Away From Atlantis
Disclaimer I don't own John, I don't own Miller's Crossing, and I did pull from the script so some of the words in this chapter are not mine! I do wish I owned Todd though...
Chapter Seventeen song Dead Promises by Rasmus
(Week Twenty-Eight)
John sighed and looked at his hand, today he needed to cover up his feeding slit, today anyone who looked twice would know what it was. Three more days he told himself, that's the day you run for it. Slapping the bandaid on he flexed his hand, his feeding slit was becoming sensitive, the stickiness of the bandaid and the rub of the fabric patch felt funny. He'd get over it, since he planned to never feed he wouldn't find out if it faded when he was fed, so he'd have to wear gloves and that would feel just as strange.
At least he had finished the last of his letters last night, his father, brother, Nancy, Lorne, Carter, Rodney, Ronon, Carson, and Teyla's. Teyla's was the longest, it was rather funny really but he had written to her and told her she had better damn well give up on finding him and she wasn't to let Ronon waste his life looking for him. He really really hoped his friends would listen, he had written a second letter for Sam it was a letter of recommendation for Lorne to take his place, anyone new wouldn't know the names, the faces, and facts like Lorne would.
He really hoped it worked out, he was totally unsure as to how it would work out for him, this whole plan was about getting him away from people to make sure he didn't hurt anyone, beyond that he really didn't know, how long could he pull it off? How long before he was too hungry for reason? Could he starve to death? Not the way he wanted to go but better then the idea of eating people.
Standing he headed off the breakfast, he should do his best to pretend nothing was wrong, acting like something was would only hinder his efforts to protect his friends.
He had finished eating breakfast and was thinking about paperwork that needed doing when the call came, "This is Col. Carter, I need Rodney McKay and Col. Sheppard to report to my office."
Changing his plans he dashed up to her office coming in he was quickly followed by Rodney, "What's going on?"
Carter looked concerned, meaning it was bad news, "Rodney your sister was kidnapped last night."
So that lead to him, Rodney, and Ronon walking through the gate to land on earth, it made him just a bit nervous to learn he had just walked through the gate ending up on his home planet with no one the wiser to the fact he could leave and go around eating people. Knowledge like that squashed any faith he had in military paranoia.
They were greeted by a man in a boring black suit, "Gentlemen, I am agent Barrett. I work for the NID Mr. Woolsey has asked me to help in any way I can. I'm sorry we couldn't meet under better circumstances."
Rodney barely let the man finish before asking, "Have the kidnappers tried to make contact with us yet?"
"No, I'm afraid not."
"Okay, well, I need to get to Vancouver."
"Okay, the Daedalus is in orbit, so it will be a quick trip."
"Have you learned any new information yet?" he was worried for Rodney's sister, her being kidnapped either seemed like a ploy for blackmail on Rodney or was something else. They didn't have a clue to go on for motive yet, no note, and no contact.
"No, not yet. The N.I.D. is liaising with C.S.I.S on the ground. They are expecting us."
That was a name he didn't know, "C what?"
"Canadian Security Intelligence Services. They're kind of like our C.I.A." Rodney said his normal lecturing tone sounding more brisk then usual.
"CSIS. That's the best you guys can do, hun?"
They reached the elevator and Barrett eyed Ronon, "We will be out in the open, so perhaps a change of clothes first."
Ronon noted the look and looked down at himself, "What? What's wrong with what I'm wearing?"
John swallowed a snort, Ronon didn't look out of place in pegasus, or at least not much, but in suburbia...
Half an hour delay for a change of clothes, John had to admit wearing something other then black and wearing a shoulder holster felt weird. Ronon however kept messing with his clothes, tugging at the collar and messing with the pants. Jeans had to feel pretty weird since Ronon normally wore leather. Stepping out of the car that they had climbed in five minutes ago from the cleared place to beam, he looked at Jeannie's house and smiled, it was a nice house, he wished his home had been more like it, but the ranch had been huge and for the most part a display rather then a home.
At least after his mother died.
"I look dumb." Ronon growled.
Looking back he held back a sigh, "It helps you blend in a little."
"I'm going to stand out no matter what you dress me in."
Looking at Ronon's hair and six plus frame, he had to concede, "That's a good point.
