Thanks again for the reviews, and to all of you still following the story.
THE TIES THAT BIND
CHAPTER 13
At the resounding crash, Rodney came to his senses. It had come too late to save the 'Best Uncle' mug now broken in tiny pieces strewn across the floor, but at least the burst of anger seemed to have given him some release.
Though it didn't last long and now he felt drained, mentally exhausted, and ashamed of his behavior. He'd lost it big time, and now not only had he broken Madison's birthday gift, but he would also have to clean up the mess. Shards of porcelain were still sliding down the coffee stained wall as he went over to the cabinet, grabbed some paper towels, and got down on his knees. Rodney felt like a failure. Somewhere in the back of his mind there was a nagging feeling this Trojan was a clue to John's disappearance, but weeks later he still had no proof, as each time he'd got close, there had been yet another freaking encryption to decode.
"Are you alright there, lad?"
Rodney cringed at the sound of Carson's voice, and the feeling of guilt got heavier, as there was another person he'd let down. "I'm fine -"
"Aye, it looks like it," he turned to see his friend leaning against the door with his arms folded, looking concerned. "How about I give you a hand?"
"No. You're just out of hospital, and I don't want that lady doctor of yours giving me a hard time." Rodney said, trying to lighten the mood. "Besides, it's my fault, so I'll clean it up - but you can keep me company if you like."
He heard the chair getting pulled out, and the soft thump as his friend sat down. Rodney felt like a heel for not visiting Carson in the hospital, so swallowing hard, he got ready to apologise. "Look, Carson, I'm sorry for not coming to see you. It…it was just that I didn't want to leave the lab, as I really thought I was close to breaking the Trojan."
Carson eased himself off the seat and came over to stand beside him. "It's okay, Rodney. Yes…I'll admit I would have enjoyed a visit, but Ronon and Dave were there. Teyla came too and, of course Mr Woolsey…"
Rodney groaned with guilt. "Enough already, Carson – I get it!" He stood up, but was surprised to find Carson smiling. "You -" then Rodney shook his head slowly. "I fall for your wry Scottish wit every time, don't I?" He said, now sharing the joke. "Well for what it's worth I still feel bad about not coming over. How are you feeling now anyway?"
Carson motioned to Rodney to hand him some paper towels, then he went over to the coffee splattered work bench. "Better thanks. I still get the odd headache, and I have to make sure I don't get up too fast, but I'm trying to talk Jennifer into letting me back to work in a couple of days."
"Good luck with that," Rodney muttered. He loved Jennifer, but knew beneath the happy smiley exterior, was a strict doctor who was fiercely protective of her patients. Then he remembered how Carson got hurt. "Any more word about the break-in?"
"No. The police haven't found any clues, but Ralph, Stella's husband, thinks it could be connected to John's disappearance." Carson said, his voice laced with frustration.
"How does he work that out?" Rodney asked puzzled. "I thought it was a robbery."
"When it first happened, they visited every pawn shop, and interviewed every fence on the island, but didn't get a hit on any of the missing items. But before I left, Stella told me they'd just been contacted by a tourist who'd discovered everything lying at the foot of a ravine, along with John's laptop. However his case is still missing." Carson caught his gaze.
"Well that's just great, isn't it? No leads, but yet another freaking mystery to unravel!" He muttered angrily. "By the way, as to the information your friend gave us, Woolsey told us this morning that there had been a Colonel John Sheppard serving in the forces in 1975. I can see how she got it wrong though. This guy shared a similar colouring and build to John, and at forty-nine, he had also been a similar age then, but instead of a fly boy, this John Sheppard was a marine."
Carson scratched his head and made a face."That's not like Stella to get it her facts wrong - had this man undergone a tracheotomy?"
Rodney shrugged. "Don't know, apparently he died later that same year, and his medical records were partially destroyed when the archives were flooded about ten years ago."
"What about his family or friends, couldn't someone ask them?" Carson persisted, and Rodney could understand his frustration.
"Woolsey has already checked, but unfortunately anyone who knew him is dead - so it's back to square one." Rodney fired the sopping towels he was holding into the bin, but the small act of aggression didn't make him feel any better.
