Chapter 14: Arastica

Torren watched in horror as his father's body began to contort and convulse in the chair, right before he let out an ear-piercing scream. There was blood streaming from his nose and eyes, and Torren really had no idea what he should do to help him. He knew that trying to disconnect John from the chair could probably kill him, but if he did nothing, he was almost certain that his father would die anyway. Things were going incredibly wrong and there was nothing he could do about it right now and that was a feeling that he didn't like, as he was a scientist and he should be able to fix anything - he certainly couldn't stand here and watch a good man die. Once John had lost consciousness his body continued to convulse and bleed and Torren was becoming worried that his father would die right in front of his eyes before he had a chance to think of a solution to fix the problem.

Staring at his father, he felt as if his feet were glued to the floor and he wondered if he should run back to the cabin and get Maddie, but a few seconds later he had to scrap that idea as the doors in the room slammed shut and the lights went out. The only light in the room was from the chair – the illumination lit up John's face as it twisted and contorted in agony.

Suddenly John sat up in the chair and stared at him – only it wasn't John Sheppard, it was something else.

"You need to help me now, or you will be trapped in here forever!" The words came out of his father's mouth, but it definitely wasn't John Sheppard talking.

Then a whisper escaped John's mouth and Torren knew that it was his father, "help me."

John was abruptly thrown from the chair, and he landed on the floor with a thud, right before the lights came back on. Unfortunately, the doors remained closed though.

He was by John's side in a split second, and he managed to carefully roll him onto his back and Torren wasn't happy by what he saw. There was blood covering his face, even though the bleeding from his eyes and nose had stopped. His barely healing arm was bent at an odd angle, and it was clear that it had been broken again. He seemed to have a large gash on his forehead and his face was ashen grey.

Staring at his father, he willed him to wake up, but John remained deeply unconscious and that had Torren incredibly worried as he had no idea whether there was any internal damage, but his biggest fear was that John Sheppard may have suffered brain damage.

He knew that he needed to pull himself together to find a way out of this place, but first, he needed to treat his father's injuries, so he opened his backpack and pulled out a bandage and tried to wipe the blood away from his face. He then carefully splinted up John's broken arm, before bathing the gash on his head and bandaging it up.

Once he had finished patching his father up, he sat back and decided that it was probably time to have something to eat and drink. He knew that he needed to do something, but he couldn't think on an empty stomach. He smiled to himself when he thought about how much he sounded like his Uncle Rodney because the man was always eating, whether he was in the middle of a scientific discovery or insulting his team of minions – there were times when Rodney insulted his friends as well, but for some reason, they all forgave him for it as they knew that Rodney lacked in social skills.

Then he decided that he may be able to contact Maddie, so he tapped his forearm where his communication device had been implanted, "Torren to Maddie come in please?"

He waited for a minute or two and there was no reply, so he tried again, "Torren to Maddie, come in please?"

There was still no reply, well it was worth a try, he thought, we're probably too far out of range, or maybe the city is interfering with communications. That was something else that annoyed him. Surely as a scientist, he should know why the comm implants weren't working.

Out of the corner of his eye he saw something blink, he turned his head to look over at a console in the corner and he realised that there was a red light flashing. Taking one last look at his father, he stood up and walked over to the console, hoping to find a way out of the mess they found themselves in. The red light continued to blink, and he wondered if it was some kind of code. Maybe it was something like the morse code that his Uncle Rodney had taught him years ago.

All of sudden the monitor lit up and a message scrolled across the screen I AM ARASTICA, AND I NEED YOUR HELP. I CANNOT OPEN THE DOORS UNTIL THE ANCIENT GETS BACK IN THE CHAIR AND HELPS TO REPAIR MY SYSTEMS. MY SYSTEM IS BADLY DEGRADED AND I NEED YOUR HELP…. PLEASE?

It almost sounded like the city was begging for help and as abruptly as the screen lit up, it went dead. He had no idea why the city couldn't open the doors for him, but he suspected that there was something more sinister going on. He assumed that the ancient she was referring to was, his father – he suspected that the city was a she because that was the way they always thought of Atlantis.

A groan from the floor caught his attention so he immediately rushed over to his father's side, "Dad, are you alright?"

"Wha…" John slurred.

The fact that his father was slurring his words worried him a little as he knew that it could be a sign of brain damage, "Dad, we're in the city of Arastica on Sheppard's planet. You connected with the city through the control chair, and it threw you out of it."

