The first thing Teyla realized was the cold. All around her was a frozen wasteland. She was standing at a gate. Two guards, dressed in fatigues stood at attention, sheltered in a deep shadow. All she could hear was the quiet rustle of the wind.
A large dome was visible in the distance, almost obscured by the roaring snowstorm. She'd only ever heard of snow from various members of the expedition. Athos had been temperate, never really warm, but never cold.
It was then that she remembered what she was seeing. There had been a picture of it in Elizabeth's office. When Teyla had asked about it Elizabeth had told her how the expedition had been formed, and how they'd found the location to Pegasus in a place called Antarctica. John had told her more about this place. It had been his escape from all the politics of his black mark in Afghanistan. He'd never told her specifically about that incident.
The storm seemed to worsen, buffeting her. She took a deep breath, focusing beyond the numbing cold. The wind seemed to almost caress her, warping around her slowly. Her freezing limbs felt warmer without the wind. She didn't understand why she'd be here, this was a memory from just about any member of the original expedition, but she had never been to Earth, much less Antarctica.
A flash penetrated the darkness, coming from the dome. She turned and began trudging towards it, not knowing what else to do. A new wave of icy wind washed over her, this time hitting her directly, trying to push her back. At the same time another gust of wind seemed to propel her forward. She collapsed into the snow, stopping to try and avoid the wind. As long as she wasn't moving, the air seemed to embrace her, not feeling harsh. Another flash, this time brighter. Teyla had to keep moving...
Teyla didn't scream, at least Ronon had only heard her scream once. That instance was now. He opened the door to John's quarters while signaling Carson. He wasn't expecting Teyla to be lying on the floor, unconscious. He felt for a pulse.
Her pulse was frantic. He rolled her over, being careful to set her straight on her back. He shook her, trying to gently rouse her from her unconscious state. She bolted upright, startling him. "JOHN!"
He placed both hands on her shoulders. "Teyla, what happened?"
Teyla's eyes became fuzzy, not focused. Then she went limp again. Ronon gently laid her back. It worried him more than he would ever let on. Teyla was the strongest person he'd ever met, stronger than any of his Satedan comrades, stronger than the Wraith.
Thankfully, Carson came quickly, a team of medics and marines with him. "What the bloody hell happened?" Carson said, immediately feeling for a pulse like Ronon had.
"She screamed." Ronon said briskly. "I entered Sheppard's quarters and found her unconscious. I shook her to try and wake her." He shook his head. "She sat up... yelled Sheppard's name... then she was unconscious again."
Carson and the medics placed Teyla on the stretcher and wheeled her out of the room. Ronon followed just behind. They were all speaking medical parlance, a language Ronon didn't even claim to understand. He wasn't going to leave Teyla alone though.
At the top of the large dome, a brilliant light flashed again. Teyla struggled forward, the wind trying to block her path, the ground cold to her booted feet. Every step, another thrash of the harsh wind. Every breath, another staggering blow of cold air to her lungs.
"Teyla?" A voice whispered, part of the wind. The voice was familiar... it took her a moment to place it, then she gasped. She sat down and concentrated, reaching out with her mind. Suddenly, an explosions of senses assaulted her, someone else's pain, a desperate defense of a mind.
Despair. Anguish over loss. Death. Teyla inhaled sharply as more and more of the pain became known to her, yet it wasn't hers. She couldn't feel it. Yet at the same time she was aware of it. The wind seemed to arc around her.
Teyla climbed to her feet, the wind shifting to avoid her. She could pass. Taking a deep breath, Teyla advanced on the glass dome. The wind didn't impede her progress, but the world seemed to grow colder.
She reached out again... searching for the source of the cold. She felt malice, hatred, sickened delight. Then it all vanished. She tentatively reached out again... towards the wind. It's source was at the top of the dome, it knew she was coming.
Both comforted and scared by it at the same time, Teyla began climbing the slippery material. She wished she had her knife to cut hand holds in the ice, as it was there were only a few. She slipped and was shocked as the wind rushed to hold her in a tempest of air, a gentle embrace that prevented her from falling.
Impatiently waiting at the entrance to the infirmary was Rodney. He snapped his fingers impetuously. "Okay... mind telling me what the hell happened?"
"Found her in Sheppard's quarters." Ronon said briskly, not pausing but walking into the infirmary.
"Hey... she's my friend too." Rodney said quickly, running to catch up to Ronon's long stride.
"Sometimes I wonder if you have any friends McKay." Ronon replied with a slight smirk.
"At least you only wonder, it's a common fact that you don't have any Conan."
