Elizabeth was sick of the constant berating. If it wasn't Teyla, it was Ronon or Beckett, knocking at her door. She appreciated why they wanted action, she wanted action too. But the lack of information was deafening with its silence. No radio, no Stargate, no nothing. Ronan had taken to sitting on the steps by the Stargate. He seemed convinced it would activate again, but after forty-eight hours it had remained resolutely shut. No one had told Ronon to move when he fell asleep sitting upright, leaning against the wall. Elizabeth knew some battles were not worth fighting.

She looked out across the void between her office and the Stargate. Carson had brought food for everyone who'd not been down to the mess. He looked as tired as everyone else. And then everything changed. The Stargate activated and its silvery hues refracted around the room. Ronon was up instantly, gun drawn and ready. Teyla appeared from somewhere, Elizabeth hadn't seen her from the office.

'We are receiving a message, audio and visual.'

'Put it on the screen,' Weir frowned, no IDC.

The screen flickered and the video looked like surveillance footage of a smallish room. There was a trail of red, blood she guessed and Sheppard sat upright in the corner of the room. Weir heard the reactions of everyone around her, but it was Carson's she paid attention too. His wince and look away told her more in that moment than anything else. He caught her eye and then looked back at the screen.

'Hello, this is Sheppard… um… not sure if this is just sound or not but… Be brief, John.' Sheppard's head seemed to lull at this point.

'Sheppard, can you hear me? It's Weir.'

Sheppard showed no sign of hearing her at all.

'We need to go through right now,' growled Ronon.

Elizabeth held her hand up to show she'd heard him but he should be quiet.

'John? Can you hear us?'

The room around Sheppard started to flash brightly and he snapped his head up.

'Okay, okay. I wasn't sleeping. Right. Specifics. I'm dying. Wraith shot me. Rodney's alive last I saw…' John started to droop forward again and the room flashed.

'John? Can he hear us?' Weir asked the Comms.

'No, they don't look to be receiving.'

At the same time Sheppard was wincing and holding his side. It was really hard to ignore the pool of blood he was sitting in.

'Pay attention now, important info: this place must not fall into the hands of the Wraith. There's… not many, but there's something here that kills them. Like, no regen at all.' John paused and looked up. 'When the gate next opens it will be safe to pass, but I can't IDC from here. You are gonna have to trust… the… what are you?'

'Who is he speaking too?' Asked Teyla.

'Is he coherent?' Weir aimed the question at the Doctor. Who gave her a look and shrugged.

'He's struggling to keep conscious. Whether we can act on what he says is your department. But he is right on one thing for certain, he is dying.'

Sheppard spoke over Teyla and she quieted. Although, Weir suspected it would be much along the lines of what Ronon's glare was communicating to her.

'There's a… well person? No… computer? No. Look, Ronon you are just gonna have to trust the green lights. Red is bad, green in good.'

Ronon looked at Weir and she did not turn to face him. He continued to stare at her while John spoke.

'Look, that's going to have to…' John gasped in pain. A few moments passed and he regained his composure. 'Just keep sending it ok. Repeat.' The screen went blank and then started playing again from the beginning.

Ronon was still staring at her. After the video played through three more times the Stargate shut down. Weir gripped the side of the table and finally looked Ronon in the eye.

'Get a team together for the next time the gate opens.' Ronon's dreads flicked from behind as he turned sharply out of the room. Teyla nodded at Weir and also left.

Carson stood quiet and thoughtful.

'Why isn't Rodney with Sheppard?' He asked.

'Could be a million reasons why. John wouldn't have left him unless he'd had too.'

'No, I don't suppose he would. But potentially they are both in a bad way. I should go too.'

Weir gave him a stern look and was about to say no, but remembered the Wraith killing thing Sheppard mentioned.

'Go then, help them if you can and, Carson?'

'Yes?'

'If you can, gather any intel on the Wraith killing weapon Sheppard mentioned…'

'Aye, I'll keep both eyes open.'

Carson left Weir and made his way down to Medical. He kept his face neutral, not wanting to show how deeply worried he was. Alone in the elevator, he allowed himself to feel the full force of his apprehension. Fear was a natural response, but Carson knew whatever had happened was in Ronan's words, 'Not good.' He packed everything he thought he might need and a few things he might not. He also packed some sampling equipment in case the weapon for the wraith was chemical. The last thing he picked up was his gun. He held it flat and in the palm of his hand. What an odd thing to need, he mused, as a healer. But he thought of the wraith and holstered it.

