The jumper sailed through the 'gate on P4J-631 two hours later, and John blew out a silent breath as he pulled back on the yoke. It might not be the kind of therapy Beckett or Heightmeyer had in mind, he thought as he stared out the windscreen, but nothing beat a few days in the great outdoors for gaining perspective.
He curved the jumper in a high arc and hovered the ship over the 'gate as he looked out the windscreen at the landscape below.
The 'gate sat in a small clearing surrounded by aspen-looking trees. As John watched, a breeze shook the branches, making the yellowing leaves dance. A thick forest of pine trees marched away from the 'gate in every direction. He didn't see any smoke trails rising from the ground, but a band of low clouds hung over the mountains in the distance. A sea of red and orange nearer to the mountains marked the changing season on the planet.
Teyla stood and leaned over Rodney's chair. "It does not appear as though anyone has been here for some time," Teyla said. "I do not see any paths or trails leading away from the stargate."
"So far, the ship's sensors agree with the MALP data," Rodney reported as he studied the HUD. "No particulates in the air from any sort of manufacturing. The temperature isn't exactly warm, either, by the way. Only about seventeen degrees." He glanced at John and added, "You know it will be colder once the sun sets."
John did the conversion in his head. "Sixty-two is good hiking weather."
Rodney scowled, and John grinned.
"Life signs are scattered. Probably animals," Rodney continued. "No large clusters that could be populated villages or towns."
John nodded as they circled the clearing. "How many of these villages are there?"
"Five," Rodney replied. "But those are only the ones the UAV spotted. There could be more. The town with the Ancient tower was at the limit of its range."
He reached for the pack leaning against his chair, pulled out a laptop computer, and opened it. He tapped a few keys and said, "The villages the UAV found are scattered over dozens of kilometers, but all of them are in that general direction." He pointed at the red and orange patch in the distance.
"All right," John said. "It looks like we've got a few hours before the sun sets." He turned the jumper in the direction of the setting sun. "If we're lucky, we can reach your first site before dark."
John settled the jumper on its new course and was admiring the view out the windscreen several minutes later when the ship shuddered.
Rodney grabbed the armrests and stared at John wide-eyed. "What was that?"
"Not sure," John replied. "With the inertial dampeners, we shouldn't feel something like turbulence." He scanned the console and then the heads-up display on the windscreen. "Nothing's coming up on the HUD."
The ship shook again, and John heard Teyla gasp.
"That's not good," Rodney muttered and stood.
John looked up from his console and watched Rodney enter the rear section and open the control box.
"Well?" John called a few seconds later.
"Give me a minute here," Rodney replied.
John took the yoke in a tighter grip as the ship shuddered a third time and glanced out at the sea of treetops below.
"There's nowhere down there I can land," John reported, glancing into the rear section. "Tell me you know what's going on."
Rodney ran a light stylus over a section of crystals and scowled. "Who was stupid enough to do that?" he muttered. "No wonder the ship is shaking."
Rodney reached into the box, pulled out a series of crystals, and moved them from one section to another. He closed the control box and walked into the cockpit.
"What did you do?" John asked, relaxing as the shaking stopped.
Rodney sat in the co-pilot's chair, studied his console, then glanced at John's side. "Umm, which jumper is this?"
"What?"
"There's a yoke, not the control sticks like the jumpers we found when we first arrived in Atlantis," Rodney replied, still studying his console. "It doesn't look like one of the ones we traded …" He looked up at John. "Is this the ship we stole from those Replicators?"
John glanced up at the HUD and adjusted their course. "I don't know. Maybe. Why?"
Rodney frowned and glanced around the cockpit. "Because I think Oberoth or one of his people made some 'modifications'," he mimed the quote marks, "to the jumper's systems. The ship shook because someone had tried to route the inertial dampeners through the secondary power systems."
"Which is bad?" John asked.
Rodney scowled. "Only if you want the dampeners to work properly." He studied his control board and nodded. "I reset the system. There shouldn't be any more problems."
John nodded as he increased their airspeed. If something else went wrong, he told himself, he wanted to be somewhere he could land if Rodney couldn't fix it on the fly.
Fifteen minutes later, John flew the jumper over what remained of a small village. Several stone buildings stood in the middle of the clearing, with another twenty smaller buildings organised in a half circle behind the larger buildings. While a few of the smaller houses appeared intact, most of the homes and the larger buildings were little more than tumble-down ruins.
"The remaining structures do not look like those built by the Ancestors," Teyla said.
John stared at the tumbled-down buildings and had to agree. "Doesn't look like there's much left to see, either," he added and glanced at Rodney.
Rodney stared out the windscreen and frowned. "No," he said and sat back in his seat. He typed something into the computer, then glanced up at the HUD. "The next village is that way," he said, pointing to their right.
The sun was near the horizon when they found the next village. It was even smaller than the last, little more than a large meeting house and a dozen smaller houses. Unlike the previous village, these buildings were in much better shape. Part of the roof for the central building had fallen in at some point, but most of the smaller buildings were still intact.
Stands of oak and aspen-looking trees crowded close to the houses. A breeze sent a clutter of dried leaves tumbling through the middle of the village.
"It appears these people were wood-cutters," Teyla said. "Other than a small open plot near each house, I do not see any larger fields for crops."
Ronon shook his head. "Trappers."
"Where did that idea come from?" Rodney asked, staring out the windscreen.
Ronon pointed out the windscreen. "The tree next to the meeting house."
