Title: Lost Among The Stars
Summary: When Major Evan Lorne is attacked on a mission off-world, a series of events is put into motion that reveals the very secret John Sheppard had worked so hard to keep hidden. Eventual Sheppard/Lorne. Spoilers for "Coup d'etat" and "Doppleganger".
A/N: Hi all! I'm really excited about this chapter. With Lorne back in the Milky Way galaxy, we finally get to see John and his team in action. And, as always, they get into more trouble than they're worth. More daring situations await during these last few chapters as we finally step off Atlantis and experience the perils of the Pegasus galaxy head on.
I am still in the process of rewriting and editing the first two chapters of this story. When they're finished I'll let you guys know so you can check them out. But enough about that… Action, adventure, and allure awaits! Enjoy!
Characters: Evan Lorne, John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Ronon, Teyla, Elizabeth Weir, Sam Carter, Radek Zelenka, Jennifer Keller, and other minor characters and OCs.
Disclaimer: all rights belong to MGM.
Warning: mentions of non-consensual rape.
~o~o~
Three weeks flew by in the blink of an eye.
The war against the Replicators made the Wraith desperately clamoring to secure a large enough food source to sustain their regenerative properties. Everyone was on high alert due to escalating Wraith attacks on human populations, so the teams on vulnerable planets were called back to the city immediately. As such, John had his hands full coordinating the retreat of several off-world teams.
The Atlantis expedition had been lucky enough to not have a single casualty during the past few weeks, and John wasn't willing to change that fact.
Scampering around the galaxy was exhausting, John decided. He was on his last leg. He had been trying to distract himself from the fact that Lorne was still on Earth. And, honestly, it worked. For a while. Every rescue mission made John wish he had Lorne by his side - the Major was always exceptionally good at last minute rescue strategies.
When all off-world teams that were in danger were safe and secure back on Atlantis, John decided to take a break from harrowing rescue operations and go on a simple resupply mission. Dr. Mackenzie, who was studying a race of primitives with "little or no social inhibitions" - his words, not John's - on a paradise planet, needed supplies. Unfortunately for the science team at the research station, the nearest Stargate was in orbit around the planet. As such, John volunteered to fly a Puddle Jumper of supplies to the expedition.
But, on his return to Atlantis, the Colonel was attacked and captured by a mysterious spaceship with hyperdrive capabilities.
Travelers, they called themselves. Led by a fearless female captain, Larrin, they were a colony of human survivors that built spaceships to hide from the Wraith. And, in doing so, they were able to use advanced technology unlike any of the other human populations in the Pegasus galaxy.
As it turned out, the Travelers needed John's ATA gene to activate an Aurora-class battleship that they had stumbled upon drifting in space.
After being beaten, threatened, and brought aboard, John daringly hijacked the Ancient ship. He immediately jumped into hyperspace, successfully leaving the Travelers' ship behind. But even though he was in control, John was forced to relinquish command when Larrin threatened to deactivate the radiation shields, which were keeping hi and the whole crew alive.
Strategically, John shut down the ship, forcing the Travelers to keep him alive for his gene. While Larrin tried to reestablish control, they locked him in the ship's holding cells.
While briefly in control of the ship, John was able to send out a coded message to the Atlantis expedition, telling them of his location. He only hoped that Rodney was able to decipher it in time. However, his secret transmission was quickly discovered by Larrin, who informed him that the Wraith had picked up his message and were enroute.
The Colonel convinced Larrin that allowing him to use the ship's control Chair was their only chance of survival. However, while John was able to destroy the Wraith cruiser, Larrin's crew was killed in the melee.
To further their misfortune, the duo quickly learned that several Wraith scouts had made it onto the Ancient ship. They were able to kill four Wraith before Larrin was ambushed. The last remaining Wraith fed on her, bringing her to the brink of death. Fortunately for her, John came to the rescue and held the Wraith at gunpoint. The Colonel forced the Wraith to relinquish his hand blaster before demanding that the Wraith return Larrin's life-force.
Restored to her former self, Larrin expressed her gratitude with a passionate kiss.
