There was a sound, a rustling of fabric at the edge of his awareness that alerted John something was wrong. He opened his eyes and rolled over, reaching for the Beretta beside him as he scanned the tent for threats. The only light came from the banked fire outside, but there was enough residual glow for him to see Rodney lying a foot or so away, asleep.
If Rodney was asleep, that meant Ronon was on watch, John reminded himself.
His internal clock told him it was too soon for the watch to change, so who was moving around, and why hadn't Ronon alerted him? John glanced across the tent and frowned when he saw two empty bedrolls.
"You should have known," John muttered to himself.
He holstered the Beretta, crawled over to the front of the tent, taking care not to wake McKay, and slipped outside. Where would she go? John wondered as he searched the remains of the Athosian village for Teyla.
Ronon came out from behind one of the nearby trees and walked over to John's side.
"All clear?" John asked in a low mutter.
Ronon nodded and jerked his chin toward one of the tents in the middle of the village. "She's over there."
John pursed his lips and nodded. While he might tease Rodney about his inability to comfort someone, John wasn't sure what he could do or say to help Teyla deal with the loss of a family member either. He wasn't on speaking terms with his father or brother, and as a result, he wasn't sure how he would feel if either were to die. His mother had passed when John was still a child, and all he remembered about her death was his father locking himself in his study for hours on end, and the housekeeping staff keeping him and David confined to the other side of the house.
What was he supposed to say to Teyla? he wondered. How was he supposed to help her deal with such a loss? He glanced back at the expedition tent. What would he do if something ever happened to Rodney? he asked himself. Or Ronon or Teyla?
John swallowed and stared up at the night sky. The reality was, he knew he'd probably try to deal with such a loss alone, shunning any attempt from others to ease the pain. Now he understood why his father spent so much time in the study, he thought with a wry smile.
Maybe the best thing he could do is let her be, John decided. Let Teyla deal with her grief in private.
Ronon walked over to the banked fire and sat down in front of their tent. "Go talk to her."
John scrubbed a hand over his face. "Yeah," he muttered and walked over to what remained of the meeting tent.
He found Teyla sitting with her back to him on the same tent support Rodney had used earlier, staring up at the sky.
"Teyla?" John called in a low voice.
He heard Teyla sniff and watched as she quickly wiped her eyes. "Colonel Sheppard," she replied.
Her voice sounded brittle, and it was obvious she had been crying. John considered once again leaving Teyla to herself, then stiffened his spine and walked over to the tent support.
"I apologise if I woke you," Teyla said. "I could not sleep."
John waved off the apology as he sat down beside her. "What are you doing out here?"
"Thinking. Remembering," she replied. "Summer was always Charin's favorite time of the year. Fruit ripening on the trees and bushes. Flowers in bloom. She said it was proof of life continuing in its endless cycle."
She sniffed again, and John wrapped an awkward arm around her shoulders.
"I will miss her," Teyla whispered and rested her head against John's shoulder.
John nodded and pulled her a little closer.
They sat together in silence for several minutes until Teyla straightened, wiping her eyes, and John dropped his arm.
She took a deep breath and looked around the village. "I was not sure what to expect, returning to Athos after all of this time," she admitted a few moments later. "After the Wraith attacked the planet and my people moved to Atlantis, I did not believe I would ever see my childhood home again."
Teyla stood and walked over to the skeletal remains of one of the tents. She ran her hand over one of the bare poles, then turned to John. "Was it difficult for you?" she asked. "Returning to your homeworld for the first time after living in Atlantis for so long?"
John shrugged and tried not to think about a midnight flight to Nevada, wondering if he would find Rodney in time. "It was … strange, I guess, in a way," he replied and stood. "Everything was familiar, but at the same time, it didn't feel like home anymore."
Teyla nodded. "When we arrived yesterday, I was happy to be here. Happy to be returning home." She looked around the village. "Now, all I see is what my people have lost. All because of the Wraith." She ducked her head. "I fear we could lose that which makes us Athosian now that we are no longer part of this world."
"Are you saying you want to move your people back here?" John asked and tried to keep his disappointment out of his voice.
Teyla shook her head. "No, my people are happy on the mainland." She rested her hand on John's arm. "And I am happy living in Atlantis." She dropped her hand and smiled. "It was Charin who helped me find a way to balance my two worlds."
