--

Rodney and the rest of the team hurried as fast as they could through the hot sunlight back towards the tunnel system. Rodney rechecked his tablet, knowing nothing would have changed, but he did it anyway to help him pass the time. They had run some of the way, but there was no point in them dehydrating themselves to the point where they would be no use at the other end of their journey. So they now walked at a brisk pace, barely talking to each other to conserve their energy.

Finally the basin came into view and Rodney broke into a run, something he rarely did, towards the entrance he needed. The sun was even hotter here, but soon enough they were at the tunnel entrance and the cool air inside came as a beautiful reward. Rodney only took a moment to enjoy the sensation and ploughed on towards the right room.

The last time he had been here he had been searching desperately for any clues for what had happened to Sheppard. And the time before that he had come in to find his friend unconscious. Now he had a plan though. It might not save Sheppard, but it would hopefully stop the potential imminent threat from another enemy of the Ancients.

They stepped into the fateful room, their boots echoing on the stone floor.

"Where is it then?" Someone demanded.

Rodney shone his light over each wall in turn, studying each possible line or crack in the stone, but to no avail. He then tilted the light upwards to the distant ceiling, the light shining over the blank stone.

"We checked this place over several times the last time we were here. There's nothing hidden in the walls that we can see." The same man continued.

"Well, we missed something." Rodney responded, following every seam of rock in the ceiling above them.

"It might not be here anymore."

"Of course its here, where else would they have escaped from?" Rodney responded.

The ceiling was clear so he paused. Where else could it be? He looked straight up at the ceiling and watched the light layer of dust dancing through the beam of light. It was amazing how dust could be found almost anywhere he mused. Here is was rock dust or something.

He turned the light downwards to the floor beneath his feet. A light layer of sandy dust had been kicked in from the tunnel into the room by all their boots and he brushed some of it aside with the toe of a boot. The dust swept aside and he could make out the meeting of dark and light stone following an unnatural line.

"Anyone got a brush?" Rodney asked.

"Yes, in my tool kit." The red headed archaeologist replied and set about pulling it out.

Rodney dropped to his knees, held the light between his teeth and he used his hands to wipe aside the sand from the floor. A brush appeared by his shoulder and he took it with a grunt and began to clear the floor with long brush strokes, his eyes half closed against the swirling cloud of dust. To his side another archaeologist had his brush out and was clearing it away as well.

After a few minutes of brushing and sweeping out of the sandy dust, the dark blue circle on the floor was revealed. They stood over it looking down at it in silence.

"It's just decoration." Someone said.

"No, no, its not." Rodney replied as he dropped back down to the stone floor and pulled out his Ancient device and began to scan the floor. "See its two types of stone set together."

"It looks like a Stargate." Someone else commented.

"It looks like our portal." Rodney replied as he pulled out his tablet.

--

"They're in the Jumper Bay, repeat they are in the Jumper Bay." Someone shouted down the radio, drawing the Infirmary party to a halt once again.

"Where do we go now?" Jennifer asked.

The two soldiers now beside Teyla exchanged a look with her.

"We have to get to the Gate Room." Teyla stated.

"We could go down two flights, around and back up to the other side of the Gate Room." One suggested. "The way should be clear."

Teyla looked down at John at the same time as Jennifer did and then they both looked up at each other. "We will be unable to take the bed with us." Teyla stated.

Jennifer chewed on her bottom lip for a moment.

"You said he is mostly breathing by himself." Teyla asked.

"That was when we put him on the ventilator three weeks ago, who knows how he will respond off it now."

"We will have to take the chance." Teyla stated. "He is strong." As far as she had heard over the radio everyone had made their way to the Gate Room, she had to assume that Torren was safely there with Kanaan and the rest of her people. She had to focus on getting these people to safety, on getting John to safety.

"I can take what I need with me." Jennifer replied; all action now as she began to sling bags over her shoulders that had been hanging from the edge of John's bed. "But, we will need to carry him."

"I'll carry him." A large burly soldier stated moving towards them, handing over his weapon to Teyla and he began to pull off his vest. She took it with a nod and a grateful smile. He was a marine she remembered, named Bryson. She pulled on the overly large vest and clipped the weapon to her front. It felt good to have a weapon back in her hands.

She watched as Jennifer and a nurse readied John to be moved. Then all together they watched as Jennifer lifted her hand to the ventilator's power button. Her eyes lifted to Teyla's and she saw the question there.

