Disclaimer: I think everyone gets the gist of this now. Outside of my own characters, I own no one and nothing. Admittedly, I'm planning on creating a portal and grabbing John Sheppard and Ronon Dex. Two of the hottest men to ever grace the TV screen!
I apologise that this has taken so long to get out to you, but I've gotten it done. I will admit that a fiar part of this mirrors that of the new, PoD, but it can't really be helped. I've been struck with Writer's Block more than a few times throughout this entire chapter.
I'm going to have make updates, for now, a monthly thing. Work has piled up and I've got to keep my priorities straight. My work comes first, then TiA. I promise to have another chapter out in a few weeks, so look forward to any views, opinions, ideas anyone has on the next couple of episodes – Aurora, Lost Boys and The Hive.
So, for now, on with the show with Conversion.
Chapter 20: Conversion
One trip through the Gate and a super cautious Carson later, John sighed as he reclined on the stretcher, looking at Carson as the man pressed a hand to the dressing around his forearm. The Scottish doctor had seen his bleeding arm and had promptly ordered him off-duty, put Camilla in control of the Jumper and ordered everyone back to the City.
"This isn't necessary, doc," John told the doctor.
The man shook his head tersely. "Aye, it is," he said. "Ye have a serious laceration in yer arm and ye've lost a good deal of blood."
As far as John was concerned, letting Carson and his men push him to the Infirmary from the Jumper Bay was embarrassing enough, but he knew how much blood he could lose and still be functional. Mostly. He was, however, thankful, that Camilla and her brother had pulled Rodney to one side to deal with a minor 'injury' the man had received on the planet and he sighed, feeling the gurney coming to a halt.
"Alright," Carson muttered. "Let's have a look at this."
He felt the dressing being removed and John tilted his head to look at the damage, frowning slightly at the sight of the blood coating his arm. Even with the dressing applied, the amount of blood the thing could have soaked up wasn't much. There was thin layer of blood clinging to his arm, crusting and flaking already. Carson moved calmly, grabbing a swab and the man held it.
"This may hurt a wee bit," he answered.
A look at the one end not in the doctor's hand told him that it was a medical swab and he shrugged a shoulder. "I'm sure it will," he said.
Carson arched an eyebrow at him as he set to work and John just smiled at the man. While his own pain tolerances weren't anything compared to Ronon's, he still had a high threshold. Watching as Carson swabbed the area before grabbing a large piece of gauze, John calmly waited for the pain to start.
"This doesnae sting?" the doctor asked.
John shrugged a shoulder. He couldn't feel anything of what Carson was doing, but he could move his fingers easily enough.
"No," he answered.
Carson shook his head, sighing. "Well, ah ken ye have a high threshold fer pain, but this…."
The man drifted off and John frowned, looking at Beckett. "But this is what?" he asked.
The Scottish doctor didn't reply and John followed his gaze to his arm and he found his widening slightly at the sight that met him. The blood that had coated the area where Ellia had gotten him was gone. And so was the cut.
"Gone," Carson breathed.
John turned his arm slightly, trying to get a better look, trying to see where the Wraith had managed to bite him. "What?!" he said.
"The feedin' mark," Carson said. "It's completely healed."
Glancing at the man, John knew it had to be a bad thing. Humans didn't heal this fast unless something was messing with their system. He'd felt the pain and he'd seen the blood, knowing it was his own.
A-A-A-A-A-A
Martouf groaned as he raced across the walkways of Atlantis. After Ronon Dex had joined the expedition, the Tok'ra had seen the Satedan taking to running through the explored sections of the City, burning energy that the man had obviously yet to find a new way to vent after years of being a Runner.
In perhaps a subconscious effort to help the man feel more welcome in the City and amoung the members of the expedition, Martouf had taken to joining the man on his daily runs, quickly getting used to the activity. Sheppard had joined a few weeks after Ronon had officially joined and Martouf had kept an eye on everyone's positions.
In general, Ronon was in front, despite Martouf calling on all his enhancements as a Tok'ra. The Satedan usually led the race through the City, Martouf behind him and Sheppard behind the male Tok'ra. Today was different.
After Dr. Beckett had cleared Colonel Sheppard from the Infirmary – albeit with a stipulation of no off-world missions – Martouf and suggested a run as way of trying to calm everyone down after the almost needless deaths of Ellia and Zaddik. Skidding to a halt behind Ronon as they reached the starting point of the running circuit, Martouf doubled over a railing, clinging to it as his heart pounded in his chest.
Sheppard stood, almost completely unaffected of Ronon Dex, the Satedan leaning against one of the metal pillars as he panted for breath.
"I thought you said you were a Runner?" Sheppard commented.
Ronon frowned and Martouf was inclined to mimic the man as he delved into the small pack at the small of his back and drew out a bottle of water. This is certainly unusual, Lantash muttered. Usually by the time we reach this point, the good Colonel is doubled over, rasping for breath and cursing all three of us.
Martouf nodded slightly. "That's funny," Ronon grumbled as Martouf held out his water to the Satedan, seeing him take it wordlessly.
"I can usually barely keep up with the two of you," Sheppard said. "What's with you?"