John dipped the jumper lower and saw three rusted leg traps hanging from the tree.
Rodney hissed in a breath. "Remind me not to walk anywhere."
"Unfortunately, we'll have to," John said.
"Colonel?" Teyla asked.
"It's getting dark, and there's nowhere to land the jumper," John explained. "The trees are too close to the houses, and there isn't enough room near that central building for the ship."
"We could sleep in the jumper," Rodney suggested.
John shook his head. "Unless you want to sleep in that chair, that won't work." He glanced out the windscreen. "We're not going to find anything else before the sun sets completely. The buildings here look sturdy enough. We can spend the night here instead of pitching a tent in the trees. We just need to find a clearing to land the jumper, and then we can hike back here."
"Lovely," Rodney grumbled.
John pulled back on the control yoke and circled the tiny village in an ever-widening pattern until he saw another clearing. "There," he said, pointing out the windscreen. "That should work."
He landed the jumper, powered down the ship's systems, and lowered the rear hatch. The spicy scent of the nearby pine trees wafted through the ship on the cool breeze, and Rodney groped for his jacket zipper, muttering something under his breath that John didn't catch.
Ronon shook his head before leading the way out of the jumper. "You'll be fine," he said to Rodney.
Rodney scowled and picked up his pack.
John shouldered his pack, followed Rodney out of the jumper, and fished a small remote out of his vest pocket.
"Everyone remember where we parked," he said as the hatch sealed and the air around the jumper shimmered before the ship disappeared.
"There's no one here," Rodney said. "Why cloak the ship."
"Do I need to remind you of the last time you thought we were alone on a planet?" John asked.
Rodney scowled and pulled the Ancient scanner out of his vest pocket. "I seriously doubt any Genii will be scrounging through these villages looking for weapons."
John smiled and watched as Ronon circled the clearing, studying the trees. Teyla stood a few feet away, scanning the sky, and then walked over to John.
"Those clouds are moving off the mountains," she said, nodding at the low mountains in the distance.
John glanced at the looming clouds. "One more reason to get back to that village," he said. "We want to be inside before it starts raining."
"Or worse," Rodney added. "The temperature has already fallen another five degrees."
"No sign anyone has been here," Ronon reported, stopping on John's other side. "The village is that way."
"Lead the way," John replied. "I've got our six."
"And don't forget about those traps," Rodney added. "I do not want Beckett amputating my leg."
Ronon stopped at the edge of the trees, glanced left and right, and pushed through the branches.
John heard Rodney grumbling as he followed Teyla and smiled to himself. Normal, he thought as he walked. This is what he needed. Fresh air, a little exercise. Even Rodney's muttered complaints as they walked had helped push thoughts of Kolya and the Wraith to the back of his mind. He breathed in the spicy pine scent and felt some of the tension ease from his back and shoulders.
The trees changed from pines to oaks as they walked, and thirty minutes later, Ronon pushed through the last stand of oak trees and stood at the edge of the tiny village.
"Ronon, check out those houses," John ordered as he stepped into the clearing. A stiff breeze blew through the village, and John glanced up at the lowering clouds. "Anything with four walls and a roof will work."
"On it," Ronon replied. He turned and strolled toward the nearest small building.
"The houses each have a chimney," Teyla said, nodding at the nearest building. "I will go in search of firewood."
Rodney glanced around the clearing and pulled out the Ancient scanner. "I'll go see if there's anything of interest in that," Rodney said, pointing to the central building.
John nodded and watched until McKay disappeared inside the remains of the large building. He waited a few moments, then wandered over to another of the tiny houses. He poked his head inside the building and shook his head when he discovered one of the walls and part of the roof had fallen into the rest of the house.
He stepped back and was about to search the next house when he saw Ronon step outside another house and motion to him.
"Sheppard," he called from the doorway.
"Find something?" John asked, walking over to Dex.
"House is solid," Ronon replied. He stepped back, letting John enter the building.
John entered the house and looked around. The space was one large room with two broken-out windows, each with a deep ledge, set into the stone walls. A large hole in the wall to the right of the door appeared to be a crude fireplace. The remains of a spit and a few other metal oddments stood against the wall next to the stone-lined hearth. A sturdy wooden table surrounded by six chairs sat against the far wall while a curtain drooped from a broken rod hung from the wall behind the table.
"Culled?" John wondered as he wandered around the room.
Ronon peeked behind the curtain and shook his head. "Doubt it."
John glanced at Ronon and quirked an eyebrow.
"Wraith don't give you time to pack." Ronon brushed back the curtain, and John saw the empty shelves built into the wall. "Something else happened here."
John studied the room again, noted the lack of personal items, and realised Ronon was right. Other than the furniture, the only evidence anyone had lived in the house was the tattered remnants of a few blankets piled in the far corner opposite the fireplace.
"So what would cause everyone to just leave?" he wondered, glancing out one of the broken windows.
He didn't see Rodney anywhere but spotted Teyla walking out of the nearby trees carrying a bundle of wood.
"Teyla's back," John said. He opened the door, met Teyla a few feet from the house, and took the bundle.
"Thank you, Colonel," she replied, rubbing her arms.
"We're over here," he said, leading the way back inside the house.
"Where is Rodney?" Teyla asked, walking over to the table. She set her P-90 on the flat surface and unclipped her backpack.
"Checking out that meeting building or whatever it was," John replied. He dropped the pile of twigs and branches next to the hearth and started building a fire.
