Title: Long Time Gone

Author: Lorr

Genre/Rating: H/C, Drama

Characters: Sheppard, Beckett, McKay, Weir, Ronon, Teyla, minor Zelenka

Disclaimer: The Stargate universe and characters belong to a whole bunch of people that are not me. I'm here to play.

Spoilers: This takes place between McKay & Mrs. Miller and Tao of Rodney, so there are some spoilers right up to that point, but mostly seasons 1 & 2. This story is based on events in at least one episode.

Warning: There is what might be felt as a character death, but it will depend on your point of view. I cannot give details here because it would reveal an important story element.

Note: I reference another story I wrote, Falling, but it is not really necessary to read it. I think there is sufficient information here to let you know what happened. (Even though I would love for you to read Falling, too!)

Reviews are always appreciated. Please be honest. Thank you for reading. I hope you enjoy it.

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"What do you think?" Sheppard looked over McKay's shoulder.

The video feed from the MALP indicated the Gate was situated just outside of the remains of a city. McKay slowly panned the camera through ninety degrees left and right then in an upward arc. The Gate seemed to be about a hundred yards from the closest buildings. It appeared the nearest were in worse shape than those further in. The proximity, however, made it impossible to estimate how big the city had been. The Ancient records suggested it was once substantial. Well, more substantial than most seen so far in this galaxy.

McKay maneuvered the MALP so that it moved away from the Gate and turned a full circle, allowing them to see more of the surroundings. A handful of crumbling structures lay further out on a plain. Several miles away, a narrow mountain range seemed to rise straight up several thousand feet from the otherwise flat landscape.

As the MALP's camera revealed more of the area, a slight frown passed over Sheppard's face. Something was vaguely familiar about the planet. He quickly dismissed the notion. They'd seen many planets with ruins in Pegasus, a lot of them only from the MALP's perspective. Well, he supposed, since the Ancients seeded or lived on at least some of these planets, there was bound to be a few similarities in the architecture.

McKay zoomed the camera to its maximum and peered closely at the image.

"Rodney?"

"Hmm?" He instructed the camera to pan back to the city then glanced up at the Colonel. "Oh, yes, yes. We have to go check this one out. The little I've found in the database so far indicates that Ancients did indeed live here. There's also a low level energy reading so the place probably had some fairly advanced technology. We might actually find something worthwhile, for once."

His voice reflected hope along with some of the frustration he felt at the long run of possibilities that ended with nothing to be shown for their efforts. The expedition all too often found that locations holding promise of Ancient technology yielded little or nothing of value. In most cases, the only treasure was the text inscribed on disintegrating ruins. While Atlantis still held secrets enough to keep them busy for years, the hunt for technology in the rest of Pegasus was disappointingly near fruitless.

"Any life signs?" Sheppard asked, trying to read the display on the monitor.

McKay typed a command and studied the readout. "Nope. At least, nothing of any size. Maybe some insects."

"Bugs?"

"Tiny insects." The astrophysicist responded to something he heard in his friend's voice. He then grimaced and muttered, "That probably sting."

"Okay." Sheppard cleared his throat and nodded, barely disguised relief on his face. He turned to the woman standing beside him. "Elizabeth?"

She tried to hide her smile. "You have a go."

----------

One scientist and two technicians followed Sheppard's team and two units of four Marines each through the Gate on M5R-749 to a sunny, warm day. Something not really noticeable on the video transmitted by the MALP was the abundance of miniature wildflowers amongst the grasses that grew there. A gentle breeze caused the slightest swaying, making the colors ripple. It might have been spring.

The party stopped briefly to survey the city. It was larger than it appeared through the MALP's camera. It was by no means as large as the city on Doranda, but thousands of people once lived and thrived here. The plains would have provided ample farming land to support them.

Sheppard looked at McKay, who activated a handheld sensor as soon as he emerged from the Gate. "Rodney?"

The chief scientist scowled at the sensor, turning one way then the other. He began to walk, following an energy reading to its source. Without looking at Sheppard he said, "This way."

As they passed the DHD, the Colonel signaled the Marines to take up flanking positions. Four of the men peeled off in pairs while two remained at the Gate. The Marines moving with the team stayed within easy reach of their commander, carefully scanning the area for unwanted company as they went. Teyla took up position near the scientists and technicians while Ronon brought up the rear with two of the Marines. The further into the city the team walked, the more they all realized just how alone they were. The only other movement they saw was that of the insects, tiny life forms flying from one flower to the next. It appeared that no-one had visited this planet for many years.

"Oh, great, this is all I need." McKay sniffed then wrinkled his nose. He glanced over and saw Sheppard's quizzical expression and emitted a small high-pitched sneeze. "Pollen. I do have allergies, you know."