Ronon turned to Rodney. "Who's this Conan you keep referring to?"
Rodney squirmed. "Do I have to answer it?"
"Not right now. Teyla's more important." Ronon turned his attention back to Carson, who was just coming out from next to Teyla's bed.
"Aye... she's back how she was. High brain activity, yet she's unconscious."
"Well... what are we supposed to do then?" Rodney asked impatiently.
"Nothing." Carson replied. "We wait. I'm gonna call Kate down, but she won't be able to do anything either."
"Teyla." The wind whispered again. Slowly she was brought up to the top of the dome. Sitting there, alone in the swirling vortex was John. He didn't move as she approached, didn't flinch. He sat alone in the eye of the storm. The cold was the worst here.
"John?" Teyla asked quietly.
His eyes snapped open, focusing on her. "Teyla."
His voice echoed in her skull, his mouth not moving. She shook her head. "Is it really you?"
"I could ask you the same question."
"Colonel... how is this possible?"
"If you're Orin you'd already know but you'd ask the question to screw with my mind. If you're really Teyla, you'd ask the same question..." John seemed to consider his options, glancing off into the darkness. "In the end it won't hurt either way." He turned his focus back to her. "I was captured and hooked up to some infernal machine that's being used to torture me."
"Exactly." Orin said, coming out of the darkness, his sword already draw.
A blast of the wind sent Teyla flying backwards, away from the two. John stood up, directing more of the wind against Orin. Orin stepped forward slowly, Teyla could see, even from the distance, he wasn't being affected by John.
As Orin got closer and closer John stopped trying. The winds began to die down, dissipating. Leaving only the chill to permeate the world. Teyla felt her muscles freeze up as the cold became worse and wore, leaving her shivering beyond her control.
John seemed unaffected, a look of defiance still on his face. "Not this time Orin."
Pain and sorrow washed over Teyla as images played out before her... images of what John had seen. Images of every hurt he'd ever suffered, they extended far longer than he'd been captured, far longer than he'd been on Atlantis. She tried to stand up, fighting to keep her muscles moving and warm, even though the cold made them ache from the effort.
Physical pain didn't hurt her. She knew she wasn't alone. Somehow, she was connected with John Sheppard.
"Doctor." One of the nurses yelled.
Carson spun around, turning away from Rodney and Ronon and towards the blinking light on the computer Teyla was hooked up to. "Bloody hell." Carson swore, running to Teyla's side. "Her temperature is dropping. Get me some thermal blankets."
Teyla's heart rate was slowing with the drop in body temperature. This wasn't supposed to be happening. He pulled up the covers already on the bed, covering her completely. He then added the thermal blanket once the nurse got back.
Still Teyla's temperature and heartbeat kept decreasing. "Get the paddles ready. Ronon, Rodney, hug her."
Rodney gave Carson a look of shock. "What?"
"Just do it you daft bugger. Body heat should help. So don't let go." Carson shoved Rodney towards Teyla as he grabbed a needle from the table. He inserted it into her IV.
Ronon for his part hadn't hesitated, even though she was laying down he pressed his body to hers through the blankets, Rodney followed suit, still confused.
"Summoning imaginary friends will not help you Sheppard." Orin said, running a finger along his sword, seemingly unaffected by the cold.
"They'll come for me." John's voice was hollow, as if he didn't believe what he was saying.
"You're friends will never find you." Orin replied.
"Teyla will. I know she will." John said with renewed determination.
"John... I am here!" Teyla shouted. Her voice seemed to vanish in the growing tempest.
The wind whipped up, roaring in ferocity. It ignored her and swirled around John. The air around Orin seemed to darken, as if the air itself was turning to frozen particles. Teyla got to her feet, fighting past the cold as she tried to get back to John and Orin.
The two figures glared at each other, each summoning a greater and increasingly greater storm. The wind stopped ignoring Teyla, nearly blowing her over as it whirled around John. The cold made the roof of the dome next to impossible to walk on, her boots felt like icicles on her feet. Her fingers couldn't move.
She was a few steps from them when she collapsed.
Teyla's heart monitor went flat, the machine let out a piercing screech. Carson swore again, this time particularly vulgar. "Get the blankets off her!"
He glanced at the nurse. "Charge the paddles to 200."
There was a brief whine as it charged up. Just enough time for Ronon and Rodney to throw the blankets to the floor. He pressed them to Teyla's chest. Teyla's whole body jumped. Immediately after her heart rate stabilized, and slowly her temperature began to rise. Her brain activity decreased to a normal level.
