Author's Note: There were a lot of things about this episode that really bothered me. First and foremost was everyone running around like a bunch of moronic horror movie cliches, and secondly, they left the damn base standing. I know Carson dumped the memory, but that simple was not enough...

Revelations and Second Impressions

If Carson thought the hike from the 'gate was hell, the hike back was worse despite being downhill. A silence had settled over the group like a physical blanket as they trudged through the dimly lit pre-dawn forest. They were all exhausted from running on nothing but pure adrenaline for hours, a few short guarded hours of sleep for those that could, and then a quick MRE breakfast before they headed out. And no doubt he wasn't the only one harboring guilty thoughts over some of the events that happened and could have well been avoided.

Bloidy hell he wanted to ball his hands into fists, beat his forehead, and chant stupid stupid stupid.

But a big part of the silence was due to the body draped over the Colonel's shoulders. They had detoured to retrieve Capt. Vega – thankfully she was still were she fell and the abominations hadn't scavenged her yet. Major Teldy handed her P90 over to Sgt. Mehra and without a word knelt down and hoisted the Captain up into a fireman's carry, and when she stood she flashed Sheppard a challenging scowl. He simply drew his lips in, his eyebrows down, and nodded once. "Let's move out. I have point. Sergeant, take the six."

And those were the last words spoken. Silence was more than apt for this little funeral procession.

Carson was amazed at how long the Major carried the Captain – maybe a not quite half way to the 'gate. When her breathing became audible to everyone, and sweat was running freely down her face, Sheppard simply stopped, turned around, and faced Teldy. His expression hadn't changed, and even though he hadn't been around the man for two years – well, actually, if you looked at it technically, never until he was rescued – Carson still recognized that dogged, pissed at himself expression that meant he was beating himself raw inside over the death of someone under his command. Sheppard held his P90 out to him, and he took it with a concerned lift of his eyebrow that was just ignored. Sheppard simply jerked his chin towards the Captain, Teldy nodded, and transferred the body over. Then they moved out, not a single word exchanged, with the Major now at point.

The forest was growing lighter, and the cheerful sounds of alien birds added a bit of levity to the procession. Carson glanced at Alison – she still looked shell-shocked and a wee bit green after her first encounter with Michael's madness. He could relate, and even after two years as the maniac's prisoner, he still felt queasy at the sight of any of his lab created aberrations. She noticed him looking at her and offered a weak smile. "How are yae holding up?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

"I'm dealing," she replied just as quietly. "I've read the reports, but seeing that … insanity first hand is pretty disturbing."

"Aye, I can relate." Carson's eyes settled on the ground as the downward slope became more pronounced. He wanted to tell her she did good, but they all acted like a bunch of bloidy idiots in a low budget horror film. Him thinking he could do a better job than a trained soldier and dashing out into the fog – gyah, he was so incredibly lucky he didn't get killed. Stupid, stupid, stupid. This time he heard the reprimand in Rodney's little sing-song voice and grimaced guiltily to himself. He suspected that fog was use for more than just making the prey blind – there had to be some kind of mind altering component involved. Something to induce panic, muddled the mind, turn ordinarily level headed people into running clichés. The bloidy gas mask they found should have been a clue. He had two tightly sealed specimen jars in his pack, and when he checked before they moved out the mist was still swirling in a half a centimeter layer in the bottom of both. Those were the first things he was going to test when he got back to Atlantis.

His foot suddenly slipped in the duff as his mind was elsewhere and he slid few feet. Allison caught his arm and helped him keep his balance. He smiled at her and felt a tad embarrassed. "Thanks." She nodded back tiredly.

A half an hour later found them at the bottom of the cliff, and Sheppard called a rest break before he gently lowered Captain Vega to the ground. Rigor was starting to set in, and as they laid her on her back it took a few seconds for her to settle completely flat. Carson bit down on his lips and had to look away. He saw Allison's eyes were fixed on her teammate, her eyebrows drawn up in the middle and her eyes bright. The doctor in him took over completely and he wrapped an arm around her shoulders and gave them a brief squeeze. He heard the Sergeant snort, but he ignored it.

It was Allison's turn to say, "Thanks."

