Valleya -- Journeys into Other Worlds

Stargate Atlantis Fanfiction

Summary: A tag scene to the episodes, The Storm and The Eye. 
In the aftermath of the mega-storms that hit Atlantis, Sheppard and Zelenka talk.

Main Characters: Sheppard and Zelenka

Word count: ~2500

Rating: G (not even any bad words!  LOL!)

A/N: This was written for the sga genficathon on lj as a pinch hitter so it's not very long, but long enough for a tag.



Dr. Radek Zelenka whistled quietly as he stared at the spray of bullet holes puncturing the wall along the corridor to Grounding Station #3 and wondered if they had come from Major Sheppard's P90 or from the opposing Genii forces out to kill him.  He'd heard stories from the others about the Genii attempted takeover of Atlantis the night before, but to see the evidence firsthand made it very real.

After a moment, he continued on to the grounding station.  The toolkit he carried in one hand felt heavy; the cup of coffee he held in the other was hot.  Coffee at this hour of the night was a necessary evil since it was after 3AM and he still had much left to do.  He'd spent most of his time since his return from Manara doing damage assessment and organizing repair crews.  There were huge sections of the east pier that were badly flooded by the onslaught of the two combined hurricanes.  It would take weeks, if not months, before the areas would be back in full working order again.

This section of the city was pretty remote and he hadn't seen anyone since he'd left the transporter.  Then again, at that hour, he wouldn't expect to see many people out and about.  It was kind of eerie walking the empty corridors, as if he half expected to see the ghosts of those dead Genii solders wandering the halls.  He started humming to himself just to make some noise as he stepped out onto the platform, but stopped when he saw the view from the grounding station. 

The sight was breathtaking with the full moon above and the shimmering ocean below.  Once again he had to remind himself how lucky he was to actually live at a place as wondrous as Atlantis.  There was a light breeze coming from the northeast and he could see clouds in the distance.  Another storm was brewing on the horizon, but it wasn't expected to have much power. 

He set down his cup of coffee and toolbox, then pulled out a large flashlight, turning it on as he knelt to assess the damage of the main control console.  He heard a noise from the other side of the console and tensed.  Automatically, his grip on the heavy flashlight shifted and he hefted it more as a weapon than a tool, not that it would offer him much protection.  Radek peered over the edge and saw Major John Sheppard step out of the shadows of the outer platform area just below him.

"Major Sheppard?" Radek asked with a startled tone.  "I am sorry for disturbing you.  I didn't think anyone would be out here at this hour."

Sheppard smiled, but it was only a glimpse of a smile.  The man looked tired and pale, but that could have just been the moonlight reflecting off the water.  He looked up at Zelenka and shrugged.  "Funny, I had thought the same thing myself.  Didn't mean to startle you, Radek."

Radek rubbed the back of his neck, still feeling a brief adrenaline surge.  "What – what are you doing out here, if I may ask?"

Sheppard stepped from the balcony's extended ledge and over the short railing onto the balcony itself.  Radek thought the man moved a little stiffly, but after everything Sheppard had been through, he wasn't surprised. 

"I was just getting some night air before turning in."

Radek frowned.  "But it is very late for you, no?  From what I hear, you are always up before dawn running.  It seems you never sleep."

Sheppard rolled his eyes a little. "Well, I wouldn't go quite that far.  I sleep, but I can get by on very little if I have to."

Zelenka studied him for a long moment, his alarm fading.  Now, curiosity had set in.  "Do you have to tonight?"

"So it would seem," Sheppard said, his daze going distant.  He blinked a couple of times and asked, "Besides, haven't you been up for nearly twenty-four hours, too?"

Radek made a face and nodded.  "Yes, but I was not involved in all the drama that you, Rodney and Dr. Weir faced."

Sheppard made a small dismissive motion with one hand, then changed the subject.  "What are you doing out here anyway?"

Radek looked down at the main control console for the grounding station.  "Ah, yes, well, I'm here to see about the repairs Rodney started last night – or earlier tonight – depending on how you look at it."  Radek took a deep breath.  "Between the transfer of personnel to Manara and back home again, my internal time clock is way off."