Feeling a nudge, Martouf closed his eyes for a moment, feeling Lantash calmly taking control before Lantash opened his eyes, hearing Ronon grumbling again. "What's with you?" the Satedan managed.
Lantash rolled his eye, shaking his head slightly, 'hearing' Martouf sighing in relief in the back of his mind, the aches in the man's body leaving his consciousness as the symbiote took over control. "I can assure you, Colonel, that we were not holding back," he said calmly, easing his host's breathing with ease.
Sheppard just grinned at them. "Ah, you're just both sore losers," he said. "I don't act like a jerk when the two of you beat me."
Lantash arched an eyebrow, taking back the water bottle that Ronon held out to him. "Yes, you do," the former Runner told him.
Sheppard rolled his eyes. "Okay, then we'll go around again."
Lantash did not need to ask his host, he 'heard' the groan that came from the man's thoughts and he shook his head. "I think not, Colonel," he said. "I will not garner any favour with my host if I were to do so."
Moving to take a step to the nearest stair case that led down from the walkway, Lantash found his eyes widening slightly as he started to limp and he quickly set to work, tenderly healing a strained muscle in Martouf's leg.
"Go ahead," Ronon told the Air Force Colonel as Lantash gripped onto the railings of the staircase and carefully limped down the steps as quickly as he could.
Something had clearly affected the Colonel and Lantash was 'stumped' if he knew what it was.
A-A-A-A-A-A
Teyla stood calm in the small room off of the main gym. It had taken a few months, but now there was a specific room set aside for what the humans of Earth called 'sparring'. Minimal gym equipment resided here but for the usual weapons that were used in fights. A padded matt moulded itself slightly around the base of her feet as she stood facing her opponent.
John Sheppard stood in front of her, both of them standing alert and calm. They'd been sparring for a short while and the Athosian was silently amazed at how well the man from Earth was handling himself.
Moving calmly, as per the start of new bout, Teyla moved one hand holding her Bantos rod out, John Sheppard mirroring her as they saluted each other before they began the fight. Quickly knocking aside the one rod, Teyla moved from offense to defence quickly as John Sheppard reacted quicker than she had anticipated.
Spinning and matching his blows with her own, the Athosian smiled slightly at the familiar pattern. John never lasted all that long, but he certainly put up a fight. Moving quicker and quicker, Teyla twisted her body and finally ducked under a blow, her left leg sliding to one side as she did so, tensing her body, waiting for the next blow that never came.
"Not bad, huh?" the man asked, smiling at her even as she stared hard at him.
Stand straight, drawing herself back up to her full height, she nodded. "Yes, yes," she agreed. "You're doing very well."
Teyla was well aware of the fact that her back now faced the door that led to the rest of the gym and she twirled the Bantos rod in her right hand, loosening the muscles there before John came at her again, this time tapping insistently at her guard, the forcing quickly getting harder and harder before Teyla started to block his blows, letting her instincts work for her.
Years of fighting had honed her instincts to the point where she let herself go and let them control her moves as she fought. She ducked another blow and she turned, watching John Sheppard in shock.
"You have been practicing," she said.
The man shook his head and calmly tossed one of his Bantos rods to one side before he slipped his free arm behind his back and held the other at the ready. Shaking her head, Teyla bit back a sigh. It seemed that John Sheppard had once more forgotten that two Bantos rods gave the fighter more chance of winning.
"Not really," John said.
Teyla twirled her Bantos rods calmly, letting an old, but quick, pattern settle her shaking muscles before she attacked. She frowned, keeping up her attacks as John calmly held her at bay as she threw everything she had into her attacks. John Sheppard had improved suddenly since their last sparring match and Teyla was unnerved, even as she found herself suddenly pressed against a wall, a Bantos rod against her neck.
Her own hands were crossed in front of her, holding onto her Bantos rods as she looked at the Colonel with wide eyes.
"You are showing… a considerable leap in ability, Colonel Sheppard," she said.
He looked at her, his head tilted slightly as he gaze settled on her intently. "You can call me John when we're off the clock," he told her.
Arching an eyebrow at that, Teyla nevertheless nodded – something had changed, snapping inside this man and while it certainly intrigued her, this sudden change from one day to the next unnerved her.
"Very well… John," she said carefully.
His gaze was still intent, but Teyla saw the beginning of a grin at the corner of his mouth. "There y'go," he said.
He still stared at her and Teyla took a calming breath, forcing herself to keep calm. She needed to find out what had happened and she could not do that if her emotions ruled her.
"Should we continue, or do you…?" she asked before her voice trailed off.
With her matriarchal society, Teyla had been with men before and she recognised the look on John Sheppard's face as he tossed his last Bantos rod to one side before he gripped her face firmly with both of his hands. Before she could do anything, the man in front of her was kissing her. Kissing her and pressing his body against hers as he held her against the wall.
Reacting, her hands released her Bantos rods as her hands shot to his chest. The man kissed her hungrily, demanding an answer from her before she pushed him back and leaned back against the wall, clinging to the pillar at her left side. She breathed hard, struggling to control her body's reaction to the man as he stood opposite her.
