Extraordinary - Tales From the Playpens of Atlantis

1 - Sarah McKay

Daughter of Dr. Rodney McKay & Lt. Col. John Sheppard
Sarah McKay stood just outside the 'Gateroom and waited. She didn't particularly like waiting, but sometimes it was easier just to do it. Jumping the gun got you in trouble, she'd learned that the last time she'd tried this. Following her first failed attempt at sneaking into the 'Gateroom and engaging a wormhole she'd been locked out of the computer systems for a month. This time she wasn't going to get caught. It helped that Lt. Campbell spent so much time in the nursery. It meant she heard about what happened in the 'Gateroom first hand, which meant she knew exactly how to get the 'Gate unattended. Theoretically.

She'd meant to complete this project a few months earlier, but she'd gotten distracted by the need to plot revenge on Robbie for blowing up her favorite console and getting the kids as a whole banned from the computer terminals in the larger nursery room. She'd gotten James to help, and together they'd snared Robbie in one of the semi-sentient vines in hydroponics. She grinned at the memory, then turned her attention back to the door and awaited Atlantis' signal that all was well. As if on cue, the door slid open and Sarah stepped hesitantly into the 'Gateroom.

It was 0230, a little under a third of the way through Alpha Shift. A single tech should have been on duty. Since her door had opened, it meant Sgt. Laredo had left the room. Probably to run to the bathroom, but Sarah didn't care. All she cared was that for a few glorious minutes the 'Gateroom was hers. Plenty of time to conduct her experiment. To be safe, she paused and studied the door controls for a moment before reaching up and pressing on the lower segment and concentrating. Solitude assured, she ran up the stairs to the dialing pad and set her 'borrowed' radio down beside it. She pulled a chair over from the duty-station console so that she could reach the symbols. Then she took a deep breath and entered the 8-symbol sequence and pressed the 'enter' key.

The 'Gate lit up, followed by the familiar rippling surface presenting itself. She stared in shock for a moment, because the 'Gate wasn't really supposed to work with eight symbols. It was a myth. She'd heard some of the adults talk about Earth in quiet voices, that was real enough. Mary, the head matrena told them stories about Earth sometimes. Tales of strange sounding places called 'Oxford' and 'Berlin' and 'New Delhi'. They sounded fanciful and exotic, but at the same time they didn't make sense. So many cultures on one world. Why? When Sarah had asked, Mary had told her that most of the people on Earth didn't know there was a Stargate. Leaving wasn't an option. Sarah thought that sounded awful; she couldn't imagine not having a 'Gate.

The wormhole established, Sarah reached over and picked up the radio. She'd seen Dr. Weir do this several times, so she knew exactly what to do. She sat up higher on her knees to watch the ripples and pressed the 'talk' button. "This is Dr. Sarah McKay calling the SGC. I repeat, Sarah McKay calling the SGC. Do you copy?" She paused. Dr. Weir always waited to a count of thirty before repeating the call. No one ever answered. This was why Sarah almost fell off the chair when the radio in her hand crackled and responded.

"This is the SGC. We didn't catch it all the first time, please repeat your designation."

Sarah eyed the radio suspiciously for a minute, wondering if Tychus was playing a prank. She knew it wasn't impossible. He didn't understand the concept of Earth the same way she did. Athos didn't exist anymore, there wasn't anything worth trying to save. Her parents still talked about Earth, about things they could acquire there. The city still received news of Earth, but it was Earth. Not Home. Home was Atlantis. She was a 'Lantean. Tychus was a 'Lantean. Earth was a bedtime story. Except now it wasn't.

The radio crackled again. "I repeat, this is the SGC. Please identify."

Sarah fumbled for the talk button. "You're not supposed to answer. Nobody ever answers. Who are you?"

There was a pause. "This is the SGC. Homeworld of the Tau'ri. Um...How old are you?"

"I'm almost five. But just because I'm little doesn't mean I'm dumb. Who are you? What are the Tau'ri?"

"No, no. I know from experience that little can be quite deadly. Sweetie, are your parents around?"

Sarah considered her answer before responding. "Nope. They're in bed. Practicing 'intimate relations.'" She smiled, proud that she'd gotten the term right.

There was a fit of coughing on the other end of the radio. This worried Sarah, she didn't want to lose her conversation partner. "Are you ok?"

The coughing resolved itself after a moment. "Fine. I'm fine. Are there any other adults around?"

Sarah thought. "Well, there was the duty sergeant, but I locked him out. I'm not supposed to dial the 'Gate myself. Papa will ground me if I get caught; he knows how to hard wire things so the city won't let me have my way. And they'll probably take away our console access again. And then James and Robbie will blame me. And then they won't want to play expedition team with me and I'll have to do my trig all by myself and -" She sniffled dramatically.

"Okay. Okay. I get the point. You're not supposed to be using the 'Gate. I won't tell. Can you at least tell me where you are? What you call your world?"

"Our world? Well, the world doesn't really have a name. We all live in the city of the Ancients, though. That's called Atlantis." There was a crashing sound from the radio. "I'm a 'Lantean, the first one born here in 10,000 years. I don't know the P-name, Daddy never told me. And he knows all the P-names."

The clatter on the radio sorted itself out. "Did you say Atlantis??"

Sarah winced and hoped she hadn't said something wrong. "Um, yes?"

Whatever response the person on the other end of the wormhole gave was cut off by a banging on the 'Gateroom doors. This was followed a moment later by a voice she knew all too well. "Sarah Sheppard McKay! You open these doors right now, young lady. Don't make me override this control panel." There was a pause. "Don't make me have your father override this control panel." Sarah winced again. Daddy was out there, and he didn't sound happy. She could feel Atlantis whispering a warning in the back of her mind; it was quiet, but perfectly clear. She turned her attention back to the radio.

"I think I should go now. Daddy's outside the door, and I don't think he's happy that I locked him out. He's threatening to get Papa."

"Wait! Wait, don't go. This is the first time we've heard from Atlantis in three years! You can't just hang up!"

"But Daddy's going to get upset and make me do push-ups with Uncle Ronon again. I don't like push-ups." The banging on the door grew louder.

"Sweetie, how about you open up the door and give your Daddy the radio. I'll explain who I am and I'm sure it'll all be fine."

"How do I know that? I mean the Genii said that too, and then they tried to blow us up."

"My name is Sam Carter, and I'm a Colonel in the US Air Force. I promise you that you won't get in any trouble for this. Now you need to open the door."

Sarah stared at the radio in shock. "You're the one that Papa calls a hot blonde!" There was an indignant squawk from the radio, but Sarah ignored it. "He likes you, maybe he'll listen to you. But if he doesn't, I'm never talking to you again."

Sarah hopped off the chair and walked over to the main door, pausing to study the panel to one side before reaching up and touching it while thinking the door open. Outside were three security personnel, her Daddy, her Papa (who had the control panel on his side open and a crystal in his mouth), and Uncle Ronon. She was dead. She held out the radio as meekly as she could. "Colonel Carter wants to talk to you, Daddy."

