Chapter Four – Explanations
Sheppard returned to Jefla to retrieve the mysterious crate McKay had apparently left for them, taking his team and a jumper with him.
When Zelenka opened the crate, he could hardly believe his eyes.
"Krvavý peklo…it is a ZPM," he exclaimed, spotting the note addressed to Sheppard. "There is note for you."
Sheppard took the note.
...
I went back to the culled planet, the one where I met Ronon Dex, the guy I hope you were able to help, after waiting to make sure the Wraith were gone. There was some sort of outpost inside the mountain above the culled town. That's where I found some crystals (which I'll be keeping as spares) and the ZPM (which I have no use for). Ronon knows the address of the planet if you want to take a look for yourselves, but there's nothing much left there. I took everything of value.
You probably have a lot of questions mixed in with your anger at me. I could tell you the truth, but you are unlikely to believe it, not without some kind of proof, and I don't have any proof.
Check the database on Atlantis, there might be something there about a sentient creature called canfindiugo, I think that's how it's spelt, more or less. If there is, then there's your answer. If not, you'll just have to keep on wondering. Of course, even if there is data on them you might not believe me. You might think I've heard of them somewhere and am using them as an excuse. I wouldn't blame you.
For what little it is worth, I am sorry for what happened. The ZPM isn't enough to make up for it, I know that. Nothing is.
McKay.
...
"Okay, I think we need to take these back home. I'm taking it a second ZPM will come in useful?" Sheppard asked Zelenka with a knowing grin.
"Yes, very useful. And the note?"
"Could be interesting. You can read it in the jumper on the way back."
Zelenka carried the crate as they said thank you to the Jeflans for passing it on to them and headed back to the jumper. On the return journey, he read the note aloud for Ronon and Teyla, even though he knew Teyla was quite fluent in written English by now.
"What is this creature he mentions?" Teyla asked, puzzled.
"Well, I think that's the sixty four thousand dollar question, isn't it?" Sheppard said.
"The what?" Ronon asked.
"The…it's a TV show…a quiz…ah, never mind." Sheppard knew he sucked at explaining these things. "It means that it's a very important question, okay? And it's one I think we'd all like the answer to."
"Definitely," Zelenka agreed.
It took several days, however, to find the answer they were looking for due to the size of the database they had to search. In the meantime, the senior staff held many video conferences with Earth to debrief and help with the process of choosing new staff. Elizabeth had also arranged a promotion for John to Lieutenant Colonel to ensure that he remained as the military commander of Atlantis.
The position of Chief Science Officer was still very much up in the air, and it looked like it would be for a few weeks yet. Once the IOA had narrowed the candidates down, Elizabeth and Radek would return to Earth in person to interview them.
A meeting was called with all the senior staff, Elizabeth, John, Carson and Radek, present, as well as Teyla, Ronon and Colonel Caldwell.
Radek launched into an explanation of the information they had been able to find.
"The canfindiugo are lizard-like animals, but they have more in common with certain insects than reptiles. They have three stage life cycle, which I find disturbing. The adult," Radek pulled up a picture from the database, "It lays egg into a human. The egg hatches almost immediately and a larva attaches itself to the spine and brain, in a way similar to Goa'uld parasite."
"Oh crap," Carson muttered, paling at where this was heading. "Are they sentient?"
"Yes. They have telepathic network, which is how they communicate with each other, including the larval form. The larva controls the human until it has grown enough to leave and spin a cocoon. This first stage lasts no more than two days, as does the cocoon stage. The adults live for five, six years. The database indicates that they have lived in symbiotic relationship with humans on a planet they refer to as Gra'anna. The gate address matches that of Shaltere. The canfindiugo control the humans completely, ensuring that a new larva is ready to take over as soon as older one leaves. They control humans from as young as four years old."
"So the Gra'ans are slaves to the canfindiugo?" Elizabeth said.
"Yes, but it is ingrained into them that this is part of their life and survival. No Wraith can feed from someone with the larva inside, for a start, and the larva heals wounds and illnesses, much like Goa'uld do."
"So there are benefits, even if to us the cost seems rather high," Elizabeth clarified.
"Yes. Ancients researchers advised that Gra'anna be removed from dialling computer, but Wraith laid siege and it was not done."
"Lucky us," Sheppard said dryly. "So, one of those things was in McKay and controlling him?"
"That would seem most likely explanation, yes," Radek agreed.
"So why leave?" Caldwell asked. "Was he still infested and if not, why not stay and explain what happened to him?"
