Fic: Merry Christmas, John Sheppard (Gen with hints of McKay/Sheppard, PG13)

Dec 18, 2014 18:32

Title: Merry Christmas, John Sheppard
Author: rabidfan
Recipient: islandofwords
Pairing:Gen...sort of...but hints of McShep if that's what colors your world.
Rating:pg-13...ish
Disclaimer:Don't stand under a ladder. Don't forget to look both ways before crossing the street.
Author's Notes: islandofwords requested a canon compliant, non-au (au's are best!) story. I decided to not to hate her spitefully over that. Happy holidays, dear recipient. I hope this ticks all of your ticky boxes!

Summary:"Really, Colonel. I expected better of you." The older man came to a halt behind John, wordlessly handing John's abandoned duffle to the man blocking the way. "Never mind. I suppose we'll just have to do this the hard way. Consider my words carefully, Colonel. I can hit you with this," he cupped his hand, showing a strange, golden device. "You'll writhe on the floor and foam at the mouth. Sadly memorable for anyone who notices but we will simply pass it off as a seizure and whisk you away to the waiting car. By the time Stargate Command realizes that the man taken suddenly ill at DIA is you we will be long gone. I would hate for any of these happy people to be caught up in our unhappy exchange, wouldn't you?"

-o-

John stood, silently frozen in place, until the out-going wormhole disengaged. He dropped the hand he'd been waving and closed his eyes against the wave of pain he felt at saying goodbye to half of his team. His brain helpfully reminded him it was temporary. Soon, Atlantis would be cleared to return to Pegasus. Soon.

At his side, General Landry was scrutinizing his newest TDA officer critically. "Sir?"

"It's hard to send team without adequate support, son. We've all been there. Trust our superior officers to protect them until you return Atlantis to her duty station."

The thirty soldiers accompanying Teyla and Ronon to the Alpha site against the Wraith. John shuddered. Trust wasn't easy to come by against such terrible odds.

Seeming to hear the words unspoken, Landry continued, "The Daedalus, Apollo and General Hammond will be making regular runs to Pegasus, Colonel. We won't forget our people at the Alpha site or our allies in the Pegasus galaxy."

"Yes, sir." What else was there to say?

"Now, it's my understanding that Doctor McKay has left for his vacation to Canada. I suggest you follow his example, Colonel. You are officially off duty until January 10."

Offering the salute the general expected, John repeated "yes, sir." He turned to head out of the gate room only to be stopped when Landry spoke again.

"I expect you to actually leave the mountain, Sheppard. You can consider that an order."

John bit back a sigh, "yes, sir." He headed towards the elevators that would take him to the surface. He'd have to go back to Atlantis to pack and inform Major Lorne he'd be in charge a little while longer. Thankfully the Daedalus would handle the first part of his journey. He'd be on his own for the rest.

~*~

John finished shoving what few casual clothes he had into his duffle while balancing his cell phone between his shoulder and cheek.

"Hello?" The connection to Zurich was spotty at best but his brothers voice still made John smile. The one...and only...benefit that John had found to being stuck on the Pacific Ocean was the steady thaw in the cold war he'd engaged in with his family for years. While not close yet, the brothers conversed often and genuinely enjoyed each other's company.

"Dave! How goes the business trip?" Dave had asked John to attend the meeting in Switzerland in an attempt to slowly reel his brother into the day-to-day running of the divisions within the family business their father had left to him. Dave found involving John in anything business related a headache but he kept trying. The lure of a week of skiing had nearly been enough to get John on the plane but he'd held off, hoping to celebrate the holidays with his team. The team now spread over two countries and two galaxies.

"There's still time for you to join me, you know."

John laughed. "Yeah, no. Hey, I was wondering if the cabin in Telluride was available. I've got a couple days free and need to stay close to base but a little skiing would hit the spot."

"It's yours, brother. You know that. Dad left it to you...of course you can use it! I'll text Danica and have her get everything ready for you. Save me some face time, little brother. I'll be back in the states the day before Christmas. I'll pick up the family and we'll meet you in Telluride. No excuses. You're spending Christmas with us...well, I guess we're spending Christmas with you!"