"You're sure?" John asked.
"I am sure."
"Oh, well, umm, good. That's good."
Teyla looked up at the night sky again and sighed. "But what does that mean for our future?" she asked.
"How do you mean?"
"I did not know of the significance of the order for the stone markers in the Hallow," she admitted in a whisper. "Charin never said anything about the obelisk, or the stones forming circles, or why my ancestors placed the markers in such a way, so one did not obstruct any of the others."
"Maybe she didn't know," John replied. "I hate to admit it, but I didn't see any kind of pattern to those stones either until Rodney explained it."
"That is my concern," Teyla said and glanced at John. "Charin, Iranda, Telus. They are our elders. The keepers of our past." She sighed. "It will not be long before they are all gone, and so much of our knowledge gone with them."
"I don't think that's true," John replied. "There's Halling. And you."
Teyla shook her head and looked out at the village. "It has already begun. Even now, there are gaps in our knowledge." She sighed and glanced at John. "Rodney found a book today as we were sorting through the tents. It was one of the few books to survive the destruction of the old city. It had been carefully passed down through generations, kept as a reminder of who our people once were." She nodded in the direction of the city in the distance. "I was afraid Rodney would ask me what the book was about." She wrapped her arms around her middle. "I did not want to admit to him that I cannot read the writing of my own people. Halling is one of the few who can still read the old language, but even he cannot decipher all of the text."
'Ahh,' John mouthed, unsure what else to say.
"It is a problem for which I am not certain there is a solution," Teyla admitted softly.
Teyla looked up at the sky, and John considered what she had told him. A few minutes later, Teyla dropped her arms and turned toward the expedition tent. "It is late. I believe I will try to get some rest." She turned to John and smiled. "Thank you, John."
"Not sure I did much," John admitted.
"You listened," Teyla replied. "That was more than enough."
They walked back across the deserted village and stopped outside the expedition tent a few moments later. Ronon stood a few feet away, leaning against a tree.
Dex waited until Teyla disappeared inside the tent, then walked over to John's side. "She all right?" he asked and glanced at the tent.
John stuffed his hands into his jacket pockets. "As all right as she can be, I guess." He nodded at the tent. "I'm awake now. You may as well get some sleep. We have a city to explore in the morning."
~*~*~*~ SGA ~*~*~*~
John sat on one side of the fire, poking at the reconstituted eggs in front of him as Rodney, Teyla, and Ronon discussed how best to investigate the Ancient city in the distance.
"The city is almost ten miles from the village," Teyla said. "It will take several hours to hike the distance."
"Or we could take the jumper," Rodney countered. "There should be somewhere close by where we can land."
"Hike would be good for you," Ronon said, scooping up the last of his eggs.
Rodney scowled in response and finished his coffee.
John listened to the bickering with only half an ear as the conversation with Teyla the previous night played through his head again. There had to be something they could do to help, he thought. He glanced at Teyla, then at Rodney and Ronon glaring at each other.
"And if we find something important in all of that?" Rodney waved a hand in the direction of the distant city. "Are you volunteering to haul it back here?"
Ronon growled low in his throat.
John shook his head and spoke before the discussion got out of hand. "We only have the day to make an initial survey of the city. No sense in wasting most of it walking when we can fly," he said and stuffed his empty egg container into the MRE bag. "We'll take the jumper."
"Finally, some common sense," Rodney muttered.
John ignored the comment. "Let's get the rest of the gear packed up and head out."
Ten minutes later, John sealed the rear hatch, and the shuttle lifted off. "Any suggestions on where to start?" he asked as they flew over the forest toward the city in the distance.
"I am not sure," Teyla replied. "My people did not venture into the city often."
John nodded. "Because they thought something in the city signalled the Wraith."
"Yes," Teyla replied.
"Why?" Rodney asked. "The city is clearly Ancient." He pointed out the window, and John had to admit the structure coming into view in front of them looked more like the central tower in Atlantis than anything of Wraith design.
"Many hundreds of years ago, my people sought refuge from the Wraith in the city," Teyla said. "From stories Halling has told, we know the city protected the people from both the Wraith soldiers and their culling beams."
"It had a shield?" Rodney asked with a glance at Teyla sitting behind him.
