Genuis!Ryan Universe - Declassification
Aug. 10th, 2009 05:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
missmara13Using the icon for the Ryan and Zoe moments in this fic!
A quick note on this universe.
While I'm referring to it here as 'Genuis!Ryan', it's tagged as 'Eureka!Ryan' because that's what it started out as, a simple The OC/Eureka crossover. But then it expanded to include Stargate: Atlantis and Doctor Who/Torchwood. So, it's either call it 'Genuis!Ryan', or the much more cumbersome 'Eureka!Companion!Atlantis!Ryan'... lol...
Anyway, this universe is AU in several aspects, among them that Dr. Elizabeth Weir is still alive and in charge of Atlantis. Also, there is no Dr. Jennifer Keller, although the Carson beckett may or may not be the Clone!Beckett, I haven't decided...
This may also, at some point, be editted to include the fact that in this universe? Lt. Laura Cadman is twins with Dr. Tess Fontana. In my mind, their parents got divorced when they were pretty little, and one ended up with mom's maiden name (or maybe a stepdad's name), the other has Dad's name. But they're in contact with eachother. But most of this was written LONG ebfore I found out that the actress who played Cadman was joining the cast of Eureka, so... no mention of Tess in this...
Anyway... onto fic...
It was... not good. Ryan was off world with the rest of AR-5, in the middle of being tortured by Genii troops, when word came through the gate about declassification and that the IOA wanted Ryan to be the face of the scientists on Atlantis.
Young. Brilliant. Handsome. The perfect spokesman. Except he came back through the gate supported between Lorne and Leri, hemorraging from the gunshot wound in his knee and the internal bleeding brought on by beatings.
So, they patched him up as best they could, then shipped him back to the SGC for further treatment, all against Ryan's protests and Beckett's excuses that it would be too stressful. He tried to convince the SGC doctors to let him go home to Eureka, a few medical grade nanobots, some tissue regneration, a lot of Vinspressors, and he might even be ready to face the public during the announcement. But they turned his request down everytime, insisting their care was better.
It was only as he stepped onto the stage three weeks later, the cuts and bruises on his face faded but his knee still a complete mess, that he realized someone had wanted to portray him as a brave civilian who saw the risk and the reward of the program, and he decided if he ever figured out who, he'd sick Jo Lupo on them.
The IOA had prepped him on what he should say, a sanitized version of his life story to begin with, but as he looked at the crowd of reporters and glanced over his shoulder to the SGC personell, he straightened his shoulders and went completely off script.
"I'm going to try to keep this part brief, but they thought everyone might want to know a little about the person speaking to them. I was born in Southern California, to parents who cared more about getting drunk or finding their next hit of heroin than they did about their kids. When I was 15, I was arrested, alongside my older brother, for stealing a car. I ended up with probation thansk to a good public defender, who briefly took me in.
"When he and his wife had me take the entrance exam for a private school their own son attended, the results caught the attention of the government, and I was approached to leave California to go to a town devoted to scientific advancement. Unfortunately, that town is largely classified, and I really don't want to bring the CIA down on me," he said, smiling slightly as a chuckle ran through the conference room. Allison had told him that Eureka was slated to go public within a few months, though it's location would remain classified, so he'd been cleared to mention the town.
"I guess you could say I flourished there. I didn't have to worry about being hit, or where my next meal would come from. All I had to worry about was doing my school work, making sure none of the labs I was in blew up with me inside, and trying to stay out of trouble with my best friend. That last one was probably the hardest, but... I survived my teen years. I had a job waiting for me at the labs as soon as I graduated high school, and from there I essentially did work study as I got my degrees.
"A few years later, I was approached by two members of an international expedition to another planet. Another galaxy, in fact. Of course, they just told me it was a high paying job that had some risk, but a lot of reward. Imagine my surprise when they mentioned 'leaving orbit'.
"The job was on Atlantis, and I was soon put on a gate team. 23 years-old and I was seeing the universe alongside some truly amazing people. I'd been doing that for 5 years when I was injured, ironically the same day the expedition was told about Declassification. Of course, it took three more days for myself and the rest of the team to get back to Atlantis, by which time it was old news.
He took a deep breath, looking over the crowd and bakc over his shoulder again, seeing the approving smile on Dr. Weir's face and the disgruntled look on Woolsey's. "There are some pretty big risks to those out there in the universe. There are some who want to hurt us, but for nearly two decades, the SGC and it's personell have kept this planet, along with hundreds, maybe even thousands, of others safe. We are good at what we do, and we have no intention of suddenly failing. And the rewards... I've seen two galaxies, I've been to countless alien worlds, I've done experiments with equipment unlike anything we have ever had on Earth. I've helped saved hundreds of lives, and I've helped free people who were enslaved on their own homeworlds.
He shrugged. "What I'm saying is, we're doing amazing things out there, seeing wonders that none of us ever dreamed of. And frankly, I'm looking forward to my knee recovering fully so I can go back and continue my work. There's always something new to study, and I can't wait to see it. Thank you."
"Dr. Atwood will now take questions," Woolsey said as he walked up to Ryan's sied.
Ryan covered the microphone with one hand will triggering the microphone killer he and Zoe had designed for Allison years ago, when someone, they enver found out who, had been bugging labs in Global. "You never said anything about answering questions," he said, trying to look like it was just a quick check on something, all friendly.
"It is a press conference," Woolsey said.
Ryan glanced back at Weir, who quickly got up to join them. "I didn't know either," she said, the smile on her face belying the fact that her eyes were looking murderous towards woolsey. "I don't appreciate my people being ambushed," she said.
"They reacted well to him, despite how he went off track..."
"Isn't the poor abused kid who made good a better story than 'typical young genuis'?" Ryan replied.
