Chapter 9: A ZPM hunt.
Torren left his lab and headed straight to the bridge to let Commander O'Neill know what their plans were. He didn't think that the commander would have a problem because things were fairly relaxed aboard the Daedalus these days as the threat from the Wraith and other enemies was minimal. They were way ahead of schedule for arriving back on Atlantis and although they still needed to have a memorial service for uncle Rodney and scatter his ashes, he didn't think that anyone would mind a delay. Jennifer and Maddie would certainly do anything to encourage them in their mission if they knew that it would help their patients and he suspected that Captain McKay wouldn't mind as John Sheppard and Teyla Emmagan were some of his father's dearest friends and Rodney McKay had never got over their disappearance. At least that was what the captain had told him on numerous occasions before his father's death.
He had no idea what was going to happen in the future and whether his parents would find a way back to the past, but one thing he knew for sure was that he would do whatever it took to help them in that mission. And the first step along the way was making sure that John Sheppard survived whatever strange illness was afflicting him at the moment.
When he arrived on the bridge, he noticed that there was a skeleton crew on duty and Commander O'Neill was nowhere in sight, so he immediately went to the captain's ready room. He didn't even bother knocking before he entered, and he was immediately annoyed to find that Todd was there speaking with the commander and captain.
"What is he doing here?" Torren asked with indignance.
"Todd was just explaining the need to find a ZPM to try and land on the planet close to the strange anomaly so that we can help out guests," Captain McKay explained.
He nodded his head in agreement, "so will it be possible to go on the mission?"
"I think so," the captain replied, "Todd is just giving us the coordinates of the planet with the ZPM now and it appears that it is close by."
He turned to glare at Todd as he never really trusted the Wraith even though he had been a big help in the past, "and have you asked Ronon yet?"
"Yessss," Todd hissed, "he has agreed to join us, although I suspect it is more to keep an eye on me than find the ZPM."
"Smart man, "Torren mumbled before turning to the captain, "so when can we leave?"
"You may leave as soon as you're ready." The captain replied.
He looked at the Captain and was surprised how much he was beginning to look like his father, he had the same build as him and the same colour hair - at least what was left of it - the only difference was that he had his mother's hazel eyes.
Torren turned to leave and took one last look at the Wraith, that's great, I'll see you in the jumper bay in ten minutes then."
The minute he left the ready room he decided that he wanted to see his father one last time before he went on the mission. He certainly hoped that it wouldn't be the last time he saw him, but from experience, anything that could go wrong would probably go wrong if Todd was involved.
Arriving in the infirmary a few minutes later he was surprised to see his mother was rushing out of the ICU and he could see the worry in her big brown eyes.
"Mom is dad alright?"
"At the moment he is stable, but the doctors fear that he could begin to deteriorate at any moment as they have just intubated Sheppard." She paused and took a deep breath before continuing, "what is happening with the mission, Torren? As I have decided that I am coming along."
"We have permission to go as soon as we're ready, but I was wanting to see Dad before we left."
"I will get my things together and meet you at the jumper then. Is Ronon coming with us?"
"Yeah, I think he wants to keep an eye on Todd," Torren smirked.
"That is a wise move as I still do not trust that Wraith."
"Me either, Mom."
Smiling at her as she left the infirmary, he quickly turned and walked towards the ICU sending up a prayer along the way that John Sheppard would survive. His Uncle Rodney wasn't a religious man and had taught him nothing of religion, but his Aunt Jenn, Aunt Amelia, and Uncle Ronon had taught him to respect other beliefs and ultimately decide what he believed at the appropriate time.
When he arrived in the ICU, he found that his father was alone so he sat next to him, held his hand, and whispered in his ear, "Dad, Mom and I are doing everything we can to help the doctors to find a cure for you. And Todd is going all out to help as well; apparently, he missed working with you when you went missing. Anyway, I must go now, but I will see you when I get back," he bowed his head and touched his forehead to his father's before he continued, "just hold on a bit longer, I love you Dad."
He turned away from his dad and was surprised to see that Charlie was staring at him, "is it true that you are going to try and find a way to help my dad?" She asked in a soft voice.
He put his hand on her shoulder and smiled down at her, "I'm going to do whatever I can so why don't you go and sit with your dad and talk to him because I'm sure that he can sense that you and your brother are near?"
"Thank you, Torren," she said, and he was surprised when she threw her arms around him.
