The final reports came in unexpectedly quick. There were 10 temples spread throughout the city and adjacent countryside. The most important hidden in the mountains. The crazed Temple of the Protector was a direct input facility- pretty damn obvious now. The Temple of the Ancestors was a storehouse of information. The third, the Temple of Life and Vitality, put the information to practical use. The teams had provided detailed diagrams of each temple. She felt now, she could send in those ATA endowed.
"You have a go Carson."
He nodded in acknowledgement.
"Dr. Zelenka, Dr. Simpson and Sgt. Stackhouse's team will accompany you." She looked at each person as she said their name.
She was sending them to the Temple of the Ancestors. It housed one of Carson's favorite pieces of Ancient technology- the chair. Not only one chair, but 30 of them sat in the temple. If he was willing to voluntarily sit in the thing, then she was going to send every bit of support she could muster.
"I was thinking Elizabeth. If the Temple of the Ancestors provides information, it might house the info taken from us,' suggested McKay.
"You've been studying the database here on Atlantis as well, right Rodney?" Weir asked.
"Yes, it seems that it was one of the first places evacuated, when they knew they were losing the war."
"It also appears that they abandoned complex quickly. However, they must not have feared Wraith gaining access to the data held within mainframe," Dr. Zelenka interjected.
"Well Radek, no energy readings, no reason to look around. They turned off the lights when they left," snipped McKay. "Of course the big question is- What powers the entire complex?"
Everyone came to attention at that. As unlikely as it was, that question had slipped their collective minds, everyone's mind except Rodney's.
"As much as I am loathe to admit it, I have no idea. They don't mention that in any text I have researched." McKay was past exasperated. "I don't even have an answer for why the temple became homicidal on our asses. For all I know, it didn't think we were Ancient enough."
"The Parcinese will be awaiting your arrival in about two hours. Make any arrangements you need to. I don't need to remind you this is a great discovery and a rescue mission wrapped into one. This is the reason we are here. Dismissed and good luck." She stood up and signaled everyone to the doors. Weir sighed to herself. Hopefully they could rescue the team and glean valuable information all in one swoop.
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Carson stood in front of one of the increasingly intimidating chairs in the temple. He looked over at the Matriarch smiling expectantly at him. From the moment he had walked in the temple, lights blinked on and energy readings climbed. Matriarch Glin led the way gaping like a child at Disney World.
"Truly your people are a gift to us all!" she proclaimed. "To think, all this wonderment lying dormant all along. It was just waiting for your return."
Bloody hell. "Matriarch we're not the Ancestors. We just share a lineage." Carson was losing patience with the adulation heaped upon them. "We're fallible. I don't even know if I can get the information I'm looking for."
"Dr. Beckett, your people's arrival has brought hope. Hope that one day the Wraith will be eliminated. Your help with strengthen us all." The Matriarch grasped his hand. "What Matriarch Scilla did was inexcusable. She violated the trust between her and the people she serves. That includes your people. She was so afraid that her temple would reject her; she sacrificed her duties and Major Sheppard. If this temple can help, then I beg you to take advantage.
This brought him back to the chair.
Carson's reluctance to sit in the fancy barber's seat was understandable and legendary. He looked over at Dr. Zelenka.
"Well, here we go."
He sat down. The chair immediately activated and reclined.
"Welcome scholar to the Archival Pavilion of Hadrius," said a hospitable voice. "You have access to all subjects, treatises, and research contained within the archive. And may I say; we have missed you."
Carson's eyes shot open.
"Are you alright Doctor?" asked Zelenka.
"Yes, I'm fine. It's just; the bloody thing has missed us."
"Rodney said they were sentient. Will you be able to access the information we need?" asked Zelenka, as he kept an eye on his hand held monitor.
"I'm about to find out." Carson closed his eyes again. "What are you?"
"We are a learning station to better prepare mentors, scholars, and leaders. Unless you mean me personally."
"Personally? Are you a library of sorts?" He was trying to remain calm.
"Of sorts. I have access to billions of pieces of data. If I do not house the information needed, my sister Pavilions probably do."
Marshalling all his bravado, he asked, "I would like to access any information you have on injuries caused by interacting with one of your sister Pavilions."
"I will compile any incidences that have occurred. Are you asking about an incident in particular?"
"The day before yesterday at the Pavilion that can download stuff from people." Carson winced, that sounded about as knowledgeable as a stoner.
"The Pavilion of Acquirement?"
It must have understood. "Sure."
"My sister has not sent the information downloaded. It seems the download is incomplete. I have accessed the record and … I am very sorry. She did not adequately prepare the individual and then inadvisably extended the data stream. She detected an anomaly and tried to delete it. The record ends there."
