Chapter 10
Disclaimer: Oh, I want to, but I don't own anything!
Author's note: Thanks for the reviews! Sorry this took so long, I'm really busy at my summer job but I am now in the finishing chapters! Advance apology as this chapter is going to be split into the different characters settings (i.e., Earth, Atlantis) and may be slightly confusing. Also thank you to all those who told me about my incorrect spelling of Kavanagh (I got my spelling off an old website). This also takes place all at the same time so bear that in mind! Enjoy!
Ford had no idea why McKay wanted him to go with him to wherever it was that they were going he just hoped that he wouldn't have to do any difficult thinking when he was there; his head was stuck firmly back in the medical bay they had just left. All Ford could think about was his CO. Every fiber of his being (that wasn't taken up with the energy of running) was praying that Sheppard would just hang on a little while longer; McKay obviously knew what was going on and hopefully how to stop it.
Rodney was getting tired from all the running. He definitely wasn't that fit and running at breakneck peed through the city wasn't exactly helping. But strangely enough that wasn't what was bothering him. It wasn't either, the reason he could feel hot fury flowing through his veins like larva. No, the reason for that was solely devoted to a member of his scientist research team.
Swerving to avoid a supplies cart that came out of nowhere, Rodney's brain dimly observed that it was really rather stupid to have the science research areas so far away from the medical bay, especially in situations like this. Rodney told his brain to shut up and then concentrated his entire being on running.
He was running so fast that, although fitter and younger than he was, Rodney was starting to outstrip Ford.
Earth's Alpha site
Sam didn't know what to do. For once there was a problem in her life that she couldn't solve, and that problem happened to involve the man she loved more that life itself. She felt so helpless and dejected; she would've given anything to have him back.
And it didn't make sense either. One second they were both smiling and laughing – he had looked right into her eyes with that smile of his on his face, the one that made her feel like a silly schoolgirl with her knees weak – and then he and Major Sheppard had been on the floor writhing in agony, and then they were gone. Just gone. There had been no flash of light or anything that signaled a transportation, they had just simply vanished.
Sam looked down at the device that had caused all this trouble and heartache, and wanted nothing more than to throw a nuclear missile at it. She wanted it gone, destroyed, vaporized. But most of all she wanted him back.
Daniel swore under his breath, which was never a good sign, and starting throwing around wads of paper, not caring if they got ripped, in search of a singular sheet, which again was not a very good sign. Which worried Sam even more – his uncharacteristic behaviour meant his research wasn't going well, which meant they might not be able to find the General.
As soon as the General had disappeared so did the writing on the device, meaning that their only clues to, then wanting to fix the device and return the general, and now wanting to find the general, were gone. They had no reference whatsoever as to where in the galaxy, or possibly universe, Jack O'Neill and John Sheppard could be.
And Sam didn't like it, didn't like it one bit.
Atlantis – Research Lab
"KAVANAGH!" McKay yelled as he skidded into the room.
Kavanagh turned around away from the device and snapped furiously at McKay "What now!"
"What now! WHAT NOW!" McKay yelled, livid "I'll tell you what now, you insolent, ignorant bubblehead! I TELL you to leave the device ALONE, and for a perfectly good reason, and you just go right on and ignore me!"
"There wasn't a perf-" Kavanagh began waspishly.
"THE MAJOR IS IN CARDIAC ARREST BECAUSE OF YOU!" McKay thundered "I'd say that's a perfectly good reason! Now get out of my way so I can save him!"
Kavanagh just stood there, mouth ajar.
"He's the reason the major's like that?" Ford spat.
"Yes! And if he doesn't move there may be no chance of saving the major! Get-out-of-the-way!" McKay yelled, pushing Kavanagh aside as he surged forward to examine the device.
"But-but… i-it c-can't be m-my fault!" Kavanagh wailed "I-I checked ev-every-"
But at that moment Ford had smashed his fist into the scientists face and he fell to the floor unconscious.
"About time somebody shut him up," Ford muttered "Can you save him?" he added to McKay.
"I need to try and re-equalize the energy calibrations." McKay said distractedly, his face screwed up in concentration of the task.
"I'll open up a communications channel to sick bay to see if whatever you do makes any difference to the major." Ford said, running over to an energy panel along the wall.
"Good idea." McKay muttered, still concentrating all his attention on the device and its energy readings.
"Medical bay? Can you hear me? It's lt. Ford."
"Lieutenant?" Elizabeth Weir's voice sounded weak and hopeless.
"Dr. Weir, how's he doing?" Ford asked, his stomach dropping at the mere sound of her voice.
"There's still no output," Beckett called "Whatever the hell Rodney's doing he better do it fast or else-"
"AHA!" Rodney yelled "Got it!"
Atlantis - Medical Bay
Beckett turned around to face Sheppard as McKay yelled and everyone in the room (and audio linked research lab) held their breath.
For a moment nothing happened. It was almost as if the room was frozen in time; nobody was breathing or moving. They were all just waiting.
Beckett could feel his patience run out and was about to order another shock from the panels when the small monitor next to the major's bed gave a little bleep. The tension seemed to increase tenfold during the following seconds. Everyone was waiting, hoping, praying that there would be another bleep, and then another. And then there was. The monitor beside Sheppard seemed to come to life and began letting out little bleeps in a steady rhythm.
Beckett let go of the breath he had been holding and rushed over to the major's side. Out of the corner of his eye he could see Teyla and Elizabeth hugging each other tightly; both leaders had tear stained faces and were smiling nervously. He could also faintly hear a struggle between Ford and McKay - as they had gone to hug each other - but then fallen over instead.
Checking over Sheppard's vitals Beckett felt his face crack into a wide grin "He's stable. Rodney! Whatever you did, it did it! He's alright!"
