Chapter 9: Almost home.
Teyla was running towards the jumper when she suddenly changed direction. The last thing she wanted to do was lead the Wraith back to the jumper where Rodney and Jennifer were hiding with an injured John.
Ronon automatically followed her while he was still trying to kill the Wraith. Tohan was left lying where Ronon had shot him and at this moment she still had no idea whether Ronon had killed him or just stunned him. She knew that if Ronon had killed the man and John found out he would be furious as John believed that everyone deserved a second chance., but she really didn't have time to think about that now as the Wraith was closing in.
She was horrified when Loughton suddenly stopped running and the Wraith lunged towards him, luckily Ronon pulled at his hand and dragged him in their direction, while he was still firing at the Wraith. As usual, the Wraith seemed impossible to kill.
It seemed like forever, but eventually, they approached the door to the medical centre and Teyla was relieved to find that it opened easily. She pulled out her gun as she entered as she didn't want any nasty surprises, luckily the room seemed deserted. Once the three of them were inside she pulled the door shut and locked it, hoping that it would keep the Wraith out. Of course, they would have to face the issue of getting past him to get back to the jumper at some point, but for now, they needed to focus on finding the anti-venom.
The room they entered was dark and it smelt of smoke so obviously, there had been some destruction here. She really hoped that they wouldn't find any human remains in the medical centre because that was probably the last thing that the counsellor needed to see right now.
Turning her flashlight on she looked for the light switch. When she finally located it, she flicked it and to her chagrin, it remained dark, "the lights are out, "she muttered to Ronon who had also turned his flashlight on.
She looked around the room and was dismayed to see the utter devastation, it was clear that the Wraith had been here as there was furniture upturned and strewn across the floor. There were burn marks where Wraith stunners had obviously hit the wall, but there seemed to be no human remains in the tiny room which they were in. Hopefully, the Wraith had left the building and they would be able to finish their mission without too much of a problem.
She turned to look at the councillor, who appeared to be as white as a ghost and he was breathing heavily, "Councilor Loughton, do you have any idea where the anti-venom might be?"
He didn't reply and he just kept staring at the door that they had just come through, so she tapped him on the arm and gently spoke to him again, "Councilor are you alright?"
She was relieved when he slowly turned to face him, "Umm…. I…think so," he answered softly, "and please call me Lochy."
"Lochy, do you know where the anti-venom is?" She asked softly again.
"Yes, follow me," he said taking a deep breath and standing to his feet.
Teyla stood to her feet feeling relieved that Ronon had remained quiet the entire time that she had been talking to Lochy as the last thing she needed was for Ronon to scare the frightened man further.
"Lochy, I will take the lead, you can follow me and whisper directions to me. Ronon will then bring up the rear. If either of us tell you to do something, I want you to do so without question. Do you understand?"
She shone her flashlight in his face waiting for a response and when he nodded, she turned and walked down the passageway that he had pointed out to her.
The building seemed dark and quiet as they walked through the facility taking a turn here or there. The Wraith had obviously been through the building, but she had to wonder whether people had all be transported off the planet or were there any survivors? She hoped for the latter since the other option was too disturbing to think about.
They walked on in silence for about fifteen minutes until they came to a door, "this is the supply room where the anti-venom is kept." Lochy whispered in her ear.
Teyla put her ear to the door and was surprised to find that she could hear more than one person sobbing. She turned to the councillor and whispered to him, "I believe that there may be survivors in there. Perhaps you should speak while I slowly open the door so that you can reassure them."
"But be careful," Ronon hissed pointing his gun towards the door.
Slowly opening the door, she nodded at Lochy permitting him to start speaking, "hello, it's Councillor Loughton here, is everyone alright?"
A sobbing voice came from behind the door, "we are all okay councillor, is it safe to come out, have the Wraith gone?"
The door opened to reveal three young children and a woman cowering in the corner. Teyla carefully approached them, "I am Teyla Emmagan from Atlantis and this is my friend Ronon Dex, we are here to take you back to Atlantis where there are other survivors."
