SWAMPED - by NotTasha
I am back from Thanksgiving with the family. There was much turkey and stuffing and potatoes and pie and other tasty treats! Now I am home again. The parents have skedaddled, and I can go back to posting story!
PART 10: ILLUSIONS
"Okay," said Sheppard, kicking at one the detestable bugs that seemed to crowd them. "Let's get to the control room so we can get the rest of the team out of a tree."
"On it," Rodney responded. He seemed to look around. "This way will be quickest." And he started down the hallway. He paused after a step and said, "Ah, you'd better hang onto me. Those illusions might fire up again."
"They're still here, Rodney," Sheppard grumbled, quelling the urge to smash another non-existent nemesis. It scuttled toward him again on its awful legs, and Sheppard moved out of the way.
"Oh well. Ignore it. It won't hurt you." And Rodney put out his elbow, like a father inviting a child to go for a walk.
Sheppard reluctantly grasped the offered arm. Rodney smiled, seeming quite pleased with himself. But Sheppard couldn't help but feel disturbed by Rodney's eyes that never focused him.
"Ready?" McKay asked.
"Move it," Sheppard told him.
And so they started moving again. Sheppard did his best not to lurch backward when McKay seemed determined to slam them into walls, and into shut doors. He tried to ignore the horrible bugs that clambered everywhere, that seemed about to jump out at him like cats that were always leaping out of closets in bad horror flicks.
They turned a corner and entered another corridor. Almost instantly, John's gaze was drawn to the ceiling. Something was wrong.
He stared, trying to figure it out, when suddenly, the ceiling shifted. It wobbled.
He paused, trying to get a grip on what was happening when it started to peel away from the far side of the corridor. The whole thing was coming down.
"Crap!"
With a shout of anger, colonel threw himself at Rodney as it came down, forcing the scientist to the ground. Rodney cried out in surprise as wreckage rained and dust rose. Sheppard covered his head and crouched over Rodney, coughing at the expected irritation.
"Why'd you do that?" Rodney cried as he tried to shake off Sheppard's weight.
Sheppard blinked and frowned at the debris-strewn corridor. It was real. There were chunks of construction materials everywhere. Dust filtered through the air. Big slabs of material were scattered -- pieces large enough to have split open either of their heads. Above them, a hole gaped. It looked damn real. The fact that he wasn't bruised and bleeding seemed impossible.
But, the collapse had made no sound.
Damn.
It had been like watching a silent movie. Silent movies always disturbed Sheppard a little.
He stopped coughing.
"What happened?" Rodney quizzed, trying to untangle himself from Sheppard and his pack.
"Ceiling fell," Sheppard admitted.
Rodney tipped back his head. "No," he said. "See? The lines are still there."
"I know it didn't actually fall," Sheppard groused. "Damn it, but it looked real! It looked like the whole thing was caving in on us."
"How can you believe something when it's completely silent?" Rodney posed as he finally managed to get out from under the colonel. He looked thoroughly put out.
Sheppard shrugged. "A guy just reacts," he said as he sat up with his back against the wall. He made an attempt to kick some of the debris out of the way, but connected with nothing. Stupid illusion!
At least the damn bugs were gone. He shuddered, hoping that they didn't return.
"And now I'm bruised because of you," Rodney muttered, pulling at the material of his jacket sleeve. "Does this look swollen?" he asked, exposing his arm.
"It's fine, Rodney," Sheppard sighed.
Rodney felt the area with one hand, his expression intense. "It doesn't look red or anything? I bruise very easily. It kinda hurts. Maybe I should get an ice pack out of the first aid kit."
Sheppard didn't look. "It's fine. Let's go. We need to get moving and get the others out of their tree."
Rodney nodded as he jerked his sleeve back in place. "Yeah, give me a second. I just need a drink of water."
"Why are the illusions silent?" Sheppard asked, gesturing to the rubble. "It seems that every hallucination machine we encounter manages to have sound."
Rodney shrugged. "Hallucinations are more like dreams. You get to have all your senses. These are illusions – moving pictures. The technology was probably still in its infancy when the Ancients were working here." He sat back, too, almost in the same position as Sheppard on the opposite wall of the corridor. "Think of it this way. If you had a film projector, you could place an image on any wall in a room, right? But the sound would always come from the projector. They hadn't mastered the art of projecting the sound."