"Ca…see," John slurred again and the fact that he couldn't see worried Torren even further.

"Your eyes were bleeding when you were in the control chair, so maybe that has something to do with it. I wish I could get Maddie here to help but the doors are secured, and I can't get out," he took a deep breath before continuing, "I'm sorry to ask you this, but did you find out anything from the city, when you connected with her?"

"Yeah…city… in pain…we…need… to…help," John answered and it was obvious to Torren that he was in an incredible amount of pain. On the plus side though, John's words appeared to be less slurred.

"I know Dad, but I don't see how we can help without any power, and I don't suggest that you get into that control chair anytime soon. Of course, it might help if we could get the doors open."

"I…have…to…connect…and…get…. basic…systems…running. I'll…try…to…open…the doors…as…well," John insisted trying to get to his feet, but he didn't succeed and immediately fell to the floor again where he sat with his back to the wall.

He grabbed John by the arm just as he was about to list to the side, "Dad if you insist on doing this, you're going to have to let me help you. Although I strongly suggest you rest for a while before even attempting it."

"No…time…for…rest…have…to…do…it…now," John said trying to get to his feet again.

Torren could see that the man was in agony, but he also knew that nothing would stop John Sheppard from doing what he set out to do. His Uncle Ronon and Uncle Rodney had told him often enough over the years how stubborn the man could be when he set his mind to something.

"Alright, but you must be in absolute agony, so please have a drink and some pain meds first?"

"Water…, but…no…pain…meds…need…to…remain…clear…headed." John panted.

He helped his father to sit against the wall and offered him the canteen, "here you go dad, drink this. Have as much as you need as I have plenty more."

Torren offered it to him, but he gently shook his head, "can't feel my left arm or left leg, my right side doesn't feel so good either, so you're going to have to help me."

The fact that John couldn't feel the left side of his body had Torren worried as that could be a sign of permanent brain damage. How the hell could this city do so much damage to his father? Atlantis was kind and gentle with whoever connected with her – even when she was damaged. So, what was Arastica's problem?

He slowly lifted the canteen to John's mouth and helped him drink his fill. That was the easy part – now he had to help him into the control chair, and he really hoped that it wouldn't kill him.

"Okay Dad, let's get you into the control chair, and please see if you can get a computer console up and running so that I can try and fix things from the outside?"

Torren grabbed John's right arm and put it around his shoulders to help him stand. Then he carefully helped John limp over to the control chair where he helped him sit. John immediately put his hands on the sensors and lay back and the chair came to life. At first, John's face was scrunched up and he was panting heavily, but slowly he seemed to relax – much to Torren's relief.

All he could do was wait and hope that his father could get the computer core operational, so at least he may be able to do something from the outside. He sat down on one of the stools by the console and watched his father, at least he was quiet for the moment – which was a much better outcome from the last time he'd been in that chair.

Suddenly the console lit up and a message flashed across the screen, VIRUS IN THE SYSTEMS TRYING TO ELIMINATE IT FROM WITHIN.

That didn't sound like the city speaking that sounded like John, so he must be so deeply integrated with the system that he was able to speak on the city's behalf. Torren really hoped that his father wasn't in too much pain and that he would be strong enough to do what he had set out to do.

He watched the computer screen as a few files came up on the screen and he was surprised to find that one of them was information on the strange anomaly in the atmosphere and the other was on the strange bacteria on the planet. He had always suspected that the anomaly was created by the ancients, but he had no idea what its purpose was. The bacteria was a different matter though, he had assumed it was naturally occurring – but was he wrong? And as for the strange radiation in the atmosphere what was its purpose – were all these things connected? These were all good questions, and he would happily spend a lifetime trying to find the answers, once the current crisis was over.

Shaking his head to empty his mind of superfluous thoughts he went back to staring at the screen waiting to see if any more files would come up. After sitting there for a few minutes, he was disappointed when nothing happened – at least he had something to focus on while he waited.

A strange grating sound caught his attention, and he was happy to see that the doors were opening, perhaps he could do a little exploring while his father worked in the chair room? Or should he take time to look at the computer files that had come up on screen? In the end, he decided that he could look at the files later and it wouldn't hurt to do a little exploring.

His father moaned again, and Torren was by his side in a flash, "dad what happened this time?"

He watched as his father slowly opened his eyes and it was obvious that he still couldn't see, "there's…a…virus…in…the…mainframe…and…it…keeps…throwing me out." John told him breathlessly before he slid out of the chair.