One of the children came up to Teyla and threw her arms around her, "thank you for coming back for us?"
Teyla knew that wasn't strictly true as their priority was to find the anti-venom but finding survivors along the way was a secondary mission, "you are welcome."
"I have the anti-venom," Lochy announced, "let's go."
"I will take the lead as before; can you follow with your people Councillor and Ronon will bring up the rear." Teyla instructed.
When they all nodded Teyla led the way out of the storage room, feeling relieved that finally, they had found something that may help John.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
As John slowly became aware, he was annoyed to find that he was still shaking and what was worse was everything but his head felt numb, which wasn't the worst thing in the world because he was sure that he had been injured in some way.
A voice pervaded his senses, and he was more annoyed by it than the fact that he was numb.
"There's a Wraith out there and it's chasing Ronon and Teyla what shall I do!" Rodney ranted and it did nothing for John's headache.
John's eyes shot open, if his people were in trouble, he needed to do something about it, "use the drones," John managed to croak out.
"I can't do that, what if I miss and hit Ronon, Teyla or the councillor?" Rodney answered in a panicked tone.
Although he was numb and obviously injured he knew that he had to protect his friends so he would do it no matter what it cost him, "well, if you won't do it then I will," John said while trying to get to his feet.
"Colonel, lie down, there is no way you should be trying to get up right now," Jennifer told him while trying to hold him down.
"I have to know what's happening."
"They've gone into a building!" Rodney shouted.
"Who's gone into a building, Rodney!?" John shouted back feeling his strength fading fast.
"Teyla and the others."
Rather than shouting at Rodney he closed his eyes and thought fire at the Wraith. He heard an explosion on the outside of the jumper and John hoped that he'd actually killed the wraith. But then if he could have kicked himself, he would have because he'd just drawn attention to the jumper, which Ronon and the others were obviously trying to avoid.
"Are you crazy!" Rodney yelled turning to glare at him, "if there are any other Wraith around you've given away our position."
John knew that Rodney was right, but the adrenalin rush was fading fast and although most of his body felt numb his head was about the split in two and his right leg was on fire. So, he closed his eyes and hoped that the darkness would come and claim him. Before he had a chance to give in to its embrace, he heard a gentle voice calling to him.
"Colonel Sheppard, hang in there. We will be heading back to Atlantis shortly."
Was it Teer, or was it Teyla? He recognised the voice, but he had no idea who it was, so he took a chance and whispered, "Teyla?"
"No, Colonel, it's Dr Keller, don't give up we'll be home soon."
"Can…I…have…something…for the pain…doc?" He asked, feeling tightness in his throat that spread down to his chest.
"I'm sorry Colonel, but you've been bitten by a snake and until we can get the anti-venom, I don't want to risk giving you anything."
"Doc… I…can't breathe…you've…got…to…do…something."
The constriction in his throat and chest increased and he started to gasp for breath, it felt as if someone was strangling him. Breathing was becoming more difficult and every breath he took was painful. The darkness was encroaching on him again and this time he was more than happy to let it take him and he wondered if it would be for the last time.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Rodney watched as John started to gasp for breath, "What's wrong with him?" He asked the doctor in a panicked tone.
Kneeling beside John he watched the young doctor as she checked out his breathing.
"Dr Keller, his lips are beginning to swell and he's turning blue," Rodney stated in horror, "do something!"
"His lungs seem clear, so there must be swelling in his throat. Give me an epi-pen," Jennifer suggested, and Rodney could sense the urgency in her voice.
"Is…that…going to work..." Rodney stammered.
"It's all I've got right now Dr McKay."
He winced when she pushed the epi-pen into John's thigh and then he held his breath hoping that it would work, "what happens if it doesn't work Doctor?"
"I'll have to perform a tracheotomy. From what I can tell the swelling is only in his throat and face, so lower down his airways are clear."
Rodney sat and watched him for a couple of minutes, and he was relieved when the swelling in his face began to go down and his friend's breathing seemed to become easier, "is he going to be okay Dr Keller?"
