Chapter 2
John slowed the Orion to a stop, a difficult maneuver in the vacuum of space. The large ship coasted for a moment, then the reverse thrusters finally kicked in, causing him to breathe a sigh of relief. He had been unsure of they were going to stop at all, or plow into the craft that drifted before them.
"What is that?" Ronon's quiet rumble sounded to his left, bewilderment in the runner's tone. He leaned forward, peering intently at the ship before them.
It was a space ship, that much was certain. And it certainly didn't resemble the sleek darts and powerful hive ships the Wraith favored. It was smaller than the Orion, but big enough so that John doubted it would fit into the largest landing bay of the Ancient ship. And it was battered; scorch marks seared the sides, and a patchwork of repairs covered the hull. The ship drifted aimlessly, the interior dark and silent.
"McKay?" John asked as he gazed at the relic.
"I got nothing," the scientist replied. "Just a distress beacon, which is fading, actually, and some intermittent power fluctuations." He ran his fingers across the Orion's scanners, anticipating Sheppard's next question. "No life signs, either, although who can tell with this equipment. I think it's abandoned."
John nodded, his mind racing. He turned to Teyla, who was leaning on the chair next to him, her face thoughtful as she stared out the window. After a rather bumpy landing, both she and Dr. Beckett had followed Ronon Dex to the control room, joining the rest of the team.
"Teyla? Ever seen anything like this before?" the Colonel asked. Ronon's curious tone had already told him the runner had never encountered this ship, or anything remotely like it.
Teyla shook her head. "No, Colonel Sheppard. It certainly doesn't resemble a ship of the Wraith, that much is certain."
John agreed. It was far to bulky, even ugly, to be something created by either the Ancients or the Wraith. It seemed…cobbed together, like anything found along the way was made to fit. Still, it showed signs of being in a recent battle, which meant that maybe some other strange craft was lurking nearby. John didn't like the sudden feeling of vulnerability that crept along his spine. The Orion was still in rough shape, and they were basically sitting ducks.
Still, his curiosity was peaked; who had flown such a ship, who were they fighting with, and did they want to be friends? Sheppard sighed; neither Carson or Rodney were going to like his next words.
"McKay? Is there life support on that ship?" John asked.
Rodney shook his head. "Negative. No air, just some gravity. The temperature seems to be freezing, too cold for anyone to survive. No power, either, from what I can tell. That means no lights." The scientist paused, a small blip catching his eye. He waited a long moment, but it failed to return.
'Must be a bug in the system,' he thought to himself.
"All right. Carson, you stay here, and keep the Orion parked. McKay, Teyla and Ronon, you're with me." John's orders were given smoothly, and his tone indicated he wanted no arguments. From the corner of his eye, he saw Beckett open his mouth to protest, then slam it shut. Muttering under his breath, Carson merely shuffled forward and reluctantly took his place in the command chair.
"I hate these bloody things," he griped to no one in particular.
"You'll be fine, Carson. We won't be long, I promise," Sheppard said. He followed his team from the control room, sliding sideways through the still-jammed door, and sighed. At the moment, the Orion seemed in little better shape than the mystery ship. Suddenly, the door slammed shut behind him, and John shook his head. Maybe that was overstating things just a bit.
oOo
"What a piece of junk," Rodney McKay griped as he plodded down the pitch black hallway. He shone his flashlight over the dark walls, grimacing at the glitter of condensation that coated everything.
He paused a moment, peering down at the life-signs detector held in one gloved hand. He banged his face against the plastic dome of the space suit, and nearly snarled in frustration. He hated wearing these bulky, uncomfortable suits, but, with the ship having no oxygen and frigid temperatures, it was necessary. They were lucky they had their suits on the puddle-jumper, or it would have been a very short trip.
"McKay?" John's tinny voice sounded in Rodney's ear piece, and the scientist waved one hand in the Colonel's direction.
"I'm fine. Just keep going," Rodney snapped. He squinted at the LSD again. Nothing. Not that there could be anyone alive on this ship – unless they were in a hibernation unit. The thought had crossed his mind, but McKay doubted that whoever built this ship had that kind of technology.
The long corridor was bisected by various doorways and shorter companion-ways. As they strolled passed the open doors, John had shone his flashlight inside, revealing crews quarters. Small beds and various personal items were placed in each room, except one, which contained…toys. Odd. He and McKay had exchanged raised eyebrows at that discovery. They walked deeper into the ship, coming upon a small kitchen area, pots and pans cascading on the floor, and an overturned table, surrounded by six toppled chairs.
"I guess neatness doesn't count," John remarked. It looked like access panels had been hurriedly removed, and various instruments and gadgets were tossed about. Something had created chaos on this ship, that much was certain.
Finally, they entered the dim control room, the only light provided by the stars that flickered outside the huge front window. Teyla carefully skirted one of the consoles, stepping up to the window and turning around. She slowly swept her flashlight across the room, illuminating various gauges and buttons. John followed, using the light on the muzzle of his gun to peer into a darkened corner. He sighed; this was looking like a wasted trip.
Ronon headed to the right, his big form stretching the space suit to it's limits. His steps were surprisingly light, even though he wore the same heavy boots as the others. Rodney was on his heels, peering intently at the LSD. The scientist paused at one of the consoles, shaking his head at the antiquated apparatus.
