Author's Note: Seems there is always a delay between chapters these days. Maybe it's the distraction of Alex O'Loughlin taking his shirt off in Hawaii Five-O (not that I'm complaining). Anyway I hope you'll forgive me – again – and accept a slightly longer than normal chapter as an apology. All mistakes are of course my own unlike the characters (pity).
Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to Stargate Atlantis or the characters. The only thing that is mine are any original thoughts or characters that you may find here.
Chapter 25
Sheppard sank into Weir's chair, grateful for a moment to himself. He'd thought the worst when he'd seen the downed jumper in the Gate room. He still didn't understand how anyone could've survived the crash but he was glad they did. He wasn't ready to lose any more of his friends. He'd been through that before in Afghanistan and nearly didn't make it out himself. He'd lost his best friend on the enemies' battlefield that day and he had no intentions of going through that again. Not that he'd ever tell Rodney he considered him to be his best friend.
Sheppard rubbed at his forehead to ease the headache that seemed intent on settling in for the duration as his other hand pulled the data-pad closer. It was time to check the video feed and plan a rescue mission. He quickly found the video and pressed play.
ooOoo
It was eerie watching the images of the Dalerians firing upon the gate without the benefit of sound. Paxton had done well to get them home more or less in one piece. Now all they had to do was to do the same for Elizabeth and the others.
He moved to press the play button again when a call on the radio interrupted him. He raised his hand to his ear and responded. "Sheppard." He listened for a moment before replying. "Tell him I'm on my way and he'd better be there when I arrive or I'll get out the big needles myself."
Sheppard sighed as he pushed himself upright and headed towards the infirmary taking the data-pad with him. He supposed that he should be grateful that Rodney was obviously well enough to be causing trouble in the infirmary but that would only mean he'd be pushing to be on the rescue mission and he wasn't sure he should be. He'd only allowed him on the recon mission because Rodney had been right about his technical skills. Skills that wouldn't be needed tonight. Instead tonight's mission would be a full on military exercise and it would be better to keep Rodney out of it.
ooOoo
Sheppard heard Rodney's voice the moment he stepped into the infirmary and followed the noise to its source.
"Oh thank goodness. Will you tell this voodoo practising sheep herder that I'm fine and he can release me?"
Sheppard ignored his friend's plea as he turned to Carson. "How is he really, Carson?"
"Apart from being his usual annoying self you mean?" asked Carson before continuing. "Minor bump to his noggin and superficial burns to his hands. Nothing that some painkillers, antibiotics and rest won't cure."
"Which I can get back in my own quarters." interrupted Rodney.
"Aye you could but you won't. I know you too well to believe that, Rodney."
"You let Conon go."
Sheppard tried to keep the smirk off his face at his friend's continued whining and the sigh of exasperation coming from Beckett.
"And you can wipe that smirk off your face, Colonel. You're no better."
Sheppard lost the smirk quickly remembering that it wasn't a good idea to piss off the man with the sharp pointy objects before he signed off on a return to full active duty. He didn't want Carson changing his mind about allowing him to lead the rescue mission in a few hours. Sheppard released his own sigh before looking at his friend.
"Oh no you don't Sheppard."
"Rodney-"
"You need my help. How else are you going to get that Jumper out of the gate room?"
"Zelenka is re-programming the auto-"
"Are you nuts? Of course you are. Did you not see how little room there is? Turning off the auto-pilot is a bad idea."
Sheppard wasn't sure just what had happened. Somehow the conversation had turned on him and it wasn't doing anything to calm Rodney down. Nor was it doing anything for his own headache. If anything Rodney looked like he was working himself up to full rant mode and he could see Beckett wasn't happy about it either. Carson wasn't likely to be any happier with his response after all he wasn't supposed to be encouraging the man.
"Do you have a better idea?" asked Sheppard purposely ignoring the glare from Carson.
Rodney paused for a moment before reluctantly answering. "No."
Sheppard looked at his friend. He knew that Rodney wished he was the one re-programming the jumper controls and didn't blame him. They weren't that dissimilar in many ways. Not that he'd admit that to anyone, least of all Rodney. "Get some rest, Rodney. I need you fighting fit."
"But-"
"Don't make me sic Ronon on you," interrupted Sheppard.
