“Rodney?” John whispered, gently shaking his mate in an attempt to rouse him from the nightmare he was having. He got no response other than another whimper. Resting his forehead against Rodney’s shoulder, John sighed and closed his eyes, wishing he could ease his mate’s conscience, to relieve his guilt over Gall killing himself in front of him. He wished he had never decided to check out that stupid Wraith ship, that he’d taken the scientists back to Atlantis and gone back with a proper team instead. “Come on, baby, wake up. You’re safe. I’m here. Please, wake up.” He repeated the litany until the other man began to stir into wakefulness.
“John?” Rodney’s voice cracked as he clutched at John, his eyes still unfocused and full of pain. “I dreamed… I saw…” Burrowing his face into John’s neck, Rodney whimpered. “I can’t get the sight of him out of my head, John. How do I live with that?”
Shifting them so Rodney was half on top of him, John wrapped his arms around his mate and stroked his back soothingly. “I know. I’m sorry you had to see that. It’ll fade over time. Gall made that choice himself, Rodney. He-”
Rodney reared up, anger suffusing his features. “Because I wouldn’t leave him. Because he knew that I felt you get hit and I wanted to help you. Gall shot himself so I wouldn’t have to make a choice and I don’t know how to deal with that!” he shouted, voice breaking several times.
John winced. “I’m sorry, Rodney, I didn’t know, okay? This was the first time either of us got hurt since we completed our bond. I didn’t know it’d be different from when I felt you get injured during the storm.” He remembered how, after the Wraith had finally been blasted to hell, Rodney had been frantic, demanding to see where John had been shot. It wasn’t until he was satisfied that John honestly was going to be okay that the shock of watching Gall commit suicide hit the man. It didn’t really come as a surprise to him that Rodney ended up having nightmares about it, but he still wished there was something he could do to take that pain away from his mate.
Pulling the other man down again, John pressed a kiss to the top of his head and sighed. “I think it might be a good idea if you talked to Kate, baby.”
Rodney shook his head. “No,” he insisted.
Lifting his head, John frowned at his mate. “Rodney, you just experienced a pretty traumatic event even by my stoic standards. You need to talk to someone about it that can help you try to make sense of things again. And yes, I know how that sounds coming from me,” he added quickly when Rodney opened his mouth to object, “but even I’ve had my head shrunk when it was necessary, and this is necessary.”
Rodney blinked in surprise at that. “You did? When?”
Quirking a brow, John gave him a sad smile. “When I was forced to watch my best friend die in my arms. It’s why I was sent to Antarctica, so I could get my head on straight again.”
The other man’s mouth formed a perfect ‘o’ as he stared down at him. “I’m sorry,” he murmured.
Shaking his head, John traced his mate’s lips with his thumb. “Don’t be. I’ve come to terms with the fact that I wasn’t meant to save him that time,” he said quietly. He might have come to terms with that, he admitted quietly to himself, but that didn’t mean the loss of Holland hurt any less for it. “Just… consider it at least? Talking to Kate, I mean?”
Rodney nodded.
Clearing his throat, John offered him a wan smile. “Good.” Glancing at his watch, he sighed. “Might as well get up and start our day. We’re off the schedule for a while as far as off-world missions go, so I figured we could do some exploring on base instead. Didn’t you say the other day that you wanted a few teams to go check out the piers that got flooded during the storm?”
Pushing himself up, Rodney sat on the edge of the bed for a while, staring at the floor as he spoke. “Yeah. I mean, who knows what stuff the Ancients left behind down there, and I’d really rather not get taken by surprise if the city’s structure was damaged by the storm. Figured it would be a good two-for-one exercise.” He glanced up at John, who reached up and cupped his cheek.
“Okay. I wish I could go down with you, but duty calls.” He pulled a face and muttered, “Stupid paperwork,” under his breath. “But I’ll send Ford to tag along to watch your back. And teams two, three, and six. That ought to be enough, right?”
Rodney pondered for a moment. “Think so. Unless you think we’d need more than a fifty/fifty ratio?”
