SGA FIC: THE WORLD YOU KNOW 5/10 [PG]

[x_erikah_x]

Title: The World You Know 5/10
Author: x_erikah_x
Word Count: 39,637
Rating: PG
Genre: Gen, Team, Adventure, Crossover
Characters: John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Ronon Dex, Teyla Emmagan, Samantha Carter, Cameron Mitchell, Daniel Jackson, Vala Mal Doran, Teal'c and other cameos by SG1 secondary characters
Disclaimer: Stargate and related characters are a property of Metro-Goldwin-Mayer Studios Inc., no infringements of rights intended.
Spoilers: Season 5 of SGA and as far as The Ark of Truth in SG1
Summary: The team finds an Ancient lab and ends up in trouble in some strange place. Or isn't it? Crossover with SG1. Set shortly after season 5 of SGA after they somehow return to Pegasus.

Author Notes: Thanks drewandian for cheerleading and first reading for me, even though I made you wait one year for the finished version. Thanks so much sherry57 for the beta. This fis is SO much better with your help. *hugs* Thanks so much girls!

I’ll post one chapter every couple of days, maybe one a day depending on my availability. The fic is finished, complete and edited already.

Chapter 1

Chapter 4



Chapter 5

Sam took a deep breath and clasped her hands in front of her body, waiting for the General.

"What have you got, Colonel?" General Kawalsky said as he entered the briefing room.

Sam followed his lead and sat down, as did Cam, Teal'c, Daniel and Vala.

"I have found the cause of the energy wave that struck Los Angeles two days ago," she started. "As I analyzed the data, it struck me that the signature was different than anything we’ve come across before. I didn't know why at the time, but now, it all makes sense." She clasped her hands on the table. "It ties in with the security breach we had yesterday and a strange message I received in my personal e-mail."

"Did we really have a security leak?" Kawalsky asked.

"No, sir," she answered. "Cam and I went to the cyber cafe where the infiltration to our servers occurred and found the man responsible for it." She turned to the screen and activated it. "This is Doctor Rodney McKay." She pointed to the picture on the screen. "This image was taken from the cafe's security cameras and we have no record of him in any American database. We talked to him and he has a pretty amazing story." She paused for a moment. "He said he is from an alternate reality, similar to our own. Now, we have encountered people from different realities before, so we know this is possible. However in every case, the people that crossed over were, well," she smiled slightly, "different versions of ourselves, so it was pretty easy to tell. In this case though, we don't know any the people involved, but they have an explanation for that."

The General nodded and Sam continued.

"They said that in their reality, the expedition to Atlantis did happen. The Daniel in their universe was able to find the full address in Antarctica and they have been exploring another galaxy for almost five years now. Colonel Sheppard," Sam said as she clicked for the next picture to appear, "has been leading the military contingent in Pegasus ever since the beginning of the expedition." She pointed at the picture. "This is the image we have of him in our universe. According to Air Force records, Major John P. Sheppard was considered KIA in Afghanistan shortly after the Israel invasion, probably because of it. They even had a DNA match. Now, the person I met was not a Major. He was a Lieutenant Colonel and he was very much alive. He is in the process of being charged with desertion because of the cross-reference with our reality."

"So," Kawalsky said. "The people that crossed over are unknown to us."

She nodded. "Yes, sir. We have nothing but their word, but," she added, "they were very convincing. McKay and I talked briefly while we drove off to meet Colonel Sheppard and had details of some events that happened in their universe and that have many things in common with our own. I want to propose a deal for them to volunteer the rest of this information in exchange of our help to find their way home."

"What kind of information?" Daniel leaned forward.

"I didn’t find much. The drive to the precinct was short and Sheppard didn’t want to share much beforehand. They did say that their Daniel downloaded Merlin's knowledge into his brain and was able to complete the weapon that destroyed the Ori."

Vala poked Daniel on the shoulder. "See? I told you!"

"Yes, you did, Vala." Daniel looked down, then up. "And that's great story if proven true but how do we confirm it? It seems almost too good to be true."

"Our help how?" General Kawalsky asked.