Torren managed to catch him and lay him on the ground before he injured himself further, "are you going to be able to get rid of it?"

"I…have…to…go…back…in."

There was no way he was going to let his father go back in the chair as he was barely conscious, and he really needed a doctor right now. Perhaps now that the doors were open, he could go back to the cabin and get Maddie.

His thoughts were interrupted when his father started groaning. Turning around he realised that his father was trying to crawl towards the chair, "dad what are you doing?"

"Have…to…get…to…the…chair…again. Have…to…fix…this."

"Dad you can't do this right now, you need to rest. In fact, I think I'm going to head back to the cabin to get Maddie."

"Don't…worry…just," John stopped mid-sentence and he looked as if he was going to pass out, so Torren helped him to the chair, "go…and…explore…while…I'm…in…the chair?" John finished.

Before he had a chance to say anything, John had leant back in the chair and connected with Arastica, "dad," he called to him, but there was no reply.

He sat and watched him for a few minutes and realised that for the moment he seemed to be peaceful, so perhaps now was a good time to do a little exploring – they still had their communication devices implanted in their arms if they needed to contact each other – he only hoped that they would work in the city.

Taking one last look at his father, he turned around and headed for the door. Right before he left the room, he caught a glimpse of the monitor and there appeared to be a schematic for part of the city. He took a good look and decided on which way to go.

He still had second thoughts about leaving his father alone in the chair room and wondered if he should go and get Maddie, but John had told him to go and explore so maybe he would go and explore for half an hour and then come and check on his father.

As he left the room and started to walk down the corridor, he was amazed to see that the lights came on for him. He knew that his artificial ancient gene worked some of the time, but it was still exhilarating when he did.

He continued until he came to a transporter, and he was surprised to see that it was active. Stepping inside he looked at the map and pressed the area that he thought might be the control room. A few seconds later the door opened, and he found himself in the dark, although it wasn't long before the lights came on.

Stepping out of the transporter and looking around slowly he realised that he was in the city's control room and down a flight of stairs was a stargate – much to his surprise.

For some reason, the gateroom floor was still dark and the stargate looked lost, lonely, and even a little creepy. There was a brooding silence and he suspected that the stargate hadn't been used in ten thousand years and he would love to get it up and running again – if his father could manage to repair the city. He knew that he would have to help eventually, but there was really nothing he could do until John Sheppard was ready for his help. And he knew that John Sheppard would ask for help when he was good and ready and not a moment before.

He looked around the control room for a DHD and was happy to see that there was one present. That would certainly make it much easier to dial out if they were to get the gate working. Perhaps they would be able to contact Atlantis and have them send a team to study the city, but he knew that there was a long way to go before they got to that point.

Continuing to look around the control room, he realised that most of the consoles were not operational, and he knew that it would take a lot of work to get them up and running again. There was certainly a lot of work to do, so he wondered if he should get the gate up and running first – then he could ask for help from Atlantis.

A thought suddenly struck him – were there any functional ZPM's in the city and if there was could this city fly? More good questions and he began to feel a little excited at the possibilities of what this city may represent for the people of the Pegasus galaxy.

Checking one of the working consoles, he was surprised to see directions for the ZPM room – perhaps the city was reading his mind.

Taking one last look at the lonely stargate, he headed back to the transporter he had arrived in. Stepping inside he touched the map in the area where he thought that the ZPM room may be.

A split second later the doors opened to reveal a long dark passageway, but it didn't remain that way for long because as he walked the lights came on. The city must have enough control over her systems to turn the lights on, or maybe Dad's making it happen.

Even though the corridor was lighting up as he walked through it, the silence was eerie and he felt as if he was being watched by someone – was it the city, or was it the virus that had infiltrated Arastica and was now wreaking havoc with her systems?

Shuddering he continued until he came to a door, which automatically opened for him. He stepped inside and found the ZPM control console in the middle of the room. The only problem was, there were three empty holes where the ZPM's should have been and not a ZPM in sight.

The silence was so unnerving that he jumped when his comm activated, "hey dad what have you got?"

There was silence on the other end, and he was worried that his father had passed out or something, "dad, are you there?"

Eventually, his father managed to say something, and his voice was so breathy that it was obvious he was in an enormous amount of pain, "You…need…to...go…to…the…ZPM room because…I…need…the…ZPMs…Connected."