"I'll stay up here with you," Weir said suddenly, in a tone that brokered no arguement. "If you get too tired or your leg starts hurting, just let me know and we'll get you out of here to rest as soon as possible."
"It hurts, it hurts," Ryan muttered as Woolsey returned to his seat and Weir tried to hide her smile. He turned the microphone back on and pasted on a smile. "My apologies, I needed to verify something with Mr. Woolsey. Since I've been in the infirmary, I wasn't positive on whether certain things were cleared for me to talk about today."
"With Dr. Atwood's injury, we'll need to keep this brief," Weir said. "So, who has the first question?"
"How many aliens have you met?"
"If by alien, you mean non-human, then only a handful. If you mean non-Earth Human, I've met thousands. There are humans on other worlds both in the Milky Way and the Pegasus Galaxies," Ryan said.
"Have there been any earther/non earther marriages?"
Ryan had made the mistake of a taking a sip of water before the question was asked and nearly spit it out as he chuckled. "Um... a few. Certain cultures required symbolic marriages to seal trade deals, but... in msot cases they aren't valid by the laws of the Earther's home country and most of those worlds see it as merely symbolic, with no need for... consumation."
"Have you married any non-earth humans?" someone called out.
Weir raised an eyebrow, and Ryan sighed. "Yes. Three of them. All very nice women. Their cultures treat it more as a familial bonding, putting me more in a position similiar to a brother than anything."
"Is it true you've been declared dead at 5 times?" a reporter asked.
"4 times while working for the SGC and the IOA," Ryan said. "Next?"
"Does your family know what you've been doing?"
Ryan hesitated on that one, shaking his head sharply when Weir moved to tell them he needed to rest. "If you mean my biological family, then I don't know, but I doubt it. They were never ones for the news, and I haven't spoken to them in over a decade. If you mean my adoptive fmaily in my hometown, they know the basics, and since they have clearance, I intend to tell them next time I get a visit home."
"Rumor puts your name in connection to a British organization called Torchwood and a man called 'The Doctor' that very little is known about. Are those rumors true?"
Ryan hesitated again, this time briefly. "I've done contract work for a British defense company, years before I joined the Stargate Program, and I have met a man who goes by the moniker of 'The Doctor'," he said. "Then again, my teammates tend to refer to me as 'the doc', so it's not an unusual nickname."
"But what about the photos that have turned up of you present at the site of the Cardiff earthquakes that set half the city on fire?"
"I was doing the contract work during that time and assisted in rescue opperations since they were more critical than computer tech work," Ryan said. He glanced over at Weir, who nodded.
"Dr. Atwood needs to rest his leg, so I'll be taking over now," she said. Turning from the microphone, she made sure Ryan was steady on his crutches, then smiled. "You did great."
"Whatever you say, Dr. Weir," Ryan replied with a smile.
"There's some people waiting for you in the back lounge," Weir added before turning back to the microphone to field more questions.
As Ryan walked off stage, he was immediately met by the rest of AR-5, Lorne and Cadman gently ribbing him even as Leri took his crutches and one of them slid under each of his arms, supporting most of his weight on the way to the lounge.
"And you say you don't like speaking in front of crowds," Cadman teased, grinning. "That's what, the thrid time I've seen you do it?"
"And impress the listeners in the process," Lorne added. "Did you see the looks on some of their faces?"
"Some of the women were drooling," Cadman put in, making Ryan groan.
Leri opened the door to the lounge as they approached, and Ryan's head was down, so at first he didn't see them. Then he heard the sound of several people hurrying to their feet and looked up, a smile spreading across his face as he saw Jack and Zoe waiting there. Jack was dressed in a suit, and looked really strange it, while Zoe's hair was fire engine red, the same as the day the first met. For a moment, he saw her as she looked that day, petulant and desperate for a 'normal' friend. "Hey," Ryan said to them. letting his weariness show through as he sank down onto the couch between them. The rest of the team took places around the room as Ryan leaned over to hug Zoe, who was crying slightly, then repeated the action with Jack, who cupped the back of Ryan's head.
"Allison and kevin wanted to come, but there were a few mild emergencies at GD," he said. "They can't wait to see you, though. And Lexi intends to try to get you to 'purify your mind, body, and spirit' first chance she gets."
"Thanks for the warning," Ryan said quietly, his eyes closed as he let his guard down. He was surrounded by the people he called family, and there was no place safer.
~~~
By the time the press conference was over and Weir got to the lounge with the rest of the Atlanteans present for it, positions had shifted slightly so Jack was on the middle, Ryan and Zoe both leaning again him, both fast asleep.
"We were hearing stories of the doc as a kid," Lorne said with a grin. "He once overloaded the power grid to his home town."
"Had to, the bugs were everywhere," Ryan murmured, half asleep.
"Really bad hair," Zoe agreed.
"It's not as crazy as it sounds," Jack said. "The bugs were electrical. Literally, they were bugs that were electrical. Everytime they landed on someone, there was a shock that had hair standing on end. And when more than one landed on you, then you were in trouble. Ryan and Zo figured out that the bugs were tapping into the town's EM field for power, and they overloaded it." he paused, shaking his head in amusement. "Imagine a town full of genuis tech heads who use virtual chalk boards suddenly being without power for 3 days. That was not fun for the Sheriff's office to deal with."
"Sorry, Dad," Zoe said, sitting up and stretching. "We should have waited until after a swarm landed on you and stopped your heart, then taken 'em out. Saved you the trouble."
The door opened again, this time admitting O'Neill and SG-1, along with Woolsey. "We have a little problem," O'Neill said.
"It could ruin all the good PR we've been working on!" Woolsey protested loudly, causing Ryan to jerk awake, hand going for his non-existant side arm until he focused and remembered where he was. "Damn it, I was having a really good dream about the Paran Festival," he muttered, rubbing a hand over his eyes.