"Doctor McKay said they came here because of an accident with Ancient technology. They were exploring a planet in Pegasus and encountered a lab that apparently was made to harvest power from alternate universes and store in a buffer. The device overloaded when it was activated and sent them here. The energy charge sent them to LA and ended up destroying a shop and killing a man. Then, Colonel Sheppard was arrested and charged with the man's murder and his team is stuck here." She leaned forward. "What they need is to go to Atlantis in this universe in order to reach the planet they were in and activate the device from this end."

General Kawalsky stared in silence.

"Do you believe them?" Kawalsky finally asked.

Sam nodded. "Yes, sir. They have no reason to lie to us. If there had been a leak, what would be the point of staging this? Also, McKay and I talked and he really is brilliant. He knows what he's talking about."

"Apparently, sir," Cam chipped in, "he's their Carter."

"Also," Sam shifted in her seat. "It's weird, sir, but he talks to me as if he's known me for years. He even called me Sam on a couple of occasions."

"Do they have the address to Atlantis?" Daniel asked with a tone Sam knew showed his eagerness.

Sam nodded. "They want to help us get there, so they can get back home."

The General stared at the screen for several moments then leaned forward. "You know that it will require the ZPM to power the gate. How could we defend Earth if you depleted our only power source for the chair?"

Sam thinned her lips. "Yes, sir. That could happen. But," she added. "I don't know how much power we have left in the ZPM we have. For all we know it could be depleted in our next attack, or maybe it already doesn't have enough power to establish any link with another galaxy at all." She leaned forward and clasped her hands on the desk. "But if we go to Atlantis, sir, we could find more. They said they have been living there for five years, they must have found a power source to power up the city."

"They could tell us how to find more," Daniel chipped in.

"And," Vala added. "We have the chance to go to the lost city of the Ancients, who knows what we can find there?" Her eyes almost sparkled. "I mean, not only ZPMs, but weapons and technology... and with their help... they might know where everything is already! We'd have a massive head start!"

"Exactly," Kawalsky said. "Who knows what's out there? The last time you went to another galaxy, you brought the Ori on us."

"That was an accident." Vala pointed a finger up.

"Anyway," the General continued. "We should hear some more intel from them before we jump through the gate. I want to know how their expedition happened and the main events they had to face from day one. We need to be prepared and I’d like to talk to them to see if I believe it too."

Everyone nodded.

"Bring them into the mountain. I'll arrange the papers to transfer Sheppard to Air Force custody."

*****

Ronon munched on his burger, wondering why the hell didn't the mess hall in Atlantis serve it. He was normally surrounded by so much of the Earth culture, he sometimes felt himself wishing for some Satedan air. But when it came to food, he found himself really excited to learn more. Atlantis food was good, but it had never been this good.

"Would you mind? Your chewing is too loud!" Rodney complained.

Ronon snorted. "You criticizing the way I eat, McKay?"

"At least I'm not behaving like a person that has never seen burger in life!"

Ronon smirked. "I never saw burger in life."

Teyla shook her head and looked around, apparently still unsure why they were given forks and knives if they weren't supposed to use it. She smiled as she held the sandwich with both hands, taking a large bite from her smaller cheeseburger, the sound she made a clear statement that she approved the taste just as much as Ronon did.

According to McKay, this was the typical American food. He had said they ate this everyday of their entire lives and it was the reason most of their population was seriously overweight. The way everyone looked inside the restaurant, Ronon wasn't about to disagree with that statement.

He ended up catching sight of some really slim figures (Ronon wondered if they had come from some kind of torture prison when he caught a glimpse of one of the girl's stomach), but those women were eating from such a tiny bowl of salad, Ronon hoped that was just the appetizer. When he mentioned the table to McKay, he had said it was a very normal behavior from some people to simply quit eating altogether. McKay had said those kinds of people were nut cases that usually ended up in the hospital, whichever kind was more appropriate, and Ronon found himself heartily agreeing. No one is a sane state of mind would deliberately stop eating.

"So, in order to follow the rules, your people have to stop eating?" Ronon asked, still confused.

