Away from Atlantis

Disclaimer Not mine, I don't own Stargate Atlantis that is MGM's. Not mine! Keep in mind I did use some of the following episode for this chapter so some of the phrasing might be from the episode.

The episode is Submersion.

This story starts up after The Game, and ignores Irresponsible, so Kolya is alive.

Chapter Four Song is Pale by Within Temptation.

Eight weeks after his change

John flew the puddle jumper through the water, ignoring the conversation going on behind him as much as possible. He knew Rodney could be clueless but this was just bad.

He'd already threaten to pull over, when the other scientists were giving Rodney a hard time. He was annoyed, but they were just being silly. Then when Rodney didn't recognize the guy who'd worked there with him for close to eight months. Ouch. Sucked to be Dr. Graydon. Ronon was losing his temper, so John was glad when he finally found the drilling platform.

"Shut up, we're here." There were sighs of relief, and John was glad this part of it was over.

(An Hour Later)

As they explored the station, Teyla seem to get a little antsy.

Finally she said something, "Have we not been down this corridor before?"

Ronon answered. "Every Corridor looks the same."

"Don't worry you guys," he said, "I have an uncanny sense of direction." It was true and it had seemed to get better after his change.

"I think she's right. We have been down this way before."

"Thats impossible we took two lefts then a right." John said, but something seemed a little off, his head felt fuzzy. Not like drunk, or hurt, or even confused, just like something should be there. His friends saying that they were lost, was distracting him. He couldn't focus to figure it out.

"Hey look all I'm saying is..."

Suddenly, Teyla gasped.

"What?" Ronon asked, turning to her.

"I am sensing a Wraith presence nearby."

John reached out, and got nothing, he felt cold, but there was no mind to link to, just fuzzy blackness.

"Are you sure? We're pretty deep under water." he said, he was inclined the listen to her but he still felt nothing.

"I cannot be certain, but I believe it is on the drilling platform."

She said all of this, well looking around her like she was trying to get a better read on it.

He once again reached out, trying but getting fuzzy blackness once again.

He decided to err on the side of caution, and tapped his radio. "This is Sheppard. Everyone drop what your doing. Get back to the control room immediately."

Back in the Control Room

Rodney was lecturing on about how it wasn't possible, "We did a complete life sighs scan. It was the first thing we did when we got on board."

"Look, I promise you there is nobody here but us."

"I know, Rodney, but I am sensing it closer now." Teyla looked awkward and uncomfortable.

Even in her insistence, John still felt nothing, and had told Weir as much with a small shake of his head.

"Well maybe it's the pressure. It's been known to do things to the mind at this depth."

Rodney was reasonable in his doubt.

John stepped in, his feeling that something was wrong, had not gone away. "Just humor me and check," he ordered.

Rodney did, with a sigh. "There. All of these life sighs have been accounted for."

"Humored?" he asked smugly.

"Yes, thank you, Rodney." he said annoyed.

Then Elizabeth put her two bits in. "Wraith don't show up on life sighs detectors if their hibernating."

"I know what I'm am sensing." Teyla said quietly.

"There is no Wraith aboard. I'm telling you!" Rodney cried frustrated.

"Has your sense ever been wrong?" Ronon asked.

"Never." She said positively. "And I cannot shake this feeling."

Ronon was simple in his, "I trust her."

John wanted to say the same thing, but if she was right, why wasn't he sensing it?

"As opposed to irrefutable fact?" Rodney said still frustrated.

"Your machines don't know everything." Ronon said.

John had to agree with him there, Rodney's machines had been wrong before.

"I never said they did."

Teyla interrupted here, before Ronon got too mad. "There is a way for me to be sure."

"If I can reach out with my mind, and establish a link..."

"Whoa. That's a little reckless, don't you think?" If there really was a Wraith out there... Linking minds had been hard and dangerous before. But... She was right they would know for sure.

"If there is no Wraith, then there will be no mind to link with, and no risk. But if there is a Wraith nearby..."

"We need to know." Elizabeth agreed.

