A/N: Guess who finally get to make their debute in this? I'll edit this tomorrow morning. I'm dead tired right now. I got a new job today and I'm both excited and scared. Thus exhaustion.
Chapter summary: In which John faces down a living shadow, Teyla ponders the rarity of a tale with a happy ending, and there are now three where Timaeus should be the only one.
5: Exodus
When Major John Sheppard decided to accept the position on the Atlantis Expedition, he knew it would get him as far away from his mistakes as humanly possible. Figuratively and literally. That turned out to be not as true as he'd hoped. He was surrounded by humans, both his fellow Earthlings and the Athosians, and fighting a war with an enemy his people knew very little about, while trying to survive in an ancient city in the middle of the ocean on an alien planet.
He didn't regret his decision. Not in the least. But he did wish he'd known what was coming so he could have prepared better. But hindsight is 20/20 and he wasn't going to let something as annoying as regret bother him. Not really.
He'd try not to anyway.
At least his current companion wasn't against talking to break the tension. Even if Timaeus' constant use of the plural pronouns was… odd.
"And this move is called a… 'Hail Mary'?"
John shrugged. "Well, I'd call it a Hail Mary. That one play won them the whole game," he said, grinned proudly. "Definitely one of the best games in history."
Timaeus laughed, the sound startling John a bit. "We're not so sure about that part," Timaeus said. He tilted his head. "But we will grant that it was likely the best game in your people's history."
John pursed his lips and nodded in thoughtful agreement. "We can agree to disagree," he said.
The stranger chuckled. "We suppose so."
"Major Sheppard. Timaeus. Come in."
Immediately snapping to attention, John tapped his radio. "Loud and clear, doctor," he said in reply to Dr. Weir's call.
"We're about to cut the power," she said. "Get ready."
Timaeus moved in the corner of John's eye and he watched as the man took up a position between the far wall and John and the cylindrical device. What they had initially assumed to be just a smaller observation room that was part of the lab, turned out to be a small access door to a hallway they hadn't explored yet. They couldn't figure out how to get there and Timaeus didn't seem to know either.
However, since the shadow entity interfered with Ancient technology, both Timaeus and Dr. McKay figured it couldn't use the transporter to access the lab. Therefore, they had to hope that the creepy thing could find its way through the uncharted sections of the city to reach the lab's back entrance.
This was a crazy plan and John wasn't one hundred percent behind it, but it was worth a shot. If Timaeus could hold up his end and convince the creepy shadow to get back into the cylinder, then the Atlantis team would chuck the device through the Stargate and let it go about its life undisturbed from there. If they got it into the container. In John's experience, plans rarely went according to, well, plan.
So when the lights went out and the subtle hum of technology he hadn't even been aware of vanished, his senses leapt to hyper alert. The cylinder glowed a warm orange-gold that illuminated the immediate area and the back of Timaeus long cape. For his own comfort, John turned on the flashlight attached to his P-90 and raised his weapon. He wouldn't fire unless he needed to. He wasn't even sure if his solid bullets would hit a creature of pure energy, but it was his best bet.
The silence hung heavy and surprisingly loud in his ears. He could hear his own breathing as well as Timaeus'. He could feel his heart in his chest and the gun in his hands. Nothing else. Everything outside the globe of orange-gold light was shadowed and unclear. There wasn't even a hint of daylight filtering in from the unseen hallway since the sun wasn't due to rise for a few hours yet.
It was like the suspenseful few seconds before the serial killer strike in a slasher film. John made a mental not to rewatch one of those when he got the chance.
"Be ready."
Timaeus' whisper might as well have been a shout in the silence. John immediately lifted his weapon and aimed it at the darkness in front of Timaeus. For now, the darkness there seemed natural.
Then it moved, thickened like black food coloring in water, and surged forward. It was a lot bigger than last time John saw it. Careful to keep his movement slow and nonthreatening, John took a single step back, away form the cylindrical device. Two steps.
