A Bad Decision –"Recovery at What Cost?"
Chapter 10
Author: Lorrie Ellis
Email: lorrieannhotmail
Summary : The team gates to a previously unexplored world and may regret what they find.
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.)
It was near midnight, yet Elizabeth Weir found it difficult to fall asleep. Her thoughts drifted to John and the events of the evening; his return from the mainland, their discussion concerning his role in Atlantis, the confrontation with Sgt. Bates, (this thought brought a smile to her face) and the walk they had taken on the deck after dinner.
Why couldn't she get her mind off of him and why did she feel that he was in some sort of immediate danger?
"John Shepherd." The voice said softly. John only adjusted his sleeping position, causing the voice to call out a little louder. "John Shepherd, it is time."
"Time for what?" John asked sleepily.
"Time to search for that which you seek."
John shook his head slightly as if trying to find a meaning in what the voice had said. "What?"
"Come." The voice said simply.
Somewhat reluctantly, John pulled on his pants, shirt and boots and then started to pick up his hand gun.
"You will not need a weapon." The voice said and suddenly the door to John's quarters opened.
John hesitated as the laid his gun back on the table. "Probably for the best anyway, it's not like I could see what I was shooting at." He followed the voice out into the corridor. "Where are we going?" He whispered.
"To a place within the city that your people have not yet discovered." The voice continued down the corridor.
The tugging feeling that John was in danger was more than Elizabeth could stand. She got out of bed, quickly dressed and made her way to his quarters, only to find his door wide open. "John?" She stepped inside and called out his name.
When there was no response, she started down the corridor towards the mess hall. "Maybe he was hungry, or something." She tried to convince herself that there was nothing to worry about, but her subconscious continued to nag at her.
Just as she approached the mess hall corridor, she caught a glimpse of John in the opposite corridor and started to call out to him. "What if he's sleepwalking?" She didn't call out, but opted instead to follow him.
"It's a dead end." John stated as he felt the wall in front of him.
"It appears to be a dead end." The voice replied. "Place your hand straight out in front of you and push on the panel."
John did as the voice had instructed and then heard the wall begin to move. Little did he know that Elizabeth was watching from just a few feet away.
After John stepped through the opening in the wall, Elizabeth quickly followed him, barely sliding her slender body between the openings before the heavy section of wall slammed shut.
Finding herself in an unfamiliar corridor, she jumped slightly as areas began to light up as John walked past.
She continued to watch with curiosity as he stopped in front of the wall and placed his hand on what must have been a security panel. Suddenly a previously unseen door opened and John walked through, followed closely by Elizabeth.
John abruptly stopped. "Who's there?" He asked.
Elizabeth chose not to answer, again curious to find out how John had found this previously unknown and unexplored corridor and to discover exactly where he was going and why.
The Major stood still for a moment, listening to see if he could hear anything. He could almost swear that he could hear someone breathing, ever so faintly. "Who's there?" He called out again and after waiting for a brief second hurried across the small room they had entered.
"You must hurry, John Shepherd, you are not alone." The voice confirmed his suspicions.
"Who's following me?" John whispered.
"Dr. Weir, but do not stop as she will surely try to deter you from your quest."
"Deter me from my quest? Can't you just speak normal English?" John said as he placed his hand over another security panel and quickly disappeared through another unseen door before Elizabeth could catch up to him.
"John!" She called, her hand resting on what now appeared to be just a wall. She began to pound on the wall, yelling his name. "John! It's me,
Eliz . . . John, it's Beth. Open the door!"
"OK, what now?" John asked after waiting a few seconds for further instruction.
"Now you are in a treatment room. Approximately ten paces in front of you, there is a Control Chair, much like the one that your kind discovered on Earth. Sit in the chair."
John took the ten paces and felt for the chair with his hands. Once his hand hit the smooth metal-like object, he took a seat. Immediately, heavy clamps closed across his wrists, ankles and across his pelvis, greatly limiting his movement and making escape impossible.
"What's going on?" His voice was near panic.
"Be silent, John Shepherd and allow the treatment to begin. The restraints are so you do not move and injure yourself while the treatment is in progress."