"I do not believe he will find anything left by the Ancestors here," Teyla said, looking around the room. "This village appears much like the first one we discovered."
Probably not, John silently agreed as he laid the fire. But sorting through anything these people left behind kept Rodney from starting awkward conversations, so John was happy to let him poke around.
Part of him knew McKay was only trying to help, but the last thing John wanted to discuss with Rodney was Kolya. McKay had been through enough, thanks to the Genii commander. He wasn't going to add his issue to the pile. Besides, he concluded, there wasn't anything Rodney could say that would make him forget what happened.
"Starting to rain," Ronon reported a few minutes later.
John looked up from the hearth and saw Dex standing beside one of the broken windows.
"We should collect more wood before it gets dark," Teyla said, opening the door.
"I'll go with you," Ronon offered.
"Watch yourselves," John said.
Teyla nodded, and Ronon closed the door behind them.
John finished laying the fire, lit the kindling, and watched as the flames consumed the smaller twigs. As the fire caught on a few sticks, the flames grew, and John stood. He unclipped his pack, set it on the table, and found one of the MREs. He set the pouch near the fire to heat and glanced up when he heard the door open.
Ronon entered the room, dropped several thick, cut logs in the corner, and moved out of the way, and Teyla added her stack of wood to the pile.
"Where did you find that?" John asked, pointing to the cut logs.
"Found a wood pile behind one of the houses," Ronon replied. "Should be enough to last the night."
"And just in time," Teyla added. "It is raining harder."
"Good work," John replied. He picked up one of the large logs and added it to his fire.
A gust of wind blew through the open windows, bringing with it a misting of rain and making the fire flicker.
"We need to find something to block the windows," John said, zipping his jacket higher.
Teyla walked over to the pile of blankets and picked through the pile. "The windows are set deep enough that we should be able to pack these into the opening."
John picked up one of the tatty blankets. "Should work well enough," he agreed.
Teyla stuffed the blanket in her hand against the remains of the window frame, bent and picked up a second blanket.
John rolled his blanket into a thick bundle, walked over to the other window, and stuffed it into the open space. Ronon handed him another blanket, and John piled it on top of the first.
John jammed a third blanket into the hole and noticed movement outside in the lowering gloom.
"Something's heading in this direction," John said.
Ronon walked over to the door, loosened the particle weapon in its holster, and glanced at John.
John readied his Beretta and nodded.
Ronon yanked open the door, and John heard a startled yelp. Ronon took a hurried step back as Rodney stumbled into the room.
"Why'd you go yanking on the door like that?" Rodney grumbled.
Ronon caught the door before it hit the wall, shoved it closed against the increasing wind, and latched it.
John lowered the Beretta and frowned when he noticed Rodney hunched forward with one arm wrapped around his chest.
"Rodney, are you all right?" Teyla asked, stepping forward.
"What?" McKay replied. "I'm fine." He brushed the rain out of his hair, glanced around the room, and shuffled toward the table.
"Then why do you look like you're about to be sick?" John asked.
"Because I didn't want them to get wet," Rodney retorted. "In case you haven't noticed, it's raining." He pushed John's pack and Teyla's rifle to one side, unzipped his jacket, pulled out a few books and a long roll of paper, and set them on the table.
"I take it you found something," John said. He walked over to the table and picked up one of the books.
"Maybe," Rodney replied. "There wasn't much left. I found the books inside a chest that someone had shoved into a hole in the floor." He picked up one of the books and riffled the pages. "They aren't written in Ancient." He set the book on the table and shrugged. "I'll take them back to Atlantis. Maybe Chaudhri can translate them." He picked up the roll of paper and waved it in the air. "This is what I wanted to show you."
"What is it?" Ronon asked.
Rodney unrolled the paper and laid it flat on the table. "I think it's a map of the surrounding area." He pointed to two points on the map. "I think this is this village." He squinted at the map. "Maybe. Anyway, that doesn't matter." He pointed at a larger cluster of buildings to the north and west of the village. "I think that is the town with the Ancient tower the UAV spotted."
John bent and studied the map. The drawings were simple, similar to a few medieval maps of Europe John had studied in college history classes. The drawing of the village looked remarkably accurate to the village's layout, with the meeting house in the center and the houses circling the larger structure. What appeared to be a road led out of the village toward a cluster of buildings surrounding a tall stylised tower near the mountains.
"The larger town does not seem very far from here," Teyla said. She turned to John and added, "We could hike there in the morning."
How much has she guessed? John wondered. Had Teyla figured out the real reason he had pushed for this mission?
"I'm not interested in wasting what little time we have to investigate that tower walking," Rodney said.
"As much as I hate to say it, McKay might have a point," John said.
Rodney scowled. "Might?"
John ignored him and focused on Teyla. "This," he pointed at the map, "isn't exactly to scale. The town could be as few as five miles away or as many as twenty. There's no way to be sure."
"Exactly. So we take the jumper," Rodney said. "That's why we brought it. There has to be somewhere we can land close to that town. We aren't going to want to carry a bunch of Ancient artefacts for miles to get back to the ship."
"May not be anything to find," Ronon pointed out.
"Or there could be a trove of research or Ancient devices, not to mention a fully charged Zed-PM or two just waiting for us to find them," Rodney countered. "That's why we're here, you know."
John shook his head. "The town isn't the mission priority. We have an entire planet to survey and only a week to do it."