Trudging up the walkway in the misting rain he hoped this could end quickly, his bandaid felt suspicious, and the ache in his bones made him all too aware if he lost it lots of people could be hurt. The house matched the outside, homey, toys and drawings everywhere. If he hadn't seen and done so many things he would think it strange Jeannie had been kidnapped here just last night.
Right in the living room just off the entrance hall sat Jeannie's husband and her daughter both looked down, he held back a wince. How would he feel if Nancy had been stolen in front of him right out of their bedroom? He would be a lot worse then down. Murderous probably would have been the right answer.
"Hey look it's your uncle Mer."
The little girl wearing pigtails looked up, a soft pout still on her lips, she went back to playing with her dolls.
"Hey lady." Rodney sounded like he was busy, not the right tone to take with a small nervous child.
"You going to say hi?" Her father prompted her.
The girl looked at Rodney and asked, "Where's mom?"
Kaleb looked pained, and shifted on the couch, Rodney froze and clearly didn't know what to say. Kaleb spoke up, "I told you. She's had to go away for bit, but she's going to come back soon, okay?"
He then looked at Rodney, "Can I..."
"Yeah, please." Rodney lead the way back to the kitchen, unfortunately he still could hear them over the lower murmurs from upstairs and the movement in the room with him. He sat down next Madison offered her one of her other toys, she nodded and let him play with her while he tried to ignore the distressed tones in the kitchen.
"Who did this?" Kaleb sounded close to loosing his temper.
"We're not sure, but we have the best people in the world working on this, and all the resources..."
Kaleb interrupted, "You know, when you came back here last year, she almost didn't go back with you to Atlantis. But I said, 'Go, you have to do it. You'll regret not going.'"
"I know you did." Rodney agreed.
"She knew it was going to be dangerous, but you two are so competitive."
"Listen to me." Rodney said taking charge in a way a few years ago he wouldn't have. "We are going to..."
Kaleb jumped in under too much stress, "This is your fault, Rodney."
"Hey, just second..." It sounded like a token protest at best.
"She got kidnapped because of you."
"Okay, we do not know that for sure."
"We don't? Really, you figure four masked men with guns broke in here to steal her secret apple dumpling recipe? Jealous neighbor, maybe."
"Okay, you're angry. You have every right to be..."
"If something happens to her..."
"Kaleb. We're going to find her."
There was a moment of silence, John figured he didn't have to pretend to be playing with Madison any more, standing he walked over to the CSIS guys, along with the NID guys.
"Just bring her back. Bring her home."
"I will. Now get out of here, you'll do no good here, take Madison and get a hotel. Take her swimming, get something to eat."
Rodney and Kaleb walked out of the kitchen, Rodney seemed determined, Kaleb looked a step further away from snapping. "Come on, Mad."
"Where are we going?" she asked stretching her arms up, asking to picked up.
Kaleb bent down and scooped her, "Just away for a bit."
They left the room heading up stairs and Rodney offered, "I told him to get a hotel. There is no reason for them to stick around."
He nodded to Rodney, and Barrett took that as a Que. "Can you give us the room guys? Thanks."
The other three NID guys with the two CSIS guys walked from the living room/playroom/office to another room.
"So where do you want to start Rodney?"
"Jeannie and I were corresponding via e-mail. She was... I was bouncing some ideas off her."
"What about?" Barrett asked.
"Well before... Sheppard's Wraith..." John glared and Rodney smirked a tiny bit before getting serious again, "Todd showed up. I was trying to perfect my Nanite medical program."
Ronon commented, "The one you used to save Weir?"
"Yeah a better... A more complex version of that, but yeah."
John ignored the pang that thought brought, Elizabeth was at peace, or at least she wasn't going to be hurt by that association.
"Of course, as soon as we found out that Replicators were attacking human worlds through out the galaxy we obviously switched our focus to shutting them down once and for all."
"And you sent Jeannie the program that you were working on?" Barrett confirmed.
"Yeah, I just... I just needed a new set of eyes."
Rodney sounded like he was asking for understanding with that last bit. "The question is, what does that have to do with her being taken?" Rodney nodded and he could see his friend's mind kicking back into gear.