John Sheppard took the radio from his daughter, looking her over for signs of injury. Finding none, he tentatively pressed the talk button. "This is Colonel Sheppard."

Again, there was a pause. Just when he had reached the decision that Sarah was not leaving the nursery until she was eighteen for pulling this kind of prank, the radio crackled and Sam's voice came through.

"Colonel Sheppard? Colonel John Sheppard?"

"Yeah, that's me."

2 - Tychus Lucina

Son of Amarana & Spyro Lucina (Athosians)
Code Red - 3 hours. I repeat, we have a Code Red - ETA 3 Hours.

The announcement rang through the city, startling its occupants out of their daily tasks. Before the echoes had faded several personnel in the mess hall had stood and were heading out the door. Tychus knew that they were the duty pilots, going to bring everyone in from the Mainland. His matra had explained it to him when they'd moved to the city, and again every time he asked until he remembered it all by himself. When a code sounded, everyone had things they were supposed to do. For people like his matra, it was different things for different colors. For Tychus, all of the codes meant the same thing.

They meant stop what you were doing and listen to the matrena. The two times he remembered clearly it meant spending all day in the smallest nursery room with two of the matrenas and playing with blocks. The matrenas didn't even play with them, they just sat near the doors with their weapons and watched. The only time they did something different was when it was "Code Alpha." Then they went to the 'Gateroom instead of the nursery and Lt. Campbell checked you off on a list before you went through the 'Gate.

This time was no different. The matrena made them line up and they walked back to the nursery, leaving dinner behind. Now, there were snacks in the smaller room set aside especially for Code Days. They were good snacks. However, today had been purple pudding day, and Tychus really wished they could have finished dinner. They only had purple pudding once a week. It was so much better than blue cake. He didn't say anything, though. The one thing they all understood was that you obeyed the codes. It was one of the first things they learned once they could talk and understand. The codes were there to save your life.

When they arrived at the small nursery room, Tychus claimed the corner with the blocks and settled in. After a while had passed, he poked Sarah to get her attention.

"What's happening? What does the city say?"

Sarah shrugged, concentrating on some math work. "Don't know. She says someone's coming, but she won't say who."

Tychus frowned. That didn't help. Finally he went back to his blocks, building towers this time. When he heard the matrenas stop talking and pick up their weapons, he knew it must be three hours. He shifted to get a better look at the matrenas. Mary, their Head Matrena, was seated facing the door with a P-90 in her hands. Ilanna leaned against the big desk with a stunner. As far as he could remember, they'd never used the weapons. He knew that the Wraith were out there, but they'd never been in the city. It was Atlantis. It was protected by the spirits of the ancestors.

A long time later (He was pretty sure it was a long time. They weren't allowed to use the consoles during codes), he heard the matrenas talking on their radios. Hushed whispering about possible intruders and spaceships. They were nervous; Ilanna kept shifting her stunner and eyeing the door. It scared him, and he put the blocks away and moved to curl up under the big desk.

He fell asleep under the desk, only to wake up to the sound of the door. He looked around, and saw that the sun had gone down while he slept. The rest of the kids were sleeping. He crawled out a little to see who was at the door. The man in the doorway wore cammies and carried a familiar gun. Despite the familiar uniform, his face was that of a stranger. Tychus squeezed back under the desk as quietly as he could. He heard Mary speak, her voice as unfamiliar as the stranger's face. It was hard and angry, not the voice she used with the children.

"Stay where you are." The man in cammies froze, having missed the women in the shadows. He paused, waiting. It was Ilanna who broke the silence.

"Who are you, and what are you doing in this city?"

The man's voice was placating. "Calm down, ma'am. How about you put down that gun. I'm not here to do you any harm. We're just here to find the Atlantis Expedition, if they're still alive. Renew ties with Earth." Mention of the mythical planet intrigued Tychus, and he crept back out from under the desk to watch.

Mary was holding her P-90 tightly, glaring at the newcomer. "Bullshit. You. Cut. Us. Off. No explanation, no notice, just suddenly you're not returning our calls. And you think we'll come crawling back?"

"Ma'am, I don't know the circumstances of the cessation of contact between Atlantis and Earth. I was sent down by the Icarus to do recon, see if anyone's alive down here. Now we know that you are. Now, I'm going to go back out that door and let my people know that you're alive and well down here. Then we can get into the name calling."

Ilanna had stepped further out of the shadows, stunner levelled at the man's head. "I'm sorry, Earther. I can't allow that. If you will please get on your knees and place your weapon on the floor." The marine blinked at the name, spoken like an insult, but obliged. "Tychus, since you are awake, please take the man's gun and set it by the window." Tychus crawled the rest of the way out from under the desk and picked up the gun, ensuring the safety was on before moving it to the designated location. The marine's eyes widened further at the sight of the small boy. Ilanna spoke again. "If Earth wanted diplomacy, they shouldn't have sent a cloaked warship."

The man shifted uneasily but held his tongue. Mary stepped a few meters away and tapped her radio. "This is Dr. Patel in the nursery. We seem to have some unexpected visitors down here. Yes, ma'am. They're claiming to be Earth affiliated. Thank you, we'll be waiting." She shifted her P-90 to a more casual position. "A team will be down in a moment to escort you to Dr. Weir's office. She can decide whether to believe you or throw you to the bloody Wraith."

The marine paled. "I'm sure this is just a misunderstanding." He shifted uncomfortably. "Wait, you have a British accent. You're from Earth, aren't you?" Mary's P-90 snapped back up to its former aim.

"No. I was from Earth. Then Earth left me here to rot. I was on the last run of the Daedalus. They brought me out here knowing full well that I wasn't going home. And they didn't even have the decency to tell me. So let me give you a word of advice. Don't think those of us who came from Earth will be more sympathetic. We're all of us 'Lanteans now. You'd do well to remember it. Now I want your side arm, your K-Bar, and any spares you might be carrying on the floor in front of you."

The marine just stared at her in shock, opening and closing his mouth once before submitting to her request. He removed his sidearm, removed the clip, and set it on the floor in from of him. She nodded approvingly. He was reaching for his K-Bar when sudden noise from the hallway drew his attention. A moment later a squad of Atlantis security personnel appeared in the hallway, a disarmed figure in camouflage standing with his hands bound before him in their midst. Tychus recognized James' father, Major Lorne, as their leader. That was good, it meant things were under control. The Major was one of the top military men in the city; he and the Colonel kept the city safe. If he was here everything would be fine in the end. The Major nodded to Mary in recognition.

"You holding up all right in here? Any problems?"

She shook her head. "No, Major. None at all. This one was just going to put his K-Bar down before going with you lovely gentlemen. Weren't you?" She directed the last to the kneeling marine. She gestured helpfully to the floor with her P-90. The K-Bar quickly joined the sidearm and ammo.