Rodney opened his mouth, but John stopped him with a raised hand. "But we still need to check it out." He scrubbed a hand over his chin as he studied the map. "All right. We'll leave in the morning. I'll give you a day to survey the tower and decide if there's any obvious technology, and then -"
"I'll need more than a day," Rodney argued.
"One day," John told him. "If you think there's something worth further investigation, we can come back later."
Rodney crossed his arms over his chest and scowled. "Fine."
~*~*~*~ SGA ~*~*~*~
"The rain has slowed down many of the teams, but as you can see from our reports, the identification of new plants and the information from the animals we are tracking is progressing," Doctor Brown said.
Elizabeth glanced over the report and nodded. "Your teams are making amazing progress, Doctor Brown. Please let them know I think they are doing good work."
"Thank you, Doctor Weir," Brown replied with a smile. "I'll be sure to do that."
Elizabeth closed the folder in front of her and opened another. "Doctor Matthews, you mentioned you had an update on your climate models? I hope all of this rain means you have good news."
Doctor Matthews shifted in his chair and frowned. "Just the opposite, I'm afraid, Doctor Weir. Even during severe drought conditions, it is possible to have the occasional storm. If anything, the rain will make the drought conditions worse."
"I'm not sure I understand. Shouldn't a good rain make things better?"
Matthews sighed and steepled his fingers under his chin. "The rain may replenish the nearby streams and rivers in the short term. Long-term, things have not changed. Drought cycles end only once there is regular precipitation. My models and the historical information we've gathered from the mainland indicate this break is merely transitory. In a few weeks, the ground will be just as dry as before this little storm swept through."
Elizabeth glanced out the window at the rain streaking down the glass. Little storm? she mused.
"All right," she said, stacking the folders on her desk together, "I will pass your reports on to the SG -"
"Umm, Doctor Weir?" Doctor Brown said, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. "There's something else you should know."
Elizabeth glanced at Brown, saw her hesitant expression, and clasped her hands on her desk. "Oh?"
"Umm, yes." Brown glanced at Matthews, then focused on Elizabeth. "You are aware of the sick children in the village?"
Elizabeth nodded. "Teyla informed me about that before she left with Colonel Sheppard. It's a common illness, and Teyla assures me the Athosians have the situation under control."
"I'm, umm, I'm not so sure about that," Brown said. "It's possible one of the scientists may have it too."
Elizabeth looked up in surprise as visions of an epidemic sweeping the city filled her mind. "And you didn't inform me of this immediately?"
"Doctor Nguyen only told me this morning as we were getting ready to return to the city," Brown explained. "She and Doctor Müller have been doing the most work on the migration patterns of the deer and a few other species."
"And?" Elizabeth prompted.
Doctor Brown glanced at Matthews, then said, "Doctor Nguyen only mentioned it in passing when she handed me her latest batch of data. She believes Doctor Müller became ill sometime yesterday afternoon or evening. He complained of a headache and chills, so it may only be the flu. But with the fever in the village, I told Doctor Nguyen to keep him isolated in his tent until I could inform you about his condition."
"I see," Elizabeth replied.
She made a note on the computer beside her, hoping neither Brown nor Matthews saw her concerned expression. She finished making notes, then tapped her earpiece. "Weir to Doctor Beckett."
"Beckett here," Carson replied a moment later. "Elizabeth? Is everything all right?"
"Unfortunately, no," Elizabeth replied. "What do you know about this illness in the village?"
"From what Teyla and Halling have told me, it sounds like a common childhood illness, not unlike say, something like the chicken pox or measles on Earth. When Teyla mentioned it to me, I asked if she wanted me to fly out to the mainland, but she informed me the Athosians knew how to deal with it. Why do you ask?"
Elizabeth glanced at Doctor Brown. "I have Doctors Brown and Matthews in my office. Doctor Brown informed me that one of the scientists on the mainland may have come down with the same illness."
"Och, that could be very bad," Carson said. "Adults tend to present with more severe symptoms than children with the same disease."
"Katie isn't sure if it's this quelen fever or another case of the flu. I need you to return to the mainland with the science team and find out."
Elizabeth heard shuffling sounds over the radio. "I need to gather some supplies, but I can be ready in a few minutes."
"Thank you, Carson. We are nearly done with the briefing. I will inform Sergeant Stackhouse to have a jumper ready in thirty minutes."
"Understood. Beckett out."
Elizabeth tapped her earpiece and turned to Brown. "Doctor Beckett will return to the mainland with you and examine Doctor Müller. Let's hope you're right, and this is just another case of the flu."
Doctor Brown nodded and stood. "We need to pick up a few things before heading back. We will meet Doctor Beckett in the jumper bay in half an hour."
Elizabeth watched Brown and Matthews cross the bridge to the control center, then opened her computer. If it wasn't merely the flu, she thought as she opened a blank file and began her report to the SGC, she had to hope Brown's actions isolating Müller from the rest of the science staff so quickly would be enough to prevent an outbreak amongst the Atlantis personnel on the mainland.
~*~*~*~ SGA ~*~*~*~
The Wraith's hand slammed into his chest before he realised what was happening, and what little strength John had left faded as the last of his life force drained away.
He was going to die on a nameless planet, he realised. His body little more than a withered husk. Kolya was going to escape. Again. And the next time the Genii commander attacked his team, John wouldn't be there to stop him.
A corner of his mind screamed at him to fight back. The larger part replied that it was no use. The battle was lost. This time, there would be no last-minute reprieve.
