My thanks to everyone. The FB rocks. :hugs to Kodiak:. And she who posts these for me since ff hates me. You rock!
Elizabeth looked relieved but anxious as she locked eyes with John. "We need to discuss what's happened," she stated.
He nodded, knowing she was right, but also knowing first things first. "You need to check in with Beckett."
Before she could respond, Rodney interjected with, "You need a shower too." Then he looked embarrassed, making faces and staring at the floor as he made an attempt to remove his foot from his mouth in true Rodney fashion. "You know what I mean!" he snapped. "I'm glad you're back and all but...well..."
"I smell," Elizabeth said, forthrightly. She looked amused.
"Right." Rodney huffed a sigh. "I have work to do." He gave Elizabeth a look that showed how glad he was to have her back, then he turned on his heel an stalked off, snapping at Zelenka to follow.
Radek did so, after smiling at Elizabeth and whispering something to her in Czech.
John had watched the exchanges with a sense of satisfaction. This felt right. Everyone was where they belonged. Now he could focus on the fight to come. He focused on Elizabeth. "Go see Beckett and I'll get the briefing set up for when you're done. He watched her hesitate, then nod in agreement. John turned to Major Lorne, who had magically appeared beside him. "Escort Doctor Weir to the infirmary," he ordered.
"Yes, Sir," Lorne replied, looking happy to do so.
"Colonel, I don't need an escort," Elizabeth countered, chidingly.
John just arched an eyebrow at her, then smiled. "Better safe than sorry," he said firmly. She had to realize she looked dead on her feet. Not only that but they had just gotten her back and they didn't know what had happened, so on the other hand it was also a security issue.
Elizabeth nodded understanding, but she put up a hand to forestall Major Lorne when he attempted to lead her off. She turned to her left and offered a cold smile to Caldwell. "Sorry that I wasn't here to meet you, Colonel," she stated.
"Understandable, given the circumstances," Caldwell replied. "I'm just glad you're back."
"Me too," Elizabeth said, with relief evident in her tone. She offered a more genuine smile this time then turned back to Lorne. "Let's go, Major."
John watched them walk off, feeling the knots in his stomach slowly unravel. Once they were out of sight he snapped back into focus. Ronon and Teyla were standing off near the steps. They looked tired and dirty, yet somehow satisfied. John knew how they felt. He smiled at them as he approached. "You did good," he told them. "Thanks for bringing her home."
Ronon simply shrugged at him.
Teyla locked eyes with John, letting him know she understood. "You are welcome," she said warmly.
"You okay?" John included both of them in the question.
"We are fine," Teyla replied.
He was glad to hear that. "I want you to get checked out anyway, then get cleaned up. I'll let you know when the briefing is."
Ronon nodded and stated, "I'm hungry," then he headed down the stairs.
"Colonel," Teyla said, formally. But her eyes betrayed her emotions. She was happy to be home.
"Teyla," John replied, offering a smile and receiving one in return. Then she was heading down the stairs to catch up with Ronon.
Caldwell moved to John's side the moment Teyla stepped away. "Do you want me to set up the briefing?" he queried, looking tense.
John could feel tension revisiting his own body. Elizabeth was safe at home, but now they had to deal with the Wraith. "That would be great," John said, and he was rather surprised by the offer. Now that Elizabeth was back, John wasn't in command of Atlantis any more so Caldwell was back to, technically, outranking him. John didn't question it though. "Thanks," he said.
"I'm sure you want to check on Doctor Weir," Caldwell offered, maybe as an explanation.
"I would," John allowed, not looking a gift horse in the mouth. Since there was nothing more to say, he turned and headed down the steps. He reached the infirmary in record time, only to be met by a nurse and told he would have to wait for Beckett to finish his tests. When he asked what tests the nurse informed him they were running scans on Elizabeth. Which he was glad to hear. They had come across too many unexpected things not to err on the side of caution. Not to mention the fact that even though John knew he could be a bit too trusting of the human nature at times, for the most part he was a suspicious man by nature. Elizabeth had seemed fine, but stranger things had happened to them all. John wanted to know for a fact that she was okay.
While he waited he munched on a power bar then took a radio call from Caldwell, informing him that the briefing was arranged and everyone would be there in one hour. John had just signed off and was about to go in search of a bottle of water, when the nurse called him in. John followed her to an exam table in the back, surrounded by a privacy curtain. It had been pushed open and he could see Elizabeth sitting upright, legs dangling over the side, dressed in white scrubs. John was happy to see both her and Beckett smiling.
"So how's she doing, Doc?" John asked when he reached them.
"She's mostly fine," Carson replied. "Nothing that a bit of rest and some fluids won't cure."