John was too surprised to properly react. He froze, shocked to be kissing anyone other than Lorne. Completely overwhelmed, John pushed the attractive female captain away, but not before Larrin had stolen his blaster and stunned him.
He woke up to find himself alone.
Larrin informed him that the Travelers still required him, in case his genes were needed to operate the Ancient ship again. John refused, telling her that she was leading her people down the wrong path. They could never outrun the Wraith. They were doomed to a slow death. The Colonel revealed to her that the Wraith were caught in a war with the Replicators, divided on many fronts. He convinced her that it was time to strike back. In a last act of desperation, John offered an alliance between the Travelers and Atlantis, stating that they could tip the balance in the war against the Wraith.
Meanwhile, several Travelers' ships finally came to Larrin's aid. Taking the proposition under consideration, she conferred with some of her colony. They eventually agreed to the alliance. As such, Larrin allowed John to return to his damaged Puddle Jumper. The Colonel was forced to watch as the Travelers left, taking the Aurora-class battleship with them.
And, as soon as the Travelers engaged hyperspace, Abrams arrived with calvary.
"Colonel Sheppard, this is Lieutenant Abrams. Is that you?" a voice crackled over his Jumper's damaged communications system.
"That's affirmative, Lieutenant. It's good to hear from you."
"Likewise, sir," Abrams responded. "Seemed like we came pretty close to losing you there."
"You don't know the half of it."
A short while later, John's Jumper was fixed and given to a secondary team to pilot back to Atlantis. Finally able to sleep, John settled down for the five hour flight back to the closest Stargate. He had been running on adrenaline for the past several hours and nearly passed out when he finally had the chance to sit down.
Once fully rested and back on Atlantis, the Colonel immediately headed to the cafeteria for a late meal. He had not had anything to eat - except for an apple - during the last day. John was pleased to find that steak and potatoes were on the menu.
John moaned as he swallowed a mouthful of his meal. "That's good."
"Really?" Rodney grumbled.
"You spend enough time with a bunch of space nomads, you really learn to appreciate what you have," John replied, taking another bite of steak.
"It is difficult to imagine spending one's entire life on board a ship," Teyla said.
"Hmm," John nodded.
"If it was me, I'd go crazy," Ronon commented in his deep baritone.
"They weren't exactly the most even-keeled people," the Colonel agreed. "I'm still not even sure why they let me go."
Teyla set down her knife and fork. "Well, you did offer them an alliance. That has to be worth something."
"Or they figured out you'd be more trouble than you were worth," the Satedan suggested, taking a huge bite of potatoes.
John perked up and pointed his knife at Ronon. "That is a possibility," he agreed.
Rodney narrowed his eyes. "No, there's something you're not telling us," he stated, crossing his arms. John quickly glanced down at his meal and forcefully began cutting himself another piece of steak. Taking the Colonel's silence as an admission of guilt, Rodney declared, "She was hot, wasn't she?"
John refused to look up. "I don't know what you're talking about."
The scientist rolled his eyes in disgust. "Oh, I knew it! That is so typical."
"She had me beat, Rodney," John explained, exasperated that he needed to be questioned about such a thing. "She threatened to kill me several times. It wasn't like we were hanging out in a spa together."
"Whatever!" Rodney threw up his hands angrily. "All I know is that every time I get taken captive it's the Wraith. Just once I would like to be taken prisoner by the sexy alien!"
"Well, you may still get a chance," John sneered.
"How? What do you mean?" Ronon asked.
John shrugged. "She's still out there."
Rodney fell silent, as if pondering that fact. Teyla rolled her eyes before picking up her utensils to finish her dinner. Ronon simply snorted and shook his head. John went back to his meal, desperate to put the whole thing behind him.
But now that someone pointed it out, John noticed that he did have some fairly good luck when it came kidnappers recently. In his defense, he reasoned it was simply karma coming back around because of all the horrible captors he endured in the past - Commander Kolya in particular. John was simply being given his due. While the attractiveness of the captor didn't usually equate to a nicer kidnapping experience, it didn't hurt.
No, it did actually. It hurt a lot. Because he always had the urge to flirt and seduce with anyone he found attractive. It was his default setting, as Rodney would put it. But, because of Lorne, it never felt right to pursue anyone else anymore. It felt like John was cheating on the Major, even though they technically weren't together.