John woke with a start and looked around. A banked fire glimmered on the other side of the room, offering enough light for John to realise he was lying in a blanket on the floor of a strange house. He saw Teyla lying a few feet away. He twisted around and found McKay asleep with his back against the wall under a broken window.
Mission, John reminded himself. No Kolya. No Wraith. Just a mission on an abandoned planet.
He sat up, scrubbing a hand over his face and saw a shape detach itself from the shadows on the far side of the room.
The shape resolved itself into Ronon, and John watched as Dex picked up a metal rod, poked at the fire, then glanced at John.
"Stopped raining," Ronon said in a low voice.
John pushed himself to his feet, glanced at his watch, and wandered to the door, careful not to wake McKay or Teyla. He cracked the door open and let the sting of the cold night air on his face push away the last of the nightmare.
He took a few deep breaths, then closed the door.
"Get some rest," he said to Dex, picking up one of the chairs and placing it in front of the door. "I'm not getting any more sleep tonight. May as well stand watch."
Ronon studied him briefly, then nodded and lay down near the table.
A few minutes later, John heard his team's slow, regular breathing and blew out a silent sigh of relief. He suspected he wasn't fooling Dex but was grateful Ronon hadn't pushed.
It's over, he told himself. True, Kolya had escaped. Again. Didn't matter, he decided. He would find the Genii commander eventually and deal with him accordingly. For now, everyone was safe. Including you, he reminded himself, glancing at his sleeping team. Thanks to them.
He surveyed the sleeping bodies and felt a tiny smile quirk his lips. No one was left behind. It might be a concept hard for a Wraith to understand, but not for John.
He sat listening to the rain dripping off the roof and the soft hiss of the wind through the trees as the nightmare faded.
He wasn't sure how much later it was when he heard Rodney murmuring in his sleep. He glanced across the room and saw McKay's hands twitching and his forehead creased as he fought the dream.
So, I'm not the only one having bad dreams, John realised.
As John listened, the mutterings increased.
"Find John. Need t'find John."
John frowned. And Heightmeyer wondered why he hadn't told Rodney anything about Kolya, he thought as he listened to McKay muttering in his sleep.
"Can help," Rodney mumbled. "Not staying behind."
John stood, wincing as the chair creaked, and was ready to try and wake McKay when Rodney sighed and settled into a deeper sleep.
John settled back in the chair and crossed his arms over his chest. He wasn't surprised McKay was having trouble dealing with what Kolya had forced him to witness. Anyone looking at him the past few days could easily tell Rodney wasn't sleeping.
One more reason to avoid Rodney's awkward attempts to help, John thought as he watched his team sleep. It would do more harm to them than good for him.
Two hours later, John noticed sunlight trickling through the cracks in the sodden blankets piled in the window wells. He glanced at his watch, then stood and stirred up the fire.
"Sheppard?" Ronon asked, sitting up.
"Morning," John replied with a tiny smile. He walked over to one of the windows and pulled the wet blankets out of the frame.
Rodney muttered and tugged his blanket higher when a beam of sunlight hit him in the face.
"Rise and shine, McKay," John said, lightly kicking Rodney's foot as he walked past.
Rodney opened his eyes, glared at John, and sat up with a groan. "Who's idea was it to sleep on a dirty floor instead of in the jumper? I'm crippled for life."
John ignored the grumbling and dug the coffee pot out of his pack. "Trust me, your back would be worse after trying to sleep in a chair."
McKay glared in reply but didn't try to counter John's point.
John knelt and lightly shook Teyla's arm.
"Colonel?" Teyla asked, opening her eyes.
"Sun's up," John replied. He stood and glanced from Rodney to Ronon. "We'll eat, then head back to the jumper and try to find Rodney's town."
After a breakfast of reconstituted eggs and instant coffee, John clipped his pack and P-90 to his vest. He watched as Rodney carefully packed the books and map he'd found in his backpack, and Ronon smothered the fire.
John stepped out of the house and smiled as he breathed in the crisp morning air. The sky was a clear, deep blue, with no sign of clouds, and the morning breeze smelt clean and fresh after the rain.
Rodney followed him, squinting in the bright light and zipping his jacket. "It's going to warm up, right?" he asked no one in particular.
John smiled and watched as Ronon wandered over to the tall oak trees, paced along the forest's edge, then knelt.
"Sheppard," he called and glanced at John.
"Got something?" John asked, walking over to Ronon.
"Found what might be a road." He pointed to a pitted, cobbled path leading into the trees.
John glanced at the overgrown path, then up at the mountains in the distance. "Assuming it runs in a straight line -"
"It won't," Ronon said and stood.
"Probably not," John agreed.
"Colonel?" Teyla asked, walking over to John. "Is everything all right?"
"Everything's fine," John said to Teyla and glanced at Rodney. "Ronon found what was probably the road from the map. If it is, and the buildings are near the mountains, it looks like your tower is about twenty miles from here."
"Then let's go," Rodney replied. "If I only have a day to search for Ancient technology, I want as much time as possible to do it."
Ronon rolled his eyes, and John motioned toward the trees on the other side of the village. "You know where we left the ship?" he asked Dex.
Ronon nodded.
"Take point. We'll follow you."
Ronon nodded, crossed to the other side of the little village, and pushed through the thick vegetation at the base of the oak trees.
"I don't suppose you could find a nice, easy-to-follow trail back to the ship?" Rodney asked as he followed Teyla.
"Nope," Ronon replied.
"Figures," Rodney grumbled. "This day just keeps getting better," he muttered under his breath, rubbing his forehead.
