SILENT SACRIFICE...part 32

Elizabeth felt weary as she sat down behind her desk. Sitting across from her were Beckett and Rodney, sitting on her couch to the side was Teyla. Ronon was pacing from corner to corner and Lorne was standing near the door, looking tense. She looked at everyone, meeting their eyes for a moment, then she folded his hands on top of the desk and began. "I need to be updated on everything," Elizabeth stated, locking her gaze on Beckett. "Let's start with Colonel Sheppard. How is he doing?"

Carson looked worried. "He's still unconscious and largely unresponsive. I've run what tests I could and there's nothing showing up to give me a reason why he's not waking up. Everything is normal."

"So he's not in a coma or anything like that?" Elizabeth queried.

"No." Carson shrugged. "The best hope I can give is that he should wake up, hopefully soon."

Rodney made a sound that was a cross between a snort of disgust and a grunt of disbelief. "That was so incredibly helpful!" he snapped. "Thank you!"

Carson glared at him. "I'm sorry, Rodney. Would you like me to make something up?"

"Gentlemen," Elizabeth gently chided. When their attention was back on her she said to Rodney, "Can you tell us what happened in the Chair room?"

"I've already told you," Rodney shot back, looking disgruntled. He folded his arms over his chest and slouched down further in his chair. But one leg was bouncing up and down, betraying his anxiety. "Sheppard called me to the chair room saying he needed me and that it was important. He didn't say what he needed me for. By the time I got there he was unconscious and half slumped out of the chair. I called for Beckett and you know the rest."

Elizabeth sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. She had hoped maybe Rodney had forgotten something from before but no such luck. "Why would John go to the chair?" she mused out loud.

Rodney spoke up, looking a bit hesitant. "Um...it might be Atlantis connected. Maybe."

"Why do you say that?" Lorne interjected, looking much more interested in the conversation than he had a minute ago.

"Because when we had the power outage problem before, Sheppard got in the chair and Atlantis told him what was wrong," Rodney explained.

Elizabeth was stunned. "Why didn't you tell me this before?"

Rodney winced. "Because you didn't ask and we had other things going on," he defended himself. "Look, he led me to the labs where Sgt. Banes was killed and we found what we believe to be a Wraith device. It was in the same room the Wraith was hiding in right before the attack, so we're pretty sure he planted it then. It apparently didn't activate until we started bringing stuff in that area online. I have Radek testing it and we don't know much yet. But it was messing with Atlantis's systems, to put it in layman's terms."

"So what's messing with the systems now?" Ronon asked. And even as he spoke the lights in the office flickered.

"I have no idea," Rodney replied, looking vexed.

Elizabeth wished her answer man did have the answer. Ever since John's collapse, Atlantis had been having problems. Rodney had checked out the Chair and the systems and such and he couldn't find anything to explain what was happening. Power was fluctuating at random, systems were shutting down and coming back up without rhyme or reason. Elizabeth knew Rodney and his team were doing everything they could to fix things, but it wasn't enough. Add to that the fact they had a killer running loose and John was unconscious in the infirmary, Elizabeth was pretty damn sure her day couldn't get any worse. At least she hoped not. "So..what's the worst case scenario, Rodney?"

He heaved a dramatic sigh, then pinned her with a glare. "How the hell should I know? Obviously the worst thing that could happen is Atlantis shuts down on us. If that happens, we're totally screwed."

"Do you think Colonel Sheppard might know what happened?" Teyla queried from her place on the couch. She looked as worried as everyone else, yet her voice was calm and almost soothing.

"I suppose he might," Rodney allowed. "If he'd wake up we could ask him."

Elizabeth looked at Carson. "Have you tried giving him something to wake him?"

Carson shook his head. "No. Since I don't know what's wrong with him, I don't want to risk something that might do more harm than good."

"Agreed." Elizabeth needed John back and well. He was still so far from being back to one hundred percent as it was, she wasn't going to risk doing him further damage. Swallowing a sigh of frustration, Elizabeth looked to Lorne. "Any luck with finding out who our killer is?"

"Afraid not." Lorne looked unhappy having to report that. "I realize it would be an invasion of privacy, but the next best thing we can try is a systematic search of work areas and quarters. We need to find the weapon."

Ronon grunted and everyone looked at him. He stopped pacing and said, "If I had murdered someone and wanted to hide it, I'd toss the weapon into the water. It's a safe bet you won't find it on Atlantis now."

