, ma’am. They’re here for me.” 

EJ extended her hand, “My name is Dr. Emmy Lynn Baran.  Most people just call me Emmy though.  Pleased to meet you.” 

What’s with the voice? John asked curiously. 

That’s her ‘I’m just a harmless, little sweetheart so you should give me what I want’ voice, Lorne answered, biting the inside of his cheek to keep from smiling, It’s worked every time I’ve heard her use it. 

John refrained from rolling his eyes as Larrin and EJ dropped hands. 

“They don’t let me go off-world very often,” EJ continued in a mindless rambling tone, “much less on an amazing alien spaceship, so Lt. Colonel Sheppard and Mr. Dex came with to keep me out of trouble.  Not that I get in trouble every time, mind you, it really was just that one time, and it was really more of a slight cultural misunderstanding than anything else, but ever since then I’m required to have these big, strong men with me at all times.” 

“So why did they let you out this time?” Larrin questioned. 

“Lt. Colonel Sheppard said that you wanted to know what was happening on the planet below,” EJ smiled widely, “He didn’t mention that you were so pretty though.  It’s kind of making me a little nervous.  I mean!  Oh goodness…I shouldn’t have said that out loud. I’m so sorry. Anyway, I’m in charge of the project on the planet, so Mr. Woolsey, that’s Lt. Colonel Sheppard’s boss on Atlantis, decided I should come along to explain it to you.” 

Larrin gave John an amused look before turning back to EJ to smile politely, “Why don’t you and I go sit down somewhere and you can tell me all about it?” 

“Of course, but…I’m not really supposed to go anywhere without Lt. Colonel Sheppard and Mr. Dex,” EJ said nervously, “Is it okay if they come too? I don’t want them to get in trouble or anything because of me.” 

“Sure, they can come too,” Larrin agreed with a grin.   

“Major Lorne,” John ordered, “Take the marines back to the jumper and wait for us there.” 

Keep the jumper secured and ready to go, just in case, he added silently.   

“Yes, sir,” Evan responded easily. 

“Would it be alright if we took a little tour of your ship too, ma’am?” EJ stepped forward and linked her left arm through Larrin’s right, effectively blocking the other woman from her gun, “I’ve never been on an alien spaceship before.  I doubt I’ll be allowed this opportunity again, so I would very much appreciate you showing me around.  We don’t have to see all of it, mind you, because I’m sure we don’t have the time for that, it seemed to be rather large from the outside, but maybe just a couple of the more interesting things?  It must be hard being the captain of a whole ship all by yourself; I know I certainly couldn’t do it.  You must get awful lonely.”

EJ carefully steered Larrin towards one of the doors.  

“Oh, Sheppard, where have you been hiding this one?” Larrin laughed as she opened the door, “I’m thinking of keeping her.” 

“Larrin,” John warned, “Dr. Baran is not a toy.  And she’d not interested in you.” 

“My goodness,” EJ said on a long breath, “I don’t think she meant it like that, Lt. Colonel Sheppard.  And even if she did, I could never come between the two of you.” 

“Now that is an interesting thought,” Larrin looked over her shoulder at John. 

“Oh my,” EJ blushed a pretty pink. 

This is going to be so much easier than I thought, EJ snorted internally at John and Ronon. 

Ronon was smirking as John glared at the two women without responding. 

*OrderOrderOrderOrderOrderOrderOrder* 

After a short tour of the ship, Larrin took the three of them to a large room with various decorations on the walls and a small, square table on one side.  Larrin, EJ and John sat down, but Ronon stood by the door, next to two of Larrin’s security officers. 

You see enough of the security to get us out of here in a hurry if we need to? EJ asked Ronon. 

Yup. 

“Now that you’ve seen mine,” Larrin scooted her chair to get closer to EJ, “time to show me yours.  What’s on the planet?” 

“Trees,” John deadpanned, “and mountains.  Also, some dirt.” 

“Lt. Colonel Sheppard, I do believe Larrin is asking about the giant EM field,” EJ admonished, “Oh goodness…I probably shouldn’t have said that out loud either.” 

She has some sort of…Ancient tech in this room, EJ advised John, I can feel it. 

“That is what I was referring to, Emmy,” Larrin smiled graciously.   

You can feel it? John asked, What does that mean? 

“We found the most fascinating ruins on the planet,” EJ leaned closer, lowering her voice as if she was sharing a treasured secret, “Ancestral ruins. There was an EM field around it when we got here.  We only managed to break through it recently.” 

I can’t explain it better than that, EJ said with a frustrated huff, It’s almost like it’s…I don’t know. 

“And what did you find inside?” Larrin asked, mimicking EJ’s conspiratorial tone. 

“Oh…ummm…” EJ looked between Larrin and John nervously, “Am I allowed to tell her that part, Lt. Colonel?” 

“Might as well,” John responded easily, “I’m sure she’s going to find out anyway.” 

EJ turned back to Larrin and leaned in again, “We found an abandoned weapons manufacturing facility.  It was completely beyond repair, of course, which was terribly disappointing to all the military types, but some of the computer files were still intact.  It was mostly personal logs and boring system diagnostics.  I’ve been working on translating the personal logs since we managed to retrieve them.  That’s what I do, I’m a translator.  Granted, Ancient is a bit different than what I’m used to, but it’s very rewarding work.” 

“You found a weapons facility and you didn’t think to share?” Larrin raised an eyebrow at John. 

“You have your own shiny guns,” John shrugged a shoulder, “I didn’t think you’d be interested.” 

“There really wasn’t anything good,” EJ interrupted, “Just some crates of those hand-held stun gun things.  The personal logs were the really interesting find.  There was this one that-”

“Were the weapons functional?” Larrin didn’t turn her attention away from John. 

“Yes," John answered shortly. 

"Which is surprising since they’ve been just sitting there ten-thousand years,” EJ added with a dismissive hand wave. 

Larrin looked between the two of them again and EJ could see the other woman debating something with herself. 

“I’d like to trade for some of those weapons,” Larrin finally said as she stood.  She walked over to one of the shelves and picked something up.  She came back to the table and set the object down. 

EJ looked it over carefully.  It was a simple cube, about a fifteen inches in every direction.  It was pure, flawless white with no markings of any kind.  EJ couldn’t keep the desire and amazement out of her eyes. 

This is... EJ trailed off absently. 

“I acquired this about a month ago,” Larrin leaned back in her chair and crossed one leg over the other, “The trader who owned it before me said he found it among the wreckage of a ship he was salvaging.  He insists that it started glowing with the Ancestral language for several hours a while back, but I’ve yet to see any evidence of that.  He wanted to deliver it to the Lanteans himself, but there’s been this nasty rumor going around about the Lanteans being protected.  I traded the man a day’s worth of food for this, but I’m sure it worth much more.” 

“A little over two months ago,” EJ spoke quietly, still staring at the box, “It started glowing the day the Caretakers were activated.  It glowed for exactly seven hours, thirty-five minutes, and twelve seconds.” 

Larrin narrowed her eyes at EJ, “How could you possibly know that?” 

“Because that’s how long I was unconscious,” EJ answered barely loud enough for anyone else to hear. 

New plan, EJ commanded, Bellator, disable the guards without permanently damaging them. Imperator, please relieve Larrin of her gun. 

Ronon pulled his blaster and stunned the two guards, dropping them to the ground before Larrin stood, drawing her gun.  John leaned forward quickly and pulled the weapon out of her hand before she could fire. 

“Sheppard, what the hell is going on here?” Larrin demanded. 

EJ felt the burning anger directed towards the three of them, but shoved it carelessly to the side. 

“Sheppard is not the one you should be concerned with at the moment,” EJ stated calmly, all traces of her fake personality gone, “Sit down.” 

Larrin only glared at John. 

“He’s not going to help you,” EJ glanced up at Larrin, her voice taking on a hard edge, “So I suggest you sit. down. before I decide to make you.” 

Larrin turned her icy gaze to EJ before sitting roughly in the chair. 

“I think I should reintroduce myself,” EJ mirrored Larrin’s earlier pose, one leg crossed across the other, “I’m EJ Baran.” 

“No pretty title like everyone else?” Larrin scoffed. 

“I have several titles,” EJ answered easily, “Colonel, Special Agent, Officer, Doctor…it all depends on who you ask.  There is only one title you should be concerned with, however.” 

“And what’s that?” Larrin sneered.

“I am the Defensor of Atlantis,” EJ answered clearly. 

“Is that supposed to impress me?” Larrin raised an eyebrow as she crossed her arms over her chest. 

“Not particularly. But it does mean that this,” EJ motioned towards the box, “already belongs to me.” 

“That’s absurd.  You can’t just claim that because it’s Ancient it belongs to Atlantis.” 

“That’s not what I’m saying at all.  It belongs to me personally.” 

Chapter Text

Emma, what’s going on? John asked nervously. 

“Ancient tech reacts to the presence of Ancient DNA, correct?” EJ ignored John’s silent question, “Sheppard, put your hand on the cube and think ‘open’, or ‘on’, or whatever normally works for you.” 

John stared at EJ for a moment before reaching his hand out to place it gently on the top of the box.  When nothing happened after a full minute, he withdrew his hand. 

“Nothing,” he said evenly. 

“It’s broken, so what?” Larrin huffed. 

EJ sat forward and raised her left hand slowly.  She touched the tip of her index finger to the top of the cube for less than a second.  A single line of Ancient symbols appeared on the top, glowing in bright violet. 

“As I said, it belongs to me personally,” EJ said calmly. 

What does the writing say? John asked cautiously. 

EJ met John’s eyes, Et pignus in et faciunt justitiam Verus Defensor.  [Latin: Make your pledge and become a True Guardian.]

Pledge?  What the hell does that mean? John questioned warily. 

I’ll explain later, EJ promised. 

“Exstinguere,” EJ said clearly.  The writing on the cube faded and it was once again pure, flawless white.  [Latin: Extinguish] 

“So I guess now you’re just going to take it?” Larrin asked hotly. 

“Not at all,” EJ responded smoothly, “I’m very grateful to you for finding it and willing to offer a finder’s fee.  Say…a single crate of the Ancient weapons?” 

“Three crates,” Larrin narrowed her eyes, “And you tell me what it really is.” 