John ignored the chatter as he followed McKay through the blazing colors of oak and aspen trees. Hidden birds chirped and squawked in the nearby trees, and John heard the skittering of smaller animals in the underbrush.
It wasn't long before the oaks gave way to pines, and John inhaled a deep breath of the spicy-scented air, feeling more of the tension ease from his neck and shoulders.
The fresh air and the sounds of the birds and insects were working their magic, he thought with a private smile. He was still alive, he reminded himself. Walking through a forest with his team, hearing the sounds of nature around him. This was exactly what he needed.
"Found an animal track," Ronon reported a few minutes later.
"Thank god," Rodney replied. "I think I've been scratched raw by all the tree branches."
John glanced at McKay and noted a long, shallow scratch across Rodney's forehead. He turned to Teyla and saw her hands bore several thin scratches, and a longer red mark marred her cheek.
The animal track was wide enough that they were no longer fighting the trees, and John walked beside Rodney as Ronon picked up their pace.
Getting away from the city with a new planet to explore, John thought. That was better than any amount of talking to Heightmeyer, or Beckett, or even his team.
The path continued in the right direction, and they had only been walking a few minutes when John heard rustling in the trees to his left. He peered through the nearest branches and saw a pair of beady eyes staring back at him.
"What the -" John started to say as a large green and black bird squawked a shrill call and took flight.
"Whoa!" Rodney exclaimed, ducking as several more birds launched into the air around them.
"Pine vultures," Teyla said as the birds climbed into the sky.
The birds circled them a few times, then flew off toward the clearing where they had left the jumper. John soon lost track of them as they settled again.
"Pine vultures?" Rodney asked.
"Scavengers," Teyla replied. "Their appearance can be rather fearsome, but they would much rather fly away," she nodded at the distant trees, "than attack a person."
"We hope," Rodney muttered, peering suspiciously at the nearby trees.
John tightened his grip on the P-90 and tuned out the rest of the conversation. The blur of green and black brought the Wraith to mind, and his sense of peace evaporated as his shoulders tensed.
He'd been feeling so good, John grumbled to himself as they started moving again. No thoughts about Kolya or the Wraith or lying on the ground, staring up at the starry sky as he struggled to breathe.
The soft breeze gently blew through the trees, making the leaves above him dance, oblivious to the fact that he lay dying after foolishly trusting a Wraith. He thought back to Sumner on his knees before a Wraith queen catching John's eye and nodding right before John pulled the trigger. That memory led to Everett lying in an infirmary bed telling John he now wished Sheppard had done for him what John had done for Sumner.
As if I needed the death of another commanding officer on my hands, John grumbled to himself, then coughed when his breathing hitched.
He heard noises off to his right and tried to turn his head. Was it Rodney and the others arriving just a little too late? he wondered. He caught a glimpse of the Wraith standing a few feet away from him, its arms spread as it stalked across the clearing.
Is he going to attack his team? John wondered. He needed to move. Do something to warn his would-be rescuers, or at least distract the Wraith long enough so that he couldn't make a surprise attack.
John tried to roll onto his side, but it was too much effort. He took several shallow breaths and groaned as he focused on the sunlight highlighting the trees.
"Sheppard?" John heard Rodney say from a long way away. "Did you hear me?"
No, McKay isn't here, he reminded himself. It's just you. And a now less hungry Wraith. The spot on his chest where the Wraith had fed burned. John glanced down, but all he saw was his torn uniform shirt and a bloody mark.
"John?" the Rodney-sounding voice said again, and John felt a hand on his chest.
The Wraith! John's mind screamed. He hadn't done anything to defend himself when the Wraith fed before, but he would not make that mistake again. John felt adrenaline surge through his veins and, thankful for his sudden ability to move, grabbed the hand pressed against his chest. He pushed against the Wraith's arm, twisting it up and over, forcing the Wraith to twist away from him as it fell to its knees with its arm twisted behind its back.
The Wraith cried out in pain as it struggled in the hold, and John increased the pressure on the Wraith's shoulder.
The Wraith groaned and stopped fighting him.
"Colonel!" Teyla cried.
At the same moment, John felt hands on his shoulders and someone pulling him away from the Wraith.
John let go of the Wraith's arm and blinked.
Rodney knelt on the ground, holding his shoulder and moaning. Teyla knelt beside McKay with one hand on Rodney's back, glancing from Rodney to John. John turned and saw Ronon with his hands still gripping John's shoulders.
"What the hell was that?" Rodney demanded. He stumbled to his feet, holding his right arm braced against his chest as he glared at John.
Teyla stood with him, and John noted the unobtrusive hand she kept on Rodney's back until McKay found his balance.
"Sorry," John muttered. He shook off Ronon's grip and took a step toward Rodney.
Rodney backed away from him, and John stopped with his hands raised. "I'm sorry," he said again. He stepped toward McKay, relieved when Rodney didn't try to move away from him this time. "Are you all right?"
Rodney rubbed his shoulder, then dropped his hand. "Do I look all right?" He scowled at John and added, "I was only trying to ask you if we were almost back to the jumper."
John scrubbed a hand over his face and stared at the trees. The flashback had felt so real, he thought. He had seen the Wraith standing in front of him. Felt that cold, scaly hand pressing into his chest and had let instinct take over. He glanced at Rodney and saw McKay watching him.
Teyla stepped around Rodney and asked, "Colonel, what happened? Are you all right?"
"I nearly have my shoulder wrenched out of its socket, and you're asking if he's all right?" Rodney demanded.