"Yeah. Maybe the TRUST or some other earth based organization wanted info on me or about the program, but regardless, my e-mail and her abduction happened too close together to be a coincidence."
Barrett nodded, "Right, sounds like a great place to start."
Rodney glance at the laptop sitting on the desk, "Has anyone touched her computer yet?"
"No. No I told them you'd wanted to have first look at it first. Nobody's touched it."
Barrett was rather efficient.
"I'm going to need to take it apart." Rodney looked up at them as he sat down, "This is going to take some time. Why don't you head back to the hotel? I'll call you if I find anything."
"It's okay, we'll stay."
"Seriously. This could take ten to twelve hours. Just... There is nothing you can do here. Just go back to the hotel. I'll call you if I find anything."
Rodney didn't want Ronon hanging around bored, things tended to break or food would disappear... Rodney said leave, they could do that. Leaving the house the drizzle had stopped but it was still very damp, breathing deep he couldn't help but think few planets smelled anything thing like this, this however didn't make him think of home, home was Atlantis. A home he didn't have long to stay on. Feeling madly hungry he got Ronon to the hotel and went out for food. Eating more then half of it before he got back he was frustrated, he had eaten as much as his stomach could hold and the urge to eat lingered. He shouldn't be on earth. He was a risk. He passed the time with Ronon watching Tv and snacking. A bit here and there, not anything like the amount he had eaten in the car. Soon it was dark and the clock just kept moving, the phone silent.
Then at nine fifty-eight almost seven and half hours after they'd left Rodney, the phone rang. Jumping up he rushed towards it and picked up. "Hello?"
"So, someone was monitoring my sister's computer. I think I cracked their trojan, and I've got an address. Barrett and I are on our way there now."
"I thought you said it was going to take ten hours?"
"Hey, even I underestimate how smart I am sometimes."
"All right stay at the house I'll come pick you up and we'll all go together."
"It's too late we're almost there."
John found himself gritting his teeth, really Rodney? Going ahead? Not smart. "Give me the address." writing it down he tried to keep it cool, odds were nothing would happen never mind almost every time they split up in questionable territory someone got grabbed or kidnapped.
Dashing out the door Ronon at his back he drove in a controlled manic fashion and pulled up in front of a dark warehouse, his skin crawling he didn't have to get out of the car to know Rodney had been kidnapped too. Barrett was laying on the ground by the car the door nearest swinging in the light breeze.
Ronon waving his issued gun around John trusted him to warn if something happened. Seeing Barrett moving, he knelt down over to Barrett he asked; "You okay? What happened?"
"Two men. Must have followed us." Barrett sat up blood running down his forehead, seeing as kneeling wouldn't rescue McKay or his sister. He and Ronon helped Barrett up. "They took McKay."
Hearing it made him groan, he was using his right hand to help Barrett so as to keep his feeding hand as far away from him as possible. It figured this would happen like this, he had to be so close to the edge, on earth, only for Rodney to get kidnapped.
After Jeannie's kidnap time reached a full twenty four hours and then some and as Rodney's was reaching twelve hours he knew this wasn't going to be easy, Rodney's tracker was dead. Not that he thought that meant he was dead you don't kidnap someone like Rodney just to kill them a half an hour later.
Rodney's missing time reaching twenty four hours he found himself up to his chest in paper work going back years, look for someone who would have both Rodney's name, what he was working on, know about Jeannie and be interested in Nanite tech.
Seeing more being brought in by an Airmen, he realized they probably would have a name if it was so obvious as what they had been looking at. "We're going in circles here."
"I don't even get what we're doing." Ronon said bluntly staring at the papers he had been staring at for half an hour.
"We are trying to match up corporations. See the company that rented the space with the space for the internet router was owned by another company that is owned by another, and is owned by another."
Flipping through his pages, he had to give Barrett credit for a simple but perfectly understandable explanation. "And we are trying to match it to the company that was watching Jeannie's computer to one that would want to take her."
"Probably one owned by the TRUST we just haven't found the connection yet."
"They knew enough to shut down the transmitter."
"Exactly. You know, the fact they even knew that tells us they are pretty intimate with the operations of the Stargate program. Again, the TRUST."
"See what if it wasn't the TRUST? We can probably find someone or something that's not TRUST, that would have access to such information."