XXXX

The ground was spongy; it bounced as he walked. Considering how tired he was it felt like it was sucking all the energy out of his step. A glance downward confirmed it was some sort of moss. The ground was also strewn with old decaying leaves, twigs and some sort of brownish reddish fluid, which Rodney almost immediately decided not to touch under any circumstance. The smell had not improved and although he tried to breathe out of his nose, it did little to help. Sheppard might have had a point when he said they were eating it when they breathed: what if it were some sort of spore. God, what if it was literally growing from within him? His mind snapped to the dining scene in the film Alien. He couldn't shake the feeling of dread, it clung to his chest. Calm, Rodney, calm. Positive thoughts. You are Ripley.

Holding up the gun he channelled his inner Ripley and walked further in. He felt something against his face. It felt suspiciously like spider webs. Rodney let the gun go and it hung loosely at his waist while he panicked and slapped at his face. He stepped back and bounced off the trunk of the tree behind him. When he recovered from the moment of fear he grabbed the gun and pointed it in random directions. His heart pounded. To be fair, it hadn't stopped pounding like a war drum since he'd left Sheppard. Rodney was sure if the Wraith or plants didn't kill him a heart attack probably would. Reaching around into his pocket Rodney pulled out a small torch. He shined it around the immediate area and saw the strands he'd walked into. Projecting the light further ahead, he saw the strands were everywhere. It might not be spider silk, but Rodney knew a web when he saw one.

And then a coldness went through McKay. It was certainty. This place was death.

Just when he was getting used to terror, he was introduced to being petrified. The coldness he felt numbed his body and he couldn't move. He daren't move. Standing quiet and frozen, Rodney breathed. He'd made a mistake, he knew that now. It wasn't coming here, but coming here trying to be Sheppard, Teyla or Ronan. Thinking he had to be like Ripley. But he wasn't them. He would never be them. He wasn't brave, he was stupid.

Rodney looked at his surroundings shining the light around. Come on, Rodney, use what you have. The strands all came from vines that laced their way through the canopy of the trees. The vines came up from the ground. Rodney noticed they mostly grew from beneath the moss. The strands also came back down to the moss. It looked like hair, the darkness of it blended in with the dank beneath the canopy. The vines would lead him to the black sap, which came from the inner part of the plant. So then he'd have to dig for it he guessed.

Rodney stepped forward and the ground gave way from beneath him and he disappeared through the moss.

Each time Rodney thought he knew fear, knew horror, this place sought to introduce him to another level. He landed in wet up to his waist, in pitch darkness and there were sharp things in the fluid that poked at him, but somehow didn't pierce. Still, that wasn't the factor that caught him first, it was the smell. Death, or rather dead. It smelt dead. McKay dry heaved. Whilst retching Rodney noticed Sheppard's gun was gone, probably on the surface. He saw a dim light in the water and knew it must be his torch, so he reached down to retrieve it. He saw that the fluid wasn't water but was much thicker and glutinous. There were other things in the liquid but he tried not to think about that as he scrabbled blindly. Holding up the torch Rodney scanned the area.

The walls were interlaced roots, mostly fine but seeming to lead back to a more central point where they were thicker. The brown-red fluid dripped from everything. But all this was secondary to the corpses laying around in varying states of decay. Roots grew through some of them. This is what happened to the people here.

This is what will happen to me.

The panic started to creep up from his toes, like icicles caressing him. The feeling reached his chest and stopped. Rodney's mind fought for composure with logic. Wouldn't I be dead already? He thought. Sloshing through the viscous water he trudged over to the pile of decaying corpses nearest to him. He examined them. He could see that decay was slow, which made sense. The plant only took what it would need and it seemed to need vary little to survive. The fluid was clearly part of the digestion process. But what he couldn't fathom is why the people seemed not to move from where they entered. Above he could see gaps in the root mesh which he assumed were more entrances. Currently he couldn't see how he might reach one. Walking further on Rodney saw a Wraith. He pulled out his sidearm and pointed at the Wraith. It looked dead and it was covered with the brown-red goo.

It opened its eyes and looked at Rodney.

'Don't move.'

'Why aren't you screaming?' the Wraith rasped.

'Because I'm not scared of you.' Rodney lied.

'No pain?' The Wraith seemed badly wounded.

'What?'

'You… you have no pain?'

'I have plenty.'

'No, no you don't.'

'Why did you come here?'

'Power.' When Rodney looked surprised at the truthful response the Wraith continued. 'It's not like you'll be telling anyone soon.'