He reluctantly put his arms around her and held her for a few seconds before she let go and ran over to her father's bed. It actually seemed strange to be hugging this child because in a strange way she was his half-sister and Dave was his half-brother. At that moment he wondered if his mom and Dad went back in time whether they would bother to have any more children.
He watched the two children whispering words of encouragement to their father before he turned around and left the ICU. If their mission was a success Charin and David would be speaking to their father again very soon. He certainly hoped that he would be speaking to his father very soon and when he did, it would be for the first time in over fifty years.
It didn't take him long to arrive in the cargo bay and when he did, he was relieved to find that Todd, Ronon and his mother were already there.
"Is everyone ready?" He asked with eagerness in his voice.
"Yes, Torren we are ready," Teyla answered serenely.
He went up front and sat down in the pilot's seat and started to do the pre-flight checks that General Lorne had taught him to do. He smiled when he thought of the man who had taken over military operations on Atlantis when his father had gone missing. Stargate Command and the IOA had wanted to bring Caldwell in, but Woolsey had fought for Lorne to take over. Lorne had stayed in command until he retired from the air-force ten years ago. His son had then taken over and was still in command of the military now.
His Uncle Dave had come to Atlantis to work about a year after his dad had disappeared and had eventually taken over the leadership of the city, he had maintained his position there until he retired fifteen years ago and now Dave's grandson was the leader of the expedition. Atlantis and Stargate command had certainly kept things in the family over the years.
Although he had always liked his Uncle David, he never really got on as well with him as he did with the other men who had helped to raise him. Uncle Dave had passed away three years ago now and it had been a great loss to him as he had been the only connection he'd had to John Sheppard.
His reverie was interrupted when his mother spoke from behind him, "are you ready to go Torren?"
"Yeah, I'm ready, let's get going."
He expertly piloted the jumper out of the Cargo Bay and headed towards the coordinates that Todd had given him. The trip should only take about an hour and with a bit of luck, they should be able to find the ZPM within an hour and be back on the Daedalus within three. The Daedalus was heading towards the planet with the anomaly, and they should reach a safe distance of it within seven hours. Hopefully, they could come up with the correct calculations as to how they were going to land on the planet within that time. It shouldn't be that difficult as they had Sheppard's calculations from when Sheppard, his mother and father had escaped the planet.
He shook his head and tried to empty his mind of any negative thoughts because he knew that if they weren't quick, it may not matter if they succeeded in their mission or not.
Shaking his head again he looked out of the front window and was surprised to see a green and blue world in the distance, he had no idea that they had been travelling for that long, or was this even the world they were looking for or was it some other world?
"Is that where we're going?"
"You wish," Todd answered a little sarcastically, "the planet we're heading to is a desert world, but I believe that the ZPM is hidden in a cave so it shouldn't be a problem retrieving it."
Torren was incredulous by what he had just heard, "you believe that it is hidden in a cave, what you don't know for sure?!"
"It was definitely there the last time I checked," Todd said defensively and if Todd had been human, Torren was convinced that he would have hurt his feelings.
Ronon stood to his feet and glared at the big Wraith, "and how long ago was that?"
Torren had to wonder why Todd had kept the ZPM from them in the past and what the Wraith wanted from them right now because Todd never did anything that wouldn't benefit him. Some things never change, he thought.
"What would you like in return if you allow us to have the ZPM?" Teyla asked in her usual serene tone.
"It's simple really; I would like your research into the radiation on the planet with the anomaly," Todd answered sincerely - well as sincerely as a Wraith could.
"And what do you want to do with it?" Ronon mumbled, "Probably find a way to help the Wraith heal even more effectively."
"If you must know I believe that I am close to creating a retrovirus so that when the wraith, awake from their hibernation they won't have to feed on humans ever again. I know that your doctors have been working on it for many years but have slowed down on their efforts in the last ten to fifteen years. I have also been working on it along with some of my most trusted scientists."
What he was saying sounded extremely altruistic, but Torren had to wonder why "I have never understood your need to work on this retro-virus Todd; surely it goes against everything that a Wraith is?"
"The day I met John Sheppard, I changed my view on humans forever. He is one of the most honourable men I have ever known, and he is a mighty warrior as well. In fact, the more I have had to do with the humans of Atlantis and their allies the more convinced I am that they are intelligent honourable people and I appreciate the opportunity to work with them when the need arises."
"Wow Todd that has to be the most moving speech I've heard in a long time, "Ronon said his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Thank you for your support Ronon," Todd answered, and it was obvious to Torren that he had obviously missed the sarcasm.
