The trek to the ruins was long and arduous. John didn't feel all that great and he had the added worry of keeping an eye on the others. Teyla and Ronon were becoming more fitful and aggressive and Beckett was starting to slack off as if distracted. John didn't have the energy to keep them all focused. Putting one foot in front of the other was taking more will power than he possessed at the moment. But he kept walking and kept prodding the others. He knew that their only hope was to reach the ruins.
It felt like forever before they reached the ruins and Beckett was almost jittery by then. He was nervous about Ronon and Teyla, as was John. To the point where he herded them all inside and it felt like coming home in a twisted kind of way. Tension had knotted his insides but he felt himself relaxing a bit. They kept walking and hadn't gone far when the twins appeared. John wasn't surprised to see them. "You knew we were coming," he stated.
Deyenne nodded. "We sent for you."
"What does that mean?" John queried. "I mean...did you do this too us? Are you making us insane?" He gestured to Ronon and Teyla as he spoke.
"No...not directly," Dahvi replied. "The moment you entered here you were all infected. We thought we could help you so that you could leave and go back home, but we were wrong."
John didn't bother commenting on what was obviously the truth. "So what now?" he countered. "Can you help us?"
Before the twins could respond, Carson interjected. "Who are you talking to, Colonel?" He was staring at John as if he had two heads.
"You know who!" John shot back, feeling annoyed. "The twins." He waved in their direction to make his point. "They're the reason we came back, remember? So they could help us?"
"We came back to see if there's anything left of the lab," Carson countered, with more than a touch of irritation of his own. He moved to John and lifted a hand to touch his forehead. "You're a bit feverish. I want you to sit for a moment and rest."
John jerked back when Beckett took his arm and tried to pull him over to the wall. "How can you not believe me?" His tone was sharp and colored with accusation. "I get that you can't see them...but after everything that's happened you still don't believe they exist?"
Carson sighed, rubbing a hand over his face, rubbing at eyes that were dark-rimmed with exhaustion. "I wish I could believe you, Colonel, but as you're the only one who can see them...it's hard to accept."
And John didn't have a reply for that so he turned his back on Beckett and focused on the twins. But he had one eye on Ronon and Teyla. They were coming out of the drugs and both were becoming agitated. "Can you help them? Is there anything we can do to make them more lucid for now?"
"We can help," Deyenne whispered, gliding closer to John. "Do you trust us?"
"It's not like I have a choice." John wasn't really committing to the question, he was settling for being as honest as he could right now. He wasn't sure if he could trust them or even himself. But he had to do something to help the others.
Dahvi moved to him as well. "Take our hands, like last time," he instructed.
John didn't hesitate. He gripped their hands and felt cold rushing through him, like ice water in his veins. He watched the twins dispel into the red mist again, then he was moving over to Teyla, cupping her face in both hands and holding on tight as the mist settled over her. John heard her cry out, felt her body tremble then go taut before collapsing. He caught her before she hit the ground and Beckett was there as well, examining her.
Teyla blinked hard and opened her eyes and they were no longer clouded and unfocused. "What...what happened?" she asked, her voice sounding hoarse.
"Long story," John replied, as he rose to his feet. Moving over to Ronon, he lifted his hands to repeat what he had done with Teyla, only to find his wrists gripped by steel fingers. "I'm just trying to help you, big guy," John grunted, as the bones in his wrists practically scraped together. Apparently the contact was good enough for the twins to envelope Ronon. His body twitched and he snarled, suddenly tossing John away from him. He hit the rock wall hard and fell to the ground, landing on hands and knees and panting against the sharp pain in his ribs.
A primal howl rent the air then Ronon was on his knees before toppling over to his side to lie still.
Carson looked between him and John.
"Help him," John whispered, gesturing at Ronon. "I'm good." He forced himself to his feet and stumbled over to them.
Ronon stirred and sat up abruptly, eyes wide, lips twisted in a snarl, body tense and ready to react. He looked haunted until Carson clapped him on the shoulder. "Where are we?" Ronon asked.
John answered. "Back in the ruins." He eyeballed Beckett. "Okay...your turn." The twins, or rather the mist they had become, were hovering around him and John felt it - felt them - like flames licking at his skin. He was hot and prickly and his stomach twisted with nausea. He wanted to get this over with.
"I think I'll be alright," Carson protested, even as he reached for John. "But you're not looking all that well, Colonel. Sit down."
"You're not alright," John shot back, then he hissed in pain as Beckett eased him to the ground. He gripped the other man's forearm and was content to let the twins do their thing, watching their shimmery form envelope Beckett then fade away back into human form. The prickly heat feeling faded as well, but John was left feeling worn out and still nauseous. Add to that the headache that was forming in his temples to compete with the pain in his side.
Carson was shuddering next to John but managed to recover and slip into doctor mode. He tried to examine his patient but was pushed away with a shaky hand.
John pointed at Teyla and Ronon. "Get their...get their cuffs off. Key's in my vest...pocket." He was so tired that talking wore John out, to the point that he let his eyes slide closed and he didn't feel Beckett patting him down in search of the key.
The next moment of awareness John had was to the sensation of motion. He peeled his eyes open and the walls were moving. No...he was moving. It felt, suspiciously, like he was being carried. A turn of his head and sure enough, he was cradled in Ronon's arms and that pissed John off. He struggled to free himself only to have the strong arms tighten, just enough to make his ribs hurt and John went still. "Stop!" he commanded, albeit a bit breathlessly. It was hard to suck in a lungful of air without something hurting.
