Chapter 10: Through the gate.
John stood in the gate-room staring at the stargate, the last time he'd been through the gate he had ended up in a different time and he was still stuck there.
Rodney had announced when he came back from his hunting trip that the gate was back online and they could travel through the wormhole to the planet with the ZPM lab.
Looking up at the gate he felt a rush of excitement when the chevrons started to light up. That was a sight that he would never really get tired of and despite the fact that he was 50,000 years in the future the rush was still the same.
He sensed Shalite's presence beside him, so he turned and saw her standing there with her mouth wide open.
"It's pretty amazing isn't it? I have seen the gate light up hundreds of times and I never get tired of seeing it."
"Wow!" Shalite exclaimed, "I don't think I could ever get tired of seeing it either and I hope that I get to see it many more times in the future."
"I really hope so too Shalite," John told her and gave her one of his crooked smiles.
Rodney came up on the other side of him and he was glad that one of his oldest friends was going to be accompanying him on this mission. Well hologram Rodney was his first friend in this time period and he reminded him of the original, so technically that qualified him as his oldest friend in this time period.
"Are you ready McKay?" John asked feeling a real sense of anticipation.
"Sure, let's go and explore some creepy ancient caves to look for some hidden ancient tech, which for reasons I cannot fathom, they've decided to hide, "he said with the same look of glee and apprehension that the original McKay would get when he was off to search for ancient technology, so what could possibly go wrong?
"Yep, just another day in the Pegasus galaxy," John smirked, before steeping up to the wormhole ready for some adventure.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Carson had no idea how long he sat holding Roget's body, but he suspected that it had been at least an hour. He knew that he should bury Roget out of a sign of respect, but then he didn't know what his people's burial rites were. Looking around the cave system he wondered whether it would be alright to leave him here and go and look for Tuart. Although Carson didn't initially recognise Roget, he knew that he was good friends with Tuart, so if anyone would know what to do it would be him.
He was about the get up and look for his new friend, when he heard a shuffling in the shadows.
Carson sighed, how many more people were wandering around down there, "whoever you are come out and make yourself known?"
He watched as a person carefully walked out of the shadows and he was surprised to find that it was Tuart.
"Is that…? Tuart asked and Carson could sense the sorrow in his voice.
Carson nodded, unsure what to say to him, so all he could do was watch him approach and sit down next to his dead friend.
Carson went and put his hand on his shoulder, trying to offer what little comfort that he could considering the circumstances, "I'm so sorry Tuart, this never should have happened."
Tuart stood up and turned to face him and Carson could see the pain and anguish in his eyes, "What the hell happened Carson, how could Michael still be alive and using innocent humans as test subjects?! Michael left this galaxy 50,000 years ago, so this should not be happening!"
Carson just stood and listened to him rant and rave, as a doctor he knew that this was all part of the grief process and eventually Tuart would settle down. The thing that really bothered him at the moment was at what point would Michael realise that he and Tuart were missing and come looking for them. He shuddered at the thought of what he might do to them.
"Tuart, we need to decide what to do with the body and get back before Michael misses us," Carson suggested and gently as he could.
Tuart nodded and took a deep breath, "I would like to bury him properly when this is all over and I really feel as if Shalite and Joe may like a chance to say goodbye, so is there somewhere in the caves where we can hide him for now?"
"I'm thinking if we head this way we may come to the ancient lab I was telling you about, if we leave him there we can come back for him in the near future, or with a bit of luck Sheppard will be looking for this lab and find him there."
He watched as Tuart bent down and picked Roget up and cradled him in his arms. Despite the fact that Roget looked like a monster, he suspected that these two men went back a long way as friends and it was at that moment he longed for home, to be able to see John, Rodney, Teyla, Ronon, Sam and Jennifer again. He knew that was something that would never be fulfilled, but at least he could dream about the possibilities.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Shalite was walking down a cold dark tunnel and the only thing that was lighting her way was a flashlight that cut a swath through the menacing darkness. This was a place that she'd never been before, but for some reason that she couldn't explain she wasn't afraid.
She continued on in the eerie silence having no idea what she might find up ahead, but still she wasn't afraid.
Suddenly she heard a baby crying in the distance and it was then that she realised that she was no longer pregnant, was that her child she heard crying? She had no idea, but she was determined to find an answer to that question.
Continuing to walk down the narrow tunnel, she thought that she saw someone up ahead and she was positive that it was a face that she recognised, but there was something not quite right with it.
