Category: Encoded (Page 1 of 3)

“I can’t believe they expect us to be out on the front line,” Kavanagh grumbled from behind Rodney. “We’re scientists for fuck’s sake. I never signed up for this.”

Rodney closed his eyes and took a couple of deep breaths. Kavanagh had been at it for hours now, pretty much since they got in the jumper, bitching about having to risk his neck and no one showing him the respect he felt he was due. Always doing so quietly, but loud enough to be overheard. At first, Rodney and Miller had simply ignored the man, but Rodney had reached his limit. Turning in his seat, he glared daggers at the other scientist. “Kavanagh, I swear to God, if you don’t shut up, I will space you. Everyone is at risk, no matter where we go, so just shut up and do your part so we can save the day, okay?”

Miller snorted a laugh, which he quickly turned into a cough when Rodney turned his glare on him. The man couldn’t quite keep from grinning, though, and it was all Rodney could do to keep his own amusement from showing because Kavanagh had gone decidedly pale. And blissfully quiet.

With one final glower at the other man, Rodney turned back in his seat and heaved a sigh of relief. He was a hundred percent sure the peace wouldn’t last, but he would take what he could get. After another half an hour, Miller cleared his throat and pointed at the HUD. “Sir, we’re nearing the station, you might want to prepare for EVA.”

Rubbing his suddenly sweaty palms on his thighs, Rodney nodded. “Right. Kavanagh, give me a hand.” Oh, how he hated the very idea of a spacewalk. Having to climb into that suit and have his world shrink down to just that. To know his oxygen supply was limited and that if something happened to the suit, he was done for, no help to be had and no John to back him up. He almost refused, but thought better of it. Besides, he would not let on exactly how frightened he was. Not in front of Kavanagh.

By the time they had maneuvered him into the suit, Miller was preparing to dock. “Dr. Weir, this is Miller. We’re approaching the satellite.”

“You’re on the other side of the solar system, Lieutenant. You guys be careful out there,” came Elizabeth’s voice over the comms.

Rodney swallowed hard. “Understood.” Like he had needed that reminder. Grabbing the helmet, he stepped into the rear section of the jumper. “Okay, close the bulkhead doors.”

Miller turned to look at him, giving him a reassuring smile. “Good luck.”

“Right.”

Kavanagh remained silent, rolling his eyes. Rodney shook his head, muttering, “Asshole,” under his breath as he put the helmet on and the doors closed. Grabbing hold of the netting that held the generator in place, he forced himself to breathe evenly as he released the generator and hooked it to his suit. “Okay, you can do this. No big deal.” The jumper jarred slightly as Miller docked into the station. “Come on, Rodney. No space. Just straight into the station. You can do this,” he repeated, trying to calm his nerves as he opened the hatch and made his way down.

“Are you okay, McKay?” Kavanagh asked, sounding frustrated.

“I’m fine,” Rodney bit out. “Why?”

“You’re breathing kind of heavily,” came Kavanagh’s dry response.

Great. So much for breathing evenly and not showing his fear. No sense denying it, at this point. “I’m feeling a little claustrophobic. How much air do these things hold, anyway?” Now why had he asked that? He wasn’t at all sure he wanted to know.

Miller sounded amused. “Eight hours.”

Rodney’s heart constricted with panic. “Well that’s enough, right? Even with the heavy breathing? We calculated that in, right?” God, why did his voice have to go up like that?

Kavanagh snorted. “You’re going to be fine, McKay.”

Was it him, or did the man sound like he wished that wouldn’t be the case? Rodney narrowed his eyes as he made his way down deeper into the space station. “Yeah, it’s easy for you to say, you’re not the one with the eight-hour ceiling worth of breathing,” he grouched.

When he made it to the bottom where the controls were, he tried to activate the power but got nothing. Damn. Well, hopefully this would be the only problem. “It’s completely dead.”

Before he could continue, Kavanagh interjected snidely, “Well, we thought as much.”

Oh, shut up, Rodney thought. “I’m going to hook the generator up, see if I can get life support going.” It took a little bit of doing but, in the end, he managed to get it connected, and when he turned it on, he let out a whoop. “It worked! Life support is on. Just have to give it a little time then you two can come down.

Before too long, Miller and Kavanagh joined Rodney and they set to work getting the station operational again. Rodney managed to get full power restored but the gravity still wasn’t working. Rodney was floating high, nearly touching the ceiling as he worked on the power restoration.

Kavanagh was on what amounted to the ground floor going over schematics. “Primary power online,” he said flatly – as usual stating the obvious. “Looks like life support is now at a hundred percent. I think I found the switch to initialize the gravity.”

“Okay, great,” Rodney said, trying to make his way to the ladder. “Just give me a second to-” Kavanagh hit the switch, instantly turning gravity back on, sending Rodney plummeting  screaming to floor, passing Miller on his way down. Oh God, he was going to die, he just knew it. He flinched as the floor loomed ever closer and he landed face down with a loud thud. Rodney groaned, his back shooting tendrils of pain through his whole body. “Oh yeah.” Rolling gently over onto his back, he winced. “Yep, that’s permanent back damage,” he grunted.

Kavanagh leaned toward him but didn’t offer any help. Of course he didn’t, Rodney thought. Idiot.

“Sorry,” Kavanagh said, not looking repentant in the slightest in Rodney’s opinion. “I assumed it would turn on more slowly.”

Rodney glared at him. “Well, you assumed with my life.”

Kavanagh huffed, rolling his eyes. “Stop being such a baby, McKay, it was just a little bump.”

A little bump? Is that what he called it? Rodney had half a mind to ream the man up one side and down the other. Instead, he closed his eyes and took a couple of deep breaths in an effort to calm himself. They didn’t have time for Rodney to chew Kavanagh out, and he still needed the man if they were to have any shot at fixing the satellite on time. Once he had a handle on his temper, he looked at the scientist and – quite calmly, he thought – asked for a status report.

Looking as if he were about to bitch about something, Rodney turned up his glower, causing the other man to fumble in his pocket for his handheld. Peering at it, he scowled. “Looks like everything is operational.” Good, Rodney thought. “Except for the weapon itself,” Kavanagh finished.

Damn. “Ehh, details,” he managed, grasping Miller’s hand he let the man help him to his feet. Rodney nodded, muttering, “Thanks.” Moving gingerly toward a terminal, Rodney groaned. “Okay, let’s get to work.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

John sat pouring over the data scrolling along his screen, trying to find more viable planets. If he were honest, staring at the computer was starting to give him a headache. Rubbing his temples, he sighed. Then again, maybe it wasn’t so much that he was working on this problem. He could sense Rodney’s frustration bleeding through the bond and it was beginning to affect John. He definitely didn’t envy his mate being stuck with Kavanagh. He was certain the man would be grinding on Rodney’s last nerve by now. “Okay, how about this one?”

Ford leaned over to peer at his screen. “Which one’s that, sir?”

John sat back in his chair, swiveling toward the lieutenant. “The one with all the waterfalls?”

“So why don’t we just name it Planet Waterfall or something?”

John blinked. Was he serious? Yeah, the kid was never going to get to name anything again. Ever. The LSD had stuck, mostly because John hadn’t been able to think of anything better himself, but really… Before he could respond, though, he felt a sudden twinge in his back. It was bad enough that he jerked in his seat. “Ow! What the hell?” he muttered, rubbing the small of his back, frowning. Touching on the bond, he couldn’t help worrying what had happened to Rodney. The pain faded, but he was certain his mate had been injured, though he had no idea how or how badly.

“Sir?” Evan put a hand on John’s shoulder. “Are you alright?”

John glanced up at his second in command, taking a moment to assess himself before nodding slowly. “Yeah, I’m fine. I think. That was weird. Something must’ve happened at the satellite.”

Evan nodded, then tilted his head toward the control room. Ioan got up and followed the silent command from his brother. John smiled in spite of himself as he heard Ioan radio Miller for an update. “Thanks,” he murmured to Evan, who nodded again.

John scowled when Miller told them what had happened. “I’m going to kick Kavanagh’s ass if we make it through this.”

“I’ll help,” Evan said quietly, folding his arms. “What kind of idiot-?” He cut off, shaking his head. “Never mind. Forget I said anything.”

John smirked at his friend. “Said what?”

Evan grinned.

“Major Sheppard? We have a situation at generator station one,” a voice came over the comms. John and Evan shared a look then took off running, followed closely by Ioan and Ford.

“What’s the problem?” John asked the Marine that had called him once they arrived.

“Bates, sir. He’s been attacked.”

What the hell? He hit his comms. “Get a medical team down here.” Kneeling beside the unconscious man, John checked his pulse. Relieved to find his heartbeat, John glanced over him, wishing they had someone better equipped to handle situations like this. Unfortunately, no one had thought to send along anyone who had more investigative experience.

“Who did this?” Evan asked the marine. “Do you have any idea?”

The man shook his head. “No, sir. We were on patrol when we found him like this. There wasn’t anyone around.”

Carson and his team arrived, so John stepped back to let them do their work. After making sure patrols were increased and evidence – what little there was, at any rate – would be gathered, John, Evan, and Ford made their way to the infirmary, Ioan staying behind to oversee matters on site.

Carson met them as they walked into the infirmary. “Is he going to be okay?” John asked as they headed to Bates’ side. He might not like the man, but he was still under John’s command and he hated losing people.

Stuffing his hands into his pockets, Carson shrugged. “It’s hard to tell. He’s got five broken ribs, a fractured collarbone, and the concussion was quite severe.”

Well, that certainly didn’t sound good. Staring down at the sergeant, John sighed. “When can we talk to him?” He really needed to get information from the man, because right now, all they really had was the prior altercation between Bates and Teyla and John really didn’t care to speculate on that. Teyla followed orders. She couldn’t have done this, of that he was certain. But still…

Carson shook his head. “You can’t, I’m afraid. I’ve placed him in a medically induced coma until the subdural hematoma can be dealt with.”

John blinked. The what?

Tugging at the sheet needlessly, Carson continued, “We won’t be finding out what happened from him any time soon.”

Scowling, John went over his options, which were far too limited to his liking. Ford turned to him. “Teyla and him got into it pretty bad yesterday, sir,” he said, voicing John’s thoughts.

Casting a quick look at Evan, he was relieved to see his second in command found it equally hard to believe Teyla guilty of this attack. Biting his lip, he turned back to Ford. “A fist fight and a beating like this are a long drive apart, Ford.”

A strange look came over the lieutenant’s features, one John couldn’t place. “I understand that, sir, but they were in a fight they were both looking to continue.”

And unfortunately, the kid had a point. Still, he refused to believe it of his friend. Meeting Carson’s gaze, John tilted his head to the still form on the bed. “Anything pointing to who did this?” he asked, hopefully.

Lips tightening, Carson sighed. “I’m having a forensic exam done on both his body and his clothing right now.”

John nodded. With a little luck, that would point to whoever did this. “Let us know what you find out.”

“Aye, I’ll have Mac tell you himself as soon as he has the results,” Carson assured.

Taking a deep breath, John cast one last glance at the sergeant. “Let’s go get her side of the story.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

Mac’s computer dinged, letting him know the test results were finished. Pulling them up, he poured over the findings, frowning. “Hmm.” The DNA sequence he’d run was oddly familiar. He could tell it wasn’t any of their expedition, which left few alternatives. Taking a deep breath, he searched for Teyla’s file and compared the two. A relieved smile spread on his lips when they didn’t match up, though it quickly morphed into dread. The results weren’t a complete match, but they did share similar markers.

“Oh, no,” he muttered. “It can’t be.” It took him a minute to find the file he was looking for. When he did, the proof of what he was seeing was not unlike getting hit in the face. The DNA he had gathered off of Bates was Wraith. There was no doubt in his mind.

With a shaking hand, he hit his comms. “Carson? You’ll want to see this for yourself.”

“I’ll be there as soon as I can.”

Mac knew his friend well enough to know he would want to rerun the tests, so he did. Carson arrived just as the results came in. Mac moved out of the way so the man could take a proper look. He didn’t need to check the second results, Carson’s, “Bloody hell,” told him he had been right.

Carson took a wavering breath. “Right. I’ll start preparing sickbay for possible incoming wounded. You go find Major Sheppard and tell him what you’ve discovered. Him, and no one else. I do not want to alert anyone over the radio, Mac. God knows what that Wraith’s been up to, and it wouldn’t do to alert it. Or to cause a mass panic, for that matter.”

Mac nodded. “Aye, I’m on it. Back as soon as I can.” He headed out in search of John. Mac wanted to run, but firmly pushed that instinct down. Running would set tongues wagging and that would not do. He did set a fast clip, however. He tried John’s office first, only to find it empty.

“You looking for the major, doc?” Chuck called out.

Turning, Mac nodded. “Aye, do you know where he is?”

Chuck pointed to Dr. Weir’s office and Mac waved in thanks even as he hurried over.

“-this is Teyla we’re talking about,” John said, tilting his head to the door when he heard Mac.

Mac shook his head. “No need to worry about Teyla, Major. You have bigger things to concern yourself with.”

John frowned, but before he could ask, Evan spoke up from beside him. “What do you mean, Mac? Did you find out who attacked Bates?”

Meeting his mate’s eyes briefly, he nodded then refocused on John. “Aye.”

“Well, who is it?” John asked with a hint of impatience.

Taking a deep breath, he kept his gaze level with the major. “It was a Wraith.”

“What? How?” Elizabeth sounded stunned.

“That’s what I’d like to know. Wraith? Are you sure, doc?” John asked as he got to his feet.

Mac nodded. “Aye, I ran the test twice to verify and it’s definitely Wraith.”

John glanced at Evan and Ford in turn. “Ready room.” They both nodded and headed out. John tapped his earpiece. “Dr. Zelenka, I need you in Weir’s office, stat.” Meeting Mac’s eyes, he said, “Doc, I’ll be right back. I need you to fill Zelenka in on everything we have so far, then we’ll go from there.”

“Aye, of course.”

He watched as John followed his men to gear up. Closing his eyes briefly, he took a few calming breaths, though his heart wanted to skip a few beats. He had never been in contact with a Wraith before – at least not a live one – but he knew they were creatures of horror. And now they had one running loose on their city doing God only knew what.

When Radek arrived, Mac filled him in on everything, Elizabeth listening quietly to it all. The little man seemed as disturbed by the idea of a Wraith running around Atlantis as Mac was. John and the others came walking back, closing their tac vests. “What I want to know,” John asked, “is how a Wraith got on Atlantis to begin with.”

“Well, he didn’t ‘gate in,” Ford remarked.

“The dart,” Radek said quietly, looking pensive as he tapped his chin. Mac wasn’t the only one to give the man his undivided attention as he continued. “The Wraith dart that scanned us. It made its way through the city, scanning for data. The second it was done, it self destructed.”

Mac and Evan shared a glance. Evan’s jaw set with determination. The Wraith had been there for nearly two weeks without notice? The thought horrified him. A sudden feeling of reassuring calm came through the bond, causing Mac to smile a little. “Thanks,” he mouthed at his mate. Evan nodded.

The conversation continued around him and Mac tried to pay attention but his mind was half on what they had learned and half on trying to prepare for what he knew would come. He supposed they had been lucky that Bates had been the Wraith’s only casualty so far but he was not likely to be its last.

Mac tuned in again at Elizabeth’s, “What we know for sure is that we have a Wraith intruder in the city that we need to track down.”

Radek tilted his head, frowning, then straightened, his face brightening as he thought of something. “I think I have an idea.” He headed toward the control room and began to fiddle with one of the stations.

As Evan walked past Mac to follow Radek and the others, Mac stopped him, placing his hand on his arm. “Ev, be careful.” He worried for his mate. For his friends.

Evan cupped the back of Mac’s neck and smiled. “I’ll be fine, Mac.” At Mac’s narrowing eyes, Evan added, “I promise.”

Taking a deep breath, Mac nodded. “I have to get back to the infirmary. Carson’s already prepping for any casualties.”

Evan raised an eyebrow and Mac could feel his mate’s amusement. “So little faith in us, sweetheart?”

Mac huffed. “No, but better safe than sorry. Bates was only the first casualty. Once the Wraith figures out we’re onto him, it’s unlikely he’ll be as… careful.”

“We’ll get him, Mac.”

“I know. Just… make sure he doesn’t get you, too. Any of you.”

Evan nodded and Mac let him go.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Evan cradled his P-90 as he watched Radek, his attention only partially on the man as he fine-tuned the city’s scanners. He could feel how on edge Mac was and it made Evan both want to follow his mate to hold and reassure him, and hunt down the Wraith to eliminate the threat altogether. Either way, he was itching to move. To do.

“Now if I could only expand the scanning field to-” Radek murmured as he worked. “Oh my God.”

That got everyone’s attention. “What?” John asked, frowning as he shared a brief look with Evan.

Radek moved toward the screen, pointing. Evan’s gaze followed the direction and he blinked. “There,” said Radek. “That’s him. Look.”

“You sure?” John stepped up to the Czech.

Pushing his glasses up his nose, Radek nodded. “Yes. The scanners work much like the LSD, but is more precise. It differentiates between human and….” He gestured at the screen, indicating the single red dot among all the white ones which were presumably all human.

John’s jaw seemed to set. “That’s him. You can track him in real time?”

Radek nodded. “Yes.”

Straightening, John turned to Evan, his eyes glancing over the others gathered around them. “Ford, Teyla, you’re with me. Evan, you and your team circle around to come at him from behind. Let’s go get him.”

The sound of weapons going at the ready echoed across the control room. “Yes, sir,” Evan acknowledged, already heading out.

It took them several minutes to get in place as they had to go the long way around, but they were getting close. “He still in the same place, doc?” John’s voice came over the radio.

“Yes, he’s still in the same room,” came Radek’s response. “It hasn’t moved since we located him.”

Evan shared a glance with his teammates as John murmured, “Let’s hope it’s still sleeping. Evan, are you in position?”

“No, sir, not yet. We’re almost there, though.” Evan gestured for them to pick up the pace as John let him know that they were ready.

“We’re going to breach the room at the same time from different directions. If he tries to get out the other door, take him,” John ordered quietly.

“Understood, sir.” Evan touched on his bond, trying to convey confidence and reassurance. He wasn’t about to let the Wraith get away. Mac’s quiet nudge of support bolstered Evan.

John’s quiet, “Standby,” was the last they heard before the sound of a minor explosion came over the radio, sending Evan and his team running to AR-1’s location. There was no need for Evan to give his team orders. They all knew that they had to get there now or risk John and the others getting fed on or killed.

The sound of a Wraith stunner sent chills down Evan’s spine. His team rounded the corner just as the Wraith ripped John’s shirt open. Dylan, who had one of the two Wraith stunners they had managed to get a hold of, was ahead of Evan by only a few seconds and raised the weapon. The Wraith gloated over his prey – over John – his hand ready to feed. “Nothing will keep us from our new feeding ground.”

Evan aimed his P-90, but Dylan got his shot off first and the Wraith went down in a heap. Scrambling to his CO and friend, Evan kneeled and placed his hand on the man’s chest, relief washing over him at the lack of a feeding wound. “We heard the whole thing. We got him, Major, you’re going to be okay.”

John blinked slowly, still looking dazed, then closed his eyes. Evan checked his pulse and tried to rouse him but the man was out cold. Turning, he saw Simmons and Peterson were making sure Teyla and Ford were alright, both of whom were also down for the count. Dylan stood poised over the Wraith, ready to fire again should he stir.

Clicking his radio, he had to clear his throat before the words would form. “I need a medical team down here. The major, Lieutenant Ford, and Teyla have all been stunned.”

“Are you alright, Ev?” Mac’s voice sounded at once relieved and anxious.

Smiling softly, Evan nodded. “Yeah, I’m fine. We got the bastard before it could do anything.”

“Good. I’m on my way.”

~*~*~*~*~

Why was it always him that got into these situations, Rodney wondered as he worked frantically to reroute the power to the weapon. He had to draw the short straw. Of course, it was lucky he did because of how bad the damage to the satellite had turned out to be. Kavanagh wouldn’t have stood a chance in hell at fixing this mess. Turning the last dial, Rodney heaved a sigh. “Okay, that’s about all I can do from here. Is power getting through?” Please let this work, he thought.

The seconds it took for Kavanagh’s, “Yes, power is getting through,” felt like ages to Rodney.

“Oh, thank God.” For once in his life actually meaning it, he sighed in relief. “I’m gonna end this EVA, we’re coming in and we’ll pick you up and we’ll get the hell out of here,” Rodney said as he carefully pushed off and made his way back to the jumper.

“Sounds like a plan,” Kavanagh muttered impatiently.

As soon as Rodney was back inside the jumper, Miller headed back to the loading dock. Rodney frowned at the sound of a failed docking. Checking the system he groaned. Just what they needed. The jumper couldn’t connect to the satellite anymore. “Kavanagh, we’re having a bit of a problem. The jumper’s not able to dock. See what you can do from your side.”

He shared a frustrated glance with Miller while they waited for Kavanagh’s response. “Looks like you rerouted power from the airlock to the weapon.”

Aww hell. “So we’ll do it manually, like we did the first time.”

Kavanagh huffed. “You had a space suit the first time. I don’t.”

Grabbing the helmet, Rodney sighed. “Okay, we’ll go back and I’ll reroute power so that-”

“There’s no time, McKay, the Wraith are too close,” Kavanagh cut in, sounding pissed.

“Well I know what I’m doing now,” Rodney protested.

“McKay!” Kavanagh bit out. “Leave me here.”

“No! We’re not doing that.” Rodney looked determinately at Miller, who seemed unsure.

“There’s no time, I’m telling you. Just get to a safe distance. I’ll power down the weapon so they won’t suspect it’s armed until it’s too late. Then when the ships have been destroyed you and Miller can swoop in to the rescue.” Kavanagh’s voice both full of disdain and his usual arrogance.

“Doc,” Miller murmured. “He’s right. I don’t like the idea any more than you do, but…”

Digging his fingers into the back of the co-pilot’s seat, Rodney swallowed hard. “Alright. We’ll cloak and come back for you once it’s done.”

God, but he hated the very idea of leaving anyone on that thing. Even if it was Kavanagh. His heart pounded in his chest as the satellite became smaller. Time seemed to slow for Rodney, so focused was he on what was happening out there. The Wraith ships coming ever closer.

Suddenly Rodney’s body jerked slightly and he gasped in shock, his knees buckling with the weight of realization. Miller jumped to his feet and hauled Rodney into his seat. “Doc, you okay? What happened?”

Rodney shook his head, still trying to catch his breath. That had been decidedly unpleasant. His whole body seemed to tingle for a few moments. Taking a deep breath, he met Miller’s gaze. “John got hit by a stunner.” Strange, how quiet his voice was, when inside he felt like panicking. His mate had been stunned, which meant that he was in an encounter with the Wraith. And since John wasn’t supposed to be off-world right now, that meant that somehow the Wraith were already on Atlantis and there was nothing Rodney could do about it. Not out here, a good fifteen light years away from the city and with Kavanagh stuck on the satellite.

Miller squeezed his shoulder. “I’m sure he’s fine, Doc.”

Touching on the bond to reassure himself, he nodded. As far as Rodney could tell, John was okay. A part of him wondered just how far they would have to be before the bond would fail them in respect to letting them know something had happened to the other. And how long it would take until they had gotten used to it, because he didn’t think that it would be all that helpful in the field to have this type of reaction every time his mate ended up getting hurt. How did that serve anyone? Yes, it came in handy at times, sure, but…

Shaking his head, he forced his mind to focus on the task at hand. If they made it through all of this, he promised himself he would devote some time on the whole soulbond issue. For now, he had a Wraith attack to thwart. “I’m fine,” he muttered.

