John was only peripherally aware of what was happening around him. His head was throbbing, and his vision kept going in and out of focus. He'd recognized Ankera—at least, he'd recognized the greenish skin with the black veins. Ankera's open admission that he was responsible for everything that had happened to John since the last time he'd stepped onto the planet had given John a burst of energy at the sudden surge of rage. He'd stepped forward, toward the alien being, only to almost collapse. He was shaking like mad, and the world tilted around him like a spinning top. Someone had grabbed him—Carson—preventing him from falling over completely.
"We must go," Ankera had said. "I can restore what once was, but time runs short. If you do not return with me now, your friend will die."
His team and Carson had stood by him, and despite Ankera's obvious wariness, they'd all piled onto the metal disc, which had expanded to hold them all. John had closed his eyes when the disc started to move, and Carson's grip on his arm had tightened. A few seconds later, a bubble had formed around them and they'd sunk slowly into the water.
John opened his eyes, feeling like he was in one of his dreams again. The blue around them was bright. Unlike the dream, it was obvious they were in water. John, momentarily forgetting his pain and dizziness, stared in wonder at the small particles floating in the water as they passed. In the distance, he thought he saw a school of fish darting around. Below them, a large city appeared.
They approached it rapidly, but it still took them awhile to reach it. The lake was much deeper than it seemed to be from the surface. The others gazed around them in wonder.
"This is amazing," Rodney said.
Ankera nodded his head, his large eyes watching the group of humans closely. His skin had taken on more of a bluish-green tinge.
"Does the city rise to the surface of the lake?" Rodney asked, turning his attention to the alien standing next to him. John smiled at the excitement in the scientist's face, before wincing at the pain in his head.
"Why would the city do that?" Ankera asked, clearly confused.
"I don't know. For the fresh air."
"To be on the surface would leave us vulnerable to our enemies."
"The Wraith," Teyla said.
"Yes. Long have my people been hunted by the Wraith. We built our city in secret at the bottom of the deepest water."
"The Wraith have never found it?" Rodney asked, vying for Ankera's attention.
"They have not," he replied. "We have created devices that emit random energy signatures and placed them around our planet. The Wraith have investigated them many times, but they grow frustrated and eventually leave without finding our city."
"That would explain the energy readings that kept disappearing on me."
"Yes," Ankera answered. "They are meant to confuse." The group traveled in silence for a few more minutes, and John focused on breathing through the throbbing spikes in his head. He looked up to see Carson watching him intently. He smiled at him, but it came out more as a grimace.
"We are here." The disc slowed its approach as it came up along the side of a smooth, gray outer wall. At the last second, a doorway appeared and the disc, holding its small group, passed seamlessly out of the water and into the city.
The bubble protecting them from the water dissipated and John staggered at the sudden cessation of movement. Carson, still holding on to him, managed to keep him from falling flat on his face, but John's legs buckled and the doctor lowered him gently to the ground.
"John?" He asked, pressing the back of his hand against John's forehead.
"S…'rry," John said, breathing heavily. "…dizzy…"
"We must move quickly," Ankera stated. He glanced up and down the hallway nervously.
"For him or for you?" Ronon asked.
John tried to listen to the answer. He had brought his team into an alien environment and he needed to be on top of his game. Carson was checking his pulse and making faint noises of disapproval.
"It does not matter," Teyla said. "John needs help."
John felt hands on his arms pulling him up. It took him a moment to get his feet moving under him. The world spun wildly around him and he groaned. As he began moving down the hall, he leaned heavily on the two people on each side of him—Carson and Rodney.
"Hold on, son," Carson murmured.
"I know this place," John said, glancing around.
"It's the gray hallway, isn't it?" Rodney answered, panting slightly as he shifted to support more of John's weight. John felt his arm wrap around his waist as the scientist took on even more weight. They were moving quickly down the gray corridor with the smooth metal walls, and John was having trouble keeping up the rapid pace. He stumbled, and felt his friends' grip tighten around him.
"How much farther?" Carson asked.
Rather than answer, Ankera moved in front of them leading the way. He was quick and agile, and the small group quickened their pace.
Ankera turned the corner, stopping in front of a door barely visible in the hallway. They stepped into a small room that sealed shut. John's legs were shaking and he was breathing hard. He blinked his eyes as his vision blurred. He forced himself to focus on staying conscious but knew he was rapidly losing the battle.
The door opened, and in the back of his mind, John realized they had stepped into some kind of transporter similar to what Atlantis had. Ankera led the way again and they were soon rushing down another hallway. John groaned as his legs gave out completely, and Carson and Rodney dragged him through another doorway. He breathed a sigh of relief as he felt himself being lowered onto a soft surface, and he sank into darkness.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Teyla watched Carson and Rodney drag John over to the bed in the center of the room. They had entered some kind of medical lab, and by the way Ankera was moving around the room, it was his lab.
Her stomach clenched in fear at the worry on Carson's face as he bent over the unconscious colonel.
"His temp's up, and his pulse. He's on the verge of hyperventilating."
"Help him," Ronon snarled.
