Richard hesitated as the gate shut off, watching his strike team move across the floor with palpable tension. Something was wrong. They weren't due back for at least another few hours and judging by the way Sheppard stalked ahead of the rest he was willing to bet the colonel had been against leaving the planet prematurely.
Taking the last few steps to meet them, he let his gaze wash over the members bringing up the rear. Rodney looked visibly shaken, Teyla held a definite air of concern about her and Ronon, well... he looked stoic as always but Richard knew from experience that could mean anything.
"You're back early?" he pressed lightly, tentatively approaching the reason for their unscheduled return.
"We've got a problem." John stated matter of factly, depositing his weapon in the arms of a current lieutenant on duty. To his credit the young man didn't question the action just moved to assist the other three team members while Sheppard turned back to the leader of Atlantis, "Keller can check us out later, we need to-"
"Colonel..." Woolsey urged him to slow down with a warning tone, "undergoing a medical assessment is standard procedure, we can debrief immediately after."
His jaw tightened but instead of protesting John gave a sharp nod, taking the stairs two at a time.
Richard let out a breath as he watched Ronon and McKay start in pursuit of the Colonel, casting a raised eyebrow towards Teyla. The Athosian women bowed her head in response and he immediately felt a sense of unease build in his stomach. "Teyla," he questioned, bringing his hands nervously behind his back, "what happened out there?"
"We found Doctor Weir." Teyla spoke softly allowing the full meaning to sink in, "she appeared to be in alliance with the Genii and we were unable to return with her."
"Doctor Weir, but she's... I mean we, how-" he struggled to find words, overwhelmed by the information. It had only been a few moths ago that they'd sent her through the space gate and it was highly unlikely she'd been able to reach a planet in that time, let a lone make contact with the military force.
"Mr. Woolsey, I think you misunderstand me." Teyla tried again, searching for a better analysis of the situation, "we found Elizabeth, not the replicator Fran housing her conscious."
His face twisted in further confusion and she realised the explanation had only provoked more questions but unsure of the facts herself it was all she could offer. "I believe Colonel Sheppard will be able to give more detail at the debriefing."
Richard scratched the side of his head feeling the beginning of a migraine starting to cloud his vision, "of course. See you get yourself checked out and then we'll go over what happened."
Teyla nodded obediently, before turning to navigate the set of stairs leading to the infirmary.
She knew this wasn't going to be easy for any of them but even with the doubts resting heavily it still allowed a spark of hope to rise within her. Given everything they'd seen and their recent run of luck, perhaps they would succeed in defying the odds yet again.
**
**
McKay tapped his pen repeatedly against the boardroom table. After being cleared they had started an immediate debrief but to his utter annoyance they were doing little more than going round in circles and what was worse, John had seemed to do a complete 180 and was offering little in the way of support.
"I'm telling you it's got to be her." Rodney reaffirmed, positive in his assessment of the situation. "If she still had the nanites, she would have remembered Sheppard."
"It could have been an act." Woolsey didn't blanch as the scientist rolled his eyes at the suggestion. He wanted to believe as much as anyone that it was Doctor Weir but he knew first hand how deceptive the Replicators could be and how hope meant little if it came under false pretences.
"You saw her Ronon, what do you think?" he lent forward on his hands, forcing attention away from the man staring him down. Both arguments were feasible but unfortunately only one could be correct and the more insight they had on the situation the better.
Ronon shrugged his shoulders, unwilling to commit to either side of the debate. He despised the Replicators almost as much as he did the Wraith so his instincts screamed to be wary but the women siding with the Genni hadn't acted like any Replicator copy he'd ever seen before. Her movements and emotions were too fluent, too human.
Crossing his arms firmly he cocked an eyebrow, "pretty convincing act."
"Thank you!" Rodney raised his arms in recognition of the statement. He understood the civilian leader was acting out of concern, trying to keep the situation rational but there came a point when disputing the facts only served to further complicate things. "So this means we're back to the un-ascended theory."
Woolsey tilted his head in acknowledgement of the explication. Out of all the options it held the most viability; explained the memory loss, physical aspects, the coincidental meeting on a planet of Ancient origin but it was also the most desired outcome, and that made it dangerous to believe. "We're assuming she's been with the Genii for at least a few months," he interjected thoughtfully, "in that time she should have remembered at least something from her previous life?"
Rodney shook his head. "Not necessarily. When they found Doctor Jackson it wasn't until he returned to earth that he started to remember things. He had no idea who his team were despite the fact they'd been working together for nearly six years prior."
"Not to mention the Genii are a military force." Teyla spoke up with her knowledge of the race, "it's entirely possible they've been subtly keeping her from accessing the memories."