"How do I know that I can trust you?" John asked, panic still in his voice, as he struggled against the restraints, realizing that it was a little late in the game to start questioning trust of this unseen voice.
"You don't know that you can trust anyone, but you should be able to sense that I am trying to help you." There was a pause. "You must try to relax and not fight the treatment, no matter how uncomfortable it may be."
Suddenly, John felt something clamp over his head, his breathing was coming in pants now. He began to feel an odd sensation at the nape of his neck in the exact place where one of Maylan's probes had pierced his skull. As the sensation escalated from a light touch to pain, John screamed.
A wave passed through his skull and directly into his brain. Fortunately, there was no penetration as before with Maylan's device, however, the sensation was painful and indescribable.
"John!" Elizabeth yelled as she heard his screams of pain. She continued to pound on the wall to no avail and finally remembered her communicator. "This is Dr. Weir, can anyone read me?"
The communicator crackled slightly and then she heard the sound of Peter's voice on the other end. "Dr. Weir, where are you? I can barely hear you?"
"I'm in an area of the city that I didn't know existed. I need help. Major Shepherd is in trouble."
"Where exactly are you?" Peter asked, pulling up the digital map of the city.
"I'm not sure, but I think I can give you directions, coming from the corridor across from the mess hall." She paused. "Peter, wake Dr. Beckett. I think we're going to need a medical unit."
"Are you injured?" Peter asked with concern.
"Not me, but if you could hear Major Shepherd right now . . ."
"Understood Dr. Weir, I'll alert the rest of Major Shepherd's team along with Sgt. Bates and his team, along with Dr. Becket."
Elizabeth thought for a moment. "Peter, make it Sgt. Stackhouse's team, not Sgt. Bates."
"But ma'am . . ."
"Peter, I don't have time to explain my reasons, I just don't want Bates on this, OK?" She thought about the confrontation John had with Sgt. Bates earlier that evening.
"Yes ma'am. I'll be back in touch once the teams are assembled." Peter replied and the communication ended.
The intercom in the main occupied section of the city crackled to life. "Lt. Ford, Dr. McKay, Teyla, Sgt. Stackhouse and Dr. Beckett, please report to the briefing room now."
Ford rolled over and looked at the clock. It read 0300. He heard the message on the intercom repeat and shot out of bed. If he were being paged at 0300, it must be something pretty important.
He was met by both Teyla and Rodney in the hallway. "What's going on?" Rodney asked, hoping that Ford, being military, would know something.
"You know as much as I do." Ford said off handedly. "I guess we'd better get to the briefing room."
Dr. Beckett was already seated when the team arrived, along with Sgt. Stackhouse and his team. "Care to tell us what's going on, Grodin and where is Dr. Weir?" Rodney asked.
"That's why you are all here." Peter replied. "Dr. Weir, along with Major Shepherd are in a previously unexplored part of the city. It would seem that Major Shepherd is in some sort of distress." He focused his attention towards Dr. Beckett. "That's where you come in, Doctor."
"What kind of distress?" Beckett asked.
Peter shook his head. "Dr. Weir didn't explain. Let's see if we can reach her, maybe she has more details."
"How are we supposed to find them, if they are in an area that we don't know about?" Stackhouse asked.
"Dr. Weir said that she could give us directions."
Peter tapped the communicator. "Dr. Weir, it's Peter, do you read?"
The pain was beginning to subside, but John could feel himself slipping into semi-consciousness. His head felt as though it was going to explode and there was a burning sensation at the base of his skull.
"I know that you are in pain, John Shepherd. Please trust me just a bit longer." The voice said.
"Why are you doing this?" John whispered.
"It is our fault that Maylan took your sight. The least I can do is to attempt to restore it. You are experiencing the effects of one of our treatment chairs, which may be useful to your Dr. Beckett in the future. At the moment, you are the only one who can make it work. It is your energy from within that powers the chair and . . ."
"Then why can't I stop the pain?" John asked as he felt a burning sensation, in his chest.
"I am unsure." The voice said. "The reaction on my people has never been quite this traumatic. I am hoping that your human body can withstand the treatment."
