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Home, Far Away - Stargate: Atlantis - Gen (John Sheppard) - Words: 837
Written for Stargateland Extra! Extra! Challenge
Summary: Declassification came and went without a sound or a warning.
Content Notes: None. G.
Sometimes, John thought that the Pegasus galaxy was even worse for receiving news about what was happening on Earth than when he'd been doing black ops. At least in black ops, they'd usually have some source of information, a connection to the rest of the world even though they had to filter everything codes and decide what from the news was accurate and what was propaganda and everything in between. But, when they made the initial connection back to Earth, after they'd gotten rid of the Wraith at least, John hadn't been surprised to learn that not much had changed in the grand scheme of things.
Of course, having spent that first year fighting for their lives and with only their group of under two hundred people who understood Earth culture and norms changed how they all saw Earth. Earth had become a symbol, something they'd fought to protect from the Wraith, somewhere they remembered their families and friends being. They got letters in the transmissions that went back and forth from the SGC, now that they both had enough power to send them, and the Daedalus brought care packages and dvds and all of the things that had become commodities on Atlantis. But, other than that, Earth was in the distance. Always in their minds, perhaps, but not tangible enough to have any real impact on their day to day life.
So, when Elizabeth had called the senior staff into the conference room, a news broadcast from Earth that announced an alien attack that was too widespread to cover up, and the declassification of the Stargate program was the last thing they expected to hear. The attack left a lot of damage, but with minimal loss of life. The SGC had scrambled F-302's and the Daedalus and the Apollo had been in the vicinity to help prevent most of the destruction.
The video finished and they sat in silence for a long moment, each caught up in their own thoughts.
Rodney spoke first. "I need to go brief my department. I'm sure everyone has a backlog of papers they'll want to send through final revisions." He walked from the room, deep in thought and with his tablet computer tucked under his arm.
"My staff will also want to prepare research to be published, as well as letters to their families, I imagine. Excuse me." Carson looked a little bit overwhelmed by the news as he left the room.
John thought that he could relate, remembering how completely taken aback he'd been when he'd first been told of the Stargate, of aliens who had been doing their best to exterminate their entire planet for the past eight years and no one had a clue. It was only later, after he'd read through some of the more outrageous mission reports about diseases and creatures that had been let loose on Earth and only contained by miracles and the bravery of the men and women at the SGC, that John started to get a little bit angry and a lot frustrated. He'd thought that the world should know, should know that they were far closer to the brink of instant annihilation than even the extremists had guessed and that there were people giving their lives everyday for the sake of everyone on Earth. He hadn't been in a position to say anything about it, still wasn't, but in a way, he was glad that people knew, even considering the mass panic and rioting that was probably taking place.
"The General sent an instruction packet for each of us. I'm sure there are more details about how the declassification is being handled and what will be asked of us." Elizabeth looked a little shaken, her hands reaching up to push her hair away from her face.
John was grateful that she's was dropping her serene diplomat face and dropped his own military facade in return. "It shouldn't have happened this way," he said, knowing that he could speak what he was thinking around Elizabeth and his words wouldn't wind up anywhere else.
She shook her head. "There's been talk of declassifying since the program began, and it gets brought up every time there's been a major attack on Earth. And each time they say that since no one noticed, there was no need to declassify."
John thought about a lot of things, but what stuck out was one thing in particular. "How are they supposed to trust us after we've been lying to them for a decade?"
"You trusted us, enough to come here," Elizabeth pointed out.
John didn't bother saying that it was because there had been no place left for him on Earth. "Forward me the General's instructions. I'll let the troops know."
Elizabeth watched in silence as John left the conference room, feeling even more defeated than she had shown to John. He was absolutely right, when he said that it shouldn't have happened like this, and there was nothing anyone could do about it.
Written for Stargateland Extra! Extra! Challenge
Summary: Declassification came and went without a sound or a warning.
Content Notes: None. G.
Sometimes, John thought that the Pegasus galaxy was even worse for receiving news about what was happening on Earth than when he'd been doing black ops. At least in black ops, they'd usually have some source of information, a connection to the rest of the world even though they had to filter everything codes and decide what from the news was accurate and what was propaganda and everything in between. But, when they made the initial connection back to Earth, after they'd gotten rid of the Wraith at least, John hadn't been surprised to learn that not much had changed in the grand scheme of things.
Of course, having spent that first year fighting for their lives and with only their group of under two hundred people who understood Earth culture and norms changed how they all saw Earth. Earth had become a symbol, something they'd fought to protect from the Wraith, somewhere they remembered their families and friends being. They got letters in the transmissions that went back and forth from the SGC, now that they both had enough power to send them, and the Daedalus brought care packages and dvds and all of the things that had become commodities on Atlantis. But, other than that, Earth was in the distance. Always in their minds, perhaps, but not tangible enough to have any real impact on their day to day life.
So, when Elizabeth had called the senior staff into the conference room, a news broadcast from Earth that announced an alien attack that was too widespread to cover up, and the declassification of the Stargate program was the last thing they expected to hear. The attack left a lot of damage, but with minimal loss of life. The SGC had scrambled F-302's and the Daedalus and the Apollo had been in the vicinity to help prevent most of the destruction.
The video finished and they sat in silence for a long moment, each caught up in their own thoughts.
Rodney spoke first. "I need to go brief my department. I'm sure everyone has a backlog of papers they'll want to send through final revisions." He walked from the room, deep in thought and with his tablet computer tucked under his arm.
"My staff will also want to prepare research to be published, as well as letters to their families, I imagine. Excuse me." Carson looked a little bit overwhelmed by the news as he left the room.
John thought that he could relate, remembering how completely taken aback he'd been when he'd first been told of the Stargate, of aliens who had been doing their best to exterminate their entire planet for the past eight years and no one had a clue. It was only later, after he'd read through some of the more outrageous mission reports about diseases and creatures that had been let loose on Earth and only contained by miracles and the bravery of the men and women at the SGC, that John started to get a little bit angry and a lot frustrated. He'd thought that the world should know, should know that they were far closer to the brink of instant annihilation than even the extremists had guessed and that there were people giving their lives everyday for the sake of everyone on Earth. He hadn't been in a position to say anything about it, still wasn't, but in a way, he was glad that people knew, even considering the mass panic and rioting that was probably taking place.
"The General sent an instruction packet for each of us. I'm sure there are more details about how the declassification is being handled and what will be asked of us." Elizabeth looked a little shaken, her hands reaching up to push her hair away from her face.
John was grateful that she's was dropping her serene diplomat face and dropped his own military facade in return. "It shouldn't have happened this way," he said, knowing that he could speak what he was thinking around Elizabeth and his words wouldn't wind up anywhere else.
She shook her head. "There's been talk of declassifying since the program began, and it gets brought up every time there's been a major attack on Earth. And each time they say that since no one noticed, there was no need to declassify."
John thought about a lot of things, but what stuck out was one thing in particular. "How are they supposed to trust us after we've been lying to them for a decade?"
"You trusted us, enough to come here," Elizabeth pointed out.
John didn't bother saying that it was because there had been no place left for him on Earth. "Forward me the General's instructions. I'll let the troops know."
Elizabeth watched in silence as John left the conference room, feeling even more defeated than she had shown to John. He was absolutely right, when he said that it shouldn't have happened like this, and there was nothing anyone could do about it.
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