"Possibly," Teyla replied. "But there came a time when the city was no longer a sanctuary. The Wraith attacked in force, and whatever defences the city once had no longer protected the people." She paused, and John heard her take a deep breath. "The survivors abandoned the city, and very few escaped into the surrounding forest. As protection from further cullings, my ancestors chose a nomadic existence and never returned to live in the city."
"So you're saying the city's shield technology might still be there?" Rodney asked.
"I suppose," Teyla replied. "The few times we have ventured into the city since it was only to search for books like the one you found yesterday or to look for other relics."
Rodney looked over at John. "If we can find anything, emitters, generators, anything, it could be useful."
"Agreed," John said, "Though it might be harder than you think to find anything in that."
They were over what remained of the Ancient city, and from what John could see, their chances of finding anything, much less shield technology, was slim. The buildings nearest the city gates were tumbled-down ruins. Wind and time had reduced even the rubble to little more than random piles of stone. John flew over another section of the city and pursed his lips. A few buildings were still standing, but nothing that looked stable enough to enter.
"So much for finding anything like a Zed-PM,'' Rodney muttered as he gazed out the windscreen. "I'm not picking up any energy readings anywhere in the city," he reported, and John heard the disappointment in his tone. "Other than us, there doesn't appear to be any life signs either."
"The buildings closer to the city center are better preserved," Teyla replied. "That is where we found the few items we were able to salvage."
"All right," John said. He glanced at the HUD and altered course.
"There," Rodney said and pointed at the building that resembled the central tower in Atlantis. "What about that one?"
John studied the damaged tower for a few moments, then nodded. "Looks stable enough," he agreed.
He flew the jumper over another pile of rusted girders and stone blocks and landed the shuttle in the plaza fronting the tower building.
"We are due back in Atlantis this afternoon. That gives us," John glanced at his watch, "six hours to scout the area for any devices or resources we can use."
He powered down the jumper then led the way into the rear section of the ship. John grabbed his pack and clipped it to his vest. He then checked his P-90 and led the way down the ramp.
Ronon followed him out of the ship and took several steps away from the jumper. "Going to look around," he said.
John nodded. "Watch yourself."
Ronon unholstered the particle weapon and disappeared down a narrow alley.
Teyla stepped off the ramp and stopped next to John. Rodney trailed along behind her, muttering to himself as he walked over to the front of the building.
"It must have been beautiful in its time," Teyla said with a sad smile. She shaded her eyes as she peered up at the tall tower in front of them. "Much like Atlantis is today."
John glanced up and noted that while the tower was more intact than some of the others, glass was missing from most of the upper floors, and one side had suffered blast damage at some point.
"Check in that direction," John said and pointed to his right. "I'll go this way." He tilted his head to his left.
Teyla nodded and walked toward the corner of the building. John watched her for a moment, checked Rodney still standing near the main double doors, and walked over to the other side of the building.
He peered around the corner of the building and found a pile of crushed stone and metal girders. He looked up and saw the gaping hole in the side of the building and shook his head. "So much for finding anything worth taking back to Atlantis," he muttered to himself and turned back to the plaza.
Teyla waved to him and tapped her ear. "Colonel, I believe one of the buildings in the next street may be of interest."
John double-checked the plaza and tapped his earpiece. "Go ahead and check it out. Radio back in ten."
"Understood," Teyla replied, then walked away.
"Rodney," John called and waited for McKay to look up at him.
"There might be a way to get inside," Rodney said, running his hands over the wall next to the door. "I just need to find an access panel."
"I'm going to go check some of the nearby buildings," John said. "Stay here. If you get the door open, radio me. Do not go inside until I get back."
Rodney nodded and went back to his study of the doors.
John watched him work for a few moments, then walked across the plaza and found a cobbled street. He wandered down the road, eyeing the damage to the buildings as he walked. He came out in another, smaller plaza and was surprised to note the buildings in the square appeared to be in better shape.
Maybe this trip won't be a total bust, after all, he thought. He turned and headed back to the tower.
Rodney was still examining the tower door, but there was no sign of Teyla or Ronon when he walked back into the plaza where they had left the jumper. "Teyla? Ronon?" John said over the radio. "Status?"
"Still looking around," Ronon replied first. "Not much still standing."