Little did the Major know just how much power he held over his commanding officer. Lorne had John wrapped around his little finger.
Over the next few days John tried to forget the whole incident with Larrin. It was difficult, however, because Rodney brought it up every time he saw the Colonel. John could only handle so many comments about him being a "sexy-alien magnet" or "Captain Kirk" before he snapped.
He needed another distraction. Luckily one of the primary 'gate teams discovered an Ancient structure built into the side of a mountain on an uninhabited planet. While Sargent Stackhouse reported that the building did not appear to be laboratory, they detected fairly large amounts of residual energy being emitted from the structure. Either way, John's team was assigned to take a closer look.
Rodney, of course, claimed he would be a sufficient, one-man science team for the mission. Sam disagreed and decided to send Radek along with extra equipment. Grace was also assigned to accompany the team to translate any Ancient inscriptions they might stumble upon.
Sam also wanted to send a second experienced team through the Stargate with John, but with Lorne still in the Milky Way galaxy, her options were limited. She eventually settled on the original 'gate team that discovered the Ancient structure. They knew the environment and could prove to be useful guides. Sargent Stackhouse readily agreed to return to the planet with his commanding officer in order to investigate the site further.
And so, the two teams departed the next morning, fully equipped to take on whatever the Pegasus galaxy decided to throw their way.
~o~o~
It was Grace's first time through the Stargate, so no one was too surprised when she got sick after stumbling through the event horizon.
"It happens to everyone," Radek told her, taking the linguist gently by the elbow so she wouldn't collapse. "You will get used to it."
As the last Marine exited the event horizon, it promptly shut down. The Stargate was located in a small field of tall, dead grass. Dense forest surrounded the eclectic group on every side. A large, bald-face mountain loomed above the trees in the distance. The audible hum of mosquitoes cut through the silence.
"What have we got, McKay?" John commanded, hefting his P-90 into the crook of his arm.
"Nothing but us on the LSD," Rodney reported, giving further support to the previous claim that the planet was uninhabited. "But there is definitely an energy signature coming from the mountain. It's not as big as a ZedPM but it's very strong."
"Alright, let's head out!"
John let Sargent Stackhouse and his team take the lead. The Colonel stayed in the middle of the group with the scientists while Ronon and Teyla brought up the rear.
The incline toward the mountain was minimal so the two teams were able to make fairly good time.
To pass the time Grace and Teyla gave each other riddles to solve.
"I have one," Teyla announced. "What do you break before you use it?"
Grace tapped her chin thoughtfully. "An egg?" she asked, uncertain.
"Yes," the Athosian smiled. "Very good."
"Okay," the linguist started, grinning, "Poor people have it; rich people need it; if you eat it, you'll die. What is it?"
Teyla was silent for a few minutes. So long, in fact, that Grace was tempted to reveal the answer. Finally the Athosian replied, "The answer is 'nothing'."
"That's correct," Grace grinned. "For a moment there I didn't think you'd get it."
"Yes, that one was very difficult," Teyla agreed.
"Alright, my turn," Radek spoke up, joining the game. "With pointed fangs I sit and wait; with piercing force I crunch out fate; grabbing victims, proclaiming might; physically joining with a single bite. What am I?"
"A stapler," John answered without hesitation.
"Colonel Sheppard, I didn't know you were playing the game," Grace said, raising her eyebrows in speculation.
"It doesn't matter now," Radek grumbled, "he is correct, so the riddle is spoiled."
"What is a stapler?" Teyla asked, clearly confused by the object in question.
"Its an office supply that you use to bind two or more pieces of paper together," John explained. "You put the papers between its teeth and you push down, sending a small metal staple through the sheets so they stick together." He mimicked the motion with his hands.
"Ah, yes," she responded, "I have seen such a device on Major Lorne's desk."
They continued their words games for some time. Occasionally, John or Radek had to explain an Earth term for Teyla.
After about an hour of sedated hiking they finally reached the base of the mountain.
"How much further, Stackhouse?" John asked the Sergeant.
"Just about another ten minutes, sir," he replied, wiping sweat from his brow.
