Away From Atlantis
Disclaimer/Author note, from here on out it should mostly be me I might reference a episode or something but more of my own characters will be popping up, of course John will still have a run in with Larrin and some other of my favorite episodes but from here on out it's my own timeline. So my idea of a timeline but not my characters... for the most part, and yes that means for all I wish otherwise John is not mine.
Chapter Eighteen song Animal I Have Become by Three Days Grace
(Week Twenty-Nine)
John sighed to himself, today was the day, today he would disappear, never come back. His friends would be safe, ignorant and safe. That is if everything goes according to plan. But everything does happened to him, so counting on his plan working might be a bit much. But even if he had to fight everyone in Atlantis he was leaving today, he had wanted to be gone before today, but that hadn't worked out. Watching his hands shake lacing his boots up he held in a sigh.
No he didn't dare stay any longer, his symptoms were getting worse, the shakes, the weakness, the hunger was growing. He was just damn lucky no one had noticed - Well his team knew something was wrong but they thought that it had to do with last week, not something that had been going on for a long time. He was glad that was all they suspected, if they had half a clue what he was planning today they would have locked him in a holding cell so fast his head would spin.
Walking out from showers, he headed to gear up, Teyla and Ronon were almost done Rodney walked in just behind him, walking to his locker he was glad he had switched out his gear the night before, his pack was all stuff he planned to run with. The others all had food and shelter because this was a mission for Rodney to check out what S.G.A 6 found, it was ancient tech but no one knew what. His pack had Athosian clothes he had been given as a gift; things he could trade, knives, he was wearing most of his little ones secreted like Ronon showed him, his boot knife, his knife that was stander equipment, he planned on dumping the guns, they were too recognizable. He had a bit of food not much just a few bars, a couple of M. , and the last of the candy he had picked up on earth. He'd be down and would need a pick-me-up and alcohol was out of the question.
He wondered if Ford had thought as much about his friends when he left. John knew there were a few differences between the two of them, he for the most part was probably thinking clearly, except that he'd had the lapse in judgement that led to this state of affairs. But he was leaving for everyone's good, not just because of his own delusions. Sighing he finished the check of his gear and found everyone else was ready and waiting. And looking worried.
"Are you okay John?" Teyla asked, her face a careful mask, trying to hide the concern he could almost taste.
"Peachy."
"It's just I was done before you..." Rodney said trailing off in his own awkward way, his own concern clear.
He shrugged, "Just a bit tired, stayed up late writing reports on a few things." That was almost true, his letters were waiting on the bed for when someone went to check his room. He'd reread them all and they still said what he wanted to say. Not mention repacking the pack.
Rodney shrugged, Teyla nodded, and Ronon just watched him. Pasting a smile on he said, "Come on Rodney has things to do."
Teyla smiled and Rodney perked up, and they marched out to the gate room. Sam was waiting to see them off, she reminded Rodney of the real plan. "Rodney check make sure that Cale's team was right and that it is a Replicator ship and check it for information other wise head back, the Replicators are too big a threat for you to be working on something that can wait."
Rodney nodded, his face settling into more serious lines, and together for the last time John walked with his team through the gate. On the other side it was a forest, with mist, and damp ground. The air was clean and he wondered why no one lived here. Rodney was looking at the scanner and started walking towards the ship. Half an hour later John was wishing he had thought to grab a stunner because then he could take them by surprise and bolt. This trek was grueling to him, the slope was steep and the ground soft and muddy. He knew Teyla and Ronon had noticed his lagging pace, but it was damn freaking hard to set a pace when your knees kept trying to give out on you. It was only will power that kept them from shaking and that didn't help his footing.
Exactly four steps later it happened, his feet slipped and the ground gave way, the pack pulled him over and he tumbled down the hill, through bushes, into rocks, his arms and legs caught a few trees. Each impact felt a fist, at the bottom of the hill he lay there stunned, and aching. This was exactly what he needed to make his day better. Moving because having his legs twisted together hurt and his teammates were shouting and calling his name, he realized half the hillside had come with him, his legs were half buried it just wasn't as deep as the last hillside to fall down on him. Moving, kicking, he finally manged to roll over and wave to them, he still hadn't caught his breath, rocks and trees were just as hard as the last time he tested them. Ronon reached him, and knelt down next to him, sinking half a foot into the mud. "You okay?"
He waved his hand, "Yeah you know. Rocks and trees are hard." Watching Rodney and Teyla come down the hill he found his breath to call up to them, "I'm fine, just give me and minute and we can go on."
To his annoyance they kept coming after a few words to each other just out of his hearing range.
He went to stand only to have Ronon push him down. "Stay, you could have hurt yourself and not know it yet."
