THE NIGHT OF THE TIME TRAVEL PORTAL

By Andamogirl

CHAPTER FIVE

Richard Woolsey looked down at the man pacing the isolation room like a caged tiger. He sighed, then turned towards John Sheppard standing beside him.

The Colonel wasn't happy. "Jim shouldn't be here, locked in that room like a prisoner. He should be in the infirmary beside his partner, and I with Rodney."

Richard nodded. "That's standard procedure, John, you know that. He had to undergo a full medical examination in isolation. He's come from the 19th century – with all its cortège of terrible diseases. I couldn't let him wander in the city before I know he's fine."

John nodded. "You know that he's fine now. Release him – and give him his gun belt and revolver back. He's no threat."

Woolsey sighed. "We can't be sure he won't tell anyone in his time about Atlantis in particular and generally about our present and his future," he said.

The Colonel crossed his arms on his chest. "Artemus and Jim are secret agents working for the Government. They even work directly with the President, I mean their President, Ulysses S. Grant. That means that Grant has every confidence in them, he wouldn't do that if he didn't trust that man down here and the man in the infirmary to keep secrets, state secrets. We can trust them too, they won't say anything Richard."

Richard nodded. "We can't be sure of it. I'm talking about the risk of affecting the end of the 19th century and thus the 20th century too and the next one – in matters of technological, scientific, political and cultural development, amongst other things. It would be an incommensurable disaster."

John sighed. "I know that. What do you want to do? Put them incommunicado, locked in a cell somewhere till they die? Lock up his partner too? – If Artemus survives. Erase their memory somehow?"

Looking down at Jim West again, Woolsey ran a nervous hand over his bald head. "I don't know, yet. I have to think about it, but we must find a solution to * absolutely * avoid that risk. I'm going to contact the IOA. In the meantime, go back to the infirmary and take Mr. West with you. Carson told me that it was bad…"

Sheppard nodded. "Yeah…"

WWW

Later

Infirmary, operating level

Dr. Carson Beckett, Chief Medical officer of Atlantis, left the operating theatre and headed towards the two men waiting in the examination room of the infirmary.

He looked first at James West sitting in a chair, almost deranged with worry. "Your friend is now out of danger, Mr. West. We retrieved the bullet and he made it through the surgery, but it was close. He was lucky; the bullet miraculously missed all vital organs, though it came awfully close to hitting his spine. He lost a lot of blood and we are giving him a transfusion. He's strong. He's going to be alright. I treated his broken ankle too. You can see him tomorrow morning. For now he is sleeping under morphine."

Immensely relieved Jim nodded, regaining some colour, smiling. "Thank you doctor." He then looked at John hoping he'd have good news too.

Carson turned to John leaning against the wall as white as the sheets of the nearby bed. He looked worn out and on the verge of collapse. He sighed and said, "Rodney is in a critical condition for the moment, John. He has a punctured lung and just a few minutes ago he went into cardiac arrest. We had to open him up to keep his heart going, and did an emergency intubation to make him breathe. We brought him back. He's stable now, but not out of danger, yet. But I'm cautiously hopeful: Rodney's strong and he's a fighter. We have to wait. We will be monitoring him closely. You can see Rodney tomorrow morning too. For now, go back to your quarters and sleep. I'll keep you posted if… anything happens." He looked at Jim and added, "You need to rest too; the Colonel is going to show you to one of our guest quarters - on his way to his." Beckett gave the two men a reassuring smile and then headed towards the door.

Once in the waiting room, the two men were encircled by Woolsey, Teyla, Ronon, Radek and Lorne, all looking concerned.

John sighed. "He's not out of the woods yet. We have to wait. But Carson is 'cautiously hopeful' that Rodney can make it."

Ronon moved towards Jim, towering him. "What about your partner?"

Relieved, Jim smiled. "Artemus is going to be okay."