"Could he still be infested?" Carson asked.
"No," Ronon spoke up. "He was ill when I met him. If the larva heals illnesses, he wouldn't have been."
"I think," Radek said, absentmindedly pushing his glasses up and turning back to the data on his laptop, "That larva had left him. If not, the larva would have taken him home to be re-infested and he would have gated to Shaltere, but he did not."
"So why leave?" Elizabeth repeated Caldwell's question.
"Ah, there is more. If not re-infested, then human will suffer great rage followed quickly by extreme paranoia. Ancients report that two of their, ah, subjects killed the larva that left them and tried to dispose of the remains, before becoming convinced everyone wanted them dead. This is most likely what happened to McKay. Good news is that larva will be dead and no threat to us."
"Can we be sure of that?" Caldwell asked.
"If larva survived, most of us would have been infested by now. If you wish, Carson can scan everyone here. I believe you will find no one with larva though."
"It might be a good idea, as a precaution," Elizabeth suggested.
"Aye, I'll set that up straight after the meeting," Carson said. "Best start with the senior staff."
Sheppard grimaced, but didn't argue.
"Still doesn't explain why he didn't come back," Ronon said.
"The drug that causes the paranoia would last no more than a week. But in letter it is clear he does not think we will believe him. Perhaps he thinks it is too much like Goa'uld, too much like good excuse made up by genius scientist?" Radek suggested.
"He doesn't know that there is information in the database to uphold his story," Sheppard pointed out.
"Could he be using this as an excuse?" Caldwell knew he would make no friends with his question, but it had to be asked.
"We can tell," Radek answered. "There is genetic marker left in blood. Details are in database. We find McKay, we can test him for it."
"And that's the hard part," Sheppard said grimly. "Finding him. He's done a good job of hiding from us these last few months and he's told the Jeflans that he won't be visiting them anytime soon."
"We need to spread the word out to our allies, including the Jeflans, that we wish to talk to him about the canfindiugo. Hopefully if he hears that, he will risk contact," Elizabeth said with a sigh. "There's not much else we can do."
McKay stood in the room, wishing he hadn't heard about this place, that he hadn't decided to investigate it, that he had instead slipped back to Jefla like he'd been tempted to, to see how things were going. It had been nearly four weeks since he'd last been there and he found he was having difficulty staying away.
Instead, he'd come here and managed to trap himself. There was no one coming to rescue him, no one who knew where he was, and probably no one outside of the Jeflans who would care if they did.
No, that wasn't fair. Sheppard and the others, they'd rescue him if they knew, but not because they cared. Only because they'd believe it was the right thing to do, that leaving anyone to die of thirst in a small dark chamber was wrong, that even criminals and betrayers deserved a quick death, if death at all.
He slid down to the floor, one back against the wall. Stupid of him, to get trapped like this. Stupid and deadly.
The energy signal he'd picked up after exiting the gate had lured him here. He'd heard a rumour that this planet had Ancestor technology and well, who knew what he might find that he could use, either for himself or for trade, or if it was of more use to Atlantis, as a give-away; a sop to try and salve his conscience.
It had led him to this bunker, set into the side of a hill, and he'd been checking the single console inside it. Not Ancient, he'd soon realised, but Wraith. That had been enough for him to get nervous and decide it was time to leave, only for the door to slam shut and trap him inside. Arctic, his loyal lak, had been outside and he was grateful for that. At least one of them stood a chance of survival, he'd have hated to have killed her as well.
Of course, he'd tried to get the door open, but nothing he did worked. It didn't make much sense at first, and he'd turned his attention back to the console. Less than an hour later he knew he was in bad, bad trouble, though not as bad as it could have been.
The bunker was old, who knew how old, but the Wraith had been here more recently. A nice enticing energy signal to attract the prey, a sensor to detect the presence of the ATA gene and another to detect when that person was about to leave, shutting the door and sealing the prey inside. A signal should then have been sent, but something had gone wrong with it; small comfort, at least the Wraith weren't on their way to collect him.
And then the power had gone down and his only light had been the flashlight he carried on him and used as little as possible to save batteries. Of course, it had run down after an hour or so, leaving him in complete and total darkness. Nothing he had tried had brought power back or opened the door to his tomb.