John nodded even though Dex couldn't see him. "Head back to the plaza. I might have had better luck."
"Copy."
"Teyla?" John said again. "You find anything?"
"Unfortunately, no, Colonel," Teyla said. "I am heading back now."
"Roger that," John said and tapped off the radio and walked over to Rodney.
Rodney had his pack off and a roll of tools laid out at his feet as he peered into an open access panel.
"Any luck?"
Rodney glanced up at him and shook his head. "This isn't like the doors in Atlantis," he replied and reached one hand into the panel.
As John watched, he touched one of the crystals, grimaced, and shook his head. He did the same for the next crystal in the panel, and John realised McKay was feeling for any vibrations in the crystals.
"Something wrong with the diagnostic equipment?" John asked and nodded to Rodney's pack.
"This is faster," Rodney replied, never looking up from the panel.
He touched another crystal, shook his head, and pulled all of the crystals out of the panel. He found a screwdriver in the roll of tools, unscrewed the panel that held the crystals in place, and pulled out a handful of wires.
"Well?" John asked as Rodney untangled the mass of wires. "Think you can get it open?"
Rodney looked over at John. "I don't know. There's no power getting to the door systems." He glanced at the jumper behind John. "Maybe if I can run power from the jumper to the panel …" He glanced back at the panel and pulled out more wires. "Give me a few minutes."
John nodded and turned when he heard running footsteps coming toward him.
"Colonel!" Teyla shouted as she ran out of a narrow alley.
"Teyla? What's wrong?"
Teyla skidded to a stop a few feet away and shook her head. "Something does not feel right. It is almost as if …" She turned and stared in the direction of the 'gate and then up at the sky. "We must return to the jumper. Now!"
"What? Why?" John asked, and Rodney looked up from his examination of the door controls.
"I am sensing Wraith." She turned and scanned the plaza as she raised her P-90. "They are not very far from us."
"That's not possible," Rodney said. He dropped the screwdriver in his hand, and reached for the Ancient scanner in his vest pocket. "There was nothing on the HUD." He looked up at Teyla as he freed the scanner from his pocket. "Are you sure -"
John heard the distant whine of a dart and saw Rodney's face pale as he looked up at the sky.
"She's sure," John told him and pushed Rodney back toward the jumper. "Get back to the jumper and activate the cloak," he ordered. "Teyla, go with him. I'll get Ronon."
Rodney stuffed the scanner back in his vest pocket, scooped up his pack and tools, and followed as Teyla ran back to the jumper.
John waited until Rodney and Teyla were near the ship, ran across the plaza, and turned down the alley where Ronon had disappeared earlier.
"Ronon!" John called over the radio. "We need to get out of here!" He ran down the narrow passage and into another plaza.
"Sheppard?" Ronon said as he walked into the plaza from a street kitty-corner to John's alley. "What's going -"
John blew out a breath and jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "We need to go. We've got Wraith incoming."
Ronon's expression went flat as he checked the charge for the particle weapon. "Let them come," he replied with a feral smile.
"They're in ships," John told him. "We aren't equipped to deal with that. We need to get back to the jumper. Let's go."
Ronon glared at him for a moment, and John wondered if he would need to knock Dex out and drag him back to the jumper.
"Fine," Ronon growled, and together they ran back down the alley.
They entered the plaza in front of the tower building, and John was aware of two things: the sound of the darts was closer, and the jumper was no longer visible.
Teyla appeared seemingly out of nowhere and beckoned to them. "Colonel!" she called. "Rodney says there are more Wraith arriving through the stargate. You must hurry!"
John waved back, and he and Ronon ran for the safety of the jumper. They were aboard the shuttle, and John had punched the control to seal the hatch when several darts screamed overhead as they flew over the plaza. When they didn't immediately turn around, John blew out a breath and hurried into the cockpit.
Rodney glanced at him, then moved out of the pilot's seat as he stared wide-eyed at the phalanx of darts disappearing over the forest, heading toward the mountains in the distance.
"It would seem the stories are correct," Teyla said as she entered the cockpit. "Visiting the ruins does alert the Wraith."
"Not likely," Rodney replied with a grunt and settled in the co-pilot's seat.
"I don't know, McKay," John said with a glance out the windscreen. "We show up in the city, and the Wraith are here less than an hour later?"