"Rodney," Teyla said, glancing at Rodney impatiently.
McKay glowered at Teyla, then focused on John. "You were remembering something. Weren't you?" he asked. "Something with," McKay hesitated, "Kolya and the Wraith."
John ignored the itch at the back of his skull, crossed his arms over his chest, and didn't bother to reply.
Rodney threw his hands into the air, winced, and grabbed his shoulder. "You do know that if you hadn't been avoiding me the last few days, this," he waved his left hand between them, "probably could have been prevented."
"What's that supposed to mean?" John demanded. Remorse at hurting McKay quickly bled into anger. "I can deal with what happened. I don't need your help."
Rodney stared at him, and John watched the emotions march across McKay's face. Surprise and hurt quickly morphed into anger and frustration as Rodney stepped back.
"Right," Rodney retorted with an impatient scowl. "Because talking to the one person you know who has actually been tortured by … Kolya." Rodney swallowed, then continued, "What possible help could I offer?"
John shook his head. "What Kolya did to you," he glanced at the arm Rodney held against his chest, "is not the same as a Wraith feeding on you. Repeatedly."
He spun on his heel and stared at the trees. Of all the arrogant … John thought, glaring at the trees.
"You don't think I know that?" Rodney yelled. "Believe it or not, I really do understand what happened to you."
John scowled and faced Rodney. "No, you don't," he growled. "You have no idea what that was like. And I really hope you never do."
Rodney blew out a frustrated breath. "Again, you aren't listening!"
"Just leave it alone," John ordered. "There's nothing -"
"Did you ever stop to think maybe I was the one who needed to talk to you?" Rodney demanded.
Figures, John thought. McKay's real interest was only for himself. To hell with what anyone else was dealing with.
A part of him knew the thought was unfair, but at the moment, John didn't care. "By all means, let's talk about your problem!" he retorted.
McKay stared at him, then spun on his heel and took several steps down the trail.
John glared at McKay's back, then raised his hand to signal Ronon to follow.
"Move -" John said.
McKay turned, stomped back to John and stood with his hands clenched into fists and his face screwed up in a scowl.
"You are such an …" He paused and glared at John. "Do you really want to know what my 'problem'," he mimed the quote marks, "is?"
John had an angry reply on the tip of his tongue, but before he could say anything, Rodney spoke over him. "I felt it! All of it!"
John stared at McKay, dumbfounded. "What -" he exclaimed, and there was no mistaking his angry tone.
"The link!" McKay shouted, pointing at his head. "Remember that? Thanks to the link, I felt everything you felt while you were …" He shuddered. "While you were dying." He glared at John. "I know exactly what you went through with Kolya and that Wraith. Now, do you understand why I wanted to talk to you?"
~*~*~*~ SGA ~*~*~*~
Rodney stood with his hands clenched, scowling at Sheppard as he tried to ignore his aching shoulder. For three days, he'd been trying to talk to John about what he'd experienced in the jumper. For three days, John had shut him down at every turn. Having a confrontation in the middle of a forest on an alien planet wasn't the option he would have chosen, he grumbled to himself, but at least John was finally listening.
"That was why you reacted so badly in the jumper?" Teyla asked.
Rodney glanced at Teyla and then Ronon. He had wanted to have this conversation in private before bringing in the others, but Sheppard's actions over the last three days prevented that.
He noted Teyla's concerned expression along with Ronon's impassive one and rubbed a hand across his forehead as the headache he'd been fighting all morning flared.
"Umm, yes," he muttered with a sideways glance at Sheppard.
John stepped toward Rodney, then stopped, stepped back, and crossed his arms over his chest. "Talk," he ordered.
Rodney stared at Sheppard, glanced at Ronon and Teyla, and then took a deep breath. "Umm, right." He dropped his hand and hesitated. Now that he finally had John's attention, he wasn't sure where to begin. "When Ladon Radim finally came through with information on where he thought Kolya had you, we came after you in the jumper."
"Better late than never, I guess," John grumbled.
Rodney scowled. "Hey!" he retorted, ready to defend their actions.
Teyla rested a hand on his arm, and Rodney glanced at her.
"You seemed fine when we first arrived on the planet," she prompted.
Rodney shrugged and nodded. "My head ached, and there was the usual tingling feeling at the base of my skull, but after what we had watched," he gave John a sideways glance, "I was ready for that. Once we were heading toward the readings on the HUD, the pressure in my head increased. At first, I thought it was just a spike. But it didn't stop. If anything, it got worse."
John dropped his arms to his sides, and Rodney noted a frown had replaced the scowl.
He wasn't sure what to make of Sheppard's odd expression but plowed on. "Then the other stuff started."
"What 'other stuff'?" Teyla asked.
Rodney winced and rubbed his head. "The spike was like nothing I'd had before. It felt like something was crushing my skull. I felt like I was freezing, and there was this building sense of dread or fear." He shook his head. "It was so overwhelming I could barely breathe. At first, I didn't think about it too much. After watching Kolya and that Wraith …" Rodney swallowed.
"Anyway," he continued, "the pain in my head and feeling cold didn't seem that strange." He glanced at John again. "We'd, umm, we'd never experienced how the link would react to a Wraith, umm, feeding. I thought." He stopped and stared at the trees. "I thought that was how the link was supposed to react to, umm, that.
