Title: Alien Devices
Author: SlayersGrl
Summary: The team finds an Ancient outpost on a deserted planet. Strange devices
and an unexpected encounter may provide them with exactly what they've been
looking for. But are they willing to pay the price?
Disclaimer:
Unfortunately, I don't own Stargate Atlantis or any of its characters... I'm
simply writing for entertainment and because the plot bunnies won't leave me
alone.
Author's note: Hmm, it seems you didn't enjoy my little cliffhanger… I, on the other hand, was very much amused by it. However, I'm not completely evil. See, final chapter posted in a timely manner…Enjoy!
Chapter 9: Homecoming
Voices. He hated the voices. They refused to let him rest in peace. All he wanted was to stay in the quiet solitude of darkness but the voices kept reaching for him, trying to pull him back into the light. He couldn't quite discern what the voices were saying, but he had this nagging feeling they were familiar to him. The more he listened, the more he wanted to hear what they were saying, to see the people behind the voices.
But as he reached the edge of consciousness, he suddenly decided he had changed his mind. He knew exactly where he was. He wasn't completely sure the desire to see his friends again outweighed his desire to avoid Carson's impending wrath.
He tried to force his mind to succumb to the peaceful dream state he had just left, but it was not to be. One of the voices could be heard clearly. "Come on Major, time to wake up." He groaned in annoyance, but grudgingly complied by opening his eyes.
The scene he caught a glance of, before slamming his eyes shut to avoid the bright lights, was hardly surprising but welcomed all the same. Rodney, Aiden, Teyla, Carson, and Elizabeth were all gathered around his bed staring at him like he was some sort of freak. Which he supposed he was… He was probably supposed to be dead right now.
He attempted to reopen his eyes, taking care to do it slowly this time. "Hey guys, what's up?" he said. He had hoped to sound nonchalant, but instead his voice sounded tired and strained. Someone placed a glass of water in front of him and he relished the feeling of the cool liquid soothing his sore throat.
"What's the last thing you remember?" Carson asked, his professionalism winning out over his aggravation at this particular patient taking up residence in his infirmary, yet again.
John had to think for a moment. Now that he tried to focus on his thoughts, he realized they were muddled and hazy. "I remember… being in the gateroom on Earth." He then frowned in confusion. "And then we weren't…"
Luckily, his team took pity on him and decided to fill in a few of the blanks.
Elizabeth was shocked to see Major Sheppard's team suddenly appear out of thin air. She was halfway down the stairs from the control room before she even registered the fact that she was moving. Her heart was racing a mile a minute but it nearly stopped at the resounding cry for a medical team.
Sliding to a stop next to the huddle of personnel, she took a deep breath and waited. There were a thousand questions she wanted to ask. But the only answer she needed at that moment was whether all of her people were alive and well. A second passed as she scanned the concerned faces gathered around the figure lying on the floor. Simple process of elimination meant she knew exactly who it was.
She had to restrain herself from giving into the temptation of peering over the shoulders of the medical staff as they did their job. There was no way for her to see what was going on. Finally, she managed to catch Dr. Beckett's gaze as they moved to load the major on a waiting stretcher.
"Carson?" she asked, not really wanting to hear his response but needing to hear it all the same.
"He's just unconscious," he said, pausing to consider the few details he had gathered thus far. "Of course, I'll need to run some tests…"
Elizabeth nodded her head in understanding. Nothing was certain in medicine, especially when it came to the many alien worlds they visited, but at least he was alive. She would take what she could get. She then watched as the medical staff rushed their patient off to the infirmary before turning to the remaining team members standing beside her.
"What happened? We saw the Wraith had found the outpost but we were unable to contact any of you."
"You didn't send anyone after us did you?" Ford asked quickly.
"No, they weren't scheduled to leave for another fifteen minutes," she replied, noticing the looks of relief on their faces. That was when she happened to notice something out of place. "Where did you get the generator?"
Ford smiled at her inquiry. "We made a little detour home."
"Home? As in Earth!" She could only stare at them in disbelief. This was going to be one interesting briefing…
Elizabeth couldn't help but smile at the memory of the strange tale she had been told. She was intrigued by the apparent power of the small device, but she wasn't sure she was willing to make the sacrifice needed to use it again. John had almost died on the first trip. It was a miracle he had survived the second.
Her sentiments were echoed by Carson. "You do realize that you're very lucky to be alive," he said as he checked one of the multiple machines next to the bed. "And I definitely don't recommend jumping galaxies on a regular basis."
John mumbled in agreement. He was already feeling the pull back to unconsciousness even though he was sure he had been asleep for days already. Carson immediately recognized this and began ushering the multitude of visitors to leave so his patient could get some much needed rest. Just before succumbing to sleep, his sub-consciousness reminded me that in all the madness he had forgotten about something. He never found out what show Ford and Teyla had been watching…
Final Author's Note:
First of all, thank you to everyone who has read this fic, especially those who have taken the time to leave a review. I absolutely love feedback! And the overwhelmingly positive response helps keep me motivated to write.
As this is only the second multi-chapter fic I have ever successfully completed, I am asking for your honest feedback. Which parts did you like? Which parts didn't you like? Was there anything that needed more clarification or just seemed out of character? Were there any scenes you would have like to have seen in the story? You can leave a review here or email me I'm always interested in trying to improve my writing.
I've already begun working on my next story. Hopefully I'll have something posted soon!
Update: Due to popular demand, an epilogue has been added...
