Hold On
…Chapter Five …
A/N One or two more chapters to go…..
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"We have to decide what's best for the whole of Atlantis, Carson and that means I have to go now, John would understand that...and he needs you, not me just now."
"Aye, I suppose you are right Ronon. But, your head…"
"…is fine. Barely feel it – and next to what has happened to John, it's just a scratch!"
Carson smiled at Ronon and then looked down towards Sheppard, where he grimaced and the smile vanished.
Ronon saw. "How is he?"
"Holding his own, but I really need him under the scanner."
Ronon took a deep breath in. "And I will get him there as soon as I can."
"What are you going to do out there, son? You said they had everybody right at the gate and the rest of the city in lockdown. No doubt they are patrolling the city too."
Ronon just looked up at Carson and grinned.
"Right! I get it, who am I to wonder what you could do out there."
Just then Carson, via his ATA gene, felt the all too familiar feeling of the shields go back up.
Ronon caught his expression and growing smile. "What's happened?"
"You said they had taken the shield offline."
"Yeah, they did for some reason."
"Well its back, I can feel it."
"Rodney or someone must have been able to get it back on. I'd better see what's happening."
Carson grabbed his arm as he stood up. "Be careful out there. I know you won't listen to me too much, lad, but we need you. Sheppard needs you."
"I'll do what I have to Carson to get Sheppard in the Infirmary and under your care properly. He doesn't deserve to be lying in pain like this."
With another quick look at Sheppard and then back to Carson, Ronon held up his finger for him to be quiet and carefully opened the door. He emerged into an empty corridor and he could not hear anybody about so quietly continued on, determined to make it to the armoury to get some supplies.
He had only walked for a couple of minutes when he heard footsteps so he quickly ducked into a smaller room that was a connecting one to a transporter that he had not noticed before. Wondering if to take the chance and use the transporter, Ronon was just about to slide his hand up, when the city wide claxons blared out. Ronon halted and stopped still. Only one reason for these loud warning sounds, and it made him strand up straight. The Wraith were in the vicinity.
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Sheppard found he was floating in a white billowing cloud, but was puzzled because his body felt so heavy; surely that should not be the case when this cloud was holding him up as he fell to the ground. But heavy he was, in fact he could not even raise an arm to wipe his forehead which felt wet and hot. The pull of gravity on his body was great and he struggled against it now, not wanting to fall and there was a piercing sound that escorted his dive that wouldn't let up.
"No!" he thought he cried out. "No!"
The landing never came in this dream that seemed to repeat, again and again, and each time in the dream he landed with a soft jolt that forced his eyes open in shock. Sweat continued to career down his face and he tried to move his heavy hand to wipe it away. Instead, another hand was there smoothing over his brow with a cool cloth that felt comforting and relieved his thoughts that he had just died. No, he had unbelievably survived the long drop down the towers outside walls.
The hand became an arm that moved to his shoulder and gently held him down when he tried to force himself out of the many duvets that he lay on and were also laid over him.
The smiling face of Carson came into view and Sheppard relaxed into the covers.
"Don't move just now, eh Colonel. Not a good idea."
Sheppard licked his dry lips and the ever attentive Carson was there with a cup of water and a straw. "Not much now. You must remember me saying that a few times over the years." He smiled, although his eyes contradicted what the rest of his face was saying.
"Thanks, Carson. Ronon?"
"He's away to…" Carson stopped talking when he took in the moment realisation of the warning alarm sound registered with Sheppard.
"Huh?...Wraith? He weakly fought against Carson. "Carson…help me up?"
"I can't John. You know you are too weak to move."
"No…have to get to the chair. The shield…"
"Is up and running, we are safe."
"You know …that?"
Pleased to give him some good news, Carson nodded quickly. "I can feel it. So should you normally."
Sheppard dulled all his aches and pains for a moment and realised the doc was right. He smiled which then swiftly turned to a grimace as he raised himself up shakily onto one elbow. "I can feel it."
"Knew you would. Shame the cloak is out of commission at the moment."
"Well we didn't expect company whilst Radek pottered about…with it." He now panted through the pains in his head fighting with the torture in his left leg, shoulder and a side that felt like he had been moved up and down against a giant cheese grater.
"I still need to get to the chair room and fire these drones out if they find us. I'm feeling stronger now."
Carson raised an eyebrow in amusement, and couldn't help be exasperated at the constantly tenacious will of the man and his will to save Atlantis and everyone on it single handily.