Richard Woolsey nodded. "I'm glad to hear that, Mr. West. I'd like to see you in my office with Colonel Sheppard in the morning." The two new friends nodded. "Colonel Sheppard will lead you to the guest quarters. Take some rest, you both need it. See you tomorrow then, good night."

Sheppard watched the balding man leave and said, "He's the boss here." He placed a hand on Ronon's shoulder and added, "This is Ronon. He's from the planet Sateda. He's my team mate and one hell of a warrior." Then he moved beside Teyla and offered a soft smile. "This is Teyla, she's from the planet Athos and she's my team mate too. And don't get her angry, she is a fierce warrior too." Looking at Zelenka he went on, "This is Dr. Radek Zelenka, Rodney's friend and colleague." He finally took a step forward to Major Lorne and said, "And this is my second in command, Major Lorne." He went back to stand beside Jim, and continued, "My friends, Radek told you that we had guests, so let me introduce you to James West. He's a secret agent working for the US Government, along with his partner Artemus Gordon – the man who was shot. They come from the past, from 1875 to be precise. Jim and his partner will stay with us for a while – until Artemus is fine. Questions?"

Lorne raised his hand. "Yes Sir." He looked at Zelenka. "How did Mr. West and Mr. Gordon come here? You told us that the portal could only bring back the persons it had sent into the past based on the scan of their DNA sequence."

Radek nodded. "That was before I found another section in the database of the device, about 'guests' brought here. You see, the device scans the DNA sequence of any traveller before sending him or her to the past, to be able to bring him or her back later - and no one else, because any DNA sequence is unique and specific to each person." He removed his glasses and rubbed his tired eyes. He looked at the blurry Sheppard and said, "After you came back with Mr. West and Mr. Gordon, Colonel, I wanted to know why they were here, and I discovered that the Ancient time-travellers sometimes brought some 'guests' here to Atlantis with them, to study them: farmers, soldiers, writers, politicians, etc., to have a large sample of the human population." He put his glasses back in place and then he added, "The only thing they had to do to bring them with them was touch their future guests at the right moment, when they knew that the device was ready to teleport them back to the City. They sent them back to their own time period the same way later."

Sheppard frowned, puzzled and feeling uneasy . "Study them? Do you mean they did some weird experiments on them?

Zelenka shook his head. "If you're thinking about kidnapping and 'weird' medical experiments as in bad science-fiction movies, it's a no, Colonel. No, the Ancients didn't kidnap them and didn't use them like lab rats. The 'guests' volunteered to come here and they were well-treated. They came back home intact and even with their memories intact too. The Ancients didn't bother erasing them, because they knew that no one would believe their guests' stories when back home."

Sheppard nodded. "Mmm… But Atlantis new management is not so open-minded – and the IOA and the President won't be so open-minded either." He sighed, and curious, he asked, "Why did the Ancients bring guests here to Atlantis?"

Radek added, "The Ancients did that because they needed to study their guests thoroughly, physically and mentally, to get a 'snapshot' of human evolution at a specific time period. It was like a medical examination combined with a mental evaluation."

The Colonel nodded. "I know what happened. I was touching Jim when the machine engaged the return sequence… and Rodney and Artie held hands. That's why the four of us were dematerialized together. It's simple."

Radek nodded. "Logical. The device was programmed for a 24 hour voyage. It brought you back when the time was up. By the way, I blocked the device after you materialized to be able to send your friends back to the moment they were dematerialized. There will be just ten minutes delay." He removed his glasses to wipe them with the bottom of his tee-shirt and said, "I still don't know how that portal located you in the past, but I'm working on it."

Looking at Jim, who was visibly totally lost and on the verge of falling asleep on his feet, Sheppard said, "Let's have some rest. We both need it. Follow me, Jim."

WWW

Sheppard was tempted to take the scenic route, to show Jim the wondrous Atlantis but as they were both so completely exhausted he chose the rapid way. It could wait morning.

Trying to stay awake, Jim entered one of the guest rooms and the room it immediately lit – and he let out a gasp of surprise. "How does it work? I didn't touch anything. It's like magic."