"I'm already here Dad, but we have one slight problem – there's no ZPMs"

"Well…I…can't…do…anything…until…they're…connected."

"What about the virus, have you managed to get rid of it?"

"Not…enough…power…"

His father was panting heavily now, and he knew that he had to do something quick, so that the man could have a rest.

"Don't worry Dad, I'll have a look around, perhaps I'll be able to find them."

Suddenly a deafening scream came over his comm's – he had no idea what was going on and he hoped that his father wasn't injured further, "dad what's happening, are you alright?"

"Yeah…I'm fine..."

John's voice sounded weaker, and he was defiantly in more pain than he had been before, but he decided not to challenge him on it. Right now, he had a job to do and the sooner he got it done the sooner he could get back to him. Then maybe he could contact Maddie to come and fix him up yet again.

"Okay, I'm going to have a look around, Torren out."

Once the connection had been cut off, he started to walk around the room, looking for anything that may give him a clue as to what happened to the ZPMs – he really hoped that there were three fully charged, or even partially charged would be acceptable.

After he had walked around the room three time's he was completely frustrated. He had found nothing, not a door, not a cupboard and definitely not a console hiding the ZPMs. The room was large, and it wasn't easy to keep looking for something that just may not be there. Maybe the ancients had taken them with them when they had left the city, or maybe someone else had stolen them. After all, the city had been left uninhabited for eons – at least he assumed that it had.

He caught a light blinking in his peripheral vision, so he quickly turned around and was happy to find that a console was up and running in the room. Obviously, his father had been hard at work again. Another schematic came up on the screen and it showed another large room further down the corridor, so he assumed that was where he was supposed to be heading.

Sighing he left the room and headed down the corridor towards the room. He had no idea what he would find there, but it had to be important if that was where the city was telling him to go.

After walking for a few minutes in the creepy silence he realised why it was so disconcerting. Because when he was on Atlantis he could hear her soft hum, despite his artificial gene, but here he couldn't hear anything. He shuddered again and it had nothing to do with the cold.

It wasn't long before he came to a door, which automatically opened for him. Slowly he entered with a strange sense of foreboding that something was going to go wrong very soon.

For some reason, the lights didn't come on for him and before he had a chance to escape, the doors slammed shut. Then before he had a chance to react the console in front of him exploded.

He managed to jump out of the way, just as it exploded. Covering his head, he curled into a foetal position just as pieces of debris started raining down on him – it felt like a hailstorm of hot molten rock as it hit his back and sides. What the hell is going on, why is a console exploding on me all of a sudden? These were his final thoughts before he lost consciousness.

oOo

A voice shouting at him brought him back to consciousness, "Torren are you alright?"

That definitely wasn't his father's voice, it actually sounded like his wife's voice, but where was she? He slowly scanned the room and realised that the lights had come on and there was no one in the room with him.

Realising that she was trying to contact him over the comms, he decided to give her an answer, "I'm fine Maddie, how's Dad?"

"We can't seem to get him out of the control chair at the moment and we're incredibly worried about him. His injuries are severe and they need to be treated as soon as possible."

"I'll be there as soon as I can, Torren out." He said closing the connection as soon as he could because he wasn't really in the mood for a long-winded conversation right now. He had no idea when Maddie had arrived, but right now he had bigger things on his mind

Dragging himself across the floor he sat with his back against the wall, even though it was painful to do so. He looked at what was left of the console in front of him and all he saw was a twisted mass of metal, wire, and glass. The door behind it was still well and truly closed, but even if it wasn't, there was no way he would be able to get out as the door was now blocked by debris.

From what he could ascertain his back had been burned and cut by hot pieces of debris raining down on him, but luckily there didn't appear to be any other injuries.

What now, he thought to himself while still staring at the mess in front of him.

The answer to that question came a minute later when he heard a scraping noise behind him. Turning his head, he looked to his left and saw a door opening at the other end of the room. Another way out, or something else I should see? He wondered while climbing to his feet.

Wincing at the pain in his back he slowly made his way to the other side of the room. He felt apprehensive about entering the room considering what happened the last time he'd entered a room. But he knew that he had to see what was in there because he had a strong feeling that whatever it was, it was something that the city wanted him to see.

He stepped through the door and as usual the lights came on in the room and what he saw took his breath away because right in front of him were rows of ZPM's as far as the eye could see and what was even better was half of them were fully charged.

TBC…