"A Bad Decision"
Chapter 1
Author: Lorrie Ellis
Email: lorrieannhotmail
Disclaimer: The following story is based on the characters of the TV Series "Stargate: Atlantis". The characters belong to MGM, The Sci-Fi channel, etc. but the story is mine. ALL DISCLAIMERS APPLY. (No copyright infringement is intended.)
Author's Note: I've made a few changes after reading your reviews and I've changed the spelling of Teyla's name and corrected Dr. Beckett's first name. I hope you enjoy!!!!
"What about this one Teyla?" Dr. Weir asked, pointing towards a set of dialing coordinates
Teyla shook her head. "I am not familiar with that sequence."
"We'll try another one then." Dr. Weir continued.
"Why?" A voice came from the corner of the room.
"Why what?" Elizabeth asked.
"Why try another one? We can't expect Teyla to know all of the planets associated with the coordinates map. Why shouldn't we begin to explore some of these unmapped places for ourselves?"
"Thank you for your insight Major, but it's more logical to explore the areas that Teyla is familiar with first, especially since we are still in need of food." Elizabeth explained.
Major Shepherd shook his head. "Whatever."
"John?" Elizabeth said sternly.
"What?" John asked. "Obviously it's your way or no way, so why exactly are the rest of us in on this meeting if you and Teyla are going to choose where we're going?"
For the first time in a very long time, Dr. Elizabeth Weir was somewhat at a loss for words. She knew deep down that John was right. She was doing the safer thing by allowing the team to gate out to areas that Teyla already knew. What if the power source that they so desperately needed was on one of these uncharted planets?
"Dr. Weir?" A voice brought her back to the meeting.
"Yes Rodney." She answered.
"What if the Major's right? What if . . .?"
Elizabeth nodded. "I know. I've already thought about that." She stared at John, knowing that no matter how strong her feelings were for him, she couldn't keep him out of harm's way forever. He was a trained fighter, a U.S. Air Force Major and he had already proven time and time again that he was smart enough to keep himself and his team out of trouble, but that was in a somewhat safe environment.
"So?" John asked.
"This one's a go." She pointed to a set of coordinates, the one that Teyla had confirmed that she did not recognize. "Your mission begins at 07:00."
John and Lt. Ford gave each other a high five as they started out of the briefing room. "Major, could I see you for a moment?" Elizabeth asked, watching as Teyla lagged behind. "Alone, please."
"Sorry, Dr. Weir." Teyla replied as she closed the door.
"What's up?" John asked.
"Are you sure about this?" She asked him.
"Sure about what? The mission?"
She nodded. "We don't know anything about this planet. Who inhabits it, if anyone? What the environment is like . . .?"
"Elizabeth, relax. We'll send a M.A.L.P. in first if it'll make you feel better. I know we only have two, but if you'll feel better about us exploring this planet, it goes in before we do. And you know as well as I do that we can get the environmental readings ahead of time too." He could see the genuine concern in her eyes. "What are you so worried about? I've never seen you like this."
She looked down at the floor and then stared into his twinkling eyes, forcing a smile to her lips. "Nothing. You're right, I'm worrying over nothing."
He waited briefly. "Was there something else?" He asked.
She shook her head. "No. That's all."
He looked at her one last time, still puzzled by what she had to say and then left the room.
The team was waiting in the gate room at 06:45 for Dr. Weir to give the command. She stood in the Control Room, looking out over the gate and the team, all geared up and ready to go.
"Is the M.A.L.P. ready?" She asked.
"Yes ma'am." Came the reply.
"Dial the gate and deploy the M.A.L.P."
The gate locked in on the coordinates and the swoosh of the event horizon broke the silence. "Launching M.A.L.P."
Once the M.A.L.P was through, Dr. Weir began to observe the pictures that came back.
"How does it look?" John called out.
She nodded. "Good. Green vegetation, water." She paused and looked at the environmental readings. "Plenty of oxygen. Looks like it's a go."
The team nodded and proceeded up the ramp. McKay and Ford went through first, followed by Teyla. John paused for a second, turning to take a look at Elizabeth. She lifted her hand in a half wave, smiling slightly when he returned the simple gesture and then watched as he stepped through the gate.
When John came through the gate, McKay was already taking energy readings. "This is phenomenal." He said with a smile.
"What?" Lt. Ford asked.
"The energy readings are off the monitor!" He said excitedly. "This planet could have the energy source we've been looking for!"
Teyla looked around nervously. "We should move."
"Why? Do you see something?" John asked.
She shook her head. "No, but I feel something. Something . . . different." She started walking North.
"I feel it too." Lt. Ford replied.
"Something is pulling us North." McKay agreed.
John shook his head. "I don't feel anything." The others had started walking North, he shrugged and followed.
A few miles away, inside what appeared to be a glass city of sorts, a Century entered a streamlined decorated room. "We have intruders, my lord." He snapped his right fist across his chest, wrapping lightly across his heart.
"I know." The slender figure stood and crossed the room to a large screen, where he flipped a switch and then watched the Stargate team as they continued to be drawn towards the light.
"Should we attack?" The Century asked.
"No. Allow them to enter the city." He watched with special interest as he noticed that only three of the four were fixed on the light source. His interest was in the fourth. "Do you see how he resists the light? He must be of them."
"But my lord, they no longer exist."