“Nah. Just… be careful, okay?”
Rolling his eyes, Rodney leaned in for a kiss. “Of course. And you, too.” At John’s look of pseudo-innocence, Rodney poked his chest and glowered. “I know all about the session you have planned later today with Teyla. Did you really think you could keep that from me, Sheppard?”
“Aww come on, Rodney,” John all but whined. “I’m fine. The bullet grazed my arm. Training with Teyla isn’t going to do any harm. Well, no more than usual at any rate.”
Rodney huffed. “I don’t see why you feel the need to get beaten up all the time until you’re black and blue all over.”
“Hey! I am not that bad,” John protested. Okay, so maybe he was, but come on! At Rodney’s glare, John relented, raising his hands in defeat. “Alright, alright. I’ll be careful, I promise.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“Oh, please. Prime.” Rodney said, rolling his eyes. “Four thousand and twenty one.”
Radek grinned. “Ahh, nice try. Not-Prime. Okay, Lieutenant Ford. Five hundred and ninety nine.” Playing Prime/Not-Prime with Rodney had become like the games his mother used to play with him whenever they went for long drives. Something to occupy the mind while doing something else. This time, however, the game was a lot more fun because so far, the young lieutenant had not gotten a single answer right. It shouldn’t be possible, but there it was.
“I don’t care if it’s a Prime number or not,” Ford groused, glaring at them over his shoulder.
“Come on,” Radek wheedled. “Yes or no.”
“No!” Ford grouched.
Radek and Rodney shared knowing grins and Radek couldn’t quite suppress a chuckle. Clearing his throat, Radek affected a more serious face. “Err, Lieutenant, would you mind being subject of research paper on statistical improbabilities?”
Ford stopped in his tracks and towered over Radek menacingly. “This is some sort of payback for guys like me beating up guys like you in highschool, right?”
Radek gulped, opening his mouth to answer but no sound would come out. Ford stalked off, leaving Radek to take a few shaky breaths. He had always thought the young man to be friendly and easy going enough, but this encounter made him wonder if he had been mistaken. Yes, both he and Rodney had teased the man, but surely not so bad to warrant that reaction. Radek knew that he and many of his fellow scientists had suffered far worse during their lives.
Shaking his head, he followed after the group to the rendezvous point, half his attention on his pad and half on Rodney as he talked to someone about their findings and then contacted Dr. Weir. Radek caught the tail end of their conversation. “It’s dark, it’s damp, and it smells bad, but from an engineering point of view, we’re good.” Rodney listened, nodding. “Heading back.”
Snapping his fingers, Rodney turned to make sure he had everyone’s attention. “Alright you clowns, listen up. I don’t often get a chance to say this so savor it: Good work, boys and girls. Let’s head home.”
Radek chuckled at his friend. It amazed him how much Rodney had changed these past few months. It used to be a rare occurrence to see the man in a good mood, let alone praise anyone he worked with, so this was truly a novelty. Checking his pad again, he frowned. “Ah, wait wait wait.”
Rodney turned to look at him. “What?”
“Ah, we are missing Johnson and Wagner,” he said, pushing up his glasses.
Rodney scanned the group, brow furrowing as he tapped his comms. “Johnson. Wagner. What’s your position?” He sighed, rolling his eyes when there was no answer for several seconds.
“We need back up! They’re coming at us!” Wagner suddenly screamed over the radio, causing everyone to jump.
“What? Where are you?” Rodney asked, instantly alert. Radek peered at his pad to check for lifesigns, but could not see anything beyond the people who were supposed to be there. His heart started to race at the thought that the Wraith may be on the city, or another one of those energy monsters. Or something worse that simply didn’t bear thinking about.
Ford pointed at Radek, demanding to know where they were and Radek pointed to their heading.
“We’re on our way,” Rodney yelled and set off at a sprint, everyone else following behind.
Stumbling, Radek stared at the body of Wagner sprawled on the floor before him. It had been years since he had seen a dead person. Not since before he had left his country, and it was something he had actively avoided since.
