Chapter 11: The Journey Home.
John moaned in agony when he tried to open his eyes, his shoulder felt as if someone had put a knife through it and his hand felt as if it was of fire. Someone had taken to his head with a sledgehammer and he wasn't sure if he was hot or cold. One thing he knew for sure though was that there was no way he was in the infirmary because whatever he was laying on was hard, cold and wet.
A voice pervaded his consciousness and he had no idea what it was saying, it sounded as if someone was telling him to be quiet, but he had no idea who it was or why. He felt something soft and warm beside him and he had no idea what it might be, so he moaned again, while still trying to open his eyes. Again someone told him to be quiet and this time his addled brain realised that it was his brother Dave. Knowing that he really needed to open his eyes to know what was happening, he gave it one last effort and managed to open them, the only problem was everything was dark.
He immediately started to panic and tried to grab his brother's hand, "Dave why can't I see?"
Suddenly he felt Dave's hand in his and he realised that the soft warm thing next to him was Puss. Although this gave him some comfort it was rather unsettling to not be able to see what was going on.
He felt Dave's breath, beside his ear as he whispered to him, "I don't know why you can't see John, but right now you have to remain silent because Klull and his men are nearby."
"Do you still have the gun?" He asked as quietly as possible.
"Yes and it only has a couple of bullets left, so I'm hoping that if we remain quiet they will give up and disappear then we can make a run for the gate."
"Do you know where the gate is Dave?" John whispered, hoping that Dave knew where it was because he really had no idea.
"Yes, I have a vague recollection of the direction we need to head, but for now can you please be quiet?" Dave practically begged him.
John nodded and immediately regretted it because there was still a jackhammer wreaking havoc inside his brain. He vaguely remembered Carson telling him that children took longer to recover from concussions than adults, so chances were his head was still recovering from the incident in Rodney's lab.
"Dave, I'm not sure whether I'm hot or cold."
Dave whispered in his ear again and John could hear that he was becoming impatient, "just stay quiet for a while longer and then we can get you back to Atlantis, so that the docs can take a look at you, or better still hopefully Rodney has found a solution."
"Dave, what happened to my sling, where are we and why are we here?"
"John, just be quiet and I will explain everything when Klull and his men have disappeared?"
He was beginning to feel incredibly worried, for some reason his befuddled brain had no idea what had led to him being in his current predicament. The last thing he remembered was testing an ancient device in Rodney's lab and apparently, it had turned him into a kid and given him a concussion. He remembered everything before that event with absolute clarity, although he wished he could forget a lot of it. He had a strong feeling that he was probably better off not knowing what had happened to land him in the current situation as well.
"Dave," he whispered again," how long have we been here?"
"John, will you shut up!?" Dave whispered and didn't miss the harshness of his tone.
Closing his mouth, he strained to listen to what was going on around him and it wasn't long before he heard a scuffling sound nearby. Puss was still snuggled up to him, so he was positive that it wasn't the big ginger cat making the noise, he thought about saying something to Dave, but then thought better of it.
The shuffling seemed to be getting closer and John held his breath fearing that they may have been found by the Klull and his goons. He had no recollection of who Klull was and why he would be chasing him though.
He snuggled up closer to puss and patted his furry friend and found it oddly reassuring, considering what was obviously going on around him.
Eventually, the shuffling stopped and he heard Dave let out a sigh of relief, "are they gone?" John asked in a soft voice.
"Yeah, I think they are, we'll wait another twenty minutes or so, then we'll head for the stargate and hopefully we can get there before dark."
"How long have we been here Dave and I don't mean on this planet, I mean in this weird hiding place?"
"I think we've been here for around four hours," Dave replied and John could hear the hesitation in his voice.
"Why the hell am I not colder?" He asked with confusion. "It's obviously snowing around here."
"Unfortunately one of Klull's men was killed by a wild animal and when Klull wasn't looking I managed to grab his warm coat and use it as a blanket to cover you."
