Long Strange Trip
Chapter 11
Alternate SGA-1 team on Regular Atlantis
Teyla and Ronon exchanged looks of disbelief. They walked swiftly down the darkened corridors of Atlantis, following Major Sheppard. Ronon continued to hold the P-90 on the Major's back.
"I know it sounds crazy, but I'm telling you, that's what happened," John stated. He had a flashlight in one hand, and the light created shadows on the walls as he waved his arms in emphasis.
"So, you're saying that we are in a different reality?" Doubt filled Teyla's words and John grimaced. Convincing the two off-worlders of the situation was proving to be more difficult than he thought.
"Look, where were you before you woke up in the room?" John asked Ronon.
Ronon slowed his footsteps as he responded. "I was with Owen – a friend. We were ambushing two Wraith. One moment I was fighting a female, then I was on the floor, next to you and ….." Ronon's voice trailed away, and he stopped.
"Well, I'm pretty sure I got drunk last night and was thrown into the brig," John stated. "Yesterday, I was a Major. Today I'm a Colonel. Elizabeth…" John swallowed hard, " is dead in my reality, but here she is alive and well. And Rodney – well, on my Atlantis, he's married, with a baby daughter. And here, he has no family. For the four of us, everything is changed."
Teyla reached out a hand, grabbing at John's shoulder. "I, too, was with a friend. We were hunting." Her shoulder's slumped as she accepted the truth of John's words.
Sheppard eyed the two, feeling their shock. He reached out and placed a hand on Ronon's shoulder.
"McKay is working on the device as we speak. I promise I will do everything in my power to get you both back home." He stepped back as Teyla frowned, and raised her P-90.
"Your promises mean nothing to me, Sheppard. Or have you forgotten that you betrayed the Athosians?" Her words were sharp, cutting him to the core.
John remained silent a moment. Then he nodded his head. "I am sorry, Teyla, that I abandoned you and your people to the Wraith. If I could, I would go back and change that. The only comfort I can offer you now is that when we return to our reality, I will go to Athos. Maybe we can start again."
Teyla looked deep into John's eyes, and seeing the truth, lowered her gun. "I accept your apology, Sheppard. As to friendship – we will see."
John turned to Ronon. "The same goes for you, Ronon. If you give me the address of the planet you were on, I will do my best to find you. I promise." The runner merely stared at the soldier for a long moment, then gave a brief nod.
"First, we need to get back to our reality," the Major said. Ronon gesture with his gun, and with a sigh, John headed down the dark corridors. After a moment, Teyla and Ronon Dex followed.
oOo
Rodney looked up as John Sheppard, followed by Ronon and Teyla, entered the room. He approached them cautiously, aware that the two off-worlders were armed, while Sheppard only held a flashlight.
"Well?" John asked, and the scientist gave a quick nod.
"I think it's fixed. Dr. Zelenka located a replacement crystal, and he's installing it now. I only have to verify the coordinates of the reality – make sure we get ourselves back to ourselves, so to speak." Rodney rubbed his hands together, and John could see the fear in his friend's eyes.
"Rodney, you okay?" John asked quietly. The scientist shrugged his shoulders, acutely aware that if this didn't work, they were all stuck here. His reply was interrupted by the smiling face of Radek Zelenka.
"Dr. McKay! Success! I installed the new crystal, and ran a systems analysis, and everything seems to be working." The smaller Czech scientist looked expectantly at Rodney.
"Good work, Radek! Now, I need you and the techs to do one more thing for me." Rodney paused, then plunged ahead.
"You need to get to the stargate control room, and reroute the power so it comes to this room." Radek opened his mouth to protest, and Rodney felt a sudden surge of anger flow through him. He was in no mood for an argument; he needed to get home to Lizzie and Jessie.
"Don't argue with me, Radek! Just do it, okay?" Zelenka stared hard at Rodney for a moment, then stomped off in a huff, followed by the two technicians.
John turned to Ronon and Teyla. "Look, we're almost ready. I would lose the guns – just in case." Ronon nodded in agreement, and tossed his weapon out the doors, into the corridor. Teyla hesitated a moment, then did the same.
They stood together uneasily for the next few moments, waiting for confirmation from Radek, watching as Rodney checked and re-checked the controls. Finally, the scientist stood up and cleared his throat.
"I have no idea if this is going to work," he admitted. "I'm hoping that the coordinates that are currently in the device are the ones that lead to our reality."
John's headset crackled, and Dr. Zelenka's voice came through the radio. "Dr. McKay? I've rerouted the power, and installed the firewall to Atlantis' computer systems as you suggested." Rodney could hear the hesitancy in Zelenka's voice, but refrained from offering any explanation.
"Excellent, Doctor. Umm…we're going to be out of touch for a few minutes. I guess I'll call you when we're done. McKay out." Rodney clicked off the headset, then turned towards John.
He took in a deep breath, then focused his gaze on the others. "You should prepare yourselves. I have no idea what to expect." His hands glided across the control panel, and John heard the doors seal shut behind them.
"Stand in the middle of the room," Rodney ordered. After they had positioned themselves, Rodney set the controls, then hurried to John's side. "I set a time delay," he explained to John.
"You really think this is going to work, Rodney?" John whispered, his stomach clenching in anticipation. The scientist only shrugged his shoulders. The four of them remained standing in the center of the room, tension filling the air. When nothing happened, Rodney took a step towards the control panel, muttering under his breath.
"I'm positive I fixed……" Suddenly, a green light filled the room, then condensed and surrounded them. The walls rippled and sagged, the ceiling drooped and a loud shrieking noise filled the air. John clasped his hands to his ears, trying to block out the excruciating noise. Everything within the room froze, and John could feel himself starting to lose consciousness. As blackness overtook him, he could see another room, identical to this one, only in ruins.
"That can't be good," he thought, then collapsed on to the floor.
TBC