Major Lorne took a quick gaze around the room. "Looks good. I'm going to get him up to Dr. Weir, hopefully we can get this whole mess straightened out and be back to normal soon." He caught a glimpse of Tychus and offered a smile. "How about you, you want to get out of here?"

Tychus nodded. "Soon, Major?"

The Major ruffled Tychus' hair. "Soon as we can, kiddo." He turned and prodded the now standing marine. "This way."

The door slid closed behind the men, and Mary and Ilanna let out quiet sighs of relief. Mary set down her P-90 and turned to Tychus. "So, I guess you're up for a while, hm?" She smiled gently. He couldn't reconcile the matrena he saw now with the stranger who'd cursed the newcomer. He'd never seen someone so angry. He nodded in response to her question.

Ilanna stepped over and spoke to Mary quietly for a moment. When she finished, Mary nodded. "Since you're up, we might as well wake the others for a bit. How do you feel about an Ancient lesson?"

Tychus nodded energetically, his mind flitting ahead in anticipation. He loved the Ancient teacher. She'd appeared when Sarah was old enough to talk, and ever since she'd been giving all of them in the nursery lessons in how to speak Ancient and how to write. The Teacher, as they all called her, was beautiful. Sarah said that she was taken from the image of one of the greatest ancestors who had lived in the city in time beyond memory. Before the Wraith.

Sarah had, on occasion, been known to make things up when they suited her. Tychus had learned that the hard way when she'd convinced him to go exploring on one of the piers with her. He found himself desperately wanting to believe her words about The Teacher, though. There was magic in the thought of a world without Wraith.

The children weren't the only ones who learned from the The Teacher. Every day they had different visitors during their daily Ancient lessons. Sometimes Sarah's Papa came, sometimes Dr. Weir, sometimes Dr. Zelenka. But the Athosians, like Tychus' own parents, came in the largest numbers. His matra had told him what a great honor it was to be instructed in the language of the ancestors, how he must study it well. It was their legacy, his people believed. A legacy they now shared with those once-of-Earth, like Mary. She had spoken truth earlier. They were all 'Lanteans now.

Tychus helped Mary and Ilanna wake the other children, feeling important as a result of having seen the stranger. As they were settling down for their lesson the warning tones echoed through the city, followed by Dr. Weir's voice.

Code Red - All Clear. Code Red - All Clear. Peaceful contact has been established.

3 - Robert Cadman

Son of Lt. Laura Cadman & Dr. Carson Beckett
Robbie Cadman was, by nature, a precocious child. This was lucky, since he didn't have much choice in the matter growing up in Atlantis. In the Atlantean nursery, being precocious was the rule rather than the exception. That he spent his earliest days divided between the infirmary and the armory before the nursery had been organized probably didn't hurt. By the time he was three, he knew all of the basic explosives configurations and recipes for four different ways of making C-4 from scratch.

Of course since Sarah was competent in two forms of martial arts and manipulating wormhole theory, and James spoke 3 languages by the age of two, this didn't seem very spectacular. It merely made him normal.

A week after the Icarus arrived, the elder children grew tired of spending all their time with the matrenas. In a normal week they'd spend their days, and maybe one or two nights with the matrenas. But almost all of the children had been in the nursery since the arrival. All the parents were too worried and too busy to have them 'running around underfoot.' If the adults wouldn't do it, it was up to the kids. That was their reasoning. So with a little planning Sarah, James, and Robbie had staged a nursery-break. Tychus and Cameron refused to take part, but they were lucky. They had Athosian mums, which meant they went home every night. Lisa and the twins were too young to not get in the way.

They had thought it out well; each of them had chosen a parent to find when they got out. Sarah was to find her Daddy, who was hopefully doing paperwork and would let her work quietly in his office rather than taking the time to bring her back to the nursery. James was to go to Hydroponics; his Dad had never ratted him out before. And Robbie was going to find his mum. They'd been on partial stand-down since the warship had arrived, so she'd probably be doing inventories and small detonator construction. She normally let him help with that. It would be a lot nicer than the Infirmary. The infirmary always smelled weird, no matter how long you were there.

When they reached the end of the hallway with the nursery, James and Sarah got into the transporter and Robbie prepared to take the left hallway. He turned back to his cohorts and all three waved and sketched a quick Athosian blessing for luck, then the doors slid shut and he was alone.

Robbie ran quietly through the corridors, avoiding the main hallways. He knew if he was seen he'd be taken back to the nursery. He was almost to the armory when a figure stepped out of an unused office and into his path. Unable to stop, Robbie ran right into Colonel Sheppard. The Colonel steadied him, then squatted down to Robbie's height. "What are you doing out and about, Mr. Cadman?"

Robbie tried to avoid looking The Colonel in the eye, but failed. "I just wanted to see my mum, Colonel." He took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. "I haven't seen her in four days, and Dad's only been by twice." At least he hadn't told The Colonel that Sarah was out too. That was something.

Colonel Sheppard hugged him. "I'm sorry, Robbie. Things have been really hectic the last few days. We wanted you kids somewhere you'd be safe. I didn't realize I'd had Captain Cadman tied up so much." The Colonel paused, thinking. "Well, she's in a meeting right now. All of the military have to meet with Colonel Vong from Icarus, but she should be done soon. I have to do paperwork. If you can be quiet, you can wait in my office until she's done."

Robbie nodded enthusiastically. This was great; he wasn't getting sent to the Infirmary and he wasn't even getting sent back to the nursery. He grabbed on to one of the straps attached to The Colonel's sidearm and started pulling him toward his office. Colonel Sheppard chuckled and let himself be pulled down the hallway, ignoring the strange looks from the temporary Icarus staff he passed along the way. The looks confused Robbie. After all, what was so strange about him dragging The Colonel through the halls by his holster? Sarah did it all the time.

They entered the office and found Sarah sitting at The Colonel's desk. She looked questioningly at Robbie who grinned sheepishly, then launched herself at her Daddy. The Colonel caught her in a hug and settled her on his hip, big as she was. Robbie let go of The Colonel's thigh-strap and wandered off to play with the console in the corner. He pulled up the schematics for a drone and had the computer make each material a different color, then pulled up a blank picture of a drone and started coloring it in. It was a game he'd found a few months ago, and he'd made it up to the drone now (it had started with baby stuff like a simplified Jumper). Dr. Z said something about it grading the colors by chemical composition, but Robbie wasn't interested in that. He just knew you could only color in a certain order, and you had to get the whole thing colored in.

It was an hour later, according to the console, when his mum arrived. She looked tired and angry and frustrated. Robbie and Sarah had started to attempt a two person version of the game and were sitting at The Colonel's desk while he did paperwork in a more comfortable chair with his feet up. Robbie loved that about Sarah's Daddy, he was completely OK with breaking the little rules. Robbie had heard the door chime, but didn't turn from his game. The last two chimes had been false alarms, various marines complaining about the Icarus or asking for advice. Not his mum. He didn't look up until she spoke and he realized who it was. He almost ran over, but decided to wait until she was done with The Colonel. They'd had the talk before about interrupting official business. It wasn't fun.

