Space Pirates
Chapter 13
Carson watched Teyla take a drink from the bottle of water and swallow the offered painkillers. She tried not to show it, but she was exhausted and in pain. Still, even with hair in disarray and dirt streaked, clothes torn and bloodied, she blinded and attacked by a Wraith, Teyla rayed part of the unique grace that made her who she was. Carson couldn't think of anyone more fearless he had ever known.
"Relax Teyla. The pain will lessen soon. I brought you a blanket and you can put on this jacket." He handed her his own jacket to wear. Teyla's own blue top had been badly burned by the Wraith attack.
"Thank you doctor. How are Major Sheppard and Lieutenant Ford holding out?"
Carson considered a white lie, but the way Teyla was looking at him, made him reconsider.
"Aiden will be fine eventually, but he needs to get treated, his wounds are infected. And so are yours." he added.
"Major Sheppard isn't doing very well. I'm not sure what I can do for him."
"I'm sure you will do your best." Teyla nodded with conviction before leaning back in her seat, closing her eyes.
Assured that Teyla was at least getting a few minutes of rest, Carson went back outside. The destruction from the recent Wraith attack was partially hidden by the darkness, but not even the night could hide all the signs of violence. But Carson was pleased to note that everyone was at least sitting up. Markham was still sitting on the ground. Carson knelt down next to him first.
"Are you all right?"
"Caught the edge of a stunner blast, doc. It's going to wear off right?"
"It is. If you are already sitting you weren't hit that badly indeed. Pins and needles?"
"Everywhere." Markham managed a grin. "But I'm going to be all right. Take care of the others."
Carson had just gotten back when Sergeant Bates appeared by his side. The sergeant wore a miserable expression, even in the dim glow of the flashlight, Carson could see that much.
"Doc, how are your patients?"
"Waiting to get back to the infirmary." Carson said briefly, as that basically summed it up. They all were supposed to be in the infirmary yesterday, but they were on the planet for now and that was it.
"What is it?" He asked when Bates didn't answer.
"I think we are going to be here a little longer. Sorry doc. The Wraith shot our Jumper to hell. The stunners of theirs didn't make a dent in the hull but fried everything under it, all the Ancient tech has gone belly up. We are going nowhere."
Carson was speechless for a minute. This had not been planned.
"We can't even repair it. We don't have that kind of spare parts with us. It's questionable whether we even could repair the Jumper on Atlantis. We have to wait here until Atlantis sent someone else for us." Stackhouse added.
None of the men voiced what they all where thinking. The probability that Atlantis was risking even more people on this was low. Elizabeth had to cut her losses at some point.
"I have to look after my patients." Carson finally said and disappeared towards the rear of the Jumper.
First he checked on John. The Wraith burn was continuing to bleed. Technically that couldn't be. The wound was need and being a burn injury it should have stopped bleeding by now. But instead it was bleeding quite heavily. Eying the shrinking bandage supply, Carson redressed the wound, hoping that the Wraith had not introduced some alien chemicals into John's body when he had attacked him. In that case, Teyla could also be in trouble. Carson made a mental note to check on her as well. John's breathing gave him cause for concern as well. It was very flat and Carson feared that John wasn't getting enough oxygen into his system. They had brought a portable ventilation unit, but its power would only last so long. Carson wanted to use it as a last resort, not any sooner. For now, he hoped John would still do well enough on his own. He moved over to Aiden, who was still leaning against the bulkhead in a semi-sitting position to take the strain of his injured ribs and breathe easier. When Carson touched him to push up his shirt to have a look at his wounds, Aiden's eyes flew upon.
"I heard." he whispered.
"What did you hear?"
"About the Jumper, that's broken and that we're stuck down here."
"I'm sorry, we didn't want to wake you up." That was the only thing that came to Carson's mind. He had wanted to let the injured man rest.
"I have an idea. Why don't we use the Dart to get back to Atlantis?" Aiden suggested.
John's touch soothed Rodney. Too often had he relieved the memory of killing his best friend. Knowing now that it all had been a trick of his ailing mind was an immense relief. John might not be real, in the sense of being physically there with Rodney in the abandoned house with Rodney, but he felt real to Rodney as he was leaning against him.
When John put a hand on Rodney's chest, Rodney weakly arched an eyebrow and wanted to make a snide comment that he wasn't the touchy feely type despite the situation, when he noticed that there was more to John's touch. Where his hand was the pain in his chest lessened and he noticed that he could breathe just a little bit easier. John reached around with his other hand, holding Rodney now with both hands. A warm feeling, slightly vibrating feeling flowed through Rodney. Rodney wriggled from his touch and crawled a few feet away.
"What do you think you are doing!" He spat, or tried to. His voice was barely above a whisper.
