Thanks to everyone for the awesome reviews:D
John was tired. The kind of tired that was like a slow burn that sizzled through out every muscle in your body. A part of him wanted nothing more than to curl up somewhere and go to sleep. The thing was, after finding out about the Hive ships coming; he was now too wound up. His body was pumping adrenaline like there was no tomorrow. So even though he could feel the exhaustion, he wouldn't be able to act on it. Sleep would be elusive.
Equally elusive was coming up with a plan to defeat the Wraith. John had spent two hours with Rodney and Zelenka, trying to decide what to do first. A specific protocol was already in place. After the first attack on Atlantis is had been decided, as a group, to send all Ancient data uncovered back to Earth via the Daedalus. So they had been doing that for months now. That way, if they had no choice but to destroy Atlantis, at least some of the history and data could be saved. Zelenka had since created a virus that would wipe clean both the Ancient and the Earth databases so that nothing would be left for the Wraith to find. Also, it had been decided that instead of blowing up Atlantis as a whole, they would simply destroy the gate. Between that and the virus, the Wraith would have no way or means of finding Earth.
But that was getting ahead of himself and John knew it. He settled back in Elizabeth's chair, both grateful and resigned that she would be back in four hours. He hated the news he'd have to hit her with, but such was life in the Pegasus galaxy. One never-ending, hard core, roller coaster thrill ride. John definitely preferred Ferris wheels.
One thing he had gotten out of his meeting with Rodney and Zelenka was the hope that the Chair might be more useful to them this time. They had replenished their drone supply and John still believed it had more capabilities, as did Rodney. As soon as Elizabeth returned, John had promised Rodney he would be back in the chair so they could do more testing. One bit of good news was that the Daedalus was already on their way to Atlantis, but John decided he'd let Elizabeth be the one to contact them about the Hive ships.
With that thought in mind, he reached for the Aleve bottle again and had just swallowed two of them when Beckett came striding into the office. Basically catching him red-handed. "Hey, Doc," John drawled.
"Colonel." Carson studied him with a narrowed gaze, then averted his eyes to the Aleve bottle. "How many did you take?"
"A couple," John replied, easily.
Carson nodded. "How often have you been taking them?"
John shrugged. "I'm not really keeping track." The moment the words were out he knew it was the wrong thing to say. Beckett's expression tightened.
"Not a good sign, Son," Carson stated. "Are the headaches getting worse?"
"Not really," John countered, hoping to dodge an inquisition. He really did appreciate Beckett's concern for his welfare, but sometimes the man was worse than his mother had ever been. And there had been times, during John's childhood illnesses and injuries, when his mother had fawned over him so obsessively that it had pushed him to lie about his condition just to get her to leave him alone. There was mothering, then there was smothering, and sometimes it was a very fine line.
Carson grabbed the Aleve bottle and studied its contents. John watched the various expressions flitting across the doc's face. Surprise, then concern, then determination. John knew that was because there were only two pills left.
Before Beckett could say anything, John intervened in his own defense. "The bottle was almost empty when I started popping them. So bitch at Elizabeth when she gets back." Slumping back into her chair, John allowed himself the luxury of rubbing his forehead for a moment. "I've earned this headache," he muttered to himself.
"I heard about the Hive ships," Carson said, softly, growing a bit pale. Accepting what he had to know was a blatant attempt at distraction. "What are we going to do?"
"Everything we can," John replied, with as much certainty as he could muster. He knew that everyone would be looking to him to be strong, calm and positive. Some days it really sucked to be him. Not even a year had passed since the last Siege and he really was not feeling up to dealing with another one. John wished he had magic powers so he could poof the Wraith out of existence. Man he needed to stop reading the Harry Potter books. He blamed Lt. Cadman for that. On the last Daedalus run she'd brought him all six books, for his own collection, after he'd made a comment during some off time rec period. He'd been dressed in jeans, a t-shirt and a hoodie sweat jacket, and she'd blurted out how he looked like a grown up Harry potter, minus the glasses. When he'd blinked at her in confusion, she had explained to him about Harry Potter and Hogwarts, then she'd given him the novels with the promise to give him the movies to watch, after he'd read the entire series to date. So John was up to book three. Damn things were addicting in a way that War and Peace had never been.
