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By C. L. Combs |
Rating: I am SOOOOOOOOO confused with all the new rating
systems. Let's see... no sex... a bit of violence by an alien bull... A couple
of threats by swords and guns and a back hand hit... A bad word here and
there.... I'd say nothing a teen couldn't handle. Of course, I'm a single woman
with a dog - what do I know about kids?
Authors note: One of the problems with writing fanfiction
for an ongoing series is that every new episode has the potential to contradict
your ideas. I wrote this story to be set just after Siege III of Atlantis (and
between Seasons 8 and 9 of SG-1) before I saw Siege III or Avalon. While I've
made adjustments after viewing Siege III, there are still a few canon problems
that have cropped up. So, before anyone complains, yes, I know now that it
would be impossible for SG-1 to go through the Stargate
from the SGC due to not enough power. And I realize that once Daniel actually
manages to arrive at Atlantis, Jack will need heavy equipment to pry him back
to Earth. I apologize for those errors - I normally do better, but couldn't see
a way around it.
I want to thank Shallan
and Sealie for beta'ing, and Teri for posting.
Enjoy the ride.
Disclaimer: Most of characters are not mine. I'm borrowing them
out of deep reverence, affection and respect. I will accept only personal
fulfillment, and no monetary gain. If you do sue, you will not get much and I
will send over my Black Lab mix, who will stare at you
pathetically for hours and probably con you out of all your food.
Please do not post, reproduce, copy, or
otherwise use any part of this story without permission from the author.
Feedback: Please send any
comments to spacecloud@juno.com
The
Young Ancients by C. L. Combs
Market Square, Frejor
The Grand Market Day on Frejor
was in full swing. People from across the Pegasus galaxy came to trade, dressed
in everything from brown leather to brightly colored fabrics. On the outskirts
of an open stone square were pens full of livestock. They ranged from massive
beasts with rows of stingers on their flat tails to long legged animals
reminiscent of Earth's horses, except for the green color. Buyers and sellers
wandered through the pens, dickering on prices. On the large square, tables and
stalls were lined up in rows. Each was filled with a variety of goods,
including food, farm implements, fabrics, pots and old doodads. It was a table
full of doodads that had attracted the attention of Drs. Rodney McKay and Radek Zelenka of Atlantis.
"Do you think this might be...?" Zelenka trailed off, holding up a two toned hook as a
possible prize.
"No, that's just a piece of twisted
metal," McKay dismissed. He held up another item, its smooth curves
fitting easily around his finger. "Now this, this has possibilities."
Major John Sheppard glanced from his
position off to the side of the two men who wore light blue T-shirts and black
utility vests. Briefly lifting his face to feel the rays of the Frejorian sun, he ran a hand through his shaggy dark hair.
Then he shifted his tall, lanky frame to in order to see both his charges and
the pedestrian traffic. The scientists were hoping to find Ancient parts that
might match up with what they had found on Atlantis. Sheppard was simply
enjoying warm sunshine and the smell of grilling meat from two aisles over.
This was a good idea. When Zelenka had heard about the annual market from one of the Athosians, he had put in a request to go. McKay had been
concerned, since Zelenka had only been off Atlantis
once since their arrival from Earth, and that was during the hurricane
evacuation. So Rodney had volunteered to go with his friend. Teyla, the former Athosian
leader, was familiar with the market and had eagerly offered to go along with
them. John decided that if his teammates were going, he should join the fun as
well. They all needed a break.
The only concern the expedition's leader had
was with the timing. Tomorrow, the famous team of SG-1 was due in to check out
the Atlantis base. Dr. Elizabeth Weir wanted to make sure everything was ready
for their arrival. But after Teyla pointed out the
great potential of finding new trading partners, and Sheppard had promised to
return in time for the final inspection, Dr Weir had agreed to the outing.
He focused again on his two charges.
Rodney's brown hair was ruffled from the breeze instead of anxious hands
running through it, while the intense strain was finally easing around his blue
eyes. He was having fun with Radek. While the blond
Czech was shorter and slighter than the sturdy Canadian, Zelenka
was one of the few who could weather McKay's blunt and tempermental
personality. Both were babbling excitedly over a particular doodad. Sheppard
smiled. The pair had been under incredible stress the past few weeks and it was
good to see them relax. Atlantis needed them both back in top form.
Enjoying the view as a group of well-endowed
women walked by, John's mind drifted back to the past couple of days. He had
been surprised at the level of excitement over the upcoming visit. While
General Jack O'Neill had been the one to talk him into this little trip to the
great unknown, he had never realized the man was practically worshipped by the
personnel who had worked the Stargate Project. The
exploits of O'Neill and his team had filled the halls, work areas and the
cafeteria ever since the visit was announced. Sheppard had to admit he was
impressed, and was looking forward to seeing the general again.
However, he was a bit disturbed by what he'd
overheard from the chair room that morning.
********
Earlier that morning, Atlantis
Raised voices were floating out into the
hall as he and Teyla had left the transporter.
Signaling Teyla to follow him, Sheppard approached
the open door. It was easy to pick up McKay's annoyed snapping, and he quickly
identified Calvin Kavanaugh as the second voice. He
didn't like Kavanaugh; the scientist had an over
inflated ego and a lot of disdain for the military personnel. A part of him
wanted to turn back and leave the scientists to hash out their problems.
However, they were leaving in less than an hour, and he needed to extract McKay
from the jerk.
"... overload
the system. Colonel Carter will be impressed enough with what we have to show
her."
"Like you have any idea how to impress
the Colonel," Kavanaugh sneered. "She's the
one who got you sent to
John stopped in his tracks, earning a
puzzled look from Teyla. How in the hell did an US
Air Force officer send a Canadian scientist to
Apparently sensing blood in the water, Kavanaugh continued his assault. "What was it you did
again? Try to hit on her? Oh no, that's right, you nearly killed off her
teammate."
McKay's reply was sharp and dismissive.
"That was a long time ago. Sam and I are past that now."
"'Sam', is it? How sweet. Just don't do
something to make 'Sam' mad at you again, and get us all into trouble."
"It's 'Colonel Carter' to you, and
she's not a spiteful woman."
"Still, I think we should -"
"That's your problem right there -
thinking. Or whatever passes for thinking in your head."
Deciding he'd better interrupt before
someone took a swing, Sheppard stepped into the room with Teyla
in his wake. On the chair's dais, McKay and Kavanaugh
were face to face, glaring at each other. While Kavanaugh
was taller, McKay had put on some muscle since arriving at Atlantis. John
suspected Rodney could easily take out the pony-tailed jerk, assuming
scientists actually punched people. Smirking, he called out, "Hey."
Two pairs of glaring eyes met him.
"What?" they chorused.
Sheppard tilted his head towards the door. "McKay, time to go."
"Fine," McKay replied. He returned
to glaring at Kavanaugh.
"Dr. McKay," Teyla
asked, hoping to break the tension. "What is this mark on the floor? I do
not remember seeing it before."
Taking a breath, Rodney turned to her.
"I believe the user in the chair may be able to activate a force field
around the dais for protection. That's where I estimate it extends to."
"McKay," Sheppard prodded.
"I'm coming." He stabbed a finger
at Kavanaugh. "While I'm gone, do not touch this
chair, do not touch the device in my lab, and for the love of God, do NOT touch
the panel in the control room."
Kavanuagh crossed his arms in front of his chest. "I
still think..."
"Stop thinking!" With that order, McKay turned abruptly and left the
room, Sheppard and Teyla in his wake.
As they entered the transporter, Sheppard
glanced at his friend from the corner of his eye. Rodney still looked ready to
explode. He squashed the urge to tease him.
Teyla was studying her teammate worriedly. "Dr McKay,
what is '
Rodney continued to stare at the control
panel. "Someplace cold, dark, with lousy food and I don't wish to discuss
it." He stormed out into the hall. John simply shrugged at Teyla and followed him out.
******
Present,
"Major Sheppard!"
John looked up to spy Teyla,
wearing a form-fitting coral top along with the military issued pants. He had
rarely seen her wear the regulation black T. But then, the strong woman looked
beautiful in whatever she wore, so no one cared. Her polished copper hair shone
in the sunlight as she approached. She handed him a tall ceramic cylinder. The
smooth surface felt cool against his fingers. "What's this?"
"It's a popular Frejorian
drink called Sweezie. I thought you might like
something refreshing."
John took a sip. A cool explosion of fruity
flavor flowed over his tongue. "That's good. Reminds me
a bit of blueberries."
"Like the dessert they serve in the
cafeteria." Teyla nodded thoughtfully. "I
believe you are correct. It is a similar flavor."
"How did the talk with the Bendanas go?" John asked, carefully pronouncing the
name. Rodney had mistakenly called them the 'Bandanas' during the pre-mission
meeting, leading both men to mixing up the words. Weir had glared at them each
time, but that had only made it worse.
"Quite well. They are interested in the medicines we have to
offer for a share of their harvest. I have arranged for us to meet them on
their world next month."
"Good. That will make Dr. Weir and our
supply staff very happy."
Teyla turned to study the scientists, still amicably
arguing over the doodads. "Dr. McKay's disposition has improved since this
morning."
Sheppard shrugged. "We got him away
from Kavanaugh; that'll improve anyone's mood."
Teyla still had a slight frown on her face. "What is
'
John nearly snorted, then caught himself.
"Actually, it's the country Dr. Malkov and Miss Ivanova are from. The people there don't have as many of
the modern conveniences like McKay and I are use to in our countries. Also,
part of it is near the north pole of our planet, so the winters can be pretty
unpleasant. "
"And thus it would be cold and often
dark." Teyla paused, then
asked, "Who is this 'Colonel Carter', and why would she send Dr. McKay to
such a place?"
"I've never met her, though from what
I've heard she's well liked and respected. She's one of the main scientists
with Stargate Command back home." Noting Teyla's puzzled expression, he added, "Basically,
she's to the SGC what McKay is to us."
Understanding lit her features. "She is
the one who comes up with solutions to difficult problems. Then why would she
send Dr. McKay away? Would she not need his expertise as well?"
Again, John shrugged. "Don't know.
Maybe he annoyed her and she doesn't know how to put up with him like we
do."
"It should not be a matter of 'put up.'
Dr. McKay is a good man. He should be treated with respect."
Sensing trouble, John pointed out, "We
don't know the whole story, and Rodney did say they were over the incident. Let's
just wait until we meet the Colonel, and go from there."
Teyla gave him a reluctant nod of agreement. "I will
do as you say, as long as she is respectful of Dr. McKay."
John barely held back a sigh. This visit
could be more difficult than he thought.
******
Rodney McKay continued to study the items in
front of him as Radek haggled
the price for the two they had already chosen. The Frejorians
had traded hard currency for the antibiotics they had brought, which gave them
the money to use for this shopping spree. However, the concept of haggling made
no sense to Rodney. To his mind, a thing should have a set price and not depend
on such nebulous factors like how fast one talked. Thankfully, Radek knew how to do it.
A long, pink crystal imbedded in a swirl of
grey metal caught his eye. Rodney leaned closer, examining the piece. It looked
like a smaller version of the crystals the more advanced races in the Milky Way
used to store data. Sam Carter would probably be interested in it. He should
buy it as a 'Welcome to the Pegasus Galaxy' gift. Let lesser men give women
flowers; Dr. Rodney McKay gave them alien technology. Then he snorted at
himself. Samantha Carter is, was, and always will be way out of his league. He
knew it, but it didn't stop him from hoping.
Still, he considered her a friend, so he
might as well get a gift for her. He picked it up from the table. Without
warning, the crystal lit up with a brilliant light. Rodney dropped it like he
had been stung. The light went out before it hit the table.
Sheppard and Teyla
were immediately by his side. "What happened?" John demanded.
"Are you hurt?"
"No, I'm fine. But that thing -"
Rodney waved at the piece.
Without thinking, John reached for it, only
to pull back when the crystal started to light up again. Pausing, he whispered,
"Is it a Wraith transmitter? Like the necklace Teyla
had?"
McKay already had covertly pulled out his
monitoring equipment from his vest. "No, no transmission."
"Thank God for that," Sheppard
returned with relief, not wanting to bring down their enemies on their hosts.
Teyla carefully reached for the item, then picked it up.
It stayed dark. "It must react to your gene from the Ancestors," she
noted softly.
"Which means we need
to study it." McKay raised his voice. "Radek,
we want this one, too."`
Radek paused in his heated haggling to take the item from Teyla. "For your lady Colonel,
Rodney?" Without waiting for an answer, he started dickering with
the booth owner again.
McKay turned away from Sheppard's
questioning smirk and Teyla's frown. He had no desire
to discuss Sam with anyone, let alone his teammates. "Is that food I
smell? I'm hungry." Smooth change of subject, McKay. He could almost feel
Sheppard's interest increase.
"Teyla, keep
an eye on Dr. Zelenka while I go with Dr. McKay to
find the food," he heard John request before the Major trotted up to him.
John pointed to the right. "I think it's this way."
"That way's a dead end," Rodney
snapped. He pointed to the left. "It's this way." Honest, for a
pilot, the man had no sense of direction.
"No, I'm sure it's this way..."
Unobserved by the Atlantis crew, a young
woman had witnessed the entire proceedings. Head lifting at the name of 'Dr.
McKay', she slipped through the crowd to report.
******
Standing in line for the roasted meat, John
decided to test the water. "Your lady Colonel?"
Rodney continued to stare at a nearby booth
without actually seeing it. "Sam Carter is a friend."
Nodding slightly, John continued to watch
his teammate from the corner of his eye. "Somehow, I can't picture you
with a Colonel."
"Samantha Carter isn't your average Air
Force Colonel, and we're just friends."
"Uh huh."
"Men and women can be just friends, you
know."
"Uh huh."
"Not all us
try to be Captain Kirk with a girl in every port. Unlike some others I could
name."
As John opened his mouth to protest, a
rumbling sound caught his attention. "What's that?"
Suddenly, a mass of running beasts entered
the row. Screams rose into the air as the people around them panicked. A huge
man forced his way between them, shoving John and Rodney in opposite
directions. The crowd pushed John back against one of the stalls as the massive
animals thundered past them. He tapped his radio as he tried to not to get
crushed. "McKay! Teyla! Report!"
"Dr. Zelenka
and I are running out of the square." Teyla's
voice was tense yet calm, in spite of the cries around her.
"Good, head for the Jumper, we'll met
you there. McKay?"
"I'm... near the... Watch it! ... Pots booth." Then a sharp cry ripped over the radio.
"McKay! Rodney!" Sheppard was
already trying to maneuver his way through the tightly packed crowd.
"We will try to reach you," Teyla declared.
"No! Teyla,
get Radek to the Jumper, that's an order! McKay?!?"
There was no answer from Rodney. Frustrated,
John ducked under a table. He spotted two large pots down the open lane between
table legs, and crawled on his belly in that direction. One table was tipped
over just as he passed under it, but John continued to crawl. Once he reached
his goal, he stuck his head out from under the white display cloth. There was
Rodney, laying in the dirt and holding his arm as massive feet slammed into the
ground only inches from his head. "McKay!" John reached out to grab
his friend's vest and pulled him into the relative safety beneath the table.
Rodney continued to cradle his arm tight
against his chest as he sat up, mindful of the low head room. "What
happened?" John asked as he pulled the arm towards him to examine it.
"I got hit by one of those damn
tails!" Rodney declared, breathing heavily.
A row of red welts rose along his bare arm.
John could see the limb was swelling. "Looks
painful."
"Thanks for that astute observation,
Major," McKay snarled. "Feels like a whole army of killer bees
attacked me."
The word 'bees' caught Sheppard's attention.
He quickly studied Rodney, Beckett's long-ago lesson running through his mind.
He noted the hives beginning to appear on his friend's neck as Rodney's breath
grew wheezy.
Rodney's good hand suddenly started fumbling
over his vest. "Need ... epi..."
With a swift move, John reached for the Epipen he carried. "I got it. Try to relax."