"What is it Rodney? You need to rest. I'm sorry if I've offended you. I thought you were okay with me holding you."
"You were doing more than holding me, and you know it." Rodney wheezed. "What will they do if they catch up fixing me. You are not supposed to be doing that. Tell me the truth already. I want to know it all this time." Rodney was furious. The effort of saying this much had him gasping for breath and his head was spinning again.
"Only if you lie down and drink something and you let me light you a fire, you need it warmer in here. Then I'll tell you. I promise, I'll tell you the truth." John pleaded.
Rodney was more exhausted by the argument than he wanted to admit.
"All right, we have a deal."
Nobody had cared to tell him manner and mode of his upcoming execution as John was woken rudely by a kick into the ribs early the next morning. He bit back a howl of pain and got to his feet.
"Face the wall!" As soon as the larger of the two marines looming over him had given the command, the smaller one had virtually smashed him into the wall. His wrists were pulled together and wrapped with rope.
John thought about making a comment or two about the lack of a last meal or a shower, but decided to spare himself further kicks to sensitive body parts. He had done as Carson had asked the previous night and he only hoped the bastard was not busy shooting God knows what up his arm, but getting him out of this.
Unfortunately, as it was looking right now, he was on the best way of joining Rodney on the other side, except that you could not die in your dreams. The marine couple marched him down the corridor, all the way from the brig to the Gateroom. John kept wondering where they were going. Maybe Elizabeth didn't want blood spatter in Atlantis and had decided to off him off-world, he though cynically, as they entered the Gateroom which was flooded with beautiful golden morning light.
A veritable crowd had assembled in the Gateroom. John recognized more faces than he liked to. Ford was there, Bates, Cavanaugh, Beckett; the little traitor was standing in the front row right next to Elizabeth. Damn him to hell. Zelenka was standing there was well, grinning broadly. Damn again, he wouldn't have expected that from the Czech.
The marines marched him to the middle of the room, where he was standing just in front of the crowd. Elizabeth stepped forward, along with Beckett and Zelenka, who went behind John towards the Gate.
John who had been fairly calm up until now was starting to get nervous. He was not afraid of dying, not that he could die really here anyways. He was afraid of losing his dream; even it was a deranged nightmare. These people were all he had left. They were wicked and evil; at least most of them, but there were something more than the four stone walls, the cold, the pain and the dark that his captors had to offer. If he died, would this dream end? Would he dream again?
Elizabeth stepped up to him. She leaned close and whispered.
"I offered you a chance to be my partner, but you betrayed me instead. Nobody betrays me." She kissed him on the lips.
Elizabeth turned to the crowd.
"Let this be a warning to all traitors." She said simply and smiled.
"Dr. Zelenka, are you ready?" She turned towards the Gate. John turned around as well, and suddenly understood how he was meant to die.
A rope with a noose attached was slung over the highest point of the Gate. Standing under it was a large crate. Dr. Zelenka was standing next to the crate an accomplished smile on his face.
"As you see John, we made quite an effort for you. I wouldn't just have you shot. That would have been far too boring. Please, step up."
Seeing the marines up on the balcony with their P-90s ready, John didn't see much choice but to comply. A very small part of him still hoped for Carson to come through for him. He had no idea how the doctor might do this, but John was an optimist at heart.
John stepped up on the crate. He had tempted death on quite a few occasion in the past, always for a good cause, for God and country, for Atlantis, for his men. Not like this, not this blatant. He was not going to get out of this one so easily. It felt so real. It's only a dream, he reminded himself. A twisted nightmare. He swallowed hard. He could still feel his knees not being quite that solid.
Someone stepped up on the crate with him. John twisted his neck, it was Carson. He was sliding the noose around John's neck.
Then Carson tightened the noose slowly and while doing it whispered in John's ear.
"Play along. Don't fight back. Radek fixed it to choke you, not break your neck. This will help." Something stung into the side of John's neck. Heeding Carson's advice, he suppressed his reaction. The rope was pressing tight against his throat. It was not choking him, but it was already starting to trigger his gagging reflex. John swallowed, trying to get rid of the sensation.
Carson stepped back down, rejoining Elizabeth and Radek in the front of the crowd.
"Sergeant Bates, would you do the honours?"
"Of course Ma'am. It is a pleasure." Bates said and walked towards the Gate and John.
Everything was a bit blurred as John watched on. Whatever Carson had given him must be messing with him. At least the irresistible urge to gag had died down. But he felt extremely dizzy, as everything blurred and tilted in front of his eyes.