"What did you do to Dr. Kavanaugh?" Woolsey demanded.
"When?" Ryan asked. "Because I threaten to kill him a couple times a week, and I made the water wherever he was run at 33 degrees farenheit a couple weeks before I got hurt, and there was the fire retardent gel thing the day before we left on that mission... and I did make the computer add a line to his degrees list saying 'Masters in Assholery'..."
O'Neill was fighting his laughter as Woolsey stared in horror. "You did what?" Woolsey asked.
"Hey, he had valid reasons," Lorne defended. "The water was because Kavanaugh delibrately knocked over a tank one of the biologists was studying some Atlantica native fish in and destroyed almost three years worth of research. The fire retardant was because Kavanaugh set fire to the lab with his stupidity and then complained that the fire suppression system didn't start quick enough, so Ryan reset it to come on over Kavanaugh's desk at the first whisp of smoke. And hacking his degrees list... well... Kavanaugh tried to say the Doc's degrees don't count because they're not from an 'accreditted univeristy'."
"Yes, because top secret labs with hundreds of government contracts regularly employ people who aren't qualified," Jack muttered.
"Kavanaugh's nearly gotten me killed a dozen times in the last 5 years, so maybe I'm a little quick with revenge. Doesn't mean he doesn't deserve it," Ryan said.
"He released video footage to the press that makes the entire expedition look like lunatics, and makes you look sadistic," O'Neill said. "It could be very bad."
Ryan grabbed the remote and flipped on the tv, finding footage of him walking up to a wraith and shooting it until his clip was empty was playing on repeat with commentary. "That god damn thing had just killed someone and might have revealed the city's gate address to the rest of them!" he protested.
O'Neill took the remote, changing to a different channel that was showing Ryan berating Kavanaugh in a hall filled with smoke and injured people. Conveniently, the footage was from the side where Ryan didn't show any injuries, not the side where he had a cut running from just below his eye all the way to his jaw. Not the side where there was a gaping whole in his shirt and pieces of glass embedded in the skin. Not the side were blood was pooring down his leg from the piece of metal that had cut a hunk out of it.
"That son of a bitch," Ryan growled. "I'll bet he didn't tell the people he sold that to that he triggered a mine and ran out without warning anyone else in that lab. That Dr. Henriksen was killed and Dr. LaVelle lost an eye and needed reconstructive surgery to look halfway normal again. That we lost two years of research, including Dr. LaVelle's work on a code that might have been able to shut down hive ships through a comm channel."
"Doc, it'll get cleared up," Lorne said.
"Believe me, it will," Weir said, her expression cold as Kavanaugh appeared on screen.
Ryan grabbed the remote back, turning up the volume.
"It just disturbs me that they're touting him out as a poster child when he's shown signs of mental instability for as long as I've known him," Kavanaugh said. "I think the stress of the expedition was too much for him to handle at his young age..."
"Bullshit!" Zoe protested.
"What was the first time you noticed something might be wrong with Dr. Atwood?" the interviewer asked.
"There was an accident involving an ancient device..."
"It wasn't ancient, it was Daharan," Lorne muttered.
"That caused several of us to shift out of phase for a few hours..."
"Three days," Cadman corrected. "Without food or water. And he complained more than the rest of us did."
"And he began to threaten my life because I had been standing near the device..."
"He delibrately hit the buttons that I told him would activate the device," Leri protested, eyes flashing.
"He openly told several people he was going to kill me..."
"He never meant literally," Lorne said through gritted teeth. "And half the expeidition has felt the same way at elast twice."
"I feel sorry for him, really."
"That disgusting, vile, D'sha!" Leri said, eyes blazing. "Is he returning with us to Atlan?" she said, using her people's name for the city. "I'm sure my brother could come up with something quite creative in revenge. Involving actual D'shas, and a pit of nectar."
"One moment, we're receiving a video call from... Dr. Nathan Stark, who, as we revealed yesterday, has recently joined the office of Homeworld Security," the interviewer began.
"This could be good or bad," Ryan said, eyebrows furrowed as he watched the screen.
"It's wonderful that you could join..." the interviewer began, only to be cut off.
"I want to make it clear to the IOA, the SGC, and whoever else it matters to. If that man is allowed back to the Pegasus Galaxy, there will be a lot of disgruntled people who are very crucial to the running of things."
"See, a man with sense, he knows Atwood is a complete..." Kavanaugh began, puffing up his chest.
"Asset who shouldn't have to deal with idiots," Stark interrupted, his expression furious. "The recent advancements in medical nanotechnology is to Dr. Atwood's credit, the company who made them used his work to fill in gaps from earlier programming attempts." He paused. "Ms. Saunders," he continued to the interviewer. "I've known Dr. Atwood since he was 15, I was the one who approached him to come to Eureka, to embrace his mind and let it take him where he wanted to go, instead of hiding it because it wouldn't get him anywhere. Dr. Atwood's mind... it's not easy to find someone who thinks like he does, and if the IOA and SGC decides to put his life at additional risk by having that idiot you were interviewing in the Pegasus Galaxy with him, well, Dr. Atwood will always have a job at Global Dynamics. We can always use another head researcher."
Ryan sighed, shaking his head as he turned to look at Zoe. "Is that a pod person? because last time I spoke to Stark, he was still pissed off that I told him it was his own fault he lost Allison, because until he started embracing his inner jerk more and showing his inner good guy less, he was at least sort of able to compete."
"Sort of able to compete?" O'Neill asked.
"Everyone back home in Eureka knows, Dr. Allison Blake was meant to be with Sheriff Jack Carter," Ryan said. "It's a universal, incontrovertable, truth."
"Thanks?" Jack said.
"Dad, Ryan's the one who arranged that little electrical glitch that trapped you and Allison in the elevator," Zoe said.
