A/N: Wow, thanks for the amazing reviews again. I was reallyoverwhelmed! I've also listened to your suggetions to get someone to beta-read my stories (can only make them better.)...

Kathleen: Thanks again, couldn't have doneit without you! hugs

Oh, and I was LMAO when every second review mentioned my mistake at end, calling Shep "Lass". I do knowthe difference, I have no idea what's gotten into me. Must have been distracted... Or maybe it was sub-consciously? (Ha, I'm evil!)

Enough of that... ENJOY!

Storage Room

"Okay, I'm gonna apply pressure to the wound now ta stop the bleedin'…ya ready?"

"No…" Sheppard answered truthfully and groaned in pain when the doctor pressed the cloth against the wound. His vision began to swim, followed by a sudden, intense wave of nausea.

He tried to warn Carson that he was going to be sick, but his gagging reflex was already setting in before he could get his mouth open.

John felt himself being turned on his side as he vomited. The little he brought up left a metallic taste in his mouth. The pain was killing him, making it hard to breathe.

"This isn't gonna do any good. He has internal bleedin'. I need ta get him to surgery!" Carson was angry and frustrated. Sheppard was on the verge of bleeding to death right in front of him, and the help he could provide at the moment was limited.

"He is not leaving this room!" Phoebus replied.

"Then just let me give him something for the pain," he pleaded. Sheppard's breathing was rapid and shallow, and his face twisted into a grimace of pain.

"Please, do not be so heartless," Teyla urged.

"NO! I want him to suffer just like my people did. He deserves nothing more than a slow and painful death! And I am going to watch!"

"But…."

"End of discussion!" Phoebus interrupted cold-heartedly. These people were really starting to get on her nerves, and the pounding headache wasn't helping. She knew it had to be a sign that the imprinting wouldn't last much longer.

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Control room

"McKay?"

"It's a storage room. Only one entrance, no security camera. But the good thing is there are four life signs." Rodney had managed to calm down somewhat now that he knew Sheppard was still alive. However, judging by Teyla's reaction earlier, he was probably hurt. He was relieved that Carson was with them.

"Major, can you hear anything from in there?" Caldwell asked.

"No sir, nothing."

"Ah, that would be because every room in Atlantis is completely soundproof. Seems like the Ancients really valued their privacy," Rodney explained.

"So, we have two options. We can blow the door open with C4, risk having somebody hurt in the explosion and Weir shooting everybody, or we just wait until the alien consciousness is gone…what do you think, Major?"

"To be honest, sir, I don't think we have a choice. I've seen her in action. If we just wait and do nothing, she'll kill everyone before she goes," Lorne replied.

"I think he's right," Rodney added.

"Yeah. I do, too. Major, prepare everything, and tell me when you're ready."

"Yes, sir!"

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Storage Room

"How are ya holdin' up, son?" Carson asked.

He was just inserting the IV-needle, and his patient looked about ready to pass out. His shivering had increased, and his breathing was becoming more and more shallow. Plus, Carson was afraid that Phoebus wouldn't hesitate to shoot the man as soon as he lost consciousness and the "fun" was over.

"Stop… poking me…" Sheppard answered, his voice barely audible.

"Believe me, you need it," he said quietly, turning around to face Phoebus. "He's goin' into shock."

"Oh really? Well in that case, don't waste your skills and your time, doc." Phoebus knelt down to face Sheppard. "That's what I wanted to see all along – only weakness and defeat left in those eyes. Looks like we've won the war after all, Thalan."

"You are insane! Can you not see? This is John Sheppard, Thalan is long gone!" Teyla yelled, struggling to get free.

"Victory is with my people!" Phoebus stood up but kept the barrel of her gun pointed at Sheppard's head. White hot pain was starting to creep up on the fringes of her conciousness, and she knew that her time was over. "Now, say goodbye to your friend!"

"Noooooo!"

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Control Room

"Ok, we're ready, Colonel."

Caldwell only hesitated for a second. "Alright, then let's hope they're not too close to the door. I already sent a medical team down there; I'm sure they'll be needed…you have a go!" he commanded.

"Yes, sir!"