Miller nodded and got back into his seat. They stared as the ships got closer still, and Rodney hit the comms. “If you’re not powered up yet, now would be a good time.”

“Powering up,” came Kavanagh’s curt response. “It’ll be weapons-hot in about sixty seconds.”

Switching channels, Rodney radioed Atlantis. “Dr. Weir, the weapon should be ready to fire in under a minute.”

“Good luck, Rodney.” Three words, heavy with the weight of hope and fear.

The weapon hit its mark on the first shot, taking down the biggest Hive ship. Rodney grinned at Miller, who nodded. “Elizabeth,” Rodney called through the radio. “We have a confirmed kill.”

The cheers from everyone on the city rang through the jumper. “We copy that, Rodney,” Elizabeth breathed.

“One down, two to go.” This was going to work, Rodney thought. Then he frowned when the weapon remained silent. Switching channels to Kavanagh’s, Rodney urged, “Come on, hit ’em again!”

“We have a problem.” Kavanagh’s voice was tight.

Now what, Rodney wondered. “What problem?”

“The circuit we rerouted is overloaded. The weapon can’t fire again! I’m trying to find another pathway.”

Oh, crap. Rodney jerked his head, indicating for Miller to move toward the satellite. “We’re heading back in to pick you up.”

Miller shook his head, looking unhappy. “Sorry, doc,” he muttered.

“You’ve got to be kidding!” Kavanagh snapped.

“We’re cloaked, they won’t see us!” Rodney argued. He was not going to leave Kavanagh behind. He just wasn’t.

“McKay! Don’t you dare leave me here!” Kavanagh was beginning to panic.

“Get us back there,” Rodney ordered, realizing Miller still hadn’t moved them closer.

“Doc,” Miller cautioned, looking pained, his gaze forward.

Rodney turned back to see the Wraith open fire on the satellite, destroying it and taking Kavanagh down with it. “Oh, God.” His heart seemed to stop as he stared in utter horror. Kavanagh was dead. He had hated the man, had threatened time upon time to space him. But even with all of that, he had never wanted him dead, and now he was and it was Rodney’s fault. God, but he felt sick.

Kavanagh was gone and he might as well have pulled the trigger himself.

“Doc,” Miller murmured, eyeing him warily. “There was nothing we could have done.”

With a shaking hand, Rodney radioed Atlantis. “Atlantis, this is McKay. We’ve lost the satellite,” he croaked.

“Did you manage to take out any more ships?”

“Negative, the two other Hive ships are intact.” He paused, drawing in a ragged breath. “Elizabeth… Kavanagh was on board the satellite.”

The silence that followed spoke volumes to Rodney as he dragged a hand over his face. He felt so very tired.

“Understood. What’s the status of the other two?”

“They’re not coming any closer. Looks like they’re rethinking their plans. At the very least, he’s bought us some time.”

“You can’t do any more out there, Rodney. Return to Atlantis.”

Sagging back in his seat, he shared a glance with Miller, who nodded. “We’re on our way,” Rodney said quietly before terminating transmission.

The entire trip home, Rodney kept seeing the satellite being blown up. Curling in on himself, he fervently wished John had been there. He needed him. Needed the steadfast reassurance of his mate. The fifteen-hour trip felt like the longest hours of his life.

 

“Thanks to Teyla, we now know that the Wraith are more interested in Earth than they are in Atlantis, as terrifying a thought as that is.” Rodney paused, glancing at John. The encouraging nod and feeling that came through the bond helped him to maintain a clear head. He wasn’t sure whether he would have gotten through this – any of this – without his mate. Pushing any thoughts along those lines aside, he continued presenting their idea to Elizabeth and several others. “We also know that their trajectory has them flying right past the only surviving satellite.”

“The last of what we assume were dozens of defense satellite,” Radek interjected. “The others were destroyed during the Ancients’ last stand against the Wraith.”

Rodney sighed, scowling slightly at the interruption. Really, it wasn’t important how many there were. What mattered was that this one was still there. “Yes yes yes, the point is we think we can use it to our advantage.”

“Wait, I thought you said it was dead,” Bates said.

Rodney spared John a glance of desperation. Why were they surrounded by idiots? Really, whose idea had that been to send off people to another galaxy when they couldn’t grasp these basic concepts? “Yes, but we think we have learned enough about how it works to bring it back,” he said with as much patience as he could inject, which – granted – wasn’t very much.

“If we are right about what is wrong with it,” Radek pointed out ever so helpfully.

“Yes of course if we are right,” Rodney snapped. Had everyone had a cup of stupid this morning? “But if we are right and it is just out of power, the Wraith have simply been ignoring it.” Come on, people, surely everyone could see how ingenious a plan this was without having it spelled out for them. John had gotten it immediately when they had talked about it the night before.

Radek nodded. “Our preliminary estimates indicate that a single naquadah generator would be enough to bring it back online.”

See? Simple! Power the weapons satellite, destroy the three Hive ships, they live happily ever after. Or at least, if everything went according to plan.

Ford leaned forward. “Why can’t we use the generators to get the weapon systems of Atlantis working?”

Radek smiled indulgently at the lieutenant, holding up a finger. “Ah you see, those are designed to be powered by Zero Point Module. The satellite is not.”

John nodded. “And you think it’s powerful enough to take on a Wraith Hive ship?”

Rodney leaned against the desk next to John, his arms folded. “Mmm, yes. According to the database it should be powerful enough to take out all three when fully charged. Keep in mind that the Ancient technology is far superior. They only lost the war because they were vastly outnumbered.”

“So are we,” Bates pointed out. “And outgunned.”

“Ah, but they don’t see satellite as threat,” Radek said, grinning.

“In military parlance: surprise is… an element on our side,” Rodney finished lamely. Okay, that had sounded much better in his head. He chanced a peek at John only to find him smiling fondly at him. He gave a little half-shrug as he smiled back.

“Alright, what do you need?” Elizabeth asked after a moment of silent speculation.

Rodney placed his hands on the edge of the desk by his hips as he looked at her. “The satellite is fifteen hours away by puddlejumper. I recommend that we put together a small crew, say myself, Kavanagh, and the pilot.”

John immediately offered himself up for that task, but Elizabeth shot him down even as Kavanagh scowled and argued, “Why me?”

“Because it’s either you, Grodin or Kimberly.”  And I actually like Grodin and Kim, he thought. “Unlike you, Grodin’s needed here for other things, and Kimberly has not been cleared for full duty so I’m not about to take her on a mission that likely will require being in a spacesuit. Also, because I said so!” Rodney glared at the man, daring him to question him further. Yes, they would be stuck on the same ship for at least thirty hours, and it would be a miracle if Rodney didn’t end up killing the man, but after they had lost Abrams and Gall during the first mission to the satellite, Grodin, Kimberly, and Kavanagh had worked hard to learn all they could about it.

“But-” Kavanagh started, but Elizabeth overrode him by virtue of quietly reminding him that her offer to take him to an unpopulated planet still stood. Rodney was pleased to see the icy glint of determination in her eyes, and the color draining from Kavanagh’s face. “Fine,” Kavanagh bit out, crossing his arms tightly across his chest.

She nodded. “Very well. Rodney, Miller can be your pilot. Major, I need you to keep looking for a new Alpha site. Just in case this fails.”

“Yes, ma’am,” John agreed.

Everyone left the meeting to prepare for the tasks that lay ahead of them. Grodin and Kimberly both paused to wish him good luck. Rodney was in no doubt that they meant enduring the trip with Kavanagh more than they did attempting to fix the satellite.

John waited for him by the door of the conference room, letting everyone else out until it was just the two of them left. He wrapped his arms around Rodney, hugging him. “Sorry I can’t go with you. Hate the idea of not having your back,” he murmured, sighing.

“I know. But we both have jobs to do.” He held John tightly, hoping he managed to keep his own disappointment from bleeding through. Rodney disliked the very idea of being far from his mate right now, every moment was precious to him but he was rational enough to understand that it just wasn’t possible. They both had duties to perform, and there would always be times when that meant they would be apart. Like now. Didn’t mean he had to like it, though.

John pulled back, cupping Rodney’s cheek as he stared at him. “You be careful out there, okay? Promise me.”

“You know I will. Besides, don’t think I don’t know that you’ll have Miller keep close tabs on me. You be careful, though.”

John shrugged, grinning. The man didn’t even deny he was going to see to Miller getting very specific orders. Rodney rolled his eyes, kissing him briefly before he forced himself to step back. Why did they have to have so little time? “We’d better go. Wouldn’t want to give Kavanagh the chance to space himself, now would we?”

John barked a laugh, running his fingers through his hair, his eyes twinkling. “Yeah, wouldn’t want to deny you that pleasure,” he joked as they headed down the stairs.

Rodney watched as John made a beeline for the ready room. Let him find a planet, he thought.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Evan and Ioan were already prepping their teams when John walked in. “Sir, have we got a planet yet to check out?” Evan asked.

John nodded. “Yeah, we all do. We spent the better part of yesterday compiling a final list. I wish there was more time to go through the database and scout planets, but time’s the one thing we don’t have. So Evan, you and your team will take M64-PL9. Ioan, you take P2X-287, and we’ll take P2R-887. We have a four hour window to scout these out, gentlemen, so remember: we’re looking for close, not ideal. Can’t afford to be too picky here.”

A “Yes, sir,” chorused through the room. Ioan and Evan shared a look of steely determination as they finished gearing up. There was too much hanging on these missions, and they both knew it. Evan said a quiet prayer that Rodney’s plan would work and that their efforts would be in vain.

“Ready?” Ioan murmured.

Taking a deep breath, Evan nodded, flashing his brother a reassuring smile. “Yep. Let’s get this show over with.”

He followed his brother’s team to the gate room and watched as they gated out first, wishing him good luck as he disappeared through the event horizon. John walked into the room right as Chuck finished dialing M64-PL9.

Evan grinned at him. “Any last words, sir?”

John shrugged, returning his smile easily. “Skip the duty-free, Major. No need for souvenirs this time.”

Evan laughed, saluting. “Yes, sir.” He was the last of his team to step through the gate and they all fell into their usual formation quickly. So far, so good. At least there were no Wraith waiting for them by the gate, or any other people immediately after their heads. There were signs of civilization close by, though, which bore investigating. As soon as the gate was cleared, Evan called out, “Fan out. Stay in radio contact. You know the drill.”

They headed toward the town that was visible from the gate, though the LSD didn’t appear to show any sign of life. At all. Evan frowned as he checked it again and got nothing. It was also eerily quiet, and it was rapidly getting dark. Worse than timezones, Evan thought, rolling his eyes.

“Sir?” Peterson’s voice chimed in Evan’s ear.

“Got something?” Evan asked, halting his steps.

“You might want to come look at this, sir.” Peterson sounded troubled, which worried Evan. Not much rattled the man, so whatever it was didn’t bode well for the prospects of this being a possible Alpha site.

Night had fallen completely by the time Evan found the man in what appeared to be the town square – or what was left of it – staring at something in the rubble of a building. Scanning his surroundings, Evan had the odd sensation of being back in the middle of a warzone back home, only worse. Up close, he could just make out signs of some kind of bombardment – orbital, Evan thought – that had taken out several city blocks just past where they were standing. As he shone his light over the ground, he could see evidence of bodies, long dead.

He stepped closer to one when he noticed something odd and kneeled down to inspect it. Just as he leaned in to lift a piece of clothing, a shrill howl pierced the air and he jumped to his feet, weapon at the ready. Peterson, Dylan, and Simmons were on high alert, too. “What the hell was that?” whispered Simmons.

Checking the LSD again, Evan’s eyes widened. Lifesigns. Lots of them and headed their way. Casting one last glance at the body at his feet, he gulped. He was fairly sure that those tears had been made by very sharp teeth, and he was not in any mood to find out whether he was right. “I don’t know, but I have a feeling we shouldn’t hang around to find out. Fall back to the gate, now,” he ordered as another shriek rent the air.

They ran all the way to the gate, Evan periodically checking the LSD. Whatever it was that was making that sound was getting closer. Peterson beelined it for the DHD and began dialing fast as he could, but not fast enough. Evan could see something moving closer to them, just outside their line of sight, stalking them. “Hold your fire unless they attack,” he reminded Dylan as he heard the man prime his gun.

Evan’s flashlight caught the glint of an eye, but before he could see clearly, the creature had darted away as if the light bothered it. Fumbling in his vest, he pulled out a couple of glow sticks and, after breaking them, threw them toward where the shrill cries were coming from. He heaved a sigh of relief when he heard the creatures move away from the light, dim as it was. Apparently they had a real problem with it, which was fine with him. The kawoosh of the gate activating was an even more welcome sound and they all were quite happy to leave this world behind. Evan would make a note in the database that this planet was off-limits. Preferably at all times, but at the very least at night. He was certainly in no hurry to set foot on it again. Ever.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kimberly sighed, frustrated. “Radek.”

“Yes?” He pushed his glasses up his nose as he straightened.

Beckoning him over, she shifted aside to give him a better view of her screen. “I think we have a problem.” A big problem, she thought, if they couldn’t figure out a way to destroy the base completely if it came down to it.

“What kind of problem?” Radek squinted at the screen, then blinked owlishly at her. “Oh. Yes, I see what you mean. Of course.”

Running her fingers through her hair, she let her eyes drift around the room, taking in all the consoles and what they represented. “Do you want me to tell Elizabeth?” she asked, turning back to Radek. She wasn’t opposed to doing so herself, but technically Radek was Rodney’s second and therefore the one things normally would go through whenever Rodney wasn’t there.

Radek shook his head. “No, is fine. I wish to run a few simulations first, see if we can maximize damage.”

“Alright, though I doubt there’s anything we can do that’d be enough. We have to assume the Wraith are capable enough to backwards engineer anything the Ancients have, should they get their hands on it. Especially if they get a hold of even the smallest part of the mainframe.”

“Yes, yes, I know. Would be stupid to believe them incapable. We cannot afford to let them have anything. It would be…” He trailed off, frowning.

“Disastrous?” Kimberly supplied. Radek nodded. “Quite.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“What was that?” Kagawa looked disconcerted as he scanned the area. They were several klicks south of the gate and hadn’t encountered any hint of civilization. The few animals they had seen had scurried away from them.

Ioan glanced at Diaz who was going over the readings on his handheld when they all felt it again. Tremors. Faint at first, but rapidly growing. They only lasted a few seconds, but it was enough to set Ioan on edge. God, but he hated earthquakes. “Anything?” Ioan asked Diaz.

Another, more violent tremor was answer enough for him. “Never mind,” Ioan said. “I think it’s safe to say this planet won’t work. Sort back to the gate.”

“Aye, sir,” chorused from his team. They headed back, their journey slowed significantly by ever more frequent quakes.

“Sir,” Diaz chimed in from just behind Ioan. “I think we’re headed toward the epicenter. I can’t be sure without a seismographer, but from the few readings I’m getting…”

Damn, Ioan thought, scowling. “Let’s hustle, gentlemen,” he urged, picking up speed. They had to make it to the gate. If Diaz was right, it might mean serious trouble if these quakes increased and he for one wasn’t about to get stuck on this damned planet.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“This place seems nice enough, sir,” Ford commented as they scouted the area. “Kind of like paradise, really.”

John had to admit, the lieutenant had a point. Far as the eye could see, there was lush greenery, beautiful flowers. He’d spotted several colorful birds, too, and the weather was ideal. Far as he could tell, there were no weird bugs, and nothing appeared to be out of the ordinary. So why was his gut itching like they were about to run into trouble? “Yeah. Kinda. Keep your eyes peeled, though.”

Teyla shared a look with him and John was positive that she felt it, too. Whatever ‘it’ was. “Alright. Let’s give it another fifteen minutes before we head back.”

Ten minutes later, a roar in the distance sent shivers down John’s spine. “What the hell was that?” They all swung toward to sound, but couldn’t see much for the foliage. They could hear, though, and what they heard didn’t bode well. “Fall back.”

The heavy footfalls of some big creature headed their way had John picking up the pace a little. Within minutes, the ground seemed to tremble, the noise of the approaching animal – it had to be an animal, right? – thundering ever closer. Looking over his shoulder, John thought his eyes might pop out from shock. “Ford?”

“Yes, sir?” Ford continued to run, his focus on the terrain ahead.

“Is that what I think it is?”

Teyla glanced over her shoulder, her face paling at the sight of the huge creature looming ever closer.

Ford stumbled as he took it in and John hurriedly helped him back on his feet. Flushing, he nodded. “If you’re thinking dinosaur, sir…”

“Crap. I always hated Jurassic Park. Run!”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“You’re done, Ioan,” Mac said, patting his arm. “Just a couple of scrapes and bruises. Though from the sound of it, you were lucky to get home in one piece.”

Ioan nodded, then hopped off the bed, grinning. “Yeah. If I never have to live through an earthquake again, it’ll be too soon. I prefer my ground to remain stationary rather than shifting and rolling.”

Mac chuckled. “Aye, I can’t blame you there. They’re quite… unsettling. Still, it’s a shame about the planet.”

“Yeah. We just have to hope Major Sheppard’s luckier than we were.”

“Right. Off with you, I’m sure there’s plenty you need to take care of, so I won’t keep you any longer.”

“Thanks, Mac.” Ioan clasped the man’s shoulder briefly as he passed him. He really hoped Rodney’s plan would work because as things stood now, the satellite would be their only hope of making it through. Unless Sheppard found a new alpha site. He was almost back in the gateroom when he heard Bates call out, “Unscheduled off-world activation. Major Sheppard is coming in hot.”

Ioan double-timed it, taking a P90 from one of the Marines on duty and took up a defensive position, keeping half an ear on Bates as he shared his… opinions about what was going on with Dr. Weir. Ioan groaned. Damn that man and his paranoia. He didn’t have time to respond to anything, however, as AR-1 came in, guns blazing. Ioan readied himself in case anyone or anything followed them through the gate, but thankfully it closed almost on the heels of Sheppard.

Bates strode up to John, oozing overconfidence and self-righteous anger. “I told you she was a liability, sir. Now I’m not going to let your personal feelings endanger this facility any longer!”

Teyla walked up to them. “What?”

Ioan lowered his weapon, frowning. “Bates,” he warned.

Bates, however, ignored him and rounded on Teyla. “I’m not accusing you of doing it intentionally.”

Well, that was at least something, Ioan thought with a huff.

“But the Wraith must be getting information from you,” Bates continued.

John’s expression turned from confused to pissed off in a hot second, and Teyla seemed ready to spit nails. “What the hell are you talking about?” John asked, and Ioan could tell the major was having a hard time keeping his tone level. “We ran into a… a… Ford, what the hell was that?” John asked, looking over his shoulder at Ford.

Ford shook his head. “It looked an awful lot like a T. rex, sir.”

A what? Dinosaurs? Were they serious? Ioan’s mouth fell open as he eyed the group and took in their genuine distress and shock. Okay, then. Scratch that planet off the list. At least, he hoped it would be. He didn’t relish the idea of one of the scientists getting it into their heads to want to study them.

Turning to Bates, John scowled. “Yeah, a T. rex. It wasn’t even a Wraith. So why don’t you check those accusations.”

“I take it you don’t recommend the planet as an alpha site, Major?” Elizabeth interjected.

John only barely shifted his attention to her. “It wouldn’t be my first choice. McKay doesn’t get the satellite online, we’re screwed.”

Bates continued to glower at Teyla, and Ioan had the distinct impression that the sergeant didn’t believe them. Oh, this was not going to end well, he was sure of it.

“That’s enough, Bates,” John ground out.

“Yes, sir,” Bates said sourly, spinning on his heel and walking out, apparently disgusted by the situation.

John stepped over to Ioan. “I’m guessing you didn’t have any luck, either?”

Ioan shook his head. “No, sir. The planet was… very unstable.” And wasn’t that putting things mildly.

Running his fingers through his hair, John sighed. “Very well. Back to the drawing board, I guess.” His eyes followed Teyla as she left the room. He frowned. “This can’t be good,” he muttered. “Do me a favor, Ioan, and keep an eye on Bates for me? I’m not liking his attitude one bit.”

Scowling to where the man had gone, Ioan nodded. “Yeah, I don’t-”

A commotion down the hall had them both running, Ford on their heels. “Ah, shit,” Ioan muttered as he grabbed Teyla and pulled her off of Bates. “Calm down, Teyla, please,” he whispered in her ear, but she continued to struggle, trying to get at the other man. One glance told him Ford was having just as much trouble keeping Bates away from Teyla, and John stood in the middle, pushing the two apart.

“What the hell is going on here?” John growled.

“I was simply stating an opinion, Major,” Teyla spat, still trying to get to Bates. Ioan blinked in surprise.

“She attacked me!”

“And with good reason!” Teyla was absolutely furious.

Ioan had never seen her like this before and he was more than a little unsettled. “Calm down,” he hissed.

“Yeah, and what reason would that be?” John challenged, glaring at her.

“My guess would be the Wraith,” Bates growled.

Ioan shot Bates a pointed look. “Now would be a good time to shut up,” he muttered under his breath. Teyla huffed in annoyance.

John turned on Bates with barely contained anger. “Walk away, Bates.”

“Sir!”

“Walk away!” John roared, shooting Ford a look that said quite plainly to ‘help’ the sergeant to follow the order.

“This isn’t over,” Bates threatened as he shrugged out of Ford’s grasp. Turning on his heel, he marched out of sight.

“I would be disappointed if it were,” Teyla shouted after him.

“Teyla!” Ioan hissed, giving her a shake. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

Before she could answer, John rounded on her. “What the hell were you doing? You don’t go around decking the head of security!”

Teyla’s jaw clenched. “He said-”

John cut her off. “I don’t care what he said! He says a lot of things. You just stay away from him.”

With a glance at Ioan, she finally nodded, though Ioan could tell that she was far from happy with the order. They watched her walk in the opposite direction, neither of them speaking until she was well out of sight. Ioan blew out a breath as he scratched the back of his head. “Well, that was different.”

John huffed a laugh, though it sounded hollow. “I have no idea what’s gotten into her, but I hope she comes to her senses soon.”

Glancing at his superior officer, he pondered. “You worried she might do something stupid?”

He shook his head. “Nah. Teyla’ll follow orders. I’m more concerned about what Bates might come up with next, to be honest.”

Ioan nodded. “I’ll keep an eye out.”

John flashed him a tired smile. “Thanks. Appreciate it. Now, what say you and I try to find some more planets to explore, see if we can pull a miracle out of the air.”

Grinning, Ioan nodded. “Yes, sir.

 

“Halling, you must talk to them. They will not listen to me, perhaps they will believe you. The Wraith are coming. They will be here in a matter of days and we are running out of time. We must get our people to safety and we cannot allow them to be so unprepared,” Teyla urged, suppressing the rising fear and anger that seemed her constant companion of late.

Halling looked saddened, which made her temper flare the more, but she firmly stamped down on it. Alienating her friend would do her little good. “Teyla, where would we go? The Wraith have awoken. No world is safe anymore. If they come, then let them. We will meet them as we must,” he said calmly.

Grabbing his sleeve, she stepped closer. “What about Jinto? Would you risk him being culled? Or perhaps that will not be his fate. Perhaps he will be destroyed by one of their weapons as they fire upon us from orbit? Don’t you see, Halling? They are too many! We cannot hope to remain here and survive, and even if, by the grace of the Ancients we do, the Lanteans are going to destroy the city to prevent the Wraith from gaining access to it. We would be cut off from the gate forever with no hope of trade or escape.”