Remembering the instructions, he quickly popped off the top and injected the
epinephrine into Rodney's thigh. Massaging the injection site, he continued,
"Just concentrate on breathing." Both winched as the table shook from
a blow, but held firm.
"Major?" Teyla
called over the radio. "We are at the Jumper."
John tapped his earpiece. "Good. Stay
there."
"Dr. McKay?"
"I've got him." His eyes swept
over his friend as he spoke. Rodney sat with his good arm resting across his
knee and face resting on his arm. It was almost painful to hear him struggle to
breathe. "He got hit by one of those stinger tails and is having a reaction."
The table shook from another blow. "I had to use an Epipen.
Once things calm down, we'll be coming in hot, and heading straight for
Atlantis."
"Understood. Teyla out."
Beside him, Rodney began to tremble.
"McKay!"
"It's okay." Rodney lifted his
head as he shakily drew another breath. "It means... epi's...
working." Embarrassment flowed from his eyes. "I hate ... that
stuff."
"As long as it's
helping. It is helping,
right?"
"Yeah." He plopped his head back on his arm.
Feeling useless in the face of his
teammate's suffering, John hesitantly wrapped a hand
around Rodney's shoulder. His teammate felt cold and tense. "Just hang in
there. We'll get you back to the Jumper and then into
"Just get me home," Rodney replied
with feeling.
"Then let's go."
Sheppard crawled out from under the table, then aided Rodney to his feet. The festive market lay in
ruin around them. People gathered in clumps, many crying, as they tended to the
injured and inspected the damage. Sheppard wished he could stay and help, but
his first concern was getting his teammate proper medical care. With his hand
wrapped comfortingly around McKay's trembling shoulder, he led him towards the
area where they'd parked the Jumper. "Teyla,
this is Sheppard. We're heading back now. We should be there in..."
Suddenly, two large men in dark gray robes
stepped in front of them. "Dr. McKay?"
As Rodney wheezed a 'yeah', John demanded.
"What do you want? He's injured, and I have to get him to a doctor."
"No tricks, Pretenders."
Rodney gasped, "Pretenders? What do you
mean?"
"Tell us later," John growled.
"We're going."
Before he could lead Rodney another step,
John felt a knife press into his back threateningly. From McKay's flinch, there
was another at his. "You are going with us."
******
Atlantis
Dr. Elizabeth Weir leaned against the
railing next to the control center, staring down at the Stargate.
The floor was scrubbed, the banisters polished, and everything was tidy. All
they needed was for their last team to return, and for Caldwell and Sheppard to
make the final inspection, and they'd be ready for SG-1. She couldn't wait to
show Dr. Jackson the beautiful Lost City of the Ancients, Colonel Carter the
wondrous machinery that ran Atlantis, discuss management with General O'Neill,
and Teal'c... Well, if she could get two nice words
and an impressed look out of Teal'c, she'll consider
the visit a success.
Suddenly, the rings on the Stargate began to move. She walked into the control room to
where Dr. Chin worked the panels. It was hard getting use to not seeing Peter Grodin at the controls. He had given his life to protect
them and the City, and she missed him. They had paid a steep price to hold onto
Atlantis.
She paused by Chin's chair. "Major Sheppard's team?"
Chin shook his head. "No,
ma'am. It's the SGC's code."
Weir blinked as she straightened. "Really. Open up the channel."
"Hello, Dr. Weir," a familiar
voice greeted her.
A smile stretched across her face.
"Hello, General O'Neill. This is a surprise. We weren't expecting you
until tomorrow morning."
"Well, there's a lot of activity
scheduled through the gateroom tomorrow, so we
thought we'd see if we could come early?"
Hearing the boyishly hopeful tone in the
strong voice,
"Thanks,
She leaned closer to Chin.
"Page Colonel Caldwell to come to the gateroom."
She walked out of the control area and down
the steps. As she neared the main floor, four figures and a MALP loaded with
supplies emerged from the ring before it shut off. She smiled at the amazement
in three of the four faces. Even Teal'c looked
impressed.
******
As Daniel Jackson enthused over the gateroom, Colonel Samantha Carter stared at the graceful
lines and the light shining into the upper reaches. Never in her wildest dreams
would she have imagined the
Tilting her head back, she could see the
doors to the ship bay above. She mentally chuckled at the name given the ships
by the expedition. 'Puddle Jumper' sounds like something Jack would come up
with. She couldn't wait to explore.
Then she heard Weir answer O'Neill's
question. "Colonel Caldwell should be here momentarily. Major Sheppard and
Dr. McKay are currently off world, but should be back soon. In fact, when you
dialed in I thought it would be them."
Sam nodded as she brought her attention back
to the conversation. As annoying as Rodney McKay could sometimes be, she had
been a bit concerned for her rival astrophysicist. It would be good to see for herself how well he was doing.
Then the gate behind them began to operate.
Sam's eyes lit up at the sight. It was beautiful compared to the more
mechanical gates in the Milky Way.
Weir waved them up the lighted stairs.
"Come with me, and I'll show you our operation in action." The team followed, eyes still partly on the Atlantis Stargate.
Once on the balcony overlooking the lower room,
Sam took in the control center. Her fingers itched to check out the various
stations for herself. Then she spied the colorful shield protecting the gate.
"Sweet," O'Neill declared. Sam couldn't have agreed more.
"Atlantis, this is Teyla
Emmagen." Sam nodded to herself, recognizing the
name of a local woman who was working with the expedition. The voice sounded
elegant and succinct.
"Teyla,
good to hear from you. Are you
ready to return?"
"We have run into difficulties here,
Dr. Weir. Major Sheppard and Dr. McKay have disappeared. We believe they have
been abducted."
"What!" Dr. Weir exclaimed.
Sam felt the holiday mood evaporating.
******
Road to the
The 'carriage' they had been forced into was
little more than a wooden box with narrow slits in the top. There were no
seats, little air, and definitely no shock absorbers. Sheppard braced himself
against the sides as best he could, and tried to cushion McKay from all but the
worst of the bumps.
Rodney was curled up in a miserable ball,
his head, shoulders and injured arm resting on John's legs. John tried to
protect him by wrapping his arm around Rodney's chest to hold him steady. While
the hives had gone down and the trembling had eased, the arm was still swollen
and painful-looking. The soft breath on his hand was John's assurance that his
friend was holding his own.
When McKay had first mentioned his allergy
to lemons, John figured he was exaggerating. During the early days of the
expedition, he'd struggled to distinguish between fact and melodrama from the
head scientist, before realizing the two were often entwined. But when he had
chosen McKay for his off-world team, prudence suggested he ask their chief
medical doctor, Carson Beckett, for the scoop. He had been shocked to learn the
potential seriousness of McKay's reactions to both citrus and bee venom.
Believing in the military adage of training for all emergencies, he arranged
for Beckett to give Ford, Teyla and himself a
mini-course on what to do if McKay ran into problems. Ever since, the three of
them carried the Epipens with them out into the
field. He wasn't even sure Rodney knew they carried it.
Once the preparations were in place, he dismissed
the concern from his mind. Everything seemed so simple when Beckett had gone
over it. Monitor McKay, give him the Epipen if it
seemed necessary, and get him back to Atlantis as soon as possible.
While their radios and weapons had been
taken from them, the kidnappers had let them keep their vests. That gave McKay
access to his Benedryl and water. Sheppard hoped that
it would kick in as the epinephrine wore off.
For the tenth time, Sheppard mentally
reviewed his inventory of what they had in their pockets. Then for the eleventh
time, he ran over possible escape scenarios. The problem he kept running into
was that all of them depended on McKay being mobile. At the moment, he wasn't
sure McKay could win a footrace against a snail, let lone two armed kidnappers.
He glanced down at Rodney's pale, taunt
face. After
He could feel their forward momentum slow, then stop. When Rodney struggled to move, John helped him to
sit with his back against the side of the box facing perpendicular from the
door. Studying him, John softly asked, "How are you feeling?"
"Lousy, but
better." Rodney ran his good
hand over his face. "I'm nauseous and my arm feels like several red hot
pokers are driving through it. But on the plus side my heart has stopped
thumping like a jack hammer and I don't feel like I'm going to pass out
anymore."
"You still sound wheezy," John
commented worriedly.
"That's more asthmatic in nature, as
opposed to my throat swelling up. It's normal for how these things run."
"When was the last time you had an
allergic reaction like this?"
"Years ago, in grad
school. I've tried to be careful
ever since." Rodney looked over to see the Major pull out the life signs
detector from his vest. "How many?"
"I see six others besides us."
"What do you think they want?"
"You, for some
reason. They asked specifically
for Dr. McKay."
"Yeah, I know, but why? How would they
know my name?"
"Someone must have told them."
"Told them what? While they may have
heard about Atlantis or the 'City of the Ancestors', or even that a group of
people living there woke up the Wraith, I doubt I'm famous enough in this
galaxy to be known individually."
John returned the life signs detector to his
pocket. "Don't know. But we're about to get company, so perhaps we can
find out."
The door opened. John slowly adjusted his
position, making sure he was between his sick teammate and the threat. One of
their kidnappers entered, pointing a long sword at them. Then a tall woman
entered, her brown eyes studying them intently. Flowing gray robes brushed the
tops of her sandal-clad feet. "Hello, Pretenders. I am Allura,
head priestess of the Guardians."
"Hi," John replied tightly, trying
not to let his anger show. "I'm Major John Sheppard. This is my teammate,
Dr. Rodney McKay. Dr. McKay is injured and sick, and I need to take him back to
our people as soon as possible. So if you'd please return us to the market
square, we'd really appreciate it."
"Please, Pretenders, do not try to
trick us."
"Does this LOOK like a trick?"
Rodney demanded, holding up his swollen arm. "I need medical
attention."
The woman continued to smile gently.
"We were warned that you would try to trick us. But if we hold onto you,
you will have to help us."
"Help you with what?" John asked.
"Why, the Legacy of the Ancestors, of
course."
"Of course," John repeated,
rolling his eyes.
Rodney held his arm back against his
stomach. "Why me?"
"Because, even though you are a
Pretender, you know how to make the Ancestor's Legacies work."
John's eyes glanced between the woman and
their guard. "Why do you keep calling us Pretenders?"
"Our friends say you lived in the great
City of the Ancestors, though you have no rightful claim to it. We are certain
the destruction of the City was punishment for your presumptions. However, we
need your skills for the Throne of the Ancestors in order to protect our world.
You will help us."
At least the survival of Atlantis was still
a secret. Now they just had to get back. "We'd be happy to help you,"
John offered. "There's no need to kidnap us or hold us against our will.
Just return us so McKay can have his arm looked at,
and we'll come back later to see what you've got."
"You are trying to trick us again. It
will not work. Please, follow me."
John and Rodney traded glances, then John stood up and offered Rodney a hand. The sick man
wavered a moment before becoming steady on his feet. John took a deep breath,
and stepped down from the box. He was instantly surrounded by two more men. A
young woman stood off to the side, studying him.
Rising above the trees, ruins were set on a
high hill. John's eyes followed the narrow path winding up the steep slope.
Rodney stumbled to stand next to him, also examining the view. "Oh God,
we've got to walk up there?"
"You going to
be okay?" John asked, trying to keep the worry out of his voice.
"No, but what choice do we have?"
Shoves from behind emphasized his point.
******
Atlantis
Teyla sat at the main conference table at Atlantis. Along
with the familiar faces who had become dear to her, there were four who were
strangers. The white-haired warrior was receiving several respectful nods. Teyla covertly studied him. She had rarely seen an experienced warrior reach elderhood.
Most, like her father, fell to the Wraith long before their time. She liked to
think her father would have been similar to this man if he had lived, still
strong and commanding respect.
A huge dark man sat proudly to the right of
the white-haired warrior. On his left, a blonde warrior and another man who
wore eyepieces similar to Radek studied the room with
appreciative eyes. She wondered if the blonde was the 'Colonel Carter' who
seemed to have such a dark history with her friend. She was quite beautiful,
and had earned a few appreciative glances. Since Rodney so rarely showed his
tender heart, Teyla felt both curiosity and
protectiveness. As much as she wished to interrogate the other woman to find
out how she had hurt him, Teyla had much larger
concerns. Besides, she had promised John to find out the whole story first.
Dr. Weir, her face drawn in worry, sat down.
"Teyla, please tell us what happened."
Using concise words, she explained to the
gathering about the stampede in the marketplace, Rodney's cry over the radio,
and John's orders to take Dr. Zelenka to the Jumper.
She then took a deep breath. "Once we arrived, I called Major Sheppard
again. He had found Dr. McKay and apparently some kind of shelter during the
chaos. However, he said that Rodney had been struck by one of the Hooner beast's tails, and was having a reaction. The Major
had used an Epipen, so as soon as they could make it
through the crowds, we would need to fly back to Atlantis."
"Epipen!" Dr Beckett exclaimed. He leaned towards her.
"Did the Major say anything more about Rodney's condition?"
"Wait a minute," Dr. Weir
interrupted. "What's an Epipen?"
"It is the medicine stick in case Dr.
McKay has certain symptoms," Teyla replied,
"like hives, swelling, and difficulty breathing."
"It's a pre-measured dose of
epinephrine," Beckett clarified. "John requested I teach his team how
to use it in case Rodney had an anaphylaxic reaction
out in the field."
"Because McKay's allergic to
lemons," the blonde warrior commented, looking worried.
"And something called 'bees'," Teyla added. "Dr. Zelenka
wondered if perhaps the Hooner Beast stingers were
similar to these 'bees', and thus why Dr. McKay reacted poorly."
"Aye, lass, that makes sense."
"How serious is this,
Beckett ran a hand through his hair.
"It could be life-threatening. Rodney has had trouble in the past on
Earth. I had hoped that this galaxy would be kinder to him." He turned to Teyla. "Did the Major say anything else?"
Teyla shook her head. "Major Sheppard did not give me
details, but he sounded terse. Due to your instruction, both he and I are aware
of the seriousness of the situation. Dr. McKay himself never used his radio
after he was injured."
"However," Teyla
added, "when they were taken by the abductors, I could hear Dr. McKay over
the Major's radio and he sounded..." Teyla
thought a moment for the right word. "Breathy."
Face grim, Beckett turned to Weir. "We
need to find them. Sooner rather than later."
"What do we know about the
abductors?" the white-haired man asked.
Teyla sighed. "The area was chaotic after the Hooner beast rampage. However, one Frejorian
reported seeing two men being herded into a transportation box by preceptors of
the Guardians. My father's friend, Nigol, was
surprised. He said the Guardians rarely leave the Ancestors'
"Ancestor's
"Yes. I believe the temple is located
in the ruins of an Ancient settlement."
"Might be why they're interested in
us," Beckett pointed out.
`
"Especially since
they asked for Dr. McKay by name." Teyla sighed. "Yet they called them
'pretenders', which I do not understand. The Doctor and the Major never
pretended to be anything other than themselves."
She could feel her worry deepen with her confusion. "Nigol
was upset to learn of the situation. He and his people would have helped us
track them down under normal conditions, but the current situation at the
market square requires their full attention."
"I can understand that," Weir
replied. "While our first concern must be to find Dr. McKay and Major
Sheppard, we'll provide them some aid."
"I can have the Daedalus
there in 12 hours,"
"Rodney may not have 12 hours,"
Beckett argued.
"Dr. Zelenka
remains in the jumper while I came to report to Atlantis, in case they returned
or managed to send a signal. Frejor's gate is
currently busy with people leaving to their home worlds, but Nigol said he would free it up in about an hour so I could
return to search for Major Sheppard and Dr. McKay. " Teyla focused her gaze on Dr. Weir. "However,
neither Dr. Zelenka nor myself
can fly the Jumper. With a pilot, we could reach the temple faster and investigate
it."
"I can fly her," Beckett instantly
volunteered.
Teyla looked at the doctor. He hated flying the Jumpers.
"No, Carson," Weir replied.
"If by some chance both Sheppard and McKay are injured, I want you to
concentrate on them and not flying."
"You know, I've been dying to try out
one of your Puddle Jumpers," the white-haired warrior commented
nonchalantly.
