Chapter 17: Exciting discoveries.
John just stared at the blurry blob in front of him, trying to come to terms with what he had just heard. The wraith are on their way, was his first thought, followed by could this day get any worse? Laying back on his bed he wondered whether this was all a bad dream and when he woke up, he would be back on Atlantis and the last ten days would never have happened – but of course, things were never that simple for him. He knew that before he even contemplated trying to find a way home, he needed to help Torren deal with the Wraith threat. Perhaps the gate was up and running and they could contact Atlantis for some help, but from what Torren had told him before he'd lost consciousness the final time was that it was going to take a while for that to happen – probably more than the two days they had before the wraith arrived. Oh well…this was no different to his normal life, except, that he was stuck more than fifty years in the future, and he was in another Ancient city – and his son was older than he was.
An urgent voice interrupted his contemplations, "Dad are you just going to stare at the ceiling or are you going to say something? Perhaps even come up with one of those brilliant ideas that Uncle Ronon used to tell me about."
Turning in the direction of the blurry image of his son, he opened his mouth and hoped that something helpful would come out of it, "umm…sorry Torren, but I'm not really sure what to say, except have you managed to get the cloak working?"
"Yes, I cloaked the city about half an hour ago."
"What about the shield?"
"That may take a little longer?"
John sighed there was obviously a lot to do, and they had very little time to do it, "do you know if there are any drones, because if we had to, we could at least fire on them?"
"I'm not sure," Torren replied, and John could sense his frustration.
Sitting up in the bed again, he looked at his son, "right, I'm going to help you, but first you need to tell me where your mom and the children are?"
"They are back on Arastica."
He instantly went into command mode as he was the only person on Arastica that could come up with a plan to help – he knew he sounded a little arrogant, but someone had to take command. "I don't want anyone leaving the city from now on and keep the cloak up for the moment. Hopefully, they will just fly straight by, or better still get sucked into the anomaly and end up in some other time or place – although if they were destroyed that would be the best possible outcome for all of us."
"There's no way they can land on this planet Dad, because if we couldn't, without the precise calculations they wouldn't be able to?"
"I wouldn't bet on it. For all we know, it's one of Todd's hives and he has given them the calculations and because I've never trusted that wraith, he wouldn't help us now unless he could gain something out of it."
Torren looked at his feet and John could sense he was hiding something, his suspicions were confirmed a split second later, "Come to think of it, Todd mentioned that his Queen had detected ancient tech on this planet, and she was interested in coming to have a look."
"And you're just telling me this now?"
"Well, you have been unconscious for most of the last week, so it slipped my mind until now."
Standing up he grabbed his son's arm, "right then Torren, you're going to have to help me to the control room so that I can help fix things. But the first thing I need to ask is what am I wearing?"
"You're still in the clothes you put on before you came to Arastica?"
That was a relief because the last thing he felt like doing was changing his clothes now, "that's good because the last thing I want to do is be wandering about in infirmary scrubs, especially if they're bright pink."
Before the conversation went any further another blurry shape rushed into the room and it didn't take him long to realise who it was when she spoke to him sternly, "John Sheppard, what are you doing out of that bed. I need you to stay there until your eyesight is significantly better."
"But Doc, the Wraith are on their way, and they'll be over the top of us in two days. Besides my eyesight is much better."
"Okay then how many fingers am I holding up?" Maddie asked putting her hand up in the air.
He looked at her hand and saw that she was definitely holding up at least one finger, but he had no idea how many, he knew that there was no way of telling for sure, so he decided to take a guess, "Umm…three I think?"
"No, I was only holding up one, so I suggest you hop back in bed and try to get some rest."
"I'm positive that it was at least three. You just want to keep me here so you can torture me some more," he grumbled.
He was relieved when Torren stood up for him, "I could really use his help, Maddie?"
"But he can't see, so what help will he be to anyone?"
An idea came to him, and he had no idea why he hadn't thought of it until now, "I can sit in the chair doc and then I can help Torren repair the systems from there."
Silence followed and at that moment he wished that everything wasn't so blurry, because he couldn't read their facial expressions, so he had no idea what they were thinking. From what he'd learned about Maddie the last couple of days she was as protective of her patients as Carson and Jennifer were and Torren was just as annoyed by it as he was.
"Alright, John, I'll allow it, but I'm sending Teyla down to keep an eye on you while I watch the children for a while. As I can't really trust Torren to do it as he will be to be engrossed with his work."
"Thanks, doc, now has anyone got any food before we start because I'm starving?"
"I will bring you some pancakes and Jam, then you may go," Maddie suggested and he assumed that she smiled at him – although he wasn't sure whether it was genuine or not.
"You know dad, you sounded just like Uncle Rodney when you asked for food. He could never work on an empty stomach either."