"Permission to speak freely, Sir?"

Colonel Sheppard raised his eyebrows. "Shoot."

"Colonel Vong is a chauvinistic pig." She paused. "Sir."

The Colonel nodded slowly at the uncharacteristic declaration. "Do you happen to have an official report of events to support this?"

She stood at attention. "Sir, I regret to inform you that I have just received a career ultimatum. According to Colonel Vong, under USMC guidelines as per order of Congress female soldiers are not to take part in specific branches of the armed forces relating to direct combat. While on assignment to SGC, these policies are suppressed due to the necessity of SG-Team diversity. However, by having a child, state of wedlock inapplicable, that suppression is nullified. Therefore if I wish to remain in active service as a United States Marine, I must accept reassignment."

Colonel Sheppard blinked. "Excuse me?" Robbie shifted in his chair, pulling his knees up to his chin as he listened. This didn't sound good, whatever it meant.

"USMC will not allow me to remain stationed on Atlantis, seeing as all military positions here are classed as frontline and direct combat. By having a legal dependant I am no longer exempt from the gender-blind SGC military policies. Sir."

Colonel Sheppard floundered for a moment. "Female combat restrictions? I thought those were rescinded back in... Um. 1997?" He winced. "That might have been pilot restrictions. I was out of the country a lot." He ran a hand through his hair, thinking. "Do you know if he has any kind of a precedent to base this on? I don't want to lose you, Laura. I know Elizabeth will go to bat for you. There's no such thing as non-combatant in Atlantis. Let me find out what's really going on here." Robbie relaxed, The Colonel would fix whatever was wrong. It was his job. With that assurance, Robbie returned his attention to the console to wait for the adults to finish.

She nodded. "There's one more thing, Sir. According to Earth Equivalencies, I still owe a month of time on my hitch. I probably have enough leave to cover it, but I don't know it they'll let me take it."

Colonel Sheppard nodded sympathetically. "Give me some time to sort out your options here. We'll come up with something. And they can't force a decision before the Icarus leaves, so that buys us some time. I'll see what I can do. Oh, did you and Carson ever get married?"

She blinked. "Um, yes. Sir. About six months ago. Drs. James & McKay witnessed for us. Why?"

"Just want to know what options we've got when I talk to the good Doctor. Thank you, Captain. That will be all for now."

She nodded and turned to leave.

"Oh, and Captain?" She turned questioningly. "You might want to take your little escapist with you."

"Escapist?" She raised her eyebrow before following his gaze. "Robbie! What are you doing here? How did you get out of the nursery? Wait, I don't want to know." She crouched down beside the child who was still working rather feverishly at the schematics on the console. She tapped the pause button and he looked up, startled.

"Mum! Are you done? Can I come with you? Please." He threw himself into her arms, talking animatedly about the schematics he and Sarah had cleared in the last hour. She threw an exasperated look at Colonel Sheppard and hoisted Robbie up onto her hip.

"If it's all right with the Colonel, you can come with me to inventory the demolitions ordnance." She turned to Colonel Sheppard, who nodded agreeably.

"It's fine by me. You're dismissed, Captain. Enjoy your inventory. I'll get back to you as soon as I can once I've had time to discuss things with Dr. Weir and see where we stand. I haven't heard much about the negotiations, but I gather things are a bit prickly."

"I'll look forward to hearing from you, Sir. Thank you, Sir."

Robbie looked back over her shoulder as they stepped through the doors and waved at The Colonel and Sarah, who waved back. Then he put his head down on his mum's shoulder. He didn't understand what the problem was, but he knew there was a problem. He decided to try to fix it the best way he knew how.

"Mum, can we go blow some trees up?"

4 - James Parrish

Son of Dr. David Parrish & Maj. Nick Lorne
James was just over three years old when he started petitioning for a sibling. The Weir twins were old enough to start talking, and he decided that it would be the best thing ever to have a playmate who was always around. Robbie and Sarah were great, but they weren't always in the nursery when he was.

James plotted his course of action carefully. He started things with the traditional question of choice in these matters, though he didn't know it at the time. "Patra, where did I come from?"

Patra had responded by turning red and mumbling something that James couldn't understand. Patra took a deep breath and promptly announced that he had an inventory to do. Before James could ask what kind of inventory, he was in the nursery. When Daddy came by and picked him up later, he waited an hour before asking. It produced a similar result.

After spending two weeks in the nursery, he concluded that perhaps it was time to change tactics, since this wasn't getting him anywhere. He switched to a more direct line of questions. "Can I have a baby brother? Like Robbie and Tychus, but smaller and genetically related?" and "If I can't have a baby brother, can I have a baby sister? Sarah's not so bad when she wants to be friendly and isn't buried in trig, and Lisa's really good to me, so a girl wouldn't be bad either."

James asked at every opportunity. To his relief, it didn't end him up in the permanent care of the matrenas (Who, to be honest, had been quietly concerned when he'd started spending three days at a stretch in the nursery. There hadn't been a crisis, and normally he spent a good chunk of his time in Hydroponics or his patra's office when the two had overlapping duties).

That particular line of attack lasted four days before Daddy pulled him into one of the storage closets off the Hydroponics Lab, sat him down, and told him to cease and desist. When he'd opened his mouth to protest that he had a right to petition, Daddy had explained that the point had been made. Now it was time for the adults to discuss it. If he would be good for a few weeks, Daddy would discuss the issue seriously with Patra. Then they would discuss it with him. James had nodded, knowing it was as much as he could hope for. Well, there was also the fact that his Daddy looked really tired.

When they returned to quarters that night, his parents went into their room and talked for a long time. James could have listened in, one of the ventilation ducts in the 'living room' came off the same air processor as their bedroom, but it was too much work when he knew what was going on. Later that night they had both looked annoyed, so James didn't know what to make of things.

Over the next few weeks meals in the mess hall were strange, when they managed them. There was a week where something was going on that no one would talk about where he didn't see his parents at all except for the nights. And then Daddy started getting sick and the Icarus arrived and everything became even stranger. After a number of them staged a nursery-break, things returned closer to normal. James spent the nights at home, and meals in the mess were as a family again. At their second shared meal since the Icarus arrived, right when James had started on some of the blue cake, Patra set down his fork and cracked his back as he sat up straight. "All right. I give in. You're right, ok? Can we please move on?"

James frowned, then realized what Patra was talking about. He looked at Daddy, who looked relieved. "I'll talk to Dr. McKay as soon as the Icarus leaves. Thank you, Nick." Daddy reached over and took Patra's hand, squeezing it. James went back to his cake, smiling happily. If he was right, he was going to get a little brother!