John nodded. "Good to hear. What about the scans you took?" He saw Elizabeth's start of surprise and grinned. She should know by now that he always managed to find out everything that was going on in Atlantis. The walls had eyes and ears, if you knew where to look for them. And John knew.
Carson's smile faded. "I was just about to go off and have a look at them. I'll let you know when I'm done, Colonel." And with that he patted Elizabeth's arm, reminded her to do as she'd been told, then he walked off muttering to himself.
"So, are you really all right?" John asked, the moment they were alone. As he asked he let his eyes rove over Elizabeth. She was still dirt-streaked and her eyes were dark with exhaustion. John knew how she felt. He tended to find himself in that condition far too often.
"I've been better," Elizabeth allowed. "And I was scared to death for a time. But I'm fine, John. Speaking of which, how are you doing?"
He saw the way she was looking at him, searching for the truth. So he gave it to her. "I'm fine."
She nodded. "You look better."
"I am. Especially now that you're back." And he meant it.
"It's good to be back," Elizabeth's tone was heartfelt.
He believed her and they fell into a comfortable silence. But after a moment he scuffled his feet, then he blurted out, "I wish I'd been able to go after you."
Elizabeth didn't look surprised by his confession. "I know you would have, if you could. But Atlantis needed you here."
"Caldwell could have taken over, he sure as hell wanted too!" John shot back, and he felt a stirring of anger as he was reminded of the fact why he'd been stuck here. "You're not going to believe this, but General O'Neill gave Caldwell orders that I was to remain in charge of Atlantis in your absence.
"I know." It was said so quietly it was almost a whisper, but Elizabeth was looking him in the eye.
John blinked at her. "Excuse me? How could you know?" But even as he asked, it hit him.
Still Elizabeth explained. "I talked to General O'Neill about the protocol for command should I be injured, unfit for duty in any way, or missing or presumed dead. We both agreed that you're the right choice to take my place under those circumstances."
"You're wrong!" The words were out before he could stop them.
"Apparently not," Elizabeth chided gently. "You did good, John."
He didn't have a witty come back for that one, but he did feel a stirring of pride that she believed in him. Around here that's all any of them really had. Faith and hope in each other. And they were going to need a lot of it in the next few days. Suddenly desperate for a change of subject, he asked," So what really happened out there?"
Elizabeth sighed, rubbing at her temples in a familiar gesture. "I'd rather only have to explain it once, during the meeting. It's anti-climatic actually."
"Speaking of the meeting," John segued. "You have about an hour. Why don't you clean up and get something to eat first?"
"I definitely want a shower," Elizabeth conceded. "Maybe even a power nap." As she spoke she slid off the table.
Before she could walk away, John remembered something. "Wait." He touched her arm and she turned back to him. "You'll want this back," he said, as he fished in his pocket and brought out her necklace. He had taken to keeping it with him since Lorne had found it. A way of reminding himself that she wasn't lost to them, just temporarily misplaced. It had done its job as a good luck piece and she would need it now herself.
Elizabeth's eyes teared up and her hand shook a bit as she reached for it. "Thank you," she whispered, clutching it in her fist. "Once I get cleaned up...I owe you a hug."
John felt himself flush, remembering his shocked reaction to their last hug. By the amused look on Elizabeth's face, she was remembering as well. Thankfully she said nothing, instead turning and walking away. She looked small and fragile, and as John watched her go he felt as if the weight of the world had suddenly dropped onto his shoulders.
They were running out of time.
OoO
After leaving the infirmary, John went in search of Ronon and Teyla. He contacted Teyla by radio and she informed him that both she and Ronon were in the mess hall. So John headed there and somehow wasn't the least bit surprised to find Ronon chowing down. He had enough food on his tray for three people. John was pleased to note that Teyla's tray was already empty. She needed to keep her strength up. They all did. Which was why he had grabbed a sandwich for himself. From this moment on they would all have to focus on what was to come.
"You guys doing all right?" John asked, as he settled into an empty seat at their table. He unwrapped his sandwich and took a bite. It tasted like cardboard, but he swallowed it down with a sip of bottled water.
"Good," Ronon said between chewing and swallowing.
Teyla smirked a bit then looked at John and nodded. "We are well."
John knew he had already asked, but he wanted to be sure and he was glad they were okay. And they looked clean and damp, if a bit exhausted, but okay. So now he had another, equally important, question to ask them. "How about Doctor Weir? Is she alright?"
"Seems fine to me," Ronon replied. He had stopped eating long enough to take a long drink of water. He was still using a pitcher.
"I agree, she seems fine," Teyla concurred. "Are you concerned about her?" she countered, locking eyes with John.
