Trust Once Broken | SGA John Sheppard

0.17.0

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The next month was fairly quiet for Kai. Elizabeth had granted her permission to stay with a few stipulations. They were inconvenient, but Kai would have been willing to endure much worse to stay. She wasn't allowed into restricted areas without a senior staff member escorting her. She was to provide Doctor Beckett with samples so he could continue research on the evolution of the Lanteans. She wasn't allowed to be armed beyond her single knife. And perhaps her least favorite was that had to meet with their psychiatrist Doctor Heightmeyer once a week. The woman was nice, but she kept pushing Kai to discuss her past and her feelings. Neither were things Kai wanted to get into.

Kai was working down in the lab with Zelenka when his radio sounded. Kai was on the far side of the room and was making an effort not to listen in. She was finding the humans considered it rude when she answered questions before they asked her directly. She didn't try to eavesdrop it was just something she couldn't control. More than anything it was becoming an exercise in patience for her.

Zelenka walked across the lab to her, even though she would have heard him fine from where he was. "McKay requires some assistance on the current project he and AR-1 are working on," Zelenka told her.

Kai looked up from her laptop. "With what?"

"I'm not clear on all the details but it appears he has found a power source viable enough to dial home. He needs a hand modifying the DHD on the planet."

A small smirk crossed Kai's face. Zelenka was terrified to go off word but the Czech scientist would never admit it. "I would be happy to go off World," she said, closing down the program she was working on.

"I would go, but with McKay already off world-" Radek started to make excuses, but Kai stopped him.

"It would be nice to have a change of scenery," she said with a smile. "I'll be back soon!" she called over her shoulder as she headed down to the locker room to gear up.

McKay was waiting for her at the gate. There was a large pile of equipment resting near his feet and he was tapping his foot impatiently. He looked a little surprised when she stepped out of the hallway. "I thought Zelenka was coming," he said.

Kai glanced over her shoulder and shook her head. "He was in the middle of the project. I volunteered."

McKay sniffed in irritation but didn't argue the point. "Are you ready?" he asked impatiently.

Kai nodded, not letting the man's bluntness bother her. She found him to be arrogant, rude and incredibly insensitive. He bullied people and half the scientists in the lab were afraid of him while the other half loathed him. But he was the best at what he did. The man was a literal genius and she could recognize his social failings for what they were; insecurities.

Major Sheppard was standing off to the side of the gate. He wore his Atlantis uniform shirt casually, it was untucked and the sleeves were rolled up his forearms. Kai always found it interesting that he did that while everyone else adhered to a strict dress code. It was a small thing, but he worked to set himself apart from the other members of the military despite being the commanding officer. Part of her wondered if it was simply a force of habit.

"Excellent," McKay said sharply. "Did Zelenka give you a run down of the mission?"

Kai shook her head. "No, just that you were making changes to a gate that might enable you to contact your home world."

McKay sighed heavily. He never failed to show his disdain for Doctor Zelenka. Kai had often wondered if it was because he felt threatened by him.

"We are going to M5S-224. There is energy being generated in the atmosphere. Consistent energy readings around the gate are powering the wormholes. I believe there's enough to allow for a connection to earth. We are going to disassemble the DHD and reconfigure it for an eight chevron lock."