A/N: And the tale continues. It hasn't been going fast, but I'm not giving up on the story any time soon. I just want to thank everyone who is still reading and reviewing.

The trek through the forest towards the Jumper seemed longer than the distance they had covered during their flight. Even though Markham held her arm firmly, guiding her and preventing her from falling to the ground, every step was a challenge. The pain from her injured leg seemed to slice through her muscles every time she put weight on the appendage. The pain was intense enough to bring tears to her eyes, but she was determined not to complain. They were in dangerous territory and the quicker they got to the relative safety of the Jumper the better. She bit her lip and struggled onwards, once again almost falling to the ground as her foot got caught under a root. She had to bite her lip to prevent herself from crying out in pain as Markham pulled her to her feet , urging her on. She didn't blame him for the rough gesture. They had to hurry and being burdened down with their injured comrades, the two soldiers were heavily vulnerable to any attacks by the wraith that could be lurking anywhere within the maze of trees.

When Teyla smelled a whiff of something acrid in the air, which soon intensified, she knew that they must be getting closer to the Jumper. The smell of burned wood grew more intense with each painful step. She could still sense the Wraith in the distance, but the feeling had remained constant ever since she had been in the woods. The smoke in the air made her cough and she couldn't help wondering how much farther it was until they reached the Jumper. She could still hear the heavy footsteps of the sergeant in front of them. With each step her strength is wearing thinner. For now, she was still winning against the pain, the fatigue and the raw emotions that threatened to reach the normally calm surface. Fear, the one thing she has devoted herself to conquer was lurking in the darkness and just waiting for her to be weak.

When she heard voices in the distance, she knew that it was only a matter of seconds now. Drained as she felt, it gave her another burst of energy. Teyla hung on the Markham's shoulder as they made it through the last few meters of underbrush separating them from the landing site of the Jumper. Suddenly, the voices were close and were all talking at once. She could make out Bates' and Carson's voice in the thick of simultaneous talking.

"Sit down." Markham had an arm around her and guided her to sit on a solid surface. Teyla felt a wall to her side, possibly that of the Jumper and leaned into it, the adrenaline rush finally wearing off. She was about to drift off when a hand touched her shoulder. She sat up straight, slightly confused, not sure what was going on. She felt something smooth on her hand.

"Take it. It's orange juice. And there are some pills for the pain. Beckett will be over as soon as he can." Markham gave her an opened bottle and put the pills in her other hand. Teyla took them gladly, welcoming the relief from the pain.

Beckett had just finished up bandaging Aiden's cuts when he heard Bates and Markham approach. The advantage of being in such a thick forest was that it was nearly impossible to come up to their position without rustling the bushes and making considerable noise.

Beckett had not been prepared for the sight of Major Sheppard. He had expected injuries, but when he saw the man's bloody chest, clearly showing a smeared handprint, he was still shocked. This was something he could not treat. If he had not felt the weak pulse himself, he would not have believed that John was still alive, but indeed, his heart was still beating and he was breathing, albeit in slow and shallow breath.

He could not tell whether John had aged through the Wraith feeding, but he looked terrible. His face was sunken and drawn, his skin grey with purplish shadows under his eyes. He looked like an old man. His hair was sticking up, but not thanks to hair gel this time. No, mud, sand and dirt were in his hair. Carson almost missed the head wound hidden beneath tangled mess. It looked a few days old and wasn't bleeding anymore. His first guess was a gunshot wound; this would be serious trouble, but nothing he could do about here, and would have to wait until he got back to Atlantis. There was no standard treatment for Wraith feeding either. He shot a quick look outside to see how the Jumper repairs were progressing, but there was no sign that they were going to be finishing soon. Carson shoved back his frustration at not being able to do much for his critically ill patient and settled for hooking John up to oxygen and IV fluids and treating the wound to his chest. Just as he was cleaning the hand shaped burn, he noticed that the chest of his patient was too still beneath his hands.

"Shit!" He hadn't even noticed that the major had stopped breathing. He had been so busy with treating him. His hands flew to John's neck. No pulse either. Not this one, not this one, the mental mantra filled his head as he reached for the defibrillator and started lubricating the paddles. He put them to his patient's chest and shocked him once, then felt for a pulse, but nothing. Ready to shock John again, he suddenly halted when a bright light blinded him. Instinctively, he held up one hand to shield his eyes, but the light grew bright white and so intense that he had to close his eyes entirely.