Ten minutes quickly turned to thirty when the incline sharply increased. Climbing with unfit scientists and extra equipment, the two teams were forced to slowly navigate the large boulders blocking their path. Finally they approached an indentation in a sheer rock wall. The trees began to fade away, only to be replaced with dense shrubbery. Without the hindrance of the forest, the group could finally bare witness to the magnificent structure built into the side of the mountain.
The size of a six-story building, the Ancient structure had a grand face completely covered in intricate designs. Streaks of deep blue bled among the rocks, clear signs of paint and coloring that had long since diminished over time. The cubic decorations twisted up toward several windowed openings high above them. Unfortunately, there was no discernible entrance in the rock face.
At the sight, Rodney whipped out his handheld scanner and pushed his way to the front of the group. "This is incredible," the scientist exclaimed. "It's clearly Ancient design but it bears no resemblance to anything I've ever seen before."
"It is interesting that such a building would be on an uninhabited planet," Radek commented, taking out his own equipment.
"Well, it's not a lab-" Ronon started to say before he was cut off by Rodney.
"How do you know that?"
"There was no attempt made to hide it," the Satedan pointed out. "Besides, just look at it, it's too pretty to be a laboratory."
"Labs can be pretty!"
"Oh yeah," Ronon snorted. "Name one!"
Rodney opened his mouth to reply but John beat him to it. "Ladies, let's not argue." Rodney turned red in embarrassment at the address while Ronon simply raised an eyebrow at John. "I think we should check it out before we make any assumptions," the Colonel stated. "Now, Stackhouse," he turned to face the Sergeant. "Where do you think the main entrance is?"
"We found a path that leads to an opening," Stackhouse said, pointing to a small, narrow path that twisted up toward the Ancient structure. "It seemed like the best point of entry."
"Great! Lead the way."
Taking the orders to heart, Stackhouse guided the group closer to the rock face. After hacking several bushes out of the way, they reached the entrance the Sergeant had mentioned. It was a large stone doorway with intricate wording surrounding the frame. Grace, taking the opportunity to finally be useful, started the translate the inscription.
"It reads, 'Welcome to Ja-rul-hir, house of harmony'," she told the group.
"Harmony?" Rodney asked.
"Well, this word here," Grace pointed to a squiggly marking, "has many translations. It could be 'serenity' or 'tranquility' or even 'bliss', but its most common translation is harmony - the balance of mind and body."
John furrowed his brow. "House of harmony… So it's like a spa or something?" he questioned.
"Quite possibly," Grace hummed, nodding to herself while she continued to translate the rest of the text.
"What? So we found the Ancients' vacation spot?" Rodney squawked.
"It's doubtful," the Czech scientist stated. "These energy readings are too strong for a simple spa to reside here." He showed Rodney the data on his scanner as proof.
"I would speculate that it's more like a monastery than a spa," Grace spoke up, ignoring the squalling behind her. "There's more to the inscription. It speaks of Ascension and a way to discover, and I quote, 'the great truth of the universe'."
"Now that's more like it," Rodney exclaimed. "There is no way I would have come all this way just to snoop around a spa…"
"Definitely something to investigate," John agreed. He moved closer to the writing to get a better look. And as he leaned forward, the door hummed and came to life. The frame illuminated a small panel, that was not initially visible, which popped out of the side of the mountain.
"Super gene to the rescue," Rodney sneered, slightly jealous that his own artificial ATA gene never got that kind of reaction out of Ancient devices.
John shrugged - he was used to Rodney's envy. Clipping the P-90 to the front of his TAC vest, the Colonel held out his palm and waved it over the control panel. With a mechanical whine, the stone shuttered. The doorway hissed open, emitting a foul, stale stench that caused John to gag.
"Woah, that's ripe," the Colonel coughed, hiding his nose in the crook of his arm. Eyes watering, John turned back toward the rest of his team. "So… who's first?"
"Not me," Rodney gulped. The scientist peered around the soldier, looking into the inky abyss that waited for them on the other side of the door. "You first, Sheppard."
John shook his head, smirking. "Age before beauty," he told his balding friend.