EJ tilted her head to one side, “Two crates, you answer my questions honestly, and you keep the rest of the Travelers away from this planet.” 

“Two crates, I’ll answer your questions honestly if you do the same for me, and I’ll keep my mouth shut about this planet," Larrin countered, "I have no control over other Traveler ships finding it on their own.” 

“Deal,” EJ offered her hand to Larrin, who hesitated only briefly before shaking it. 

“Sorry I had Ronon shoot your men,” EJ offered as she sat back again, “But certain conversations should be private.” 

“You’re not really sorry,” Larrin arched an eyebrow at EJ. 

“No, I’m not,” EJ shook her head, “But I’ll let you have the first question to make up for it anyway.” 

“Why do you call yourself Defensor?” Larrin questioned. 

“The title was given to me by Atlantis," EJ shrugged, "I am one of several Caretakers for Atlantis.  I guard her secrets and her knowledge, so I am called Guardian.  And before you ask, I won’t tell you how many of us there are or who the others are.  My turn.  What rumor did you hear about the Lanteans?” 

EJ felt a delicate coil of fear unravel from Larrin as the brunette answered, “It started almost a year ago.  A man who used to work for the Genii has been going around telling people that the Lanteans are protected by some sort of demon.  A demon worse than the Wraith.  The way he tells it, he made the nearly fatal mistake of kidnapping some of your people.  The demon came to rescue the Lanteans, killing all of his men and leaving his hand badly mangled.” 

“A demon,” EJ met John’s eyes and laughed, “That’s one I haven't heard before.” 

“You have to admit, the aftermath was pretty gruesome,” John said dryly. 

Larrin looked over to Ronon, “Are you the demon in the rumors?” 

“Not this time,” Ronon rumbled. 

“There wasn’t actually a demon,” EJ looked at Larrin again, “Just a person with unique skills.  And no, I won’t tell you who that is either.” 

“What’s really going on down on the planet?” Larrin asked carefully. 

How much do you trust her? EJ sent a quick thought to John, Do you want me to tell her the complete truth or just part of it? 

Don’t tell her about the ZPMs, John decided, Or how we had to open it. 

“We really did find a weapons manufacturing facility.  But it wasn’t completely beyond repair," EJ answered, "It took us a month to get it open.  When we finally did, there was a very cranky Wraith waiting inside.  It has since been dealt with.  There was just enough power and materials left for us to restock our supply of drones and make several crates of the energy weapons.” 

EJ motioned to the cube on the table once again, “Where was this actually found?” 

“In the wreckage of a Wraith hive ship.  I have a contact who salvages parts and tech from wrecked ships.  It’s dangerous to go poking around in Wraith ships, wrecked or otherwise, but he’s always been a bit…crazy.  He helps adapt some of the tech for our ships.  He threw in that box for an extra couple meals. He’ll be pissed if he finds out it was worth more than that.” 

“Probably,” EJ smiled again, “But I won’t tell him if you don’t.” 

“What’s in the box?” Larrin asked, “What does it do?  And why does it only respond to you?” 

“If I answer those questions, they’ll be the last you get,” EJ warned. 

“Fine,” Larrin agreed. 

“First of all, it’s not actually a box.  It just looks that way for the moment.  It takes different forms.  It responds to me because I have a very specific set of genetics.  And as to what it does…” EJ trailed off, “It’s difficult to explain.  In simplistic terms, it stores information.” 

EJ stood from her chair, followed by Larrin and John. 

“When will I get my weapons?” Larrin looked to John again. 

“I’ll have Major Lorne arrange to have them transferred,” John drawled, “I trust I don’t have to worry about my men being taken prisoner anymore?” 

“They were well-treated guests, Sheppard,” Larrin purred at him, stepping closer, “How else was I supposed to get you to come see me?” 

“Oh, that reminds me,” EJ said in a too-sweet voice, “Larrin?” 

Larrin looked back to EJ. 

EJ smiled briefly before slamming her fist into Larrin’s face.  Larrin’s head snapped to the side and EJ hit her again, using just enough strength to not break the other woman’s jaw.  Larrin shook her head and swiped a hand over her bleeding, split lip. 

“Emmaline!” John scolded. 

“The first one was for hitting Colonel Sheppard,” EJ said calmly, “The second for kissing it better. Touch what’s mine again and I’ll break every bone in both your hands.” 

“Are we talking about your precious box, Emmaline?” Larrin mimicked John’s tone as she said EJ’s name, “Or does Sheppard belong to you now?” 

“The Colonel belongs to no one but himself and the United States Air Force,” EJ stated carefully. 

“I’m sure you won’t mind if I give him a good-bye kiss then,” Larrin taunted, smirk growing on her face. 

“I’d really like to hit you again, Larrin,” EJ admitted calmly, “But I’m doing my best to suppress that urge. Do not test my control.” 

“Are you sure I can’t keep her, Sheppard?” Larrin laughed as she licked over the cut on her lip, sending a sudden wave of lust to EJ, “How about letting me borrow her for a night or two?  I promise to return her in…relatively good condition.” 

John gave Larrin a final warning look before setting her gun down on the table.  He stepped closer to stand beside EJ and she wrapped his affection around her mind like a warm coat. 

”You sure like crazy women, Sheppard,” Ronon shook his head.  

EJ looked over her shoulder to arch an eyebrow at the tall man, Don’t make me hide all your knives from you while you’re asleep. 

Ronon grinned at her, teeth bared, I dare you to try. 

EJ turned back to the table and her hands hovered over the cube for a moment before she looked over to John. 

“You’d better carry it back to Atlantis,” EJ decided, taking a step back, “I’m not sure how Tizzy will react.  I need a chance to talk to her first.” 

“Is it dangerous?” John asked cautiously. 

“To no one but me,” EJ answered cryptically. 

John met her eyes, apparently finding the reassurance he was looking for, and reached over to pick up the cube. 

*OrderOrderOrderOrderOrderOrderOrder* 

As soon as EJ stepped off the ramp to the floor of the jumper bay, the lights began flickering.  She swayed where she stood, pressing a hand to her forehead. 

“Stop twittering at me, you overgrown calculator,” EJ moaned, “Yes, I found it.” 

“Emma?” John stepped closer to her and EJ felt his anxiety spike. 

“Atlantis is…making her excitement known,” EJ explained wryly. 

“Excitement over what?” 

“Over the prospect of my Pignus.” 

“What does that mean?” 

The Pignus is the ultimate form of trust between a City and her Defensor.  It is a privilege given to the rare few that are deemed worthy.  With the Pignus, two become one. 

“That wasn’t really the explanation I was looking for,” John said evenly. 

“John, set the cube on the floor please,” EJ said quietly as she unzipped her gray jacket, revealing the fitted blue shirt beneath. 

John did so hesitantly, backing away from it slowly. 

EJ dropped her jacket onto the ground and pulled her shirt up to remove the small holster and gun from the small of her back.  She set it carefully on top of her jacket.  She took one knife from behind her slim belt buckle, removing the belt with it, and one from the heel of her boot.  She placed both on her jacket next to the gun and crouched down to unlace her boots.  She removed both boots, then her socks, tucking each sock into the corresponding boot before setting the neatly next to her jacket.  She slipped the small black earpiece off her ear and unclipped her watch, adding them to the pile on the floor. 

“I would suggest you have the gate room cleared, Colonel Sheppard,” EJ said calmly. 

“What?” John asked nervously, “Why?” 

EJ knelt down on one knee, reached over to pick up the pure white cube, and set her left palm against the ground. She looked up at John’s worried face and said softly, “Trust me, please.” 

John tapped his radio quickly, “Clear the gate room immediately.” 

“Sir?” the nervous voice of the tech came back. 

“That’s an order,” John clicked his radio off, “What’s going on, Emma?” 

I’m sorry, carissime.  Don’t freak out, EJ closed her eyes, Put up a shield around me, Tizzy.  Half a meter in each direction, weak enough not to cause any damage to anyone, but strong enough to keep everyone away. 

A wave of energy shimmered around EJ and she stood. 

“Emma, what are you doing?” John asked warily. 

“I am making my choice, John,” EJ opened her eyes, her voice steady as she answered.   

She reached into her mind to tug at the golden strings connecting her to the other Caretakers before she turned to the door and walked out slowly. Every one of the Caretakers still in the City felt her urge them gently but insistently towards the 'gate room. She walked down the stairs through the control room, the energy shield around her gently pushing the startled techs out of her path. 

Woolsey came out of his office to see her stepping onto the stairs.  He turned to see John, Ronon, and Evan following her at a careful distance. 

“Colonel Sheppard, what’s going on?” Woolsey asked. 

“I don’t know, sir,” John answered as he walked by to follow EJ down the steps. 

EJ made her way to the center of the large gate room and turned to face the stairs. 

“Expand the shield, Atlantis, two meters in each direction,” she spoke clearly, “Increase the strength to maximum.” 

John stopped on the bottom step as Jennifer, Teyla, and Rodney came into the gate room. The five remaining Caretakers took positions in a loose half-circle behind John on the steps.  EJ let go her grip on their bonds and they stilled. 

Woolsey’s voice was hard as he stepped out onto the small balcony overlooking the gate room, “Dr. Baran, I would like an explanation.” 

EJ ignored him. 

Caretakers, you are here to witness the Pledge made by my Defensor. 

EJ waved a hand in the air and the control pillar sprung up from the ground. 

“Special Agent Baran, stop what you are doing immediately,” Woolsey ordered. 

Make your Pledge, child. 

EJ placed her left hand on the pillar and her low, melodic voice resonated in the large room as she spoke. 

“I pledge myself to the City of Atlantis.  I will defend her.  I will speak for her.  I will care for her.  I will be her safe haven, her home, as she is for me.  To the end of my life and beyond, I will always be hers, and she will always be mine.  I am the Verus Defensor of Atlantis.” 

The City of Atlantis accepts your Pledge, Verus Defensor.  All the systems in the City flickered off, then turned immediately back on. 

EJ removed her hand from the pillar and it receded into the floor. She heard Woolsey ordering the guards to return to the 'gate room as she felt the anger and fear spike away from his body. 