John knew when to admit defeat. Accepting the inevitable he said, "Alright, alright. I'll see you then. And thanks, Dave. I appreciate it."

~*~

Denver International was always something of a madhouse but it ramped up to insanity levels during the first weeks of ski season. John shouldered his way through the packed terminal and headed for the exit. Dave had arranged transportation, saving John an additional headache. Shouldering his duffle, John slid in between two harried travelers.

"Colonel Sheppard?"

John turned to see who had hailed him. Scrutinizing the older man standing just behind him he could feel the hairs on the back of his neck prickle.

"Who wants to know?"

Raising his hands to show his innocent intentions, the man said, "Let me take your bag, Colonel. The car is just outside."

Dave had said nothing about a driver. Sure now that his Spidey sense was on to something, John took a deliberate step to the side, keeping an eye on the stranger and one on the exit.

"I'm good. I've got a ride waiting just outside." He took another careful step to the side, carefully scanning the passengers around him. "Thanks, though."

Several men stood from where they'd been sitting, neatly boxing John in. "I'm afraid I'm going to have to insist."

John dropped the duffle and sprinted towards the interior of the terminal. He knew from experience there was an employee exit just ahead. Just then another of the waiting men stood, blocking his path.

"Really, Colonel. I expected better of you." The older man came to a halt behind John, wordlessly handing John's abandoned duffle to the man blocking the way. "Never mind. I suppose we'll just have to do this the hard way. Consider my words carefully, Colonel. I can hit you with this," he cupped his hand, showing a strange, golden device. "You'll writhe on the floor and foam at the mouth. Sadly memorable for anyone who notices but we will simply pass it off as a seizure and whisk you away to the waiting car. By the time Stargate Command realizes that the man taken suddenly ill at DIA is you we will be long gone. I would hate for any of these happy people to be caught up in our unhappy exchange, wouldn't you? Yes."

Caving to the inevitable for the second time in the day, John straightened and held his hands out from his body.

"That's better. We'll be leaving now, Rocco. Won't you help the good Colonel to the car?"

~*~

Rough hands shoved at him, hustling him into the back of a large SUV.

"Watch it fella. I'm not that kind of girl." Unceremoniously dumped onto the floor, John kicked out, trying to catch Rocco and squeeze past him to escape the car.

"Now, now, Colonel. Temper, temper." John felt the cold prick of an injection on his upper arm. Within moments his head was spinning. A moment more and he slid into a deep black hole.

"Quickly now. Let's get our weary traveler off to where he can rest."
~*~

The members of Sheppard Holdings International watched nervously while David Sheppard paced the length of the board room. The murmured conversation on his cell phone wasn't giving him any pleasure which would no doubt translate to problems for them.

"No, I understand, Danica. He didn't check in with me either. No, it's not like him. Yes, please stay there until we know where he is and when he's likely to arrive. Yes, thank you. Good bye." Setting his phone down, Dave turned to face the assembled board.

"I'm sorry gentlemen, but a family matter has arisen that requires my immediate return to the U.S. This meeting will be rescheduled. You will all receive details once they've been finalized. Good day." Saying nothing else, Dave strode from the room, already on his phone with his pilot.

~*~

John slowly became aware of his surroundings. His tongue felt swollen, his eyes gritty. The typical after effects of anesthesia. Carefully shifting, he discovered he'd been bound to a chair. Padded restraints showed an unwillingness to damage him...that was a plus. "Hello?" he ventured.

"Ah. Colonel. Welcome back."

John tried to turn enough to see the speaker standing behind him but the restraints were too restrictive. "Who are you people? What do you want?"

"Who we are is immaterial, my good Colonel. As to what we want? Why, that should be obvious. We want you." The older man that Sheppard had tagged Bad Guy #1 slowly circled around to face John. "Be a cooperative guest and you just may live to see tomorrow."

