Dark Element
God Complex

A dark world leads to the discovery of an Ancient long imprisoned by his own people. Atlantis is placed in grave danger when Beckett sets him free.

"Okay, let's see," McKay said thoughtfully. The voice jarred Sheppard out of his not-so-pleasant snooze. Turning his head he saw the physicist leaning against the front of his cell, arms draped through the bars. He looked angry. Beckett mirrored his position, watching every move their host made. "We've ruled out all the sane things you could be doing, so why don't we talk about the crazy ones?"

John groaned at the throbbing in his side. With each move he made there was a cold, sticky pull of fabric from clothing that had stuck to his wound. Aerien hovered above him with a pale expression of interest.

"You wish to know what I am doing," he mused, pulling back the shirt on Sheppard's side. He clenched his jaw at the stinging sensation that followed. Aerien continued to speak to Rodney. "But would you understand if I tried to explain? Why waste my time?"

"Please." McKay gave him a nonplussed look. "You Ancients are all alike. You think you're the only ones capable of anything resembling thought. Well, I've got news for you…"

A device was applied to John's side roughly. He jerked as little metal arms shot into his flesh, clinging painfully to his body. "Bastard," he growled, trying to keep his voice from shaking.

Aerien bent down to peer at the device as it warmed up. "Don't exaggerate, McKay. I concede one day your people may rival my own, but now you are still as babes."

"Yeah, why don't you try us?" Sheppard pressed. His mind jogged through the meditation techniques Teyla had taught him, searching for something that might help him ignore what his body was feeling. He wasn't sure he could calm himself enough to use any of them, though.

The Ancient met his gaze and shared it for a long moment. "Your resistance is admirable. Such strength of the soul." The corner of his lips quirked at that. "Tell me, are you aware of aether?"

"Aether?" It was McKay that responded, which was fine with Sheppard, as he didn't know what the hell Aerien was talking about. The physicist obviously had a clue. "Oh geez, I knew you were crazy, but come on. Don't give me that quintessence crap."

Aerien seemed unperturbed by McKay's sarcasm. "I knew you were too simple to comprehend dark matter."

"No, no." McKay waved his hand angrily, unwilling to be dismissed. "No. I see where you're going with this. The unifying force within everything, the so-called 'soul' if you will. Theories. Dark matter and aether as you're describing it are two different things. Any schoolyard idiot knows that."

"One would think that, wouldn't they?" the Ancient patronized in bored tones. "One who doesn't understand the intricacies of energy." He touched the device on Sheppard's hip. The Colonel tensed hard as a wave of pain shot through him. It was like a wave that started there in his hip and continued on through the rest of him. "Energy is everywhere. One only has to learn how to harness it."

"So why don't you ascend? Is that what it's all about? Becoming energy? Learning the secrets, yadda yadda?"

Aerien smiled at Dr. McKay as he unlocked the bonds around Sheppard's wrists and ankles. "Ascension? Pitiful. Why settle for anything less than being god?" He swept Sheppard off the bed carelessly. Both Carson and Rodney let out gasps as the Colonel fell to his knees, cradling his side with a cry. The Ancient nudged him with his boot. "To your cell."

Sheppard rolled his eyes and fought his way to his feet, too proud to demand help from the monster that had done this. Lines of tension marked his face as he took a step, hissed in a breath and paused to ride through the pain. Aerien merely studied his movements, offering none of the help his captive refused to ask for.

"You're insane," McKay accused as he opened the cell door for Sheppard. He ushered the Colonel into McKay's helping hands, shut the door on him and locked it.

"Let it rest," Sheppard said, seeing the scientist's glare. He motioned over to where Carson was peering through the bars at him. "Better let the mother hen take a look." McKay eased him down on the floor near the doctor.

Beckett gave a ghost of a smile. "One o'these days you'll be glad for my mother hennin' ya here and there."

"Okay, Doc," John said weakly, pulling back the black shirt to show his marred skin. "What's this thing he's got on me?"

Beckett reached between the bars to examine the device. Now that John could view it, he almost wished he hadn't. The skin was livid around the flat panel clutching a large section of his wounded side. Carson touched the device. "Looks ta be some sorta transmitter. I've seen a few similar objects back on Atlantis. It's probably set on some sort of continuous scan cycle that feeds information into our 'esteemed' friend's terminal."

"Is it supposed to cause pain?" John asked with a hard breath. He touched the skin near it gingerly, very aware that the throbbing had not died away. It was starting to make him feel nauseous. He could feel the waves coursing all the way through to his fingertips. Carson shook his head, looking puzzled. John stretched back on the floor and glared at the white ceiling above. "So, anyone wanna explain aether to me?"

"Oh, god," Rodney groaned. He rolled his eyes, but Sheppard could see him getting into scientist gear. "Aether can be interpreted in a few different ways. Some theorized it was what filled the sky above Earth. If that sounds medieval and trite it's because it is. It's an all-unifying energy that makes us all one big happy family. Sounds familiar, doesn't it?"

