Chapter 3: Lifeline
John knew, as he walked through the city that there was probably a thousand other things that he needed to be doing, but a huge part of him was being pulled to the infirmary. Usually, he couldn't stand to be in the infirmary, a side-effect of winding up in there one too many times; however for John whenever Elizabeth landed in the infirmary he just couldn't stay away. And as he walked, the events leading up to their current crisis ran through his mind.
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Can you believe this?
No…I mean, it seems too good to be true.
What?
Well…if those nukes do what Ellis says they do…
Since we won back the city we haven't heard so much as a peep from the Replicators
Well…obviously they haven't gone away
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As he walked through the corridors leading to the infirmary, he saw many people running around and he knew that each of them would be doing what they could to prolong their situation. As for John, by the time he reached the infirmary and saw how utterly crowded and chaotic it was he couldn't help but think of how it had happened and how Elizabeth had felt about it.
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…hey!
Hey…
Colonel Ellis has asked me to join the mission.
I know…
I was gonna stay behind in a cloaked jumper right aster they launched the warhead do some battle damage assessments
I know that too
They told me that you called Woolsey and General O'Neil and tried to get the whole thing called off.
Yes I did.
They didn't bite…?
They did not.
Look… I know you think we're doing the wrong thing here but, uh..
John...Good luck
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Usually they would have bantered and tossed the idea back and forth. Usually they would have spent a couple hours on the balcony looking at the stars discussing the pros and cons of the situation- but they hadn't. With Commander Ellis around, everything was so cut and dry and John had found himself behaving like a good soldier and not questioning the orders- even though he had had a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach too. And he thought of his conversation with Ellis
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…if this satellite weapon is being powered by its home world, maybe we can neutralize it at the source
Well the Apollo is in no condition to get in a battle right now. That beam took a lot out of our shield.
No, we gotta do something.
We did do something
I'm sorry sir, but I can't help but think that we're somehow responsible for this.
Why? Because Weir said so?
No sir. Because it's the truth.
John, listen to me. I-uh- I've been over your record. I know you have your detractors but personally, I think you've done a hell of a job here.
Thank you sir…
You should be running Atlantis. Not Doctor Weir.
Well then, I'd be the man. Who would I have to rage against?
This isn't something to joke about
I'm not joking sir… I shouldn't be running Atlantis. It's a civilian run operation and in my opinion sir, Dr. Weir has done one hell of a job here over the past three years. She's faced things that no military commander save for General Hammond, General O'Neil and General Landry have faced and if it's not to bold of me to say sir- I think that she's handled herself like a military commander in the situations that called for them.
Sheppard-
If I may be dismissed sir, I have things that I need to check up on.
Dismissed
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He had stuck up for Elizabeth then, and at that instant he had been reminded of his younger self. The John Sheppard who had defied orders to save a friend in Afghanistan, the same John Sheppard who because of his mouth and his defiance had gotten himself sent to Antarctica where he could forget the world and the world could forget him. And he had sounded the same John Sheppard who had argued with the great General O'Neill about joining the expedition in the first place.
'In that moment I came full circle…' John thought to himself, thinking back to another more recent memory.
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…attention all personnel, we are about to attempt to submerge the city. From what I understand, it could get a little bit bumpy. So this your last chance to secure equipment and get to the designated safe areas.
We've come full circle- eh?
Yeah...feels that way. sigh Okay, take us down.
Aye, aye Captain.
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"Can I help you with something Colonel?" Dr. Keller asked as she came up to him, dressed in scrubs that were fairly bloody.
"What?" John asked snapping out of his thoughts. "Oh, I was just wondering how Elizabeth is doing?"
"She's stable for right now," Dr. Keller assured, her voice thick with tension. "-but I haven't gotten her under a scanner yet, I had some other pressing needs…"
"Oh, so when-"
"You should come back in a couple of hours," Keller informed. "-I'm just going to go clean up and then get her under a scanner-"
"-so a couple of hours?"
"A couple of hours." Dr. Keller informed before leaving John to his thoughts once more.
'A couple of hours…' John thought despairingly to himself, but luckily for him his worry was interrupted by Rodney over the radio.