Could it be who she thought it was? If it was why did his face look so weird. "Roget is that you?"
Her friend stepped out of the shadows and his face was deformed and hideous, "help me?" He begged, before dropping to the floor and she knew that he was dead, because of the dull lifeless eyes staring back at her.
She opened her mouth to scream and another figure stepped out of the darkness. This was a face she knew well and what was worse was that he was holding her baby, "Please help me?" Tuart begged her….
She awoke with a start to find that her heart was pounding in her chest and there was sweat dripping down her face. Her first instinct was to place her hand on her unborn child to make sure that he was still there and she was relieved to find that she was still pregnant.
A soft voice cut through her confusion and startled her, "are you alright Shalite?"
Trying hard to get her breathing under control she looked up to see Joe looking down at her and she could see compassion is his bright blue eye, "I just had another bad dream, but this is one I haven't had before."
"You haven't been asleep for long, about an hour I think." Joe informed her, before sitting next to her and offering her a soothing cup of herbal tea.
"Thanks Joe. Are Rodney and John back yet?"
No, but I shouldn't expect them for another couple of hours yet, it's a good hour walk to the caves. I suggested that they take a jumper, but John said that he wanted the exercise." Joe told her, with a smile. He then looked into to her eyes before continuing, "do you want to tell me about the dream you had?"
That was a good question, she really wasn't sure that she wanted to talk about it, but she also knew that she would never be able to go back to sleep if she didn't. So, she took a deep breath and started her story, "well I was in a dark tunnel and all I had to light the way was a flashlight. It was dark, silent and it felt incredibly creepy, but for some reason I felt safe. I continued on in the dark and silence, until I heard a baby cry and for some reason I looked down at that moment and found that I wasn't pregnant any more. Anyway, to cut a long story short I saw Roget and he was changed somehow, he then proceeded to drop dead in front of me and then I saw Tuart holding a baby and asking me to help him and that's when I woke up."
"I'm so sorry that sounds horrible, what do you think it means?"
Shalite shuddered at the thought, she really hoped what she dreamed wasn't true, but she had a real feeling of dread that something may have happened to Tuart and Roget, "I think they need our help?"
"I suggest we don't do anything until John and Rodney get back and then I think that you should tell John your dream and he can tell you what he thinks."
Taking a deep breath, she looked at her friend and smiled, "I think you're right, so perhaps we should do a little more exploring until the others get back."
"I don't want you to walk to far today Shalite, I know that you still have a while to go until your due date, but I want to make sure that nothing happens to you or your baby."
She rolled her eyes, "I promise to take it easy, because believe me I want to be back on Louisa and in a hospital, when my baby is born."
"And what about Tuart, are you still going to walk away from him?"
"I honestly don't know Joe, I was furious at him when he hit John and I was so angry when he contacted the Louisan council about John wanting to go back into the past and change the timeline, but now I'm worried about him."
"Well as your friend and doctor I would suggest that you think about it, before making any rash decisions."
"Thanks Joe, I will consider what you've said and if you must know I'm really worried about Tuart. That dream has left me with a really unsettled feeling and I feel that I must go and look for him at the first available opportunity."
"And I promise that we will, but I want to know what John thinks first, okay?"
She nodded at Joe and quickly finished her tea, because she really wanted to spend sometime this afternoon exploring Atlantis. The archaeological society would be here in less that a week, so she wanted to have a report ready documenting her findings since she had been in the city.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Michael knew what was going on around him, he knew that Carson was trying to be secretive, but he wasn't an idiot, he knew that Carson and Tuart weren't where they should be. He also knew that his first hybrid wasn't going to last long, so he suspected that Tuart and Carson had found it by now and discovered that it was Roget. For now, he would allow them their freedom and give them time to grieve the pitiful creature that he had created, because very soon he would need their loyalty and help again.
Sighing he looked at the pathetic humans in front of him, they were nothing like the Athosians that he had used to create his hybrids 50,000 years ago, but for now they were all that he had and somehow, he had to make it work. He had no idea why his first hybrid hadn't worked, it should have worked much better than the clone hybrids that he had grown in the lab, but for some reason he got the same result. He had ten pitiful humans in front of him and he had managed to control their minds, so now it was time to inject them with the Iratus DNA and hopefully this time, he would create the hybrids that he would need to rule the galaxy once again.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Rodney exited the stargate and he was amazed that he just didn't disappear, Joe had fitted him with an autonomous holo-emitter, so basically, he was free to go where ever he wanted. Joe had informed him that the emitter wasn't indestructible, so he needed to be careful.