Rodney gaped. "You're two years older than me!"
"Since when?"
"Since birth!"
Growling, Ronon un-holstered his blaster. "I'll go first," he declared, pushing past the two squabbling friends. Without hesitation, the Satedan warrior stepped into the awaiting darkness. Even though the group could no longer see him, they could hear his thundering footsteps. After a few moments, Ronon called back, "You coming or what?"
"Yeah, yeah," John grumbled, rolling his eyes. The Colonel clicked on his flashlight and followed after Ronon.
The doorway let out into a large atrium. The walls of the entrance hall seemed to climb forever upward, so much so that John's flashlight beam could not reach the ceiling. Dozens of large pillars circled the room, grimy yet perfectly preserved. Several pieces of furniture lay scattered about the floor. At the far end of the atrium, a couple of long corridors winded deeper into the mountain.
Stackhouse sneezed, disturbing a thick layer of dust on the table in the center of the room.
"Energy levels are spiking," Rodney announced.
"Where's it coming from?" John demanded.
"I don't know! What do I look like, a GPS?" the scientist snarked.
"McKay," the Colonel growled.
Rodney was just about to respond when Stackhouse sneezed again. "Sorry, sir," the Sergeant apologized, when he noticed John's side glance.
Pursing his lips, Rodney said, "It's coming from somewhere deeper in the mountain."
"Can you give me a direction?"
"Umm, north?"
Shaking his head, John sighed. "Zelenka, do you have any clues about what could be giving off the energy signature?" he inquired as he shone his light around the large atrium.
"Not really," the Czech scientist reluctantly admitted.
"Okay, I guess we'll have to search the place," the Colonel declared. "McKay and Ronon, you're with me. Teyla, you can accompany Zelenka and one of the Marines. Stackhouse-" the Sergeant sneezed, "um, you and others can stay here with Dr. Richards so she can translate all this writing. See if you can figure out what this place is. Got it? Great! Stay on headset and we'll regroup in an hour."
Following orders, the group split up. Stackhouse stalked toward the entrance, excusing himself from the mountain's dusty interior, while Grace scurried toward the nearest pillar to begin translating some of the inscriptions. Radek picked up his equipment and moved to follow Teyla down one of the long corridors, heading north. Finally, John tailed behind Ronon and Rodney as they walked down the other northerly hallway.
With Ronon and Rodney in the lead, John was forced to offer his flashlight as the scientist's personal guiding light, ensuring that Rodney didn't trip while he focused on his handheld scanner. After several minutes they stumbled across their first abandoned room.
Guns raised high, Ronon and John entered the room, clearing it before allowing Rodney to cross the threshold. The chamber was empty save for a large console in the middle of the room. Wiping off a thick layer of dust, Rodney activated the console, bringing up what appeared to be a holographic schematic of the mountain complex.
"Cool," John whispered, watching, wide eyed as his friend easily manipulated the map to show their present location.
"Well, according to the sensors, we're the only living things in the building at the moment," Rodney announced. "But this place is far bigger than I first thought. There are several tunnels at lead fairly deep into the mountain."
John nodded, noting the expansive area that the map covered. "Can you see where the others are right now?"
"Yeah, there's a cluster of three moving toward what appears to be an auxiliary power station-"
"That must be Zelenka."
"-and there's another four life signs in the atrium."
"Is there anything useful on the map that could tell you where we might find this 'great truth of the universe' that Dr. Richards mentioned?" John asked as he moved closer to the console.
The scientist snorted. "As if the Ancients would just label something like that in their database," Rodney replied sarcastically.
"Just look, McKay!"
"Okay, okay, no need to get snappy." The scientist proceeded to type several commands into the console before frowning at the hologram results.
"What is it?" Ronon grumbled.
"There's a room at the end of this hallway simply labeled '42'..."
"Yeah, so?" the Satedan shrugged.
John's eyebrows shot up. "Wait, did you say 42? As in the Answer to the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe, and Everything?"
The balding scientist rolled his eyes. "Well, while I highly doubt the Ancients read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, it is an interesting coincidence that it is the only room marked with a number and not a descriptive name."