There was silence for a moment as Rodney's depressing announcement set in. "How's Dave?" Rodney asked quietly, as he got back down on his knees and resumed cleaning up.
"Not great. The poor lad is a complete wreck and feels responsible for what happened to John and me - which is nonsense of course." Carson informed him, looking worried. "He's certainly not fit for work, and I didn't want to leave him on his own, so I got permission to let him stay here for a wee while." Carson answered, then a moment later called over to him from the bench. He sounded puzzled. "I know you're stressed, son, but have you been vandalising your bench? There's some sort of equation written here that I can't get off. I think it's been scratched on."
Rodney grunted as he struggled to his feet and sauntered over. He scrubbed a hand though his hair as he read it - 5. Que. 2."It wasn't me…I just throw defenseless pottery against the walls," Rodney mocked himself before peering at it more closely. "Come to think of it, I don't remember seeing it before, but I'm guessing it must have been there since we arrived as the damage looks old."
"Do you know what it means?" Carson asked.
"It doesn't look like any formula I've ever seen on the database," Rodney said, "besides, the Ancients were a bunch of neat freaks, and I've never seen or heard of any vandalism found on the base." Rodney paused for a moment then his eyes went wide, and he snapped his fingers. "Wait a minute, I think this is a chess move, in fact I'm pretty sure it's the last move John made on our game before he left." Rodney's face broke into a smile. "It's him, Carson. John's been back – I just know it!" Then he asked. "I know any fingerprints will be long gone, but what about DNA? Could you take a swab or something? There might still be some trace lying in the grooves."
Carson expression grew skeptical. "Are you sure about this, lad? I know you've been working hard – too hard, and we're all worried about the Colonel…"
"Of course it was him!" Rodney interrupted, flinging his arms wide. "This is just the sort of clue Sheppard would leave. It's quirky, clever, and I'm guessing if he hadn't had much time to leave a message, then he decided to leave something only a genius like me would find."
Carson tilted his head, and gave Rodney a look. It was the same indulgent expression that his grandmother used to give him, when she'd thought he'd gotten over excited, and tried to humour him to keep him calm.
"I'll give it a go, Rodney," Carson agreed finally, "but you do realise after all this time it's a bit of a long shot, as we still don't know how long DNA remains viable."
Rodney nodded. "I know that Carson, but I'd still like you to try." Rodney asked and saw Carson nod. He then muttered. "It does makes you wonder though, if Forant did bring John back here - then why?"
ooooOoooo
When John next saw Forant, the Ancient was standing waiting with his arms crossed looking pissed. His face was taut with anger, but the old man said nothing until they were back within the safety of the jumper. "What kept you, John - I really hope you didn't do anything foolish."
He wasn't the only one annoyed, so John pushed the container with the vials against Forant with such force, the older man staggered. "So you want to know what took me so long, do you? He did!" John pointed at Janus, and activating his bracelet, stormed into the sports room. Forant though, quickly followed.
"I see -"
"No…I don't think you do." John interrupted, then pressed the issue. "Why the hell didn't you tell me he was a clone, and for that matter how did you think I'd react when I bumped into Carson Beckett?"
Forant gave a ghost of a smile. "Well actually that was Tomand…"
John rolled his eyes, then drew him a pointed look. "I'm not stupid, Forant, of course I knew it wasn't Carson. Now answer my question – why didn't you tell me I could bump into the real Janus? You sent me out there with my freaking pants hanging down."
"Such a crude expression, John, but I do get your meaning and I apologise for the omission." Forant went over to the drinks cabinet in the corner of the room, poured himself a large single malt, then offered John one. He refused. "Perhaps I should have told you about Janus earlier, but if I'm honest I never thought for one minute you'd be there long enough to meet the real one – my oversight." Forant then swallowed the drink in a gulp, and followed it with another large dram. "By the way, for the record Janus isn't a clone, at least not in the conventional sense."
"So if he isn't a clone, then what the fuck is he?" John asked, wishing now that he'd taken that drink.