Carson heaved a sigh of relief. He hoped she'd regain consciousness soon.
XXX
Rodney tried to concentrate on his work. Of course, work entailed writing up a report on the previous mission. With the Colonel missing, presumed dead, until further notice, it was up to him to write the report. Ronon didn't write in English and he'd only briefly used a computer. Teyla was out of the question.
Try as he might, he just couldn't concentrate, he was too worried about Teyla. If Laura Cadman was there, she would have a field day teasing Rodney about it. Mercifully, she wasn't. So he could have the time alone, to just try and forget about losing his best friend.
He'd never really had too many friends before. So he cherished those he had, even though he might not outwardly admit it. He finished writing the part up until they'd reach the gate. Which was all he really had to write. Running the spell check, he realized just how pitiful it was. Not that it really mattered.
Rodney sent it to Elizabeth's email. They'd set up a city wide email system, mainly for memos, notes, etc. Sadly, the Ancients hadn't ever invented the Internet. He stood up, heading for the mess hall. Of course it was just his luck he ran into Cadman on the way.
"Hey Rodney." She said, jogging for a second to catch up with him. "Still down about Colonel Sheppard?"
"Wouldn't you be?" Rodney replied.
"I just thought you would've thought up some crazy scheme to rescue him already." Laura was teasing him, but the comment stung Rodney.
"Don't go there." He said quickly, grabbing a power bar from the set out food.
"You know, you're the only one I know who still eats those things all the time." Laura grabbed a lunch tray, with some kind of bird from the mainland, cooked up Athosian style. "Don't you get sick of them?"
"No. They have everything I need and are chemically tested to not affect my allergies." Rodney sat down at one of the tables overlooking the ocean.
"That's not what I asked." Laura said, sitting down across from him. "Don't you get sick of them? They don't taste like anything."
"What does taste have to do with it?" Rodney replied, taking a bite from his power bar.
"Everything duh!" Laura gave Rodney a look of incredibility. "Why would you eat something every day that has no taste when you can eat something like this delicious... bird of... some... sort."
Think about the cooked bird on Laura's plate brought up his sorrow over Teyla's condition, which lead directly to him being angry at John for staying behind. Rodney shook his head to clear it. Images kept flying across his vision. He crunched the power bar into a ball and threw it over the edge.
He glanced up at Laura. "Sure, why not? The worse that can happen is that I can have a hypoglycemic reaction."
"That's the spirit." Laura said. "Once you get something decent in your stomach then you can think up how to bypass the ships and the guards around that planet and rescue Colonel Sheppard."
For once, Rodney didn't disagree. Maybe it would help.
XXX
Teyla opened her eyes and was staring at a clear sky. The air was still cold, but nowhere near the freezing depths she'd previously encountered in this dreamscape. The wind had stopped, and the sun was visible on the horizon.
She glanced around and saw John sitting on the roof of the dome. He was relaxed, all the visible tension seemingly drained from his face. There was no sign of Orin. All she could sense were the feelings of peace, a quiet contentment, a feeling of victory.
"John." She said quietly.
"Teyla." His voice gently washed over her mind.
"Is it really you?" She asked tentatively.
"Yes, and I know that's really you." John's voice was soft, a warm breeze accompanying it to her, warming her cold skin.
"How?"
"I don't really understand it, but welcome to what had been my torture place, up until I managed to knock him out of my mind." John smiled.
"Who?" Teyla asked, her mind was racing to conclusions of what he had been through. John had taught her how to distance herself from physical torture... but he had never had any training to defend his mind.
"Some guy named Orin. He's some big wig for the Telvass Empire, apparently the people we pissed off."
"They were the soldiers who attacked us?" Teyla asked.
"The soldiers were members of the Telvass Empire, I'd guess some form of army."
"How have they been..." Her voice trailed off.
"Through my mind. I watch those I care for die over and over again." A single tear ran down John's cheek. "You made it right?"
"I am safe in Atlantis, as are Dr. McKay and Ronon."
John's eyes closed, and he smiled slightly. "Thank you Teyla."
"We will rescue you John. I promise. No matter what it takes." Teyla had her mind made up. She would accept no other outcome.
"Teyla... this guy... he can get in my mind. Can you help me keep him out?" John swallowed visibly. "I can't watch you die again."
Teyla scooted closer to him, sitting up in the process. "John... wherever we go from here, you will never be alone again." She offered her hand.
John seemed to consider it, then took her hand. The world vanished for Teyla, but she could still hear John in the back of her mind...
A/N: WHEW! Talk about an awe moment.