Carson cleared his throat, obviously trying to get John's attention. When he had it he asked, "When is Doctor Weir due back?"
John glanced at his watch. "Less than four hours," he said, and at that precise moment he heard the sound of the gate activating. Rising from his chair, John bolted out of the office and was racing down the stairs. Before he could ask one of the techs shouted,
"It's Major Lorne's IDC."
"She's early," John commented, as Beckett joined him. He wasn't sure how he felt about that fact. Relieved on the one hand, yet his spidey senses were tingling. John tried to ignore it, his eyes focused on the liquid puddle before him. A moment later Lorne stepped through, followed by four marines. One of them was carrying Teyla. That set John in motion. He ran over to check on Teyla, Beckett allowing him to touch her face, to feel her warmth, before pushing him aside. John allowed it because he realized something. Elizabeth was missing. Cold fear twisted in his gut as he turned to Lorne. "Where is she?"
Lorne looked angry and upset and his voice was as tight as his expression as he replied, "She was taken, sir."
John blinked at that then snapped, "What do you mean, taken?"
"Long story short," Lorne countered, making it a question. When John nodded he continued. "Doctor Weir and Teyla joined Veesa, the head priestess, for negotiations. Very private negotiations. My men and myself were allowed to remain at the perimeter of the temple. The Pyrdians were nice enough. Curious about us even. They offered us food and water, and a decent place to sleep. That night Doctor Weir came out and told us everything was going well, then she returned to the temple where she and Teyla spent the night. This morning we all joined together for breakfast then Teyla and Doctor Weir, once again returned to the temple. After a while I realized we were alone, that there were no other Pyrdians bustling around. I went in to check and there was no one to stop me. Teyla was inside the temple, unconscious. I couldn't wake her up. One of my men stayed with her and the rest of us checked the temple. There was a back way out. The Pyrdians were gone and so was Doctor Weir."
"So you just came back here without her?" John challenged, and he was hard put not to shout at the man. Now was so not the time for Elizabeth to go missing.
Lorne shook his head. "No, I did not." He spoke in a clipped and precise tone that edged towards being just a bit disrespectful.
John heard it but let it go. "Then what did you do?" he prompted.
"We started searching for tracks to follow, but I'm not a tracker. I thought maybe if Teyla woke up she could help us." Lorne held up a hand before John could ask. "She woke up but was groggy and uncertain of what had happened. I then made the decision to return and regroup. I figure on heading back with Ronon."
"Good idea," John responded. He knew if anyone would be able to track Elizabeth, it would be Ronon. Rubbing a hand over his face, John took a moment to decide what orders to give. He watched as Carson and the marine cradling Teyla headed off to the infirmary. He hoped she would be okay and that she would wake up soon and be able to tell them what happened. Swallowing a sigh, John turned back to Lorne. "I've got some bad news, Major," he stated.
Lorne looked disgruntled to hear that, but smoothed his face into a neutral expression before prompting, "What bad news?"
John almost didn't want to tell. A part of him wanted to believe that if he didn't say it out loud, then it wouldn't happen. But he knew better so he replied, reluctantly, "There are Hive ships on their way to Atlantis."
"What?" Lorne couldn't hide his surprise. "How many ships and how soon will they get here?"
"Three ships, two weeks," John answered. Before Lorne could say anything, he waved a hand and continued. "I want you to clean up, take a few hours to rest and check in with Beckett. I'll contact Ronon and fill him in. Get with him later and decide who to take with you."
Lorne looked like he wanted to say something, maybe protest having to wait a few hours, but he studied John a moment then nodded. "Yes, Sir." With that he turned and walked off, his men trailing behind him. John watched them go then headed off himself. To find Ronon.
OoO
After finding the runner and filling him in, John headed for the infirmary. He was relieved to find Teyla awake and sitting up. She smiled as he approached, but it was a grim smile. "How are you feeling?" he asked, as he reached her.
"I am well," Teyla said, firmly, and her eyes darted to Beckett as if daring him to disagree.
"Can you tell me what happened?" John prompted, when the good doc remained silent.
