A/N: Thanks for the feedback and patience.

Chapter 10

Welcome to the Grand Delusion

Ford stretched. Morning was always his favorite time of day- the possibilities, the unknown, the little birdie chirping outside of the hidden passageway that when fried up right tasted like good old fried chicken. See, that's why the Wraith could not have Earth…no more fried chicken that only Grandmas could fry up right… His taste buds applauded at the mere thought.

On the other hand, the Wraith could have all the green peas they desired. Surely, something as vile as the Wraith could survive on something as equally vile as green peas. Yeah, both were on equal footing.

His hearing interrupted his salivating mouth as the crinkling of fabric announced someone's approach.

"I hate mornings," stated Mulden as he joined Ford.

Aiden grinned big. "Ah Garfield, but today, we do a little recon and move the homestead. So much time and so little to do. Wait, stop that, reverse it."

Mulden looked perplexed and shook his head. "I give up trying to understand what you're talking about half the time." After an exaggerated sigh, he continued, "After Dr. McKay's session in the chair, most of the Wraith should retreat back to the ship leaving us ample time to set up."

"That's what I figured as well, but I don't want to wait that long. We need him coherent. Lia said they were not going to put him in it until later. Hopefully, we can intercept him and the others before the baddies know what's going on. Make our job easier."

Mulden sipped his morning drink. "If he's half as smart as you say, we should be able to take the Wraith down with little or no problem…OK, maybe, with a lot and many problems, but we can do it." He paused and took another sip. "You do have a back up plan, right?"

"Always." Ford gave an exaggerated exhale of his own. "Well, let me finish my outside recon of the ship, have a quick chat with the good doctor, and then go make another call."

"Good luck Aiden!" Mulden called out as Ford headed towards the trees before returning to the burrow.

Ford slipped noiselessly into the forest and made his way to the Hive ship. Osy and Te'Jon took the C-4 earlier that morning, but only about six blocks of the explosive material. It should be enough to put a major kink in the engines. He kept some in reserve. As he thought the night before- something was not right about Te'Jon. He sent Kocak to get on the chain gang and keep an eye on the pair. Better safe than sorry.

He moved from tree to tree until he could see the great ship. He gaped and stopped cold once he was in view. The scaffolding was half way removed from the outside of the engines and equipment was being stowed away. The time table stepped up to- let's get this show on the road, right now.

Phone call first, and then McKay.

It pissed him off. Calling Atlantis was like calling your parents for money. I can't make the car payment. Can I have a loan? He was not the truant child. He was an AWOL adult after all.

Regardless, he practically sprinted to the Stargate. This time he would not have a lookout to watch his back. The Wraith however left the Gate unprotected for a couple of reasons. They did not want anyone to know they were there. They performed sporadic patrols of the Gate, but little else. One was due soon.

Also, most of the humans were imprisoned in camps with guards. The Wraith rounded everyone up when they first arrived to keep control. They searched for stragglers, but not overly hard. Their over confidence was a real asset.

He surveyed his target listening for any rustling of leaves, breaking of sticks, or stomping of ground. Nothing. They had surveillance devices set-up near the Gate, another reason for only sporadic patrols. He knew them by heart and sidestepped to avoid them with ease. He punched in the familiar address.

After the swoosh, he started broadcasting. "Hola' Atlantis, como' estas?"

"Ford, good to hear your voice."

He laughed. "Yeah right, whatever. I'm calling in the big guns, Colonel. Let me give you the lowdown on what we have going on here and then you can send in the troops. Earth's in a world of shit."

Ford gave them a quick synopsis of McKay's situation and his best guess on the others in the Hive ship. He also gave them what McKay had told him. "I'll wait for you here. The patrol's due in fifteen minutes give or take and hour. So, say in about thirty minutes, send in the troops and air support, if you catch my drift?"

"We have teams standing by. You have just made their day. What's the address?"

Ford gave it.

"Received. We'll be there at the appointed time."

"I'll have the streamers waiting, sir. Ford out." He cut the wormhole and went into hiding to wait. On his borrowed Genii radio, he called the hideout.

----------------

"Have all team leaders meet me in the conference room including Dr. Zelenka. Ask Dr. Biro if Ronon can make an excursion off-world. We're going to get our people. Also, extrapolate the planet's position and see if the Daedalus can make it in time," ordered Caldwell after the puddle disappeared. The technician from Canada nodded and went right to work.

Ten minutes later, everyone convened in the conference room including an irate Dr. Biro with her patient. "I protest. Yesterday he had a fever of 105 degrees Fahrenheit and today, he's going on a camping trip."

Ronon gave her a sullen and tired look. "I'm going. You can tie me to the bed when I bring Beckett back."

"And that is the only reason I am even considering this course of action. Anyway, even in this weakened state, you would leave no matter what I said."

