Kobayashi Maru

"Hang on," John called. "Looks like we might be in for a rough ride."

MALP video had shown the thick cloud cover over the planet that the space gate was orbiting, but without being able to take actual readings, guesswork had been the name of the game until now. The HUD flashed warnings about toxic gases and acidic rain as John angled the jumper through the atmosphere.

"This had better be worth it, Rodney." John gripped the controls when turbulence bounced the small craft like a basketball. "This is my favorite jumper."

McKay, turning a bit green, didn't bother to look up from the laptop he was glued to. "What about 'Ancient training facility' was unclear?"

"The training part," Ronon offered from behind John.

"Does it really matter?" McKay shot back. "Whatever they were training on had to be important. They were the Ancients, for God's sake. They invented stargates. I doubt this place is for remedial gadget repair."

"We would be wise to exercise caution." Teyla leaned forward to peek over McKay's shoulder. "As you said, they built the stargates, and Atlantis. If they needed a facility to learn how to operate weapons—"

"Weapons?" Ronon grinned. "Cool!"

John wanted to blame the marines for corrupting Ronon, except that "cool" was his fault. Some of the more colorful phrases, however…

"—or something of similar power and danger," Teyla continued, unperturbed, "we might not have the…experience to continue in their stead." She squeezed Rodney's arm when his face flushed scarlet and he began to splutter in protest. "I do not mean to disparage your abilities. The Ancestors did not leave behind sufficient instructions on many of their experiments and inventions. I do not want anyone to suffer from their lack of foresight."

The jumper veered left then bounced, cutting off conversation. John battled the controls until his shoulders ached from the strain. "McKay," he growled. "A destination would be good."

"Got it," Rodney replied. "HUD shows a shielded area twenty kilometers ahead."

"How do you know that's the facility?" Ronon asked.

McKay's head whipped up and around. "Um, because there's a shield."

Ronon looked unimpressed. "Could be more than one thing on this planet the Ancestors wanted to hide."

Rodney opened his mouth then shut it again with a snap before he turned back to his laptop. "Yeah, okay, that's possible."

John swallowed the laugh that wanted to bubble out. Rodney never sounded more insulted than when he had to admit that someone else might be right. But John had to give him credit – Rodney had learned to be open to what others had to say, occasionally.

McKay gave a crow of triumph. "I'm not reading any other energy signatures or shields on this continent."

"Just one continent?" Ronon challenged.

"It's the biggest one and the one the space gate is in stationary orbit over," McKay defended. "But if you want—"

"Let's go take a look," John interrupted before the sniping escalated to violence. "Not like it's going to take long."

He banked and headed toward the shield that was glowing blue on the HUD. The atmosphere was like pea soup, green and nasty, forcing him to rely on instruments alone. Not that he didn't trust the jumper or the instruments, but having a view was one of the highlights of flying, and while he knew his eyes could be tricked like the sensors could, he still felt better when he could see where he was going.

"Almost there," McKay said. "Thirty degrees down and ten degrees to the right."

John adjusted his heading and blinked in surprise when they suddenly dropped below the cloud cover. Another layer swirled below them and lightning crackled in the distance, but in the sliver of clear atmosphere ahead…

"Oh, wow," Rodney breathed. "Look at that."

A structure no bigger than Atlantis's east pier but bearing the distinctive spires of Ancient architecture appeared before them.

Hovering between cloud layers.

John knew his mouth was hanging open, but he couldn't help himself. He'd read reports of cities in the clouds, had seen it in one of the Star Wars movies, but none of that compared to reality. He pierced through the shield, thankful the Ancients had been wise enough to design their shields to let their ships in while keeping others out, and slowly circled around then over and under the facility.

"That's… that's just…"

McKay speechless. John made a mental note of the day.

"Who's flying it?" Ronon asked.

Rodney visibly shook himself and checked the sensors. "Nobody. I'm not reading any life signs."

"I do not understand," Teyla said. "How does it float like that?"

McKay's eyes drifted up to the viewport. "I would love to know that myself."

John weaved his way through the handful of spires. "I read some of Colonel Carter's personal SG-1 mission reports when she was here. She mentioned a people she met once…"

McKay nodded. "The Nox."

"But this isn't…" John waved a hand at the structure.

"No. The energy signature is entirely Ancient. Sam only caught a glimpse of the Nox's city – they kept it cloaked," Rodney tossed over his shoulder to Ronon and Teyla, "but she said the architecture was also very different."

Teyla's face pulled into a frown. "Who are the Nox?"

"An advanced race from our galaxy," Rodney replied. "They were allies with the Ancients and the— you know, it's not important. They aren't here." He turned his attention back to his laptop. "There should be a jumper bay somewhere."

John nodded and turned, heading toward the central tower. As he'd anticipated, bay doors in the tower's roof retracted and the jumper's auto pilot engaged. The ship rotated slightly then glided into one of six berths.

The HUD flickered before copious amounts of data began to scroll while a warning flashed in the corner.

John frowned at the scrolling symbols. "Is that Ancient?"

"What does it say?" Ronon asked.

McKay cocked his head to the side, eyes narrowed in concentration. "Do not exit until bay has been completely vented." His brows shot up as he leaned forward to peer out the viewport. "Must have some kind of system that flushes the toxic air out."

"Makes sense." John stood and headed to the rear compartment for his gear. "Can't do a lot of training if the poisonous atmosphere kills you on the way in."

"Why put it in such an inhospitable place?" Teyla inquired.

Ronon scraped a knife over his whet stone. "Keep the Wraith away."