"You're the one who got them both in there at the same time and then called me to glitch it," Ryan replied, grinning. "So don't go laying all the blame on me."
"Who, exactly, are you?" Woolsey asked, getting annoyed. "I don't remember clearing..."
"I did," O'Neill said. "Sheriff Carter is Dr. Atwood's father, and Dr. Carter is his sister."
"The rest of the family wanted to come, but short notice and minor disasters caused some problems," Jack said. "They were gonna watch, along with half of town, at Cafe Diem, though."
"They probably laughed as hard as we did over your fake 'everything's okay' smile after finding out about having to take questions," Zoe said with a grin. She glanced over at Woolsey. "If there hadn't been an audience, you'd probably be a dead man."
"Especially with how the Doc gets on pain killers," Lorne said. "Everytime he's gotten revenge on Kavanaugh, it was something he came up with while doped up."
"Nah, I'd need to actually have pain killers in my system to be doped up," Ryan said, straightening again.
"When was your last dose?" Lorne asked.
"Right before I left the SGC?" Ryan said.
Cadman sighed and keyed her radio. "Carson, Ryan hasn't had pain killers in almost 12 hours," she said. "Don't ask me, we didn't know until just now." After a moment she keyed it off. "Carson's come to dope you up."
"Okay, I can live with that," Ryan said.
"No, we need him clear headed to try to head this off with a rebuttal," Woolsey said, gesturing for Ryan to get up and come with him.
"Are you kidding me?" Zoe asked, her expression outraged. "Did you miss the part where he has a hole through his knee and needs to rest?"
"You're not dragging him back out there," Jack said just as firmly. "Everyone out there saw the same thing we did in here, he's injured, he's in pain, he's tired..."
"He clearly took a nap!"
"Yes, and an hour long nap repairs all," Zoe said sarcastically.
"Miss..."
"She's got two PHds, Mr. Woolsey," Ryan said, his voice cold. "Show respect or you sure as hell won't get me to play poster child anymore. In fact, I'll make sure the public knows about the time most of the Atlantis population lost 10 to 20 pounds in the matter of 3 weeks because food was so short after the IOA refused to authorize more rations for us. Or how about the inferior research equipment you sent us that caused a fire and sent half the science staff to the infirmary with burns and smoke inhalation?"
"Enough," Weir said. "Mr. Woolsey, Dr. Atwood is in no condition to be dragged back out in front of the cameras. If you want to turn this around, do what you do best and lie, play the sympathy card. Tell them that Dr. Atwood was stunned and distressed by Kavanaugh's statements, since he lost friends in some of the incidents Kavanaugh brought up. That he needs rest and pain killers because of an injury he received while keeping an enemy combatant from learning information that could have put the expedition in danger. That once he's had a chance to rest, he'll answer more questions."
Woolsey looked ready to protest, but between the Carters, AR-5, Weir, Sheppard, O'Neill and SG-1, he found a wall forming between him and Ryan. "Fine. Tomorrow he'll talk to the press again," he said before turning and storming out.
"That is the biggest, baldest, five year-old I have ever met," Zoe said.
Ryan glanced at her, then laughed, relaxing again now that Woolsey and the other suits were gone. "Yeah, well, he's goverment," he replied.
"Thanks for the defense."
"Anytime, Zo. How could I not the defend the person I played the vaccuum of doom game with?" Ryan asked.
"Vaccuum of... doom?" McKay asked.
"Really it was a simulation about blackholes and quantum singularities terrorizing a town and it's your job to stop them," Ryan explained. "But Zoe wasn't embracing her inner brian yet, so... vaccuum of doom. We knew eachother about 5 minutes and she was inviting me back to play it with her at S.A.R.A.H."
"The talking bomb shelter house," Lorne supplied before O'Neill could ask. "We've heard the stories. They're always entertaining for those longs walks from 'gate to whatever passes for civilization."
"Or days spent locked in prison cells," Cadman added.
"Or days spent in the infirmary because one of you has yet again gotten hurt," Beckett said as he arrived. "I actually rather enjoy those stories."
"Dr. Beckett, this is my dad, Sheriff Jack Carter, and my sister, Dr. Zoe Carter," Ryan introduced. "Dr. Carson Beckett is Atlantis' CMO, he keeps us all from dying of infections." He paused, considering. "And flushes our system of alien drugs, including the effects of psychotropic mud."
"Psycotropic... mud?" Zoe asked.
"Those three fell in a mud hole," Ryan said, gesturing vaguely at his teammates. "Then in the middle of the gate room, they decided to give me a hug. After I'd managed to keep mud free the whole walk back to the gate. And there's all the times I've been shot with bullets, arrows, and energy weapons, and the times I've been captured and interrogated, and the times I've almost been blown up..." he recounted, ticking of instances on his fingers. "They're out to get me."
"Aye, lad, that's why they do shifts in the infirmary to make sure one of them is there whenever you wake up," Beckett said.
Zoe snorted. "We used to do that in Eureka whenever he or Dad got hurt, which sadly? Quite often."
"Ha! So it's not us, you've alwyas been accident prone!" Cadman said.
"No, I've always been surrounded by people who got me hurt," Ryan said, grinning. "Do you know how many times those brilliant idiots at GD almost blew me up? One time I only survived because I was closer to the developing dimensional rift than the scientist, who was basically reduced to a dark satin on the wall."
"Creepiest video to watch ever," Zoe said. "Especially since we then spent almost two weeks thinking we'd lost him."
The End... For Now
The Characterization of Woolsey is based more on his early appearances, I came to LOVE him while he was in charge of Atlantis... And yes, My intent is that, at some point, Jack became Ryan's guardian, and then later actually adopted Ryan, and once Jack and Allison finally got married, Allison adopted Ryan, too, so Zoe and Kevin, plus Jack and Allison's little girl, are Ryan's siblings...