Teyla grimaced, looking upset, but then she shook herself a bit and locked eyes with John. "We drank with the high Priestess, Veesa, in honor of our new bond. The next thing I know I feel sick and dizzy and everything went black. I had no idea they would betray us like this. They seemed to be sincere during the negotiations and eager to be friends with us."
That wasn't what John wanted to hear. "So you have no idea why they took Elizabeth, or where?"
"No, I do not." Anger twisted Teyla's face. "I know that you will send a team to find her and I wish to go along."
"I don't think that's a good idea," Carson interrupted. "Whatever drug they gave you, it knocked you for a loop, Luv. You need time to recover."
Teyla turned a burning glare on Beckett as she slid off the gurney. "I am fine and I am going. I need to go." As she spoke she turned to John.
He knew she was asking for his permission. "Are you sure you feel up to it?" John countered, because he really did want her to go. Teyla was a good tracker in her own right and having spent time with Pyrdians, she would have a better idea than anyone how to track them.
"I will be fine," Teyla insisted.
"Okay...get cleaned up and ready, I'll let Lorne know you're going." John glanced at Beckett, seeing that the doc was getting ready to protest. John shook his head. "Look...we're under the gun," he stated. "With the Wraith coming we need Elizabeth back ASAP." John didn't let himself think that she might already be dead. He figured the Pyrdians would have killed her on the spot, Teyla too, if that was their intention.
Teyla touched John's arm. "Dr. Beckett told me about the Wraith. Do you have a plan?"
John made a face. "Nothing definite, but McKay and Zelenka are bouncing around ideas. Plus I contacted Caldwell before coming here and he said they'll be here in three days, maybe less."
"You will figure something out," Teyla said, with certainty. Then she smiled before turning on her heel and exiting the room.
"How are you feeling, Colonel?" Carson asked suddenly.
Startled, John dropped his hand. The one who's fingers had been rubbing his temple and tried not to look guilty. "I'm good, all things considered, "he drawled. "You?"
Carson was not amused and it showed. "When was the last time you ate?" he queried.
"You know what, I was just on my way to grab a bite," John lied, even as he turned and tried to make good his escape. But Beckett caught up to him, moving to block his way.
"With everything that's happening right now, Colonel, you need to take care of yourself." There was a soft warning underlying his words. "Atlantis needs you."
John didn't want to hear that. He wanted Elizabeth back, large and in charge. Forcing a smile, John said, "I'm good. Really. I'll go eat and then I won't do anything more strenuous than harass Rodney."
Carson's eyes widened in disbelief and his mouth opened for a sharp retort, but just then a nurse came over and informed Beckett that his flu patient, a botanist, was vomiting and that her temperature had spiked.
Which was more information than John wanted, so he slipped out while Beckett was distracted. He actually headed in the direction of the mess hall, only to decide he wasn't really all that hungry. He'd scrounge something later. Instead John headed for the Chair room. As he expected, Rodney and Zelenka were still there.
Zelenka noticed him first and asked if Elizabeth had returned yet. John grimaced then filled them in about what had happened.
Rodney looked stunned. "So she's really gone?"
"She's missing!" John snapped back. He wasn't going to think negatively, nor was he going to allow anyone else to do so. Even if it was Rodney's default setting.
"You are sending someone to find her?" Zelenka interjected, quietly. But he looked worried, and more lines furrowed his forehead than before.
John nodded to him. "Lorne is heading out soon with a team. Ronon is going."
Rodney made a sound like hot air hissing out of a balloon. John and Zelenka both glared at him and when he realized it he huffed a sigh and said, "That's good that Ronon is going. If anyone can find Elizabeth, it's him."
"Yes, yes...Ronon will find her," Zelenka chimed in.
"Yeah...he will," John replied, and he sounded a bit wistful to his own ears. He wanted to be the one to go and search for Elizabeth and, if it weren't for the fact that the Wraith were bearing down upon Atlantis - okay, and the fact that Beckett had not, and would not, clear him for duty yet - John would have been going with Ronon and Teyla, leaving Lorne behind to deal with things here. But he couldn't go and he wouldn't let himself dwell on that, so instead he crossed over to the chair and nodded at it. "Ready for more test runs?"
Rodney grinned, suddenly looking excited. "Actually...we are. I'm positive now that it's meant to do more than just shoot drones."