Looking in his friends faces, he realized they meant to have the talk about what they thought was wrong. "Ronon I'm fine." Moving his arms and legs one at a time he ignored the sprains and bruises that told him his wraith healing was not up to par. "See." he went to stand up again only to get pushed back down. "Stop that, I'm fine."
Teyla and Rodney reached them, "No John I do not believe so, you hit your head on that tree and fell sixty feet in a small mudslide, we should get you back to Atlantis." Teyla said worry clear in her voice.
They were railroading him. Feeling disbelief at the idea, his friends were thwarting him without even knowing his plans, he went to stand again only two hands held him down this time. "Sheppard stay down, you can not possible be fine after a tumble like that!" Rodney looked upset, Teyla spoke her hand helping Ronon hold him down. "Let us check for injuries before taking you back."
"Guys I'm fine, we don't need to go back." He swallowed his frustration, and sense of panic back down. Panic would only make them worse. It took twenty minutes for them to believe he had no broken bones, but they frog marched him back through the gate claiming they were convinced he had a concussion. He had clamped down on all his feelings, the urge to take them all down was at war with his desire to disappear verse fight his way free, and all of that was fighting with the need that made his left hand flex, and his shakes worse. He was starving. And they were holding him unaware of the danger they were in.
Getting him back through the gate he was escorted to the infirmary, Keller ran tests, checked him, helped him clean the mud off and he watched his backpack disappear. Watching it leave in Slomski's arms was like watching the door close, or watching Ford run into the calling beam. He couldn't believe it, one fall and his plan was in tatters.
Wearing clean clothes, having had a quick shower, his second pair of boots handed to him, he had his knives hidden again he sat and listened to Keller tell his team the truth as far as she knew. He was fine, every test clean or negative. He didn't have a scratch on him, as far as Keller could tell the only thing wrong with him was he needed a bit more sleep, and he'd been covered in mud.
Swinging his feet he listened, making sure to look bored, he wouldn't give the game away by making it clear he could hear them.
Teyla was frowning, "Dr. Keller he tumbled sixty feet, into rocks, trees, and mud traveled with him how is he can be unhurt?"
Keller was taking the question seriously, her pause before answering told him that. "I would have said impossible but he survived and was unharmed when it was half a mountain, just a few weeks ago."
Everyone was mulling that one over. Then Ronon asked abruptly, "Have you looked at the cut on his hand?"
Frozen he could only listen, if she asked to see it he would have to fight all of Atlantis to get away, and without any supplies. Just his knives, his book, and his boots. Keller of course was clueless, it wasn't a cut so she hadn't seen it. "What cut?"
"The cut he got last week cleaning his knives." Teyla offered.
"It's on his hand, surely you noticed it when you were cleaning him?" Rodney asked.
Risking a glance up he saw Keller look a little sheepish. "I looked for blood when I couldn't find any I sent him away to clean himself up, he was covered in mud, just look at my infirmary."
John looked back down at the floor, muddy footprints were clear, he could see it on the two tables he had sat on, one for the full body scan and another when she was checking for blood. He slowly looked about the infirmary, one guard at each door, Keller would come to him from his front he could hit her roll over the bed hit the ground on his feet, he would be on the... Mark, Mark Quinn before he knew what hit him and down the hall was a transporter if he could get to it he would be in the gate room before word was out. Before his name was out.
Plan set he barely heard Keller agree to ask to see his hand, she walked over so he looked up to smile at her, he felt bad that he'd have to hit her, but.. he couldn't stay. "So doc can I go?"
She looked at him almost seeming to sense something was wrong. "Your friends are really worried about you."
He hadn't expected her to make small talk but any second he could put this off... "They're good friends."
"What have you done to make them so worried?"
He shrugged, he was pleading the fifth on that one. Keller stared at him for a moment longer. "So I hear a story about you cut your hand a week ago?"
He shrugged again turned his left hand over to show her the bandaid, she glowered at him, "Why is this the first I hear of it?"
"It's nothing. Just a cut." he held his breath hoping she couldn't force him down this path, but his hope was for not, she reached out and touched the bandaid, "Any cut that takes more then a week to heal is not nothing."
He made his move, catching her jaw with his right fist, she tumbled back, shock written across her face. Ignoring the pang of guilt he tumbled backwards off the bed and charged poor old Mark. Mark was taken off guard and had half stepped forward and a quick body-check meant Mark hit the wall and slid down it. He had failed to take into account Ronon.