He smiled at his son as he remembered his friend, "yeah I know, he was always complaining that he was hungry. He blamed it on his hypoglycaemia, but I asked Beckett about it once, and he said that although Rodney had that condition, he really didn't need to eat anywhere near as much food as he did."
Torren chucked, "yeah Aunt Jenn told me the same thing."
Another blurry image entered the room and the smell of her perfume told him instantly who it was, "John, Maddie has sent me with your breakfast. She has also instructed me to keep an eye on you while you are in the control chair, as for some reason she does not trust you to do the right thing."
"I'll catch you later dad," Torren told him while helping him sit down on the bed again.
Totally ignoring the comment about Maddie not being able to trust him he turned to her and smiled, "so, Sweetie, what's to eat?"
"There is some pancakes and some kind of fruit jam that looks and tastes a lot like strawberries. Maddie, the children and I picked the berries a few days ago and then we made jam."
He thought about making some comment about Teyla's inability to cook but then thought better of it. Things were way too serious for him to be joking about her cooking.
"Thanks, Teyla," he said before grabbing her hand and continuing, "I really hope that we can eliminate the wraith and find a way home soon. Although I have come to love and respect this Torren, I really miss baby Torren and I can't wait to get back to him."
Wow! How had he managed to express his emotions so eloquently? Perhaps spending time with Teyla was actually helping him – he could only hope.
"I know John, I feel the same way, but first we have a job to do. We need to help Maddie and Torren protect Arastica from the Wraith."
"If we could just get the gate working then we could get some reinforcements from Atlantis, but from what Torren has told me that is going to take a lot longer than two days."
"John, do you know that he is injured?"
Of course, he didn't know that Torren was injured, he'd spent most of the last few days unconscious or in the control chair fighting a rogue Wraith virus. Therefore, he hadn't really had much time to think of anyone else and now that the wraith were on the way he hadn't bothered to ask Torren how he was feeling.
"Look Teyla, I've kind of been a bit preoccupied with other things, so no, I didn't know. What happened?"
"Apparently a console exploded, and his back was injured by flying debris. Maddie says he will be fine, but she really would prefer it if he was resting." Teyla explained.
"I'd prefer it if we were all resting as it has been an exhausting couple of days, but unfortunately we don't have that luxury right now."
"Yes, I totally agree with you honey, but there will be plenty of time for rest when we get home. Perhaps you can take me on a vacation."
"It would be my pleasure Sweetie," he told her while stuffing his mouth with pancakes.
It didn't take him long to finish his pancakes and drink his coffee. He knew that Teyla had left the room at some point, which left him with a huge problem – he wanted to get to the control chair, he didn't have any boots on and there was definitely no one to ask for help.
"Teyla Sweetie are you nearby?"
There was no reply so he spoke louder, "Teyla," he said straining his eyes hoping that vision would become clearer – of course, it didn't work.
John was relieved when she rushed into the infirmary a few minutes later, "John I am here, is everything alright?"
"Yeah, I just need some help with my boots so that I can get down to the chair room."
"Sit up on the bed and then I will help you," Teyla suggested in a soothing tone, and it almost sounded as if she was talking to Torren when he was a baby.
"I'm not a baby Teyla!" He shot back and immediately regretted it.
Despite his blurry vision, he didn't miss the glare that she gave him, "I know you are not, and I am sorry if I made you feel that way, but I am just trying to help you."
"Sorry, "he mumbled, before doing what she had asked.
Ten minutes later they were walking through the corridors of Arastica, and John was relieved to find that his eyesight was improving. Things were less blurry now and he could make out the shapes of things as they walked past them – including the ten-thousand-year-old pot plants, which for some reason appeared to still be alive. It didn't take them long to come to a transporter and when they stepped inside, he was pleased that he could see the chair room on the map, which he very quickly tapped. Pressing in he looked at Teyla who was holding his hand and her features were definitely less blurry than they had been in the infirmary.
"John, why are you staring at me?"
Not even bothering to answer the question, he put his arms around her and pulled her in for a kiss and he was relieved when she kissed him back passionately. He was definitely a bit disappointed when she pulled away though.
"John should be doing this in a transporter?" She asked him a little breathlessly.
"Sorry," he mumbled and was relieved when the doors opened to reveal a long narrow passageway.
Without even bothering to wait he walked off in the direction of the chair room – his eyesight was much better, so he was sure he'd have no difficulty in finding it.
Teyla eventually caught up and grabbed him by the arm, "John are you angry with me?"
He just kept on walking as he answered her, "not really Teyla, I just have a lot of work to do, because who knows what's going to happen in two days when the wraith get here."
