Rogue Element4
Moira stared at the familiar world. A landscape more resembling a seascape. Waterfall after waterfall misting the air. Splashing brightly in the sunlight. Vegetation proliferated, a veritable garden of greenery. Lush. A jungle spreading along the towering cliffs and dangerous canyons.
"This is the rendezvous? John, John! We're on the waterfall planet!"
"There's an anomaly here too?" John asked, removing the headset. He clambered out of the turret.
"Obviously," Sheppard remarked. "And a Stargate."
"Obviously," John echoed. He stood as the ship eased to a landing. He looked round for a weapon, any weapon. Nearly fell as the ship buckled suddenly. Clinked to one side. It hit the spongy ground hard. "Nice landing," he commented.
"Drive pod's gone. We should have enough power for the anomaly, but that's it." Sheppard eyed Moira. She met his gaze. "Let's go. Ford is on his way with reinforcements. I have a feeling he survived."
"Wouldn't be the first time," John agreed. He snatched the P90, held it behind him. Opened the hatch. "Moira."
Moira stood, moved to follow John out of the ship. Sheppard followed, closing the hatch. "John, you need to dial Atlantis before they dial in to block us," she advised, but stumbled as John flipped the P90 into view. Held it up, aiming past her. At the same time Sheppard drew his sidearm, held it ready. Safety's clicked off at the same time. Moira looked from one to the other. "No! What are you doing? We still need to work together!"
"Not any more," John corrected. "Moira, get behind me."
"Moira, I held up my end of the deal," Sheppard reminded her. "Do you really want to test my warning?"
"Deal? What deal...what...Moira? No, Moira!" John exclaimed as she stepped to Sheppard slowly. Reluctant but resigned.
Careful of their hair trigger tempers she faced John. "I...I'm sorry, John. It was the only way to save you! To save you!" Tears glimmered.
"No! Moira, you can't!"
"She's holding up her end, Johnny," Sheppard taunted, "all to get you back safe and sound. Now be a good boy and go back to Atlantis."
"Moira? How could you?" John demanded, appalled.
"I had no choice! I'd do anything to save you, John! So I made a deal. Without the colonel's help I never would have been able to save you! So I made a deal."
"Oh. Of course you did, Moira." He paused. "But I didn't." He fired, deliberately missing. Sheppard swerved, shoving Moira out of the way, just as John had hoped. He lunged, crashing into his darker self. "The only way you'll take her is over my dead body!"
"I'm good with that," Sheppard agreed.
"John!" Moira cried, scrambling out of the way. Staring in disbelief as the two men, the same man fought over her. Fought viciously. Fists and kicks. Grabs and lunges. Blood flew. Grunts and groans as hits landed. Accurately. Momentarily disabling but they grappled hand to hand. Fell to the ground, but parted. Circled each other. "John! Colonel! Please! We don't have time for this! We don't have time for this Alpha display of territorial aggression!"
"Huh?" they both echoed, pausing to glance at her. Eyed each other.
"John, you have to go back to Atlantis!" she urged.
"Not without you!" John insisted, abruptly punching the colonel in the side.
"She made a deal, Johnny. You need to honor it. Or I will kill you." Sheppard retaliated with a left hook that sent John staggering backwards.
"Ah...there's the reason," John realized. "You son of a bitch!" He flew at him, knocking him back but Sheppard swung a vicious right hook. Snapping John's head to one side with a crack. He staggered.
"John! John! Stop, stop this! Colonel, you can't do this! Johns, you can't fight each other!" Moira ran to them, pulled John back but a flying arm hit her in the side. She spun, fell hard. The breath knocked out of her.
John whirled. Froze, horrified. "Moira? Oh my God! Moira! Moira!" He fell as something hit his head, shoulders. He rolled dizzily, barely conscious. A bullet hit his leg. Blood spurted. Another grazed his side. Then John lost consciousness altogether.