Why would they not listen to her? How could they not see the severity of the situation? She wanted to curl up in a ball and sleep for days, she was so very tired. She hadn’t been able to sleep much, and what little she managed was riddled with nightmares of the Wraith, worse than she had ever had before.

Halling placed his hand over hers and smiled sadly at her. “If Jinto wishes to leave, he may do so. All our people may, you know this. We simply choose to remain and face what comes. Would the Lanteans deny us the right to defend ourselves, or the heritage of the Ancestors?”

Taking a steadying breath, she stepped back, inclining her head in acknowledgment of his point. “You are right, of course. It is just…” she trailed off, unable to finish her thought.

Halling tilted his head. “Will you stay here with us?” he asked quietly.

She shook her head. “You know I cannot, my friend. The best hope I have of fighting for our people is by being alongside the Lanteans as they defend the city of the Ancestors. I had just hoped…” she paused, closing her eyes briefly as she breathed, trying to calm herself. “I had just hoped to get as many of our people to safety as possible. For any of this to have been worth it, some of them must survive.”

“I understand,” Halling acquiesced, though she could tell he wished her answer had been different. Part of her wished it had, too, but she had made up her mind long ago. “I will do what I can, Teyla. I know there are a few who would seek safety, but most will choose to remain here. We have been on the run long enough. This is home now.”

Strange how that had worked out, she thought. Atlantis had become home for her these past few months. She still missed Athos, but not as much as she used to. She wasn’t quite sure how she felt about that realization.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rodney was beyond exhausted and not really in the mood to deal with meetings yet here he was in one of the larger conference rooms, surrounded by most of his more capable minions – and Kavanagh, he added grudgingly to himself. Stifling a yawn he glanced around the room, taking note of the signs of exhaustion on his people; most of the higher ranking officers were there, too, looking none too fresh themselves.

As soon as the message had been sent through the gate to warn Earth, he and his minions had set about trying to come up with ways to defend the city. So far, they had had little luck. Their best bet would be to power the chair, but they lacked the ZPM to power it and they hadn’t had any luck jerry rigging it with any of the generators. Grumbling quietly, he crossed his arms as he forced himself to at least try to pay attention to the meeting Elizabeth had called. He appreciated the fact that she wanted everyone to be on the same page, but he had things to do and too little time to do them in and this meeting was ensuring he had even less so.

“According to Dr. Zelenka’s calculations, we have less than a week before the Wraith get here.” Elizabeth folded her hands together in front of her as her gaze swept over each and every person crammed in the room. “I want options.”

Options. Right. He’d just pull some out of his ass, because at this point, all their options were shit anyway, he thought morosely. He felt a spike of worry from John, which was mirrored in his eyes when Rodney looked over at him. He waved him off, annoyed with himself. God, but he needed sleep. Soon.

His mind was drifting as Elizabeth and Teyla got into a spat about the Athosians leaving or staying. A tiny part of him was surprised at Teyla’s vehemence, but he was simply too tired to try to read into any of it. Everyone was tense, these days, so why not her.

“Oh, please,” Kavanagh suddenly cried out, startling Rodney back to alertness. “You can’t possibly consider staying and fighting.”

Rodney had to admit the man had a point. They were vastly outnumbered, both in manpower and in technology. What chance did they have, really? Of course, John disagreed, which didn’t surprise him in the slightest. He shot his mate an exasperated look, which merely earned him a smile.

“There are tens of thousands of highly advanced alien spaceships on their way here to destroy us,” Kavanagh reminded him, oozing incredulity and disdain. “And we have what? Two hundred people, most of whom are scientists who’ve never even fired a gun before?”

Rodney sighed. Oh, but he hated to do this especially considering the exaggerated numbers Kavanagh used. If it had been anyone else, anyone at all, he wouldn’t mind as much on the whole, but him? “Shockingly, this is the first time ever I find myself having to agree with…” he pointed over his shoulder and forced the name out, “Kavanagh.” And this is how you knew you were in deep trouble, Rodney thought, suppressing a grin at the sudden spike of amusement coming from John. His mate knew full well how he felt about the man and in Rodney’s opinion, spacing Kavanagh would always be an option.

John rolled his eyes. “All I’m saying is, let’s not give up. Just yet.”

Rodney snorted. “What was that we were all supposed to remember,” he snarked. “Something important.” Snapping his fingers, he looked at John. “Oh yes, that’s right. The Alamo.”

Lowering his head, John closed his eyes briefly, having to fight to keep from laughing in spite of himself. Rodney grinned triumphantly at him. Ah, that was definitely one thing he liked about the bond. John could never really hide his feelings from him, at least, not without some serious effort.

Once John had collected himself again, he pressed on. “Granted you guys are scientists. No one is considering putting you on the front lines, but science can turn the tide of war. Look at the… A-bomb.”

Rodney shook his head even as Radek said, “Not exactly our proudest moment.” Rodney had to agree with his friend. As far as examples went, that probably wasn’t the best one to throw out there.

Elizabeth called them back on point, reminding them that she needed everyone to do what they did best, and that if there were options to be had, she wanted them. With that, she dismissed the meeting. John got up and walked over to him, concern in his eyes as he looked him over. “You look about to drop, Rodney,” he reprimanded.

He huffed, rolling his eyes. “Probably because I am,” he admitted. There was no point denying it to the man after all.

John cupped Rodney’s shoulders, stooping a little to meet his eyes. “You are going to go to our quarters and you are going to take a nap,” he said firmly.

Bristling, Rodney shrugged, dislodging John’s hands. “You can’t exactly order me to sleep, John,” he protested.

“Actually, I can and I am. You are sleep deprived, and if you keel over from exhaustion when the Wraith show up you won’t do anyone any good. I need you firing on all cylinders, baby, so go to bed and get some rest. I will wake you before I go to the Alpha site, that should give you at least four hours. It isn’t nearly enough, but it’s better than the nothing you’ve been running yourself on the past few days.”

“And if you won’t take the order from John, Rodney, take it from me, before either Carson or I decide to have you sedated. You’ve been working too hard, harder than anyone on your team. At least they have had the good sense to make sure they get a couple of hours every day, unlike you. I won’t have you work yourself into insanity,” Mac chimed in from behind Rodney, startling him.

“They are right, Rodney,” Radek murmured.

Rubbing his eyes, Rodney sighed. “Why are you all ganging up on me?” he complained, though he was touched by their concern. Not that he would ever admit that. They all gave him a pointed look. Throwing up his hands, he grumbled, “Fine. Fine, I’ll go to bed, but sleep isn’t guaranteed, my mind is all over the place.”

John smiled sadly, brushing his cheek with the back of his fingers. “That’s exactly why you need to get some rest. Now go. I’ll wake you before I leave, okay?”

Nodding, he sighed. “Yeah, okay.” Turning to Radek, he poked the man’s chest and narrowed his eyes at him. “And you, don’t let Kavanagh blow up the city while I’m ‘sleeping’,” he warned.

Radek snorted, pushing his glasses back up his nose as he grinned. “I promise. City will still be in one piece by the time your major wakes you.”

“It’d better be,” he groused, already heading to the door.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Carson shook his head as he continued gathering up supplies in preparation for a possible evacuation.”I’m sorry, lass. I’ve run every test I could think of, and I can find no reason to explain any of your superpowers,” he quipped, glancing over his shoulder at Teyla.

She frowned, glancing down at the gurney. “I only have the one,” she said quietly.

“I’ve seen you fight, my dear,” Carson said, chuckling. He had never seen anyone as graceful as her. If what she managed to do in a fight wasn’t a superpower, then he didn’t know what was.

She smiled bashfully, but didn’t otherwise respond. “I’ve previously traced this ability through family lineage. Does that not make it biological?”

He walked over to her, smiling kindly as he packed the things he’d collected into a bag. “Aye, it would seem so. However, without genetic samples from everyone in your family tree, I would have little to no chance of identifying the specific characteristic that causes the anatomical response.” At her baffled look, he added, “It’d be very difficult.”

Carson’s heart went out to the poor girl as she seemed to process what he had said. He knew she had been having trouble sleeping, and that she was struggling with nightmares. He wished that he had easy answers to give her. If he had, then perhaps it would ease her burden some.

“Any chance you have the time to fly me to the mainland?”

His lips quirked. “If you’re willing to take your life into your hands,” he quipped. He still wasn’t overly fond of flying, but he couldn’t deny that flying the jumpers himself gave him some leeway that had proven helpful a few times now. Reaching over the gurney, he patted her hand. “I’d love a break.” And wasn’t that the truth. They had all been working hard the past few days to prepare for evacuation, as well as the oncoming battle. He checked with Mac to make sure everything was on track before grabbing his med-kit that he always brought whenever he went to the mainland, in case anyone needed his help. “Alright, lass. Let’s go.”

Teyla was unusually quiet on the trip to see Charin. She had explained that her family friend might have more answers for her, but aside from that she had been withdrawn. Carson was starting to worry a little, especially when she all but ignored the rest of her people and made a beeline to Charin’s tent. Carson was well familiar with the old woman as she had been ailing of late. She refused any medical intervention, however, but Carson still liked to keep an eye on her, just in case.

Charin was as pleasant as always, though she moved around a little slower than the last time he had seen her. Teyla appeared shocked to see her friend so changed. Carson politely accepted the bowl of tuttleroot soup, an offering Charin made to him and apparently any visitor she received. It wasn’t half bad, either, Carson thought as he ate a spoonful. He listened in silence as Teyla and Charin discussed her gift, and where it might come from.

Glancing sideways, Charin eyed Carson briefly as she answered Teyla. “Your father asked me not to tell you.” More to the point, Carson thought shrewdly, he had asked her not to tell anyone else.

Putting his bowl down, he made to leave. “If you’d rather I leave you two to talk, I’d be happy to-” he started.

Teyla shook her head, motioning for him to sit back down and continue enjoying his soup. “It is alright, Carson. Charin, my father is no longer here. Please, tell me?”

Charin inclined her head in acknowledgment as she proceeded to pass on Teyla’s actual heritage. Telling her of the few who had been culled by the Wraith, only to return to their world. Changed. How they had been shunned, hunted. The planet eventually destroyed. He was feeling unsettled, though he couldn’t put his finger on exactly why. The story itself was disturbing, obviously, but that wasn’t it. Shaking his head, he gave up and let Charin’s voice wash over him.

When they arrived back on the city, Teyla thanked him for going with her. “You’re welcome, lass. I just wish there were more I could do to help you figure this out,” he said apologetically.

Teyla smiled, placing her hands on his upper arms as she inclined her head in the Athosian gesture of friendship. Carson blushed, same as he always did and rested his forehead against hers, closing his eyes. After a moment, Teyla straightened and bid him good day. Carson stared after her for a minute before heading back to work himself. Break time was over, after all.

Later that night, Rodney tried to Shanghai him into sitting in the bloody chair again. He and Radek had dragged him down to the chair room and he really, really did not want to relive the experience of the Antarctic. “You do remember what happened the last time I sat in one of those things?”

Rodney rolled his eyes. “Yes, yes, yes. There’s nowhere near enough power for it to do anything, Carson. You can’t hurt anyone with it.”

“Then why bother? Gentlemen it’s getting late.”

“Because we need to figure out how much juice it needs to work, and we can’t do that without having someone in there actually, you know, using it,” Rodney said impatiently.

“You have the gene, why don’t you sit in it?” Carson protested.

With another role of his eyes, Rodney sighed. “Because I can’t both analyze the data and concentrate on keeping the chair activated.”

“How’s it coming, gentlemen?” Elizabeth asked as she walked into the room with an air of distraction.

The three men looked up. “Well not good,” Rodney griped.

“Well, I’m sorry. This won’t help. Carson, I need you.”

“Oh thank God,” Carson breathed out in relief even as Rodney objected. He paid him no mind, though, too keen to get away from that dratted chair. “What’s going on? Is someone hurt?”

She flashed him a smile. “You were right.”

He blinked at her in confusion. “Well that’s lovely. About what?”

“Your theory about the Wraith evolving after the Ancients arrived in the Pegasus galaxy.”

“Ha! Pay up,” Radek said excitedly behind him.

“Oh you have got to be kidding me,” Rodney groused.

Carson stuffed his hands into his back pockets, rocking onto the balls of his heels. “How’d you know?” Oh, but this opened up a whole new area of research, he just knew it.

“The Wraith language is a derivative of Ancient,” she started, but Rodney cut in.

“But that doesn’t categorically mean that-”

“Rodney, please,” Elizabeth snapped, shooting him an impatient look. “That’s not why I need to see you. I’ve been able to translate the first part of the log on the Wraith data device,” she said to Carson, handing him her tablet as she began to walk.

“Really?” Carson murmured as he poured over the data on the screen, walking on autopilot toward the infirmary. He read it twice, just to be sure he really had read what he thought he had. “You have got to be kidding me,” he muttered, staring up at Elizabeth in shock once he was done.

“I wish I were.”

“That is disturbing on so many levels,” he said, shaking his head as he placed the tablet on his desk. “Mac!” he called out, his mind already racing with the implications of what he had read.

As soon as his colleague stuck his head into his office, Carson gave him a tired smile. “Do you remember the DNA test we did on Teyla a while back?”

“Aye, of course,” Mac said, nonplussed as he stepped further into the office and closed the door. “Why?”

Carson handed him the tablet and waited until Mac had caught up. The man looked up, wide-eyed and all color drained from his face. “You’ve got to be joking.”

Carson smiled ruefully, silently wondering if that was to be the catchphrase of the night. “That’s what I said, too. I need you to run over the results one more time and compare them to the Wraith DNA we have on file. Don’t let anyone else see them,” he cautioned. This was one rumor mill he would work to minimize for as long as he could, for Teyla’s sake. He remembered all too well what had happened the last time people had jumped to conclusions about her and he did not wish to put her through that again.

“Aye, of course. I’ll get right on it.”

As soon as Mac had left, Carson took a deep breath and glanced at Elizabeth. “We are in for a long night, lass. You and I are going to have a lot of reading to do. I want to learn as much as possible about the kind of research the Wraith did on those poor people. I’ll have one of the nurses get us some coffee.”

Aye, it would be a long night, indeed. Of that he was certain. And no doubt a highly disturbing one, at that.

Many cups of coffee later, Mac returned, looking tired, disturbed, and not a little puzzled. Carson rubbed his eyes and stifled a yawn. “What did you find?”

“More questions than answers, I’m afraid. Your suspicions were correct, at least in part. Teyla does have trace Wraith DNA, but there were still a few markers that didn’t match. I ran it against everything we’ve got and from what I can tell, she’s basically got a hodge podge of DNA. She’s predominantly human, Wraith, and lo and behold she has some trash Ancient DNA, as well.”

Elizabeth’s head jerked up in surprise. “What?”

Mac nodded, scrubbing his fingers through his hair in frustration. “Aye. I have no idea whether she’s even got enough Ancient in her for the ATA to take, should she be given it. Or how it would interact with the Wraith DNA, but she definitely has some in her. Mind, I’ve not seen anyone with as little Ancient as she has, at least not among the people of the expedition.”

Elizabeth glanced between them. “Would she have a soulmate?”

Shaking his head, Mac sighed. “There’s no way to tell, really. Not right now, at any rate.”

“Right.” Carson cleared his throat, running a hand over his mouth. God, but he was tired. Focusing his gaze on his two companions, he nodded. “I think it’s best if we keep this between us for now.”

Mac bristled, but Carson held up a hand to forestall his argument. “Trust me, Mac, I have every intention of telling Teyla first chance I get, but I feel that this is not something that should become common knowledge if we can help it. Once I’ve talked to her, it’ll be her decision on who to share this news with.”

Elizabeth crossed her arms, gazing down. “Agreed.” Looking up, she steeled herself. “We don’t want to incite paranoia again.”

“Aye,” Mac sighed, resigned.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Sir, you can’t be serious,” Evan said aghast upon hearing the news about Teyla being part Wraith.

John gave him a dirty look, even as Elizabeth said, “That makes her about as different from us as you, considering your ATA gene.”

“Oh, no, ma’am, I didn’t mean anything like that. I know Teyla well enough to know she’s one of the best people I’ve ever met, and she’s bad ass all around. I was thinking more along the lines of how other people might take that kind of news,” Evan explained hurriedly.

Crossing his arms, Ioan nodded. “Like Bates.”

“Like Bates,” Evan agreed. He was already imagining the many ways the sergeant would spin this into a Wraith conspiracy and he wasn’t liking it one bit. Thankfully, there were only a few on the city who had similar views to the sergeant or else they’d be in a right mess.

John stepped forward, motioning for everyone to stay calm. “Let’s keep that one under wraps, okay?”

One glance at his superior officer told Evan that he, too, had no problems envisioning the sergeant’s likely reaction. “Don’t worry, sir, no one’s going to find out from me,” he assured. Teyla didn’t deserve the certain backlash that would await her as far as he was concerned.

“Why? Why experiment on the humans that way? What, to make them more tasty?” Rodney asked suddenly, frowning.

“According to the log, he was trying to make the feeding process… more efficient,” Elizabeth said with a wry twist to her lips. Efficient, that was one word for it, Evan thought. A pretty damn disturbing one, too.

“I thought you said they already shared several characteristics with us?” Rodney asked, looking as confused as Evan felt.

“Aye, they do. But they still are closer to the bug creature that attacked Major Sheppard than to us,” Carson said.

“Hey!” John interjected, straightening. “I thought we weren’t going to mention that again.”

Evan shared an amused look with his brother. This far from that particular incident, it was something they could joke about – at least as long as they did it out of earshot of one Major John Sheppard. Ioan quickly turned his head aside to hide his grin. Mac’s amusement bled through the bond as well, and he looked up at his mate who was leaning against the desk next to him. ‘You are evil,’ Mac mouthed with a wicked glint in his eyes.

“Sorry,” Carson muttered sheepishly.

“Also interesting,” Elizabeth cut in, “is the fact that the Wraith language seems to be a derivative of Ancient.”

Evan blinked, glancing at John. He wondered what that was about. He listened as they speculated on how the Wraith evolved, but while it certainly was something worth investigating at a later date, he didn’t feel it was something they needed to focus on right in that moment. Just as he was about to make his case, Rodney bit out, “Yes, yes, yes. But for the moment, all we know is that the Ancients might have ‘accidentally’ created the Wraith and why Teyla can sense them coming.” Rodney smirked, apparently not bothering to hide his disbelief that they were having this conversation. “Fabulous, mystery solved,” he added, gesturing widely with his hands, “but neither of which help in any way to stop them from coming.”

Silence hung heavily in the air as everyone seemed to remember what was waiting for them. Frivolous research would have to wait for a while. Evan just hoped that it was something they would be alive to pursue at a later date.

~*~*~*~*~*~

John watched as Carson and Kate prepared Teyla for their little experiment, placing various sensors on her. He had to admit that he was torn about the whole thing. Once Carson and Mac had figured out that Teyla’s ‘sensing’ of the Wraith was due to her DNA and that the link was of a telepathic nature, Elizabeth had suggested that Teyla go undercover, so to speak, and consciously seek out a connection to a Wraith. The prospect of having an ‘in’ into Wraith intel was extremely appealing, but part of him was worried for his friend. After all, they had no real idea what being inside a Wraith’s head might do to her. Still, he had okayed the endeavor. Mostly because he figured that if Teyla made up her mind, she wouldn’t need permission. At least this way, they had a shot at helping her if something went wrong.

“What do you hear?” Kate asked her.

Teyla scowled, listening intently for something. “Nothing.”

Damn, he thought. It wasn’t working. Frustrated, he pushed away from the bed he had been leaning on and crossed his arms. Okay, so maybe he wanted to have that information more than he had wanted to admit to himself. He bit his cheek to keep from distracting them.

The second time Kate had her try, Teyla made a connection. It kind of freaked John out if he was absolutely honest with himself. To watch through a Wraith’s eyes as it went about its business? And then the whole feeling it feed thing. He shuddered then jumped when Elizabeth ordered them to stop, to pull Teyla out.

She left the infirmary at a clip, John following behind. “What the hell? It worked,” he started.

Elizabeth rounded on him. “No, John. I know it was my idea, but this is too much to ask of her. Of anyone. To witness a feeding like that? No one should have to go through that. I cannot allow her to try.”

Teyla herself objected strongly to stopping the experiment. “Please, Dr. Weir. I saw a console. I saw where they were headed. There is information there that we need.”

Elizabeth relented and they all headed back inside. Once Teyla was under again, everything seemed to go smoothly until suddenly, it didn’t. Apparently the spying through enemy eyes was a two-way street and Teyla had been taken over by a Wraith. She began threatening them. Pushing aside his fear for her – was she still in there somewhere? Would they be able to get her back? – John tried remain calm.

Carson managed to bring her out of it after a couple of shocks to her system to John’s intense relief. Maybe Elizabeth was right. This had been a mistake. What if they had lost Teyla? John shook his head. No, he couldn’t think like that. Couldn’t start second guessing himself. It had been a calculated risk and one she had willingly taken.

“No more,” Elizabeth ordered, leaving the infirmary.

He hung around, wanting to make sure she truly was alright and to debrief her. What he learned had his stomach in knots.

“There is more going on here, Major. I know there is. If I could try again,” she pleaded.

He put his hand on her shoulder and smiled reassuringly at her. If she wanted to give it another go, he would see what he could do. He understood how important it was to her to help. To turn this bad situation into something good. “I’ll go talk to her,” he promised.

When he caught up with Elizabeth in the control room, the gate activated.

“This is Bates. Code Red. Coming in hot!”

“Lower the shield,” Elizabeth ordered even as John ran down the stairs, grabbing a P90 from one of his men. He got into position and did a headcount as people came streaming in.

“That’s it, we’re clear!” Bates yelled.

“Raise the shield!” John bellowed. The shield went up and several thuds could be heard before the gate disengaged. Lowering his weapon, he glanced down at Bates who had positioned himself in front of him. “So I guess that planet isn’t safe anymore.”

In true Bates’ fashion, the man started raving about what had happened. John had a sinking feeling that this time, the man might have a point. That planet had been uninhabited. There was no reason for the Wraith to be there. It held no tactical advantage for them, no food, nothing. The only thing there had been the Alpha site, and the only way they could have learned its location was through Teyla when she had been taken over.

John clenched his jaw to keep from biting the man’s head off as Elizabeth filled him in on the situation with Teyla. As predicted, Bates went ballistic, saying it was her fault the Alpha site had been compromised.

“At ease, Sergeant,” John bit out, glaring.

“Look, sir, I’m not saying she did it on purpose but this is just proof that she cannot be trusted with sensitive information! If the Wraith can control her at will, who knows what they could do through her. What they might learn! It isn’t safe!”

“I admit, in retrospect it probably was a mistake to let Teyla make the attempt,” Elizabeth agreed.

Bates snorted and John sort of wanted to punch the man. Luckily for Bates – and John, because really, he didn’t need to deal with the repercussions of letting his temper get the better of him – Ford showed up to let them know Teyla insisted on trying again. “She feels there’s something there that we need to know, ma’am. Look,” Ford said imploringly, “fact is, she’ll do it with or without permission. Wouldn’t it be better if we were there to help?”

That was exactly what John had been thinking earlier. He smiled approvingly at his lieutenant, then shot Elizabeth an expectant look. He’d be there for Teyla, regardless of what Elizabeth had to say about it, but he would much rather have her blessing. Thankfully, she agreed.