"Like brainwashing." Ronon filled in feeling his blood boil at the mere thought. He knew personally how invasive those tactics could be and if they used anything like the Wraith's technique it would make retrieving her all the more difficult.
Woolsey regarded all the information carefully. He'd been worried their opinions might be bias given what was at stake but the evidence all seemed to be logical. The only problem was it negated to deal with their foremost issue on the subject. "Even so," he stiffened leaning back in his chair, "we still have no way of knowing where they've taken her."
Teyla raised an eyebrow in question, "could we not simply go back to the planet and retrieve the last dialled address?"
"Yes!" Rodney clicked his fingers, equally confident and enthused over the suggestion,"we duck in, remove the crystal and bring it back for analysis. Then once we're done we can put it back, call it an act of good faith and it might even buy us some brownie points with the locals."
Richard nodded considering the suggestion. While he was hesitant to put the team at unnecessary risk he understood their desire to see their previous leader returned, even empathised with it. He held a lot of respect for Doctor Weir and in the very least, if it turned out she was an impostor then the threat was better dealt with sooner rather than later.
"Colonel Sheppard," he lifted his gaze to the unusually refrained man, "you've barely said a word on the matter either way. I'm curious to hear what you think?"
Teyla watched her friend carefully, concerned when he gave no acknowledgement of the question. Since the infirmary he'd withdrawn, losing the ambition that had driven him back on the planet and she feared the response was his way of isolating himself from the situation.
"John?" She spoke gently, relieved when he snapped out of the trance like state.
"Sorry, what?"
He took a moment to catch up to the current line of conversation, unnerved by the multiple eyes searching him for a reaction. "I ah... we should-" he coughed clearing his throat, "I'm sure you'll make the right call..."
The tension in the small room suddenly became suffocating and he directed his gaze to the table's surface. Clearly they'd been expecting a different response but he couldn't bring himself to give one. If it wasn't her, if she was just another fabrication the pain would be unbearable and if it was the 'real' Elizabeth, what if she never remembered? Or worse he lost her again? It would destroy him.
Either way his heart had already been busted wide open and he didn't know if finding her was worth the risk of damaging it beyond repair.
Woolsey took a steady breath, clasping his hands together over the table. Clearly the Colonel wasn't going to offer him any further clarification and the other has already put forward more than enough information for him to consider. "Okay people, with that in mind I'll have my decision within the hour. You're all dismissed."
John was the first one up, pushing his chair back with a loud scrape. He needed to get out, find some breathing space but as he broke through the control room he found the escape short lived.
"What the hell was that!"
Rodney appeared at his side and John sped up unwilling to antagonise the situation, "not now McKay."
Despite his warning the scientist kept pace, failing to see the reason behind his friends sudden dismissal of the situation. When they'd come through the gate his determination had bordered on obsessive and now it seemed like he couldn't care less.
"Look, I know this thing with Elizabeth hasn't been easy-" he reached the stairs less than a step behind John, letting his protests fall freely, "but you can't just give up, not when-"
"Stop it, just stop!"
John spun around angrily, gripping the banister to keep from losing his balance, "I'm sorry okay? I'm sorry that I left her behind and I'm sorry that you think I'm giving up but I can't- " he swallowed sharply, realising the attention he was drawing from above. Three or four people had stopped to witness the heated exchange but he ignored their presence, lowering his voice to just above a whisper, "I can't keep losing her Rodney, I won't go through that again."
McKay opened his mouth but the sound lodged in his throat, faltering under the subtle gaze of the control room. He knew the Colonel harboured an immense amount of guilt over losing Elizabeth, they all did himself included, but the way Sheppard's eye's brimmed with unresolved regret it alluded to something more and the revelation slammed him hard from every unsuspecting angle.
John had cared about her, beyond that of simple friendship.
God, it was so obvious. "I'm so sorry, I... I didn't realise-" he stuttered, lacking the words to defend his ignorance. The fact the man buried his emotions deeply beneath the surface was no excuse, he should have noticed. At some point over the years he should have seen it.
"Yeah well," John breathed out feeling his anger dissipate in a wave of exhaustion, "I guess that makes two of us."
"You didn't-" Rodney stopped, the answer to his question written clearly all over his friends face. He hadn't realised either. "You know there's still a chance," he tried again, stating the fact softly, "we could still get her back."
John didn't comment, raising his hand from the banister in order to turn around. He was done with slim chances. After having his heart ripped out of his chest more times that he could count, he'd learnt his lesson the hard way; Elizabeth was gone.
Rodney watched him leave choking back the response in his throat. It was a rare occasion for him to concede to dropping a subject but it was rarer still for him to witness a man breaking right before his eyes. There was nothing he could do. His friend would continue to drown in regret unless they miraculously brought Elizabeth home and even then there were no guarantees.