To her surprise, she watched as his expression mirrored her emotions – complete and utter astonishment as he looked at her, shocked at his behaviour.
"I'm not really sure just what happened…" he said carefully, frowning as he looked around himself.
Teyla pressed a hand to her throat, still somehow feeling the press of his Bantos rod against her throat. "Colonel," she said quietly.
Before he could say anything that Teyla knew would either break or mend their now tenuous, the Athosian heard the sound of a radio headset activating.
"Colonel Sheppard, please report to the Infirmary!" Doctor Beckett's familiar voice ordered calmly.
Teyla heaved a breath of relief as she heard that, and she leaned back against the wall. "Are you okay?" Colonel Sheppard asked her, this time worry clear in his face, stance and tone.
Teyla forced a reasonable facsimile of her usually serene smile, nodding while she silently cursed her laboured breathing. "Doctor Beckett will be expecting you," she told him.
Colonel Sheppard had jumped between so many different things and emotions that Teyla honestly didn't know where she stood now with him. Colonel Sheppard nodded. "Yeah," he breathed.
Teyla felt her smile slipping and watched as indecision ruled across John's face – he seemed to want to stay and talk yet whatever Doctor Beckett had to say obviously had something important. He left then, walking quickly out the door and Teyla let out a sigh of relief, letting her body sag heavily against the wall as she felt her usual calm demeanour leave.
A-A-A-A-A-A
John sat calmly on a medical bed, straddling it like he had as he had when he'd spoken of Ellia to both Elizabeth and Carson. Now, Elizabeth stood next to him as they both listened to Carson, the man sitting on a stool facing him. He'd come as quickly as he could to the Infirmary, suddenly worried by the changes that had happened to him, making him far more forward with one of his closest friends than he would have ever been without what was happening to him.
"The good news is, we can say with some certainty tha' Ellia didnae drain away any of yer life," the Doctor told them.
John rolled his eyes at that. He'd known almost as soon as it had happened that she hadn't fed off of him; he hadn't looked any older and he certainly hadn't felt any older.
"We already knew that," he said.
Carson smiled slightly and nodded. "Ah suppose," he agreed.
John frowned slightly as he looked at the man. "That's the best good news you could come up with?" he asked.
Carson looked uncomfortable at that. "It looks like ye've been infected with the Iratus bug retrovirus," he said calmly. "The one we were working on to turn Ellia inta a human."
John arched an eyebrow and crossed his arms as he looked at the man. "You mean the one that didn't turn her into a human?" he asked.
"Ellia administered the treatment prematurely," Carson responded. "It wasnae ready, it wasnae even supposed t' be-"
John held his hands up and nodded. He understood self-recrimination as well as anyone else who'd gone through it and he knew what it could do to a person.
"I'm not blaming you, Doc," he said
Carson sighed and ran a hand through his hair absently. "But ye're right," he said. "The transformation was inta a creature closer to the Iratus bug than a ta a human, and I know how much you…"
John grimaced then. "…hate those bugs?" he finished.
The Scottish doctor sighed. "Aye," he answered.
Elizabeth sighed then. "But, for one ... Ellia was a Wraith," she said. "And she took a massive dose of the retrovirus. I mean, do we know how the Colonel's system might respond to the drug?"
John glanced from the head of the expedition to Carson, seeing the man shaking his head and spreading his hands. "Ah have nae idea," he answered. "It was nae engineered t' be given ta a human. It was nae intended…"
Seeing Carson heading back down the line of self-recrimination, John shook his head. "Doc…" he said, lifting his voice slightly.
"…t' be given ta anyone!" the man finished and John took a breath.
"Let it go," John told him gently.
He'd already forgiven the man for bringing the retrovirus to the planet and for anything that might happen to him. Couldn't the man see that and stop the unnecessary guilt trip?
Carson shook his head. "The problem is Ah have no idea how your body will react!" he said firmly. "Ah can nae even begin to guess."
John looked at him and wondered briefly if the Scottish doctor had given him too much information – or the real lack of it, really.
Taking a breath, John spread his hands and smiled. "Well, if how I feel is any indication? I'm fine," he told him.
He did. Though the incident with Teyla did play on his mind now that he thought about how he felt.
A-A-A-A-A-A
Cam sighed as she sat in the Conference Room, her arms crossed pensively over her chest as she watched the doctors and scientists argue, even as Carson stood by 'his' laptop, staring at the information there. Arguments between various doctors rang in the air, but Cam was calmly watching as Dr. Biro and one of the newer doctors argued.
"No!" the newer doctor snapped out. "No, that would only work if the retro-virus was going what we had originally intended it to do."
We should have brought pop-corn, Kel'an commented.
Cam rolled her eyes, shaking her head, wondering silently why she had decided to join Carson in the Conference Room when she couldn't offer much help.
"I disagree," Dr. Biro responded. "You are not taking into account what is happening to his somatic cells."
Cam sighed again, this time pinching the bridge of her nose as she closed her eyes. I do not understand why they do not go with the idea of manipulating John's DNA after the virus has worked on the area, she said to Kel'an, letting her closest friend hear her exhaustion. It is certainly the best idea.