"What? No. It's not a rule. Generally, famous people are very slim, and other people want to look like them, even if it sacrifices their health. It's just a stupid thing they believe. Some take it to the extreme, like them." He waved his burger to the table of tiny women.

Ronon shared a look with Teyla and saw his expression reflected on her. These Earth people sometimes didn't make much sense.

"Because we don't have many real dangerous enemies, people create other kinds of villains." Rodney waved at Ronon's tray. "Like burgers," he said, his mouth full.

"They think burgers are enemies?"

"I'm not saying it makes sense," Rodney said after he saw Ronon's face.

Ronon gave up trying to understand Earth and just worried about chewing his food.

*****

John was jerked awake by a foot kicking his boots. He raised his head from lying against his knees and stared up. The blur of a massive man slowly came into focus, looking down at John almost puffing smoke out of his nostrils. John leaned his head back against the wall, stretching his bent legs and groaning at the aches on his back. Maybe sleeping sitting down on the hard floor hadn’t been his brightest idea.

"Am I in your spot too?" John mumbled as he waved a hand towards the wall behind him.

The man crossed his big arms across his chest. "Yeah."

John rubbed his face. "Look, there are three more walls for you to lean on."

He looked up at the giant in front of him, John’s head almost touching his back. He raised his eyebrow, not really liking where this was going.

"Yeah, but that one is already warm," the man uncrossed his arms and flexed his fingers, their snapping loud enough for John to hear.

Yes, he was definitely not liking the direction.

John waved across the cell. "I think that bed is much more comfortable." John brightened at his own suggestion. "And it’s also warmed up."

The man turned his head, but soon returned. "I like the floor." He pointed down at John. "I like that floor."

John sighed. Seriously, would no one let him stay wherever he wanted? He glanced around the cell, seeing smirking men shooting looks at John. Another, smaller man, was biting his lips and didn't look as happy as the others. His eyes widened under John's gaze and then moved to the man in front of John, lowering soon after. Tiny man looked like he was having a tick and started moving his fingers, clenching and unclenching his hand.

John knew that if he simply let Biggie have his corner he would be opening a space for more bullying later. Of course, John was hoping his stay wouldn't be long enough for that to become a problem, but he also wished Biggie would stop making Tiny look so nervous for just being across the cell.

Whatever internal debate John was having soon came to an end when Biggie felt John had taken too long trying to decide. Next thing he knew, John was being held above the floor by his neck, face flushing and struggling to breathe. John grabbed Biggie's bulky arms and tried to pry them away, only managing to whiten the red skin and make a few veins pop on the man's biceps. A squeaky sound exited John's lips as his throat was squeezed and black spots started to dance his sight. The spots increased in size, nearly closing his field of vision when he felt his body being thrown across the room, slamming against the bars with a cry that never made out of his starved lungs and an explosion of light behind his eyes. John slumped to the floor, vaguely aware of a commotion inside the cell but too busy fighting off the darkness to care.

*****

John woke up to a haze of people around him. Through half lidded eyes, he saw grey ceiling passing above him, lights blinding him and making his head spike with pain. He groaned and squeezed his eyes shut, turning his face to the side. There was some turning around which made his stomach churn with nausea. He felt a gentle squeeze on his hand and a soothing voice speaking somewhere above his head. He tried to open his eyes again to look at the source of the words, but they appeared to be made of lead.

"Te'yl...?"

"Yes, John. We are here."

The next time he found himself awake enough to pry his eyes open, he had to squeeze them back close at the luminosity. He decided to simply leave them like that, almost smiling at the comfort of bed and pillows. Then he remembered a prison cell. No. It hadn't been an actual prison. Although he remembered thinking he was eventually going to end up in one. He frowned wondering how he got from under arrest to comfortable in bed. He decided he should figure it out by simply opening his eyes.

He saw a concrete grey ceiling, then his eyes darted to concrete grey walls to finally rest upon his team around his bed. He frowned in concentration for a moment, then, as memories flooded back into his brain, he imagined he must have been moved to Cheyenne Mountain.

Teyla smiled. "John, how are you feeling?"

"Hmm, a small headache," John tried to say, but found his voice husky.

"Here" she said as she gave him a cup of water with a straw. "The doctor said your voice shall return in a few days. You bruised your larynx."