Rodney frowned.

'You have your weapon.' The Wraith tilted his head slightly in the direction of Rodney's gun, which he now lowered.

'Yes.'

'Kill me then.'

'You want me to kill you?'

'Yes.'

'I haven't finished asking you questions.'

'If I answer your questions, will you…' The Wraith stopped speaking and convulsed for a few seconds.

'I will.'

'Ask then.'

'How many of you came in?'

'A scout ship.'

'Where's the cruiser?'

'Destroyed by the station's defences.'

'What do you know about the power source?'

'It's legend. But the station still exists so…'

'The power source must do too,' Rodney finished for the Wraith. 'Why don't you heal?'

'Do not know. This is poison.' The Wraith gestures at the brown-red ooze. 'The pain is excruciating.'

'Good.' Rodney surprised himself with the venom he spat at the Wraith.

The Wraith hissed at him. Rodney raised the gun again but faltered. Choosing not to act Rodney walked on towards the root centre leaving the Wraith behind. He could hear it cursing him, threatening all sorts of painful deaths. The closer Rodney got to the centre the harder it became to get through. The thick water, the refuse, the skeletal remains of those long dead made it all the more difficult to traverse. The occasional screams of pain came from the Wraith, along with rage and occasional pleas for mercy. Rodney knew on the way back he would shoot it. He was ashamed he'd allowed it to suffer.

The roots at the centre had less of the brown-red ooze but when Rodney walked he could feel bones under his feet. He was no longer retching because of the stench or feeling queasy walking on human remains. He was tired. Exhaustion made it so he had little energy for feeling anything other than tired. Rodney's actions were slow, but methodical not wanting to waste what little energy he had. He unsheathed his knife, which he'd taken from Sheppard, and started hacking at the larger roots. This seemed the right place to do it, as he could see other cut roots that had healed. Thick black ichor leaked out from the cut and Rodney collected it in a vial. He had several to fill. His mind wondered whether it was pointless or not, after all, he didn't know if he could leave. Rodney was betting that there was a way out, he just had to find it and not fall back in to what he was referring to as the 'Sarlacc'. He was starting to wish all the sci-fi films he'd watched weren't actually based in fact.

After what seemed like a long time to Rodney, he managed to fill all the vials. He also cut off a piece of root and stuck it all into his back pack. He then trudged back toward the Wraith he'd left, it had quietened down after a while. It whimpered and twitched in the dark. It heard Rodney approach and looked up. Rodney withdrew his gun and pointed it at the Wraith. It nodded, its eyes grateful. Rodney shot it in the head and it instantly slumped. Rodney holstered his gun and walked on. He'd envied it in the moment, not wanting to die, but it at least having an end. He felt nothing in killing it.

After at least an hour wandering amongst the roots Rodney found a way out. Or at least a place he could use. It was lower hanging and he could see it had been used by others in the past. Somebody had made a sort of ladder from root and bone tied together, but it had broken. Rodney knew he could fix it. There was plenty of root around, he had some rope, enough for this job anyway and it would be stronger. The bone was a problem though. He'd need the stronger bones like femurs. Another new horror. As Rodney sifted through the dead he distanced himself from the task, he thought about tensile strength, compound pressure. He even estimated the thread count of the rope, running the numbers seeking comfort in equations. He'd stopped wondering if John was alive, because that didn't matter in the moment. In this moment, he was making a ladder, nothing more.

McKay anchored the ladder to the highest point of the roots he could reach. He managed to get higher by making a mound to stand on. Once he reached the top he would be able to grab a hold of the interlacing network of ceiling roots and get out. The torch had stopped working about a third of the way through making the mound. It had taken him a lot longer to anchor the ladder than he'd thought. It was much easier to concentrate on that rather than the suffocating darkness around him.

After testing the anchor would take his weight, Rodney stepped on the first rung and let it take his whole weight. It took it, so he went up one more and waited. Then another and another till he reached the top. As he pulled himself up he pushed down hard on the bone which snapped and he slipped but held on. The bone jabbed into his ankle, he winced and pulled on the roots above him. Now only being held by the weight of the roots Rodney somehow pushed through the moss and handful by handful he broke through. He lay, beached covered in brown-red goo and laughed. He had no idea where he was or which direction to go, but he was out.

Rodney sat up and then reached down to his ankle, which was hurting still. It had a fragment of bone sticking out from it. He pulled it out. Whilst down there he'd not considered the brown-red water: what its purpose was, why did everyone die down there? The moment the plant water ran into the cut Rodney knew. It was like fire spreading up his leg, every nerve ending lit up. McKay screamed.