A quick note on this universe.
While I'm referring to it here as 'Genuis!Ryan', it's tagged as 'Eureka!Ryan' because that's what it started out as, a simple The OC/Eureka crossover. But then it expanded to include Stargate: Atlantis and Doctor Who/Torchwood. So, it's either call it 'Genuis!Ryan', or the much more cumbersome 'Eureka!Companion!Atlantis!Ryan'... lol...
Anyway, this universe is AU in several aspects, among them that Dr. Elizabeth Weir is still alive and in charge of Atlantis. Also, there is no Dr. Jennifer Keller, although the Carson beckett may or may not be the Clone!Beckett, I haven't decided...
This may also, at some point, be editted to include the fact that in this universe? Lt. Laura Cadman is twins with Dr. Tess Fontana. In my mind, their parents got divorced when they were pretty little, and one ended up with mom's maiden name (or maybe a stepdad's name), the other has Dad's name. But they're in contact with eachother. But most of this was written LONG ebfore I found out that the actress who played Cadman was joining the cast of Eureka, so... no mention of Tess in this...
Anyway... onto fic...
It was... not good. Ryan was off world with the rest of AR-5, in the middle of being tortured by Genii troops, when word came through the gate about declassification and that the IOA wanted Ryan to be the face of the scientists on Atlantis.
Young. Brilliant. Handsome. The perfect spokesman. Except he came back through the gate supported between Lorne and Leri, hemorraging from the gunshot wound in his knee and the internal bleeding brought on by beatings.
So, they patched him up as best they could, then shipped him back to the SGC for further treatment, all against Ryan's protests and Beckett's excuses that it would be too stressful. He tried to convince the SGC doctors to let him go home to Eureka, a few medical grade nanobots, some tissue regneration, a lot of Vinspressors, and he might even be ready to face the public during the announcement. But they turned his request down everytime, insisting their care was better.
It was only as he stepped onto the stage three weeks later, the cuts and bruises on his face faded but his knee still a complete mess, that he realized someone had wanted to portray him as a brave civilian who saw the risk and the reward of the program, and he decided if he ever figured out who, he'd sick Jo Lupo on them.
The IOA had prepped him on what he should say, a sanitized version of his life story to begin with, but as he looked at the crowd of reporters and glanced over his shoulder to the SGC personell, he straightened his shoulders and went completely off script.
"I'm going to try to keep this part brief, but they thought everyone might want to know a little about the person speaking to them. I was born in Southern California, to parents who cared more about getting drunk or finding their next hit of heroin than they did about their kids. When I was 15, I was arrested, alongside my older brother, for stealing a car. I ended up with probation thansk to a good public defender, who briefly took me in.
"When he and his wife had me take the entrance exam for a private school their own son attended, the results caught the attention of the government, and I was approached to leave California to go to a town devoted to scientific advancement. Unfortunately, that town is largely classified, and I really don't want to bring the CIA down on me," he said, smiling slightly as a chuckle ran through the conference room. Allison had told him that Eureka was slated to go public within a few months, though it's location would remain classified, so he'd been cleared to mention the town.
"I guess you could say I flourished there. I didn't have to worry about being hit, or where my next meal would come from. All I had to worry about was doing my school work, making sure none of the labs I was in blew up with me inside, and trying to stay out of trouble with my best friend. That last one was probably the hardest, but... I survived my teen years. I had a job waiting for me at the labs as soon as I graduated high school, and from there I essentially did work study as I got my degrees.
"A few years later, I was approached by two members of an international expedition to another planet. Another galaxy, in fact. Of course, they just told me it was a high paying job that had some risk, but a lot of reward. Imagine my surprise when they mentioned 'leaving orbit'.
"The job was on Atlantis, and I was soon put on a gate team. 23 years-old and I was seeing the universe alongside some truly amazing people. I'd been doing that for 5 years when I was injured, ironically the same day the expedition was told about Declassification. Of course, it took three more days for myself and the rest of the team to get back to Atlantis, by which time it was old news.
He took a deep breath, looking over the crowd and bakc over his shoulder again, seeing the approving smile on Dr. Weir's face and the disgruntled look on Woolsey's. "There are some pretty big risks to those out there in the universe. There are some who want to hurt us, but for nearly two decades, the SGC and it's personell have kept this planet, along with hundreds, maybe even thousands, of others safe. We are good at what we do, and we have no intention of suddenly failing. And the rewards... I've seen two galaxies, I've been to countless alien worlds, I've done experiments with equipment unlike anything we have ever had on Earth. I've helped saved hundreds of lives, and I've helped free people who were enslaved on their own homeworlds.
He shrugged. "What I'm saying is, we're doing amazing things out there, seeing wonders that none of us ever dreamed of. And frankly, I'm looking forward to my knee recovering fully so I can go back and continue my work. There's always something new to study, and I can't wait to see it. Thank you."
"Dr. Atwood will now take questions," Woolsey said as he walked up to Ryan's sied.
Ryan covered the microphone with one hand will triggering the microphone killer he and Zoe had designed for Allison years ago, when someone, they enver found out who, had been bugging labs in Global. "You never said anything about answering questions," he said, trying to look like it was just a quick check on something, all friendly.
"It is a press conference," Woolsey said.
Ryan glanced back at Weir, who quickly got up to join them. "I didn't know either," she said, the smile on her face belying the fact that her eyes were looking murderous towards woolsey. "I don't appreciate my people being ambushed," she said.
"They reacted well to him, despite how he went off track..."
"Isn't the poor abused kid who made good a better story than 'typical young genuis'?" Ryan replied.
"I'll stay up here with you," Weir said suddenly, in a tone that brokered no arguement. "If you get too tired or your leg starts hurting, just let me know and we'll get you out of here to rest as soon as possible."