Weir smiled at him. "Yes, but I'm sure
you weren't planning on leading a rescue mission when you visited,
General."
"Yeah, well, I was the one to talk
Sheppard into joining your little party. Only seems fitting I pull his butt out
of fire while I'm here."
Teyla looked at him in surprise. John knew this important
warrior?
The blonde warrior nodded. "And my tour
wouldn't be nearly as much fun without McKay telling me how the city works. I'm
in."
"And I was the one to figure out how to
send you all to this galaxy in the first place," the man with the
eyepieces added. "So I'd better go, too."
"As will I," said the dark
warrior.
"I'll still head out,"
The white-haired warrior smiled.
"Appreciate it."
"Do you not need the Ancient gene to
fly a Jumper?" Teyla asked.
She was surprised by the smiles that
suddenly appeared around the table. "Teyla,"
Dr. Beckett explained gently. "General O'Neill was the first person on
Earth identified as having the ATA gene."
"Oh." Teyla
wasn't sure what to say about that. Was that how John knew him?
Weir swept her gaze around the table.
"You have a go. And good luck."
******
Hillside to
They were three quarters of the way up the
steep path when Sheppard saw McKay's knees buckle. Ignoring the guards, he
caught his teammate and gently eased him to the ground. Then he turned to glare
at the swords and knives that were so close as to almost touch him. "BACK
OFF!" Apparently, he looked scary enough to give the pair some room.
Then he turned to gently pat McKay's pale
face. "Rodney."
Blue eyes blinked a couple of times before
focusing. "What happened?"
"You fainted."
"Passed out."
A smirk teased Sheppard's mouth at the
response he had hoped to hear. He helped his friend sit up, back against a
tree. "How are you feeling?"
"Like crap. What do you expect for a
hell march on top of anaphylaxic shock?"
Sheppard handed him his canteen. "How's
your breathing?"
"It's okay, just not as easy as
usual." The scientist took a drink. "My arm hurts so much, I can understand why some animals chew off limbs. Got a headache, lightheaded, and kinda of
nauseous."
John quickly tore open a wrapper.
"Here, eat this."
"Did I mention nausea?"
"Eat."
"I'm not hungry."
"Now that's one sentence I never
expected to hear from you." John leaned in closer to look at his friend
face to face. "McKay, you haven't eaten since breakfast this morning. Just
take a couple of bites."
Rodney sighed, and took a small bite.
Staring at the powerbar, he commented, "You
know, sometimes there's a second anaphylaxic reaction
after the first one."
"I know."
"I had to toss out a couple of Epipens that had gone bad yesterday, and haven't had a
chance to pick up some more from
"Which you still
have."
Rodney's eyes flew to John's in surprise as
he felt a pocket in his vest. "But how..."
"I didn't know where yours was, so I
used one of the ones I carry."
"Since when have you carried Epipens?"
"Since you joined my team and I never
knew when I'd have to give you a shot in the middle of a god damn
stampede." Taking a deep breath, John gently squeezed his shoulder.
"We're a team, McKay. You watch my back, I watch yours, and we compensate
for each other's weaknesses. We stick together, we stay alive. End of story.
Now eat."
Rodney stared at him a moment more, eyes
wide. Then he took another small bite of the bar.
"Excuse me."
Sheppard turned, glaring. The young woman of
the party took a step back, then held out a small grey
pot. "This is a salve the low landers make for Hooner Beast stings. It should help ease Pretender McKay's
suffering."
John studied the young woman. She seemed
sincere. He took the pot and sniffed at the contents. The scent was a mix of
lavender and broccoli, though why anyone would want to combine the two was
beyond him. He gave her a weak smile. "Thank you. And it's not Pretender
McKay. It's Dr. Rodney McKay and Major John Sheppard." He ignored the
cough from the ground that sounded suspiciously like 'Captain Kirk'.
The woman tilted her head, studying him
intently. A bit unnerved, John turned back to his teammate. "She says
it'll help. Wanna give it a shot?"
Rodney also took a sniff and shrugged.
"At this point, I'm willing to try anything."
Carefully, John dipped a finger into the
mixture, then gently spread it on the welt closest to
Rodney's wrist. Rodney closed his eyes. "Oh, that does feel nice. It's
like cool water on a raging fire. Please, continue."
John smeared the salve on the other five
welts. He could sense the tension ooze out of his friend, indicating the pain
was easing. It left Rodney appearing more frail than
he'd ever seen him, monster storms and sleepless weeks included. He turned to
the woman still behind him. "He's not going to be able to hike much further."
She did look contrite. "It is not long
now. Then you can rest." She paused, then blurted
out, "Do you still have the talisman?"
John's eyebrows puckered. "What
talisman?"
"The pink crystal
that lit up."
Rodney's eyes popped open. The teammates
exchanged glances, then John replied, "No, we
don't."
"Our friend negotiated the price along
with a couple other items," Rodney softly explained. "It's still with
him."
She studied them a moment more, then ran off.
"That was different," Sheppard
commented.
Rodney closed his eyes again. "I wonder
if she has any idea the significance of it."
"Not if she's still calling us
'Pretenders'."
"Do you think..."
"Pretenders!" John again turned to spy the head priestess.
"You must stop stalling and continue the journey." Sighing, John
stood up and turned back to McKay. Rodney slipped the half-eaten bar into a
pocket and grasped John's outstretched hand. Pulled onto his feet, the
scientist wobbled until John laid a supportive hand on his shoulder. Together,
they followed the Guardians.
******
Atlantis
Sam made minute adjustments to her vest
before positioning her hat. She hadn't expected to be going into action
on this trip, but life with SG-1 had trained her to be prepared. Taking a
deep breath, she felt eyes on her. When she looked, Teyla
had already dropped her gaze to check her P-90. While the other woman had
yet to say anything to her, she had the feeling the Athosian
didn't like her. Why, she didn't know, and honestly didn't care.
Something about the urgency in Dr. Beckett's voice during briefing was ringing
all her alarm bells. How much trouble was McKay in? Sure, he was an
annoyance, but he could also be a useful annoyance, and he did try to be friendly.
Sam honestly didn't want anything to happen to him.
"Hello." Sam looked up to
spy Daniel holding out his hand to Teyla.
"In all the confusion, I don't believe we've been introduced. I'm
Dr. Daniel Jackson, with SG-1."
The woman looked up, and gave him a warm yet
distant smile. "I am Teyla Emmagan, daughter of Tegon, and a
member of Major Sheppard's team."
Daniel was giving her his comforting
look. "We'll get them back."
"I know. Though with good
fortune, they will have found a way out of their predicament by the time we
return."
"Happens a lot?" Daniel asked with
a smile.
"Often enough. But Dr. McKay is not normally ill. I fear that
may hinder them." Teyla sighed, clearly
worried. "We appreciate your help."
"We want to get them back safe,
too. We've worked with Dr. McKay before." Daniel indicated her
with his hand. "This is my teammate, Colonel Samantha Carter.
She's an astrophysicist like Rodney." Sam gave her a friendly nod,
though Teyla's returning one seemed lukewarm.
"This is Teal'c, another member of our
team. And this," Daniel waved his hand at Jack as he approached,
"is General Jack O'Neill." Teyla's
nod to her CO seemed much warmer and respectful than the one Sam got.
Perhaps she didn't like other women? Or, like many before her, had fallen
for Jack's charm?
"What can you tell us about this
temple?" Jack asked.
Teyla straightened. "I have only seen it once,
at a distance, when I was a little girl traveling with my father. It sits
on a high hill that rises above the forest. It looked magical to my young eyes.
My father's friend said that a group of people called 'Guardians' live there
and protect the ruins of the Ancestors. They believe that if they perform
their task diligently, the Ancestors will one day return and again protect
their planet from the Wraith."
Jack nodded, absorbing her story. "How
thick are these trees?"
"They are quite dense in some areas,
but I recall there were clearings within the forest. I am hoping we can
find one large enough for the jumper nearby."
"Good enough. Anything else we
should know?"
"Night is approaching the market square
on Frejor. It will make our task more
difficult."
"Difficult does not mean
impossible," Jack replied, earning a wan smile from the woman.
Dr. Beckett arrived, juggling two white
cases and a large satchel. Sam stepped over and took one of the
cases. "Thank you, lass."
Sam smiled, enjoying the sound of the
doctor's Scottish accent. Then she softly asked the question that
concerned her most. "You said that 12 hours might not be soon
enough. Is there something else we need to know about McKay's
condition?"
Worried blue eyes caught hers. "In
any case of an anaphylaxic reaction, there is a small
possibility of a second reaction hours after the first. While it sounds
like the Major got Rodney through the first one, and by my calculation they
should have at least one more Epipen between them, I
don't know what conditions they're being held under."
Sam easily followed his thoughts. "If
they're separated, McKay could have a second reaction without being able to
help himself or have anyone around him that knows what to do."
"Aye. And it was just such a secondary reaction that
nearly killed Rodney when he was a young man. The hospital didn't hold
him like they should have, and it hit him again at the university library. I've
always suspected that's why he gets so paranoid about it."
Sam frowned, her own worry increasing.
"Without a second reaction, what do you think his condition is?"
"Hard to say, without
more information. Teyla's report of 'breathy' tells me he may be fighting
back an asthma attack. There are many other effects, all depending on how
swiftly he reacted and how quickly the Epi was
administered. But overall, I'm sure he's feeling pretty lousy, even
without the stress of being abducted."
Sam nodded to herself. "Then we
better find him and the Major right away."
"Aye, lass, I like your attitude."
Behind them, the dialing dance of the
Atlantis Stargate began.
******
Hillside,
Misery filled him as Rodney trudged up the
path. His headache increased with each step. The injured arm still ached and
was as useless as a huge sausage. The tightness in his chest made it hard to
get enough air. The power bar had sank like a rock in
his stomach. Temperatures were falling with the approaching night, making him
regret leaving his jacket in the Jumper. All he wanted to do is curl up
somewhere and sleep until he felt better. The only thing giving him strength
was John Sheppard's presence by his side.
No one had ever wanted to be around him
before. He had such a hard time connecting with people, he had given up the
idea he could have close friends. Old lessons reminded him that while he could
care deeply about others, he could not expect it to be reciprocated.
Then John had asked him to be on his team.
Not because
Now he found out that John carried Epipens and knew how to use them. The only reason he had
for the extra item was his hyper-sensitive teammate. Even someone as dense as
himself could tell that John was worried about him. Then Teyla
had wanted to risk the raging beasts of the square to help him when he'd been
hurt. They weren't pretending. They cared.
For Teyla, he had
to trust she got Radek to safety and was searching
for them. To think that he and John were the focus of her pursuit was
reassuring - Teyla almost always succeeded when she
went after something. For John, he had to keep going. He didn't want to give
their abductors any reason to become violent. With the Major's heroic streak,
he'd probably do something stupid, like step between Rodney and a sword. That
was the last thing he wanted.
A light squeeze on his shoulder pulled his
attention to Sheppard. John pointed ahead. "I think we're about
there."
Through the deepening dusk, he spotted the
graceful arch which led into a courtyard of sorts. Individuals in the same grey
robes as their escort were scattered around. Beyond them laid ruins of what
once had been a city. His natural curiosity about all things Ancient warred
with his exhaustion. "Looks... Ancient."
"Yeah, I recognize the
architecture." He could feel John's stare. "You
holding up okay?"
"O...Kay."
John gave his shoulder another squeeze as
the pair of escorts ahead of them passed under the archway. "Hopefully,
they've got a couple of beds with our name on them."
Rodney managed a snort. "With our
luck... they'll probably ... tie us ... to a post."
"Hey, don't give them any ideas,"
John admonished, his teasing tone at odds with the worry in his eyes. Still
side by side, they passed under the ornate archway.
Suddenly, lights flashed above them.
Startled, John grabbed him and pulled them both into the courtyard. Colors and
symbols reminiscent of the Atlantis Stargate danced
back and forth across the arch before going dark.
"Did you touch it?" Rodney gasped.
"I didn't touch it!" John denied.
"What was it?"
"Almost looks like something reset...
Perhaps it's some kind of regular signal for dinner?"
"Not from the looks we're
getting," John replied, shifting uneasily.
Rodney glanced around. Everyone in the
courtyard was staring at them and the arch, mouths hanging open. Even their
escorts looked stunned, taking a couple of steps backwards.
John gave them all a weak smile and a half-hearted
wave. "Howdy, folks."
"Nice trick, Pretenders!" The
priestess Allura glided gracefully to a stop in from
of them, her eyes angry. "We'll see how arrogant you are when you attempt
to repair the Ancestor's Legacies." She turned to their escorts.
"Take them to their room for the night."
As if suddenly remembering what the weapons
in their hands were for, their escorts again pointed them at the Atlantis pair.
******
Stargate on Frejor
As Teyla stepped
out of the Stargate, the rest trailing behind her, Nigol was there to greet her. She had known the tall,
dark-haired man for most of her life. After the touching their foreheads
in the traditional greeting, Teyla asked, "Any
news?"
"I am sorry, dear one. We have
found no sign of them, and your Dr. Zelenka has heard
no transmission."
Teyla sighed. She had feared as much. If
Rodney was very ill, he would be unable to run and John would not leave
him. Even if he was well, Rodney was a scientist, not a warrior. His
fighting abilities were based more on bravado than proficiency. Then there were
John's questionable negotiating skills. Unless there was a pretty woman
involved that he could charm, it was unlikely he could talk the Guardians into
letting them go. She would have to find them.
Then Nigol looked
beyond her. "Who have accompanied you?"
Teyla turned to find Dr. Jackson and General O'Neill
behind her. It unnerved her a little; for a moment, she was expecting it
to be John and Rodney. "They have come to help us search. This
is General Jack O'Neill, a great warrior and a leader from my friends' home
world, and Dr. Daniel Jackson, one of their renowned scholars and a former
colleague of Dr. McKay's."
"It is an honor to
have such important people visit us," Nigol
replied, tilting his head in respect. "I wish it was under better
circumstances."
"Me, too." General O'Neill replied. "And I
understand you have had some trouble of your own. Was anyone seriously
injured?"
Teyla could tell Nigol
appreciated the question. "Unfortunately, many were injured by
livestock feet, the push of the crowd, and by the stings. The medicines
your people traded with us have already been put to use and greatly
appreciated. However, some of the visitors who were stung are also having
symptoms we have never seen before. My healer wonders if it could be
similar to what Teyla's friend experienced."
"That is a grave possibility," Dr.
Beckett replied, having come up to hear Nigol's
report.
"Nigol, this
is my friend, Dr. Beckett," Teyla
introduced. "He is the head of their healers."
"You have come to help Teyla's friend?"
"Aye, but a couple members of my staff
has come as well."
Nigol smiled brightly. "That is wonderful
news. Please send Dr. Weir our heartfelt gratitude." He turned and
grabbed one of the small boys running around. "Andor,
please take these people to Murando."
Once Nigol had
turned back, General O'Neill asked, "Teyla said
you don't know why these Guardians would take our people. Are we certain
they're the ones who took them?"
Nigol frowned. "It was my nephew who saw them,
and he recognized one of the preceptors. They occasionally come down to
trade, and Langol always loves to talk.
However, neither he nor I understand why. The Guardians are a very
peaceful people. They mostly stay at the
Dr Jackson suggested quietly, "Could
someone else be influencing them? They knew Rodney's name, and there's no
way they'd learn it at their
"Yes. Easily."
Nigol looked off in the distance. "The Guardians
are good people. We would not take too kindly to outsiders leading them
astray."
"Well, we'll pay them a visit, and let
you know what we find," O'Neill promised.
"Please, if possible, do not hurt the
Guardians. Like I said, this is very unlike them."
"We only want Dr. McKay and Major
Sheppard back safely," Daniel assured them.
O'Neill nodded his head in agreement.
"We will use force only if it's the only way to rescue them."
"I understand. I must leave now
and oversee the clean up parties."
Once he'd stepped away, O'Neill frowned.