Rodney tapped his comms. “I need Beckett with a med team down here, stat!”
Johnson sat huddled against the wall, whimpering. When Rodney got her attention, she freaked out and started batting at an invisible foe. When she fell, Radek kneeled at her head, gently lifting it into his lap as he checked her pulse. Nothing. She was gone. Blinking owlishly up at Rodney, he whispered. “Is no use. She is gone.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Teyla smacked John across the ass with her bantos rods, causing him to rise to his toes and hiss. His head just wasn’t in it for some reason, but he stubbornly refused to give up so he shook the sting of her blow off and prowled around her. Working out had always served him well as a distraction, so he stayed the course and continued his training. Minutes ticked by and Teyla met his attacks at every turn, delivering blow after blow that John knew would leave bruises that Rodney was sure to give him hell for.
He just could not focus, no matter how hard he tried. He knew Teyla was good, and that any time in the gym with her meant he would get his ass handed to him, but this time seemed much worse than normal. Something wasn’t right. For the last couple of hours, John had had a weird… feeling… It was something to do with the soul bond, of that John was certain, because it was too reminiscent of the sensation he had had when Rodney had been injured during the Genii attack on the city. At the same time, however, it was totally different, but he couldn’t shake the certainty that it had to do with his mate.
Teyla landed several vicious blows on his arms, ass, and thighs, bringing him to his knees with swift efficiency. He tried to get away from her, but she was faster and had him pulled to her in a chokehold using the rods. He felt almost relieved because this meant the day’s torture known as training would be over. His relief was short lived, though, when he heard the disappointment in her voice. “You have not been practicing,” she scolded.
John bristled. “I have, too!”
She let him go and he got to his feet, explaining what was troubling him. As always, she listened to his concerns. “Major, I think-” she started, only for the sound of Elizabeth’s voice over the intercom to drown her words out.
“May I have everyone’s attention please. We have run into a questionable medical situation, and at Dr. Beckett’s suggestion, we have decided to put the city into a self-regulated quarantine. For at least the next couple of hours, I need everyone to stay where they are and report anyone moving freely through the halls. I hope you understand. Thank you.”
What the hell was that all about? That weird feeling increased, and John knew that whatever was going on, Rodney was in the middle of it. Damnit! Digging through his bag, he cursed under his breath. No radio. Turning to Teyla, he asked if she had brought hers. Thankfully, she had and she handed it over without a word.
“Elizabeth, what’s going on?” John demanded, unable to tone down his concern.
“We’re not sure, John.”
“Why wasn’t I informed about the situation before now?” he cut across her.
“You were off radio, Major.” Elizabeth’s voice held a warning edge to it. “And we had to make a decision quickly. This is a medical situation, John, so you were not needed. I will let you know if that changes.” When he started to protest, she added a curt, “These protocols were put in place long before we got to the city, Major. Now please, stay put and let us do our jobs.”
Growling under his breath, John reluctantly agreed to stay put, even though everything in him was telling him he needed to be out there doing something. He had no idea what use he possibly could be, but Rodney was down there and potentially in danger and that stupid whatever it was that was bugging at him was getting worse. It was beginning to feel like a combination of a mosquito buzzing around your ears and that uncomfortable sensation after a sunburn when it’s stopped hurting, only it was concentrated around the back of his head.
Half an hour went by at a maddeningly slow pace and John got antsier by the minute. Something was definitely wrong with Rodney. He radioed Elizabeth again for an update, only to be told that Peterson had left the north pier, breaching the self-regulated quarantine. John tried to argue that he and Teyla go after him, but Elizabeth was adamant they stay put. Clenching his teeth, John took a deep breath in an effort to calm himself. “Damnit, Elizabeth, I can’t just sit here!”
“John, this is still a medical situation, not a military one,” she reminded him sternly.
John honestly didn’t give a rat’s ass at that point whether it was medical or military, he just needed to be doing something. He needed to help his mate. “I don’t have time for this,” he grumbled, heading toward the door.
“Peter, shut the doors to the gym,” Elizabeth ordered, and they swung shut in his face.