Torren would have laughed when Ronon rolled his eyes behind Todd's back if the situation hadn't been so grim.
He sat in silent meditation after that, trying to prepare himself for the mission ahead. If there was one thing that Halling had taught him that he was grateful for, it was the ability to calm himself through meditation in difficult situations. The jumper was on autopilot for the moment, so he didn't have to do much until they approached the planet.
Ten minutes later Ronon cleared his throat causing him to look up at the window and he was surprised to find that they were nearing a desert world. Upon closer inspection, he realised that it was mainly sand with a handful of small seas. He knew that it was going to be tough going, but they had brought plenty of water with them so that should help a little.
He immediately took control of the jumper again and guided it through the atmosphere looking for a place to land near the caves that Todd had told them about. It had been an hour since they had left the Daedalus, so they were right on schedule. Hopefully, the rest of the mission would go as planned and they could get back to the Daedalus in time to work out the calculations they needed to land on the planet with the anomaly.
Once he had carefully set the jumper down at the base of the hills where the caves were situated, he opened the back hatch and was annoyed to find that there was coarse red sand for as far as the eye could see and what was worse, was that there were three suns in the sky and the primary sun didn't look as if it was about to go down anytime soon.
Torren sighed and collected his gear – including plenty of water – before following Todd and Ronon through the back hatch. His mother brought up the rear. Ronon was carrying the case that they would eventually put the ZPM in when they found it. He had actually decided to bring one that would carry two ZPM's just in case they needed it because if Todd was involved anything could happen.
The minute he stepped out of the jumper he felt the heat on his face and the dry wind blowing in his face, so he immediately put a scarf from his pack around his nose and mouth and a pair of sunglasses over his eyes, he noticed that his mother and Ronon did the same. But for some reason Todd didn't, in fact, the Wraith had a huge grin on his face, and it was almost as if he was enjoying himself immensely. Torren knew that he would have to ask him about it at some stage.
He began to walk in silence following Todd and Ronon as he walked alongside his mother. The primary sun didn't seem to be moving across the sky and the secondary suns seemed to still be rising so the day seemed to be becoming hotter by the second and he was convinced that if he didn't find shelter soon, he would melt. Who had bothered to hide a ZPM on such an inhospitable world, he was convinced that it wouldn't have been the ancients? Maybe it was Todd and he'd hidden it here until he could use it to his advantage - that was definitely a strong possibility.
It took them twenty minutes to reach the caves and by the time they arrived Torren felt about ready for a nap, he had no idea how his Uncle Ronon had managed it without hardly breaking a sweat, as he was in his eighties, if, they went by earth years. Torren knew that he had become unfit over recent years and at that moment he made up his mind that he would get in some sparing with his Uncle Ronon as soon as they got back to Atlantis. He looked over at his mother and she looked as lovely as he remembered her and she was barely sweating either, perhaps he would ask her for some sparring lessons as well.
"How long will it be until we find the ZPM?" Torren asked as he sat down for a rest just inside the cave.
"It should be another twenty minutes' walk," Todd answered, "although I could do it in ten."
He thought about replying with a sarcastic comment but decided he was just too exhausted to be bothered. He was enjoying the rest, so he decided to close his eyes for a few minutes before they continued again.
Someone came and sat alongside him, and he instantly knew it was his mother because of the smell of her perfume and the softness of her hair on his shoulder, "how are you feeling sweetheart," she whispered in his ear?
He opened his eyes and turned to look at her, "I'm doing alright, although I'll be glad when this particular mission is over."
"I assume that you will be piloting the jumper when we go to the planet near the anomaly?"
"Of course, I will be Mom and I'm looking forward to spending some time with you and Dad when he is well again and he will get well again because from what I have heard he is an incredibly stubborn man who doesn't give up easily."
"That sums up John Sheppard, he is one of the most stubborn men I have ever met, and I love him with all of my heart. But I do not know what I would do if he does not make it."
He looked up at her and saw the sadness in her eyes and all he wanted to do was make her feel better, "he will make it Mom because we are going to find that ZPM and get it back to the Daedalus, although I should be able to install it in the jumper along the way."
Determined that he was right, and John Sheppard was going to make it he stood to his feet and started walking down the tunnel ahead of him. Ronon and Todd very quickly followed, and he assumed that his mother was bringing up the rear. He switched on his flashlight and was relieved when the others did the same as the beams cut a swath through the menacing darkness.