His canteen ran dry, followed closely by the food, and he sorely wished he'd taken to carrying more of both of them with him instead of relying on being so close to the jumper. He wasn't sure how long it had been, but he'd never been so thirsty in his life, and he could feel the signs of hypoglycaemia; sweating, shaking. Though that could just be the overwhelming fear of being trapped in a small, dark room that was about to become his final resting place.
Maybe the Wraith would have been better, except, no, that would have been worse. Especially if they took from him the information of where Earth was and how to get there. No, this was better than that. He'd never wanted to betray Atlantis, he certainly didn't want to betray Earth.
As he sunk into a semi-aware state, the memories of what had happened when the larva left him returned in vivid detail.
Flashback
He awoke to fuzziness and a feeling of something moving inside his body. And then the memories hit him; of being implanted with the larva; of returning to Atlantis; the virus; the betrayal; the defeat…
Guilt hit him like a tidal wave, even though deep down he knew he was no more to blame than any Goa'uld host, but still his betrayal hurt badly. He should have been able to fight it, somehow, surely? Being unable to control his actions was one of the most terrifying things he could think of, especially knowing what the creature had made him do.
And then the larva was out, healing the path it had taken from his body, an instinctive reaction he knew, the memories of the larva a part of his own now, and rage descended; a deadly rage that consumed his entire being.
Grabbing the larva, he snapped its back, knowing its weak spot from the knowledge it had left him, and feeling it die in his hands with a twisted kind of glee.
But the anger wasn't finished yet and he stormed out onto a nearby balcony, throwing the dead larva away, watching it fall and fall and fall and finally hit the surface of the sea.
Dead, gone, good.
The rage left him, replaced by fear. They would hate him, they would try to kill him.
A part of him was screaming that it wasn't so, but that part of him was quickly drowned by intense feelings of fear, distrust, paranoia.
He had to go, had to leave, before they killed him.
Running through the corridors, he met no one until he rushed into the jumper bay. There were two of them, the ones who would kill him.
He had a Gra'an stun gun and swept its beam in an arc before him, hitting the two enemies before they could react, before they could kill him.
A jumper. He had to take a jumper.
This one, he stopped. It was mission ready, stocked with supplies; it even had a tac vest and laptop inside.
Yes, this one would do.
Then he was dialling a planet at random and moving the jumper down into the gate room, aware of the calls over the radio; lies, all lies. They wanted to kill him.
Reaching the planet, he turned around and dialled again.
And again.
And again.
And again.
Until he was sure they could not follow him, and then he waited. This planet was uninhabited, safe. He could stay here for as long as he needed.
He could stay here; safe from people; safe from death.
End flashback
And he'dstayed there, until the feelings had passed, and then he had started to run; trading as he went, somehow surviving.
All for nothing now though, he thought to himself, as he sat trapped in his tomb, waiting for death.
"You picking up any energy signals yet?" Sheppard asked Zelenka shortly after arriving on M9I-120.
"No, not as yet," the Czech replied.
"This is the right planet, isn't it?" he asked Teyla.
"It is. However, as I pointed out in the mission briefing, the information had passed through many people before reaching my off world contact and he could not swear as to its truth," Teyla said calmly.
"Yeah, I know, sorry."
"Ah," Zelenka suddenly exclaimed.
"You've got something?" Sheppard asked when the scientist didn't elaborate.
"What? Yes, I have…something. Hmm, can you bring up the HUD?"
"Sure."
"Ah, yes, see, there," Zelenka pointed to a dot in the corner of the screen. "It is…"
"A jumper," Sheppard butted in as he read the display.
"Yes, yes, as I was saying," Zelenka said with a huff of annoyance. "It is McKay's jumper."
"You sure?" Ronon asked.
"All jumpers have own designation. Each jumper can detect and recognise another, even when cloaked. The designation for that jumper," he pointed at the screen, "Is same designation as the one McKay took."
"It is possible he could have heard the rumour as well," Teyla stated. "It had travelled far and wide."
"And of course he'd come to investigate an Ancient building with some kind of power source," John agreed.
"But there is no energy signal," Zelenka said with a touch of irritation at the lack of signal.
"Maybe he shut it down," Ronon suggested.
"Well, one way to find out," Sheppard said, changing their direction. "Let's go and ask him what he's up to."
They landed close to where the jumper was showing on the HUD and checked the life sign detector. Picking up no life signs, they exited the ship to investigate.
"So, I'm guessing our remote won't work on McKay's jumper," Sheppard said.
