Weir was sitting by the only occupied bed in sickbay. Rodney looked awful and even though the doctor had told her that in time he would be fine, she was still worried. It had taken them a long time to stabilize him. He hadn't woken up since the incident and neither of the sisters had returned. Liz hoped they never would. To think of Rodney being tortured was enough but for him to be tortured over nothing? It was almost too much to bear. She yawned. She was too tired it had been over six hours since they had gotten Rodney to the sickbay and it was roughly 3 in the morning. She got up and walked out the door only to be relieved in her watch by Major Sheppard.

"You know Rodney when you do something you don't do it half way."

"I know." The response cause John to miss the chair he was attempting to sit in and he hit the floor instead.

"How long have you been awake?"

"About an hour."

"You didn't let anyone know?"

"Why? You should all be in bed anyway."

"You need to stop scaring us like that."

"I would but I am getting so attached to the sick bay that I need to come back every now and then to get some rest."

"What the heck happened in there?"

"Nicole happened."

"I know that much."

"She 'influenced' one of the scientist to sabotage the generator and plant a bomb in the wall. Then she influenced you to start a workout before I had some food. She influenced Weir to get me to fix the generator before I could eat and she influenced me into not saying no."

"What happed after that?"

"I couldn't get the generator fixed so I opened the back panel. I was then greeted by a flash and for a little while nothing. When I came too I was tied to the ceiling with a sadistic woman watching me bleed, drowned etc, to death."

"Why?"

"She couldn't handle the fact that she killed her son."

"She killed her son?"

"Accidentally."

"How?"

"She was a Doctor, rather unstable due to the death of her twin sister. A plague hit and she tried to come up with a cure but she created something more deadly that the disease."

"Oh man."

"I couldn't help feeling sorry for her. She devoted her life to medicine and it failed her. It killed anyone she ever knew." They sat in silence for a moment until John realized that Rodney had drifted back to sleep. This whole episode didn't settle well with him. It seemed that Mitra didn't have much control over Nicole, and even though their stories matched he didn't trust either one of them. It was almost as much Mitra's fault that this happened as it was Nicole's.

"Your right Major it is my fault."

"I wish people would stop sneaking up on me like that."

"I am truly sorry major but I don't think you are going to accept it."

"You would be correct."

"You have to understand Major that I make a mistake just like Nicole did so many years ago but mine is so much more permanent. I can't take it back I can only help clean up the messes she makes."

"I am not sorry for you."

"I am sorry for you Major. The reason Nicole came her is that see reconsider a little of herself in your friend."

"What the heck are you talking about?"

"He is driven, arrogant yet kind, devoted to his field and to his people. He is scared emotionally from his childhood and his adult hood; short on friends and those he does have he pushes away so he can't get hurt. Nicole was very much like that once. Ignored, at least in her own mind, and lonely. It was because of this she chose him as if my killing him she could remove those factors from her life and be whole again. I have tried to help her like you have tired to help him but they are stubborn. Major I promise you we will not return but your problem does not end there. He is your problem now under your command and in all actuality you are one of the few people he deems worthy of respect. A heavy responsibility to bear. Trust me I know. Goodbye John Sheppard. I wish you better fortune than I." Mitra was gone and hopefully for the last time. She left John alone with his own thoughts.

The end for now. Look for my next story which will tell about the time that John lock Rodney in a clostet so they could plan a birthday party and like anythign in Atlantis is doesn't turn out the way they planned.