A/N: Happy father's day! Hope everyone's doing well- some quick notes before we get started.
First of all, I am tempted to rate this chapter alone as "M" for violence. So please, if you're at all squeamish about that, wait to read this chapter starting after the "XXXXX" until some others review it and tell me what they think.
Speaking of reviews, if you could tell me what you think about the rating for this chapter I'd really appreciate it, it may just be that I'm not used to writing violence so it seems worse to me. Again, thanks to all my lovely reviewers! You make my day!
Disclaimer: I don't own Stargate Atlantis, but if I had a dollar for every time I wrote this I could buy it in the near future!
IOIOIO
"What de ye mean, it's not showing up? Carson exclaimed, rushing around to see for himself. "This is impossible," he said softly a few seconds later, ogling the machine's readouts.
"Maybe it's broken," suggested Ronan off handedly.
"Let me see it," sighed Sheppard, moving to place a hand on the device.
"What are you, the techno-whisperer?" Rodney snipped at him, glowering despite the situation at Sheppard's remarkable skill with the ancient technology.
"Just shut up Rodney," was the terse response. It took only moments before Sheppard pulled away, shaking his head.
"I hate to say it, but I think the device is working just fine. Normally I can kind of feel this- twist on me when something from the city is malfunctioning, and I didn't feel that here."
He paused, looking grim. "That means one thing- we have an alien- or possible aliens- in the city. We need to lock it down, now."
He waited for Carson, Rodney, and Teyla to confirm his assessment with a nod, then quickly touched his earpiece and radioed the control room. "Andrews, I need you to put me on loudspeaker to the whole of the city, I have an announcement."
"You're live sir," came the reply after a brief delay.
"Attention all personnel. This is Colonel Sheppard. As of this moment, we are in a lockdown. All gate travel is henceforth cancelled until further notice. Right now we can't tell you much about the situation, all we know is that there is at least one alien entity inhabiting the body of Dr. Elizabeth Weir. We'll update you as we know more.
For right now, I need everyone to try and stay calm, we'll be calling everyone down to the infirmary to get checked out. Sheppard out," he concluded, but motioning for everyone to stay quiet. Rodney suddenly moved towards Radek, and the two began talking in very fast, hushed whispers. Hoping this was a good sign, John tapped his earpiece again, this time requesting to be patched into the Dedalus to speak with Caldwell.
"Did you catch that Sir?" he questioned, hoping Caldwell was in a cooperative mood today.
"Yes I did Sheppard. I'm sorry to hear about the Dr. Weir. Is there anything we can do for you?" was his calm reply.
"Right now you're fine so long as you don't head out anywhere, you're under quarantine too you know," Sheppard said lightly.
"Oh, so that's what it is," came back Caldwell's voice, tinged with a slight chuckle. "Don't worry Colonel, I'll be a good boy and stay here and baby-sit you all until this is over, and please, feel free to have my crew down to the infirmary as well. Caldwell out," he ended before Sheppard could respond.
John grinned slightly. That man was exasperating at times, but goddamn he could be useful when he felt like it.
"Okay, that's taken care of. What now Doctors? Any ideas? Or were you taking a break while I did all the hard stuff?"
Rodney looked affronted at this insinuation. "I'll have you know I never take breaks! It's a wonder I trusted you to inform the city while I sat there and figured this out with Radek, your brain being high on machismo and all at the moment," he bantered back, stopping only at the look Teyla shot him from her position by the bed.
"Okay, okay, sorry, I forgot you're caffeine levels are much higher than the rest of us. Tell us, what did you come up with?"
Radek jumped in to answer the question before Rodney could, knowing it would save time.
"We think the reason Elizabeth's consciousness isn't showing up is because the entity has trapped it somehow. Normally, well, in all the previous cases we've dealt with for alien possession, the victim remains conscious while the entity takes over. They may not remember when they wake up, but they are conscious during the habitation period. In this instance, it may be that the entity has managed- or chosen- to have Dr. Weir be unconscious, the purpose of which we have no idea."
"But we will have an idea very, very, soon, as soon as we get her down to the infirmary for a few more tests," Rodney jumped in smoothly, taking the last word.
"Right then," Carson said, radioing for a backup team to help him as he spoke, "let's get her down to the infirmary."
Carson's med team arrived promptly and loaded Elizabeth onto the stretcher. Carson lead the group back to the infirmary in silence, each in their own thoughts. As they reached the infirmary, Carson turned to address the team.