He thought back to the expedition's mass exodus to Manara and back.  The trip was stressful and hectic for everyone concerned, especially not knowing whether they'd be returning to Atlantis or not, then there was so much damage that needed to be assessed and repaired after he returned. 

Realizing his attention had wandered, he looked up and saw Sheppard watching him. He rushed to reply.  "I am just taking a break.  I thought I'd come down and see for myself how much damage was actually done to this station."

Sheppard's eyebrows went up and he asked, "A break?  Doesn't sound like much of a break to me."

Radek put up a hand in Sheppard's direction.  "Trust me, Major, after spending hours in the flooded areas of the city, a breath of fresh air is a wonderful thing."

Sheppard stepped a little closer.  "How goes it with the flooded sections?  Any good news to share?"

Radek shrugged.  "It could have been much worse, but it is still a big, big mess.  I do not relish the thought of cleaning it all up.  We are still assessing the damage.  I should hear back from the rest of the teams in the next hour."

"Where's McKay?"

"Hopefully, he's in bed by now, sleeping.  Dr. Beckett's orders.  His blood pressure was running high, not to mention he's exhausted and has that bad cut on his arm.  It looked pretty nasty."

Sheppard let out a long breath, as if he felt personally responsible for Rodney's injuries and exhaustion.  Radek had never really noticed before the little ways that the major took on guilt that wasn't his.  It was just one of the many reasons why the Atlantis expedition members admired the man so much. 

Their silence became a little awkward, so Radek said, "I merely wanted to see with my own eyes if the damage here was as extensive was Rodney had said it was."

When Sheppard looked at him with an unspoken question on his lips, Radek smiled.  "You know Rodney, he has that uncanny ability to exaggerate the truth, especially when the story has been told more than once."

Sheppard chuckled, despite his quiet mood, and nodded.  "Yes, he does have that tendency."

"Tendency?" Radek asked, then went on to say, "I'd say he's almost obsessive-compulsive when it comes to things like that, but that's just my opinion."

Radek's gaze dropped back down to the grounding station's main console in front of him, his fingers sliding over the numerous bullet holes present and he shook his head, glancing up at Sheppard.  "You were very lucky to make it out of this alive."

"Luckier than the bad guys at least," Sheppard said, then paused, and his gaze went distant for a moment.  When he glanced over at Radek again, his focus was back, and he looked a little uncomfortable that Radek was watching him.  The major cleared his throat and asked, "What's it look like?"

Radek knelt and shone his flashlight to illuminate more of the damaged console's inner wiring.  He examined the switch and its crystals. He licked his lips and glanced up at Sheppard.  "This console was hit hard between the storm and the hail of bullets.  It is amazing that the coupling mechanism was able to separate the grounding rods and deactivate the station."

Sheppard nodded, rubbing the back of his neck.  "Yeah, McKay saved the day once again," he paused and shot Radek a narrow gaze.  "Wait... you promise you're not gonna tell McKay I said any of this, right?"

Radek broke into a big smile.  "I promise – trust me, my silence will be for purely selfish reasons."

Sheppard stepped close enough to put his hands on the console.  "Do you think this station is salvageable?"

Radek's fingers traced Rodney's repairs in the damaged wiring, then he looked at the areas not yet reconnected.  "Yes, yes, it shouldn't involve too much work, although Rodney said it just would never be of any use again.  Again with the drama."

Radek pulled out one of the Ancient hand tools, something akin to a power screwdriver, but configured for their systems, and removed two of the outer panels to get better access to the damaged area.  "I don't know how Rodney was able to work in the rain and wind and in the dark to patch it together as well as he did, especially with a gun held to his head and a tsunami approaching."

Sheppard's expression faded a little, as if a pained edge were added to the tired lines in his face.  The major cleared his throat and said, "McKay was very motivated – as in self preservation for himself and Dr. Weir – not to mention saving all of Atlantis... Really, Radek, don't tell him I said any of this.  It will just go to his head."

Radek grunted.  "I don't know if it is even possible for Rodney's head to get any bigger than it already is... "

Then he stopped and looked at Sheppard.  "He really did save the city from the mega-storms from hell, practically singlehanded.  If it hadn't been for you and Dr. Weir – "

The remnant of a smile that had been on Sheppard's thin lips vanished.  "We should have never been in a position where an opposing force could take over the city as easily as they did.  It won't ever happen again if I have anything to say about it."