The view was stunning, as there was woodland as far as eye could see, the sun was shining and the day was warm. Well at least he thought it was warm, he was a hologram, so how the hell was he supposed to know?
Looking up, he realised that John was already a long way in front of him, so he rushed to catch up, "hey wait up Sheppard, remember I'm not as young as I used to be?"
"Really, imagine that," John said, and Rodney didn't miss the eye roll.
"I know I'm a hologram, but I'm not a young hologram." Rodney tried to explain to his friend.
"Is there a difference?"
"Of course, there's a difference, the original McKay programmed me in his image and he was old and unfit, so guess what, I'm old and unfit."
Rodney watched as John shrugged his shoulders. "yes, but you have no idea how long you're going to live, so you'll probably be like this forever, so, I don't know, maybe you could try and get fit?"
"I'm not sure it works that way Sheppard, but maybe if I hang around you long enough, I'll have to start running for my life."
"Oh, very funny McKay. Now, do you think that you can be quiet for a while and walk, you always did walk faster when you stopped talking?"
He thought about answering back, but decided against it when Sheppard glared at him.
"Okay now that you're silent, walk faster," Sheppard suggested and walked off ahead of him.
Taking a deep breath, he followed him. He had no idea why Sheppard was so excited about a ZedPM lab, perhaps if they found it now John would try and find it in the past and then Atlantis would have an advantage over the Wraith. Rodney hadn't even thought of it that way, all he wanted the ZedPM lab for was to make sure that Atlantis had enough power now.
He walked along is silence, trying to keep up with Sheppard and not succeeding. It was about five minutes later when Sheppard stopped and held up a fist, to tell him to stop moving. He knew this signal well and it usually meant that he should stop moving and shut-up.
"There's someone down there," Sheppard whispered, pointing to the entrance of the caves they were heading for.
"Oh…that's not good," he replied, taking the binoculars that Sheppard handed him.
"No, it isn't Rodney, we have no idea who these people are or why they are here."
Rodney glared at him and handed the binoculars back to him, "No I mean Michael's down there, I don't know how it's possible, but it's definitely him."
"Aw crap," John muttered, "take another look Rodney there seems to be some of his hybrids down there as well."
"So, what are we going to do about it?" Rodney asked in a high-pitched tone.
"Well, we're not going down there, we need to find some reinforcements." Sheppard stated firmly.
"Oh, great Sheppard and who is going to help us, Shalite and Joe?"
"Perhaps you should go back and I'll circle round and see if there's another way in?"
"Really Sheppard and what do you expect me to do then?"
"Well McKay, perhaps you can find some help, surely Shalite and Joe must know someone who could help?"
"Yes, yes, I guess I can do that, but will you be alright Sheppard? If you die here Michael won't be stopped in the past, so this will happen again." Rodney ranted.
"McKay you're giving me a headache, so please get back to the gate as soon as possible and I will do some exploring and hopefully I won't be far behind you."
Rodney nodded and watched as John left their hiding spot, he knew that John could well and truly look after himself, but it didn't mean that he wasn't worried about him.
He watched for a few minutes longer and then turned to head back to the stargate.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Michael stood at the entrance of the caves, he sensed that John Sheppard was near, but he had no idea how close. He had no idea what he would do with him when he found him, but for some reason that he really couldn't comprehend, he didn't want to kill the pilot. He shook his head and tried to get the benevolent thoughts out of his head, of course he needed to kill Sheppard, because John would not hesitate to kill him if the situation arose. Perhaps he could turn him into a hybrid, but there was no way he would do that until he knew that the conversion process would last.
No, I must kill him, so that the time line can continue on just the way it is, he chastised himself.
Taking one last look at the area surrounding the entrance, he turned and headed back inside, he knew if Sheppard was around he would turn up eventually and then he would decide what to do with him, but for now he needed to perfect his hybrids.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Rodney was relieved when he walked through the stargate to find that Joe and Shalite were cooking dinner, "thank God, I famished." He said, before he sat down at the table.
Shalite walked down to meet him and Rodney could see that she was looking around for John, so rather than let her ask about it, he just told her instead, "Sheppard is still on the planet and what is worse is we saw Michael down near the caves where the ZedPM lab is supposed to be!" Rodney ranted.