"Also keeps your people motivated to do their best so they can go home. Makes me wonder how that shield has stayed up for so long." John glanced at Rodney who was studying the data scrolling by.

"Three ZPMs." McKay looked like a man dying of thirst staring at Niagara Falls. "Same power supply for a place a fraction of the size. They have enough power to last another ten thousand years. At least."

John clipped on his P-90 when the HUD beeped and the warning vanished. "Guess we're good to go. McKay, get your stuff. Ronon, open the hatch."

McKay slapped his laptop on his back and zipped his tac vest while Ronon hit the toggle. John and Teyla positioned themselves on either side of the lowering ramp, P-90s pointed outward. Ronon slipped out, blaster drawn, and then turned in a tight circle before moving forward cautiously. McKay appeared at John's elbow, life signs detector in hand. He shook his head at John's raised eyebrow.

"Teyla," John said.

She nodded an acknowledgement and followed Ronon, with Rodney on her heels. John walked after them, closing the ramp with the remote. When they reached the door, it slid open automatically.

They stepped inside and found a round room about the size of the gym, but absolutely empty – no consoles, no buttons, no crystals, and no doors. Even the door to the jumper bay closed seamlessly into the dull silver wall.

"McKay!" John shouted.

Rodney had a scanner in each hand. "Working on it."

Ronon ran his fingers over the spot where the door had been. "Can't find anything."

Teyla stood in the middle of the room, staring at the ceiling. "John."

He moved to her side and looked up. Fibers so fine as to be almost invisible stretched across the entire ceiling like a massive spider web. Pinpricks of light danced, and John shivered as something washed over him.

"What the hell was that?"

Rodney pointed the scanner at the ceiling. "Sensors." He waved the device around then at John. "They seem to be focused on you."

Ronon raised his blaster.

"Stop!" McKay cried. "You don't know what effect shooting them will have."

"It's all right, big guy. It just tingles a little." Every alarm in John's head was going off, but how was he going to get his team out of a room with no doors? "Rodney, can you—"

McKay gasped and stiffened.

"What's wrong?"

Rodney swallowed thickly. "I think it's scanning me now."

"And me," Teyla said.

John glanced at Ronon, who nodded. The tingling sensation had dissipated, leaving John's nerves sensitive, but otherwise he felt fine. He turned his gaze back to the ceiling. The answers had to be up there somewhere.

Then a chime sounded, and a calm female voice spoke.

Assimerulea mos ineo aen quinque minaeten. Se vus operorae non votum pergae, commodae vocalerta munaeris vus votaem uat tractauren.

After a pause, the words repeated.

"What's she saying?" John asked.

McKay shrugged. "I have no idea."

Teyla closed her eyes, face scrunched in concentration. "She is speaking the Ancestor tongue, I think. However, the pronunciation is odd, and I do not recognize most of the words."

John arched a brow at Rodney.

"Don't look at me," McKay protested. "I can only read it."

"Somebody has to translate before whatever she's warning against – and that sounds like a warning – happens." John turned to Ronon. "What about you?"

Ronon shook his head. "Warrior clans didn't have to learn the Old Languages."

Teyla's forehead puckered. "Begin… five, no, four minutes. If…something…continue…" She rubbed her eyes and bowed her head. "Something… begin in four minutes. If…"

McKay wheeled, scanner in hand. "Power's spiking."

"Where?" John asked.

"Everywhere!"

Ronon aimed for the ceiling. "Can I shoot it now?"

"No!" John and Rodney shouted.

"Three minutes," Teyla announced.

John raced to where the door to the jumper bay had been, placed both hands on it, and thought "open" as hard as he could.

"Two minutes."

"We're going to die," Rodney moaned.

"Then open the damn door!" John snapped.

"I left my magic wand in my other jacket!"

"One minute!"

"How about now?" Ronon asked.

John exchanged a look with Rodney.

"It's a training facility, Sheppard," McKay said with a shrug. "We don't know what's going to happen when the countdown finishes."

"You said we were going to die."

"Of course I would say that. It's me. I always think we're going to die. You're supposed to be the one who tells me we aren't."

The lights dimmed.

John stared hard at the ceiling. "Ronon…"

Across the room, another door opened and the voice spoke again.

"We are to enter," Teyla translated.

Ronon still had his blaster trained on the ceiling. "Sheppard?"

"Don't shoot anything yet," John ordered. "Let's see what's behind Door Number Two."

He joined Teyla at the entrance. Another empty room, bigger than the current one and covered in the same filigree that adorned the ceiling. Holding his breath, John eased his hand into what he hoped was innocent space and not a time dilation field. When his cells didn't try to rip apart, John stepped inside.

Nothing happened.

"Huh." John knelt to trace his fingers over the fibers on the floor then looped a fingernail under one and pulled. It stretched without resistance but bounced back in perfect shape when he let go. "Huh."

"What?" McKay called from the door.

"It's silky," John replied, "but it holds its shape."

Rodney pointed the scanner inside. "Power levels are back to original levels." He leaned forward and touched the filaments on the wall. "Not a very Ancient-y decorating scheme."

"Ancient-y?" John asked.

"You know what I mean." McKay's feet started moving when his mouth did. "They valued form as much as function. They liked to be surrounded by beauty." He stopped in the middle of the room. "This is not beautiful."

Teyla followed him in. "Perhaps not as you define beauty. The designer might have had different tastes."

"McKay's right." Ronon glanced over his shoulder at the still-closed jumper bay door then stepped inside. "Looks like his lab after he blew it up last time."

"I did not—"

The door slammed down, and the voice began to speak.

"Ronon!" John shouted, leaping to his feet.

