Teyla supported John as they headed towards the transported that was thankfully not too far away and once the transporter doors open, Radek came rushing over to help. John shooed both of them away, determined to walk on his own. And he did, only stumbling twice. Both Radek and Teyla hovered closely in case they were needed.
John felt their eyes on him and he assured them he was fine. Teyla rolled her eyes, not convinced at all and Radek cursed in Czech, unsure of what he should do since the Major was in charge.
"Look, I know you're worried about me, but I'll be fine." Teyla made to protest, but John put his hands up in protest. "I know, Teyla-the blood, but scalp wounds bleed alot-you know that. I'll admit I'm still a bit woozy, but nothing I cant handle...Now-we need to figure out what to do about those closed doors. Radek, have you made any progress?"
Radek wished he had, so they could collect their trapped comrads and leave so the Major could get the medical care he needed, but refused to admit he needed. "Sorry, Major-the password codes are encrypted and I am afraid that is not my field of expertise. Perhaps we should think about contacting Atlantis so they can maybe send Dr. Petersen, he is our resident expert on such things. Besides Rodney, of course."
"Of course" John agreed, rolling his eyes, which was a mistake as it amped up his headache and made his dizzy. He closed his eyes for a few seconds til the dizziness subsided. "I'll go back out to the jumper and contact Atlantis." He started on his way and he knew they could see his unsteadiness. Teyla wanted to follow, but John threw her "a look".
He was glad to make it to the jumper and it felt good to sit his unsteady ass securely in the jumper seat. Why did so many missions end up with one of his team-(to be honest it was mostly himself)-in need of medical intervention. He sighed heavily, for right now, he had two team members trapped in a room with no way out and he was determined to see them set free.
"Atlantis...this is Major Sheppard. Do you copy?" he waited for a response. With no reply, he repeated his hail... John checked his watch, check-in wasnt due for three more hours. But he couldnt figure why Atlantis wasnt responding to his hail. He tried twice more at different frequencies with no luck.
Giving up, John sat contemplating his options. He couldnt contact Atlantis. Radek practically admitted defeat on the whole code cracking thing, though John knew he was still trying. Ronon and Rodney were stuck in what equated to a lockdown, the console in the room had also gone offline, no doubt a safety protocol after the console identified an unauthorized user. John and Rodney were the only ATA gene carriers and he was the only one free-and he had a head injury which was now getting worse by the minute. He had to admit that he needed Dr Beckett.
His options were limited...Sit back and wait until Atlantis didnt hear from them and sent help or-he could fly the jumper back to Atlantis, send another team back with Dr. Petersen so he could crack the code while he stayed on Atlantis and let Beckett do his magic.
Nausea flared and John made his way out of the jumper just in time to vomit outside. He heaved several more times, groaning with the ugly feeling of clamminess and dizziness. Breathing was becoming difficult...he couldnt figure out why...John saw Teyla heading towards the jumper and he dug deep to present the picture of health he didnt feel.
"Major, are you okay? Did you contact Atlantis? Are they on their way here? Teyla asked as she drew near. One look at John and she knew he was unwell. His color was too pale to be healthy, he was breathing heavily and she had noticed the puddle just outside the hatch.
"John-come inside the jumper and sit. You are looking quite unwell...why do you not wear your oxygen mask?"
John realized he should have been wearing the oxygen the minute he walked out of the structure...why had he forgotten? The oxygen imbalance plus the blood loss, had taken its toll on his body. He felt marginally better once he had the mask in place and his body was replenished with fresh oxygen.
"Teyla, we dont have many options here. Atlantis isnt answering my hails. It will be another three hours for Atlantis to miss our checkin and send help. I need to fly the jumper back before I'm totally unable to. I need you to stay here and assist Radek in any way you can."
Teyla protested, "John, how will you be able to pilot the jumper by yourself? I cannot let you fly alone. I see the need for you to do this, but I insist on accompanying you in case you are in need of help." Radek will be fine by himself. He is busy still trying to find a way to open the door. I will contact him and tell him of our plan.