John grunted. "Sounds like Star Wars to me."

The scientist nodded. "Exactly. Anyway, our resident nut is tying this…this sci-fi fantasy into dark matter. You know, the theory of what causes the expansion of the universe? Personally, I just think he's crazy, but well, he's powerful too. A nice, comforting combination, huh? We're probably going to die horrible deaths."

"Not yet we aren't," John sighed, rubbing his skin. He looked at Carson inquiringly. "Any chance of getting this thing off?"

"Aye, lad," the doctor responded mildly. "Might take a good bit o'your skin with it, though. It's attached itself to your muscle."

Sheppard rolled his eyes. "Well, good. We wouldn't want it falling off, now would we? I sure hope Ronon and Teyla are getting ready to save our butts." He noticed McKay choke at that. The Colonel knit his brow. "What?"

McKay crossed his arms over his chest and shrugged. "About that. I meant to tell you, really. It must have slipped my mind during all the commotion."

"What?" John demanded again, his voice raising an octave.

"They're, ah, stuck."

Sheppard blinked. "Stuck."

"Yeah," Rodney replied grumpily. "Seems some genius had the bright idea to split up and well, now they're locked in a big dark dungeon. It was all I could do to get them breathable air, okay? Not that that'll help them much when they starve to death." The scientist rubbed his stomach reflexively.

John closed his eyes. "Tell me you're joking. I don't care if it's a lie." The situation had just become a whole lot more complicated and he was not in the mood for complicated. He wasn't sure any of them had the energy right at the moment.

As if he had read Sheppard's mind, the doctor reflected those thoughts, saying, "That leaves us with one more question."

"What's that?" McKay asked.

Carson leaned his forehead against the bars tiredly. "Who's goin' ta save who?"

The hour was late. Most of the illumination had been dimmed down for the night, save a soft azure glow coming from the main part of the laboratory. Silence suggested the three prisoners within were now asleep, a truth confirmed in only two cases. Carson was awake. What little rest he had managed had been troubled and difficult given his surroundings, but adding insult to injury something had awakened him prematurely.

He didn't move, didn't open his eyes. There was still a shred of hope he could reclaim that which he had lost, after all. And so he remained still and wished for all the world he would lose consciousness again so he could escape the bad dream that was reality.

And then he realized there was a hand on him.

Carson jerked back on his bunk and the hand flew off his forehead. His heart pounded as he gazed into the gray eyes boring down into him. "What the bloody hell are ya doin' ta me?" he hissed, unnerved.

"Silence," Aerien snapped, reaching again to touch his head. The doctor waved his head to evade the touch, even going so far as to shove the Ancient away. His youthful visage took on an almost vicious appearance. "You will wake your companions and they will watch helplessly."

"Don't touch me," Carson growled, sitting up and scooting away. "Sa help me. What the bloody hell d'ya want with me?"

Aerien looked down on him, studying every move, every expression clinically. "You're afraid," he whispered, watching with those eerie eyes that seemed to stare into the soul. "You have every reason to be."

"Why?"

"It's going to be a hard road for you." The cold finality of that statement left Carson chilled. Aerien gazed with soft abstraction at the floor. "Knowledge is always a hard road for those with energy as bright as yours."

Beckett shifted uncomfortably. He didn't know what that was supposed to mean, but as long as Aerien was talking and not torturing he could say whatever he wanted. "No offense, lad, but I thought we were callin' it dark energy."

"Even the shadows can be measured." He watched Beckett. There was something ageless about that gaze, something wise and young at the same time. This man was fathomless, yet his next words revealed a part of the strange picture. "I was a healer once."

"What happened?" Carson asked, trying to understand what he was up against.

The reply was not what he expected. "It became unsatisfying." Aerien approached again him, face set in grim determination.

Carson nervously got to his feet and backed away. "And just what d'ya think you're goin' ta do ta me?" he demanded, searching for anything he could say or do to stop this. The Ancient glared at his continued defiance. "Our people will come for us. Ya don't want that kind o'trouble."

A quiet, confident sound fell like a lash upon the doctor's ears. Aerien laughed at his words as if they were nothing. "Is that a threat?"

"It's the truth."

"Then you threaten God." The Ancient closed in on him, hands outstretched.

Carson threw himself into a defensive stance. He pulled at the cuffs holding his wrists together, angry that they barred him. "You're mad!" he said as the Ancient took hold of his jacket. Using his cuffs as a weapon, the doctor wrapped one of Aerien's wrists between his own two and twisted with all his might. His captor hissed a breath, whirling Beckett into the wall.

The wall was very hard, a bit of knowledge he became quite intimate with in a few short seconds. His back slammed against the surface and all thought processes stopped cold. Carson groaned, then shoved Aerien as he neared again. "Ya can't just do this!" he tried to reason, but he was sure his words were falling on deaf ears. "Ya said ya were a healer, well, stop and think for a moment, will ya? I'm a person, the same as you are, and ya can't just treat me like I'm some sorta experiment."