The next morning, Daddy had been sick again. This made almost a week of being sick. James knew all about being sick, he'd come down with the Biki Pox the week before his birthday. He'd spent his birthday in the infirmary with Sarah and Robbie, who had also caught it. They weren't released until three days after his birthday, but he had his Rising Ceremony anyway. Aunt Teyla had performed it in Ancient, the language of the ancestors, and James had carefully refrained from correcting her grammar. It was ceremony, Daddy said you didn't change ceremony even if it was wrong.

The memory of being sick stayed with him, though. So when Daddy got sick, James worried. Neither of his parents had gotten sick before, not really. Patra came back from missions and spent time in the infirmary, but that was different. That was hurt, not sick. James didn't want his Daddy to get sick. People died when they got sick.

When Daddy was still sick the next morning, James started getting upset. This was too long to be sick. He pestered Patra to take Daddy to the infirmary, and Patra didn't take much convincing. They dropped Daddy off on the way to the nursery. It was a quiet day; Sarah and Robbie were both missing. James spent the day talking to Mary in Czech, since it was the one that was giving him the most trouble. He couldn't remember the vocabulary like he could in Ancient or English. Patra picked him up again and took him to the mess for dinner. When James asked where Daddy was, Patra informed him that Daddy was asleep at home, so they'd be going to the gym tonight to let Daddy sleep.

Going to the gym meant things like push-ups and sit-ups and if he was really lucky, they'd work with staves. Sarah hated going to the gym, but when she had gym time it was with Uncle Ronon. Her Patra said it "built character." Sarah claimed it was inhuman torture. James had concluded that he'd hate gym time too if he had Uncle Ronon as his instructor. Patra was much kinder about what they had to do. Uncle Ronon didn't believe in giving the kids easier workouts. The words "but I'm a kid" meant nothing. Sarah did the same routine as the marines; the only exception was the running. She did shuttle runs while the marines did six klicks. While she got to learn 2-stick fighting? It only made up for so much.

After they went to the gym, they went home. Daddy still wasn't up, so James showered and changed along with Patra, and settled down with the living room console to read. Patra went in to see if Daddy was feeling better. A few minutes later there was a noise in the hall, and Daddy came out, looking pale. He crouched down next to James and placed a hand on his shoulder. "James, I need you to do something for me. I need you to go down to the nursery and tell the matrena you might be spending the night. Then I need you to stay there until one of us comes to get you. Your father and I need to have a discussion."

James blinked up at him for a moment, then nodded. "All right."

Daddy took his hand away and looked into James' eyes. "Now, what are you supposed to do?"

"Go to the nursery, tell the matrena that I might be there all night, and stay until one of you comes to get me." James dutifully parroted back.

Daddy smiled, and leaned over to place a kiss on his forehead. "Good boy. I'm sorry I can't walk you down, but if I do I have a feeling your father won't be here when I get back." Daddy stood and went back into his room, and James headed to the door. On the way, he stopped by the ventilation panel to hear what they were saying. The voices were muffled, but understandable. Daddy sounded upset.

"Nick, I'm not doing this again. I know we agreed to have another, and I know I was the one who thought it was such a good idea, but I can't do this again." There was a pause, and Patra said something that James couldn't make out. It was Daddy who next spoke loudly enough to hear.

"You weren't here last time, not for the first few months. I was sick. I lost fifteen pounds, Nick. We're not talking a little morning sickness here, we're talking unable to eat for two months. And the best part? Is that we don't even know how this happened. Dr. Beckett went through three months worth of scans and away missions. Hell, I don't even go on away missions much anymore. And there was nothing. Until now, when suddenly there is most definitely not 'nothing'."

At that point, James decided he didn't want to hear anymore. He didn't know what they were talking about, but he wasn't sure he wanted to find out. He walked out the door, and headed to Hydroponics. Daddy had asked him to go to the nursery, but they'd never know if he went to play with the plants first. He entered Hydroponics, and was surprised to find someone else already there. It was past the end of Delta Shift; no one was ever around during Alpha Shift. When James got closer, he realized it was one of the marines from the Icarus. Because Patra always said to be polite and helpful (as long as they looked human), James walked over and tugged on the man's sleeve. "What are you doing here?"

The marine startled. "Um, I'm lost, actually. Was looking for the residence wing and ended up here. Got kind of distracted."

James nodded. "The vines can do that. When Daddy lets me play in here I talk to them. Sometimes they seem like they're talking back." The marine blinked at him, then looked at the vines again.

"Huh. Really?"

James nodded again. "Daddy says they're semi-sentient. Patra just says they're evil."

The marine grinned. "I guess it's all a matter of perspective." He looked James over, his size registering for the first time. "So why are you here? Not that I'm complaining, but it seems awfully late for a youngster like you to be wandering about."

James hopped up on one of the benches that were scattered around the massive lab. "My dads are having a fight. Daddy told me to go to the nursery, but I'll be the only one there except for the babies so I came here." James nodded authoritatively. "Whatever they're fighting about is Patra's fault, so I have a few hours before they'll come and get me."

The marine blinked. Twice. He seemed to mouth James' last few sentences to himself before shaking his head and focussing on James again. "So you came down here?"

"Yeah. I love the plants. Daddy's a botanist, so he's been teaching me about them when he's on shift and it's all right for me to be here. Sometimes he goes off world like Patra does, but not often."

The marine nodded. "Since we're both here, do you want to show me what some of these plants are called?"

James grinned and dragged the marine over to a plant that looked like a venus flytrap on steroids. "This one hates Patra, it tried to bite him once. It's called..."

* * *

Several hours later James had given his new friend, Lt. William Henry, the complete guided tour of Hydroponics. They came to a stop in front of the semi-sentient vines again. "So that's everything. See, they're really quite friendly once you get to know them."

Lt. Henry looked warily at the writhing vines. "I'm going to take your word on that, James."

James smiled. "Patra says that too. He's not much of a plant person, but Daddy loves him anyway. You said that you had to go to the residence hall before, right?"

Lt. Henry nodded. "I was supposed to meet a friend, Lt. Cadman. We were posted together a few years before she came out here. I thought I'd try to catch up."

James frowned in thought. "Do you mean Captain Cadman? Robbie's matra?"

Lt. Henry raised an eyebrow. "Possibly. Is her first name Laura?"

James grinned. "Yup! She lives down the hall from us. She's great, she works with things that go 'boom!'"

"Can you show me where her rooms are? I don't want to disturb her this late, but I would like to find her another time."

James nodded. "Not a problem. And I can probably go home now too, I don't want to get in trouble for being missing for too long. Patra gets cranky about that kind of thing."

James grabbed Lt. Henry's hand and began pulling him out of Hydroponics and to the nearest transporter, chattering all the way about Robbie's mum. The lieutenant just nodded at what seemed the appropriate intervals and tried to reconcile the Laura Cadman James was describing with the Laura Cadman he'd known seven years before.

