Disclaimer: I don't own them. Don't sue
There was too much silence.
It crept up on John and kept him feeling jumpy. He wasn't used to feeling jumpy. Glancing over at the others, he could tell they were feeling it too, but no one commented on it. No one said anything at all. They just plodded on over the - barely there - pathway, eyes locked on each step they took in the fast dimming light.
John looked over at Beckett who was cursing beneath his breath as they trudged along. "You okay, doc?" he asked.
Carson shook his head. "No...not really. I hate this, Colonel. I'm not meant for fieldwork. Not to mention the fact that this planet gives me the creeps. Everything looks gray and dead and it's too bloody quiet!"
Okay, so now someone had commented on it, but John found himself wincing. Beckett's raised voice echoed hollowly around them, too sharp and too loud. John found himself having to resist the urge to shush the man. Instead he replied, "You could have sent Dr. Phelps in your place," knowing the reaction he would get. And he wasn't disappointed.
"I'm the CMO of Atlantis!" Carson exploded. "We have injured men and they need my attention!"
John reached over and patted his arm, hoping the action would calm the good doctor down a bit. Beckett's unease was palpable. "Of course they do," he said softly, infusing his voice with a touch of charm. "And I'm glad you're here, especially given the fact that we don't know what we'll find." Which bothered John more than he would admit, even to himself.
Major Lorne's team had come to this planet two days ago. The moment they had stepped through the gate, Atlantis had lost contact with them. Six hours ago, Lorne finally made it back through the gate, barely conscious. One of his team had died and the other marine and the scientist assigned to him were trapped in some ruins, which is where John and his team were heading now. Lorne passed out before he could offer more and they didn't have time to wait for him to wake up. So here they were. On their way to the ruins, pointedly aware of the fact that they were now out of radio contact with Atlantis. Not that John didn't keep trying every twenty minutes. He or Teyla.
Carson heaved a sigh. "I wish Rodney were here. He whines louder than I do, so I don't sound like such a wimp."
"I wish he was here too," John allowed. He almost always felt better when McKay was with them. If the man couldn't figure out how to fix a problem or solve it, he could figure out how to make whatever solution someone came up with work. But Rodney was needed on the Daedalus at the moment. John had planned on bringing Zelenka until a power outage meant the Czech was needed on Atlantis. So John's team now consisted of himself, Teyla, Ronon, a marine named Billings, a med assistant named Kirby, and Beckett. Everyone was weighed down with various medical cases and supplies. Ronon and Billings - who was built like a Mountain and almost made Ronon seem small in comparison - both carried foldaway stretchers on their backs. Along with heavy cases in both hands. Beckett liked to be prepared.
"How much further do you think?" Carson queried, and he was panting a bit as he climbed over a broken tree limb.
John had been peering ahead and he spotted something. He grabbed his binocular, held them to his eyes for a moment then announced, "Not far. Another ten minutes and we'll be there." John stuffed the binoculars back in his pocket then patted Beckett on the shoulder. "Almost there, doc."
Carson nodded then heaved a sigh of what sounded like relief before picking up his pace a bit.
They continued on in silence until they reached the ruins. The sky was a dark grey now and John ordered everyone to turn on the lights they were carrying. Then he led the way in and it didn't take long to realize there was only one way to go. Down and straight the way. Parts of what must have been a stone temple of some kind had crumpled, blocking off what looked like doorways. So John skirted around them, figuring the others had to have done the same. The air felt a bit chilled and smelled sort of musty and John was glad he was wearing his jacket. "Everyone okay back there?" he called out.
He was pleased when everyone responded with an affirmative, although Beckett's was a bit hesitant. "You still with me, doc?" John asked over his shoulder, knowing that Beckett was right behind him. He could hear the man's heavy tread and his panting breaths. John thought he was breathing hard more from fear than from the exertion.
"Still with you for now," Carson allowed. "I wish we could see better."
"You may get your wish," John stated, as he narrowed his gaze. Ahead of him was a golden glow spilling out of a jagged archway. It was still the only clear path so they had to follow it, but John found himself muttering beneath his breath, "Don't go into the light..." as he continued on, P90 at the ready.
To John's relief, the light appeared to be an almost phosphoresce, only brighter than seemed logical. Not that logic had a lot to do with most things in the Pegasus galaxy, at least not from John's experience since arriving. He felt a bit suspicious of the glow, but it did help being able to see and Beckett was very vocal about his appreciation of it.
Ronon made a few attempts at trying to catch some of the light in his hands, without success. "Never seen anything like that before," he stated.