"Delay their arrival, Atlantis," EJ commanded the City, "but do not harm them in any way." 

As you wish, Verus Defensor. 

EJ held the white cube out in front of her with both hands at shoulder height and spoke once again in the vibrant tone, “Manufesto.”  [Latin: reveal] 

Ancient symbols began glowing on the cube, bright violet against the pure white.  The symbols began to move, traveling slowly to the spots where EJ’s hands were holding the sides.  Glowing trails of violet light snaked their way up EJ’s forearms, wrapping themselves around her arms up to the elbows.  The final row of symbols wound their way around EJ’s wrists as the cube shrank to less than six inches in every direction.  EJ released the small cube and it dropped to the floor with a clatter. 

“Exstinguere.” 

The violet symbols settled into pale blue-silver tattoos covering EJ’s arms from wrist to elbow, no longer glowing but still strange against her skin. 

“This is going to hurt me,” EJ looked to John, “and I’m going to lose consciousness afterwards.” 

She looked at Jennifer behind him, “Look at the DNA of the Prima Verus Defensor.  Atlantis will have a record of it.” 

Hold him back until it’s finished, EJ spoke into the minds of John’s team. 

EJ closed her eyes and took a deep breath, exhaling slowly.   

“Do it now, Atlantis,” she whispered. 

The shield around EJ rapidly dissipated as the air in the room began crackling with energy.  Countless bolts of electric current leapt from around the room to connect with the blue-silver tattoos on EJ’s arms.  The bolts carefully avoided anyone else as EJ threw her head back and a loud, wordless cry of pain escaped her mouth, her body arching and convulsing as the current ran through her. 

John screamed her name and tried to run towards her, only to be held back by the strong hands of his team. 

There was one final, great spark before EJ’s body fell lifelessly to the floor. 

Chapter Text

EJ was standing in the middle of the silent, empty gate room.  She was disoriented for a moment because the last thing she remembered was intense pain and a wash of anguish directed towards her.  She looked down to see she was wearing the now-familiar plain white tee-shirt and a comfy pair of loose, white linen pants.  She lifted her arms in front of her to see the pale blue-silver Ancient symbols against her skin. 

“Hello, Emmaline,” came a deep voice from behind her. 

EJ turned slowly to see a tall man standing in the circle of the Stargate. 

“I know you,” EJ said as she tilted her head to the side briefly, “I’ve dreamt of you before, haven’t I?” 

“You have, filiole,” he smiled softly at her.  [Latin: dear child] 

“Am I dreaming now?” she asked curiously. 

“Yes.” 

“Oh good,” she replied, “I feel like crap.” 

EJ waved a hand through the air and an oversized deep-ocean blue chair appeared.  She sunk down into the soft cushions and heaved a sigh.  She looked up at the man and waved her hand again.  A second chair, identical to the first, appeared across from her. 

“Have a seat,” she offered. 

“How did you know how to do that?” the man asked as he sat in the chair. 

“You mean the thing with the chairs?  It’s my dream,” she shrugged, “I can do whatever I want in it.” 

“Most people don’t have that much control over their dreams.” 

“I’m not most people, am I?” 

The man let out a deep, rumbling laugh, “You certainly aren’t, filiole.” 

“Do you have a name?” 

“I’ve had several.  The most recent was Marcus.” 

“Last time we spoke, Marcus, these were yours,” EJ raised her arms to show him the symbols, “You told me to go find them.  I remember being annoyed because I had no idea what you were talking about.” 

“And yet you found them anyway, didn’t you?” 

“More like they found me,” EJ snorted, “Why don’t you tell me what they are?” 

“They are a gift and a curse,” Marcus said evenly. 

“Further explanation would be lovely.” 

Marcus laughed again, “They are filaments of crystal designed to react only to a special set of genetics in combination with a specific command in Atlantis’ Cultore subroutine and activated by a powerful electrical current.” 

“Yeah, I remember that part,” EJ winced. 

“I am sorry, filiole,” Marcus softened. 

“So what do they do exactly?  Tizzy wasn’t particularly forthcoming with the details.” 

“They act as a more intense bond between a Verus Defensor and a City’s AI.” 

“There’s more than one City?” 

“Not anymore,” Marcus said sadly, “Atlantis is the last of the great Alteran Cities.” 

“How does this bond differ the one we had before?” 

“The crystal filaments contain every bit of data in Atlantis’ systems, including her AI program.  A back-up database, if you will, accessible anywhere in the universe by the Verus Defensor.  A Defensor makes their pledge to the City and she chooses whether or not to accept it.  Only six Guardians since the original, including you, have been privileged enough to be considered True Guardians.” 

“Why me?” 

“Because of who you are.” 

“I really don’t have the patience for riddles.” 

“It’s not a riddle, filiole,” Marcus smiled, “It is truth.  You are loyal, protective, caring, strong, intelligent, and faithful.  You are flawed, imperfect, tempestuous, and skeptical.  You know what it is to be betrayed and would never inflict that feeling on another.  Your life is based on secrets, yet you always tell the truth when given the choice.  You have killed to protect your family and would die for each of them.  You are your father’s daughter.” 

“So I get fancy new tattoos because of my DNA?  Because I have to say, I may not be the best person for the job.  What am I supposed to do with all this information?” 

The man tilted his head to the side in a very familiar gesture, “What do you think you should do with it?” 

“Keep it safe,” EJ answered without thinking, “All that information, all that power, it’s dangerous.” 

“And that’s exactly why you should be the one to have it,” Marcus graced EJ with another soft smile, “It didn’t even occur to you to use the information to help yourself, did it?” 

“Of course not,” EJ answered curiously, “Why would I do that?” 

“Some would, without hesitation.” 

“Well, they’re dumbasses,” EJ snorted. 

Marcus let out another of the deep, rumbling laughs. 

“Oh, you’re just like your mother too.” 

EJ narrowed her eyes at the man sitting across from her, “How did you know my mother?” 

The smile fell from his face and grief came into his eyes as he spoke, “I was married to her for seven wonderful years.” 

“You were…what?” EJ stuttered, “That means…are you…” 

“Yes, filiole, I’m your father.  I’m also the original Verus Defensor of Atlantis, the person who helped Atlantis alter the Caretaker program, and the person who created the bands you now wear around your arms.” 

EJ sat in stunned silence for a moment. 

“So you…ascended and then what?  Got bored and descended again, then re-ascended when you died?  Isn’t that against the rules or something?  And doesn’t talking to me count as interfering?  I thought that was one of the highest laws: No interfering in the affairs of humans.” 

“I’ll try to answer all that in order,” Marcus said with a wry smile, “I died as an old man and watched from above as guardianship of Atlantis passed through my descendants.  I watched as the last of them was captured towards the end of our war with the Wraith. I saw him tortured by a Queen who sought to control him.”    

“Jane,” EJ said, venom filling her voice, “He was part of the Prima Trinitas she captured.  I killed her too quickly.” 

“I stood by and watched as he was forced into helping her,” Marcus continued calmly, “I comforted him as he tried to sacrifice himself to stop the Wraith from finding our secrets.  I greeted him sadly as he joined me in ascension.  I spent the next ten-thousand years floating around being discontent and useless.  Eventually, I had enough and descended.  I managed to retain only partial knowledge of my life before.  I met your mother while we were both young students at a university.  I married her three months after we met.  She was…amazing.  Brilliant, passionate, and yet so gentle.  We spent seven years together.  Until my car was hit by a man too drunk to be behind the wheel.  Your mother was eight and a half months pregnant at the time.” 

Marcus paused a moment to collect himself before continuing, “As I was dying in that twisted metal wreck, Oma Desala came to me, offering her help.  She helped me ascend a second time.” 

“She did that a lot,” EJ smiled. 

“She certainly did,” Marcus agreed, “As to interfering, I’m just a father, talking with his daughter in her dreams.  Your mother had an active form of the gene you identify as Ancient.  Between her and me, you’re more Alteran than human.” 

“So the rules don’t apply to me?” EJ said dryly. 

“Let’s just say, the Others are willing to look the other way in this particular case.  As long as we’re only talking and I do nothing to directly interfere, of course,” Marcus rolled his eyes. 

“Will I be able to talk to you again?” 

“All you have to do is ask for me in your dreams and I’ll be here,” he assured her, “I expect to be kept updated about your life, now that you know who I am.” 

“Keeping an eye on me in case I get into trouble?” 

“I always keep an eye on you, filiole.  I watched over you as you found the person you would care for above all others.  I’m glad you were able to find the same happiness I found with your mother.” 

“Thanks,” EJ smiled widely, “I should probably wake up now, before he gets too worried.” 

“Take care of yourself, Emmaline. Tell that boy I’ll be watching to make sure he treats you properly.” 

EJ laughed as she closed her eyes and leaned back in the chair. 

Chapter Text

“I already told you,” Jennifer ground out between her teeth, “She’s just sleeping.  Her body has fully healed.  I can’t do anything more than I have already done.” 

“There has to be something,” John insisted loudly, “What about the things on her arms?” 

“The crystal filaments have fused to her body,” Rodney huffed, “Unless you want to chop her arms off…” 

“I’m rather fond of my arms,” EJ whispered, “and I find them useful.  I’d prefer to keep them.” 

“Emma,” John breathed loudly.  He rushed to the side of the infirmary bed she was laying on and laid a hand across her cheek, “You’re awake.” 

“Thank god,” Rodney scoffed, “I thought we were going to have to sedate Sheppard.” 

“I said I was going to pass out,” EJ frowned in confusion, “What’s the problem?” 

Your body suffered minor electrical burns and you have been unconscious for five days, sixteen hours, eight minutes and forty-two seconds. 

"Oh," EJ sighed, "That was longer than I expected." 

“Can you follow my finger, EJ?” Jennifer asked as she stepped around to the other side of the bed. 

“There’s nothing wrong with me,” EJ waved Jennifer’s hand away as she sat up.  She noticed the IV sticking out of her arm and frowned further.  She stared at it, an intense look of concentration on her face, until it flew out of her arm and plopped down to the floor. 

“You know I hate it when you stick me with those things, Jennifer,” EJ swung her legs over the side of the bed and noticed she was in pale green scrubs, “Someone want to tell me what’s going on?” 