After a second sneeze, McKay stopped and fished a small packet out of a vest pocket. He tore it open, popped the two white tablets it contained into his mouth and swallowed them with water from his canteen. He cleared his throat and drank more water before putting the canteen away and moving on.

The others waited patiently, knowing that unless McKay got the allergy attack under control, he would be miserable. McKay having a bad day was not a fun prospect.

As they walked, the team noticed something ominous. Most of the buildings appeared to have deteriorated due to great age. There were pockets, though, that indicated sudden, violent destruction. They could not see scorch marks or detect direct evidence of actual explosions, but the pattern of damage was unmistakable against the relative soundness of the remaining structures. Weathering would have erased the signs, but it was apparent that a battle occurred at some time long in the past.

After more than half an hour of winding through wide streets, McKay stopped in front of a three story building defining one side of a decent sized square. He frowned, turned away and then back again. It was nondescript compared to what the structures around it must have been like at their glory. He moved to go in, hesitated, then turned to Sheppard and tilted his head towards the doorway. There were no windows on the outer wall. Except for the sunlight cast near the door from the outside, it was dark in the interior.

"Here. There are multiple energy readings, and one is coming from this place."

"Okay. Stay out here." Sheppard flipped a switch on his P-90 and the light came on as he approached the door. Teyla stepped in next to him. The room was small, but opened out into what appeared to be a larger space through a doorway inside. They slowly entered and examined the walls, but there was nothing to be seen. Any decoration that might have existed faded away long ago.

The space was square and about thirty feet on each side, the ceiling ten or so feet high. Sheppard walked one way around the perimeter, shining the light slowly up and down. Teyla started in the other direction. McKay, unable to wait any longer, pushed his way past a technician and turned on his own flashlight. He quickly toured the room, keeping an eye on the sensor as he walked. Sheppard and Teyla finished their walk around the perimeter and stopped to watch him.

"This is odd." The astrophysicist stood in the middle of the room, pointing the sensor this way and that. The others could see a deep frown on his face in the wash of the flashlights.

"What?" Sheppard looked around the room again.

"There's a low level energy reading here, but it's diffuse. It doesn't seem to be coming from any specific point." He slowly turned on the spot as he aimed the sensor at the floor then the ceiling. "Is there any sign of controls or anything?"

"The walls are quite bare, Rodney. I see nothing." Teyla answered.

Sheppard took one more look around then started for the door. "Same here. Maybe it's on the other side of the wall or on anther floor. Come on."

Outside, he stepped back and checked out the building again. He waved Teyla and Ronon over. "You guys go that way. Take Simmons, Marks and Jensen. We'll head around this way. Be careful."

"If you find anything, let me know immediately. Do not touch it!" McKay sternly admonished the tech holding another sensor.

"Yes, Dr. McKay. Don't worry." One of them answered as they walked away.

"Come on, Rodney." Sheppard walked the opposite direction. McKay and Lindsay, the other technician, followed him. Sgt. Roland brought up the rear.

There were four more entrances to the building. They led to rooms covering the rest of the ground floor and stairs to the upper floors. All of the rooms were empty, anything left behind ten thousand years ago disintegrated and turned to dust. In the last room on the ground floor, McKay found the most probable source of the energy reading.

Part of the outer wall had fallen, allowing light to stream in. At first it, too, seemed empty, but on closer inspection, the internal wall, backing onto the large room they entered from the square, appeared to be faintly etched with Ancient symbols. A slightly raised rectangle with beveled edges centered in the wall held the most promise.

McKay frowned with disappointment at the condition of the room before approaching the panel. He slowly moved the sensor across the wall then pulled off his backpack. Lindsay, one of the techs, scurried forward with his pack already open.

Sheppard tapped his transceiver. "Teyla, Ronon, we found what might a control room of some kind at the southeast corner. Check out the rest of the building on your way here."

"Will do." Ronon's deep voice replied.

----------

"What did you do?" The astrophysicist glared at Marks then at the glowing, humming panel set in the wall.

"I…It was an accident, Dr. McKay. I was just trying to remove some of the dirt."

"We don't know what it is. Turn it off."

"Yes, Sir. Sorry." The hapless technician touched the panel again. Nothing happened. He pushed on the symbol more firmly. Still nothing. He frantically studied the panel and his data pad.

"Oh, for crying out loud. You are supposed to translate, not touch." McKay walked over and studied the symbols on it for a few seconds then pressed three in sequence. The hum and glow died away. He looked at the technician again, his face and voice leaving no doubt as to his anger. "This is the kind of thing that gets people killed! Don't touch anything unless I say so. Got it?"

The technician nodded meekly as McKay walked away, muttering to himself. "Why do they insist on sending me these morons?"