Beckett reported the Pavilion's answer to Zelenka and Simpson. An anomaly, so something about the team threatened the computer. Major Sheppard's mental glitch must have caused some sort of error.
"Ask if the Pavilion knows how to fix the problem," said Dr. Simpson.
Carson nodded and relayed the question.
"I am sorry. I can not, but the Healing Pavilion might. She is offline. She must be reinitialized like you did for me."
"Has this ever happened before?" asked Carson.
"No."
Carson once again relayed the answers. They were going to need someone to initialize the other Pavilion while someone directed this one.
"Dr. Kusinagi also has the gene. She can use this chair while you go initialize other Pavilion," suggested Dr. Zelenka.
Beckett closed his eyes one last time. "Thank you."
"You are welcome. We are here to serve."
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Dr. Kusinagi arrived to relieve Beckett. He and Zelenka made their way to the Healing Pavilion, otherwise known as the Temple of Life and Vitality.
Matriarch Kalan waited for them at the entrance. "Life and Vitality be granted. I understand you need to avail yourself of my temple."
"Yes ma'am. We hope that it will reverse what has happened to our friends," explained Beckett.
"It is an honor. Please, follow me to the inner chamber."
Beckett and Zelenka followed. The temple followed a similar power up procedure as Carson stepped through the outer halls. When he entered the inner chamber, he laughed. It was a medical classroom- a very hands-on classroom. Ten diagnostic beds with hoods suspended above them encircled a podium in the middle. He walked up to the podium and waved his hand across initializing the system.
Matriarch Kalan gasped, "Miraculous."
"Dr. Kusinagi, can you have the Archive resend the information?"
In a millisecond, the monitors blinked to life and text scrolled. Zelenka inspected the readings.
"It will take time to translate and determine if information is correct. My initial guess is… yes." He looked at Beckett and shrugged his shoulders.
Beckett sighed, "I just hope we can do what ever it is we need to do."
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"LaShay, I've been accepted to officer's training!" She rolled over in the bed and looked at him.
"That's wonderful Aiden! Your grandparents will be so proud!"
Happiness, contentment, deep sexual arousal consumed him. Only a solitary memory, thank goodness. The ones he shared with Ford and Teyla were too intense. John must be going nuts.
"Another one Rodney?" Carson asked. He had returned from the planet about an hour ago with the data from the Pavilion.
Now it was up to Rodney to sift through the meaningless to attain the pertinent. What better job for him when he kept zoning out for minutes at a time.
"Yes, very astute of you Carson. And by the way Ford, LaShay…" Rodney kissed the tips of his fingers.
"Thanks Doc. She was…is still beautiful," he said wistfully. "But she had to go and marry a lawyer."
"Are they becoming more frequent?" Dr. Beckett asked interrupting the two.
"No. They've stayed pretty random," answered Rodney looking to Teyla and Ford.
They nodded in agreement.
"It's just they're so intense and consuming," said Ford. "Can't imagine having to watch one right after the other." He cast a glance Sheppard's way.
"You are living in the moment over and over," said Teyla. She looked down at Sheppard and grasped his hand. He was smiling. It would not last, but at least there were pleasant memories set before him. The tears started, followed by the last eerie scream.
"It is about time." Teyla addressed the nurse on the other side of the bed. They waited. The tremors started changing into a full blown seizure. Teyla whispered in his ear while waiting for the calm. When it did, Teyla looked directly into his eyes.
"We are here John." She ran her hand over his forehead.
He blinked and slipped away again.
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The visions were related loosely. Most had to do with the Wraith. Now that he had shifted through them so many times, he knew that he was ignoring something. It was a peculiar sensation on the hive ship. It was the flash of cold that started in the pit of his stomach right after the Wraith-tic happy fun-fun show and before his impersonation of a fish out of water. Well, if he could manipulate the fog aliens' reality, maybe he could here.
"Water," said Ford into the comm for everyone listening.
After, the intense white-hot knife and then the vacuum pulling any essence out of him, he concentrated on the brief flash of cold.
Nosferatu's cousin was approaching him quickly. He was Teyla, again and that was Steve. A Wraith so terrifyingly close. However she was determined; the foul creature would not pass. The cold clutched his insides. The hunger gnawed at her-no him-relentlessly. The fear that she would succumb to this evil overwhelmed him. Sticks were flying; she was flying. The force of the impact to his sternum stunned him. The impact with the ground was not much better.
The little explosion rippled across his brain as the weight of Steve's hand pressed down on his chest.
"You are all right Major. You need to breathe!" Teyla pleaded with him. "Dr. Beckett!"
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TBC
Having a blast writing this story, glad others are enjoying it as well. Please review.