"You're not sure?" John gasped for air as he spoke. "It hurts!" He yelled.
"The treatment is almost complete." The voice replied.
Elizabeth was grateful to hear the communicator crackle, although Peter's voice was barely audible. "Peter! I can barely hear you!" She yelled into the device.
"Dr. Weir, I have the teams assembled, we need direction."
"Go to the corridor across from the mess hall. Approximately half way down, turn left. You'll come to what appears to be a dead end."
"We're on it." Ford announced, followed closely by Stackhouse and his team, along with Dr. Becket and a small medical team.
Peter stopped them. "Good luck. Bring them back safely."
"We'll do our best." Stackhouse replied and the teams moved out.
John's breath began to come in pants and he closed his eyes tightly. "Make it stop!" He pleaded.
"Only a little while longer, John Shepherd." The voice said. "The treatment is working, your sight will be restored."
"Yeah, but what about the rest of me?" John thought as he slipped into unconsciousness.
Outside of the last door John had slipped through, Elizabeth began to pace back and forth. She knew that she could get the team to the first door, but what after that? How would they get through the unseen doors? Her thoughts quickly changed when she realized that John was no longer screaming, that there was, in fact, was only silence around her. "Oh no."
She clicked on her communicator. "Lt. Ford, where are you?"
"At the dead end ma'am." He replied. "How do we get through?"
"Touch the wall on the center panel, it should open." Elizabeth replied.
Lt. Ford placed his hand on the panel and pushed, but nothing happened. "It's not working." He reported back to Elizabeth.
She thought for a moment. "Have Dr. Beckett touch it. Maybe it has something to do with the Ancient gene."
Carson reluctantly moved forward and placed his hand on the panel where Lt. Ford's had rested moments before. The wall began to slide open.
"That's it!" Lt. Ford reported. "We're in, now what?"
Elizabeth instructed them to continue down the corridor and stop approximately half way down. "Turn to your left and you should see a slightly protruding panel."
"I see it." Lt. Ford replied.
"Have Dr. Beckett place his hand on it."
"Now I know how Major Shepherd must feel when Rodney has him in the lab touchin' things all day." Carson stated as he placed his hand on the panel. He jumped slightly when the unseen door opened, allowing the teams passage into the small room where Elizabeth was waiting for them.
Carson looked around as the two military teams raised their weapons, searching every corner of the room. "Where's the Major?" Carson asked.
"Just on the other side of this wall." Elizabeth answered, laying her hand on the wall.
"I'm guessing that I need to touch this panel as well." Carson said as he reached for the panel.
"That's how John got in." Elizabeth replied.
Carson placed his hand on the panel, but nothing happened. "It's not workin'."
"We can see that." Rodney replied. "Let me try."
"What makes you think you can open it, if I can't?" Carson said.
"I don't know, but I have to try something, don't I?" Rodney placed his hand on the panel, but again, nothing happened.
Inside the room, John lay now semi-conscious in the chair. "I am sorry, John Shepherd, but I cannot repair the damage to you human body. That is for your Dr. Beckett to do."
John's eyes opened slightly. He could see that the voice now appeared to him as a ball of light. "What . . . are . . . you?" He asked.
"I am of them."
"Them . . . who?" John gasped for air.
"The Ancients. I am an ascended one."
"So much . . . to ask. So much . . . to learn." John was growing weaker by the minute.
"I will be near, John Shepherd, but you are the only one who can communicate with me. If you do not survive . . ." The voice didn't finish the sentence, but instead, opened the door to the room, allowing the teams and Elizabeth entrance as it disappeared.
Carson ran towards the chair and quickly began accessing John's condition. "His breathing is very shallow and his pulse is faint. We've got to get him back to the infirmary now, or he may not make it."
John opened his eyes again slightly and took Elizabeth's hand. "Beth." He mumbled.
"I'm here, John." She said softly and continued to hold his hand as Lt. Ford and the others attempted to loosen the devices clamping him into the chair.
All at once, the clamps simply opened, releasing John from its clutches.
"Do ya see anything that we can transport him on?" Carson asked, his voice revealing the panic he was feeling.
"Will this suffice?" Teyla asked as she pointed to a metal gurney."