A few seconds later they arrived at the chair room, so he turned towards Teyla, "I was just expressing how much I love you." What is wrong with me, he wondered, I really need to stop being so mushy and emotional otherwise people may think I'm soft.
"I love you too John."
After taking one last look at her beautiful face, he turned towards the chair. Torren was in the corner of the room looking at one of the computer monitors.
"Are you ready to do dad?"
"Yes, and the first thing I'm going to try and do fix is the shield."
John lay back in the chair and when he put his hands on the sensors, he very quickly gave into Arastica's embrace.
"Arastica are you there?"
"Yes, John I'm always with you."
"Well, we have a wraith ship on the way, and it will be over us in two days, so Torren and I really need some help to fix the shields."
Suddenly he felt his surroundings changing and he was on his favourite balcony on Atlantis again. Arastica was walking towards him, and she had taken the form of Elizabeth again.
"Arastica it is good to see you again, are you going to be able to help us?"
"Are you able to get help from Atlantis?"
"No Arastica, Torren thinks it will take a lot longer than two days to get the stargate back online."
"I will send instructions for the shield as well as for instructions on how to fix the stargate to Torren's console. These are all shortcuts to fixing the systems that the ancients have programmed into me, but very few other people know about them. I am not sure whether Torren can get the stargate up and running in two days or not, but he will definitely be able to get the shield operating."
"And do you have a supply of drones?"
"My supply of drones has been used up so you will need to reload the launchers. There is plenty of drones in the city though, as well as a place where you can make more if need be."
"Well, if you can show me where I can find them that would be great."
"I will send the details to Torren's computer now. You should be able to reload the drones by just using your mind."
"Okay, I'd better get going, thanks for your help, Arastica."
He watched as the image of Elizabeth walked away and then his surroundings faded to black…
Slowly he became aware of his surroundings and the first thing he noticed was Teyla sitting beside him with a worried look on her face. He felt much better than he had every other time he'd disconnected with Arastica – perhaps that was because she was operating the way she was supposed to. Although she had a welcoming presence, she was different to Atlantis. Atlantis was his city and no matter how good it felt to connect with another ancient city, it would never be as perfect as it was with Atlantis.
He turned to look at Teyla and he soon realised that she looked even less blurry than he had before he sat down – in fact, his eyesight was almost back to normal.
"Hey Teyla, why are you looking so worried?"
"Your face was scrunched up when you were in the chair, and I wasn't sure whether you were in pain or not."
"I'm fine Sweetie, "he told her before turning to Torren and asking him, "have you got the details on how to fix the shield and the stargate."
"Yeah, but I still think it's going to take a lot longer than two days to fix the stargate, so I think I'll start on the shield. I'll be in my lab if you need me?"
John just rolled his eyes at that comment, "really, you've got your own lab."
Torren raised his eyebrow and smirked, "yeah, I have," he commented as he walked away.
"Okay Teyla, I need to go and find the drones, so that I can reload the drone launchers."
"Is that no dangerous?"
"Isn't everything we do," he replied walking off in the direction of the transporter.
oOo
John walked into a large room, and he was totally amazed by what he saw - covering the walls were shelves full of drones. They were all in individual slots, but there appeared to be very few slots without a drone in them.
"John, this is Amazing, do you think that Atlantis has anything like it?" She asked coming up alongside him.
"I'm not sure, but when we get back, I will certainly be looking for it along with a ZPM room. Have you been in Arastica's ZPM making facility yet?"
"No, I have not, but I would like to have a look before we leave."
Out of the corner of his eye, he spied a doorway to his left and it definitely warranted further investigation. He felt like a kid in a toyshop exploring this city and he wondered if they could somehow find this city in the past because he knew that McKay would absolutely love it.
Stepping inside he had his breath taken away because there were even more drones, but what amazed him the most was there was machinery and although he didn't know for sure, he assumed that it was equipment for making drones.
"I wonder whether Atlantis has a set-up like this, "he muttered more to himself than Teyla.
"Do you think that we could find Arastica in the past?"
"I was just thinking the same thing Teyla, but I'm wondering how much impact that would have on the timeline."
"Would it not create an alternate reality?"
"Probably, but that is one of the many questions that I'll ask McKay when we get home."
"What do we do now John?"
"I'll need to find the drone launchers and load the drones and then I really need to get back to the chair room to ask Arastica some more questions."
He sensed that Teyla was worried about him again, so he turned and looked at her and he was happy that his eyesight was near perfect, "are you alright Teyla, you're looking a bit worried again?"
"Are you alright John? You were critically injured less than a day ago and earlier today you could barely see so shouldn't you be taking some time to rest?"
"Look Teyla I'm fine, so perhaps we should get on with what we need to do and when we manage to get back home, we'll have a vacation."