Ronon pounded on the unforgiving metal door that was now seamless with the wall. He took a step back and aimed.

"Power's spiking again," McKay cried. "More than last time."

John's heart was hammering in his chest and the blood rushing in his ears almost drowned out the perfect cadence of the woman's voice. "Teyla?"

Teyla's jaw tightened. "Most of the Ancestor tongue I know is prayers. The few words I think I recognize are pronounced so differently that I am merely guessing."

"After ten thousand years, it stands to reason that the language would morph," Rodney said, not taking his eyes off his scanner. "Frankly, I'm surprised you understand any of it." He glanced up at her. "Not that you wouldn't. I'm just saying—"

"We get it, McKay." John massaged his forehead, wishing he could dig his fingers behind his eyes where the throbbing was worst.

The filigree flashed red then blue then a blinding white. John blinked rapidly, trying to clear the brilliant afterimage.

And gaped at the people in Ancient uniform on the bridge of a distinctly Ancient warship.

"What the hell?" John whirled and felt weak-kneed when he found Rodney standing behind him, muttering about occipital nerve damage. "Teyla? Ronon?"

"I am here, John." Teyla stepped from behind a console, looking so very wrong in the Ancient garb.

"Over here." Words couldn't describe how strange it was to see Ronon in the off-white uniform. "My gun and knives are gone."

John slapped at his chest, wilting when he realized all of his weapons were missing as well. "Where are we?"

"Ohhhhh…" Rodney's face matched the sigh of awe. "This…"

"Try putting together a sentence, McKay," John said.

Rodney knocked on the console beside him. "It feels so real."

John arched a brow, ready to question him, when he finally realized the people weren't moving. Not even blinking. He stepped in the personal space of the nearest one and poked his shoulder. The flesh gave but the man didn't react. John pressed on his carotid, amazed to find warm skin and a steady pulse.

"I do not understand," Teyla said as she walked around another man. "This is not real?"

"Nope. The scanner shows the same readings as before – no people, minimal power. Well, more than minimal, but definitely not enough to power an Aurora-class warship." Rodney dashed from one console to the next, pushing buttons and taking readings. "Training facility, remember?"

"Thought there were three ZPMs," John said.

"There are, but the power requirements for this place are…microscopic compared to a ship that size with a full complement of people." McKay's eyes grew large. "I bet those ZPMs still have at least half their charge. We could borrow two and still not affect performance."

Ronon's lips thinned as he circled one of the crewmembers. "So, no weapons?" he asked, throwing a punch at the hologram's head and leaping back when his hand bounced liked he'd hit rubber. "Weird."

McKay's grin was manic. "The ship would have been the weapon so in one sense, this place teaches you how to use weapons, but if you're looking for the Ancient version of Special Ops training, I think you're out of luck." He tilted his head. "Then again, maybe the woman was asking what kind of simulation we wanted. There could be all kinds of environments to choose from." He pulled out his laptop. "Maybe I can access—"

"The way out," John suggested.

"Oh." McKay looked nonplussed as he stared at rows of consoles that didn't really exist. "Yeah. Has to be a way to do that. Computer, arch." He surveyed the room then shrugged. "Worth a try."

"Try something else." John caught Ronon before he could tackle the unsuspecting holographic crewman. "Stop before you hurt yourself. He's not the gym mannequin."

The female voice spoke in Ancient again.

"Another countdown," Teyla reported. "Three, two…"

On cue, the people in the room came to life. At first, they ignored the team as they bustled between beeping consoles. John's spine tingled in response to the Ancient tech around them and the floor vibrated with the hum of the engines.

"Can you feel that?" Rodney whispered. "I only feel it on Atlantis, and never this strong."

"How is it possible?" John asked. "It's not really here."

"No, we're not really here. All of it is an illusion being fed into our brains. It can make us see, hear, and feel anything it wants."

John stared at him. "Why do I find that extremely not comforting?"

McKay offered a small smile. "Experience."

"Heading, Captain Sheppard?"

John started at the unfamiliar female voice. He turned to find a woman with ebony skin and bright red hair looking expectantly at him. "I'm sorry. What?"

She grinned. "My apologies for interrupting. Atlantis has authorized our departure. What are your orders?"

"Um…" John resisted all the flippant responses that came to mind. "Set your course for…Athos."

"Yes, sir. Helm, set our course for Athos."

"Course set for Athos," the helmsman replied.

John couldn't help himself. "Engage."

Rodney's snort of laughter was lost as the engines roared and the ship entered hyperspace.

John motioned Ronon and Teyla near. "Okay, Rodney, we've been lost in a language barrier and suddenly the…holodeck is speaking English."

"Satedan," Ronon said.

Teyla shook her head. "They are speaking formal Athosian, with proper inflections and tones."

Rodney shrugged. "I hear English, too." He glanced at Teyla. "Do their mouths match what you're hearing?"

"Yes."

Ronon nodded. "Me, too. Been a long time since I heard Satedan." He looked away. "Sounds good."

"Do you hear English or Satedan when I speak?" John asked.

"English."

"I hear English as well," Teyla said. "It truly is all in our minds."

John rubbed at the headache that hadn't disappeared. "Makes me nervous."

"Think of it like the Aurora," Rodney offered.

"But on the Aurora, I could exit when I wanted and I knew you guys were on the outside, helping me," John retorted. "How long are we going to be in here?"

"You could ask Hologirl." McKay opened the grill covering the operating crystals of the nearest console. "Go try your charms on her while I see if I can access anything here. Maybe you'll have better luck than last time."

John glared at him. "Last time was a Wraith."

"My point exactly," Rodney replied. "Now, go away while I work."