"What, you mean another enemy?" Barrett asked.
"Or an ally." Ronon threw out there.
Barrett was nodding "The Chinese. The Russians."
"McKay said he was working a program to shut down the Replicators. Was he working in tandem anyone else here?"
"No. No, not that I know of." Barrett said. "Wait, wait. There was a medical company, that was working on other Nanite programs, but they never had any direct dealings with him."
"And which company was that?"
(Week Twenty-Eight Day Two 5:43 a.m.)
Suited up he and twenty other marines plus Ronon, marched on the faculty they had traced the Medical company to. The name they had come up with was Henry Wallace. Moving in they sent a team in every door, they shot a few guards, most surrendered or were stunned as a number of men were armed with Zats. They switched when they realized most would give up. Not having one he and Ronon just went deeper in, they had gotten clears from the upper floors now it was just the basement. Six men with him and Ronon they started through the basement. Soon they found guards and had to shoot them, leaving them there, they sound found a room. Blasting the lock off, kicking the door in they pounced on the man he recognized as Henry Wallace. Rodney and Jeannie in the room looking heathy and unharmed.
But the moment Rodney realized who had just kicked in the door he relaxed and then tensed again. Wondering what had made him lock up like that he asked, "You guys okay?"
"We need to get Jeannie to the S.G.C Immediately! Is the Daedalus still in orbit?"
"You're welcome, it was a daring rescue."
"Yes, yes, yes, thank you but we're not anywhere out of the woods yet. We need to get to the S.G.C. Now!"
Digging for some markers he passed Rodney and Jeannie one each, then tapping his radio he said, "Daedalus, this is Sheppard, we need a lift."
Beaming up to the ship he then said, "To the S.G.C." Disappearing again they popped up in the room called the beaming room. Or at least that's what the guy he had lunch with said. Back in Colorado it was now 3:50 ish a.m. and Rodney was calling for a medical team, following along behind Rodney he found out Jeannie had been given some dangerously ineffective or overly effective nanites. That was enough information for him, he went to dump the guns that weren't his and lose the vest.
Meeting Rodney half an hour later in his new lab Rodney gave them the run down. "Okay, I have put Jeannie in a medically-induced coma and I've broken her legs."
Ronon reacted to that, "You what?"
"Well we need to slow down the nanites. Look, this could buy us ten hours, at least."
"You broke her legs? You couldn't just make her sick or something?" He asked.
"She needed an immediate and severe trauma. Besides, if we shut them down before she's properly healed, all she has is a few broken bones."
"Instead of some disease she'd have to fight alone." Breaking bones made sense, he just knew if she woke up with them she'd be very very annoyed. But that was Rodney's problem. Now if only his problem was so simple. He had hoped to disappear today but that clearly wasn't happening and even if he went back he'd have to wait for Rodney. He'd be lucky if they finished saving Jeannie today because then he might be able to get away the day after tomorrow.
"Exactly, I'm not sure how long we can keep doing this. I mean, sooner or later, the nanites will abandon the broken bones and go for her brain to fix her epilepsy. So we need to work fast."
"Why can't we just blast her with a Electromagnetic pulse?" Barrett missed the made on earth sticker.
"Because they were designed specifically to be immune to EM field fluctuations."
Nodding he agreed, "Wonderful."
"So we have ten hours," Barrett hung his head tiredly. "To come up with a program to shut these nanites down for good."
"Right."
Then he noticed Rodney looking at him unhappily, it was the sort of look Rodney gave him when about to tell him something he wasn't going to like to hear. "So, what's the plan?"
"Well, as embarrassing as I find this to say, I need some help."
Frowning he tried to understand what Rodney meant, Zelenka had been just as stuck as he which is why they sent it to Jeannie in the first... he put it together. Rodney meant Todd. The only one who might be able to help, was a wraith. A Wraith on earth.
Sadly despite his words of protest, it happened, Todd came to earth. It took an hour and half to get clearance but it happened, in the end it was his call and he wasn't going to stand between Rodney and saving his sister.
Looking at the open gate he then looked at Rodney, "This is a bad idea."
"Well, it's the only one I got."
Rodney sounded no happier then he had when he said, "Yes I need Todd."