Bad Guy #1 gestured to Rocco and an unnamed Bad Guy #2. Bad Guy #2 held out a large swab. "Now, then. Let's get started, shall we? Open wide."

~*~

Rodney looked at his cell phone with annoyance. It had been ringing non-stop for 15 minutes. An unknown number appeared on his caller ID screen but every time he ignored the call unknown person dialed again.
Jeanie smirked when he finally snapped. Grabbing the phone he shouted, "Who is this?"
"Dr. McKay. This is David Sheppard. I'm looking for my brother. He was supposed to be heading to the ski lodge in Telluride and he never showed up." Dave took a deep breath before he could continue. "He's missing."
"What do you mean, he's missing? He was fine yesterday. Even Sheppard would be hard pressed to get into trouble at the SG...at the base he's stationed at."
"I know about the SGC, Doctor. I've been making a lot of calls over the last few hours. John is missing. He boarded a plane in San Francisco, landed in Colorado. I can't trace him any farther. A car was waiting for him at the airport and he never collected it. Somewhere between his plane and the exit he simply disappeared." Another deep breath. "I need your help, Doctor. No one is taking this seriously and may not before it's too late."

Rodney was silent, slotting information into mental categories trying to make sense of it. "Have you spoken..."

Cutting off what he considered useless questions, Dave said, "To the airport authorities, the Denver police department, Homeland Security, and a General Landry at the SGC. They all told me exactly nothing. Nothing on security cameras, no traces of foul play. Someone matching John's description was noticed by passengers in the baggage claim area but nothing else. Nothing." Dave shifted the phone, causing an unpleasant static. "Your General Landry gave me less than nothing. He's insisting that John is in fact in Telluride and won't listen to reason."

"And you are sure, Mr. Sheppard? Absolutely sure that he isn't? He could just be living up to his stubborn nature and going off on his own."

Dave could hear the change in Dr. McKay's voice. The shift from sarcasm to concern. Thank god. Someone was going to take this seriously.

"I'm sure."

"Mr. Sheppard, I need you to start from the beginning. Tell me everything. Leave nothing out, no matter how insignificant it seems." Rodney snapped his fingers at Jeannie to bring his laptop to him. "Tell me everything you know."

~*~

John ran his tongue around his mouth, trying without success to gather some moisture. Bad Guy #1 noticed, and approached with a bottle of water and a straw.

"Forgive me, Colonel. Our time together is terribly limited, as you might guess. We have a distraction in place to occupy your companions but it will only work for a short time. In pursuit of scientific knowledge we will have to forsake some social niceties, I fear. I do apologize. Yes. But never fear. Your discomfort no doubt will lead to answers that I must have to complete my work."

"My name, Colonel Sheppard, is Dr. Felix Arno. Perhaps you have heard of me? No? No matter. My work was viewed with some skepticism by the SGC and IOA. People can have such narrow focus, don't you agree? Still, I was able to make great strides, Colonel. Great strides. Yes. And with your powerful expression of the ATA gene we will make even greater strides together. I do believe that. You are the veritable lynch pin of my efforts!"

Dr. Arno drew his hand out of the pocket of his lab coat, displaying the strange device John had seen at the airport. "Do you recognize this device? It is Goa'uld. Disgusting creatures. Quite disgusting. Yes. But clever. Very clever. This small device interacts with your nervous system, you see. With small adjustments it can cause you to experience anything a skilled user desires you to."

"For example, were I to adjust this tiny dial just so...do you see? Just so. And then if I were to press the device against your arm? You would be certain that your flesh was being charred from you bones. Certain! Fascinating, really. Of course, in reality nothing was happening at all. So very clever. Yes."

"So. Let us begin. We require a baseline of your pain tolerance before we can begin in earnest. Unpleasant, to be sure, but necessary. Allow me to demonstrate just how this device functions, Colonel Sheppard. Oh, Rocco will be gagging you. Not to cut down on the noise, you understand, but to keep you from biting through your tongue. We really don't have time for the distraction. Yes."

At the doctor's gesture, Rocco stepped up to the chair where John was bound. Bending to secure the gag in place he smiled. "You that kind of girl now, Sheppard?"