"What would you like for us to do, John?" Teyla asked.

John turned back to Rodney. "Tell me this place doesn't require the gene to run it."

"I doubt it. I'm sure those scans were for defensive purposes as well as for programming the simulator, but, to make sure…" McKay waved Teyla to the console he'd opened. "This is environmental controls. Try increasing the temperature by a degree."

Teyla studied the read-outs, pushed a couple of buttons and waited. A second later, the temperature display showed an increase of one degree. McKay crossed his arms and preened.

John swallowed a long-suffering sigh and said, "Teyla, pick a workstation and figure out what it is and how to operate it." He turned to Ronon. "Find the weapons console, and get whoever's there to show you how to use it. You need the practice." He held up a finger. "And no pounding on it this time."

Ronon's eyes almost rolled out of his head, but he wandered off in search of the tactical station. Teyla headed toward an open chair between two people with whom she immediately struck up a conversation. John couldn't spot Hologirl so he elected to walk the room, nodding sagely when people looked his way and trying to appear nonchalant as he studied their consoles in an effort to determine what each one did.

A few minutes later, Rodney materialized beside him.

"Anything?" John asked.

"Nothing. Actually, less than nothing," Rodney huffed. "My laptop doesn't recognize the connection."

"Could that be because it's connected to an imaginary console?"

McKay's glare was icy. "Of course it is. Still, there has to be some kind of computer system running this place. I was hoping the console would act as a conduit."

John propped a hip on a console and scratched his head. "Maybe we're going about this all wrong. Maybe we should ask one—"

"Captain, we are receiving a distress call from Atlantis." Hologirl was back.

John exchanged surprised glances with Rodney. "Um, okay. Let's see it."

Hologirl nodded at someone and a grainy video appeared on the main viewer. Audio was garbled, and the image rolled and pixilated, but John would recognize Atlantis's control room anywhere.

"Can you clean that up?" John asked.

"A moment, sir," the comms officer replied.

The picture flickered and dissolved then steadied.

A very stressed older man hunched over a console. "Myrrahzdy, this is Atlantis. Come in, please."

John arched a brow at Rodney who shrugged. "They were terrible at naming ships, remember?" McKay said.

"Ah." John stepped onto the center dais, his hand on the back of the command chair. "This is the Mir— Myrra— We read you, Atlantis."

"We are under attack." The man ducked as sparks showered around him. "We require immediate assistance."

"Is it Wraith?" John asked, but the man didn't seem to hear.

"Please, come quickly! We—"

The screen went black.

"Get him back," John ordered.

"I'm sorry, sir," the comms officer said. "The connection was severed on their side. They aren't responding."

Even knowing it was a simulation didn't slow the adrenaline racing through John's veins. Atlantis was Atlantis. He swallowed the bitter taste in his mouth as he stepped down and approached the helm. "Get us back there. Maximum speed possible."

"Yes, sir."

"What are you doing, Sheppard?" Ronon asked.

"Playing along," John responded. "It's a training facility. I want to see what happens. Maybe they have some secret of fighting the Wraith we don't know about. Besides," John glanced around the room at the incredible illusion, "what choice do we have?"

Ronon grunted in agreement and turned back to his console while John paced the bridge, reminding himself again that none of it was real. Not the young kid with sweat dripping off his nose as he manned his station. Not the older woman with iron gray hair who was double checking the contents of a first aid kit. Not even Hologirl who moved from person to person, whispering encouraging words and offering a reassuring pat on the shoulder. John wondered if these were figments of someone's imagination or if they had been modeled after real people. Over the years, John's team had been bitten in the ass by more than one Ancient piece of technology/experiment gone wrong – so much so that occasionally he forgot how brilliant the Ancients were. And brave, if these people were an accurate representation of a crew about to defend its home.

"Approaching Atlantis, sir."

"Take us out of hyperspace." John sat down in the command chair then jumped back to his feet, wondering how Caldwell had remained so calm during all those battles. "Shields to maximum."

"Yes, sir."

They dropped out of hyperspace and into a warzone. A fleet of hives was bombing the hell out of Atlantis. The shield was holding, but the spectacular barrage brought back painful memories of a nuke-bearing jumper and a last minute Daedalus save. Darts and jumpers were engaged in a dizzying dogfight. Atlantis was firing drones like crazy but the hives kept coming.

"Get us in there!" John shouted. "Ronon, lock on the nearest hive and fire!"

The ship shuddered as six hives fired at them. Drones launched, slicing the hive on their right in half.

"Great job." John squeezed Ronon's shoulder and nodded at the tactical officer at the secondary console beside him. "Fire at will." He turned to the helmsman. "Park us between the hive and Atlantis."

The boy met John's gaze with wide eyes but gave a shaky nod and keyed in the command. The view on the screen tilted then corkscrewed as they dove between hives and through a nest of darts. The hives continued to fire. Alarms shrieked. Someone screamed behind him when a console exploded.

John strode over to the comms officer. "Signal Atlantis to get that star drive in gear and get the hell out of here. We can't protect them much longer."

"Yes, sir."

But before the woman could comply, the hives turned as one and blasted at them, sending the ship careening sideways and knocking John and the woman to the floor. John scrambled to his feet and pulled her up.

They were facing her console when it exploded.

Searing pain lanced down John's left side and he glanced down, amazed to see shards of metal protruding from his shoulder, side and hip. He sank to one knee, reminding himself it was all in his mind but not really believing it. The pain was raw, consuming, and the blood pooling beneath him certainly looked real enough.

"Sheppard!"

John blinked up into Rodney's shocked face. "Hell of a holodeck," he whispered as he slumped to the floor.