John couldn't really argue with that.

They found the crew's rooms, with bunks and everything. Teyla made herself comfortable.

"I'm ready."

"You sure?" John asked, that one time in a Wraith mind had been enough for him to never do that again... for her to volunteer. Ugh.

"The briefest contact will determine whether or not I'm right."

"Thats all we need, don't stay any longer." she nodded, almost a little relived. So he had been right, she wasn't eager to link with a Wraith mind.

Elizabeth spoke, encouraging Teyla, "First sigh of trouble, we'll pull you out."

Okay, not encouraging her.

Teyla took a deep breath, and relaxed.

It occurred to him to ask, "Ronon you have set the..."

"It's already set to stun."

They realized Teyla was glaring at them, and shut up.

John really didn't think this was a good idea.

Teyla relaxed again, her eyes moved beneath her eyelids, she was looking for something. John tried reaching out to Teyla, but that fuzzy blackness still surrounded him.

He wondered now if what she was sensing was him. But if so why now?

Her hands moved to grip her knees, her shoulders tensed. Her breathing was no longer even. Her head turned to the side looking for, or at something.

The whites of her eyes showed beneath her lids...

Then she snapped out of it.

Elizabeth stepped forward, "Teyla?"

Her confusion showed, "I was mistaken."

"I reached out, but no one was there."

"Well, thats good." he said. But his own feeling of wrongness did not go away.

"I'm sorry." She stood up.

"There is no reason to be sorry." He said, he'd rather she be wrong, then be taken by surprise.

"Perhaps Rodney was right, it was the pressure at this depth."

"Well, if you've ever seen The Abyss, you know pressure can make you crazy." He said, trying to figure out why he was still concerned.

Then he realize what he'd said, "Not that I think you crazy... or anything... I was..."

She nodded a little confused, and said "It's all right, John. I am relived."

"So am I." Elizabeth added.

"Well we have a lot of exploring to do." Elizabeth said letting her relief shine through.

"WE?" John asked, he thought she had to stay with Rodney.

"Yes, until Rodney makes his preliminary report, I'm all yours. Put me to work, Colonel."

"All right, lets make up some time, lets split up in teams of two. Ronon, Teyla you two go together. And Elizabeth, your with me, or I'm with you, however you wanna put it."

"Either way is fine, or either way," Elizabeth said, smiling.

"So, John are sure your not feeling anything?" Elizabeth asked after they were out of everyone else's hearing.

"Yeah, it's kind weird. I thought I would feel Teyla when she reached out, but I felt nothing."

They walked in silence for awhile.

"That was really weird." He said, thinking over everything.

"Well, we are on the very bottom of the ocean. You might be right and the pressure is getting to her."

"Hopefully not as bad as the guy in The Abyss." John said still a little distracted.

Thirty Minutes Later

"Still, your really not sensing anything?" Elizabeth asked.

"No. I'm not."

"Why do you ask?" he asked, stopping Elizabeth.

"Well you seem distracted."

"Do I?"

"Yes, John you haven't said much, and you keep looking around like your trying to get your bearings or something."

"Yeah, well... something isn't right."

"Are you sure the pressure isn't getting too you to?"

He stopped and looked at her, "I'm not sure."

Then the lights went out on them.

"Rodney, what's going on?"

"What do you mean, what's going on?"

"The lights just went out on us." he said over his radio.

"What?"

Elizabeth was tapping her foot, he could hear it. It echoed oddly off the walls. He had to repress a shudder, why? The lights were only out. What was bothering him?

"You're right." Rodney said over the radio.

Elizabeth was exasperated, "Yes, we can see that."

"We just lost power to forty precent of the station. Sensors are off-line."

"Zelenka, what are you doing?"

"What? What do you mean, what am I doing?"

"Have you lost power where you are?"

"No."

"Have you?"

"No."

"We have." John said, along with Elizabeth. "I wanna know why."

"You know this station has been idle down here for a few millennia, we're bound to blow a few fuses. Look I'll have power back on in a minute. Just hang tight."

