Once again, I adore you all for the amazing FB. And :Hugs: to Kodiak for the beta.

After dismissing Lorne and Cadman, John beat a hasty retreat to Elizabeth's office. He sat down at her desk and laid her necklace down on the surface. He stared at it for a moment, trying to gather his thoughts.

Lorne had asked if he wanted it taken to Beckett for blood analysis, but John had declined the offer. It didn't matter if it was Elizabeth's blood or not. She was missing and they needed to find her. Besides which, for as long as it wasn't verified John could let himself believe that it wasn't Elizabeth's blood. Fooling himself, maybe, but he was going to go with it for now.

Before holing up in here, John had sent Rodney back to the Chair room, then he had sworn everyone to secrecy. Atlantis base knew that Elizabeth was missing, but they didn't need to know about the necklace. It wouldn't change the simple facts and sometimes knowing too much made things worse and John didn't need any more panic spreading. Everyone was already on edge because of the approaching Hive ships.

There was a throbbing ache in his temples that John was finding hard to ignore. Instinctively he reached for the bottle of Aleve, only to remember it was empty. If he wanted more he'd have to ask Beckett for it and John wasn't sure he wanted to deal with the good doc just now. The man hadn't been happy when John had ditched the infirmary earlier.

Staring at the necklace, John realized he couldn't just sit here. He needed to be doing something. Maybe an easy run would help. Physical activity was always good for stress relief and it always helped John clear his head and become more focused. He'd just have to be careful that no one saw him and reported back to Beckett. The man had spies everywhere, or so it seemed to John at times.

Deciding that a run was just the thing, he got up and reached for the necklace when the gate tech stuck his head in. "Colonel Caldwell has just made contact, Sir."

"Put him through," John said, as he pocketed the necklace. A moment later he heard the tech give him the go ahead and John tapped his earpiece. "Colonel Caldwell?"

"Colonel Sheppard," came the reply. "I just wanted to let you know we'll be there in the morning."

John was surprised by that, yet pleased. "You're making good time."

Caldwell chuckled. "Hermiod's not happy but, yes. We are making good time. Any update on Doctor Weir?"

"We haven't found her yet," John replied, reluctantly. "But I have Ronon tracking her."

"I understand he's good at that," Caldwell countered.

John looked up, even though the Daedalus wasn't in the vicinity, as he replied, "Yes, he is." He paused then added, "I look forward to your arrival, Sir." And he meant that. Because the moment Caldwell stepped foot on Atlantis, John intended to step foot through the gate so he could join in the search for Elizabeth. Unless, of course, Ronon found her before then. Which was what John was praying for.

There was a moment of silence then Caldwell said, "Be there soon," before tapping off.

Needing to be doing something, John headed for the Chair room. He found McKay and Zelenka arguing and John walked right over and broke it up. "What's going on?" he demanded. They didn't have time for arguments. They needed to focus on saving Atlantis. Again.

Zelenka broke off, turning to face John. "We are having disagreement," he stated.

"About what?" John prompted.

"About nothing you would understand!" Rodney interjected, glaring first at Zelenka, then at John. "Are you here to work?" he asked, his tone biting.

John considered pushing the point to find out what was going on, but figured he could let it go for now and ask Zelenka about it later. Or not. It could just be a simple difference of opinion and he trusted that one of them would tell him about it if it was important to the task at hand. So he nodded at Rodney and stepped towards the chair. "Any progress to report?"

Rodney looked peeved but shook his head. "Nothing definite." He jerked his thumb at the chair. "Get in."

"Okaaay," John drawled, doing what he was told without snapping back at Rodney. He could see that the man was on edge and he understood why. It was the same for all of them. The Wraith were coming and Elizabeth was missing. Rodney had earned his bad mood.

Settling into the chair, it lit up immediately and John felt himself reclining even as he felt the connection take hold. It was seamless, in a way that made him feel like something was disconnected about him when he wasn't in the chair. He felt himself become woven into what he perceived to be the cortex of Atlantis. It was like a rush, becoming one with her.