“Elizabeth!” John growled. Think, John, think! “Bates! I order you to open the doors between the gym and the control tower.”
“Don’t!”
John was aware of Teyla’s presence, and he knew she was disappointed in him when he left the gym at a trot the second they had opened. He couldn’t help that at the moment, though. He had never been good at sitting on his hands when he felt he had something to offer and this time it was so much worse because his soulmate was in danger.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Kimberly poured over the information scrolling down the screen, blinking rapidly to wick away the tears that wouldn’t stop coming. She wanted to scream, to lash out at the unfairness of it all. Here she was, in Atlantis, the lost city of the Ancients with all its treasures just waiting for her to discover them and she would be dead before the day was over. Precisely because of one of those ‘treasures’, and because she and Ioan had the misfortune of having run into Dumais, Rodney, and Hayes, who in turn had crossed paths with Wagner and Johnson who were now dead.
She shivered slightly as she recalled Dumais’ final moments, the paranoia and fear that had plagued her. Dumais had kept talking about ‘them’ and asking why no one could see the ghosts, claiming they were everywhere, attacking everyone.
Radek had gone over the logs of everyone’s movements and surmised Johnson and Wagner had come across the lab they were currently in. Something had infected them, and they in turn had passed whatever it was on to the rest of them.
Kimberly sighed. She wasn’t even supposed to really be on duty, but she had sweet talked Mac into giving her the all clear as long as Ioan stuck to her like glue and made sure she didn’t overdo things. This was supposed to be safe.
Ioan, she thought, her heart aching. He was the most wondrous treasure discovered since coming here, as far as she was concerned. Her soulmate. It was still so new, and there was still so much for them to figure out, and now they never would. Ioan had insisted they take things slow, at least until she was back on her feet again, so they hadn’t gone further than second base.
A gentle hand to the back of her neck made her sigh, a chuckle escaping her. “I’m sorry,” she whispered, looking up at Ioan.
He shook his head, his smile falling short of reaching his eyes. “Don’t be. Trust me, I get it. This sucks,” he murmured.
She nodded, leaning into him for just a moment. Her heart rate spiked as she caught sight of the ‘ghost’ the others had described, and she barely managed to stifle her scream. Beside her, she felt Ioan stiffen and they shared a panicked look. It was happening to them and that meant they wouldn’t have much time left. She’d seen Rodney flinch a couple of times already, too. A quick glance around the room found Hayes huddled on the other side of the lab with a pinched expression.
Squaring her shoulders, she jerked her head to Hayes, her eyes on Ioan as she said quietly, “Why don’t you go check on him? I’ll be alright. I need to get back to searching for answers anyway.”
Squeezing her neck affectionately, he nodded. “Alright. I’m here if you need me, okay?”
“I know,” she assured, kissing his cheek. She watched him for a moment as he wandered off to talk to Hayes then shook her head and forced herself to focus. The clock was ticking, after all, and she would do everything in her power to try to save Ioan. She just wished that she could implement her search program, but the lab wasn’t linked to the mainframe.
How much time passed, she wasn’t sure and she was only vaguely aware of the conversations around her. So far, she had found a possible culprit that seemed like it would fit what was happening to them, but there was little information to be had on it. No cures, no further research, nothing beyond the fact that they were nanites designed to create hallucinations and cause aneurysms. It made absolutely no sense to her that the Ancients had been experimenting on something like this, and she promised herself she would dig further into it if she ever got the chance.
She studiously tried to ignore the ‘ghosts’ that were coming at her with higher frequency. When Hayes started yelling, Kimberly’s throat tightened. Spinning around, she stared in horror as Hayes fought an unseen enemy, just as the others had, and then he simply… stopped, dropping to the floor in a heap. Kimberly’s knees buckled, and Ioan was there in an instant to keep her upright. “It’s okay, I’ve got you,” he said sotto voce.
Clinging to her mate, her eyes were fixed on Rodney. His face was bloodless, his eyes wide with fright and regret. She could only imagine what must be going through his mind. Much as it sucked that both she and Ioan were infected, at least she had her mate by her side. John was somewhere on the other side of Atlantis, and there was nothing either man could do for the other.