"Yuir welcome." He dropped his arm but only moved a half a step away from her. As he took a drink from his canteen he glanced around. Mehra smirked at him from where she sat, her back against a tree, eating what looked like M&M's. Sheppard and Teldy were sitting on rocks at the base of the cliff, both mirrors of exhaustion with their elbows on their knees and their heads hanging. He was certain neither one slept a wink last night. As a matter of fact, when he woke up after maybe an hour of restless sleep of his own they were both in the same position he last saw them in – each one seated at a window on opposite sides of the second story room where they made camp, both staring into the darkness with an intensity that was damn near frightening.

Sheppard stood and tucked his canteen back onto his bet. "Okay, people. Here's the plan. Sergeant, you head up first, secure the area." She nodded to him, got up, and immediately started getting into one of the climbing harnesses. "Doc's, once she's given the all clear, head on up."

Carson craned his head back. "Well, it certainly looks less intimidating from this view." The cliff face actually had a slope to it, and he couldn't see the top.

"Once you two are up, send the harnesses back down. You pull the Captain up, and the Major and I will make sure she has a smooth ride up." Major Teldy's head suddenly whipped his way, and the expression on her face seemed an equal mixture of surprise, anger, and relief. Even Sgt. Mehra seemed a bit taken back. Sheppard kept his face neutral, even when he barked out, "Get a move on, Sergeant. Time's wasting."

"Yes, Sir." She started up the slope easily – with the ropes and gear it was more like a walk up the cliff.

It took maybe a half an hour for her to reach the top and call an all clear over the radios. A few minutes later Carson found himself being helped into a harness by Sheppard. He remembered how to get into the thing from the day before, but he found the help reassuring. "You alright, John?" he asked quietly.

"Gee, I was about to ask you the same thing," Sheppard replied as he tested a carabiner.

Typical Sheppard, deflect an inquiry about his own personal being with one about yours. Carson snorted, and John's head came up. Then the man's hazel eyes crinkled faintly. "Tired, grumpy, and in need of a cold beer and a hot shower, in that order," he said.

Carson smiled. "Nailed it on the head, only a shot of single malt before the shower."

"Only a shot?" Sheppard finally grinned as he grabbed the straps over Carson's shoulders and gave them shake to make sure it was good and secure. "Don't look down and use these handles to hold yourself in place." He showed Carson how the sliding handles worked. "Just walk up the cliff. Piece of cake."

Carson saw Allison was already twenty feet up, and he paid attention on how she was using the handles. It was fairly straight forward. He looked back into John's eyes. The haunted shadow was back. "See yae at the top, John."

"Yup, see ya at the top, Carson."

It was a little trickier than Carson thought, but after about thirty feet he started to get the feel for it. Slide lock, slide lock, climb, slide lock, slide lock, climb. It turned into a rhythm, and pretty soon he was making good progress. At one point he did look down and was amazed at how far he had come, and because of the slope he could barely make out Sheppard and Teldy putting the Captain in the one harness that remained.

After an unknown time he was finally twenty feet from the top, and both Allison and Mehra were watching him from above and calling down encouragements. His radio crackled, and he heard the Colonel's drawling voice. "How ya doing there, Carson?"

"This is too much bloidy work," he gasped out. "But I'm almost there." Thirty seconds later he was there and hands were pulling him over the lip. "There. Thank God." He rolled over onto his back and panted up at the sky.

"Did pretty good there for a doc," Mehra said as she and Allison were coiling rope and getting ready to toss the harnesses back down. "Didn't know you had it in ya. I'm impressed." She snapped a pink bubble and winked at him.

"Thank you, Sergeant. Yuir a peach."

Mehra rolled her eyes and shook her head.

Carson got a few minute reprieve to rest up before being put to work again. It was a lot easier than he expected with the three of them. Sheppard and Teldy made it up the cliff in a quarter of the time he did, and when they came over the lip they were both red-faced, sweating, and panting like bellows. He immediately wondered how much of a pissing contest went on between the two. But they were true to their word – the Captain came up with hardly any dirt at all on her. Carson helped Mehra untie and carry the Captain to a shady place away from the cliff, and only then did Carson see a glint of a bright tear on the verge of falling from the tough woman. He respectfully ignored it and backed away quietly.

It took awhile to coil and pack the long ropes and gear, and after that was finished they headed for the 'gate. Sheppard once again took it upon himself to carry the Captain and the Major didn't say a word. Carson actually grunted in surprise and wondered what words were exchanged between the two on the way up. Someday he'd ask, but not today. He trudged along wearily behind him and the Major, and when they got to the 'gate a short time later, the sound of the wormhole opening was like a balm to his tired heart.