"Yes, and that should be your first clue," Rodney retorted. "If we tripped some sort of alarm, how did the Wraith get here so fast?"
John started to reply, but Rodney talked over him.
"It doesn't matter, because as I've said twice already, there are no energy readings anywhere in the city. No active power source, no way for any alarm to signal the Wraith."
"So, where did they come from?" Ronon asked.
"How should I know?" Rodney replied with a frustrated glare at Dex. "Maybe they were passing by and saw our life signs during a scan. Maybe they make regular checks of the planet looking for survivors."
Another squadron of darts flew over the city, and John made his decision. "We need to get out of here," he said and powered up the jumper.
"The stargate is likely guarded," Teyla reminded him as the jumper lifted off.
"We'll have to risk it," John said and concentrated on flying the jumper. "There's already too many of them for us to try and deal with if they figure out we're here."
John dodged another group of darts, glanced at the HUD, and cursed under his breath.
"There are more than two dozen life readings on the ground near the 'gate," Rodney reported a moment later.
"I see that," John replied with a grim look out the windscreen.
They flew over the clearing with the stargate a few moments later, and John hovered the cloaked ship above the 'gate. Wraith drones stood in formation around the 'gate and the DHD. As he watched, a dart flew low through the clearing, its culling beam active, and several more drones appeared.
"Damn," he muttered under his breath. "This looks like a full-scale attack, but why?"
"We could ask them?" Ronon suggested.
"Not happening," John told him. "We're leaving."
"The problem is we will have to uncloak to go through the 'gate," Rodney said. "They're going to know we're here."
John grimaced. He knew Rodney was right, but it was a chance they would have to take. The number of Wraith already on the planet meant there had to be a hive ship in orbit. They couldn't stay here.
"We must hurry," Teyla said. "If this is an attack, the Wraith will try to control the stargate, preventing anyone from escaping the planet."
John nodded and took a deep breath. He turned the jumper in a wide arc and lined up his approach to the 'gate. Once he was in position, he glanced at Rodney.
"All right, we're only going to get one shot at this. As soon as the wormhole forms, send the code and radio Elizabeth to be ready to raise the shield the moment we're through."
Rodney swallowed and hovered his hand over the mini-DHD.
John dropped the cloak around the jumper and pushed both flight controls forward as Rodney started to dial.
As soon as the ship was visible, one of the Wraith drones ran for the DHD and started punching in an address. The rest opened fire on the now visible ship.
"Come on, come on," Rodney muttered under his breath. He slammed his hand down on the last tile, and the wormhole formed. At the same time, the Wraith drone stepped back from the DHD on the ground and looked up at the 'gate.
Who finished dialling first? John wondered even as he aimed the jumper at the 'gate. Us or the Wraith?
"I hope that worked," Rodney muttered as he tapped his GDO.
John heard several shots from the Wraith weapons impact the ship as Rodney finished sending his IDC, and John knew he was out of time as the HUD popped up a damage report with several systems blinking in yellows and reds. The shuttle couldn't take much more of the Wraith weapons fire before a critical system was damaged. The only bit of good luck was no darts had appeared yet to try and stop them.
Rodney glanced at the HUD and reached for one of the tiles on the co-pilot's console. "Elizabeth?" he said over the open channel even as more Wraith blasts hit the ship.
"Now or never," John said to himself. He took the flight sticks in a tight grip and dove for the active wormhole, praying Rodney had been faster dialling out than the drone.
They were through the 'gate a moment later, and John let go of the control sticks as the docking system took over. He glanced at Rodney braced in the seat beside him with his eyes squeezed shut, then at Ronon and Teyla behind him.
"Okay?" John asked.
Teyla and Ronon both nodded.
"Rodney?" John said and tapped McKay's arm. "You can open your eyes now."
"It worked?" Rodney asked as he opened his eyes and looked around. "I can't believe that worked."
The shield shimmered into place around the 'gate, and John saw several flashes on the HUD as something impacted against the energy field.
"Colonel Sheppard," Elizabeth said over the radio as the 'gate shut down. "Is your team all right?"
"We're fine," John replied with another glance at Ronon, Teyla, and Rodney.
"Conference room," Elizabeth said.
"Roger that," John replied as the jumper rose out of the gateroom.