Timaeus hadn't moved an inch. Nor had he spoken. He simply stood still and silent, as if waiting for something. As John watched, the shadow entity surged towards Timaeus and the cylinder behind him. Then it stopped.
It was enormous, filling the space between Timaeus and the far wall. John's flashlight couldn't penetrate the entity as if it was a solid, physical thing. How the hell was that huge thing going to fit in a glowing cylinder the size of a human torso? Screw this weird sci-fi nonsense.
And yet, even with the enormous, light-swallowing shadow looming in front of him, Timaeus hadn't made a move. Tendrils of shadowy darkness curled around Timaeus arms, legs, waist, and neck. Only then did Timaeus make a sound.
It was sigh, thin and shaky. Black hair, oddly a shade lighter than the shadow entity's essence moved as shadows wove through it. The few white strands scattered throughout Timaeus' dark hair helped define the shape of his head when it threatened to vanish into the shadow entity's semi-solid form. It almost looked like the darkness was attempting to caress Timaeus.
John kept his mouth shut and his weapon raised but did nothing else. He didn't kid himself into believing he knew what Timaeus and the shadow entity had gone through during their imprisonment, intentional or not. He was all too aware of the consequences of long-term solitary confinement. Timaeus and the shadow entity might not have been alone in the cylinder, but they probably weren't able to speak or interact in a sane and healthy way in there.
However, he did frown when he noticed Timaeus' cape ripple with movement and tightened his hold on his gun. Then Timaeus' arms came into view, the sea glass color of his clothes standing out against the inky blackness. It was only when John looked closer that he realized the color didn't just stand out against the darkness, it glowed. Timaeus' arms were glowing. It was dim and wavering compared to the warmth of the cylinder or the bright beam of John's flashlight. But it was still noticeable.
The shadow undulated, the top of its not-body curving downward like a cresting wave and something like a blurry bubble rippled into being just above Timaeus head. The bubble reflected the subtle sea green glow Timaeus gave off.
Then the bubble shifted, lifting ever so slightly and moving to hover over the cylinder. The shadowy tendrils slowed their slithering movement around Timaeus body. John felt his mouth go dry when the bubble tilted up and regarded him. Holy shit. That must be the thing's face.
They'd been made.
Timaeus' entire body jolted, his muscles tightening just as his glow vanished and a choked cry caught painfully in his throat. John raised his weapon but didn't fire. He had no guarantee Timaeus wouldn't be hit. The shadow entity let out an eerie hiss and overwhelmed Timaeus, obliterating the man from John's sight and silencing any cries the man might be making. Then the creature withdrew from the lab, retreating through the back door at a speed John hadn't known the thing was capable of.
"Son of a bitch," John cursed.
He released his hold on his weapon, letting it fall to his bullet proof vest as he ran to Timaeus' side. He caught the man's limp, gasping form, and eased him down to the floor. Timaeus coughed, leaning over on his knees and clutching his throat.
"What is it?" Weir called through the radio. "What happened?"
"Damn thing took one look at the device and high tailed it out of here," he snapped. "Did a number on Timaeus too."
He gave Timaeus a hardly thump on the back. The man coughed once more before gulping down a lungful of air without coughing it back out. After a second or two, Timaeus nodded in gratitude, tears brimming his eye.
"It thinks we've betrayed it," Timaeus said breathlessly. "It will not trust us again. It is beyond reason."
"Damn thing's a lot smarter than we thought," John grumbled, helping Timaeus to his feet.
"I see."
John hated the disappointment in Weir's voice but he knew there wasn't anything they could do about it. They would just have to think of something else.
"Think you two can get back to the control room from there on your own?" Weir asked. "We can't risk turning the power back on."
Oh boy. "We can manage," John said, rolling his shoulders and readying himself for a long walk. "Timaeus," the man lifted his head curiously, "think you're up for a bit of a hike?"
You know, for a guy with only one eye, Timaeus could channel a hell of a lot of sarcasm in that violet gaze. John huffed and hefted his gun so it was back in his grip.
"We're taking the long way," he said.