Lorne made a face then nodded. "That's my first thought too, but a search might still be useful. We might find something else out."

"If you at least had a suspect I wouldn't mind you doing a search," Elizabeth replied. "But to allow you to invade everyone's privacy without reason gives me pause. We have enough tension and fear and distrust to deal with. If you violate everyone's privacy, we're going to have more troubles."

"I agree with Elizabeth," Teyla spoke up.

Carson was nodding as well. "So do I. Besides which, if you do search, the killer is going to know it and hide anything suspicious."

Lorne sighed. "Yeah, I know. But I don't know what else to do?"

"Bet Sheppard would have an idea," Rodney muttered.

"No doubt," Elizabeth replied. She had been thinking the same thing. "But until he wakes up and shares his thoughts with us, we'll have to muddle through with tighter security measures. And on that note, you're all dismissed." She watched them trickle out of her office, closing the door behind them. Once she was alone, Elizabeth sagged back into her chair and closed her eyes.

This was one of those rare times when she wished she had never come to Atlantis.

OoO

The whispers were gone and John knew that was a bad thing. He felt floaty, like he was drifting on water, his body feeling lethargic but somewhat weightless at the same time. It took an effort to peel his eyes open and he was surprised to recognize his surroundings. The infirmary.

"Finally!" Huffed a familiar voice to John's left.

He turned his head to see McKay setting aside his lap top and rising to his feet.

"What did you do?" Rodney asked, as he shook a finger in John's face.

"W-what?" John felt fuzzy and confused.

Rodney sighed dramatically. "What did you do in the chair, Colonel? Whatever it was, you messed up Atlantis."

Atlantis. John made to sit up only to have to fight off a head rush. Then hands were gripping his shoulders and suddenly Beckett's face was looming over him. John blinked hard to bring him into focus. "Hey, Doc," he whispered.

"Colonel." Carson had his penlight out and shining in John's eyes. He didn't look happy at what he saw. "How are you feeling?"

"Not sure." John figured it would be best to be honest until he knew what was going on. "How long have I been here?"

Rodney answered. "Twenty-two hours, eleven minutes, six seconds."

John winced. "Oh."

"Do you remember what happened to you, lad?" Carson patted John's shoulder, then moved to check his IV line.

"I remember being in the chair," John allowed. He felt his eyes go wide. "Atlantis...something's wrong!" John felt a sudden rush of urgency, only he didn't know exactly what was wrong.

Rodney rolled his eyes. "No kidding. We've got systems going off and on line. Random power fluctuations. Another dead body."

John stiffened."What?" He watched Rodney's face go pale and realized the man already looked like death warmed over. "What happened? Another murder?"

"Afraid so," Carson replied, and he looked worn and haggard. "One of my nurses this time. You remember Helen?"

"Red-hair and a big smile?" John said. At Carson's nod he closed his eyes, trying to restore order to the chaos that was suddenly his thoughts and emotions. Helen had been an older nurse, the motherly type, and she never let John get away with anything. He mourned her loss, but right now he needed to focus on finding the bastard who'd killed her. "What happened?"

Rodney had grabbed his chair and he pulled it close to sit down heavily. After scrubbing a hand over his face he answered. "Same as before. Three stabs to the back."

Carson looked angry. "Bloody bastard is a coward to boot!" he snarled. But then he instantly deflated and swayed on his feet, catching himself with a hand on John's bedrail.

"I'm sorry, Carson," John said softly. He patted Beckett's hand then looked at Rodney. "To answer your question from before, I don't know what happened to Atlantis. I went to the Chair to get answers. She's been...talking to me." He steeled himself for the reactions he knew he would get from that confession. And he wasn't disappointed.

"Talking to you?" Rodney echoed. "Like..having an actual conversation talking?"

John grimaced because it wasn't going to be easy to explain when he didn't understand it himself. "Sort of," he allowed. "Not like you and I are talking now, but she was whispering to me. Trying to communicate. So I sat in the chair and there was nothing but pain. She's hurting."

Rodney looked grim. "Can you hear her now?"

"No." Which worried John to no end.

"Is it like before?" Rodney prompted. "Like when you could feel her?"

John shook his head, instantly regretting it as pain throbbed in his temples. He felt a hand touch his arm and turned his head to see Carson eyeing him with concern. "I'm fine," John replied.

