"Sheppard do you read?" Lorne called over his radio.
"Tell me you found her." John half ordered in response as he looked at the corpse lying at his feet.
"I've found her." The Major confirmed, but his tone alerted John to the fact there was a problem.
"Why aren't you filling me with comfort?"
"Well Sir, there's a problem."
"She alive?" John asked fearing the worse as he looked at the body in front of him.
"Yes Sir."
"Injured?"
"Nothing major."
"Don't make me beg for information Major." John warned.
"Well Sir, she's refusing to come down."
"Excuse me?" John asked, sure he had misheard.
"She's refusing to come down."
"What do you mean refusing?"
"I mean she won't budge."
"Why?"
"Acrophobia."
"Isn't that a good reason to come down?" John asked.
"I said that." Lorne replied. "I'm just glad looks can't kill."
"Well how are you planning on getting her down?" John asked.
"Well Sir, we could stun her and carry her down."
"You want me to tell Ronon to rush over here so we can shoot his girlfriend?" John asked in disbelief.
"Just a suggestion Sir."
"Any suggestions that aren't going to hospitalise me?"
"None that come to mind." Lorne confessed.
"I'm coming up."
-00-
A few minutes later reached the summit and saw Jennifer sitting on the floor, eyes clenched shut, clinging to a metal pole.
"Doc." He greeted approaching her. As he walked towards her he saw her hands were bound and tied to the pole she clutched causing him to say.
"Well I can see the first problem."
"She wouldn't let me cut the ropes." Lorne explained as John crouched by Jennifer and looked at her red and raw wrists. The sight prompting him to ask.
"Seeing it looks like you've put a great deal of effort into getting free from these ropes why'd you stop Lorne cutting them?"
"Safer." Jennifer said, not opening her eyes.
"Lorne's not that bad with a knife." John said, wondering when Jennifer had lost faith in her friend.
"I meant from falling." Jennifer explained. "Tied to the post I can't fall."
"You also can't get down." John pointed out as he silently drew his knife and cut the ropes, causing Jennifer to open her eyes momentarily before clutching the pole even tighter.
"Come on doc, we need to get you down and it'll be easier in the light."
"I can't. Acrophobia." Jennifer said not releasing the pole.
"You got up here." John pointed out.
"He had a gun."
"I have a gun." Lorne offered.
"He was attempting to kill me." Jennifer clarified.
"You turning into another McKay?" Lorne questioned before looking to John and suggesting. "If so we could leave her up and wait until she gets hungry and comes down by herself."
"Don't think she's developed Rodney's stomach yet." John said, surprised by Lorne's less than sympathetic attitude. The Colonel then looked back at Jennifer and asked.
"How long do you need to get yourself together?"
"I can't even open my eyes without getting dizzy." Jennifer said.
"Just don't think about where you are." John suggested.
"Kind of hard to think about anything else."
"Okay, well why don't you tell me why you were brought up here?" The Colonel asked trying to focus Jennifer on something else.
"He wanted me to activate some Ancient Tech."
"You?" Lorne asked surprised.
"He thought we could all do it. He didn't take it too well when I couldn't."
"He hurt you?" John asked.
"Nothing major. He was going to throw me over the side."
"What happened?"
"I kicked, he stumbled and fell over the side." Jennifer summarised. Despite the tremble in her voice both men could detect a pang of guilt.
"The important thing is you're alive." John pointed out before trying to focus Jennifer's mind again. "What tech did he actually want you to activate?"
"At first the big console, then a small hand held thing. No idea what they're for." Jennifer explained as Lorne wondered over to the console.
"You might want to see this Sir." Lorne said after a moment.
For the next couple of minutes Jennifer heard Lorne and Sheppard whispering, but couldn't work out what they were saying. Eventually she asked.
"What is it?"
"If you want to know you'll have to drag your six over here." Lorne replied prompting Jennifer to say.
"Pretending to play bad cop isn't going to work."
Before Lorne could respond John suddenly exclaimed.
"Ah, crap."
"What?" Jennifer asked as Lorne questioned.
"Is that what I think it is?"
"Yep."
"Can't we turn it off?"
"Open to suggestions." John replied before calling to Jennifer.
"Doc we have a problem."
"What kind of problem?"
"A bad one. Looks like we just triggered a self destruct and we can't turn it off."
"A self destruct?" Jennifer asked opening her eyes. An action she immediately regretted as another wave of dizziness hit.
"Yes." John confirmed as he and Lorne approached her. As he reached her he said. "Look doc we have two choices. One we go down or two we stay and get blown to pieces."
He hadn't even finished when Jennifer shakily, still clutching the metal pole rose to her feet. Seeing how badly she was shaking Lorne stood behind her and put a hand on each of her arms and assured her.
"We've got you. You'll be fine."
"Okay doc, I'll go in front, then you, then Lorne." John said as he removed his shirt. "I'm going to hold one sleeve of my shirt and Lorne the other, so it'll stop you falling to the side okay?" John asked, earning a nod from Jennifer.
"Good." John went on. "But first step, you need to open your eyes. Come on doc you can do it." He added as Jennifer pried her eyes open, as she did so she swayed even more as she was hit by dizziness. "Just look at me." John instructed. "When I step, keep looking at me and step towards me. Ready?"
As Jennifer shakily nodded John took a step away from her seconds before she stepped forward, followed by Lorne who held her arms. For the next four steps there were no problems, then they reached the gap.
"Okay doc, next step needs to be big. Keep looking at me, give me your hand and stride towards me." The Colonel instructed, surprised when he took Jennifer's hand just how badly it trembled. Despite the trembling Jennifer's grip was vice like as she strode over the gap.
Any euphoria she felt was short lived though as she found herself looking past John and she was reminded just how far away the ground was causing another wave of dizziness to sweep through her.
"Easy there." Lorne said as he stepped over the gap and put his hands back on her arms.
"Okay doc you're doing great." John added. "Just like before I'll go first, then you, then Lorne, we'll hold the shirt to the side like a railing."
"But if I fall I'll take you out." Jennifer said.
"You don't eat enough for that to be a problem." John pointed out before turning to face the direction of travel. "We go at your pace. Whenever you're ready."
Despite John's calm voice Jennifer knew the self destruct countdown was not infinite and she took a deep breath, nodded and started the descent, her knees trembling with every step.
For the next few minutes John and Lorne took turns encouraging Jennifer as she tried to ignore the nausea and dizziness and remain focused on her descent.
"There you go." John said as Jennifer's feet finally touched the solid ground again. Before he could say anything else Jennifer asked.
"Shouldn't we run from here before it blows up?"
"Actually doc there was no self destruct." John confessed. "We staged it to get you down."
For a moment Jennifer stood in stunned silence before wrapping her arms round him and said.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome doc." John said as he uncomfortably returned the hug, worried by how much Jennifer was shaking.
When she finally released him she turned to face Lorne and smacked him on the arm.
"What was that for?"
"Being a jerk." She explained before hugging him adding. "Thank you."
"You're welcome." He added returning her hug before saying. "But do you think you could thank me some other way. A way that isn't going to get me beaten up." He added causing Jennifer to look at him confused. Spinning her round Jennifer saw Ronon looking at her with concern. Pulling away from Lorne she threw herself at Ronon.
A/N: Thanks for reading and reviewing. Last chapter up tomorrow.