This time, Teyla seemed to get a little further before she once again was taken over by a Wraith, only this time Carson’s shocks did nothing to get her out of it. This Wraith appeared to control her body, which was a very bad thing as far as John was concerned. She knocked Carson out cold when he tried to shake her. She grabbed the IV pole and swung it at John. He ducked, cursing under his breath. “Teyla!”

For answer, she brought the pole down on his back, knocking the wind out of him. Damn, but that hurt! And he thought the beat downs he got from her during training were bad. Ow! He forced himself to push up, just in time to see Bates shoot her. At least the man had elected to use a Wraith stunner instead of a gun, but it still irked him. Especially when Bates shot him a triumphant look when she went down after the second shot.

John let that sink in a moment. Bates had had to shoot her twice! So not only was Teyla stronger with the Wraith possessing her body – because hello, Carson was still out cold, John could barely move yet, and she had apparently tossed Ford clear across the room – but that strength translated in every single way possible. Under normal circumstances, Teyla would have gone down after one shot.

Mac came running into the room, looking a little stunned himself as he took in the wreckage. “Bloody hell, what happened here? Is everyone alright?” he asked as he checked on Carson first who was beginning to come to.

Ford was on his feet already and helped John get upright, too. He winced, gently rolling his shoulders to ease the muscles. “Yeah, doc. Nothing an aspirin won’t cure, I’m sure.” He hoped, at least. He knew he would have a few wicked bruises for a while but didn’t think there was any damage done. “Check on Teyla, would you? She’s been through the wringer and I want to make sure she’s okay,” he asked, his eyes focused on her still form.

Mac got Carson in a seated position before he went over to Teyla to take her pulse. Glancing up at John, he smiled reassuringly. “I’m sure she’ll be fine. Help me get her in bed, would you? If you’re able to, if not, I’ll call one of the nurses in.”

He waved him off. “Don’t worry, doc, I got her.” It hurt, and it took him more effort than it ordinarily would have, but he lifted her into his arms and put her down in bed with Mac’s help while Ford went to Elizabeth’s side.

John was still in the infirmary waiting for Mac to give everyone a clean bill of health when Rodney rushed in looking frazzled. He made a beeline for John. “What the hell happened here?” he demanded.

Groaning, John brought his mate up to speed, certain he was going to get an earful for taking stupid risks. He was rather surprised when it didn’t come. Instead, Rodney tugged his shirt up and glowered at him after inspecting his back. “Mac, is he fit for duty?”

John side-eyed Mac, annoyed to see the amused twinkle in the doctor’s eyes. “Don’t worry, Rodney. I don’t think he’ll have any issues performing his duties.”

John hung his head, sighing. “Really, Mac?” he asked sarcastically. “You had to go there?”

Mac gave him an unrepentant grin as he shrugged. “What can I say. I know how you soldier types can get.”

Rodney snorted and John could sense through the bond that the man had relaxed some. Okay, so maybe he could forgive the Scot his teasing this once.

Teyla was still out cold. It would be a while before they would know if she had suffered any lasting damage from her encounter. Rodney stood by her bedside for a minute, staring down at their teammate and friend. “I don’t like that she did this, John,” he murmured, gently tucking a strand of hair out of her face. “It’s too risky.”

“So Bates keeps telling me,” John huffed.

Rodney spun on his heels, pointing an accusing finger at John. “No, I meant it is too risky for her! God knows what might have happened to her, John! She’s our friend! She’s team! She-”

John closed the distance between them, wrapping his mate in his arms. “Rodney, she made her choice. No one ordered her to do it. She’ll be okay, baby.”

Rodney huffed, holding John tight. “I still don’t like it.”

“I know.”

“Major?” Teyla’s voice was slurred, barely audible.

Both men turned to look at her. “Hey. How are you doing?” John asked, gesturing for Rodney to fetch Mac who was tending to Carson in the other room.

She closed her eyes, but nodded. “I will be alright.”

Mac, Carson, and the others filed into the room, and Mac started to check her stats, shining the requisite light in her eyes. She endured it patiently before turning to John once more. “I saw their plans. The route their ships are taking to get here.”

“That’s good,” Elizabeth said, smiling.

John had to agree, though he thought there was more. Sure enough, Teyla proved him right. “There’s more. They do not just want Atlantis. They know about you,” she added.

“What do you mean?” Elizabeth asked, brows furrowed in confusion.

John’s veins turned to ice. “Sumner.” He cleared his throat as the image of that fateful day swam to the forefront of his mind. “The female Wraith, she wasn’t just feeding on him, she was interrogating him.”

Teyla nodded, her eyes brimming with emotion. “That is why they’re waking up. That is why they are coming here. They know that Atlantis is the only way to get to a new, rich feeding ground.”

John felt sick to his stomach. It wasn’t bad enough that he was responsible for the Wraith waking up and culling world after world here in Pegasus, but it would also be on his shoulders that their sights were set on Earth. He tamped down on his fears, his concern for the family he had left behind on Earth, even if he hadn’t been welcome anymore. He’d put everyone at risk. Everyone.

Rodney grabbed John’s hand, squeezing hard. John turned his head, his face a mask of pain and guilt that he could not hide. “They’re coming for Earth,” he said hoarsely. God, what were they going to do?

 

next

John stared at Rodney, stooped over his laptop as he worked hard on the compression program he and Kimberly were trying to perfect in order to send one last, brief message back to the SGC, warning them about the Wraith threat. Gritting his teeth, he tamped down hard on the fear of losing Rodney that tried to bubble up. John wasn’t really afraid of much. Wasn’t even all that afraid of the Wraith as a whole, not after having fought them several times now and come out of each encounter alive. But that had been on their turf. This time was different. They were descending on their home and they were after their blood, and his people had nowhere to run. No way to fight back with any hope of survival.

So yes, John was afraid now. Afraid of losing the most precious thing life had ever given him. He scrubbed his fingers through his hair, scolding himself for entertaining such thoughts. He couldn’t afford the luxury of them, not for himself and definitely not for his mate. With a sigh, John stepped over to the coffee machine, poured Rodney another cup, and set a new pot to brew. He tried not to think how many he and his team had powered through already. Too many, he was sure, but he knew they needed to be as alert as possible.

Putting his hand on the back of Rodney’s neck, he squeezed lightly as he placed the man’s cup in front of him. Rodney leaned back into his touch, lifting his head to smile tiredly at John. “Thanks,” he murmured.

Leaning in, John pressed a chaste kiss to his lips. “You’re welcome. Least I can do. How’s the program going?”

Rodney shrugged. “Oh, it’s done if we need it to be, but I think I can squeeze a bit more out of it. I figure the more information we can send back to Earth, the better. They need to know what’s coming, John.”

“Agreed. Try to get some sleep soon, though. You won’t do anyone any good if you’re dead on your feet.”

Rodney closed his eyes and stretched his arms over his head, dislodging John’s hold on him in the process. He groaned, blinking slowly as he tried to focus on John again. “I know. I will. What about you?”

John smiled wryly as he leaned against Rodney’s desk. “That was what I came to tell you. I’m taking a jumper out to see if I can gather some intel. Radek believes the Wraith will stop at a couple of planets before they make it here, probably in order to feed. Teyla and I’ll go to one of them. She has contacts she feels might know something, and she’d like to warn them of the culling if she can.”

Rodney frowned, eyes searching John’s. “Don’t do anything stupidly heroic, okay? Come home in one piece.”

John sighed, staring down at his feet. “Not coming home isn’t an option for me, Rodney,” he confessed as he met his mate’s gaze. It hadn’t been an option for a long time now, John thought.

Getting to his feet, Rodney wrapped his arms around John, holding him tight. John held him in his arms, relishing the intimate bond they had once more. He would do anything he could to keep it. Reluctantly, John let go, cupping Rodney’s neck. “I’ll be back before you know it, babe.”

Rodney narrowed his eyes briefly, then nodded. Resting his hands on John’s hips, he sighed, tilting his head. “I love you, you know?” he said quietly.

John’s lips twitched, fighting a smile. “I know.” He bit his tongue to keep from adding more. Not because he didn’t feel the same, but because he knew Rodney, and he was waiting for it. Any second now, John thought.

“Who do you think you are? Han Solo?” Rodney groused under his breath, though John could tell both through the bond and the man’s eyes that he was more amused than upset.

John laughed, pressing his lips to Rodney’s forehead. “Wouldn’t dream of it. I love you, too, you idiot,” he said fondly, earning him a smile. The bond told him that Rodney was a little less tense now, so he’d done what he had hoped to do.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Alright, we have our city specs, tactical assessments, and mission reports all ready to go. What else?” Elizabeth asked the room at large.

Rodney was only half paying attention to the meeting, his mind preoccupied on other matters – only part of which was seeing whether he could make any further improvements on the compression algorithm. Another part was touching on his bond with John which had him frowning as he wondered why he was feeling annoyance coming through it. That, and he was marveling at the fact that even with John off world, he could feel him, vague as the sensation was. “Well, I’ve included a ton of data that we’ve been able to decipher from the Ancient database.”

Elizabeth gave him a peculiar look. What, didn’t she believe him? “Really?” she asked. Okay, apparently she doubted him. And wasn’t that annoying. “That is incredible,” she added.

Why yes, of course it was. He couldn’t quite suppress the smug look on his face as he replied, “Well, the algorithm I devised is extraordinarily efficient, yes.”

Carson huffed, glowering at his hands. “Oh, please.”

Rodney shot him a dirty look. Okay, so maybe he should have mentioned that it was a collaborative effort with Miko and Kimberly, but the program had initially been his baby. Surprisingly, Elizabeth defended him. “Well, it must be for all that data to fit into one point three seconds.”

Rodney straightened, grinning. “Point three seconds, actually,” he boasted.

She gaped at him. “We have a whole extra second to fill?”

“Hm, yes. Imagine that, a whole extra second,” he retorted, trying – and failing – to keep his snark to a minimum. Maybe John was right and he should get some sleep soon. His tongue always seemed to sharpen when he was sleep deprived.

Everyone stared at him for a moment. Elizabeth frowned down at the table, obviously considering something. When she looked up at him, she seemed hopeful. “Is it enough to include personal messages?”

Rodney blinked, contemplating. “Err, sure? Several hours of video, much more if it’s strictly audio.”

A smile spread her lips as she met everyone’s eyes. “I think it’d be wondrous for moral. Especially now.”

Kate and Carson both nodded in agreement. Evan and Ioan merely exchanged looks, while Ford seemed to be the most excited about the prospect. “I can finally tell my grandma what I’ve been up to all this time.”

Elizabeth suppressed a smile. “If your grandmother had security clearance, yes you could,” she gently admonished him. He grinned, abashed. “But for now you can tell her that you’re well, and that you miss her,” she added.

Rodney barely refrained from rolling his eyes. He had no idea why the lieutenant seemed to be less and less able to use his brain. It truly baffled him because when he’d first met the man, he had seemed such a bright guy, full of potential. Rodney had actually started to wonder whether it was possible for someone to have a complete breakdown without anyone really noticing. Sighing, he gathered his things. “This is all very charming, but I have work to do. Shouldn’t I, err…” He trailed off, glancing expectantly at Elizabeth.

“Yes, please do,” she said, nodding. Without waiting for any objections, Rodney got to his feet even as she turned to Ford. “Lieutenant, maybe you’d like to handle this? Give everyone a few minutes on camera to send a personal message to their loved ones.”

“I’d love to, ma’am.”

“Off you go,” she said, tapping the table, but Rodney was already headed to the stairs. As soon as he arrived at his lab, he called Miko, Kimberly, and Radek to him and had them go over ways – again – to maximize the energy output while minimizing the risk of overloading their systems in the hopes of expanding the window the gate would remain open. Every microsecond would count, especially with the likelihood of everyone on the expedition making a video. He wanted everyone to have the opportunity to say their goodbyes.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Evan and Ioan were going through their weapons manifest in order to try to supply the bolt holes John had insisted on after the Genii attack. They had worked hard between the three of them to find the best strategic positions, both for occurrences of invasion through the gate and aerial assaults.

Ioan sighed, pausing as he caught Ford out of the corner of his eye, carrying a small camera.

“What?” Evan asked quietly.

Ioan shook his head, turning to his brother. “Do you have any idea what to say?”

“No,” Evan admitted. “You?”

He shrugged. “I know what I would like to tell mom and dad, but… How can we, Ev? I mean… Earth doesn’t know about the soul bonds yet and after the whole Chaya thing I’m not so sure that that is information we should be sending.” At Evan’s shocked expression, he added quickly, “Don’t get me wrong, I think people have the right to know, but think about it Evan. I know that Chaya was an Ascended and all, but they’ve been making a lot of strides in the field of genetics lately. Do you really believe that there won’t be someone out there who would try to use the soul bond thing for their own gain?”

Evan seemed to consider that for a moment, then grimaced. “You’re right. It’d be different if we were in constant contact with Earth and we could ensure that the information would be handled responsibly – as much as that ever happens at any rate – but to just dump it on them and hope for the best?”

Ioan nodded, relieved his brother could see his concern. “Exactly. It’s too risky. Even with most of the natural ATA carriers here on Atlantis, there are still a few on Earth. And they know there are people who would get the full genome if given the ATA therapy. I know that they wouldn’t be able to utilize that yet, but how long do you think it’d be before that got sanctioned if this came out? How soon before the experiments’ll start? And if they get their hands on a bonded pair, how long before they hold one hostage in whatever way they deem necessary in order to force them to comply to someone’s wishes? We’d be putting people in danger. It isn’t like the IOA will have anyone’s back on that one, and General O’Neill can only do so much.”

A look of sadness swept over Evan’s face. Ioan stepped over to his brother, putting a hand on his shoulder. Evan met his eyes with a sad smile. “I was just thinking how happy it would make them to know about Mac. And Kimberly for that matter.”

“I know, Ev. We can’t tell them, though. Back home, the regulations still stand and it would open up a can of worms they don’t need to be dealing with on top of everything else.”

Evan huffed a laugh. “When did you become so wise, huh?”

Ioan grinned. “Guess I take after my big brother that way,” he quipped.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Hello, Da. I’m sorry I haven’t been able to be in touch before now. Things have been a mite… hectic these past few months.” Mac grinned sheepishly into the camera, running his fingers through his hair. “The mission I’m on has been a challenge at times, but it’s been grand on the whole. I’ve made a lot of new friends, some of whom I hope one day you’ll get to meet.”

And wasn’t that the understatement of the century, Mac thought. He dearly wished he could tell his father about Evan, but he understood why they had all been ordered to keep mum about the soul bonds. He wondered fleetingly whether his parents would have been soulmates, too. He remembered all too well how much they had loved each other. How much it had hurt his dad when mum had passed away.

He shook his head, smiling. “Sorry, Da. I’m maudlin’ I guess. I miss you a lot. I wish I could tell you all the exciting things we’re discovering every day it seems. Maybe some day. Anyway, I hope you’re doing alright and that you’re watching after yourself. You’ll have to tell me about any new exhibits at the museum next time, okay? Love you.”

He glanced away and cleared his throat a couple of times. Right. That had been much more difficult than he had thought. Still, he hoped it would help his father, at least. Turning to Lieutenant Ford, he nodded. “Thanks, Lieutenant. I think… I think that’ll be it for me,” he murmured.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

He liked Teyla, John reminded himself firmly as he swung the ship back toward the planet. She was a great friend, a worthy ally, and she had one of the biggest hearts he knew. Still, he was more than a little irked that she kept insisting on going back for her friend and his family, they would be cutting it close as it was just to get to the gate. He certainly understood her desire to save them, but that hadn’t been part of the mission and trying to swing back to rescue them would put them and everyone on Atlantis at risk. Well, more risk. They had to make it back to the city to warn them of what was coming. This wasn’t just three Hive ships, it was damn near an entire armada. He had no idea what kind of defense they might be able to mount against that kind of attack, but without the intel the answer to that would be nil.

“Sorry, Teyla, but there isn’t time,” he ground out as he pushed the jumper as fast as it would go. The HUD told him it wasn’t helping much, the Wraith were right on his heels, heading for the planet for what looked to be the biggest culling he’d ever seen. “Dial the gate as soon as we’re in range, we’re only going to get one shot at this.”

“Major, if we could just-” she protested.

John jerked his head around to face her. “Look, I get it, Teyla. I wish we could help them. Hell, I wish we could save everybody in the galaxy, but we can’t. You pick the battles that you know you can win and this isn’t one of them.”

Teyla glared at him, her displeasure painfully obvious to John. Still, she nodded curtly and began the dialing sequence. Before she was finished, however, the gate activated and she gasped. “I have heard of the Wraith dialing in to prevent the people of using it as a means of escape during a culling. They will keep the gate busy for hours, major.”

Dammit, John thought, taking a deep, steadying breath. He tried to push reassurance through the bond, not wanting Rodney to worry more than he likely already was. If the man wasn’t keeping himself too busy to really think about the fact John wasn’t on the city. He could feel the exhaustion coming from the other man and he wished he were home so he could make the scientist get some much needed rest.

With a sigh, John changed course, heading to the place Teyla had told her friend to go. “Looks like we have time,” he muttered, earning him a grateful look. He just hoped they would all make it through the culling for this risk to have been worth it.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Rodney frowned, staring at the camera he had set up on his desk. He wished John were here to do this with him. Downing his coffee, he sighed, scowling at it. What cup was he on now? He’d lost count. Putting it down, he checked the settings one last time before hitting record and taking his seat – and proceeded to babble. His mind was going in continuous circles and several times he found himself talking without being really conscious of what he was saying. As soon as he realized that he had let something slip he shouldn’t have, he would rally himself – or try to, at least – and force himself back on subject.

The entire time, he held onto the bond with John, worried for his mate who was hours late for check in. At least he knew he was still alive and unharmed. For now.

John. Rodney suddenly sat up straighter as the thought suddenly hit him that he wanted John to meet his sister. He and Jeannie had been at odds for years, ever since she gave up her potential future in favor of marrying whatshisface – Kaleb, his brain supplied unhelpfully – though he had to admit that that was mostly due to himself. Scrubbing his face, he groaned. God, he had been so stupid!

His thoughts whirled, jumping from one to the next in rapid fire fashion as it always did when things suddenly became clear to him. Jeannie was his sister. That meant that she would also have the genome, or at least that the gene therapy would work. What if Kaleb had it, too, and he was her soulmate? What right did Rodney have to hold that against her? None, that’s what. And now he was in another galaxy and he would never be able to tell her how sorry he was for all the angry things he had said to her. He would never be able to tell her about John, or about the whole concept of a soul bond. She would find it so fascinating, too. He was sure of that.

Clearing his throat, he stared at the camera. “Jeannie… my sister. Okay, Ford, if you edit out everything else, please, keep this and make sure it gets through? Thanks.” Taking a deep breath, he smiled tentatively. “Hey, Jeannie. I’m sorry I’m not there in person to tell you this, but… Well, I’m sorry. For everything. I know I haven’t been the best brother in the world, and I definitely haven’t been the brother you deserve but I just wanted you to know that I love you. And I wish that we could have the chance to start over again. I hope that you and Kaleb are happy, and that little Madison – well, not so little anymore, I suppose, it’s been a few years hasn’t it? – anyway, that she’s doing well. Give her a hug from her Uncle Mer, if you would.” He tried not to cringe at the use of his nickname. He hated the name Meredith, but his family had always refused to call him by his middle name. He figured that using it now was the least he could do. An olive branch, so to speak, since he normally would lay into anyone who called him Mer or Meredith.

Turning the camera off, he muttered under his breath. “And Ford had better keep his mouth shut about it if he knows what’s good for him. At least not too many people will actually see this.” He shuddered at the thought of anyone on Atlantis getting it into their heads to start using his first name.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“You ready, Dr. Smyth?” Lieutenant Ford asked after he was done setting up.

Kimberly ran her fingers through her hair and tugged at her shirt to even out the wrinkles some. She wasn’t sure she was ready, but she knew she had to try. Had to offer her family some sort of closure, if she could. Taking a deep breath, she nodded.

Lieutenant Ford gave her a reassuring smile. “Okay, go for it.”

“Mom. Dad. Just wanted to let you know I’m doing alright, and that I love and miss you guys so much. I’m sorry I haven’t been in touch, but work’s… well, it’s been a bit of a bear. Don’t get me wrong, it’s challenging and exciting and I’m learning new things nearly every day, but… it can be a bit much at times.”

She smiled down at her hands briefly. “I wish I could tell you everything that’s been going on, but there just isn’t time. We only get a few minutes each, so I’ll try to be succinct. I’ve met some amazing people here, mom. I wish you could meet some of them. I think… I think you’d like them a lot, too.” She bit her lip to keep from saying more than she should. “Anyway, I’m almost out of time. Hopefully you two are doing well, and I’ll try to get in touch again soon. Love you, so much.”

“That it?” Ford asked, pausing the recording when she looked up at him.

“Actually… I was wondering whether I could have another minute? I’d like to get a message to a close friend of mine, too, if that’s okay?” She knew she couldn’t convey everything that she would have wished, but maybe if he saw…

“Sure thing.” He hit record again and nodded.

“This message is for Dr. Jackson. Hey, Daniel. It’s me. Just a quick hello from you know where. I’m… doing great, actually. I wish you were here so you could see some of the wonders for yourself. You’d love it here. There’s so much to discover. Anyway, I just.. I needed to let you know that everything will be okay. For you, I mean. Remember what we talked about before we left? More than ever, I have faith in that now and I need for you to have it, too.”

There. That would have to do. Any more and she would be saying too much, but she knew Daniel well enough to know that he would get the underlying message. To not give up on Jack. That they were meant to be together, even if he might never know they were soulmates.

Ford gave her a weird look. “I’m not sure about this, Doc.”

She smiled at him, waving off his concern. “Don’t worry, Lieutenant. Dr. Jackson has full clearance when it comes to the expedition. I haven’t given up any state secrets.” She might have skirted the line when it came to the order Dr. Weir had given with regards to the soul bond information, but she hadn’t crossed that, either.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

John stared out of the window, feeling sick to his stomach as they watched the culling unfold. He was not good at just sitting by and doing nothing, but it would be worse than suicidal to even attempt to take on the Wraith. But to be forced to sit idly by and watch hundreds and hundreds of people being swept up as so much fodder, it went against everything he believed in. “This is hard to sit and watch,” he admitted.

“There’s nothing we can do.” Teyla’s voice sounded dead. When he glanced at her, he was shocked at the drawn expression on her face. This was not the Teyla he had grown to respect and admire.

“We could do a lot,” he corrected. “It’d just be the last thing we ever do.”

She turned her head with a look of confused disbelief. “We are vastly outnumbered and the gate is still inaccessible. But if we save Orin and his family we will have done something.” Her voice was on the verge of tears, and for once, John knew how she felt.

He nodded firmly, swallowing hard. “Something,” he agreed. If only he could be sure it would be enough. Forcing his eyes forward again, he was determined to at least witness the passing of a people.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Teyla’s heart was breaking. So much death. So much loss. The need to act was great, but she knew all too well the futility of action in this instance. She had joined the people from Earth because she truly believed they were the best hope in defeating the Wraith. She had every intention to do everything within her power to save her people. To save all people in Pegasus if she could. To her mind, it was the duty of every person alive to stand up against the Wraith, even if the only way to do so was to try to save the last of a civilization.

She had had reason for disappointment and disapproval before with these people she had come to know and love as family. They were far from perfect, not that she herself could claim to be either. Still, when Ford suggested they steal the ZPM from the children on M7G-677 in order to briefly gain the shield for the city. And earlier, when John refused to come to the aid of her father’s friend until they had no choice but to remain on the planet. These were the times where she could not understand them.