His left side was on fire, but the rest of his body had turned to ice. His heart stuttered.

The wall behind Rodney exploded, spraying sparks and shrapnel…

…that froze in mid-air.

John sat up with a gasp and looked down again at a body whole and healthy, and aching like he'd gone twelve rounds with Ronon. "What…" He reached for his shoulder that still burned with pain and found nothing – no metal, no blood.

Rodney dropped to his knees and poked at John's shoulder. "Wow."

John gaped at him. "Wow? That's all you have to say? Take a look behind you, McKay."

Rodney turned, paling as he caught sight of the shrapnel that had been inches from the back of his head. "I bet that would have hurt."

John rubbed his shoulder. "You have no idea." He pushed unsteadily to his feet. "Ronon? Teyla?"

A pile of smoldering rubble – or formerly smoldering because even the smoke had paused – toppled over and Ronon jackknifed up with a yelp, reaching immediately for his neck. "I felt it break. How…"

"Colonel?" Teyla, sounding shaken, wiggled out from under a body. "Is it over?"

John resisted the urge to hug them all. "I have no idea. You okay?"

She winced as she pressed her hand to her back. "I believe so."

Vus taeneria deficiae ut perficiolo votum praecesertai. Assimerulea mos repieto aen duos minaeten.

Ronon groaned. McKay hung his head. John sighed and turned to Teyla who looked apologetic.

"Something about failure and two minutes," she said.

"Why is that in Ancient instead of English?" John demanded.

"Just to piss you off, I guess." McKay tossed his hands in the air. "How am I supposed to know?"

"Perhaps it is not a part of the intelligence that is operating the simulation," Teyla suggested. "Much like the written warnings on so many of the ruins we have explored."

McKay looked thoughtful. "An automated response to certain criteria."

The bridge vanished and the empty room returned.

"Shit!" Rodney dashed to where he'd left his laptop, frantically digging for his alligator clips. "Maybe I can attach them—"

The fibers flashed blue, red, and white.

The bridge was back. In pristine condition and filled with people.

Rodney sighed. "—to the holographic network. Damn."

"Okay." John dug his thumb into his thigh where phantom pain was slowly fading, and shook his head, attempting to push away the all-too-real sensation of bleeding out. "Throwing ourselves between the Wraith and Atlantis was not the lesson we were supposed to learn. Plus we were too far away when it started to do any good."

The voice spoke again.

"Countdown," Teyla said.

Seconds later, the exercise started again. People bustled. Machines hummed.

"Heading, Captain Sheppard?" Hologirl asked.

"Let's take a look around the solar system," John replied.

"Yes, sir. Helm, plot a course to Hervisa and back."

"Yes, ma'am," the helmsman answered. "Course plotted."

"Hervisa?" John whispered to McKay.

"Outer planet of the system," Rodney said.

"Ah." John turned to the helmsman. "Take us out."

They broke orbit over Lantea and headed into the starry vastness before them. Ronon moved to tactical while Teyla headed back to the station she'd had earlier. McKay planted himself at the sensor array. John eased into the command chair with a grimace as his body protested. The chair was surprisingly comfortable, much more so than any of the control chairs he'd operated. After a moment, he relaxed and enjoyed the view. The helmsman had done an outstanding job of plotting a course through the system. They swept past a bright yellow planet that would dwarf Jupiter. At least a dozen moons orbited it. Next was a barren, pockmarked rock that might have been a planet or a moon. A blazing red planet came after that, with lava spurts so violent that the atmosphere glowed. When they neared a dusty world that was eerily familiar, he glanced back at McKay who was staring at the screen with a clenched jaw. Definitely the world where they lost Abrams and Gaul.

Rodney turned back to the sensors then whirled around. "Sheppard—"

"Sir, we are receiving a distress call from Atlantis."

"Helm, take us back best possible speed." John glanced at the comms officer. "On screen."

The same screwed-up video with the same man bearing the same message appeared then cut off in the same spot.

John moved to Rodney's side. "What happened?"

McKay stared at the sensors, appearing baffled. "I've been scanning the system and Atlantis since this started." He looked up at John. "There was nothing there. Nothing. Then suddenly, eighteen hives." He shook his head. "It's not possible."

"It's a simulation."

"I know that. But what were these people supposed to learn if the situation was…" McKay's jaw dropped. "Oh."

"What?"

"Approaching Atlantis, sir," the helmsman called.

"Shields at maximum," Ronon reported. "Weapons ready."

John stared for a moment in horrified fascination as hives swooped and fired at his city. Drones swarmed but missed more than they hit. He settled in the command chair. "Take us in. Fire at will."

The first two shots caught the hive unaware. The explosion took it and the hive next to it out, along with at least three dozen darts. The crew cheered until four hives turned their way.

"Evasive maneuvers," John ordered. "Ronon."

Drones blanketed the area, blowing away one hive and mortally wounding another.

"John, we are being boarded," Teyla announced. "Cargo area near engineering."

"Keep firing, Ronon." John moved to Teyla's station. "Show me."

A section of the ship appeared on her screen. Red dots flowed into the sector, and other red dots that they encountered winked out.

"Wraith," John growled. "Get security down there."

"I have already done so," Teyla responded, pointing at the rapidly disappearing dots. "They will be here soon."

"Is there a way to seal the bridge?"

"I will try."

"Do what you can," John said.

"Captain, comms are down."

"We're venting atmosphere, sir."

"We've lost the engines, Captain."

"McKay, see what you can do." John flinched away from the flames crackling behind a panel. "Ronon?"

