Title: Of Allies or Enemies
Author: Flea
Date
Part: 20/?
Rating: M

Pairing: J/T
Characters: John, Teyla, (little bits from all the others)
Genre: Romance / Suspense /Angst /Action its got some of everything
Word Count:
Archiving: only here and on fanfiction net
Warnings- angst, swearing, Violence and torture
Spoilers: slight once through out all the season, many from the episode which Kolya appears in.

Disclaimers: No copyright infringement is intended. All characters belong to MGM I'm only borrowing them for my own personal enjoyment.

Summary: After years of planning, many disappointments and many failures … At last he has finally succeeded. Acastus Kolya is now the leader of the Genii people and is in full control. What does this mean for Atlantis and how does John take the news?

Chapter 20 – Should Have Seen it Coming

"I should have seen it coming!" Elizabeth spoke as she dropped her head into her hands. It had been a long day and things just seemed to be getting worse.

It had been a little over ten minutes since John and other two had left, leaving her alone in the briefing room with nobody but Rodney, Carson and her thoughts. The sight of Teyla's unconscious body just hanging there was burned into her brain; refusing to leave.

"It's not your fault Elizabeth." Carson tried.

"Of course not!" Rodney added. "You only let a murdering psychopath into the city, how could you know he'd blow the place up and kidnap somebody."

"Rodney ..." Carson shouted at the scientist; he didn't believe what he'd just heard!

"No Carson, he's right ..." Elizabeth faulted. "I should have listened to all of you; I should have listened to John."

"Elizabeth, they knew exactly what they were doing."

"I should have at least been more prepared, kept the security details on them ..."

"You did everything right." Carson insisted. "He was just one step ahead of us all the way, Elizabeth, there was nothing you could have done."

"I shouldn't have let him through the gate."

"Carson's right, Elizabeth ..." Rodney spoke again; this time his voice was calmer.

"They offered us a ZPM, the one thing we need more than anything; you had no choice."

"Thank you Rodney." Though Elizabeth didn't feel comforted by their words. It was still her order which had allowed Kolya the chance to kill many of her people, and God only knew what he was doing to Teyla.

"You think Sheppard will get the gate address?"

"I don't know Rodney, we'll just have to wait and see. If he doesn't ... I don't know where that will leave us."

"He'll get it Elizabeth." Carson told her confidently "He'll do anything to save Teyla."

"That's what I'm worried about Carson." Her heart dropped at the possibilities of what could happen. "That's what I'm worried about."

Silence filled the room each one of them trapped in their own thoughts.

"I hadn't realised John and Teyla's relationship had evolved that far."

"I don't think anyone did lass." Carson answered offering her a smile, one which she returned. "We don't even know that what Kolya and the Genii said is true."

"You don't think they are involved ..." she wondered.

Carson had to think about Elizabeth's question. If someone had asked him a week ago his answer would have been no. Yes, they cared about each other a great deal; a little more than "just friends" should. But Carson knew that neither of then would risk hurting the other or damaging that friendship, in other words he didn't believe either one would be brave enough to make the first move.

"I think they care about each other a great deal; but I would never have guessed they would act upon their feelings." Carson noticed Rodney cringed in his seat, the scientist obviously knew something about his team mates that he and Elizabeth didn't.

"How much damage was done to the ZPM?" Elizabeth asked; turning to Rodney changing the subject completely, she couldn't bare the uncomfortable silence any longer.

"Amazingly: very little."

"Really?" Carson asked; not quite believing him. "How can that be? We lost 27 people, hundreds injured!"

Carson had been one of the first to the bomb site, after hearing the explosion; grabbing some supplies and heading there straight away.

There were so many dead and many more wounded he found it hard to believe that the ZPM had survived.

"They had no idea what they were doing. Okay, Banks …" Rodney notice the blank looks from the two doctors. "Banks was the Genii scientist, a rather annoying man; a bit like Zelenka … but that's not the point." Rodney
explain "They set the bomb on top of the console, not inside; they didn't even bother to connect the two. They obviously believed that the explosive would have been enough to penetrate the console … but they were wrong."

"I saw the damage that bomb did Rodney … where did they get a bomb of that size? How did they get it into Atlantis?"

"NO!" The scientist huffed in frustration. "If you would've just waited 'till I finished you would have understood."

He hated it when people jumped to conclusions before hearing all the facts, you'd think after being on a team with Sheppard and Ronan he'd have gotten used to it by now.

"There were a lot of things in that room that could have added to the explosion, the bomb they set off wasn't much at all. But … it did hit some major systems which increased its power and that's why all the systems are screwed up. The ZPM on the other hand came out relatively unharmed,"

"So we can still use it?"

"Once systems are back on line I see no reason why we can't."

"By why so many deaths?" Elizabeth asked

"There were so many in the lab and surround area, once the bomb detonated and the control panels started exploding …" Rodney voice faltered and he was unable to continue. Most of the people who had been killed had been scientist people he worked with everyday.

"I suppose the only good thing to come out of this is the ZPM." Carson spoke up as a sad expression flashing across his face.

If they had the ZPM, that would be wonderful. They would be able to protect themselves against the Wraith. Carson glanced over towards Atlantis's leader. The guilt she was feeling must be unbearable.

Having the ZPM would be helpful, but to achieve that at the cost of so many lives and possible Teyla as well; it was worth it.
Carson could still hear Rodney ranting on about something. Probably moaning about Zelenka or this Banks guy, everybody had there own way of dealing with the situation. Rodney's seemed to be talking endlessly.

