Author Notes: I like to thank my beta reader Katie who did a great job. I'm sorry I didn't get this chapter out earlier. I'd love to hear your thoughts as always and hope you enjoy Dream Guardian.
Chapter Three
"Thank you Lt. Miller and Major that all," Sam informed, ending the debriefing with SGA-6 and SGA-8's commanders. The wraith operation they stumbled into was important and would need to be looked into further but currently it would have to wait. With her lead team brainwashed and the possibility that an attack force might be on the way to Atlantis as they spoke, it left her little choice but to focus most of the city's resources on that problem, only she had little clue of who they were and what they were trying to do.
The expedition still had operations all over the galaxy that continued to run into trouble that had to be handled immediately.
'When it rains it pours,' Carter bitterly thought.
Two more Marines hadn't made it home and another one was in the infirmary. Heading into her office she barely glanced at the plate sitting on her desk. Sam wondered who had taken the time to drop her dinner off; no doubt it was icy cold by now. Before she could move to confirm her suspicious, the speaker blared declaring an incoming worm hole. Sam gave a farewell glance to her uneaten meal before heading back into the command center.
The gate below burst to life as she leant down next to Chuck asking, "Who is it?"
"It's the Athosians."
Carter headed down the stairs as two Athosians stepped through the Stargate.
"Halling, Marta, I'm happy you came."
"Samatha." Halling gave a slight bow of his head.
"How is Teyla?" Marta questioned as Sam guided them towards the holding cells located in the city interior.
"She is physically ok but she doesn't remember us, at least not as friends. We're not completely sure as to how or why this was done, but they may be after Atlantis, which makes it vital we figure out who behind this. Hopefully she will remember you."
"If she doesn't remember you, why would you feel she'd have a better chance remembering us?" Halling questioned.
"The brainwashing may not have gone that far back or taken those memories into account. She knows she's Athosian, that I was able to confirm."
"We will do our best to help her see the truth," Marta remarked as the door slid open. Stepping inside, she found Teyla sitting with her back to them.
"Teyla, I brought some friends to see you." Carter called as they moved past the two guards stationed near the door. Teyla rose and glanced at both Athosians. Sam quickly saw confusion and worry cover the warrior's face.
"Halling, Marta."
"You remember us." Halling face burst into a smile.
'So the enemy had missed part of Teyla memories, this could be the key they needed0 to gaining Teyla's trust once again,' Sam thought.
"Impossible, how?"
"We have come to help you." Marta stepped closer to the cell as Teyla stepped back clearly in disbelief.
"These people are your friends. You have risked you life countless times for them and they would die for you." Halling added.
"I know my friends and they are not our friends!"
"But they are, who ever you are working for is the true enemy." Marta protested.
"They are they enemy! What have you done to them!" Sam found herself fixed with a furious glare.
"Nothing," Halling drew her eyes back to him. "You are the one being deceived." Teyla stopped looking down, her face showing clear signs of pain.
"Teyla," Sam asked. "Are you ok?"
"Your lies will not work on me." She once again locked her eyes on to Sam.
"Teyla you know us, you can trust us. We would never lie to you." Halling reminded.
"You can not be real. You are simply part of their mind games."
"Please Teyla do not be blind!" Marta rebuted. "Do you remember when we went to the falls to play. How mad my father got when…"
"Then you both have been brainwashed into working with them."
"No you have been brainwashed," Marta declared, but Teyla looked away.
"Enough lies! You can not deceive me with such ease. You will learn nothing."
"Teyla, they haven't join us, they are your people!" Sam demanded.
"I have nothing more to say." Both Athosians seem baffled as what they could say to their friend and leader to help her see the truth.
"A moment ago you were shocked to even see them. Don't you see your memories and mind are being altered as we speak? So you will accept the simplest explanation. Now you think we brainwashed them. If that were true why would we not simple brainwash you and McKay. When was the last time you saw them? How did we get to them? Do you think the other Athosians would not have informed you had we capture them? Why can you not believe that what we're saying is the truth and just maybe what you have been told is the lie? Have I asked for information about military operations or weapons?"
"I know the truth."
"Teyla," a new voice remarked, Carter glance over her shoulder to find Dr. Keller standing behind her. Her eyes blood shot from lack of sleep and a worried expression etched on her face. "What were you carrying when you were stunned?"
"What?" Carter asked as Jennifer step forward.
"When Teyla was knocked out something she had on her broke. It got all over Lorne and many of our personal who made contact with his clothing or hers. Over a dozen people have come in with sever burns and irritation on there hands where they made contact with it. It some kind of unknown chemical. Are you having any reactions Teyla?" Teyla made no effort to answer the doctor question.