"Yeah, I guess that makes sense."
"Of course it makes sense." Rodney sighed and pulled his pack into his lap. "You know, if you're going to knock me down every time you see a shadow, you should be blindfolded for the remainder of this little jaunt. I'm just sayin'. I can lead you."
The colonel stiffed at the suggestion. "I'm not being blindfolded," he said coldly.
Rodney lifted his head, his eyes blinking in Sheppard's direction, and his expression seemed surprised, and maybe a little hurt. "Oh," he said, and then went back to fiddling with his pack. He felt around for a moment before he brought out a water bottle, upside-down. He felt for the top, and up-righted it.
"I know I'm not helping much at the moment, but one of us should be able to see," Sheppard said as he watched more of the horrible bugs skitter around the hallway. Damn, they were back. "Most of this is illusion, but maybe some of it is real. Can you totally trust those neon lines? You ever think that maybe they'll give you false information, too?"
Rodney took a swig from the bottle. "I can trust the lines. They're obviously much more reliable than you are at this moment."
Sheppard couldn't deny that.
"You know, maybe I've been thinking about this all wrong." McKay paused. "Maybe this is more of a gift than a curse. And I'm doing pretty well with this Tron-vision now," he stated. "And I know for damn sure that you couldn't handle this," He attempted to replace the water bottle, only to frown when he couldn't fit it back inside the pack. Something had shifted into its place.
"Oh, I don't know," Sheppard said, unconvinced. "I could manage after a while."
"Are you kidding? You're a pilot! It'd drive you mad to be unable to see," McKay responded. He felt around in the pack to see what was causing the trouble, and gave a curious expression. He pulled on something, and then let out a defeated sigh as he removed the rubber chicken from the pack again. "How many of these do you have?" he questioned as he threw it at Sheppard.
"Just the one." John easily caught the lobbed plastic poultry. Rodney had gotten it relatively near the target. "And it's yours. I gave it to you for your birthday. You shouldn't keep throwing it out." He bobbed the chicken head at McKay. "That's not nice."
"Stop putting it in with my stuff!" Rodney griped. "I'm having a hard enough time as it is. I can hardly manage finding my water bottle, so I don't need any extra distractions. Can't you figure out a better use of your time than to mess with me?"
"Not really. Here, let me give you a hand. We've got to get moving."
When Rodney stretched out a hand, Sheppard couldn't help himself, and he put out the chicken. When Rodney clasped the wattle and comb, a dark look came over him and he growled. "I hate you."
"I hate you, too." Sheppard returned with a smirk as he helped Rodney to his feet. "Now, let's get this finished And he glanced about, trying to ignore the iratus bugs that crawled over everything, and managed to slip the chicken into another pocket of Rodney's pack as the man got it settled.
Sheppard took a step, closing his eyes as he brought down one foot so that he could ignore the huge chunk of ceiling that blocked his path. His foot went right through it -- freaking weird.
888888888888888888
Teyla watched Ronon carefully. His hand stayed tightly clasped to the branch above his head, but his head was dipping. He had managed to partially bandage his wounds, but he needed better attention.
Ronon watched the circling cubbocks with a detached expression as he kept his weapon ready. He watched everything.
She hurt. Her whole side ached and throbbed. The slashed wounds still still seeped red onto her bandages, and most certainly needed to be treated. The cuts ached and itched and pulled painfully when she moved. She imagined Ronon felt just as bad, if not worse.
He had to be in pain, but she wondered if he even truly realized the fact. He was firmly set in his spot, and dedicated to his task. He never seemed to stop scanning the bog, even though the hand that gripped the blaster seemed to dip, and his shoulders sagged.
She wished again that she could find a way to get closer to him, but the trees were not close enough to make a jump from one to the other. She could attempt to get down and sprint to Ronon's tree. She usually trusted his aim well enough to know he'd cover her, but his latest shots at the chubbocks had missed their marks, and she wondered if she'd make it in time.
She moved her hand to her radio as she considered contacting the others, and she let her hand stray. Rodney and John would be here as quickly as they could. She had no doubts. But what could either of them do once they arrived? With the jumper sinking, could they do anything to help?