"Colonel!"

John realized Rodney was talking to him. He had closed his eyes but now he opened them. "What?"

Rodney looked concerned for a moment, but shook it off to reply. "Can you run a few tests for us?"

That was something new. John hadn't expected them to be at that point yet, but he was willing. "What do you need me to do?"

"See this?" Rodney was holding his laptop in front of John and pointing to what looked like a schematic.

John recognized it to be just that. A diagram of one of the weapons systems connected to the chair. "I see it." John was already tapping into it and he realized what it was. Shielding. It was crisscrossed throughout and over Atlantis much like a spider web effect.

Rodney tapped a red are on the screen. "Can you figure out what this is?"

"It's the directional source, so to speak," John replied without hesitation. He caught Rodney's look of surprise but chose to ignore it. "I can make it work."

"That's what we were hoping for," Zelenka interjected. "The way we've been reading the data, it would appear we can pick and choose what areas of Atlantis to shield, and we can adjust the power percentage as well."

John nodded. "Yeah, I think we can do that." He smiled at Zelenka then closed his eyes, letting himself be drawn into the core of Atlantis. She was like a warm vibration drawing him deep inside herself. John found what he was looking for then asked, "Where?"

Rodney made a choked sound then his fingers were tapping on his keyboard. "Can you shield this section of Atlantis?"

"Sure." John concentrated a moment then opened his eyes. "Done."

"Hold on." Rodney was tapping on his keyboard again and a moment later he looked up and grinned. "It works."

John laughed, feeling a bit lighthearted for the first time. Being able to protect themselves in this way wasn't what he was hoping for. He would prefer the weapon power to annihilate the Wraith for good. But this would do in a pinch. "I think I can fine tune it," he stated, because even as he was listening to Rodney, John was feeling out for more. They needed so much more.

Zelenka was the one who responded to him. "Fine tune it how?"

"I can shield just this room..." He paused, his mind flickering out towards something, then he smiled in satisfaction and announced, "From the inside."

"What?" Rodney looked orgasmic for a moment, then stunned. "Then he shook his head. "No no no...that's not possible."

John was surprised to hear that. "Weren't you the one who told me that Atlantis would be able to do anything, once we figured out how to make her work?"

Rodney grimaced, but focused on one word in particular. "Her?" he shot back. "Is everything female to you in context?"

"Can you harass me about it later?" John shot back. He suddenly wasn't in the mood for Rodney's attitude. His ever-nagging headache was coming back full force, pain throbbing in his temples in time with his heartbeat. He had a feeling he wouldn't be able to focus on what they needed for much longer.

"Fine, whatever," Rodney said, waving a hand at him. "Do your little trick then. Shield the room."

John did better than that. He felt himself melding with Atlantis and then a warm tingling throughout his body, easing the pain in his head for the moment, and he knew it was done. Glancing over at Zelenka and Rodney, he smiled. "Radek, throw a punch at McKay," he ordered.

To Zelenka's credit, he didn't hesitate. He threw a right hook only to jump back and cry out when his hand couldn't connect because of a green force field effect. It was accompanied with a zapping sound and, for a moment, a green shimmery energy formed around both scientists.

"What was that?" Rodney shouted, patting himself and looking scared.

"That's your personal force field, Rodney," John replied. "It should be around me and the chair too." At least that had been his intention. A moment later Zelenka reached out and was stopped by the green shimmer again.

Amazement lit up Zelenka's eyes. "Unbelievable," he breathed.

John had to admit it was that, but he wasn't going to be able to keep it up. So he closed his eyes, reconnected with Atlantis and felt the energy dissolve. He sensed a presence and opened his eyes to see Rodney hovering beside him looking simultaneously impressed and outraged. "Pretty cool, isn't it?" John stated.