Carson shook his head. "No, you're not. I couldn't wake you up, lad. What's happened in the past two days has set you back quite a bit. I don't even have to weigh you to know you've lost at least a pound."

"I know." John wasn't too happy about that, but there was nothing he could do about it now. He shifted to get more comfortable only to realize he had a catheter. Grimacing, he waved a hand over his lap. "Can we get rid of this?"

"We'll discuss it later." Carson's tone brooked no arguments.

But John wasn't giving in. "Look...I'm okay now. Tired and a bit hungry and I would kill for a shower, but...okay. And I can't stay here. There's a murderer loose in Atlantis and something is wrong with the city. You want to lock me up and throw away the key when we've caught the bad guy and fixed Atlantis...fine. But until then I'm going to do my job. Before we lose someone else. Or run the risk of losing everyone." A look at Rodney confirmed John's worst fears. The scientist was worried about what might happen with Atlantis. John knew enough to know that if Atlantis shut down, they were all doomed.

Carson clucked his tongue, looked like he wanted to argue, but then he sighed and nodded. "After you eat and I give you a thorough once over you can return to your quarters. But I will be watching your every move, Colonel. Me or one of my spies. You're no good to us if you do yourself in."

"I know that." John smiled to let Carson know he understood. "Special circumstances, Doc. Bring on the food, because I need to get back in the chair."

"Fine." Carson hustled off.

Rodney looked at John. "What do you think is wrong?"

John shrugged. "Wish I knew. Maybe it's connected to that device we found. Did you find out anything about it?"

"Nothing useful," Rodney replied, looking worried. "This is bad, Sheppard. Really bad. Add a killer running amuck in the city and people are scared witless. Me included."

"We'll catch the bastard," John promised. And it was a promise he intended to keep.

Rodney held his gaze for a long moment, then he nodded. "I'll be in the Chair room. When Beckett frees you...well, that's where I'll be."

John nodded. "I'll be there soon." He watched Rodney grab his lap top then walk out. Once he was alone, he had to fight the urge to rip out the IV and the catheter and just head out. But John knew he wasn't in any condition to do that. He knew he needed to fuel his body. He'd have to follow certain conditions if he wanted to be on his feet and functional. So when Beckett arrived with a tray of food, John didn't fuss about it. He simply dug in and ate as much as he could.

After that he suffered through an exam, being as honest with Carson as he could and agreeing to a multitude of tests once the killer was found and Atlantis was back to normal. He also swore he would let Carson know if anything felt wrong or off with him. He also spent ten minutes convincing the Doc that he needed to go in the chair. Carson finally agreed to it, but only if Dr. Strauhan was present. Which wasn't a bad idea, so John conceded.

Finally he got the IV and catheter removed and he was allowed to go to his room. John felt a bit lightheaded as he showered, but by the time he was dressed he felt better. He had just laced on his boots when a knock sounded on his door. To his surprise it was Nick. "Guess Beckett called you," John offered in greeting.

"He did," Nick allowed. "You look ready to go." He gave John the once over, his doctor's eyes missing nothing.

"I have a killer to catch and a city to fix," John replied. "I'd better be ready."

Nick nodded then held out a power bar. "Start chowing, Colonel. We have a pound or two to put back on you."

John sighed but took the bar and peeled it open. "Come on," he said, after taking a bite. "Time to go to work."

They made their way to the chair room in companionable silence. Rodney was there, as promised, hunched over his laptop on the floor.

"About time!" Rodney snapped at them, then he pointed a finger at Nick. "Why is he here? I thought you were okay?"

"I am okay," John replied. "Doc's just here to make sure I stay that way." He grinned at Nick. "Right?"

Nick smiled back, then stepped out of the way as McKay brushed past him rather rudely. "I'm just here to observe for the most part." Which he said for McKay's benefit.

Rodney waved a hand at him. "Whatever." He stabbed a finger at John. "Get in the chair. We're wasting time."

"Right." John did as he was told and the chair lit up immediately. But it didn't feel right. Something felt off.

"Can you run a systems check?" Rodney asked.

John closed his eyes and concentrated. "No. I can't get connected."

Rodney grunted then started typing furiously on his lap top. "Are you feeling anything bad? Like the thing that knocked you out the last time?"

"No." Which John was ever so grateful for. "I can't really explain it but...it's like Atlantis is there, but I can't feel her." Which wasn't exactly right but the best he could clarify. "I"m going to try something."