Ankera jumped. "Yes, yes. I will prepare everything now." He moved around the lab quickly, setting up alien-looking equipment that Teyla couldn't even begin to guess at their function.
"What did you do to him?" Rodney asked.
"He is my explorer."
"You said that before," Ronon interrupted. "What does that mean?"
Ankera hesitated, and Teyla caught a glimpse of the inner battle flash across his alien features. "The Wraith hunted us, as they hunt all others, almost to extinction," he began. "We were driven deep underwater. We hid, out of survival, but some still yearned for news of the worlds we once traveled to. The stories of their existence have been passed down for generations."
Ankera walked to one end of the room, and all but Carson and the unconscious John followed him. The alien opened up a wide cupboard, revealing a series of computer screens. "I did not develop the technology, but I have perfected it. It is forbidden by our laws to leave the city except at certain times of the day. We believe the Wraith no longer know of our existence. If we were to leave the city and be discovered by the Wraith, it would bring their wrath upon us all. Our people would be destroyed forever."
"So, what's all this?" Rodney asked, peering at the dark screens.
"I yearn for the outside world," Ankera whispered. He stared at the screens as if he could see the images they once held and reached out with a thin green finger. A moment later, he held up a small, silver orb in his hand. "This is my masterpiece," he said. "From my lab here, I am able to send it up to the surface of the water. There is very little energy, undetectable by the Wraith or any others."
Ankera paused again.
"What are you saying?" Teyla pressed.
"Few travelers come to our planet, but when they do, they are often attracted to the stunning beauty of our lake. For those who venture too close to the water, or in the water itself, I use this to insert a small piece of technology in the eye." Ankera held up the small metal orb again. "From there, I am able to direct visual stimulus to these screens."
"You can see what they see," Rodney suddenly exclaimed.
"They are my explorers," Ankera said.
"You used Sheppard," Ronon yelled, advancing on Ankera. The alien cowered before the angry runner, his wide eyes opening even wider. He backed up toward the wall, his face twitching in fear.
"You used him. You used all of them. The people Sheppard saw in his dreams, they were all your explorers as well, weren't they?"
Ankera, though terrified, maintained eye contact with Ronon. "Something went wrong with your Sheppard. It was not supposed to hurt. He should never have known. I tried to reverse the effects several times from my lab, but it only caused him more harm. I could not correct the error."
"Something did go wrong." Ronon raised his gun, holding it just inches from the alien's face. Teyla stepped forward, intending to stop him from hurting Ankera, but Carson's voice froze them all.
"Ronon, stop. John needs his help. Now."
Teyla spun around. Carson was standing at John's side with a look of fear and helplessness on his face. John was gasping on the bed, his skin ashen and damp with sweat. He writhed on the bed in pain, moaning and whimpering. Carson looked up at Ankera.
"Whatever you're planning to do, you need to do it now."
Ankera nodded, and moved lithely around Ronon. The runner dropped his gun, but he continued to glare at the alien. "We must remove the technology in his eye. I can do it with little risk to his health or eyesight, but I will need some assistance."
"I'm his doctor," Carson stated. "I'll help."
"Very well. The rest of you will need to leave." Ankera pointed to a door in the corner of the lab, and as he did so, it slid open, revealing a small sitting room.
"I'm not leaving you alone with him," Ronon growled.
"Ronon, please," Teyla begged. Despite what Ankera had done to John, she sensed his sincerity in helping him. She could understand the conflict between fearing the Wraith but not wanting to live in fear as well.
"I will help your friend. I promise. I have never meant anyone any harm."
Teyla grabbed Ronon's arm, guiding him toward the sitting room. Rodney followed suit, looking equally irate and terrified. With a deep breath, she took one last look at John before closing the door and leaving the life of her friend in Ankera's hands.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
John opened his eyes gradually, his body aching but muted. The dull throb in his head was distant and he wondered what kinds of drugs Carson had given him this time. He stared at the gray ceiling, belatedly realizing he was not on Atlantis. His heart started to slam in his chest. Where was he? What had happened? He tried to lift his head to look around, but he felt heavy and uncoordinated. One of his eyes refused to open. This has happened before. He felt the heavy weight of bandages once again covering his left eye.
"So you're little science project not only sent images from Sheppard's brain to your computer, but it also sent stored data from your other 'explorers' to his head?"
The sound of Rodney's voice had an unexpected calming effect on John, and he relaxed back into the bed. He hadn't followed anything the man had said, but the fact that he just sounded pissed and not terrified or panicked meant they couldn't be in too much trouble. He tried to turn his head toward McKay's voice, but he was exhausted. He closed his eye.
"As I have explained, there was an error in the technology. I attempted to correct it a number of times by sending signals from my computer to the technology in your friend, but it did not work."
John wondered at that voice. It sounded vaguely familiar but he couldn't quite place it. He supposed he could look over—they didn't sound like they were that far away—but for the moment, he was content to just lay there listlessly.