James led Lt. Henry to Robbie's quarters. "Robbie and his mum are probably asleep, she works Beta Shift and half of Alpha most of the time. Dr. Beckett's in the infirmary. He's always in the infirmary."

Lt. Henry nodded slowly, seeming to debate a question before deciding it wasn't worth the effort. Instead the lieutenant took another look at the doors, attempting to make them distinctive for future reference. He turned to James. "You said you live down the hall? Why don't you show me, and I'll let your parents know you were with an adult while you were gone."

James made a face. "I'm not sure strangers count, but you're a marine. Patra's Air Force, so he might be all right with it." He tugged on Lt. Henry's sleeve and led him down the hallway. They stopped three doors down and James tapped the chime on the door panel. A minute later Patra opened the door. His eyes narrowed as he focussed solely on James.

"James Parrish. What have you gotten into this time? You better not have been insulting people in Russian again. I told you not to listen to Dr. Kirnov when she gets upset." It had the sound of an old and familiar admonishment. When Patra turned to the lieutenant he visibly startled. "I'm sorry, Lieutenant. I had assumed one of the matrenas was dropping him off again. Seeing as that's not the case; tell me, Lieutenant. How did my son end up in your care?"

James winced and reached up to hold onto Patra's hand. "It's not his fault, Patra. I went down to Hydroponics to watch the vines before I went to the nursery, and Lt. Henry was there and he was lost. He knows Captain Cadman!"

Patra let go of James' hand and hoisted him onto his hip. "That's very nice to volunteer that, James. But I asked the lieutenant."

Lt. Henry straightened to stand more formally at attention. "It's just as the boy says, Major Lorne, Sir. We got to talking about the plants in Hydroponics and lost track of time. I'm sorry, Sir. Had I realized he was supposed to be elsewhere I would have taken him."

James tugged on Patra's shirt to get his attention. "Patra, I'm thirsty."

There was a noise behind the two. James looked over Patra's shoulder and saw Daddy walking over. "Daddy! Can I have some juice?"

Lt. Henry took that as the escape that it was. "Don't let me keep you, Sir. I'll be on my way." He smiled at James. "Good night, James. It's been a pleasure meeting you." Before Patra could respond, the lieutenant was heading down the hallway and was soon out of sight.

5 - Lisa Kirnov

Daughter of Dr. Elaine Kirnov & Dr. Karen Pulaski
Everything had happened in a blur once the Icarus arrived. Suddenly there was the option to return to Earth, get away from the Wraith and danger of the unknown. And while Elaine Kirnov may have been thrilled at the prospects for discovery in the Pegasus Galaxy, both she and her partner agreed that the risks were too great for their daughter. Elaine had a friend in the faculty at Northwestern University and called in a favor. It was that simple.

A month later, the family moved back to Earth on the second run of the Icarus.

They knew there would be problems with the move, that it would be hard on Lisa. She was only a little over three, her Rising Ceremony only four months past. Atlantis was the only home she'd ever known. But they had faith that she'd adapt. This would be safer for her, and they wanted to give her the chance to grow up without the constant threat of imminent death. Lisa was young enough that as time went by her memories would fade. After all, Col. Sheppard had been just fine living unaware of his ATA gene. Lisa would adjust.

They were one of the only groups to have returned; most of the population feared that if they left they would be unable to return to their glorious city. It was a valid concern, and Elaine understood their reasoning. She'd talked it over with Karen for days before putting in her resignation. Neither she nor Karen had taken to the gene therapy, and they were both biologists - non-essential in the best of times. They did the city itself no harm by leaving. Dr. McKay had been upset at losing two of his staff in a single department at one time, but surprisingly sympathetic to her reasoning. He'd even shocked her by wishing her well and giving her the name of a colleague at Northwestern who could help them get acclimated.

That was the last thing that had gone well, unfortunately. The trip on the Icarus went as well as one could expect with an energetic three year old who wasn't used to being confined to a single room for more than a day or two at a time. Luckily the ship's crew had taken to her, or it would have been a far greater nightmare. Upon arrival on Earth, there had been out-processing. Physicals, updates in world politics, sorting out back-pay, etc. They went through the ringer about three times before SGC finally cleared them to leave and get on with their lives. Elaine had the sneaking suspicion that the government just didn't know what to do with them at this point. She was insanely grateful to have a position waiting for her.

Elaine knew there would be changes. She knew that Atlantis was a small community, on an alien world, where everyone traveled by 'Gate and Puddle Jumper. She just didn't realize how small it really was until they left the military base at Great Lakes and entered the city of Chicago. Lisa had grown silent after the first plane ride, clutching an Athosian doll with one hand and her mother's hand with the other, alternating between Elaine and Karen. The doll had caused a fair amount of dismay on the part of the Earth botanists, and not a few tears on Lisa's side, before it was determined to be seed free and safe for exposure to the Earth ecosystem.

The biggest shock for Elaine, one that was totally unexpected, was the lack of childcare options for a three year old. Suddenly not only did you have to pay for daycare, which wasn't a concern due to four years of back-pay, but it only ran certain hours. It took two days of active searching to find somewhere that would keep a child past 1800. And they closed at 2000, which wasn't much better. She finally settled on the university's in-house drop-in program. It was staffed by international students and early childhood development students and staff, so it had the benefit of quality assurance.

Lisa was still quiet, although she'd nodded in understanding when they'd had the discussion about things we don't talk about with other people. If this kept up, they wouldn't have to worry about her breaching security, they'd just need to get her integration therapy. Dr. Heightmeyer had mentioned that Lisa would need a lot of help adjusting to a new place, but then that was true of all of them. The Air Force had provided the names of several USAF psychiatrists within functional driving distance should any of them need counseling. They weren't willing to trust doctor-patient confidentiality with secrets like the 'Gate Program.

As a result, it was with a healthy dose of concern that Elaine brought Lisa to the university's drop-in center. That anxiety increased when she attempted to leave and Lisa started bawling, clutching at her hand and begging her to take her with her. They had discussed the drop-in center the night before, and Lisa had nodded that she understood that Matra had to work and Mama had a job interview and so she needed to stay at the drop-in center for a few hours. Apparently the discussion had been less than successful.

The manager, an older Chinese woman named Mrs. Changlai, assured Elaine that once she left Lisa would calm down and that the sooner she adjusted the better it would be for everyone. Elaine had nodded, given them her cell number should anything come up, and left to teach her first class.

Elaine wasn't entirely surprised to walk out of her lecture hall and find the 'message waiting' light flashing on her cell phone. She had desperately wanted to believe Mrs. Changlai when she'd said "Don't worry; she'll be smiling by the time you get back. We have a student intern working this afternoon who's just wonderful with the young girls."

Not bothering to actually listen to the message, Elaine cut straight over to the drop-in center on her way to the parking lot. When she entered, she didn't find the screaming child she had feared. In fact, Lisa wasn't anywhere in any of the main play areas. The office door was closed, however, so she hesitantly knocked on the door. When it opened, she found Lisa.