"What are you talking about?" Shalite asked and he could see the fear in her eyes.
"Michael is on that planet and I don't know how or why and now Sheppard is on the same planet and if Michael gets his hands on him, I have no idea what could happen!" Rodney told her and he found that his voice was getting all high-pitched again.
"And what are we supposed to do about it?" Joe asked entering the conversation for the first time.
Rodney turned to face Joe, who had just put his dinner down in front of him, "well Sheppard suggested that you must know someone who can help deal with Michael."
Joe looked at him and scratched his head, "there are not too many planets with a military in this galaxy, since there isn't much war around here."
"Well there's the Genii they still have a military, perhaps they could help us?" Shalite suggested.
"Are you kidding me!?" Rodney exclaimed. "If they're anything like they used to be, I don't want to work with them."
A smile lit up Shalite's face and it was obvious to Rodney that she had a good idea, "what about the Satedans? They have a strong military presence in this galaxy and I'm sure that they would want to get rid of Michael."
Rodney looked at her and smiled, "now that is a group of people I would like to meet."
"Do we know where to find them?"
"Well Joe, we know what planet there on, so I could possibly find a gate address and then we could take a jumper through?" Rodney suggested.
Joe scratched his head and Rodney could see that he was thinking over what he'd just said, "and who could we get to fly it?"
"Well the original McKay had the ancient gene, so perhaps I'll be able to fly it." Rodney told them, right before he stuffed some meat into his mouth.
Shalite took his hand and looked him in the eye. "Maybe after dinner we should go and see if you can fly the jumper, because if you can't we really need to come up with another plan."
Rodney nodded and pulled his hand away, he knew that his plan wasn't a perfect plan, but for now it was the best one they had.
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
John watched as Rodney left, he wished that he had Ronon and Teyla with him, but he also knew that they were long dead and if he couldn't get back to his own time, he would never see them again. He knew that the Rodney McKay he was talking to was a hologram of the original, but at least he felt some comfort in the fact that much of who Rodney McKay had been was in this hologram.
Turning around to face the entrance to the caves, he was surprised to see that Michael and his goons were gone. He wondered whether he should just walk in the front entrance, or maybe he would be better off still looking for a back entrance. In the end he decided that it would be a good idea to try and find another way in, because chances are Michael would have some of his goons posted on the inside.
He stayed on the path he was on and kept himself well hidden behind the trees. There wasn't really much to see other than trees on one side and a huge mound on the other, he assumed that the caves ran under the huge mound.
He walked on for another five minutes until he saw what looked like a hole in the ground. Pulling his binoculars out, he trained them in the direction of the hole, he was happy to see that it was just what it looked like and it looked like another entrance to the caves.
Taking a good look around at his surroundings, he was convinced that there was no-one else around, so he cautiously walked across to the hole. It wasn't long before he was standing beside the hole and shining his flashlight into the darkness. He had no idea how far it went down or whether there were tunnels leading off of it.
Oh well, I guess I'll never know what's down there if I don't try, he thought as he looked around for something that he could use for a rope. After five minutes he gave up and decided that he was going to try and lower himself down. He really hoped that it wasn't that far down, because the last thing he needed was to break a bone, or end up with a concussion.
It wasn't long before he was lowering himself into a deep dark pit and he was relieved that it wasn't that far down. Standing at the bottom, he shone his flashlight around and was happy to see a narrow tunnel leading into the hill. Taking a deep breath, he began to walk down the narrow winding tunnel with his flashlight cutting a swath through the creepy silent darkness and right now he wished that he wasn't alone. He continued on for what felt like hours and still the tunnel stretched on before him.
It was another few minutes before he saw a light in the distance, someone obviously had lighting down here. Up ahead he saw a rocky outcrop and he decided that would be a good place to hide.
Creeping up to the outcrop and kneeing behind it, he kept his eyes open, wondering what he was going to see, he would certainly like to see a ZPM factory, but that would just be way to easy.
It must have been about ten minutes and no-one had entered the cave and he was really beginning to feel hungry. Now would have been a good time to have a power bar of two in his pocket, but one thing he knew for sure was that he was sick and tired of kneeling in the shadows. Sighing he stood up and was about to enter the cave, when someone entered the cave and it was someone that he thought he would never see again….
TBC…
Thankyou to everyone who has reviewed and commented so far, I really appreciate your encouragement and support.