"No, it will not. But this one will," Zelenka said, pulling another remote from his vest pocket. "It is programmed to send signal on all frequencies we know the remotes use and even some they do not. It tries each of them in turn until jumper uncloaks and rear hatch opens, like a master key. It may take a few moments."
"Cool."
They waited in silence, three of them falling into a familiar pattern of establishing and checking a perimeter, attuned to any signs of danger. Minutes passed before Zelenka gave a cry of triumph and McKay's jumper appeared before them, the rear hatch opening to allow them access.
"McKay, you in there?" Sheppard called, as he cautiously led them inside and not surprised by the lack of response, having detected no signs of life earlier.
"Not here," Ronon stated before commenting, "Not changed much."
They looked around at the makeshift bed and the various added compartments welded to the hull. There were several items strewn over the second bench-seat; tools mainly but also a woven shirt and a hairbrush full of white fur. That raised a few eyebrows. Did McKay own some sort of pet?
Sheppard took the pilot's seat and tried to bring up the HUD, but the jumper was sluggish and he felt like he was having to fight it all the time.
"Z, the controls don't want to respond to me. Any ideas why?"
"Hmm, perhaps he has reprogrammed it…Let me see if I can access the jumper's systems…" Zelenka sat in the chair directly behind the pilot's seat, plugging his laptop into the interface. "Ah, I see what you mean, Colonel."
"It's fighting you as well?"
"The laptop is not interfacing as well as it should. Hmm…yes, yes, I see what he has done…very sneaky." Zelenka pushed his glasses up as he perused the data he was managing to retrieve. "I do not think I can undo this. McKay has reprogrammed the jumper's system extensively. I believe he was trying to stop anyone else from being able to fly it."
"Yeah, well, it does respond to me eventually, but it's very slow. I wouldn't want to try and fly it like this, there's a good chance we'd end up crashing." Sheppard got up with a sigh. "Okay, we tried the life sign detector on our jumper and picked up nothing. Looks like we'll have to use more…traditional methods."
"I can track him," Ronon said confidently.
"I will help," Teyla added.
"In that case, after you," Sheppard said, waiting for them to indicate a direction.
Teyla and Ronon checked the surrounding area, spotting the signs of a person moving off into the forest, and the four of them moved to follow the trail.
"The trail is not fresh," Teyla said after a few minutes of travelling.
"Can you tell how old?" Sheppard asked.
"Two, three days." It was Ronon who replied and Teyla nodded her agreement with his time assessment. "No sign of him returning. Also, there are two tracks."
"Two?" Zelenka said, looking around nervously.
"Yes," Teyla said calmly, pointing to a paw print on the ground. "The prints are quite distinctive. I believe he has a lak."
"One of those dog-wolf-like creatures we've come across on other planets?"
"Yes, John. They are loyal hunters and pets."
"They are not dangerous?" Zelenka, who was still looking very jumpy, asked.
"They can be protective of their owners, but normally they are harmless."
"Right, normally," he muttered, not at all reassured.
"Relax, doc, we'll keep you safe," Sheppard said with a lazy grin. "Ah, Ronon, you better set your gun to stun just in case we have to shoot it. I'd rather not kill McKay's pet if it can be avoided."
"Already on stun."
"Good."
They walked for another fifteen or so minutes before leaving the forest. A few metres in front of them was a slope with a building that appeared to be built into the hillside. The door was closed, but in front of it, to their puzzlement, was a deep hole.
A growling noise alerted them to the presence of a lak; it had been drinking up stream of them and was now approaching them slowly, its fur up and its tail twitching angrily from side to side.
"It does not look friendly," Zelenka said, moving behind Sheppard.
"Want me to shoot it?" Ronon asked.
"Not yet," Sheppard replied, moving towards the lak slowly and taking a PowerBar out of his vest pocket. "Hey there, boy," he said gently, opening the bar and tearing off a piece of it. "No need to be frightened."
"Am not sure it is frightened, Colonel," Zelenka warned.
Sheppard threw the piece of PowerBar towards the growling creature and it pounced on it, the food disappearing within a second.
"You like that?" Sheppard took another piece and crouched down, holding it in his hand.
"Ah, Colonel…" Zelenka started, afraid the lak was about to literally bite the hand that fed it.
"It's okay, isn't it, boy? No one's going to get hurt here."
The lak cautiously approached, eyeing Sheppard up, and then took the rest of the bar from his hand gently before devouring it quickly.
"See, we're all friends now, aren't we?"
The lak gave a short high pitched bark and then bounded over to the closed door and started digging. The colonel stood up.