-oOo-

Major Anne Teldy thought she knew the man that was her commanding officer, but the last eighteen hours had changed her opinion several times. Oh, she knew all about how he became military leader of the expedition – a decision she knew she could make, but also one she knew would haunt her until her last breath – and heard all the stories of how he cheated death so many times from the other Marines, how he got his commission, but the first time she actually saw him on base was an utter disappointment. He seemed sloppy and undisciplined the way he just ambled around, his hands in his pockets and his hair sticking every which way in a most decidedly unmilitary cut. First impression screamed incompetent slacker, and it stuck.

But now she was wondering, and that bothered the crap out of her. When she and her team met up with him and the doctor, her opinion dropped even lower when he confessed to not knowing that her team was comprised of all women. It pissed her off royally and just confirmed her suspicion he got his silver leaf through bureaucratic bull shit and just quite possibly screwing the first leader of the expedition. Then he tried to be all charming with the eyebrows, which she'd also heard a lot about, and it took all of her control to keep from rolling her eyes.

Now looking back at the whole thing, there was something in his eyes that didn't quite match his expression. The sonuvabitch knew. He was just, what, testing her? That thought made her blood boil. She didn't need testing – she was a fucking United States Marine.

Then came the whole thing with the freaks and she saw him in action. That everybody's pal persona disappeared in a heartbeat and the change was startling. The rumors of him being in Black Ops took on some weight, and there were a couple times she lost him briefly in the fog. It had her wondering how it would be to go on a mission with him that wasn't as sideways as this one. She also got to witness that crazy-ass martyr syndrome of his, and she was still absolutely amazed he didn't get his ass blown up or torn to pieces. Because really, she was loath to admit, that would be a shame.

And how he handled Dusty…. That was pretty damn good. She had to give the man credit for sure. She'd have to try the same approach with the gung-ho soldier.

And Captain Vega. Alicia was the first she chose for her team – she had experience in the Pegasus Galaxy, she was smart, and she could shoot the nads off a gnat at two hundred yards. The freaks stole her best soldier, and her friend. She was determined to carry her all the way back to Atlantis, and she was doing so without complaint even when she was to the point of dropping herself, so when the Colonel offered to take over it was with mixed feelings. What changed her mind then was the look in his eyes. He understood. Damn, he fully understood.

It wasn't until they were alone at the bottom of the cliff and putting the harness around her friend did she finally speak. "Colonel, there are parts of this mission that I have to voice a complaint about."

"Really?" Sheppard replied in his slightly nasally tone. "What parts would that be, Major? The parts where we were running around aimlessly like a bunch of cherries with our thumbs up our asses, or the part where people died who shouldn't have?"

The words were delivered rather casually, but the anger underneath stopped Anne. She looked at the man, saw the tight line of his mouth, the veins and muscles of his neck standing out. He was furious. That made her own vision swim as her anger boiled up as she recognized the reaction. "You're taking the Captain's death personally." She couldn't stop the pissed amazement in her own voice.

"Major." The word was delivered flat and through his teeth. "I take every death under my command personally."

"She was on my team, Colonel." Anne had to take a deep breath. "And if I can speak freely, Sir, a lot of the aimless crap could have been avoided if you had kept Dr. Beckett under control. He compromised us numerous times. Sir."

Sheppard's hand came up, and he pointed at her. It took a moment for the words to come out. "Do not blame that crap on Beckett, Major. May I remind you your Doc Porter did some awful stupid shit, too." He buckled up the harness a tad forcefully. When he spoke again, his words were softer. "Besides, Carson has a heart too damn big for his own good some days. Thinks he can save everybody."

Anne wasn't going to drop it. "Well, that's very noble of him, Sir. But if he is to continue going out on missions, he needs to be retrained in military protocols." She met Sheppard's angry stare and didn't back down.

"Yes, he does need some … reminding. But in case you didn't notice, we were all ignoring protocols." He ran a hand across his lips. "I think that fog was screwing with our heads."

Anne blinked. Then thought about it, and some of her anger slacked off. "Hmm. That … makes sense. We did find gas masks in the catacombs." She mentally punched herself. "Damn. I should have made the connection. It was right there, all along. Shit."

"Me, too." He stood up and stretched his back. If his hurt half as bad as hers…. She stood and stretched, too. "Well, let's just chalk that one up as a learning experience and not make the same fucking mistake again."

"Yes, Sir."

