A/N: Thanks for the reviews. I hope I'll manage a weekly posting schedule, but RL is tending to be crazy, so I won't promise anything. Hope you enjoy this section. Please review!

Three days earlier…

The air inside the ancient ruin was cool, a welcome change after the tropical heat outside the building. Sheppard looked around, his eyes gradually adjusting to the dark. Beside him, McKay took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat from his face before he turned his attention back on his scanner.

"These energy readings get more and more exciting," he muttered to himself.

Sheppard watched the blinking numbers for a moment. To him they looked rather dull, but then he wasn't a physicist. He couldn't help but grin as his giddy friend stormed off, heading in the direction the energy readings obviously came from. He was almost running, which in McKay's case meant that something unusual was going on. Sheppard followed him curiously to find out what was causing the sudden outburst of energy. He almost ran into him as McKay stopped all of a sudden.

"What did I say?" Atlantis' resident genius beamed with pride, pointing at something in front of him. "Anyone still doubting that this planet was worth checking out?" He stepped aside to let his team mates see the source of his excitement.

Sheppard went past him. The lights came on immediately, flickering at first, but then casting the chair sitting in the middle of the room in a bright light. His breath caught, as his gaze fixed on a glowing object in the back. It was a ZPM! And judging by the brightness of its glow, it was at least close to fully charged. Sheppard let out a whistle and went further into the room, feeling the familiar hum that always vibrated through him whenever he was near ancient technology. It was almost as strong as in Atlantis

McKay followed him, his eyes firmly trained on his scanner. "Tell you what, this ZedPM is only the replacement. There's another one that powers the chair and that's only half way depleted." He was almost panting with excitement. His eyes were sparkling with delight and not just a little pride. "We hit the jackpot, Sheppard."

John looked back at McKay with a frown. "Hold your horses right there, Rodney. This isn't our ZPM, yet. First, we need to talk to the people here and see if we can trade for it." He looked back at Tarhan, the young Rahelian warrior who had accompanied them to the ancient outpost. "Didn't you say that the weapons of the Ancestors were no longer working?"

Tarhan was staring at the glowing chair in awe and quite obviously hadn't heard a word John had said.

"Tarhan?" John repeated a little louder, actually needing to call the warrior's name a few times until he managed to shake him from his stupor.

"Huh?" Tarhan muttered, slightly confused.

"Before we came here, you said that the weapons of the Ancestors were no longer working," Sheppard said. "But there is plenty of power here."

"The lights haven't come on for many generations," Tarhan whispered, still quite obviously impressed. "So long actually, that we were beginning to think that the old stories were just wishful thinking on the part of our forefathers." Tentatively, he took a few steps toward the chair, setting his feet so carefully as if he half expected to be struck down by lightning any moment.

"If the lights haven't come on for you, but the ZPM is still fully charged, your people probably no longer have the gene," McKay mused. Then he turned his attention back on his scanner. Automatically, he also pulled out his laptop and started to look for some way to plug it into the chair's systems. "Sheppard, I might need your help, later. Don't go too far."

Sheppard rolled his eyes in exasperation and chuckled. "Yeah, yeah, McKay. Your human switch won't leave your side." He looked at Teyla and Ronon, heaving a small sigh. "Why don't you two go and look around a bit. Knowing McKay, this will take a while."

Teyla and Ronon gave him an encouraging smile. Then they both nodded briefly before they headed back toward the entrance of the Ancient building. Sheppard watched them for a moment, wishing that he could go with them and explore their surroundings instead of being stuck here with a much too excited Rodney McKay. He stifled the second sigh that threatened to escape his lips. After all, it was his gene that had gotten him to Atlantis in the first place. Perhaps he should be just a bit more greatful, even if it meant having to stay put watching a scientist get all worked up about lines and lines of numbers on his screen. Sheppard tood a deep breath. Still, this was going to be a long day.

Tarhan pulled Sheppard from his silent musings. "What's a gene?"

McKay looked up from his laptop for a brief moment. Then he waved an impatient hand at Sheppard and rolled his eyes. "You go explain it to him! I have work to do!"

Sheppard smiled to himself and gave their companion a brief lesson on genetics as far as he was able to. He didn't know much more than what he'd learned in school or what Dr. Beckett had told him, but he figured that was even more than Tarhan actually wanted to know. And indeed, their Rahelian companion was quickly satisfied with Shepard's answer.