"How did you do that?" Rodney was wide-eyed and glaring. He waved at his laptop screen. "You shouldn't be able to do that. We don't have that information."

"But the chair does," John replied. Although it would be more honest to say that Atlantis had the information. He didn't say that though, he was too busy cursing as he felt warm wetness trickle out of his nose. John dabbed with the back of one hand and sure enough, another nose bleed.

Zelenka held out a white handkerchief. "Use this."

John took it and held it to his nose, stepping out of the chair as he did so. "Thanks. I didn't think anyone carried these any more." He tried to make his tone teasing, but he wasn't feeling all that amused really. Not with the pain in his head returning on top of the nose bleed. This wasn't turning out to be one of his better days.

"Habit," Radek replied. "From my Grandmother."

"I'm calling Beckett," Rodney announced, reaching up to tap his earpiece.

John lunged toward him, but stumbled and he was grateful when Zelenka caught his arm and kept him from falling.

Pulling him over to the wall, Radek urged John to sit. "Are you pinching your nose?" he asked.

"Yes," John grumbled, but he was doing it. He saw the concern in Zelenka's eyes and wanted to diffuse it. "Hey...tell me the truth. The way you and Rodney were going at it earlier, is there something I should know? Problems?"

"Nothing to concern you, Colonel," Radek promised. "Rodney and I are both emotional people. When we get scared we get louder. We are very scared now for several reasons and given that we don't always see eye to eye on things, we are yelling more. It was over something very stupid and very personal."

John could see that Zelenka was embarrassed so he let it go. It wasn't his business anyway.

Rodney appeared suddenly, glaring down at John. "Beckett is on his way and he's very pissed at you."

"You shouldn't have called him," John shot back, but there was no real anger in his tone. His head hurt too much and he was too damn worn out to yell. So he tried to look at the bright side of things. At least now he could ask Beckett for more Aleve.

"You're bleeding," Rodney pointed out, as if John could have somehow missed that. "And you look pale and, frankly, like crap," Rodney continued.

John realized he felt like crap too. So he didn't reply, he just closed his eyes and waited for Beckett to appear. Which took less time that he thought it would. The man must have come running. He was panting a bit as he knelt down next to John.

Eyes narrowed as they studied him, Carson asked, "How are you feeling, Colonel?"

"Like I have a nose bleed," John shot back. He just couldn't stop himself. He let Beckett pull the handkerchief from his face and was relieved to be told the bleeding had pretty much stopped. Too bad he couldn't make his headache do the same.

"What were you doing when it started?" Carson queried.

John waved at the chair. "Sitting down."

Carson made a face at him. "Could you be a bit more specific?"

"He was interfacing with the chair and he was able to create personal shields for the three of us," Rodney interjected, having moved to crouch down next to Beckett. He looked worried when he asked, "Do you think it fried his brain?"

"Hey!" John protested, not liking the sound of that one bit. Not that he believed it, but it wasn't pleasant to hear.

Carson rolled his eyes at Rodney, then he looked at John and patted his shoulder, his voice calm and soothing as he replied, "No, I don't think it fried his brain, Rodney. A nosebleed can occur for a myriad of reasons. So tell me, Colonel, were you prone to nosebleeds as a child?"

John started to shake his head then thought better of it. It hurt enough already. "No. The only time my nose bled as a kid was when I got in a fight. I was ten at the time." John found himself grinning at the memory. "I gave him two black eyes in return."

"How old was he?" Rodney asked, his curiosity apparent.

"Thirteen. He was picking on my best friend at the time." John didn't add in the part that his best friend had been a girl. Chloe. He wasn't in the mood for more of McKay's Kirking commentary. Wadding up the handkerchief in his hand, John asked Beckett, "So what's the verdict, Doc? Can I go now?"

Carson was studying him intently, too intently for John's peace of mind. Then he shook his head. "I want you in the infirmary so I can do a full exam." As he spoke he rose to his feet then he hooked a hand under John's arm to pull him up. Doing so with surprising ease. "And when was the last time you ate, Colonel?"

