Thanks for your reviews! Here's chapter 3!
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Sheppard sat there, knowing McKay had questions, feeling the cool blue-grey eyes on him. Honestly, he had no idea where to start if the scientist started asking him anything. Rising slowly, the colonel kept his hand on the wall to steady himself. Come hell or high water, he was going to walk out of this place. All the way back to the 'jumper was a different story.
Finally, he looked straight at McKay, who stood with his arms wrapped tightly around himself, staring at the blank wall. "What was it like?" Underneath the bluntness of his tone there was wonder, and maybe a little envy. "I imagine a bit invasive, right? Heard that about Ancient technology." He was trying to make conversation to draw out the colonel.
Making his way slowly across the room, Sheppard concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. When he finally reached the large console in the middle of the room, he leaned heavily on it, praying it wouldn't break. "You know almost as well as I do about that," the colonel said simply. "But this was different."
McKay turned to study the colonel's pale face, which came complete with a wistful smile. Letting his eyes wander down to the strangely smooth console, he noticed Sheppard's white knuckles gripping the edge with all his might. "How so, exactly?" He moved closer to the faltering man.
"I was flying, Rodney..." Sheppard said distantly, knees buckling, and his friend easily caught him. "It was amazing. I could hear everything, see everything, feel everything."
"Sensory overload?" The scientist's brows rose as he wrapped an arm around the colonel's shoulders.
"No! It was... was..." Words failed him as McKay lowered him to the floor. Shoulders sagging, Sheppard let out a defeated sigh. "I'm so tired, Rodney. If that hive ship –" A thought struck him as the console lit up, a furrow appeared between his brows. "Help me up!"
"What are – Okay, okay! You're up! How long are you gonna stay that way, huh? My back can only take so much, you know."
Sheppard was not listening. His eyes lost focus as he waved a hand over the lively control panel on the console. Displays popped up, in seemingly random order. He had to know if it was all over; something was not right and he felt it. Previously, he had been pulled away prematurely, unable to check the readings. This time he had to be sure.
Where are you? I know you're hiding!
The buzzing in his head grew exponentially as he pushed his mind out, searching. Legs refusing to hold him up any longer, he hoped the shorter man would catch him. Keep me up, McKay! Please! His thoughts sounded desperate as he clung to consciousness. Ah ha! Found you! Another ship appeared, broken and drifting on the other side of the planet. And they haven't deployed darts? he wondered while he calculated time and distance.
McKay couldn't help but to stare in disbelief. The air in the large room began to stir with intensity, centering around the colonel. "What –? Where –? What are you doing, Sheppard?" He tightened his grip around the trembling man's waist to keep him upright. "You need to stop this now, Colonel. Are you listening to –"
A screen to their right, just above them, beeped plaintively. Ancient words scrolled across the bottom.
":All targets destroyed. One disabled. Acquire target:" Sheppard's dead calm voice seemed to have dropped an octave, verifying McKay's unspoken question.
Confirm. Launch.
"What! One disabled? Is it another hive ship? What are you launching?" Struggling to keep the thinner man's body from sliding down further, McKay re-wrapped his arms around the colonel's waist. His attention was soon drawn back to the screen as it blinked red.
":Smaller ships approaching surface. Acquire targets:"
Confirm. Launch.
"Colonel, we are going to have a serious talk when you come out of this," McKay groused, trying to figure out who was speaking to whom.
Suddenly, a blast sounded outside, this time much closer than the last. Guess that was another –
"McKay! What was that?" A voice thundered behind him.
This time, the scientist did drop the colonel, who slid bonelessly to the cool floor. "Dammit, Ronon! Do not sneak up on a person like that!" McKay yelled, hand over heart. "You're worse than Shep–" Looking down at the pool of Colonel Sheppard at his feet, he stopped talking.
Trembling intermittently, eyes half open, Sheppard let out a moan. Although he was not touching the console, he still felt energy coursing through his veins as the display behind closed eyes showed him each target.
"What happened?" asked Ronon, glancing from McKay to the display to the prone man below, and back.
"I think there was another ship in orbit."
":Hive ship destroyed.:" mumbled the man from below. ":Smaller vessels approaching. Acquire targets:"
Confirm. Launch. Yes! Kill all of them!
":Understood.:"
"What is he talking about?" Immediately after the words left his mouth, the tell-tell high-pitched buzzing of darts sounded outside.
": Shield in place. Target destroyed.:"
Before he could finish his task, Sheppard's body gave out on him. Why were the Wraith so interested in this planet? There was a potent defense against them, and he supposed they wanted it gone. This fact further strengthened his resolve to protect these people.
Ronon kept his eyes on the entrance, waiting. "He sounds funny. What have you two been doing? Sheppard was fine before we left." His tone was accusatory.
McKay ignored the implication, pulling the colonel into a sitting position. "Look, he's tied into this place in a way I've never seen before. This outpost has connected with him on a neural level, and I'm not sure I can sever him. Most likely, he'll have to do it himself."
"McKay, he's not touching anything. How can he have a connection?"
The egotistical scientist refused to let a conundrum like John Sheppard undermine his superior knowledge of the Ancients and their technology. However – "I don't know!" His voice cracked on the last word. Here, Sheppard was the only person who could operate any of the things in this outpost. Even if he could read the Ancient writing on the screens, his artificial gene would be of no help. The man operated a weapons chair without even sitting in it! What good am I? Sighing heavily, he looked back at Ronon. "Help me get him over there."