Sheppard nodded. "Not quite. I possess the ATA gene. The ATA gene is present in all Ancients, and some of their human descendants – like me. It allows those people to utilize much of the Ancient technology. The city sensed I was here and the room automatically lit. Don't worry, the guest quarters technology can be activated the old way – using our hands."

He gestured to the bed and they both sat on it. "Long story, short: we're here in the city-starship Atlantis. She was built millions of years ago by a very advanced race of humans that we call the Ancients, and abandoned 10,000 years ago when they lost the war against a race of space life-force-sucking vampires called the Wraith – and now our enemies. They submerged the city in Lantea's ocean – Lantea being a planet in the Pegasus galaxy - so that it wouldn't fall in the hands of the Wraith. We discovered it intact – or almost intact, seven years ago. We use spaceships, but a device built by the Ancients too that we call the stargate. I'll show you it tomorrow – as well as the main parts of the city. The stargate allows for near-instantaneous travel across intra- and even intergalactic distances. Two years ago, to stop the Wraiths orbiting around our planet, Atlantis engaged the enemy vessel in a battle. The Wraith ship was destroyed, but Atlantis was forced to land in the middle of San Francisco bay. And we have been stuck here since that day – because the city needs a large amount of power to go back into space and we don't have it, for now. Rodney's still working on it…"

He stopped, feeling a sudden submerging wave of anxiety tighten his throat. He waited for it to pass, pulling himself together and continued, "One day, we'll go back to the Pegasus galaxy – to help the people there. Follow me, Jim; I'd like to show you something…"

They both headed towards the balcony. Once there Jim took an involuntarily step back, both amazed and frightened at the same time, his eyes wide opened, agape. "Oh my god!" he breathed. "I'm… I can't find any word… er… I'm speechless."

John smiled. "I was too when I first saw Atlantis. And you're seeing a small part of Atlantis only. It's huge! And over there, on the left you have San Francisco, the actual one. It's changed a lot since you were there.'

Jim nodded absently, still looking at the wondrous scene of those huge towers almost reaching the sky that the setting sun illuminated with golden light.

Placing a hand on the other man's arm Sheppard said, "Let's go back inside, I have to show you how everything works, like the shower for example."

Jim nodded.

WWW

The next morning

Infirmary, the recovery level (ward)

Carson watched John and Jim head respectively towards their best friends – the two wounded men lying side by side on a bed each. He decided to move to Jim's side. The 19th century man would be lost with all the modern medical machines crouched around the bed, monitoring Artemus' vital signs: heartbeat, blood pressure, oxygen levels, and a host of other things.

Jim gulped in anxiety. Artemus was lying, still and quiet in the bed, as white as the sheets. He looked like a corpse. He glanced at Beckett standing beside him and asked, "He's alright?"

Beckett nodded. "He's not alright yet. The complete recovery will take weeks. But yes, he's out of danger. The surgery went very well. He has an oxygen tube running into his nose and he's connected to a bag of fluids and an antibiotic hanging on a pole beside him. They are hooked to your partner's IV. The machine here reads your partner's heart activity, brain activity and blood pressure."

They heard a moan and Artemus slightly moved his hand. Immediately Jim reached out and gently laid his hand over his best friend's, giving it a gentle squeeze. He smiled and said, "Artie, open your eyes. Come on buddy. Wake up! Open your eyes for me." Artie's eyes fluttered open and he mumbled something inaudible. "That's it!"

Drugged and dazed Artie stared at Jim bleary-eyed and whimpered, "Jim… " He furrowed his brow, trying to make his blurred vision focus. He blinked twice, hard. "Jim… that you?"

The younger agent smiled broadly. "Yes, it's me, who else? You're going to be fine, Artie. You're safe, you're in the infirmary."

Artie nodded weakly, noticing the tears streaming down his partner's face, the memory of a bullet in his chest coming back. "I'm dying?" he asked, suddenly very anxious.

