Chapter 4

It was 2:00a.m., and Sheppard couldn't get back to sleep. He had spent an enjoyable afternoon and evening with Teyla, Ronon, Carson, and Corban, and had a pleasant dinner, followed by going straight to bed. He should be sleeping. But he couldn't. He couldn't help thinking that this was the longest he had gone without seeing or talking to McKay since…since…well, since Doranda, actually. He grimaced at the thought. He had been so mad at the betrayal of trust then. As he had when McKay hadn't trusted Chaya. As he felt now. Why did Rodney have to be so…so…dammit. So close to him that his opinion of things mattered so damned much? It wouldn't bother Sheppard to the same degree if, say, Elizabeth didn't trust the baby. It was important to him to have Rodney on the same page about this.

With a final sigh, he gave up on sleep and got up, dressing in the dim glow of the Ancient equivalent of night lights. He would go try to talk to McKay, assuming he was still up, which he usually was. It would more than likely turn into another shouting match, but he had to at least try to make the man see that he was wrong, dead wrong, about this baby.

He finished getting dressed, unconsciously slipping on his 9mm. He smiled when he realized he had done it, reached to remove the weapon, then left it with a shrug. It was such an ingrained habit to wear it at all times, what was the harm in wearing it now? It wasn't like he was going to shoot McKay or anything. Any argument they were about to have was going to be verbal.

He headed down to McKay's lab. If he was there, fine, they would talk. If not, he would give up for the night, knowing he had at least tried to open up communications again. He paused outside the door to the lab, trying to figure out what to say, when he heard a muffled whump from inside.

He hit the panel and opened the door, to be greeted with something out of his worst nightmares. He just stood for a moment, completely frozen in a combat situation for the first time in his life.

Rodney was pinned halfway up the wall by a red tentacle around his throat. His eyes were closed and his face was scrunched up with pain as he tried to breath through the choking hold. His fingers were wrapped around the tentacle, trying to pry it loose. The tentacle was long, attached to the monster in the center of the room. The two-foot high monster with blond curls. Blond curls, hazel eyes, and a huge red tentacle growing out of its head.

Sheppard finally snapped into action, drawing his weapon and firing it several times into the head the tentacle was attached to, trying desperately not to think about how he was shooting Corban. This was not Corban. He realized with horror that there had never been a Corban. And now, that thing in the lab was trying to silence the only person who had known.

It shrieked as the bullets slammed into it, dropping its pray. Sheppard leapt across the room as Rodney slid to the floor, blinking weakly. "Rodney!" Sheppard called as he reached his friend's side. "You ok?" he asked, still keeping his attention focused on the monster in the floor, hoping it was dead, hoping it wasn't.

"It…it was feeding!" came Rodney's horror-filled reply. Sheppard turned back to him to take in his drawn appearance, and the presence of a row of small, bloody sucker marks on his neck.

"Oh my god," he choked out, inspecting the wound. It wasn't bleeding much, but it seemed to be painful. What was it doing, sucking blood? No, wait, the shape of those marks…

"How much older?" Rodney asked quietly, voice hoarse, as Sheppard realized what he was seeing.

Sheppard looked Rodney in the face, his eyes meeting terrified blue ones. In truth, much to his relief, there didn't appear to be any aging. "You're fine," he said. Rodney looked at him for a moment, before apparently deciding to believe him.

Sheppard turned back to the doorway at the sound of footsteps. Teyla appeared. "John! I can't find Corban—" She broke off abruptly as she took in the scene in front of her. Suddenly, the creature on the floor moved. It shot straight for her. Before Sheppard could react, it slammed past her, flinging her into a wall with mind-numbing force, and slithered out the door.

"Teyla!" Sheppard and McKay both called in horror. Sheppard reached her first, but Rodney was right behind him.

Their eyes met briefly. "Go," Rodney said. "I've got her. You get it."

Sheppard nodded and ran out the door after it, activating his radio as he did so. "Lorne! Stackhouse! Miller! Any Marine! We have a hostile alien thing, heading north out of McKay's lab. Intercept with caution. Use lethal force if necessary."

"Sir, what's going on?" Lorne's voice came back.

"McKay was right about that baby," Sheppard gasped out, still running full-speed down the corridor. Damn, that thing was fast. It was out of sight already. "It's some sort of tentacle thing with Wraithlike properties."

"So it's a Wraithtopus," Lorne said before he could stop himself. Sheppard was reminded of Ford and his penchant for naming things. Not a good thing to be reminded of at the moment.

"Mind on the matter at hand, Major," he snapped. "I've lost sight of it. Anyone in the Gate room able to give me its location?"