They all held their breath when they heard the sound of the explosion rip through the speakers.

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Storage Room

Phoebus was just about to pull the trigger when the door behind her exploded, the force throwing her halfway across the room. Her last conscious thought was of failing her people before her head hit the nearest wall, sending her into oblivion.

As soon as the smoke subsided, Major Lorne's team stepped through the rubble, armed with stun guns.

"She is….unconscious," Teyla yelled between coughs. She was still tied to the cane at the other end of the room. The Major could make out a huddled form on the floor to his right.

"You alright, doc?" Lorne asked when he made out the doctor coughing on the ground a few feet away from him.

"I need a medical team down here!" Carson yelled, crawling through the dirt.

"They're on their way. Where's the….?" The question died in his throat when Major Lorne saw the pale face just in front of his feet. His CO was half covered in dust; Lorne had almost stepped on him. He immediately knelt down to brush away the dirt.

"Colonel?" he asked, but Sheppard was completely unconscious. It didn't surprise him. In fact, Sheppard's face was so pale, Lorne suddenly had to feel for his pulse to reassure himself that he was still alive. It was there, but even he could tell that it was too slow and too faint.

"Step aside, son." The Scottish voice urged, Beckett already pulling on his arm. "And radio the infirmary – tell them ta get five units of 0-negative and an OR ready."

"Of course," The Major answered, surprised at how fast the doctor had regained his composure.

"And where the hell is that medical team?"

"We're here, sir…" a rushed voice answered. The two paramedics were just stepping over the debris with a gurney.

"Thank God! Now listen, everybody. We have no time ta lose. He's lost a lot of blood and we need ta get him to surgery immediately."

"OK 1…2…3." They lifted the still form onto the gurney. Carson was affixing an oxygen mask to his face while they carefully carried him out the door.

"Is he going to be alright, Doctor Beckett?" Teyla yelled after them. Somebody was fumbling with her restraints.

"I don't know, lass. I don't know."

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Control Room

"Major, if you can hear me, please respond!" Caldwell called impatiently. Lorne hadn't answered his last two hails, and he was starting to get worried.

"Sorry, Colonel. I was kinda busy. The plan worked, and Dr. Weir is incapacitated. Dr. Beckett and Teyla are alright, and they're rushing the Colonel to the infirmary right now," Lorne answered.

"How is he?"

"I'm no doctor, but it looked pretty serious."

"Alright, meet you at the infirmary?" Caldwell asked. McKay had already headed there a few minutes ago.

"I'm on my way. Lorne out."

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Somewhere in the hallway

"D….Doc?" Carson would have missed it had one of his paramedics not tapped at his shoulder and directed his attention to the gurney. They had almost reached the infirmary.

"Yes, lad. Everything is going to be just fine. We'll fix ya up in no time."

Carson realized that the Colonel wanted to tell him something and temporarily removed the oxygen mask, so he could talk more easily. "Tell Teyla…she…did… the right thing," he whispered with the last amount of strength he had left.

"Yer gonna tell her that yerself, son," Carson reassured him, but Sheppard had already lost his grip on consciousness again.

When they burst through the infirmary doors, his operating room team was already sterile and waiting for them.

"I'll go wash up. Kelly, would you hook up the first unit and get him prepped?"

"Of course, Doctor."

Carson washed up in record time. He was well aware of the fact that every second counted, and when he opened the door to the operating room, he was just in time to hear one of his nurses yell, "He's coding!"

He dropped his towel and ran over to the operating table the Colonel was lying on. Kelly was already doing CPR, and another nurse was handing the defibrillator paddles to him.

"Charge to 120!" he yelled.

"Clear!" He pressed the paddles on the Colonel's chest and pushed the button, sending an electric shock through his body.

"Still in V-fib!"

"150!"

"Clear!"

"Still no change."

"Damn it, son. You've come this far!" Carson screamed. "Charge to 200!"

"And Clear!"

Sheppard's body jolted again.

Looks like I couldn't resist - again!

I just really hope this works better for you now. It certainly does for me. Thanks AGAIN, Kathleen (EclecticTrekker)...

Please review!