John was still feeling creeped out, but pushing Rodney was not going to help.

"Ronon? Teyla? report your position."

There was no response.

"Ronon? Teyla?"

Just static...

John and Elizabeth stopped and looked at each other, Elizabeth looked concerned.

"Ronon? Teyla?" He waited a moment, "Ronon? Teyla? come in?"

"Rodney, we can't reach Ronon and Teyla. Do you know where they last were?"

"No, negative. Internal sensors are out, but I have determined the location where the power went down."

"It's in the auxiliary control area. Search grid six."

"That's the deck Ronon and Teyla were searching. Look, we'll meet you there." John said concerned, what ever he wasn't feeling, had gotten Ronon and Teyla. He and Elizabeth headed for where Teyla and Ronon had been last check in. Getting close John could hear Rodney moving, but given that he jumped when he saw them, Rodney hadn't heard him or Elizabeth.

"There you are." Rodney said, relived.

They walked the halls looking for any sign of Ronon or Teyla. They'd found nothing, it didn't help that all they had were flashlights, the lights weren't on, so it was pretty dark.

John knew this, but he noticed he was seeing like it was broad day light.

Then they all heard weapon's fire, He recognized a nine mil.

Elizabeth stated the obvious, "Weapon's fire."

So he added. "Yeah, a nine mil."

"This way," before heading towards it.

He grinned at Rodney's muttered, "Sure run towards the gunfire."

All this time, and Rodney still was not confident in their ability to handle it.

They thought they were close to the gunfire. When, he found Ronon on the floor groaning.

"Whoa, slow down Chewie," he could see Ronon was hurt, but the man was trying to sit up anyway.

"Are you all right?" Weir asked.

"No." he groaned again.

"Did you see who attacked you?" Weir asked, helping him sit up slowly.

"Yeah, it was Teyla."

"What? Why?" Rodney asked.

John nodded, his darkest thought was probably right, the Wraith had faked them out, and now was attacking the station through Teyla. But if there really was a Wraith why couldn't he feel it?

"Okay, until we know what's going on I want everyone in one place." Elizabeth ordered.

Twenty Minutes Later

They kept going after Teyla, everyone else was confined to the control deck.

Rodney got a call over the radio from Zelenka.

This is Zelenka. Someone activated the emergency force fields."

"What?" Rodney said.

"The emergency force fields on the station have gone up."

"That doesn't make any sense. What is she doing?" Rodney demanded.

John wondered the same thing. It didn't make any sense if the Wraith was on board, it was just locking it's self in here with them. Maybe there was no Wraith and Teyla had gone nuts. He wasn't sure which was worse, Teyla going nuts, or a Wraith he couldn't sense.

"You and Elizabeth go back to the control room." He said, "Me and Ronon will go find Teyla. And try to get those force fields down, I don't like not being able to go as I please."

"Be carefully." Weir said.

"No kidding." Ronon said.

John had a feeling Ronon wasn't going to forget Teyla taking him down for a long time.

Elizabeth and Rodney set off, back to the control room.

He and Ronon, set off to where the axillary control panel was supposed to be for this level.

Ten Minutes Later

John could hear some noise from around the corner, he signaled Ronon that he heard something, and they slowed down. Both raised their weapons, and turned the corner to see Teyla with a gun aimed at them.

She then lowered it a little. "Colonel?"

"Put the gun down." He said, taking no chances.

She looked at her hand like she didn't realize the gun was there, and dropped it. "What is going on Colonel?"

"I'm not sure." he said, he and Ronon took the gun, and marched Teyla back to crew quarters.

When they questioned her, she didn't really seem to remember any thing, other then when she first reached out for the Wraith mind and after that.

"This is Sheppard. We have Teyla." He said eyeing her well, she sat on the bed, she looked tired. And very upset.

"And?" Elizabeth asked.

"And nothing, she doesn't seem to remember most of the last hour."

"We're in crew quarters."

"Okay, I'll be there."

Ten Minutes Later

Elizabeth walked in, and Teyla stood immediately.