Sheppard picked the Captain up under the armpits and set her carefully against the cliff face in a reclining position. She started to slip, and Anne joined him to help settle Alicia so she wouldn't slide anymore. "Heard she took down a dart single handedly while you guys were trying to dig my sorry ass out," he said very quietly.

"She did."

"Damn, liked to have seen that."

The waited in silence until Sergeant Mehra radioed they were sending the ropes back down. They arrived a few seconds later. After they got their harnesses on, Anne said, "So, how are we going to do this, Sir?" She had noticed that when he had retied Alicia's harness, he left a very long tail of rope, and the end leading up the cliff face was tied onto the loop on the back of her tac vest.

"Well, I had this idea…." He proceeded to weave the rope around his hips and through the carabiners, then underneath the harness and tac vest on the Captain's back, and had Anne do the same as him and tie off the end on Vega's harness. They tested the system by climbing up a little ways. As long as they kept a little tension between them, it looked like just the Captain's boot heels would be scraping rock. Sheppard looked at Anne and flashed her a quick faint grin. She gave him a grudging nod in return. Sheppard tapped his radio. "Okay, Sergeant. Nice and easy – just keep the line tight." After her reply he tapped his earpiece off.

They started up in what Anne could only describe as a Batman walk, and after a dozen feet it became apparent why the Colonel rigged the rope like he did – it kept Alicia's head from smacking against the rock. When they first started, her head fell back, but Sheppard reached down and gently moved it so she was facing the ground.

For some reason, that really touched her.

They climbed in silence, and about halfway up she glanced out of the corner of her eye at the Colonel. He was sweating just as hard as she was, his lips clamped down in concentration. If he was even half as tired – and she could already feel a tremor in her legs and arms – they were both going to be hurting units in the morning. But she was still pissed, and that's was spurred her to up the pace a little. She caught him glancing at her out of the corner of her eye and matched her. They went like that for twenty feet or so, then the Colonel was upping the pace. She matched it.

By the time they were over three-quarters of the way up their little pissing contest had them practically running. Sheppard looked over at Teldy, and between gasps he said, "You got a hot date back on base, Major?"

"No. Thought you might have one, Sir."

"Nope."

"Shame."

"Ain't it, though."

She was so happy to see the top. They both got a hand under Alicia's vest straps and made sure she was up and secure before climbing completely up and collapsing. They got all the rigging untied so Dusty and the doctor could move her out of the way. A few minutes later they were gathering up gear, and when it came time to head to the 'gate, she had no idea how she was going to carry Alicia. But the Colonel beat her to it, and as the man got to his feet with his load, all she could think was, Jesus Christ. The Colonel's the fucking Energizer Bunny in black.

By the time they stepped through the 'gate, her first impression of her CO was completely wiped from her mind.

-oOo-

By the time John stepped through the 'gate, he was more than ready to grab a cold beer, and if he could keep it cold in the shower, all the better. His back hurt, his legs were shaking, he stank, he had a headache from hell, and he wanted to shoot something.

But there was still something that needed to be done.

The Marines on guard in the Gate Room all snapped to attention when they saw he was carrying one of their own. He knelt to lay the Captain on the floor, and Major Teldy was there to help. He stood and tried to stretch the kinks out of his shoulders, and as he did so he saw Woolsey coming down the stairs. Before the man even reached him, he said, "This is just a quick stop. We're going back."

Woolsey came to a halt. "And this is warranted … how?"

Everyone was staring at him. He didn't give a rat's ass. "There are still some of Michael's little toys laying about. They need to be taken care of immediately."

"I'm coming with you," Carson said.

"No, you're not." His tone made Carson jump, and he had a faint twinge of guilt run through him. "You're staying here – get that data downloaded. Major, Sergeant – stay geared up." Woolsey started to open his mouth but John just cut right over him. "Dr. Porter – you disabled the security protocols down there. How long would it take you to rig a pad to enable them, then trip them on a timer?" When the young woman just blinked at him a few times, he repeated, "How long?"

"Um, five, ten minutes at max."

"Good, get on it." He looked up at the mildly curious faces watching from the balcony. "Somebody get the doc a spare data pad she can use." Chuck nodded at him and disappeared.

"Colonel Sheppard, may I remind you there are specific protocols for any 'gate missions." Woolsey crossed his arms and scowled pissily at the Colonel.

John ran his hands through his sweat soaked hair and forced himself to stay calm. "Woolsey, permission to return to the planet and blow that freakin' lab sky high. But it has to be now. I'll fill out the proper forms in triplicate when I get back."