Taking the last few steps to meet them, he let his gaze wash over the members bringing up the rear. Rodney looked visibly shaken, Teyla held a definite air of concern about her and Ronon, well... he looked stoic as always but Richard knew from experience that could mean anything.
"You're back early?" he pressed lightly, tentatively approaching the reason for their unscheduled return.
"We've got a problem." John stated matter of factly, depositing his weapon in the arms of a current lieutenant on duty. To his credit the young man didn't question the action just moved to assist the other three team members while Sheppard turned back to the leader of Atlantis, "Keller can check us out later, we need to-"
"Colonel..." Woolsey urged him to slow down with a warning tone, "undergoing a medical assessment is standard procedure, we can debrief immediately after."
His jaw tightened but instead of protesting John gave a sharp nod, taking the stairs two at a time.
Richard let out a breath as he watched Ronon and McKay start in pursuit of the Colonel, casting a raised eyebrow towards Teyla. The Athosian women bowed her head in response and he immediately felt a sense of unease build in his stomach. "Teyla," he questioned, bringing his hands nervously behind his back, "what happened out there?"
"We found Doctor Weir." Teyla spoke softly allowing the full meaning to sink in, "she appeared to be in alliance with the Genii and we were unable to return with her."
"Doctor Weir, but she's... I mean we, how-" he struggled to find words, overwhelmed by the information. It had only been a few moths ago that they'd sent her through the space gate and it was highly unlikely she'd been able to reach a planet in that time, let a lone make contact with the military force.
"Mr. Woolsey, I think you misunderstand me." Teyla tried again, searching for a better analysis of the situation, "we found Elizabeth, not the replicator Fran housing her conscious."
His face twisted in further confusion and she realised the explanation had only provoked more questions but unsure of the facts herself it was all she could offer. "I believe Colonel Sheppard will be able to give more detail at the debriefing."
Richard scratched the side of his head feeling the beginning of a migraine starting to cloud his vision, "of course. See you get yourself checked out and then we'll go over what happened."
Teyla nodded obediently, before turning to navigate the set of stairs leading to the infirmary.
She knew this wasn't going to be easy for any of them but even with the doubts resting heavily it still allowed a spark of hope to rise within her. Given everything they'd seen and their recent run of luck, perhaps they would succeed in defying the odds yet again.
**
**
McKay tapped his pen repeatedly against the boardroom table. After being cleared they had started an immediate debrief but to his utter annoyance they were doing little more than going round in circles and what was worse, John had seemed to do a complete 180 and was offering little in the way of support.
"I'm telling you it's got to be her." Rodney reaffirmed, positive in his assessment of the situation. "If she still had the nanites, she would have remembered Sheppard."
"It could have been an act." Woolsey didn't blanch as the scientist rolled his eyes at the suggestion. He wanted to believe as much as anyone that it was Doctor Weir but he knew first hand how deceptive the Replicators could be and how hope meant little if it came under false pretences.
"You saw her Ronon, what do you think?" he lent forward on his hands, forcing attention away from the man staring him down. Both arguments were feasible but unfortunately only one could be correct and the more insight they had on the situation the better.
Ronon shrugged his shoulders, unwilling to commit to either side of the debate. He despised the Replicators almost as much as he did the Wraith so his instincts screamed to be wary but the women siding with the Genni hadn't acted like any Replicator copy he'd ever seen before. Her movements and emotions were too fluent, too human.
Crossing his arms firmly he cocked an eyebrow, "pretty convincing act."
"Thank you!" Rodney raised his arms in recognition of the statement. He understood the civilian leader was acting out of concern, trying to keep the situation rational but there came a point when disputing the facts only served to further complicate things. "So this means we're back to the un-ascended theory."
Woolsey tilted his head in acknowledgement of the explication. Out of all the options it held the most viability; explained the memory loss, physical aspects, the coincidental meeting on a planet of Ancient origin but it was also the most desired outcome, and that made it dangerous to believe. "We're assuming she's been with the Genii for at least a few months," he interjected thoughtfully, "in that time she should have remembered at least something from her previous life?"
Rodney shook his head. "Not necessarily. When they found Doctor Jackson it wasn't until he returned to earth that he started to remember things. He had no idea who his team were despite the fact they'd been working together for nearly six years prior."
"Not to mention the Genii are a military force." Teyla spoke up with her knowledge of the race, "it's entirely possible they've been subtly keeping her from accessing the memories."
"Like brainwashing." Ronon filled in feeling his blood boil at the mere thought. He knew personally how invasive those tactics could be and if they used anything like the Wraith's technique it would make retrieving her all the more difficult.