Caldwell pursed his lips to keep from smiling. She must really want Dr. Beckett back to even consider letting Ronon go. Lorne could not make any excuse to get out. His head and back prevented him anyway. Ronon was a force of nature begging you to contradict him.

He looked at Major Warren and Sgt. Fuller, the two Jumper pilots going.

"Ford will be waiting near the Gate. Remain cloaked; we don't know the security measures they have in place." Caldwell looked at two more team leaders, Sgt. Stackhouse and Lt. Cadman. "You will be in the Jumpers as well. Jumper One will remain in the air, Stackhouse you'll be in Two with Warren. You know Ford as do some of your men. It might keep him level. Once there, it's your call Warren. You have the basic plan, adapt as you see fit." He knew he did not need to tell them that, especially the sergeants.

"Dr. Zelenka, let's get your little friend ready for recon of the Gate before the Jumpers take off. Let's keep the surprises to a minimum. Let's go bring them back."

Everyone stood and those in uniform saluted. They dispersed to their mission positions.

"It's about damn time," Caldwell said under his breath. He walked out to the Control Room. They still had another five minutes. He could taste the apprehension and excitement.

"Sir, it would take the Daedalus twenty-six hours to get there."

"Of course it's not a couple of hours, why would our luck change? Jumpers One and Two, we stick to the original plan. The planet is too far away." He checked his watch again. "Good hunting."

Acknowledgements came as Jumper One lowered and the Gate engaged. The Mars MALP went through. After a few seconds, telemetry beamed back.

"Nothing immediately around the Stargate and the area in front is clear for Jumper. The sensors Ford mentioned are very low to ground. They should not set them off," Zelenka reported. He looked at Caldwell. "I can see nothing to hinder them."

"Jumper One, you have a go."

A few seconds later Jumper Two lowered. "Jumper Two, you have a go."

He watched the Gate shut down and felt overwhelming relief. This was his element. This he could do with his hands tied behind his back and his eyes closed. Even so, he was ready to give Atlantis back.

"Col. Caldwell, there you are! I must protest…" shouted another put-out lab coat.

Caldwell pinched the bridge of his nose.

Shit.

He could not give it back to Weir quick enough.

----------------

The business end of a canon greeted Ford as he stepped into the Jumper.

"Did you have anything to do with this?" Ronon asked with intent to do serious harm if the answer was anything but "no".

"Whoa, whoa there King Kong. No, I found out about this only about a week ago. Been gather information ever since," Ford replied with hands up. "I'm the friendly this time." He looked around the Jumper and recognize the same question on everyone else's face. "Good to see you, Stackhouse."

Without smiling, Stackhouse nodded back. Ronon reluctantly put his gun down and sat heavily on the bench.

"Not looking too good there, Ronon. Feeling a little under the weather?"

Ronon glared, but said nothing.

The Jumper climbed and the pilot turned around in his seat. "Where to Lieutenant?"

Ford walked to the front of the cabin. "Pull up a topographical map."

One displayed on the HUD. Ford pointed to the forested area and a clearing only a few hundred yards away. "Land here; we have some equipment to pick-up, a portable generator. We need to time an explosion and take over a ship."

Warren contacted the other Jumper to hide the MALP and wait for his next communication for orders. They were going on a UPS run.

Ford contacted the burrow. "Have the generator ready to go Doc."

A grainy voice replied on the hand held Genii radio, "Everything's ready. The Wraith patrols are a little more active. Also, Lia reports that some of the Atlanteans have tracers placed in their backs."

Warren called up another image. Sure enough, the Wraith frequencies were broadcasting loud and clear. "Jumper Two, you have a mission. Retrieve our people on the Hive."

Ford pointed to one blip on the HUD. "That's the holding cells." He pointed to the other one on the other side of the ship. "Don't know what that area's used for."

A third showed up at the house. "That's Dr. McKay." The little blip moved. "Shit, they starting the session early."

"What session?" Stackhouse asked.

"It's a torture chair."

Ronon and Stackhouse exchanged looks.

"Ford, what's this planet's name?" Ronon asked.

"Ixion."

"Major Warren, we need to get to him now," Ronon said. He looked at Ford. "You knew that's what they were doing to him and didn't think to stop it?"

"My operation Kong. They don't want him dead. They want to gloat." He purposefully left off the part about Lia wanting him dead. They would deal with that later.

"Generator first. Then we get McKay. Hold off on rescue until we have the house secured," Ford strongly recommended. "Get your people into place and wait."

Warren bristled as did everyone else on the Jumper.

"We need the computers in the lab under the house. They're linked to the Hive ship. We can get our people and detonate the C-4 while disabling the ship. Easy peasy."

"Heard that before, Ford," scoffed Ronon. "Our last meeting ringing any bells?"