~*~

For more than an hour Rodney stared at his silent phone. The conversation with David Sheppard had raised some frightening questions and a few surprising facts. Someone wanted Sheppard specifically. Someone with enough resources to know when he'd be traveling alone and vulnerable. Someone with facilities nearby to secret him away to. That meant connections to power. That meant that someone was a traitor, either in the mountain or on Atlantis. Someone was now pretending to be Sheppard to buy time. Those 'someones' had to know that the ruse would only work for a short time. And that lead to the worst fact of all.

They might already be too late to save John.

Nodding to himself, Rodney reached for his phone. He had calls of his own to make and not much time to get them done.

~*~

Rodney stared at General Landry with distaste. Having Sam beside him as an ally was all that kept him from physically attacking the man. So much time had been wasted. Time that may have cost John his life.

"And why General, would Colonel Sheppard be spending his vacation in a hostel far from the ski runs when he has his own ski lodge directly on one of the largest runs?" Rodney stood. He needed to pace, needed to move. "Did you know the man purported to be John Sheppard is at least twenty years younger than the Colonel? Did you bother to check? Clearly someone has his subcutaneous transmitter and you have ignored warnings that may have cost Sheppard his life!" Breathing hard, he allowed Sam to steer him back to his chair.

"General, we have an emergency situation here. The person we thought was Colonel Sheppard clearly is not. The Colonel is indeed missing, as his brother insisted. We need to move on this."

Ignoring Rodney, Landry focused on Sam. "Colonel, take a team and collect this pseudo Sheppard. Bring him in. We'll see what he can tell us."

"Yes, sir." Rising, Carter gestured at Rodney to join her. "I request permission to take Dr. McKay with me. He may be useful if we find a trail. He knows Sheppard better than either of us."

~*~

Rodney stared at the man sitting in the interview room. He wanted to storm in and shake information out of him. It was taking too long. Too much time had passed...time John didn't have. Gripping the windows edge, he forced himself to be calm. Sam wouldn't let them down. She was team.

The door to the interview room opened and Rodney watched as Sam and Teal'c entered. The man flinched. Good. He knew enough to be worried. That helped.

"Mr. Josephson, we need to talk. My name is Colonel Samantha Carter. This is Teal'c." She laid the evidence baggy containing Sheppard's subcu implant on the table between them. "Let's start with how you came into possession of this?"

Josephson swallowed. It was supposed to be harmless...no one was supposed to suspect. He'd get some free skiing in and then disappear, debt free. Glancing at the implacable Teal'c, he decided that he owed no loyalty to those who'd left him to take the fall.

"It was given to me by Dr. Arno. He teaches a class at the university. He said no one would get hurt but the thing..." he gestured helplessly at the subcu, "the thing had blood on it." He swallowed hard. "I was just supposed to hang out, ski and stuff. I was just supposed to carry that thing around with me all the time. That's all! I didn't hurt anyone."

~*~

Leaning against the desk in General Landry's office, Colonel Carter ran a hand over her face. She'd been up for over a day and there was no time to rest yet.

"According to Josephson, Arno contacted him at the university. They met in a coffee shop just off campus. We have the tech guys going over all available video from the area. We're hopeful there will be tape of the doctor. We're hoping there will be others with him that will give us a place to go with this. We're running out of time."

General Landry tapped his pencil against his desk blotter. "They can't have taken the Colonel far. They didn't have time. Unless they had access to a Ha'tak and ring device they're stuck in the city near the airport. Once we have faces to look for we can concentrate in that area." He paused, frowning.

"We're going to need a plan to contain David Sheppard. He's been making calls, discovering things that he has no business knowing, missing brother or no."

"I wonder..."

"Colonel?"

"Sorry sir. I was thinking of something Colonel Sheppard mentioned once. Sheppard Holdings has control of nearly all the power companies on the eastern seaboard. They've got a virtual monopoly on energy production for half of the U.S. Considering what he already knows, we could use someone like him in the very near future."

"How so?"