Zelenka's own face lightened up as he added, "Yes...we have discovered what we believe to be a huge energy generator within the chair system. We just have not been able to connect to it. Or rather, Rodney has not been able to do so. We were hoping you would have better luck, Colonel."
"It can't hurt to try," John allowed, as he stepped onto the platform then settled himself down. The chair came to life instantly and he felt the warm hum tingling through him. Each time he sat in the chair the connection came faster and stronger. Closing his eyes, he searched out the energy that Rodney spoke of and it wasn't long before he felt it, like the crackling prickle of electricity. Drawing into it, John shuddered a bit as he felt it creep over him like a thousand bees crawling over his body.
"Colonel?" It was Rodney, somewhere on his right.
John slit open his eyes. "I think I found it."
Rodney looked thrilled. "Can you download any information to us?"
"I'll check." Which for John meant trying to transfer what he was connected to into data feed. It was a trick he hadn't yet told McKay about. Mainly because there was no way in hell he could explain his ability to do it. It wasn't something he consciously did. It was more something he felt. As if the chair understood what he was looking for and guided him to it, then somehow managed to transform what he was thinking into a reality. Even the thought of trying to explain that creeped John out a bit.
"Colonel, are you alright?"
John started again, this time glancing to his left to see Zelenka eyeing him with concern. "I'm...I'm fine," he said, and the fact that his voice sounded hoarse surprised him a little.
Rodney was pacing on the other side, one eye on the data pad in his hands, the other on John. "Maybe you should take a break," he blurted out. "I've got enough to work with."
"You do?" John hadn't realized he'd accomplished the download already. But he was more than willing to stop for now. His head was pounding, the thudding pain radiating throughout every muscle in his body. Or so it felt. He suddenly wanted to take a long, hot shower then grab a short nap. All of which he hoped to accomplish without Beckett finding out. Rising out of the chair, John glanced at his watch. He'd told Ronon the team would be heading back through the gate in two hours. Which meant just over an hour now. The nap would have to wait. "Let me know what you find out," John said to Rodney.
"Yes yes..." Rodney waved a hand in his direction. He was focused on his laptop now, with Zelenka crowding around him.
For John it was a moment of deja vu and he reined in the urge to shake his head, knowing it would hurt, and settled for stalking out. He made a pit stop at the mess hall and choked down half a sandwich. If Beckett cornered him about eating again, John didn't want to have to lie. After eating he did decide on a quick shower, hoping the hot water would ease the ache that had settled throughout his body.
It did help, but not quite enough. After getting dressed John headed back to Elizabeth's office and downed the last two Aleve. There was still some time to kill before Lorne took his team back through the gate, so John tried to distract himself by reading reports. It didn't work. He left the office and wandered around the control room. For the most part he kept out of the way, but John knew he was getting on people's nerves by hovering over their shoulders. He was just about to head back into Elizabeth's office when he saw Ronon and Teyla appear in the gate room.
Relief washed over John. It was time. He ran down the stairs ignoring the throb in his temples, and moved to meet Ronon and Teyla. Even as he reached them, Lorne and Cadman appeared. John had approved her addition to the team. If they had to negotiate with the Pyrdian's, having an extra woman around wouldn't hurt. Although John doubted there would be much talking going on this time. Not with Ronon on the team.
"Ready to go?" he asked, as he watched Lorne checking his gear. Envy reared its ugly head and John had to fight the urge to yank the major's P90 from his grasp and head for the gate himself.
"Ready," Lorne confirmed. "We'll bring Doctor Weir back, sir."
John nodded. He knew they wouldn't return without her. "Be safe," he said, echoing the words Elizabeth always sent his way before he lead his team off on a mission. It sucked being on the other side this time.
Lorne nodded.
"Dial the gate!" John ordered. When it whooshed into being he gave the major a thumb's up.
"Later, sir," Lorne said, then he stepped through the gate.
Ronon nodded at John as he passed by. Cadman did the same. Teyla smiled grimly then followed suit, stepping into the Event Horizon.
John watched them go, watched as the gate shut down. He remained where he was for a long moment, then he turned and walked away.
He couldn't shake the feeling something bad was going to happen.