She nodded at him, and he was relieved that the conversation didn't go any further. He always knew that Teyla worried about him, but just lately she had been becoming a bit of a mother hen. Maybe it was because they were stuck in the future, and it was messing with both their heads.
Standing in the middle of the drone storage room, he looked around in awe. In fact, he was looking for the drone launchers, but he still couldn't help but feel mesmerised by the number of drones that were in this room.
It took him a few more minutes before he finally found what he was looking for and from what he could ascertain there were no drones at all in the launchers.
He walked towards two large cylindrical slots in the wall, they appeared to be bigger than the slots that housed the drones, peering into them he saw two long tunnels that appeared to go on forever, "okay Teyla I think I've found what I'm looking for."
"What must you do now John?"
"I just have to move the drones with my mind, but I'm a little afraid that I may blow something up."
At that moment a thought crossed his mind, and he had no idea where it came from, you can load the drones from the control chair. Perhaps it was Arastica whispering in his ear, but it made absolute sense and he felt like an idiot for not thinking of it before now.
"You know what Teyla, I need to get back to the control Chair because apparently, I can do it from there. Maybe I'll contact Torren first to see what he's up to."
He tapped his arm to activate his communications device, "Sheppard to Torren come in please?"
"What?"
"What…cha doing?"
"I'm fixing the shield just like you asked me too and then after that, I'm going to have a look at the gate or one of the other million things that need to be done around here before the wraith arrive in two days…no wait one and a half days."
"You know you sounded just like Rodney then?"
"Is there a reason your contacting me, or are you just wanting idle chit chat?"
"Yeah, I'm just letting you know that I'll be in the chair room."
"Alright, have fun and don't contact me again unless it's an emergency, Torren out."
He turned to look at Teyla who appeared to be staring at him again, "What?"
"Nothing," she replied.
Not bothering to say anything else he turned and headed towards the transporter.
Five minutes later he was in the chair room and sitting in the chair, he had no idea where Teyla was as she left him back in the drone room. His eyesight was pretty much back to normal now, so he didn't really need anyone hovering over him like a mother hen – he wondered if Arastica had anything to do with his improved eyesight.
Laying back in the chair he very quickly gave into Arastica's embrace.
He found himself on the balcony, Arastica was coming towards him, and she was using the image of Elizabeth again.
"You heard me when I whispered in your ear?"
"Yeah, I did, and I have to say that was amazing. So now that I'm in the chair again, what do I have to do to load the drones?"
"All you have to do is think of the drone storage room and think about moving hundreds of the drones into the launchers."
"Did you say hundreds, I think I'll start with one since I don't want to blow anything up."
"Alright, but you'll get it done quicker if you move more than one at a time," Arastica told him with a smirk on her face. Only it wasn't Arastica's face it was Elizabeth's.
Closing his eyes he imagined the drone room, then he imagined moving one of the drones to the launchers and he was relieved when it was a success. Not wanting to go too fast too quickly he tried another one and that worked as well. After moving four drones one at a time, he decided to try three at a time and he was surprised at how easy it was.
By the time he'd finished he was moving twenty at a time and his brain was beginning to hurt, and he longed to get out of the chair to rest, but there were a few things he needed to ask Arastica first.
"Hey Arastica, do you know whether Atlantis has a ZPM or Drone making room?"
"I do not know as it has been many thousands of years since I have been able to contact her. If I can contact her again, I would be able to tell you."
"Do you know how to contact her again Arastica?"
"I would need the Stargate to be operational and then I can reach out and feel her presence through the active gate connected to her."
"Well, I'm sure that Torren will get that up and running soon. Anyway, I'm beat so I'm going to have to say see you later."
"Goodbye John Sheppard," Arastica said as she walked away and then John felt himself falling into the darkness again.
Slowly opening his eyes he was surprised to see the faces of Maddie and Torren looking down at him.
Ignoring Maddie's concerned look he turned to Torren and asked, "Hey Torren how'd you go with that shield."
"I had it up and running three hours ago."
"Great, so how long have I been in the chair?"
"You've been in there for six hours," Maddie told him, and he didn't miss the worry in her eyes.
"Oh... really, well you'll be happy to know that the drones are ready, and I'm exhausted so if you don't mind, I think I'll find somewhere to have a nap."
He stood to his feet, but he didn't remain standing for long and he would have face-planted if Maddie and Torren hadn't caught him and laid him on the floor.
Maddie looked at him with a stern look and it's one that he'd seen far too often over the last few days, "right, I want you to stay there until I can get a gurney, then I'll take you to the infirmary where I can keep an eye on you and before you complain I won't take no for an answer!"
He thought about complaining but he just felt too exhausted, so he closed his eyes and it wasn't long before he drifted off to sleep.
TBC…
Hopefully, they have everything ready now in case of the Wraith attack.