"You wouldn't."
"I would."
"He would," added Ronon as he joined them.
"Great, yet another pick on McKay day," sighed Rodney slumping back against his pillow.
"Get some rest, Rodney."
"Like I have a choice."
"You don't," chorused three voices.
"Fine, I'll rest but only until we're ready to go back to Daleria."
Carson followed Ronon and Sheppard as they moved away from Rodney. "I hope you're not seriously planning on taking Rodney on this mission, Colonel."
"Did I say that?" asked Sheppard looking to Ronon.
"Nope."
Carson chuckled. "He won't be happy when he finds out."
"Most likely not but he'll survive," replied Sheppard. By the time Rodney realised he'd been left behind it would be too late for him to do anything about it. No doubt he'd get an earful from the man on his return and would have to put up with cold showers for a while but he could live with that. It was alternative that scared him more than he was prepared to admit.
"You okay?" asked Ronon.
Sheppard heard the concern in Ronon's voice and knew he wasn't doing a very good job of hiding his fears. Now wasn't the time to fall apart. He could do that later when no-one was watching and he had Elizabeth and the rest of his people safely back home. "Come on Ronon. We've a rescue to plan."
ooOoo
Sheppard looked at the men and women gathered in the conference room waiting for his arrival. He checked his watch to see if he was late but no he was in fact a few minutes early. It shouldn't really surprise him given whom it was they planned to rescue. Weir had won over the hearts and minds of all the people on Atlantis except Kavanaugh of course but then, he didn't consider Kavanaugh to be human.
"We all want her back, Colonel."
Sheppard turned to see Teyla approaching him wearing her uniform instead the casual clothes he'd seen her in earlier. "Beckett's cleared you?"
"He has. He did remind me however that he has not actually cleared you for return to active duty."
Sheppard let his head fall at the thought that Beckett could still try to stop him from leading the rescue mission.
"He is worried about you, John, as am I."
"I'm fine," replied Sheppard barely controlling his frustration. First Ronon, now Teyla. He didn't need this. He knew he wasn't being fair but there was no way he was sitting this one out, no matter what anyone said.
He lifted his head to see Teyla watching him closely and breathed out a sigh. "Okay I'm not fine but I have to do this, Teyla. I'll never forgive myself if I don't."
He waited while she continued to study his face before she finally replied. "Then we should not keep them waiting, Colonel."
ooOoo
"Well if there are no other questions," Sheppard paused for a moment before continuing. "I want us ready to move as soon as it's dark on Daleria. We have less than three hours to get ready so let's not waste it. Dismissed."
Sheppard watched as everyone filed out of the conference room. He had long since learned the burden of responsibility that came with leading a military base. It wasn't much different than the one he bore whenever he'd taken his unit out into the field as a Major. But now he was responsible for so many more lives and he knew he couldn't watch over them all. No matter how hard he tried.
He looked out onto the empty balcony as he headed back towards Elizabeth's office. He missed his talks on the balcony with her. She'd always known what to say whenever he'd had any self-doubts and he'd had plenty since arriving on Atlantis. He just hadn't realised how much he relied upon her support till now. He knew his team were worried about him and he understood why. He was worried too. No scratch that. He was scared. What if they couldn't save her? What would he do then?
"You will find me, John."
Sheppard startled at the sound of Elizabeth's voice. God he really was losing it. He looked down and noticed the waves washing against the side and realised where he was. He'd spent many hours on this balcony since coming to Atlantis. Now it was just another reminder that she wasn't here with him and maybe never would be again.
"You will find me, John."
He scrubbed a hand over his face. Maybe his friends were right to be concerned if he was hearing her voice in his head. This was one mission he couldn't afford to screw up.
"Colonel?"
Sheppard drew in a deep breath of sea air to help clear his head before he turned to see Chuck stood nervously at the balcony doorway. Great now he was scaring the civilians as well. "Yes, Chuck."
"Dr Zelenka has been trying to reach you on the radio. He says he thinks he's completed the re-programming and he needs you in the jumper bay."
Sheppard's hand automatically went to his right ear to feel for his radio. He expected to find it missing and was a little surprised to find it right where it was supposed to be. How had he not heard Radek's call?
"Are you okay, sir?" asked Chuck.