"Do it, Jennifer. He would want this." She told the Doctor confident in the truth of her words. Though, she suspected John would have ordered them all to leave him behind had he been able.

Jennifer flicked the switch and the ventilator gave one last wheeze of air and then stopped. All eyes turned to John and they waited. Soon enough his chest rose again, this time of its own accord. Relief flooded through Teyla as she watched Jennifer remove the tube from his throat and they wrapped the blankets around him and helped Bryson fireman lift him over his shoulder. Teyla watched at the display of strength and then they were off.

They moved as fast as they could down the stairs. Teyla took up the rear, her eyes covering every nook and cranky of shadow as they headed down the tower. In front of her Jennifer kept checking John from where he hung down Bryson's back. She appeared satisfied that he was still breathing okay, so Teyla kept her attention on keeping them all alive on their way to the Gate Room.

--

The dark clouds danced over the ceiling above them, and Ronon shot into the thick of it once again, enjoying the responding shrieking sound that he brought forth. Beside him Lorne pounded out another burst of fire from his P90.

Behind them the last of the personnel ran through the corridors towards the Gate Room. Ronon had made sure to be on the group that collected the Athosians. He wanted to make damn sure that little Torren was safe for Teyla. As it turned out the Athosian's luck was still not too good, as they had been cut off from their escape route. So Lorne and Ronon's team headed in to guide them out.

"That means they've pretty much pushed us all back to the Gate Room." Lorne shouted over the gunfire. Over his shoulder a young scientist shone a vibrantly bright lamp down the corridor, which seemed to still be slowing the darkness' approach. Ronon didn't look at Lorne; he kept his eyes solidly on the enemy. They were relentless, pushing forward, their hiding gloom flowing before them, their claws slicing out to take down someone or to lift them up to be… whatever they did to them. The corpses certainly hadn't been drained like a Wraith would have done, but they still ended the same way.

"They're herding us together." Ronon shouted back.

"They want the city then." Lorne shouted back.

"That or they're going to eat as all in one go." Ronon suggested.

"Our last group are through to the Gate Room, Sir." A marine shouted out from behind them.

"Okay, let's pull back." Lorne ordered.

As one group they began to edge their way backwards down the corridor. Ronon hated this; it felt too much like a retreat, like surrender. But, these people had to be saved and at this rate these things were going to push their way forward despite the number of bullets fed into the heavy gloom.

They reached a junction and to their left they heard more gunfire. Then people were rushing past, guards with them.

"This is the group from the Infirmary." Someone informed Lorne.

"Teyla and Sheppard?" Ronon called over his shoulder.

"We are here, Ronon." Teyla replied herself as she arrived at his shoulder. With more hands on site, Ronon risked a glance at her. She looked tired, but well. Then he saw Bryson pass with Sheppard slung over his shoulder.

"We had to abandon the bed two flights up." She informed him. "He is breathing on his own."

"Did he wake again?"

"No. But, I was able to contact him again. I am sure he has more information he was trying to tell me."

At that point the darkness rushed forward again. All weapons lifted up and fired into the approaching rush of alien screams and flittering wings from within the darkness.

"Fall back!" Lorne shouted once again. The large group began to step backwards. Teyla laid a hand on Ronon's shoulder, silently guiding him backwards with her, so he did not have to look away from their enemy. Ronon mused once again how he had missed her at his side during a fight.

--

The Gate Room was full of people and weapons fire. The remaining non military personnel to be evacuated were all crowded into the centre of the room, the soldiers surrounding them, protecting them from the darkness.

The second thing that Teyla noticed was the sound of her son crying over the gunfire. Her group merged into the crowd and she made her way to where Kanaan was cradling Torren to him. Teyla took her son over with tears in her eyes, hugging him to her in absolute relief. Torren instantly calmed, his tiny hands clutching at her face. She looked back up to Kanaan and the smiles of her people around him.

"You are all well?" She asked.

"As good as can be expected." Halling said with a smile.

"Good." Teyla replied. "We will find a way out of this." She reassured them. She turned back towards the Stargate realising for the first time that it was not activated. "Why have you not been sent through the Gate with the others that have been evacuated?"

Halling turned and pointed up towards the Control Room, or rather where the Control Room should have been through the gloomy dark cloud. "They sent through the previous group and then the darkness attacked them. The gate was shut down and we have no way of activating it from here."

