The Ever Living Ones

Disclaimer: All rights and copyright to 'Stargate Atlantis' and its characters belong to MGM etc No profit is made for its creation or sharing blah, blah, blah; please don't sue me, me just a poor ickle lustmuppet who wants to 'play' in your sandbox for a bit. I'm just 'borrowing' them for a little fun and frolicks (wonders if she can keep Carson and anyone will notice????).

Summary: Beckett and Sheppard share something in common, a little innocuous gene, who'd have it would have gotten them into so much trouble.

Warnings: Nothing to overly strong, but I do whump poor Carson quite a bit and Shep a little and there will be the odd bit of language, though not strong or frequent.

Chapter 1

The forest was quiet, peaceful almost. Moments before the air had been filled with a cacophony of bird song. Now it was almost as if they listened, waiting for something to happen. Out from under the heavy canopy of trees, the ground opened up into a clearing, its farthest most edge inclining to meet sheer cliffs. An intricate series of patterns decorated every inch of the rock surface, worn smooth in places from centuries of wind and rain.

At the centre of the ancient carvings the patterns spiralled inward, circling around each other. Beneath its swirling mass the solid rock began to rumble and shriek, chippings breaking loose, scattering down the incline. A moment later the surface shimmered and erupted into life, spewing out the powerful, water like vortex before settling back into a serene pool of shimmering blue. Where once there had been rock now stood an open stargate.

The event horizon remained calm for a moment, before the stillness was shattered by a body ejected from its depths. The lifeless form hit the steep incline with a bone jarring crunch and tumbled unstopped to the base of the cliff. A second later it was followed by another body tumbling down behind, skidding to a stop almost on top of the first. For a heartbeat the blue surface settled to a soft shimmer, then evaporated, disappearing into its stone hiding place.

The day had begun with the promise of so much potential and turned into a nightmare. Dr. Elizabeth Weir had been in her element, truth be told she still was, but not under the circumstances anyone would have wished for.

So far the Atlantis expedition had either tested her convictions to the limit, or made the diplomat feel like a spare, unneeded part; a square peg in a round-hole and decidedly uncomfortable. She envied John, and the men and women that followed him through the gate. They had a purpose; they were doing what they had come here to do. Elizabeth on the other hand, felt like she'd done little more then wave goodbye and put on a show pretending to play leader.

Making decision that effected people lives was not what Elizabeth had in mind when agreeing to lead the expedition. Stupid really to be blinded by the excitement of adventure and discovery when she knew intellectually as a leader you had to make hard decisions. Real decisions, not decisions put down on paper that could easily be erased and renegotiated. As a diplomat decisions that effected people's lives where merely numbers, statistics. As a leader you didn't negotiate with a person's life, because there were faces to go with the numbers. She envied John that too, the ability to make the hard choices and live with them.

But today she could be a diplomat once more. Elizabeth felt a weight lift off her shoulders as she escorted the Nian ambassador around the command centre, explaining about the City and how they'd come to take up residence. Unlike most of the cultures encountered thus far, the Nian were easily on a technological level comparable with Earth's. In fact the more the Nian ambassador spoke, the more she believed they were not only on the same level, but possibly more advanced and would make valuable allies.

This was her chance to make good on the promises she'd made herself and to those under her command. The Nian as allies would be a big step in solving so many of their troubles, basic supplies being but one of many on a long list. But more importantly, convincing the Nian to ally themselves with Atlantis would be fulfilling her purpose, her goals.

Those goals were almost within her grasp when the alarms sounded for unscheduled off-world activation. Nothing particularly unusual, several teams were out on routine missions and due for regular check-ins, not least of which AG1 who were busy making their own assessments of the Nian home world, including several scientists and with a little persuasion, Dr. Beckett.

Despite her apprehension Dr. Weir took a moment to look around with pride at the various control centre personnel sitting calmly waiting, aware of their guests. The wormhole connected, moments later followed by the energy shield snapping into place. Dr. Peter Grodin walked smoothly to the laptop which confirmed IDC's, his stoic face showing none of the apprehension he always felt with unscheduled gate activation. Peter's unease grew when no IDC confirmation appeared on the screen.

"I'm not receiving a...." The radio clicked a hail, waiting for the transmission to be accepted.

It was one of the gate teams off world, glancing across the room the scientist took a note of the glyphs glowing ominously on the DHD, recognising the address immediate. Peter caught Weir's gaze as he moved to open the channel. They shared a brief look as the weapons expert turned his concentration to the control console.

Weir nodded silently to Peter as the Asian scientist retook his customary seat and typed in commands to activate two-way communication.

"This is Atlantis."

"Dr. Weir, this is Lieutenant Ford." The sound of Ford's young but steady voice sent a thrill of adrenaline surging through Elizabeth bloodstream, the tension level in the room shooting up a notch or two. The Nian ambassador moved to stand by Weir; she paid him no heed for the moment but caught the confused look on the man's face.

"Go ahead Lieutenant."

"Ma'am, we have a problem."

To Be Continued...