Seconds passed, filled with Rodney’s desperate attempts to get his last thoughts out. Ford interrupted him. “How are you feeling, doc?”
Rodney met Kimberly’s eyes, looking dumbfounded as he turned to Ford. “I… I feel… I’m fine? I feel fine.”
How was that possible? Ioan’s hand clamped down on her arm, and when she looked up at him, she saw the same question in his eyes. Carson cleared his throat. “Rodney,” he said quietly. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but… why are you still alive?”
While Rodney and a few of the others went back and forth, Kimberly’s mind was racing and things started to slot into place. She was almost sure of the answer. Stepping forward, she spoke quietly, but her words seemed to cut through the chatter anyway. “I think I know why.”
Everyone’s attention was suddenly all on her. Swallowing hard, she glanced at Ioan who gave her a reassuring nod. Turning back to Rodney and Carson, she continued. “It has to be because of the ATA gene. Johnson, Wagner, Dumais, Hayes… none of them had the gene. Rodney has it. That has to be why he’s still alive. I don’t know how, but it is the only explanation I can think of.”
A discussion broke out even as her own symptoms grew worse. She clung to Ioan’s hand, praying for all she was worth that she was right so that they both could live. Minutes ticked by and she let out a breathy laugh as she hugged her mate. They both should have died by now and they were still here. Ioan dipped his head and kissed her hard, uncaring of their audience. Kimberly was all for that plan.
They were alive!
Ford was hounding Carson, demanding he be given the therapy, which struck her as odd. Everyone had received it after all, and if he didn’t have the ATA gene, that meant the therapy hadn’t taken and there was nothing more to do. It took them all a while to realize that the people that had run into either Rodney, Ioan, or herself, were still here, and that the visions of ghosts had stopped.
Carson subjected them all to more tests, and while he was doing that, Kimberly, Rodney, and Radek went back to combing through the database. They only found enough information to confirm Kimberly’s hypothesis, and to set Carson’s mind at ease. The nanites lost their potency the further they were spread, and they had already run their course. The rest of the city was safe, and the remaining group that had been infected were no longer contagious.
After Carson gave them the all clear and Elizabeth gave the green light to return to the city, Rodney smiled and with a sigh, pointed to the transporter. “Come on, let’s go home.”
Yes, home sounded good right now, she thought. With one more kiss to her mate’s lips, she silently promised herself that they would complete their bond at the earliest opportunity come hell or high water. Life was too short for anything else, in her opinion, and from the look in Ioan’s eyes, he agreed.
*~*~*~*~*
“You’re an idiot,” Rodney murmured, shaking his head at John who had just walked into his quarters. “If you hadn’t gone haring after Peterson-” Really, if John had left well enough alone, Grodin would’ve been able to corner Peterson earlier and none of the others in the city proper would have become infected with the nanites. Thankfully no one else had died, but people had gotten injured because of John’s interference.
John’s gaze flitted away briefly as he sighed, fingers raking through his hair in frustration. “I know, I know, alright. Elizabeth already read me the riot act, but really, what did you expect me to do?”
Crossing his arms, Rodney narrowed his eyes. “I expect you – the military commander – to set a good example for your men and to follow established protocol! Really, John, what were you thinking?”
Stepping closer, John sighed again, pulling Rodney into his arms. “I was thinking,” he said softly, “that my soulmate was injured. I could feel whatever it was that was going on with you, Rodney. Here,” he added, tapping the area on his head where the sensations had been concentrated.
Rodney gaped, fingers brushing against John’s. “You realize we really are going to have to run tests, right? To figure this thing out? If we’d been in the field again…”
“Right. Yeah.” John frowned, blowing out a breath, looking slightly guilty.
Rolling his eyes, Rodney groused, “Oh, stop that. Let’s try to keep the guilt trips to only one of us at a time, okay? And I’m still on my turn.”
That brought an amused grunt from John’s lips. “Yeah, okay Rodney.”
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