They had gotten the gate working, and had contacted Ladon.
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"Colonel Sheppard…" Ladon began, his face appearing on the screens of the control room. "…to what do I owe this honour?"
"Ladon," John began, not believing that he was going to say what he was going to say next. "I'm afraid that I have a favour to ask of you."
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15 hours remaining….
"So the evacuation is going well then?" Teyla asked, coming up to Rodney who was over-seeing the latest group of scientists that were evacuating to one of Ladon's Genii bases.
"Uh- yeah." Rodney agreed with a nod. "Ladon has agreed to take as many of our people as possible into the main base and the rest will be split between the smaller worlds and New Athos."
"And what of Elizabeth?" Teyla asked, wringing her hands out of nervousness.
"Uh, Sheppard's actually just gone to see her now actually…" Rodney answered awkwardly, really afraid for his dear friend and wondering how John was going to be if Dr. Keller gave him bad news.
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"So how's she doing doc?" John asked quietly, leaning against one of the walls of the now quiet infirmary.
"Well I have her stabilized for now…" Dr. Keller answered with a tired sigh. "…but the next twenty-four hours are going to be key."
"We don't have twenty-four hours" John stated worriedly, which caused Keller to bit her lip with concern too.
"How long do we have till the shield fails?"
"A little less than fifteen hours now I'd bet…" John answered, his gaze resting past Dr. Keller to Elizabeth's sleeping form. "…maybe a little more if Rodney can manage to figure something out with our naqueda generators."
"So what's the plan?"
"We're evacuating the city." John answered honestly, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "We've got the majority of the scientists gone now…"
"…where are we evacuating too?" Dr. Keller asked, hoping that they wouldn't have to move her patients for a good long while.
"We've called in a favour with Ladon," John explained. "-he's agreed to take as many as he can into the Gedini bases around the Pegasus Galaxy and the rest are going to go to new Athos."
"And when will the final evacuations take place?"
"As soon as possible…" John clarified with a sigh. "…Rodney doesn't want anyone here except for the senior staff, minus you of course- past the five hour mark. He doesn't want to risk the shield failing early."
"I can't move some of my patients now." Dr. Keller answered, sorry that she was throwing such a wrinkle into their plan. "Especially Dr. Weir-"
"Elizabeth can go in the last group"
"No." Dr. Keller clarified. "I mean that I can't move her at all. If I do, there is a very high chance that she'll get complications due to her injury."
"Complications?" John asked worriedly. "What kind of complications?"
"Life- ending complications."
"But you said-"
"Yes." Dr. Keller interrupted with a heavy sigh. "Yes she is stable for now, but she's really fragile. She's in a coma Colonel, and right now or any time within the next twenty four hours if I were to move her she could get fluid building up in her brain and if that happens I'll have to operate. And if that happens-" Dr. Keller stopped for a moment to rub the bridge of her nose. "-well then we're both defiantly stuck here."
"So we're going to need a new plan." John muttered, his eyes staying on Elizabeth, hoping for her sake that everything would be alright.
"Yes." Dr. Keller answered with a sigh, as one of Elizabeth's machines started to go haywire causing John's heart to jump into his throat. "And you better think of one quick because it looks like I'll have to take her into surgery."
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10.5 hours and counting…
"You want me to what?" Rodney asked, walking away from John in disbelief.
"I want you to fix the hyper-drive engine…" John ordered, his voice commanding authority. "…and I don't want you to tell me that there isn't enough power Rodney cause you better find some. Elizabeth is in surgery to relieve the pressure of the fluid that's been building in her brain and can't be moved at all…"
"Isn't there something else that we can do?" Ronan asked, his right shoulder bandaged and his arm in a sling.
"I think this is our last hope." Rodney stated forlornly. "I don't know Sheppard, but I'll try."
A/N- Hello beloved readers and reviewers! Here's my weekly monday update on this lovely Sparky version of season 4 as promised:D Thank you to HeartyJessica, tynut127, lala and belanna30 for reviewing chapter 2 and I hope ya'all and more will review this chapter too! Look forward to the next chapter next monday!