Several minutes passed in silence, while McKay worked on his laptop. He straightened and glanced at Sheppard, indicating that he would soon need his services, when there was a sudden commotion outside. Sheppard whipped around, as he heard the sound of feet running toward them. Then he saw Teyla appearing in the doorway.

"Wraith!" she shouted. "Ronon is heading back to the village to warn the people. We need to get them to safety. The Wraith will be here soon and I sense many of them."

Sheppard saw the deep lines of worry that creased her forehead. That alone told him, more than anything else, they were in deep trouble. He felt the hairs at the nape of his neck stand on edge. Teyla's jaw was firmly set. Fierce determination was written all over her face as she gripped her weapon more tightly, ready to take on any enemy who dared to set a foot on this planet. Unfortunately, a few P-90's weren't much to fight against Wraith.

Tarhan went white as a sheet. "We're too far away from the village. Ronon will never reach everyone in time."

Sheppard looked at the chair, an idea forming in his mind. "Didn't you say that this used to be your defense system?"

Tarhan nodded. "But it doesn't work anymore."

"Oh, I believe it does," McKay disagreed. "My preliminary system check revealed no problems."

"No time like the present to check the systems out more thoroughly," Sheppard replied with a shrug. "Are we good to go, Rodney?"

"I think so," McKay said. "We should have several sets of drones and a functioning shield as far as I can tell."

"Let's find out." Sheppard took off his P-90 and sat down in the chair.

It lit up instantly and reclined, just like it was supposed to. But when Sheppard tried to connect, he felt that the response was sluggish. He concentrated harder until he found his way into the systems. They were working all right, but it was taxing to maintain the connection. The system seemed to push back, as if it didn't want to connect with him. Sweat began to pool on his forehead as he fought against the resistence. His heart hammered in his chest. Sheppard took a deep calming breath, trying to ignore his discomfort. He needed to concentrate on the task at hand.

With some difficulty he managed to get a visual from the sensors, showing him a hive ship in orbit. Several darts launched from that ship, quickly heading for the surface of the planet. Sheppard activated the shield that spread across the entire complex and the village that was close by. A sudden weariness spread through his muscles as if the shield was drawing power from him instead of the ZPM. Sheppard opened his eyes in surprise as a strange tingling, almost painful sensation travelled through his body, leaving numbness in its wake. Something wasn't right.

But he couldn't stop now. He closed his eyes again, sinking deeper into the chair. The people of Rahelia and his team depended on his ability to work this chair.

The shield flickered for a moment, and it took some effort to stabilize it again. The chair systems reluctantly followed Sheppard's orders. Sheppard pushed even harder to get them in line. The tingling sensation turned into agonizing pins and needles that assaulted his body. He knew he needed to scare the Wraith off while he still could, because he wouldn't be able to keep the systems active for long. His head started to throb as he launched several drones in quick succession. He gritted his teeth against the pain that shot through his body. His limbs started to tremble with the effort it took to keep the drones on their targets. More sweat drenched his clothes as he made extra sure that each drone was a direct hit. He simply couldn't afford to miss the darts.

One Wraith dart after the other went down until they were all gone. Sheppard allowed himself a small sigh of relief, but the shield flickered instantly, not forgiving the brief moment of distraction. Gradually, Sheppard felt his connection slip. He held onto it like it was a lifesaver that kept him from drowning in the midst of a raging sea. But no matter how much he clutched at the evasive connection, the chair wanted to power down despite his best efforts.

"Sheppard?" McKay's voice sounded muffled, as if it came from far away. "What are you doing? The hive ship is still in orbit! You need to stop it."

"Trying, Rodney," Sheppard ground out. "There is something wrong with the chair."

He pressed his body into the backrest as if he could physically force the chair to recline again. Reaching out for the slippery connection to the chair's systems, he forced his way back inside with all the strength he could muster. And slowly, gradually, the chair followed his commands. The hive ship was still there and apparently, they hadn't launched any further darts. Perhaps they were scanning the planet's surface for the source of the unexpected resistance.

Sheppard used the opportunity to fire several sets of drones at the hive ship. It took every last ounce of strength he possessed to keep them in line. His head felt like it was hit by a jack hammer. It was a strange experience to have Ancient tech be this unresponsive to his commands. Perhaps this was what being connected to the chair felt like for Beckett or McKay. Maybe not quite as exhausting, but still. This sense of unreliability was getting to Sheppard as much as the fatigue that enveloped his body in a heavy blanket.