Ronon turned toward her, realizing she was watching him, and grinned toothily as if this was all for fun. And then went back to watching the bog.
And she continued her vigil, watching him.
888888888888888888
They moved, and Sheppard tried to ignore what was happening around them. Wraith attacked. A wall fell in. Some sort of bat-like things flew at them. Another Wraith appeared from around a corner. They passed over a section of the hallway that had no floor. Sheppard had to grit his teeth and ignore it, letting McKay lead him blithely on, through walls, under low hanging bulkheads, and over the black abyss, and past another pair of Wraiths.
"Would you stop that?" McKay shouted at him.
"Better safe than sorry," Sheppard responded, holstering his gun.
"Do you have any idea how terrifying it is to have a weapon suddenly fired near your HEAD?"
"Wraith," Sheppard explained.
"But they don't exist! It's all an illusion. Teyla would have told us if any Wraith were here."
"Sometimes her Wraith senses aren't as sharp as other times."
"They couldn't even get in here if they wanted to. The place is locked up, remember? Only someone with the ATA gene can get in."
"Maybe there's a back door."
"There's no back door."
"Maybe they're just lulling us into a sense of false security. You ever think of that?"
"What? Who? That makes no sense. Why would the Ancients do that? You're seeing illusionary Wraith and you shoot at them every time!"
"Eh, you never know. Next time there might be something really there."
"You're putting holes in the walls. That's not a good thing. Look!" He pointed to one of the walls and accurately found a hole. "The lines had been perfect, and now they're all messed up for no good reason."
"Might have been a Wraith."
Rodney sighed out of exasperation, and Sheppard kept ready. They made their way down the endless crazy world corridors, and turned another corner.
"Ah…Great! Just great!" Sheppard hissed as he caught sight of their next piece of heaven.
"What? What now?"
"Remember that energy creature?"
Rodney stiffened at the mention. "You're kidding me?"
"Yeah, there's a big blobby sitting at the end of the hall. Just an illusion, right?"
"Is it sitting there?"
"Well, hovering, or floating or whatever a big cloud of angry would do. I'm getting seriously tired of this."
"Does it really look angry?"
"It's a big black cloud that's moving toward us. Of course it looks…"
"It's moving now?" Rodney asked, his voice getting high.
"It's just an illusion, right?"
"Well, yes, probably. SHHH! Do you hear it?"
"I don't think it makes a sound, Rodney," Sheppard said, drawing them both back a few steps as the big black cloud inched toward them.
"God, I hate energy creatures." Rodney shuddered. "Just an illusion." And he stalled Sheppard's steps, to move them forward again, ducking his head and grimacing as if he expected to be struck at any moment. He clutched at his chest as if the personal shield was still in place.
Sheppard went with him, keeping a tight grasp of Rodney's arm. He tried not to react as they approached the cloud, but he tensed, which caused Rodney to tense and ask in a tight voice, "We're there now, aren't we?"
"It's not real, Rodney," Sheppard reminded.
"Right." Rodney seemed to steel himself, and then said, "Here we go."
Sheppard took a deep breath, and together they passed into the cloud. Rodney paused for only a moment, and then continued to guide them through the thing. Sheppard looked about inside the thing and wondered if the illusion was anything like the reality that Rodney had experienced. It was a weird sensation, and Sheppard tried not to think too deeply about it.
The scientist kept his head down as he kept asking quietly, "Are we through it yet? Are we through it yet?"
"Just about," Sheppard replied glancing at the strange things that seemed to float within the creature. Electrical bursts flared, and he cringed involuntarily, which made Rodney flinch as well.
Finally, Rodney brought them around a turn and they stepped free of the creepy thing.
"We're out," Sheppard announced.
"Thank God," Rodney muttered.
Sheppard glanced behind them. The thing still hovered just outside their hallway, looking entirely unfriendly.
"Okay, good." Rodney rubbed his hands as he turned his head about, seeming to examine their latest corridor. He smiled as he turned to Sheppard. "Well?" he said.
"Well, what?" Sheppard responded.
"I told you we'd make it to the Control Room," McKay said, grinning widely, he spread his arms as if showing something off.
Sheppard regarded him skeptically. "Rodney," he said. "It's just another hallway – in an outpost full of empty hallways."