John winced and decided to fake it. "I had a power bar before coming here." He was pretty sure Beckett bought it.

"Let's go then." Carson was guiding him out the door.

"We need to talk about what happened with the shields, Colonel!" Rodney called after him.

John dug in his heels so he could turn back to McKay. "Contact me later."

Carson got in the last word with, "Way later!" Called over his shoulder, as he hauled John out of the room.

OoO

It was midnight when John gave up trying to sleep. He had spent four hours in the infirmary with Beckett running more tests and forcing him to eat under his watchful eye. The only good part being that the doc had doled out Aleve for his headache and it had faded enough for John to actually doze for a while.

He'd come awake to Rodney's loud voice and managed to convince Beckett to let him go off with Rodney to eat. Beckett had allowed it, only after John promised to go straight back to his room after eating and warning him that he would check up on him and if Sheppard wasn't doing as he promised, he'd be spending the night in the infirmary. So John had taken his time eating, while Rodney had asked a million questions about the shielding and the chair. Most of which John didn't know how to answer. Then Rodney had escorted him back to his room, informing John that he felt it was in his own best interest to do so given how Beckett had threatened him with sharp pointy things at his next physical if Rodney didn't.

After being walked back to his room, John had decided on a long shower. He had then tried reading but he'd felt tired enough to try falling asleep without taking the pills. It had been almost two hours since then and he couldn't get his mind to shut down enough to let him sleep. So John crawled out of bed, grabbed the pill bottle and headed for the bathroom. Once there he shook two pills into his hand and swallowed them down with a glass of water.

Gazing at his reflection in the mirror, John was surprised to see how pale he looked. He looked away from the dark circles under his eyes and headed back to bed. He didn't have time to be tired or worn out. There was too much to do. Including the rip roaring fight he knew he was going to have on his hands in the morning when he told Beckett he was going through the gate to look for Elizabeth. Because the moment Caldwell stepped foot on Atlantis in the morning, and they exchanged niceties, John was heading out to join Teyla and Ronon. With Lorne back on base, John trusted him to keep an eye on Caldwell and Atlantis. Then he could focus on finding Elizabeth.

With that thought in mind, John settled back under the covers and closed his eyes. He didn't even feel himself drifting into darkness.

OoO

Teyla found herself watching Ronon. He was supposed to be sleeping but he was too restless and she knew it. He had dozed for a bit but now he was lying almost too still. She could feel his tension. "Do you think they will hurt her?" Teyla asked. The silence felt too heavy around her now. Heavy and still in the darkness that surrounded them. They had found shelter in the crevice of a rock fall and the nights were warm enough, but it was eerie without light. Neither of them felt it was worth the risk to start a fire.

"The others you mean?" Ronon asked.

"The Pyrdians," Teyla replied. She was hoping they would reach Doctor Weir before she could be traded off to the Others the old man spoke of.

Ronon shifted so that he was sitting up. There was just enough shadow for them to see each other's outline. "She won't give them any reason to hurt her."

Teyla believed that to be true, but she heaved a sigh as she spoke with a heavy heart. "I should have sensed something was wrong. Colonel Sheppard sent me to protect her and I failed."

"They didn't want you to know anything was wrong," Ronon replied. "Blaming yourself is a waste of time."

"Perhaps," Teyla allowed. "But it is how I feel."

Ronon shifted again, rising to his feet and moving to the opening. There were no stars in the night sky. Just miles of empty darkness. "Focus that blame into anger, that'll get you farther," he stated. "It should be light enough soon for us to move out."

Teyla stood up and felt for her gear, shrugging her vest on. "I am ready," she said firmly. And she would be ready to do whatever needed to be done to find Doctor Weir and bring her back home. But Teyla could not help but wonder with the threat of the Wraith coming to Atlantis, if perhaps they were all safer here.

It was a thought that would haunt their journey.