"I honestly don't know Dr McKay, but what I do know is the sooner I administer an anti-venom and get him back to Atlantis, the better chance he has."
He smiled at her, for someone who seemed so young she was brilliant and right now he was grateful that Carson had sent her along with them, "it's Rodney."
"What," she asked with confusion?
"Please call me Rodney?"
"In that case call me Jennifer."
A moan from the floor interrupted their conversation. Rodney knelt next to John and was surprised to see that his eyes were open, "hey Sheppard, how are you feeling?"
"Like crap, what happened?"
Rodney didn't miss the fact that John was still shaking like a leaf, even though his breathing seemed to be much better.
"You blew up the wraith, by firing drones and then you had some kind of strange reaction to the snakebite you received so Jennifer jabbed you with an epi-pen."
John nodded, "hey doc is it cold or hot in here I can't really tell."
"If anything, it's a little cold," Jennifer answered, "would you like a blanket?"
"Maybe."
Rodney watched as Jennifer put a blanket over John and was disturbed that it didn't stop the shaking.
"So, McKay, where are the others because I'd really like to get back to Atlantis as soon as possible. Believe it or not, I want to be in the infirmary with some good drugs running through my veins."
"How's the pain, Colonel?" Jennifer asked while checking his pulse.
"Everything is numb except for my right leg and my head. Are you sure you can't give me anything for the pain?"
"Sorry Colonel, you still seem to be reacting to the snakebite, although it should have left your system by now."
"Give me a headset so that I can contact Teyla," John demanded.
"I'll do it," Rodney offered, tapping his earpiece.
"Hurry up," John growled and Rodney could see that he was on the brink of unconsciousness again.
"McKay to Teyla come in please?"
"Go ahead, Rodney."
"Can you hurry up, please? Sheppard is in a bad way and Jennifer just had to jab him with an epi-pen because his throat started to swell and close up."
"Is the Wraith still outside Rodney?"
"No, Sheppard blew him up with drones."
"Is there still a man lying over by the Wraith dart or is there anymore Wraith around?"
"Yes, it still seems that the man Ronon shot is still lying over by the dart and no we haven't seen anymore Wraith around. So, can you please hurry up and get back to the Jumper?"
"We are on our way and we have a young woman and three children with us, as well as the anti-venom for the snakebite. Teyla out."
Rodney looked down at John and realised that he'd lost consciousness again, "how's his breathing Jennifer?"
"It seems alright for now. How long will it be before the others come back?" Jennifer asked with an intense look on her face.
"They should be here shortly with the anti-venom."
"That's good, hopefully, it will deal with the snakebite, so that all we have to deal with when we get back is his broken leg."
Rodney nodded and headed to the front of the jumper again. He wanted to keep an eye out for the others. He also knew that the Wraith may come back at any time looking for any human survivors or Wraith worshipers. He shuddered at the thought, he really hated the Wraith and he was beginning to agree with Ronon's comment that 'he wouldn't rest until every last Wraith in the galaxy was dead.'
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Teyla was relieved when they finally exited the medical centre. Hopefully, things would begin to go right for John now that they had found the anti-venom. Looking around she very quickly noticed that the Wraith dart was still there and Tohan's body was still lying next to it and she assumed he was dead.
"Ronon was your gun set to kill when you fired on Tohan?" She asked already knowing the answer.
"Yes, it was, and I don't regret what I did. That man was a traitor to humankind, so he didn't deserve to live!" Ronon told them with cold anger in his eyes.
Before she had a chance to say anything, the councillor turned to glare at Ronon, "who are we to judge who lives and dies" You didn't even give the man a chance to explain himself! We are no better than Tohan if we behave like this!"
Teyla knew that now wasn't the time for an argument, so she stood in between the two men with her hands outstretched and spoke sternly to both of them, "Ronon, Lochy, now is not the time to argue. John needs this anti-venom and then we really need to get him back to the infirmary so Jennifer can repair his leg."
Ronon mumbled at her, "alright."
"I feel that I need to cover Tohan's body according to our traditions," Lochy commented while walking away from here.