"Think McKay's in there?" Ronon asked.
"I think it is most likely," Teyla answered him, as they slowly approached the doorway and the frantically digging lak.
"Z, can you get the door open?" Sheppard looked to the nervous scientist.
"Yes, if you could…keep the nice doggie from biting me."
The lak stopped digging when Zelenka approached the door, but soon turned its attention back to the hole. Taking a steadying breath, Radek forced himself to concentrate on the door, trusting the team to protect him from potentially vicious creatures.
"If he has been trapped in there for two or three days," Teyla said worriedly, "Then he may have been without food or water…"
"May be dead," Ronon added bleakly.
"Let's not think like that, big guy," Sheppard admonished. "Knowing McKay he'll have had some supplies on him, so he should still be alive," he said confidently, before adding quietly to himself, "Might not be well, but alive."
Ronon moved closer to Zelenka.
"You need to hurry."
"I am aware of that," Radek snapped at him, before adding peevishly. "Do not loom so."
"Ronon, give him some space," Sheppard ordered, and Ronon reluctantly moved back a few steps.
Many tense minutes passed before Zelenka was able to trickle enough power into the door controls from his laptop, enabling him to override the door mechanism and open it. As soon as the door whooshed open, the lak ran inside, its excited yips turning to soft whiffling noises.
The room smelt bad and was in darkness, the only light spilling in through the doorway. It was enough for them to make out a form on the floor about half way towards the back of the building. The lak was nosing the body gently, the whiffling turning to worried sounding whimpers.
"Oh shit, McKay," Sheppard moved forward and knelt by McKay's side, flanked by Ronon. Teyla had also moved inside, but Zelenka hung back, not wanting to see a potentially dead body up close.
McKay stirred slightly, opening his eyes a slit.
"McKay," Sheppard called again, as Ronon gently lifted the limp form to rest against his chest.
"Water." Ronon held out his hand for a canteen, which John quickly passed over and watched as Ronon gently trickled some water into McKay's mouth. McKay drank slowly for a few moments, before turning his head away slightly.
"Trap," he managed to croak out, his voice hoarse. "Get out."
"What?" McKay's voice had been too quiet for Sheppard to work out what he'd said.
"He said it's a trap," Ronon rumbled, already lifting McKay over his shoulder.
Sheppard stood, looking around the room quickly before starting to retreat.
"Come on, boy," he said gently to the lak, not that he needed to really as it was following Ronon quite closely, anxiously watching McKay.
"Girl." This time he was able to make out McKay's comment and rolled his eyes.
"Girl, then," he said as they left the building.
They moved a little way into the forest before Ronon carefully put Rodney down, moving behind him again and supporting him. McKay had kept his eyes firmly closed during all of this and moaned slightly now.
"Too light."
Teyla knelt down in front of him, offering him water from her canteen.
"He has been in the dark for some time," she pointed out. Sheppard grabbed his sunglasses from his vest and passed them to Teyla, who placed them onto Rodney's face.
Slowly, McKay opened his eyes and although he was squinting, he seemed able to cope better. It was then a matter of getting a couple of canteens worth of water down him along with a MRE; chicken soup, as they didn't dare anything more solid yet.
Checking for signs of dehydration, Sheppard was relieved to note that, although McKay's hands were on the cold side, his pulse was not badly elevated and he was breathing reasonably well. He was very weak, but that could be down to the lack of food as much as the lack of water, although when John lightly pinched Rodney's skin it was slow to return to its position, a sure sign of dehydration. Deciding that McKay wasn't about to die on them right then, he made the decision to take him back to the jumper and then home rather than call Beckett out here.
Ronon helped him up, and with Sheppard offering support, McKay was able to stagger along on his own feet, the lak following closely.
"So, what's your pet called?" John asked.
"Arctic."
"Arctic?"
"White, like snow," McKay explained.
"And you couldn't go with Snowball?"
"Too…cute." There was a pause as McKay gathered his thoughts. "I don't suppose…I could persuade…you to let me go…"
"Sorry, McKay, no can do. But we know about the canfindiugo, they were in the database. And seeing as they leave some kind of marker in your blood, Beckett will be able to tell if you've been infested with one at some point."
"You can come home," Radek told him.
"Atlantis." The whisper was almost reverent.
"Yeah, Atlantis," Sheppard confirmed.
Silence fell again as they put their concentration into getting back to the jumpers, with one more brief stop to get some more water into McKay along the way.