"Understood. And Timaeus," Weir said.
"We are here," the man replied patiently.
"I'll have your sword ready when you get here."
Timaeus nodded grimly. "You have our thanks."
Teyla listened to the Atlanteans bicker as they tried to find a way to deal with the entity. Without turning on their power generators, they had no way to use the city's sensors to track the creature. The sun may be up shining bright, hopeful light through the windows of the city's central tower, but the people in the city were still in the dark. Their fear was palpable.
She understood their fear for she felt it as well. But as the leader of the Athosian people, she could not let that fear control her. The parents told her of their children's fitful sleep last night. The children might believe her story of the shadow fearing fire, but the adults knew her words to be empty comfort.
And yet, even with the city's power cut and no sources of energy left in the city except for the people in it, the entity had not attacked a single person. Lieutenant Ford, resting comfortably in the medical facility with Dr. Beckett, was still the only victim of the shadow. Well, she corrected mentally, her gaze shifting to the silent figure standing by the railing overlooking the Stargate, the only human victim.
White smoke no longer rose from Timaeus's clothes in thin wisps, but he had not spoken a word since Teyla arrived. That had been an hour ago. The man just stood by the railing and stared out at the Stargate flooded with the pinkish gold light of the sunrise. His sword hung from his hip, his left hand resting on the blueish metal pommel.
"Are you well?" she asked softly, approaching Timaeus' side.
"As well as we can be," he replied with a sigh. The lone violet eye flickered to her briefly before returning to the Stargate below. "We wish for this to end. We wish to return home." A fragile smile tugged at his lips. "If we even have a home to return to. Much can change in 10,000 years."
"Indeed, it can," Teyla said, bowing her head. "Where is your home?"
Timaeus' smile softened to something warm and friendly, if melancholy. "Far from here," he said. "It lies in the galaxy of Avalon. We were told that this Stargate," he nodded at the ring below them, "is the only one capable of reaching our home galaxy."
"When this is over, I am sure the Atlanteans will help you return home," she said, offering Timaeus a warm smile. "They too wish to return to their world."
"Why come here at all then?" he asked, glancing back over his shoulder at the Atlanteans debating amongst themselves. "We understand they wished to explore and learn, but even explorers must return home every now and then to rejuvenate themselves."
"There you are quite similar to them, Timaeus," she said, drawing the man's curious gaze. "They are unable to return home."
Timaeus frowned. "Why?"
She sighed. "As I understand it, returning home requires more power than they can currently generate. One of their goals when they first arrived here was to find a power source that will allow them to travel back to their homeworld."
"So they came believing it to be a one-way trip," Timaeus murmured in understanding, regarding the Atlanteans with a strange respect. "Brave and foolish."
"Curiosity is a powerful driving force," Teyla said, smiling. "Any parent would tell you that."
That drew a quiet chuckle from the man. "That, we believe."
An electrical hum rose from around them and a sharp snap startled them both. Together, they turned to the Atlanteans who were looking around the control room warily.
"Power's back," Peter Grodin confirmed before looking down at his computer screen. "I'll bring the city's sensors back online."
McKay groaned and John pressed his lips together in a grim line.
"Can you track the entity?" Dr. Weir asked, leaning over Peter's shoulder. A moment later, she winced. "It's headed this way."
"Uh, yeah, because you turned the power back on," Rodney said in annoyance.
"Rodney," Dr. Weir said, straightening her shoulders, "we cannot live like this. We need power which means we have to deal with this. At least with the sunlight we have a better chance of seeing it coming."
"If it arrives in this room," Timaeus spoke up, drawing everyone's attention, "we should be able to contain it."
"How?" John asked suspiciously.
Timaeus tapped his finger on his sword pommel. "We have our sword back. That gives us more options with which to work with."
"Why didn't you say that before?" John demanded in disbelief.
"Would you have believed us?" Timaeus said calmly. "And even if you did, would you have a way to remove it from the city?"
"You could have contained the thing and forced it back into that subspace prison," John nearly shouted, pointing back down the stairs behind him.