"So, where's the Puddle Jumper?"
Teyla tilted her head. "It is this way.
Major Sheppard parked it in a small meadow away from the gate, so it would not
'advertise our presence'."
******
John leaned against the wall of their new
prison. The plain room in the ruins only contained a couple of bed rolls and a
wooden bucket in the corner. Soft lights near the door turned on when he and
Rodney walked in. From the reactions, John deduced that was also not normal.
The only entrance had no door, but another guard. John figured it he could
easily overpower the lone man, but then what? The life signs detector lit up
like a festival of lights when he turned it on. Nor was Rodney in any shape for
another hike even if they did sneak past the Guardians. In frustration, he felt
the need to pace, but feared he'd wake up Rodney.
In the darker back half of the room, McKay
was tucked in one of the bedrolls, his head and shoulders slightly elevated
with the addition of the pillow from the second bedroll. Hopefully, the water
and Tylenol would ease a bit of his discomfort. John prayed they were past the
point of another reaction, but he didn't know it for a fact. Only Rodney's
wheezy but steady breathing reassured him.
He had to get them out of there. He didn't
know what the Guardians wanted exactly, but he could make a couple of guesses.
Not that it mattered; his teammate wasn't well enough to help them. He figured
his best bet was to wait until the middle of the night, take out the guard, and
hope Rodney had gotten enough rest to manage the downhill climb.
It would have been nice to discuss options
with Rodney. McKay's lightening fast mind was an asset he had come to rely
upon. He also enjoyed their verbal sparring. McKay was one of the few who could
take the full force of his dry, sarcastic wit and toss it right back at him.
His gasping effort before they stepped through the archway only emphasized how
sick his friend was. Rodney should be in the Atlantis infirmary, loaded up on
meds and resting to the sound of a fussing Scottish brogue. He definitely
should not be lying on a cold, dirt floor with only the small amount of drugs
they had in their vests to ease his misery
With another glance to the back, John
noticed Rodney's hand shift. Then he noticed something move on the blanket.
John shot up from his slouch, senses on alert.
******
The rub from a purring body penetrated
Rodney's light doze. Eyes closed, he reached down to stroke Maxwell's head.
"Not now; sleeping," he muttered.
A small head butted against his hand. His
feline companion could get so demanding in the mornings. He should be fed on
schedule, regardless of late work nights. By habit, Rodney's fingers found the
favorite scratching places. A soft purr was his reward.
"McKay."
Eyes still closed, Rodney wondered if
someone was actually using his answering machine.
The whisper grew harsher. "McKay!"
Sheppard. Maybe John could feed Maxwell. But how did Maxwell
get to Atlantis?
A hand touched his shoulder.
"McKay!"
Rodney's eyes shot open. John was looking at
something by his hip, his scowl indicating he was in military mode. He froze.
What scary thing was there?
Then the small head bumped his hand again.
Rodney looked down. A sweet, furry face looked back, seemingly content to
snuggle in the rough blankets. "Major, it's a kitten."
"McKay, we're on an alien planet in a
whole different galaxy. We don't know what it is."
Still half asleep, Rodney attempted to shift
into a sitting position without bumping his sore arm. John leaned forward to
help him. Once seated, he again ran his fingers through the soft fur. Of course
it wasn't his Maxwell. This young one was much smaller, and the coat was
different. The kitten was mostly deep gray with cream-colored feet and darker
gray stripes around its eyes. Encouraged by his attention, it rolled over to
briefly to show its cream and gray-spotted belly. Back on its legs, a striped
tail uncurled. The small curved ears twitched with curiosity. "It acts
like a kitten, and it purrs like a kitten."
"What do you know about cats?"
John softly demanded, still watching the creature for any dangerous moves.
"I'll have you know that I own a cat.
And they're not that hard to recognize. Haven't you ever had a cat?"
John shrugged, shifted back. "I'm more
of a dog person."
"Figures."
Apparently deciding to explore, the kitten
climbed up into Rodney's lap. It sniffed his swollen arm, then
gave it a couple of gentle licks.
"McKa-ay."
"It's just being sympathetic, Major. And it has a rough tongue like a cat, too." The
kitten then decided his bent leg made an excellent viewing spot. It quickly
scrambled up the loose blanket and shifted its tiny paws to find the perfect
balance on his knee.
A sudden scream turned their heads to the
entrance. Rodney was just in time to see a tray of dishes hit the ground as a
woman ran for the opening.
"You know," John stated slowly.
"It's not usually a good sign when the locals run from the wildlife."
"Perhaps she's a dog person, too."
John shrugged as he approached the fallen
tray. "So much for dinner." He squatted down
to see if anything was salvageable.
Rodney was still fascinated by the kitten.
Stroking her neck, he cooed, "What a dainty lady you are."
"Don't you dare."
"Dare what?"
"Give it name. First you name it, then we'll have to take it back to Atlantis. Which means while
"It's not wildlife; it's a
kitten."
"You think that's going to make a
difference to Weir? With our luck, she's probably allergic."
"Oh!" A female voice exclaimed.
Rodney again looked up to see the young
woman who had given them the salve. She stared at the kitten.
"Hi, again." John slowly stood up. "Is this your cat?"
"Cat?" she asked.
"This dainty
lady." Rodney indicated the
kitten with his good hand.
The young woman slowly entered, still
staring at the kitten. "We call them Shadow Dwellers. They are very shy;
we only catch glimpses of them, though the kitchen always leaves out scraps for
them to eat."
John lifted an eyebrow. "That one
certainly isn't shy."
"Maybe she knows I like cats,"
Rodney pointed out, scratching under her chin.
"You are familiar with Shadow
Dwellers?" the woman asked, eyes huge.
"Yeah, some people keep them as pets
where we come from," John explained.
"Pets?"
"Furry companions who share our home
and food," Rodney clarified. That only brought a frown to the woman's
face.
"You know, I don't think I ever caught
your name," John mused.
"I am Meraya."
"Hi, Meraya. Nice to meet you. I don't think we ever thanked you for the
salve, either."
Rodney looked across the room to meet her
eyes. "Yes, thank you. It helped a lot."
She blushed. "It is the least I could
do for the inconvenience we have caused you."
"Why are we here?" John asked
gently. "If your people need help, all you had to do is ask. If we could,
we would have helped."
Meraya shrugged. "Priestess Allura
was told you do not help willingly. If we do not capture and hold you, you will
not come."
John's eyes widened. "Honest, that's
not true. We like meeting new people. Who told her that?"
"I don't know him. Stern,
dark man. I do not believe he is from Frejor."
She glanced at the mess John was trying to salvage. "Do not worry about
that. I will bring you another tray. Allana feared
you would strike her down, since you commune with a companion of the
Ancestors."
"We don't wish to hurt you, Meraya," Rodney explained. "We only want to go
home."
Meraya only nodded her head and ducked out the door.
Both men watched her go. "Companion of
the Ancestors," Rodney repeated. "Do you think that perhaps it was
the Ancients who domesticated cats?"
John shook his head. "Who knows? We're
supposed to look just like the Ancients. Who's to say cats aren't the second
evolution of their form?"
Suddenly, the kitten's head shot up. She
flew off Rodney's knee in a leap, then romped across
the floor into one of the dark corners.
"Where'd she go?" John asked. He
walked over to Rodney, peering into the corner.
"A better question might be why,"
Rodney pointed out, absently rubbing his tight chest. "If the locals being
scared of the wildlife's a bad sign, what does it mean when the wildlife is
scared?"
Before John could reply, two men they had
never seen before entered the room. Both John and Rodney shifted to face their
captors. Then a tall man entered. John slowly rose, growling, "Kolya."
Rodney scrambled to his feet, only to waver
a moment before he caught his balance. Kolya smiled
triumphantly at him. For an instant, he was back in the Atlantis control room,
being held as a huge knife sliced into his arm. Then Sheppard stepped between
him and Kolya, breaking the memory's hold.
Kolya continued to smile. "Major Sheppard. Dr. McKay.
I had believed you had died when Atlantis was destroyed. I can't tell you how
delighted I was to learn that wasn't the case."
"We're like bad pennies," John
told him, crossing his arms. "We're hard to get rid of."
"Really. I wonder if even these 'pennies' are as difficult as
you are."
"What do you want, Kolya?"
John demanded.
"A very simple job, really. There are
weapons here at this temple. I want Dr. McKay to fix them and make them
portable so I can bring them back to my home world."
Rodney could feel his stomach twist.
"McKay is in no condition to be your
little repair man. Besides, what makes you think we'd do anything for
you?"
"Dr. McKay and I understand each other,
Major. He knows he can either do what I ask, or he can watch me kill you. Then
I will show him some real blade work."
Rodney couldn't stop the slight shiver. Yes,
he knew Kolya was more than capable of killing and
cutting. Just as they were both aware the threat to Sheppard would be
sufficient to keep Rodney in line. Oh God, he wasn't well enough to handle
this.
John didn't budge from his protective
stance. "He's ill, Kolya. He needs medical
attention."
"He looks well enough."
"At least let the swelling go down in
his arm. He can't help you with only one hand."
"We'll see. If it's not better by
morning, he'll just have to tell you what do to. He has done it before." Kolya kicked the bowl by his foot. "Enjoy your
dinner." Then he and his men were gone.
Rodney just stood there, feeling his stomach
twist and turn. Images flashed through his mind. Kolya pointing a gun at
"McKay?"
He couldn't handle this, not on top of
everything else.
Suddenly, Rodney was on his hand and knees,
throwing up. Even once there was nothing left, his stomach continued to rebel.
Panic filled his very being.
As the spasms finally eased, he became aware
of a warm hand rubbing circles on his back. "Easy,
Rodney. Easy." He wavered on trembling limbs until a strong arm
gently shifted him away from the mess and steadied him. "It's okay, Rodney. Just breathe."
Mortification replaced the panic. John was
the one to stand up to their nemesis; his only contribution was to fall apart.
Forehead resting on John's shoulder, arms wrapped about his stomach, he managed
to whisper, "Sorry...for being... girly wimp."
"You're not a girly wimp. You've just
had a really, really bad day."
That understatement forced a snort out of
him. "Still... sorry."
John's hand continued to rub his back.
"No, I'm the one that's sorry. I should have killed that bastard when I
had the chance."
Sheppard was blaming himself? Rodney shook
his aching head, still resting on his friend's shoulder. "No... that's what ... he'd do. You're... better."
"Only on my good
days, McKay. Only
on my good days."
They stayed like that for a while, Rodney
slowly regaining control of his breathing as John supported him. Then John
gently squeezed his shoulder. "Think you're up to a little lookout
duty?"
Rodney shifted away, giving John a puzzled
look.
John nodded towards the dark corner.
"Your 'dainty lady' apparently knows a way out of this room. And I don't
know about you, but I feel the need to blow this popsicle
stand. If you can watch the door, I'll see if we can follow her out."
Rodney gave him a weak smile and a nod.
"I can do that."
******
Meadow near
As Sam followed the group to the Jumper,
General O'Neill dropped back beside her. After a few steps, he commented,
"Not exactly what we expected on this trip."
Sam gave him a half hearted smile.
"I'd say that's an understatement, sir."
"You knew about McKay's
allergies?"
"At least the lemons. He's the only person I know who asks the SGC's cafeteria staff 'What's in it?',
as opposed to 'What is it?'"
Jack chuckled. After another couple of
steps, he added, "You wanted to take this trip because of McKay. Was
it that video he sent to you? Did he say something to make you worry?"
With a shrug, Sam replied, "It wasn't
so much what he said. It was how he was. The way he was talking and
how he would drift off in the middle of a topic. He was basically punch
drink from too much adrenaline and not enough sleep. I know what that's
like. I've worked non-stop on enough emergencies to recognize the
symptoms. But even in my worse case scenarios, I could call upon Earth's
military and intellectual resources, and even ask the Asgard
and Tok'ra for help. McKay didn't have any of
that. He and a handful of people with limited supplies had to defend the
one Stargate to our home planet from a life-sucking
foe with superior numbers. I could tell he hadn't slept in days, and he
still had a week to go before the monsters arrived. He was trying to hide
it, but there was no hope in his eyes." Sam sighed. "He
expected to die."
"We got them help, Carter," Jack
softly pointed out. "They survived."
"Barely. Hell, I'm still trying to figure out how he and this
Dr. Zelenka got that cloak working in the short
amount of time they had. Even now, they're still the front line protecting us
from disaster. I guess I wanted to check the situation out for myself,
and see if there was anything I could ship him, like people or supplies, that
would help. Look at that one whiner from the tape you showed me.
I'm sure that guy can't be much support. While McKay can be a jerk, he
has helped me when the situation was desperate. Now it's my turn to help
him."
Jack nodded his head. "And you will.
Once we get them out of this little fix."
"I hope so, sir. There's
still a lot of unknowns."
"But we do know that I get to finally
fly a Puddle Jumper that isn't some wreck."
Sam couldn't hold back her chuckle, just as
Jack knew she couldn't. "There is that, sir."
A meadow surrounded by trees could barely be
seen ahead of them due to the deepening night. As they approached, Sam saw Teyla tap her radio. "Dr. Zelenka?
We are here."
A soft voice replied, "Good. Good. I
was becoming worried."
Suddenly, a ramp dropped down from no where,
displaying the inside of a jumper. It had been cloaked. The Czech scientist was
waiting for them at the top of the ramp. Teyla walked
up to him easily. "No word?"
"No, none. I expected ones who took them would remove radios,
but I had hoped Rodney might be able to improvise." The small, blond man
pushed up his glasses. "But nothing."
"We will find them, Radek,"
Radek nodded, his face still worried. Then he spotted
"Good to see you again, Radek," Daniel greeted, shaking his hand. "We got
here early." He quickly introduced the rest of the team. Sam noticed Radek had a slight smile on his face when she was introduced.
Had Rodney said something about her? Was that why Teyla
had been so distant?
"Well, let's see what this baby can
do," Jack declared, sitting at the pilot's seat and rubbing his hands
together.
Suddenly, the HUD appeared across the front
screen. Sam stepped closer, realizing a topo map of
the area had appeared, with scrolling information and graphs around the sides.
Daniel leaned forward and whistled. "It's information in Ancient about
everything from the condition of the ship to the time for sunrise."
O'Neill had a boyish grin across his face. "Sweet. Too bad this baby doesn't have
Infrared..." The view behind the HUD turned to infrared imagery. "Sweet!"
"How will we find MajorSheppard
and DoctorMcKay?" Teal'c
asked.
"Yeah, that's going to get interesting
in these trees," Jack replied.
Sam eeked
as a tray slide out of the wall next to her, holding a small device. "What's that?" She picked it up, tilting
it back and forth to study it.
Teyla frowned. "I thought Major Sheppard brought it
with him?"
Radek shrugged. "The Ancients have many backups and
redundancies. Perhaps this one is... what does Rodney call it...spare?"
Sam frowned at the blank screen. "Is it
broken?"
"Let me see it, lass." Beckett
took the device and held it in his hands. Then he turned it towards her.
"Like Puddle Jumpers, you need the gene to work it."
"That's frustrating," Sam replied,
a bit miffed she couldn't get the cool technology to work for her. "No
wonder McKay volunteered for the gene therapy."
"Aye, and the fact I was getting tired
playing his guinea pig."
"Well, everyone take a seat. I'm about to take this baby for a ride!"
Jack's smile grew wider as the craft smoothly lifted into the air.
"Compared to that time machine, it's like going from a dump truck to a Ferrari."
"Ferrari?" Teyla asked, sitting
behind him.
Teal'c, who had taken the copilot seat, turned and
explained, "A dump truck is a hauling vehicle on Earth that is slow and
unwieldy. A Ferrari is a much smaller vehicle that has great speed and maneuverability."
"Thank you." Teyla
nodded her head at him.
Teal'c returned the gesture. "It is not always easy to
understand the Tauri, but I am learning."
******
Even with a flashlight, it was hard to
distinguish much in the grey-metal corner, covered in years of dust and dirt.
But the kitten got through, so there had to be something.
