Stargate Atlantis – The Report (the informal part)

Disclaimer: I own nothing, I just want to play with a few marvellous characters for a while.

Thank you for inventing them so that the rest of us can enjoy them.

Characters: Team Sheppard, Keller, Lorne, Woolsey, Zelenka, OC

Spoilers: If you look hard enough there are minor, very minor, ones

Time: Early season 5

"The Report" is finally complete.

I am truly sorry it has taken me so long (SEVEN years since I started) but it got away from me and it took a while to catch up with it. I really hate it when people leave uncompleted things behind so I decided that one way or another I was going to finish this.

If anyone feel up to the challenge of betaing this or know someone else who could. I would be forever grateful for the help! (PM me). I have tried to minimize the faults but I know grammar is not my strength.

Chapters 1 – 11 has been edited and, to some extent, rewritten to fit with the newer ones. I would like to thank the people who followed this and reviewed so long ago, this is for you ;)

Just so that I'm not confusing anyone; the italic paragraphs are flashbacks and the / paragraphs are pieces of a mission report.

Please forgive me; I've been away from SGA for so long this might be out of character.

One more thing; I'm pretending the report consists of one part strictly following protocol (formal writing) and one part where the team members are expressing themselves. Since I'm no good at writing formally, plus the fact that it would be a boring story, I'm focussing on the latter part.

OOOOOO

Chapter One – Home Sweet Home

John Sheppard shifted slightly where he lay in the high grass and gasped at the discomfort it caused him. He took a shallow breath and let his eyes sweep over the filthy field bandages on his torso and then at his battered P90, clipped to his vest. He wiped his sweaty forehead and shivered slightly due to the fever he had developed. Fighting to keep his eyes open he stared at the heavy rain clouds clinging to the sky above him.

Only moments ago Wraith had been everywhere and he didn't doubt for a second that more would come. However, this time, when they did come back, he wouldn't live to tell anyone what happened.

John Sheppard suddenly chuckled at the irony of the situation. They were out of ammunition, out of water, injured, filthy and dirty. It had begun as a simple away mission. They were going to restore communications with the Acclosians; a simple but friendly people that Teyla knew well.

He had met them once during a festival in the Athosian Camp but he had never visited their home world. Had he known what awaited them he would never have left Atlantis without escorts.

Ronon surreptitiously scanned the surrounding area as he sat on the ground next to Rodney at the DHD. His hand never left Rodney's P90, he'd drained the power cell of his blaster and, frankly, he couldn't even begin to remember when it had last happened. Annoyed he waved away a fly from his sweaty face and glared at the scientist who sat cross-legged beside him, studying the burned-out circuitry of the DHD. "Are you done?" he asked grumpily.

McKay bumped his head on the console as he rose from his cramped position. Grimacing in pain he reached up with his hand to rub his forehead and when he finally turned to Ronon the Satedan could easily see the exhaustion and annoyance blending together on his face.

"Look, I'm working as fast as I can," he answered testily. "This is a delicate piece of equipment."

"I don't care how delicate it is, McKay," Ronon warned, his patience running low.

Rodney stopped what he was doing and stared at him, turning from annoyed to unbelieving. "Look, you Neanderthal, I can't just snap my fingers…" he began sarcastically.

Sheppard watched them tiredly from his position. "Guys," he warned.

Keller stood up and slowly made her way over to him with a concerned look on her bruised and battered face. Sheppard raised his bandaged and blood stained hand to wave her away.

"I'm fine," he said simply, his flushed face and dull eyes giving away his lie.

"In translation that means near death," Rodney cut in. "Just like me," he added sourly.

"Hey!" Sheppard protested.

Teyla moved to stand but the crushed nerve ends in her foot screamed in protest and she was forced to sit down again. She bit her lower lip willing for the pain to go away; Keller had already given her as much painkillers as she dared. The Athosian sighed and scanned the area and took comfort in the fact that they seemed to be alone at the gate. Ronon had obviously come to the same conclusion as he moved over to Sheppard and Keller to see if he could help in some way.

Rodney glanced at the rest of them sadly and sat down next to the dialling the device once again. He felt light-headed and ill as he reached for the control crystals. He hadn't eaten anything in days; still he swallowed the bile rising in his throat.

Jennifer kneeled at Sheppard's side and reached out to touch the blood-colored bandage on his torso. "John, this is bad," she said softly.

"You don't look like sunshine either, Doc," he replied tiredly.

