It begins like this:
They step through the stargate into a new galaxy, into Atlantis. The MALP's video had shown a room, empty save for the control consoles, as dust-free as if it hadn't been abandoned for 10,000 years. Dr. Weir sends the last message back through the wormhole over the radio, and a bottle of champagne is rolled through before the gate cuts off, stranding them impossibly far from home.
"Welcome to Atlantis," an unexpected voice says, and they look up to find a man, dark hair sticking up in every direction, armed to the teeth, leaning on a door frame. "Are you traders?"
It begins like this:
They step through the stargate like they've done hundreds of times before, but something's different this time. The gate isn't outdoors; instead, it's inside of a building, like nothing three of them have seen before. The fourth knows immediately where they are.
"Atlantis," Mer breathes, part joy and part hope and part lust for the knowledge he's sure to gain.
It begins like this:
"I can't," Ronon says, looking away.
"Sure you can," John coaxes. "C'mon, even Teyla's joining us."
"I'm a Runner," Ronon says. "They're following me wherever I go and they'll kill you all if you're anywhere near me."
"They won't kill us," John says, a look of what might be joy on his face. "If they go where you do, that'll just make them easier to kill."
"You're insane, of course," Mer says. Teyla nods in agreement. Neither of them had expected anything else. They hadn't expected to live even this long after joining up with John again.
It begins like this:
It is the day before the ceremony which confirms Teyla as the leader of the Athosians, a position which she has held unofficially, under the guidance of her elders, for several years. Only now is she old enough to take the position officially. The fates being as perverse as they are, she should not be surprised when the Ring of the Ancestors opens and through it step John and Rodney- Mer- to turn her life upside-down.
"Teyla!" John exclaims and touches his forehead to hers. "We're going to go fight the Wraith like we vowed to before. Want to come with? We'll have a better chance if you join us."
"Much as I hate to admit it, he's right," Mer says, touching foreheads with her. "He doesn't have the survival instincts of…what's something that dies all the time? Oh, I know, one of those puddlejumpers, always hopping around on the water and then drowning. And I've had better things to do with my time than learn how to fight. Plus, you made the vow too."
"But tomorrow I am to be confirmed as the leader of my people," Teyla protests. "I wish to defeat the Wraith as well, but I have my own life to live. And besides, how would we defeat the Wraith? Many have tried over the years, but none have succeeded."
"Teyla," Halling says. "One who wishes to be a leader must never break a vow."
"I was but twelve summers of age when I made the vow!" she protests.
"Nevertheless." She suspects Halling wishes to take her place as leader, but she also knows he is correct.
"Oh, so you're joining us?" Rodney asks. "Good. I thought I wouldn't have anybody for company who hadn't completely lost their mind."
It begins like this:
"You know, this is actually kind of handy," John says.
"Running from the Genii, who have a lot more technology than they ever let on, is handy?!" Mer asks.
"Well, it got you here, didn't it? And now that we're together we can finally get around to fighting the Wraith like we said we would."
"Are you insane?! I already have enough potential to get killed without going after the Wraith, who, might I remind you, want to eat us."
"Come on, what do you have to lose? I know where Teyla is, it'll be just like old times."
"We only saw Ronon and Teyla for one day when we were kids, I somehow doubt it'll be like old times."
John looks at him, a pleading look on his face.
"Fine! You don't have to look at me like that. It's not like I have anything better to do," Mer grumbles. "If you get me killed, I'm going to come back and haunt you, by the way."
It begins like this:
John hears a noise where there shouldn't be one when he goes out to the barn. If he lived anywhere near other people, he would suspect it was a child who had gotten into the barn, but nobody's willing to live near the crazy man who doesn't go into the tunnels when the Wraith come, but instead stays out to watch the darts fly through the sky. He always promises himself next time, I'll go into the tunnels, but when the next attack happens he stands rooted to the spot, watching the darts fly like he can only wish he could.
He takes his gun with him, because just because he's never seen any dangerous animals on this planet doesn't mean there aren't. And somebody might have come through the stargate and decided it would be easier to steal from an isolated farm than from one grouped with others.
"All right, you can come out now," he calls, just in case it's a person. "And I have a gun, so no funny business."
He hears grumbling coming from behind some sacks of grain, then there's a crash and a man falls out into view, landing on his back. John barely keeps from shooting him. "Um, hi?" the man on the ground says weakly.
"Mer?" John says incredulously.
It begins like this:
It's the middle of the day when Mer finally makes his escape. He'd thought about doing it at night, but let's face it, he really wasn't cut out for the whole stealth thing after so many years in one lab or another. So he goes in the middle of the day, points out a major breakthrough he's been sitting on for weeks to the lab crew, and slips away when it's a big enough breakthrough to draw the guards in to see what all the commotion's about. Without any guards outside to stop him, he even has time to slather on his SPF 100 sunscreen (because he's always burned easily, and even more so after he's spent the past few years in an underground bunker) before he goes out into the really very bright sun.