Woolsey regarded all the information carefully. He'd been worried their opinions might be bias given what was at stake but the evidence all seemed to be logical. The only problem was it negated to deal with their foremost issue on the subject. "Even so," he stiffened leaning back in his chair, "we still have no way of knowing where they've taken her."
Teyla raised an eyebrow in question, "could we not simply go back to the planet and retrieve the last dialled address?"
"Yes!" Rodney clicked his fingers, equally confident and enthused over the suggestion,"we duck in, remove the crystal and bring it back for analysis. Then once we're done we can put it back, call it an act of good faith and it might even buy us some brownie points with the locals."
Richard nodded considering the suggestion. While he was hesitant to put the team at unnecessary risk he understood their desire to see their previous leader returned, even empathised with it. He held a lot of respect for Doctor Weir and in the very least, if it turned out she was an impostor then the threat was better dealt with sooner rather than later.
"Colonel Sheppard," he lifted his gaze to the unusually refrained man, "you've barely said a word on the matter either way. I'm curious to hear what you think?"
Teyla watched her friend carefully, concerned when he gave no acknowledgement of the question. Since the infirmary he'd withdrawn, losing the ambition that had driven him back on the planet and she feared the response was his way of isolating himself from the situation.
"John?" She spoke gently, relieved when he snapped out of the trance like state.
"Sorry, what?"
He took a moment to catch up to the current line of conversation, unnerved by the multiple eyes searching him for a reaction. "I ah... we should-" he coughed clearing his throat, "I'm sure you'll make the right call..."
The tension in the small room suddenly became suffocating and he directed his gaze to the table's surface. Clearly they'd been expecting a different response but he couldn't bring himself to give one. If it wasn't her, if she was just another fabrication the pain would be unbearable and if it was the 'real' Elizabeth, what if she never remembered? Or worse he lost her again? It would destroy him.
Either way his heart had already been busted wide open and he didn't know if finding her was worth the risk of damaging it beyond repair.
Woolsey took a steady breath, clasping his hands together over the table. Clearly the Colonel wasn't going to offer him any further clarification and the other has already put forward more than enough information for him to consider. "Okay people, with that in mind I'll have my decision within the hour. You're all dismissed."
John was the first one up, pushing his chair back with a loud scrape. He needed to get out, find some breathing space but as he broke through the control room he found the escape short lived.
"What the hell was that!"
Rodney appeared at his side and John sped up unwilling to antagonise the situation, "not now McKay."
Despite his warning the scientist kept pace, failing to see the reason behind his friends sudden dismissal of the situation. When they'd come through the gate his determination had bordered on obsessive and now it seemed like he couldn't care less.
"Look, I know this thing with Elizabeth hasn't been easy-" he reached the stairs less than a step behind John, letting his protests fall freely, "but you can't just give up, not when-"
"Stop it, just stop!"
John spun around angrily, gripping the banister to keep from losing his balance, "I'm sorry okay? I'm sorry that I left her behind and I'm sorry that you think I'm giving up but I can't- " he swallowed sharply, realising the attention he was drawing from above. Three or four people had stopped to witness the heated exchange but he ignored their presence, lowering his voice to just above a whisper, "I can't keep losing her Rodney, I won't go through that again."
McKay opened his mouth but the sound lodged in his throat, faltering under the subtle gaze of the control room. He knew the Colonel harboured an immense amount of guilt over losing Elizabeth, they all did himself included, but the way Sheppard's eye's brimmed with unresolved regret it alluded to something more and the revelation slammed him hard from every unsuspecting angle.
John had cared about her, beyond that of simple friendship.
God, it was so obvious. "I'm so sorry, I... I didn't realise-" he stuttered, lacking the words to defend his ignorance. The fact the man buried his emotions deeply beneath the surface was no excuse, he should have noticed. At some point over the years he should have seen it.
"Yeah well," John breathed out feeling his anger dissipate in a wave of exhaustion, "I guess that makes two of us."
"You didn't-" Rodney stopped, the answer to his question written clearly all over his friends face. He hadn't realised either. "You know there's still a chance," he tried again, stating the fact softly, "we could still get her back."
John didn't comment, raising his hand from the banister in order to turn around. He was done with slim chances. After having his heart ripped out of his chest more times that he could count, he'd learnt his lesson the hard way; Elizabeth was gone.
Rodney watched him leave choking back the response in his throat. It was a rare occasion for him to concede to dropping a subject but it was rarer still for him to witness a man breaking right before his eyes. There was nothing he could do. His friend would continue to drown in regret unless they miraculously brought Elizabeth home and even then there were no guarantees.