"It hurts, it hurts," Ryan muttered as Woolsey returned to his seat and Weir tried to hide her smile. He turned the microphone back on and pasted on a smile. "My apologies, I needed to verify something with Mr. Woolsey. Since I've been in the infirmary, I wasn't positive on whether certain things were cleared for me to talk about today."
"With Dr. Atwood's injury, we'll need to keep this brief," Weir said. "So, who has the first question?"
"How many aliens have you met?"
"If by alien, you mean non-human, then only a handful. If you mean non-Earth Human, I've met thousands. There are humans on other worlds both in the Milky Way and the Pegasus Galaxies," Ryan said.
"Have there been any earther/non earther marriages?"
Ryan had made the mistake of a taking a sip of water before the question was asked and nearly spit it out as he chuckled. "Um... a few. Certain cultures required symbolic marriages to seal trade deals, but... in msot cases they aren't valid by the laws of the Earther's home country and most of those worlds see it as merely symbolic, with no need for... consumation."
"Have you married any non-earth humans?" someone called out.
Weir raised an eyebrow, and Ryan sighed. "Yes. Three of them. All very nice women. Their cultures treat it more as a familial bonding, putting me more in a position similiar to a brother than anything."
"Is it true you've been declared dead at 5 times?" a reporter asked.
"4 times while working for the SGC and the IOA," Ryan said. "Next?"
"Does your family know what you've been doing?"
Ryan hesitated on that one, shaking his head sharply when Weir moved to tell them he needed to rest. "If you mean my biological family, then I don't know, but I doubt it. They were never ones for the news, and I haven't spoken to them in over a decade. If you mean my adoptive fmaily in my hometown, they know the basics, and since they have clearance, I intend to tell them next time I get a visit home."
"Rumor puts your name in connection to a British organization called Torchwood and a man called 'The Doctor' that very little is known about. Are those rumors true?"
Ryan hesitated again, this time briefly. "I've done contract work for a British defense company, years before I joined the Stargate Program, and I have met a man who goes by the moniker of 'The Doctor'," he said. "Then again, my teammates tend to refer to me as 'the doc', so it's not an unusual nickname."
"But what about the photos that have turned up of you present at the site of the Cardiff earthquakes that set half the city on fire?"
"I was doing the contract work during that time and assisted in rescue opperations since they were more critical than computer tech work," Ryan said. He glanced over at Weir, who nodded.
"Dr. Atwood needs to rest his leg, so I'll be taking over now," she said. Turning from the microphone, she made sure Ryan was steady on his crutches, then smiled. "You did great."
"Whatever you say, Dr. Weir," Ryan replied with a smile.
"There's some people waiting for you in the back lounge," Weir added before turning back to the microphone to field more questions.
As Ryan walked off stage, he was immediately met by the rest of AR-5, Lorne and Cadman gently ribbing him even as Leri took his crutches and one of them slid under each of his arms, supporting most of his weight on the way to the lounge.
"And you say you don't like speaking in front of crowds," Cadman teased, grinning. "That's what, the thrid time I've seen you do it?"
"And impress the listeners in the process," Lorne added. "Did you see the looks on some of their faces?"
"Some of the women were drooling," Cadman put in, making Ryan groan.
Leri opened the door to the lounge as they approached, and Ryan's head was down, so at first he didn't see them. Then he heard the sound of several people hurrying to their feet and looked up, a smile spreading across his face as he saw Jack and Zoe waiting there. Jack was dressed in a suit, and looked really strange it, while Zoe's hair was fire engine red, the same as the day the first met. For a moment, he saw her as she looked that day, petulant and desperate for a 'normal' friend. "Hey," Ryan said to them. letting his weariness show through as he sank down onto the couch between them. The rest of the team took places around the room as Ryan leaned over to hug Zoe, who was crying slightly, then repeated the action with Jack, who cupped the back of Ryan's head.
"Allison and kevin wanted to come, but there were a few mild emergencies at GD," he said. "They can't wait to see you, though. And Lexi intends to try to get you to 'purify your mind, body, and spirit' first chance she gets."
"Thanks for the warning," Ryan said quietly, his eyes closed as he let his guard down. He was surrounded by the people he called family, and there was no place safer.
~~~
By the time the press conference was over and Weir got to the lounge with the rest of the Atlanteans present for it, positions had shifted slightly so Jack was on the middle, Ryan and Zoe both leaning again him, both fast asleep.
"We were hearing stories of the doc as a kid," Lorne said with a grin. "He once overloaded the power grid to his home town."
"Had to, the bugs were everywhere," Ryan murmured, half asleep.
"Really bad hair," Zoe agreed.
"It's not as crazy as it sounds," Jack said. "The bugs were electrical. Literally, they were bugs that were electrical. Everytime they landed on someone, there was a shock that had hair standing on end. And when more than one landed on you, then you were in trouble. Ryan and Zo figured out that the bugs were tapping into the town's EM field for power, and they overloaded it." he paused, shaking his head in amusement. "Imagine a town full of genuis tech heads who use virtual chalk boards suddenly being without power for 3 days. That was not fun for the Sheriff's office to deal with."
"Sorry, Dad," Zoe said, sitting up and stretching. "We should have waited until after a swarm landed on you and stopped your heart, then taken 'em out. Saved you the trouble."
The door opened again, this time admitting O'Neill and SG-1, along with Woolsey. "We have a little problem," O'Neill said.
"It could ruin all the good PR we've been working on!" Woolsey protested loudly, causing Ryan to jerk awake, hand going for his non-existant side arm until he focused and remembered where he was. "Damn it, I was having a really good dream about the Paran Festival," he muttered, rubbing a hand over his eyes.
"What did you do to Dr. Kavanaugh?" Woolsey demanded.