"It's a wonder they didn't blow the whole city up, Banks said they'd been examining it but they had no ..." Rodney stopped mid-sentence. "Surely it couldn't be that easy ... or could it." Rodney stood from his chair and began pacing around the room muttering to himself under his breath. "He couldn't have possibly let the planet slip ... could he? Maybe if he believed we've never been there." Rodney continued on for another few minutes as Elizabeth and Carson looked on in confusion.

"Can you hear what he's saying?" Carson whispered to Elizabeth. Her reply was a shake of her head.

"Rodney ..." Carson spoke carefully. "What's going on?"

"What?" Rodney looked up in shock; forgetting for a minute where he was.

"Oh, it didn't occur to me at the time ... I mean I wasn't really paying much attention and all ..." His words were all joined into one making it hard for Elizabeth to make anything out.

"Rodney!" She shouted trying to silence the scientists rant.

"I've got to go ..." Rodney said; quickly dashing out the door. "Tell Sheppard to stop what ever he's doing ... I know the planet address!" He called over his shoulder before disappearing.

John watched on as Ronan held the Genii up against the wall by his throat. John hated what he was doing but all that mattered was finding Teyla before the bastard could hurt her any more.

"Why don't you just tell us the planet's address?" John felt like he'd been asking the question for hours when in truth it had only been about 15 minutes. The Genii remained silent. "We don't have time for this!!" He growled as he walked a little closer to the two. "Tell me the address or I'll shoot you!"

John could tell by the look that crossed the Genii's face that he was trying to work out whether or not to believe his threat.

"You won't do it." He snapped as he made his choice.

"If he won't, I will." Ronan growled as he tightened his grip.

"John ..." Elizabeth's voice sounded through the radio, the solider looked up as if he'd just been pardoned. John wasn't letting him get away that easily. Lowering his hand he turned the radio off, silencing any more attempts to reach him.

"We're not leaving until you tell me what I need to know."

"I won't tell you anything!"

"Well have to do this the hard way then." John answered, removing his side arm from it holster; his eyes never once leaving the soldier that stood before him.

"Fine with me." Ronan growled as he flung the Genii solider across room.

"Bloody Hell!" Carson cried as he entered the room where John and Ronan were only to nearly suffer a heart attack when a Genii soldier landed at his feet. "What the bloody hell do you think your doing?"

Carson bent down to examine the man who was looking a little worse for wear, but considering he'd been in this room for about twenty minutes Carson was surprised he was still alive.

"What does it look like?"

Carson ignored the Satedan's comment as he quickly checked over the Genii, he knew this was one of the men which had kidnapped Teyla and killed many of Carson's friends. But he had taken an oaf to help people and wouldn't sit back and let this continue.

"Why are you not answering your radio?" He asked; standing to face the two.

"We were a little busy Carson … maybe you should ..."

"Rodney's found the address!" Carson shouted; interrupting John.

"What?"

"Well, he doesn't have it yet, in fact I wasn't quite sure what he was talking about really, something about the planet, this and that."

"Carson!" John yelled; pulling the doctor from this babbling.

"Rodney's sure he's found the address!"

"How sure?" John asked.

Carson was stumped for a moment; Rodney hadn't said how sure he was. Carson looked into the anxious faces of John and Ronan. They both wanted an answer.

"He's in his lab now …" But before he could finish they were gone.

Carson breathed a sigh of relief, ordering the guard outside to return the Genii to the cells before heading off in the direction the others had just ran.

"Rodney, I thought you said you had the address!" Carson heard John yell as he entered the lab.

Rodney was busy typing on the computer and John was hovering a few inches away. Elizabeth waited patiently by the door, not wanting to get in the way while Ronan paced nervously. Carson decided to join Elizabeth.

"I do know the address … I just don't have it yet."

"McKay!" John warned.

"Look I'm going as fast as I can ... Banks was talking about…"

"Banks, who the Hell is banks!" John shouted.

"He's the Genii scientist, I've already told you that!"

"No you haven't!"

Rodney looked at John suddenly realising he wasn't there when he'd explained to the others.

"Oh yeah … well it doesn't matter." Shaking his head trying to focus on the task at hand,

"McKay!"

"When I was showing Banks the reading of the ZPM, he mentioned about how they had been trying to study it with very little success. Of course, I told him how dangerous it would be for people who didn't have a clue what they were doing." Rodney began to babble and John was slowly losing what little patience he had left.

"For god's sake Rodney get to the point!"

"He mentioned testing it on a deserted planet, a planet which had nothing on it except for …" Rodney paused as he pressed a few more buttons. Soon a picture flashed up on the screen showing a set of ancient ruins.

Elizabeth and Ronan moved closer trying to get a better look.

"I didn't think anything of it at the time, he said there were these strange markings and he described this design." Rodney pointed to the ruins; his voice calmer now as he explained. "I suddenly remembered that we've been to that planet, we looked at it for the possibility of an alpha site. I remembered the
ruins because I'd never seen the carvings before."

John looked at the screen in front of him. To him the picture was just another set of ruins that were nothing special; nothing he hadn't seen before. Never in a million years would he have been able to place these ruins with the one the Genii described. Thank God Rodney has a sharp eye.

"M1M-429 initial report says there was nothing much there apart from a huge forest and these strange ruins."

"And that's where they have Teyla?"

"I'm pretty sure … yes!"