Chapter 56: He's not quite right in the head, if you catch my drift.
"Teyla?" I tried to make a connection of my own but got only static for my efforts ... a deliberate kind of static from someone holding up a block. I smiled in relief – Teyla was all right but in Wraith company and so unavailable to my call.
I waited ... and waited, and then waited some more but I didn't hear back from Teyla and I couldn't make contact with her either. It was unnerving because it began to feel like I was the only person on the Cruiser. Had Michael forgotten I was there? Should I be taking advantage of that somehow? What would John do in my position? That only led me to thoughts that weren't helpful since there was no way John would have stayed on the ship just because Teyla asked him to. If this turned out badly I had a sick feeling that was the turning point - that place I'd made my crucial mistake.
"Don't think like that," I urged myself. "You have no way of knowing what John would do if he were here." God, I so wished he was there ... well, not there as in captured too, but there as in guns blazing, plan of attack in place, no need for me to figure anything out myself.
The temptation to escape as I had before was overwhelming, the only thing stopping me was the possible consequences to Teyla if I got caught. Eventually I lapsed into a restless sleep, curled up on the hard floor with my hand clenched around the handle of my knife.
I was awoken some time later when two 'human' guards approached my cell door and opened it silently, each taking an arm and escorting me from the room.
"You guys don't have to follow Michael's orders you know," I tried. "In fact I'd recommend you don't - he's not quite right in the head, if you catch my drift."
"We follow his cause willingly," one of the guards said blandly. "He will rid the galaxy of the Wraith and make it ours."
"You've bought into the propaganda," I persisted, pulling on my arm as they dragged me down the corridor. "But did you know that making the galaxy yours includes murdering thousands of innocent humans ... humans just like you used to be?"
"If not for Michael they would all be food for the Wraith," the other guard said complacently.
I wasn't going to get through to them so I gave it up as a lost cause. Their reaction wasn't encouraging from the point of view of achieving some kind of mass rescue as Teyla hoped ... if I'd had that intel before I let Teyla talk me into waiting we could have been out of there already. It wasn't about laying low anymore and letting Teyla do her thing on Kanaan ... I no longer believed that strategy was going to work so I needed to come up with a new one.
Deciding there was no point in playing along with the change in prison venture I took the opportunity presented to me when we walked past the spot where I'd stashed one of my 'borrowed' stun rifles. Doing the classic pretend to stumble trick I grabbed the rifle and slammed the butt into one guards stomach, ducking around him and quickly stunning the other one. They both faltered but weren't down so I fired again, and then again until they were both sprawled out on the floor.
Continuing with my 'put them in storage' plan since there was no point in giving away just what I was capable of if I were caught, I was finally free to exit the ship and check out the situation on whatever planet we were on. I'd added to my weaponry too, now sporting a M60 pistol from our very own stores, probably via the weapons cache on New Athos.
The Cruiser was parked at the edge of a city crumbling in ruin from Wraith attacks. I didn't know for sure but it felt abandoned, lifeless. It was certainly depressing ... I couldn't help but watch the shadows apprehensively, jumping at the sounds of small creatures shifting in the dirt.
There were faint footprints just evident on the path in front of me and I followed them cautiously all the way to a group of buildings, where I lost the trail. Having no other choice I started with the first building and began my search for Teyla.
oOo
Creeping around wasn't really my strong suit but I applied myself to the task, doing a lot of duck and peek around corner manoeuvres as I systematically made my way through each level of each building.
It took longer than I wanted and I was long past the point of frustration before I heard distant voices on the walkway above me and the sounds of gunfire from nearby. Sprinting forward I searched for some sign of Teyla.
There! Two hybrids had Teyla corralled between them as they walked her along.
I was about to call out when another figure appeared behind them. He shot four times, killing the first hybrid, and then twice more to take out the second.
From my vantage point I could see and hear everything, see Teyla turn and gasp in shock at the identity of her rescuer.
"Carson!"
"I know. I'm the last person you expected to see." I felt a leap of something inside, happiness maybe along with panicked disbelief as Carson spoke with his much missed accent ringing true. Teyla was obviously panicked too because she stepped back when he approached her.
"It's all right. I'm here to help you," Carson tried to reassure her.
"It's not possible," Teyla protested.
"I'm sorry – I don't have time to explain" Carson insisted. "Colonel Sheppard and the others are waiting back at the lab. We have to go – now."
John was here! Oh God, I so wanted to leave right there and then, find the lab and give up all my burdens for John to take care of. I was turning to do just that when Teyla's words hit me.
"I can't," she cried.
I knew what was coming ... the same protests she'd thrown at me, the reason we were still in this mess. Her belief that her Kanaan still existed somewhere within the hybrid version we were forced to deal with. In a way I couldn't blame her – in the same circumstances I'd never give up on John, no matter how changed he appeared on the outside. Flashes of his brush with the retrovirus appeared in my head as if to urge me to cut Teyla some slack.
"Teyla!" Carson grabbed a hold of her wrist and tried to pull her along with him.
"Kanaan, the father of my son – he is still here," Teyla explained. "I am not leaving without him."