He grimaced and looked away, wondering what to say. "It's nothing specific," he said at last. "It just...you finding her and her being okay just seems to easy." It was never that easy for them as a rule, so John couldn't shake his suspicious nature.
Teyla seemed to understand. "I had my doubts at first," she allowed. "But she was fine on the journey back, just anxious to get here."
"Okay." John was willing to accept that. Teyla had good instincts about people, so if she was certain then he could be certain. He took another bite of sandwich then wrapped it up to take it with him. Or throw it out. Whatever came first. Rising to his feet, John remembered the other reason he had searched them out. "Briefing in about 30 minutes, in the conference room."
"We'll be there," Teyla said.
John nodded then headed out. He spent the next twenty minutes checking on things. Even though Elizabeth was back, he still felt a sense of responsibility until it was officially official. Everyone was smiling, even though the smiles were a bit strained. As happy as everyone was that Doctor Weir had returned, no one could forget the fact that the Wraith were on their way.
Five minutes before the briefing was supposed to start, John made his way to the conference room. Everyone was there, except for Elizabeth. John smiled at her empty chair, grateful he didn't have to sit in it anymore. Instead he took his place to her right and settled in. He took note of everyone in the room. Teyla and Ronon to his right, at the other head of the table sat Caldwell, and to the other side of the table were McKay and Zelenka. The two scientists had their heads bent over Rodney's laptop and were bickering quietly. Oddly enough, all felt right with the world at this moment.
Allowing himself a quiet sigh, John shifted in his chair, feeling a slight twinge in his shoulder. But he wasn't going to complain. The headaches were gone and he still felt focused and energetic. Like he could take on the world and win. Not that the feeling wasn't tempered with the harsh reality that beating the Wraith wouldn't be easy. Truckloads of luck and some trickery had saved their asses the last time. John had his doubts that it would be enough this time. The Wraith knew where they were so going invisible wasn't going to save them. Besides which, it wasn't a long-term option anyway. It also depleted too much energy and they didn't have a spare ZPM hanging around.
"Everyone!"
John was shook out of his reverie by the sound of Elizabeth's voice. He watched her walk to her place and sit down.
She held up her hands before anyone could speak. "First things first. I want to thank Colonel Sheppard for a job well done in my absence."
There were murmurs of agreement that embarrassed John a bit, so he ignored them to say to Elizabeth, "I'm just glad you're back and I'm officially handing you the keys."
"Thank you." Elizabeth's smile was genuine, but grim. Then she clasped her hands in front of her on the tabletop and looked everyone in the eye. "I know you're wondering what happened to me, so I'll get that out of the way so we can focus on the Wraith." She paused to eye everyone again, then she began. "Basically I was taken by Veesa and her people with the intent of being traded to the Others. Who happen to be a Neanderthal type people in appearance. They don't speak much, but they are intelligent. I managed to convince Veesa that I was of more use to her and the Pyrdians as a negotiator. They were running out of things to trade for goods. So I convinced both parties to make better barters and that if they worked together they would be more prosperous as a whole. Veesa was pleased and she was going to take me back to the gate when Ronon and Teyla showed up. Which makes for a rather uneventful story overall."
"It's never that simple when we go on missions," Rodney muttered.
John heard him and quipped, "That's because your negotiating skills suck."
Rodney glared then shot back, "Pot...kettle."
"Boys," Elizabeth drawled, but she looked amused.
"Sorry," John said, but it had been fun to bicker with Rodney for a moment. To pretend for a second that everything was as normal as it could be in the Pegasus Galaxy. To pretend that they weren't facing death yet again. Although he was kind of getting used to that part of things. And wasn't that just pathetic? But he shook aside his thoughts as Elizabeth continued.
She was asking Rodney for an update. "What can the chair offer us?"
Rodney tapped furiously at his keyboard for a moment, then he started talking in his usual rush. "We have the ability to shield Atlantis more completely than before. And I won't even try to explain what I mean by that because it would be all Greek to you."
"I speak Greek," Elizabeth interjected, deadpan.
"You know what I mean!" Rodney blustered, and he shot her a narrow-eyed glare.
Elizabeth hid a grin and nodded. "Go on."
Rodney shared a look with Radek, who had tapped his arm, then he continued. "We have what appears to be an almost unlimited supply of drones. Which isn't to say we won't run out, but we do have a lot of them."
"That's good to know," Elizabeth replied. "What else?" She looked hopeful as she asked.
"We found an energy source," Rodney blurted.
Zelenka shook his head and corrected, "Colonel Sheppard found it. Long story short it is much like the weapon Athar used to defeat the Wraith only we cannot figure out way to use it. Sadly." As he spoke, Zelenka removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes, looking exhausted.