"Elizabeth I'm so sorry." She said.

"Don't worry about it. How are you felling now?"

"Fine, have a bit of a head ache. But to hear of all the damage I caused... and to not remember it."

"Just tell us what you do remember."

John felt his gut clench. Here was what he'd wanted to know, but he'd waited for Elizabeth.

"I was attempting to seek out the Wraith presence with my mind, and then..."

"There is a Wraith?" Elizabeth's face paled.

"The most powerful mind I have ever felt."

Elizabeth looked at John, he looked at the floor. Why. If this is so, Why did he not feel it, he still didn't feel it.

He felt frustrated, why was he useless? It was all he could do not to growl, or something.

"I tried to shut her out..." Teyla continued on, not noticing his reaction to the news.

"Her?"

He had caught the 'her'. If it was a queen... damn it! But this could explain why he didn't feel her, Damn it! He hated queens.

"Yes," Teyla said, "I believe it to be a queen," obviously not aware of his reaction.

Elizabeth was, and was worried about it. She knew queens had liked to single him out before, but now.

Teyla looked up at him, a little concerned.

"I hate queens." He said, still wrestling with his doubts.

"In that brief moment, I sensed great power, the power of centuries, hunger, and then nothing."

"Till you and Ronon aiming your weapons at me."

John winced, yeah, that would suck.

He had felt fear before, but this deep gut feeling of not being able to deal with this Wraith, it hurt, he was letting everyone down. But this queen seemed actively be hiding herself from him, and he wondered why.

It failed to stop him from being afraid. But he'd long known, the best way to get over it was to charge right in.

"So, there is a Wraith aboard the drilling platform." Elizabeth announced this, looking at him. He didn't meet her gaze, he looked at Teyla.

"If that were the case why did she use Teyla to do all the damage?" he asked, mind finally kicking in gear. He met her gaze. "And why didn't the life sighs detector find her?"

"It doesn't matter. If she's here I'll find her." Ronon said, adding to the conversation for the first time.

"We'll find her." He said committing his self, no running away now.

"I would like to help." Teyla said.

John turned back to her, he felt it was a bad idea. It was hypocritical to tell her no, because if she was vulnerable so was he.

He was glad when Elizabeth realized his problem and spoke for him.

"I'm sorry, Teyla, but until we can determine exactly what..."

"Yes, of course I understand."

John could tell she did understand, it didn't make her any less frustrated, but she understood.

Elizabeth

"How are you feeling?" Elizabeth asked as she paced.

"Fine, the headache is even fading. But I have never been most ashamed."

"Oh, you can't blame yourself."

"I should have been more careful."

"A Wraith Queen's mind is extremely powerful, Teyla. You know that better than I do."

"Still, if my actions well under her control lead to someone getting hurt..."

They were both silent for a moment, thinking of Sheppard, and Ronon hunting the queen down.

"Still, Teyla if you hadn't done what you had done, we wouldn't even know of the danger, so I for one I'm glad to know what we're dealing with. Teyla, If anything I should thank you, and I certainly don't blame you."

"I would like to help them find her."

"Teyla..."

"There is no risk."

"I don't know that."

"Unless you still think she is controlling me even now."

"Would I be alone with you if I did?"

Teyla thought on that, and then ducked her head in embarrassment.

"I am sorry. I just don't like letting them go with out me."

Elizabeth smiled a little.

"But you still think I am some how vulnerable to her?" Teyla asked, still frustrated.

"I just think it is better to keep you away from her, yes." Elizabeth paused, "Look, I don't understand how your mind link works. But if it's even a remote possible for her to take over you, you're right I don't want you near her."

"She was only able to take over me because I opened my mind to her, and she took me off guard."

Elizabeth was silent.

"If I open my mind again to her I will be ready."

"Teyla..."

MEANWHILE John

Ronon and he had gone through most of the possible levels they had access to.

"Rodney we really need those forcefields down."

"Come on Sheppard, I told you it would take time."

"And you've had lots of it." John shook his head at Rodney.

He and Ronon went to check again.