There was no way she would let him walk off on his own when there could be more Wraith nearby, so she very quickly followed him with her gun at the ready. It only took a minute to cover the ground to where Tohan was laying. She wanted to turn away from him but found that she couldn't. What had this man gone through to turn his back on humanity? Whatever had happened to him must have been devastating but it was still no excuse for what he had done. Teyla knew that she would rather die than betray her people or anyone else in the Pegasus galaxy.
She was glad when Lochy had covered the body so that she could head back to her friends and the jumper.
When she arrived back where Ronon was she found the Young woman they had found in the medical centre looking a bit bewildered so she smiled at her before she spoke, "if you come with us, we'll take you to our ship now."
"Thank you, Teyla. My name is Hollie, and these are my children, Beth, Cyan and Melia."
She looked into the piercing blue eyes of the young mother and wondered whether her husband had survived the attack.
Trying to be tactful she asked the young woman if she knew where her husband was, "have you seen your husband since the Wraith attacked?"
Hollie smiled at her, "don't worry Teyla, my husband died many years ago when my children were young. I'm relieved that we all survived the Wraith attack though."
She was about to continue when a voice called to her from a distance, "will you hurry up, we need to get Sheppard back home now?"
Smiling she turned to her friend, "we are on our way, Dr McKay."
Taking the hands of two of Hollie's children she went straight to the puddle jumper.
When she entered the Puddle jumper she rushed straight to John's side and she was concerned by the fact that he was unconscious and still shaking like a leaf, "Dr Keller we have the anti-venom. Can you give it to him straight away?"
"The sooner the better," Jennifer replied before turning to Lochy, "I have never seen Venom from a snakebite last this long in a person before. Usually, they would either be dead or the venom would have worked its way out of the body by now."
"This happens very rarely and it can go on for up to a week before a person dies. As I said before this is not normal, Colonel Sheppard seems to be having an adverse reaction to the snakebite." Lochy informed her while handing Jennifer the anti-venom.
Teyla sat and held John's hand while she whispered in his ear, "John we have the anti-venom. We are going to give you a dose now and then Rodney is going to take us back to Atlantis."
There was no response from John so she sat back and watched as the doctor injected the anti-venom into the IV.
"How long should it take to work?" Jennifer asked Lochy.
"We should know within the next five minutes," he replied.
Teyla sat and watched waiting to see if there were any signs of improvement in John's condition while Rodney went up front and flew the jumper towards the gate. She was relieved that they were almost home and very soon John could get the help he needed for his other injuries.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Carson was sitting at Minister Mithon's bedside again. The man was in a stable condition, and his brain's bleeding and swelling had continued to dissipate. Carson expected that he should be waking up within the next couple of hours, but he would have a huge headache when he did.
He'd managed to have another two hours sleep in his office, while Dr Cole had kept an eye on the minister but now, he'd sent her to get some rest, while he took over the vigil. He could have asked any member of his staff the sit with him, but he really wanted to be there when Minister Mithon woke up so that he could question him about John's whereabouts.
Elizabeth had come and gone throughout the afternoon asking about the Minister's condition as well and he could sense that it was more out of concern for John than the Minister's well-being.
A moan from the bed brought him back to his surroundings. Looking down at the man in the bed he realised that the Minister had opened his eyes.
"Where am I?" He asked with confusion.
"Minister Mithon I'm Dr Carson Beckett and you are in the infirmary on Atlantis."
"Atlantis? Why am I here what has happened?"
"What is the last thing you remember Minister?"
"I remember the Wraith coming through the ring and after that, I don't remember anything. And Dr Beckett can you please call me Mikel?"
"In that case call me Carson?" He took a deep breath before asking the next question, "do you remember Colonel Sheppard coming to your world to undertake some kind of test?"
"I vaguely remember him coming to our planet to perform the vision quest, but other than that I don't remember much."
Carson sighed, he should really know better than to question a man with a head injury, but this was information they needed to know, "can you tell us where Colonel Sheppard is?"
"I honestly can't remember," Mikel replied.