John glanced at McKay. He had set up Rodney,
blanket draped over his shoulders, so he could see through the door and beyond
the guard. There was the same expression on his face as when John had left him.
John knew the look - it was the 'I know we're totally screwed but I'll do what
I have to anyway' look.
That was one of the things he appreciated
about McKay. Deception was very hard for the man. Just as every thought flowed
out of his mouth, every emotion showed up on his expressive face. Some had a
hard time with Rodney's bluntness. For Sheppard, it simply meant he always knew
where he stood, even if it changed every few minutes.
But the very thing he liked in his friend
was what Kolya used to exploit him. Just as Sheppard
could tell there was more to the Lady Colonel story, Kolya usually could tell when Rodney was lying to him. The
Genii commander also knew that with a little pressure, properly applied,
Rodney's natural talkativeness would come forward. The expressive McKay had few
defenses against a man who had no trouble brutally enforcing his will.
It was the John Sheppards
of the galaxy who had the background and knowledge to fight face to face with
the Kolyas. The McKays
should be tucked away someplace safe to devise the equipment and inventive
schemes that helped the Sheppards defeat the Kolyas. Unfortunately, Rodney kept getting shoved into the
middle of the action.
Another strike against them was that the one
defense Rodney had - fast talking and faster thinking - was currently out of
commission. John didn't know if it was due to his breathing trouble, pain, or
pure exhaustion, but smart-mouth McKay had been noticeably absent during Kolya's little visit. A fact he was certain Kolya was already planning to exploit. The sheer terror on
Rodney's face when he realized who had abducted them would only encourage the
bastard.
Then to have Rodney's body react so
violently to the stress of Kolya's visit nearly did
them both in. John had almost panicked and started searching for Rodney's last Epipen, until he realized his friend's heart was already
racing. All he could do then was to try to calm him down, wondering which
little brutal incidence with Kolya was running
through his mind. Unfortunately, there were several to choose from. John didn't
miss the so-not-subtle reference to Kolya cutting
into Rodney's arm for the plan to save Atlantis. The thing was, Kolya would not hesitate to do
it again. Kolya knew it, Sheppard knew it, and McKay
definitely knew it.
Rodney needed food. He needed medicine. At
the very least, he needed sleep. But most of all, he needed to get away from Kolya.
John paused in his search to glance at
Rodney again. There was a thread of fear creeping across his face. He needed
something else to think about. John had to get him talking.
"Hey Rodney, what's this Colonel Carter
like?"
No response. Okay, that was probably not the
smartest subject to bring up. Where was Teyla when he
needed her?
Then McKay slowly responded. "Sam...
Sam is a brilliant mind wrapped inside an incredibly sexy body."
John smirked as he ran his fingers over the
wall. Perhaps this was a good subject.
"She's my height, and has these huge,
sparkly blue eyes, and blond hair. God, I'm attracted to blondes who cut their
hair short."
Now that's a tidbit he's going to have to
remember. His fingers found a crack in the corner big enough for the kitten.
Shining the flashlight at the spot, it looked like a piece had broken off. He
began brushing off dust, finding the outline to an Ancient door. Since Rodney
had stopped talking, he urged, "You say she's brilliant? I never thought
I'd hear you call anyone else that."
"I barely hold a candle to her."
John blinked as he trailed his hand along
the wall. That didn't sound like McKay. "Come on. You're a god damn
genius. She can't be smarter than you."
"Sure, I can think fast, but I still
have to follow A B C to get to D. Sam can make an intuitive leap from A to D
without any supporting evidence, and somehow still get it right. It's like
physics is music to her, and she simply knows the melody much better than I
do."
"So, you two were colleagues?"
"More like rivals. I was brought in
when they were having a problem with the Stargate,
and someone wanted a second opinion. I'd been doing a lot of model work on the Stargate in
"
"Area 51."
"Makes sense."
"Yeah, but I'd never actually touched
the gate before. I'd realize my involvement was politically motivated before I
arrived, yet I wanted the chance to work with the real thing so badly. Before
then, all I had to work with were equations, models and some distance
observations. Sam was the lucky one who actually got to apply her craft in the
real world. Anyway, my mind set was still academic, like an exercise on one of
my models. But for Sam, it was personal. It was her teammate trapped in the Stargate. I didn't understand then. I do now."
John dipped his head a moment. Yeah, McKay
understood now, especially after Grodin and Ford.
Then he took a deep breath. "So did you get him out?"
"Yes, though no thanks to me. I had
pretty much told her we weren't going to get anything resembling her teammate
out of it; that too much time had passed. But Sam made one of her leaps of
intuition and managed to save him."
"So, because you disagreed with her,
you got sent to
"Sam's plan required a DHD, and the
John was studying the control panel by the
door, but Rodney's downhearted statement caught his full attention. "But
you said you and Carter were past that."
"True. That happens when you work
together to save Earth from total annihilation."
John blinked, then
decided he'd ask about that another day. "So she doesn't hate you
anymore?"
A slightly dopy grin stretched across
Rodney's exhausted features. "Nope."
"You two date?"
"Nah, she's way out of my league. But
she kissed me on the cheek once."
John smiled as he verified the door had
power. "Well, I think I've found our way off the balcony, Romeo." He
walked over and helped Rodney stand up. The talk about the Lady Colonel seemed
to have eased the fear in his friend's eyes, but he was still a bit wobbly.
John led him to the corner, picking up the
second bedroll on the way. As a safety precaution, John pulled out the life
signs detector. Nothing showed up behind the wall. "Okay, let's give this
a shot." He placed his hand on the panel and thought 'Open'.
With a jerk, the door slid part-way open.
Rodney peered at it. "We can squeeze through."
John smiled. Now they were getting
somewhere.
******
Preceptors' study,
Meraya glanced about for prying eyes before ducking into
the small room. Several of her fellow preceptors were already there.
Allana looked up, guilt filling her eyes. "Were you
able to give them more food?"
Meraya shook her head. "The stern man will not allow
any to be delivered to them."
"If only I hadn't dropped the first
tray." Allana was practically in tears.
"You were scared, little sis," Trajon told her. "Me, I feel unclean, forcing them by
knife point to come here."
Illiad looked around, studying each of his friends' faces.
"Are we sure they are not what Allura claims?
She believes they can play tricks."
Trajon shrugged. "I've seen no deception. Only one man
worried about a sick friend, just as we would be in the same situation. You
know how painful those Hooner Beast stings can be.
And the doctor's arm is swollen up to twice what it should be."
"Besides, let's look at the
evidence." Rika, the oldest of the small group, held up a finger.
"One, the arch danced with colorful lights when they passed under it. No
one, not even old Nanet, has ever seen it do that.
Two, ever since they have arrived, lights have come on all over the temple that
no one knew existed. Three, Allana and Meraya saw them communing with a Shadow Dweller." She
waved her hands. "No one has ever done that, at least not since the
Ancestors left."
"Four," Trajon
added. "In spite of what we've done to them, in spite of the doctor being
sick, neither have threatened us or made any attempt to harm us."
"Well, you did take their
weapons," Illiad pointed out.
"But they told me they only want to go
home," Meraya pointed out. "They even said
that if we had only asked, they would have helped."
"They said that to Allura,
too," Trajon confirmed. "The wild haired
one seemed very sincere, and very desperate to get his friend home."
"That's just it," Iliad pointed
out. "How do we know that all these aren't just tricks?"
"Because they lit up the talisman in
the square," Meraya suddenly blurted out.
"They did not do it to trick anyone. In fact, they didn't seem to want
anyone to know they lit it up. With no one to impress, why would they perform a
trick?"
Illiad finally nodded his head. "Okay, I agree.
Besides, I could practically feel the evil emanating from the stern man. I fear
he's a bad influence on Allura's judgment."
"So basically, the two men are just
like the old stories said," Rika concluded. "That leaves us with only
two possibilities. Either they are connected to the Ancestors, or they are the
Ancestors."
"Which is the same conclusion I suspect
many of the elders have reached," Allana told
them. "But they are afraid to go against Allura,
especially with the stern man by her side. Besides, if they are the Ancestors,
why haven't they performed their magic and left?"
"The one is ill," Meraya pointed out. "Perhaps they can not perform
their magic until he is well."
"Or perhaps it's something else," Trajon said slowly. "We know the Wraith sleep for many
generations. What if it's the same with the Ancestors? Perhaps they are only
now awakening again, and haven't regained their full strength and
knowledge?"
"Or they could be young Ancestors,"
Illiad pointed out. "They have not learned all
the secrets of their people yet, just like Allana has
more to learn to reach the preceptor level, or us for the elder level."
"That actually make some sense," Meraya agreed.
"Or perhaps it's a test for us?" Allana suggested. "To see if we have
done our duty and protected their Legacies?"
Rika rubbed her hands over her face.
"If that is the case, we have failed miserably. Not only do we hold them
against their will, we have allowed an evil man to enter the
"If the Ancestors have returned today,
who knows what their wrath will be," Allana
moaned.
Meraya shook her head. "No, I do not believe we need
fear the Ancestors. They told me they did not wish to harm us. The great book
says they only want to teach and nurture us. It is the evil man who is the
problem."
"So what do we do?" Trajon asked. "It is our fault they are here, and the
elders are afraid. We can't let the stern man take the Legacies, nor hurt the
young Ancestors."
"Agree." Meraya
lifted her chin. "But we must be careful and watch. Surely there will be
an opportunity to save them."
"Yes," Rika agreed. "And we
simply need to be ready to exploit it."
******
Underground Halls of Shadows,
It was obvious that no one had walked the
hallway in a long time. Dirt covered the floors. Rodney couldn't even see
footprints. Not that there was a lot of light to illuminate any footprints.
Occasionally they would hit a section where a few dim lights would turn on, but
there was too much damage along many of the walls. They had to rely on the
Major's flashlight.
Gradually, the hall grew narrower, until it
felt like the walls were pressing in. Each labored breath stole a bit more of
his strength. Suddenly, John was patting his face. "McKay!"
Rodney blinked. He was sitting on the floor.
"What happened?" he managed to croak.
"You passed out again." John
checked the life signs detector, then shone his light
into a nearby opening. "Okay, let's rest a bit in there."
A few minutes later, Rodney found himself
tucked into the small alcove, blanket more firmly
wrapped around him with the leftover half of the powerbar
in his hands. He blinked at it. "I'm not hungry."
"Eat it anyway. You need the
energy."
John sat the extra bed roll next to him,
trying to brush some of the dirt to the side. Rodney watched him spread the
bedding out. "What are you doing?"
"I want to you get some rest."
Rodney tried to glare at him, though he
suspected it wasn't as fierce as he'd like. "We need to find the way out
of here."
John squeezed his shoulder. "And we
will. But why don't I scout around a little while you take a nap?"
"Major..."
Despite his protests, John was still guiding
him down onto the blankets. "I know. I won't go far. But I need my
teammate awake when we do get out. Besides,
Rodney sighed. He knew there was something
wrong with this idea, but he was too tired to think of it. Besides, it felt so
good to be lying down again.
"I'll be right back. Okay?" Rodney
could feel his eyes close. A rough hand lay against his throat a moment.
"McKay?"
"O-kay,"
Rodney replied. He was vaguely aware of the blanket being tucked tighter around
him, and then he slept.
******
The ruins were like a maze, and even
spookier than the empty sections of Atlantis. With the life signs detector,
Sheppard could keep track of McKay's dot while making sure he stayed away from
all the other dots. But it wasn't much help in pointing to the exit.
He figured he'd see if there was a way to
the other side of the ruins, where there weren't as many life signs. Best case,
there was an easier path down the hillside. Worse case, they'd have to find a
trail or a clear path to circle around to the one that led to the arch. Either
way, there was a lot of hiking involved. Hopefully, Teyla
was mounting a rescue mission and would find them on the road back.
John checked the life signs detector
again. Rodney's dot was still bright and alone. He hated leaving
his sick teammate asleep in an empty room with enemies nearby. But he
needed to find the way out and Rodney desperately needed the rest, especially
if there was hiking in their future. The good news was that no one
appeared to have noticed their escape yet.
He stepped cautiously down a curving flight
of stairs, his body tensing each time a new set of lights turned on.
Quick glances at the device in his hand reassured him no one was around.
Rarely had he felt so defenseless; he didn't even have a knife for
protection. What he would give to have the comfort of his P-90 resting on
his arm.
Once his boot touched the ornate floor at
the bottom of the steps, a flash of light enveloped the room. Sheppard
dropped to the ground, shielding his eyes. When nothing happened, he
slowly removed his arm. A dais rose before him, a familiar chair at its
center. "Ah crap, they've got a chair?" Was that what
Rodney was supposed to fix? If Kolya expected to use
it, John hoped he'd be sorely disappointed.
The urge to run up the dais and sit in the
chair was strong. Protection, information, and communication were all
within an arm's reach. Yet as bad as his day had gone, he couldn't help
but think that this was way too easy. He carefully stepped around the
dais, shining his flashlight into the darker areas of the room. A break
in the smooth lines caught his eye. It was a ZPM, lying next to its
slot. Approaching it, he could only stare. Without the cell
installed, the chair would not power up. He didn't know enough about those
things to judge whether it was broken, or even had any juice left. McKay
was the expert. As much as he wanted his friend to sleep, he was going to
need his help with this one. On the up side, it may negate the need for hiking.
He glanced at the life signs detector in his
hand. What he saw forced all other thoughts from his mind. Another dot
was swiftly approaching McKay.
He raced up the stairs and into the twisting
halls, nearly running into a wall because he was staring at the device in his
hand. The second dot had reached Rodney. Frightening images of Kolya terrorizing his friend flashed through his mind as
his feet dug into the last yard of dirt floor. He flew through the
opening, only then remembering he had no weapon. He stopped and stared.
The little gray kitten was kneading the
blanket next to the sleeping Rodney's arm.
John slid down the nearby wall and dropped
his head into his hands. It was the kitten. They were still
relatively safe.
After his heart had slowed and his breathing
was back to normal, he lifted his head. The dark smudges under Rodney's
eyes emphasized the paleness of his face. A reddish hint of the hives
could still be seen on his neck. At least there was the movement of his
chest.
The fear that a second anaphylaxic
reaction would shut down his friend's breathing was finally fading with the
passing time. It was being slowly replaced by the fear of a hypoglycemic
reaction. He knew Rodney not eating wasn't good, but he didn't know how to get
food into him when he felt so crappy. How much more could his friend's body
take?
He glanced at this watch. It had been thirty
minutes since Rodney fell asleep. He glanced at his friend, and then the life
signs detector. Apparently, no one had missed them yet. He'd take the risk and
allow Rodney a little more rest.
******
Puddle Jumper
Sam could tell Jack was having a ball flying
the Jumper. She had to admit it was a smooth ride. While Teyla, Teal'c and she sat in the
other forward seats, Daniel sat in the back with Drs. Zelenka
and Beckett. Yet the vehicle was not so large that she couldn't hear
them.
"Still nothing?" Beckett asked Zelenka.
Zelenka shook his head, still staring at the screen in his
hands. "No. Nothing. I hope
perhaps abductors will become tired of hearing them argue, but still
nothing."
Sam frowned as she heard Daniel ask,
"Do they argue a lot?"
"Actually, it's more like squabbling
between siblings," Beckett explained.
"Yes," Dr. Zelenka
agreed. "Nip Nip Nip. Nip Nip
Nip." From her seat she could see the
Czech had raised his hands, moving each in a biting motion in time with his
words. "Then, trouble comes, and they joined together." His
hands clasped together, and he made jabbing motions forward. "They
fight trouble, and then..." His hands flew apart, fingers
wiggling. "No more trouble. Yet whole time they are Nip Nip Nip."
"Aye," Beckett agreed.
"At the beginning, most of us were laying bets on when Sheppard would kill
Rodney. But they work amazingly well together."