"I know we need te see what's going on with Dr. Weir, but ye'll have te continue without me for a bit, I've got te brief mah staff on this, it's going to be hard to explain what we're looking for… actually, Rodney, could you and Radek come with me and show them how the device works? It may be our only way of telling if a person's infected," he pointed out, turning his blue eyes onto their wary faces.
"It's a good idea," Sheppard advised, trying to coerce the scientists. "Teyla and Ronan and I need to discuss battle strategy anyway, and we don't need you under our feet. At any rate, standing around Dr. Weir shaking our heads won't accomplish anything, we're of more use if we split up for a while," he ended firmly.
"Alright. But we get this over with a quickly as possible," McKay begrudgingly agreed, directing his words at Carson. It was no use arguing with John when he spoke like that…the again….Eyes lighting suddenly, he continued.
"But you don't need both of us there. Radek," he said with a cheerful smile, "why don't you go with Carson, and I'll nip back to the labs and see if there are any more of the devices laying around?"
Radek shot Rodney an utterly filthy look before saying "Fine," with very bad humor and following Carson, muttering a few well placed curses in Czech.
Rodney took one last look at Elizabeth before bouncing out the door and back to the labs, glad at escaping a meeting in the "voodoo department." His joy was shortlived as he approached the lab where they had come across the device.
Elizabeth's in trouble, he thought morosely, and there's practically nothing I can do to help her. Just play the grocery boy. Praying there were more devices hidden somewhere, he entered the lab.
XXXXX
In her dream, they were running. She could see them all, as clearly as if they stood before her. McKay was at the head of the group, eyes fixed on the Stargate so as to remove himself from the chaos that surrounded him. Teyla was just behind him, pausing every now and then in her stride to look back at Ronan and Sheppard, who were defending the rear.
Elizabeth wondered why she wasn't back there fighting….then she saw a villager lunge out at McKay, only to be shot down by a blow from Teyla before Rodney had even realized what was happening. Oh, Elizabeth realized, she's his bodyguard
He was closer now, she could see the fear in his eyes as sweat trickled down his face, only to fly off with the next step he took.
Moving to follow him as he ran past, she found herself breaking into a swift sprint as they approached the DHD. Rodney lunged for the device, swiftly pressing the coordinated for Atlantis. The wormhole opened, and Rodney radioed through that they had incoming, before stepping onto the platform and waiting for his team to catch up.
But they weren't catching up. Elizabeth climbed up next to Rodney to see what had caused the delay. Her hand flew to her mouth as she took in the scene below. Ronan and Sheppard had been overtaken by the villagers, and were being beaten soundly.
Blood flew from the circle of men as they turned her team's own weapons against them. John was delivered a swift blow to the head before crumpling in heap. Ronan roared and fought harder to free himself, but to no avail.
Suddenly, Elizabeth saw a blur move towards the circle and jump straight into the middle. A few moments later, Teyla's head had surfaced again as she began beating back the men who had surrounded Sheppard's unmoving form. Rodney took one look at what was happening and ran towards the fray, leaving Elizabeth motionless on the platform.
Heart in her mouth, she saw Rodney throw several well aimed punches to break into the group which Teyla was fighting single-handedly. She saw Teyla scream something to Rodney, to which he screamed back a reply, it seemed to be negative. Again Teyla ordered McKay to do something, this time Rodney looked down at his feet.
She saw Rodney look back at Teyla and nod as he began to drag something through the mob, fending off their attackers as best he could. Teyla covered for them when she had the opportunity, and between the two Elizabeth soon saw Rodney and Sheppard re-emerge and approach her vantage point.
Meanwhile, Teyla had fought her way towards Ronan, managing to reach him in time to stop him from being pulled under. With the two back to back, the villagers found themselves unable to land a blow. Frustrated, they roared in anger, unhappily moving outwards as the heavy blows from the duo pushed them back.
Enraged that their prey were escaping, Elizabeth watched as fully half of the assembled men turned towards Rodney at a run. Hearing the noise behind him, Rodney turned around just as they had reached the DHD. He cursed as he saw the approaching crowd. Elizabeth ran forward and tried to help him lift Sheppard up to the platform, but she couldn't seem to grab hold of him firmly.
Alone, Rodney shoved Sheppard up onto the platform, launching himself up moments later. Radioing Atlantis again, he rolled John's body through the gate as the first villagers reached the bottom of the stairs.