Ronon didn't lift his eyes from his console. "Almost out of drones."

"John!" Teyla screamed.

The Wraith were on the bridge.

John lunged at the nearest one in his best football tackle. It was like hitting a brick wall. The Wraith flung him across the room. He hit the wall with a bone-jarring thud and slid to the floor. He tried to scramble to his feet but the Wraith was too fast, pinning him easily. John twisted frantically but he couldn't get free. The Wraith ripped his coat open and slammed its feeding hand into John's chest.

The pain was as incredible as it had been in reality.

John arched, a scream lodged in his throat. The Wraith grinned and pressed harder. John felt his life draining away but unlike last time, there was no reprieve, no Kolya intervening. The pain grew until it enveloped him. His scream finally broke free, shredding his throat in its intensity. When he gasped for air, the screams of his team reached his ears – Ronon's roar, Teyla's cry for Torren, Rodney's shriek that quieted to a moan.

"NO!" John shouted, writhing beneath the Wraith who bore down with a snarl.

A rib snapped…

John sucked in a deep breath as the Wraith vanished. "Oh, God, please," he whispered, rolling on his side. He spotted Ronon slumped against a wall, panting but young and alive. John curled into a ball and hugged his throbbing chest.

"Goddamn Ancients," McKay muttered from somewhere across the room.

John tried to move, but his arms and legs wouldn't hold him. He closed his eyes and focused on breathing. In and out. Push the pain away. Bury it deep and keep going.

A hand touched his shoulder.

He yelped and scrabbled away.

"John?" Teyla, voice hoarse and face tearstained, gazed sadly at him. "The voice is speaking again. We have two minutes."

Damn. He hadn't even heard it.

"Okay." John pushed himself to a seated position, cradling ribs that weren't really broken and a chest that bore no signs of feeding. "Well, that plan sucked."

"Thanks for that, Colonel Obvious." McKay crawled to his laptop and sorted the clips. He paused, shoulders hunched. "Is that what it really feels like?"

John glanced to Ronon who turned his face away. "Yeah, McKay. The Ancients did a bang-up job with the realism." John grabbed the edge of a console and pulled himself up. "Before the battle started, what were you going to say?"

Rodney blinked blearily at him, face lined with pain. "What?"

"You were telling me about how the sensors hadn't detected the Wraith, how the simulation wasn't accurate." John rubbed the back of his shoulder where he'd hit the wall, almost surprised to feel a knot rising. Some of it wasn't illusion.

"Oh." McKay's face lit up. "Oh! Of course. It's the Kobayashi Maru."

Ronon's forehead scrunched. "What is what?"

"The simulation. It's like the Kobayashi Maru." McKay's eyes narrowed. "Do you actually watch the movies during movie night?"

"The simulation is a movie?" Teyla asked.

"No, no," McKay huffed. "The Kobayashi Maru is a test of how a cadet would react to a no-win scenario in Star Trek. Anyway—"

The illusion dissolved, returning them to the bare room covered in filigree.

McKay immediately began attaching clips to the fibers, but before he could finish, the bridge was back.

"Oh, come on!" Rodney held up a clip. "I only had one left."

"How do you defeat the Maru thing?" Ronon asked.

"You don't." McKay tucked the laptop under a console. "No-win means no-win."

"But we have participated twice," Teyla reminded him. "What more can we do?"

Rodney drummed his fingers. "In the movie, they have two options – rescue the ship and risk their own lives, and possibly start a war, or do nothing and let the Maru be destroyed. Good of the many outweighing the good of the few, and all that."

"What are you saying?" John asked. "Sit back and do nothing? You think letting Atlantis get destroyed is what they were training their people to do?"

"I have no idea," Rodney snapped. "All I know is that we've tried the rescue thing twice and we've failed." He rubbed his chest. "I'd prefer not to go for three in a row."

John gazed at the ceiling, still trying to grasp the purpose. "How can the destruction of Atlantis be the 'good of the many'? There are more people there than on this ship."

"Maybe Atlantis has been evacuated. Maybe the people there are military and we're carrying the civilians." McKay threw his hands wide. "Hell, maybe the lesson is not about choosing the good of the many, but being willing to sacrifice the innocent."

John stared at McKay in disbelief, his breath caught in his chest. Sacrifice the innocent? What kind of lesson was that? Was the ship carrying some special technology or data that made it more valuable than all of those lives? He closed his eyes. Could he do it? Could he stand by and do nothing while innocent people died?

"It's a simulator, John," Rodney murmured.

John took a deep breath and met McKay's eyes. "I know that. I'm not sure it makes a diff—"

"We are about to begin," Teyla said.

The bridge came to life. His team trudged to their posts while John did his best not to stagger as he walked to the command chair and sat down gingerly.

"Heading, Captain Sheppard?"

John balled his hands into fists to hide the shaking. "Take us to Athos. No, make that Sateda."

"Yes, sir. Helm, plot a course to Sateda."

"Course plotted."

"Get us out of here, Helm." John lay his head back and let the tingle of Ancient tech massage his spine. "Take us to hyperspace as soon as we're clear of the planet."

What must it have been like to command a ship like this? He'd always felt a little sorry for Caldwell and Ellis and now Carter because they were confined to a ship instead of living in the luxury of Atlantis and getting to see a new world every day, but he was beginning to see the benefits of having such raw firepower at his fingertips. Flying Atlantis took too much concentration to enjoy, but this… The hyperdrive thrummed at the base of his skull. The other systems seemed to flow just under his skin, making him feel alive and energized. No wonder Caldwell was always in that chair.

"Captain, we are receiving a distress call from Atlantis."