"Me either," John allowed, then he looked at Teyla. "You?"
"No." She looked as uncertain about it as he felt, but John figured they could worry about it later. Right now they had to reach the injured men. Now that they could see better, John studied their surroundings. They were in a rounded chamber-like room. There were two other doorways but one was blocked. "Guess we go this way," John said, heading for the open one. He found himself feeling relieved when the glowing light extended before him. They could move much faster now.
As they continued on, John realized the temperature was warming the deeper in they went. The air didn't smell as musty either. He sniffed hard and realized that there was a flowery scent, something that reminded him of lavender. Before John could comment on it he heard Ronon call out,
"TEYLA!"
John turned in time to see Beckett make a grab for Teyla as her knees buckled. Running to them John focused on Teyla's face. She looked flushed and her eyes were heavy-lidded. "Doc?" John asked, turning to Beckett.
Carson was checking her vitals. "Give me a minute." He lightly patted Teyla's cheek. "Lass...can you open your eyes?"
Teyla's eyes fluttered open and she appeared to have difficulty focusing. "Wh-what?" she mumbled.
"Take it easy," Carson cautioned, one hand on her wrist, checking her pulse. "Can you describe what you're feeling?"
"Dizzy..." Teyla whispered. "Hot..." She waved one hand near her face.
Carson frowned then said to John, "She is a bit flushed."
Ronon was hovering close by. "It is warm in here," he rumbled.
John looked at him then noticed that Billings was also nodding. "Doc, what's going on?" John prompted. And his concern ratched up a bit when Kirby put his two cents worth in.
"I'm not feeling so good either." As he spoke, Kirby yanked down the zipper of his shirt. "It's really hot in here."
"It's not that hot," John spoke up, his eyes on Beckett. "Are you hot?"
Carson frowned. "It's warmer than it was but not hot. I'm comfortable enough." He focused on Teyla. "Let's get you settled more comfortably and give you a bit of water, maybe that will help." He was frowning as he moved to help Teyla to her feet.
John stood to help him and they got Teyla settled and John grabbed her water bottle. She looked better after a few sips but still weak. John made a decision. "Kirby, you stay with Teyla. The rest of us will continue on to find the others." John could see that Beckett was reluctant to leave Teyla, even though Kirby was a trusted member of his med team. John patted his shoulder. "Come on, doc. You've got other patients waiting."
"Of course." Carson patted Teyla's shoulder then stood up. "Rest and we'll be back soon." As he moved to join John he muttered, "I'll be glad to get the bloody hell out of this place."
"I couldn't agree with you more," John conceded, as they headed on. They picked up their pace and John realized the glowing light was fading. Then, abruptly, it was gone and he was back to using the light on his P90. So he slowed their pace again, feeling like the darkness was crowding him. It made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up and John resisted the urge to scratch them. His gut was telling him something was wrong. A moment later he stumbled, caught himself, focused his light on the ground and had to swallow a gasp. He recognized the body he had tripped over. One of Lorne's team. Shifting his light, John found the other marine. He moved to that one and felt for a pulse. Nothing. John cursed beneath his breath then turned back to find Beckett checking the first body. They locked eyes and Beckett shook his head. "Any idea what killed them?" John asked, rising to his feet.
Carson sighed and shook his head. "Not a clue. We need to bring the bodies back to Atlantis for an autopsy."
John was about to reply but was interrupted when Billings suddenly cried out. John shone his light on the man and the big guy was clutching his chest. Then he crashed to his knees and toppled over. John could have sworn the ground under his feet shook.
"Bloody hell!" Carson hissed, scrambling over to the downed man's side. He checked for a pulse and muttered to himself, then announced, "He's dead."
"What the hell?" John's gut instincts were twisting into knots. He looked over to Ronon, shining his light. The Satedan was stumbling. John moved to him, grabbing his arm for support. "Let's get the backpack off you." He slid it off and Ronon managed to hold his stance.
Carson moved to check him. "He's got a fever."
John had a bad feeling about this place. "Let's get back to Teyla. We'll worry about Billings later." He kept his grip on Ronon's arm and guided them back out. He welcomed the light when it appeared again and he got the feeling it was better to stay in the light. John felt Ronon stumble again and he removed his hand in favor of slinging Ronon's arm over his shoulders while he gripped his waist. John had to brace himself against Ronon's shift in weight against him "A little help here, doc!" John called out.
"Aye!" Carson moved to Ronon's other side and his support helped balance them.
"Ready?" John asked, looking up at Ronon.
Ronon merely nodded, head flopping forward.