Teyla grimaced and turned back to the Stargate, listening to the argument and trying to organize her own thoughts. Arguing would do them no good right now. They needed ideas, not disagreements.
"No, we could not," Timaeus countered. "We did not have our sword then and, as we said, even if we did have our sword, it would have done you no good. As we are now, we can either create and hold a barrier, amplify a barrier, or remove a barrier. While we do have some ability to manipulate the form the barrier takes, it is easier to utilize barriers in a circle form. Other shapes are difficult to maintain and easily broken."
"We still could have used that!" John argued.
Timaeus shook his head. "If we had created a barrier to contain the Erebus, then it would not have been able to enter the prison. We could have held it in place, true, but only as long as we could stay awake and provide the power to do so. Since the Erebus feeds on energy…"
"It would have fed on your barrier," Dr. Weir said in understanding.
"It would have taken time," Timaeus admitted, "but that would be the inevitable result. We could not have held it there forever. It would escape eventually," his gaze hardened, "and it would not have dealt with us mercifully."
Escape. Leave.
"Does it want to be here?" Teyla asked, turning to Timaeus. "It's been trapped here for thousands of years." Her hand rested on his arm near his elbow. "As have you. You wish to return home. Perhaps it does as well."
"It doesn't think on that level," Rodney said in exasperation. "It thinks about eating. That's it."
"You would know," John snarked.
"You are mistaken," Timaeus said, cutting off Rodney's burgeoning monologue. "It does comprehend something as basic as 'home.' But whether it wishes to return there," he shook his head, "that we do not know. But," his gaze settled on Teyla, "we would be surprised if it did not wish to leave."
"What are you thinking Teyla?" Dr. Weir asked, intrigued.
That had been a half hour ago. Now Teyla stood on the mezzanine watching as Rodney and John packed one of the Atlantean generators into a case and prepared to send it through the Stargate. When the two men turned on the generator, the Erebus should come drawn by the power output. The rolling robot would carry the generator through the Stargate and lure the Erebus through it allowing the creature to escape. To prevent it from slipping back into the city, Timaeus would erect and hold a barrier around the Stargate. It was the only plan they had but Teyla had faith it would work.
"Alright!" John called.
Rodney scampered up the steps to the mezzanine to watch from a safe distance. John shot a wary look up at her and Timaeus standing on the stair landing before powering on the generator. Almost immediately, his attention snapped to one of the hallways and he raised his weapon.
"Stand back," Timaeus warned.
Obediently, Teyla withdrew so she stood behind Timaeus and watched in awe as a thick, roiling sea of impenetrable blackness poured across the floor around the Stargate from the hallways on either side of the Stargate Operations room. Her lips parted in amazement. The creature was larger than any living thing she had even seen.
John had just enough time to hit a button on the rolling robot and race up the steps to the landing where she and Timaeus stood before the entire floor was obscured in writhing blackness. Once John was safely behind him, Timaeus stepped forward and drew his sword. Without a word, he flipped the weapon so the blade pointed at the floor and waited. Once he was sure the entire entity was in the room, he let the tip of his blade touch the floor.
A pale green shield shimmered into existence from either side of Timaeus' blade, encircling the entire Erebus. It sealed shut above their heads creating a nearly full sphere of pale, translucent green. Timaeus stood still, his gaze locked on the Erebus below. His hands never left the handle of his blade.
"We cannot hold this for long," he said with a faint grimace. "It is already draining our energy much faster than we thought it would."
"Its size must make it feed faster," Teyla heard Peter Grodin say.
Teyla frowned and stared down at the creature. The Stargate had not rippled once. "Why is it not going through the Stargate?" she called.
She watched as the Atlantean scientists rushed frantically through their notes.
"Damn thing must've drained the MALP's battery," John said, hurrying up to join his friends.
MALP. So that was what they called the rolling robot.
"Shut down the 'Gate," Dr. Weir ordered in defeat. "Rodney? I said shut it down."