Ronon was behind him, running after him, chasing him. He would catch him before he made it to the gate room. Turning the corner he waited three steps and then Ronon rounded the corner. Tackling him he knocked the gun Ronon had out and set to stun, to the ground. Struggling he ignored Ronon's question, he wasn't holding back this time. Ronon grunted at the knee to the gut when his fist knocked Ronon's head into the ground and his friend's actions stopping being coordinated so he struggled for the gun. Wrapping his hands around it, he heard Teyla's voice over the intercom, "Col. Sheppard is not himself, capture him."
Fighting a groan he hissed when Ronon punched him in the chin, falling away he got the gun pointed the right way and fired. His friend limp on the ground he climbed in the transporter just as Teyla and the other Marine rounded the corner.
Right outside the gate room he could hear the efforts to find him being organized. Stepping out he took out the two marines who had their backs to him, then he got one on the other side of the gate platform. The last one ducked down.
"Col. Sheppard Stand down!"
Sam was up there, that was just grand. He had minute maybe two to get out before teams with stunners made it up here to subdue him. He had five maybe six people up the stairs and one last Marine down here to take out. He saw the Marine peek out at him, he fired two more shots and missed. Groaning to himself he listened with half an ear as Sam tried to order him stand down.
"Can't do that Carter." He chuckled to himself as she tried to talk him down, as if that would solve why he was running for it.
"Colonel I'm sure if you put the gun down and come out we can talk this out!" She shouted down to him.
Seeing the Marine's face peek up he took careful aim and fired, seeing the man go down he stepped up and out of hiding, running up the stairs. He couldn't help but answer, "I'm sure we could but that would ruin the point of me doing this."
Two shots, Chuck and Amelia were down. Another shot and a third who's name escaped him slumped to the floor, a fourth escaped down the stairs leaving him with Carter, she had gun aimed at him. He couldn't help but smile, he knew it was a grim expression but he had half a minute at most. "Shoot Carter."
Her expression didn't waver. "Stand down."
He didn't care much if she shot him, so he pulled the trigger and she sunk to the floor. The gun discharged past his leg, but didn't hit anyone. Moving Chuck roughly, he dialed P3M-736. That would send a message. He hoped. Removing the shield he dashed down the stairs, he could hear Teyla and the Marines coming, Ronon would be pissed if he stole his gun. Dropping it he pushed himself for more speed. He had to get through. Ten feet left and he could see people from the corners of his eyes and he could hear them all so clearly, They were shouting at him to stop, Teyla's voice ringing loudest, Lorne and Slomski were there too. His heart pounding, his hunger still a deep burn in his bones he knew he had to get through for all of them. He wouldn't make them watch him starve, he wouldn't let them know the truth.
He stepped through, it shut down Lorne and the others just a step behind him.
Back in the Gate Room
Lorne skidded to a stop, Teyla next to him. He looked at her, she looked a mix between puzzled and angry. Come to think of it he was feeling much the same. What the hell happened to make Col. Sheppard run? Why was he willing to fight everyone to get away? Sighing he lead the way up to the Control Deck, they needed to know where he went and he needed orders from his commander. But just because he wanted to chase him down, didn't mean he could, at least not without more information; that could be a mistake.
It took half an hour but Col. Carter came around and gave him the orders he wanted, bring him home. Dialing P3M-736, he remembered this had been his first Pegasus Mission. Then his second hunting for Lt. Ford. He wondered if the Col hadn't picked that planet to send a message. He wasn't coming back. Because that was what it seemed like.
Searching the planet took most of the night and they concluded the Colonel dialed here, and dialed back out. Pulling addresses he knew odds were Colonel dialed another planet before going where he was going. He knew too much about how one could be followed through the gate not to. So all he was left with was a big pile of questions with no answers.
Day One
John stumbled the rough forest floor a change from the smooth metal floor of the gate room. Exhaustion was setting in but he needed to be a few planets away before he could collapse. He shuffled over to the DHD and dialed a planet the Replicators had destroyed from there he dialed another wrecked planet and then he went to the Hoffans, he could get clothes, possibly food, and things to trade. All he had were his knives, his nine mil, the clothes on his back and his book of addresses.
This was not how he wanted to start out. Besides they would be hunting him down the moment Sam woke to give Lorne orders. And considering that the gun was on the lowest setting... he had half an hour. Probably.
It took half an hour of walking but he reached the nearest secret underground bunker and it took another hour to clear the door. Opening it he entered slowly. Nothing and no one met him. The hall was pitch black. Patting his pockets he remembered he had a pen light. Using that he found the bunker seemed totally intact, lucky for him. Walking deeper he remembered the tour he had gotten three almost four years ago. A few wrong turns and he found food storage. He found there was some food but most had spoiled, taking an arm full of the stuff he thought was safe he went to the dorms he had been shown. Tasks done, away from Atlantis he ate his dinner in silence.