Chapter 11: Travellers
"What?" Rodney asked in shock looking from Elizabeth to John- his mind trying to comprehend that in an alternate reality that they could be together.
"What?" Echoed John, just as shocked as Rodney was.
"It's true." Carson explained, looking from Rodney to John. "You, well, our Colonel Sheppard proposed to Elizabeth right before he and Rodney were captured by Kolya and his men."
"You mean when he fed me to that Wraith?" John asked, shuddering inwardly at the memory.
"That happened to you too?" Carson asked looking to John. "How did you survive?"
"The Wraith have the ability to give life back." John answered simply as he ran over what happened in his reality between that time and the present. "But forget about that- what did you guys do when the ancients took over Atlantis again?"
"Or how about when our sun when super flare on us?" Rodney added.
"And what about our game?" John asked, wincing slightly at the memory. "That was between Rodney and I and-"
"And how about when we stumbled upon the ark?" Ronan supplemented as he spoke up.
"And then there was the ancient drilling station." Rodney pointed out. "And the whole thing with Michael- you already said that that happened-"
"And what about the Asurans attacking Atlantis?" John asked, causing Rodney to nod in agreement.
"How did you guys get to another planet without me or Sheppard?"
"Hardly any of what you pointed out happened here." Elizabeth answered, clearly still upset. "The super flare did happen and we survived by deflecting it. The game that our Rodney and John were playing was turned off, and we know nothing about an ark; or about an ancient drilling station and certainly nothing about the Asurans attacking Atlantis or the Ancients coming back."
"Guess when they say alternate realities they mean it." John muttered, catching Elizabeth's eye.
oOo
Back in their own reality, Major Lorne was ready.
"Now Zelenka, you're sure that I want to go through this thing?" He asked pointing towards the 'gate that was not a gate'.
"Major Lorne- I am sure that it is perfectly safe." Zelenka stated certainly for what felt like the hundredth time.
"Perfectly safe wasn't what I was hoping for." Major Lorne admitted with a roll of his eyes. "Totally safe now..."
"...never mind that." Elizabeth chastised eager for Major Lorne, Lt. Cadman and two other Marines to go through the 'quantum gate'. "Zelenka, what was it that you wanted to tell Lorne?"
"Ah right. Now, if you run into yourselves in these alternate realities get out as quick as you can."
"Why?" Laura asked with curiosity. All eyes fell upon her and Elizabeth could clearly see that although she and Carson had been broken up for months before his death- the young Lieutenant clearly still cared a lot for the former CMO of Atlantis.
"Entropic Cascade Failure-" Zelenka answered simply. "It is what happens when there are two of you in one reality. 'Rod' didn't experience it because- well he punched through into our reality. This is direct travelling. So be wary. It is a very harmful and very painful experience. Not to mention life threatening."
"I understand." Major Lorne answered with all the stoicism of a soldier.
"Now from what I can decipher, this creates a link to you and your reality-" Elizabeth began as she attached the bracelet to Major Lorne. He winced in pain and Elizabeth winced internally as well. "Sorry." She apologised as Lorne took his hand back. "Now, that dial in the centre allows you to travel through the alternate realities. Do you see where it is now?"
"Yes." Major Lorne answered, the dial was directly at twelve o'clock.
"Well that is our reality." Elizabeth answered. "When you're ready to come home, replace the dial there and step through the gate."
"I guess then we're ready to move out." Major Lorne answered as he moved the dial one click to his right. The quantum gate sprung to life and began to build up a charge.
"Oh and one more thing-" Zelenka began as a bright light enveloped the room. "-dial sequentially."
The room was empty.
"I hope they heard that."
"Why ?" Elizabeth asked, looking up from her wheelchair.
"Well by moving it sequentially and slowly they have a better chance of finding them."
"Then I hope that they heard that." Elizabeth agreed looking towards the gate.
'Please let Evan have heard that...'
oOo
For Major Lorne and his team, when the temporary blindness of the flash of light diminished, all they could see was darkness. No lights came from anywhere and the air was dank and cold and smelt like death.
"I can't see anything." Lorne stated frustratedly.
"Here's some lights sir." Laura stated as she turned on the flashlight and scoured it around the room.
"Nothing but dead bodies..." Lorne stated as he surveyed the death and destruction before them. None of the bodies wore Atlantean uniforms and Lorne breathed a sigh of relief that he wouldn't have to stare down upon any of his friends- despite the fact that he was in another universe all together. "Any life signs?
"No sir." Answered a marine with a life-signs detector. "Just us."
"Maybe we should look around?" Laura suggested.
"No. If they were here, we'd know it."
With a heavy sigh, Lorne turned back to the quantum gate and turned the dial one more notch to the right. It barely moved and he wondered briefly how long it would take to explore all the alternate realities.
'It could be forever.' He thought futilely as the white light engulfed them. 'We could never find them..."
oOo
When the light subsided they found themselves in a perfectly lit Atlantean lab and Lorne smiled to himself. All seemed normal and there didn't seem to be anyone in sight.
"Well this is better." Lorne murmured as he took a step forward but as soon as he did he was surrounded by about a dozen marines. "Or not. Listen, we come in peace." He held his hands up to show that he was peaceful, but the marines before him didn't want to move- until a voice broke through the crowd.
"Wait-" The voice seemed close, and then the person speaking broke through the line of marines. "Major Lorne?"
"Rodney?" Laura asked stepping beside her team leader.
"Laura?" Rodney asked in shock as his eyes went to Cadman. "You're here?"
"Yes." She stated with a smile thinking that the Rodney before her was the Rodney from their reality. "Why wouldn't I be here?"
"Well for one thing you're dead-"
"Rodney," Lorne interrupted, looking at his friend. "We're from an alternate reality."
"Really?" Rodney asked tearing his guilt-ridden gaze from Laura to Lorne "How is that even possible?"
"This device-" Laura answered indicating behind her. "-it's a quantum gate. Like a quantum mirror."
"I always suspected-"
"Listen-"Lorne interrupted, knowing that Rodney would prattle on all day if he didn't stop the scientist right away. "I gather that our Colonel Sheppard, Ronan and our Rodney haven't come by here have they?" When Rodney merely shook his head, Lorne sighed. "Then we've got to be going..."
"Wait-"Rodney began as Lorne moved the dial one more notch to the right.
"I'm sorry Rodney, we have to go and find our people." Lorne stated and as the white light engulfed him he could hear Rodney's last words.
I understand.
A/N- Hey guys. Thank you to those who reviewed the last chapter, I hope that you will review this one too. :D