“Did you just…” Rodney’s mouth was gaping open. 

EJ saw similar stunned faces on John and Jennifer. 

“Did I just what?” EJ asked, “What’s wrong with you three?” 

“EJ, do you know what you just did?” Jennifer asked calmly. 

“I got electrocuted, passed out in the middle of the gate room, slept for a couple days, and woke up with a giant needle sticking out of my arm,” EJ explained slowly, still unsure of why they were confused. 

“The IV just went flying out of your arm without you touching it,” John said warily. 

“Oh,” EJ replied easily as she shrugged, “Whatever.  Can I get some real food?  I’m starving.” 

“Don’t just gloss over that, Emmaline,” John scolded, “How did you do that?” 

“Did you get a chance to look at that DNA?” EJ directed her attention to Jennifer. 

“I did,” Jennifer answered cautiously. 

“Did you compare it to mine?” EJ asked expectantly. 

“No, why would I…” Jennifer’s eyes widened as she trailed off.  She took several steps over and placed her left palm on the wall of the isolation room and closed her eyes. After a moment, her eyes flew open and her jaw dropped. 

“That’s impossible,” Jennifer removed her hand from the wall and slowly walked back over to the bed. 

“Seriously?” EJ rolled her eyes, “People keep telling me things are impossible.  I’m going to buy everyone dictionaries.” 

“Doc?” John asked cautiously. 

“She has Alteran DNA,” Jennifer said softly. 

“We already knew that,” Rodney huffed. 

“No,” Jennifer insisted, “She…” 

“What Jennifer is trying to say,” EJ interjected, “is my father was the original Verus Defensor.  I have half his DNA and my mother had the ATA gene as well, so apparently I’m more Alteran than regular human.  I knew I was developing empathic powers, but apparently I’m telekinetic as well.  That’s new and pretty damn cool, if you ask me.” 

“I knew it!” Rodney exclaimed, “You’ve always had a thing for Ancient women, Sheppard.” 

“Shut up, Rodney,” John scowled, “How did we not know this before?” 

“I knew part of it,” Jennifer said quietly. 

“What?” John turned to her. 

“When I scanned her after the Caretaker activation, I noticed increased brain activity,” Jennifer explained evenly, “The scan was similar to the ones taken from Rodney’s brain when he was effected by the ascension machine.” 

The bond that was created when I linked with the Defensor inadvertently activated some of her previously dormant Alteran genes. 

“I didn’t have anything to compare her DNA to before,” Jennifer said steadily, “I assumed any abnormalities in her DNA were because of the modifications Dr. James made when she was a child.  I had no way of knowing it was because she was mostly Ancient.” 

“I should’ve asked him how much of my DNA was actually changed,” EJ said thoughtfully. 

“Asked who?” John questioned. 

“My father,” EJ answered easily.   

“Your father?  Isn’t he…dead?” Jennifer asked carefully. 

“Ascended.  For the second time, apparently,” EJ shrugged.   

The looks of confusion were back on the three faces around her.  EJ rolled her eyes. 

Tizzy, please tell these three I’m fine, EJ spoke into the three minds next to her and to Atlantis. 

The Verus Defensor is perfectly healthy, with the exception of a small nutrient imbalance due to the intravenous fluids and lack of food. 

“Can you tell if she’s delusional?” Rodney eyed EJ carefully. 

“HEY!” EJ protested. 

I cannot tell you if she is mentally stable, but I can tell you there was another brainwave pattern in addition to hers while she slept.  It is the pattern unique to my Prima Verus Defensor.  The second pattern dissipated only minutes before she woke. 

“See?” EJ said, “Still mostly sane. Not possessed. Perfect health.” 

“What about your arms?” John waved a hand in the direction of her arms, “Rodney said it’s the same material as the Ancient control crystals and it’s fused to your body.  Did you know that’s what the cube was going to do?” 

“Not exactly,” EJ admitted, “I was acting on instinct. I knew that it belonged to me the moment I saw it. As for the new decorations…they’re sort of a back-up database, I guess.” 

“Back-up database?” Rodney asked, “What does that mean?” 

“The way Marcus explained it-” EJ started. 

“Marcus?” Jennifer interrupted. 

“My father,” EJ continued, “He used the name Marcus while he was with my mother.  He said that the filaments contain all the data stored in the City’s systems, including her AI.  He was the one who designed the technology and the first to wear them.  I assume since the normal brain, Ancient or not, couldn’t handle all that information at once, the filaments act as a temporary storage.  He also said I’m only the seventh Defensor to have them.  Something about only a 'True Guardian’ can wear them.  That basically means I’m not stupid enough to use them to make myself into the Queen of the Universe or anything.” 

My Prima Verus Defensor created the bands as a sign of trust between a City and her Guardian.  With them, a City becomes one with her Guardian.  They can share information freely and instantaneously.  All that I know, she knows and vice versa.  The one who wears them can alter my programming at any time and just as I can sever the link between us, should I wish to do so.  I have accepted the Pledge of very few because I have deemed very few worthy of this level of trust. 

“What Tizzy means is,” EJ rolled her eyes, “the two of us have the power to end each other’s lives. I can terminate her AI, and by severing the link between us, she can end my life.” 

“And you agreed to this?” John asked carefully, “Atlantis didn’t force you in any way?” 

I would never force my Cultores to do anything, the City spoke indignantly. 

“I agreed,” EJ said softly. 

John clenched his jaw.  EJ felt his confusion and anger, even though his expression remained blank, followed gradually by his reluctant acceptance. 

“You’re all staring at me again,” EJ spoke when no one said anything for several minutes. 

“All the knowledge of the Ancients…” Rodney started. 

“Yes…”

“And you spoke with an ascended being…” Jennifer continued. 

“Yes.” 

“And you’re basically an Ancient…” John finished. 

“Yup.”   

“How does it work?” Rodney blurted out the question. 

“What do you want to know?” EJ tilted her head to the side.    

“We found the weapons facility,” Rodney looked at EJ with doubt, “Do you know where they made the ZedPMs?” 

EJ closed her eyes and ran her left hand over the symbols on her right arm, then repeated the motion with her right hand and left arm. 

“Manufesto,” she said clearly. 

The symbols began to glow bright violet.  EJ threw both hands into the air in front of her.  She made several swiping motions with her hands, like she was using a large touch-screen.  She made a pinching motion with one hand then several more swipes with the other.  After about a minute, she ran her hands down the glowing symbols again. 

“Exstinguere,” she spoke in the same clear tone.  She opened her eyes and looked at Rodney. 

“The facility where they manufactured potentias was destroyed two years before Atlantis was abandoned,” EJ explained, “The destruction contributed greatly to the decision to leave.  There’s no way to make more, but there may be a way to recharge the ones we have.” 

“Really?” Rodney was excited at the prospect and his earlier doubt seemed to disappear, “How do we do that?  How long does it take?  How many times can you recharge a single ZedPM?” 

"I can give you their research and you can see for yourself," EJ laughed and jumped off the bed.  She held her left hand out.  Rodney looked at her oddly for a moment before grasping her out-stretched hand with his own.  As soon as the marks on both their palms were in contact, EJ let the information he would need slide along the glowing golden string to Rodney’s brain.  His eyes widened and he swayed on his feet as he dropped her hand. 

“You alright, Rodney?” Jennifer asked with concern, “What just happened?” 

“She gave me the information to recharge the ZedPMs,” Rodney said in almost a whisper, “Everything I need just popped right into my head.” 

Rodney grinned widely before continuing at his normal volume and speed, “I’ve got to go find Zelenka. And a computer. I should write all this down before I forget anything.” 

“Eat something first,” EJ shouted as he dashed towards the door, “Putting information like that directly into your brain is draining.  I don’t want you to pass out.” 

Jennifer followed Rodney, trying to stop him long enough to make sure he was okay. 

“How did you do that?” John asked warily. 

“I can see the link between the other Cultores and myself in my head,” EJ explained, “I let the information I saw through the bands cross the link into Rodney’s brain.” 

“So, you’re basically a walking, talking, interactive computer database that contains all the knowledge the Ancients collected,” John crossed his arms across his chest, “You have more Ancient DNA than human, you’re developing freaky mind powers, and speak almost every language known to mankind.  You also have a mutual destruction pact with a flying, millions-of-years-old alien City.  Did I miss anything?” 

EJ smiled and said calmly, “I can kill a person in over a hundred different ways.” 

“Of course,” John deadpanned, “Can’t forget that.” 

“You forgot to mention cute.  I'm cute too.” 

"Right." 

"And funny.  I'm hilarious." 

"Of course." 

"And very hungry.  Am I going to get food anytime today?"   

“You’re taking all of this incredibly well,” John narrowed his eyes at her.   

“None of this feels strange to me.  This is just another day in the Pegasus Galaxy." 

John uncrossed his arms and stepped closer, “So where does all this leave you and me?” 

EJ wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him down for a long, deep kiss. She smiled as she drew back, “That leaves us side by side, as we should be.  If you still want to be, I mean.” 

John’s smile matched hers as he leaned down to kiss her again before answering. 

“There’s no place I’d rather be, sweetheart,” he said against her lips. 

Chapter Text

Jennifer came back into the isolation room a couple minutes later, having assured herself that Rodney wasn’t in any immediate danger from whatever EJ had done.  She banished John from the room and summoned a sturdy nurse that could ignore EJ’s complaining as she was run through a battery of tests. 

EJ sat on the edge of the hospital bed, holding her arm out so the dark-haired nurse could take yet another vial of blood.  She closed her eyes and searched for the strings connecting her to the other Caretakers. 

Can I see the security footage of them, Tizzy? 

Of course, Verus Defensor. 

As close as we are now, Atlantis, I think you should probably call me by my name. 

EJ felt a quick affectionate caress in the back of her mind as the City answered her, As you wish, Emmaline.

EJ felt the warmth and love surrounding Teyla, sitting in her quarters with little Torren in her lap, rocking him to sleep as she sang a soft lullaby to him.  Ronon was in one of the smaller gyms, striking carefully at an invisible opponent with one of his training swords.  Evan was sitting on one of the empty balconies on the North pier, enjoying the sun as he stroked a paintbrush over a large canvas.  Rodney made his way to the lab he shared with Zelenka and was furiously typing away on his laptop, power bar half unwrapped and forgotten in his excitement over the prospect of fully charged ZPMs. 