The spell was broken. John lifted his head and turned to the comms officer. "Are they broadcasting the proper codes?"

She blinked at him. "Sir?"

"The authentication codes. Are they broadcasting the proper ones?"

"Oh. Um…" She frowned at her console. "Everything's a bit garbled, sir. Let me try to clear it up."

"Captain?" Hologirl appeared at his side. "Is there a problem?"

"Just verifying the codes," John said. "By the way, what is your name?"

"What codes are you referring to, sir?"

"I want to make sure the distress call isn't a trick," John explained. "That it's really Atlantis calling."

Hologirl looked confused. "Our comms system has already confirmed the call came from Atlantis."

"It could still be a trick to get us to reveal our location."

"Only if we respond," Hologirl said. "Atlantis is in distress. We should at least review the message to see if we can help."

"Very well," John conceded. "On screen."

Even with his stalling, the distress call started in the usual place, begging for help against an attack then cutting off.

"Rodney?"

McKay turned, shoulders slumped. "At least twelve hive ships."

"Captain, we must do something," Hologirl urged. "Atlantis needs our help."

John let the memory of his friends' screams surface. "There's nothing we can do," he choked out. "We'll be destroyed if we try to help."

Coward! his mind shouted.

"But, Captain—"

"No buts!" John pushed out of the chair and paced across the bridge. "We can't help them. We might be the only ones left."

"Atlantis's shield is collapsing," Rodney reported.

John whirled to gape at the screen. "How is that possible? That shield should have lasted for centuries."

"The same way it's possible for eighteen hives to appear out of nowhere." Rodney waved his arms wildly. "It's a goddamn simulation!"

"Sheppard," Ronon whispered, his entire frame quivering. "We can't…"

John gripped his shoulder. "It's not real, Ronon."

"Captain, please!" The helmsman had tears in his eyes. "My wife and son."

"Kobayashi Maru," John whispered.

"The city has been destroyed." McKay slumped in his chair. "Completely."

"You let them die, sir. Why?" the helmsman asked. "Why didn't you at least try?"

John stared at his shoes, swallowing thickly. "Status of the hives?"

Rodney groaned. "Half are still in orbit, scavenging I'd guess. The other half are headed this way."

"You've got to be kidding."

"Wish I was."

John scrubbed a hand over his face, ignoring the sniffles and sobs of the crew. "Can they catch us?"

"In theory, no. In this simulation…"

"Can they track us?"

"Maybe."

John was watching a tear slide down the helmsman's face when the simulation ended. The tear paused on the tip of his chin, glistening in the light but not falling.

McKay sagged in his chair. "Well, that was considerably less painful than last time."

"Speak for yourself," John mumbled, eyes still on that dangling tear.

Teyla moved to stand in front of him. "You did what was necessary to protect us."

John nodded half-heartedly, knowing she was right, knowing it was only a training exercise, feeling like he'd murdered several hundred people.

Vus taeneria deficiae ut perficiolo votum praecesertai. Assimerulea mos repieto aen duos minaeten.

"We failed again, didn't we," John said.

Teyla's shoulders slumped. "Yes."

Ronon slammed his fists on the console. "There has to be a way to win!"

"I already told you there isn't," McKay said. "Short of…" He met John's eyes and lifted a brow.

"Cheating," John finished for him. "How? Can you reprogram it like Kirk did?"

Rodney hurried to his laptop. "I can try. Though this is definitely not like the Kobayashi Maru. To think, I was beginning to believe Kavanagh might have been right about Roddenberry being an Ancient."

John crouched next to him. "Can you do it or not?"

"I reprogrammed the Replicators which has to be a lot harder than this."

John arched a brow. "I seem to remember that not turning out like we'd hoped."

McKay stilled. "Yeah." He glanced up at John. "Do you want me to try?"

The console disappeared.

"Do it," John ordered.

Rodney connected the last clip and started typing. He paused, and they all held their breaths until he grinned and typed furiously.

The fibers flashed and the bridge returned.

"Still in," McKay announced.

"Keep at it until you have something." John studied the console layout. "See if you can squeeze between those panels. Don't want someone tripping over you and you ripping out the wires before you're done."

Rodney nodded and scooted back, wedging himself between weapons and the helm.

"Ronon, tactical. Teyla, take McKay's spot at sensors."

John turned, stopping to observe the helmsman's face, tear-free and full of life. Had such a young man existed? Did he die in the war or go to Earth? John studied him, committing his features to memory, intending to search for him in the database when they got home.

And blushed when the man came to life and caught John staring.

"Captain?"

"As you were." John nodded brusquely and took a seat in the command chair.

"Heading, Captain Sheppard?" Hologirl asked.

"I'll leave that to the discretion of the helm," John replied. "Pick someplace good."

"Yes, sir!" The helmsman practically bounced with excitement. "Course plotted and laid in."

"Take us out."

After the ship leaped into hyperspace, John stood and stretched then casually made his way to Rodney. "How's it going?"

McKay's face was pure concentration. "Found the right program. Going through the code."

"We don't have much time," John reminded him.

"Just once, I'd like to hear you say that I have all the time in the world."

John snorted. "Like you'd get anything done if you did."

"Go… sit in your chair. I'm working... Ah ha!" McKay stared at the screen more intently, his fingers a blur. "Found something."

"What?"

"Shoo."

John waited another second then rolled his eyes and headed toward Teyla. "Anything?"

"Sensors have not detected— Hive ships just appeared around Atlantis. At least twelve."

"Captain, we are receiving a distress call from Atlantis."

"Clean it up and put it on screen. Helm, take us back," John ordered, heading back to his chair. "You're out of time, McKay," he whispered as he passed.