Sheppard dropped his hand to his side. "I'm fine, Chuck. Tell Radek I'm on my way."
ooOoo
She could feel the cold stone against her face and wondered when she'd fallen asleep. A shiver coursed through her body, whether from fear or cold she wasn't sure. She wasn't sure about much anymore. Maybe the IOA were right to question her judgement. Not that it mattered anymore. Nothing did. Jenkins had died from his injuries and she doubted it would be long before the rest joined him.
She knew she should move if only to conserve her body warmth but she was beyond caring. Tomorrow Jaymar would start his demands again and her answer would be no different. It could be no different. She could not condemn a whole race of people no matter what they may have done. Jaymar's people did not deserve what had been done to them by the Dalerians but neither did the Dalerian children deserve to be punished for it.
She thought she might have been able to convince Jaymar that there was another way; that he didn't have to kill more people to free his own. But now she knew she'd been wrong. Jenkins was dead and tomorrow Lorne would be too.
She could just make out Lorne's outline in the growing shadows inside their cell. She'd done all she could for him but she knew it wasn't enough. He needed Carson's skills and a soft bed not a cold, dirty floor and a diplomat with questionable basic first aid skills.
She closed her eyes again and wished for the hundredth time that John was by her side. She didn't know when it had happened but she'd grown to depend upon his support and she could definitely use a little of it now. No doubt he'd be telling her not to give up now just as he had done on that first rescue. They'd argued and in the end she'd let him go. Even though she'd understood his argument she'd thought it was too late to save anyone and that she was only sending more good people to their deaths. She had trusted him then and he had not failed her. Maybe she should trust him now.
"I will find you, Elizabeth."
His voice startled her and she expected to see him by her side when she opened her eyes, only to be disappointed when he wasn't. He had sounded so real and so sure. If only she could be.
"I will find you, Elizabeth."
She closed her eyes again as the sound of his voice echoed in her head. She knew it was just a figment of her imagination but maybe she could lose herself in it and forget about what tomorrow held for her. Even if only for a little while.
ooOoo
Sheppard entered the jumper bay and found Zelenka overseeing the attachment of the cables to Jumper One.
"You sure this will work?" asked Sheppard.
"No. There are many factors that could go wrong," replied Zelenka absently as he continued his work. Sheppard heard him yell something that he didn't doubt was a swear word in Czech before switching back to English. "Not there. The cable needs to be attached to the front."
"I'm glad I asked," muttered Sheppard.
"As I said there are many factors that could go wrong. I have re-programmed the auto-pilot and re-calibrated the ship's sensors. The gate room was not built to take two jumpers at a time. You will only have a few inches to spare at most, Colonel."
"I know but what other choice do we have. Come on, let's do this." Sheppard tapped his radio and ordered everyone other than two of his own men, who had volunteered for the task, out of the gate room. He heard footsteps follow him onboard and turned to protest but Zelenka must have read his mind and beat him to it.
"In case anything goes wrong, Colonel."
"If anything goes wrong there won't be any time to fix it."
"I am staying," replied Radek.
Sheppard saw the determination on the Czech's face and nodded his acceptance. He learnt very quickly that bravery wasn't restricted to just the military ranks on Atlantis. Sheppard closed the rear hatch and fired up the jumper. The next few minutes he knew would be tense given the narrow space he had to work within and he couldn't afford to make a mistake or they would have two wrecked jumpers and one very angry astrophysicist to contend with.
He gently eased the jumper from its bay and shifted it to the area above the bay doors that led to the gate room. Alongside him Zelenka called up an image on his laptop as the bay doors opened.
Sheppard glanced across at Zelenka as he held the ship steady, "Are we good?"
"Yes."
"Dial the beta site." He'd chosen the beta site for the damaged ship's resting ground in case things went pear-shaped as they all too frequently did. They'd be dragging a dead weight out from under the stairs and they had no way of knowing whether Jumper One would even be able to budge it. Anything could happen. The cables could snap, hence the evacuation of the gate room, or the jumper's engines could overload or burn out. Either way it wouldn't matter as the result would be the same. He'd be too close to the ground at the beta site to keep the jumper in the air but at least there would be no-one else in danger, unlike at the alpha site.