EJ noticed the two strings that belonged to Jack and Daniel were back on the base. 

Daniel was sitting in front of an Ancient console with a blonde woman who had black eagles pinned in the collar of her green uniform shirt.  The two seemed to be having a serious discussion, going over large sections of Ancient code on the screen. 

Jack was in Woolsey’s office, calm exterior masking the anger and frustration rising rapidly in him.  The two of them were arguing back and forth when John walked in to join them.  He stood stiffly at attention as the two older men continued arguing, one or both of them occasionally directing a question towards John, which he would answer as succinctly as possible. 

EJ drew back from the connections in her mind, noticing the nurse that been drawing blood was now coming towards her with a large needle.  Jennifer was standing at the foot of the bed, making notes on the slim tablet that contained EJ’s medical file. 

“Aren’t I allowed to know what’s in the needle before you stick me with it?” EJ scooted carefully away from the nurse. 

“It’s a sedative,” the nurse replied evenly. 

EJ jumped off the bed quickly. 

“Jennifer, do not let this…this…” EJ waved a hand at the dark-haired woman, still wielding the needle but no longer moving towards EJ, “person stick me.  Please, it really isn’t necessary.  I’m fine. No permanent damage.” 

“The sedative was ordered by Mr. Woolsey,” Jennifer looked up, giving EJ a sympathetic look, “We have orders to transfer you to a holding cell as soon as you're cleared medically.  The sedative is to ensure your cooperation.” 

“It’s what?” EJ asked softly, then cleared her throat, “How much trouble am I in exactly?” 

“There are four Marines with very large guns stationed outside this room,” Jennifer spoke evenly, “And ten more at the entrance to the infirmary.  All gate travel was suspended and there was a team brought in from the SGC to ascertain what damage your stunt in the gate room caused.  I’d say you’re in quite a bit of trouble.  And not just you.  Sheppard and Lorne are both suspended pending official review by the SGC.  Rodney and I have had our security clearance temporarily suspended." Jack and Daniel were spared any repercussions because they weren’t on Atlantis at the time of your…incident.  Ronon and Teyla will leave the City if Sheppard and Rodney are sent back to Earth.  There won’t be any of us left.  "I'm only allowed to treat you because it was agreed that you should be treated by someone who knew your full medical history.  Mr. Woolsey wants to send all of us back to the SGC as soon as possible.” 

“But…I didn’t…you guys haven’t…” EJ trailed off and her shoulders slumped. 

“I’m sorry, EJ,” Jennifer said softly. 

“I…” EJ wavered, “Could you maybe ask Mr. Woolsey to forego the drugs if I promise to go quietly?  Please.  I don’t want to be sedated.” 

Jennifer nodded before waving the nurse out of the room. 

“I’m going up to talk to Woolsey now,” Jennifer headed towards the door, “I’ll ask him.  Please, don’t do anything stupid, like trying to escape or messing around in City systems, while I’m gone.” 

“Where am I going to go, Jen?” EJ asked bitterly, her body crumbling down to sit cross legged in the middle of the floor, “This is the only home I've ever had.” 

*OrderOrderOrderOrderOrderOrderOrder* 

EJ withdrew into herself, blocking the link between her and the others.  Atlantis tried to comfort her, flickering the lights in sympathy and sending soothing caresses to the back of her mind.  EJ only set her palm to the floor and ordered the AI quiet. She stayed cross-legged on the floor for several hours, quiet and still, before the door slid open again. 

An imposingly large man with dark skin and a gold symbol carved into his forehead came into the room, followed by Colonel Mitchell, General O’Neill, and several very large uniformed men that EJ didn’t recognize.  Colonel Mitchell and the tall, dark man were both carrying strange weapons that EJ quickly identified as zat'nik'tels, while the uniformed men all carried Wraith stunners, pointed directly at her. 

EJ stood slowly, careful to keep her hands in front of her, palms wide. 

Don’t fight, EJ, Jack spoke into her mind, Do as I say and I’ll do my best to help you. 

I didn’t mean for all this to happen, Jack.  I’m sorry, EJ replied softly.   

I know, Tizzy tried to explain what happened after I talked to Woolsey and I believe you.  You’re going to have to trust me to take care of the consequences of your actions now.  Is the City going to throw a fit if we put you in the holding cell? 

Atlantis, please behave yourself for Jack, EJ asked calmly. 

As long as you are not harmed in any manner, Verus Defensor, I will not interfere. 

I’m almost positive that Jack doesn’t intend to hurt me, Tizzy, EJ assured her. 

The mark on EJ’s palm had started to glow faintly while she had been talking with Jack and a couple of the marines stepped forward, raising their weapons in warning. 

“Stand down,” Jack commanded easily. 

“For the record, General O’Neill,” EJ said evenly, “The others had no idea what I was going to do.” I used my link to them to pull them into the gate room.  I needed them to witness what I was doing. “They shouldn’t be punished for my actions.” 

“If that’s true, Colonel Baran,” EJ startled at the use of her rank as Jack spoke calmly, “I’m sure their official reviews will reflect that.” 

“You should also know, sir," EJ added cautiously, "that while was no damage done to any of Atlantis’ systems, what I did cannot be undone. Not without killing me or irreparably damaging the City.” 

“I have been informed,” Jack's expression darkened, “And we’ll talk about that after Colonel Carter and her team confirm there was no damage.  Until such time, you're being detained on charges of disobeying direct orders, unlawful sedition, and attempted mutiny.” 

EJ’s calm broke and her jaw dropped, “Attempted mutiny? Seriously, Jack?” 

“There is no ‘tried to take over an alien computer system by getting electrocuted’ section of the UCMJ, Colonel Baran,” Jack spoke sharply, reminding her of the other people in the room, “Be thankful you are being treated according to your rank, rather than by your civilian title, because the repercussions could be much worse.”   

“Yes, sir,” EJ recovered quickly, “I apologize for the outburst, General.” 

“Dr. Keller has informed me that you have asked not to be sedated in order to be transferred.” 

“Yes, sir.” 

Jack gestured to one of the larger marines who lowered his stunner to retrieve a pair of thick silver handcuffs from a pouch on his belt, “Sergeant Michaels is going to handcuff you, then you'll be escorted to a holding cell.  These marines have been authorized to subdue you by any means necessary should you resist.  Do you understand?” 

“Yes, sir.” 

The marine stepped forward and snapped a pair of heavy cuffs around EJ’s wrists, then stepped back and raised his weapon towards her again. 

Jack turned and left the room, Just so you know, Teal’c is stronger than you and has a lot more experience.  I warned him about you so he has absolutely no problem kicking your ass if you don’t behave. 

Mitchell motioned the men into position around EJ as he looked her over carefully.  She felt the skepticism from the men around her and almost laughed out loud.  She knew what they saw: a small, blonde woman wearing medical scrubs and thick white socks.  How could she be dangerous? 

EJ looked to the tall, dark man and tilted her head.  She felt none of the same skepticism coming from him. 

“You must be Teal’c,” she said after a moment.  

“Indeed,” Teal'c intoned. 

“What did General O’Neill tell you?” EJ questioned. 

“To be vigilant,” Teal’c raised a single eyebrow, “And not to underestimate you based on your outward appearance.” 

“Smart man,” EJ inclined her head to him. 

EJ walked through the infirmary and out into the hallway, surrounded by the marines, and tried to ignore the pitying glances she saw as people scrambled out of their way. 

“So, it’s Colonel Baran now?” Mitchell asked in his careful drawl, falling into step beside her, “I thought it was Doctor.” 

“It can be both, Colonel Mitchell, as you're already aware because of Colonel Carter.” 

“When did that happen? The Colonel thing, I mean,” Mitchell questioned. 

“I was initially granted a special commission in 2005 in the Marine Corps by the Department of Defense. Ten months ago, General O’Neill took over as my handler and granted me permission to act under the authority of my rank while on Atlantis,” EJ answered easily.   

“Six years ago?  How old were you?” Mitchell's eyebrows shot up. 

“Twenty-two,” EJ shrugged.   

“They made you a Colonel at twenty-two?” Mitchel asked skeptically. 

“At the time, my DOD handler thought it would be more efficient for me to have a rank that the people I was sometimes assigned to work with would obey my orders without too many questions.” 

“What does a twenty-two year old linguistics and cryptology expert do for the DOD that requires a handler and the ability to order others around?” 

EJ turned to look up at Mitchell as they came into the room with her holding cell. 

“I provided services they couldn’t obtain from anyone else,” she replied smoothly. 

“What exactly did you do here that warranted an escort of six marines and a Jaffa warrior?” Mitchell wondered curiously, unsnapping the heavy cuffs from her wrists. 

“I asked not to be sedated for transport,” EJ shrugged as she rubbed her wrists were the cuffs had been. 

“You’re very good at answering without really answering, Baran,” Mitchell half-smiled. 

“I’m sure the armed escort was by Mr. Woolsey’s request.  General O’Neill is being generous because of our history.”  

“Ordering half a dozen Marines from one of the SGC’s most highly decorated combat units to escort you from the infirmary to a holding cell is generous?” Mitchell stepped back and the door slid shut behind him, energy shield coming up to surround the cell. 

“General O'Neill didn’t order two dozen,” EJ responded carefully, “And they were given stunners instead of automatic weapons. I consider that very generous.” 

Chapter Text

Time passed slowly for EJ while she was in the holding cell.  The first couple of days were spent doing yoga and tai chi, trying to exercise the muscles she hadn’t used the five days she was unconscious.  One of the large marines guarding her would bring her a plain meal three times a day with a spoon as her only utensil.  She had sent a quick mental question to Jack, asking why she wasn’t allowed a fork or knife, only to be informed it was by Woolsey’s request.  Apparently, Woolsey remembered the section in her file from Nicaragua.  EJ wisely chose not to remind him of the time with the spoon and the man’s eyeballs in Hong Kong. 

Although she was allowed no visitors, she spent much of her time talking with each of the Caretakers when they weren’t busy.  Teyla and Jennifer kept her updated about the social aspects of Atlantis, including the interesting rumors that EJ had been possessed by an alien life-form and was being kept in the brig until someone found a way to remove it. 