But adding more material for the virus to feed on would certainly not help matters, Kel'an pointed out.
Cam nodded as she looked at the scientists again. In the few seconds it had taken her and Kel'an to speak, Carson had stood up and paced to the centre of the room.
"Introducing more human genetic material into his body is only going to give the retrovirus more fuel," the doctor sat beside Dr. Biro said, looking at Carson with disbelief on his face.
Carson raised a hand and Cam watched as Dr. Biro stopped herself from speaking. "Yes, yes," he said. "I agree. That's why we have to use the Iratus bug stem cells."
Cam felt the lightbulb go off in her mind. "It'll be like the Ancient Gene therapy," she said, drawing the gazes from the other doctors and scientists to her. "Program the cells with human DNA and they wouldn't be attacked or rejected."
Carson grinned at that, nodding. "RNA, love," he corrected her. "Using the stem cells, we'll b' attackin' it from inside; like our own magic bullet tha' could navigate the retrovius an' start to repair his mutated cells."
"The only bug pieces we have are from a sample that died a year ago," Dr. Biro spoke up.
Even as she continued to talk, Cam watched as understanding flickered across Carson's face, the man turning to look at her, arching an eyebrow. Smiling to the man, she stood from her seat and left the Conference Room.
Where did we last see an entry for 'Iratus bug' in the database?
A-A-A-A-A-A
Martouf watched as his sister paced around an apparently now emptied Conference Room – according to Beckett and Camilla, the other doctors and scientists had left, taking their equipment and tools with them.
"The Ancient database has a surprising number of entries for the Iratus bug," Camilla spoke, her gaze flickering to McKay, Beckett, Dr. Weir and Captain Lorne. "It took me a little time, but I managed to find out enough about it to get an idea on where to find a nest of them." She ran a hand through her hair. "I have a Gate address and a list of the things that it likes; cool, damp, dark places to lay it's eggs and preferably hide in."
Martouf uncrossed his arms, looking at his sister as she stopped pacing to lean against one of the tables in the room. "It shouldn't be that hard to locate," Lorne commented.
"Wait a minute," Dr. Weir said. "The last time we ran into one of these things, we almost lost Sheppard. How do you expect to just walk right into one of their nests?"
Martouf sighed, looking at the woman. "We have very little choice to do otherwise, Dr. Weir," he told her gently. "The treatment requires the stem cells and the only way to get them is from the Iratus bug's eggs."
"With the eggs, we actu'lly have a chance of savin' Colonel Sheppard," Beckett continued. "Without them, he'll die."
Dr. Weir seemed to sigh. "And this is the only option we have?" she asked.
Camilla nodded. "It's the only viable one that we have, Elizabeth," she said. "We don't have time to work up another one and hope it works. We have to use this one."
Lorne cleared his throat slightly from beside Martouf and the male Tok'ra watched as Dr. Weir turned to look at him. "We all understand the risks, Dr. Weir," he said. "And I believe that Colonel Sheppard would do the same for any one of us."
Martouf looked at Dr. Weir and watched as she seemed to struggle before she nodded and took a seat with a heavy sigh. "Permission granted," she said. "Get a team together."
Beckett looked at Lorne. "I need an hour t' get my things together," he said.
Lorne nodded as he leapt from his seat on the table. "Okay, gear up," he ordered. "One our."
A-A-A-A-A-A
With the information Camilla had given about what these Iratus bugs needed, Ronon calmly led the way through the forest to a cave he'd spotted when the Jumper had come through the Gate. It was a fair distance from where the pilot had landed the Jumper and Ronon had looked to Lorne.
The man, according to what Martouf had told him, was Sheppard's Second In Command around the base, so he was the one technically in charge of the mission. He'd waited for a nod before leading the way, following a path laid down by the planet's indigenous animals.
"So what are we looking for?" Lorne asked.
"According to the Ancient database, a cave if the most likely," Martouf spoke up. "The bugs prefer the cool darkness afforded there."
Ronon grunted, glancing over his shoulder at the two men, seeing the male Tok'ra carrying a large canister on one shoulder. "They wouldn't want their nests out in the open," he agreed. "Cave keeps the eggs away from the predators."
McKay frowned at that. "I always figured they were the predators," he said.
Ronon chuckled at that. "I guarantee there's something out here, worse," he told him.
"Really?"
Martouf chuckled then. "Dr. McKay, there is always something bigger and stronger than the current predator," he said. "The Iratus bugs are not the top of their food chain, there is something bigger that feeds on them."
McKay groaned. "Thank you," he muttered. "Thank you for that!"
Ronon shook his head with a small smile. "Welcome," he said.
He didn't need to hear Lorne's comments to pick up the pace. He was already moving quicker, faster, leading the way to the mountains.
A-A-A-A-A-A
Martouf leaned against the stone wall that made the cave mouth, feeling Lantash settling his muscles from the tenseness they'd been in on the walk up to the cave and he could already feel the strain to his calf muscles easing as he checked that his night vision goggles rested atop his head as Ronon knelt in the dirt closest to the cave mouth, examining the dirt there.
"It certainly smells like there's somethin' livin' in there," he heard Beckett commented to Lorne who had asked him something.