"We should check it out," Ronon stated. And, completely ignoring his fellow soldier's elation and the scientist's skepticism, he headed for the doorway leading to the hall.
"Just imagine," John grinned, bouncing up and down in excitement, "What if the answer to the universe really is 42? To think that a British author had it right all along! How do you think he knew?"
"Probably a lucky guess," came Rodney's nasally response. "Besides, what use is a number when you don't even know the question it answered?"
"I agree with McKay," Ronon said. "It's not like it would help us in the fight against the Wraith."
"Oh, you guys suck," John pouted, childishly crossing his arms in disappointment.
Just then the lights came flickering on. The long hallway became illuminated, showing a plethora of doors on either wall. The team's earpiece crackled to life.
"Colonel Sheppard?" Radek asked, his voice slightly distorted over the microphone.
"Yeah, I'm here," John replied, tapping his own headset on.
"I was able to restore power," the Czech scientist reported.
"Yeah, I see that."
"We discovered what appears to be a generator, but it is not the source of the large energy readings."
The Colonel nodded. But realizing Radek could not see him, he also said, "Alright. McKay found the building schematics so we're headed to check out some of the rooms. We'll keep you updated."
"Of course, Colonel," Teyla responded in Radek's stead. "If we find anything on our end, you will be the first to know."
"Thanks, Teyla. Sheppard out."
John clicked his earpiece off.
Turning to his friends, the Colonel said, "Is there anything interesting in these other chambers?"
"Not really," Ronon responded, glancing into one of the many rooms that lined the long corridor. "They're mostly empty."
"And I'm not getting any significant energy readings from them," Rodney added.
"Alright, might as well go find the answer to the universe," the Colonel grinned.
And so, ignoring all the chambers on either side of the hallway, the trio began their trek deeper into the mountain.
They walked in silence for several minutes before John grew bored. "So McKay…" he drawled, eyeing his friend next to him, "have you heard back from your secret admirer recently?"
"As a matter of fact, yes," the scientist stated proudly. "We have been exchanging letters over the past few weeks and we actually just met for dinner yesterday."
"Really?" Ronon asked. "I don't remember seeing you in the cafeteria at dinnertime."
"That's because we ate in her room."
"McKay, you dog!" John laughed, playfully punching his friend's arm.
Trying to hide his blushing face, Rodney ducked his head as if he were examining his handheld scanner more closely. "We mostly talked," he admitted.
"Doesn't matter," the Satedan shrugged.
"Yeah," John nodded in agreement. "So, you going to tell us who the lucky lady is?"
"Uhhh, no."
"Oh, come on, McKay," the Colonel begged, clasping his hands under his chin and using his best puppy-dog eyes. "You have to tell us."
"No," Rodney relied, more confident. "We want to see how things go before we announce anything."
Ronon raised a thick eyebrow. "Why? She embarrassed to be seen with you?"
"What? NO!" Rodney gaped, flustered that his teammate would assume such a thing. "If you must know, I requested that we wait. I don't want to rush into things like I did with Katie," he explained, referring to his previous girlfriend, Dr. Katie Brown. She was a botanist on the Atlantis expedition. As kind as she was smart, she gave Rodney a chance at love. He almost ended up proposing to her before he had a serious reality check during an inconvenient Quarantine lockdown.
Seeing the logic behind the scientist's choice, John conceded, "That's probably for the best. But I'm warning you," he stuck his finger underneath Rodney's nose, "I'm going to find out sooner or later."
Just then they reached the end of the corridor. A large door, very similar to the entrance of the mountain, blocked their path. Rodney impatiently waved his hand over the invisible control panel. On his third try, the door finally opened to reveal a circular room.
The light from the hallway spilled into the empty chamber. There was no console, no furniture, no anything. The room had several circles carved into the floor. The circular carvings nested in each other, growing smaller and smaller until they reached the center of the chamber.
Rodney bustled into the room, trailing his hands over the walls of the chamber in search of a hidden console or control panel. Curious, John followed Rodney into the room. However, once the Colonel entered, the ground immediately began to hum. The biggest circle closest to the door suddenly glowed with blue fluorescent energy. He took another step. The second largest circle lit up as well. The blue light seemed to follow the Colonel with each step he took.