EJ argued with Rodney about the specifics of his ‘recharging the ZPMs’ project, causing her guards to look at her strangely when at one point she actually yelled at him out-loud in her frustration. 

Daniel kept her informed of the painstaking process of going through all of Atlantis’ main systems, working beside who she now knew to be the famous Colonel Sam Carter. 

EJ and Ronon played a game of cat-and-mouse in several virtual environments provided by the City, taking turns hunting each other through unnamed forests and abandoned cities.  John started to keep score once he found out what they were doing, noting with an odd glee that while Ronon usually won in forests, EJ tended to be the victor in cities.  John also extracted a promise from Ronon and Atlantis to use the new VR environments to start training expedition members. 

After a week and a half of confinement, the rest of the Caretakers were cleared and EJ helped Evan as much as she could with his backlog of paperwork.  She and Atlantis rearranged the busy gate schedule now that 'gate travel had resumed, while he concentrated on requisition forms and whatever other paperwork had piled up while he and John were suspended.  It took Evan two days to finish clearing out his email.   

Every night in her confinement, John would read to EJ from one of his favorite books, waiting for Atlantis to inform him that EJ had fallen asleep before he went to sleep himself.  When his team resumed their off-world missions, he would spend the night telling her about what had happened, usually the fact that Rodney had been whining again. 

Jack ignored EJ for the most part, until the beginning of week three when EJ got annoyed enough to have Atlantis play the theme from Titanic every time he walked through a door.  He retaliated by having Atlantis pump ‘I Will Survive’ through the PA at top volume in her cell for an entire night.  Things went downhill from there, until on the third day Atlantis refused to participate in what she called ‘a childish endeavor to slowly drive each other insane’ any further. 

When she wasn’t spending time with one of the Caretakers, EJ worked on strengthening her mental abilities, stretching out her mind to feel the emotions of the people in the City and moving a small handful of dried peas she kept from one of her earlier meals around the cell in various flying formations. 

At the beginning of the fourth week, EJ started sitting for hours at a time cross-legged on her thin pillow, dragged onto the floor so she could keep her left palm on the floor and dance through Atlantis’ systems.  She was always careful to stay away from the team checking over the computer and not to interact with anything that would draw attention.  Unfortunately, she tended to lose track her of physical surroundings while she was twirling through lines of Ancient coding, so when she felt her body being shaken, she instinctively reacted by grabbing the person by the throat, holding them steady while she resurfaced.

EJ opened her eyes to see her cell door open, her large guards with stunners pointed at her.  She turned her head to the side and realized her hand was holding the neck of a woman she recognized from the security footage as Sam Carter. EJ dropped her hand quickly. 

“I apologize.  You caught me by surprise,” EJ said calmly as the woman stood, feelings of annoyance rather than fear drifting around her. 

“Sheppard warned me that you didn’t like to be touched,” Carter rubbed a hand over her throat. 

“I didn’t bruise you, did I?” EJ winced. 

“You weren’t holding that tight,” Carter shook her head, “But you did make me crouch on the floor for the last five minutes.” 

Jack came storming into the room, apparently summoned by the guards when EJ didn't release Carter’s neck when commanded, calm expression belying the worry rising off him like fog.  He saw Sam standing unharmed next to a still seated EJ and some of his tension dissipated, relief rolling off of him in smooth waves. 

“I’m fine, gentleman,” Carter addressed the guards, but held Jack’s eyes, “Stand down.” 

The guards lowered their weapons and stepped aside to let Jack into the cell.  EJ stood slowly, watching the two of them and feeling the depth of emotion they directed at each other before something finally clicked in her brain. 

“OH!” EJ exclaimed happily, “You’re citrus and lavender. Interesting. How did I not see that?” 

“What are you talking about?” Carter asked carefully. 

EJ smiled widely at the taller blonde woman, “Nothing. Never mind. Was there something you needed, Colonel Carter?” 

“I came in here to take you to one of the labs to run a few quick tests,” Carter eyed EJ warily. 

“I told you there wasn’t any damage to the City,” EJ turned to Jack, “Am I out of trouble yet or am I getting an ‘escort’ again?” 

Jack tried to glower at her, “You’re not off the hook yet, Baran.  You’re getting an escort to the lab.” 

“I didn’t hurt your w-” EJ started. 

“If you finish that sentence out-loud, Baran,” Jack cut her off, “I swear to all the local deities, I will make Tizzy play the Macarena on a repeating loop in your head for as long as you live.” 

EJ narrowed her eyes at the older man, “She wouldn’t do it.  She likes me better than you ‘cause you don’t play with her.” 

“You really want to take that chance?” Jack raised an eyebrow. 

EJ stared at him a moment longer before mumbling something under her breath in a vaguely Eastern European language and throwing her hands up towards the ceiling. 

“Fine,” she sulked, “You win. Completely pointless escort it is. Can we at least skip the cuffs this time?” 

“That’s up to Carter,” Jack nodded to the other woman. 

“Would the cuffs make any difference if you decided to escape?” Carter questioned. 

EJ grinned in response, “Not even a little bit.” 

“I think we’ll be fine, sir,” Carter gave Jack a small reassuring smile. 

“Fine,” Jack huffed and turned to leave, only to stop once more in the doorway to turn back to Carter. 

“Do not engage with the prisoner, Carter,” Jack ordered, half-serious, “She’s extremely sneaky and entirely too smart for her own damn good.” 

Carter bit her cheek to keep from laughing when EJ stuck her tongue out at the retreating General’s back. 

*OrderOrderOrderOrderOrderOrderOrder* 

Carter was attaching small electrodes to EJ’s forehead and arms when she spoke quietly, “How did you know about…?” 

“It’s not obvious and no one said anything, if that’s what you’re worried about,” EJ responded carefully, looking over Carter's shoulder to be sure the guards were out of hearing range, “I’ve read his entire file and most of yours and I had no idea until today.” 

“What was different today?” Carter began attaching wires to the pads on EJ’s arms. 

“The day he and I met,” EJ smiled softly, “I broke into his house in the middle of the night, bruised and bleeding. There was citrus and lavender shampoo in his shower when I went to get rid of the blood.  I didn’t think anything of it until today when he came into the room, worry rising off him like a steam cloud until he saw you were okay.” 

“He worries about a lot of people,” Carter said evenly. 

“Not like that,” EJ shook her head gently. 

“Right,” Carter cleared her throat and turned to her computer, “From what I have been able to figure out, no damage was done inside the City’s systems.” 

“I told everyone that four weeks ago,” EJ rolled her eyes, “No one ever listens to me.” 

Carter’s lips threatened to twitch into a smile as she continued, “I also discovered a series of open connections to what I’ve been told by Daniel are the ‘Caretakers’. He tried to show me how it works, but it turns out he doesn’t have access to much more than historical records and Ancient teaching programs.” 

“Let me guess,” EJ sighed, “I get to be your lab rat because I have the highest level of access besides Sheppard, who is off-world today, and O’Neill, who refused to participate.” 

“He made the ‘I have a great idea’ face,” Carter smirked. 

EJ groaned and thumped her head down on the desk next to Carter’s laptop. 

“I see you know it well,” Carter laughed, “He said something about revenge for sending Tizzy to flirt with him while he was trying to eat lunch.” 

“You think Jack would throw me back in jail if I have the City play the Imperial March from Star Wars every time he takes a sip of coffee?” EJ mumbled into the desk. 

“He also said this would be a way to prove that you hadn’t compromised Atlantis or yourself and to test what he called your ‘freaky new mind powers’ to make sure you weren’t going to start speaking Ancient and building random junk,” Carter tapped a couple keys on her laptop as EJ lifted her head, "His words, not mine." 

“I already speak Ancient so that’s not really a good test,” EJ huffed, “But if this gets me back on active duty and out of confinement, I’ll play along.” 

EJ settled comfortably in the chair as she spoke again, “But just so you know, my connection is going to be different than everyone else’s.” 

“How so?” Carter wondered curiously. 

“Atlantis linked me to the other Cultores as well as her systems so I could protect them.  And because of this,” EJ gestured to the symbols on her arms. 

“Well, let’s find out how different you are,” Carter smiled, “Let’s start with some basic commands to the City and we’ll see how it progresses from there.” 

“Sounds good.  I tend to get lost in Tizzy’s subroutines sometimes, so if I don’t respond to you right away,” EJ tilted her head, “Tap the back of my hand twice and I’ll know you need my attention.  That way we can avoid any more…unpleasant reactions on my part.  I’d hate to give Jack an excuse to threaten to shoot me again.” 

Carter blinked twice, “Again?” 

Chapter Text

EJ was twirling through Atlantis’ secondary water filtration software when she felt a warm hand against her cheek.  Her body recognized the touch and leaned into it as she started climbing her way back to the surface.  She smiled and opened her eyes to see John standing in front of her, hand gentle against her cheek. 

“Hi,” John smiled back at her. 

“You’re back,” EJ reached up to wrap her fingers around his raised wrist. 

“About an hour ago,” he drew his thumb across her cheek, “A little birdy told me you got a day-pass, so I came down here to see you.” 

I’ve missed you, carissime, EJ's words caressed John's mind. 

We talk every night, Emma, John returned her mental caress.   

That’s not at all what I meant, John, and you know it, EJ insisted. 

And what exactly did you mean? John asked with an amused smirk. 

EJ sent John several mental pictures of the two of them naked and entwined with each other; in their shower, in their bed, on the top of John's desk in his office, in a storage closet next to the armory, bent over the table in EJ's lab.     

John’s pupils dilated, a thin ring of hazel-green around them, as he got lost in the sensual images until he heard a light cough beside him. 

“What were you two just doing?” Carter asked curiously, looking between the two of them, “The EEG lit up like a Christmas tree.” 

A light blush spread across EJ’s cheeks as she dropped her hand from John’s wrist and answered nervously, “I was communicating with Colonel Sheppard through our link.” 

John smirked and stuck both his hands in his pockets, “What she said.” 

“It was different than when you’re communicating with the City’s systems,” Carter turned back to her laptop screen, “There is less interaction, but the connection is more intense.  It’s more like the readings when you’re using your empathic powers.” 