Teyla then joined the conversation. "That is
because they balance. Both are men with sharp minds and good
hearts. Only Major Sheppard follows his heart, while Dr. McKay follows
his mind. But they have come to respect the other. Thus, when
John's heart leads him onto an unwise path, Rodney can often reach his mind to
make him rethink his action. Then when Rodney is too focused following
his mind, John can make him pause and listen to his heart. Individually,
they are worthy of respect. Together..." Teyla
paused, a smile growing on her face. "Together, they make me believe
that even the Wraith can be defeated."
Sam blinked. She had never thought of
McKay having a heart, but perhaps she had never been in the position to see it.
General O'Neill called out, "I think
we're approaching the temple."
Sam turned forward, seeing the ruins appear
on the HUD. "I wonder how many people are there?"
Jack nodded. "I was wondering that,
too."
Suddenly, the map was filled with white
dots. "I'd say a lot," Daniel remarked dryly. "It's going to be
difficult to pick out our guys, especially without being seen.
"We can go invisible," Dr. Zelenka piped from the back.
"Good idea." Jack concentrated a
moment. "Now, let's make a few passes and get the lay of the land. Then we
can come up with a plan."
******
Rodney traveled the halls of Atlantis, but
it was a section he had never seen before. They twisted and turned, walls
shooting off in strange angles. Somewhere was the essential device that would
save Aiden from the Wraith and John from his suicide
mission with the Genii bomb. He just had to find it.
Around a corner, he came face to face with Kolya. The overhead lights glinted off the blade of a
knife. "Tell me the plan to save Atlantis."
"Wha, What plan?" Rodney stuttered, taking a step back.
"I didn't say anything about a plan."
"Not yet."
He spun and dashed down another hall, his
feet barely touching the floor. Suddenly, a Wraith appeared. "We will
feast well on the Lanteans tonight! Then we will use
your Stargate to find Earth."
His heart racing in terror, he fled around
another corner and ran into Ford. "Lieutenant! Kolya's here! And so are the
Wraith!"
The pupil of Aiden's
left eye was enlarged, the skin around it looking scarred. The young man's body
was a tightly wound spring, eager to release. "You didn't help me,
Doc." He took a step towards Rodney, backing him into the wall.
"Aiden! Give us time," Rodney pleaded. "
"No, Doc. The Major's dead. Atlantis is
lost. Time's up." Ford's hand shot out to grab
Rodney's throat. He kicked and thrashed, trying to loosen the grip in vain as
he fought to breathe.
"McKay!"
His wheezing lungs struggling for air,
Rodney suddenly found himself sitting on the floor. In the dim light, he
recognized Sheppard. He looked worried. "It's
okay, Rodney. Just breathe." His friend's solid hand squeezed his
shoulder. Rodney grasped the arm, just to confirm that John was really there.
"That must have been one hell of a
nightmare," John commented softly.
"Kolya... Aiden..."
John squeezed his shoulder again, but didn't
comment. As his breathing slowed, the Major reached around. "Here, drink
some water." He handed him the canteen.
He managed a few swallows, the liquid easing
his dry throat. Then a soft squeak brought his eyes to his lap. There was the
gray kitten, playing with a loose thread. "Lady found us?"
"Ah damn, what did I tell you about
naming it?"
Rodney ignored the complaint as he stroked
her soft fur. He missed Maxwell so much. Then Sheppard touched his swollen
forearm where a bruise was developing. Pain shot through the limb. Rodney cried
out, jerking the arm away, only setting it to throbbing.
"Sorry."
"Injured here!" Rodney snapped. "Don't touch!" He rested
it protectively close to his stomach, willing for the pain to go away.
"I said I was sorry." John studied
him a moment. Before Rodney could snap at him again, he asked, "Just how
hard did that tail hit you?"
"It knocked me to the ground." He
could remember the stomping feet uncomfortably close to his head.
"I'm wondering if you broke it."
Rodney blinked. "I hadn't thought of
that." He examined the swollen limb more critically in the dim light.
"It doesn't look like it's at any funny angles."
"You've got two main bones in your
forearm. Perhaps you just cracked one of them and the welts hid the
damage."
"Great. Two for the
price of one." He sighed. "What can we do about it?"
"The arm? Don't move it any more than you have to until we get
you back to Beckett."
"Oh, that's a lot of help."
"In the meantime..." An oblong in
a crinkling wrapper was shoved into his good hand. "Eat."
Rodney looked down to see a newly opened
power bar. "I'm still not hungry."
"I didn't ask if you were hungry.
Besides, I'm doing you a favor here. That's one of the last peanut butter ones.
I don't hand those out to just anybody."
Rodney knew that the gesture was to make up
for accidental pain John had caused him. He forced himself to take a bite and
chew, surprised at how easy it went down.
John slapped him gently on his shoulder.
"Besides, you're going to need the energy."
A vague memory arose as he swallowed another
bite. "Weren't you going to go scouting?"
"I did."
"Did you find a way out?"
"Not exactly."
Rodney stared at him. "What did you
find, exactly?"
"Remember that priestess mentioning a
'Throne of the Ancestors'?"
With a blink, his sluggish mind finally
kicked into gear. "Throne of the Ancestors? Oh,
no, don't tell me they have a chair!"
"Yep. Found it while I was looking around."
"Does it have power?"
"No, but there was a
ZPM lying next to the slot.
Figured I'd let you take a look."
"With a chair," Rodney thought out
loud, "we could find the maps of the place, perhaps even send a signal to
the Jumper."
"Exactly."
"Then what are we waiting for?"
Rodney shifted to stand.
"For you to
eat." John showed him the
screen of the life signs detector. "No dots around but us and the kitten.
But that could change, so I want you able to move fast if we have to."
Rodney took a bigger bite of the bar. He
wanted to see the chair.
******
Head Priestess quarters
It took all of Rica's willpower not to
fidget as she stood next to Allura. The dark man made
her nervous, her skin wanting to crawl away from his presence. While the others
had told her, she was still shocked to see how Allura
was fawning over the man.
She glanced at Trajon
across the room, and she could tell only from his eyes that he was as
uncomfortable as she was. At least she could take a shift from Meraya, and allow her friend to try to reach the Young
Ancestors again. It seemed so wrong to be feeding the dark man and his men
while the nice men they had captured, including one who was ill, was forced to
do without. The former priests and priestesses must be rolling in their graves.
"So, when are you going to show me this
'Throne of the Ancestors'?" The dark man asked.
Rica and Trajon
exchanged fearful glances. The Throne was the holiest of the Legacies, reputed
to contain the pure power of the Ancestors.
Allura shrugged delicately. "It is in the Underground
Halls of Shadows. I thought I could take you tomorrow when the Pretenders are
ready to work."
"I would like to see it first."
The dark man sat down his fork. "Familiarize myself with it before Dr.
McKay starts working on it."
Her heart leapt to her throat. The Throne
was only to awaken for the Ancestors. While each preceptor would sit in it as
part of their training, the cold metal and slightly mushy areas on the arms had
made her nervous. What would happen if a Young Ancestor touched it? Would it
come alive? And if it did, could the evil man make Dr. McKay do bad things with
it?
Allura tilted her head with respect. "Then let us walk
off our dinner, gentlemen. Rica, Trajon, the
torches."
Taking a deep breath and praying the
Ancestors would find a way to forgive them, Rica picked up a torch.
******
Underground Halls of Shadows
Sheppard led McKay through the dark halls,
the kitten playfully darting around their legs. His teammate was still a bit
unsteady on his feet, but the promise of a chair with a ZPM had brought a new
surge of energy. Still, John set their pace slower than normal, so as not to
tax the sick man.
He glanced at the life signs detector, then held up his hand. Rodney waited patiently for nearly
thirty seconds. Then he demanded, "What?"
"Shhh."
Softer, Rodney asked again,
"What?"
"A group of life signs have split off
from the rest."
"Has someone discovered we
escaped?"
John shook his head. "They're not
coming from the same direction as the room we were held in."
"Then why..."
"Ah crap, they're heading for the chair
room."
Suddenly, voices too faint to understand
echoed off the walls. Nervous, McKay took a step back and lost his precarious
balance. He stumbled, hitting a section of dark wall that crumbled beneath his
shoulder. A deep rumble shook the hall.
"Run!" John ordered. Before he
could follow the scrambling Rodney, debris rained from the ceiling. A sharp
object slammed into his calf. John fell to the ground with a yelp, covering his
head with his arms. He could feel things hitting his body with bruising
intensity.
"John!" Rodney yelled.
Everything went gray, then
John blinked. Dust was still falling around him, so he didn't think he'd passed
out. He cautiously lifted his head. Rodney was kneeling next to him, his good
hand tossing pieces of rock and paneling to the side. "McKay," John
paused, coughing. "McKay, get out of here."
"We're getting out of here as soon as I
get this junk off you," Rodney replied, the wheeze in his voice stronger.
"McKay, someone probably heard that."
"Almost got it." Rodney grunted as he struggled to pull up the last
long piece of metal.
John cried out as a sharp pain shot through
his lower right leg.
Rodney managed heaved the metal away. He
quickly examined the back of John's calf, pulling back the tear in his pants.
"Damn." Releasing the material, his good hand fumbled at a pocket in
his vest. "Stay still!" he demanded when John started to shift.
John ignored him as he sat up, his own hands
exploring his leg. Feeling moisture at the site of the injury, he pulled back
his hand and saw blood.
"Didn't I say stay still?" Rodney
unrolled the field dressing with a flick of his wrist, then
leaned over to work on the calf. "It looks like a deep gash."
"We've got to get moving."
"We've got to stop the bleeding."
"They'll find us."
"They'll find us quicker if you're
leaving a blood trail." Rodney managed to get the dressing pressed hard
against the wound, but paused.
John quickly discerned the problem.
"I'll tie it." He grabbed the ends of the dressing and swiftly
wrapped it around the leg. Hissing, he pulled it tight and knotted it.
"Now let's move."
Shakily, they both helped the other to their
feet. John bit his lip at the pain, but he didn't have time to baby it. Rodney
looped his arm over his good shoulder. Together, they started to stumble back
the way they'd come. "Alcove?" McKay
wheezed.
"Best bet at the moment," John
grunted back.
They had only taken a couple of steps when a
shot tore through the dirt at their feet. They froze, almost afraid to turn
around.
"Gentlemen, I see you are eager to
start working."
John closed his eyes as he felt a shudder go
through Rodney. Kolya.
******
Outskirts of the
O'Neill landed the Jumper on a flat area
attached to the ruins. "Probably was a landing pad for Jumpers back in the
day of the Ancients," Dr. Jackson hypothesized, taking in the view.
"Considering the size, I wouldn't be surprised if at one time, this was a
main outpost like
Teyla shrugged a light pack over her shoulders, then picked up her P-90. Radek and
Carson both looked at her, worried. She gave them a reassuring smile. "We
will bring them back."
"Yes, we will." The white-haired
warrior, O'Neill, picked up his own weapon. "I want the two of you to stay
in the Jumper monitoring the radio. If you hear anything from our boys, let us
know."
Teyla followed the warrior and his people out of the
Jumper and into the ruins, eyes sharp for any movement. She also spared a few
glances to the team around her. They moved as a cohesive unit. It was obvious
that they were familiar with such operations, and had worked together for a
very long time. She wondered if she, John and Rodney would work together like
that some day.
For now, they were all suffering the loss of
Lt. Ford in their own way. She and Rodney had stood in shock as the
good-hearted, protective young man they knew nearly strangled
General O'Neill raised his fist in a
familiar gesture. She faded into the ruins like the rest for the group and held
her breath. While she felt white-haired warrior's heart was like her father's,
his words and actions often reminded her of John.
They all waited silently as two young women
walked their direction. "I swear, Meraya, I
heard something here."
"We don't know if there are any others
besides the Young Ancestors," the older girl replied.
"I just know they're going to punish
us."
"Ah, excuse me." The two girls
jumped back as the General rose from the wall he hid behind. Their mouths
dropped open, staring at his white hair. "These young Ancestors, was one
of them tall, dark hair, outfit kinda like
mine?"
"Ah," Meraya
uttered.
"And the other one," Dr. Jackson
added nonchalantly as he stepped away from a young tree. "Did he have
brown hair, blue eyes, talks a lot? Possibly
injured?"
The two girls looked even more frightened. Teyla knew they needed reassurance, and also rose from her
hiding spot. "Do not be alarmed. We will not harm you, but we are their
friends, and are very worried about them."
"Our head priestess took them,"
the younger one confessed in a rush. "A dark man claimed that they would
only help us if we captured them."
"You are the woman who was with them at
the market square," the older one added.
"Yes." Teyla
noticed how they were glancing at General O'Neill, as if they thought he was a
real Ancestor out of legend and was ready to smite them. "Was Dr. McKay
injured?"
"Yes," the older one replied.
"His arm is badly swollen with Hooner tail
welts. He is also very pale and unsteady on his feet."
Her worry deepened for her friend. "Do
you know who this dark man is?"
"He is Genii," the younger woman
said.
"Genii?" Teyla repeated, suddenly
angry. Why could not Cowen and his people leave them alone?
"Genii," General O'Neill repeated
thoughtfully.
"Remember, sir, they're the ones who
wanted McKay to help them with their nuclear bomb," Colonel Carter
answered as she stepped away from her hiding place, making the girls jump
again.
"And raided Atlantis just before the
mega hurricane hit," Dr. Jackson added. "They wanted all the
expedition's C-4 for their bombs."
Teyla saw Carter's eyes were angry. Apparently, she also
knew of what had happened before the storm. Perhaps she and Rodney were now
friends.
General O'Neill nodded as he absorbed the
information, then turned back to the girls. "Do
you know where our people are being held?"
"Yes," Meraya
replied as her companion nodded. "We have tried to bring them food, but
the dark man refused to let us."
Another concern rose in Teyla.
Rodney needed to eat. She had decided long ago that his mind worked so fast, he
needed more nourishment more often to fuel it.
"Is there any more Genii with the 'dark
man'?" Dr. Jackson asked.
"Yes, four more," the younger one
told them. "They follow him around with their weapons. We are all afraid
of them."
"Weapons?" O'Neill asked.
Teyla quickly explained, "They are projectile
weapons. Though not quite as advanced as yours, they are
quite deadly." A suspicion rose in her mind. She leaned forward.
"This dark man; do you know his name?"
Meraya frowned. "I believe Allura
called him, 'Koca'? 'Kola'?"
Fear pierced her soul. "Kolya?" she growled.
Frightened, Meraya
took a step back. "Yes, that sounds right."
Her fear increased tenfold, along with her
temper. Teyla forced herself to take a step back and
breathe deeply. If her friends were being held by Kolya
again, her anger would not serve them.
The General glanced at her, then back to the girls. "Is there a way you could lead
us to them?"
"Yes. Our people want to help the Young
Ancestors."
As they followed the young women, Teal'c slipped out of his hiding place. "I have seen
no one else as yet, O'Neill."
The General nodded, then
softly asked, "Remind me about Kolya."
"He led the raid on Atlantis,"
Colonel Carter replied, eyes glittering with cold fury. "They killed two
of our soldiers and took Weir and McKay hostage. Then he tortured McKay with a
knife to find out his plan to save Atlantis. Kolya
was also going to kill Dr. Weir until McKay convinced him that she was
essential to his plan. It took Sheppard employing guerrilla tactics and McKay
pretending his plan didn't work in order to get them to leave." The
General's brown eyes grew hard as he remembered the report.
"Then he was going to take Elizabeth
and Rodney back to his home world as slaves until Sheppard and Ford rescued
them," Dr. Jackson added. "But I thought Sheppard shot Kolya to make him let go of
"He did, but Kolya
survived," Teyla replied, her voice still deep
with anger. "He later interfered with our search for a ZPM on Dagan. He forced Dr. McKay to solve a deadly puzzle, using
Major Sheppard as the person to work the device, so he would die if Dr. McKay
was wrong. Kolya threatened to make Lt. Ford and I
each take a turn until Dr. McKay got it right."
"But McKay was right, right?"
General looked at her questioningly. "Sheppard's still alive."