"These energy levels are off the chart!" Rodney exclaimed, furiously typing on his handheld computer.
Hypnotized by the illumination, John continued to walk toward the center of the seemingly empty chamber.
Ronon cleared his throat. "I think we should wait for the others." He paused, looking over at the Colonel. "Sheppard?"
"Huh," John blinked, tearing his eyes away from the still glowing ground. "Yeah?"
"We should probably wait until the others arrive before you do whatever it is you're doing," Ronon repeated, wearily looking at the glowing circles.
"Yeah, I guess you're right," he conceded. Just then, John reached the center of the room and the final and smallest circle came to life.
Silence descended.
It was as if sound had never existed. Stunned, John turned to face his friends. He saw Rodney frantically waving his arms at him. Ronon's mouth moved but no noise came out. Staring at them, eyes wide, John's heart silently thudded in his chest. He held his breath.
Boom!
The ground shuttered as a large pulse of blue energy exploded out of the chamber's epicenter. The force of the pulse violently slammed into Rodney and Ronon. The two teammates were flung against the wall with considerable might. John, who was still standing at the center of the explosion, froze. He couldn't move.
Then there was pain.
It felt like his blood was boiling. His nerves were set aflame. It hurt like nothing he had ever experienced before. All of his muscles seized simultaneously, making John convulse.
Another pulse erupted.
Ronon and Rodney were knocked back down.
"Turn it off!" the scientist cried. "Turn it off!"
Frozen in place, John couldn't respond. His heart beat frantically. Sweat broke out on his forehead. His mouth opened to admit a gaping, silent scream. Tears threatened to stream down his face. His body convulsed again.
A third blue pulse thundered outward and shook the chamber.
Blood dripped from John's nose.
"Please, turn it off! John! JOHN!" Rodney screamed.
"Stop it, Sheppard!" Ronon roared, throwing himself toward the Colonel.
Two bodies collided. The force ripped John away from the center circle. The blue light immediately faded. John's muscles relaxed and he became limp. Ronon picked his friend up and, careful as to not let his feet touch the ground, carried John back to the room's entrance.
The Satedan warrior gently propped the Colonel's body against the corridor's wall. "Close the door," he ordered Rodney. The scientist rushed to comply. Turning back to John, Ronon was relieved to find him conscious.
John body shook with each breath. His arms and legs felt like jelly. He groaned when he shifted his position slightly. "W-what," he took a deep breath, "the fuck," another breath, "was t-that?"
"I was hoping you could tell us," Rodney said, kneeling down in front of the Colonel. "What did you do?" he demanded.
"N-nothing," John told the scientist, still gasping for air. "Stuff j-just started to glow. Y-you know I can't c-control it sometimes."
"We'll figure it out later," Ronon snapped. "We should probably get out of here. The ceiling doesn't look very sound." The Satedan pointed to a large crack that began to form above their heads.
Although the pain was already beginning to recede from his limbs, John allowed Ronon to help him up. And, throwing his arm over his teammate's shoulder for support, he slowly wiped away the blood still flowing from his nose.
Suddenly their earpieces crackled to life. "-ir? Sir? Are y- there?" Static erupted from the device, disrupting the full message. "We- safe… Richards blee-"
"What's going on? Stackhouse?" John hopelessly tapped at his headset.
"We're too deep in the mountain," Rodney said. "We can't get a good signal."
"Let's get back to the atrium," John ordered, concerned by the urgency in the Sergeant voice. Anxious to check on the rest of his team, John released his hold on the Satedan's shoulders, allowing Ronon to walk unhindered. And while his legs still felt weak, he hurried after his two friends down the hallway and away from the mysterious chamber.
In their rush to get back John stumbled once or twice. He was forced to steady himself on the wall. Once stabilized, he would continue on. Rodney looked at him worriedly but John brushed him off with a reassuring smile.
The teammates made it back to the atrium in record time. The entrance to their corridor was partially collapsed, forcing the three of them to carefully climb over the large chunks of stone that had fallen in their path. Once free, they were greeted by a Marine.
Running up to his commanding officer, the soldier asked, "Colonel Sheppard, are you alright? Do you know what that energy pulse was?"