Finally, at least some of the drones hit their target, causing considerable damage. Sheppard watched the hive ship disappear from the sensors as it opened a hyperspace window. So the ship wasn't yet damaged beyond repair, but the Wraith were gone. Since they didn't know how dearly this fight had cost him, he could only hope they weren't likely to return anytime soon. He couldn't win another round against them.

The chair powered down, severing Sheppard's connection almost violently. It returned into an upright position and the current running through the arm- and backrest all but pushed Sheppard out of the chair. He staggered a few steps and leaned against the closest console he could reach. Sheppard had just enough control left to keep himself from touching anything else, lest he activated something that would make his condition worse. He was breathing heavily, his knees buckling underneath him. His whole body felt weak. Sheppard was completely spent.

The constant hum of the ancient technology sounded somewhat distorted, irritating even. He closed his eyes against the throbbing headache that was assaulting his temples.

"John?" Teyla's voice was soft. He felt her hand on his shoulder. "Are you okay?"

He looked at her and the headache spiked up a few notches. Yet, he managed a wan smile. "I'm fine."

It sounded like McKay was snorting behind him, muttering something to himself that Sheppard didn't understand. The trembling in his legs got worse to the point that he could no longer hide his discomfort. The world spun around him like crazy and his vision was starting to grey on the edges.

"I think I need to sit down." Sheppard moaned and lowered himself to the ground.

He closed his eyes against the ever spinning outside world and leaned his back against the console. The dizziness faded slowly and his racing pulse calmed down a bit. His breath still came in panting gasps and he had to concentrate until he managed to even it out. That only made the throbbing in his head worse.

"John, what is going on?" Teyla knelt down beside him. "Are you injured?"

For a while, Sheppard said nothing. Just breathing and remaining conscious was taking up all his strength. But eventually, Sheppard no longer felt like he was going to pass out any moment.

He rubbed his temples. "I'm tired," Sheppard admitted.

Once again he heard McKay's snort. "Tired? Try completely dead on your feet."

Sheppard let out another soft moan. "The chair wasn't working properly. I almost couldn't maintain the connection. Usually it's a bit taxing to use the chair, but it's never been like this before."

He rubbed his temples some more, trying to ease the pain. His arms felt numb, too, as if they didn't belong to him. Every muscle and bone in his body hurt. All he really wanted to do was lie down and sleep off his exhaustion. Sheppard wasn't sure he'd ever been this tired before. Perhaps, after the Wraith had sucked his life out of him.

McKay frowned. "That's strange. I didn't find any indication of a problem. And you were able to fire the drones and get rid of the Wraith. That doesn't sound like malfunctioning systems at all. "

Sheppard wiped the cold sweat off his forehead. "But I barely made it. There has to be something wrong with the Chair."

McKay scratched his head, thoughtfully. "Or this chair needs someone with an even stronger gene than yours. Seems like I need to double check my readings." He was talking more to himself than to anyone else, already getting absorbed in his work.

"I guess that means were going to be here for a while," Sheppard muttered.

He heaved a sigh of exasperation that was only half serious. Secretly, he admired McKay for his ability to forget everything around him while he was solving a problem. Being the military commander of an entire expedition, Sheppard simply couldn't afford to get distracted like that. And usually, McKay would come up with some brilliant solution to their problem. Admittedly, Sheppard was rather curious what had happened in the Chair.

"You should rest, John," Teyla said quietly. "I am sure Rodney does not need your assistance."

Surprisingly, despite already being immersed in his work, McKay reacted by waving his hand, silently teling them to leave him alone. He didn't even look up from the screen and started to fumble for one of his power bars, while he typed something with his free hand. Sheppard smiled to himself. Yup, completely absorbed in his work. It would certainly be a while before he'd be approachable again.

As if on cue, Tahar, who had been standing at the far side of the room, appeared at Sheppard's side. He was still completely in awe, almost tripping over himself in his attempt to help him. "How can my people ever thank you? You saved our lives. Bless the Ancestors for guiding you into our village. Come with me. You shall rest in our care."