Sheppard took a steadying breath to calm his nerves before adjusting the controls and carefully guided the ship down into the gate room. He kept his eyes on the HUD as it showed his relative position to the walls and tried to remember to breathe. This was harder than he thought and they weren't even at the hard bit yet.
The shimmering wormhole came into view as they finally reached the gate room. Sheppard stopped their descent and risked removing a hand from the controls, quickly rubbing it on his leg before returning it to the controls.
"You're doing well, Colonel."
Sheppard wasn't sure he agreed with Zelenka. Hell, he wasn't even sure that Zelenka agreed with his own assessment. It was taking all his concentration to make sure that the ship didn't shift slightly from side to side. He wiped his other hand and tried not to think about how many things could go wrong in the next few minutes.
"How are we doing for room?" asked Sheppard.
Zelenka checked the information on the sensors before replying, "We need to be two feet lower so that the cables will reach."
Zelenka was doing well but Sheppard could almost hear the man's fear. He didn't blame him. Rodney was right, not that he'd admit it to him. What they were doing was totally nuts but what other choice did they have? He took a final deep breath and lowered the ship the last two feet. Now all they had to do was to attach the cables to the damaged vessel, hope that Jumper One had enough power to do the job and do it all while he kept the ship from closing the one inch gap between them and the top of the gate. Easy really.
He radioed his men and ordered them to hook up the cables before opening the rear hatch so that Zelenka could oversee the operation from the back of the jumper. He hadn't been happy about this part of Zelenka's plan but he understood the necessity. It was the whole reason why they were still a couple of feet higher than the downed ship. Any lower and there wouldn't have been enough room to open the hatch. Zelenka had stressed how important it was to attach the cables in just the right location for this to work and he'd seen Zelenka in action often enough to trust his judgement as much as he did Rodney's. He still didn't have to like it though. He never did when civilians took risks that he felt he should be protecting them from and falling out the back of a hovering jumper onto a hard surface ten feet below was one of those risks.
It felt like they were taking forever and he knew that they had a limited time before the gate would automatically shutdown. If that happened he'd have no other option than to take the jumper back out of the way while the gate was re-dialled and then they would have to start the process all over again. He didn't look forward to that prospect.
He really wished he could see what was happening. "How's it going back there, Radek?"
"Almost there, Colonel," replied the Czech.
It took two more minutes before Zelenka was satisfied that both cables were finally attached correctly and gave him the signal to close the hatch. Sheppard then ordered the remaining staff from the gate room as Zelenka returned to the co-pilot's seat. He didn't want to see anyone cut in half by a cable stretched beyond its breaking point.
"How are we doing for time, Radek?"
Radek checked his laptop. "We have twenty two minutes before the wormhole closes."
"Okay, let's finish this," stated Sheppard trying to inject quiet confidence into his voice and not sure whether he'd pulled it off. Twenty two minutes wasn't a lot of time but it was achievable provided nothing went wrong.
He lowered the vessel the final few feet until they were lined up with the gate and only a few inches from the event horizon. He didn't want to think about how few the inches were between the rear of his ship and the downed vessel. He was sure it was less than a healthy distance. He inched his ship forward taking up the slack on the cables. The nose of his jumper had already crossed the event horizon and in a few moments they would, with any luck, follow it.
He hoped the engineers had checked the integrity of the control room floor properly as there was no way he'd know since he'd be half way through the gate if it were to collapse and if it did he might not be able to dial back in. He took a deep breath and urged the craft forward feeling the vessel strain against the cables. Forward motion ceased despite the increase in power. He could feel the vessel's struggle as it pulled on the trapped wreck.
"Radek, we're not moving."
"We are at maximum power, Colonel. I can divert all power to the drives but it may burn them out or worse."
"Do it."
Zelenka dashed into the back of the jumper and Sheppard could hear Zelenka muttering to himself as he worked. Zelenka's idea had to work. They had no other choice. The Daedalus was too far out to use her for the rescue and even though he knew his men would volunteer to do what he was doing now if it meant rescuing Weir. He couldn't let them. It was too risky. He'd have to accept that if this idea didn't work then there would be no rescue.
He felt the ship shift under him unexpectedly followed by a horrible grating noise that vibrated through the ship. "Crap." He'd let his mind wander when he should've known better. He quickly adjusted the controls and inched the vessel away from the edge of the gate before he could do any more damage. "Everything okay back there?"