A sudden bright, white beam slammed into the ground in the middle of the village, the impact of it shook the jumper. They both stared at it, shocked. “What is that?” John asked uneasily.

She shook her head. “I have never seen such a thing.” Leaning forward slightly, she could not see where it originated from, which meant it was likely coming from one of the Hive ships. She had never heard of anything like this, had no concept of what it might mean. Though as she continued to watch, she began to wonder if this was what the Wraith had used to scorch Athos. There was a strange aura forming at the site of impact that she could not explain.

John jumped up, a look of determination on his face. “I’ll go check it out.”

Panic seized her. Swiveling in her seat, she grabbed John’s sleeve. “You may be discovered!” she cautioned. For all that she had begged him to help before, him risking his life needlessly now was not what she had wished for. She shook her head. “Major,” she pleaded.

John sighed, pointing at the beam. “I just want to see… whatever ‘it’ is,” he tried to assure her, though she felt he was not succeeding. “You just… stay here until Orin and his family show up.”

With one reproving look, John grabbed his P90, hit the door opener, and headed out leaving Teyla behind to her thoughts. Saying a quick prayer, she resumed scouting through the window in hope of spotting Orin. She hoped very much that they would make it to safety. She owed it to her father’s memory.

How much time went by without a sign of life, Teyla wasn’t sure. She was beginning to fear for Major Sheppard’s life, and she tried very hard not to think on Orin’s fate. They just had to be alright, or else it would be on her. In order to keep from going out of her mind, she set about gathering supplies, aware that any survivors were likely to need First Aid. She had just pulled down the kit and put it on the bench in the rear compartment when a sudden noise alerted her. She looked up, her breath catching in her throat as her heart attempted to beat its way out of her chest.

Wraith!

Her eyes flitted to the bench opposite her where her gun lay. The Wraith drone had stopped, apparently sensing her presence. Holding her breath, she prayed he would move on, that the cloak would hold even though the jumper was open and she would be in plain view if it didn’t. There were mere feet between them and she very much doubted she would be fast enough to reach her weapon in time to prevent it shooting her if it spotted her.

Seconds ticked by and Teyla tried to control her heartbeat. Finally, finally the drone turned away and she was able to breathe freely again. Her legs were shaking so badly that she had to sit down or risk falling over. Perhaps Major Sheppard had been right. They were putting themselves at risk being here. When would this nightmare end, she wondered.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

John ran as fast as he could toward the spot he had parked the jumper. There had been one too many close calls as far as he was concerned and he wanted off this planet, stat. Stark relief flooded him when he saw Teyla pop up out of thin air, helping him find his way. “It’s pretty ugly out there,” he murmured. When he stepped up the ramp, he slowed his stride, taking in the people in the rear compartment with a frown. “Is this Orin’s family?”

“No,” Teyla admitted.

John shot her an incredulous look. What did she think this was? They weren’t a lifeboat taking on passengers from the Titanic, for Christ’s sake.

Unable to meet his eyes, she glanced at one of the men before forcing herself to face John. “They have not seen Orin since before the culling began.”

John sighed, hating to be the one to tell his friend there was little hope of them having made it. “The village is pretty much wiped out.” Right. It was time. Long past time, as far as he was concerned. Stepping into the cockpit, he picked up the binoculars, hoping for some sort of sign. His heart skipped a beat when he saw the gate wink out. “The gate just shut off,” he said, unable to hide his relief. “We should be able to dial up and get out of here before the Wraith can do anything about it,” he said, dropping into his seat and preparing to leave.

Teyla stepped up to him hesitantly. “Please, Major, give Orin more time.”

Was she kidding? Who knew whether they would get another shot at getting out of here and she wanted to wait? “If he were able to get here he would be here by now,” he argued. “We gotta get back.”

Teyla’s face hardened. “Then go,” she said, turning away from him to grab her gun. “I will stay and search in daylight. You can return for me later.”

What? No way! Why was she being so damn stubborn about this? Surely she knew she wouldn’t stand a chance out there on her own. She was good, but she had no hope against an enemy like this. “You can’t do that,” he reasoned.

“I consider Orin family, Major!” she snapped. “I’m sorry if you do not understand what that means.”

He ground his teeth. “Oh, I understand it, Teyla, but that’s not the point!”

“With, or without you, I am staying,” she insisted.

“You won’t make it.”

She sighed. “Then I ask that you stay as well. Just a little longer,” she pleaded. “Allow something good to come of this.”

Counting to ten, he tried to keep his cool as he weighed his options. Cursing himself, he closed his eyes. Oh, but he was going to get it from Rodney, especially if this turned out to be a mistake. “Fine. I’ll give him a little more time.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rodney met John in the jumper bay, wrapping his arms around him the second he was off the ramp. “I should be so mad at you right now,” he murmured.

John huffed. “You have no idea.”

Lifting his head, he glanced at the slew of people trodding out of the jumper ahead of Teyla. “You brought back strays?” he said sotto voce. “Was that really the best idea, considering?”

“Rodney,” John groaned, shaking his head.

Poking John’s chest, he scowled. “Seriously. What took you so long? You were supposed to be back hours ago.”

When John explained what had happened, how they had ended up stuck on the planet and then waited for any survivors that happened their way, Rodney’s insides turned to ice. “You promised, John. You promised you wouldn’t do anything stupidly heroic,” he accused.

Holding up his hands, John shook his head. “Baby, I didn’t have a choice. The Wraith gated in before we could dial out. They kept the gate busy all night. I promise, we left as soon as we safely could. Well, almost as soon as, since we waited for Orin and his family.”

Rodney grumbled under his breath, too tired to really put his back into an argument with his mate. He walked alongside John to Elizabeth’s office. God, but he wanted their bed, but not without John there. He had tried to nap earlier and his mind had conjured up horrifying image after horrifying image without John there to hold him. To keep him safe. So instead of heading to their quarters, he filled John in on what had been going on. “There’s still room left for you to send a message, if you want.”

John’s mouth tightened, his posture stiffened, and the bond seemed to dull. Rodney frowned. “What? What is that about?”

“Nothing, Rodney. Not something to worry about now, at any rate,” John said, sighing.

He huffed. “Elizabeth took care of the messages for the people we… lost. She left Colonel Sumner’s family for you, though. We thought that you might want to do that one yourself.”

John nodded. “Yeah. I guess that wouldn’t be a bad idea. Thanks.”

Rodney patted his arm awkwardly. “Ford’s waiting for you in the conference room. As soon as you’re done, we’re going to send the data burst to Earth.”

John paused on the stairs and tilted his head. “You think they’ll get the message?” he asked quietly.

Rodney considered it for a moment, then nodded. “Yes. I doubt it’ll do us any good, but at least Earth can start to mount a defense. That’s worth something, right?” It had to, or else what had been the point of it all.

“Yeah,” John agreed in a whisper as he took Rodney’s hand. “That’s worth something.”

 

next

“Alright, gentlemen. What is your plan?” Elizabeth asked the group at large.

John and Evan shared a look. John suppressed a grin as he focused on her instead of his excited mate who was having a difficult time not bouncing in his seat. He leaned forward casually, resting his clasped hands on the table. “Well, we figure with the list Elizabeth-one gave us-”

A snort escaped Evan’s lips which he quickly turned into a cough. John ignored the looks he was receiving, ranging from mild shock to amusement. “As I was saying, we figure that with that list, we have a few planets to try. My team’ll go to Dagan since we’ve already had first contact there. Evan’s team will check out the third address. Ioan’s team will take the fourth. Markham’s team the fifth. Rodney had Chuck try the addresses first to see if they all connected, which is why we were able to rule out the second address on the list. The gate won’t connect, and without having a ship to send to the address, there’s no way of knowing the reason for that.”

Elizabeth nodded thoughtfully. “Alright. When did you have in mind for this?”

“Actually, ma’am,” Evan chimed in, “we were planning on all of us going. We know the Wraith are on their way, so we figured the sooner we find a ZPM, the better.”

“We can be wheels up within the hour.”

Elizabeth tented her fingers in front of her mouth, thinking. After a minute, she agreed. “Very well. You have a go, but I would like you all to remain in regular contact. Arrange your call-in times with Chuck and stick to them, gentlemen.”

They hammered out the finer details of the respective missions for another fifteen minutes before heading out to get ready. John’s team would be the last to head out, so they had time yet. He wanted to be there to see the others off, though, so he stuck around the gateroom. Rodney, apparently too excited by the prospect of finding ZPMs, was talking rapidly about who they could talk to to get help. “You remember Allina, John? The archeologist we met last time? I’m sure she and her people would be able to help us find it.”

John’s lips twitched as his eyes met Teyla’s, who looked equally amused. “Sure, Rodney, I remember her.” How could he forget. The woman seemed enamored with his mate and he was completely oblivious to her advances.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Peterson, you take point. Dylan, cover the rear. Simmons, you read anything yet?” Evan surveyed the area around the gate once more. They had already cleared it, but caution never hurt.

Simmons shook his head, eyes on his scanner. “No, sir. Not a thing. According to the information Dr. Grodin found, though, the outpost should be in that general direction,” he pointed somewhere to the right, toward forested hills.

Evan sighed. Of course it wouldn’t be so easy. “Alright, let’s head out. Everyone stay alert. We have two hours till we need to call home. Freeman, you and your team stay here as point of contact and hold the gate.”

It took them the better part of four hours to reach a clearing and they had already checked in once. They paused, Simmons again trying to get some sort of reading. He frowned. “If there’s a ZPM here, sir, I can’t tell it from the scanner. I’m getting no energy signature whatsoever.”

Well that didn’t make sense, Evan thought. They should at least be getting something if it was close by. “Fan out, stay in radio contact,” he ordered.

After another fifteen minutes, Peterson radioed, “Sir, I think I got something. About half a klick from where we started.”

“On our way, stay put.” Evan double-timed it, pleased to see the rest of the team converging on Peterson, too. “What’ve you got?”

Peterson jerked his head to a rock wall that would have been easily overlooked if it hadn’t been for evidence of a rockslide exposing an entrance. The opening had been cleverly hidden from plain view, Evan thought. “Still nothing?” he asked Simmons, scanning the entryway.

“No, sir.”

Evan called Freeman, telling him to send Atlantis an update on their situation, then clicked off. “Alright. Eyes peeled, gentlemen,” he said, taking point.

Evan was starting to wonder about this place. Could Janus have been wrong about there being a ZPM here? So far, he hadn’t really seen any indication there was anything remotely Lantean on this planet, regardless of what Janus had claimed or what the database said there should be. Still, it was the only intel they had, so he would do everything he could to confirm one way or the other.

Two minutes into the cave the passageway gave way to a large room, with several smaller doors leading off from it. There had once been a large doorway of sorts in the rock, but it was just empty space now, if you didn’t count the debris from a partial collapse. They could vaguely make out shapes of Ancient consoles, but everything was pitch black inside. Nothing came to life when Evan stepped into the room and there was no awareness like he experienced in the city. His heart sank at the implications. Swallowing hard, he ordered his men to search the small compound for any sign of a ZPM, cautioning them to watch out for instabilities, and they split up.

Evan had tried two rooms already, finding nothing but more Ancient tech that wasn’t working, as well as some abandoned equipment that he was sure McKay wouldn’t mind getting his hands on for spare parts, and more fallen rock. As he entered the third, he closed his eyes and cursed under his breath. In the middle of the small room, the dais that housed the ZPM was in ruins, the ZPM exposed and very obviously broken. The back wall had completely collapsed, bringing part of the ceiling down on top of it.

Clicking his radio, he sighed. “I think I found it, but it’s a dud. Let’s head back to the gate.” At least it explained why they hadn’t picked up any energy signatures. He wasn’t looking forward to telling Dr. Weir or McKay about this, though.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Radek ducked under the console, trying to figure out what the idiots had done to it this time.

“I don’t know what happened,” Chuck claimed, sipping his coffee. “It just stopped working. I got some of the functionality back but it’s still not doing everything it used to.”

Clenching his teeth, Radek popped back up and checked the readings on his laptop. When would people learn? “Yes, well maybe if people stop insisting on having food and liquid in such close proximity to the ten thousand year old equipment,” he bitched, giving Chuck a pointed glare.

“Hey, we’re very careful. We are not the problem here,” Chuck retorted with a scowl of his own.

“Yes, uhhuh,” he muttered. Rolling his eyes, Radek turned his attention back to his laptop. Frowning, he double checked the readout he was getting. Sighing, he got to his feet and turned to grab something out of his toolkit when the big screen suddenly flashed and started spouting information in Ancient. He jerked around, pointing an accusing finger at Chuck. “What did you touch?”

Chuck held up both hands. “Nothing! I didn’t touch anything, I swear!”

Cursing in Czech, Radek rushed to the console, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. His laptop indicated that a new program had powered up on its own, but he couldn’t tell what. Slowly turning back toward the big screen, Radek murmured, “Then what is it-?” He blinked.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Ioan, did you find it?” Kimberly asked the second her team made it through the gate. She hated that she hadn’t been able to join them, but she still hadn’t been cleared for regular duty. Dr. Abel had taken her place instead. She was competent enough, but AR-3 was hers as far as Kimberly was concerned.

Ioan shook his head, looking disgruntled. “No. The area that you and Grodin put the outpost at is just… gone. Utterly obliterated. Pretty recently, too, from what we could tell. There was evidence of a Wraith attack on the planet, but no survivors which is new.”

Kimberly’s face fell as she walked beside her mate to the meeting room for his debrief. “Damn,” she muttered. Ioan glanced at her. “Any word from the others?” She shook her head. “No, not yet.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rodney listened as Allina explained about the Brotherhood of Fifteen who had been entrusted with a precious artifact by the Ancestors. He was remarkably impressed by everything Allina and her group had discovered since their last visit. He thought that Daniel would have loved being here, as this whole mission was right up his alley. He hated to admit it, even to himself, but Rodney was enjoying himself. Not because he was suddenly developing an interest in a soft science like archeology, but this whole thing had a feel of an intricate puzzle about it which he enjoyed. And hello, ZPM as a reward!

Allina handed out three square stones with engravings on them, explaining that these three clues recently had been uncovered. “Where did you find them?” he asked, only half paying attention to her as he inspected the stone he had been handed.

“This building used to be their monastery, actually. We pieced together some of the information we found here and tracked down the number six and seven stones. We found the number three stone on an unrelated dig just last week.”

“So if we find the stones, we find the map,” John said thoughtfully.

Allina nodded. “Yes, exactly.”

Rodney’s mind was racing, trying to put the puzzle pieces together. He wasn’t sure what all the markings meant, but the ones at the bottom were fairly obvious. At least, to him. “Hm. You see this?” he pointed at the nine square grid with one colored grid at the top right.

Ford frowned down at the stone in his hands. “Part of the design?”

Rolling his eyes, Rodney suppressed a sigh. “I don’t think anything on these stones is there just for esthetics. Here, hand me that,” he said, snapping his fingers for Ford to hand his stone over. Glancing at it, he nodded, placing it on the table in the right sequence. “Each of the stones has a part of the grid embossed.” He touched the grid.

“Signifying where its correct placing should be in the final configuration,” Allina said, smiling in understanding.

Rodney tapped the side of his nose, pleased she had caught on so quickly. “Exactly.”

“So what?” Ford asked, shrugging.

Rodney just stared at him for several seconds. “So what?” he repeated, baffled. Didn’t he get it? It was so simple! “Ay…” He sighed, shaking his head in despair. He turned to Allina. “Do you have a map?” Maybe if the lieutenant saw it, he’d get it. A glance over at his mate reassured him that it was dawning on John at least.

Allina’s assistant handed her a map and she spread it out on the table. They secured it with a few props to keep it from rolling back up. “Okay,” Rodney said, grabbing a piece of charcoal. “Where did you find the first one?” She pointed to the spot and he marked it, then did the same with the second and third stone locations. “You have no idea how lucky a find that third stone was,” he muttered as he drew a grid pattern.

Teyla wasn’t sure what she was seeing and Ford still looked clueless. Teyla, he could understand, but he really had expected better from his youngest teammate. Still, he needed for them to be on the same page, so he went over things again, relieved when the light bulbs finally seemed to go on for them.

John sighed, looking resigned. “Alright. Split up. Two teams. Let’s start digging.”

Rodney shot him an amused look which earned him the stinkeye, but that just made his grin widen. Seemingly in spite of himself, John chuckled, shaking his head.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Incoming wormhole,” Chuck announced. “Radio message from Sergeant Stackhouse.”

“Put him through,” Elizabeth said, walking up to him, Ioan and his team following close behind having just finished their debrief.

“Dr. Weir, this is Sergeant Stackhouse. Ma’am, I’m sorry to report that the outpost has been destroyed. It appears there was an extinction level volcanic eruption at some point. We’ve done a full survey of the planet, but aside from a few half-buried relics here and there, there’s nothing here. Scans show that the area the outpost was in is covered in hardened lava. We’ve tried to see whether there’s any chance of accessing it, if it’s even still there underneath, but no luck.”

Ioan closed his eyes and let out a long breath. Hopefully SA-1 would have better luck, because it was all up to them now. Every other team had struck out.

Elizabeth looked as disappointed as he felt. “Alright, Sergeant. Come on home. No point for you to stay there. I’ll ask Dr. McKay whether it’s worth looking into further.”

“Yes, ma’am, coming through now. Stackhouse, out.”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“I’m sorry, the sensors picked it up days ago, but it took me until now to finally decipher what they were trying to tell us,” Radek said apologetically. Pushing his glasses back up, he pointed at the screen.

Dr. Weird leaned over his shoulder, eyes wide with shock. “A dart? How is that possible? The Hive ships are still light years away!”

“Well, perhaps it was modified to get here as quickly as possible. Maybe it used gate to nearest planet and has been flying top speed ever since they discovered we were here.” Radek shrugged as he tabbed between screens. “At its current velocity, it will be over the city in…” he paused, and Ioan swore he could see the man working it out in his head. “Twenty-seven minutes.”

Crap. That was not good. Ioan took a steadying breath and met Kimberly’s eyes. She had paled considerably. Dr. Weir straightened and nodded as if to herself. “Right. We need to get jumpers in the air. Lieutenant, I want at least three in the air as soon as possible.”

Ioan saluted. “Yes, ma’am. I’m on it.”

He turned to leave, but Kimberly grasped his wrist, her eyes wide with fear. “Please be careful,” she whispered.

He could sense just how afraid she was through their bond, so he did what he could to assure her. Placing his hand over hers, he squeezed it and gave her a small smile. “Always. I’ll be back before you know it. You help Radek, okay?”

“Of course.”

Leaning in, he gave her a quick peck on the lips, heedless of their surroundings because he knew it was what she needed. He was rewarded with an approximation of her usual smile and a slight lessening of the knot of anxiety in their bond that was her. “That’s my girl,” he murmured. “Gotta go. Love you.”

He double-timed it, calling out orders over the radio for Kagawa, Markham, Beckett, Bates, and Smith to report to the jumper bay. He still caught Kimberly’s, “I love you, too,” as he went.

Within minutes they were all in the air and Radek was piping them information. “You should have visual in thirty seconds.”

Ioan glanced at the HUD while Kagawa peered out the window. “Anything?” Ioan asked.

“No, nothing yet. I can’t see anything but blue sky.”

Ioan hit the comms. “Eyes peeled everyone.” All his focus was on the incoming Wraith, willing for it to show itself so they could shoot it already.

“I see it!” Smith called a few seconds later. “It’s at our one o’clock and heading right f-”

Ioan’s eyes swiveled to where Smith indicated and he blinked in shock when it appeared out of nowhere, took out Markham’s jumper and broke for the city. “Beckett, Bates, do not let him acquire a target.”

“I’m a bloody doctor, not a fighter pilot!” came Carson’s agitated voice even as he veered around in pursuit of the dart.

Ioan shook his head, following suit. They had to take that damned dart down, now. Man, that thing was stealthy. He could definitely see where it got its name from. It was everything Ioan could do to keep pace with it, the way it was weaving between the turrets of Atlantis. It wasn’t giving them a clean shot which was pissing him off. He needed to take it out but he couldn’t risk firing in this close proximity to the city and the Wraith seemed to know it.

“What is it doing?” Bates asked incredulously. Ioan was wondering the same thing. The beam that was coming from it he had only seen when they were culling, but there was no way it was trying to do that. There was no one in the open and they couldn’t go through walls. Could they?

Just then, it suddenly turned upward, speeding away and finally giving them their chance to open fire. Right when Ioan was ready to do so, the dart exploded into a ball of fire. Kagawa gaped, stunned. “It wasn’t me,” Ioan murmured. “Beckett, did you fire?”

“No, that wasn’t us,” Carson confirmed, sounding breathless.

The hell?

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Kolya. Of course it had to be Kolya, Rodney thought, closing his eyes. A shudder went through him as memories of the strike on Atlantis barraged him. A spike of worry through the bond had him opening his eyes again, only to meet his mate’s worried gaze. He so could have done with never crossing paths with that maniac again, and especially not when he and his team were stuck in an underground chamber with Kolya barring their only way out.

Rodney listened as John and Kolya volleyed back and forth, trying to understand what the man could possibly want from them. When he mentioned wanting the ZPM, Rodney’s stomach dropped. It would be useless to the Genii, he knew that, but if they did find it and the Genii wanted it… Yeah, Rodney was fully capable of imagining the lengths Kolya would go to to get it, and most of them would end up with his team dead, starting with John. He was not going to let that happen. They could find another ZPM or even try to take this one back, but only if they were all alive to try.

Teyla tried to convince him they hadn’t gotten it yet because they were missing the last piece, but Kolya wasn’t buying it. Steeling his nerve, Rodney squared his shoulders and stepped into line of sight. Grabbing the pulley, he looked up, scowling. “She’s right. We’re close but we’re not there yet. The ninth stone is hidden on another planet. All we have is the gate address.”

Another spike of emotion came from John, but Rodney refused to acknowledge it or him. He had to do this in order to save his team. To save John. Gritting his teeth, Rodney counted to ten when Kolya offered the expected disparaging greeting. He could keep it together. He had to. Glaring, he ground out, “Do you want to keep trading barbs, or do you want to find the ZPM?” He paused, taking a deep breath. “Look, you lift me up and I’ll help you find it, but then you let my team go!”

“Rodney!” John hissed, shocked.

“Shut up,” Rodney murmured, casting a sidelong glance at his mate. “Do you have any better idea?”

“No,” he admitted. For a second, Rodney wasn’t sure whether the sickening disappointment came from John or from himself, but he pushed it resolutely aside all the same.

“Didn’t think so,” Rodney murmured as a leaden feeling settled in his stomach. Kolya allowed him and two of the Daganians topside, leaving his team down in the secret chamber they had been caught in. When the gate address failed to work, Rodney’s chest tightened with fear. Thankfully, Allina’s idea that they might be looking in the wrong place proved fruitful and between the two of them they eventually figured out where the last stone was. It almost proved harder to actually get at the stupid thing than locating it, thanks to Kolya’s men and their rampant paranoia. The brief moment of elation when Rodney slid the stone from its hidden niche behind the painting in the monastery lasted exactly long enough for Kolya to coldly remind him that his team might live to fight another day as long as they hurried up and found his prize.