"John!" Moira cried, hearing the gunshots. She scrambled to sit, dizzy. Saw John sprawled on his stomach. Blood on his leg, on his side. "John! John, no!" She crawled to him, scraping her knees but not caring. Checked his pulse. Slow and steady. His breathing the same. "John!" She glared at Sheppard who stood watching. Fury replaced by satisfaction. He dropped the P90 to the mossy ground. "What have you done? What have you done? How could you?"
"I've only disabled him, Moira. He'll be out for hours. But if he doesn't get to Atlantis now he'll bleed to death."
She rose, flew at him. Hit his chest, furious. "You bastard! You bastard! You tried to kill him! You tried to kill John!" He tried to catch her wrists but she pummeled him, working out her fury, her fear. Also grabbing the keycard from his pocket. She abruptly flew back to kneel at John's side, her back to the colonel now. "I hate you! I hate you!"
"He'll be fine, Moira. Tie up that leg. We don't have much time." Sheppard retrieved the gun from the ground. Tossed a bandage from his TAC vest to her.
Moira shoved the keycard into the pocket of John's pants. Felt a satiny coolness. Realized with a start the texture of her purloined panties. A wave of emotion hit her, nearly choked her. She forced it away, snatched the bandage from the grass. She tied up his leg as best she could. "John..."
Sheppard hauled her to her feet. "Dial the 'Gate. Atlantis. I'll bring him."
Moira ran to the DHD, saw Sheppard hauling, dragging John towards it. She dialed Atlantis, watched the chevrons light up one by one. The wormhole engaged. "The IDC!"
"Got it." Sheppard produced a GDO, activated the code. Waited. Unceremoniously pushed, dumped John through the event horizon. He stepped back as the wormhole disappeared. He turned, wiping blood off his mouth. Stalked to her. "Let's go. We don't have much time."
"Where are Ford's men? The ones you recruited?"
"Already in my reality. I sent them ahead of me. So he'll be doubly pissed when he arrives and finds his normal human troops gone." He began to lead her towards the ship. "When we reach the..." He paused. Felt in the pockets of his TAC vest. Checked. Re-checked. Recalled her attack. He didn't bother to check the ground. Eyed her furiously. "Moira."
Moira froze, facing him. As bad as things had been, here and earlier in the colonel's darker Atlantis she had never truly feared him. He was still John, after all. A darker version, a harsher version but still John. Recognizable. But now as he glared at her Moira felt a shiver, a tremble of actual fear. Of him. Of violence. She swallowed nervously. But stood her ground. John was safe. Back in Atlantis. That was all that mattered.
"What have you done?" he asked quietly. Too quietly as his gaze raked over her. But he knew. "You gave it to him, didn't you?" he needlessly asked. "Didn't you?" he shouted.
"Yes," she softly confirmed.
"Do you know what you've done? Without that keycard the ship is useless! Useless! You've stranded us here with Ford and his mutants on the way! How could you be so stupid?"
"We'll have to hold out, colonel. John will send help."
"When? How many days before he regains consciousness, remembers, finds the keycard and recognizes what it is?"
"It doesn't matter, colonel. He's back on Atlantis, safe. You held up your end. I'm still here with you. I've held up mine."
He glowered at her. But eyed the Stargate as the chevrons lit one by one. "Great. We don't have time! Come on! We need a defensible position! Move!" He pulled her to him, shoved her into a run.
Moira ran as the wormhole exploded outwards. Sheppard was on her heels. She swerved around a pool, into the trees. Began to climb the cliffs. Slipping and sliding.
"Sheppard!" Ford bellowed. "There!"
"Shit. Higher, Moira!" Sheppard turned to view the mutant Wraith hybrids beginning to give chase. Ford was among them.
"Sheppard! I will kill her! I'll kill her in front of you, I swear!"