"We're not sure what it was," John admitted. Looking around the open atrium, he noticed that most his team was still absent. "Where is everyone?"
"Dr. Richards is outside with Sergeant Stackhouse. She hit her head during the first pulse but she isn't bleeding too badly," the Marine replied, pointing toward the entrance of the Ancient building. "But we haven't heard back from Teyla or the rest of the team, so we don't know if they were caught in a collapsed tunnel."
"Give them a few minutes before you send out a search party," the Colonel said. Knowing full well how resourceful the Athosian was, John suspected she would contact them as soon as possible. He turned to his other two teammates and said, "Ronon, check to see how stable the rest of the mountain complex is. We don't want to do any more exploring unless it's completely safe. McKay, see if you can boost the radio signals."
Several minutes passed before they were able to raise Teyla on her headset. She reported that they were all unharmed, although a little shaken. "We are almost back to the atrium," she said.
"Good," John nodded as he talked into his headset. "We need to regroup before we do anything else."
Meanwhile, Rodney attempted to examine the energy readings his computer catalogued during the earlier energy surge. "It looks like the chamber was converting your brain waves into solidified energy," he told the Colonel. "But you're body wasn't ready for the energy conversion. The convulsions you experienced were probably due to overstimulation."
"You're saying my brain was so overwhelmed it panicked and caused all those explosions?" John gapped. "Shit, McKay, that's dangerous!"
"I know! We're lucky you didn't take down the whole mountain."
"Why the fuck would someone build something like that?"
Rodney scowled. Reading over the data on his laptop, he stated, "Well, the chamber's original purpose wasn't to convert brain waves. It says here that it was a meditation room…"
"What, really? Are you sure?"
"Uh, yeah!" the scientist said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "I can only guess that over the past ten thousand years the original systems must have suffered damage. Anyway, the chamber was only meant for someone with a clear mind - which, by the way, you obviously don't have - or else the person would have been subject to mental pain, something that destroys the 'self'," Rodney frowned and mumbled, "I don't really know what means, I'll have to remember to ask Grace."
John's eyebrows rose, shocked that Rodney would admit to needing help with translations. He was also surprised by the scientist's use of the linguist's first name. "Grace, huh?"
Rodney ducked his head. "Well, that's her name, isn't it?"
Convinced that he saw his friend blush, John was tempted to ask more questions but he decided to let it go given their current - and potentially dangerous - situation. "So the machine didn't do what it was supposed to…?"
"Well, that's not entirely true," Rodney interrupted. "The chamber was designed to sent low levels of energy into the person in the room in an attempt to break their concentration. It was like a training room for blocking out distractions. Pretty cool, right? Well, I mean it would be cooler if it actually worked. Instead the chamber reversed the current of energy flow and turned it into an explosive burst. Wow, the Ancients inadvertently created a really powerful weapon while attempting to get closer to Ascension."
John hummed, slightly impressed with the apparent blunder.
The distant sound of stomping feet caused the pair to turn and witness Tryla, Radek, and another Marine exit one of the many corridors lining the atrium. Curiously, it was not the same hall that the group departed in earlier. When asked, the Athosian informed John that they had to circumvent their original corridor when the ceiling collapsed.
"How is everyone else?" Teyla inquired, observing the group before her.
John shrugged. "Just some bumps and bruises, nothing too serious."
"Sir! We have a problem," Stackhouse announced, running up to the group.
"What is it?" the Colonel snapped, noting how the Sergeant was anxiously gripping his P-90.
"We just spotted a Wraith dart. It must have come through the 'gate!"
John paled.
Throwing his hands up into the air, Rodney exclaimed, "Well, this day just keeps getting better and better!"
~o~o~
A/N: Yikes, sorry for the cliffhanger. This chapter was originally longer but I decided to cut it in half so you had something exciting to read next time. As you could probably guess, the Wraith finally make an appearance in the next chapter! So expect epic battles, daring escapes, and (my personal favorite) major whump!
This chapter was a blast to write. I can't to hear what you guys think. So please review and favorite!
(P.S. - keep your eyes out for the revised Chapters 1 & 2!)