Carson watched as the minister's eyelids began to droop, he knew that he wasn't going to get any useful information from the man, so he may as well give the man his pain meds and let the man go back to sleep, "how's the pain, Mikel?"
"It's pretty bad Carson."
"Alright then lad, I'll give you some pain meds and then you can go back to sleep for a while."
He injected the pain meds into the IV port and watched the man fall asleep. Great, what are we supposed to do now? Perhaps I'll contact Elizabeth and see what she has to say.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Elizabeth had been sitting in her office for hours and she'd barely done anything. The truth was that she was still sitting in her office hoping for news on Colonel Sheppard.
She'd been to visit the minister a few times over the course of the afternoon but only because she wanted to get as much information from him about what Colonel Sheppard would have gone through during the vision quest. The truth was that the minister probably wouldn't tell her, but she knew she had to try anything to stop herself from worrying.
It was probably time she went to have a meal and then she would head to bed for a few hours before coming back to the control room to wait for news from Ronon; that's if she managed to sleep at all.
Her thoughts were interrupted when her com activated, tapping her earpiece she was surprised to find that it was Carson on the other end.
"Go ahead, Carson."
"I'm just letting you know that the minister was awake for a few minutes and he wasn't able to tell us where Colonel Sheppard was. He appears to have forgotten that particular piece of information."
Elizabeth could sense the worry in his voice, but she wondered why because they already knew where Colonel Sheppard was.
"Carson we already know where Colonel Sheppard is and Councilor Loughton has gone to look for him along with Ronon, Teyla and Rodney. I thought I already told you that."
There was a pause on the other end and for a moment she thought that Carson had disconnected the transmission.
"No for some reason you've failed to tell me that piece of information."
"I'm sorry if I haven't told you, Carson."
"Have you heard back from Ronon and the others then?"
"No, I was thinking of contacting them now."
"Alright let me know if you find anything Carson out."
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Teyla was relieved when the Jumper approached the gate; at least now John could get the medical help that he needed. The shaking seemed to have stopped and he appeared to be sleeping peacefully so Jennifer was hopeful that the anti-venom had worked. Jennifer was going to conduct a blood test when they arrived back on Atlantis just to make sure.
She turned to the front of the jumper and looked at Rodney as she spoke, "how much longer until we get back to Atlantis?"
"We should be able to dial in a few minutes. How's Sheppard doing?"
"I believe that the venom has been eliminated from his system, I will do a blood test when we get back to Atlantis just to make sure so for now I can't give him any pain medication. I'm worried about his leg though, I will have to set it surgically as I'm not sure it will do him any good setting it now. Luckily the blood loss from the wound on his leg isn't too severe, but he does seem very dehydrated and it looks as if he hasn't eaten for a few days." Jennifer informed him.
Teyla suspected that Lochy was offended by the last comment, "There was some food provided in the cave so we didn't try and starve him if that is what you are thinking."
"That is not what we are saying at all, Councilor," Teyla said soothingly.
"I'm dialling the gate now," Rodney announced from the front of the jumper.
"Dam it! Rodney exclaimed.
"What is it, Rodney?" Jennifer asked with a look of fear on her face.
"Someone is dialling the gate from this planet and I've got a pretty good idea who it is," Rodney replied while turning the jumper and flying away from the gate.
Before anyone else in the jumper had a chance to say anything, Ronon turned to look at them all and he told them what she was already thinking, "it's the Wraith there still on this planet and they know we're here so there dialling out so that we're stuck here."
"What do we do now?" Hollie asked her blue eyes wide and her dark hair a contrast against her pale skin.
"Now we track them and destroy them and hope that it will shut the gate down!" Ronon growled.
"I'd hate to have to agree with Conan, but I totally agree, "Rodney said and Teyla didn't miss the anger and frustration in his eyes.
Teyla was just as angry as Ronon and Rodney appeared to be, just when they were almost home the Wraith had to come and destroy their plans but she knew that things would work out eventually and they would get John home because they always did.
TBC…
Will they manage to get away from the Wraith in the next chapter?