They don't catch him before he goes through the stargate, but he knows he won't be able to live up to his scientific potential anywhere else, because the Genii won't stop looking for the man who singlehandedly made their nuclear weapons program feasible.
It begins like this:
Mer's been at this temple for a few months now. Not that he believes any of this religious mumbo-jumbo, of course, because it's even more ridiculous than the voodoo of medicine, but because at least here they respect learning and let him develop his theories without forcing him to take time off to hoe the fruits or something ridiculous like that. Today somebody from some backwater planet that probably doesn't even have domesticated animals has sent a delegation to trade with whoever does the trading at the temple. He doesn't know who it is; he doesn't even remember the name of the other guy who sometimes works in the lab. Somebody from the delegation's been in the room watching him all day, no doubt in awe of his genius (because who isn't?), but since they haven't gotten in his way he hasn't paid any attention to them.
That night, he's kidnapped by the Genii, who, as it turns out, are actually moderately advanced, so he doesn't really mind until he finds out that he isn't allowed to leave the underground bunker. Not that he'd want to, really, because it's safe and the labs are nicer than most of the places he's worked, but he's not going to stay there if he doesn't even have a choice.
It begins like this:
"You built this yourselves?" Ronon asks, obviously impressed.
"I made the plans, of course," Rodney says. "If it was up to John, it wouldn't even have a roof. And it probably would have collapsed by now."
"I have never seen anything like this on Athos," Teyla says.
"Everybody on Kyrrat lived in treehouses because of the flooding." John had lived on Kyrrat, before it had been culled so extensively.
Distantly, they hear the stargate opening. "I wonder who it is," Rodney says. "Normally we only get one group of traders at a time, I mean it isn't like this is one of the trading planets." Then they hear the whine of a Wraith dart, but it's too late to get to the caves before the culling is over, and they're less exposed in the treehouse than they would be running for them. They're all silent during the culling, knowing that the flashes of light they can see mean that people they know are being culled. John watches the darts like they're something amazing, intent in a way his relaxed behavior hasn't even hinted that he was capable of.
When the darts are gone, John turns to the others. "When we grow up, we should fight the Wraith together."
Ronon nods, and Teyla says, "I believe we could succeed."
"No way," Rodney says. "Leave me out of your crazy plans! I'm going to be a scholar, not one of you crazy soldiers!"
"But Mer," John says, emphasizing the name Mer prefers. "We need you. You're the one who'll figure out how to defeat them all at one, instead of one at a time."
"Fine," Mer sighs. "I don't know why I'm letting you talk me into this, but you're right, you will need me."
It begins like this:
"Rodney!" John says, shaking him. "Rodney, wake up!"
"It's Mer, Rodney's a girl's name," Rodney says grumpily. "And I was up late doing very important things you couldn't possibly comprehend, so go away and let me sleep."
"Important things?" John teases. "You mean fixing the chair before Faren notices you broke it?" Rodney groans, because he hadn't been able to fix it and he's been tossed out of a few (12) other fosterings and separated from his sister because of breaking things. Even though most of them he hadn't broken anything, he'd taken it apart and put it back together better than it had been. "Rodney, get up, it's traders."
"Traders?" Rodney asks, shooting up, wide awake. Traders are enough of an event that he can be awake even after ancestors-know-how-few hours of sleep, even if he'd eventually learned that asking his foster parents to trade for something he wanted only led to him being shuffled off to another house on another world. John's annoying (and has a funny name) but he's the closest thing to a friend that Rodney's ever had, and he doesn't want to lose him.
They sneak out, because they're not supposed to go anywhere without permission when strangers are around but it's not like either of them is good enough at following orders to obey (John's been through as many foster homes as he has, and for similar reasons except without taking anything apart). So they sneak out and try to get a look at the traders, any of them, but they're all in Yari's house with the rest of the adults who are interested in trading, and they can't see anything. They start to go around the house, looking for some way to at least look in, but when they round the corner they come face to face with a girl and boy their age (although it's possible the boy is younger; he's short). The girl looks absolutely thrilled, for all she's trying to pretend she's grown-up and not excited at all. The boy just looks terrified, like he's going to be sick any moment.
John smiles the smile that always makes him friends and gets him out of trouble. "Hi! I'm John Sheppard and this is Rodney McKay-"
"It's Meredith," Rodney says scathingly. "How many times do I have to tell you that? Or Mer, if you can't handle a whole three syllables."
"I am Teyla Emmagen," the girl says, and would almost have passed for serene if her eyes hadn't been sparkling and she hadn't been bouncing on the balls of her feet. "And this is Ronon Dex."
"Hey," Ronon says faintly.
"He does not speak often," Teyla confides.
"I'm sure Rodney will even it out," John says.
"Hey!" Rodney exclaims.
"We built a treehouse," John says. "You want to see?"
"All right," she says after a glance at Ronon, and right then he knows they're all going to be the best of friends.
