Thanks to everyone for their kind words and encouragement. I promise I'll respond when I have a little more free time. In the meanwhile, maybe this will carry y'all over!

Chapter Eight

"Sounds like he's diaphoretic," Keller said grimly after Ronon gave her a rundown of Sheppard's symptoms.

Rodney bit his lip as he listened to her prognosis. More medical mumbo jumbo. At times, Rodney felt just as lost as Ronon when medical terms started being bandied about. If only medicine was a more defined science like physics or mathematics, he'd be more inclined to pay more attention. As far as he was concerned, there was entirely too much left to chance with medicine.

Ronon dabbed at Sheppard's sweaty face with a gauze pad, then he ran it down Sheppard's neck, swabbing up as much sweat as he could. He ran his hand over Sheppard's uniform/alien suit and lifted it for the others to see. Sheppard's clothes were wet with sweat, too. Whatever the suit's material was, it did allow for things like moisture to pass through. That was encouraging.

Rodney might not have been certain what diaphoretic meant, but he knew Sheppard was sweating way too much and that wasn't encouraging. The scientific facet of Rodney's psyche was intrigued by how the suit was so confining, yet it would let sweat pass through. He would probably be in awe of it if it hadn't entrapped his friend.

Sheppard murmured indistinguishable words as Jennifer continued, "He's going into shock. Elevate his legs and keep him warm."

Ronon found a box and placed it under Sheppard's feet to elevate them. His movements were quick and precise, yet his concern for Sheppard made them seem awkward. Keller continued, "We really need to start another IV. Does the suit cover his hands as well?"

Rodney answered, "The suit covers everything except his face and hair."

As they spoke, Teyla was wrapping an ace bandage around Rodney's grotesquely swollen knee, making Rodney's breath hitch occasionally, but Rodney grunted and then muttered, "Only Sheppard could have something like this happen to him, and have his hair survive unruffled."

Teyla shot Rodney an irritated glance while Jennifer just ignored Rodney's comment completely. "Do you think a needle will pierce the material covering his skin?"

Ronon glanced over at Rodney. Rodney was settled on the floor across from Sheppard and next to Teyla. He was trying to be brave and not show his pain like Teyla was doing. After all, she had put her own discomfort aside to help alleviate his by applying the elastic wrap to his knee, but Rodney was failing miserably.

"Ow, ow, ow. Please, Teyla, remember there's living tissue down there somewhere," he murmured finally.

Feeling Ronon's gaze boring into his skull, Rodney looked up at him, and said, "What?"

Jennifer repeated her question. "Will a needle pierce the material covering his skin?"

Rodney shook his head. "I don't know... maybe. It's allowing sweat to pass through."

Ronon took an IV catheter set from the medical kit and attempted to insert the needle, but the needle couldn't penetrate the suit's material. He put the IV set aside, then reached out, trying to pull some of the material away from John's skin, but it wouldn't budge.

Ronon glanced up at Rodney. Rodney said, "It's thin, Jennifer, but it's stronger that it looks."

Ronon pulled out his knife and Rodney put up a hand. "Whoa, Big Foot, what are you doing?"

"Gonna see just how strong it is," Ronon said with a frown. "Don't worry, I won't hurt him."

Ronon took the tip of the knife and laid it on the material, then tried to catch some of it as he swept up with it, but the material didn't move. He licked his lips and concentrated carefully as he pressed the tip of the knife against the material on Sheppard's forearm.

Rodney watched with horror as Ronon continued to exert pressure against the suit without cutting into it. A soft shimmer appeared at the area of the knife tip. Ronon looked up at Rodney with a questioning expression.

After a moment, Rodney nodded for him to continue, his fascination at what was happening overshadowing his own apprehension. Ronon exerted more force until he was placing most of his weight against the knife, pressing it down into the material covering John's arm with so much force Ronon's arm started to shake from the pressure. The shimmer became a white glow around the knife tip, but Sheppard never roused.

Rodney cleared his throat. "Well, that's certainly disturbing."

Teyla stilled her movement as she watched, the ace bandage practically forgotten in her hand as she held it in mid-air. Ronon looked up at Rodney and said, "We've got a bigger problem here."

Jennifer asked, "What? What's going on?"

Rodney picked up his scanner again. "The suit's tensile strength is amazing, but I think that's just the tip of the iceberg. There's no way we're going to be able to use a needle to pierce the suit's material. The suit must have some sort of way to discern what can and cannot pass through it."

