Title:Missing
Rating:K +
Warnings: None
Summary: As Rodney and Carson are returning to Atlantis, their Puddle Jumper is shot down by an old enemy who takes them hostage. As those back on Atlantis try to mount a rescue, their efforts are hampered by the fact vital pieces of equipment keep going missing, and the main suspect is Jinto.
Disclaimers: I don't own any of the Stargate Atlantis characters, but I hope I've given them a fair representation in this story.
Characters: All especially John & Rodney, Carson-centric.
Spoilers: In the first chapter there is a brief reference to Misbegotten. And once the old enemy is revealed, there may be spoilers for other episodes. But I'll warn you in advance.
oOoOoOo
Carson sat down on the grassy bank of the lake, sighing with satisfaction at the sight before him. In the pre-dawn light, the water looking like a giant mirror, reflecting, darkly, the lush countryside around it. To his left, trees reached up towards the light blue sky, dark silhouettes against the pale morning light, each leaf etched with vivid detail. They marked the edge of a dense forest that led right up to the lake. Carson had only ventured into the outer reaches of the forest, but he had sensed there was danger lurking in its depths, and he was glad he wouldn't have to explore it further.
As he watched, in silent wonder, the sun peeked its head over the top of the distant mountains. It brought the sky to life, turning the pale blue into vivid pinks and burning orange. In the still lake, the colours were echoed, making it look as if the very water was on fire.
A gentle wave of homesickness hit him, making him smile. As a child, he had spent many summers at his grandparent's home. And there he had sneaked out of the house to see the sun rise over the loch bordering their property. The property was now his, left to him when they died within a few weeks of each other. Renting it out had enabled Carson to continue his medical training when the grants and scholarships had run out. He owed them much, not just the memories of sunrises over the water.
The silence of the morning was broken only by the calling of the native birds, singing their hearts out as a greeting to the new day. Slowly, almost sub-consciously, Carson became aware of a rumbling counterpoint to the bird-song. Out of the sunrise, silhouetted black against the fiery sky, came a puddle-jumper. From its slightly erratic course, Carson decided it must be Rodney who was piloting it. He smiled at the thought of going home again.
Something about this planet made him feel uneasy. During his time in the Pegasus Galaxy, Carson had become more accustomed to travelling to other worlds, and he no longer felt an anxiety that was almost a physical pain. But on this trip, something niggled at the back of his mind, causing him to feel tense and jumpy.
He'd been on the planet for over a week now. Accompanied by a small medical team, he had been helping the native healers to combat a nasty illness that was similar to typhoid. The rest of the team had returned the previous day, but Carson had stayed to keep an eye on some tests he had been running along with Silis, his counterpart on this planet.
Now it was time to return to Atlantis, and Carson was filled with a real sense of relief to be leaving. He had been thinking about it last night, trying to figure out why he felt so on edge, and he had come to the conclusion that something about this planet reminded him of the one they had used to isolate Michael and the other Wraith. Carson had had flashbacks on more than one occasion since he'd arrived here. And they were not pleasant. The most vivid images were of being tied to the bed and Michael's wraith-like face gazing down at him with vengeful determination. Carson seriously hoped once he returned to Atlantis that these flashbacks would stop, or he might need to pay Kate Heightmeyer a visit.
"Ah, Carson, there you are." Rodney's voice cut through Carson's musings.
"Aye, Rodney," he replied, smiling gently. "Here I am."
"Well," Rodney continued. "Are you ready? I've not got all day to hang around and wait for you. I've important work to do, and can't spent all day acting as your chauffeur."
"All my stuff is waiting back at the village," Carson replied.
"Good, good," Rodney replied. "Let's get going then."
"Aye, Rodney," Carson replied, hiding his smile.
As they approached the camp, Silis came to greet them. He reached out his hand to shake Carson's.
"Thank you, once again, for all your help, Carson," he said, still stuttering slightly over using Carson's first name. For most of the visit, Silis had insisted on calling Carson 'Dr Beckett' until the Scot had gently suggested that as colleagues of equal standing, it would be entirely appropriate for the healer to call him 'Carson'.
"It was my pleasure, Silis," Carson replied, warmly. But he sensed an anxiety about his fellow healer, an edginess that hadn't been present, even during the height of the medical crisis.
"I definitely need to get out of here," Carson thought to himself. "I'll be imagining half the planet is having a nervous breakdown next."
As Carson and Rodney turned to go, one of the children, Shela, broke through the crowd of people who were had gathered to say farewell.