"The..re..s w..ild an…imals…in the..se…Woods?" John stammered with fear. He knew that he wouldn't stand a chance if one of them tried to eat him.
He had to wonder why he was so afraid, normally when he was in his adult body, a few wild beasts didn't worry him, but now, he was blind and small and he only had Dave to protect him. Not to mention the fact that he couldn't remember much of the last few days, his whole body was trembling and he was in agony.
"Do you have any pain medication, Dave?" He asked with a reticent tone.
"I'm sorry little….brother."
Dave fell silent and John wondered whether it was because he had called him his little brother again.
John closed his eyes and took a deep breath, he knew he was in no condition to move under his own steam, but he knew that they had to get moving. "Never mind, I'm ready to go when you are Dave."
"Are you sure John, because the only way we're going to be able to do this, is if I carry you?"
"I know, but it's better than freezing to death on this rock."
"I think we'll wait for another few minutes and then we'll leave," Dave suggested and John could certainly hear the worry in his voice.
All of a sudden John felt exhausted again, so he decided that the best idea would be for him to fall asleep. At least then he wouldn't have to suffer the indignity of being carried by his brother and knowing about it.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Rodney was despairing by the time he had been to four planets looking for Sheppard with Lorne and his team. He had no idea how long they'd been looking, but they had come up with nothing and he knew that there was only one planet left on their list, so if John wasn't there they would be back to square one.
On the planet that they had just returned from there was water as far as the eye could see, except for the tiny island that the stargate was situated on and he had to wonder why anyone would bother to go there. From what he saw, there certainly didn't appear to be any floating cities.
The one before that was a dark wooded world, so again, he had to wonder why anyone would bother to go there, especially seeing as the only clearing on the planet was around the stargate and he didn't see any permanent structures there either.
The other two were desert worlds, one with fine yellow sand as far as the eye could see and the other one had coarse red sand as far as the eye could see. He certainly wouldn't want to live on any of the last four planets, so he had no idea why anyone else would.
"Well we've got one planet left to check, let's get it over and done with. Hopefully, we'll find John there and we can bring him home so we can home, "Lorne announced from the pilot's seat, before turning to face him, "are you still with us Dr McKay?"
Rodney felt distracted as he answered, "I still have a lot to do in my lab, but for now I think that finding Sheppard is more important, so yeah I'm with you."
"I'll just let Woolsey know what we're doing and then we can get going again." Lorne suggested before turning to face Teyla, "how are you doing Teyla, do you need to stay with Torren, or are you coming with us?"
"Torren is being well cared for by Jane at the moment, so my major concern is finding John."
"I'll let Woolsey know while you do the pre-flight check then," Rodney volunteered, tapping his earpiece.
"McKay to Woolsey, come in please?"
"Go ahead, Dr McKay."
"We're just about to head out again."
"You'll have to put that on hold, I want you, Ronon, Major Lorne and Teyla in my office straight away."
Rodney suddenly felt panicked, by the tone in Woolsey's voice, "Why?"
"I'll let you know when you get down here, but I must warn you that it isn't good news, Woolsey out."
Great, Rodney thought, not good news is probably code talk for Klull has contacted me and threatened to kill Sheppard.
Rodney turned to the others and sighed before speaking, "Woolsey wants us in his office now and apparently it is not good news."
The look on Teyla's face as she spoke could only be described as one of shock, "I wonder what that means. I really hope that it has nothing to do with John?"
"Let's go and find out then," Ronon suggested before standing up and leaving the jumper.
Rodney watched as his friends left the jumper one by one. Finally, he followed them out, not really wanting to go to Woolsey's office, because he was sure that whatever Woolsey wanted to say to them it wasn't good news.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Dave stumbled over the wet and slippery ground, as he made his way to the stargate; at least he thought he was heading towards the stargate. He had tried to make note of the direction they were heading when he and John were brought to the planet, but he was positive that John's sense of direction was much better than his. He certainly wished that his brother was awake now, but he wasn't, he was unconscious in his arms and he didn't look good. John's small body was constantly trembling and he had no idea whether it was from the cold, or whether he had a fever.
