Stargate Atlantis

A Fate Worse Than Death

Atlantis, the lost city of the ancients gleamed brightly in the sunlight. The warm waters splashed lightly against it. At the top of the central tower, Colonel John Sheppard stood looking down on the massive city. He was standing on the balcony just outside the control room. A gentle breeze brushed past him as he stood there alone.

At his feet still rested the spent bullets from the siege of Atlantis. He tried to calmly and rational clear his mind of the memories, but they were still to fresh in his mind. His suicide mission that he had only barely escaped. Colonel Everett's horribly ill body, half eaten by a Wraith. Ford's addiction to the Wraith serum and subsequent loss of sanity. Even now, he couldn't be sure Ford was alive, it had been almost a month.

He forced himself to stop and retreated from the balcony, stepping into the Gate room. It was quiet, quaint. There were only a handful of scientists going from station to station. He walked up to Elizabeth's office, only to find her absent. He then headed back to his room.

He changed into his workout clothes and headed for the room he and Teyla used for sparring practice. He found the room empty. He dumped his pack and pulled out the pair of sparring sticks he used against Teyla. He twirled them effortlessly for a few seconds before going through a few practice moves.

Teyla entered after a few minutes. She tilted her head. "I thought I might find you here." She was dressed in her sparring garb.

"Yeah, looking for an opponent?" He asked, slashing and parrying through a simple practice move. "Though you'll still kick my ass."

Teyla dropped her pack and withdrew her two sticks as well. She carefully circled around the center of the room, watching John carefully.

John raised an eyebrow as if to make a comment, but instead he attacked. His first two swings caught Teyla off guard, knocking her back a few steps. He pressed his advantage, knowing he had only a second. Teyla sidestepped his follow up attack and returned with a few quick slashes. He parried them and returned the attack. Except he overstepped. Teyla hit him twice in the shins, then whirled in a fast finishing attack.

As John fell, he stuck his foot out. This move caught Teyla off guard, and knocked her to the floor. He leaped up, only to find Teyla already waiting. She hit him once in his wrists then again in his shins, before knocking him down again. This time he hit the floor hard. He shook his head, and took her outstretched hand to get back up. They resumed their sparring, pausing only briefly when John was knocked down.

After thirty minutes of intense sparring, they were both covered in sweat and tired. John walked over to his pack and pulled out a towel. He wiped the sweat from his face and hands, then sat down on the ledge. "One of these days." He said. "One of these days, I'm going to beat you."

"You have improved greatly from our first sparring match." Teyla replied. "I have been practicing for many years. That you are able to do as well as you do, is a commendable feat."

"At least commendable got you on the floor a couple of times." John replied with a smirk.

"Indeed it did. I was not expecting those techniques."

"Come on, grab a bite to eat?"

"That would be enjoyable Colonel."

"You can call me John, Elizabeth does."

"Very well," Teyla tilted her head and smiled. "John."

"See, now that doesn't hurt... does it?" He laughed.

Teyla smiled. "No, it doesn't."

Aiden Ford, former Lieutenant Aiden Ford, raced for the gate. His backpack was full of two ZPMs. Behind him, were hundreds of Genii soldiers, closing on him. He turned and laid down a deadly barrage of fire, causing his enemies to pause. He quickly dialed to the gate, nearly getting shot twice in the process before he managed to open the gate. He then leaped through it.

Wraith serum still making his movements sharp and precise he turned as he came through the other side of the gate. He systematically shot each and every Genii soldier dead as they crossed the event horizon. As the gate shut down, there was a pile of bodies on the steps leading to it.

Aiden stopped and sat down in the grass. He reached into his backpack, past the ZPMs, and pulled out the bag of Wraith serum. It contained only a trace amount of the drug in it. He took the last bit, reveling in the raw strength it gave him. He then discarded the bag and began to dial the gate again, this time, he dialed Atlantis.

Doctor Elizabet Weir raced into the control room as the stargate opened. Instantly, the shield was brought up to prevent any unauthorized travelers through. "No one's off world." She said over the alarm. "So, who the hell is at the gate?"

Rodney McKay answered. "That can't be right. We're receiving Ford's IDC."

"Lower the shield." Elizabeth yelled. "Security on alert." As the shield was lowered four Marines took up positions around the gate room aiming at the stargate.

Aiden Ford stepped through his stance confident, a P90 in his hand. The marines shifted their stances to be even more aggressive. There was no way Aiden Ford could shoot his way out of this mess. The stargate closed behind him.

John and Teyla entered through one of the side doors just as the stargate closed. "Ford, what are you doing here?" John asked, his tone serious.

"I've done your job Major."

"That's Colonel now." John's stance was aggressive but not threatening. "Put down your weapon Ford."

"Or what, you'll kill me. I'm out of serum, it doesn't matter."

"We can still help you Aiden." Teyla asserted. "Let us help you."

"Your still afraid of me, you fear what I've become..." Aiden couldn't finish his sentence. Raw pain started shooting through his veins. He cursed himself, the wraith serum was already breaking down. He couldn't maintain the strength to stand. He screamed as the pain overwhelmed him.

John and Teyla were at his side immediately, helping to hold him up. Teyla disarmed him and John took Aiden's backpack off. "Someone get a medic!" John yelled.

Doctor Carson Beckett and several medics came racing into the control room with a stretcher. "What happened?" Beckett said with his usual accent.

"One minute he was standing there pronouncing his invincibility and the next he was on the floor, howling in pain."

"The serum must've worn off. Get him on the stretcher." The medics hoisted Aiden's body onto the stretcher and carried him to the medical ward.

"John." Elizabeth called from the control room. "I'd like to see you, Teyla, and Rodney in the briefing room."

"Be there in a minute." John replied. He took one last look around the gate room before heading up the stairs and into the briefing room. Elizabeth and Rodney came in last, carrying Ford's backpack.

"You won't believe this!" Rodney exclaimed.

"Believe what?" Colonel Caldwell replied cynically as he entered the room.

"Ford hit the jackpot. Two... fully charged ZPMs." Rodney took them both out and laid them on the table.

"And Lieutenant Ford just gave them to you?" Caldwell asked.

"Of course not." John snapped back. "Ford collapsed from lack of wraith serum just after he stepped through the gate."
"Who authorized letting him through the gate?"

"I did." Elizabeth replied calmly.

"If I was in charge..."

"The fact is you weren't, because if you were, we wouldn't have two more ZPMs."

"Where do you think he got them?"
"I can't begin to guess." Rodney replied quickly, then paused, frowned. "He could've gotten it from the planet with the children, or he could've gotten it from the brotherhood."

"It doesn't matter if the brotherhood lost their's," John replied. "but we should check on those kids, and if Ford did take one from them, give it back."

"Sounds like a plan. John, assemble your team and take a jumper to the planet."

"Right. Teyla, McKay, meet me in the jumper bay in ten minutes."