When they got back to the secret chamber, Rodney was relieved to see for himself that John was okay. The bond hadn’t told him otherwise, but he would not have put it past Kolya to try something anyway, and they hadn’t really tried to see whether distance made any kind of difference in how much feedback the bond gave. Going to have to do something about that, Rodney thought idly as he peered at the pedestal to try to work out what configuration the stones needed to be in.

Kolya’s henchman, Pranos, thought he knew better and despite Rodney’s warnings, Kolya ordered the man to work the device. Rodney’s breath caught when the boobytrap claimed the man’s life. “He is dead,” Kolya said in that quietly dangerous voice he got when he was angry. Rodney took an involuntary step back when the man railed at him. “You knew.”

Squaring his shoulders, Rodney defiantly looked him in the eye. “Yes. Yes, I did. In fact, I was in the middle of warning you against this very thing when you ordered him to do it. You killed him, not me!”

God, but his heart was hammering in his chest. Taking deep, steadying breaths Rodney focused on remaining calm. He had to be able to think or they would all die. Feeling John’s nudge of confidence and calm reassurance through the bond nearly made his knees buckle.

“What’s the correct order of the stones?” Kolya demanded.

“I’m not sure yet,” Rodney admitted reluctantly. He needed more time to figure this out. The answer was right in front of him, he knew it, he just couldn’t see it yet.

With a dangerous glint in his eyes, Kolya stalked over to his team and sneered, “Well, you have four chances to get it right. You go first, Major.”

Oh no no no no. Not John. Rodney stared at his mate wide-eyed. John swallowed hard, and Rodney knew he was trying to put up a good front for him, but he could feel the trickle of fear seeping through. Oh God, this was so not good. Think, Rodney, think! Rubbing his hands on his thighs, he turned back to the pedestal, mentally going over every computation he could think of and coming up blank. Panic began to settle in.

John picked up the stones and randomly started rearranging them. “Any time you want to start-”

Rodney cut him off. “I’m thinking, I’m thinking.” He could feel John’s anxiety adding to his own which was so not helping. He glared at the stones as if the lack of answer was a personal affront.

“Alright. We’ve tried one through nine,” John stated.

Rodney rolled his eyes. “Thank you, yes.” Why couldn’t he just be quiet? He couldn’t think straight anymore. Wrapping his arm tight around his chest, he bit his thumbnail nervously.

“Well, what about the reverse?” John asked, obviously grasping at straws.

“Possibly. Look, Pranos was right in one thing. The center stone is the only one that locks into place, all the others must move around it. I’m just trying to find a combination that makes sense with five in the middle.”

“Fifteen.” John breathed deep. “It’s gotta have something to do with fifteen. Or nine or five.”

“Shut. Up. Please? I’m trying to think.” Rodney tamped down hard on his fears, or at least he tried to. He was going to lose his soulmate if he didn’t come up with the correct answer, and he’d only just gotten him back. A stab of annoyance came to him, making him cringe.

“Don’t tell me to shut up, Rodney. My life is at stake,” John scolded, frowning.

“Exactly, so simmer down and let me save it.” He just had to. Somehow. He tried to ignore the delight coming from Kolya. Oh, but he hated that man. He really, really did.

John huffed, amused in spite of himself. “Ever hear of ‘two heads is better than one’, Rodney?”

He rolled his eyes, biting his nail again. “Common misconception,” he muttered.

John glared at Kolya. “Give me the gun, I’ll shoot him myself.”

Rodney gaped at him. What the hell? Was he serious? It took him a second to realize John was trying to throw the other man off and buy them time. Not that it worked, of course.

“This is taking too long. Choose and go,” Kolya ordered.

Rodney looked to him, incredulous. “You got somewhere you gotta be?” he snapped. He was not going to rush into this, not and risk John’s life.

“Choose and go,” Kolya repeated dangerously.

Rodney’s heart skipped a beat as he turned to his mate, whispering, “I got nothing.” For all his brains, all his bluster, he hadn’t been able to come up with a way to figure all this out and get them out of his mess. He had never felt more useless in his life.

“Thanks for the pep talk,” John quipped in an attempt to break the tension between them.

Rodney wanted to yell, to scream. To hold John and never let him go even while he wanted to rush at Kolya and kill the bastard for putting them through this. Instead, he stood rooted to the spot, staring helplessly at his mate who wouldn’t or couldn’t meet his eyes. Even with the bond Rodney wasn’t sure which. “Nine to one is all I can think of,” he murmured, knowing in his heart of hearts that wasn’t the right answer.

John bit his lip, nodding firmly. “Okay. Step back.” He both looked and felt resigned and determined which only made the whole mess worse for Rodney.

He wanted to cry. “I’m sorry,” he croaked. And he was. For failing John. For the distance there had been between them after Chaya. For everything he had done wrong.

“I’m not dead yet,” John scolded, casting a brief glance at him.

For a second, Rodney thought he saw something in his mate’s eyes, but it was gone too quickly for him to grasp and John was dimming the bond between them from everything but the love he felt. Rodney thought his heart might break before the man even tried to use the device. “Yeah, sorry.”

Though it was the last thing he wanted to do, he took a few steps back and watched anxiously as John stared at the pedestal. Wrapping his arms tight around him, he kept a silent mantra of ‘I’m so sorry’ and ‘please don’t die’ going in his head.

“Major, now,” Kolya prodded. Rodney shot the man a glare, wishing he wouldn’t be so eager to see John die.

John shook his head slightly, casting a sidelong glance at Rodney before forcing his eyes forward again. Rodney could have sworn he saw the gears in his mate’s head turn as he weighed his options. His breathing came quicker as the inevitable seemed to become real to him. Suddenly, his whole demeanor changed and Rodney could sense elation coming through the bond. “I got it!”

“What?” Rodney automatically moved toward John, who smiled.

“The Brotherhood of Fifteen!”

“What about it?” Rodney asked, confused. His eyes raked over John, trying to ascertain if he had lost his mind.

“The numbers one to nine can be put in a three by three grid so they add up to fifteen in every direction,” John stated, his focus fixed on the stones.

Rodney’s eyes widened. How had he missed that? “You’re right. But… how did you know that?” He shot him an appraising look, marveling on this titbit of information on John that he had had no idea of.

John grinned. “It was on a Mensa test.”

Wait, what? “You’re a member of Mensa?” Rodney frowned, confused.

John shook his head. “No, but I took the test,” he confessed.

“When?” he asked before he could stop himself.

The grin slipped from John’s lips as he turned to Rodney. “You want to talk about this now, Rodney?”

Right. Of course. “Right, right,” he agreed, glancing over his shoulder at an impatient Kolya.

Together, they placed the stones in order to they made fifteen. That had to be it, it just had to. Kolya muttered, “Good luck,” and Rodney thought the man couldn’t have sounded less sincere if he had tried.

Inhaling slowly and meeting Rodney’s eyes one last time, John placed his hands on the prints next to the stones and held his breath. Both he and Rodney jumped when the ZPM popped out of the wall. They’d done it! John was still alive. Kolya would get the ZPM, but right in that second all Rodney cared about was John.

All hell broke loose when Kolya went to remove the ZPM as someone released a flashbang. Rodney stumbled forward, momentarily blinded and deafened by the blast. What the hell? He was vaguely aware of fighting going on around him so he tried to scuttle to a corner, and out of the way.

When it was over, John hurried toward him. “You okay? Sorry, Rodney, I had no way of letting you know what was coming.”

His annoyance and discomfort briefly won out over anything else, causing him to fall back on his default setting: bitch mode. John’s fond amusement didn’t help his mood but pulling the full ZPM out of the wall cheered him up enough to overlook it.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“We really could have used it,” Elizabeth said as she led them up to the control room.

Yeah, he knew that, thanks. It was his fault the ZPM slipped through their fingers, he didn’t need to have it rubbed in, Rodney thought morosely. It would be a long time before he would get over Allina’s betrayal. He had thought her his friend – or at least a potential one – and she had stabbed them all in the back by stealing the ZPM, all while claiming to be the new Brotherhood of Fifteen and saying they were unworthy of the Ancestors’ gift. His heart sank even further when he listened to Elizabeth explain everything that had happened while they’d been off world.

“We lost a jumper in the attack, along with Markham and Smith,” she said, quietly adding, “Stackhouse passed away here in the gate room minutes after that.”

Rodney’s knees buckled and he had to grab at the console to stay upright. So John had been right. Jason and Marcus had been soulmates. They had never come forward, but that had to be the reason. Rodney stared hard at John’s taut back, as the icy knowledge of how close they had come to that rushed through him.

Rodney’s brain seemed locked on that thought, unable to move beyond it. That was, until they mentioned deep space sensors. Frowning, he asked Radek, “Wait, we have deep space sensors?”

Radek looked slightly abashed. “Ah, yes. It’s long story.”

“And we found something else. Rather unsettling,” Elizabeth cut in.

Rodney stepped up to John who was decidedly unhappy by this latest turn of events. “I’m already unsettled. Show me,” John told them.

With a nod from Elizabeth, Radek directed them to the screen and pulled up their findings. Leaning forward, Rodney tried to make sense of what he was seeing. “What are those?”

Radek sighed, glancing at Rodney. “Wraith Hive ships. Three of them,” he added, pointing them out. “The system analysis just got back-”

“Great,” John interrupted. “But where are they headed?”

Elizabeth crossed her arms, glancing down before meeting his eyes. “If they maintain their direction and speed, they’ll be over our planet in two weeks.”

Rodney blanched. Two weeks? That wasn’t enough time! How were they supposed to get ready to defend Atlantis when they didn’t have a ZPM? He reached blindly for John’s hand, squeezing it hard when his fingers closed around it.

Two weeks. He would have two weeks with his soulmate, at least. A lifetime if they got lucky. If they got very lucky.

 

next

Evan wrapped his arms around Mac’s shoulders, kissing the top of his mate’s head. “Find anything interesting?” he asked quietly, glancing at the screen.

Mac tilted his head back to look at Evan, placing his hand where Evan’s crossed. He seemed tired, but there was a light of excitement in his eyes. “Aye. She hadn’t been kidding, Ev, when she said Janus put everything they had on soul bonds on this crystal. It’ll take us months to sift through it all, and it would have taken us years to find it on our own.”

“You’re enjoying all this digging into all that information, aren’t you?” Evan asked, smiling fondly at Mac.

He half-turned in his seat, surprise in his eyes. “Of course! Between what Janus left us and what we already knew – or thought we knew – of our species, it’s been thrilling to say the least. It’s been interesting to see, using the DNA examples we have on file of everyone, both before and after the ATA therapy, how it all fits together. Humans truly are the second evolution of the Lanteans or Alterans or whatever they went by. Or rather, most of us are. They populated much of the galaxy back before they retreated to Pegasus when the plague hit. They had seeded many worlds, mixing their legacy with that of others, which over time caused the ATA gene to get spread too thin. In some cases, it’s completely extinct, case in point being those who’ve received the therapy and it didn’t take.”

Evan’s lips twitched with amusement as he listened to Mac. He slid into his lap, straddling it. “What about the rest of us?” Though he really was curious, he asked more because of how Mac seemed to light up every time he talked about his research.

“Ah, you see,” said Mac, grinning as he wrapped his arms around Evan.

Even though he had slowly come to terms with the whole soul bond thing, it still boggled Evan from time to time that Mac was his. They hadn’t yet completed their bond, though, because Mac refused to push Evan beyond what he was ready for. Something he very much appreciated, but he was beginning to think that maybe Mac pushing him a little might not be a bad thing.

Mac jostled him, narrowing his eyes playfully. “Oy, are you listening to me?”

Evan blushed. “Sorry, guess I got a little distracted. What was that again?”

Mac gave him a knowing look, his lips quirking up in a crooked smile. Evan couldn’t help himself, he dipped his head and kissed him. It was sweet, tender, and it left him with a feeling of contentment he couldn’t remember ever really having before. Running his fingers through Mac’s hair, he hummed softly to himself.

“Are you alright, sweetheart?” Mac asked quietly, his eyes searching Evan’s.

He nodded. “Yeah. Just thinking about everything that’s happened these past few months, I guess.”

Mac tilted his head. “You know I’m happy to wait for as long as you need, Ev. Right?”

“Yeah.” He bit his lip, earning him an inquisitive look. “I was thinking… between what happened down in the labs with the nanites, and the whole Chaya thing. Not to mention the Wraith encounters. Maybe I could do with a little less waiting. We both could.”

Mac’s arms tightened around him. “What are you saying, Evan?”

The intensity of Mac’s eyes made Evan’s breath hitch slightly. “I’m saying that what we have – what we could still get – it’s precious. I get that now, Mac, and I’d be worse than a fool to deny either of us the chance to be all we could be as soulmates. I may be many things, but I would hope a fool isn’t one of them,” he quipped, though his heart was tripping over itself with anticipation.

“Are you certain, Evan?” Mac asked quietly.

He rolled his eyes and rested his forehead against Mac’s. “You told me a while back that one of the things you’d discovered about the soul bond was the deep connection between mates. An awareness that was akin to that which all ATA carriers have with Atlantis itself.” Mac nodded, so Evan continued. “There are aspects to that we’re still figuring out, right? What that means exactly?”

Again, Mac nodded.

“I know from Ioan that he and Kimberly are attuned to each other’s moods. John and Rodney, they’ve proven that the bond lets us know when one of us is hurt, with a general idea of where and how badly. There’s good and bad to both of those things, but I think, especially with where we live, it would not be a bad idea to be able to do. I know I’d want to know if anything happened to you, no matter what it was,” Evan said with quiet sincerity.

Mac reached up, cupping the back of his head as he pulled him closer. “You ought to know by now, Evan Lorne, that I can’t really deny you anything,” he whispered against Evan’s lips before kissing him deeply.

Evan closed his eyes and allowed himself to get lost in his mate for a moment. Pulling back reluctantly, he smiled and cleared his throat. “You know, much as I want to keep going, we probably had better stop for now. Technically still on duty,” he confessed.

Mac laughed, pecking his lips. “Well fine.” He smacked Evan’s ass lightly. “But then you’d better get up or I won’t be held accountable, love.”

With a put upon sigh, Evan got to his feet and hooked his foot around a stool, pulling it to him so he could sit next to Mac instead. “So, what was it you were trying to explain earlier?”

Shaking his head, Mac murmured, “You’re really something, you know that?” He paused, collecting his thoughts. “Right. Okay. Well, basically the natural ATA carriers are direct descendants of the Ancients. If we were able to trace John’s lineage, I’d wager he had Ancients on both sides of his family, probably several generations worth. It’s why his gene is so strong. Same with General O’Neill, and you and Ioan, though you guys would have fewer in your family tree. Been diluted more.”

“And you?”

“Those of us who’ve had the therapy do have Ancient lineage, but it’s been diluted too much to have all the markers active. The therapy basically ‘fixed’ our DNA so it’s complete again.”

Evan tilted his head slightly. “I see. Guess that makes sense, sort of. I’m no scientist, but…” He shrugged. “It doesn’t really matter. All that I really care about is that it allowed us to receive this gift we’ve been given.”

Mac took Evan hand in his and lifted it to his lips, kissing the back of it. “That’s what it really boils down to, in the end, doesn’t it?” he agreed quietly.

 

next 

John woke slowly, feeling disoriented as he stared up at the ceiling of the infirmary. The last thirty hours or so were a bit of a haze but when he tried to concentrate on what had happened, it left him feeling sick to his stomach, and heart-hurt. He vaguely remembered meeting Chaya, and showing her around the city. Talking with her. Kissing her. That last was the most distressing for him because how could that have happened? How was it possible for him to not remember being bonded to Rodney? To have all the feelings for Rodney basically be transferred to Chaya? How could he have hurt the one person who mattered most to him so much? Betray him the way he had? It wasn’t in him to cheat. It rankled him on a level so deep that he wasn’t sure whether he could ever forgive himself for what happened.

Running a hand over his mouth, he thought that it would serve him right if Rodney never forgave him for it. He should have known something was wrong. He should have listened to the man. Hadn’t Rodney tried to tell him again and again that something was amiss? And he had dismissed him, gotten angry with him. God, but he was an idiot. Especially when he decided to chase after the woman even after it had been proven Rodney had been right. Of course, he hadn’t heard all the evidence yet at the time. Yet he clearly recalled Rodney radioing him, pleading with him not to go after her. Not to leave him.

John had no real idea how he had even made it back to Atlantis, truth be told. The last thing he remembered at all was going through the gate and engaging the Wraith. Chaya coming to him in the jumper and telling him to leave. Him landing and searching for her. Finding her in the monastery and then… just bright light enveloping him. The next thing he knew, he’d woken up here. He turned his head, ready to call for Carson or Mac, only to see Rodney sitting by the bed, asleep. John’s heart ached at the sight of the man, his eyes stinging with the remorse he felt. “Rodney?” he called softly, his voice breaking.

Rodney jerked awake, instantly alert. “John! You’re awake. Finally. We were so worried.” He looked as if he wanted to reach out, but wasn’t sure whether he would be welcomed, which only made John feel worse.

“I’m sorry. I’m so, so sorry, Rodney. I never meant-” John’s throat tightened and he couldn’t speak anymore. Instead, he held out his hand, half invitation, half begging. The relief he felt when Rodney climbed into bed with him overwhelmed him. Burrowing his face into the other man’s neck, he clung tight, afraid that if he let go, he would lose him. He kept whispering, “I’m sorry,” over and over again.

Rodney remained quiet, holding him, stroking his back, soothing him like nothing else could. John knew he didn’t deserve it, but he was grateful for it. After several minutes, John calmed down enough to pull away slightly, eyes searching Rodney’s as he murmured, “What happened? Do you know?”

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rodney glanced away briefly. This was much harder than he thought it would be. After all, he knew the reason for the bond’s breaking. For John’s return. He knew in his head that none of it had been John’s fault and part of him was overjoyed to have him in his arms again. Yet another part was still reeling. Still afraid that this wouldn’t last, no matter what anyone told him. Part of him wasn’t sure he wanted to or even could forgive the other man for Chaya.

But John didn’t know everything, so he cleared his throat and met John’s gaze. The guilt and pain he saw reflected at him nearly broke Rodney all over again. “Yes, John. I know.” Well, he sort of did. There were still a few spots that weren’t entirely clear.

“Please, Rodney. I need to know. Tell me?” John’s voice was barely audible, and Rodney could tell his mate was afraid of what was coming. That struck him because John was never afraid. Not really. Except now, he was.

Licking his lips, Rodney took John’s hand and entwined their fingers as he began to explain, starting from the beginning. John didn’t speak a word, just lay listening to it all. Anguish, hurt, anger all played across his face. When he got to the part of John leaving the city, he paused, needing to push aside the stab of pain he felt as he relived it.

“I’m so sorry, Rodney,” John started again, but Rodney pressed a fingers against his lips to silence him.

“I know.” Clearing his throat again, he closed his eyes a moment before taking up the story where he had left off. “Carson had just shown me the results of the DNA tests he had retaken. John, I don’t know how she did it, or even really why, but she changed you. She changed your soul bond so it matched hers, breaking ours in the process.”

John shook as if he’d been hit, his eyes wide as they frantically searched his. “Is it-? Did she-?”

Cupping John’s cheek, Rodney tried to smile reassuringly at him, but he wasn’t sure how successful he was. “Shh. Let me finish, please? I’ll get back to that in a minute, okay?”

John frowned, nodding.

Taking a deep breath, Rodney murmured, “Thanks. Okay, so Carson had just shown the results to me and I tried to stop you from going after Chaya but you weren’t listening to me. You just left without a word. We tried opening the gate again to hail you, but there was no reply. Elizabeth had Evan’s team get ready to go after you, retrieve you if possible but before they could gate out, we had an incoming wormhole. There was no IDC, no communication, nothing. There was a bit of a panic because the shield wouldn’t activate, so several of your men scrambled into defensive positions while I tried to get the shield to work again.”

Rodney scowled, still not liking the fact they had been so vulnerable. Radek had already run diagnostics and found nothing wrong with the system, which somehow made it worse.

“So who was it?” John prompted, looking concerned.

“Oh. You, actually. The jumper came through and docked on its own. When we went to meet it, we found you inside, unconscious. Mac and his team got you up here and he and Carson have been running a battery of tests since.”

“Me?” John looked confused. “How could I have flown the ship? The last thing I remember is bright white lights swirling all around me, and then waking up here. I have no clue what happened between me leaving Atlantis and now.”

Rodney looked away briefly. “You didn’t fly the jumper back, John. We did find you in it, but you were laid out in the back compartment. No one flew it.”

John sat up suddenly, eyes wide and mouth agape. “What?! How is that possible?”

Rodney sat up as well and shrugged. “I don’t know, John. We tried to go to Proculus to get some answers, but the gate will no longer lock on the address.”

Pulling up a leg, John rested his elbow on his knee, hand lodged in his hair as he thought. “I really don’t remember anything after leaving here beyond the whole white light thing,” he murmured. Glancing at Rodney, he added in an even quieter voice, “Our bond?”

Rodney thought for a minute. “Carson and Mac have run our DNA again, twice just to make sure. Whatever happened to you on Proculus, it seems to have fixed our bond.”

John watched him carefully. “And what about us?” He looked almost afraid of the answer.

Rodney glanced down at his hands, not quite able to meet his eyes. “I know it wasn’t your fault. I know that. Whatever Chaya did to mess with our bond, she also tampered with your memories. Carson found evidence of it in a brain scan he did, and compared to one you had done a while back after you were injured on a mission.”

“But?” John prodded hesitantly.

Raising his eyes, he half-shrugged. “But it hurt, John. It really, really hurt and… this soul bond thing apparently isn’t the guarantee we were made to believe it to be.” He didn’t know if he would be able to get past it all. He had never had anything like this thing he had with John before in his life, and he had opened himself to the other man like he never had before. He was afraid to let himself be that vulnerable again but at the same time, he ached for what they had had before Chaya.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Dr. Weir,” Evan said, his eyes locked on the ancient, gray-haired woman in the stasis pod. “There’s something down here you need to see. Drs. McKay and Beckett, too.”

“What is it, Major?” Elizabeth asked, sounding distracted.

“Ma’am, I think I found an Ancient,” he said cautiously.

“Beg your pardon?” She sounded more alert now, which made Evan smile a little.

“I said, I think I’ve found an Ancient. I’m looking at a woman in what appears to be a stasis pod. From what I can tell, she’s still alive, but no idea for how much longer. She looks… pretty fragile.”

“Copy that, Major. I’ll have them meet us there.”

While Evan and his team waited for the others to arrive, he studied the woman. There was something vaguely familiar about her, but he couldn’t quite place it. He had to admit, he was a little freaked out at finding her here. How had they missed her on any of the scans? He shook his head. Rodney could probably explain that to him, and no doubt would even without prompting.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“Carson, she’s awake,” John whispered, nudging his friend to get his attention. He’d been allowed out of bed for now, but he hadn’t been released from the infirmary yet. He had been amazed when Evan’s team had rolled the old woman in and settled her in the back of the room that they could section off.

Carson took her blood pressure and scribbled a few notes on her chart. “How are you feeling, lass?” he asked quietly, shining a light into her eyes before jotting down another note.

“Carson, it’s good to see you.” Her voice was reed thin, but also familiar, John thought. She turned her face and looked right at him, smiling. “And you, John. It’s been so long.”

Wait? What? John and Carson shared a look of shock, but when they turned back to her, she had fallen asleep again. She woke a couple of times, only a few minutes here and there before succumbing to sleep again, never with enough of a chance to find out any real information. Carson had Mac run her DNA, as the only real thing she had managed was a claim that she was Elizabeth Weir.