It had been mid-afternoon when Dave had left their hiding spot, but now the sun was low on the horizon and night was on its way. The snow had stopped shortly after he had left the hollow in the tree and the temperature had risen for a short while, but now the sun was going down the temperature had dropped again. Puss had been running alongside him for the Journey and he had enjoyed the company. There were times when the cat wanted to be picked up and carried, but with John in his arms, Puss had no choice but to walk.
The sun sank below the horizon and an eerie grey light that would soon give way to night surrounded him and the temperature continued to drop. The silence that followed was disturbing and he couldn't wait to get home. He knew that he would have to find a place to hide soon so that he wasn't stumbling around in the dark and he was convinced that there was no way he'd find a stargate in the dark.
Up ahead he saw a strange mound and there appeared to be an opening at the front of it, perhaps it was a cave that they could shelter in for the night. Hopefully, it was empty and no wild beasts were waking up from a long winter's sleep, looking for food.
Five minutes later they approached the cave and after a quick survey in the fading light, he was relieved to find that it was empty. He knew that the first thing he needed to do was light a fire, but again he was positive that John would be much better at it than he would. He vaguely remembered John trying to teach him how to light a fire without a match when they had gone on a camping trip as boys, but that was a long time ago. Gently laying John on the ground he looked around the cave and was relieved to find that some broken sticks and branches were lying around. Taking a closer look at them he found that the wood was incredibly dry. Setting a pile of sticks near the opening behind a small rocky outcrop, he started to rub two sticks together, not really expecting it to work. He was surprised when a few minutes later he had a tiny fire going. He took a quick trip outside to make sure that it couldn't be seen outside and when he was convinced that it wouldn't be seen he went inside to see how his brother was.
He was startled when John moaned from the middle of the cave, rushing over to his brother he found that his eyes were wide open and he was staring at the ceiling.
"John," he whispered, not wanting to startle him, "how are you feeling?"
"Can't…see…cold." He whispered with his teeth chattering. "wh…re…are…we?"
"It's night-time, so I have found a cave for us to hide in, I have lit a fire to give us some light and try to keep us warm."
"Sh..ould…n't…have…done…that…some…one…might…see."
"Don't worry John I've hidden it behind a small outcrop of rock, so it can't be seen."
"Wh..ats…for…dinner…Dave,…a..re…you…coo..k..ing?"
"Well Puss has been out hunting and found some small rodents," Dave joked and by the look of John's he looked as he was going to be sick.
"No…t…hung..ry."
Dave sat and watched his brother, hoping that he wasn't going to be sick, but unfortunately, a minute later John rolled on his side and started retching. It seemed to go on forever, but finally, he rolled onto his back again and moaned."
"Don't…feel…too…go…ood…Dave."
"I know you don't little brother, hopefully by tomorrow morning we'll be back on Atlantis, and you'll be safe and warm in the infirmary."
"Are…you…sure…we're…still…go…ing…the…right…way?" John asked, his teeth still chattering.
"Yes I'm convinced that we're heading in the right direction and we should reach the gate within an hour or two tomorrow morning."
John turned his head in his direction, "you…did…good…Dave."
"Thanks, John, now why don't you try and go to sleep for a while and I'll keep watch, for a few hours." He smiled at his brother; it felt good to be praised by him because for a long time during their teenage years all they did was argue.
"You…have…to…sleep…some…time…Dave…"
"Don't worry about me John; I'll sleep when we get back to Atlantis."
He sat and watched over his brother and he was happy when John fell asleep. Feeling safe and warm he closed his own eyes thinking that it wouldn't hurt to doze off for a while and it wasn't long before he drifted off to sleep.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Teyla sat in Woolsey's office waiting for him to speak, she really didn't have time to be sitting here, as she really needed to be out looking for John, or if she couldn't do that she needed to be with her son.