"I am fine, Colonel. You should have more power...now."
Sheppard felt the change in the ship almost immediately and wasted no time. Normally he was good at keeping track of passing time but at the moment he had no idea how long they had before the gate shutdown.
Zelenka dropped into his seat and looked at the view before him. "Are we moving?"
"No...wait. Yes we are. We're moving!" Sheppard knew he shouldn't celebrate too soon. They still had a long way to go but for now he'd take any good news he could get and this was definitely good news.
ooOoo
Rodney was tired of resting. Hadn't he been here long enough now for people to realise that he didn't need as much sleep as everyone else? Now caffeine he needed but sleep...not so much. Carson had even set the nurses on him with regular bed checks to make sure he was resting. The last one had been a few minutes ago and he planned on being long gone by the time the next one was due. How anyone was supposed to rest with all the interruptions was beyond him but it wouldn't be a problem any longer.
Rodney opened his eyes and checked that the coast was clear before pushing back the bed covers and making good his escape. He didn't know where everyone had suddenly disappeared too and he didn't really care as long as they weren't between him and the infirmary door – which they weren't.
A quick glance over his shoulder showed no sign of anyone other than one or two patients. He smiled smugly, turned and stepped into the hallway only to hit a solid wall of flesh with a grunt.
"Sheppard said you'd try to escape. Surprised it took you this long," stated Ronon.
"He did so not put a watch dog on me...did he?"
Ronon chuckled. "No I came to get some medical supplies for the rescue mission."
"Oh."
"Shouldn't you be moving if you don't want Beckett catching you?"
"Oh...um... yeah, right. You won't tell him will you?" asked Rodney nervously.
"Maybe," replied Ronon with a smirk.
"I'm a dead man," muttered Rodney as he headed towards the gate room.
He skidded to a halt at the entrance to the gate room just in time to see Jumper One move towards the event horizon. He couldn't believe it. They'd done it. Zelenka had over-ridden the auto-pilot and Sheppard had managed to manually fly the jumper around in the tight confines of the gate room. Of course he still had to defy the laws of physics and move an unmovable object. But if anyone could he figured Sheppard could.
He continued to watch as the cables became taut, expecting to hear the scraping sounds of the downed jumper moving any moment. Instead he saw Jumper One stop just as its nose entered the event horizon and heard the unmistakable sound of straining drive motors. They weren't going to succeed unless they could get more power and the only way they could get more power was to direct it away from everything else. Inertial dampeners, weapons, environmental controls. Everything and then it still might not be enough. Damn it, Sheppard should've listened to him.
He looked on in horror as he saw the jumper drift sideways and scrape against the stargate. "No, no, no, Colonel." They couldn't afford to damage their own gate or even to knock it over. It was like watching a train wreck. He wanted to turn away but couldn't. He couldn't even breathe until he finally saw the jumper shift back towards the centre and the screeching sound stopped. "Why do you have to scare me like that, Colonel?"
He sagged against the wall alongside Weir's office feeling spent. He couldn't imagine how Sheppard must be feeling with the amount of concentration required to do what he was doing. And the man had the gall to tell him to rest.
Rodney's attention was drawn back to the jumper as a scraping sound started from beneath his feet followed by a vibration that rippled up through the floor. The downed jumper was moving. They'd done it. A smile touched his lips just as a hand clamped down on his shoulder.
"And just what do you think you're doing outta bed?" asked one very angry Scotsman.
TBC
A/N: At last I hear you say. Sheppard has his intel and a plan and the final obstacle between him and rescuing Elizabeth has been removed. Or has it? Will Beckett change his mind and stop Sheppard from leading the charge? Will Sheppard let him now that he knows how important Elizabeth is to him? Can Elizabeth hold on long enough to be rescued or will she slip further into despair as time runs out for her and Lorne like it already has for Jenkins. And what of Rodney? Are there large needles in his future or will Sheppard change his mind and allow Rodney to join the rescue team? Oh dear things do look a bit dire don't they but rest assured there will be action a plenty to come in the next chapter. Or there will be when I've written it. Don't forget to feed the plot bunnies with their favourite food – reviews.