XXX

When the Stargate lit up the team was ready and waiting. No one had talked much apart from the usual checks. Lorne was leading the team and Carson had seen him talk to Ronon briefly. The man was poised and ready to launch himself through the Stargate. Lorne looked up at Weir and she nodded.

'Bring them and yourselves back, Commander.'

'Let's go.' Lorne waved them on.

Carson walked through the Stargate with the second wave after the all clear was given. Not being particularly tactically minded, Carson gawped at the flashing swirling colours coming from the walls. He reached out to touch it and Teyla caught his hand.

'I would not touch anything, it is unclear exactly how this system works. It affected Rodney poorly.'

'I understand, sorry.' Carson looked sheepish. He'd read the report Teyla and Ronon had given, he should of known better. Teyla smiled and nodded. He waited while the military checked and checked. They made their way to where Sheppard had been watching over Rodney, with no visual sign of Wraith.

Ronon walked about the room and then left. He paced outside and then pointed out a tiny trail of blood, a smear here and there.

'Ok, Ronon, you track the blood, we'll follow and support. Any sign of Wraith we hunker down. Teyla please stay with Carson.' Lorne's orders were immediately followed and Teyla took a position on Carson's flank. Back home, Carson knew some men might be threatened by having a woman protect them. But he wasn't. People were driven by different things, fighting, at least physically was not for him. In fact he was rather glad to know she was watching him.

They took a pace which Carson found hard to keep up with, it was like a forced march. Occasionally he'd feel Teyla touch his back and he'd jog a little to catch up. It wasn't that he was unfit, but a lot shorter than Ronon who was moving very quickly, running ahead, pausing and tracking. Then they stopped for a few minutes. Carson could hear Lorne and Ronon arguing about something Sheppard had said in the SOS.

'Doctor, we could use your input,' Lorne waved him over and he jogged up.

'Sure what do you need?'

'How compos mentis do you think Sheppard was in that communication?' Asked Lorne.

Carson was very aware of the glowering look coming from Ronon.

'I think he was struggling to stay conscious.' Lorne gave Ronon a 'see I told you look'. 'What is this about? Some context might help?' Carson shrugged.

'Sheppard gave me instructions about red and green lights. There are red and green lights,' Ronon pointed to the walkway floor where some small green lights were flashing.

'Well, that is different,' Carson smiled, 'I'd suggest we follow the lights.'

It was Lorne's turn to frown.

'Ronon, be extra vigilant, but follow the lights. Anything hinky, stop and reassess.'

Lorne walked back to talk to the rest of the team and Ronon's brow wrinkled in confusion for a moment. Carson smiled.

'Hinky means bad or off somehow, Ronon.'

'Thanks.' Ronon turned away and started walking after the lights.

Carson started to walk but then looked around for Teyla, who was just three steps away. She smiled at him, he smiled back. Of course she was right there. But then as she turned away he saw a crack in the façade she presented. Fear. Not like she was frightened, but her concern for the others was visible and deep.

They continued to follow Ronon to the edge of the great open area to a small side corridor. Here Lorne made extra checks before allowing Ronon to move on. They made it to the med room Sheppard had found and treated Rodney in. Carson was handed the hypo-syringe by Lorne.

'What is it?'

'Well, it looks medical. It's empty. There's blood on this bed so I would assume Sheppard used it to treat Rodney.'

'What? Are you sure? That sounds risky.' Lorne's eyebrows arched in surprise.

'You did not see Rodney, Commander. He was very unwell,' said Teyla. 'We only left because of our concern for Rodney. It was urgent.'

'Yes but how did he know it was here or how to use it?' Asked Lorne.

'Green lights,' said Ronon. He was ready to leave the room and move on.

'There's a panel flashing here,' Carson pointed.

Ronon reached out to touch it but the light turned red. As he moved his hand away it became green again. Lorne shrugged and reached out slowly and it turned red. He retracted and it became green again. Teyla stepped forward and looked at Lorne for permission, he nodded and she reached out. It remained green. She looked to Lorne again.

'Are you sure this is the right action?' Lorne questioned Teyla.

'I feel it is.'

'Ok then.'

Teyla touched the panel. Unlike Rodney and Sheppard, Teyla was more than familiar with touching another's mind. Plus the entity had two humans before her to practice on. She remained conscious and standing but she closed her eyes.