Keller said, "That is unfortunate. Colonel Sheppard already had a variety of injuries – any one of which could cause problems, but added together – and now without a way to treat him... "

"I know," Rodney said softly. "He's screwed."

Teyla spoke up for the first time in a while. "No, Rodney, we must not lose hope. John is still alive. He is a strong man, both in body and spirit, with unparalleled determination. He will survive this. We just need to find a way to help him with the situation at hand."

Ronon nodded. "She's right."

Teyla finished wrapping Rodney's knee and looked up at the others. "We will get through this, but it will take work. Rodney, you have two very important jobs to do. One: Find a way to get John out of the suit. And two: A way out of this fortress."

A hundred smart ass comments sprang to Rodney's lips about her unrealistic expectations, but he ground his teeth together and didn't say any of them. Not to Teyla. It wouldn't be any fun shooting zingers at her anyway – not like it was with Sheppard. Besides, he reminded himself, Teyla knew how to hurt him really bad if she wanted to.

With a sigh, he nodded and deliberately avoided looking in John's direction. Instead, he forced himself to take a deep breath. Worry was only going to distract him and he needed to focus on work.

"Let me see if the diagnostic program I was running on the main computer system has finished. The one on my scanner involving the suit is still going."

Teyla glanced down at Ashina, and her hand went to rest on Ashina's still form where Ronon had set Ashina's doll to rest in the crook of Ashina's arm. Even though she hadn't said the words aloud, Rodney knew Teyla was just as worried about Ashina as she was about Sheppard.

The good news was that Ashina's vital signs were improving, though she still hadn't regained consciousness. Perhaps that was a blessing in disguise, Rodney decided. A screaming kid was exactly the sort of thing they didn't need. There was already way too much drama going on.

Rodney looked up to find Teyla staring at him. She bowed her head slightly, maintaining her gaze, and asked, "I wish to assist you in your work."

Ronon straightened and nodded. "Yeah, me, too. Been feeling pretty useless."

Rodney sighed. "If I could clone myself three ways, I'd do it, but since that isn't an option, I guess I'll just have to do the work myself. There will be some things I'll need help with soon, Ronon."

He glanced at Teyla and shook his head. "I'm sorry, but you aren't going to like this, Teyla. Someone needs to stay here with the girl and Sheppard and you're the only one who can. Besides, with your bum leg, you're not going to be moving very far away anyway. And that will free Ronon and me to do what needs to be done. The only way this is going to fly is if everyone works together."

Teyla's expression darkened for a minute before she nodded. "I understand."

Keller interrupted their conversation and Rodney realized he'd completely forgotten she was still on the radio. "One more question and I'll let you get to work. Has the colonel's heart rate and respiration slowed any since you first checked it?"

Ronon put a finger to Sheppard's carotid artery, then laid his palm over Sheppard's chest, counting his respiration. "Maybe a little, but he's still breathing harder than he should. It's almost like he's fighting something... maybe the suit itself?"

He looked over at Rodney. Rodney shrugged, then rolled his head around his neck as he thought some more before speaking. "It's possible," he said finally.

Rodney took a deep breath and put a hand on his knee. He attempted to straighten it, then thought better of that idea when the joint protested the movement. To get his mind off the pain, he just stared at Sheppard.

"The truth is there's a whole lot more we don't know about this suit than what we do. If that's going to change in our favor, I've got to get to work. Too bad the Daedalus is two days away. It would be a hell of a lot easier to just do a beam out."

"I know, Rodney," Jennifer said softly. "Well, I'll let you work. I'll check back in an hour, but call me if there's any new developments or if you have any questions. Keller out."

"No," Sheppard whispered, reaching out blindly with one hand as if to push something away from him. After a moment, the hand dropped down to settle over his ribs.

"Crap," Rodney said as he glanced away. "We've got to figure this out and fast."

Rodney tried to get up, but only succeeded in causing himself more pain. Exasperated with himself, he turned to Ronon, knowing he had to look as helpless as he ever had. "Can you give me a hand up?"

Ronon nodded and stood, though he noted even the big guy looked tired and frayed. As he put out his hand, Rodney wondered just how long they could keep up with things happening at this pace, then he tossed the notion aside, deciding it was something he didn't want to dwell on.

oOoOoOoOo

The memory of Ashina finally speaking with her parents was a particularly poignant one for Teyla. Teyla still felt the remnants of relief that came from Ashina's awakening whenever she glanced down at the girl.