Elizabeth looked intrigued as she turned to John. "Are you sure it's the same weapon?" she queried. "Because I assumed that because she was ascended that Athar was the weapon."
"It's similar," John replied. He wasn't sure what else to say. It wasn't something he could explain.
"How do you know?" Elizabeth prompted.
Hiding a wince, because he really didn't want to explain this part, John drummed his fingers on the tabletop and searched for the right thing to say. "Um...I told you how I connected with Chaya when I went back to Proculus," he began. And Elizabeth nodded because she and Beckett were the only ones that knew the details about that. "Well, I felt her power and it's like what Atlantis showed me. We just can't figure out how to get it to work. But if we could, I know we could blast the Wraith out of existence."
Elizabeth looked thoughtful. "That would be nice to have."
"Sure would." John felt a sudden impatience to get back to the chair. He was sure if he tried harder he would find a way to use the energy.
"So basically we have about four days to figure out how to make it work, right?" Weir asked in general.
It was Rodney's turn to wince. "Um, no. We have maybe three days."
There was a stunned reaction on everyone's part and all eyes turned to McKay.
Elizabeth was the one to ask, "I was told we had four days left."
"We did," Rodney replied. "But apparently the Hive ships have speeded up. They're moving closer faster. We may actually be down to two days."
"So what are our options without the energy weapon?" Elizabeth asked.
Rodney shrugged. "All we have are the drones, shields and the Daedalus."
Elizabeth looked shaken as she leaned back in her chair. She pinched the bridge of her nose with a hand that looked shaky, then she sighed and said quietly, "Then we do what we can." She looked at Caldwell. "Colonel, I would like you to get together with Major Lorne and figure out any and all strategic capabilities we have available."
"Already done that," Caldwell replied.
"I'm sure you can come up with more ideas if you try," Elizabeth countered, and her tone was steel. Then she turned to look at John.
He knew what she was going to say before she said it. It was the reason he hadn't argued the point about Caldwell and Lorne. She wanted him in the chair and he knew that's where he belonged right now. He nodded before she could speak, pushing out of his chair and turning towards the door. "On my way." He heard sounds of scuffling and cursing and he knew Rodney and Zelenka would be on his heels. As for Ronon and Teyla, he trusted Elizabeth to put them to work where they would do the most good.
Five minutes later John was in the chair and plugged into Atlantis, so to speak. Knowing that time was running out and that every second counted, John didn't waste time with niceties. He simply begged Atlantis to help him find a way to use the energy. Even as he asked he felt the vibrational hum against his skin then he was melding with the power, fusing into it and there was a moment of pure panic before John realized what was happening. He was becoming the power and he understood now. Understood what Atlantis was trying to tell him. This was suddenly familiar because he had lived it with Chaya. She had shown him what to do all along.
Disconnecting as much as he could, John intended to explain to Rodney and Zelenka what he'd learned, only to hear Rodney cry out. What hit John was the utter fear in Rodney's tone. He remained connected to the chair but hissed, "What's wrong?"
Rodney looked ashen and his eyes were huge in his face as he looked up from his laptop. "They're here," he whispered.
"What?" John wasn't sure what that meant. It couldn't be the Wraith because Rodney had just told them that they had at least two days.
"The Wraith...they're here," Rodney stated.
John felt his stomach drop. "How is that possible?"
Zelenka looked as stunned as Rodney, but he managed to explain. "A few minutes ago the Wraith blips dropped off our screen. Poof...vanished. Then they reappeared, on top of us."
Instinct made John raise the shields. He needed only a flicker of awareness to do so. Then he locked eyes with Zelenka. "How is that possible?"
"They must have hyperjumped somehow. New technology perhaps." Zelenka was shaking his head.
"This is bad," Rodney muttered, then his radio crackled.
John listened as Elizabeth demanded to know what was going on. He listened to Rodney explain, then the crackle of his own earpiece as Caldwell informed him he was heading for the Daedalus. But even as all of this happened, John heard Zelenka gasp and he was connecting into Atlantis and seeing what was playing across the laptop screen. The Wraith were bombing Atlantis. Sectioning off his thought patterns, John launched a multitude of drones through the shield. He made direct contact, eliminating dart after dart, but they kept coming. They wouldn't stop, nor could they be stopped like this.
Tuning out everything else, John let himself meld back into the energy. He felt himself fusing into it until he was the power. Angry power. So he lashed out with his rage, flinging pure energy at the Wraith. Feeling it consuming them, crushing them, shattering them into oblivion.
Then he felt nothing at all.