"It's okay. You can look."

Beckett didn't believe his ears, as he heard John's voice. He opened his eyes and gasped at the sight in front of him. A somewhat translucent glowing John was kneeling in front of him, between himself and the other, John, which he was desperately trying to bring back to life.

"Is he…are you dead?" Carson finally managed to gasp.

John tilted his head. "No, neither of us is alive or dead at the moment, we are both in between. But he'll be all right. But listen, you have to go and find Rodney, he is still alive, but he isn't going to last much longer."

"Rodney?" Somewhere in the back of his mind, Carson knew that he wasn't making a lot of sense, but this was just not possible, even considering all the strange things he had seen since coming to the Pegasus galaxy.

"Yes. Listen, I have to go. Say hi to Rodney from me." John turned to his prone self on the floor of the Jumper, laying a hand over the burned imprint his the chest. A bright glow spread from his hand to the body, and then the glowing figure was gone. Carson blinked, not sure whether that he really happened. He looked the defibrillator he still carried in hand and then looked over to John. His chest was moving again.

John was alone again in Elizabeth's quarters. Carson had left him tied up, despite his pleas to loosen the bindings to allow him to escape. Elizabeth had the doctor under control and, as John began to suspect, all of Atlantis was under her absolute rule. He was helpless until she came back to her quarters. To his surprise it was not Elizabeth who came back to the room first though. When the door opened, it was Sergeant Bates who entered and one look at his face told him that he was in trouble.

Bates wore a grin that reminded him of the grin he had seen on Beckett's face when he had handed him the file with the evidence of Rodney's mental problems. John forced himself not to struggle as Bates approached him. The grin on the other man's face only intensified as he stood directly in front of him. He pulled a knife from the small of his back, holding it close to John's face. John schooled his expression not to show fear. Internally he braced himself for what was to come, he expected Bates to cut him any moment. But instead of the blade cutting his skin, Bates swiftly moved the knife upwards and cut through the bonds that tied John's arms to the bed. The moment his wrists were freed John launched a punch towards Bates. He wasn't fooled, not for a moment did he believed that Bates would free him for any reason but his own benefit. Despite his unfavourable position John manage to land the punch in Bates' face. Bates staggered back, dropping the knife on the ground. John reached down grabbing the knife. The IV in his hand came out, leaving blood dropping down his hand.

Now, Bates was back on his feet, lunging at John, pressing him against the bed. In spite of having the advantage of the knife, John was unable to use it, his hand being immobilized by pressure against the mattress. But he wasn't about the give up the weapon either. Bates might have pinned him down for the moment, but he wasn't at the end of his rope, yet. He knew that the other man had an advantage; he was stronger, as he himself was still recovering from both the gunshot wound to his side and the encounter with Elizabeth's poisoned wine. As Bates was trying to wriggle the knife from his grasp, John arched his back and brought up his head, smacking straight into Bates head. The sergeant, not prepared for the sudden smacking together of their foreheads, cried out and tumbled back, giving John the chance to sit up and free his feet which were still tied to the bed post.

John didn't want to stab Bates, but when the other man lunged at him again, aiming for his injured side, his only defence was to lash out with the knife. He slashed Bates across the arm and chest, but the flowing blood didn't stop him. Bates was now more determined than ever to kill John with his bare hands. The next blow came fast and the forceful contact with his ribcage, making John gasp in pain. His attacker used the opportunity to grab his arm and bend his elbow backwards to motivate him to let go of the knife.

Out of air and .pressed into the mattress, John had to let go of the knife as the lack of oxygen made his lungs burn and the pain in his arm started to drive tears to eyes. Once he let go of the knife, Bates released his hold on him. John gulped for air, instinctively cradling his abused arm. When he saw Bates angling the knife downwards, he tried to dive out of the way, but exhaustion slowed him down and he was caught at the base of the neck. At first, it didn't hurt at all. Then it was as if he had been stung with a hot iron and pain radiated all through his neck and chest. Warm fluid spilled onto his skin and he didn't need to see to know that he was bleeding.