"Well, it's obvious there's nobody home on this crate, although why somebody would want to…" Rodney stopped speaking, his eyes drawn to a light green blip that flashed briefly on his scanner, then quickly disappeared. "Hold the phone! I think I got something!" He stared at the small screen for a long moment, so long that he wondered if there had been any reading at all.
"McKay?" John asked. He walked forward, coming to the scientist's side.
"Maybe not," Rodney answered, tapping lightly at the small device. He frowned in concern; it seemed to be working all right a few minutes ago.
The Colonel peered over Rodney's shoulder, and was rewarded with a small beep and a brief green glow. It almost instantly faded. If the scanner was correct, there was someone on the ship, probably in the engine room. And that person – human or alien – wasn't moving.
"Colonel, we should investigate. Someone may be injured," Teyla said softly. She stood on the other side of Rodney, her beautiful face ghostly in the glass of the space helmet.
"Or it could be a Wraith," Ronon advised. The runner had unholstered his weapon, and with a subtle 'click,' removed the safety catch. He moved forward, eyeing the narrow corridor they had traversed earlier.
"Well, I don't see how it could be either, with no oxygen and a temperature that even penguins would gripe about," Rodney said. John remained silent, processing the comments of his teammates. Then, with a shrug, he keyed his communicator.
"Carson? Do you read me?" John waited a moment, then, through some static, Dr. Beckett's strained voice could be heard.
"Aye, Colonel. I hope you're done sightseeing and heading back to the Orion," came the reply. John just shook his head; he liked Carson, but the man could be as nervous as a cat sometimes.
"We've found something, and we're going to check it out. Stay put. If you don't hear from us in about twenty minutes, I want you to head back to Atlantis. Sheppard out." He clicked off the radio before he heard Carson squawk in horror, and motioned for Teyla to take the lead.
They team fell into their normal 'there may be enemies out there so be prepared' grouping, with Teyla and John in front, sweeping their lights into every nook and cranny as they headed back down the corridor towards the signal. Rodney followed a few short steps behind, his attention wandering between the irregular blip on the scanner and trying to breathe quietly in the hideous suit. Ronon was last, his job to herd McKay along and protect their rear.
A few minutes later, they entered the engine room. The door was slightly ajar, and creaked as they crossed the threshold. From the corner of his eye, John saw Rodney shake his head in disgust at the noise. The scientist took the lead, holding the scanner out like a talisman, sweeping it back and forth in the dark room.
"Nothing," he finally admitted. He lowered his arm, clumsily switching the sensor to read power signals, rather than life signs. He was startled to get a reading, and excitedly bustled forward. Ronon merely followed, accustomed to keeping an eye on the easily distracted scientist.
John and Teyla halted, waiting to see where Rodney's scanner led him. Their flashlights cast eerie glows on the huge engine, reflected by the icy condensation that covered everything. Sheppard leaned forward, banging lightly on the outer shell of the engine, grimacing at the empty tone that echoed back.
"Deader than a doornail," he muttered. He grinned at Teyla's confused look, then turned at McKay's yelp of triumph.
"Over here!" Rodney called. He handed the scanner to Ronon, who gazed at it curiously. Moving carefully, McKay leaned forward, brushing one hand across a small blue bar. An access panel suddenly whooshed to the side, exposing an array of cables and crystals.
"Yesss!" Rodney said gleefully. His blue eyes searched the crystals, and his face fell as he realized that many of the crystals were stained a deep brown or completely black. Dead. Most of the crystals were damaged, or drained, or absolutely lifeless. He sighed, wondering why he ever thought that for once, things would work out for them. Still, some of the crystals worked, although, as he peered closer, they seemed to be operating on some kind of battery power. No wonder he hadn't gotten any readings. The batteries in their flashlights gave off more energy than this configuration. His perusal was interrupted by Ronon's deep voice.
"Sheppard!" Ronon's tone was one of warning, and Rodney swiveled away from the panel. The runner quickly handed the scanner back to it's rightful owner, then motioned for McKay to get behind him. John and Teyla lifted their weapons, following the Satedan to the left side of the engine.
Moving quickly, Ronon skirted a protective railing, flashing his light towards a pitch black corner of the room. As the team moved forward, they could see a strange shape nestled along the wall. Piles of blankets were mounded up, along with a canister of some kind. Plastic lines ran from the bottle, disappearing into the blankets.
John motioned with the muzzle of his P-90, and Ronon cautiously lowered his weapon to the floor. With Sheppard and Teyla standing at the ready, he slowly removed the blankets, gently tugging them away. His eyes widened as he saw a mop of dark blonde hair emerge, followed by a pale face.
"Ronon?" John's voice was tense. The runner shook his head in answer. There was no oxygen on this ship, and the temperature was frigid. Even under all the blankets, there was no way this woman could still be alive. Wishing that he could free his hands of the bulky gloves, Ronon knelt down, following the plastic lines to a cannula encircling the woman's nose. As he leaned closer, trying to see better in the dark of the ship, she suddenly took a small, quick breath.
"Hey! She's….." Rodney held the scanner in one hand, and was rapidly poking at the buttons. He was interrupted by the runner. Ronon had fallen back on to his heels, a look of wonder and apprehension on his features as he spoke.
"She's alive."
TBC