"What is this about Mr Woolsey?" She asked with suspicion.
"I received a message from Klull a little over an hour ago, telling us that we have twelve hours to give him what he wants, or he will break John's legs and an hour after that if we still don't give him what he wants, he will break his arms."
Teyla was horrified by what she'd just heard, how could a man who has lost his entire family, including his children be so cruel.
"Well, all the more reason to go and check out that final planet on the Henperian's list then," Ronon said and Teyla could tell that he was feeling as frustrated as she was.
"The problem is I don't think the planet Klull is on, is on that list. A blast of icy wind came through the gate when the wormhole activated, before he sent his message, but from what the Henperian's have told us the final planet on their list is another desert world." Woolsey told them and Teyla could sense the disappointment in his voice.
A feeling of total despair invaded her entire body, as she contemplated what all of this meant for John, "so what do we do now?"
Woolsey looked at Rodney, before speaking, "Dr McKay, I would like you and Dr Zelenka to research planets with cold climates and see if you can come up with anything? He then turned to the Teyla, Ronon and Lorne, "and I want the three of you to have a meal and a rest because as soon as Rodney finds something, I want you on a rescue mission."
"I will go and pick Torren up from Jane straight away and then I am heading for the mess hall if anyone wants to join me," Teyla announced.
"I'm going to bed," Lorne announced stifling a yawn.
"I'll see you in the mess hall then," Ronon told her in a gentle tone.
"Okay if everyone knows what they have to do, you're all dismissed, "Woolsey said standing to his feet.
Teyla quickly left Woolsey's office, she knew that Jane was incredibly worried about her husband and would be waiting for news. She also knew that Torren was really beginning to miss John, but he still believed that his daddy had gone away for a while and he couldn't understand why. To Torren, the child that was missing was his new friend John and although he couldn't understand where he was, Jane had tried to reassure him that John was off-world with his uncle Dave.
Arriving at Jane's apartment a few minutes later, she wasted no time in sounding the door chime. The door opened within seconds to reveal a worried-looking Jane standing on the other side.
"Teyla, why are you, back so soon?" Jane asked and Teyla could hear the worry in her voice.
"John and Dave are not on any of the planets on the Henperian's list; it appears that they may be being held on a cold world." She took a deep breath before telling her the rest of it, "apparently, Klull contacted Mr Woolsey while we were away from Atlantis and if he does not give Klull what he needs within twelve hours Klull will start breaking John's bones."
Jane looked horrified, "what is Mr Woolsey going to do?"
"He has Dr McKay searching through the database for planets with cold climates, but right now that is all that he can do. I was going to go to the mess hall for a meal, but I think that I will head to my apartment straight away and try to get some rest."
"Why don't you and Torren stay here? I would certainly enjoy the company." Jane suggested and Teyla didn't miss the pleading in her eyes.
"Perhaps I will, as I would also be glad of the company."
Jane smiled at her, "I will go and order us some dinner if you are hungry."
"Thank you, Jane, I could probably use some food."
"I will go and check on Torren before I order some food, he was asleep, but I'm sure he'd be happy to know that his Momma is back," Jane suggested before leaving the room.
Once she was sure that Jane had left she contacted Ronon, "Teyla to Ronon come in please?"
Ronon sounded out of breath when he replied, "go ahead Teyla."
"I have decided that I will stay with Jane tonight, so I will not be able to meet you in the mess hall."
"No problems, I'm in the gym at the moment and when I've finished I'll head off for a run, so I'll see you later, Ronon out."
She sat back in the chair she was in and closed her eyes, she had no idea what was supposed to happen next, but she sent up a prayer to anyone who would listen that when they found John and Dave that they would both be alive and unharmed.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Dave awoke to a loud piercing scream, it was high-pitched and it sounded like a child's scream. At first, he had no idea where he was, but after looking around at his surroundings he remembered that he was in a cave. Suddenly he remembered that John was with him and his eyes immediately searched out his brother and when he found him, he was totally shocked by what he saw. There was a strange creature, not unlike a giant cat latched onto his leg and John appeared to be in agony as he writhed about on the floor.