Lisa was sitting on a chair, glaring petulantly at anything and everything. This, Elaine had experience with. Whenever she was chastised for something, Lisa glared. What was unexpected was the university student sitting on the couch in the corner with tearstains on her face. She took a deep breath and entered the office at the manager's behest, taking the unclaimed seat.

"Dr. Kirnov, as you can see we seem to have a bit of a problem here. Your daughter refuses to interact with the other children. That, in and of itself, we can handle. We pride ourselves on accommodating to children's needs. However, what we can not tolerate is abusive treatment of our staff."

Elaine raised an eyebrow. "Mrs. Changlai, what exactly has my daughter done?"

The older woman sighed. "Sveta here," she gestured to the upset student, "is one of our student interns. She happens to be from the Czech Republic, so she can only hold an on-campus position. I tell you this because when she attempted to include Lisa in group activities, your daughter refused. First she spoke quietly in something that none of us could understand, and then louder. She began cursing at Sveta."

Elaine winced.

"In Czech."

Elaine rubbed her temples, a migraine well past starting.

"She's currently refusing to speak English."

Elaine found herself seriously wondering why she had ever left her lab.

"Now, Dr. Kirnov, this is understandable to some degree. We've seen it before in children adapting to new environments. But what is not acceptable is her reducing my best caregiver to tears. I still haven't been able to get Sveta to tell me what Lisa said."

Elaine looked at Lisa and raised her eyebrow. Lisa's expression changed rather quickly to something resembling contrite. "Ma-tra, it's not like I said anything bad. Well, really bad at least. Dr. Z calls the Colonel a [insert Czech for Intergalactic Space Prostitute here] all the time. I know he doesn't mean anything by it. I didn't say anything that I didn't hear in the labs." Lisa stuck her lower lip out in a pout. When she spoke again, she had shifted to Ancient.

"I want to go home, I don't like it here. There are strangers everywhere, and they speak funny and they write in Roman Letters. And it's too cold, and the sun isn't right and the days are too short and the sea isn't the sea." By now there were tears running down Lisa's face and she had vacated her chair to stand in front of her mother. "I want to go home. I want to feel the city. I'm not Earthborn like you, I'm Lantean."

Elaine pulled the crying girl into her lap, rocking her gently. "Ssh. I know, Baby. I know. But we're here now. And we can't go back. We have to make the best of it. Ssh."

Slowly Lisa calmed down, falling asleep against her mother's shoulder. Elaine rose and nodded to Mrs. Changlai. "This won't happen again. It's been a hard few weeks, we're still getting used to things." She glanced over at the student on the couch. "If it helps, she didn't mean it in the sense that you took it. I had a Czech co-worker, and Lisa overheard some things in the labs that she doesn't quite have the context for. I'd appreciate it if both of you would cut her some slack. She's not even used to speaking English all the time, it's a big change."

Mrs. Changlai nodded, questions burning in her eyes that Elaine was terribly grateful remained unasked. "As long as she'll be polite, we'll be pleased to have her. But be assured, the next time this happens you will be getting another call. We can't have this happening on a regular basis, extenuating circumstances or not."

Elaine nodded. "Of course. Now, if you'll excuse me?" She turned, left the drop-in center, and then walked the short distance to the faculty parking. She strapped Lisa into her car seat, then slid in behind the steering wheel and let her head land upon it. This wasn't what she signed on for. In so many ways. And she had no illusions about the possibility of undoing their decision. She'd been honest when she told Lisa that they couldn't go back. There was no way the military would grant them clearance to Atlantis again, even if she and Karen decided that the Wraith were a fair trade-off. The military still controlled the 'Gate on this end.

After a moment of reflection Elaine started the car and began the commute back to the new house, hoping Karen would be home by the time they arrived. She needed to talk to someone who understood what was going on in her brain right now, and there were woefully few of them on the planet. At a red light she watched her sleeping daughter in the rearview mirror and wondered how long until she was no longer a stranger in a strange land.

Addendum:
Excerpt from the Classified Section of the Chicago Sun Times

WANTED:
Caretaker for precocious 3 y/o.
Must provide references and have flexible schedule.
Must not speak any of the following languages:
Africaans, Arabic, Chinese, Czech, French, German, Hindustani,
Italian, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Punjabi, Russian,
Spanish, Swahili, Zulu
Wanted: Deaf, Mute Nanny.

6 - Katerina & Natasja Weir

Fraternal twin daughters of Dr. Elizabeth Weir & Dr. Radek Zelenka
Elizabeth Weir was a pacifist, at least in theory. Most of her professional training had been in conflict resolution: she was a negotiator. Prior to involvement with the SGC, she had always assumed that anything could be solved (or at least made better) with words. It was a comforting thought. It had also gone out the window upon her arrival in the Pegasus Galaxy.

The Pegasus Galaxy had opened her eyes to any number of things. It had shown her the horrors of war with an unthinkable enemy, it had shown her the struggles of basic survival, and it had given her opportunities she had thought long since past. It had taught her that some things were worth protecting, no matter the cost. This city and what they had built here was once of those things; and she would be damned if she would let the US military come in and take it all away from them.

She powered down her laptop and checked her desk one final time in preparation for her meeting with Col. Vong, the commander of the Icarus. When Lt. Campbell announced the man's arrival, she took a deep breath and steadied her nerves. She was distracted, however, by the sound of rustling. As she turned to find the source, she let out a quiet groan. 'Tasja was chewing on print-outs again. Elizabeth had debated dropping the twins of in the nursery before her meeting, but between one thing and another she'd barely seen them all week and hadn't been able to bring herself to do it. They were well behaved toddlers, she'd never had a problem with them staying quiet during meetings. It was only since the Icarus had arrived and demanded honest to god hardcopy of essential paperwork that a problem had developed. Both girls, although 'Tasja in particular, had taken one look at the printed paper and decided that they'd found the best thing ever. Much to Elizabeth's consternation, she had thus far been unable to break them of their fondness for ink.

She rescued the latest batch of paperwork from the twins and stood up just as the door opened. "Colonel. Please, have a seat." She gestured to one of the chairs opposite her desk and crossed to take her own seat, laying the rumpled papers on her desk. "Before we get started I want to apologize for not having done this earlier. You arrived while we were in the midst of negotiations with the Genii, and I could not afford to delay those proceedings."

The colonel nodded in understanding. "Of course. We were, after all, unexpected."

Elizabeth's lips quirked in a wry smile. "You could say that. Col. Carter told us that Earth would be sending a negotiating team in a week; she failed to mention they would arrive on a battlecruiser."

Col. Vong studied the piece of pottery on her desk, avoiding her eyes. "I believe that makes us even, Doctor. We hadn't been aware you were expecting us or we would have handled things a bit differently."

"It seems SGC withheld information on both our ends, hardly surprising. On that note, what exactly are your orders with regards to my city?" She leaned forward on her desk, studying him as he prepared to answer.