"Doctors McKay, Zelenka and Miller are very close to production of our own ZPM. It's not common knowledge yet, but I'd say it's only months away. We're going to have access to nearly limitless, clean power. It stands to reason we're going to need a power company to disperse it."

General Landry grimaced. "I suppose you have something there. Happily, I can bounce this up to Jack in Homeland. One less headache for us."

~*~

"Ah, Colonel. How good of you to rejoin us. We're running low on time. We'll need to accept what we have established as our baseline and move forward."

Dr. Arno moved a chair near John and sat, crossing his legs primly. "I have spent the better part of ten years researching ascension. Ah, I see by your expression that you are familiar with that term. Excellent. Yes. I believe that to grow as a species we need to thrust off our fleshly bodies and concentrate our energies on our intellect! To achieve this we must be able to ascend at will. Currently, only those who have the ATA gene can ultimately ascend but I feel with study all can be taught. That is where you come in. By watching the process by which you grow to ascension I can hope to replicate it again in another person."

He leaned forward, eager for John to understand. "You see now why the application of pain is necessary. There isn't time for the meditative approach, even if you were so disposed. I know that you wouldn't choose to voluntarily ascend. You must be shown that the alternative is so unpalatable that ascension is the better option. Yes, I see you do understand. Well. We must not tarry further. I fear our ruse has been discovered. We have perhaps hours to work when I'd hoped for weeks. So be it."

He stood, pulling the hated device from his pocket. "Let us return to work, shall we?"

~*~

A rap on the door frame caused Sam to jolt awake. She swore. She hadn't meant to doze off.

"Come." She reached for the coffee pot on the desk and gestured with it to the men entering. "Want some?"

"God, yes." Rodney was as tired as Sam was. Soon enough, even caffeine wouldn't help keep them awake.

Pouring two cups, she turned to the technician who'd come in with Rodney. "Did you find anything helpful, Dr. Trios?"

"I think we did, Colonel." He set a folder on her desk and slid it over to her. "If you look at the stills I think you'll recognize several of the people coming into that coffee shop."

"Danvers, Eddings...is that Ostrom?" She flipped through the rest of the photos. "These are all people who work in Area 51. I see reports from them all the time." She looked at Rodney's pinched, angry face.

"These people took the Colonel? Why?"

"They all worked with Dr. Arno while he was there. Evidently they still are loyal to him. The problem is, Arno was crazy...is crazy. Believes that if we could all shuck our bodies we'd automatically become smarter. What we're supposed to do with all that intelligence with no body he's never explained. My guess? He wants to trigger ascension by torturing Sheppard. He submitted a proposal to do just that with then Colonel O'Neil when he worked at Area 51. That's why he's not there anymore." Rodney finished with a sigh. "He won't hesitate to kill John if he feels threatened. We're going to have to tread lightly once we locate him."

Dr. Trios nodded. "The connection to Dr. Arno is important, Colonel. His family has property in the central Denver area. Several large brownstones currently undergoing renovation. They would be the ideal location to hide Colonel Sheppard over the short term." He slid another slim folder over to her. "These are the addresses. Unfortunately, there are quite a few. I don't know how we can narrow the search further."

Sam smiled for the first time that long day. "I do. We've installed an upgrade to the sensors on the General Hammond. If we scan the buildings we should be able to find life signs. It's too late at night for workers to be on premises. We find warm bodies? We find Colonel Sheppard."

Rodney was already standing. "I want on the strike team when we have a location."

~*~

"Really, Colonel. John. May I call you John?"

John glared at the scientist over his gag. It was pitiful at best but it was the best he could do, and the effort left him shaking.

Huffing in annoyance, the doctor continued. "Very well, Colonel. You haven't made any significant progress in lowering your brain waves. We know this is vital to the process of ascension. You need to concentrate on that task at the exclusion of all others." He stood, made an adjustment to the device in his hand, and stepped closer to John. "Let us begin again."

~*~

Rodney tightened the straps on his thigh holster and gave his 9mm a final check to make sure it was ready for use. Feeling Sam's eyes on him, he looked up.

