Chapter 10
"Ronon, please ask John to power up again. This will take only a few minutes."
"Stand by." The Satedan turned off the vox and walked to the chair.
Sheppard was sitting forward, resting forearms on his knees and head bowed low. He'd decided it wasn't worth the effort to move, and realized he probably couldn't walk more than a few steps anyway. With so little time left, they would need to try again soon or not at all. Ronon touched his shoulder and dulled eyes looked up.
"Now?"
"Yeah. Carter said it won't take long. The Wraith'll be here soon."
John released a deep, shuddering breath as he sat back. He let go of the light and sound and descended into the darkness. She was still so quiet, not even breathing. What he was doing was only life support. He was only keeping her heart beating, and he couldn't do it much longer.
Ronon stood close by and watched his friend. He could hear Sam and Rodney talking quietly, but their conversation was in fast gobbledygook. None of it made any sense to him, but he did understand the growing desperation and resignation. The conversation slowed to a stop, ending with a groan from McKay.
"We have eight minutes, Rodney." Sam's voice came over the radio.
"We have to try."
"It's going to cut it very close."
"I know. We can do this." He pleaded.
Sam raised her voice a hair. "Ronon, tell John we want to try again. He can power down."
"Okay." He squatted down next to the chair. "Sheppard. Carter said to power down."
There was no response again so he firmly squeezed John's arm. The skin under his hand was cold and clammy. "John, let it go."
Sheppard took a deep breath and nodded. A moment later, his hands moved just far enough to go off the pads. The chair returned to the upright position and the power went off. He looked at Ronon, but could only make out a vague shape. "What's going on?"
"Carter and McKay are trying it again. If it doesn't work, the Apollo's going to beam us out in a couple of minutes. We're out of time." His voice was rough with anger and disappointment. All of this for nothing.
"How much time?" John searched his pockets for the transceiver.
"Did you hear that?" Ronon spoke into his mic. He handed the radio to his friend.
"Yes. Six minutes. We'll be ready in two." Sam answered grimly. "The Apollo will beam us out at the two minute mark."
"Wraith'll be here in six minutes but the Apollo's going to beam us out in four." He watched as John slowly worked the transceiver over his ear.
"Okay."
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"Damn it. There's the problem." Rodney hissed between clenched teeth and began to type furiously. "I found the problem. I can fix it."
"Rodney, it's too late. We have to go." Sam said urgently. "Col. Ellis, I…"
"I can do this! I just need a few minutes."
She peered over his shoulder to see what he was doing. "We don't have enough time. We have…"
"Wait. Wait." Sheppard interrupted her with as much force as he could muster. He fought to think straight. "How much time do you need, Rodney?"
"Just a few minutes. Five, six, no more. I'm certain."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes!" he replied in a frantic whisper. "Yes, I'm positive."
"Then do it."
"John." Ronon began.
Eyes tightly closed, he shook his head once and took several deep breaths.
"What are you doing, John?" Sam asked, already knowing the answer. She added, "We have less than three minutes. We have to go."
He'd already reactivated the chair and all of the systems. "Rodney, the cloak."
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McKay instantly reached across and hit the control.
"Now fix it." Sheppard's voice was a strained whisper.
"What is going on?" Ellis and Zelenka asked simultaneously.
"Col. Carter, this is Lorne. The city just cloaked." Station keeping out of blast range, he had a perfect view of the city just before it vanished. "Nothing showing up on the HUD, either."
Ellis confirmed the report. "He's right. The cloak is working and…stable. Your call, Colonel."
She glanced at her watch, calculating the time left to them and how long it would take to beam everyone out, get the Apollo in the air and bring up her shield. Not enough.
"A hyperspace window is opening." Lorne announced. The Apollo was now effectively trapped. Even though the massive ships and their escorts emerging from the wormhole were some distance away, the combined fire power would be able to destroy the Earth ship if they detected her. They were here because they suspected something and probably had weapons online, a fact soon verified.
"Col. Ellis, it looks like we stay put." Sam made it official. "If anything happens, get out of here."
"If anything happens, we'll all get out of here." His tone made it clear there would be no arguments.