Panic-stricken , Rodney was frozen to the spot as he saw the hoard come towards him. The villagers raised their weapons, yelling in triumph at having cornered one of the aliens. Blood lust covered their faces as they swarmed the stairs, knives grasped firmly in their hands. One of the younger men- he was only a boy- realized Elizabeth with horror- launched a stone at Rodney from where he stood at the bottom of the platform. It whizzed past his head and into the Stargate.
At this, Rodney was finally able to move, making a running start towards the gate. As he dove into the wormhole beside her, Elizabeth saw his eyes close in resignation as he told Atlantis to close the iris once he was through.
Walking through the villagers to the edge of the platform, Elizabeth saw why. Teyla and Ronan were trapped. In the time it had taken for the men to follow Rodney, those left behind had called the women out of their homes as reinforcements. The women had poured onto the street, brandishing pots and pans, soap, anything they could carry to try and destroy the invaders. At the same time, many of the men who had followed Rodney ran back towards the village, effectively reforming the circle.
Against such numbers there was little hope. She saw Teyla falter in her moves as a bucket of soapy water hit her full in the face. Instinctively, she bent her head towards her chest and attempted to rid her eyes of the pain. This gave the men the opportunity they had waited for.
They tackled her to the ground, where they began to deliver her another set of furious blows and cuts from their knives. Moaning, Teyla attempted to fight back, but by now the men had her at a disadvantage, pinning her under them and preventing her from shifting her center of balance. With no way to get up, Teyla resorted to trying the kick her attackers off her.
With a sharp crack, a wooden pole flashed across her knees. Teyla's scream tore through the air as her legs fell still. Deciding they had waited long enough, the tallest of the assembled villagers- probably the leader- Elizabeth noted automatically- motioned that they should step away from her. Approaching Teyla fearlessly, Elizabeth saw Teyla's tear-streaked face rise up to see her killer as his blade slashed ruthlessly across her neck.
Elizabeth's scream mingled with Ronan's heart-breaking roar of rage as her protector saw what had happened. Fighting with renewed vigor, he lashed out in grief against anyone and anything that touched him, not stopping when the same soapy water that had brought about Teyla's demise hit his eyes as well. Ignoring the pain, he picked up two of the closest men and smashed their heads together with a crack.
Elizabeth was numb from shock. She barely registered the pounding of boots through the gate behind her as several SGA teams headed towards Ronan. They were too late. In the seconds it had taken Atlantis to close the wormhole and reestablish a connection, Teyla had died.
Tears pouring down her face, Elizabeth managed to get up and go though the stargate. She found herself back in Atlantis within moments, watching herself peer down from the gangway that overlooked the gateroom, face etched with blind fear. In slow motion, she saw herself crumple as Teyla's body was carried through the gate, leaning on the rails for support.
Suddenly Elizabeth saw herself pitch forwards and fall to her knees as a voice came though on the radio. But Elizabeth couldn't discern what it said, she couldn't stand anymore- this wasn't real, it couldn't be, where was she, she had to wake up, no mission could end like that, she wouldn't have let them go to such a place, this couldn't be happening, she had to wake up…
With a cry Elizabeth sat up in bed, shaking and tear stricken. Still half in the dream, she felt Teyla pulling her into a hug, patting her back and stroking her hair. Crying, Elizabeth let Teyla comfort her, still upset from the events of her dream, but relived it had only been a nightmare.
Ten minutes later, Elizabeth had convinced Teyla she was fine, really, and she really just wanted to return to work. Nodding reluctantly, Teyla allowed Elizabeth to shower and dress for work, staying close to her as they headed off to the control room half and hour later.
It was only a dream, Elizabeth thought with relief as she sank into her office chair and pulled a folder towards her. Only a dream. And she began briefing SGA-12 on their next mission.
IOIOIO
"Anything?" queried Carson from his office doorway as he watched Rodney enter the infirmary.
"Nope," he replied glumly, crossing to Elizabeth. "Any change?" he asked, reaching as if to take her hand, but thinking better of it.
"Not a twitch," Carson said sadly, "but at least we haven't had to deal with whatever's inside her yet," he added, trying to look on the bright side.
"Yet," echoed Rodney darkly, gazing down at the pale form on the bed.
Sighing, Carson went to tell Radek that Rodney was back. He only wished he had better news.
A/N: A quick guide for the rest of this story: Elizabeth's dreams are in italics, and her POV will follow the "XXXXX" markers, the team's POV from the "IOIOIO" markers. I think you'll have seen where I'm going with this story now…..that should have cleared up few things… At least I hope so!