He rocked back on his heels and appraised the man. Bloodied, battered, shot, exhausted, anaemic, concussed and now starting to run a fever from an infection he couldn't trace until he done some blood work. They, each one of them, were enough to ground him and let someone else save the day. Carson knew he could intervene on that front and make him stay put. Unfortunately, Carson could see the conflict going on in his eyes; the pain he undoubtedly was feeling. But nothing could sway his respect for the man when he had that determined look on his face, and the worst of it was; he was right. Nobody had the skill with the chair and its commands like the natural gene bearing man.
"John…" He started.
Sheppard stalled in his pursuit to find the least painful way of raising his body up and looked at his doctor and friend. Not pleading; just imploring for some help without having to fight for it. He was too weak for that.
Carson stood up and then bent over near his good side and reached for his elbow.
"I'll help you John, I'll get you standing, and hell I'll even come with you…but let me tell you this…" Carson raised his finger, "… the minute I see you about to fall flat on your face, I'm stopping this; no nonsense."
Sheppard knew when a deal was done with the doc, so nodded quickly before he changed his mind and accepted his help in standing.
It hurt. He knew it would, but he bit his bottom lip and persevered and clutching Carson's jacket like a lifeline, he was finally upright again.
Carson was watching for tell-tale signs of collapse, but was not surprised when, not only did he stand up straight without falling over, the bloody idiot had the nerve to grin and start to walk away unaided, which, of course, he successfully managed to do, albeit shakily and with a limp.
"Stubborn bugger!" Carson muttered under his breath as he hastily shoved his mini infirmary back into one of the bags.
"Did Ronon say where he was going?" Sheppard kept his eyes to the ground; looking at Carson was not on the agenda; he knew he could read him like a book, and right now he needed to focus on his next steps forward.
"Only that he wanted to see what was going on. Right, Colonel! I'm going to support you as you walk, just wait for me."
"Fine." Sheppard grumbled.
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Gillam's eyes about fell out of his sockets at the news; he was now the one in charge! He glanced quickly at the communication going on between one of the soldiers back in Stringer's office and Klen; and if looks could kill, he was going to be dead anytime soon by the hands of the one now de-commissioned man standing in front of him.
When Klen had told him he thought he would be elated and excited; but with any position in Stringer's employment came responsibility, and he had taken in Klen's pale face and wondered if he was thinking the same thing. What would happen to him now? After all, Stringer wasn't exactly running a legal business and that's what made it different and the pay was extremely good for these very reasons.
Still.
"Klen?" He said when the other man slammed his receiver down on the ground and stamped on it.
"You heard him! It's your show now. Make sure you bark like a dog and clap like a monkey, cos Stringer takes no prisoners and you had better do things his way."
Gillam had not known either man for a long period of time, but he did recognise the bitterness in Klen's voice. "Where does this leave you?" After all he had had no instructions as to his new command structure.
"Finish my job, 'cept you make the final decisions until this job is over."
"And then what?"
Klen laughed and shook his head. "You really don't understand the rules of this game do you, Gillam?"
Gillam just stood quietly and watched as the other man walked away and over towards the control centre just as the warning sounds blared out.
All men swirled towards the group gathered together and watched them as their eyes grew wide.
"What the …?"
Rodney was up and moving before he thought about it and headed towards one of the computers.
"Stay where you are?" Klen shouted and then remembered he was not in command anymore and waited on Gillam to step up; interested to see where it would lead.
Gillam repeated Klen's instruction and further nodded for two of his men to grab him.
"No, you don't understand, you idiots! Let me go." Rodney struggled, spit flying from his mouth.
Gillam smiled feverishly and laid a broad hand on his chest. "What is that alarm for?" As if he didn't know; he just needed confirmation.
"Wraith are coming! I presume you know what they are? Hmm? Big grey and white figures of your worst nightmare! Now let me go so I can raise the shields and try to raise the cloak…although I think some imbecile, not so conveniently, put it offline for the moment…"
"That would be one of my imbeciles, now shut up!" Gillam shouted and pushed Rodney backwards until he was standing beside Teyla again.
But Rodney was enraged. He had lost Sheppard, had no idea where Ronon was and was dammed if he was going to let the Wraith get the city now.
"No, you must…"
A punch to the side of his face silenced him and Teyla sprung to action, giving quick jabs to the two soldiers coming up behind them to subdue Rodney.
"I must, nothing!"
Rodney panted through the pain but raised his sore face to meet the intruders face straight on and would not let it go. "Just listen to me …"
Gillam felt he had to show the men, previously under Klen's command, that he was up to the job, so lunged towards Rodney and gripped him by his shoulders and pulled him up to his face. Teyla stalled.