Sheppard turned away from the scientists to look at the sky. The room containing the symbols was really only half a room. A large chunk of outer wall, including the ceiling and wall from the floor above, had long since collapsed. It appeared the damage was caused by an attack of some kind. There was sufficient cover, though, to protect the panel from the worst of the elements.

He put on his sunglasses and walked out into the bright light. They'd been here for several hours and he was tired of standing around. One of the downsides of these little forays was the boredom. The Marines were patrolling the perimeter, a couple of them carrying life signs detectors as an added precaution. Now they just had to wait for the scientists to give up on finding anything of value or the sun to set. It appeared that no matter what, they would be back tomorrow.

Sheppard looked over his shoulder at McKay and sighed. The astrophysicist had gone back to whatever he was doing before the interruption. Simmons and Lindsay quietly worked on equipment he didn't recognize and Marks returned to transcribing the symbols on a data pad. They would definitely be back tomorrow. Three-quarters of the city was still waiting to be searched after Rodney and his people finished here.

----------

The sound started so quietly that it was several seconds before it registered with any of the away team. It grew closer and louder with each of those seconds. As each team member heard it, though, they immediately knew what made that noise.

"Col. Sheppard." Teyla's voice sounded in his ear. It was low but full of alarm.

"Incoming Wraith cruiser!" One of the Marines said urgently into his transceiver. He was trying not to shout, but the fear was audible.

Two or three Darts coming through the Gate was one thing. A cruiser that carried God knows how many Darts as well as the fire power of its own weaponry was entirely different. It was time to go, and fast.

"Leave it and head to the Gate! Now!" Sheppard ordered. He glared at the scientists as they started to pack up. They stopped packing and grabbed only laptops and datapads. "How far, Sergeant?"

"It's moving slowly, Sir. Three minutes, four max."

Everyone ran except Sheppard, leaving the rest of their equipment to its fate. He took two grenades from his TAC vest as they disappeared. McKay looked at the grenades as he ran by the Colonel. He cringed inwardly at the thought of losing the equipment, but they were at least five minutes from the Gate at a flat out run. There was no time to argue.

"Keep going! Make sure they get to the Gate." Sheppard yelled at Ronon, Teyla and two Marines as they ran toward him. They barely slowed down. As soon as everyone was clear, Sheppard pulled the pins and threw the grenades into the room then took off. Seconds later there was a satisfying explosion followed by the sound of falling debris.

The whine of the ship grew louder, drowning out the pounding of running feet but not the sound of hearts beating faster with effort and fear. Sheppard saw two Marines turn out of a side street and head for the Gate at full speed. Moments later two more sprinted out of the building where they had been keeping watch from the roof. One indicated that they, and Sheppard, were bringing up the rear. When they slowed down so that their commander would be ahead of them, he waved them on.

The first blast happened faster than Sheppard hoped it would. He assumed the Wraith detected either the humans or the explosion or both. It was far short, but the ground rocked anyway. Another, much closer, hit followed a second later. The next was somewhere ahead of him. He thought he heard a shout.

Sheer terror kept McKay moving faster than he thought possible. The sound of the approaching ship made him almost forget his racing heartbeat and straining lungs and Lindsay's pounding feet in front of him. As he glanced back, he could see Simmons' face, both white with terror and flushed with effort. Somewhere in the back of his mind, McKay knew his own face was the same.

He glanced over his shoulder again at the sound of an explosion, the shockwave causing him to falter. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Simmons falling sideways, knocked off his feet by the blast.

"Keep moving." Ronon shouted as he veered off to pick up the fallen man.

"Computer! We can't leave it behind." McKay ran toward Ronon, who picked up the data pad and tossed it at him. He barely caught it, juggling both his own and Simmons' pads as he turned to continue the flight. He was relieved to see that someone had dialed the Gate. The wormhole formed as yet another blast hit a building ahead and to the left.

A new sound emerged from the din, higher pitched, more urgent. Darts. Without wanting to, everyone looked skyward then tried to make burning muscles work even faster.

The Satedan swung the limp man over his should in one smooth movement then began to run again. He soon passed McKay. "Faster, McKay!"

Sheppard stopped and fired his P-90 at an approaching Dart. A small puff of smoke appeared from one wing and it veered off. He threw a glance at two of the Marines, who were half carrying a limping Sgt. Roland. They disappeared around the corner of the building. Sheppard fired again then rushed to follow.

Even though the cruiser was out of sight, the roar of the engines was almost deafening. He heard other weapons firing in the direction of the Gate and hoped Teyla and the Marines were clearing the way to safety. He still had a long way to go.

"Go!" He dropped behind a pile of rubble next to two young Marines. They had taken up this position to cover the retreat and Sheppard on their six. "Now! Make sure the others get to the Gate."

"Sir!" They hesitated.

"I'm right behind you. Go!"