Jim shook his head and wiped his tears of joy. "No, you're not dying. Everything's going to be okay buddy. You're not going to die."

Smiling in relief Artemus said sluggishly, "Can't get… rid of me that easy, Jim. You cried… I'm usually… the emotional one in our… duo."

Jim nodded. "Yes, that's why you're such a good actor, Artemus." He pressed his partner's hand in his. "I'm so happy you're okay."

Artie nodded. "Yes, me too. But I could have… have sworn I was dead." He noticed he was wearing white pyjamas. "Where are my clothes?"

Carson smiled. "I gave them to the laundry service. They were stained with your blood. You'll have them back later." He placed a comforting hand on Artie's arm. "I'm Doctor Carson Beckett, the Chief Medical Officer of Atlantis. Don't worry, you're in good hands.

Gordon blinked. "Atlantis? You mean the legendary city of Atlantis?" He looked around him observing all the equipment and systems of the ICU. He had never seen such advanced medical things before.

His eyes sparkling in wonderment, Jim smiled and said, "You should see the city, Artie, Atlantis. It's fantastic! I never saw such a wonder in my whole life! It's amazing!"

Excited in his turn, Artie's eyes lit. "Really? I want to see it too."

Carson waved a finger. "Oh I'm sure, but I forbid you to leave that bed before the end of the week, Mr. Gordon, that means in five days! Then I'll see if you can use a wheelchair to move around in the city. I'll be watching you closely. I've the feeling that you are like the Colonel here, always ready to escape from the infirmary." He frowned threateningly, "Do that and I'll have restrained in your bed."

John chuckled. "Take that threat seriously, Artemus," he said. "Carson did that twice to me already and he even drugged me. He's the master here in his domain."

Carson crossed his arms on his chest and lifted his chin in an authoritarian way. "Exactly, you have been warned." He moved then beside John. "Rodney's condition has improved. He's still in critical condition though. But he's on the good road to recovery. I've lowered his oxygen level on the ventilator, and he's doing just fine breathing on his own now. I plan to remove his trach tube tonight, that's why I'm keeping him sedated. It can be a little bit traumatic sometimes."

Rodney was pale under his stubble, with dark, tired circles under his eyes, and hooked up to machines making life easier for him.

John peered at him, comforted by the regular beeps of the ECG. His partner was still alive. "You're going to be okay Rodney." He leaned down and rested his forehead against Rodney's – in a brotherly way. He moved back a few seconds later and added, "I won't – ever – let you out of my sight again. You're scared me shitless, buddy. I thought I was going to lose you. That won't happen again. You're going to be stuck with me – all time. You're going to be my twin brother buddy, always together."

Carson smiled. "I thought that was already the case."

John nodded. "He was at my side Doc, but he was not glued to me. For now on, he will – even if I have to hear him bitching all the time."

Carson chuckled. "Good luck with that."

Turning his head to the side, Artemus looked at Rodney, laid on the bed beside his. He noticed the tube going into his throat. "What's that tube?" he asked frowning in concern. "You're hurting him!"

Beckett turned. "No, we're not. He's heavily sedated and can't feel anything. Rodney went into cardiac arrest and lost the ability to breathe normally. We had to put him on a mechanical ventilator – that's the name of that machine - to move breathable air in and out of his lungs, using an endotracheal tube, to provide the mechanism of breathing as he was unable to breathe by his own. He could have died of asphyxia otherwise." He glanced back at Rodney, then looked at Artemus and added, "I will proceed to an extubation of the trachea tonight, as he's now breathing on his own."

Artie nodded. "I understand, so he's going to be okay?"

Beckett nodded. "Yes. But it will take some time. Now it's time for you to rest, Mr. Gordon. John, Mr. West's visiting hours are over. You could come back tonight."

John returned back to Rodney, still unmoving, deeply unconscious and patted his best friend's hand. "I'll be back soon, Rodney."

Jim patted Artie's shoulder. "Take some rest Artie. I'll be back soon too." Then following John he left the intensive care unit.

Tbc.