"No you don't understand. This is exactly what we want!"
None of the Atlanteans expected that announcement.
"You…what?" Woolsey said in disbelief. "You cannot possibly know what they are capable of if you physically WANT them here. Are you Wraith worshippers?"
Who? Gillam hesitated for just a second. These people did seem especially shocked at the thought of these Wraith people appearing, and to be honest, he didn't really know who they were except they were some other aliens' in a galaxy they were to only stay in for a few hours.
He watched as two of his soldiers had secured the woman and risked a quick glance at Klen's face. His looked as puzzled as he did, but they had been paid the big bucks for this and he had a job to do, so…
"Someone switch that noise off and take up your positions at each pier as instructed. Once the craft is secure, let me know immediately which pier it is, and hold any prisoners there."
"Craft?" Woolsey spoke up now, leaving Rodney to rub his jaw. "Tell me you are not thinking of letting a Wraith cruiser land here?"
"A Cruiser is too big and beside you should know a single dart is always a ways out from it scouting the area. The dart is all we want. By now he has probably found Atlantis as your cloak is down."
" . .Want?!" Woolsey said each word slowly and pointedly. "Then you have signed a death warrant for us all." He jutted out his chin in Rodney fashion.
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Ronon had made it all the way to the control room without being noticed and was congratulating himself when he heard the words being shouted back and forward. Wraith! Here! And they were waiting on a dart landing on one of the piers. Were these people insane?! Undecided if to make his way to the most probably landing site; the west pier, or staying where he was to try and take some of them out, Ronon stepped back further into the shadows when the proximity alarm now rang out.
Damn! They were here already!
Klen looked to Gillam. Only the two of them knew that the rest of the men were surplus to requirements and if they got killed whilst procuring Stringer's prize, well then, so be it.
The danger levels were now raised to their highest and the men were waiting on the nod from Gillam who seemed to be undecided all of a sudden, given the reaction by the residents of Atlantis, but slowly he left Woolsey and raised a pointed finger, which he shook, "go!" He commanded.
Klen felt a sinking feeling in his stomach and inched his way further towards the command centre. He had decided early on in the plans that as he had been trained in the way of dialling up the gate, he would be quick to initiate his escape as soon as he could if the mission went south; Stringer be dammed.
Woolsey pulled on his jacket and walked up to Gillam. "Lad. There is still time to stop all of this." He implored the new leader.
"I'd advise you all to now make your way – peacefully! – to your office and remain there."
"We cannot do that knowing there is Wraith coming here." Teyla added and fighting against the two guards that were dragging her towards Woolsey's office.
"You can and you will."
"Take a puddle jumper! That is as good a prize as anything, is it not? Leave us to sort this mess!" Rodney was screeching now in horror.
Gillam laughed. "Our boss already has one of those!"
"How…?" Rodney was speechless.
"Since you are all having a hard time dealing with this, I will give you this one titbit – SG Command sure falls down as fast as you guys did when that gas was released. Nice invention our boss discovered years ago. He had had quite a few things delivered for his collection."
Woolsey's brain was going to explode wondering how on earth all this could have happened.
"I don't believe you." Rodney said.
"No skin off my nose. Now, I have spent far too much time talking to you." He pointed to Woolsey's office. "All in there now or don't blame me if you are in the path of the gate when it opens."
"You are taking a dart through to Earth via the SGC?" Rodney's mouth was hanging open.
"You betcha!" Gillam was feeling as cocky as anything now and was revelling in his new command as it all seemed to be coming together smoothly.
The silenced alarm did not stay that way for long and a new one took over. Short and sharp, short and sharp repeatedly pierced their brains.
The door was shut on twenty or so Atlanteans, the guards left behind took up their designated areas around the gate room and Gillam stood in front of it, waiting on word from his radio.
Klen remained by himself at the computer that signalled his return trip home, nervously waiting on the moment he heard in his ear piece that the craft was secure.
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Ronon decided to stay rooted to the same spot. To cover all the piers on Atlantis himself was impossible, so he would wait patiently for his chance to attack. The sooner this was all over and Sheppard could be in the Infirmary the better. He hoped it was soon enough for his ailing friend.
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"John?!"
Sheppard stood still on shaky legs with sweat running down his face and a building fury in his heart. He held onto Carson's arm and one window overlooking the pier outside.
"I see it Carson, I see it."
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TO BE CONTINUED ….