She gave him an exhausted smile and closed her eyes momentarily. She felt a steady hand on her shoulder and opened them again. "I'm fine," she said reassuringly, answering his unspoken question.

"I believe that's my catch phrase," John said with a twinkle in his eye as he heard the familiar whooshing of the active Stargate.

"The gate…is…active." Rodney informed.

Ronon quickly got up. "Let's get out of here," he said.

OOOOOO

Woolsey jumped slightly where he stood, on the balcony, overlooking the Stargate. He felt a flicker of hope as the chevrons lit up, one by one, to finalize a dialling sequence. He remembered how tense and worried Doctor Weir had been when one of the teams had missed checking in as he had been visiting as an IOA liaison. Back then he had been a member of the IOA committee so he hadn't felt connected to anyone on Atlantis at the time. Now he found himself standing on the gateway to the late doctor's office, and after that Colonel Samantha Carter's office, with the same feeling of helplessness he knew they must have been feeling.

Early on it had been easy to blame Elizabeth Weir for all the things that had gone wrong during her leadership but since he had been approved to take over the leadership of Atlantis from Col. Carter he was slowly beginning to understand the tremendous workload and responsibility that followed with it.

Chuck quickly checked for an Iris code but there was none, ruefully he looked at Woolsey. "No IDC," he reported.

"Give it a moment," the former IOA representative said. "Please let it be them," he added under his breath.

Major Lorne came jogging down the flights of the hangar bay and moved to stand next to Chuck. "What's going on?" he asked.

Woolsey held up his hand, not able to bring himself to speak at the moment.

"Sir," Evan began with forced politeness. "I don't care what IOA says about the matter, I know they are alive somewhere on the planet. I refuse to believe anything else. Let me go back there, I'll take two teams with me…"

Woolsey tore his eyes from the blueness of the gate and turned to face him directly. "Major, do I need to remind you that I am in charge of this expedition. You'll do nothing without my consent," he returned.

Lorne crossed his hands over his chest, his tense shoulders hinting the irritation he felt, but he said nothing. Instead he walked over to Zelenka who was currently seated at a station behind Chuck. "Doc, how's it going with the bay doors, can we get them open?" he asked hopefully.

Woolsey took a moment to study Sheppard's SIC. The Major was a good man but he didn't know when to call it off. He lived after the motto to leave no one behind, and that was admirable, but sometimes no matter how hard it was, a few needed to be sacrificed in order to save many, that were the orders given by the IOA. They could have lost many more people during the SR mission than the two lieutenants. Lorne had argued that they should get back a second time but the Wraith had destroyed the MALP as soon as it had arrived. There had been no way to land a team on the planet.

"We have an IDC. It's Colonel Sheppard's," Chuck confirmed with a faint smile.

The gate room suddenly burst with activity at the announcement and for a brief moment Lorne and Woolsey stole a glance at each other, sharing a careful smile.

It took Lorne mere seconds to rush down the stairs to the gate. He nodded at the group of commandos standing ready and aimed his P90 at the gate, his index finger carefully resting on the trigger.

Woolsey patted Chuck on the back and activated his headset. "Medical team, please report to the gate room immediately," he said as he bounced down the stairs.

However, the relief Woolsey was feeling about getting Colonel Sheppard's team back were short-lived as he took in the state they were in. He watched as Ronon carried Teyla through the gate and felt the bile rising in his throat as he stared at the poor woman's foot. He had no choice but to look away as he begin to feel light-headed, he had never been good with blood.

When he finally had the courage to turn back again he saw Keller struggle with McKay. The man seemed totally out of it and the little doctor didn't look much better.

Having arrived promptly, Doctor Cole was now hovering over Teyla, who had been placed on a gurney.

Confused as he couldn't see Colonel Sheppard anywhere he walked up to where Keller was gently relaying information to her medical staff.

"Where's the rest of the…" Woolsey trailed off as Ronon reappeared with Sheppard leaning heavily on him. That the latter was even conscious was beyond him.

Their clothes had been thorn, stained with blood and caked with dust; they all looked like walking dead.

"I need some help here!" Ronon shouted as Sheppard closed his eyes, his body starting to go slack.

Somewhat in shock, Richard walked straight up to Ronon and the Colonel, his face full of concern. He looked from the big Satedan to Atlantis Military Commander. "What happened out there?" he finally managed.

OOOOOO

To be continued

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