"Like what?" Rodney looked suspicious and worried.

John opened his eyes and offered a smile. "Relax. I'm just going to see if I can initiate a connect. Usually it's Atlantis connecting with me." That said, he closed his eyes again and concentrated on reaching out to the city. In a sense it was like he was trying to send tendrils of himself to her in the hopes she could do the same. Something almost happened, John sensed Atlantis reaching out to him, when he sensed something else as well.

Someone was coming. John bolted out of the chair and had his side arm up and ready. Only to let his guard down when Ronon and Teyla entered the room. "What are you two doing here?" John asked, reholstering his gun.

"Elizabeth sent us to keep watch over you," Teyla replied. "She is worried."

"Me too," John replied. He knew Elizabeth had a right to be. They all did. John nodded to Ronon, who nodded back then made a circuit of the room.

Rodney looked pissed. He glared at Teyla then looked at John. "Can we try again...this century?"

John was ready. He sat back down, closed his eyes and reached out. This time he got something. More a feeling than anything else, so he reached out harder...farther...and suddenly he heard a whisper in his mind. It translated into a plea for help. He tried to tell her they would help her when suddenly he felt as if he were being sucked into an abyss. John fought against it and the whispers got louder. Then they went quiet and there was a soft sound, almost like a melody, playing in his head. John knew it was Atlantis. He knew he could trust her. So he gave himself up and went along for the ride.

OoO

Nick was focused on Watching Sheppard, but he was aware of Ronon and Teyla keeping watch over all of them. He was distracted when Ronon stated her heard something.

Rodney looked irritated. "So go check it out then. If it's the killer, blast the hell out of him."

"I will go with you," Teyla announced, ushering Ronon through the door.

Nick returned his attention to Sheppard who had not moved other than for his slender body to suddenly seem to relax. Nick moved closer. Sheppard looked almost serene in this moment. He glanced at his watch. Twenty minutes had passed.

Another ten passed before Ronon returned. He glanced around the room and looked surprised. "Where's Teyla?":

"She was with you," Rodney reminded him.

"She headed back here over five minutes ago," Ronon replied.

Rodney looked up from his laptop. "That's not good."

Nick felt a flare of panic. He had a bad feeling about everything so he stepped closer to the chair and tapped Sheppard on the shoulder. He was relieved when the Colonel opened his eyes. "Teyla is missing," Nick told him.

"What?" Sheppard was out of the chair in a heartbeat.

"What did you do?" Rodney asked, jumping to his feet and going to the Colonel and grabbing his arm. "Did you connect with Atlantis?"

John looked a bit distracted, but he shook himself and nodded. "I think so. I was trying to help her repair things, but it's a mess."

Rodney made a face. "No kidding. You were downloading all kinds of weird stuff."

"We'll talk about it later," John said, moving to Ronon. "What happened to Teyla?"

"I heard something and we went to check it out," Ronon explained. "When we didn't see anything she said she was coming back here. I did a quick sweep and returned and she wasn't here."

John's hand lifted to his ear. "Teyla, it's Sheppard. Do you read me?"

Nick found himself holding his breath as he waited for a reply. He sensed they all were. But nothing happened.

"Dammit!" John looked pissed and worried. "Ronon, see if you can track her." He watched the Runner head out, then turned to Rodney. "We'll finish this later. See what you can find. Lock yourself in until a guard arrives. I"ll send two men."

"Got it." Rodney went back to his lap top, but he looked a bit pale.

John turned to Nick. "I'll escort you back to the infirmary."

Nick nodded. He was ready to go back. They left the room and headed down the corridor. "How are you feeling, Colonel?" he asked, the doctor in him never at rest.

"I'm tired, but I'm okay." John's tone was firm.

They made it to the infirmary in record time. Nick started to go in but stopped when John's radio went off.

"Sheppard here."

"It's Ronon. I don't have a trail to follow."

John sighed. "Keep looking. I"m going to hook up with Lorne and we'll back track as well." He tapped off then looked at Nick. "Don't go anywhere alone, doc."

Nick nodded. "Good luck, Colonel."

"Thanks. I have a feeling I'm going to need it." That said, John took off down the hallway.

OoO

In a small, windowless room, Teyla lay on the floor unconscious.

A figure sat in the shadows singing softly to her.

THE END...of part 32

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