Forant swirled the amber liquid about for a moment before replying. "He's a little bit of this, and a little bit of that - a truly unique creation." Forant smiled, it was a tight smile that didn't reach his eyes. "As you probably know by now, this gate ship originally belonged to the man you met, so it wasn't difficult to get a sample of his DNA. However, I wanted to create something special, a being that wouldn't succumb to the frailty of the human condition, so I made a few adjustments." Forant turned to face him, and for a second John saw the deep hurt visable in the lined features."I was lonely, John. You had refused my offer, and I couldn't face living through another eternity on my own."
John's anger melted away, and for a while he actually felt sorry for the guy, until he remembered what Forant had done to him and the implications of his latest experiment. "Look…I get that. And I suppose for someone with your smarts it's easy enough to make your own companion. Why though? You've been married before, why not just go down that route again, surely that would have been a better option?"
"Perhaps," Forant shrugged, "but as I said before, people are frail. They grow old and die, and while Janus may not have my life span, he'll be around a lot longer than any person I've ever met."
"Okay, now you have me curious." John responded, while walking over and finally helping himself to a drink. "I know you took me because you wanted my help, but only a small part of me is Ancient, so I'm like every other frail human - I won't be around for ever. If you don't want the pain of loss, then why not just ask me for the information you need, then stick with Janus?" He asked then drained the glass. Yet even as John spoke the words, he knew his co-operation would only depend on what Forant wanted from him.
Forant stood back on his heels and his smile grew. "Do you remember that blood you so kindly donated?"
John nodded, and suppressed a shudder, remembering it wasn't just two pints he nearly lost that day.
"Well," Forant continued, "the serum I developed from it not only stabilised the decay caused by the defective stasis chamber, but it also has the additional function of prolonging life. We can hold back time, John, so you and I can work together, side by side, for centuries to come." He concluded and came over to put his arm around John's shoulders. Repulsed by his touch, John flinched, and the older man drew him a cold look.
"I thought that would have made you happy, John? Think of all the good you can achieve if you're not tied to a weak decaying body." Forant persisted, but John couldn't stop the look of horror covering his face, and he felt the Ancient slowly remove his arm, as his expression became guarded.
John glared at him, and slammed the glass down so hard on the credenza, it cracked. "Everlasting life is not my bag, Forant, it's yours. And if you really want to make me happy, take me back to my Atlantis. I don't want to live for ever, but while I'm living, at least there I know I can make a difference."
The atmosphere between the two men was becoming increasing tense, and John knew he'd probably lost all the brownie points he'd made by doing Forant's errand, but he didn't care. He could see by the flush of red, and the tight, strained lips that the older man was furious, but John had no intension of apologising. After all, it was Forant who'd abducted him, so what the hell did he have to be sorry for? Still, he decided it would be in his best interests to try and difuse the atmosphere by changing the subject.
"I know you don't have to tell me," John said, "but if I'm supposed to be part of your plans what's in those vials?"
For a moment he thought Forant was going to ignore him, as the old man had turned his back, and was continuing to drink glass after glass of whisky, saying nothing.
"I'd heard that bringing up children was difficult, but I always thought that was just an exaggeration." Forant muttered as if to himself, then swung round to face him, his eyes hard as ice. "Are you so naïve to believe that one small errand will gain my trust, John?" Forant chuckled. It was a low, humorless sound, "If you did, then you obviously aren't as smart as I thought you were." He moved slowly towards him, finished the last of his drink, then handed the glass to him with a smirk. "Wash that, boy, then go to your room and stay there. I don't want to see your face for the rest of the day."
"Who the hell do you think you're giving orders to?" John growled under his breath, then gasped in agony as a fierce current tore through his wrist. Waves of searing heat tore through his body, setting every nerve ending alight, bringing him to his knees. It seemed to go on forever, but when it eventually stopped, he was shaking and panting for breath as he curled into a ball holding his burning wrist protectively against him.
The pain was excruciating, and he could barely focus, as Forant came to stand over him and stare down with pure malice. "I'm the man who can take your life any time I chose, so treat me with more respect in future. Now get to the surgery and take care of that wrist... I'll not be helping you this time."
John watched as Forant activated his bracelet and the control room once again came into view, but the Ancient paused and peered down at him one more time before he entered. "And, John. You would do well to take this as a salient lesson, as I only have so much patience…"
ooooOoooo
TBC