"Great Carson," Rodney said over the link, and Beckett could hear the smile in his voice "But he's not alright just yet. I'm gonna stay hear and double up the research efforts."
"Ok Rodney," Elizabeth called out, still fiercely hugging Teyla "And well done!"
Earth's Alpha site – Infirmary
Teal'c stared down at the flat-lining body of O'Neill. He had never imagined that this would be the way for the active soldier to go down. In the middle of a firefight with countless enemies surrounding them, and them being the only ones standing in front of O'Neill's planet, that was how he would of thought the courageous man would fall: in the middle of battle and taking as many of the enemy with him as possible. Not lying in a bed wired up to monitors.
It wasn't the way O'Neill would have wanted to go down either, Teal'c thought. It seemed almost an insult to O'Neill's life that he should die like this.
And he owed his life to this man. He owed his freedom and the possible freedom of his people to this man. Without him their would have been no Jaffa rebellion, there would have been no end in sight to the Goa'uld's tyranny.
It seemed a poor way to repay him, to Teal'c, to just stand there helpless while his body just gave on the man inside.
The infirmary doors slammed open, ricocheting off the walls with a bang, as Sam Carter hurried into the ward.
"Did it work?" She asked breathlessly.
"Did what work Colonel Carter?" Teal'c asked puzzled, though his stony countenance didn't show it.
"The device started… Daniel tried this… it should make a…. Oh please say it worked!" Sam babbled, her eyes fixed sorely on the bed in front of her.
"Colonel Carter I do no-" Teal'c began.
But he was interrupted by a small bleep. Both members of SG-1 sucked in a breath and held it, waiting for another to follow it. And it did, and then another and another. The heart monitor started bleeping away merrily as if a man's life had not been at stake and the medical team that had surrounded the bed, working tirelessly on O'Neil to revive him, all looked relieved and happy.
Sam let out the breath as Daniel entered the ward, his face creased in worry.
Sam turned to him "It's alright! It worked!"
Daniel seemed to deflate and opened his mouth to say something when he was beaten to it.
"Took you long enough!"
Sam spun around on her feet and almost collapsed in surprise and relief when she saw her CO standing there.
"General! You're alright!"
"Yes Carter I'm fine, but as I was saying - it took you guys long enough to fix it! His end realized what was wrong in about twenty seconds!" Jack O'Neill complained grumpily, gesturing to the man beside him who smiled weakly. Neither of them were really recovered from what had happened when they were whisked back here again.
"Took us long enough!" Daniel exclaimed incredously "Jack we wer-"
"What d'you mean his end?" Sam asked, interrupting what was saw to be another bickering match between the two of them. And Sam's nerves really couldn't take that right now.
"I mean the people at Atlantis. As annoying as he is McKay did actually figure out the problem and fix it in half the time it took you!" Jack said.
"Actually they did it in about the same time," John said fairly "And McKay's not that annoying."
Jack gave him a look.
"Ok he is." John admitted "But the other thing was right. They did manage to solve both prob-"
"Shut up Sheppard!" Jack growled "I'm trying to get my team to understand moral dilemmas and time keeping."
"Sir." Sam said exasperatedly, rolling her eyes.
"I saw that Carter!" Jack complained "We've got these powers that we can see you with!"
"No we haven't." John said.
"Sheppard…" Jack growled again.
"But we haven't!"
"Hang on," Daniel interrupted "You knew what was happening at Atlantis?"
"Yep," Jack said "Drives you crazy doesn't it Danny?"
"We have a device too, you see," John interrupted "It's kinda similar to yours but without the funny writing."
"Without the writing?" Daniel repeated.
"Yep."
"So how did McKay…?"
"Oh, his opens up," Jack said airily "I had to be the one who got the writing didn't I? I had to be the one who got the archaeologist pouring over his device."
Sam tried very hard to hide her smile.
"You'd prefer McKay?" John asked.
Jack pretended to consider this for a moment then shrugged "Guess not."
John raised his eyebrows and muttered "Only guess?"
Jack was about to reply when Teal'c spoke up.
"If these devices have these differences than they surely cannot be the same." He stated.
"Apart from the writing and the open-up-inside-wiring they are the same. And me and Jack both touched them in the same way as well." John said.
"Then we do they have the differences?" Daniel asked aloud.
"Wrong person to ask Danny bo-" Jack began.
"Because they are the same." Sam said suddenly.
Jack and John looked at each other.
"Huh?" Sheppard asked.
"See Carter we've talked about this before," Jack started.
"The devices are linked somehow," she began, pointedly ignoring her CO "They both work in the same way and for the same reason but they're not supposed to be used together. I think that's why both devices have features the other one doesn't. To get them working again they have to be used together, but each device has only half the information needed to make that happen."
"Is that why we can travel between Earth and Atlantis?" John asked suddenly.
"Yes I think so," Sam replied "It's also the reason why you're able to communicate with us whilst you are actually in comas."
"Like Ska'ara said." Jack said.
"Ska'ara?" Daniel asked.
"Yeah, we saw him in the plane place. He said that he couldn't help us but that we could help ourselves. I guess this is what he meant."
"But we can't do it on Atlantis." John protested.
"We only tried once," Jack said dismissively "Let's go see if we can get it to work this time."
"No, wait!" Daniel yelled, jumping forward "You don't kn-"
But there was a blinding flash of light and the two men were gone.
Sorry it's taken so long! I know I haven't explained a lot of the stuff indepthly but there's a reason for that. I hope it wasn't too confusing – the next chapter's going to be nice and simple. Also lots of Sheyla and McWeir next chapter and more Jack/John interaction (humor)! Hope you liked it and please review!
Also does anyone know if we're allowed to write individual messages in response to reviewers? As my friend told me we couldn't and I really want to as I have the best reviewers ever!