Teyla lifted her eyes up towards the Jumper Bay entrance set into the ceiling, and saw that the dark fog was seeping through above them. They were in trouble. She looked back to her people and saw the acceptance in their eyes. They did not expect to survive this. Well, she would not stand for that.

"There is a way and I will find it." She stated as she handed Torren gently back over to Kanaan. "I will be back." She told them and began to make her way back through the crowd towards Bryson and Jennifer. She arrived to find Jennifer checking John's vitals where he now lay on the floor. She looked up when Teyla arrived by her side and nodded.

"He's still with us."

"Good. We need him." Teyla stated as she sat down next to Jennifer.

"Are you going to try to contact him again?" Jennifer asked.

Teyla nodded as she reached for John, she worked her hands under him and lifted his heavy upper body onto her lap and them up into her arms, cradling him against her. Then she took a deep breath and closed her eyes to the fear and battle around them and focused inwards.

The noise of the gunfire and shouting drifted into the background and she focused on her breathing and the feel of John in her arms. She focused on the light pressure of his breathing against her, drawing to her his smell, the coolness of his weakened body. She dropped her forehead down to touch against his and pictured him well again. She willed life into him, imagined his breathing deeper and stronger, his skin warm and resistant, his breath over her skin, his spirit touching hers.

She knew the darkness was watching her, looking for a way to attack again, but she ignored it and thought only of John. She thought back to how he moved, how he spoke, the exact colour of his eyes, eyes she hadn't seen for weeks. She remembered his smile, the way he had hugged her when she had been pregnant, how he had supported her when she had almost fallen. All this she remembered and she drew him tighter against her chest, calling out to him to speak to her and to return to them, to help them.

He sighed, his breath hot over her cheek and she smiled. The sunlight glowed around them, but all she was aware of was the touch of him, alive and naked against her. She pressed her body against his, feeling the connection between them soaring into life.

"John." She whispered in delight and relief.

His chest shifted against hers and his bare arms around her drew her even closer to him. She nestled her cheek into his shoulder, the light of their connection filling the air around them so that the sounds and presence of the darkness disappeared completely from her awareness. All that existed was John against her naked skin.

"They're psychic creatures." John whispered against her ear. "They feed on that. They love fear, it draws them in. Be strong, Teyla."

"Come back to us, John." She said against his skin.

"Please be strong, Teyla." He whispered again.

"Why did they do this to you?" She asked, trying to deny the sensation that he didn't expect to return to life again.

"They were almost free, after centuries of capture and struggling to be free, they found a way. They thought I was an Ancient and attacked me, sort of locked my mind inside me so I wouldn't be able to tell anyone what happened and how to stop them."

"How can we stop them?" Teyla asked, desperately wanting the knowledge, but unwilling to end this time with him.

"There's a device back in that room where you found me, the Ancient's made it. It draws them in and keeps them contained in like a prison made just for them. They have to be stopped Teyla, they will kill everything."

"Come back and help me stop them." She said, as she tried to pull back from him to look up into his face. As she pulled away the connection between them lessened.

He tightened his arms around her for a moment longer, pressing their naked bodies tightly together. "Be strong, Teyla."

And then he released her and pulled away and Teyla slumped forward over his limp body, the gunfire and shouting returning with full force to her awareness. Jennifer's gentle hands were helping her, trying to pull her up and John away from her. Teyla sat upright and tightened her hold on John. Fearfully she looked down at him and waited a beat and in relief saw his chest was still rising and falling; he was still alive.

"Be strong, John." She whispered to him.

She looked up through slightly teary eyes, to see that she already had a small audience, at the centre of which was Kanaan holding Torren. His eyes were tight and dark as he looked down at her.

"Everybody." She called out as loudly as she could. "Everybody, you must listen." The gunfire lessened slightly. "These creatures in the gloom are like Wraith, but their feed on psychic energy, they will drain your mind and your spirit completely. But, that is their weakness. They want our fear. Look out on them and refuse them that. We give them strength by our fear. We must be strong. Be strong and focus your determination to win and to live at all costs."

She watched as the people around her all turned away, turned to the gloom that now surrounded them on all sides.

"We are strong." Teyla said again. "We will not be defeated by fear. We are strong."

"We are strong!" Ronon shouted out with passion.

Some laughed at that and cheered. Around them the darkness stopped its advance and retreated slightly.

"We are all strong." Ronon shouted again.

"We will stay in the light." Teyla said loudly. Then quietly she whispered to herself "I am strong" as she tightened her hold on John once again.