Crossing his arms, John frowned down at her. “Can’t you do anything about that? It’d be nice to actually have a conversation with the woman.”

Carson huffed. “She’s old, Major. What did you expect? According to the logs Rodney found, she’s been in that pod for over ten thousand years. I’d like to see how coherent you are after being alive for that long.”

“Fair point, but still.”

Mac walked up to them, handing Carson a tablet. “Here, you’ll want to see those for yourself. I even ran the test twice to make sure.” To John, he added, “How are you holding up, by the way? Remember anything yet?”

John’s lips thinned as he shook his head. “No. Nothing. And I don’t like it at all.”

Mac chuckled. “I’d be surprised if you did, John.”

“I don’t believe this,” Carson whispered. He looked up at John. “She really is her. The DNA is a match. No doubt about it at all.”

“Okay, Carson, now you really need to find a way to keep her alert for longer. We need answers while she’s still around to give them to us.”

“Now look here, lad, I can’t just go and give her a stimulant. The shock might kill her! I’m surprised she made it through being woken the way she did.”

Elizabeth – their Elizabeth – put a hand on Carson’s shoulder. None of them had heard her approach. “Carson, it’s okay. I heard what you said about the DNA. If she is me, then she can handle it.” She held up a hand to stop the doctor from protesting. “And I know she would want it.” She gave him a pointed look, daring him to argue her point.

With a sigh, he relented and went to get the stimulant. Once he had administered it to her, he warned them that he didn’t know how well it would take, given her condition. Rodney showed up a couple of minutes later, just in time for Elizabeth-one – that’s what he would call her in his head, John decided – to wake up. Carson fussed over her for a bit, but once he was assured that she was okay, he allowed them to ask her questions.

John smiled fondly as Rodney immediately began spouting questions, his excitement obvious to everyone. “How did you get back there? Tell us everything, from the moment you arrived there to all your interactions with the Ancients. It’d really-”

“Rodney,” Elizabeth said quietly. He paused, blinking at her. She smiled. “Let me talk?”

“Oh, yes. Sorry.” He blushed and stepped back, looking embarrassed.

John stepped closer to him, wanting to hold the man but he settled for grasping his hand instead. He still wasn’t entirely sure where they stood, as Rodney had been called away before they could finish their conversation. Rodney shot him a pleased, if surprised look. John really hoped they could work things out and find their way back to where they had been before this whole mess had started. If there had been any way for him to take back what had happened, to keep Rodney from getting hurt, he would have done it in a heartbeat.

“It was an accident,” Elizabeth-one said, her voice still sounded brittle, but she kept talking, only taking short breaks to catch her breath or take a drink. She explained all about how the first time, the city’s shields had failed and everyone but Radek, John, and herself had drowned. When she mentioned Rodney sacrificing himself to save them, John’s insides turned to ice. Rodney himself seemed shaken by the news, too.

“The ship we were in… it was different from the others. When John tried to take off, something happened. A flash, and then we were under attack. We had no idea who was shooting at us or why. The jumper crashed into the ocean after it got hit and the next thing I remember is waking up here.”

“Now?” Rodney asked, sounding disappointed.

“No, then. A man named Janus saved me, healed me. He explained what had happened. Told me about the Wraith.”

“Yes, yes, we already know about them, in fact-” Rodney started, seemingly unable to help himself.

John leaned in, whispering, “Rodney, not now.”

He looked abashed, mumbling an apology. Elizabeth-one smiled indulgently at him. “I’ve missed you, Rodney,” which caused him to blush.

“Janus tried to talk to their council, to convince them to help me get back to my own time but they refused. They sanctioned him for having disobeyed their orders by making the time travel device in the first place. Janus and I spent a lot of time together. He was intent on helping us any way he could from ten thousand years in my past. He told me what his plan was, explained how everything worked. How he would keep me safe.”

John smiled softly at her. “Looks like he succeeded.”

“Yes, he did. During our many, many conversations, Janus told me about his people. Their culture. Their history. He was as surprised to learn that we didn’t have soulmates as I was to hear the Lanteans did.”

Everyone shifted, curious. John no less so as he listened intently while Elizabeth-one shared everything she had learned. “Janus told me that the soul bond goes above everything. They held it sacred to the point where it was considered the worst of crimes to tamper with a bond, punished most severely as soon as it was found out.”

John cast a pained look at Rodney who was gazing at a point about a foot above Elizabeth-one’s head.

“He said that the soul bond was considered a gift of their lineage, which was why he found it curious that they didn’t exist for us. He said we were their second evolution, and that therefore the soul bonds should exist.”

“But they do, lass,” interrupted Carson. She blinked up at him. He smiled softly at her, patting her arm. “Sorry, lass, I didn’t mean to cut you off. But soul bonds do exist among us, though only those with the ATA gene have them.”

Her face brightened in delight. “So it isn’t lost?”

“No, lass, it’s not. But please, continue,” Carson urged.

John wondered how much of that was due to Elizabeth-one telling Janus about the non-existent soul bonds among her people. He understood enough about time travel to know that while she shared their Elizabeth’s DNA, she was not one of ‘them’ anymore, that her journey back through time had created an alternate universe. He had a sudden mental image of Janus stepping through the gate back to Earth ten thousand years earlier and going on his merry way, planting his seed among Earth’s denizens in order to spread the ATA legacy as far as he could.

Elizabeth-one grasped Elizabeth’s hand, an urgent look in her eyes. “Did you find the note? I had a note and a crystal when I went to sleep, did you find it?”

Rodney nodded. “Yes, we did and I wanted to ask you about that,” he started, but Elizabeth-one talked over him.

“They’re gate addresses of outposts.” She paused. “They should have fully powered ZPMs in them.”

Rodney bounced on the balls of his feet, turning to John and talking rapidly. “John, we’ve been to one of them already! We can go there and-”

John grabbed the man’s arm in an effort to calm him down. “Easy, Rodney. We will, I promise, but let’s hear what else she has to say before we start planning a field trip, okay?”

“Oh, oh! Yes, of course. Sorry.”

Elizabeth-one took a labored breath, her eyes intent on Carson. “The crystal Janus made for you, Carson. He copied all the information on the soul bonds on them. He said he hoped it would prove useful, though at the time I didn’t understand. I think I do, now.” She shot John a knowing glance and he thought that maybe she had had a similar idea as he had about Janus if the hint of mischief was any indication. “The histories, the experiments, the research, everything you’ll need to know about should be on there. He encrypted it. The last line on the note… it isn’t just a gate address, it is the key.”

Rodney apparently couldn’t stop himself and immediately launched theories on what they might find, utterly engrossed by the possibility of new discoveries to be made. New information to be had. A surefire lure for him if ever there was one, John thought fondly. While everyone’s attention had turned briefly to the over-excited scientist, the machine monitoring Elizabeth-one’s heart started beeping in alarm. Carson did his best to revive her, but she was gone.

Elizabeth tenderly took her hand in hers and quietly said goodbye. John placed a hand on her shoulder, murmuring, “I’m sorry, Elizabeth.”

She shook her head, smiling sadly. “Don’t be. She did what she intended to do. Now it is up to us to make the best of it.”

John nodded and allowed Rodney to prod him back into his own bed while Mac and Carson prepared Elizabeth-one’s body for cremation. Elizabeth said that was what she would want, so they were going with that. It still seemed a little freaky to John and he couldn’t imagine what she must be going through, but he admired her for how well she was taking it all.

The two men sat in silence for a moment until the infirmary calmed down again and they were basically alone. John wanted to talk to his mate, but the words wouldn’t come. Before John could make up his mind to do anything about it, Rodney spoke softly, his gaze firmly fixed on his clasped hands. “So do you think that the Ancients stepped in? I mean, if what Elizabeth said is true and the Lanteans held a soul bond sacred above all else… I know they have the whole ‘do not interfere with the mortal realms’ thing going on, but I’ve heard of them stopping one of their own before.”

John tilted his head, mulling it over. “Possibly. I mean, they can do pretty much whatever they want, right?” he asked quietly.

Rodney nodded, finally meeting his gaze. His eyes flashed with anger and hurt as he bit out, “I hope they punished her for what she did. I hope they could. She basically stole you from me, John!”

“I know, baby, and I’m sorry.” He held out his hand, hoping Rodney would let him try to comfort him. He let out a slow breath of relief when Rodney climbed into bed with him and wrapped himself around John, with his head on his shoulder. John kissed the top of Rodney’s head, savoring the feel of his mate in his arms again.

Rodney sighed. “I can’t think of a single other explanation for what happened with you. I’ve been going over it again and again in my mind. I’m pretty sure she sensed your gene the minute we arrived on the planet. And I think she began changing you the second she touched you. It was quick, too, and none of us realized. At least not at the time. I don’t ever want to feel that again, John,” he confessed.

John wasn’t sure what to say. It was obvious to him that he couldn’t very well promise it would never happen again because he had had no say whatsoever in it happening this time. If another Ancient decided they wanted to interfere in spite of their rules, there would be nothing John or Rodney could do about it. Still, he hoped it would never happen again, either. “I know,” he whispered. “I don’t want you to, either.” And that was the truth.

“The white lights, the shield malfunctioning when it did, the jumper flying itself back into Atlantis. The address being locked. That has to be their doing. Nothing else makes any sense.”

John silently agreed with him. They lay like that for a while longer until eventually they both dozed off. The last thing through John’s mind was the fleeting thought that maybe, things between them would work out after all.

 

next

It had been a couple of weeks since their team had gone off-world and John was getting anxious to get out there again. Nothing against the rest of the teams under his command but he preferred being hands on. Still, the stand down had been worth it. Rodney seemed to be doing better and was having fewer nightmares since starting his sessions with Kate, and things between them were solid. John couldn’t remember ever feeling this… safe and secure in a relationship, but he relished it now. Rodney seemed to, as well.

After the nanite debacle, Rodney and his minions had set about securing that part of the city and scouring the database for any more surprises along that vein. They had done some more exploring of the city together, too, and John marveled at everything they had come across. It had mostly been labs of various kinds that Rodney had allocated several of his minions to research.

On the whole, life was pretty great. The Athosians had settled back in after the storm, recouping some of the losses of their crop already. The away teams had had a few run ins with the Wraith but they hadn’t lost any men, so John counted that a win. They’d even managed to gain another trading partner and a couple of potential Alpha sites that needed further investigating. So when Elizabeth suggested that their team get back in the saddle again, John was more than happy to oblige.

Which was how they found themselves in a jumper being chased by darts almost as soon as they got through the gate. There were too many of them to fight off, and they’d been hit seconds after coming through. It must have damaged something, because try as he might, John couldn’t get the weapons to work. Pushing aside the knot of worry that was mostly Rodney, John focused on getting them the hell out of range, but to little avail.

“McKay?” John prodded his mate. If they were to make it out of this with their skin intact, he would need a little help.

“I’m on it,” Rodney said, already getting out of his seat.

Teyla leaned forward. “Where did they come from?”

Rodney called back, “She’s right. Darts are short range fighters. There’s probably a Hive ship around here somewhere.”

“Then we need to get out of here,” Teyla urged.

“Yes, we do,” John agreed. Checking his HUD, he grimaced.

Ford shook his head. “The stargate is the other way, sir, on the other side of the planet.”

Yes, thank you captain obvious, John thought. “Yeah, we’re taking the scenic route. McKay?!”

“I’m almost there.” A pause, which was filled with Ford once again stating the obvious by telling John about the darts on their tail, then Rodney called, “Okay, you should have weapons now.”

John frowned as he attempted to fire. Nothing. “Negative.”

“You sure?”

Rolling his eyes, John snapped, “Positive!” Of course he was sure. Why the hell would Rodney think he would lie about something like that at a time like this?

“Because I’m pretty sure I fixed it.”

“Well obviously, you didn’t,” John grunted, narrowly avoiding another hit. Crap. This wasn’t going well at all. If they didn’t reach the gate soon, they would be blown out of the sky. The jumper shook when they took a hit.

“Perhaps we can lose them in the atmosphere of the planet,” Teyla suggested.

“Two more darts on our two o’clock,” Ford pressed.

Taking a deep breath, John nodded. “McKay,” he pleaded. Come on, baby, he thought. Work some of your magic here and help me get us out of here.

“It’s not like I’m holding back on you,” Rodney groused.

A sudden burst of energy appeared on the HUD, seeming to follow them. John watched in confusion as it overtook the darts, leaving debris in its wake. “Hold on!” John yelled, hoping against hope they would survive this. The ball of energy swept over them, rocking the jumper but leaving it intact. They all stared in shock as it dissipated. John swallowed hard. That had been far too close for comfort to his liking.

“What the hell was that?” Ford asked, sounding as stunned as John felt.

“Some sort of… energy weapon,” Rodney stammered, staggering back to his seat.

“How about we find out?” John suggested, already adjusting course toward the planet. He managed to find a place near to the one village that would make it easy enough to walk to it but made sure the jumper was out of sight in case the people of this world were less than friendly.

None of the readings he was getting from the HUD indicated any weapons or any technology at all, but John had learned that looks could be deceiving. Ford scoffed as he peered through his binoculars, muttering about this being a waste of time as he wasn’t picking up any hints of tech, either.

“You picking up anything, Rodney?”

Rodney huffed. “I’m picking up everything, just nothing worth mentioning.”

“Teyla? Do these people look familiar to you?” he asked automatically.

She shot him an amused look as she reminded him that the planet had a spacegate and that her people therefore never would have been able to visit here. John bit his lips, feeling his cheeks heat. “Right,” he mumbled. He’d known that. Of course he had.

Rolling his eyes, John ignored the lieutenant’s continued grouching and headed toward the village. As soon as they were within sight, he plastered on his most ‘hey-I’m-friendly-and-harmless’ smile and was shocked when the first person to see him actually bolted off with a look of fear in his eyes. Well, that couldn’t be good. They were soon met by what seemed to be the leader of the village, which turned out to be Zara, an abbot of Proculus, which was apparently the name of this planet.

Well, he seemed friendly enough, John supposed as they sat down to talk. The man appeared genuinely surprised to find they had come from another world and that they had been saved by a weapon originating from his planet. When the abbot mentioned never having heard of the Wraith, John stared at Teyla who looked elated.

As soon as the abbot excused himself, she leaned forward and whispered, “I have never known a world not ravaged by the Wraith. If this is true, then this planet would make a wonderful sanctuary for many people.”

John couldn’t agree more. As far as Alpha sites went, Proculus sounded like an ideal spot if the Wraith truly could not get to it. The abbot returned shortly and promised to take them to meet Chaya, their head priestess, so they could discuss their situation. The walk to Chaya’s residence was long and Rodney bitched the entire way, but John simply tuned him out. There was a feeling of peace here that seemed to wash over him and he knew that Rodney was mostly just spouting his usual bluster.

Just before they entered the monastery, John reminded Rodney to be on his best behavior. He knew the man had become better at curbing his tongue, but when there was a ZPM involved, Rodney still tended to speak before thinking, and John really wanted to try to make some sort of arrangement happen.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

There was something very off about this place, Rodney decided. Everyone was too happy and oblivious, and he was not at all sure whether they were for real or not. He was certain the energy ball that had saved them had come from a weapon on this planet, but the abbot seemed completely ignorant of anything. If there was one thing Rodney hated, it was not knowing something. The only thing worse was someone not wanting to know. And he really wanted to know.

The second they stepped inside the monastery, the hairs on the back of his neck wanted to stand up. The feeling only got worse when a beautifully exotic woman – even more so than Teyla, and in his book that was saying something – walked up to them and took John’s hand in both of hers. Rodney didn’t even hear her words, too distracted by the suddenly stunted sensation that was his soul bond with John. What the hell was that all about?

“You must be tired after your long journey, shall I make us some tea?” the woman – Chaya, he dug up from the recesses of his mind – asked, her eyes focused intently on his major. Rodney didn’t like it one bit, but of course, John just grinned and said, “I was hoping you would say just that.” Of course he did. Rodney crossed his arms, scowling at them. Something wasn’t right.

As they sat around a fire, sipping their tea, they talked of the Wraith. By all appearances, Chaya seemed truly puzzled and horrified by their existence, but something was setting Rodney’s alarm bells off. He just couldn’t put his finger on what. It was annoying the crap out of him. Like it was something he should know, that was just out of his reach if only he could get a little closer. Another thing that bothered him was that she still seemed to insist there were no weapons on Proculus.

When Rodney tried to argue with her, John shot him a disapproving look and told him off. “Best. Behavior, Rodney,” he reminded him.

Rodney blinked in shock. John had never talked to him quite like that before, not even when Rodney had caused them to get shot at. “This is as good as it gets, Major,” he retorted, slightly hurt by John’s reaction. Not to mention, he hated being lied to and he was one hundred percent certain Chaya was lying through her teeth.

John ignored him – ignored him! – and began to plead their case with Chaya, which of course would lead nowhere, Rodney was sure. When she excused herself to ‘talk with Athar’, Rodney rolled his eyes and scoffed. “So, pay no attention to the man behind the curtain, huh?”

He glared at John who seemed the picture of ease as he laid back on the bench Chaya had been sitting on. “Exactly,” the man replied, closing his eyes. Grumbling, Rodney sat back down to wait, eyeing John worriedly. The longer they were in this place, the worse that stunted feeling seemed to get and he didn’t care for it at all. He had no idea what had caused it or how to fix it, or even if it was just something he was experiencing or if John felt it, too. He supposed he could have asked his mate, but a tiny voice in the back of his mind warned him now was not the time.

What felt like hours later, Chaya and the abbots returned. John jumped to his feet – a little too eagerly in Rodney’s opinion – and looked hopefully at her. She inclined her head. “We have conveyed your request to our divine mother, and although she does not doubt the righteousness of your mission, I’m afraid she cannot countenance any other people but hers settling here.”

John looked devastated. Rodney, who had remained seated, sighed and shook his head, feeling disgusted. “And you really had to chant all this time to come up with that?”

“McKay,” John ground out, glowering at him like it was all his fault.

Teyla got to her feet, pleading. “Is there any way to have Athar reconsider?”

Chaya turned to her, shaking her head. “Athar understands and sympathizes. The Wraith are a scourge among our stars, but she has to place the lives of her people first.”

Standing up, Rodney scowled, wishing he could figure out what the hell was really going on. “Well, I think we both knew what you were going to say long before you went in there.”

She looked away, unable to meet his eyes which just cinched the deal for him. “We prayed for Athar’s guidance,” she said quietly.

“And what did Athar say?” Rodney retorted, tired of playing this game. Why were they wasting their time with this insanity? “You’re hiding behind your religion to justify your complete and utter selfishness,” he accused.

“Rodney!” John exclaimed angrily.

He pressed on, in part because he knew he was right and also because that bundle of sensation that was John had just dimmed to nearly non-existent, and it scared the crap out of Rodney. “If Athar existed she would be ashamed of herself.” And that was a big ‘if’, if you asked him. How could any people be so selfish when people throughout this galaxy were being hunted by the Wraith?

Zara bristled. “We ask only to be left alone and in peace.”

Rodney squared his shoulders. Oh, how it galled him that they were hiding behind their so-called deity. And people thought him selfish? “So untold thousands, possibly even millions of people will die out there when they could have been saved, all in the name of Athar. How very, very peaceful of you,” he said, making no attempt to hide his scorn.

“You should be grateful to Athar,” Chaya chided, her voice breaking. She still wasn’t looking at him. Ashamed, no doubt, as well she should be!

Taking a deep breath, Rodney said, “This is a waste of time.” They could be out there trying to find the weapon or go visit another planet or something. These people wouldn’t help them no matter what they did to try to convince them otherwise. He shifted his shoulders uneasily, trying to shake that dulling sensation. The quicker they were out of here, the better.

“Athar regrets that she cannot help you,” she murmured to John.

Rodney rolled his eyes. “And I’m sure those were her exact words to you.”

John rounded on Rodney, glaring daggers at him. “That’s enough!” he barked.

Rodney gaped. He had never seen John like this before. Ever. What was happening here? Why was he behaving like this and why was the soul bond feeling like it was fading?

“Head back to the jumper,” John ordered, sending Ford to make sure Rodney did as told. Rodney felt sick as they walked to the jumper, his mind racing as he tried to make sense of everything and getting nowhere fast.

~*~*~*~*~*~

“Carson! I’d like you to meet Chaya,” John said jovially. “She’s visiting us for a while.”

Carson looked up from his computer and blinked. “What’s this then?” he asked as he got to his feet. He glanced at John, wondering about how eager he seemed as he introduced them. “Chaya, it’s a pleasure to meet you, lass.”

John turned to her and grinned. “Carson’s going to see to your tests. You’ll be in great hands. Won’t she, Carson?”

Amused, if slightly puzzled, Carson smiled warmly at her. “Aye, of course. If you’ll come right over here, lass, we’ll get you started. Mac’ll take care of John while we’re at it.”

Mac, hearing his name, turned his head. “John, why don’t you have a seat over there,” he said, jerking his head to an empty bed. “I’ll be with you in just a minute.”

John seemed reluctant to leave Chaya’s side. Carson wondered what that was about. And where was Rodney anyway? He and the rest of their team would need to go through their own tests, too. Putting a gentle hand on Chaya’s elbow, Carson guided her over to a bed on the other side of the infirmary and pulled a curtain around it for privacy. “Right. Here we are then.”

He explained briefly what would be happening, and when she consented to the various tests, Carson set to work, keeping up a steady conversation as he did. When she told him of her planet and her being a priestess, Carson couldn’t help wondering why she was here. She’d made it obvious her people would not help them.

“When John told me of your city, I was curious,” Chaya explained, “He offered to show me around. I’ve never been away from my people before.”

He nodded absently as he carefully noted all her stats, took her blood, and then had her go through an MRI. They had to do this twice as the first time he tried to run the scan, she moved around too much. “Now, lass, I need you to lay very still for a bit or this won’t work,” he scolded gently as he reset the MRI and ran it again.

“Just a minute more,” he assured her, scanning the readouts with a slight frown. Well, this was odd. Her scan was showing none of the things it usually picked up with humans. “Well my dear, it seems you’re just as lovely on the inside as you are on the outside.” As odd as that was. He smiled warmly at her. “If health is synonymous with beauty…” Chaya began to sit up, looking curiously around her. “You can get up now,” Carson assured.

“How does this device do what you say it does?”

“It creates images of the tissues inside your body,” he explained, glancing down at the screen. “And they are picture perfect.” He had to school his expression to hide his concern. He had never before seen anyone have results like this, it was unheard of.

“Did you bring these machines back from your world?” She gazed at him with such intent it made Carson feel slightly uncomfortable.

“Some,” he acknowledged, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “Others are Lantean technology that we’re learning to use, and a few I haven’t the vaguest idea of what they do,” he confessed, earning him a secretive smile. He wondered what that was about. He had the funny feeling there was more to this lass than met the eye. “Hopefully one day I’ll meet an Ancient and ask them myself.”

They talked for a while about the Ancients, which she seemed very curious about. Even while they were talking, he was trying to figure out what her scans meant. “Are all the people of your world as healthy as you?” he asked suddenly.

“Yes,” she acknowledged.

Frowning, he shook his head. “No disease? Ailments? No one ever breaks a leg?”

“Such things are rare, but my people heal quite rapidly.” Carson blinked at her in astonishment.

Just then, John popped his head around the corner, looking almost shy and hopeful. “Are we done?”

Chaya turned to Carson. “Are we?”

Carson grinned. “Healthiest patient I’ve ever had. Off you go, love.” She hopped off the table and all but skipped over to John. Carson shook his head in amazement when John held out his arm to her and they walked out of the infirmary arm in arm. “Well,” Carson muttered under his breath, “this is new.”