"Hey, wait up Torren," Ronon called from behind him.
"What," he said turning around to face the tall Satedan.
"Todd says that there's a junction up ahead so we will need to take the path to the left."
"Alright, but can we hurry up because I want to get off this rock as soon as possible as it is one of the worst planets, I've ever had the misfortune of landing upon."
"Really, I'm finding it quite exhilarating," Todd replied with a smirk on his face.
That didn't warrant an answer in Torren's opinion, so he just glared at him before continuing. Ronon came up alongside him and Todd followed behind which he was happy about because he didn't even want to look at the Wraith right now.
He walked on in silence trying to ignore the conversation that his mother was having with Todd as right now he wanted some peace. He found it difficult to meditate while he was walking, but he tried some of the techniques that Halling had taught him many years ago and they seemed to help a little. After a few minutes he came to the junction that Ronon had told him about, so he took the left passage. He had no idea how long he would have to go before they found the ZPM, but hopefully, it wouldn't be too long.
After another five minutes, he came to a large cavern with phosphorescence glowing on the walls, so he was able to switch off his flashlight. For a moment he chose to admire the beauty of the cave before looking around for what he had come for.
It wasn't long before the others joined him in the cave, so he turned to Todd and gave him a hard stare, "so where is it then?"
"If you turn around and face the other direction, I will go and get it for you."
Torren immediately sensed his duplicity, "why Todd, what have you got to hide?"
The big wraith looked sheepish as he continued to glare at him. He sensed that Ronon and his mother were doing the same.
Todd sighed and he sensed that finally, they may get the truth from him, "alright it is through in the next cavern."
"We will all go with you," Teyla suggested with a smile and Torren knew that was the smile she reserved for those she was angry with or those she didn't trust. His Uncle Ronon had told him about it many times over the years and he'd seen it a bit the over last few days, particularly since they'd been dealing with Todd.
Todd nodded and led the way and Torren very quickly followed not wanting to let him get out of his sight. Ronon walked beside him glaring at the back of Todd's head all the way. Torren knew that Ronon had dealt with the Wraith on far too many occasions over the last few years and he'd never had reason to trust him.
When they arrived in the next cavern Torren was happy to find that it was more brightly lit than the last one, so he turned to Todd who was standing in the middle of the cave, "okay where is it?" He asked with impatience.
"Do I really have to tell you where my hiding spot is?"
He watched as his mother walked up and stood right in front of the Wraith, "Todd," she said with her sweet sickly smile, "if you do not tell us where your hiding place is we will not give you our research on the radiation in the atmosphere of the planet near the anomaly."
"I'd listen to her if I was you," Ronon growled coming up alongside her, "or she'll kick your butt."
"I could still feed on you, right in front of your son's eyes!" Todd hissed at her.
"But you will not because if you do you will disappoint John Sheppard and I know that you would never do that." Teyla replied, still speaking in her sickly sweet tone, "when you have finished here, we will take you to your ship and then you can go and look for a meal, but you will not be getting one here."
Todd just glared at her, and Torren was relieved when he walked towards a rocky outcrop at the end of the cavern. He quickly followed him, wanting to make sure he didn't do anything sneaky while he was over there.
It didn't surprise him when he looked behind the rocky outcrop and found two ZPM's hidden there, "now I know why you didn't want us to look in your hiding place. So, you were going to give us one now and blackmail us with the other one in the future, or were you going to give it to someone else?"
Todd just hissed at him, pulled out the ZPM and handed it to him and he was happy to see that it was almost full. Ronon came up alongside him and opened the case for him to carefully place it in. Todd then handed him the other ZPM, and he was overjoyed when he saw that this one was full. He carefully put it in the case and stood up.
"Right let's get out of here," Ronon suggested and Torren walked off towards the tunnel they had just come down.
He'd been walking for a few minutes when Ronon came up alongside him and spoke in his ear, "how are you feeling Torren? Everything seems to be going to plan so far."
He just rolled his eyes at the Satedan, "so far so good, but so many things can still go wrong."
Ronon chuckled, "but there's always a first time for everything."
He couldn't even give him a smile at the moment as he was so worried about his father, so he just bowed his head and walked faster towards the exit.
When he arrived at the exit five minutes later his worst fears were realised because outside the cave the wind was blowing a gale causing the worst dust storm that he had ever seen. Outside the cave the air was thick with coarse red sand and there was no way they were going to get to the jumper anytime soon.
TBC…