But Bates had obviously missed his target, he had gone for John's jugular and had only caught him at a relatively harmless spot that would bleed a bit and hurt, but the wound would be not be fatal. Still looking at his handiwork, either in disappointment or fascination, John didn't care either way as he punched the man in the jaw. Bates tumbled backwards but remained on his feet and his grip on the knife didn't loosen. John however had enough time to get to his feet, which were not as steady as he would have liked. He prepared another blow, this time aimed at Bates kidney region, when the next assault with the knife came. He could barely raise his arms to block the worst of it before the blade struck again. This time only his arm got cut, but he lost his footing already having been unsteady on his feet.

In pain and exhausted, he started to doubt that he even could overpower Bates, when he was saved by the opening door. Bates had his back to the door and didn't see Elizabeth entering. She stood in the doorway, staring at the display of the two men fighting to the death in her room. Then, without saying a word, she pulled a berretta out of a shoulder holster that John had never seen Elizabeth wear before and raised the weapon. She fired a single shot into Bates' back and he collapsed to the floor, leaving John to struggle beneath the limp body. He wasn't even too surprised. He had been in this nightmare for a while now and he had seen that the life had very little value. Intent on staying alive, he chose not to comment on what had just happened. Instead he struggled to his feet; still wary of what was going to happen next. He didn't trust Elizabeth one bit and would no hesitate to use the next opportunity to get away from her.

Gun still in her hand, Elizabeth walked over to him. "I never thought I could trust him. But I'm glad that you are alright. I'm sorry that I didn't get here earlier."

She slung her arms around him. He did likewise, glad that he was still in her good graces. She pulled him closer until their faces were almost touching and he could feel her breath on his skin. Her soft lips met his and for a fraction of a second he hesitated before twisting away and using the moment to grab her gun from the holster. He still held her with his other arm, preventing her from escaping.

"You're coming with me, Elizabeth."

"This will never work. Everyone will only listen to me. You're a dead man, John. Accept it. If you give up now, I might even forgive you. You're such a good kisser, especially when you are angry." The look she gave him bordered on a leer.

"You're right. Everyone depends on your leadership. That's why nobody will risk that I kill you. They'll have to let me go."

"There is nowhere for you to go. Your gene is gone. Carson is an incompetent fool, he can't give it back to you. It's a miracle he ever figured out the gene therapy given how dense he is. If it weren't for the Yularans and their medical technology, we'd all be dead by now. He's useless. I should have killed him long ago, actually." Elizabeth laughed.

Imagines of Rodney welled up in John's brain. Elizabeth had ordered Rodney killed. She was responsible for his death. But he couldn't get mad now, couldn't have his revenge now, he needed her. She was his ticket out of this nightmare.

"Let's go." He ordered and pushed her towards the door.

Carson checked over John again for probably the tenth time in as many minutes. He had had close calls with patients before, but the vision had scared him and the major was still far from stable. The sooner he got back to Atlantis the better, and even then Carson was not sure there was much that he could do for the major, except wait and hope that he would recover.

"Doc?" A voice behind him caught his attention. He turned around and saw Bates standing near the open hatch of the Jumper.

"The repairs are going to take us a while. Another two or three hours, at least. We took quite a hit when we went down, but we are getting back them up again. What about Dr. MacKay? I sent out men, but they haven't found him yet. Has the lieutenant said anything?"

"No, he just mentioned the major and Teyla."

"Teyla only said that they had to leave him when I asked her. What about your patients, doc? I'm prepared to search until dawn."

"I don't think Rodney is here." Carson answered, not ready to tell Bates about his vision. It was uncomfortable to mention. On the other hand, if it was true, it could save a friends life. "I think what Teyla meant was that they had to leave him on the planet that they were originally stranded on. We should leave here as soon as the engines are repaired. Both the major and the lieutenant belong in the infirmary"

"All right. I'll call my men back. Let's hope that the Wraith don't find us here."

Carson turned to his last patient, Teyla. She had fallen asleep, sitting in one of the Jumper's seats while waiting for him to deal with the more severely injured team members. When he approached her and gently touched her shoulder, she startled awake, her eyes darted around aimlessly.

"It's Dr. Beckett, you're safe Teyla. We're going to get you back to Atlantis soon"

Teyla visibly relaxed. The normally ever-calm Athosian was noticeably tense.