Mac stepped up behind him. “Did John seem… weird, to you?” he asked quietly, his eyes on where the two had left.

Glancing at his colleague, Carson nodded. “Aye, just a wee bit. Did anything show up on the initial tests?”

“No,” Mac hummed. “I was about to start his bloodwork. I’ll run hers as well, if you like.”

“Thanks, lad. I’d like to take a closer look at her MRI. Something doesn’t seem quite right to me. Hopefully between the two of us, we’ll find some answers.”

Clasping a hand on his shoulder, Mac nodded and left to tend to his work.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Bloodwork shows no viral, bacterial, or parasitic infections,” Carson explained as Rodney and Elizabeth stared at Chaya’s charts. “MRI reveals no tumors or cancers. No heart defects of any kind. Blood pressure one-thirty over seventy.” Carson glanced sideways at them. “Total cholesterol, one-oh-seven. She’s in perfect health.”

Rodney scowled at the screen. Everything Carson was saying just added to his suspicions. Chaya was bad news, not that he was any closer to understanding why or how. Elizabeth tilted her head in confusion. “I’m… happy for her? But why did we need to see this?”

Carson raised an eyebrow at her. “Because, Doctor, she’s too healthy.”

Wait, what? “What does that mean?” Rodney asked, confused.

“There’s no trace of any diseases or congenital conditions that you typically find in pre-technological societies.”

Rodney’s mind started racing as Carson continued to explain. “But she is human?”

Carson nodded. “Aye.”

Crossing his arms tight around his chest, Rodney glared at the screen again. Okay, so human. That was no help. Damnit all, there had to be a reason why he was so convinced there was something wrong with the woman, if only he could figure out what! Elizabeth left without him being aware of it. Not until Carson put a hand on his shoulder did Rodney become aware of it. “Are you alright, lad?”

“No,” he blurted before he could think better of it. “I’m not.”

He let Carson guide him to his office and into a chair while the man leaned against his desk. “What’s going on, Rodney?”

Scrubbing his face, he sighed. “I wish I knew, Carson. All I know for sure is that something is… blocking the bond with John. It’s been feeling stunted ever since we met Chaya and I have no idea why. John’s been acting strange, too, and won’t listen to me. Hell, he’s acting like he doesn’t know me anymore. At least, not the way he does if that makes sense,” he babbled.

“Wait. Your bond feels stunted?” Carson asked, straightening up.

“That’s what I said, isn’t it?” Rodney groused, frowning up at his friend as he walked around his desk.

Carson tapped his comms. “Mac? Could you do me a favor and run a DNA test on Major Sheppard? On Rodney, too.” He paused, listening. “Aye, need it done stat, if you would. And make sure to give the results only to me, don’t tell anyone you’re running them.”

Tilting his head, Rodney thought for a moment. It made sense to run the tests again, since that had been how they had discovered the gene to begin with. “You’ll let me know if you find anything?” he asked quietly. He wasn’t sure whether he wanted Mac to find something wrong with their bond or not.

Carson nodded, smiling reassuringly. “Of course, lad. The minute we have anything, I promise.”

Rubbing his hands on his thighs, Rodney sighed. “Thanks, Carson.”

“Rodney? If you have a moment, I’d like you to see something, please,” Peter called over the radio.

“I’m on my way.” He tapped his comms and got to his feet.

Before he had gotten to the door, Carson said quietly, “We’ll figure this out, lad. Don’t you worry.”

Rodney really hoped his friend was right because he was starting to feel a little lost, and that wasn’t an experience he enjoyed. When he got to the control room, Rodney got a little of his bounce back. “You got it working?” he asked Peter who was hunched over the console they had found in another part of the city. “What is it?”

Peter glanced up, indicating the console. “It appears to be some sort of internal/external biometric sensor array.”

Rodney chuffed. “See now, sadly, I understood that. Where did all those Saturday nights go?” he said sarcastically.

Rolling his eyes, Peter pointed at his screen. “These seem to be the biosignatures of everyone on Atlantis.”

Huh. He frowned, tilting his head as he tried to follow the readings. “How can you tell?” Seriously, why did the Ancients have to use so much gibberish and superfluous code? What was the point? It wasn’t even pretty code, either. “I can’t make heads or tails of that mess.”

Peter chuckled, nodding agreement. “I’ve been working on deciphering the Ancient algorithms. I suspect that this was designed primarily as an early warning system.”

As Peter continued to expand on his findings, one thing caught his attention. “Wait, hold up. You said this thing turned on after our visitor touched it?” Too healthy? And now this? That couldn’t be a coincidence.

Peter shrugged. “Which must mean she has the Ancient gene.”

That’s one hypothesis, Rodney thought. But no, that didn’t feel right. And how incredibly irksome was this whole working on a ‘feeling’ thing? He was a man of science, damnit, not emotion, but it was all he had to go on for the time being. “Or it was initialized already and only activated because it was detecting her.”

Peter shot him an incredulous look. Rodney didn’t care if he sounded paranoid. His gut told him he was right and if there was one thing he was learning from his major, it was to listen to his gut. “She could be some kind of alien and this thing knows more about her than we’ve been able to decypher,” he pressed on. Straightening, he stared straight ahead. “Someone should be keeping an eye on her,” he mused.

“Oh, Major Sheppard is,” Peter assured him calmly.

Rodney rolled his eyes. “Of course he is.” John was his, dammit, and for all that they were soulmates, he seemed to be falling all over this woman. It was almost as if he was trying to play Kirk, which really annoyed him.

Peter huffed, casting a sly look his way. “Not entirely for the reasons you think. Dr. Weir asked him to.”

“I’m sure she has,” Rodney said dryly. Anything to try to sweet talk the natives, she would do, as far as Rodney could tell. Well, anything short of becoming an arms dealer, which she had already proven resistant to. But he wouldn’t put it past her to whore someone out. Rodney flushed slightly, embarrassed that the thought had even crossed his mind. He knew he was just being bitter and was taking out his anxiety on her, even if only in his head. He knew Elizabeth would never ask anyone to do anything untoward just to further the mission.

Annoyed, he walked off, running various scenarios through his head as he went in search of Elizabeth. Maybe he could convince her to send Chaya back to Proculus. He didn’t dare radio her, not wanting to risk anyone overhearing – and by anyone, he meant John.

He ran into Teyla who gave him a peculiar look which immediately made his stomach turn. He had no idea what she was about to say, but everything in him told him he really didn’t want to hear it. Still, she was his friend, so he stopped to talk to her.

“Dr. McKay,” she said sympathetically, placing her hand on his arm. “Have you seen Major Sheppard recently?”

He squirmed. He had glimpsed him a couple of times as John gave Chaya the grand tour of Atlantis, but it had felt as if the man was actively avoiding running into him and that hurt. So he did what he did best and tried to push the pain aside. Opening his mouth to answer, his throat became too dry to speak when Teyla mentioned seeing him carrying a picnic basket. “He said something about being an ambassador and having a diplomatic picnic with Chaya out on the pier.”

Rodney’s heart skipped a couple of beats, his chest tightening as he rasped, “When?”

Teyla tilted her head, watching him closely. “About half an hour ago.”

Mental images of John and Chaya played out in his mind’s eye faster than he could keep up, which was a blessing. He tried to touch on the soul bond but where it used to be, there now was emptiness. “Thanks,” he managed, pushing past her in his hurry to find Elizabeth. He had to convince her, had to make her see.

When he finally located her, Rodney was disappointed to find her unwilling to see his view of things. She was outright dismissive of his concerns, even going so far as to suggest he was having a breakdown of some sort and he was imagining the soul bond being gone. After all, the Ancient database had said that a bond was for life and the Ancients surely could not be wrong. It was an attitude he had come across among his minions and it was one that he abhorred. After all the fiascos they had already faced, he no longer held those dratted ascended assholes up on the pedestal most people did. After a lot of talking – okay, maybe it had more been him having a bitchfest of near-epic proportions – she finally relented to at least let him sit in on their next meeting so he could monitor her. He fervently hoped that he would get something out of that, because he had the distinct impression that if he messed up this time, he would be in for it with Elizabeth. And no doubt John would have a thing or two to say about it, too.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Biting his lip, John replayed the last few moments over and over as he headed toward the transporter. He had kissed Chaya and it had been amazing. It had been a little weird at first because he couldn’t stop thinking about the fact she was an alien, but once they started… it had felt so right. Hadn’t it? Frowning, he pushed aside the tiny voice that wanted to argue and that sounded suspiciously like McKay.

Speaking of McKay, John thought as the man called after him. John stopped and turned around, feigning innocence. “Hello, Rodney. What are you doing up so late?” Why was he suddenly feeling guilty? He had done nothing wrong, he was a grown ass major, after all.

Rodney frowned, glancing over his shoulder to where John had just come from before looking at him again. “I was just, ummm,” he paused, a flash of hurt in his eyes as he changed tact. “I couldn’t sleep so I was just on my way to the control room to do a little, err, research. How about you?” he tacked on sarcastically.

John bristled, but played dumb. “No thanks.”

Crossing his arms, Rodney tilted his head. “No, I meant, what are you doing up this late?”

“I’m always up this late, Rodney,” he rebuked, not sure why he was having to explain himself to the scientist.

Shifting so his arms were clasped behind his back, Rodney seemed to steel himself. “Word of caution? The whole Captain Kirk routine is problematic, to say the least.” Was that jealousy in the man’s voice? John’s eyes tightened, trying to make sense of things, which was a lot harder than it should have been, if he were completely honest with himself.

“What ‘Kirk’ routine?” John asked harshly, getting his back up.

Rodney jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “The whole ‘romancing the alien priestess’ thing? It’s very nineteen sixty seven of you,” he said scathingly. “Actually, I’m surprised that you-”

John cut him off. “If and when anything I do becomes your business-” What the hell was McKay’s problem? And where did he get off trying to dress John down like this?

“It becomes my business,” Rodney said, his voice hard and his expression closed. “When an alien woman who clearly is not who she claims to be has the ranking military officer wrapped around her little finger!”

John glared at the man. “Don’t go there, McKay,” he warned. He wasn’t entirely sure why he was suddenly as pissed off as he was, other than the scientist seemed to be pushing all his buttons just in that moment. That, and that completely random feeling of guilt that he couldn’t place set him on edge. And there was the whole accusing his Chaya of basically being evil incarnate, if McKay’s words and demeanor were anything to go by.

Rodney looked away, blinking furiously. His voice broke when he met John’s gaze again. “I’m sorry. I know I’m not normally Mr. Sensitive, but you have got to believe me when I say there is something seriously wrong with that woman. I know it’s intangible, but I can feel it-”

John stepped into McKay’s space, looming over him as he snapped, “I said, don’t. Go. There.”

Rodney took a shaky breath, stubbornly pressing on. “It’s just a matter of time before-” he stopped and both men looked up when the door behind Rodney opened and Chaya stepped out. She took one look at them before turning around and heading back with an unreadable expression on her face.

John glowered at McKay, showing him the contempt he felt for his accusations. The other man opened his mouth to plead his case again, but John stalked away, feeling disgusted. Though the further he got, the more confused the jumble of emotions inside of him became. Maybe a run would help clear his head, he thought as he set off toward his favorite path.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

Rodney only half paid attention to the farce that was the negotiation meeting with Chaya. What little he could tell, things were going as badly as he had expected them to, so he focused most of his attention on the tests he was running and growing more irritated by the second. Chaya’s suddenly calling him out on what he was doing startled him enough that he admitted he was getting nothing useful.

John was irate, glaring daggers at Rodney which he could have sworn he actually felt pierce his heart. Meanwhile, Elizabeth was apologizing profusely. It all became too much for Rodney and he stood, shoving his chair back in disgust. “Oh stop apologizing, Elizabeth,” he snapped. When all eyes were on him, he challenged, “How did she know?”

“McKay!”

Sadness washed over Rodney as he looked at his mate. It was almost as if he were someone else entirely, someone he didn’t know anymore and that hurt. More than he’d ever willingly let on. “She’s an Ancient,” he said quietly, turning to Chaya again. “I’m right, aren’t I? The perfect health, the energy weapon, the fact that she has the Ancient gene,” and God knew what else, Rodney added silently. “It’s the only logical explanation.”

“What the hell are you talking about?” John asked, sounding confused.

Rodney ignored him, his focus completely on Chaya. “I just don’t understand the act. I mean, you must know that we would give anything to talk to you, to learn from you. I mean, what is it? Were you just checking us out?”

The sudden look of guilt on Chaya’s face made Rodney’s stomach turn. Had she done something to interfere with his bond with John? His knees buckled when Chaya told John that she had come to the city for him, and he sat heavily back in his chair. His head was buzzing as he listened to her explanation of why she had come here. How could she possibly have done anything to their bond? How was that even possible? That had to be it, though, right? What else could explain the sudden change? But it had to be more than that. More than merely tinkering with the bond because John had genuinely appeared unaware of their relationship.

Before he could voice any of his concerns or theories, however, Chaya walked out of the room, John hot on her heels. It took Rodney a few precious seconds to recover from the shock of seeing him so eagerly give chase after that woman, and when he finally caught up to them, it was only just in time to see Chaya turn into a glowy being and disappear through the gate.

John ran towards the hanger, heedless of the fact that both Rodney and Elizabeth called after him to stop. He tried to go after him but Carson caught his arm and he turned in surprise. “Carson, what-?”

“Lad, you need to see this for yourself,” Carson urged quietly, shoving a laptop into his hands. The non-networked laptop he had given the man, Rodney thought idly as he powered it on. Scanning the information on the screen, Rodney nearly dropped the computer, his body suddenly feeling numb with shock. He had been right. Chaya had done something to their bond. The markers that had shown their soul bond were no longer the same. Instead, John now shared a marker with someone else.

Chaya.

Rodney looked up at the sound of the gate activating and the jumper lowering itself for take off. Shoving the laptop back at Carson, he hurried to the balcony, tapping his comms. “John! You can’t go! John! Please!”

He watched in horror as the jumper slipped through the event horizon without so much as a word from John. “John, please don’t leave me,” he whispered hoarsely as he watched the gate wink out.

 

next

“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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The computer dinged, alerting Kimberly to her search program getting a hit. Twisting in her seat, she cursed under her breath. Her damn leg was going to drive her up the wall soon, but at least Mac had cleared her to go back to work – as long as she stuck to desk work only. When she had maneuvered herself to where she could see the screen, she quickly scanned the readout. “Oh. My. God,” she whispered, hitting her comms. “Dr. McKay, could you come down to my lab, please?”

“What is it, Kimberly? I’m kind of busy here,” Rodney groused in her ear.

“Trust me, Rodney, you’ll want to see this. And if John is with you, you might want to bring him along.” If what she was reading was any indication, and if the satellite was still around and in working order, she was pretty sure that both Rodney and John were liable to spontaneously combust. Hell, the specs on this thing almost had her rubbing her thighs together.

A long suffering sigh followed by, “Fine. We’ll be there in ten,” had her grinning. While she waited for Rodney to show, she adjusted her search parameters a little and by the time he and John walked into her lab, she had found more information.

“What was so urgent, Kim?” Rodney grumbled.

She turned, grinning, and almost laughed at John goodnaturedly rolling his eyes at his mate. Pointing at her screen, she said, “See for yourself.” Lowering her leg from the stool it was resting on, she moved aside so both Rodney and John could take a look. It was most gratifying to hear the sounds of delight coming from both men. When they looked up, she didn’t even try to suppress the smugness she felt, so she crossed her arms and grinned. “Told you.”

Gripping Rodney’s arm, John seemed to have a hard time not letting the little boy inside him jump with joy. As toys went, a giant weapons satellite was… well… big. “Kimberly,” John said hoarsely, “is there any way to tell if it’s still out there?”

She sighed, shaking her head. “No, not from here. If the satellite still exists, it is either damaged or out of power. Or both, come to think of it. The only way to really know for sure is to go check it out in person.”

John and Rodney shared an excited look. “According to the specs, there’s a loading dock for the jumpers, John. We could fly out there.”

He bit his lip, mulling it over. “Elizabeth might not like it. It’d take us a good fifteen hours to get there, Rodney. But if it’s there… if it works…”

Kimberly cleared her throat, getting their attention. “From what I read, if it’s merely out of power, we should be able to hook it up to our naquedah generators. The power requirements are not dissimilar to that of the systems we have them on here in the city.”

Rodney bent to read for himself then nodded. “Surprisingly enough, she’s right, John. You’d have thought it’d require a ZPM just like the chair, but this seems different. Still insanely powerful of course, but we should be able to make it work.”

John nodded, reaching out to squeeze Kimberly’s shoulder. “You did good, Kimberly.”

She smiled wanly. “Thanks. If Dr. Weir okays the mission, I don’t suppose I have a chance in hell of going, do I?”

Rodney glared at her, arms crossed tight around his chest. “No.”

“But Rodney!” she whined. Damn her stupid broken leg. “I could-”

“No way, Kim. You’re not cleared for that kind of duty, and even if you were, I still wouldn’t let you go. God only knows what we’ll be faced with if and when we find it and until you are completely mobile again, you are a liability in the field. Besides, Ioan would gut me.”

She huffed, pouting. Rodney was right and she knew it, but that didn’t mean she had to like it. John patted her shoulder. “Sorry, Kimberly. Maybe next time.”

“Yeah, because there’ll be so many other weapons satellites out there,” she groused, though there was no real heat in it. Taking a breath, she tapped her finger on her desk. “Okay, so I won’t be going. You’ll still need a couple of people with you to help look it over.”

Rodney nodded, crossing his legs as he settled against the desk. “You’re right. I want you to bring Gall and Abrams up to speed and I want you to keep digging in the database. Anything you find on that thing, I want uploaded to our pads.”

“Can do,” she assured, already putting in a new search parameter. “When are you planning on leaving?”

Rodney glanced at John, who answered. “Assuming Elizabeth gives a green light, I want to be wheels up in two hours. There’s no point in delaying longer than that, but I want to give you some time to get everything prepped. And by ‘in two hours’, I mean from now, not from when Elizabeth says ‘yes’.”

Kimberly’s lips twitched, her eyes dancing with amusement. “Think you can talk her around that quickly?”

John grinned. “Watch me.”

Rodney rolled his eyes and huffed. “Alright, flyboy. Let’s go. We all have work to do,” he chided, herding John out of the lab.

Kimberly called after them, “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do!” Lifting her leg back up on the stool, she sighed, trying to get comfortable again. She was getting so tired of being in that damn cast. Hitting her comms, she paged Drs. Gall and Abrams even as she began sending the information already obtained to their pads.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~

“Come on, John, please?” Rodney wheedled for the umpteenth time.

John sighed, closing his eyes briefly. “Rodney, do we have to do this now?” he said quietly, jerking his head to the two men behind them. He loved the man, he really did, but John had realized fairly early on that Rodney didn’t like to lose face in front of his minions and, well, Rodney really sucked at flying. He was getting better, admittedly, but John wasn’t sure that giving him a flying lesson now was the best idea.

“Oh, please, Major, just let him have a go,” Abrams exclaimed tiredly. “Or we’ll never have any peace.”

“Not that we ever do,” grumbled Gall, which made John frown. There seemed to be an underlying friction between Gall and Rodney, but Rodney declined to comment on it.

“Fine. Here, take the wheel. Just… take it easy this time, okay?” John said as he got out of the pilot’s seat so Rodney could slide in. Once the man had a handle on the controls, John took Rodney’s seat. He shook his head at how tight his mate’s posture had become, though he couldn’t help but smile at the look of excitement on his face. Okay, so maybe it was worth it to have him have a lesson on this trip, despite the audience.

John noticed Gall get up unsteadily and move to the back of the jumper to use the head. When he came back a few minutes later, John thought he looked a little green around the gills. Frowning, he was about to ask if the man was okay when Rodney tightened his grip on the controls even further. “Ease up on the controls a little,” John cautioned.

“I’m fine,” Rodney assured.

Shaking his head slightly, John contradicted him. “You’re gonna snap the damn things off in a minute. Ease up!”

“I’m just seeing what this baby can do.”

Abrams snorted. “Did you just say ‘this baby’?”

“Ah, that’s perfectly appropriate space pirate parlance,” Rodney quipped.

Quipped! Rodney! In another time and place, John thought that Rodney could have been playing in a bumper car for all the enjoyment he seemed to take in flying the jumper. “Try to fly ‘the baby’ in a straight line,” John said wryly.

“I’m flying in a straight line!” Rodney protested, frowning at him.

John huffed slightly as he pulled up the HUD. First it showed their projected course, and then their current trajectory. Quirking a brow, John murmured, “Yeah, not so much.”

“Well,” Rodney said, shrugging. “In space all motion is relative.”

From the corner of his eye, John could see Gall hunkering down in his seat looking ill. He was fanning his face and appeared to want to be anywhere but here. Half-turning in his seat, John asked, “Are you okay, Dr. Gall?”

Gall waved him off, a pinched expression on his face, claiming he got motion sickness. John bit his tongue, shooting his mate a look of disbelief. Had Gall really been Rodney’s best choice for this mission? Leaning across the console, John whispered to Rodney, “Why did you pick him for this mission?”

Rodney turned to him, waving his hand dismissively. “Because he’s one of the few people on my team that have studied Ancient weaponry. I figured that might prove useful?” Rodney said with an air of stating the obvious.

John nodded then snapped, “Don’t let go of the controls!” when he realized what Rodney had done.

Jumping in his seat, Rodney fumbled to get ahold of the controls again. “Snapping doesn’t help!” He glowered at John.

Rolling his eyes, John shook his head. “This is why parents get someone else to teach their kids how to drive.” Maybe he could have one of the Lorne brothers give lessons to Rodney instead, because John really wasn’t in the mood to let their respective tempers lead to a fight over this. At least if Rodney got mad at one of them instead of John, he would still have a chance at getting laid.

Rodney shot him a sharp look. “I am both insulted and touched by that,” he all but sneered.

Yeah, that definitely sounded like Rodney, John thought. Gall’s whispered, “Oh my God,” made him look up. For a minute, all four men simply stared out of the viewscreen at the approaching satellite. It was massive, and from the look of things, at least appeared to be in one piece. John’s stomach did a little flip when he imagined the fire power this thing would have if they ever got it up and running again. It would make any confrontation with the Wraith a lot easier to handle, and John had absolutely no doubts in his mind that the Wraith were coming.

As the satellite loomed closer, John got up. “McKay?” Eyes on the viewscreen, they switched places, neither one willing to risk any mishaps now they were so close to their goal. Leaving the scientists to whatever it was they did, John got as close as he dared for the moment. Gall confirmed the station was dead, noting again they could probably hook it up to a generator.

While he and Rodney were debating the chances of that, Abrams interrupted them. “Wait, wait… I’m picking up something on the ultra-low frequency range.”

John turned his head toward the man. “Where’s it coming from,” he asked as Abrams switched on the audio. John frowned, trying to place where he’d heard the sound before. It dawned on him at the same time as Rodney said, “The planet. It’s a distress call. A Wraith distress call.”

He and Rodney shared a long, knowing look. There was no way the Wraith could be here this soon or they would have heard about it already. Which meant that this ship had been here since the war with the Ancients over ten thousand years ago. John’s thoughts automatically began to weigh the pros and cons of checking out the distress beacon. It didn’t take him long. Whatever intel they could gain would be worth any risk, and surely no Wraith could still be living after this much time. Could it?

“Contact Atlantis,” John said quietly.

 

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