The colonel's body went limp with a shuddering breath, finally slipping away into oblivion. This is not good. What have you done this time, Sheppard?
Ronon stepped forward, scooped his CO into his arms. Spotted the bench the man had lain on earlier, so he headed in that direction. He came to a halt when villagers began running inside.
"Teyla! Collins! Come in!" Major Marcus Lorne directed fleeing villagers to their temple, hoping there would be shielding. He had either lost radio contact with everyone, or they were in trouble. Everybody should be headed this way, right? If what he had seen earlier was true, Colonel Sheppard would protect them.
Sure enough, those in question appeared at his right, carrying children and herding the remaining people to the narrow entrance. Stopping dead in his tracks, Lorne looked over his shoulder and listening to the low, ominous hum of a dart closing in on its target.
Bright yellow light illuminated the darkening sky, streaking in all directions yet again, as the drones found more targets.
"Way to go, Colonel!" the major shouted as the pursuing dart exploded. The buzzing was nearly gone as the remaining darts fled, steering towards the atmosphere. More small explosions brightened the sky.
Lorne ran into the outpost after everyone had gone inside, and took in the whole scene before him. Ronon lowered an unconscious man onto a bench; Teyla spoke to the timid villagers to allay their fears of this place; McKay was pulling everything out of his tac vest, power bars littering the smooth floor. And one by one, overhead displays winked off.
One of the women kneeled down next to the colonel, squeezing between McKay and Ronon. She held a shallow bowl and a pitcher, and held them out to the scientist, who mumbled his thanks. Nodding once, she rose to join the rest of her people huddled in the farthest corner away from the displays, and wildly blinking console.
"He's a little warm," McKay murmured, unsure if the unconscious man was headed to the dangerous end of the thermometer or not. "Sheppard? Everyone's safe, so you can wake up now," he said quietly, sponging the colonel's brow.
Major Lorne ducked back to the entrance to scan the perimeter. A blue flash indicated a shield had been erected. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw before he heard a dart approaching his location. Oh, great. I sure hope this shield holds! He moved back to the shelter of the entrance, watching with fascination as the dart came closer. A drone fired and missed as the dart spiraled around to avoid it. Fancy flying aside, it fired off a round before the second drone hit its target. The shot impacted the shield and dissipated harmlessly.
Colonel Sheppard saves the day again, Lorne thought as he shook his head in amazement. The unique buzzing sound of the darts was gone, leaving the area eerily quiet as the remaining dart spiraled toward the atmosphere. "That's not good." He jogged back inside, hoping the military commander was awake. The last time he came to check on the colonel, the man was not well at all, yet he did seem to bounce back rather quickly.
"F've m're minnn..." Sheppard mumbled as he waved weakly at McKay, who was trying to wake him. But the scientist was persistent. Eyes fluttered, and eventually opened. "Mmmm. Hey! Knock it off, McKay!"
"I would, except you've officially frightened the natives with your magical powers. Wake up so they can see you're still human," McKay said as he pushed the colonel up. He was grateful the wobbly man couldn't see the relief on his face. Otherwise, that would be admitting to having feelings.
Sheppard tried very hard to focus on the people huddled in the far corner of the Ancient building, blinking furiously. His eyes slid close, losing the war against complete exhaustion. Slumping back against McKay, he let his body have its way and slept.
"Colonel? Sheppard!" Irritation registered on McKay's face as he gave the colonel's face several light slaps on a flushed cheek.
"I think he's all done in, Doctor."
Teyla suddenly appeared at McKay's side. "The people wish to thank the colonel for protecting them." With a wide sweep of her hand, she gestured towards the group of men, women and children huddled in the corner of the large room.
"Well, as you can see, Colonel Has-to-Save-the-World is –"
"Tell them it was his pleasure, Teyla." Lorne cut off the scowling man's retort, smiling and waving at the crowd. "We better get going, though. I think the colonel could use a very long nap."
An elderly woman came forward to stand next to Teyla, who bent down to let the whisper in her ear. They both nodded, and Teyla looked back at the members of her team. "They wish us to stay the night." The Athosian woman patted the other woman's hand, reassuring her. "I think it may be a wise choice to allow Colonel Sheppard to rest undisturbed."
Lorne shuffled from foot to foot thoughtfully. "Doc Beckett may have something to say about that."
Teyla nodded once and looked back at the woman. "Will it be all right if our healer comes to visit John?"
The woman glanced back at the group, then at the group of strangers. "It will be fine, Teyla." She moved forward, and leaned to caress the sleeping man's cheek. "Come, I will show you where he can sleep." At her words, the people rose as one and began to file out.
"It's safe to return to their village." Ronon had slipped away earlier to survey the surroundings. "No Wraith anywhere."
"Well, that's good news." McKay pushed the colonel's body away from him. The Satedan gathered the man into his arms once again, following the tiny old woman out of the outpost.
"Hey, Doc," the major moved closer to McKay as the people filed past them. "One of those darts got away."
Pursing his lips, McKay knelt down to shove items back into his pack. "I need to find a way to access this control panel."
Lorne could actually see the gears moving behind the scientist's unfocused eyes. "Well, while you're figuring that out, I'll take the 'jumper out do a little recon."
"Mmmm, yes. I just there are no other hive ships in the vicinity. Usually the darts stay until they're destroyed or go back to a–"
"Cruiser. I'm on it, Doc." Lorne tapped his comm, as he ran outside. "Collins, meet me at Jumper One."
McKay was left alone in the eerily still outpost.