"Yes, yes, that's perfect." Carson replied. Teyla quickly pushed the gurney to the doctor and with the help of Lt. Ford and Sgt. Stackhouse, the Major was quickly transferred from the chair to the gurney. "Let's get him to the infirmary."
Dr. Beckett's team quickly maneuvered the same route the had taken to find John and Elizabeth, all the while trying to keep John somewhat stable. "Get him into Trauma One." Carson shouted as they entered the infirmary, closing the door as Elizabeth, Rodney, Aiden and Teyla arrived.
"He's going to be alright, isn't he?" Rodney asked, turning to Elizabeth.
"I don't know." She said. "I don't know what lead him to that room or what in the world made him get into that chair."
"So, he didn't know that you were following him?" Aiden asked.
She shook her head. "No. I couldn't sleep. I had this overwhelming feeling that something was wrong, so I got dressed and took a walk. When I passed by his quarters, the door was open. I stepped inside and couldn't find him so I started down the hallway and then I spotted him in the corridor opposite the mess hall."
"So, he had regained his sight and made his way to this new section of the city?" Teyla asked.
"I don't think so. He seemed to be having some difficulty finding his way, but it was almost as if he were listening to directions from something or someone."
"Who?" Teyla asked.
"I wish I knew, Teyla. That would answer a lot of my questions."
Inside Trauma One, an oxygen tube had been placed in John's nose to assist his breathing and Carson had stripped off his shirt, attached a heart monitor and was currently reading his EKG. After studying the printout, he finally sighed a sigh of relief. "Well, at least it appears that his heart isn't damaged, at least not permanently."
He stared at his patient. "What in the name of all that's holy made ya do such a stupid thing?" The doctor was somewhat shocked when John mumbled a reply.
"He said he could help me get my sight back."
Carson continued to stare at John. "John, open yer eyes for me and tell me what ya can see."
John slowly opened his eyes and a hint of a grin came to his face. "Everything." He whispered. "I can see everything."
"Praise be to the saints!" Carson shouted. "At least something good came from this."
"Beth?" John looked at Carson.
"Dr. Weir is just outside the door. Give me a minute to take all of your vitals and I'll get her." Carson busied himself taking John's vitals and once he was satisfied that everything was normal and that his patient was suffering from exhaustion from the experience with the chair, he reported to Dr. Weir and allowed her to visit.
She walked slowly into the room. He looked so passive lying in the infirmary bed, much like a little boy instead of this man whom she had grown to care for more than she wanted to admit.
His eyes were closed. Assuming that he was asleep, she quietly pulled a chair up the edge of the bed and took his hand in hers, his fingers slowly wrapped around it. "Hey you." He said dreamily.
"Hey yourself." She replied, looking into his sleepy eyes. "I understand that you can see now." She smiled.
He nodded. "Yeah. I guess I owe that to the Ancients."
"John, you nearly got yourself killed. What in the world led you to that room, anyway?"
"You'll think that I'm crazy if I tell you." He replied.
She shook her head. "I won't. I promise. After everything I've seen in the short time that we've been in the Pegasus Galaxy, I don't think anything you said could surprise me."
"I've been communicating with an Ancient, an ascended Ancient." He corrected himself and then watched her face, waiting for the shock to show, it didn't, but she didn't speak. "Did you hear me?" He asked.
"I heard you." She replied. "Are you the only one who can hear this ascended Ancient?"
"So he says." John replied. "I told him that there so many questions that we had, so many things we wanted to learn. He said that we weren't ready yet, but that he would be near by."
Realization set in for Elizabeth. "That's how you found the room? The Ancient led you there."
John nodded and then yawned. "Beth, don't tell anyone else about this, OK. I don't want my team thinking that I'm screwy in the head, you know?"
She nodded in agreement. "It'll be our secret."
"OK." He said as his eyes began to close. "I'm tired."
"It's OK John. Go to sleep." She continued to hold his hand and watched as he fell into a peaceful slumber. "What is it about you, John Shepherd?" She asked softly and then left his bedside.
"I feel the same way about you, Beth." He whispered once he was sure that she was out of earshot.
THE END