'I feel a presence, a mind that is ancient. It is scared, lonely but peaceful,' Teyla smiled, 'It is happy to see me again.'

Inside her mind the entity tried to show Teyla what had happened, but too quickly and she cannot follow.

'It is too fast.' The entity showed John, alive.

'That is good. Where is Rodney?' There is a wave of worry mixed with red and orange. It shows her the black liquid, the healing, the plants and the Arboretum. Then it shows Rodney leaving.

'Oh.' Teyla opened her eyes and looked at Lorne. 'We must divide into two groups.'

'Why?'

'Rodney is located elsewhere.'

'Do you know where?'

'Yes, it is on the way to finding Sheppard.'

'Very well, Ronon you go get Rodney with…'

'No…' Teyla interjected, 'I must go and find Rodney. I've seen where he has gone and it is not safe. The presence has shown me how to be… safe.'

'You're not going alone, Stevens, you will assist.' Lorne pointed at Stevens and he nodded he understood. 'If you are sure this presence is to be trusted, Teyla?'

'Yes, I am assured we can get to the gate room after…' Teyla started to say.

'Yes, go straight to the gate unless there are Wraith, then radio.' Lorne nodded.

They entered the corridor and followed the lights until they reached a ventilation shaft. The panel opened and they all went inside. The further in they went the worse the smell got. They moved quietly until they reached an open floor panel with what appeared to be on of Sheppard glow sticks. Teyla whispered to Lorne.

'This is where Rodney is…'

'Ok, Stevens, go with her. Carson, stick to me. Radio if you need help.'

Carson watched as Teyla dropped through the hole and then Stevens followed. He felt apprehension about the team splitting up but said nothing. He did as Lorne asked and followed closely.

When they entered the arboretum Carson could not help staring. It was beautiful and terrifying. The walk through was not pleasant. There were no lights giving hints. And Carson found keeping pace much harder without Teyla giving him prompts to keep up. They reached a clearing up ahead and Ronon stopped. Carson saw, when Lorne stepped out of the way, that there was a dead Wraith. Ronon walked forward a few paces and stopped he looked at Lorne and Lorne frowned.

'Doc?' Lorne pointed at what they both were staring: a pool of blood.

'I'm going to assume this is where Sheppard got shot.' The blood trail led into the trees beyond. 'Somebody dragged him away. The loss of blood here is significant.'

'We keep moving then.' Lorne nodded at Ronon and they moved on.

Carson didn't consider himself unfit, but yet again the pace and the uneven terrain, left him panting to keep up. When they reached the outer most edge of the arboretum, Carson grabbed the branch of a nearby tree to rest upon. Ahead, Ronon and Lorne once again debated which way to head. Once settled Lorne waved him on.

The green light flashed consistently, leading Ronon along the corridor. The lights were not needed. Carson looked at the congealed blood they walked over and tried to estimate how much blood Sheppard had lost. It was difficult to say. The pessimist in him doubted he'd be live when they got there. However, if Sheppard could find a way to lengthen that time he would. Hope springs eternal and all that…

Then there was Rodney. He tried not to fear for his friend, but Carson knew that for such a smart person, Rodney could be alarmingly stupid sometimes. Especially where his friends were concerned.

They reached the end of the blood trail with a sealed door. Ronon knocked, before Lorne could tell him not too. The door shimmered and rippled and ebbed away leaving the entrance way clear of obstruction. Ronon did not wait for a signal but instead lurched inside. Carson heard Ronon say 'Sheppard?' before he saw the man sat slumped against the wall.

Doctor mode kicked in and he immediately went to work on Sheppard. He laid him flat and examined the wound briefly. Then he took his pulse, which was present but faint, very faint. He packed the wound looking to see if Sheppard stirred at all from the pain. A flicker registered on his face, which reassured Carson a little.

'Doc?' Ronon was in his face.

'He's alive… just. I'm trying to stabilise him, but it's moving him I fear the most.'

'Do you think you can get him stable enough to move? Lorne asked.

'I hope so.' Carson looked at the wound. It was cauterized to some extent but it bled heavily still. If blood loss didn't kill him, infection would. They needed to get him back. Carson relayed this to Lorne who nodded briefly. The truth was Carson could not see how he would make it alive.

There was a sudden movement Carson recognised it from experience. Everyone in the room bar himself and Sheppard pulled up there weapons for combat. Carson turned around. There stood Rodney, covered in red-brown goo, panting. He held out a vial filled with black liquid. He wobbled on his feet.

'Here, use this to save Sheppard.'