The young men took off, keeping as low as they could. They swerved just in time as a Dart swooped by to beam them up. Sheppard fired several rounds at the fast moving craft before following them. He finally turned onto the street where he could see the Gate. It was still two hundred meters away. He saw someone stumble far ahead, possibly Marks. One Marine caught him as another fired his P-90 at a Dart.

"Take him and go." Ronon gave Simmons to two Marines to carry through. He turned to watch the rest of the team members running for their lives.

"Teyla?" He shouted over the din as he closed the distance. "Is everyone through?"

"No. Hurry! There is little time." She yelled back, watching the sky with her P-90 ready to fire.

"Where's Sheppard?" McKay slowed as he neared them.

"I see him coming, Rodney. Go."

"I should…" was all he could say before Ronon pushed him into the event horizon.

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"Atlantis, this is Vandean. We have a Wraith cruiser and several Darts on our tail. We're coming in hot!"

"It's his code. Lower the shield." Zelenka turned to the technician sitting at the Gate controls. She hit the pad and the shield dissolved.

Below, a dozen Marines were taking up position while another twenty were emerging from various corridors to add support.

Elizabeth ran from her office. "What's happening?"

"Col. Sheppard's team is under attack by a Wraith cruiser." Zelenka replied as they looked over the railing.

Lindsay was the first to come through, running as fast as he could, and skidded to a stop. He was followed seconds later by Simmons and the Marines carrying him. Moments later, McKay appeared, protesting at being pushed. They were all breathing hard from the exertion, the fear still on their faces.

Elizabeth and Zelenka ran down the stairs, but stopped several steps above the bottom as Marks stumbled through and fell sprawling across the floor. He quickly scrambled to the side. Everyone held their breath as they waited for the rest of the team. What seemed like hours later, two Marines carrying a third appeared.

Infirmary staff quickly removed the injured.

----------

Sheppard strained to see who might have gone through the Gate and who was left on this side. He hoped he counted right between avoiding fire from the cruiser and turning to shoot at the Darts. An all too familiar sound made him duck into a doorway. A millisecond later the beam from a Dart swept along the path where he had been. As it passed, he leaned out and fired. The Dart jerked then exploded.

He poked his head out just enough to check the sky then began to run again. The Gate, and safety, was just fifty meters away. Another blast from the cruiser hit close to his right, nearly knocking him off his feet. As the smoke and dust cleared, Sheppard saw three more figures disappear into the wormhole. Teyla and Ronon were the only ones he could see remaining.

"Go!" He shouted, running as fast as he could. His voice was drowned out by another explosion. This one was near the Gate, but still wide. Debris rained down on the waiting pair, but neither moved. They watched the sky for Darts, weapons tracking where their eyes scanned. Firing at the looming cruiser was useless. It was too well protected from their weapons and hovering out of range.

Sheppard closed the gap quickly. Ronon suddenly turned to Teyla and pushed her through without warning. He waited until Sheppard was just a few strides away before backing through himself, weapon still up and ready to fire. He didn't hear or see the blast that struck the ground mere steps from the Gate a moment later.

----------

Ronon emerged from the puddle and backed away from it. Almost immediately, a shower of dirt and stones followed him. Those close to the Gate scattered. The entire room fell silent except for the soft gurgling made by the event horizon. Thirty Marines, Sheppard's team, everyone waited for him to appear. Seconds ticked by with no sign of the Colonel.

"Where is he?" Elizabeth asked loudly.

Ronon scowled at the shimmering light. "Sheppard was right behind me. He had only four or five more…"

A figure suddenly burst from the puddle. He stumbled a few steps then stopped, looking around. Spotting Elizabeth at the bottom of the stairs, he blinked at her, "Dr. Weir?"

Without another word, he slowly crumpled face down to the floor. No-one moved as they stared in confusion. The Gate shutting down broke their immobility. Instantly, people were moving toward him from all directions. Ronon reached him first.

"Who is this?" McKay demanded, looking from the unconscious man to the Gate in horror. "Where's Sheppard?"

Several sets of hands gently turned him over. The face and hair were very familiar. It was the uniform. It was all wrong. Instead of the black BDUs, he wore a tan colored outfit that might have been a uniform, but no-one recognized it.

Beckett ran up with a gurney and two medical technicians.

"It's Sheppard." Ronon said as they carefully lifted the man to the gurney.

"It must be him." Beckett stated as he looked closely at his face. A long, barely healed cut ran across his cheek from near his right ear to his jaw. "He's injured. We need to get him to the infirmary."

"What happened?" Elizabeth asked as she turned to McKay.

"I don't know." McKay was at a loss. All color had drained from his face as he looked from the gurney that was disappearing down the corridor to the Gate then turned to her. "I don't know."