A/N: Ok well Ant is gonna kill me for updating this and not my SG-1/JAG crossover, but really my brain is just frozen on that one…and it was such a nasty cliffhanger I have to keep writing…
Chapter One
"Haven't detected my approach," John's spoke into the radio. "Weapon is armed and ready. I'm going in…"
"Good luck," Rodney's voice came back over the radio.
He was saddened for a moment at the thought of never seeing his friends again. In the months they'd spent at Atlantis he'd developed some kind of weird friendship with Rodney McKay – someone he would never have thought it possible for him to have had any kind of friendship with.
"Thanks Rodney," John replied, trying to concentrate on the closing in Wraith Hive Ship.
"John."
He sighed, not outwardly, more of an inward slump. He didn't want to say goodbye to her, he couldn't bring himself to do it. He didn't know what had happened but he couldn't do it, he didn't want to.
"Good luck," she said quietly, much more to the words than merely 'good luck'.
"You too," he replied, hoping she would understand.
She meant a lot to him, more than he'd even realised until that moment in the briefing room. Something had clicked at the moment, showing him how his feelings for the leader of Atlantis were something more than friendship.
And he'd seen that moment echoed in her eyes.
He shook the thoughts from his head, he had other things to concentrate on. If he got out of this alive, which was highly unlikely, he could deal with it. At that moment he had to save them, his friends, the people who had become his family, the city of the Ancients, and he had to do that as quick as possible.
For a moment his mind wandered to Ford and Teyla, wondering where the remaining two members of his team had disappeared to…he could only hope they were OK as the Wraith ship became the only thing visible through the front window of the jumper…
Teyla Emmagan opened her eyes, letting her vision slowly focus. Above her was a somewhat familiar ceiling. Immediately she knew where she was, the feeling of dread she had inside signalled that there was only place she could possibly be.
On a Wraith ship.
Immediately she was on her feet, ready to defend herself in the case of a Wraith coming. Beside her lay a few of the Earth soldiers that had recently appeared through the gate. She was not familiar with them, and they both seemed to be unconscious.
A scream echoed the hallways.
Teyla tried to block out the noise. For a moment she wondered whether she was on a hive ship or a dart. Not that it mattered, either way she had to do what she could to stop the ship attacking Atlantis anymore.
She stood up and moved towards the web that covered the entrance to the cell. There was no one guarding it, but in the distance she could see some kind of window, and outside the window noticed the stars moving and the occasional glimpse of light from elsewhere.
She was on something fast moving.
A Dart.
Ford stared into the eyes of the Wraith. He couldn't falter, if he faltered the marines who he was leading would follow. Although they had no idea what they were up against, he was sure they were just as scared as him.
The Wraith in front of him moved forward.
Ford opened his P90 on it.
It moved back for a second, before grinning and coming towards him again.
Ford continued firing.
Seeming to realise that the weapon was in fact doing him some damage, the Wraith stepped back slightly and raised its stunner, firing on Ford.
He fell to the ground, the world around him going black…
Carson stared at the screen, he hadn't moved since McKay had pointed out Sheppard was the one flying the jumper. He was shocked that Elizabeth had let him fly it, and even more shocked that any of this was actually happening.
He had never asked to be involved with the whole shenanigan, but now he was stuck here, watching his friends die one by one.
Peter Grodin had been the first to go. Carson still couldn't believe that one, and here he was watching Major Sheppard flying a puddlejumper armed with an atomic bomb into the heart of an alien spaceship.
Shock.
That was the only word that could describe how he was feeling. The proper medical term could only be shock.
He felt Rodney and Elizabeth appeared on either side of him, the same feelings of anxiety emanating from both of them. The insistent clanging noise of the self-destruct the only noise in the room. The Stargate had shut down, the noise of evacuation ceased. A large amount of the people in the control room had already evacuated, leaving only the military teams wandering around the base.
And the three of them in the control room.
"Why'd you let him go?" Rodney spoke up, looking in Elizabeth's direction.