Dave instantly pulled out the gun, which John had given him and aimed at the creature. If there was one thing that Dave remembered from his childhood, it was that his father had taught him how to hunt, so he knew that his aim would spot on. He pulled the trigger and hit the creature in the back of his neck and John screamed. He was over by John's side in an instant. Looking down at the creature Dave was relieved to see that it was dead, but he was shocked to see that it was still attached to John's small leg.
"John," he said gently, trying to get his brother's attention, "I'm going to have to get this creature off of your leg, I'll try to be gentle, but it may hurt."
John nodded at him and Dave reached down to grasp the creature's jaws to try to pry them apart. Fortunately, they came apart easily and he was able to remove it, from John's leg without too much effort. Once he had thrown the animal aside, he got his first look at the wound and it looked as if the teeth had torn skin and muscle, leaving some deep lacerations. He ripped off the bottom of his shirt and tightly wrapped it around John's lower leg hoping to stem the flow of blood. When he was sure that the makeshift bandage was tight enough, he looked up at his brother's face and was dismayed at how pale he had become.
Dave soon realised that it had become lighter in the cave, so he turned and looked at the cave opening and saw that the sun had risen over the distant horizon.
"John, "he said looking back to his brother, "the sun is up, so we're going to have to leave now. I'm hoping that we will find the stargate soon and then we'll get you to Carson in the infirmary alright?"
"Wha…t… the… hell… had… hold… of my leg!?" John gasped, sounding more like an adult in pain than a scared child.
It was at that moment that Dave noticed that John had grown another two inches overnight and for the moment his constant trembling and teeth chattering appeared to have stopped. "It was some kind of giant cat."
"Right…, can… we… get… out of here now, ….because I…want to be… in the infirmary, because…. Despite… the… fact… that I'm feeling better,… I still …can't see and… my leg has just…. Been… ripped… off." John stammered, and it was obvious to Dave that he was in incredible pain.
"I'm sorry, but I'm going to have to carry you again."
"Let's… just get… this… over… with… shall… we… Dave?"
Dave bent down and gently picked his brother up, trying not to jostle his leg too much and all he could do was watch as John gritted his teeth in pain. He was surprised at how much heavier his brother felt since yesterday, but it was obvious that John had had a growth spurt sometime during the night.
Taking a deep breath he exited the cave and began to walk in the direction that he had been walking in the day before and it wasn't long before the most glorious sight came into view, the stargate had to be less than a mile away from them. He had obviously missed it last night because it was dark and he was trying to find a place to hide. The snow had stopped and the sun was warmer than it had been the day before, so most of the snow on the ground was beginning to melt making it slippery, so he proceeded with extreme caution.
"John the stargate's up ahead, so I should have you home in no time."
"That's great Dave, but can you please put me down when we walk through because I don't want any of my men to see me being carried by my brother," John said and Dave was relieved to see that despite John's pain his breathing had settled down a bit.
"Sure thing little brother," Dave quipped.
"I told you not to call me that," John grumbled, but Dave could sense a lighter tone in his voice.
Dave was relieved that this little adventure was almost over, although he loved working on Atlantis and being with his brother, he decided that he was never going near the stargate ever again. He was a businessman and he had no place being off-world with his brother.
Puss came up alongside him as their Journey continued and he was glad of the big ginger cat's company since John had just passed out again.
TBC…
Just a quick note about the fact that John seems to have forgotten everything that has happened to him in the last couple of days, with a child memory loss can show up two or three days after the initial head injury. And from recent experience, I know what it is like to have a teenager with a concussion and short term memory loss.
Please don't forget to comment and review, I really appreciate your feedback.