Then they saw a shadow, when it disappeared, John pointed Ronon down the other hall way, and he went towards the where, the shadow had been.

He walked a ways, nothing, nothing, nothing, then he turned the conner.

As he went down the hall, he was hailed over the radio. "Colonel Sheppard! Help! If you can hear me, please..." "Help Me!" Then John could hear the man choking.

"Who is this? What's your location?"

He waited and the radio stayed silent.

"McKay. Do you have any men unaccounted for?"

"Two guys I sent back to the jumper."

"I think their in trouble. Can you get the forcefields down yet?"

"We're working on it."

"Colonel Sheppard. Teyla is sure the Queen is aboard the station." Elizabeth told him over the radio.

"Yeah I know," he said. Heading for the forcefield that separated him from the jumper. "Ronon I'm heading for the jumper meet me there." He was running now.

"I'm on my way." Ronon replied.

John stopped his self, when he saw the forcefield was up like he'd thought it would be. Well now he knew why the queen had, had Teyla put them up.

He received another frantic radio call.

"Sheppard! Help me! Please..."

"McKay!"

Listening to this, hurt. This guy was begging for rescue. Not being able to help was killing him.

"I'm working on it!"

"McKay, you need to work fast here."

"Yeah, Yeah, Yeah, almost there."

He paced.

Then his forcefield went down, he raced off.

"John use the jumper censers, it should find them."

John reached the jumper bay, in seconds. If he'd been thinking he, would he have known he had gone as fast as he could, leaving Ronon in the dust from his already further away route. He approached the jumper cautiously, he could see water tracks leading to the jumper.

He walked as quietly as he could, there could be a queen in there. He looked inside, no Wraith, just the back of Graydon's head. "Graydon?"

He reached out and spun him around, and winced. The guy was dead, fed upon.

"I found Graydon. He's dead, Fed upon."

"What about Dickenson?"

"No, there's no sign of him yet."

"I'll see if I can find him using the.." John stopped, the fuzzy blackness was pressing in on him. It was almost a presence, behind him. He knew it even as he turned, bringing the P-90 to bear. The queen caught him, pressing in on his will, his mind. The wall she'd kept up fell, he could feel her now, all those years. The pain... "ugh!" He wanted to scream, but this was fought in silence. It was.. "auh!" The pressure she could bring to bear.

She was crushing him, he tried pushing out, away, she just pushed back.

Despite his best efforts, she made him drop the P-90. He could hear Weir calling over his radio for him, he couldn't speak.

She made him stepped towards her, he fought every step of the way. Finally he was in front of her, she made him fall to his knees, bowing before her. She may have control of his body, but his mind was still there. He continued to fight back.

She snarled. He continued to see flashes, she'd made Dickenson call for him, her feeding off of her crew, as Graydon had told her he was the only one who could fly the ship. Her ship crashing.

"Sheppard, she thought at him, your comrades betrayed you, and you don't seem to mind. What kind of human are you, to have the mind of a Warlord?"

"I have encounter others of the one I controlled, but you...You are something new."

"I see that you have killed many of my sisters, but what have you... AAAhhh! You were offered... no. he repaid you." He could see in her head she knew the Wraith who'd fed off of him. She seemed to think a name but there were no sounds, for it it truly was a thought.

"Sheppard this is McKay, What've you got?"

I've got a wraith queen that's what I've got.

She snarled, what seemed to be a laugh.

He was regaining control slowly he could now curl and uncurl his fists.

"Sheppard can you hear me?" there was pause, Is something wrong?"

"Stop! Sheppard your body is mine! You will fly me to the surface and I will regain my place!" She touched his face seeking a link to overpower him.

With her thinking those thoughts, and with her desperate need for him to fly her away. She made him lose the little ground he had recovered. "I will not let a human over power me!"

He fought back, she would not have him. Then he saw Ronon aiming at her, with their minds linked, she saw as well. She turned just as Ronon fired.

The glass in the jumper's window broke... Allowing all the water in.

Just a little cliffy, see you soon.

Dark shadowed rose