Watching the Marines edge through the gate he tucked his hands in his pockets, to hide his fists. Todd stepped through and the first thing he felt was how hungry Todd was. Letting his nails dig into his hands he tried to control or hide his reaction to feeling Todd's hunger on top of his own. It didn't feel good, the grinding ache in his bones was added to by the sharp hunger Todd didn't try to hide, at least not in his head. Todd tried to walk smoothly and silently in the chains he was forced to wear, but his movements were still jerky.
Todd looked around before looking at him, he could see and feel Todd studying him and he realized if he could feel how hungry Todd was, Todd might be able to feel his own. Doing his best to lock his mind down Todd's hunger pangs dimmed but didn't go away.
Todd looked at him, "Why have you brought me here?"
"Because we, Rodney needs your help."
He let Rodney and the Marines go to the lab, he needed food. Now. And then he needed to quiet of his rooms to rest.
Twelve Hours Later
He was surprised to find Rodney knocking on his door. He'd taken a nap, eaten enough to convince himself he was full. As much as his body said it wasn't enough, and he'd even had a nice hot shower. So Rodney coming to tell him Todd was too weak to finish coding, was a kick in the teeth. He knew Todd was hungry. He was hungry too, but too weak? Not to mention the idea of feeding someone to him... It hurt way way too much. Clenching his fists he tried to keep calm. Todd hadn't eaten in quite a while, Steve had started going mad with hunger in a few weeks, a couple of months. Todd was used to hunger. And he had collapsed. Feeling blood start leaking from the palm of his right hand he thrust that hand in his pocket. "What if he's faking it? Trying for a hot meal?"
Never mind he knew that was lies. He could... fighting the urge to shudder he knew however brave or foolhardy he was, he couldn't bring himself to be fed on twice. Besides would it kill him or truly drive him to madness?
Rodney looked him dead in the eye his body posture slumped, tone quiet. "No, I believe him. He can't finish the coding without feeding."
His gaze drifting to his boots, he tried not compare the ache, the pain slowly sapping his will power to what Todd was feeling. His hand was trying to heal but for all the bleeding had stopped the skin didn't feel like it was closing it was open and stung. He was feeling human, bleeding again, slowing down. Todd... Was starving too. Rodney needed him to save Jeannie.
"I understand exactly what he's doing. But he is far more versed at implementing it then I. Maybe if I had a couple of weeks, but he's the only one who can do it in a day."
"I don't know what to tell you Rodney. But the N.I.D is not going to provide us with a human for him to feed on." If they were that nice Weir, Carson and he never would have hid his own little problem.
"I know." Rodney looked like he was trying to marshall his courage. "That's why it needs to be me."
That got him angry, Rodney was not asking him to stand back and watch him die was he? Because that would just be cruel, beside Rodney didn't handle pain well, and that was pain beyond anything he could compare it to... Except maybe the hunger that drove the wraith. That too was pain beyond measure. "No."
Rodney blinked, "Yes. John. There is no one else."
"No."
"He needs to finish to coding to save Jeannie."
"And I understand that but he is not feeding off you." He knew his voice had risen close to a shout with that last word, but Rodney didn't look cowed.
"Then who? We can't ask for someone to volunteer, and the time it would take to find someone dying anyway could kill Jeannie. Sharon died half an hour ago." Rodney sounded distressed over that one.
"What? How?"
"The nanites glitched in the middle of fixing her arteries it was a manufacturing fault, she bled out internally, there was nothing anyone could do. I can't lose my sister, John. How will I explain it to her husband, to her kid?"
"You let him start feeding and he'll kill you."
Rodney looked at him, "That is my choice to make."
Okay he was back to being righteously angry, Rodney was not going to die because something fed off of him. He was going to die as an old man, or blow himself up in his lab. He wasn't going to be fed off of. Being there and seeing it would be as bad as if he did it himself. "No, it's not. You are an invaluable member of my team and you report directly to me."
"Really, you want to talk chain of command right now?"
"You are not doing this."
"She is here because of me! I can't fix the problem but I can help the guy who can."
That was something at the start of all of this, years ago, Rodney never would have had the courage to say, that was an idea he wouldn't have even understood at the time.
"Look, it was not an easy decision to come to."
Feeling blood drip from his hand again, his heart pounding in his ears right along with Rodney's he blurted, "I can't."