"There's no time," Carson protested. He tried again to tug her away ... I saw the third figure approach, had one brief second to decide if I should call out a warning and then it was too late. Michael was there in front of them.
Creeping silently under them I made my way around and to the same stairs Michael must have used. Taking each one with deliberate slowness I could just make out what they were saying, even though I'd lost sight of them.
"Quite correct," Michael agreed with Carson. "You should have run when you had the chance, but you let your feelings get in the way."
"Stay back. I'm warning you," Carson's voice shook as he faced Michael bravely.
"Shoot him, Carson," Teyla's voice was full of savageness as she urged him to take action. "Shoot him now!"
"He doesn't want to shoot me," Michael shared casually. "Or, to be more precise, he'd like nothing more but – like all of my creations – he is open to my influence."
I was at their level now, able to see Carson snarl as his hands shook, as he tried to make the shot but couldn't.
"Carson," Teyla pleaded.
"I'm sorry, Teyla," Carson said in anguish, all of his focus on her and Michael such that he didn't see me approach.
"He might not want to shoot you but you won't get the same consideration from me," I pressed the muzzle of my pistol to Michael's temple and cocked the trigger. My voice had been quiet but my words stopped everything dead.
"Ah, Mrs Sheppard," Michael acknowledged conversationally. "You were supposed to have been transferred to our holding cell here but I see you've managed to elude my guards."
"I'm like that sometimes," I looked across at Carson in confusion. "How can you be here? You died on Atlantis two years ago."
"I cloned him myself, after your failed attempt to destroy me along with the other human Wraith," Michael boasted, answering before Carson could. "His work has been invaluable in advancing my plans for the galaxy."
"Clone or not, it's good to see you," I told Carson softly, ignoring Michael's words.
"This is all very touching but I'm a little pressed for time," Michael directed the full force of his attention on Carson. "Shoot her," he ordered grimly, looking from Carson to me and then back again.
"I've got a gun to your head," I reminded him, not really thinking Carson would actually hurt me. "I can still get a shot off, one your Wraith healing abilities won't be able to fix."
I should have realised that he wouldn't just cave to my demands, that he'd attempt something, but I didn't - off balanced by Carson's presence and my fear for Teyla ... by the fact that I was so close to seeing John again.
"I do not believe you would risk the life of your friend," Michael countered, reaching forward suddenly and grabbing Teyla close to his chest. We were like some sick conga line, with Michael sandwiched between us as Carson looked on helplessly. Putting his hand around Teyla's throat Michael squeezed hard enough to have her gasping for breath. "If you shoot me now my dead hand will contract around her neck and strangle the life from her before you can save her.
"Sabina," Teyla forced out pleadingly.
"Shoot her," Michael ordered Carson again.
I lowered my weapon reluctantly, knowing I couldn't shoot Michael with even a small risk to Teyla and the baby. "Don't listen to him Carson," I urged.
"You cannot resist the force of my mind," Michael had everything focussed on Carson. "Kill her ... NOW!"
Carson's hands shook violently as he raised the gun towards me against his will.
"I'm sorry lass," the tears gleamed in his eyes, his hand shaking as his finger slowly squeezed the trigger.
The gunshot echoed loudly in the open space. I flinched hard at the impact in my right shoulder, had a hand pressed to the wound even as I fell to the ground.
"You let me down Doctor," Michael glanced down at me with a frown. "But wounded will do for now."
"You're a sick .... bastard," I ground out painfully, lifting myself up onto my good elbow.
"Perhaps," Michael raised an eyebrow in mild interest at the insult. "But you are still alive to be of use to me again in the future." Reaching down he pulled me to my feet, ignoring my wound and the pained yell I couldn't hold in. Then he was grabbing my gun and pointing it at my heart purposefully. "I won't miss."
Turning back to Carson he shook his head in pretended concern. "You don't look well, Doctor. You should have stayed with me. I'd give you an injection, but I don't have any with me. Anyway, you've served your purpose."
Redirecting his aim of my pistol to point at Carson instead, he squeezed the trigger, getting an empty click instead of the kill shot he'd been after. Throwing it away in disgust he pulled out a stun pistol instead and shot Carson without hesitation.
Teyla and I watched helplessly as Carson gave a pained groan and then crumpled to the ground unconscious.
"Time to go," Michael urged us both forward impatiently. Kanaan intercepted us at the end of the corridor. "Take her," he pushed me forward, dragging Teyla and expecting Kanaan to follow along. "We must get to the ship."
Things got a little fuzzy there for a while, what with the whole gunshot wound and loosing blood and such. I must have been close to the edge because I spent an inordinate amount of time as Michael hurried us along trying to recall if I'd ever been shot before, giggling because for some reason doing a mental inventory of my past injuries struck me as particularly funny.
"Shut her up," Michael ordered when we were again in his Cruiser and about to take off.
I felt the prick of the syringe in counterpoint to the motion of the Cruiser leaving the surface and then it was lights out Sabina.
Author's Note:
Next Up? The Other Side of the Story Chapter 13