"Wait Teyla-I havent agreed to this! You stay here! It will take me only 10 minutes to reach the orbiting gate. I'll be okay...I feel alot better now that I have the oxygen mask on. I think that's what was making me sicker."
" You cannot be sure of that John-and Radek will be fine while we are gone...There is no danger here, John. You are not leaving him unprotected in a hostile place. He is safe inside the building and Atlantis will immediately send another jumper." Sternly she glared at him "I will contact Radek and tell him of our plan."
John knew he wasnt really in any shape to fly, but there wasnt another option-still, he was angry at Teyla for forcing her way. Teyla turned to him as she finished her converstion with Radek. "Yes, Dr Zelenka, I will tell Major Sheppard of your concern for his welfare. Another team will bring Dr Petersen in to help you. Please inform Ronon and Rodney what is happening. Thankyou Radek." She turned to John and smiled sweetly. "We will go now."
John did a quick systems check. He did feel better, but he was shaky and his headache had amped up at least three notches. He pulled the oxygen mask off as the life support system on the jumper filled the jumper with fresh air. He took a deep breath and looked over at Teyla. He found her looking at him with concern.
"Dont say anything Teyla-In less than fifteen minutes Carson will have me in his clutches. I'm good...I'm good."
Teyla wondered if John was trying to convince her, or himself. She would be watching him carefully. This might not be the smartest idea they had ever had. She could not pilot the jumper so if something happened to John and he was unable to continue the flight, they were doomed. But, it was only ten or so minutes to the orbitting gate. She had seen John hold on against unimaginable odds. She trusted his judgment.
John powered up the jumper and then they were off. As he piloted the jumper up, the HUD lit up a section of the map it displayed. John honed in on it, mentally asking for more detail. The LSD was showing a group of at least twenty life signatures. The information wasnt specific enough to determine if they were animal or human. John cursed, he knew there was no way he could ignore the info, especially since they were leaving Radek with no protection.
"Teyla, we're going to swing around and check it out"
"John, I do not think it is wise. Can we not let the next jumper check when they get here."
"I'll cloak the jumper and pass over the area slow enough to see whats on the ground. It will only take a few minutes, just a quick recon. I need to make sure there is no danger for Radek before we leave."
John cloaked the jumper and pushed towards the populated area. He wasnt sure what he was hoping to find. As long as there was no threat to his remaining team, for now, he didnt care. He really just wanted to get back to Atlantis and sleep away the relentless headache. He closed his eyes against a stab of pain and felt himself drift a bit. Before Teyla could alert him, he opened his eyes and rallied himself.
It wasnt soon enough. John had enough time to realized the dots that represented life forms were rising directly in front of the jumper. He tried to manuever away, but knew it was too late.
"John! There is a flock of birds directly ahead!"
"I see them Teyla-I'm trying to miss the bulk of them!" John's hands were white from the tight grip he had on the controls as he willed the cloaked jumper mentally and physically away from the main flock. The birds were unaware of the obstruction in their flight path, flying right into the jumper. Sickening thumps pelted the jumper's hull.
John and Teyla jumped when the body of one bird in flight hit the jumper windshield with a deafening thud. The momentum of the jumper held it against the windshield long enough for John to get a good look. The bird was huge, probably the size of an ostrich. Another thud and a screeching, wrenching sound proceeded the jumper tilting to the left. John tried to compensate but it was useless.
"One must have hit and damaged one of the engine pods!" Tension filled John's face as he tried to fight for control. They were losing altitude and John was trying his damndest to focus on the remaining undamaged energy pod, mentally willing it to compensate. The mental concentration was making his headache unbearable. The nausea was unrelenting and in reflex, he turned his head to the side as he dry-heaved.
Teyla cringed at the sight and sound of John heaving. She saw him struggling to remain mentally connected to the jumper. She knew John had excellent willpower and would fight with every ounce of his being to stay alert.
Then a sudden drop in altitude made her cry out.
TBC Things are going from bad to worse! Sorry for the cliffie-RL calls and cant be ignored any longer! Please send me some feedback-please!