-24th November-
Jennifer opened her eyes, feeling a throbbing in her head. Groaning she looked round and saw John, Rodney, three military personnel and Woolsey standing in the lab looking shell shocked.
"What happened?" She asked gingerly standing. When everyone ignored her she approached the group again asking what had happened.
"They can't hear you." An unfamiliar voice said from behind her. Turning round she saw the third of the three military men looking at her. "They think you are dead."
"Dead? Why?" Jennifer asked, worried she had a bad concussion.
"They think you are dead because Miller and Burke told them they just saw you jump from the balcony."
"What? Why did they say that? Why don't they know I am here?"
"They told them you jumped so they wouldn't look for you. They can't see or hear you because you are cloaked, just like me." He explained as he walked up to Sheppard and then straight through Sheppard, followed by Woolsey, who remained oblivious to what had happened.
"Cloaked?" Jennifer asked, suddenly noticing the ancient looking device clamped round the marine's arm. Looking down she saw an identical device on her arm. "Why are we cloaked?"
"Technically it is not exactly cloaking, more of a phase shift. To answer your questions, our employers would like you to come and work for them. We knew you wouldn't listen to reason or money so devised this ingenious plan to get you to comply."
"What plan?"
"We faked your suicide and cloaked you. Only someone with the ancient gene who is already cloaked can turn the cloak off, so there is no way for you to return to normal space. You will return with me on the Daedalus. Once on Earth you will be transported to my employer's facility where you will work."
"You're insane."
"I admit the plan was a little risky. Miller didn't believe anyone would believe the suicide story. Turns out he was wrong. Even your closest friends, if you can call them that, believe that you were so weak and fragile that you broke with the stress."
"I will never help you."
"You will, it is inevitable." He said smugly. "I'll leave you to think about your future." He added heading for the door.
"You are not tying me up?"
"Why bother. There is nowhere to go. You can't get out of this concealed version of the city without the gene, which you don't have. So you are free to roam. Find me when you want to have an adult discussion about your future."
"Won't happen."
"Really? Remember Dr Keller, you can not interact with anything outside this cloaked world. Which means the only way you have access to food and drink is through me. So eventually you will look for me."
Jennifer watched the man apparently walk straight through a wall before she turned back to the other occupants and watched as her friends were consumed by guilt, each blaming themselves for her death. Feeling like she was intruding she backed away and started to examine the band round her wrist. Carefully turning her arm round she saw the band was a thick jet black bracelet, apparently with no seams and no joins. For all intents and purposes it looked like it had naturally formed round her wrist. The most disheartening aspect, however, was there were no buttons and no controls. Instead all she saw was a perfectly smooth black device attached her to arm.
Frustrated she looked round the lab and saw a knife, which she walked over to. Without thinking she reached down to grab it only to have her hand pass straight through it. Sighing in frustration she reached down to her boot and pulled out a knife, which she started to use to attack the ancient device.
After five minutes during which the only thing showing any damage was her wrist she cursed and put the knife away before looking round. As she did so she was surprised to see everyone else had gone.
Walking over the door she held her hand over the sensor and waited for the door to open. When he didn't she sighed again and hit the door in frustration. However, when her hand passed straight through the door her momentum and surprise took her straight through the door causing her fall to the ground on the other side.
"That makes no sense." She muttered as she hit the deck. "Why are there floors but no walls?"
Picking herself up she walked to the transporter before she realised she wouldn't be able to operate it. Shaking her head in frustration she walked down the corridor to the stairs and started to make her way across the city to the control room.
-00-
John stood outside Teyla's door waiting for it to open. He felt the guilt welling in him, wondering why he didn't offer Jennifer more support. But he also knew his guilt had to wait as Teyla would be suffering more. When the door finally opened he immediately saw the grief and guilt in Teyla's eyes. Not waiting for her to speak he just walked in and opened his arms and let her fall into his chest.
As Teyla cried against his shoulder he kept thinking how similar the current scene was to that played out after Dr Heightmeyers's death. Only this time he hoped and prayed he was not responsible.
When Teyla had finally shed all the tears she wanted to cry she said.
"I feel responsible."
"For what? Keller? Why?" John asked.
"I knew something was wrong. I tried to talking to her and let her dismiss my concerns." Teyla said.
"We all saw how stressed she was and none of us did anything. You are no more responsible than anyone else." John said as the door chimed. Silently Teyla moved over to answer it, letting Ronon in.
"Hey." Ronon said as he entered quarters.
"Hey." John nodded. "How ya doing?"
"It doesn't make sense."
"I know."
"No you don't. She was stronger than that." Ronon growled. "I should never have let her leave."
"Leave where?" Teyla asked.
"The gym."
"Gym?" John asked confused.
"Jennifer was there, killing a punch bag. When she saw me she left. If I hadn't avoided her for weeks maybe she would have talked rather than run."
"You've been avoiding the doc?" John questioned. "Why?"
"She said she was interested in someone else and it got weird between us." Ronon said uncomfortably.
"Oh." John said before understanding what Ronon was saying and adding a longer. "Oh. Sorry. I didn't know she was seeing anyone."
"She wasn't." Teyla said.
"You think it happened because something happened between her and the someone else?" Ronon asked, suddenly desperate for someone to blame.
"No." Teyla said.
"You seem awfully sure on that." John pointed out.
"There was no one else." Teyla said. "Jennifer lied because she was feeling overwhelmed. She thought it was easier to avoid relationships." She explained before pausing for the information to sink in. Finally she asked.
"Where's Rodney?"
"He is running every test he can think of to see if there is some other explanation."
"He thinks she was being controlled by an alien device?" Teyla asked.
"Or something. But it is more hopes than thinks." John said.
"You don't agree?"
"No. The signs were there, I just ignored them." John said.
"We all did." Ronon said.
-00-
Hovering unseen in the corner of the room Jennifer watched with falling hope the conversation play out before her. Unable to watch any longer she left the room and started trying to come up with a way to send a message to them.
A/N: Thanks for reading. Next chapter up tomorrow.