"That's one way of putting," Carson 's voice, also sounding pissed but with a measure of forced calm overriding his instinct to snap at the owner of the unidentified voice. "Every time you tried to correct the problem, you practically caused the man grand mal seizures. You could have permanently damaged his brain had you kept trying to fix this."
Brain? That sounded serious. It suddenly occurred to John that they were talking about him and that he should be feeling a little more worried that he was. He took a deep breath, then decided he was too tired.
"It's a good thing we came back here then," Ronon's voice, also angry. Or maybe just normal. John wasn't sure. Ronon, Rodney, Carson …where was Teyla?
"I apologize again. I meant your friend no harm. I assure you he has been made whole again."
Oh, right. The city. The underwater city. John opened his eye and looked up again at the gray ceiling, remembering his dream of the gray corridor and his team's trip through the hallways to the medical lab. Ankera, with the green skin and black veins. What was the other thing he had said? He was whole again?
"So, how many 'explorers' have you had before Sheppard?" Rodney's voice again, curious now and not quite as angry.
"A very many. I have all of their files saved here."
"Can we watch some of them?"
There was a pause, and John wondered if he should look around to see what they were doing. He turned his head and blinked, seeing his team and Carson standing at the far end of the lab in front of a bank of computer screens. Ankera stood nearby, bending over some kind of keyboard. The screen suddenly lit up and filled with images.
"This is from the last explorer, before your friend Sheppard. I believe you have visited this place," Ankera said, expanding one of the images to fill the whole wall of screens.
With a start, John recognized the village nestled on the side of the mountain. He sat up, ignoring the growing, throbbing intensity of pain in his left eye. The others, their focus intent on the screen in front of them, didn't notice that he was awake. John watched in horror as the man on the screen stood up from digging in his farm field and wiped his sleeve across his forehead. There was no sound, but John could hear in his mind the shouts of a little boy running down the middle of the road toward his father. The image jumped to the boy waving his arms, his smile bright and happy, his whole future seemingly in front of him.
John's stomach churned. Seeing this in his head was bad enough, but seeing it on a screen, having it witnessed by others, gave it an air of reality or permanence he wasn't sure he was ready to deal with. He leaned forward pressing his arm into his stomach as if to calm the rising nausea. Ankera jumped around in the file, showing different images from the man's life until he arrived at the day of the culling.
John tried to turn away or close the one eye not covered in bandages—he wanted to—but he couldn't force himself. The rest of his team was equally intent on the destruction taking place in front of them. John saw the homes burning and the white hair of the Wraith glinting in the sunlight as they moved through the village in pursuit of their prey. The man on the screen was suddenly running toward the village and John's breath caught in his throat. The man was thrown to the ground, and a Wraith stood over him sneering.
"No!" John voice erupted like a choked cry as the Wraith's hand slammed into the man on the screen's chest. The others, including Ankera, spun around, and Carson immediately ran over to him. John could feel the doctor's hands on him forcing him to lie down. People were yelling in the distance and the screens on the wall suddenly darkened, but John could not hear anything over the buzzing in his head.
He couldn't breathe, and his body suddenly bucked as he lost his grip on the battle against nausea. Someone turned him onto his side as he threw up. They held him while wave after wave of retching and heaving wracked through him. After what felt like hours, his stomach finally quieted down and he was rolled over onto his back again.
Carson and Teyla appeared above him, with Ronon and Rodney not too far behind them. John was shaking and breathing like he'd just sprinted across the east pier. He felt completely wrung out. Someone—Teyla, maybe—draped a blanket over him. Carson was talking to him, and he turned his head to focus on the doctor's voice.
"Easy, son, you'll be alright." Carson 's voice was low as he repeated the soothing mantra, his hand lightly rubbing John's stomach in an attempt to relax the sick man. "Slow, deep breaths, lad," he said.
John struggled to get his breathing under control, and after another minutes or so felt himself beginning to relax. He'd closed his eye again, and when he blinked it open again, Carson was the only one leaning over him.
"What happened?" John asked, his voice sounding weak and hoarse.
Carson reached for something out of sight, then returned holding one of their canteens. He helped John sit up and take a sip before answering the question. "We were able to remove the computer chip implanted into your optical nerve. Ankera assures us you're fine now, and even though I'd still like to run my own tests, everything seems to be back to normal."
John nodded. Normal . He needed normal. "We're still in the underwater city?"
"Aye. We didn't want to move you right away. Ankera insisted we waited at least until you woke up from the sedative and painkiller he administered."
John nodded, barely following Carson 's explanation. He was so tired.
"He's awake now," Ronon said from somewhere off to John's left. "Let's go."
Ankera suddenly appeared over John, holding some kind of device. John lay still, watching the alien with a mixture of curiosity and fear. He wondered why he wasn't angry at the being, but as soon as that thought occurred to him, he decided he was angry. Then he was just tired and didn't care. I am so messed up right now, he thought to himself idly.
Whatever Ankera was holding seemed to be some kind of medical device. He handed it to Carson where the doctor looked over the results and nodded his head in relief.
"There appears to be no complications," Ankera said, speaking to the group.
"So we may leave?" Teyla asked with a little trepidation.
"No," Ankera answered.