Teyla shook her head. "Rodney was too scared of
killing John to think properly. It was John who solved it. Said
he'd seen it on a test." Teyla sighed as
she regained her composure. "As long as Kolya
holds the life of someone Dr. McKay cares for, he can force him to do whatever
he wants."
"Like Sheppard." The General's
face was grim, his eyes like flint.
"Yes. As Dr. Beckett said, they have
become like brothers."
"Then let's get them out of here."
The girls led them to the edge of their
settlement. A young man rushed up to them. "There you are! The Young
Ancestors escaped!" He suddenly took a step back when he spotted the
others with the girls.
"They are the other Ancestors who have
come for the young ones," Meraya told him.
Before anyone could correct her, she asked, "Does the Genii know?"
"They didn't. But Rica sent word that
the evil dark man found them in the Underground Halls of Shadows. He and Allura are taking them to the Throne of the Ancestors."
"Can you take us there? Preferably by a different route?" O'Neill jumped in.
Eyes wide as he took in the elder Warrior,
the young man nodded. "Yes. Please follow me."
******
Throne of the Ancestors
Injured arm tucked against his stomach, Rodney
sat on the dais and carefully examined the ZPM. It showed no cracks or other
damage. From his instruments, it still had a lot of power. He wasn't sure if
that was good or bad. He couldn't even begin to calculate the probability
against Kolya having the ATA gene. That was more
Beckett's field than his. But with their luck, he couldn't rule it out. The
thought of Kolya in charge of a chair was
frightening. If only he could get John or himself seated in
it instead, without getting either of them shot.
He stole a glance at his friend. John's arm
was held tightly by one of Kolya's soldiers, who dug
a gun into his back. That didn't stop Sheppard from glaring defiantly at their
captors. However, he wasn't putting any weight on his injured leg. Even from
ten feet away, Rodney could see the line of crimson running down from the field
dressing.
"Well, Dr. McKay, how long before it's ready?"
Rodney slowly lifted his eyes, fear and
anger competing for his soul. He took a deep breath, coughed, then replied,
"I need help. A ZedPM can be very touchy, and it
needs to be put in just right. I can't do it with only one hand."
"Morty." One of Kolya's men knelt
beside him.
Rodney held back his disappointment. He had
hoped they'd allow Sheppard to help him. In soft, concise words, he talked the
soldier into placing the ZPM into the slot. Then taking over, he gently pushed
it into place. He sat back and wheezed a moment, watching the indications that
the device was powering up.
"Any time now, Dr. McKay. Or do I start
carving on Major Sheppard?"
"Go to Hell, Kolya,"
John growled back.
"It's done." Rodney slowly rose to
his feet, battling his lightheadness. The dust from
the cave-in had not done his lungs any favors. "But this is a very
complicated device. It takes a lot of concentration and mental control -"
Rodney stopped talking when Kolya laid the flat side of his blade against Sheppard's
cheek. John went still, but continued to glare. "How does it work, Dr.
McKay?"
"You sit in the chair. It lights up if
it accepts you. But it'll only do that if you have the Ancient gene."
"So you dare give me that old
lie?" Kolya lightly pushed John back toward the
soldier, then turned to climb the dais. Behind him, his men looked expectant
while the Guardians looked almost fearful. "Dr. Weir tried to feed me the
same one. I didn't believe her, and I don't believe you. They were our
Ancestors. You're just arrogant interlopers."
Kolya sat in the chair. Nothing happened. He pounded on
the arms and poked at the arm rest. Still nothing happened. Rodney released a
sigh of relief as John simply smirked.
With a growl, Kolya
leaped from the chair. "Fix it."
Rodney stared at him, focusing the last few
hours of pain, anger and fear at his nemesis. "It's not broken."
Kolya stormed down the dais to stand in front of him.
"I said fix it so I can use it."
"I can't," Rodney snarled back,
his anger growing. "Only the Ancients or their descendants can use their
more sensitive technology. You. Don't. Have. It."
Kolya backhanded him hard. Knocked off his feet, Rodney
slammed into the dais steps on his injured arm. He cried out as pain shot
through him. He barely heard John's shout through the ringing in his ears.
Without warning, room erupted with the sound
of screeching yowls as hundreds of cats voiced their displeasure. Rodney
managed to roll over in time to see tiny Lady drop from the ceiling, landing on
Kolya's head. Spitting and hissing, she bit and
clawed. Kolya waved his arms around, unable to
connect with the lightning fast kitten.
Around them, the Guardians dropped to their
knees and covered their ears. Kolya's men froze,
unable to see what was creating the racket surrounding them. John took
advantage of their confusion. He jammed an elbow into the gut of the soldier
holding him, grabbing the gun and then swung it into the man's head. With
barely a limp, he raced up the dais and jumped into the chair. As Lady forced Kolya away, the chair lit up beneath him and tilted back
into position.
With an amazing leap, Lady launched herself
off Kolya and onto Rodney's stomach. By the time Kolya turned around, a light blue force field surrounded
the dais. Kolya took a step towards Rodney, then jumped back from the sting.
The cats stopped howling. Dead silence
filled the room, then the Guardians, including Allura, prostrated themselves in front of the chair.
"What trick is this!"
Kolya screamed at them.
"No trick," Rodney wheezed back.
His cheekbone throbbed in time with his arm, increasing his lightheadedness.
"Sheppard has the gene. You don't."
"Why you..."
"Kolya, right
now Sheppard's controlling one of the most powerful weapons in two galaxies
with only his mind. Emotions play a big role. Do you really want to draw his
attention?"
Sputtering, Kolya
started to raise his gun when a second forcefield
rose up, surrounding himself and the rest of the Genii. A smile cracked across
Rodney's weary face. "Cool. I didn't know it could do that."
"I'm always willing to
experiment," John replied, his voice distant as his mind explored.
"I'll remind you of that the next time
I need you to activate something." Rodney took another couple of wheezing
breaths, then asked, "Major, will that forcefield stay up if you leave the chair?"
"I'm working on that."
A new voice popped up. "Think towards
the left. There should be a timer."
Rodney sat up, looking around the chair.
"General O'Neill! What are you doing here?"
"I thought I'd pick you kids up after school, see what you've been up to." Glancing around at
the still prostrate Guardians and the angry Genii, O'Neill smirked. "Looks
like you've been busy." His smirk disappeared when he got a good look at
McKay.
"There." John dropped the shield
from the dais and sat up. "It was on the right."
"That's why I told you left."
"But it was on the right."
"And you thought right first, correct?
I know how you operate, Sheppard."
Telya knelt next to Rodney. "Dr. McKay!" She
quickly examined him, brushing off some of the dust in his hair and lightly
touching his swelling cheekbone. "Do you need another Epipen?
I have one if you do not."
Moved, Rodney lightly shook his head beneath
her hands. Teyla carried them, too? Then he smiled.
"I knew you'd find us."
Teyla smiled in return, worry still in her eyes. "I
always will." She gently placed her hands on his shoulders. Realizing what
she was doing, Rodney met her forehead with his in the traditional Pegasus
greeting. It warmed his soul in a way he'd never felt before. The Athosian woman, born a galaxy away from his own birthplace,
was more like a sister to him than Jeannie back on Earth.
As Telya pulled
back, she noticed the kitten in his lap. "What is this creature?"
"Lady," Rodney wheezed in answer.
"She's been helping me and the Major out."
As Teyla gently
lifted the kitten off him and sat back on her heels to study it, Rodney caught
sight of Sam Carter. P-90 in her arms and tuffs of short, blond hair sticking
out from beneath her green cap, she was still the most beautiful woman he knew.
"Colonel Carter!" he called out with a cough. "Still
incredibly sexy and with impeccable timing." Did he really just say
that out loud? From Teyla's amused lift of the
eyebrow as she set the kitten on the dais, he must have.
"And I see you've gone from annoying me
to annoying the natives, McKay." Sam's large grin belied her words. She
reached down with a hand. "Let's get out of here and catch up on old
times."
"Deal." When Sam pulled him to his feet, the room started to
spin. Both Teyla and Sam caught him as he tottered.
"Carter, Teal'c,
get McKay back to the Jumper," the General ordered.
Secure within the arms of two beautiful
women, McKay was led out of the room and towards safety.
John watched them go, his eyes catching Teyla's. For an instance, he saw her worry and relief as
his own tried to communicate his trust and gratitude. Then she nodded and
helped McKay with the blonde through the dark opening behind them. A huge man
followed, obviously Teal'c, to protect them on the
way from any stray Genii.
Then he took a deep breath. Rodney was
finally heading towards Beckett and medical help. He could feel the tension
that had been driving him since the stampede flow out, leaving him tired and
limp. General O'Neill held out a hand and he took it gratefully as he stood up,
hissing when he placed weight on his injured leg.
"What's wrong?" the General asked
as he patted his back, raising a cloud of dust.
"Got caught in a cave-in and tore up my
leg. By the time McKay dug me out, Kolya caught
us."
Both men turned to stare at the Genii
commander. John smirked when he saw the bleeding scratches on his face.
"So that's Kolya," O'Neill commented.
"Yep."
Kolya snarled. "You tricked me!"
He limped a step
towards him. "We didn't trick you. McKay told you that only people with
the gene can work the chair. I've got it. You don't. Deal with it."
"You lie! You're the interlopers!"
"Dr. McKay worked for months trying to
find a way to circumvent the need for the gene with the chair on Earth,"
Dr. Daniel Jackson calmly explaining the facts to Kolya.
"He never found one."
Kolya crossed his arms. "How can you have a device of
the Ancestors in your galaxy?"
Daniel continued his explanation, unfazed.
"Your 'Ancestors' originally started from our galaxy before coming here.
We call them 'The Ancients'. Their Stargates and
ruins are scattered across the Milky Way just as they are here in the Pegasus
galaxy. When they fled from Atlantis, they returned to Earth and apparently
intermingled with us." John glanced around, realizing Dr. Jackson was
speaking just as much to the Guardians as the Genii. "We have used our
chair to defend Earth against a powerful foe. But it has to be run by someone
with the Ancient gene."
"Are you telling me Sheppard has
defended Earth with that chair?"
"Nope," O'Neill declared, crossing
his arms. "I did. But Sheppard can do it if the occasion calls for
it."
"That's why we needed the ZPM from the
Brotherhood, to protect Atlantis. Which, thanks partly to you, we didn't
get." John limped another step forward, his eyes
glaring. "God so help me, if you ever, EVER, go near McKay again, I will
kill you."
"And if you go near any of our people,
I'll come back and help him," General O'Neill declared, his eyes as fierce
as Sheppard's.
Kolya did not back down, but John could see a new grudging
respect in his eyes.
"How long did you set the timer?"
O'Neill asked him.
"Four hours."
"Well, that should give the Daedalus enough time to arrive and help the Frejorians take care of the trash." O'Neill knelt down
to inspect the bandage around John's leg.
"Ancestors." They all looked to see the Allura
at the foot of the dais, her people behind her, all bowing their heads.
"We are sorry. Please punish us as you see fit."
Sheppard, O'Neill and Jackson exchanged
glances. "We don't wish to punish you," John blurted out, hissing as
the general added another field dressing to the saturated one already there.
"You were misled by Kolya."
"We come for knowledge," Daniel
explained. "We want to understand the Ancients, your Ancestors, better. We
are always willing to help others when we can."
"If you had asked, we would have tried
to help you with your Legacies," John added. He hissed again as O'Neill
tied the dressing tighter. "Once McKay's feeling better, maybe he can
visit you with a team, and see if there's anything here your people can use to
protect yourself against the Wraith."
"But first, we need to get both these
boys home." O'Neill stood up and faced them. "Some of our people will
be contacting you soon to rid you of your Genii problem. We wish you
well." He waved at Kolya and his men with the
back of his hand. "We wish you not so well."
With his arm looped over the General's
shoulder, John limped down the passageway the rest of his team took earlier.
When
"What's that?"
"McKay's little cat friend. She's the one
who scratched Kolya to get him away from
Rodney."
"Good kitty." Daniel knelt to hold
out a hand, but Lady darted over to rub against John's good leg. John attempted
to reach down towards her, but grunted from the pain.
"What are you doing?" O'Neill
asked.
"McKay's attached. Named
her Lady and everything."
"He named her?" O'Neill shook his
head. "Damn, that means we've got to bring her with us."
"I tried to warn him, sir, but he's had
a rough day."
Daniel managed to capture Lady and held the
squirming kitten out to John. "Then we'd better give her a lift. It's a
long way for little legs."
John took her, tucking the warm body inside
his vest. She snuggled next to his chest, only the furry top of her head poking
out. Daniel then took his other side, and the two men helped him up the stairs.
******
Puddle Jumper
Within minutes of their arrival, Dr. Beckett
had Rodney setting on one of the bench seats, blanket draped around his
shoulders, a oxygen monitor clipped to his finger, an IV in his good arm, and a
breathing mask over his nose and mouth. Sam smiled as she and Teal'c stood by the back entrance, listening to the
Scottish brogue scold her friend about staying away from religious fanatics and
alien cows with stingers. Teyla sat next to Rodney as
Dr. Zelenka watched from the other bench.
"What's this?"
McKay lifted the mask. "Salve from the
locals for the stings."
"Put that back on," Beckett
ordered. Rodney did as he was told, then pointed to a pocket.
"Worse ... Than... Sheppard..."
McKay mumbled through the mask.
"This may be broken as well as
stung," Beckett determined. Rodney only rolled his eyes. As the doctor
pulled out materials for splinting, he asked, "What happened to your
eye?"
"Kolya,"
Rodney forced out. Sam shot him another examining look. His face was
unnaturally still, but emotions boiled in his eyes.
"Kolya!" Radek jumped up. "Kolya is here?" A stream of words in Czech rapidly
followed, most likely not complimentary. A sick look crossed
"Major Sheppard has Kolya
and his men trapped behind a force field," Teyla
told them calmly. "He will not be following us." She caught Sam's
eyes. Both women nodded in agreement. Even if Kolya
could follow them, they would stop him from reaching McKay again.
"They have arrived," Teal'c announced. O'Neill and Daniel walked up the ramp,
supporting Sheppard between them. The Major was not putting much weight on his
leg, wrapped in a blood-soaked field dressing.
Teyla instantly stood up, concerned. "John?"
"Just a gash from a cave-in,"
Sheppard assured her. "McKay dug me out."
"How bad?" Beckett looked up from immobilizing Rodney's arm.
"It's still bleeding," O'Neill
told him as he walked up front. "You'd better take a look at it."
Worried, Teyla helped
Daniel seat Sheppard next to McKay. As Carter followed her teammates to the
front, Sheppard turned to McKay and reached into his vest. "Here. Just
remember that YOU'RE explaining her to Dr. Weir." He dropped the gray
kitten onto McKay's lap. Rodney's answering smile could have lit a world.
"A cat, presumably
born in this galaxy?" Dr. Zelenka stood on tiptoe to peer over
"Yes, Rodney named her 'Lady'."
John wanted to make sure everyone knew who was to blame. "Apparently, its
herd, flock, whatever you call a bunch of cats, was left behind by the
Ancients." John suddenly jerked his leg away from Teyla
kneeling in front of him. "Ow."
Teyla stared at him. "You must let me look at it
while Dr. Beckett attends to Dr. McKay." Then she smiled at him. "It
is good to have you back as well." She stood up and leaned forward to
gently touch foreheads with Sheppard, then dropped back down to work on his
leg.
Carter smiled as she sat down. McKay may
face some harsh challenges, but at least he had teammates and friends to look
out for him.
******
Medbay, Atlantis
Lying on his stomach, Sheppard thanked
Though he had been officially released, he
wasn't quite ready to give up his perch yet. It gave him a good view of McKay
in the bed across from him.
Rodney's eyes were closed, but he seemed
restless. Between the pale skin, immobilized arm, and the swelling cheek on the
drawn face, he looked especially beat up and frail. His fingers on his good
hand twitched as he wheezed. After so many hours of worrying about him, John
wasn't willing to walk away until he knew his friend would be okay.