Though Sheppard felt slightly uncomfortable as he was praised like that, he had to admit that resting up sounded wonderful. Particularly, if a nap and some food might mean that he could avoid another stay in the infirmary.

He got up slowly and swayed. He waited for another bout of dizziness to pass, before he managed to straighten his stance. Teyla helped him to remain on his feet.

"Keep an eye on Rodney," Sheppard pleaded. "I'll send Ronon to take your place as soon as I see him."

Teyla wanted to disagree, but he silenced her with a quick nod to McKay. "He's more important than I am. Besides, I'm feeling better already. I'll be fine. "

For a moment they shared a glance. She knew he wasn't telling the truth, he could see that in her eyes and the way she frowned ever so slightly. But Teyla didn't call him out on his obvious deception. She just nodded and let him keep what little was left of his dignity. It was one of the many things he loved about her.

Sheppard sighed inwardly as his heart constricted with the pain of unfulfilled love. He wasn't going to tell her about his feelings, not with the way things were in the Pegasus Galaxy. Not with the threat of the Wraith still looming over them – an enemy he had woken up. It was a miracle that Teyla had forgiven him for putting her people in such grave danger. How could he ever expect her to return his feelings? Perhaps the time to tell her would never come. He didn't know. But thinking about Teyla, no matter how minimal his chances of ever being allowed to show her his love, helped his tired body stay upright.

"Take care of yourself, John," Teyla said quietly. She touched her forehead against his in the traditional Athosian greeting. "Be safe."

Sheppard thanked her with a smile, before he turned to Tarhan.

"Let's get going." He untangled his arms from the grips of both Teyla and Tarhan and made the first tentative steps.

His legs felt like jello and his head was still pounding badly, but he wasn't going to let himself be carried back to the village. He could already feel Teyla's worried gaze resting on him as he stubbornly put one foot in front of the other. Tarhan's arms were already twitching as if he was just dying to help him back to the village. Sheppard hated it when people treated him like he might fall apart any minute. Which wasn't too far from the truth, actually. He could only hope it wouldn't come to that.

What had happened to him that he was so out of it?

In moments like these he felt like his father might have been right by telling him that he was a failure. That he wasn't man enough to hold his own in the military. That he was just too weak. How could he be the military leader of an entire expedition, if some piece of ancient tech could turn him into such a stumbling mess? His father's voice resumed to taunt him, whispering that someone who didn't know his responsibility toward his family could never expect to be a leader to anyone, military or civilian alike, yadda, yadda.

Sheppard pushed the unwanted memories out of his mind and locked his knees even more firmly.

He had managed another couple of almost even steps, when he suddenly felt a hand on his shoulder, so gentle and yet self-assured that it could only belong to Teyla.

"John, let Tarhan help you," she whispered. "I can see you are exhausted."

"I'm fine," he insisted. He turned to look at her, schooling his features into what he hoped was a stern expression. "You stay with Rodney."

"John," she tried again.

He waved her off. "Please, Teyla, don't argue with me. I'll be fine, really, I promise. I'm just a little tired, is all. I'm going to be right as rain, once I've had some sleep. We'll see each other in a bit."

Teyla pursed her lips, but said no more. With his jaw firmly set, Sheppard stepped out of the ancient ruins. The heat of the day almost knocked him off his feet. But he wasn't going to give into his fatigue. All he needed to do was concentrate on the next step. He could do it.

The way back to the village seemed at least twice as long as the way to the ancient ruins had been. It took all the willpower Sheppard could muster to remain on his feet. Part of him wished they had taken the jumper to get to MX-650. But he really didn't know if he still had enough strength left to even operate one. It was a strange feeling, as if something had sucked all the energy from him. Sort of like he'd felt after being fed on by a Wraith, with the single difference that he hadn't rapidly aged.

By the time they finally reached the village, Sheppard was about ready to keel over. He hadn't had the energy to protest, when Tarhan had wrapped an arm around his waist to support him. There was a constant whisper around him, as the news of their victory over the Wraith spread through the village like wildfire.

More and more people gathered on the streets, cheering and shouting. Though he didn't like such commotion in the least, Sheppard really couldn't care less, what was going on He squeezed his eyes shut against the onslaught of pain in his head. He vaguely felt Tarhan's arm slip from his waist as he was led into a house. Someone helped him lie down on the floor. By the time his head hit the pillows, Sheppard was already fast asleep.