"Please."
Gritting his teeth, he did it, he stepped between Rodney and his sister. "No. I'm sorry."
Rodney blinked at him seeming confused, then hurt. He didn't stay and wait for Rodney to find his tongue, he had a crazy idea. Walking to the elevators he went down four floors and then was allowed to enter the room, no where near as nice as his. Sitting at the table he looked at the man that had started this whole mess. "I'm sorry, Sharon died almost an hour ago. We don't understand what happened yet, we're still going over the data. I'm sorry."
The man looked at him, tears in his eyes, his chest heaving a little John could hear the uneven rhythm. A tear escaped and rolled down his cheek. Hearing him swallow, he was glad he knew what sort of man he was sitting across from.
"And Jeannie?"
"She's not going to make."
The man took deep heaving breaths trying to calm himself, but a few more tears escaped.
"We brought in a specialist from the Pegasus Galaxy, part of an enemy race called the Wraith. Somehow, McKay convinced him to create a program to shut down the nanites in Jeannie's body." He paused and the man prompted him quickly.
"And?"
"He was close, real close, but he hadn't fed in a few weeks and collapsed. He's too weak to finish the coding modifications."
"I don't understand if it means saving her life why don't you just feed him?"
He took a deep breath, and blanked his mind. "Well, he feeds on... Humans."
The man stared at him, and blinked slowly taking that in. Henry Wallace was not a stupid man.
"Their life force."
Henry nodded his eyes drifting far away. "I see..."
John buried his feelings as deep as he could, he wasn't quite willing to force Wallace but he was going to his best to make Wallace volunteer. "It's a little hard to find volunteers."
Henry looked him in the eye and he could see Henry knew exactly what he meant. Henry just wasn't sure yet. He hadn't pulled away from the table, but he was starting to close up, life in prison or ten minutes left before becoming food. Henry hadn't decided yet.
"So Jeannie will..."
"She's going to die. Just like Sharon."
Henry started shaking his head, tears welling up again. "I'm so sorry. I'm so so sorry."
He nodded, "I know, you never meant for any of this to happen, but it has." Digging in his pocket he pulled out the pictures he had swiped from their files. Dropping them on the table he said, "This is her husband, Kaleb." Dropping the other down he said, "Her little daughter Madison."
Henry picked up the pictures and tears spilled from his eyes. "I didn't mean for this to happen."
"I know, but it did. McKay's blaming himself, he thinks it's all his fault. I know better."
The man inhaled shakily, John felt himself raise the hammer metaphorically, and he struck. "You know better."
Twenty minutes later standing in the lab watching Todd feed he was glad Wallace had let them drug him, he had been so high he never screamed or struggled. But that almost made it worse to watch. Of course feeling Todd's own delight was torture of it's own. He actually felt his knees shake, he ached so badly, his body felt so weak. But at war with those feelings were his feelings of revulsion, his own painful memories of the feedings, the withdrawal after it all. Hell it felt a lot like he was suffering withdrawal right now. The shakes, his thoughts about how to get high, the aching pain. The desperation he was feeling made him seem like a textbook junkie. But it was so twisted.
Watching them pack the body up, he barely noticed Todd glancing at him from the corner of his eyes while he went back to work. Then Rodney entered and then seeing the body bag and Todd standing, seemed stunned. Blinking Rodney turned to look at him, holding his head high he waited for Rodney to ask.
"What? "
"I was showing Wallace the lab, the Wraith got the upper hand for second. At least that's what the report will say."
"You..."
His hands behind his back he was glad no one in the room could see his hands shaking. "You have work to do."
Todd spoke up, "No, he does not. I have completed the reprograming."
"That was quick. Well, get it uploaded."
Rodney still seemed stunned, but he moved quick enough to help. John took that as his cue to go find some dark room where he could shake to pieces with no one the wiser. Twenty minutes later he was feeling closer to being sane again, the bathroom had been a good place, he had ended up getting sick to his surprise. But that might have been his body saying we want that not this. Calm again he arranged for Todd to go back and after filling out the forms this whole thing had created, he followed, Rodney was still at his sister's planning to take a day or two of R&R. As impatient as he was to disappear he wouldn't begrudge him that.