Beckett walked up and squeezed his upper
arm, knowing it was the one part of him not bruised. "How is my second
patient?" he asked softly, handing him a paper cup of juice.
"Fine," John replied just as
softly, ignoring the drink as he continued to study Rodney. "His
arm?"
"Cracked a bone, as
we suspected. We got it
immobilized for now, but we'll wait a bit for the swelling to go down before
bracing it. I want to keep an eye on those welts as well, make sure they heal
properly. While they appear to be similar to bee stings, those Hooner beasts are something new for us."
"Is he asleep?"
"Aye, though lightly. His body has been
through the ringer the past twelve hours."
"Man, has it only been that long?"
John rubbed his face, then looked up again.
"Why's his hand twitching?"
"It's the medication that helps him
breathe. He'd be flying higher than the Jumpers if he wasn't so bloody
exhausted."
John shook his head. "Got
to report to Weir. Besides," he sighed, looking at his friend
again. "Rodney had a nightmare during one of the brief times he dozed
off."
"Thanks."
Seeing
John slowly drank the grape juice, then eased himself off the bed. Ignoring the crutches, he
hobbled over to join them.
"... should be
right as rain in a few days, but it took a lot of him. With so many stings at
once, it could have been much worse. We're lucky Sheppard had the Epipen and used it so quickly. As it is, between the
reaction and the dust, his lungs will need time to recover."
"Dust?" Weir asked quietly. Beckett had apparently warned
her not to wake up Rodney.
"A bit of the ceiling fell on us in the
Ancient ruins," John reported softly. "I'll explain in my
report."
Weir nodded, looking him over. "I'm
just glad to get you both back, more or less in one piece." She, too,
examined McKay from the distance and frowned. "What is your impression of
the people who abducted you?"
"They're good people, though rather
obsessed with 'The Ancestors'. I could tell most of them were upset about
abducting us. The one girl gave us salve for Rodney's stings and they did try
to feed us. But it was Kolya who was pushing
them."
"Kolya!"
John quickly gave her a short report,
hitting the highlights. As he talked, Teyla and SG-1
joined them.
"So Kolya
wanted control of a chair,"
"Good news is that he doesn't have the
gene," John pointed out. "With luck, neither does
any of the other Genii, so they'll never be able to use it, even if they find
another one."
Weir shrugged. "I'm not sure how good
that would be. If they had a real means to defend their world, perhaps they'd
leave us alone."
Dr. Zelenka
entered, his arm tucked against his chest. "How is Rodney?"
"Sleeping fitfully," Teyla told him.
"This should help." He shifted his
arm to reveal the kitten. "Dr. Winskowski of
Zoology took blood sample to analyze, but says it looks like healthy cat."
He gently handed her to John.
"What is this?" Weir asked, eyes wide.
"A kitten, we think," John
responded innocently.
"We think?" After another glare
from
John raised his hand in a stop motion, then lifted his forefinger. He limped to Rodney's bed,
hoping the subtle reminder that he was hurt as well would go in their favor. He
whispered to the kitten, "Do your stuff," and gently placed her on
the foot of the bed.
He grabbed the crutches on the way back,
enduring the smirks from the others as Weir demanded of Beckett, "You're
letting him put a strange creature on Rodney's bed in his condition?"
"Watch," John admonished her as he
set the dreaded crutches to the side and leaned against the wall.
Everyone saw the kitten make her way across
the rumbled blanket to delicately sniff the twitching fingers. She then
proceeded to walk up Rodney's arm.
"But,"
Lady had reached his shoulder, circling
twice before snuggling down. Almost immediately, Rodney seemed to relax. His
breathing became less labored as his hand's twitching slowed. Weir could only
blink.
"McKay did say that he missed his cat
on the video he sent me," Carter commented to no one in particular.
"In fact, I think that's the only thing he said he missed." John
smiled. She was compassionate as well as smart and drop-dead gorgeous. He could
see why Rodney was so infatuated with her.
"And a kitten that can attack a grown
man like Kolya successfully may be useful,"
She nodded just as matter-of-factly. "I
had wondered where he got the scratches." The General just smirked as he
watched his team and Weir's face, Teal'c to his left
simply providing a supportive nod.
"And Dr. McKay did seem quite attached
to it," Teyla added in her two cents.
Still seeing a frown on Weir's face, John
decided it was time to pull out the big guns. "
"But..."
"And if you're not going to let him
keep it, then you take it from him." John waved at the bed, playing his
last card. He saw her face soften. Their head scientist did look pretty
pathetic at the moment, and
"Okay, he can keep it." She stared
at him a moment. "I want to see your report tomorrow by noon."
She left the Medbay,
General O'Neill beside her. "It could be worse, you know. Let me tell you
the tale that started with 'red bunting'. Me and red bunting?
Can you see the problem..."
"I told him this would happen,"
John grumbled as the leaders disappeared around the corner. "He so owes
me."
Smirking, Teyla
grabbed the crutches and thrust them at John. He made a face at her but took
them. Then she, Carter, Jackson and Teal'c walked
slowly with John to the mess hall.
Radek shook his head after they left. "You realize, we are never going to get pretty girls to look at us now.
They will all be looking at Rodney and his kitten."
"You think a cat will do it?"
"You did not see Winskowski
and Norris playing with kitten."
Carson and Radek
look at their sleeping friend and the kitten, looked back at each other, and
shrugged together. "Perhaps he will let us borrow her while he's on
missions?" Radek suggested.
"Aye. It may be our only chance."
******
Suppressing a yawn, John hobbled out of his
quarters and closed the door. The long day was catching up with him, but he
still had a teammate to check. Using the crutches, he slowly worked his way to
the Medbay.
Dinner with SG-1 had been nice. He was
relieved to see that Teyla had apparently decided
that Carter was okay. Not only did the two women chat amicably, but Teyla was having fun fielding questions from
He paused in the entryway to the med beds.
"He's sleeping soundly now."
John turned to discover General O'Neill
sitting in a chair. The senior officer waved at a second chair next to him, and
Sheppard gratefully sank into it. Then John looked at O'Neill. "If you
don't mind me asking, sir, but..."
"Why am I here?" O'Neill finished, a smile on his face. "I figured you'd show up
here within the next hour or so."
"How...?"
"I know how it goes, protecting
geeks."
John blinked, then
remembered Carter and Jackson. "Ah." He glanced back into the
infirmary. "I'm not sure how good I am at it."
"You did fine, son. Sounds
like your geek has Carter's brilliance wrapped up in Daniel's
single-minded curiosity, and that's scary. Trust me,
getting your geeks out of trouble is normal for this job."
"Yeah, except when he's saving my rear."
Sighing, John could feel the day weigh heavy on him. Later, he'd blame the
exhaustion for his candidness. "I tried to prepare, but this morning...
I've been in a lot of scary situations, especially since we've arrived in this
galaxy. But to sit under that table and listen to Rodney struggling to
breathe... That's got to be in the top three."
"You did what you needed to do. Dr.
Beckett said you saved his life, and that you specifically requested for you
and your team to be trained on how to handle such a situation. You took care of
him to the best of your abilities. That's all you can do."
"Yeah, but to survive all the hell
we've been through, only to lose McKay to a damn bull with a funky tail...
Atlantis can't afford to lose him. All these scientists, yet he's our best shot
to figure out this place."
"Yes, he is," O'Neill agreed.
"But you didn't lose him. He's right in there, safe, because you knew what
to do."
"Except the one thing I really should
have done a long time ago."
"What's that?"
Suddenly, John remembered who he was talking
to. "Ah..."
"It's off the record, Sheppard. We're
just two guys shooting the breeze here."
John rubbed his face with both hands, then stated quietly, "Let's just say it's a good thing
you arrived and there was a force field."
O'Neill paused a moment, then nodded his
head. "Teyla said you had history."
"Bad history. From now on, he'd better find his own Q, or I may
have to exercise my license to kill."
"Amen." Jack leaned forward,
studying the dark look in the young Major's eyes. He knew that place only too
well. It was time to change the subject. "You know, when I talked you into
this mission, I didn't expect you to end up running the whole shooting match.
But you rose to the occasion. You did good, kid. My
only complaint is that you should think twice before doing any more kamikaze
runs."
John couldn't help the sleepy smile that
crossed his face. "McKay gave me hell for that, too. But I had no
choice."
"Yeah, I know how that goes." They
sat in companionable silence. Then O'Neill asked, "Okay, I've got to ask.
Your Telya said you solved some dangerous puzzle
because you'd seen it on a test. What test?"
John smirked. "Mensa."
"Really? You're in Mensa?"
"No." He paused, then sighed. The general was a pilot, too. He'd understand.
"I wanted to fly. But McKay was impressed."
"I bet he was." O'Neill stood up
and squeezed his shoulder. "We'll talk later. Go take care of your
geek."
******
Next morning, Atlantis
Sam smiled as they exited one of the
transporter rooms. What a cool elevator. As Zelenka
led them down another hallway in the main tower, Sam again appreciated the
graceful design. The tour had been going well, though she suspected Jack and Teal'c tuned out after seeing the Puddle Jumper bay. Even
Major Sheppard looked a bit uncomfortable, though he was trying hard not to
show it. Of course, his injured leg probably had a lot to do with that. He had
ditched the crutches for the tour.
Part of her wished that McKay could have
been with them. The fellow physicist would surely have some snarky
comments that would have made them laugh. But Beckett was keeping McKay in the Medbay until noon, and Sam suspected he'd leave under
strict orders to take it easy.
Too bad Teyla
couldn't have joined them this morning. Sam had enjoyed talking with her, once
they had her team back safe. She glanced at Jack, remembering how the young
woman had admitted to her and Daniel that he reminded her of her father. They
planned to spring that one on their CO when the timing was right. Sam couldn't
wait to see his reaction. Perhaps they could do it when Sheppard was there to
witness it. She had seen the dark look cross his face when they received news
that the Genii had escaped.
Suddenly, the lights shut off. Into the
pitch blackness, Jack commented, "This doesn't look good."
"We have emergency power routed to the
shield for 15 minutes," Zelenka commented
nervously. Sam could understand the nerves. No power meant no shield and no
iris on the Stargate. The lack of both made Atlantis
extremely vulnerable.
A flashlight clicked on. Apparently,
Sheppard came prepared. "Before we left yesterday, McKay told Kavanaugh not to touch the chair, the device in his office,
or the panel in the control room."
"Control room," Zelenka declared, turning to run up the steps. Sheppard and
SG-1 raced behind him.
As she reached the top, she could hear an
arrogant whine. "It should have worked! There is no reason why it didn't
work."
"And I told you it would overload the
system. Did you listen to me? No, you had to do it anyway,
and totally screwed up the whole power grid!" The angry, breathless voice
sounded like McKay.
"But it isn't my fault it didn't
work!" In the faint sunlight that reached the control room, Sam could see
a tall man with a pony tail standing near one of the curved stations. Yep, the
same whiner from the video Jack had shown her. Then she spied a bare foot
poking out from underneath the station.
"Yes, it is, so stay out of my
way!" Sam followed Zelenka around the corner to
see that the bare foot did indeed belong to McKay. He was still wearing the
burnt orange hospital scrubs. Most likely, he'd ducked out of the Medbay before Beckett could grab him. His good hand flew
over the mix of crystals and transparent wiring, lightly touching the various
components. From the reports, Sam guessed that everything should be glowing,
but was currently dark.
Zelenka ducked his head next to Rodney's. "What can I
do?"
"We need a red crystal, three inches
long." Zelenka practically flew to the corner
where a crate sat. Must be their backup supplies.
"Why does he get to help and I
can't?" Kavanaugh asked the room in general.
"Because you screwed up," Major
Sheppard told him, his tone tight with tension.
Sam watched as McKay pick up a pair of
pliers and turned back to the panel. Lifting his injured left arm to hold the
transparent filaments, he winced in pain. Sam dropped down and crawled in
beside him. Rodney looked at her in surprise. Taking the pliers, she explained,
"I've got two good hands. Tell me what to do."
Dr. Weir's voice suddenly filled the room.
"What is going on here?"
As Sheppard explained around Kavanaugh's constant interruptions, McKay talked her
through bypassing the overloaded connections. At the same time, he was removing
a crystal from the panel. Suddenly, a red crystal was thrust between their
shoulders.
"Good," McKay grunted as he took
it. He raised his hoarse voice. "Time?"
"Four minutes," one of the control
room techs replied.
Sam and Zelenka
held their breath as they watched McKay gently insert the crystal. Then he laid
his hand on a small, pale square at the top and closed his eyes. Sam felt a
touch of envy when she realized that McKay was using his adopted gene to
restart the system.
The control panel lit up, followed by the
lights bursting forth around them. Sam and Zelenka
exchanged grins as cheers erupted in the room. McKay simply rested his head
next to the panel and wheezed, "Oh, thank god." For a moment, he
looked beyond exhausted. A rush of protectiveness flowed through Sam. Rodney
should still be in the Medbay, not correcting
mistakes of a man who liked to whine. Then she felt something brush her knee.
She glanced down to see the kitten. Lady snuggled next to Rodney, trying to
provide comfort.
In the background, Kavanaugh
declared, "This is what I've been telling you, General O'Neill. McKay is
just a glory hound, and Weir lets him get away with it. If he had set the
system up like it was supposed to be, none of this would have happened."
McKay's eyes popped open. Seeing the surge
of anger, Sam grabbed his arm to prevent him from standing and winked. McKay
wearily blinked at her, confused. But then, he didn't know General O'Neill like
she did. She signaled for them to rise slowly.
Meanwhile, Weir had crossed her arms. "Kavanaugh, you nearly lost us the shield. Please focus on
what's important here."
"I am. Your mistakes have led us to
this point, as General O'Neill can see from this incident."
Jack had one eyebrow raised as he listened
to the argument. He glanced at the trio by the station as they stood. Sam knew
him well enough to read the flicker in his eyes. He had appraised McKay's
condition, and didn't like what he saw.
The General turned to Kavanaugh
and nodded. "I see your point."
McKay opened his mouth, but stayed silent
when Sam squeezed his arm.
"In fact," Jack continued,
"I've been considering promoting you to a new position, Kavanaugh. One that would suit you and
your ambitions."
Kavanaugh beamed as Sheppard's mouth dropped open and Weir
looked shocked. Only McKay sent Sam an inquiring look. She gave him a tiny
smirk.
"Where was that position, Daniel?"
Jack asked with an exaggerated turn to his friend.
Daniel looked both serious and innocent.
"Wasn't it in
"Yes, that's where it is."
Kavanaugh lost his smile. "Aren't they still fighting
there?"
"There are reports of vehicles
exploding and suicide bombers on the news each evening," Daniel replied
matter-of-factly.
"And they do like to kidnap Americans
and decapitate them," Sam added, giving Kavanaugh
a pointed look.
As Kavanaugh
looked scared, Jack slyly added, "Of course, you could stay here if you
promise to listen to the Atlantis leaders, including when McKay tells you not
to touch something."
Kavanaugh declared, "That's not... not..."
A huge sneeze bent him over. "That's not..." Another sneeze grabbed
him. "Fair."
Jack lifted his eyebrow again. "Problem?"
"God damn it," Kavanaugh
sniffed, then snarled when he spied Lady by Rodney's
ankle. "A cat! I'm allergic to cats!"
Jack smirked. "Here or
Grumbling, Kavanaugh
left at a run.
Sheppard smirk. "You know, I think I
can learn to like cats." He walked up to his friend. "Come on, McKay.
Let's find you some real clothes and then eat."
"I'll meet you in the mess hall,"
Sam told him with a smile.
"I'd like that," McKay admitted as
he allowed Sheppard to pull him away, Lady darting around their feet.
Sam's smile grew wider. This visit might not
be so bad after all.
"Is he barefoot?" Weir asked, her eyes wide.
Then Dr. Beckett's voice sounded over the
intercom. "Dr. Weir? Rodney has left Medbay
without my approval. Have you seen him?"
Yep, she was going to enjoy this.
The
End
Posted: August 17, 2005
Return to: Cindy's Locker