"Teyla, please tell me." Keller proclaimed.
"I have nothing to say to any of you," she stated, and with that Teyla turned around.
"She could have the same burns and irritations under her clothes," Keller whispered to Sam who nodded. Cater moved forward and opened the cell door whilst taking out her weapon. She flipped it to stun and fired before Teyla could turn around.
"What are you doing?" Halling demanded. Both Athosians were visibly surprised.
"We need to check her over to make sure she ok," Carter informed.
"Can we do nothing to help her?" Marta questioned.
"I'm sorry but I don't think you are going to be able to help. Clearly what ever is affecting her mind is continuing, causing these delusions. Right now I'm not sure she can accept the truth."
"I promise you we will do everything to fix Teyla's mind, you have my word," Keller answered as the guards lifted Teyla on to a stretcher.
Carter said her quick good byes to the Athosians, promising to contact them if anything changed. She sent out an order for SGA-3 and SGA-5 to return to the planet to see if they could find the container that Teyla had been carrying, as well as to look for any clues as to what John's team had been doing there or if there might be an enemy operations base on the planet, but not before issuing a warning to be on their up most guard incase of a possible ambush. Entering the infirmary, Carter quickly made out McKay's voice but wasn't sure what he was saying.
"Would you just stay still!" Dr. Keller growled as Sam entered an adjacent room to the main infirmary.
"So you can fry my brain, I don't think so."
"For heaven sake you're a genius, does this look like a brain fryer? It's simply going to scan you brain and helps us figure out what's wrong with you."
"Oh sure it is." Sam noticed McKay's legs sticking out of the machine, he continued to fidget and move.
"I swear if you don't stay still I'm going to order the Marine to stun you."
"You wouldn't dare."
"You sure about that?" Keller shot back, from where she stood behind a console. McKay became still, clearly afraid Keller would follow through with her threat.
"So…" Carter questioned as the doctor's hands flew over the controls.
"Teyla has the same burn and irritation all over her right hip and side, along with a few small abrasions from the bust container. I can't believe she didn't say anything about it. From what I have been told, and have seen, it's painful. Luckily for me I was wearing my gloves. I already ordered skin samples and to have the clothing sampled for the chemical. God I hope it's not toxic, we don't need anymore problems."
"That's true." Sam answered.
"Teyla must really believe we're the enemy to not even hint at her injures. For now I'm applying salves and other ointments to ease the pain but until I know what it is, I'm shooting blind."
"Did McKay say anything about what they had on them?"
"No."
"So how's Lorne?" Sam inquired after a long pause.
"Alive, he landed on his back into it, which is starting to show signs. I'm scared it could have gotten into his blood stream as well. So I'm monitoring him closely incase it causes a reaction and I doubled his antibiotics to fight off infection."
"So did you find anything wrong with them yet?"
"No, their blood screen came up clean. We scanned them for nanites and other foreign bodies but the scanner found nothing. I'm doing this brain scan to see if there's anything abnormal or irregular going on in there."
"Well, I'm sure you figure it out, keep me up to date."
"I will."
Sam turned to leave. "Oh my god!" Keller gasped, causing Sam to spin around. Sam's eyes darted to the console screen which had suddenly turned from blue to red.
"What?" Carter didn't know what all the flashing lights meant, but it couldn't be good.
"Rodney!" Keller cried fear racing through her voice as she moved to the machine and pushed a button causing McKay to jet back out.
"What?"
"Are you ok?" she questioned as she checked his pulse.
"Besides being…"
"I mean it are you feeling ill or have a headache. Do you feel like your going to black out?"
"No why?" McKay's voice became riddled with fear.
"I don't believe that. That shouldn't be possible." Keller moved back towards the console to look at it again as McKay sat up.
"What?" McKay asked looking at the Doctor who continued to ignore both him and Sam as she looked over the reading.
"I don't know, this doesn't make any sense."
"What?" Sam asked yet again.
"His brain waves just crashed and then spiked. He shouldn't be just sitting there."
"Let me see." McKay stood up, but both Marines drew their weapons.
"It's ok." Carter stepped back letting McKay hobble his way past her to the console. He studied the results, a puzzled look on his face.
"Want to explain that smart guy?" Keller locked McKay with a determined look as he continued to examine the results.
"Clearly your machine is broken," he finally remarked, a confident smirk on his face.
"It not broken Rodney," Keller snapped.
"There's no way that could happen."
"Well it just did."