"When?" Ryan asked. "Because I threaten to kill him a couple times a week, and I made the water wherever he was run at 33 degrees farenheit a couple weeks before I got hurt, and there was the fire retardent gel thing the day before we left on that mission... and I did make the computer add a line to his degrees list saying 'Masters in Assholery'..."
O'Neill was fighting his laughter as Woolsey stared in horror. "You did what?" Woolsey asked.
"Hey, he had valid reasons," Lorne defended. "The water was because Kavanaugh delibrately knocked over a tank one of the biologists was studying some Atlantica native fish in and destroyed almost three years worth of research. The fire retardant was because Kavanaugh set fire to the lab with his stupidity and then complained that the fire suppression system didn't start quick enough, so Ryan reset it to come on over Kavanaugh's desk at the first whisp of smoke. And hacking his degrees list... well... Kavanaugh tried to say the Doc's degrees don't count because they're not from an 'accreditted univeristy'."
"Yes, because top secret labs with hundreds of government contracts regularly employ people who aren't qualified," Jack muttered.
"Kavanaugh's nearly gotten me killed a dozen times in the last 5 years, so maybe I'm a little quick with revenge. Doesn't mean he doesn't deserve it," Ryan said.
"He released video footage to the press that makes the entire expedition look like lunatics, and makes you look sadistic," O'Neill said. "It could be very bad."
Ryan grabbed the remote and flipped on the tv, finding footage of him walking up to a wraith and shooting it until his clip was empty was playing on repeat with commentary. "That god damn thing had just killed someone and might have revealed the city's gate address to the rest of them!" he protested.
O'Neill took the remote, changing to a different channel that was showing Ryan berating Kavanaugh in a hall filled with smoke and injured people. Conveniently, the footage was from the side where Ryan didn't show any injuries, not the side where he had a cut running from just below his eye all the way to his jaw. Not the side where there was a gaping whole in his shirt and pieces of glass embedded in the skin. Not the side were blood was pooring down his leg from the piece of metal that had cut a hunk out of it.
"That son of a bitch," Ryan growled. "I'll bet he didn't tell the people he sold that to that he triggered a mine and ran out without warning anyone else in that lab. That Dr. Henriksen was killed and Dr. LaVelle lost an eye and needed reconstructive surgery to look halfway normal again. That we lost two years of research, including Dr. LaVelle's work on a code that might have been able to shut down hive ships through a comm channel."
"Doc, it'll get cleared up," Lorne said.
"Believe me, it will," Weir said, her expression cold as Kavanaugh appeared on screen.
Ryan grabbed the remote back, turning up the volume.
"It just disturbs me that they're touting him out as a poster child when he's shown signs of mental instability for as long as I've known him," Kavanaugh said. "I think the stress of the expedition was too much for him to handle at his young age..."
"Bullshit!" Zoe protested.
"What was the first time you noticed something might be wrong with Dr. Atwood?" the interviewer asked.
"There was an accident involving an ancient device..."
"It wasn't ancient, it was Daharan," Lorne muttered.
"That caused several of us to shift out of phase for a few hours..."
"Three days," Cadman corrected. "Without food or water. And he complained more than the rest of us did."
"And he began to threaten my life because I had been standing near the device..."
"He delibrately hit the buttons that I told him would activate the device," Leri protested, eyes flashing.
"He openly told several people he was going to kill me..."
"He never meant literally," Lorne said through gritted teeth. "And half the expeidition has felt the same way at elast twice."
"I feel sorry for him, really."
"That disgusting, vile, D'sha!" Leri said, eyes blazing. "Is he returning with us to Atlan?" she said, using her people's name for the city. "I'm sure my brother could come up with something quite creative in revenge. Involving actual D'shas, and a pit of nectar."
"One moment, we're receiving a video call from... Dr. Nathan Stark, who, as we revealed yesterday, has recently joined the office of Homeworld Security," the interviewer began.
"This could be good or bad," Ryan said, eyebrows furrowed as he watched the screen.
"It's wonderful that you could join..." the interviewer began, only to be cut off.
"I want to make it clear to the IOA, the SGC, and whoever else it matters to. If that man is allowed back to the Pegasus Galaxy, there will be a lot of disgruntled people who are very crucial to the running of things."
"See, a man with sense, he knows Atwood is a complete..." Kavanaugh began, puffing up his chest.
"Asset who shouldn't have to deal with idiots," Stark interrupted, his expression furious. "The recent advancements in medical nanotechnology is to Dr. Atwood's credit, the company who made them used his work to fill in gaps from earlier programming attempts." He paused. "Ms. Saunders," he continued to the interviewer. "I've known Dr. Atwood since he was 15, I was the one who approached him to come to Eureka, to embrace his mind and let it take him where he wanted to go, instead of hiding it because it wouldn't get him anywhere. Dr. Atwood's mind... it's not easy to find someone who thinks like he does, and if the IOA and SGC decides to put his life at additional risk by having that idiot you were interviewing in the Pegasus Galaxy with him, well, Dr. Atwood will always have a job at Global Dynamics. We can always use another head researcher."
Ryan sighed, shaking his head as he turned to look at Zoe. "Is that a pod person? because last time I spoke to Stark, he was still pissed off that I told him it was his own fault he lost Allison, because until he started embracing his inner jerk more and showing his inner good guy less, he was at least sort of able to compete."
"Sort of able to compete?" O'Neill asked.
"Everyone back home in Eureka knows, Dr. Allison Blake was meant to be with Sheriff Jack Carter," Ryan said. "It's a universal, incontrovertable, truth."
"Thanks?" Jack said.
"Dad, Ryan's the one who arranged that little electrical glitch that trapped you and Allison in the elevator," Zoe said.
