nick_n_nora

kylielee1000

thegrrrl2002

svendra

What if Sheppard and McKay, spending some time earthside, bumped into Strachey? And McKay dropped an Ancient gadget that Strachey picked up in order to give back to him? The gadget lights up like whoa. McKay, thrilled with finding someone with a gene as strong (or perhaps even stronger; I can so imagine the banter with Sheppard) as Sheppard's, drags Strachey into a café and, with his usual "subtlety", tries to find out how he feels about working as a consultant for the USAF.

Strachey is irritated and barely polite, and adamant that he has no interest in doing so, calmly referring to his dishonorable discharge and stating that since the Army's policy hasn't changed, he certainly won't return to them after what they did to him. Then Callahan comes up to the three of them and kisses Strachey's cheek.

That moment McKay has an epiphany, and of course picks a public place to announce it. "Colonel, the strength of the ATA gene must be linked to a person's sexuality!", meaning it is strongest in homosexuals. McKay, being in a hidden relationship with Sheppard and knowing of O'Neill and Jackson's 'closeness' rumored in the SGC, makes that leap while shoving the gadget at Callahan and bullying him into picking it up. Of course it once again lights up like crazy.

Sheppard, horrified at McKay's slip, shuts him up and wants to drag him away, but the evidence is compelling.

They meet in Sheppard's hotel room and tell Strachey and Callahan the 'sanitized' version of the Atlantis Expedition, or at least as much of it as they can without breaking their non-disclosure agreements. Then they meet up with a small number of Strachey's gay friends, the majority of whom manages to make the gadget light up as well.

Then they fly to Washington and insist on a meeting with General O'Neill. He doesn't admit to anything, but he knows he cannot keep this secret just to avoid doubts regarding his sexuality. They strongly advise he retires before the story breaks, and he puts in his papers, then meets up with Hammond.

Sheppard and McKay get permission to give more details to Strachey and Callahan, only to have Strachey explode that he won't work for the USAF, space vampires or not, since he still blames the Army (and himself) for Kyle Griffin's suicide. They end the discussion on the note that Strachey won't work for them until DADT is abolished.

O'Neill, Hammond, Sheppard, and everyone in the IOC and the Pentagon they meet with agree after weeks of heated discussion that they cannot make exceptions for dishonorably discharged servicemen just because they're needed to defend Earth without bringing the armed forces into uproar, and the only solution is, as suggested, to allow homosexuals to serve.

DADT is abolished. Strachey and Callahan take time off to come to Atlantis on one of the roundtrips of the Daedalus, then return to Earth and agree to man the chair in Antarctica should it ever become necessary. They don't want to give up their life in Albany, but Stachey's dishonorable discharge is revoked.