John grunted and pulled and they continued on, shuffling along. Ronon weighed a ton. But they reached the area where they had left Teyla and Kirby and the moment they were close enough to spot them, John knew things had just gone from bad to worse. They shifted Ronon down against the wall then John ran over to Teyla while Carson checked on Kirby. Both of them lay in crumpled heaps. "Teyla's alive!" John couldn't keep the relief out of his voice.
"Kirby's dead." Carson sounded frustrated and frightened. He got up and moved to Teyla's side. "I don't know what to do for them. I have no way of checking what's wrong."
"Some kind of virus maybe?" John guessed. "Whatever it is, it's fast acting," he added, as he slid off his own pack then shrugged off his jacket to make a pillow for Teyla's head. He then moved Kirby's body off to the side and covered it with a blanket.
Carson was still checking Teyla. "Why isn't it affecting us then?" he countered.
John considered it and he had only one thought. "We have the gene." It was a long shot but it was all they had. And like the time the virus broke out on Atlantis, John found himself grateful for it. The gene had kept him immune then too.
"Could be the answer," Carson allowed. "So what do we do? We can't carry them back to Atlantis."
"Good point." John moved to Ronon, grabbing a blanket to tuck under the Satedan's head only to find himself flying across the room as Ronon backhanded him. John hit the wall hard enough to take his breath away, but scrambled back up to his feet and made a dive at Ronon. Luckily the big guy was weak and John was able to pin him down. "I could use a little help here, doc!" John shouted, as Ronon tried to buck him off.
Carson was frozen to the spot. "What do you want me to do?"
John cursed then hissed out, "Sedate him!"
"I don't know if I should!" But even as he spoke, Carson was fumbling with his med kit.
"I don't think we have a choice!" John shot back, wincing as his ribs protested his movement, but Ronon was still fighting back.
Carson ran over, fell to his knees, gripped Ronon's shoulder and plunged the needle home. A moment later Ronon went still.
John sighed with relief and rolled off him, one hand pressing against his side. "That was not fun." He saw Beckett eyeing him with concern. "I'm fine, just a little bruised."
"Seeing as how I'm the doctor, I'll be the judge of that." Carson moved towards John with determination glinting in his blue eyes.
"Worry about Ronon and Teyla," John protested, trying to back away. But Beckett advanced until John, literally, had his back up against the wall. So he huffed in frustration but let the doc fuss over him, all the while trying to hide a grimace as he was poked and prodded.
Carson did not look happy. "Could have a cracked rib. I'll bind it for you and give you something for the pain."
John tried to shoo him away. "I'm fine, just leave it till we get back to Atlantis." John pointed at Ronon and Teyla. "They come first. Take care of them while I head back out and make contact with Atlantis. I'll have a team come in Hazmat suits."
"Fine." Carson didn't look happy but he accepted the truth of John's words. "At least take a few aspirin. No need to suffer more than you need too." He held out the packet of pills.
"Deal." John accepted them, tore it open, popped the pills in his mouth then swallowed them down with a few swigs from his water bottle. "Keep a close eye on Ronon. Keep him sedated if you have too." He raised a hand when he could see Beckett about to protest. "I don't want to come back here and find you broken," John said firmly. He watched Carson nod then he grabbed his back, shrugged it on carefully, reclipped his P90 and headed out. Only he hadn't gone far when he found his way blocked. The thing being, John knew that this was the way they had come. He turned in another direction, searching for another doorway but there was nothing for it but to go back to where Beckett and the others waited.
Carson looked surprised to see John. "You can't have made it to the gate and back already. You've only been gone about twenty minutes.
John nodded. "I know. The way is blocked."
"What?" Carson was on his feet and he looked stunned. "That can't be. There was only one way to go?"
"I know, and it's blocked." John rubbed his temples, trying to ease the ache that was forming. Not only that, but he was beginning to feel hot now, so maybe they weren't so immune after all. John took another swig of water then he studied Beckett. The man looked at flushed as John felt. He knew they didn't have a lot of time on their side. "I'll have to go the other way."
Carson shook his head. "You can't. We don't know what's out there other than something that killed three men."
John gritted his teeth. He knew how bad things were, but it wasn't as if he had any other options. They were on their own; their only hope was to get help from Atlantis, which meant him finding a way out and back to the gate. The clock was ticking. "If you have any other ideas then bring them on, I'm all ears."
"Bloody hell!" Carson looked ready to burst but he brought himself under control and said softly, "Guess you'd better hurry."
"I'll be back as soon as I can," John promised. He clapped Beckett on the shoulder, took one last look at Teyla and Ronon, then he headed on his way.