Stargate Atlantis: S7 The Fossil Key

Part Three: Mesopredator Release

Moira O'Meara woke.

Consciousness returned slowly, rising from an enforced slumber. She stirred but couldn't move, not really. She opened her eyes. Everything was bleary and too bright. A dull pain was thudding in her head. She moved. She was still strapped to the bed. She recognized the confines of the infirmary. She tried to remember what had happened to her. Her memory was like a cobweb of drugs and emotions, indistinct and broken.

She opened her eyes again, not realizing she had closed them. She turned her head to the side and stared, startled. There was a man sitting nearby. She blinked, trying not to panic as the memory of what had been done to her became sharp and distinct. She began to struggle, but froze. The man was just sitting there, and it wasn't Carson. This man was clad in black BDUs and his handsome face was serious, familiar. The name was just out of her reach until he licked his lips and it came to her.

"John? John…" Her voice was thick, congealed by tears and screams.

She wondered if she had misidentified him, but no, he was John Sheppard. Except that if he was John he would have rushed to aid her, to free her from the restraints. Wouldn't he? Her heart sank as she realized that, however real he appeared he must be a hallucination.

He had to be a hallucination. Didn't he?

"They've all turned against you, Moira," he said in a quiet voice, a familiar voice. "All but me."

Moira stared through a haze of tears, blinking to try to clear her sight. She watched as he stood, took a few steps towards her. He was standing half in shadow, half in light. His beauty was mitigated by the darkness across half of his face, across his dark clothes. "John? I…I know," she said softly, still uncertain if he was real or not.

"And now you doubt me?" he asked, staring down at her.

"I…I can't do this anymore, John. I can't. We, we have to end this now. It's for the best." Her voice wavered with tears and sorrow and conviction.

His green eyes narrowed as he took another step towards her. "Do you doubt me?" he repeated quietly. There was a rough edge to his voice.

"No." She blinked away tears. Her vision was blurring again and she was losing focus, losing her focus on that handsome face and stern regard. "I doubt myself…and now…"

"Now they've turned against you and betrayed you. Every one of them, in some way has betrayed you. Even the ones you would least suspect. Right? Except me, Moy. Except for me." He stepped closer and leaned down to her. "Except for me, Moy. Remember that."

"John? John, please, please…no, no!" Moira stared in horror as John turned and walked away from her. He just walked away from her, to be replaced by Carson Beckett.

The doctor smiled. "Still seeing things, Moira? Don't worry. We can cure that. We will cure that once and for all."

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John Sheppard flew.

Of course it wasn't really flying since he was underwater, but the mechanics were nearly the same as he guided the Puddle Jumper unerringly towards its target. The ship's lights played across the ocean depths, revealing startled schools of brightly-colored fish and jungles of algae and coral. With a glance he checked navigation and saw that he was rapidly approaching his target.

Just as something else was approaching the same target from the other side.

John frowned, seeing the second blip coming from the opposite direction. He wondered if it could be one of Rodney's whales, but realized it was too small for that, nor was it organic. That left only one other option.

The fuglies.

John cursed to himself and picked up speed. He had no idea that the fuglies had underwater vessels, but now he knew. Somehow they were tracking the other Jumper and pursuing it. And if they could find the Jumper they would find Atlantis. John tapped his earpiece. "Reynolds, copy? Reynolds, this is Sheppard. How far away is the bogey from your position?"

"Colonel!" Jason Reynolds sounded relieved and worried all at once. "Before we lost power our last reading had him at a nautical mile but heading for us. Sir?"

"I will reach you first, major. I was gonna tow you home but I've had a better idea. Do you have any power at all?"

"Negative, sir. She's dead in the water."

"Crap. Okay. Change of plans. I'm going to extend the shield and create a tunnel for you two to cross over into my ship on my mark. But be damn quick about it. Understood?"

"Yes, sir. What about the fugly?"

"Let me worry about the fugly. Just get ready to haul ass on my mark."

"What are you going to do?" Ronon Dex asked. He was relieved to hear Sheppard's voice even though they hadn't been rescued quite yet.

John smiled. "We're gonna blow them out of the water."

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Rodney McKay snorted.

He jerked awake, sitting up and blinking rapidly. He had fallen asleep on a console in the control room. He rubbed his eyes, his face. He couldn't remember when he had gotten a good night's sleep. It had been a few days, at least. He eyed the monitors.

"Shit!" He grabbed his earpiece and tapped it. "Sheppard! Sheppard, do you copy?"

"You don't have to shout, McKay." John sounded irritated.

"Sorry! There's a—"

"Fugly in the water heading for the Jumper, yeah, got it. Stand by. Once my guys are clear we're gonna stage an accident and then get back to Dodge. Keep that porch light on."