"What happen'?" he asked, still annoyed by his voice.

"You decided to pick a fight with a giant in your cell, almost got choked to death, then got flung across the cell and got a concussion when you hit your head on the bars." Rodney crossed his arms annoyed as if it all had been John's fault.

John frowned.

Teyla reached for his arm. "Do you want me to call the nurse for your headache?"

"Are they going to help us?" John changed the subject to more important matters than a headache.

"Yes, first they want to make sure you are healed fine, then they want to interview you and the rest of us to know details of the Atlantis expedition."

John pinched his nose. He let his heavy arm drop and looked at Ronon.

Ronon leaned forward in his chair. "They want to know what they could come across once they get into Pegasus."

John nodded and closed his eyes. He heard the nurse arriving then felt his headache start to dissipate at the same rate his sleepiness increased. John sunk into the pillow. He really wanted to continue the conversation, ask about this reality's SGC, if they could be trusted, what their plan of action would be, but each question that popped into his head seemed farther and farther away until he finally gave into sleep.

When he woke up again, John felt his throat was still painful. He sat up in bed and looked around, seeing no one. The three chairs were unoccupied and one had an empty mug that smelled like coffee and another one had a folded blanket. He looked at his arms and noticed he didn't have an IV anymore. He was about to call a nurse when he heard two distinct voices coming from the corridor.

"I just don't think it tastes the same."

John smiled at Rodney's morose tone.

"I think it's fine. Better than the stuff they served in the mess hall last Sunday," Ronon said in his gruff voice.

"Mmm, I don't even know what that was."

Their voices were getting louder and soon the three members of his team strolled into the infirmary. John grinned at their sight.

"I guess it was that rabbit from M2S-Z89 mixed with that planet's greenish sauce."

Teyla raised an eyebrow. "I thought it was pork and smashed broccoli," she said surprised.

"What?" Rodney exclaimed. "Nononono, it was beef and spinach."

"Actually," John interrupted. "Lieutenant Barros in charge of the kitchen told me it was a Pegasus version on tofu burger mixed with the veggie version of… something."

They all raised their eyebrows at the revelation and shared glances. John smirked.

"Seriously?" Rodney took his mug and crashed down on his chair. "I ate tofu? Willingly?" He grimaced. "You really should put that Lieutenant in a new post. He sucks as a cook."

John snorted. He heartily agreed with Rodney. "I thought about laundry, but then I was afraid he would turn all my underwear pink."

Teyla squeezed John's leg. "I see you are feeling much better, John."

"My throat feels almost normal and the headache is gone."

The corner of Teyla's eyes turned upwards. "That is very good. I shall get the doctor so you can share the good news."

The doctor that came was a short woman with medium length light brown hair. She came in smiling and with a stethoscope around her neck.

"Hello, Colonel. I'm Doctor Frasier. How are you feeling today?"

He beamed. "Pretty good."

She extended her hands to touch his neck. "I see your voice is almost back. Any pain when speaking?" She gently probed him.

John shook his head. "Not really."

"Nevertheless, I would like you to take it easy." She held her stethoscope. "The concussion wasn't as bad as it looked and the full night of recovery was enough to make it subside. However, you'll be experiencing headaches on and off for a few more days. Just drop by when they come on. Also, your throat may be feeling better but no long speeches for a couple more days. The region is still a little sore."

"Sure, Doc." John smiled.

He leaned back as she finished examining him, breathed in and out when he was told so, had his heart listened, then let her put a cuff around his arm.

"Okay, Colonel. Looks like you have no good reason to stay here in my infirmary. I'll write my report releasing you, but I'll send a note to the General asking him to wait an extra day for the interview he wants to do."

John smiled. "Thanks."

"Okay, I'll get the nurse to bring your clothes." She patted his upper arm then left.

The first thing John did was to take a shower. Then, he felt his stomach rumbling and decided where his next stop should be.

"I guess I could use some food," he said.

"Well, if you're gonna eat, then I recommend you take the eggs. They are exceptional."

He exited the infirmary and noticed the guards that started following his team.

*****

Chapter 6