"Dr Carson," she called, her voice the high, sweet voice that only children possess. "I have a gift for you." She ran over to him, and slipped her small hand into his. He crouched down so that his face was on level with hers.
"And what might that be?" he asked with a gentle smile.
She brought the hand she had been holding at her back round so that he could see what she held in it. It was a beautiful rock, like many he had seen along the shores of the lake. It had been worn smooth by the water, and in the morning light it glistened with a rainbow of colours.
"Aww, thank you, Shela," Carson said, his voice full of emotion. "It is truly beautiful, lass."
She smiled at him, and reached over and gave him a kiss on the cheek.
"Carson!" Rodney's impatient voice broke through the sweet moment. "When you've quite finished! We need to get back to Atlantis today, not next week."
"Aye, Rodney," he replied, humouring his friend. But he rolled his eyes, then winked at Shela, who giggled in response.
It didn't take them long to load up the jumper with the help of the local people. Rodney was in his element, barking orders and generally making sure everyone knew he was in charge. Carson didn't mind. He was tired, after all those days and nights of tending the sick. It was good to be able to sit back and let someone else take the strain for a while.
As Carson turned to bid his final farewell to Silis, a strange expression fleeting crossed the other man's face. It was almost a look of pain. Carson gave him a quizzical look, but before he could he could say anything, Silis turned away, and lead his people back towards the village, out of the cloud of dust the jumper would create.
"That's odd," Carson said, half to himself.
"What is?" Rodney asked, only half listening, as he readied the jumper for take off.
"Nothing," Carson said, not completely convincingly.
"Well, let's get going then."
Carson settled himself in the co-pilot's seat as Rodney finished his preparations, and instructed the jumper to take off.
Carson held his breath. He trusted Rodney, but he still felt slightly nervous when his friend was in charge of the puddle jumper. It reminded Carson abit of the way his Mum drove her car. It was perfectly safe – it just didn't feel like it.
"That's odd," Rodney said, making Carson give him a sharp glance.
"What's odd, Rodney?" he asked.
"That is," Rodney said, pointing to a part of the display on the screen in front of them.
"It's a distress call," Carson said.
"Obviously," Rodney replied. "But that part of the planet isn't meant to be inhabited."
"Well, there is obviously someone there," Carson pointed out.
"Well done, Sherlock," Rodney replied.
"And does that make you 'Watson'?" Carson asked with a grin.
Rodney gave him a quelling look in reply, as he headed the jumper in the direction of the distress call.
"I suppose we'd better check it out," the scientist replied, ignoring Carson's last remark.
Carson got up from his seat, and headed towards the back of the jumper.
"Where are you going?" Rodney asked.
"I'm just getting my medical bag, just in case," Carson replied.
"That's one of the things I like about you, Carson," Rodney retorted. "You always look on the bright side of things."
"And you're Mr Optimism?" Carson responded.
Rodney was about to retort further when the jumper gave a sudden lurch to the left.
"What the hell?" Rodney exclaimed, as the controls seemed to suddenly develop a mind of their own.
"We're going to crash!" he shouted to Carson.
Carson barely had time to grab hold of something before the jumper gave a final sickening lurch and then came to a stand still, burrowed into the ground.
For a moment, the jumper was enveloped in a quiet stillness, with only the swirling dust moving.
Slowly, Rodney lifted his head from the control panel. His hand reached up to his forehead and came away with blood on it.
"Oh, brilliant," he said to no-one in particular. "Now I've probably got concussion. Carson," he continued. "I've got concussion."
There was no reply. Rodney frowned, trying to clear his befuddled mind. "Carson?" he said, turning slowly to try to find his friend. "Are you okay?"
Still there was no reply. Rodney got to his feet, and staggered slightly, before making his way, carefully, to the back of the jumper.
"Carson?" he called. "Where are you?"
It was then that he saw the doctor. He was sprawled behind on of the seats, his leg at a very strange angle. The Scot's face was deadly pale, and there was a pool of blood beginning to form at his head.
"Oh, God, Carson!" Rodney said, forgetting his own injuries for a moment, as he knelt at his friend's side.
Before Rodney could check for a pulse or breathing, he heard noises outside.
"At last," he said to himself. "Something is going right."
Rodney stood, and started to move towards the door. But when it opened, the sight that met his eyes caused Rodney's blood to run cold.
"We meet again, Dr McKay," a familiar voice said.
Rodney opened his mouth to give some stinging reply, but the words never quite reached his lips as his body was hit by the stinging blast of a stunner, and his world dissolved into unconsciousness.