Teyla followed Dr. Weir's gaze to McKay who was staring down at the inactive technology in front of him.
"I can't," he said, his expression falling slack in horror. "I can't shut it down."
"It must be feeding off the 'Gate's power and the naquadah generator," Peter said, awful despair shining in his eyes.
Dr. Weir swallowed thickly then shook herself. "Alright, how do we fix this?"
"We can't," Rodney snapped.
"He's right," Peter said. "Unless someone can go down there and physically push the generator through the Stargate…"
"Then it'll stay like that," John muttered with a groan. "Alright, I'll do it."
"You can't," Peter said, grabbing John's arm before the military man could leave. "Without protection, it could easily drain you of your energy too."
Teyla stopped listening and tried to think. Timaeus could hold the Erebus in place for a limited time which they could use to create a new plan. But she had no doubt that the moment the shield fell, the entity would either flee or attack Timaeus for attempting to imprison it. She would not blame it and she was certain Timaeus would not either.
The Erebus acted like a starving child. Hungry and afraid, it searched for anything to feed on while seeking a way to escape this place. It didn't harm Timaeus until after it felt Timaeus had betrayed it. Much like a child whose secret nightly games of seek-and-find had been reported to a parent would yell at the friend with the wagging tongue. If she could-
Something bumped her shoulder and she jumped in surprise. Her surprise became shock when she recognized the green sheen of the Ancient personal shield surrounding Rodney McKay's body.
"The barrier is permeable from this side," Timaeus said when he noticed Rodney standing on his other side. "But once you pass through, you will be unable to return." His lone violet eye met Rodney's frightened blue. "We will not lower the barrier until we run out of strength or the Erebus is gone. Do you understand?"
The scientist gulped, his shoulders drooping in weary acceptance of his terror, and stepped through the Timaeus' barrier. His passing caused the a ripple of sea green to shimmer across the shield's surface attracting the attention of the others still on the mezzanine.
"What's that?" Teyla heard someone mutter.
"Rodney?" Dr. Weir called. "Rodney!?" Teyla looked up to see the red-haired woman rush to the railing and stare down in dismay at Rodney McKay's shielded body vanish into the Erebus's darkness. "Rodney!"
Teyla held her silence. There was nothing she or anyone could do now but wait. She did not know McKay well, but she had come to respect the man. She was a warrior who had grown up in a universe ravaged by the Wraith. Very few people ever survived to die of natural causes. If this is how McKay chose to die, then she would not stop him. She would mourn his loss and tell his story to the others so that it would be remembered, but she would not stop him. Any death was better than a death at the hands of the Wraith.
But she did pray to the Ancestors for Rodney's survival. If death could be avoided, then it should be. Too often death was seen a solution. To her, death was too permanent a solution to a temporary problem.
So when the living shadow suddenly convulsed and began flowing through the Stargate, her heart began to pound in earnest. Finally, when the last vestiges of the Erebus vanished through the 'Gate, she breathed a sigh of relief. That relief faded to sadness when she saw Rodney lying motionless on the floor below.
Next to her, Timaeus lifted his sword so the tip of the blade no longer touched the floor and the pale green barrier disintegrated. She slowly began to descend the stairs from the landing, gazing at the clear sunlight streaming into the room, illuminating the fallen scientist. Footsteps rang from behind her and she moved aside. Without looking at her, Dr. Weir, John, and Peter raced past her and down the stairs to their fallen friend.
Their friend who opened his eyes. Ah, then her tale of Rodney and the Erebus, the unexpected hero and the shadow, would have a happy ending. Truly a rare thing for her people.
"It is done then?" a voice from behind her said.
She did not know that voice.
"It is."
Timaeus? Frowning, she turned and saw what could not be. Three men where there should be one.
"Do you think we can go home now?" the young man with brown hair and golden eyes asked, gazing at Timaeus.
"Unlikely," the owner of the first voice replied, his midnight blue eyes a stark contract to his striking blonde hair.
"In my experience," Timaeus said, meeting Teyla's gaze evenly, "nothing is ever that easy."