"Yeah," McKay agreed quietly. "Or dying."
Martouf watched as Teyla squinted before she shook her head. "I cannot see that far into the cave," she said after a moment.
With years of tracking, Martouf was only mildly disgusted as Ronon Dex lifted up a pile of bright orange waste to his nose, sniffing it cautiously before wrinkling his nose and casting the waste off.
"Oh, well, that is disgusting!" McKaysaid, horror clear in his voice.
Ronon shrugged as he wiped the most of the waste off of his hand in the clear, brown dirt. "They're in there," he said.
"And you had to pick it up and smell it to figure that out?!" McKay asked him.
Martouf snorted at that, watching as the Satedan turned to give him a look. "To know it's recent," he replied.
McKay looked astounded. "Well, how recent?"
Ronon didn't answer as Lorne gave the scientist a glare. "So," he said. "What's the plan?"
Martouf looked at Carson who held a butterfly-like catching net. "Well," he said. "We go in there, we get some eggs, and then we come out."
Lorne nodded. "Okay," he agreed. "Ronon, Teyla, you're with me. Walker, Stevens, Martouf, you take our six. Docs?" He looked at Beckett and McKay. "Just stay in the middle and try not to get bit, okay?"
"Well, maybe someone should," McKay said as he pointed to himself. "Stay out here."
"So that you're all alone when a dozen of them come stampeding out here?" Ronon asked as he stood up.
Martouf slipped his goggles on with a sigh. That comment alone would bring McKay into line and he readied himself to move, even as he settled the water canister across his back again.
"I'm in the middle," the scientist said.
Martouf nodded. "Good idea," he said.
Ronon Dex sighed. "Let's do it."
A-A-A-A-A-A
Ronon calmly led the way into the cave, doing his best to ignore the greenish hue to his vision. He drew his blaster and continued on frowning slightly at the sound that greeted him before it grew louder.
"Hear that?" he asked.
It was a loud hissing, chittering sound that greeted his hearing and Ronon heard Teyla exhale loudly. "Yes," she answered from beside him.
"Looks like we've got the right address," Lorne commented.
Ronon continued walking, leading the way through the cave's tunnels, pressing a hand to the stones every now and then, watching as the remaining dung from the bugs clung to the wall and glowed in the goggles' vision. He had a way to lead the way out and he relaxed slightly, even as he continued to walk.
The sight that greeted him as he reached the inside of the cave where the chittering was the loudest almost had Ronon whistling in mild appreciation. For all the damage the Iratus bug had caused for humans, they were in a large group here, in the cave, as almost a family group.
"Doc," Lorne called softly.
"Good God!" the Scottish doctor gasped. "I think this is it."
Ronon looked around, his hands ready on his blaster as he looked at the large sacks hanging from the ceiling a few feet in front of them. He would have walked towards one if the floor hadn't been covered in the crawling insects. It would have been easy if they weren't swarming all over the place, making it impossible to cross the room without killing one.
"So how do we wanna play this?" Lorne asked.
"They'll defend their young," Ronon told him.
He'd seen it enough times as a Runner to know that any animal would protect the young, even at a cost to their own lives.
Lorne nodded – the man may not have been a Runner, but Ronon was willing to bet that the man had seen something to make him agree.
"Maybe we should make a diversion," McKay said from where he stood behind Teyla and Lorne.
Ronon spared the man a hard look, arching an eyebrow.
"Are you volunteering?" Lorne asked him.
He seemed to shrink then. "I'll shut up," McKay offered.
"I do not think it would be possible to reach the eggs without the Iratus bugs attacking," Martouf commented, shaking his head slightly.
Beckett held up a device a Marine passed calmly to him. "Ah have this," he said, "but Ah need t' get under tha'." He pointed at the nearest egg sack with the device. "Hand me the water canister."
Martouf obliged the man, stepping towards him as he lifted the tank from his shoulder. "I remember, doctor," he said. "They dislike salt water."
Lorne looked confused and Ronon felt just as much as he watched Martouf crouch down and open the canister. "How's that going to help us?" he asked.
"Just watch," Carson told him before he looked at Martouf. "Ye min' laddie?"
Martouf chuckled in response and nodded, standing up and calmly hefting the now open canister. Ronon watched as the man carefully took a few steps forward before tossing some of the water at the creatures. The bugs didn't scream, but their chittering took on a panicked edge and he watched as they scurried away from the salt water that soaked into the ground, giving it a good space clear around the edge.
"Move quickly, doctor," Martouf said tersely. "There is not much water left in the canister."
Ronon watched as Beckett moved towards the male Tok'ra, moving slowly and he watched as Martouf splashed more water at the ground, keeping the bugs back, even as the nervous chittering slowly turned angry.
"Doc?" Lorne called, a warning tone clear in his voice.
Ronon watched as Beckett nodded. "Ah've come this far," he replied before he moved closer to the egg sack and reached towards it with the device.
It took Ronon only a second to see the Iratus bug heading towards the two and he pointed his weapon at it, the setting at kill. "Heads up!" he hollered as he fired at the bug before he watched it fall to the floor.