Radek studied Sheppard's tensed jaw and said, "Whereas Rodney saved the city from the hurricanes, you saved the city from being overrun by the Genii."

Sheppard shook his head.  "I only did what needed to be done."

Radek chuffed and shook his head as he picked up another tool.  "You dispatched overwhelming odds against opposing forces with chilling grace and efficiency.  You were outnumbered... what, twelve to one?   Fending off an entire Genii army is nothing to shush about."

Sheppard's expression flashed irritated for a moment before he softened it.  "You know, you're as bad at exaggeration as Rodney ever gets.  It was only a strike force of a dozen men and they didn't have the home field advantage like I did.  Believe me, without the stalling that Rodney and Weir did, and the backup from Beckett, Ford and Teyla, things would have ended up much differently."

Radek glanced at Sheppard, studying the man's heavily stubbled face as he tried to make light of his accomplishments.  He felt unwilling to agree with the major and straightened his shoulders, facing Sheppard fully.  "But you prevented the other Genii soldiers from arriving at Atlantis.  Nearly a full company of sixty men.  Even you could not fight alone against so many.  We would have had much more significant losses on our side.  What you did was no little thing.  We would not even be having this conversation if you had failed – we would either be trapped on Manara or prisoners of the Genii... or worse, dead."

Sheppard frowned at him.  "How do you know all these details?"

Radek glanced away, slightly embarrassed, remembering how his mother had always warned him about sticking his nose into the affairs of other people.  But this had been different.  This had involved Atlantis and it was important for him to know all of the facts.  He cleared his throat, looking back at Sheppard.  "I have been talking to people.  It has been the topic on everyone's lips since we returned.  To think we almost lost the city..."

"Radek, it didn't happen.  The city is safe and everyone is pretty much okay."

Radek nodded.  Sheppard yawned and went to stretch, then flinched and carefully cradled his right shoulder.

"Major?" Radek asked in alarm.

Sheppard had already dropped his hand away.  "It's nothing.  I just hit my shoulder diving to outmaneuver a Genii soldier when I was here last.  It's okay."

Radek thought it didn't look okay.  He realized how Sheppard had been leaning a little to one side but he hadn't really noticed it until that moment.  "I don't think I even want to know what happened out here."

Sheppard closed his eyes for a brief moment and shook his head.  "No, you don't."

He raised his gaze to meet Radek's and Radek saw a myriad of emotions playing for control in the major's tight expression.  Radek stepped forward and almost put a hand on Sheppard's arm before he stopped himself.  "Are you sure you're okay?"

Sheppard nodded and turned to face the ocean again, taking a deep breath.  He pointed toward the horizon at two separate lightning storms going on.  "Mother Nature is giving us quite a sideshow."

Radek's voice was softer as he said, "It is nothing compared to last night's show."

Sheppard grunted.  "Very true."

Sheppard took a deep breath and turned to leave, his shoulders slightly slumped, his expression dark.  "Well, I've got a couple of letters to write to the families of Private Dennison and Sergeant Thomassen, the two men we lost when the Genii attacked."

"I would suggest letting it wait until morning, Major, if I may be so bold to say so.  You are sore and tired.  My people have a saying, The morning is wiser than the evening.  Perhaps it will be an easier task to tackle in the morning light."

Sheppard stopped, his expression thoughtful as he considered Radek's words, then it turned heavy again and he said, "Maybe.  Good night, Radek."

He left, but his presence lingered on the balcony.  Radek wondered if he'd ever really get to know the man who was Major John Sheppard.  He was such a dichotomy of conflicting facets – from the strength of his Ancient gene to his easygoing manner with the people under his command to his rumored Special Ops background to his piloting skills and finally his survival rate involving his many encounters with the Wraith – and now it appeared he was weathering an internal storm of emotions.

The tempest in the distance caught Radek's gaze as a third lightning storm began and he thought of the maelstrom so apparent inside Sheppard's heart.  With a sigh, Radek decided they could all do without so many storms, then he turned back to the main console again, and began his repairs.