"John and Aiden? "

„Aiden will be all right and John is stable for now. I think he will be all right once we get back to Atlantis. "Carson said carefully, not wanting to lie, but not wanting to sound bleak either. Teyla nodded, the sad expression on her face told him that she knew most of the truth anyways.

Teyla knew that the doctor tried to hide it, but she sensed that when he had a look at her eyes, he too didn't know what had caused her blindness. He reassured her that she was not suffering from any kind of infection and told her that they would surely find out once they were back in the City. She thought that she didn't really need emergency medical attention, the short nap, drink and food had already started to replenish her. She could well wait till she returned. But it was of course more comfortable to receive medication that dulled the persistent pain in her ankle. The Atlantian doctor told her that the bone was probably at least fractured and chided her for having walked on the leg. But they both knew that she had had no other choice.

Beckett was almost done with the rather painful procedure of setting and splinting her ankle when the familiar cold feeling awoke again inside her and she could feel them approach. She pushed the doctor aside, trying to get outside.

"The Wraith! They are coming here!"

"What! No! Shit! We are sitting ducks."

There was already a rustling in the vegetation and the first bright blue stunner blast flew through the air. Rapid automatic weapons fire follow. Teyla was pulled back inside the Jumper by Beckett.

"Sit still. You are in no condition to be outside"

"I had to warn them. I can sense them earlier than you can see them." Teyla replied calmly, letting Beckett get back to work. Outside the sounds of the fire fight were frightening as the Wraith closed in on the Jumper.

John was down one corridor already and so far no one had spotted him and Elizabeth. At first, he had planned to head straight to the gate room, but when he saw the trail of blood on the floor, he realized that he needed to pay a visit to the infirmary first. Not only would he need something for his pain, but the bleeding needed to be stopped before it got out of control.

Elizabeth had not said a word, nor showed any resistance since they had left her quarters, but John doubted that she had just resigned and given in; she was planning something, he was sure of it. John held his breath as he passed a scientist in the corridor, but other than receiving a frightened stare, nothing happened. They passed several more people on their way, but overall, there was very little foot traffic.

The infirmary was empty when they walked in. No patients, no staff and no doctor Beckett to be seen. John looked around, starting to consider bandaging his wound himself and raiding the medicine cabinet for some pain killers. Elizabeth noticed his hesitation.

"Looking for the most useless man in the City? He is probably in his office getting high"

John raised an eyebrow, but proceeded to drag Elizabeth towards Carson's office. The door was ajar and when he pushed it open, he indeed found the doctor injecting himself with a clear liquid. Carson only looked up briefly when he noticed that he wasn't alone.

"What the hell are you doing! "John shouted.

Carson didn't react.

In a flash, John knocked the syringe out of his hand. Carson only sat there, looking at him sadly.

Elizabeth laughed. "Do you see now"

"Yes, I see what you have done!" John replied and pulled Beckett up with his other arm.

"I need you to fix me up. And I need painkillers, now! "

Carson moved slowly, but did as John had demanded. He stitched up John's wounds, although his aim with the needle seemed slightly off. John didn't complain. He just needed to get out of this nightmare.

"Now the painkillers!" he demanded once Carson had finished dressing his wounds.

Carson shrugged. "I can't. Only she has access to medications"

"Don't count on me. " Elizabeth smirked.

"I have the gun," John reminded her.

"Oh yes, you do. But if you shot me now, how are you going to get through the gate. You need me later; you are not going to kill me now. "

John gritted his teeth and didn't answer. She had a point. He would have to manage without relieves. It would be tough, but he would survive. No longer bleeding, but still hurting, he made his way towards the Gate room. Everyone they passed gave them a wide berth.

In the gate room, a welcoming party was already waiting, with a good dozen marines, armed with P90's standing ready in front of the Gate. John pulled Elizabeth in front of himself as a shield, He had always thought only cowards would resort to using a living person for protection, but now there was he, using a civilian woman of all people. He moved up to the dialling panel and nobody made a move to stop him. He awkwardly reached around Elizabeth to type in the sequence when he heard an ominous popping sound from behind him. A sharp pain in his neck followed instantaneously. He had just enough time to reach up with one hand and pull out the dart before he collapsed to the floor.

TBC