For the first time in a long time, Ronon wondered if he shouldn't have reacted as he had; the rest of the bugs in the cavern began to react, moving closer to Beckett, their dead companion and Martouf.
Martouf up-ended the tank, doing his best to keep the bugs back and Ronon shook his head.
"Oh God!" Beckett shouted above the angry chitterling of the Iratus bugs
"Carson!" Teyla shouted at him as the others opened fire on the bugs. "Run!"
Ronon watched as Beckett raced towards them, Martouf hot on his heels, emptying the canister as he did so – doing his best to keep the bugs back, even as Ronon opened fire on them, giving the two covering fire. He followed Lorne the moment the man turned and ran, leaving two of his men behind to give them cover fire. He raced passed the man as he ordered the two men to move before 'fire in the hole' echoed in his ears.
And not a moment too soon, Ronon mused, as he launched himself into the nearest green bush, feeling the explosive fire burning through the air before it cooled.
"I think that stopped them," he said as he got his feet under him.
"We're not stickin' around to find out," Lorne said with a groan. "I'm pulling the plug on this mission. Let's get back to the Gate."
A-A-A-A-A-A
Cam stood in the Control Room, her fingers absently drumming on her arms as she looked at screen where a message flashed. 'Biometric sensor activated' flashed for a few moments before it disappeared and an image of the city came up, showing many white dots. She watched as they disappeared and a red dot became visible.
"Okay," Rodney said from where he stood next to the screen, typing away on his laptop. "We've got a lock on him."
Cam moved closer to him, nodding as she felt Kel'an working through her body, heightening her senses and sight. Her gaze flickered quickly around the screen, searching for the lifesign that they needed.
At least we know that we have a way of searching for the man, Kel'an commented.
Cam hummed absently, her arms still crossed before she smiled slightly as her gaze flickered to a red dot that raced across the screen at an incredible speed. Indeed we do, she agreed. It works and we've just found him.
"That's can't be him!" Caldwell said. "It's moving too fast."
Ronon smirked mirthlessly at him. "That's him," he told the man.
Caldwell nodded. "Alright," he said as he turned to look at the Marines. "Four teams. Surround him and close in. I want him stopped gentlemen – use whatever level of force you deem necessary." He nodded at them. "Move out."
Cam frowned at that, even as the Marines made to move out before Elizabeth turned to face them. "You will only use such force as a last resort," she told them when they had stopped.
"That's not Sheppard anymore, ma'am," Caldwell said.
Cam rolled her eyes then, shaking her head. "A Tok'ra can run just as fast, Colonel," she told him tersely. "The retrovirus in Colonel Sheppard's system means that he's working far above normal."
Elizabeth glared at Caldwell slightly before she looked back at the Marines. "You heard me," she told them.
The Marines nodded and moved out of the room, all of them holding Wraith stunners. Cam watched as Ronon started to leave before he stopped.
"You coming?" he asked Teyla.
She paused for a moment before she nodded. "Yes," she replied before she followed him out of the room.
Cam took a breath before she moved to follow them. "I'll come as well," she offered.
"Lock down the Stargate," Elizabeth told Rodney who nodded at her.
"Right!"
A-A-A-A-A-A
Kel'an moved ahead of the group that Ronon and Teyla had joined, hefting her P-90 in one hand, a Zat'nik'tel in her other. She was not about to take any chances and she wanted to be sure that the man was going to be captured. Alive, but maybe wounded.
"Bravo Team, you're on deck," Caldwell spoke. "Tango is right below you."
Kel'an nodded, ranging ahead of the group and heading for the closest flight of stairs. After having spent a few hours racing through the deserted city as the storm threatened it, both Cam and Kel'an had picked up more about the corridors than some of the others. She walked down the flight quickly, checking her possible exits as she heard the others descending behind her.
"Stay sharp," Caldwell ordered. "He should be right in there with you."
Kel'an nodded. "Understood," she breathed.
A-A-A-A-A-A
Ronon ranged the corridors above the rest of the team. He'd heard something and he was following what his gut was telling him. He paused, hearing the sound of something climbing and he smirked. Glancing around himself, the Satedan moved down the corridor and pulled himself around one corner, taking cover as he made sure that his weapon was set to stun.
He trusted Sheppard, but the virus was in control. If there was a way of freeing the man from the virus, then he'd stun him.
A-A-A-A-A-A
Kel'an cursed the improved reflexes that John had and let out a shot from her Zat'nik'tel strike him before she tossed it to one side. The weapon had had no affect and she wasn't about to risk it.
"Colonel!" she ordered. "Stand down!"
She watched as the man paused on the stairs and turned around, taking a few down. Kel'an lifted her P-90, sensing Teyla beside her. "Please," the Athosian said. "Do not make us do this!"
As he kept walking, Kel'an let a single bullet fly from the weapon to the step before the man. When that didn't stop him, she switched firing modes and calmly let out a stream of bullets at the next step, hearing Teyla mimic her. That was all that was needed to get John to turn around and race back up the stairs.
Lowering her P-90, Kel'an charged after the man, forcing as much energy into her host's body and watched as John got further and further ahead before a familiar glow and discharging sound echoed in the air once, then twice. The ruby red glows enveloped John and sent him to the floor and Kel'an skidded to a halt a few short feet from John's collapsed body as Ronon Dex stepped out from where he had been hidden.