Moira climbed, climbed, ran into a cave past the downpour of water veiling it. "Colonel!" she called, whirling, waiting. She heard gunfire. Tensely waited. Suddenly he appeared. Doused in water as he ran through the downpour, gun clenched in his hands.
"GO!" he shouted.
She ran across the expanse, following the light to the next opening of the cave. Darted through the curtain of water and climbed the next cliff. "Where?"
"Keep going! To that ridge!" he ordered, on her heels again. "Into the trees and across the forest! We need to find a hiding hole before nightfall!"
Elizabeth hung her head, closed her eyes a moment. Needing a moment to process the information. The disaster. A ship lost. Four men dead instantly. Another dead on the ground. Two more injured. And the worst of all. John was missing, presumed kidnaped by Ford. She was still trying to wrap her mind around the fact that John's darker doppelganger had been in the city. Had strolled around completely undetected. Had even enjoyed a meal. Before abducting Moira.
"There was nothing we could do, ma'am," Evan said, shifting in the chair yet again. He glanced up to see Ronon standing, glaring at him. "By the time we reached the others Sheppard was already gone. Taken. We couldn't follow the ship into hyperspace."
"I understand, major. You are not to blame. No one is. For God's sake we had three teams out there to catch one measly man!" she flared. A rare outburst of emotion that she regretted.
"Two. The other Sheppard," Ronon reminded, voice grave. "If he's as smart as ours..."
"Maybe smarter, ma'am. Planning all of this," Evan agreed.
"Still...and the Daedalus is en route to Earth and unavailable." She shook her head. Collected herself. "We'll have Rodney scan your last readings. Maybe he's come up with something. Anything. And we can track his subcutaneous device. We'll return to that planet and–"
"We'll make those villagers talk, one way or another," Ronon offered.
Elizabeth nodded. "Yes. We will. We can have Radek check the DHD...maybe some of Ford's cohorts went through the–"
Alarms rang. Elizabeth jumped out of her chair, ran to the control room. Evan was on her heels.
Ronon behind them. Rodney was racing to the consoles as the Stargate activated. "Rodney?"she asked.
"It's John's IDC! Open the Iris!" Rodney ordered, fingers flying to operate the system.
"Thank God!" Elizabeth murmured, watching anxiously as the Iris unwound. As the wormhole engaged.
"Um, ma'am...what if it's not. Not our Sheppard, I mean," Evan cautioned. Hoisting his gun.
"Good point, major. Security team, stand by," Elizabeth commanded. Moved to the glass to peer down as marines positioned themselves. Guns at the ready. Ronon joined them, stood waiting. Arms folded across his chest. Neglecting to draw his gun.
The tension filled the air. As the wormhole shimmered. A circle of light and liquid. Rippling gently as if an unseen breeze caressed it. The marines held position, guns raised. Fingers hovering on the triggers. Ronon stood, unfazed. Ready either way if whoever emerged was friend or foe. But anxiety churned his stomach.
Elizabeth's hands tightened on each other as she clasped her fingers. Waiting. Holding her breath. Evan stared down at the Stargate, gun held securely. Waiting. Rodney joined them, worriedly shifting from foot to foot. Waiting.
A body tumbled through the Stargate Rolled and lay prone on the floor as the wormhole dissipated. A trail of blood smeared the floor in its wake.
"John? John! Get Carson!" Elizabeth cried, rushing into the 'Gateroom as the marines cautiously approached the injured, unconscious man. "It is our John, isn't it? Is he...is he..." She couldn't voice the thought.
"He's alive." Ronon brushed past the men, knelt. "It's him! Ours. And alive, just."
"Let me through!" Carson shoved past the marines, knelt. "Dear Lord, he's been shot! Twice! Beaten...quickly, to the infirmary! We have to stop that bleeding or he'll die!"
"John! It is our John, right? Right?" Rodney worried, staring as his friend was gently lifted off the floor. Blood dripped from him as he was carried out of the 'Gate room.
Evan was staring at the inactive 'Gate. "But where is Moira?"