"You've been hanging out with us too long. 'Ring any bells,' hah!" That amused him to know in. "Not even Teyla sounds that comfortable with our word play. Bravo there Kong!"

Ronon scowled.

Stackhouse spoke up, "I agree. From what I remember of the shield generator, it was similar to Atlantis shield. It would give us a defensible place and the computers would give us a great deal of information." He looked at Ford. "You got a ZPM?"

"Oh yeah."

----------------

Rodney did not need an alarm clock when the Wraith were around. He was hauled to his feet before the sleep left his eyes.

"Aren't you a little early?" He asked as he futilely fought the drones. "No last meal or prayer meeting or whatever you do?"

The process from the day before repeated itself. This time he did not have an audience for the disrobing. The little probes inserted in succession up his spine and the ice pick went in his skull. He screamed again until they muted him.

"Human, who are the Goa'uld?" No time for games today, simple question and answer. "What are their defensive capabilities? What are their offensive capabilities?"

He tried; he only showed them the smaller attack vessels. He showed them the snakes and how they took over a human host. He showed them staff weapons, death gliders, and zats. He held out while he could.

He showed them the Ori hoping that might scare them.

Yeah right.

"Who are the Asgard? Tell me about their transporter technology. Does the Prometheus have this technology?"

He showed them the grey naked aliens and their huge ships and the beaming technology on the Prometheus that was so advanced it could cut through their jamming signals.

He still did not scare them. They could tell when he was less than truthful on some matters and the electrical current raced through his body. He wondered which was worse, amateurs using the chair or the original owners? Sheppard and he would have to compare notes.

He was losing it. Not enough food, lack of sleep and the physical stress were playing against him. He hoped they did not resort to the ports to keep him lucid. His body quaked; the sweat poured out of him; and his head ached.

"Where is your new home?"

He could not help it. Atlantis popped up on the screen. The technician asked again. Again, Atlantis showed on the screen. The Wraith stopped the session immediately. McKay returned to having vision and speech and the probes retracted.

"Take him to the cell. We'll move him later. I must report directly to the Queen," the technician spoke in haste and walked quickly out of the lab.

McKay could see the sneer on the Wraith's face before he left and he wanted to die. Now, they knew the biggest lie of them all.

----------------

A smooth, bright, snow field unfolded before him. The silence was calming like rocking in a chair on the porch and sipping the first cup of morning coffee with comics in hand. Goosebumps rose on his arms and he shivered. They spread to the rest of his body so that he noticed his lack of dress. It held a certain freedom to it, yet the embarrassment factor was still there. No crowd though, he was alone.

A hand fell on his shoulder- maybe not as alone as he first thought. He turned and looked at the owner of the hand. He smiled in recognition and was genuinely happy to see this man. The owner with the thinning grey hair, the same hazel eyes as his and the hands, that contained strength John only dreamed about, stood next to him.

"Peaceful here, ain't it?"

"Yeah Pops, very." John relaxed further in the presence of his paternal grandfather.

"Juke, my son was a dick. I don't know where your Grandma and I went wrong, but apparently we did." Pops looked out across the snowfield and inhaled. He followed it quickly with an exhale and his breath misted in front of him. "You're right Juke, not everyone's cut out to be a parent. He loved your Mom, but her death…Well, that's what did him in. He couldn't get over his grief and raise a son. But, you know this already and recently dealt with it, again."

John's eyes twinkled and nodded in agreement. He had not heard that nickname in 15 or 20 years. He realized he missed it. "Yeah, I was glad Grandma and you were around for as long as you were."

"You were never abandoned Juke, remember that. I wanted to remind you that peace can't last forever. It hides dangers." He pointed across the snow to three individuals. "No matter what, you're never alone. Even when you feel like the last person in existence, someone's with you."

The three kept advancing until they reached the edge of field. Before they took another step, a loud cracking sounded and the snow and ice fell into a gaping chasm with a thunderous crash. The ice and snow billowed into the air obscuring his view of the people on the otherside.

"Obstacles arise, but we're tenacious creatures."

The chasm yawned and the air cleared. The three paced, stopped, looked at the gaping hole and paced some more.

"Never doubt that they'll make it across."

"Why would they do that?"

"Because Juke, unlike your father, their Mamas and Papas raised them right. Plus, they have a friend who taught them well." The older man pulled John into a rough side hug. "Enjoy the peace while it lasts, everything changes. It'll be gone 'fore you know it."

Silence descended again and Pops let go. John watched as the three continued to stalk on the otherside of the ice canyon…

…so very far away.

----------------

A/N: Didn't realize I had so much stuff until I started boxing it up. Purge baby, purge. Oh wait can't get rid of that, the bunnies are in it. Have to convince them that the new house has a nice fridge to hold the carrots.

Another week and the story will resume the irregular updates. If I can find the bunnies, that is.