Author's Note: Very short chapter. This is the chapter before the epilogue. I hope you like it. Thank you to those few who have continued to grace me with your comments. They do mean a lot. I should be able to post the epilogue shortly after this one, if not by tomorrow.
Fata Morgana
Chapter 10
Chaos was evident in the city's hallways. Sparks of lights firing everywhere, and members of the expedition team frantically ran seeking refuge as John and his team ran straight to Rodney's lab.
As suspected, the Core was twirling savagely, rays of light in all sorts of colors filled the room.
John drew near the Core but he wasn't sure what would happen when he took hold of the device. For all he knew, he had attempted this already and it hadn't worked.
"John, perhaps you should use some sort of containment system to transport the Core." Teyla looked at him inquiringly.
"Don't worry, I've done this before. Fourteen times if I'm not mistaken, and I'm still here." He smiled in her direction trying to ease her tension just as much as his.
He ran furiously down the corridors, yelling for everyone to clear his path. He got to the balcony nearest the gate room. He looked over the darkening panorama outside the opening doors. Though it was becoming increasingly difficult to make out anything clear outside, it was evident that nightfall had come with dismaying speed. Without hesitating, he turned towards the Core and held it tightly in his hands.
"Are you certain of this, John?" Teyla cried.
"Have I ever been wrong, Teyla?" The rays of light were burning through his skin, but he wasn't about to stop now. He called on his radio, "Chuck, lower the shield now!"
"Yes, Colonel!" came the voice in less than 30 seconds.
"Sheppard, I hope you know what you're doing. We've lost all systems and power failure." Rodney's voice drummed in his ear clearly adding to the tension.
"Crap, it's happening again!" John cursed softly, venomously.
He ran outside, his skin beginning to char due to the effects of the strong rays of light emitting from the Core.
He could hear footsteps right beside him but he paid no attention. Everything inside him was telling him to get this device out of the city as soon as possible.
The doors closed behind him and as he stepped to the edge of the railings, he wondered if he had done this already and failed.
Running forward, as the tempest roared violently outside the city's water edge, he wondered if this would be the last time.
"Sheppard, it's too dangerous out there. You're going to get hit by lighting!" He could hear Rodney's frantic pitch on the other side of his earpiece.
"Sheppard?" Came Ronon's unfinished question.
"It'll work." He turned and faced Ronon, "Stay back, and keep Teyla away".
Lastly, his eyes fell on Teyla.
This has to work. It has to work. He kept repeating to himself over and over and over again, till he finally convinced himself.
Because Teyla had to live, the city of Atlantis would return back to normal, and this was not his day to die.
He'd been wrong about so many things, and by what the Geodes said, he had relived this day once too many times and always failed to correct it.
He only hoped this wasn't another one of those repeated times.