Then behind her the Stargate began to light up, the symbols flashing and spinning round. People moved back from the area in front of the gate and after a moment the event horizon spilled out into the room. For a moment Teyla feared the force field would be up, but there was no telltale shimmer.

Rodney strode through the gate, his eyes widening in surprise at the people all gathered so close to the gate. His eyes lifted up to the darkness surrounding the room and turned back to the gate as the rest of the team came through carrying what appeared to be a large ring of stone.

Around the room the darkness screamed, the creatures' mutated Wraith like features appearing briefly in fear and the gloom began to retreat out of the room.

Rodney turned to where the stone circle was now lying on the floor and he quickly inserted the cable from his tablet into it and the lights that had previously simply looked like a part of the rock flared to life. The creatures screamed again from outside the Gate Room, echoing down the hallways as the circle began to hum, the vibration shaking out through the floor. Teyla held John tightly to her, and looked up to check that Kanaan still had Torren safely.

The hum of the stone circle reached a crescendo and abruptly the darkness rushed back into the room, but now at a fast speed that passed over them all and down directly into the circle on the floor. Everyone ducked down as the gloom passed over head. The wind danced Teyla's hair around her face as she turned to see the darkness disappearing into the circle. The device John had spoken about no doubt. Thank the Ancestors for Rodney McKay.

The rush ended with the last screaming exit of the last of the darkness. The hum of the circle continued until Rodney sat back up from the floor and pressed something on his tablet and finally the room fell into silence.

"Is that it Doctor McKay? Are they gone?" Someone asked from the crowd.

Rodney realising he had an audience, turned and stood up. "Yep, the Ancients created this device to capture and hold them."

Mr Woolsey clambered to his feet looking rather windswept, "Are you sure they won't escape again?"

"No, they won't because this time we are going to dispose of this thing correctly. No setting it into a floor." He muttered with disgust.

A cheer went up at this point as the realisation hit everyone. They had survived and it was over. Teyla sighed out in relief and then realised that John was moving slightly.

"John?" She asked. Jennifer dropped down beside her, pen light in her hand. Rodney and Ronon appeared beside her, all eyes turned down to John.

Jennifer pulled up one of John's eyelids and shone the light into it. He pulled back abruptly and weakly tried to push her away. "Stop it!" He muttered.

"Hey Sheppard, you with us?" Ronon called out cheerfully.

John blinked open his eyes slowly, squinting up at them through eyes that had been closed for weeks. "We get them then?" He asked his voice weak.

They laughed joyfully at the return of their team mate. "Yep, we got 'em, thanks to McKay here." Ronon replied as he smacked Rodney on the back, almost toppling him over.

John looked up at Rodney. "Good going, Rodney." He sounded so tired.

"Well, you guys held it together until I could get here." Rodney replied in an uncharacteristic moment of humility.

"Yes, they did." John muttered as he turned his head towards Teyla. "You did great."

Teyla smiled at him where he lay in her arms still. "It is good to have you back, John."

"It's good to be back." He replied as his eyes drooped closed for a moment. "Bit tired though." He muttered and his eyes closed again. Teyla held her breath for a moment. Jennifer leant in and laid a hand to John's throat.

"He's just sleeping this time." She reported. "Let's get him back to the Infirmary."

"Don't know why he needs sleep, you'd have thought he'd had enough rest after three weeks in bed." Rodney muttered. Teyla allowed the nurses to extract John from her arms, lifting his warmth away from her arms, leaving her feeling cool and tired. She needed sleep of her own. She felt certain that tonight she would have no problem sleeping deeply and soundly.

She climbed to her feet and Kanaan stepped forward with a wriggling Torren. She willingly scooped her child into her arms and held him close, rocked him with relief. "Thank you Kanaan for taking such good care of him." She whispered.

Kanaan regarded her for a few moments. "It was you who saved him Teyla, not me."

"We all play our part." She replied.

Kanaan's gaze moved over to where John was being loaded onto a new bed to be transported back to the Infirmary. "Some more than others." He replied softly.

Teyla wasn't sure what to say to that, her feelings suddenly confused following her connection with John and how Kanaan may have felt seeing her holding John for so long. "Kanaan…" She started.

He lifted a hand. "Teyla, we all need to rest and to recover. Do you want to take Torren back to your quarters?" She nodded, suspecting that she wouldn't want her son to be out of her arms for quite some time. "Then go get some sleep, Teyla. We will talk tomorrow."

--

TBC