Col. Vong shifted uncomfortably in his seat, obviously aware that he was walking into a mine field. "My orders were to investigate claims that the Atlantis Expedition had survived; if we found survivors we are to stabilize the situation and escort any command staff back to Earth for a debriefing. I have a more specific listing of reassignments for your military personnel."

Elizabeth studied him for a moment, then leaned back in her chair with her arms crossed. "No."

She was gratified to see the colonel blink. "I'm sorry?"

"I said 'no,' Colonel. As in 'No, you are not taking control of this city; no, you are not taking my senior staff back to Earth for 'debriefing'; and no, you are not reassigning the military members of this city.' Is any of that unclear?"

"Now wait just a minute, Ma'am-"

"I'm not finished. I've been getting reports from Colonel Sheppard and various other personnel about your 'reassignments.' These reassignments would not only strip the city of needed personnel, but they are morally unconscionable. Let me tell you a story that might help to put this in perspective for you." She looked down at the pile of papers on her desk and started absently smoothing them.

"Once there was a group of explorers. They found the gateway to a city of legend, something that they would give up anything to study. And they did. They went off to this brave new world knowing that they might never see their families or friends again. Not long after arriving in this mythic land, they woke a great enemy, an enemy so terrible that it held an entire galaxy in its grasp. They fought this enemy bravely, but it was too strong. So they tossed a message in a bottle through the gateway that had brought them to their new world. Someone found that bottle, and they sent help. Suddenly the explorers were not alone anymore, they had supplies and newcomers who arrived on a ferry.

"Then one day, Colonel, the ferry stopped coming. No message, no warning; it was just gone. And they hoped and prayed that it would return, but it didn't. A year went by. Two. And the explorers, being practical above all else, realized that there would be no going home. They spent a year learning how to live alone again; and then they begin to build. They built families and friendships and alliances. The enemy that was the terror of a thousand worlds is weakened and driven back. The explorers find that life is good, even if it is hard.

"After almost four long years, Colonel, the ferry comes back." She looked up and caught his gaze, and she knew he had not missed her point. "What would you tell them, Colonel? Would you tell them to trust the people who left them to die? To leave the families they have formed and go back to a world that is only a memory?"

He winced under her gaze, and she could tell that he didn't want to believe his people had left Atlantis to rot. Finally he took a deep breath and spoke again. "Doctor, I honestly don't know what happened when you were cut off. I appreciate that you had it rough, I really do. But I have my orders."

She sighed. "I understand that, Colonel. But what I'm telling you is that you're going to have to pick and choose your battles. Let me make this simple. I have no problem with anyone who wants to move back to Earth leaving; I have a problem with forcing people to leave. Atlantis isn't for everyone, and we each have to make our own decisions. However, I want my people to have the time and information to make that decision intelligently. I want it to be a choice. We have expedition members who have married into the local population; some of them have children. Do you want to tell Cameron Akeilo that his father can't see him again because he's been reassigned indefinitely to Earth, and once his tour's up if he leaves the marines he doesn't have clearance to use the 'Gate? Cameron is four. And he's the eldest. I don't want these men and women being forced to chose between their families and a dishonourable discharge. They've given too much for that. They deserve better."

"Dr. Weir, I'm not quite sure what you want me to do here. I was given specific orders with regards to each member of the expedition. Some of them have finished their hitches, but a number haven't. You have marines that owe the US government service. You expect me to ignore that?"

"I expect you to look at the bigger picture, Colonel. And if you can't do that then I expect you to at least convey my requests to your superiors. In the meantime, I am informing you that none of the residents of this city will be departing against their will. As of Earth equivalent 0900 EST, November 1, 2011, this planet is declaring its independence from all Earth agencies. All residents of more than two years are granted full citizenship if they so wish, and the rights and privileges associated with that status." She handed him a flash drive. "This contains a list of all members of our population who have chosen to accept dual citizenship with Atlantis and their country of origin. Anyone on that list is not going back to Earth with you this time around. The drive also contains a treaty proposal to solidify this planet's formal ties with Earth. We have a vessel capable of intergalactic transit currently under repair; when it is completed the senior staff will travel to Earth to meet with the SGC and relevant parties. Not before."

The colonel nodded slowly, then spoke."I understand your position, Dr. Weir, and I sympathize, but are you certain that this isn't a bit over the top? As you stated, you have children and civilians here. You're a civilian. Is this how you want your families to live, if you have the choice? I saw a four year old handling a P-90 yesterday. A P-90. This is a war zone, not a preschool. Children and spouses don't belong here." In a sudden change of mood his eyes were now flashing, his voice more forceful as he warmed to his topic. The unspoken 'you don't belong here' clear.

Elizabeth opened her mouth to respond when the lights started flashing along with the paperweight on her desk. With a groan she rose from her seat and picked up Katerina, who had been watching the conversation with interest and was now looking upset. 'Tasja was still involved in her latest batch of hardcopy documents, and at this point Elizabeth was just fine with that. She soothed Kat as she returned to her chair behind the desk, and the lights slowly returned to normal. Once things resumed their normal function she returned her attention to the Colonel.

"You don't have to tell me that it's dangerous here, Colonel. My daughters were born during the last of the heavy bombardments. Kat here," she stroked the girl's hair, "took to the gene therapy abnormally. She gets upset and any Ancient technology in a ten foot radius starts acting up. She can't go more than a few hours without contact with the technology, some kind of a chemical dependency. 'Tasja's gene therapy didn't take at all. Half the children in this city were born under unusual circumstances in one way or another. And those with the gene, inherited or artificial, have a connection to the city that those of us without it can never understand. I won't deny my daughter the opportunity to grow into all that she can be, and I won't let anyone else do that either."

The colonel opened his mouth to respond, then closed it again. He sighed. "I will do what I can. Given your new 'legal' status, and the unknown nature of your official ties with Earth, the Icarus will dispense humanitarian aid in the form of medical supplies, foodstuffs, and basic dry goods. Your requests will be relayed to the SGC. That's all I can promise you."

Elizabeth smiled calmly. "That's all we're asking. You will have hardcopy of all documents dealing with the city's status as well as those choosing to accept citizenship before you depart." She rose and offered her hand. "It was good doing business with you, Colonel."

The colonel frowned and contemplated her outstretched hand a moment before accepting the offer and shaking it. "Good day, Doctor Weir." He turned and walked out of her office.

Once the doors closed behind him she allowed herself to slump down into her chair in a pose Sheppard would be proud of. She was roused from her musing when her daughter poked her cheek. "It's ok, Mama. They'll go away soon." Elizabeth laughed softly.

"Yes they will, dear. Now, let's see what your sister has been up to over here." She stood and walked over to the pile of paper that her other daughter had been slowly working her way through. When she got a look at the printing on the pages she stifled a groan.

The first, newly minted, carefully hand-scripted Atlantean Citizenship Certificates were no more.

~ Finis ~