"Almost done."

"Approaching Atlantis, sir."

"Shields up and weapons ready," Ronon said.

"Drop us out of hyperspace," John ordered. "Fire at will."

The ship rocked as weaponsfire impacted and drones launched.

"Anytime, McKay," John called.

"Come on, you stupid piece of shit!" McKay pounded on a key. "Work!"

One hive erupted in flames and spiraled away. Sparks flew as a station behind John overloaded.

"Three hives approaching," Teyla said.

John leaped out of his chair. "Rodney!"

"Done!"

"Hives firing at each other!" the helmsman shouted.

The command chair exploded. John flew forward and slammed into the viewscreen. Pain blazed from his collarbone to his wrist. He slumped to the floor and howled as bones ground together.

The consoles and crew flickered, disappearing then reappearing in a nauseating flash.

"Help me!" McKay shouted.

John blinked the spots from his vision, searching for Rodney. A door had formed and risen slightly. McKay and Ronon were trying to hold it up.

"John, what is wrong?" Teyla asked, dropping beside him.

He groaned. "Little too much realism in that last blast."

"Can you move?"

"Oh, hell yes." He wrapped his good arm around her shoulders and let her help him to his feet. Together they staggered to the entrance. "McKay?"

"It's all I've got, John."

"Teyla, get his laptop."

She nodded and dashed to retrieve it, returning seconds later.

"Go," John ordered.

"John," Teyla began. "You are injured…"

He smiled wryly. "I'm going to need you to pull me through. Go."

She wiggled under the door then extended a hand. John bit back a moan as he lowered himself to the ground and grabbed her hand, but he couldn't hold back the tears when his collarbone jarred as she pulled. He pushed with his feet, hoping to end the agony as soon as possible. When he cleared the entrance, he rolled on his back, panting.

Teyla gripped the door. "Your turn, Rodney."

McKay crabbed through and climbed to his feet. "Come on, Ronon."

"Can you hold it?" Ronon called.

Rodney glanced at Teyla whose face tightened in pain. "We'll try," he said as he got into place.

"Laptop," John gasped, rolling onto his knees and shuffling to the doorway to wedge the computer underneath the door.

"Aw, that's my favorite laptop," Rodney whined, face red as he strained to hold the door.

Boots pounded and Ronon slid under the door like he was stealing a base, pulling the laptop free at the last second. He handed it to McKay as the door slammed shut. "Need you to open the other door."

Rodney turned the computer over. "Where are the clips?"

Teyla pointed at the door that was rising and falling like it was possessed. "I couldn't unclip them. The hologram was still in effect."

"Well, now what?" Rodney asked.

John sagged against the wall as Teyla knelt to secure his arm and shoulder with a bandage. "Ronon, time to shoot the ceiling," he ordered.

Ronon glanced down in surprise then pulled his beloved blaster and fired. Red energy crackled along the fibers. Something whined loudly then six doors flew open.

Rodney turned in a circle. "Which one?"

Ronon pointed straight ahead. "That one." He offered a hand to John. "You ready?"

John took a deep breath to steel himself then nodded and gripped Ronon's hand. His vision whited when Ronon yanked him to his feet, and the world tilted alarmingly.

"Go!" Ronon shouted. "I've got him."

John clutched Ronon's shoulder, swallowing the bile that rose in his throat. "Lead the way," he whispered, allowing Ronon to drag him across the room and into the bay. "Remote."

Ronon pulled the device from his vest pocket and lowered the ramp. Teyla and Rodney scrambled inside as the world tilted again. Ronon stumbled sideways.

"Is the facility moving?" John asked. "Thought that was in my head."

"Get a move on!" Rodney shouted.

John gritted his teeth and ran, ignoring the agony in his chest and arm.

As soon as they cleared the ramp, Ronon yelled, "Go, McKay!"

The jumper lurched then lifted off, heading for bay doors that were still closed.

John staggered forward and placed a hand on the jumper console. Open!

The bay doors jerked partially open then paused for a long moment before opening fully. John slumped in the co-pilot's chair as the jumper soared upward.

"Straight up, Rodney. Don't try to fight the turbulence. When we get out of the atmosphere, we'll find the gate." John caught a glimpse of the facility as it teetered wildly then slid into the cloud cover below. "Damn."

"Didn't even get a chance to find out what it was trying to teach us," Ronon said.

"The lesson may have been self-discovery," Teyla mused. "I believe the phrase is 'to see what we are made of'." She handed John pills and a bottle of water. "Besides flesh and bone."

John smiled gratefully, swallowing the pills and water, and tried not to grimace too much as she removed the hastily tied bandage and put a sling on.

"No ZPMs, either," McKay groused, keeping an iron grip on the controls.

"Relax, Rodney," John admonished, "so you don't break the controls off in your hand." He leaned back with a sigh. "This will be the easiest thing you've done today."

"I don't know. Sleep came pretty easy this morning until that retched alarm went off." A small smile twitched on McKay's lips. "Why do you schedule missions so early?"

"Oh-nine-hundred is hardly early, McKay." John closed his eyes and breathed through the pain, almost excited about the time he would soon be spending in the infirmary. "For most people."

"It is mid-morning on Athos," Teyla said.

"Day's half over on Sateda," Ronon added.

"All of you suck."

John chuckled as the space gate came into view. "Let's go home."


As always, many thanks to kristen999 for the fabulous beta. All faults mine. Written as a pinch hit for the sheppard h/c secret santa exchange for sian1359. Prompt: gen teamfic with John soldiering on, spending little time in the infirmary.