Even though he knew what was coming, the pain and shock still overwhelmed him as Bates kicked out the crate from under his feet. Suddenly his entire weight pulled at his neck. He had Carson's advice echoing through his mind, but the drive to survive was stronger and his hands flew up, frantically pulling at the rope that was grinding into the skin of his neck. He was getting any air. Carson's drug was making it all worse, his hands wouldn't work right. Desperately, his mind screamed at his fingers to continue prying at the rope, to work for a bit longer, but even though he still had oxygen left in his lungs, his arms dropped uselessly to his sides. He could see a shadow move towards him, but his vision was rapidly declining. He merely saw shades of light and dark and his eyes threatened to close any minute. Even though his lungs' demand for oxygen became more burning with every second, John found the screaming of his thoughts dying down and his panic ebbing away. He was tired. Even the heavy weight that pulled on his neck seemed to have lightened. Was this the peace before death? Maybe it wasn't so bad. He was tired of being hurt all the time.
Before he could drift off, there was something at his neck. Muffled noises followed, before he suddenly went weightless. For a split second, he thought he had died, but then he crashed hard. Pain cursed through his head and his neck felt like it had been shattered.
Arms grabbed him and he was being moved, his brain vaguely registered as he gasped for air. He wanted to say something, but the need for oxygen was stronger. The arm deposited him on the floor and the body belonging to them cowered over him.
A second later, an explosion of sound and light, the even reached John Sheppard's oxygen starved mind, reached the Gateroom, as the Gate opened and a wave of bright white energy consumed the Gateroom.
Rodney was lying as comfortably as he could in an abandoned house on a deserted planet with no resources. John had given him more to drink and had lighted a nicely burning fire in the corner of the room. When he was all done, he sat down next to Rodney.
"So tell me. You are really dead and just haven't broken the news to me, right?" Rodney started off the conversation, trying to get the worst out of the way, When John had appeared as a glowing Ancient, he had had the sinking feeling right away.
"No, no. I wasn't lying when I said that I was still alive. I'm not doing to well, but my body is still alive. In fact I'm stuck on a planet not unlike this one. But Beckett is there and he is not going to let me croak on his watch."
Rodney nodded.
"John, when you said your body is still alive, what about your brain?" Rodney asked sharply.
"I just knew you would ask that."
"John, the truth, you promised."
"The pirate gang kept me drugged up with a very special cocktail of theirs. Don't ask me what's in it. It's supposed to make the prisoners compliant to sell them into slavery. I didn't react very well to it, I'm told, add me shooting myself into the head, or well, trying to at least, my brain got fried pretty much." John tried to keep the conversation with his usual humour despite the topic.
"So you're telling me that you're lying around brain dead on some planet?" Rodney would have screamed if he could have.
"Nope, it's not that bad. I'm still in there. Stuck in hallucinations. There is some damage all right. Carson could explain this much better, but I'm still ticking."
"I don't understand." Rodney was confused. „Why are you all ascended? What happens to you now?"
"I'm still pretty new to being ascended myself, and I'm not fully ascended yet. I'll become an actual ascended when I die." John frowned. "Actually this is not that bad. At least I still get to visit you for a bit."
"Do they know you are here?"
"No, I hope not. I'm not supposed to interfere. I'm just supposed to bide my time until I'm dead for real which happens if either my body dies here. Carson will never let that happen. Or if I die in the reality my mind is trapped in."
"Huh?"
"Yeah, I didn't want to sound crazy. The hallucination. I can die there. I don't know that."
"That's crazy." Rodney coughed. In a split second, John had a hand on his chest, easing his pain.
"Quit that. All you have to do is to sit tight. Carson will figure out something. He won't let you die. You said it yourself. If you live, you'll just stay alive, right."
"I guess so." John wasn't sure. "But it's not going to happen. My Ascended mentor told me that I'm going to die and the Ascended can see through time. She would know." John said slightly uncomfortable. "I only agreed to tell you to say good-bye."
"You can't leave!" Rodney protested.
"You are right, I can't leave yet. I have something to do first." John reached over to Rodney. This time Rodney didn't resist the warm, healing touch.
"One more question. What will happen to you now?"
"If they catch me? I won't ascend; I'll be trapped in my body." John replied.
Rodney was about the say something but John stopped him.
"Don't. Nothing you say will change my mind. I'm dead already. You were coming for me to get me out of this hellhole of a prison. I owe you. Listen to me: the Jumper isn't coming. They were attacked by the Wraith. They are all alive, but the Jumper is beyond repair. There is a Stargate on this planet here. It's about thirty miles from here. The pirates didn't know of it, it's well hidden in the woods. It's at the source of the river. All you have to do is follow the river upwards. The terrain will get rougher, but you should be able to do it. Do you understand?"
"Sure." Rodney nodded, knowing there was no way he could dissuade John now.
tbc