Teyla's hand rested on Ashina's abdomen as she lay on a makeshift bed on the floor beside her. As the minutes ticked by, though, Teyla's relief had ebbed. Ashina was weak and subdued, not at all like the little girl Teyla had known, which only caused Teyla's worry to edge higher. While they were pretty sure Ashina's laser wound hadn't hit any vital organs, there was no way to know with certainty until Jennifer could put Ashina under a scanner.

Teyla looked at her watch. It was hard to believe six hours had already passed since John was trapped by the suit, but then in other ways, it seemed as if time had slowed to an insufferable pace.

She was so tired. She told herself that her own injury was insignificant in comparison to what Ashina and John had suffered, but then she would move the wrong way and the throbbing in her thigh would offer a vigorous rebuttal. Even so, she would suffer far worse injury without complaint, if it meant Ashina would survive.

It was time to try to rouse Ashina again. Over the past few hours, whenever Teyla had tried to awaken her, Ashina would open her eyes for a moment, cry a little, then ask for her mother or father or her doll before drifting back to sleep, but when Teyla put a hand on Ashina's shoulder this time and shook her gently, Ashina wouldn't rouse.

Teyla shook Ashina with more force, but still there was no response. She swallowed hard, trying to control her concern, only to realize her mouth had gone dry.

She reached over and picked Ashina up, careful of her IV, but there was still no reaction from little girl. Teyla tapped her radio headset and said, "I need to speak with Dr. Keller. It is urgent."

After a moment, Jennifer came on the radio and said, "Yes, Teyla?"

Teyla cleared her voice and tried to sound calm. "It is Ashina. I cannot rouse her this time."

There was a momentary silence, then Jennifer asked, "Try pressing your thumb and forefinger over the area right at the base of her neck where the neck and shoulder meet, and squeeze hard."

Teyla did it and looked up when nothing happened. "No response," she said, hearing the breathless tone in her voice and she forced herself take a deep breath.

Jennifer sighed. "I was afraid of something like this."

"What do I do?"

"There is nothing to be done at the moment. Major Lorne and Doctor Zelenka are working hard to find a way in, and Rodney is all over that computer system. Something's gotta give soon. Just keep Ashina warm and continue to try and wake her. She might surprise us."

Teyla looked down at Ashina, fear gnawing in her gut, and said, "There must be something I can do for her."

There was a pause before Jennifer answered. "There is no way to know exactly what is going on with Ashina, Teyla. You've got the IV in place to keep her hydrated. You're keeping her warm. There's not much else that can be done without knowing the full extent of her injuries."

Teyla nodded, closing her eyes as she leaned her head back to rest on the wall behind them and let out a long breath. "I do not like the situation, Jennifer, but I understand."

After another extended pause, Keller asked, "How is our other patient doing?"

Teyla glanced over at John. "He is breathing better."

"Good. I'm glad to hear that," Keller said. "Oh, I'm told Major Lorne wants to speak with Rodney if he's available."

Teyla looked over at Rodney with Ronon at his side. Ronon had found Rodney a stool to sit on and a crate to use to rest his injured leg. She raised her voice and said, "Rodney, Major Lorne wishes to speak with you."

Rodney tapped his radio with the impatience of a man with far too much to do to waste time talking. "Yeah?"

"Just wanted to update you, Doc. Dr. Zelenka asked me to let you know what we've been up to."

Rodney's head turned in the direction of the facility's entrance and his gaze narrowed. "Been up to? What do you mean by that?"

"Well, Dr. Zelenka would be telling you this himself, except he's pretty busy at the moment. He had the idea of using one of the replacement drills we had in storage from the underwater drilling platform to cut through the bedrock and into the wall of the facility to get to you, bypassing that damned metal door."

Ronon's head popped up, hope highlighting his expression for the first time in hours, but it waned when Rodney shook his head adamantly. Rodney looked tired, really tired. His expression turned into an exaggerated scowl. "That would be really great, Major, if we were underwater, but we aren't. Damn it, Radek should know the Ancient drill was designed solely for the purpose of drilling underwater!"

Instead of backing down, Lorne pressed forward. "Yes, but he said with some adaptations, the drill could be made to work above water, too. I've been watching them work, Doc, and the drilling is going really well. We're making steady progress. In fact, the projected breakthrough time has been moved up a few hours. I've gotta tell you it's going a lot faster than my men could ever dig and much easier on the back."