"You're the one who got them both in there at the same time and then called me to glitch it," Ryan replied, grinning. "So don't go laying all the blame on me."
"Who, exactly, are you?" Woolsey asked, getting annoyed. "I don't remember clearing..."
"I did," O'Neill said. "Sheriff Carter is Dr. Atwood's father, and Dr. Carter is his sister."
"The rest of the family wanted to come, but short notice and minor disasters caused some problems," Jack said. "They were gonna watch, along with half of town, at Cafe Diem, though."
"They probably laughed as hard as we did over your fake 'everything's okay' smile after finding out about having to take questions," Zoe said with a grin. She glanced over at Woolsey. "If there hadn't been an audience, you'd probably be a dead man."
"Especially with how the Doc gets on pain killers," Lorne said. "Everytime he's gotten revenge on Kavanaugh, it was something he came up with while doped up."
"Nah, I'd need to actually have pain killers in my system to be doped up," Ryan said, straightening again.
"When was your last dose?" Lorne asked.
"Right before I left the SGC?" Ryan said.
Cadman sighed and keyed her radio. "Carson, Ryan hasn't had pain killers in almost 12 hours," she said. "Don't ask me, we didn't know until just now." After a moment she keyed it off. "Carson's come to dope you up."
"Okay, I can live with that," Ryan said.
"No, we need him clear headed to try to head this off with a rebuttal," Woolsey said, gesturing for Ryan to get up and come with him.
"Are you kidding me?" Zoe asked, her expression outraged. "Did you miss the part where he has a hole through his knee and needs to rest?"
"You're not dragging him back out there," Jack said just as firmly. "Everyone out there saw the same thing we did in here, he's injured, he's in pain, he's tired..."
"He clearly took a nap!"
"Yes, and an hour long nap repairs all," Zoe said sarcastically.
"Miss..."
"She's got two PHds, Mr. Woolsey," Ryan said, his voice cold. "Show respect or you sure as hell won't get me to play poster child anymore. In fact, I'll make sure the public knows about the time most of the Atlantis population lost 10 to 20 pounds in the matter of 3 weeks because food was so short after the IOA refused to authorize more rations for us. Or how about the inferior research equipment you sent us that caused a fire and sent half the science staff to the infirmary with burns and smoke inhalation?"
"Enough," Weir said. "Mr. Woolsey, Dr. Atwood is in no condition to be dragged back out in front of the cameras. If you want to turn this around, do what you do best and lie, play the sympathy card. Tell them that Dr. Atwood was stunned and distressed by Kavanaugh's statements, since he lost friends in some of the incidents Kavanaugh brought up. That he needs rest and pain killers because of an injury he received while keeping an enemy combatant from learning information that could have put the expedition in danger. That once he's had a chance to rest, he'll answer more questions."
Woolsey looked ready to protest, but between the Carters, AR-5, Weir, Sheppard, O'Neill and SG-1, he found a wall forming between him and Ryan. "Fine. Tomorrow he'll talk to the press again," he said before turning and storming out.
"That is the biggest, baldest, five year-old I have ever met," Zoe said.
Ryan glanced at her, then laughed, relaxing again now that Woolsey and the other suits were gone. "Yeah, well, he's goverment," he replied.
"Thanks for the defense."
"Anytime, Zo. How could I not the defend the person I played the vaccuum of doom game with?" Ryan asked.
"Vaccuum of... doom?" McKay asked.
"Really it was a simulation about blackholes and quantum singularities terrorizing a town and it's your job to stop them," Ryan explained. "But Zoe wasn't embracing her inner brian yet, so... vaccuum of doom. We knew eachother about 5 minutes and she was inviting me back to play it with her at S.A.R.A.H."
"The talking bomb shelter house," Lorne supplied before O'Neill could ask. "We've heard the stories. They're always entertaining for those longs walks from 'gate to whatever passes for civilization."
"Or days spent locked in prison cells," Cadman added.
"Or days spent in the infirmary because one of you has yet again gotten hurt," Beckett said as he arrived. "I actually rather enjoy those stories."
"Dr. Beckett, this is my dad, Sheriff Jack Carter, and my sister, Dr. Zoe Carter," Ryan introduced. "Dr. Carson Beckett is Atlantis' CMO, he keeps us all from dying of infections." He paused, considering. "And flushes our system of alien drugs, including the effects of psychotropic mud."
"Psycotropic... mud?" Zoe asked.
"Those three fell in a mud hole," Ryan said, gesturing vaguely at his teammates. "Then in the middle of the gate room, they decided to give me a hug. After I'd managed to keep mud free the whole walk back to the gate. And there's all the times I've been shot with bullets, arrows, and energy weapons, and the times I've been captured and interrogated, and the times I've almost been blown up..." he recounted, ticking of instances on his fingers. "They're out to get me."
"Aye, lad, that's why they do shifts in the infirmary to make sure one of them is there whenever you wake up," Beckett said.
Zoe snorted. "We used to do that in Eureka whenever he or Dad got hurt, which sadly? Quite often."
"Ha! So it's not us, you've alwyas been accident prone!" Cadman said.
"No, I've always been surrounded by people who got me hurt," Ryan said, grinning. "Do you know how many times those brilliant idiots at GD almost blew me up? One time I only survived because I was closer to the developing dimensional rift than the scientist, who was basically reduced to a dark satin on the wall."
"Creepiest video to watch ever," Zoe said. "Especially since we then spent almost two weeks thinking we'd lost him."
The End... For Now
The Characterization of Woolsey is based more on his early appearances, I came to LOVE him while he was in charge of Atlantis... And yes, My intent is that, at some point, Jack became Ryan's guardian, and then later actually adopted Ryan, and once Jack and Allison finally got married, Allison adopted Ryan, too, so Zoe and Kevin, plus Jack and Allison's little girl, are Ryan's siblings...