“That’s probably…accurate,” EJ said hesitantly, “I was attempting to convey a particular feeling to the Colonel.” 

“What…oh…” Carter looked between the two of them again, eyes widening as comprehension dawned, “Right, anyway, I’ve got most of what I need here so we can-” 

Verus Defensor, there is an unstable connection being formed in one of the primary science labs between a foreign object and my secondary power grid.  The feedback being created could cause an overload in the conduits in that section.  I have been trying to alert my Custodem for the past twenty minutes, but he is currently blocking all communications, including our link. 

EJ quickly slipped out of the chair and slapped a palm on the floor, closing her eyes. 

Show me where, EJ commanded. 

EJ saw an image of a small, rectangular metal object attached with several cords to a plug in the City’s wall.  The scientists in the room were all engaged with other tasks and no one noticed the warning light flashing on a nearby laptop. 

EJ’s eyes snapped open and she turned to John immediately, “Did Rodney bring back any toys from off-world?” 

“Yeah, he found some Ancient doo-hickey that he thinks will help with the ZPMs,” John answered carefully, “Why, what’s wrong?” 

Emmaline, the conduits are dangerously close to overloading. 

“Did he keep it with him or did he give it to one of the minions?” EJ asked swiftly. 

“He said he was going to foist it off on one of the minions so he could have date night with Keller,” John's eyes narrowed. 

“Get the lab on the radio now and tell them to unplug it immediately,” EJ ordered, “Before they blow out all the power conduits in that section.” 

My secondary power conduits have already reached critical levels.  Unplugging the foreign object will make no difference at this point.  I believe an explosion is imminent.  The resulting blast will destroy a large portion of that tower. 

"Damn it," EJ swore, "Never mind, it's too late." 

How many people are in that lab?  Can we evacuate them before it blows? EJ questioned. 

I do not believe so, Verus Defensor.  It is unlikely they will reach minimum safe distance in time. 

Put up a shield around the object, full strength.  Hold it there as long as possible.

It is unlikely the shield will be able to contain the blast for more than three minutes, even at full strength. 

“Shit,” EJ cursed, “Carter, get Woolsey on the radio. There’s about to be an explosion in Tower 23, Science Lab 3-C on the North Pier. I’m going to do my best to contain it, but he’s going to need to mobilize evacuation and medical teams.” 

“How do you-” Carter started. 

“Just do it,” EJ gritted her teeth, “Sheppard, you have about three and a half minutes to get that tower and the surrounding sections cleared. Atlantis won’t be able to keep the internal shield around it any longer than that. And remind me to beat the living crap out of McKay for blocking Tizzy out. She’s been trying to tell him for twenty minutes.” 

Carter and Sheppard tapped their radios, orders flying out as EJ closed her eyes again. 

Jack, there’s going to be an explosion in the lower section of the north tower. 

There’s what? Jack asked harshly.

EJ relayed a quick image of the object in the lab with the shield surrounding it, One of Rodney’s minions plugged something into the secondary power conduits.  It’s causing an overload.  I’m doing what I can to give people time to evacuate, but that lab is going to be destroyed, along with a big chunk of that tower. 

How long? Jack questioned seriously. 

Alarms started blaring throughout the City and the image shifted to show an explosion already straining the shield in place around the object.

Is the shield holding, Tizzy? EJ asked quickly. 

My internal shield has contained the blast for the moment, but it will not dissipate inside the shield.  The explosion is still drawing power from the secondary conduits.  The shield will fail in exactly three minutes and fourteen seconds. 

General, get them out of there, EJ insisted, Get the rest of the Cultores to assist where they can. 

Doing it now, Jack replied calmly, Medical teams on standby. The damage control and containment teams are close, they’ll move in when you give the signal. 

EJ? Rodney’s worried voice came into her head, What’s going on? 

You gave the wrong minion your new toy, McKay.  Tell Keller to get to the infirmary, there’s about to be an influx of wounded. 

What kind of injuries? Jennifer joined the conversation. 

Burns, shrapnel damage, broken bones, the usual things for an explosion.  We’re moving as many people out as we can, EJ responded.   

I’m on my way to the infirmary now, Jennifer said quickly.   

I’ll head to the infirmary to assist with the incoming wounded, Daniel added, I’m sure they can use the extra hands. 

Two minutes, thirty seconds until shield failure. 

Got any bright ideas, McKay? EJ asked tightly. 

I’m close to that section, Rodney answered, I’m going to try rerouting power from some back-up systems to the shield emitters in that area.  That should give us a little more time. 

I can help you, but it’ll take me too long to get through the systems from where I am, EJ opened her eyes and started ripping off the still attached electrodes as she stood quickly, Jack, get rid of my guards.  I need to get closer to help Rodney. 

“Carter, we could probably use your help,” EJ headed toward the door. 

The guards at the door let the two women pass through, followed quickly by John, all of them heading for the nearest transporter. 

I managed to shunt some back-up power to the emitters.  That should buy us another minute, maybe two, Rodney's voice was strained, But the shield’s still going to fail. 

How much did that give us Tizzy? EJ asked as John pressed the spot on the screen that would take them to the section nearest the tower base. 

The shield will hold for four minutes, thirteen seconds.  

How is the evacuation going? John questioned. 

We still have twelve levels to clear, Teyla spoke calmly, Ronon and I have been assisting Major Lorne's men in moving people.  However, this tower contains many labs and many projects that must be shut down safely.  The process is slow. 

My men are moving the scientists as quickly as possible, Lorne continued where Teyla left off, but it’s taking too much time. There’s also a high risk of secondary explosions. Lab 3-C is three levels above the explosives lab. 

Top eight levels cleared, Ronon said clearly. 

EJ cursed fluently in three different languages before turning to John and Carter, still standing on either side of her.  Her guards had gone to help with the evacuation but there were still dozens of people walking by the three of them, trying to get out of range of the impending explosion. 

“Anyone have any great ideas, now’s the time to say so,” EJ said evenly, “The boom lab is three levels below where the explosion is.  If blast radius reaches that far, or if there are secondary fires…” 

“What about shrinking the external shield to help contain the blast?” Carter offered. 

“Tizzy?” EJ questioned, “Can we do that?” 

The external shield strength is sufficient enough to contain the blast until it dissipates, but the location of the explosion means that if the external shield is shrunk before the tower is fully evacuated, the people still inside will be trapped. 

“Can’t do that until everyone’s out,” EJ shook her head. 

“Can we channel the blast somewhere else?” John asked. 

“How would we do that?” EJ tilted her head to the side. 

“You can control the internal shields, right?” Carter inquired. 

“Within reason, yeah,” EJ agreed carefully, “I can’t make them do anything they weren’t meant to do.” 

“How many can you put up at once?” Carter questioned. 

“I’ve no idea.  I’ve never tried to-” EJ stopped abruptly. She tilted her head to the side. 

“That could work,” EJ said quickly, “If there’s enough power and I can control that many shields at once.  I wonder if…” 

“What could work?” John asked cautiously. 

“We can set up a series of internal shields to keep the blast wave channeled into a specific direction, away from the more dangerous labs,” Carter explained. 

“Can you do that, Emma?” John's expression was calm. 

“I really don’t know,” EJ met his eyes, “But I think we’re about to find out.” 

EJ quickly explained the plan to the other Caretakers, using their information to plot a safe course for the explosion to take. 

Two minutes, eight seconds. 

Tizzy, how much power do the shields need to have to do what we want? EJ asked calmly. 

Each shield will have to be operating at peak efficiency, Verus Defensor.  If even one of them fails, you will not have the time to put another shield in place to contain the explosion.  There is also not enough time at this point to write a subroutine in my systems to control the emitters in the manner necessary for this to work. 

Can I do that many at once? 

It is possible, but it will cause a great deal of stress to your body.  I am unsure of the physical complications of you trying to control that many individual tasks at once. 

Will it kill me? 

I do not know, Emmaline.  It is a possibility. 

“John, you should go help with the evacuation,” EJ waved a hand at him, “Carter can help me with the shield route.” 

“You sure?” John asked quietly. 

“Sam’s cool,” EJ smiled at the other woman, “We bonded over shampoo choices. We’ll be fine.” 

“Fine,” John leaned down to give her a quick kiss, “Be careful.” 

He set off at a quick jog to help the teams evacuating the tower. 

One minute, thirty seconds. 

“Why did you send him away?” Carter asked softly. 

“Because I’m not sure if channeling that much power through the systems will kill me or not,” EJ shrugged awkwardly, “And there’s no other way at this point.” 

“You were afraid he’d choose you over the people left in that tower?” Carter's tone was understanding. 

“No, I know John would choose them, every time,” EJ slipped the blank mask on her face and walked towards the wall, placing her left palm against it, “I’m afraid of what will happen if he has to witness the outcome firsthand. This way, if doing this kills me, he won't have the memory of seeing it happen.” 

“I understand,” Sam came closer, “And for what it’s worth, I’d do the same in your position.” 

One minute. 

EJ took a deep breath and closed her eyes. 

“Make sure my hand stays on this wall until the explosion is channeled out of the tower, Sam,” EJ commanded, “Don’t let me break the connection for any reason.” 

“I’ll take care of it,” Sam nodded. 

“If my brain explodes or turns to jelly after this, tell him…” EJ trailed off. 

“I will,” Sam reached a hand out to put on EJ’s shoulder in comfort. 

Thank you for trusting me, Jack, even when you had no reason to, EJ spoke quietly into Jack's mind, I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused you in the short time we've known each other.  And for the record, I like your wife.  She’s pretty awesome. 

I know, Jack agreed gently. 

Thirty seconds until the shield fails. 

All right, Atlantis, let’s do this, EJ let the connection between her and Atlantis burst wide open. 

Chapter Text

EJ was laying comfortably in a soft lounge chair, basking in the warmth of the Lantean sun as she looked out over the ocean from Atlantis’ East pier.  She was wearing her favorite of John’s shirts, the charcoal gray fabric soft against her skin, buttoned up to cover her from collarbone down to her bare legs, stopping at mid-thigh, sleeves rolled up enough to leave her hands free.  Her long, pale blonde hair was piled messily on top of her head and mirrored aviators blocked the sun from her eyes as she tilted her head back to rest on the chair. 