"It was the only way," Elizabeth replied, not moving her eyes, leaving them on the screen.
"He's going to die!" Rodney shouted.
"You think I don't realise that, Rodney?" she shouted back, looking at him now.
Silence fell over the room again as they glared at each other. Carson still couldn't bring himself to remove his eyes from the screen, watching the small blip grow ever closer to the large one.
"There could have been another way," Rodney said, turning back to the screen.
"There wasn't enough time," Elizabeth replied.
"We would have found something," Rodney said.
"Trust me, Rodney, if there was something else I would have gladly taken that option!" Elizabeth said, raising her voice again.
"Oh and you make the mistake of thinking you're the only one here who cares about Sheppard!" Rodney shouted. "That you get to make all the decisions concerning his life!"
Elizabeth fell silent again, turning back to the screen. For a long moment Carson thought she wouldn't acknowledge Rodney with a reply.
"It was his choice," she said quietly, after a few moments. "We all know it's the only way, lets just hope this works."
Rodney fell silent. Carson understood his anger came from fear, fear at losing his friend, another one, in such a short time span. That it wouldn't work, that he would lose his friend for nothing.
Carson understood completely.
He'd never wanted to come to this galaxy, but now he couldn't imagine living anywhere else, with anyone else. He didn't like how the Wraith had come and ruined the illusion he'd had of a safe perfect world, that illusion only having been shattered once or twice in the past year.
"What if the second one doesn't back off?" Carson asked.
"Then someone else will have to repeat it," Elizabeth replied.
"That won't work," Rodney replied. "The Wraith aren't stupid, they're not gonna fall for the same trick twice."
"We'll see," Elizabeth replied, returning her attention back to the screen.
The three stood there in silence, watching the events unfold in front of them. The puddlejumper disappeared inside the Wraith Hive ship. Carson felt the fear rise inside of him again, eating him from the inside. Sheppard was about to die.
Elizabeth watched the blip. She felt fear coming from so many directions. What if it didn't work? What if this was all for nothing? She tried to push it away. Even if this worked, there were still Wraith on Atlantis, the battle wasn't over yet.
Still she couldn't draw herself away from the screen. She watched the blip move. Then it was gone. After a few moments the Wraith ship flickered and disappeared along with it. She should have been overwhelmed with joy at the defeat of another hive ship, but she wasn't. She found herself wondering if the city was worth it.
Too late.
He was gone.
"The second Wraith hive ship has been destroyed," came the announcement from the Canadian technician who had temporarily taken over Grodin's job.
Permanently…taken over Grodin's job.
She took in a deep breath and tore her eyes away from the screen. "Thank you," she paused for a moment. "Carson."
The doctor spun around, looking surprised at having heard his name. "Yes?"
"I need you to go to the infirmary, get any leftover medical supplies and head to the alpha site," Elizabeth ordered.
He looked distraught for a moment. "Excuse me, Doctor, but I think I would prefer to stay here. You need someone with the ancient gene…I know there are a lot of people here with the gene, but the more the better."
"No arguments, Carson," Elizabeth replied.
He looked at her for a moment, as if he were about to say something else, but then nodded and walked out of the control room. Elizabeth turned to Rodney.
"Don't even think about asking me to leave," he said.
It only took the smallest moment to understand he meant it. The expression on his face showed he was distraught. She took a few seconds to dwell on the fact that Rodney McKay had changed in the last year, more than anyone else who had joined the Atlantis expedition.
"I wasn't going to ask you to," she replied.
"Good," he said.
Elizabeth folded her arms and looked down for a moment, her thoughts returning to John Sheppard.
"He's really gone…" Rodney said, more to himself or anything.
He always knew exactly the worst thing to say at any moment.
"Yes, Rodney, he's really gone," she said coldly.
"I'm sorry Elizabeth I didn't mean…"
But she was gone, disappearing up the staircase to her office…
A/N: You don't REALLY think I'm gonna leave him dead do you? But so great for character reaction...