Chapter Eleven
"Over here Major!"
Sheppard could hear the voices above him. It sounded like Lorne, and maybe one of his team. He was exhausted from trying to scramble up the muddy shaft that led to the metal hatch. Finally, thankfully, he saw the round hatch lift up, and a nervous corporal peered down from among the tall grass topside. He heard what sounded like Lorne again.
"Corporal?"
"Yes, Major?"
"Never stick your head down a hole without telling me first, OK?"
"Yes sir."
Sheppard saw Lorne appear and shine the light of his P90 down into the tunnel.
"Shut that damn light off!" Sheppard muttered.
"Colonel Sheppard?" Lorne sounded as if he couldn't believe it.
"Yes, it's me. Will you quit blinding me and help me out of here?"
"Where are the others?" Lorne shone the light around the cave below, but it revealed nothing.
"Didn't I just tell you to switch the damn light off?"
Lorne swiftly turned off the light and climbed into the cave. "Where are McKay and the others?"
Sheppard was sitting on the mud floor, blinking up at Lorne. "If I knew I wouldn't be sat here...but to be honest I've been having these really weird dreams..."
"About Elizabeth?"
"That's Doctor Weir to you...wait a minute..." Sheppard knew instantly that the voice was not Major Lorne's, it was deeper and didn't have quite the same kind of accent. "Who are you? You're not Major Lorne…!" Sheppard leapt to his feet. "What have you done with Lorne?" he barked.
"Waddya mean what have I done with Lorne? I am Lorne. Look you gotta get out of here. Eliz...ah...Dr Weir needs you," said 'Lorne'.
Sheppard reached for the imposter's throat but he dodged out of the way. "If you really were my second-in-command you wouldn't be using Dr Weir's first name," snarled Sheppard. 'Lorne' smiled and the mask started to slip, revealing Frung.
"What is it about that female that produces such strong emotion in you all? I could run my ship and half our capital city on the power of your combined feelings alone. How many more of you are there that have strong feelings for her?" said Frung.
The underground chamber started to fill with water and Sheppard started to sink in the mud. He tried to clutch at roots sticking out of the wall as panic set in. "You leave her out of this," he growled.
"Yes, yes this is much better, your love for her is powerful but not as powerful as the love the one called Zelenka has for her. His love is returned by her; that is powerful too. So powerful it has completely changed the serum I used to connect you to the power transfer gel. He can communicate with her, I can feel the passion between them." goaded Frung.
Sheppard started to struggle, growing more and angry, not at being trapped but at the fact Frung was taunting him about Elizabeth and Radek.
"Good, good, jealousy is such a strong emotion. Would you like me to tell you about their thoughts, their memories of each other...?"
"John...John, don't give into him, John please...let me explain," said Elizabeth's voice in his head...
He tried to clutch at the roots and release himself from the mud, even though he knew it was all an illusion. Elizabeth's voice was shouting at him now.
"Listen! It's me, John. You have to snap out of this!"
"Elizabeth?" the mud sucked at him. "I don't want to know! I thought we... damn!" Sheppard punched the mud with his fist, and felt the splatter all over his face.
"Don't, John! Don't feel like this! He's using you."
"Don't feel...? How can you say that! Radek? Damn, Elizabeth, what's the deal, there? If this is some kind of twisted nightmare…?"
He struggled and struggled, the mud now lapping around his chest. "Elizabeth! Where have you gone? Talk to me!" He cursed under his breath, and then relaxed for a moment, too tired to try any more.
"John?" Elizabeth's voice was almost a whisper. "I'm so sorry. I never knew you felt so strongly. I..."
"Don't say it!" he shouted, as the mud receded a little, along with his anger, "I know it would never have worked! Just don't say it..." he let out a sob as the mud drained a little, letting him sink to his hands and knees, drawing in deep breaths...
"John, hate me if you must but not now," she said. She was standing on a ledge in the cave, holding out her hand, but he was just out of reach. "Radek and I just...happened, he was there when I needed someone, he's the man I've been looking for all this time. John, you will always be my friend and I never want to lose that, but you were never going to be my lover, I'm sorry."
Sheppard started to sink in the mud again.
"John please, take my hand. Rodney and Radek are here with me, John we have to connect, take my hand."
"I can't, I don't want to, I would rather die," he said.