"Not yet," came the voice of Wilson, gate tech on night duty. "There are too many people out there now. I can't tell which is which."

"It's showing up as people and not Wraith?" Sheppard demanded.

"Yes, sir. Or it's not showing up at all."

"Dammit!" he yelled, running in the direction he had last seen it.

oOo

Back in his lab, Rodney looked down at Teyla, his own injuries momentarily forgotten. She sat where she had fallen when she slid down the wall. Her head seemed to be slumping too far over onto her shoulder. He reached to take her pulse, then though better of it, checking her wrist instead. He let out the breath he hadn't even realized he'd been holding when he found one. It was fast and fluttery, but it was there. He leapt to his feet, nearly falling over as a wave of dizziness hit him. Shaking it off, he rushed over to his bench and grabbed his radio. He flipped it from the military channel to the general purpose one. " Carson! Carson!" He tried for volume, but his abused throat balked at the attempt, making him cough.

"Aye, lad, what is it?" Came Beckett's sleepy voice after a moment.

"Medical emergency! My lab! I think Teyla's neck may be broken!" He managed to keep the worst of his panic out of his voice as he staggered over to her again. He was relieved beyond measure to see her eyes were slightly open and she was watching him.

"What happened?" Carson asked, voice completely awake now.

"She was thrown against a wall. Hard," Rodney replied. He decided to leave out exactly what had thrown her for now, since that was likely to generate questions that took up time. "Hurry!"

"Have you taken her pulse?" Carson asked. In the background, Rodney could hear the sounds of people moving around, hopefully assembling a gurney.

"Yes. It's weak and fast, but she has one. And she's awake, kind of," Rodney said, realizing he was babbling somewhat, but unable to slow the words down.

"Alright. Keep calm and keep her still. We'll be right there. Rodney?"

"Yes?" Rodney asked, trying hard to fight down panic.

"Keep her from moving her head. I mean it."

Rodney must have made some sort of agreeing noise, because Carson clicked off the connection. He stared back at Teyla, who seemed to be trying to say something. He gently put both hands on her shoulders. "Shh. Don't try to talk," he said in a soothing voice that only broke once.

"R…odney," she breathed, voice the softest of whispers. Tears began to run down her face.

"Oh god, don't do that," Rodney said, at a loss. He very, very gently reached up and caressed her cheek. "Don't move. Help's almost here."

"Rodney," she repeated, voice a little stronger, although now it was choked with tears. "I am…so sorry."

That was the last thing Rodney had been expecting. "Teyla, don't," he protested weakly. "You don't have anything to be sorry for. Just sit tight and Carson will be right here and he'll get you all fixed up and you can apologize for whatever you like when you're feeling better but for now for god's sake don't try to move or talk or anything because I'm pretty sure you have a neck injury and moving will only make it worse…" he paused for breath, realizing that he probably wasn't really helping, and was only making the pain in his throat worse. "It's ok," he finished, trying to smile. It didn't feel like it came out very well, though.

Teyla closed her eyes. "You are a good man," she said before succumbing to unconsciousness. Rodney sat watching her, listening with half an ear as Elizabeth came on the city-wide and told everyone to remain in their quarters with the doors locked. He was just beginning to panic and was reaching for Teyla's pulse again when Carson and half the medical team arrived.

Rodney let himself be pushed aside as they descended on her. He watched as she was gently, gently immobilized and transferred to the gurney. Carson barked orders in his soft Scottish brogue, getting her settled. He was about to whisk her out of the room when he turned to peer at Rodney, sitting forgotten against the wall. "What happened to your neck, then?" he asked.

Rodney put a hand to his neck, surprised. He had forgotten all about that. His hand came away bloody, and he swallowed, forcing down a panic attack at the memory of that…thing strangling and sucking the life out of him. God, if Sheppard hadn't come along exactly when he did… "It—it attacked me with tentacles and it was sucking my life force or something and I couldn't stop it…" Rodney babbled, beginning to tremble. He looked up in surprise when a hand fell on his shoulder.

"Rodney?" Carson asked gently.

Rodney managed to pull himself together with supreme effort. "Take care of Teyla," he managed. "I'll follow you to the infirmary."

Carson nodded and stood up reluctantly. "See that you do, lad. And I'll be wanting a full explanation when you can talk again." He gestured to a nurse, who fell back, gently offering Rodney a hand up.

He took her hand and let her help him up, suddenly feeling very, very tired. And his neck hurt. A lot. It really did hurt to talk, so he didn't say anything on the way to the infirmary. He did, however, switch his radio to the military channel and listen in.