"Thank you, Colonel."
"It looks like they're all here. We have two hives, fivers cruisers and four support vessels." Lorne counted off the fleet.
A few seconds later, Ellis added, "The Hives and cruisers have weapons powered up."
Sam rubbed the back of her neck. "Let's hope they leave quickly."
And, they all thought, that Sheppard could keep it together for as long as it took. It all depended on a single, exhausted man.
They waited. It was an agonizing period of time, interspersed with commentary from Ellis and Lorne on what the all too numerous Wraith ships were doing. The grounded Apollo used the eyes given her by Asgard technology. The Jumpers, all piloted by experienced military personnel, tracked ships sent to the mainland.
The suspicion that they were investigating the possible source of the signal detected by the cruiser tens of thousands of light years away grew as the search progressed. The humans hoped the Wraith would quickly decide the point of origin was not this planet after all.
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Ronon took up his vigil again, standing motionless next to his friend. He knew John was at the end of his endurance. His breathing was fast and shallow, and even in the dim light, it was easy to see there was no color left in his face. The minutes ticked by slowly for everyone. Apart from the occasional report on the movements of the enemy ships, the only sound was the ocean in its perpetual motion.
To the humans on Atlantis, the Wraith seemed to dawdle in their search. It was, however, actually brief. The Hives and two of the cruisers ran a quick pattern over the vast ocean while the remaining cruisers and support ships raced to the mainland.
The Puddle Jumpers flew to high orbits so that they could track the various Wraith vessels without trying to keep up or travel too far from the city. Updates of their positions were cursory and mostly sent in data bursts directly to the Apollo. None were transmitted to Atlantis' computers for fear of overloading an already tenuous connection.
Ronon knew a lot of time was passing. John's breathing was becoming erratic. He was trying to trying to slow it down and keep it steady but it was a struggle.
"I'm finished." Rodney whispered.
Sam asked in an equally low tone, "Are you sure?"
"Yes."
A moment later, minor functions began to go offline.
"Oh, God." Rodney choked out in terror.
"Col. Carter, this is Ellis. We're reading changes in the city."
"Stand by."
"What's going on?" Ronon whispered into his mic as he watched Sheppard.
"Is John okay?" Sam asked immediately.
"No. What's going on?"
"He brought most of the city's functions online earlier. They've started shutting down."
"Sensors show the cloak is holding steady." Ellis reported. "What do you think, Colonel?"
Ronon could hear McKay snap his fingers. "Sheppard may have shut down those functions on purpose. Less to do."
"True." Sam agreed. "Ronon, how is he?"
The Satedan backed up a couple of steps before answering. "Not good, but he's doing what he needs to."
"Okay. First sign…"
"Yeah." He understood.
"What do you mean, first sign?" McKay asked.
"Later, Rodney." She hissed.
"What?" He connected. "Oh."
Col. Ellis, did you follow that?"
"Yes."
"We'll wait it out."
"Acknowledged."
Almost an hour went by before the Ellis reported. "The Hives are leaving orbit."
Lorne followed immediately with, "Col. Carter, the cruisers are heading out. It looks like they're on course to rendezvous with the Hives."
"A hyperspace window is opening." There was a long pause before the Apollo's skipper continued. "They're gone."
Sam breathed a sigh of relief, but needed to confirm they were safe. "Are all ships accounted for?"
"Yes, Colonel. All of them. No darts were launched and none of the ships landed." Ellis responded. Telemetry from the Jumpers confirmed the last statement. Once the planet was determined to have no Gate or any obvious signs of life that might be human, the Wraith moved on.
"Thank God." Rodney breathed, slumping in his chair.
"John, I think we're in the clear. You can power down." Sam said quietly, hoping she was right.
Ronon squatted down next to his friend. He believed Sheppard could hear them, but it was another matter if he was really aware of what she said. John's breathing had steadied somewhat since he turned off several functions, but it was still labored.
"John, the Wraith are gone. You can stop now." Ronon waited, hoping the message was getting through. It had been more difficult each time to get him back from wherever he was. He raised his voice. "John, let it go."