"Oh I see where you going with this. This is an attempt to get me to buy your whole brainwash story. I could have come up with a much better scenario. I mean…"
"I'm not making this up." Keller didn't try to hide the hurt on her face.
"So I magically can handle what should cause sever convulsion and put me in a coma?"
"I don't know why you're not being affected, but the results are right there." McKay just fixed her with a 'you have to be kidding me' look. "Put him back in the machine and get the scan completed this time. After that I want them both to have their brainwaves monitored to see if this happens again," Keller ordered. She stepped outside letting another doctor take over.
"Have you any clues to why this might be happening?" Sam question as they left the room.
"Not really. I can't see how this would be used to brainwash them. I mean his brain dropped clear down into the dead zone before spiking and becoming hyper active. Maybe it's a side affect of what ever has been done to them. So it didn't seem you got much from Teyla." Keller asked as the two step into Keller's office.
"Teyla knew her fellow Athosians, but then decided they weren't real before finally deciding if they were real that we brainwashed them."
"Did you tell her that if we could brainwash them then why would we not do it to her?"
"I did but it did no good. From what I can tell, what ever this is, it is continuing to affect their minds. At least it's not allowing them to grip the truth."
"Well at least it lists out some possibilities like a mind imprint and we can assume there's something that's acting as an activity agent of some sort causing these changes and affects."
"Doctor Keller." Carter turned to find a young man hovering in the doorway. The fact she didn't know his name made it likely he was new.
"What is it Luke?" Keller barley glanced up form the data pad she was looking at.
"I found something."
"What?" Both women locked their eyes on to the young man.
"Something odd in the blood work, but I'm not really sure what it is."
"I thought Dr. Dawson already ran their blood samples and didn't find anything?"
"He did, but he told me to do it again."
"Show me." Keller followed the young man into a lab, Carter on her heels. Keller leant down, glancing into a microscope he indicated to.
"Why didn't the scanner pick it up?" Keller muttered as she rose and took the sample to a nearby machine.
"What is it?" Carterasked leaning over her shoulder.
"A foreign body in the blood sample." Carter felt a shiver run up her spine. "They're probably what's causing the brain crash and acting as an active agent in altering their minds."
"Why were you using a microscope?" Carter glanced back at Luke.
"I don't know how to read what the Ancient machines are saying yet. When Dawson order me to double check the blood samples, I didn't think it was a good time to ask to be trained so I did it the old fashioned way."
"Even though I'm telling the scanner it's there, they won't acknowledge it," Keller muttered leaning back in her chair. "That's weird. When we had that disease, once I'd found it, the system had no trouble showing it to me. The system won't even show it when I focus in on the sample." Sam didn't like the sound of that.
"What can you tell from the microscope?" Carter questioned.
"There's a hell of a lot of them and they're smaller then blood cells. They seem to be organic, but with out a better scan I can't tell."
"Luke, I need you to tell everyone to do their tests over with out using the city systems."
"I'll ask Zelenka if he can figure out what's causing the scanner to ignore it," Carter informed.
"While your doing that I need you to order anyone who made contact with Teyla, McKay or any of the two teams who brought them back to come down here and get there blood drawn now. We need to isolate contact between anyone who may have been exposed to those people as well."
"Do you think these things can spread?"Carter questioned.
"It doesn't appear to be an air pathogen, but it still could spread through physical contact. I pray it can't but till we know for sure we need to prevent anyone who hasn't had contact from being exposed, just incase."
"I'll order people to refrain from physical contact with anyone who's been exposed." Carter tapped her radio, issuing the new orders to the command center.
"I'm going to run some tests and see if I can determine anything about these foreign bodies. Maybe I'll get lucky and find a way to kill them."
"I'll leave it you to it.
Sam hadn't even made it to the teleporter when Chuck's voice filled her ear.
"Colonel, you better get to the command center."
"What is it?"
"Scanners just picked up two small crafts heading our way."
"How long before they get here?"
"Fifteen minutes."
"I'm assuming it not the Wraith."
"Not from what the scanners are showing."
"I'm on my way."
Elsewhere
John moved down the dark grey blue hallways of the space ship, Ronon on his heels. The fleshy door slid open and John stepped into the command center of the ship. A few figures were moving about but took no heed to the two.
"I wasn't expecting you so soon. You'll be glad to know our plan is in motion."
"What about my team?"
"Don't worry; if things go as we planned they will be back with us very soon."
"Well not that I don't believe in you but just incase this plan falls through, Ronon and me have a second plan to secure their freedom"
"Then by all mean do as you see fit."
So what do you think? Please Review and let me know what you like.