"You're going to what? Sheppard? Sheppard, repeat!" Rodney tapped the earpiece but only static buzzed like an angry bee. "Damn it!" He swiveled in his chair as Amelia Banks-Dex approached, carrying a tray of sandwiches. "Oh, thank God!"

"Were you in contact with Colonel Sheppard?" she asked, setting the tray near the ravenous physicist.

"Yes! He's almost reached them but there's a fugly ship in the water approaching fast! But John's got a plan to take care of it." He grabbed a sandwich and bit into it. "We need to keep power levels low until they get back," he said round the mouthful of food. "It's going to take careful timing to get them back into the city."

"We can do it," Amelia assured, grabbing a sandwich. "Do you have an ETA?"

"No…but we can track them here." He tapped a screen. Three blips were on it. The picture flickered. Rodney tapped it again, restoring it. "Great, that's just what we don't need, another damn power fluctuation! Hey, where were you earlier?"

"I was helping Carson. The two big ships haven't changed position yet." She sat at a console and tapped on the keyboard, updating the screen. "What is the Colonel's plan?"

"I don't know…but knowing John it probably involves something exploding."

"I just hope it's the fuglies and not us," Amelia murmured.

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Jason sagged with relief, but he moved to his feet. Ronon was already standing and the Satedan headed for the back of the Jumper. Jason checked the controls once more. "Nothing. No power at all! Not even a whimper. Oh shit." He stared out the viewport.

In the distance lights could be seen, scouring the ocean floor. They were odd amber beams and Jason knew they weren't a Jumper's lights, which could only mean one thing: the fuglies were getting closer.

"Come help me with the door. We'll have to use the manual release," Ronon said, gripping the handle in readiness. He wasn't about to die down on the ocean floor, not without a fight. He smiled, feeling a resurgence of his old confidence and stubbornness.

"They're coming. They must have tracked us. That ship over the mainland must have tracked us after they pulled up the landing party. Then they dropped a submersible to find us."

"Doesn't matter. Sheppard's got a plan. Come and help me with this door," Ronon repeated, but the other man seemed glued to the spot watching the spooky amber lights get closer, closer.

"It does matter! If they can find us they will find—"

"No they won't!" Ronon barked, cutting off the other man's panic. "Sheppard will take care of it. Help me get this damn door ready to open once he gets here! Reynolds!"

Jason jumped at the ordering tone. He whirled, about to say something but changed his mind. He nodded and joined Ronon at the door.

All that the two men could do now was to wait.

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Carson slammed his palm on the device, but the power was still weak and the dial would only go halfway. The lights flickered, flickered and then dissolved as the emergency lights took over for them. He cursed, crossed the infirmary and tapped his earpiece. "Rodney! What the bloody hell is going on?"

"Carson?" Rodney asked, startled by the doctor's vehement tone.

"I can't work under these conditions!"

"Oh! I've had to cut power levels in preparation for John's return. We need to be able to access the shield to allow the Jumper to return safely."

"I need full power in here, damn it! I am right in the middle of a delicate procedure." He glanced over at his patient. She was moaning softly, half in and out of consciousness.

"Sorry, Carson, but this takes precedence. Wait, is this about Moira? What are you—"

"Fine! I will just have to wait then, or find an alternate power source!" Carson stumbled and caught himself. He glanced round, feeling a weird disconnection with his body. He stared at Moira who was prone on a bed, strapped to it. "Good lord! What have I done? What have I done? Moira!" He rushed to the biologist and unstrapped one wrist, horrified at her state, at the medical devices on the tray next to her. "I've got to get you out of here now!"

Moira stirred, consciousness fluttering. She weakly moved, trying to see past the haze as Carson was freeing her wrist. His fingers were cold, so cold she felt a shiver. "Carson? Carson, please, please help me…" she whispered, flexing her fingers awkwardly.

"Forgive me, Moira, forgive me!" Carson paused. Moira was staring behind him. Her brown eyes widened with focus and dread.

A chill breath snaked up the back of his neck.

Moira tried to warn him but no words came.

Coldness began to creep along Carson's limbs and he struggled, struggled with some unseen force that was wrapping itself around him. It was hard to move. His fingers felt numb, unable to bend and his hold slipped off the strap. He glanced at the tray. The silver surface reflected a shadow behind him, a shadow of light and translucence. He caught a glimpse of a beautiful, cold woman until she melted into him.

The coldness encompassed him, devoured him. He was encased in ice, a prisoner in his own body. He was helpless to act. He could only watch through a chilling filter.

Carson restored the restraint onto Moira's wrist.