"Ronon, what's happening?" Sam asked.
"I don't know. Can I just pull him off the chair?"
"No. We don't know what that would do to him or the city." McKay replied quickly.
"John, snap out of it!" He grabbed his friend's shoulder and squeezed it. When there was no reaction, he increased the pressure. Sheppard drew in a sharp breath and opened his eyes. He gasped for breath and looked around but didn't seem to be able to see anything.
Ronon frowned at him. The chair was still active and Sheppard didn't appear to know he was there. After several seconds, his eyes closed and he lay back again. Without any warning, the chair started to turn, causing Ronon to scramble backwards.
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"What the hell?" McKay said as he looked at the consoles around him. Sam mirrored his confusion and movements. One by one, the controls were initializing, even those for minor functions that hadn't been used since the invasion by the viruses. After watching with mouths open in surprise, they turned to their computers, trying to determine what was happening.
"Col. Carter, this is Lorne. The cloak has dropped."
The pair was startled when one of the Ancient monitors behind them came to life. The image showed the Wraith armada moving along the course set on its jump into hyperspace.
"Apollo, are you tracking the Wraith?" Sam asked.
"This is Ellis, they're still in hyperspace and maintaining course."
"Thank you, Colonel. Our sensors seem to be working." Sam wondered if this sudden activity was a good or bad thing. Was Sheppard finally losing control? "Maj. Lorne, I want you to keep the Jumpers at a safe distance for now."
"Yes, Ma'am." He said hesitantly.
"Ronon, do you know if John is doing this?"
"Did you activate the shield?" Ellis asked with surprise and suspicion.
"No." Rodney answered with growing alarm. "What the hell is he doing?"
He and Sam stood up to peer through the door to the balcony and saw the shield's glow discolor the early morning sky. They quickly turned back to the computers, trying to figure out why the shield was up. The monitors registered normal power levels throughout the city. Lights, transporters, and all other functions were coming online.
"Drones! Two drones have launched." Lorne reported, his own voice now registering alarm.
"What are they doing?" Sam stared at Rodney. This was unexpected.
"They're flying out over the water, away from the city. Wait. They've collided. Both have been destroyed." Relief and confusion registered in the major's voice.
McKay shook his head in disbelief. "What the hell is going on?"
Sam suddenly realized what Sheppard was doing. "He's running a systems check."
"He can't be. Can he?"
"The shield is coming down." Sam said as she studied the monitor. "It has to be."
Suddenly, everything went offline again. Lights, computers, everything went dead. Sam and Rodney looked at each other in horror, holding their breath. After sitting in the quiet for several seconds, they turned to their computers, but there was nothing they could do.
"Oh, God." Rodney said in a whisper.
They both jumped when all systems initialized, starting with the main operating system then all other functions in quick succession. It was like some giant switch was magically flipped and the city was alive again.
"What's happening?" Radek's question sent their fingers flying on keyboards.
"Stand by." Sam replied as she and Rodney worked. They quickly ran through a checklist of the major systems. One by one, it appeared that all were working normally. Sam shook her head incredulously. "He did it. Radek, it looks like we're good, but would you mind staying put for the time being while we confirm?"
"Certainly. Should I run diagnostics here?"
"Give us a few minutes." She said, wanting to run diagnostics from the control room first.
"Everything appears to be stable." McKay stated after studying the readouts. "The programming seems…Wait. The chair's been deactivated."
They looked around then checked the computers again. All systems continued to work normally.
Tentative relief was replaced by deep concern. "Ronon, do you read?"
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Sheppard tried to get up but discovered his muscles didn't understand what he wanted to do. His head felt like it was about to break open and he vaguely thought that it might be better if it did so the little man pounding to get out actually got out. It didn't even alarm him that he couldn't see anything more than hazy shapes. A buzzing sound in his ears had grown so loud it was impossible to understand what was said. Even Ronon sounded muffled and far away.
"John!" Ronon grabbed him as his attempt to stand failed.
"Ronon, what's wrong?" Sam asked.
"He needs a doctor! Now!" He held his friend up. "Hang on, buddy."