“Hello, Pater,” EJ smiled and waved a hand in the air, summoning a second chair.  [Latin: Father]

“Hello, filiole,” Marcus leaned back in the chair, mirroring EJ’s relaxed position. 

The two sat in comfortable silence for a long time, enjoying the gentle heat of the sun and the sound of the ocean rocking against the City. 

EJ waved a hand through the air and two ice cold drinks, brightly colored and decorated with tiny umbrellas, appeared on a small round table between the two of them. 

“It’s a mai-tai,” EJ explained as she took a long sip, “Or a close approximation of one anyway.” 

Marcus took a sip from his own cool glass, “A little fruity for my tastes, but it’ll do.” 

“Why do we always meet somewhere in Atlantis?” EJ wondered aloud. 

“It’s the place that you and I have the most in common.  Both of us considered Atlantis our first home.” 

“Considered, as in past tense.  Does that mean it’s not anymore?” 

“Atlantis will be home to both of us for as long as we wish.” 

“Did I die?” EJ turned to face Marcus, face serious and sad, even with her eyes hidden behind her glasses. 

The man who looked so much like EJ gave her a pained smile, “Your heart stopped twice.  Your friends have restarted it twice.” 

“And now?” 

“Your body is stable for the moment.  If you decide to return to it, you will recover quickly, as you always have.” 

“If I decide to return?” 

“You gave more to the City of Atlantis than any other before you.  No one would blame you if you chose to rest now,” Marcus smiled softly at her, “You can stay here, enjoying the sun and waves, or you can go back to the life you knew before.” 

EJ turned back to the ocean view and took another long drink, “Will the City survive without me?” 

“Atlantis will mourn the loss of her Verus Defensor, but she will survive as she has done for the millennia before you came.” 

EJ sighed and set her drink down beside her, tilting her face to soak up more of the sun, “I think I’ll enjoy the warmth a little longer before I go back.” 

“As you wish, filiole,” Marcus smiled and set his own drink down. 

The sound of soft ocean waves washed over the two of them, nearly identical smiles on their faces. 

*OrderOrderOrderOrderOrderOrderOrder* 

EJ felt her connection to Atlantis before she registered anything else around her. 

You are finally awake, child.  Shall I notify the Medicum? 

EJ looked down to see John’s hand covering hers, his head pillowed against her thigh as he slept bent over her bed. 

Not yet, Tizzy.  Give a little bit before you summon the vampire. 

As you wish, Emmaline. 

EJ smiled softly as she closed her eyes again, Did my father teach you that phrase?

My Prima Verus Defensor did indeed explain to me the correct usage of the phrase. 

What happened with the explosion?  I can’t remember anything after I put the first set of shields in place. 

Do you wish to see what happened or do you wish for me to convey the information verbally? 

Show me, please. 

EJ saw herself, dressed in drab-gray sweats, hand pressed against the wall in the corridor, with Sam standing behind her.  She saw the network of shields fall into place and the explosion follow the path they created.  Her body faltered, nose and ears dripping blood heavily, and she started to slide to the ground.  Sam held her own palm over EJ’s as the City shook with the explosion, keeping the connection steady until the blast dissipated into the air outside the tower.  EJ’s body collapsed at that point and she watched in some sort of strange out of body experience as Sam quickly called for a medic on the radio, performing CPR for the long minutes until someone could get there. 

Were there any casualties? EJ asked wearily, not wanting to see the security footage of her body failing any longer. 

There were only 14 major injuries, mostly from falling debris, and 63 incidents of minor injuries.  Everything in the lab you refer to as ‘3-C’ was vaporized by the blast wave, but thanks to your efforts, all the other labs were spared.  Repairs are already under way in that section of the City. 

How long was I gone?

Your heart stopped once for two minutes, eighteen seconds and once for an additional six minutes, forty-two seconds.  You have been unconscious for thirty-seven days, three hours, fifty-six minutes, and ten seconds. 

EJ felt John stirring and opened her eyes to look down at him.  She pulled her hand from under his weakly, setting it against his cheek as his eyes flew open. 

“Emma,” he breathed. 

“Hi, John,” she smiled gently, Better tell Jen I’m awake now, Tizzy.  Well, give me a minute longer to explain to John, then tell her. 

EJ felt the surge of relief as John leaned forward to press a shaky kiss against her lips. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you,” she said as he pressed his forehead to hers, “I knew what was likely to happen to me and I sent you away.  I couldn’t make you watch.  I couldn’t-” 

“Emmaline,” John cut her off with another soft kiss, “I knew.” 

“You knew?” 

“After what happened in the gate room, I made Atlantis promise to tell me before you did anything that could hurt you.  I knew as soon as you did that channeling that much power at once could kill you.” 

“I…” EJ was at a loss for words. 

“I let you send me away,” he kissed her again, “Because we both knew it was the only way to save all those people.” 

“You didn’t try to stop me.” 

“Would you have let me?” 

“I would’ve had Sam sit on you while I did it anyway.” 

John laughed and pressed his forehead to hers once again. 

Thank you, John. 

For? 

Understanding. 

Always, Emma.

“But just because I understand doesn’t mean I’m not still furious with you for trying to sacrifice yourself for the City,” John leaned back and fixed her with his best glare. 

“It’s not my fault Rodney can’t control his minions,” EJ rolled her eyes, “It’s not like I wanted this to happen.” 

“That sounds an awful lot like ‘I didn’t do it on purpose’,” John drawled, “Which I’m pretty sure we agreed was not a valid excuse for either of us.” 

“I was just trying to make your life more exciting?” EJ smiled sweetly at him. 

“Sweetheart, any more excitement for either of us, and someone’s going to end up dead.” 

Jennifer came into the room at a run, stopping short when she saw the two of them turn towards her, smiles clear on their faces. 

“John, quick, help me get out of here before the vampire lady breaks out her instruments of torture,” EJ pleaded, reaching for his hand weakly. 

“You take one step towards that door,” Jennifer pointed an angry finger at the two of them, “Either of you, and I will personally make sure that every post-mission physical you have from now on includes a colonoscopy.” 

John and EJ turned to each other and said in unison, “We’re doomed,” before dissolving into fits of giggles. 

Chapter Text

EJ read the pages of the new contract carefully, reflecting silently on the changes that had happened over the past two months on Atlantis as she flipped slowly through the papers. 

After her recovery, EJ was officially cleared of any wrongdoings and reinstated to her previous position in the expedition.  Her actions during the explosion, along with Carter’s carefully worded positive testimony about the telepathic link the Caretakers shared with the City, convinced the IOA that EJ had the best interests of Atlantis at heart.  Jack decided it was better if EJ's mental abilities were kept a secret from the SGC and IOA for the time being.  Her abilities continued to develop, both empathy and telekinesis proving useful when EJ resumed her place on Evan's off-world team. 

Woolsey decided not to renew his contract with the IOA when it came up at the beginning of the year, instead choosing to retire to his hometown with his new pet Yorkie.  The IOA finally came to the conclusion that Atlantis needed someone in command who could understand and adapt to the strange ways of the City, including the fact the most of the senior staff was telepathically bonded to the City’s AI.  After two weeks of debate, Brigadier General Sam Carter was granted command of the Atlantis expedition.  Truthfully, no one was crazy enough to actually want the position anymore, so when Jack suggested that Sam was one of the only people not bonded to the City that really understood what the link could do, the IOA agreed readily to her resuming command. 

There was an investigation into the explosion that occurred in the science lab, which was ultimately ruled an accident.  The tower was still currently under construction, but with Atlantis helping with the blueprints and technical specifications, the repairs were going smoothly.  The young scientist who had plugged the device in had not escaped all consequences, however, and had to endure a three hour long Dr. McKay lecture about the dangers of ‘fiddling with Ancient technology when you’re too stupid to know what it does’.  The lecture was swiftly followed by Zelenka giving the crying man the Czech version of ‘do that again and they’ll never find the body’. 

All the Caretakers received commendations for their actions in saving the lives of everyone working in the tower that day.  Sheppard and Lorne also received promotions to Colonel and Lt. Colonel, respectively.  The resulting celebration in the City lasted three days and nights, after which the infirmary passed out strong painkillers to anyone who had imbibed Zelenka’s homemade moonshine and offered STD screenings with no questions asked. 

Jack and Daniel went back to the SGC a week after the explosion, both having neglected their duties long enough.  Jack returned to Atlantis yesterday, with good news and a contract for EJ to sign.  He and Daniel had eliminated four of her six former handlers as the traitor, and with a little political maneuvering on Jack’s part, completely terminated her employment with the four agencies.  He offered EJ a choice: stay on Atlantis under her civilian title, reducing her duties to what they were when she originally came to Atlantis or sign a five year contract, retaining her rank as Colonel under the sole jurisdiction of Homeworld Command, keeping all of her present duties, in addition to adding a few more that Sam had requested. 

EJ was looking over the last page of the contract while Jack watched her, tapping his pen impatiently. 

“Will you just sign the damn thing, Baran?” Jack huffed, “I’d like to spend some time with Sam before I have to go back to Earth tomorrow.” 

“It says I’ll be assigned a minimum of two labs to supervise,” EJ pouted, “I don’t want to be responsible for minions. Can’t we cross that part out?” 

“Those are by the request of General Carter,” Jack pointed out, “She seems to think you’ve been trying to do too much on your own. The assistants are to help you with your lab work, so you can focus more on your other duties.” 

Doesn’t it feel weird to call your wife ‘General Carter’? 

Jack narrowed his eyes at the young blonde woman, “If you don’t sign that contract in the next ten seconds, I’m going to make you eat it.” 

EJ sighed heavily and signed the bottom of the page with a neatly curled signature bearing her full name.  She set the pen down on top of it and shoved the papers back across the table at Jack. He turned them around and added his own signature below hers before squinting at the page. 

“Your middle name is-” Jack looked up at her. 

“Never you mind what my middle name is,” EJ interrupted. 

Jack sat back and smiled widely, “You do realize this means I own you for the next five years, right?” 

EJ groaned as she stood, “I’m actively trying not to think about that, sir.”