Now, Rodney's expression transformed from doubting to cautiously hopeful. Ronon smiled and patted him on the back as Lorne continued, "So, we should break through to you in about ten hours unless there is a problem. Is Colonel Sheppard is still unconscious?"

Rodney let out a long breath as he glanced over at Teyla and John. "Yeah, Colonel Rip Van Winkle is still out." Rodney started snapping his fingers and turned back to his keyboard, typing something very quickly on the console of the main computer, then he straightened and said, "Yes!"

"What's that?" Lorne asked.

Rodney rolled his eyes and then made a hurry gesture with one hand. "Gotta go, trying to save lives and such."

"Sorry, sir. I'll contact you in an hour with another update."

"Right. McKay out."

Teyla leaned forward and called, "What is it, Rodney?"

"I just figured out how to access one of the files named Facility Defenses in this scrambled database and it actually opened for me! It still needs to be cleaned up, but it's a start."

"Very good, Rodney. Keep at it."

When she sat back, she saw John's eyes were open, but he was staring off into the distance, as if not really focused on anything. She smiled and bent down to catch his gaze, then said, "John, it is good to see you awake."

He blinked a couple of times and swallowed, his eyelids barely open.

"Hey, Teyla," he said, his voice had a dreamy quality to it.

She shifted, then she bit the inside of her cheek as her thigh reminded her the laser injury was still there. Moving more carefully, she placed a hand on John's arm, then her relief faded a little as she took in John's dazed appearance. She squeezed his arm a little and asked, "How are you?"

There was a long pause with no reaction from John, but finally he responded. "Feeling pretty wasted, if you want to know the truth. What happened?"

Her breath caught as she realized John was just at the edge of consciousness, not really awake, but not really asleep either. She smiled and rubbed the strangely warm material covering John's forearm. It was dry now.

"Do not worry about it now, just rest. I shall be here when you awaken."

"Saw you with Ashina. Sorry, I - I couldn't protect her like I promised... it's my fault... "

Teyla thought she could see tears forming in John's eyes. The rare sight made Teyla's breath catch and she took John's hand in hers, squeezing tightly.

"It was not your fault, John," she said, then straightened her shoulders as she recalled her own guilt. "Just as it was not mine. It simply happened. But she will be fine once we get her to the infirmary."

John let out a slow breath, then stopped as if the motion pained him. In his half asleep state, he didn't try to hide the discomfort and that innocent honesty he displayed touched Teyla's heart more than a loud, prolonged groan would have ever done.

He mumbled, "No, I should – I should have done more... "

"You should sleep," she said firmly and she brought her hand to his forehead, brushing back his hair.

He grimaced as he shifted. One hand flopped up toward his ribs while the other rested over his hip. "Hurts," he said softly.

She nodded, still carding her fingers through his hair. "I know. It does not help that you are exhausted. We've been worried about you since you were... attacked by the suit. You seemed to be struggling."

John nodded, now fighting to keep his eyes open. "Wouldn't let me free. I tried, but it wouldn't let me go."

"Is that what is causing you pain?"

Again, he nodded. His eyelids drifted shut for a moment and she knew she should just

let him sleep but curiosity compelled her to ask, "Why won't it let you go?"

He shook his head so slightly it was barely a movement, then he moaned, curling around his painful areas. She squeezed his hand again. "I am here, John, I am here. What can I do?"

He mumbled something and she leaned forward to hear him better. "I am sorry, John, I could not hear you."

"Don't give up," he murmured. "Can't give up."

He looked so fragile at that moment. She started brushing her fingers against his hair again. "Just rest, John. You are weary and need the sleep."

He let out a long breath. "Maybe... for just a sec."

Then his eyes drifted shut and stayed closed.

Teyla's lower lip trembled a little and she brought a hand to her mouth as she closed her eyes. Her emotions were so close to the surface, she thought she was going to break into tears. She took a slow deep breath and drew Ashina closer. She pressed her face against the little girl's chest and took comfort in the slow steady beat of her heart.

When Teyla pulled away, she felt stronger, but no less conflicted. She laid Ashina down, then forced herself up to her feet, ignoring the pain the movement caused. Rodney was right – if they were to escape this nightmare of a place, they all had to work together. She'd spent enough of her time sitting around. It was time to get moving.

oOoOoOoOo