"What?"

"You've changed a lot in the last 6 years, Rodney. I'm proud of you."

"He's my friend. My best friend. I'd wade through hell to get him back." Rodney meant every word.

"Then let's go get him." She signaled to the beam operator. "We're ready. Beam us in on the floor above the life signs."

Rematerializing in the dark was a disconcerting experience. Sam had warned him that it would be dark, and that he shouldn't move until prompted to cut down on the possible transfer of noise to the floor below. He stood perfectly still, waiting.

Sam reached over and flicked on Rodney's night vision goggles. Once she was sure he could clearly see, she stepped back and gestured for him to follow. She slipped her 9mm out of its holster, gratified to see Rodney automatically doing the same. "Let's move out. Quietly."

Rodney moved to walk near the front with Sam, leaving the remainder of their group to watch their six. Sheppard was below him, no doubt suffering. He wasn't going to hide behind Marines until he was safely returned to them.

Before he could take a step however, he found himself pulled back by his vest. Whirling to confront the Marine that grabbed him he was startled to find Major Lorne grinning at him.

"Doctor. Let's keep to the routine, shall we? You in the middly, me on your six. Colonel Sheppard will be bent if I let you get dented."

"I'm glad you're here, Major." Rodney was as surprised as Lorne by the admission. "Let's save his scrawny ass, shall we?"

~*~

Dr. Arno paced back and forth behind Sheppard's chair, waiting impatiently for him to regain consciousness. "Come, come, Colonel. Our time is coming to an end. We still have much to learn!"

John groaned, struggling to pull himself back to the surface. Lifting his head he glared at the doctor.

"Ah, Colonel. Well done, I'm glad to see you back with us. Now. We need to press forward. You must reach the level of ascension. There can be no turning back." He pulled the device out of his pocket and strode forward to John. John jerked in his chair, struggling with all that he had left to pull free of the restraints.

"Now, now Colonel. You're undoing all of our hard work." John continued to struggle, it was get free or die in the attempt. "Rocco, help the Colonel calm himself."

"Rocco..."

Dr. Arno turned, looking for the hulking assistant. He was shocked to find Rocco lying in a puddle of his own blood, an equally large Marine standing over him.

"Arno, you're still a moron. Ascension? Honestly? You should have realized immediately that Sheppard would be the last person to achieve ascension. You'll have lots of time to think about it because I'm pretty sure you'll be in prison for the rest of your life."

Rodney crossed the room, kneeling next to Sheppard. "You're a mess, Colonel. I can't let you out of my sight for a moment." He gently removed the restraints, pulling the flagging Sheppard against him. "You're okay, John. You're just fine." He awkwardly patted John on his back, finding himself unable to let go. "Let's get you home." He gestured to Lorne. "Let's get him out of here."

~*~

John lifted his feet onto the couch, making room for Dave's kids to race around the coffee table. Rodney glared at them, then transferred the glare to Sheppard.

"Who are these hellions, Sheppard?"

"Ah, Rodney. Don't be a Scrooge." John leaned over to put his head on Rodney's shoulder. "Thanks for coming for me, Rodney. I knew you would. I never forgot that. Just...thanks."

Rodney reached up, stroking a shaking hand through Sheppard's hair. "I'll never leave you behind. Never."

John smiled. He knew that. He let himself relax, leaning more heavily onto Rodney's shoulder. "I know that buddy. Right back at you."

Dave Sheppard cleared his throat. "Dinner's ready, guys. Feel like coming to the table John?" He walked to stand in front of his brother. He held out a hand to help him stand.

John took the offered hand. Once on his feet, he reached over to hug his brother. "Thanks Dave. No one would even be looking for me yet if not for you."

"Hey, I'm just trying to make sure you're around to run your part of the company. John groaned, making Rodney and Dave smile.

"I love you guys. I can't believe I'm talking about feelings. I must be more beat up than I thought."

"Merry Christmas, John. And welcome home."

pairing: mckay/sheppard, genre: general, genre: slash

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