"Somehow, he is of them. For all of time, they have been the only ones able to resist the light. That one must be brought to me." He pointed towards John.
"Now?" The Century questioned.
"Not yet. Allow them into the city first. Find out what they want. See that the others are satisfied and sent on their way, then bring the special one to me."
"Look, it's magnificent!" McKay exclaimed as they came upon the entrance to the city. "The energy readings are . . . "
"Off the chart, we know." John said nonchalantly, looking around as they entered the walls of the city.
"I wonder where the people are?" Teylas asked.
Suddenly, as if by her command, a group of people appeared to their left and then to their right, then ahead of them.
John and Ford checked their weapons and circled, slowly. "Well, I guess you got your wish." Shepherd commented.
"Welcome!" An older man shouted as he ran towards them. "Welcome to Hashlana."
John nodded. "Hashlana. Nice name."
"I am Landiv." He bowed to them one by one.
"I'm Major John Shepherd, this is Lt. Ford, Dr. McKay and Teyla."
"I am pleased to meet you all. Please follow me. I will show you where you may rest. You are certain to be tired after your long journey."
John raised his eyebrows and shook his head. "No, not really." To his dismay, the rest of his team began to yawn and agree with their new found friend, Landiv.
"Come, come with me." Landiv stepped into a silver-plated building and into what appeared to be an elevator.
John, being curious, touched the side of the building as they started to board the elevator. "Oww." He recoiled, as the heat from the metal scorched his fingers.
Landiv laughed. "Only the children here are curious enough to touch shiny things."
John half smiled, feeling a bit silly.
The elevator stopped and Landiv held the door as his new friends exited. "This room is for you." He said, opening the door to a large, airy room with huge ceiling to floor windows, four soft beds, a well-stocked bar and soft music. "Please, relax. I will come back and get you for the evening meal and there you can meet our leader, Maylan. He is anxious to meet with you."
"Your leader knows that we're here?" John asked.
"Oh yes." Landiv replied. "He knew you were here the moment you stepped through the ancient eye. It is his energy that led you here." Landiv turned to leave. "I will be back soon."
Ford, McKay and Teyla all had laid down across the beds, closing their eyes. "What is up with you guys?" John said loudly. "You can't possibly be tired. We just got here."
"Take it easy John, we'll just rest for a little while and then . . ." Lt. Ford fell asleep before he finished his sentence.
"Yeah Johnny boy, relax." McKay said, very out of character, as he too fell asleep.
"Johnny boy?" Shepherd questioned aloud. "Teyla, what's going on here?" He turned to her to find that she had also drifted off to sleep.
Puzzled, he began to pace and check out everything in the room. "Why am I not affected by this energy source?" He asked himself.
"Because you are of them." A voice answered unexpectedly, making him jump slightly.
"Who are you?" He asked as a bright light appeared in the room.
"I am the one they call Maylan." The voice replied. "Who are you?"
"Major John Shepherd."
"Major Shepherd, where are you from?"
John started to answer truthfully, but then thought better of it. "Around." He said calmly.
"Are there others who are of them?" The voice asked.
"I don't know what you mean. Them who?"
The light moved around John, slowly at first and then faster. He felt himself being lifted off of the floor and spun around. The G's were like none he had every experienced in any type of aircraft. He knew he was going to black out, so he closed his eyes.
Just as soon as he closed them, the spinning stopped, when he opened them again, he found himself restrained to a chair in the middle of a large room, a man facing him.
He struggled against the restraints, soon realizing that his struggles were futile. "Who are you?" He demanded. "What do you want and what have you done with the rest of my team?"
"The rest of your team are fine. They have been transported back to the ancient eye and will remember nothing of you being with them."
John tried to move his head, but found that it was secured tightly to the chair. "What do you want?"
"Answers." The man replied.
"Who are you?"
"I am the one they call Maylan."
John continued to struggle as Maylan nodded to two unseen figures. "You're struggles are useless. It would be much easier on you if you will tell me that which I want to know now."
"Or what?" John asked.
The two unseen figures brought a metal halo down over his head, adjusting three pin points to the proper positions; one at each temple and one at the nape of his neck. "Now?" One of the figures asked.
Maylan nodded. Immediately the three pin points began to move towards John's head, each in their strategic area. John quickly realized what was going on as he tried to prepare himself for the impending pain. This creature, whatever it was, planned to torture the answers out him.
Maylan lifted his hand just before the points dug into John's skin. "I will give you one more opportunity to talk. Are there more like you? More who are of them?"
"Go to hell." John replied, looking the man directly in the face.
Maylan looked somewhat confused and then an evil smile that could have been from the devil himself came to his face. "You first." His voice was more of a growl now.
John gritted his teeth as the points dug into his skin, all three points at the same time. "Don't scream, don't scream, don't scream." He kept telling himself, but when the points began to drill through his skull, the pain was unbearable, even for him and the screams came loud and strong.
Maylan watched intently as the points continued to dig passed John's skull until they embedded themselves into his soft brain tissue. John gritted his teeth, his cheeks wet with the tears, blood and sweat that was ran down his face.
"It can all stop here, if you tell me what I want to know." Maylan stood directly in front of John. He could clearly see his pain. The way he was fighting to keep his eyes opened, fighting to stay conscious. "Well?"
"Never." John whispered.
To be continued . . .