Woolsey rocked back and forth on his feet a few times before he answered. "Granted."

"Good." John her a faint snort come from Major Teldy as he tapped his earpiece. "Major Lorne, come in."

The reply was damn near instantaneous. "Sir."

"Get geared up and meet us in the 'jumper bay ASAP. And bring three rebreathers."

"Yes, Sir. Be there in ten. Lorne out."

John headed over to Dr. Porter and he could hear people fall into step behind him. One set of steps was a little quicker than the others. It was Carson. "I can help…."

John cut him off. "Sorry, Carson, not this time. It's going to be a quick in and out. Nothing more." He stopped and turned to face his friend. "I know you want to help, but … this isn't something for you. You're a doctor, not a commando." He could tell Carson was getting his back up. He lowered his voice. "You've been fucked over and fucked up enough by Michael's shit. Let me take care of some of that for you, buddy."

And Carson deflated, just like that. It hurt John to see the fear in his friend's eyes, and that made him more determined than ever to wipe that ugly lab off the face of the planet. "All right, John," Carson said quietly.

"There, done," Dr. Porter said. John turned to her and she held the pad in a way so they could both see the screen. "The security protocols will be reactivated automatically after you plug this into the system. Then you can set the timer here." She pointed to the spot. "Then just hit enter, and it's good to go."

"Thanks, doc." He looked at Teldy and Mehra. "Let's go." He was back on an adrenaline rush and actually jogged up the stairs to the 'jumper bay. They met Lorne just as he came in. "Great timing, Major."

"Thanks, Sir." He handed out the rebreathers. "What's the mission?"

"I need you to fly us into the village and let us out on a rooftop. Then pick us up." He was leading them into the closest 'jumper, but he took the co-pilot's seat once he was in the cockpit. "Oh, and Major? No rabbit start out of the 'gate. Trees are dense – you'll need to go straight up once you're clear."

"Understood." Lorne had the 'jumper powered up in no time, and they were on their way.

As they settled into the Gate Room he saw Carson and Porter watching from the stairs, and they were standing pretty dang close to each other. That brought a little grin to his face. "We'll be back before you know it, Atlantis. Sheppard out." Then they were going through the 'gate no faster than a walk. "You don't have to be that cautious, Major."

"Well, Sir – better safe than sorry." Once they were clear, however, he shot straight up at a pretty impressive clip. "Is that better?"

"Hell yeah." John unlocked his chair and swiveled it around. He saw Teldy and Mehra already stocking up on extra clips from the supplies in back. He joined them. "There is to be complete silence when we go in. Understood?"

"Figured as much, Sir," Teldy replied with a faint smirk. "Absolutely no girly screaming." Mehra snorted and popped a bubble.

John didn't even look at her. "And that will be either spit out or swallowed before that hatch opens." He heard a gulp a moment later and suppressed a grin. Once his tac vest was restocked, he went back to the cockpit. Lorne already had them to the village, and he was glad to see the mist was gone. So were the bodies by the well. Maybe they'll be lucky and everyone is sleeping off full bellies. "There." He pointed out a flat topped building on the side of the village that was closest to the catacombs. "I'll stick a leg out when we need picking up. And if that fog starts to rise, call out."

Lorne nodded. "I'll be waiting, Sir." He brought the 'jumper down smooth as can be, the lip of the ramp inches from the edge of the building.

John grabbed an LSD, motioned everyone to put their masks on, and they headed out. He glanced at his watch as they set foot on the roof , then they were heading for the open rectangle in the corner and the stairs than led down. Every creak and groan of the wood was overly loud in his ears, and when they exited on the ground floor he breathed out a sigh of relief that buzzed the filters in his rebreather. Then he led them in a light jog out of the village and to the catacombs.

When they got to the entrance, they were all sweating. John signaled for everyone to stop, then pulled out the LSD. It was clear. He signaled for Mehra to take the six, then with the LSD propped in sight headed deeper in at a fast, quiet clip. Teldy stayed three steps behind while she concentrated on the ceiling and left side. He, the floor and right.

They came across the area where they mowed down the second wave of freaks. There weren't any bodies, but the bloody drag marks were noticeable.

The trip to the main area of the lab went smoothly and without any encounters. John immediately went to the controls, checked his watch, sat his P90 and LSD to the side, and slowly unzipped his tac vest. He brought the pad out of sleep mode, and as he pulled the leads free he noticed Porter had the thing on mute. He grinned under his mask. Good kid. He got everything plugged in, added three minutes to the time it took to get down here, and picked up his gear. He didn't need to signal everyone to move out.