To John's surprise, and gratitude, Ronon stopped. "Put me down," John ordered. The moment he was placed back on his feet, he realized he needed to be careful about what he asked for. His knees buckled and if Ronon hadn't been supporting him, he would have crumpled to the ground. "Shit.." John muttered, trying to catch both his balance and his breath.
"We can help you," Deyenne offered, appearing before him.
"How?" John ignored the way Ronon was staring at him. It sucked being the only person who could see the twins.
Deyenne reached for him. "Close your eyes," she instructed, as she touched his face.
John did as he was told and he felt a soothing warmth wrap around him immediately, leeching away the pain and leaving behind a pleasing sort of numbness.
"Better?" Deyenne asked, as she let her hand fall.
"Better," John replied, shrugging Ronon's arm off him. "I'm okay," he said to the warrior. Really."
Carson bustled over to him. "I think I'll be the judge of that, Colonel," he stated, and he was already assessing him. "You're color just got better and your pulse isn't so thready." He looked both pleased and a bit scared. "Let me guess...the twins?"
John sighed and nodded. "Deyenne. I feel pretty good at the moment so let's keep going." He turned to Deyenne. "I take it we're heading for the lab?"
"Yes. I think." Beckett looked rattled. "We've been following the light. It was Teyla's suggestion."
"Teyla," John echoed, turning to search her out. She smiled as he caught her eye. "How are you feeling?"
She shrugged. "Better, but not myself."
John nodded. He understood exactly what he meant. Right now he felt almost as if he were in someone else's skin. He turned to Ronon. "How are you doing, big guy?"
"I'll let you know when this is over," Ronon replied. He looked angry yet determined in a way that was vaguely threatening.
"Feeling any violent urges?" John queried, because he felt that was something they all needed to know. Ronon could inflict some real damage on all of them if he lost control.
Big hands clenched into fists. "I feel something but I'm okay for now," he stated. "We should keep going."
John couldn't agree more. He turned to Deyenne. "Hey...where's your brother." It was odd not seeing them together.
"He has gone ahead to prepare things," Deyenne replied. "We had hoped you would come but we were afraid to make things ready in case you did not."
"Oh." John didn't know what else to say to that, but her words left him feeling unsettled in a way he couldn't explain. "Let's not keep him waiting then," he said, gesturing for her to precede him. He fell into step behind her with the others following in their wake. "Deyenne...is the lab functional?" John held his breath after asking, because if it was in ruins they were screwed. Big time.
She turned back to him, her face alight with excitement. "It is undamaged and fully functional, Sheppard. We have taken good care of it."
John felt relief rush through him. "That's good, really good."
"What's good?" Carson prompted, moving to John's side.
"The lab is fully functional," John explained, because he realized the others were hearing just one side of a conversation that, while making him look Looney Tunes, was probably also very frustrating from their point of view.
Carson looked skeptical as he studied John a moment, but then he nodded. "I see. Will we be there soon?"
That was a good question and John turned to Deyenne, waiting for a reply.
"Not much further," she responded.
John relayed the message then they continued in silence. He tried not to react to the feel of Ronon's eyes boring into his back. He realized the Satedan believed he was truly losing his grip on reality. John supposed he couldn't blame him for thinking that. So he focused on studying their surroundings, only there wasn't much to see. Rock walls and rubble strewn across the pathway in spots. Only suddenly they began to descend down an incline.
"We're heading below ground," Ronon commented.
"Far below," Deyenne said, for John's benefit.
He wasn't sure how he felt about that. John wasn't claustrophobic by any means, but the walls were starting to feel a bit as if they were closing in on him. He had to wonder if maybe it was part of the madness. "Deyenne...is there a cure for this? For what's wrong with us?"
She stopped walking and John followed suit, gesturing for the other's to do the same. "There is a cure," Deyenne said softly. "My mother was successful at creating it before she died. We saved the knowledge in her memory."
"That's good to know," John said, then he turned to Beckett. "Deyenne just told me that her mother perfected the cure before she died, so we're going to be okay."
"Don't be jumping the gun here, Colonel," Carson countered, looking almost apologetic. "To be honest, I'm not sure you're seeing what you think you're seeing. I mean...I realize the twins are real to you, but since the rest of us still can't see them...I'm not all that willing to believe what they might tell you."
John felt a flare of anger at that but he tamped it down. He knew he would feel the same if their positions were reversed. Seeing was believing after all. "When we reach the lab you'll see," he stated, emphatically. "They'll show you. You can do the magic that you do and make the serum, or whatever it is, and cure us all. Then we can go back home." John felt excitement at that thought overriding his anger.
Teyla touched his arm and smiled at him. "That would be nice," she said, warmly.
"Yeah." John sensed that she was patronizing him a bit, but he didn't care. Maybe this was just some huge hallucination. IF so then they were going to die anyway, but they might as well go out with a heart full of hope.
Deyenne had watched the exchange with a neutral expression, but now she touched John on the shoulder. "Time to go," she said, turning to lead them on again.
John followed her knowing that the others would be right behind her. They walked for another hour, continuing lower and lower into the bowels of the earth until they reached a door. A silver door. John saw etches on it that he recognized as Ancient. "Do we need a password?" he asked Deyenne, teasing her a bit.
"Just touch the door," she told him, not grasping his humor.
So John did and the door slid aside, allowing him to enter. He did so with anticipation and not a bit of wonder as he entered what looked to him like something from out of this world, or any other.