"Au contraire," Rodney chuckled as he stepped forward, dropping his hands to waist-level as if to being keying in commands at a console. "We're here. Can't you see it?"
Sheppard shook his head. There was nothing to see. He moved forward to stand beside Rodney and let out a pain-filled OOF as he ran into something.
"Careful!" McKay responded. "There's sensitive equipment here." He gestured. "Step back."
Sheppard frowned, seeing nothing. But when he reached out a hand, there was definitely something there – a console, smooth and cool and real. He ran his hand along the invisible surface, marveling that he could feel buttons and some sort of toggle.
"Hey!" McKay snapped at him. "Are you touching things? If you're touching things, stop it right now." And Rodney swung out an arm to sweep him back, clobbering him in the chest.
Annoyed, Sheppard stepped back, while McKay gave him a chagrinned expression that was quickly replaced. "See what happens to people who start poking at things they don't understand?" he stated.
Sheppard grimaced as he moved carefully away, putting out his hands in case another console made itself apparent. "Just get on with it," he grumbled.
Rodney kept turning his head, seeing things that Sheppard could not. "Good idea." He cracked his knuckles and said with a smile, "Now is when the real works begins."
888888888888888888
"Ronon, Teyla, report," Sheppard's voice came over the radio, making Teyla jerk her head up.
"Colonel," she replied sharply. "We are still… hanging in there."
"Good. Glad to hear it. We just reached the control hallway and Rodney's starting to tap into this system. Soon as we figure this thing out, we'll shut down the shield. What's the current situation?"
"Still in trees," Ronon grumbled. His voice sounded deeper than usual as his head dipped.
"We are still surrounded by the creatures," Teyla filled in. "There are many around us. It is difficult to keep an accurate count because they remain mostly beneath the surface."
"Gotcha," Sheppard replied. "You guys have any idea of how we're going to get you out of there?" he asked, almost sheepishly.
Teyla sighed. "Not as of yet," she told him.
"We'll blast 'em," Ronon explained. "Don't worry. We'll get 'em." But his voice was thick and his head didn't quite lift.
Teyla watched him with concern, keeping an eye on the arm that gripped the branch above. The hand remained firm in its position as if it had been adhered permanently to the tree.
"We're going to get out of here as soon as we can," Sheppard said.
"Have you found the device that would restore Rodney's vision?" Teyla asked hopefully.
Sheppard let out a discouraged sound. "I couldn't tell you if it was right in front of my face. We're in a blank hallway. But, right now, it looks like Rodney's playing 'air keyboard'. I can't see anything and I keep running into things." stated. "I know exactly where the device is. We'll shut down the shield, turn off the illusions, and then we can put our hands on the device. Once I've gotten control of this place, we'll all have a safe place to hang out until Atlantis chimes in."
"Don't worry about that right now," Rodney
"We still have to get them out of the trees, Rodney," Sheppard reminded.
"Oh, yeah," Rodney responded. "What about C4? Can we use that to blow up some opossums?"
"You'd still have to get out onto the bog," Ronon said. "It won't be easy."
Sheppard responded. "We're getting out of here soon as we can. Once Rodney gets the system shut down, it will be a lot easier to move around in here," Sheppard went on, sounding irritated. "If it's not a gaping hole in the floor, it's a Wraith, a swarm of iratus bugs or… great… now it's a leopard."
"A leopard?" Teyla repeated.
"Big spotted feline," Sheppard said with a sigh. "And it appears to be stalking me."
"There's a cat?" Rodney asked, sounding pleased. "What's it look like?"
Sheppard described, "A big, gray and white, spotty cat with huge feet and a puffed up tail."
"It may be a tambire. They are native to this planet," Teyla told them.
"Another fine illusion from our friend at Ancient-Mart," Sheppard grumbled. "I'm getting sick of these things, Rodney."
"Illusions can't hurt you," Rodney told him. "Now, just sit there nice and quiet, enjoy the kitty and let me work."
And then Teyla heard a low feline growl come over the radio, a second of silence, and then a beleaguered, "Oh crap," from Rodney.
"John?" Teyla called. "Rodney?"
But before she could get a response from either, Ronon fell out of the tree.
--------------------
TBC - Yeah, poor Ronon