"Get the doctor down here," Ronon said. "I have him."
Kel'an grinned at that, nodding as she moved to check John's lifesigns. She rested a hand at his throat, feeling a faint pulse through the thick skin.
"He is still alive," she said. "Pulse is fast, faint through the thick skin."
A-A-A-A-A-A
Jonas stood in between Dr. Witcker and Camilla, nursing a glass of Earth alcohol. He hadn't looked at the label, but he knew it wasn't 'vodka'. Dr. Witcker had gone for a glass of purified water while Jonas absently noticed that the female Tok'ra was sharing an earthenware mug.
The last time he had seen the two of them doing that, Jonas had discovered that the mug had contained a rather potent alcohol made by the Jaffa. The strongest drink that Jonas had had on Kelowna could not match the potency of the Jaffa-made brew and had promptly stuck to the 'weaker' versions, somehow managing to be amazed by Camilla and Martouf's ability to go unharmed drinking the alcohol.
While both he and Dr. Witcker didn't know Colonel Sheppard all that well, he had known that his friend was going to need some form of support now that the mutating Colonel had been returned to the Infirmary.
He looked up from his glass seconds later when he heard the sounds of hesitant footsteps coming towards the large balcony in the Mess Hall.
"You guys are up late," Dr. Weir commented.
McKay snorted, looking up from a bowl of jelly. "Can't you sleep either?" he asked in return.
It seemed the usual snark and confidence of everyone had been drained, taking McKay's usual barbs and weakening them to beyond harmless.
"Any progress?" Teyla Emmagan asked.
Dr. Weir shook her head. "No," she answered. "He's still in a coma. At least he isn't in any pain."
"…Maybe if I went alone, maybe…" Ronon Dex spoke up.
Dr. Weir shook her head again, her expression firm yet sad. "It's not open for discussion," she told him.
Jonas looked at Ronon Dex, seeing the man leaning against the railing, his weight settled firmly against it, even with his arms crossed over his chest. "I'm not good at sittin' still," the Satedan told her.
"I doubt anyone here is, big buy," Dr. Witcker said. "I don't know the guy and I'm about to start pulling my hair out."
Dr. Weir sighed, even as Jonas caught a glimpse of Camilla passing the earthenware mug to her brother who promptly passed it to the Satedan. "Believe me, I understand," the head of the expedition said. "I appreciate how you feel." She took a breath. "Look. We've closed down that section of the Infirmary, but if you feel the need to…"
Jonas didn't need her to finish, even as she trailed off and he nodded. He understood what wasn't being spoken. "Are we really at that point?" McKay asked. "Of saying goodbye, I mean."
Dr. Weir sighed. "I think we might be."
Without his radio active, Jonas didn't hear whatever had surprised Dr. Weir or the others, but he watched as Dr. Weir spun and walked off, heading out of the Infirmary, the others behind her. Still leaning against the railing, stunned by the sudden exodus from the Mess Hall, Jonas set his drink down.
"What just happened?"
A-A-A-A-A-A
Cam didn't manage to catch what Carson had been saying as Elizabeth raced ahead of the others as she climbed the stairs. She had caught up, with her brother, as Carson started to cross the walkway to Elizabeth's office.
"-ucing trace amounts of their signature pheromone," Carson said.
"And?" Elizabeth asked him
"When we were in the cave," Carson continued. "Those bugs knew we did nae belong there, so they did nae really fancy us getting close t' their nest."
Cam felt her eyes widening as she leaned against one of the walls in the office. "You've saying that if we can produce the pheromone artificially, then we might be able to get the Iratus bugs to ignore us?" she asked.
Carson nodded. "Aye," he replied. "Tha' would work."
"Well, that's an excellent plan, Carson!" Rodney said, a smile on his face.
There's always a hiccup with these kind of discoveries, Kel'an commented.
Carson nodded again. "Aye, Ah wish it was."
Ronon looked at him. "You can't do it in time," he said.
Carson shrugged. "Nae," he replied calmly. "It'd take days."
Cam sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. Why do you have to be right? she asked.
Just logic, Kel'an said. It took the Tok'ra weeks to create a substance that made Dr. Jackson blind to Anubis's sensors and those, after a fashion, were designed to sense certain pheromones and lifesigns.
Cam saw the other's expressions falling then. "But you said Sheppard only had twenty-four hours before the damage the retrovirus was causing him would be irreparable," Elizabeth said.
Carson reluctantly nodded. "Exactly."
"Well, then that's a terrible plan Carson!" Rodney put in.
"There's only one person on this base that wouldnae need the artificial pheromone," Carson continued explaining.
It didn't take Cam a second to understand the man's mildly cryptic words and she shook her head. "Sheppard!" Elizabeth said, her tone conveying her shock.
"He could walk right in that cave and those bugs would nae pay him any mind."
"I'm not sure if you've noticed or not, but Colonel Sheppard's not feeling very well," Rodney retorted angrily.