They went out in reverse order, and he glanced at the LSD just as they entered the tunnel. There was some movement down one of the unknown corridors he had discovered earlier, but the blip was just moving lethargically back and forth at the end of the hall. And stayed like that until the rock provided too much interference.

The pace back to the village was better than an easy lope, and when they got to their building they didn't bother being quiet on the stairs. They pounded up them, the creaks and groans now screams and pops. Lorne met them on the roof – he must have seen them enter the building. They ran in, and John just collapsed into the co-pilot's seat. Teldy and Mehra followed suit into the other chairs.

"Home, Sir? Or stick it out for the fireworks."

John pulled the mask from his face and gasped out, "Are you kidding? I wouldn't miss this for anything."

"Hell, yeah," Mehra said.

They had to wait nearly five minutes before all hell broke loose. Being up in the 'jumper they couldn't feel any shockwaves, so the only indication they had that the charges went off was the plume of dirt that came out of the well. Then buildings and trees started to shake. That lasted a few seconds before everything went still. Mehra let out a disappointed noise, but it was cut off when half of the village and several acres of timbered land just dropped down into a sinkhole that was easily sixty feet deep.

"Wow," Teldy said. "Place was bigger than we thought."

As more trees and buildings started to topple into the hole, John called up the HUD and started scanning for life signs. He found a few, then just quietly sent a few drones down into the rubble. They didn't leave impressive craters like the initial blast did, but they helped ease the shaking he felt that had nothing to do with exhaustion.

"Now we can go home," he said and slumped down into his chair.

-oOo-

As promised, John was a good little Colonel and did all the paperwork the next day. He was still tired, every muscle ached like hell, and he wanted nothing more than to go commandeer the whirlpool in the small physical therapy room and just sit there with a six pack for the rest of the day. Oh, and his side arm, so he could shoot anyone who bothered him.

He was just finishing up the mission report when the door to his broom closet cum office chimed. He thought it open and kept his eyes on his computer. "Better be quick, I'm in a bad mood."

"It will be, Sir."

John looked up at Major Teldy. She had a faint smirk, and the circles under her eyes were as impressive as his own. "Uh, Major. Please, sit."

"I'll only be here for a moment, Sir." She was standing at parade rest, and she brought one of her arms around. There was a plain envelope in her hand. "I wrote a letter to Captain Vega's family. May I have it included with yours?"

"Of course, Major." John took the letter, then picked up a folded piece of paper. Since he was out of envelopes, he just slid his own inside. It was the first thing he did this morning before the garbage and reports. The Major turned to leave, and John stopped her. "Wait a minute." She paused as he dug through the clutter on his desk. He handed her a piece of paper. "I had McKay sign Dr. Porter's leave request. He hadn't had any coffee, so he thought it was just a supply requisition." The faint grin that lit his face wasn't much, but it was definitely was impish.

Anne found herself grinning back. "Thank you, Sir. I'll get it to her right away."

The grin disappeared. "How's she doing?"

"She's still pretty shook up. We haven't encountered anything like this on any of our missions before, and I think it caught her off guard."

John drew his lips in and nodded faintly. "Well, let her know that Carson's prelim findings on the mist showed it had a chemical component that resembled PCP. So we really were affected by the crap." He shrugged. "Just wish it had been more deer-in-the-headlights and less Keystone Cops. Because, seriously? Very embarrassing."

The Major snorted in amusement and nodded. "I'll let her know about the mist." Then her face grew serious, and she studied the Colonel in silence for a moment. She faintly nodded to herself. "May I add, it's an honor serving with you, Colonel." Then she snapped him another stiff salute like she did when they met planet side.

John blinked, then stood up and returned it just as briskly. She turned and left, and after the door shut John just stood there for a moment. "Glad you're here, Major." He sat back down, the smile staying on his face as he looked at his computer. He had to admit, he had some trepidations about her team when he first saw them on the duty roster. But despite the screwed up situation on this last mission, they did well. It was a shame about Captain Vega – she was a actually a damn good soldier but just wound up in the wrong place at the wrong time in a totally FUBAR situation. And the doc will be great once she grows a bit of a hide. But Sgt. Mehra…. Oh, man. He recognized trouble when he saw it. She'll learn, eventually. Then his smile faded. Maybe not.

Look at him….

-The End-