Stargate Atlantis: Path of the Storm
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Chapter Nineteen
All eyes were focused on the screen as Peter Grodin carefully scrolled through each photograph. After much debated discussion, Weir had come to a decision about what had to be done. "That confirms it," Grodin finally said sitting back as Nivera disconnected the camera. "Five symbols."
Weir's eyes wandered back down to the notepad where Nivera had drew each symbol depicted on the photos to avoid any confusion. The wrong symbols meant they were left with nothing.
"Five symbols," Ford commented while looking to Bates and back. "That's not a complete address."
Grodin looked up at the two men. "It doesn't have to be."
"I don't understand," Bates said asking the question that no one else seemed to be asking.
"Each Stargate has a unique address based on a sequence of symbols which pinpoint their location in the galaxy," Grodin said quickly in response but they should have all known that much at least. "With each symbol there are many different combinations." He stopped once more to pause for thought, he remembered back to when Ford had memorised a few symbols from the Athosian DHD during the attack on their homeworld. "We have five symbols so it shouldn't take long to narrow down the search and dial the sequences based on those symbols."
"Like McKay did," Weir answered with a thoughtful expression; she didn't know why she hadn't thought of that before.
"Precisely."
Weir didn't need anymore information from him and tapped her headset. "Doctor McKay, this is Weir. I need you in the control room immediately."
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Upon hearing Elizabeth's voice, Rodney stopped what he was doing and straightened up. Why was he being asked to report to the control room immediately? Had they found a cure for Teyla? Had Sheppard been located?
Even if they had, why would they ask for you? McKay mentally scolded himself while tapping to response. "What? Now?" Zelenka looked up from his position and just rolled his eyes before looking back down to the screen, yet again muttering softly to himself.
"Yes Rodney," Weir said calmly. "Now." She waited a moment. "We need your assistance."
"Oh," he responded with a somewhat disappointed expression. When work needed to be done, people always insisted on calling on him and it was never for anything else but work. No phoning to ask him out for coffee or a drink, not even to ask him to hang out.
McKay was well aware that he had just digressed and none of that line of thinking was relevant to the current situation but it still didn't stop him from getting annoyed. "I'm…" He managed to shoot a glare in Zelenka's direction as he was giving him a peculiar look. "I'm on my way." Weir tapped her headset to end the conversation.
As McKay gathered up his PDA, he caught Zelenka still looking at him and did his best to ignore it. However, he didn't have much look and soon snapped at him: "What?"
"Nothing," he answered quietly raising his hands from the keyboard. Zelenka cleared his throat as he looked back down to the monitor then back to McKay over the rim of his glasses before finally lifting up his chin. "Do you know what that was about? Do you think they have found cure? Or Major Sheppard?"
"What am I? Physic?" McKay retorted snidely. "Shall I just consult my crystal ball?" He waited for a response. "Well!"
Zelenka shifted in his seat and eventually returned his gaze back down to his work. "This is no need for sarcasm…" he muttered quietly.
"Oh there's every need," McKay replied as his eyes bored into him. Unfortunately Zelenka was not about to continue the argument and just carried on ignoring him. Rodney took one more look around his office, which they had relocated too at some point during their task then back to Zelenka. "Don't touch anything."
Zelenka merely glanced up from his work before retorting with his own sarcastic response. "I will try to contain myself."
"Oh…funny!" McKay answered sarcastically as his gaze moved to a Twilight Zone poster adorning the wall in the far corner of his office and his past thoughts came back to the surface. "No wonder you're still single," he muttered to himself while leaving his office and leaving Zelenka to his work.
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The guard brought Jeana closer to Kolya who promptly moved out of the way to allow her clear access to the call entrance. Sheppard swallowed quickly and his heart rate soon climbed at the mere thought of what was going to happen. "Kolya," he shouted pulling at the bars with all the strength he had left. "You don't have to do this," he said lowering his voice ever so slightly. Jeana was pushed ever closer to the monster, soon she would be well within range of Mike. "Kolya," Sheppard repeated looking straight at him.
Kolya merely glanced at Sheppard, even though he disapproved of this action being carried out, he knew that it had to be done. The Wraiths had been here for a while now and he had gotten so much valuable information from them, including when the Wraith ships planned to attack his homeworld so they would have plenty of notice when it did occur. It was amazing how long you could starve a Wraith and they still survived, it had taken longer than he had anticipated but finally the first one started talking.
Even without the actual information, his doctors had had an opportunity to study the two Wraiths and their physiology with some remarkable results. Not unlike Sheppard and his people, they'd taken a Wraith captive but he hadn't survived very long. That was due to some rather ruthless experiments carried out on the Hoff homeworld.
"Please," Jeana screamed nervously as she was edged ever closer to the nightmarish creature. "I beg of you." Her voice trembled as tears streamed down her cheeks and she looked directly at Sheppard. He released his grip and took a step back from the bars, there was a pleading look in her eyes which clearly asked him to do something. Sheppard had seen the look only once before and it haunted him. He had to look away from her as the realisation that he was powerless to prevent Mike feeding on her finally sank in and he stared at the floor until he could see her feet out the corner of his eye. At the last second, Jeana was shoved against the door.
Despite his self-restraint, Sheppard looked up to see Mike reach through the bars and take a firm hold of the woman. By this time she was completely hysterical but she still kept her eyes on Sheppard, willing him to do something, to do anything which only made him feel completely useless. He couldn't take it any longer, he could not sit by and watch this Wraith feed upon anyone, he refused too.
"Wait," he shouted. Mike kept a hold of her but his gaze shifted over to Sheppard as did Kolya's. "Let her go," John said trying to muster a calm voice. He looked to Kolya with a look of pure defiance then back to the Wraith as he mustered up enough courage to say the last five words and lifted his chin.
"And you can have me."
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