Sheppard remembered his first mission with his brothers. They had been sent off world, fully armed and prepared to engage the enemy.

They emerged on a forested planet and were almost immediately engaged in combat. The crashed Wraith ship in front of the Stargate had been brought down by their brothers who had been sent before them. The battle that had waged here was nearly over, but there was one last thing left to do.

Sheppard and his brothers infiltrated the ship with few losses. Although his brothers protected him, Sheppard ended up alone and face to face with several Wraith when he was cut off on the way to the engine room.

Realizing that their new enemy could not be brought down easily with their stunners, the Wraith had seemed very happy to engage in hand to hand combat. Sheppard shot down a few of their number before being taken by surprise.

One of the Wraith moved faster than the others and pinned him to the wall of the ship with the blade on the end of his stunner. Sheppard felt the initial sharp pain of the blade slice through his right shoulder into the wall behind him but then felt nothing except pressure as he struggled against the blade. The Wraith in front of him snarled, pulling his hand back for a killing blow when Sheppard felt a rush of adrenaline and tore himself from the wall, pulling the blade from his shoulder and turning it on the Wraith in front of him.

The Wraith died instantly with the blade skewering his neck, and Sheppard moved on. He felt hot blood coursing down his body from his mangled shoulder wound but felt no pain. His right arm would not respond to his will, so he tucked it in his vest, knowing he only needed one arm to do what he needed to do. He encountered a few more Wraith on his way to the engine room but easily took them out as well.

Emerging in the engine room, he saw that his brothers had already prepared everything, so they rejoined forces and made their way out of the ship. It was only then, as Sheppard left the ship that was slowly disintegrating behind them, that he began to feel sick. He knew he was covered in blood and suffering from wounds as his brothers were, but no one felt the pain. Each step, however, made him feel worse and worse and more confused. His limbs were shaking uncontrollably and he was barely able to keep his feet moving. His vision was wavering and his head was throbbing.

One of his brothers noticed his steps faltering and took his arm, steering him towards the 'gate. Sheppard had an eerie feeling it should be someone else taking his arm.

And when the Stargate's wormhole unfurled, Sheppard felt that the world they emerged on was deeply wrong. It was a red and black world covered in rolling hills. He should have emerged on a blue and white world with silver spires floating on water.

He stopped, confused. His brother pulled on his arm, and then he knew for sure that something wasn't right. They were in the wrong place. He dug in his heels, but his brother pulled him forward, and another joined him.

Sheppard could feel himself growing weaker, his strength flowing from him with the blood loss. The uncontrolled shaking in his limbs was turning into convulsions. With the weakness came more confusion.

This wasn't right.

They carried him, kicking and struggling back to the barracks. He didn't know why he was fighting, but he knew that nothing was right here.

They brought him to the room with the glass coffin and held him down. He saw a man with sad blue eyes who looked nothing like his brothers emerge from the shadows, and then there was a bright flash of light.

And then nothing.

He awoke in his cell and the confusion was gone, as were his wounds. Their mission was a success.


Having an ATA gene certainly made taking Atlantis much easier. Sheppard realized that maybe that's why his brothers had waited for him, and why they had needed his help.

The control room had been easy. They had only lost one man.

The rest of Atlantis was sleeping. It was night, and there was only a skeleton crew walking the halls. Anyone they came across was quickly subdued, but Sheppard knew they didn't have much time. If Woolsey was smart he would call a Code Nightingale, and the place would be swarming with heavily armed military personnel in a matter of minutes.

Sheppard easily bypassed the commands locking the transporters as they made their way to the ZPM. After carefully removing it, one of his brothers placed it in a bag and carried it as they continued to walk the city, heading towards their next goal in the dark.

It would be even harder for McKay to track them without anything powering the city now, but Sheppard was brought up short moments after taking the ZPM when he found Teyla and Ronon blocking their way in the dark hall.

"Hey guys," he cheerfully greeted them, motioning his brothers back. "Mind moving out of the way?"

"You know we cannot do that, Colonel," Teyla responded.

Ronon merely growled, his blaster glowing red.

Sheppard sighed. "Do I need to break your other knee, Ronon?"

"You must stop, Colonel," Teyla said desperately, her P90 aimed at his chest.

"What, are you gonna shoot me?" he replied.

"Yes."

It was a single shot, well aimed, that went directly through his right thigh and caused him to stagger backwards, but he didn't go down. Adrenaline was surging, and though he could feel blood beginning to course down his leg, Sheppard could feel no pain and knew he could still fight. His brothers held their ground, waiting for him to signal to engage.

Teyla looked shocked that she had actually shot him, the P90 drooping in her hands.

And so he took advantage of the moment.

Weeks of training and missions had honed his senses and movements, and he knew he was faster and more powerful than he had been before, but Ronon's blaster charged, sending red bolts towards Sheppard's brothers behind him.

He knew they were fallen, but he didn't stop and didn't have time to release his own gun from its holster. He had to protect the ZPM, so he drew his knife instead. Teyla raced to meet him, dropping the P90 to favor her sticks in hand. He knew that meant she wanted to take him alive, but he wasn't quite sure he wanted to be taken alive.

When they met, her sticks flying, going for his head and torso, he blocked and parried, moving lightning fast.

"Teyla!" Ronon yelled.

Sheppard caught a flash of metal as Ronon tossed the Athosian his sword. Smart. Her sticks wouldn't last long against his knife anyway.

"John," she gasped, as she continued to parry his blows, "Please stop! I don't want to hurt you."

"Well, I don't want to hurt you, either," Sheppard retorted, teeth clenched. "But you're giving me no choice."

Teyla tightened her jaw and narrowed her eyes, and Sheppard felt a little twinge of familiar fear. When she had that look on her face, he knew things were serious.

"Then you have also given me no choice," she replied.

With one thrust, she found her opening, and Sheppard felt white-hot pain flare in his right side as she stabbed the sword through his torso to the hilt, just below his ribs. He gasped, suddenly finding it hard to breathe, but pressed on, swiping blindly forward, continuing the assault as the pain turned into a dull throb.

The mission could not fail.

And then Ronon's blaster fired again, and this time it hit Sheppard squarely in the chest. He felt the numbing effects of the stun blast, but it only slowed him for a fraction of a second. Then the blaster hit again, and again, and finally, Sheppard's world tilted to black.


Ronon desperately wanted to take Sheppard down, but he knew with a bad knee and with the man clearly not in his right mind it was a terrible idea. Teyla had insisted he stand down before they came across Sheppard and the aliens in the hall. He knew she was good, but when she and Sheppard engaged, Ronon wasn't sure she could hold her own against the Colonel. The man seemed stronger and faster than he had ever been in the past.

The aliens had gone down after several kill blasts, but what was completely unexpected was the fact that Sheppard did not go down after the bullet, nor after being run through with the sword. The first stun blast hadn't even phased him. Normally, it was powerful enough to knock out a man twice Sheppard's weight instantaneously.

So he shot him again. Sheppard slowed, but didn't stop. Teyla stepped back, slowing her blows just enough to keep him off of her and to give Ronon a better opening.

Ronon shot again, and Sheppard staggered down to one knee, then tilted sideways, collapsing bonelessly.

Ronon shot him one more time for good measure.