"He stopped taking the inhibitor we were administering," Carson replied calmly, not belying the anger that was clear to Cam. "It was able to keep him lucid."
"I thought it's effectiveness had worn off," Elizabeth pointed out.
Carson shrugged. "It has," he said. "But Ah believe if we give him another massive dose, he may be clear-headed enough t' complete the mission before we lose him completely."
"Yeah, but won't giving him that much inhibitor, like…" Rodney began and stopped before he could go any further.
The Scottish doctor nodded. "Kill him? Aye, it's a definite possibility. Even if Ah knew it was for certain, Ah'd be tempted t' offer him one last hour of lucidity."
Cam nodded in understanding, even as Elizabeth nodded her own agreement. "Do it," she said before she looked at the others. "Gear up, take him as far as the cave."
A-A-A-A-A-A
Cam stood on the balcony, watching as Atlantis' flagship team left, John leading the way, Carson and Martouf taking up the rear. Danny and Jonas stood with her, even as she leaned tiredly on the balcony.
"You think they're going to be able to do it?" Danny asked.
Cam smiled weakly, nodding. "I've seen some crazy plans work because of Sheppard," she told her friends. "Some of the craziest plans I've ever known and the man pulls it off as if he did it every day." She shook her head then. "My worry is whether or not they'll be in time."
A-A-A-A-A-A
SEVERAL WEEKS LATER
John walked towards the gym, going over, yet again, what he wanted to say to Teyla. He respected the Athosian woman – probably more than he should – and he wanted to rebuild the bridge he'd burnt when the retrovirus had torn through him.
Walking the final corridor to the gym, he absently touched the walls of Atlantis, feeling the hum of the city beneath his fingertips, in his mind. He released his touch as he neared the doors and he watched as they slid open and he stepped into the gym, pausing as he saw Teyla holding one of her people in an intricate neck lock. Teyla's eyes were wide and John could only hope that it was because of the fact that he was out of uniform, not because of what he'd done.
"Colonel!" Teyla exclaimed before she nodded, releasing the girl in her arms.
Standing to one side of the door, John watched as she stepped in front of the girl and touched their foreheads together before the younger girl left the room, walking quickly.
"Should you be up and about?" Teyla asked as she turned to look at him.
John smiled at that, shrugging a shoulder as he walked towards the bench that held her fighting weapons and her bag. "Well, I've been cooped up in that damned Infirmary for a couple of weeks," he replied. "Give me a break."
He tried to inject a little humour into his tone and he hoped that it worked in trying to lighten the sombre mood, even as he picked up a pair of bantos rods and twirled them. It felt good to have the once familiar weight settling into his hands as he moved them slowly.
"You are looking well," Teyla commented. "Are you feeling more like yourself?"
John shrugged a shoulder, smiling slightly. "Well, according to my DNA, I'm one hundred percent John Sheppard again," he told her before he stopped moving the bantos rods and twisted his right arm so she could see the healing scar. "Although, I've got to say, I'm looking forward to getting rid of this thing one day."
The skin was still rough and slightly blue, but since his human skin had reappeared, it had been shrinking and going back to normal, slowly and gradually. John shrugged a shoulder again before he pulled his arm back.
"Doc says it'll clear up eventually," he told her before he decided to jump into what he had to say to her. "Ah, so listen. While I've been laying there the past few weeks, I've been remembering things." He saw her uncomfortable smile and he sighed. "Some things I might have done that you could call out of character."
"You mean when you attacked the security detail," she commented.
Smiling weakly, John was grateful for her sudden, practically deliberate misunderstanding, he nodded. "Yeah, that was one of them," he admitted, seeing Teyla smiling in response. "There's another thing I should probably apologise for."
Teyla shook her head then. "Give it no further thought," she told him.
Biting the bullet as he looked at her, John shook his head. "I can't do that," he told her. "Not all of it."
Teyla frowned as she looked at him, her hands clenching slightly as she watched him warily. "I do not understand," she said.
John smiled slightly, but kept his distance. He respected Teyla too much to invade her personal space like he had before, so he stayed where he was, placing the bantos rods down.
"I acted out of character," he said. "But it didn't put feelings into me that weren't already there." Teyla's frown disappeared, as did her readiness and John relaxed. "I want to give us a chance. A shot. See if we can make this work."
Teyla smiled at him and nodded slightly. "So would I," she said softly. "Nice to have you back… John."
The pilot grinned in response. "How does lunch sound?"
"Conversion is not the smooth, easy-going process some men seem to think... It is wounding work, this breaking of the hearts, but without wounding there is no saving... Where there is grafting there will always be a cutting, the graft must be let in with a wound; to stick it onto the outside or to tie it on with a string would be of no use. Heart must be set to heart and back to back or there will be no sap from root to branch. And this, I say, must be done by a wound, by a cut." John Bunyan
Response to reviews/reviewers:
Incognito: Thanks for your opinion. I do understand your desire for a difference, but I couldn't help but stick mostly to plot and lines with this one. I've loved Ronon's plot in Trinity for a while now and I wanted to do it justice. I may not have done that, but I'll endeavor to make the next few chapters a bit more interesting for you.
That's it for now, so please, drop me a review and let me know what you think. Please?