The Ancient shook his head with such a cold expression the doctor shivered. "No. You are but clay to be molded at the will of any being that possesses such power as to change you. Who are you to this cold, dark universe? Do you understand how infinitesimal you are? How meaningless this pitiable way of existence truly is?"

"I don' believe that," Carson responded firmly. He backed off as the Ancient started for him.

By now Sheppard and McKay were both fully awake, standing at the bars even as Aerien had suggested, watching without any hope of intervening. "Damn it, Aerien, leave him alone!" the Colonel growled, still favoring his side. He pointed through the bars at their captor. "You want someone, take me instead!"

Aerien did not respond. He was focused on Carson like a predator with no fear, only the target in mind, watching every move through those malevolent, pale eyes. The doctor didn't give Aerien time to finish his move. Determined not to give in so easily, he threw himself into the Ancient and drove him down to the floor.

"So, the healer has a spark after all," he mocked, backhanding Carson as he tried to pin the Ancient down.

For a moment the doctor paused at the pain; it was a moment too long. Aerien grabbed hold of his jacket again and threw Beckett into the stone wall at the back of the cell. His head hit and light flashed before his eyes. The next thing he was aware of was being dragged to his bunk where Aerien shoved him chest-first onto the metal bed, forcing him to kneel.

Hands slid through his hair and paused over his temples. Aerien's hold was strong, and the pressure on his head made the doctor groan. Then the waves began again. It was like a vibration starting in his head, trailing down his spine, bleeding into his extremities until he could barely breathe. He was being ripped apart and forced into himself at the same time. His heart throbbed in his chest, his wrists and temples in a relentless dance of terror that moved with the flow of what was happening.

He didn't know what it was the Ancient was doing to him, but as each second passed the pain and panic worsened until he thought he would scream. Or maybe he was screaming and just couldn't hear himself over the fear pulsing through him.

Aerien leaned over his back and the weight drove Carson against the edge of the bunk, causing him to choke from loss of breath. "I'm going to show you something," the dark scientist whispered near his ear. "I'm going to open your mind up to the true horror of this universe, to the chaos that runs rampant in every dark corner."

Sheppard was in a rage, yelling at the Ancient things that Beckett couldn't quite grasp. He was aware of the cold chill in the room, the rough floor under his knees and his own shaking. These were tiny things, meaningless and ephemeral.

Then he became aware of other things, slowly at first. It was like walking through a room that grew larger and larger, whose darkness expanded with each step, surpassing the darkest possibilities imaginable.

And then Aerien opened the floodgates and the light of a thousand suns coursed through him. Carson widened his unseeing eyes, gasping as the enormity assaulted him. His hands pressed against the bed beneath him, curling as he tried to brace himself, but there was nothing to hold onto. He couldn't make sense of even a tenth of what was rushing through him. It was too much, too large for him to ever hope to decipher. It was pain and death and darkness on a cataclysmic level, more than any human could comprehend in himself. But he saw one thing that burned itself into his thoughts with stunning detail. Aerien's dark aspirations towards unlimited power began with Carson, and by the end of it the doctor could see he would never be the same.

His head pounded and warmth trickled down from his nose. He truly thought that he would die in that moment.

Then the darkness returned and the universe retreated. Aerien shut the door, but did not let Beckett go as he held him pinned and whispered, "Do you see how meaningless you are? I feel your fear of the future. You fear the darkness in your own soul. But I can give you meaning. I can spare you the shadows that you so fear."

Carson sagged against the bunk in a daze. He could feel spidery tendrils wrapping around his mind, stealing who he was, bleeding his emotions dry. He didn't know what was happening to him, could barely keep his thoughts straight. Aerien held him fast, keeping him locked against the bunk, unable to escape it.

"What are you doing to him?" he heard Sheppard ask. The voice was a reassurance that he wasn't alone with the abomination torturing him, yet at the same time the sound of it was as sharp as a lance through his brain. The doctor was vaguely aware of moving his hand as if he could reach toward the sound of his friend's concern, just to wrap himself into something kind and less frightening. But try as he might, he just couldn't reach the comfort he so needed.

He heard Aerien's answer to Sheppard ring through his thoughts before the Ancient even spoke the words, "I am breaking him."

"What!?" It was Rodney. The sound of his fear made Carson moan. If they would just stop talking…

"S-stop," he tried to beg, shaking his head in Aerien's grasp. The Ancient pressed him back down against the hard surface, keeping him down. Carson felt his hands go cold as he clawed in torment, moaning as he tried to resist the waves of agony wracking through him.

An eternity later he felt Aerien's terrible touch leave his mind. The doctor shivered in his arms as Aerien leaned down, pressing his mouth close to his ear. "Resist all you will. I will get what I am seeking, make no mistake."

And then the voices of his friends and of his enemy faded away. Carson gave himself to the darkness of repose without a fight.

Again, thank you all for the wonderful reviews:-) I'm glad you're enjoying+hands out cookies shaped like Sheppard+