"It took a little longer to put together what was really happening. Of course, I was scared." Rodney took a deep breath and glanced at John again. "But then there were these waves of anger which didn't make sense. I wasn't angry. I was afraid of what was happening to me. I was scared, wondering what we would find when we got to you." He nodded at John. "But I wasn't angry. Then there was this sort of resignation. A sort of calm as the anger and fear faded. That's when I realised what was going on. Which, of course, scared me even more." He looked at John. "If you were at the point of giving -"
"You didn't know about this?" John interrupted, staring first at Teyla and then at Ronon.
Teyla glanced at Ronon. "We knew something was wrong," she replied. "Doctor Beckett was forced to take over flying the jumper when Rodney collapsed."
Rodney grimaced and wrapped his arms around his middle.
"I assumed the link was responding to your worsening condition," Teyla continued. "Rodney did not mention anything about his other reactions or that he was sensing your emotional state."
"Because I didn't tell anyone." Rodney scowled at John. "Not even Carson knows what really happened. I was trying to talk to you first." He looked around at the trees. "This is not the setting I had in mind."
John scrubbed a hand over his face. "And now?"
"Now?"
"Are you still inside my head?" John clarified with a scowl.
Rodney shook his head. "Everything seems to be back to normal." He gave John a crooked smile. "Normal for us anyway. The link hasn't done anything unusual since …" He stopped speaking and stared into space.
"Since?" John prompted.
"Umm, I'm not sure." Rodney glanced at John. "One minute, I could barely stand, and the next, everything was fine again. Then we found that clearing with the Wraith, a bunch of dead Genii, and you, looking like nothing had happened."
"Rodney's condition improved after the Wraith returned to you what it had taken?" Teyla asked Sheppard.
"Probably," John replied. He rubbed his forehead and blew out a breath. "It seems the link has learned a new trick."
"You mean this is going to happen again?" Rodney exclaimed.
"Doctor Zelenka did mention such a possibility," Teyla said. "However, from what you have told us, it is possible only another equally dire situation would cause such a reaction."
"For now," Rodney muttered, shivering from more than the gust of wind that blew past, rustling the tree branches.
"Something else you want to share?" John asked.
Rodney grimaced. "You haven't noticed?"
John shook his head. "Noticed what?"
"The, umm, link. It seems like it's getting more sensitive lately."
Rodney saw the change in John's expression and pointed a finger at Sheppard. "You have noticed! It's not my imagination."
John pursed his lips into a thin line. "No, it's not."
"Colonel?" Teyla asked.
"Why didn't you say something?" Rodney demanded.
John glanced at Teyla and blew out a breath. "I wasn't sure at first," he said to Rodney, "But yeah, the link seems to react more frequently than before. The itch lasted for days after Keturah's people shot you with that arrow. Then there was everything with Oberoth and the Replicators inside our heads."
Rodney shuddered at the memory of what Oberoth had forced him to experience during his mind probe.
"I spent the last half of that mission fighting a pounding headache," John continued. "I thought it was just from what Oberoth did to me." He glanced at Rodney. "Then I realised it was more than that."
Rodney scrubbed a hand over his chin. "So what do we do?"
"Now?" John said and nodded to Ronon. "Now we find this Ancient tower of yours."
"No, I meant -"
John held up a hand. "I know what you meant. But like you said, this isn't the place to discuss things."
Rodney pursed his lips. If the link was evolving new traits, how long would it be before it took something far less than a near-death experience for him to feel John's emotional reaction to a situation as well as physical injuries? he wondered. He had not enjoyed the foray into Sheppard's mind as John died. He certainly had no desire for John to start sharing his emotional reactions to everything.
John did have a point, he decided. The decisions they needed to make would take more time than a few minutes standing in a forest on an alien planet.
"Ronon." John motioned in the direction where they had left the jumper.
"On it," Ronon replied and set off down the path.
Rodney felt his vest pocket, frowned when he didn't find the Ancient scanner, and glanced at the ground.
"Rodney, let's go," John said with an impatient glare.
"Hold on a minute, I can't find …" He spotted the Ancient scanner near the path's edge, picked it up, and stuffed it into his pocket. He looked up, saw Ronon, Teyla, and John watching him, and shrugged. "Dropped it when …" He saw John's impatient expression and let the sentence peter out.
"Now that we're all ready," John said, glancing at Ronon.
Ronon turned without a word and led the way down the path with Teyla a few steps behind him.
Rodney shuffled along behind Teyla and tried to ignore his various aches. He'd woken up that morning with a headache in addition to his aching back, and he had chalked it up to not getting much sleep the last three days. A night sleeping on a hard floor would explain why his shoulders had ached even before John had wrenched his arm. With every step he took, his abused shoulder throbbed, the rest of his joints ached, and his head pounded.
This was more than a few nights of not getting much sleep, he realised. That's just great, he mentally grumbled. Despite all of your precautions staying away from Zelenka, you've managed to catch the flu. Because he needed to get sick on top of everything else he'd been dealing with the last few days.
He patted his vest pockets until he found the blister pack of ibuprofen. He swallowed a couple of the pills with a swig of water from his canteen and snuck a glance at John walking beside him.
You should say something, one part of him argued. You aren't going to help yourself or the others by keeping quiet.
There's no time, he mentally countered. They were too far behind finding 'gates for the bridge project. They couldn't afford to cut the mission short just because he had a twenty-four-hour flu bug. He'd worked through illnesses before, he reminded himself. He could do it again.
He glanced at Sheppard. Besides, he told himself, John probably wasn't in the mood to hear you're getting sick on top of the bombshell about the link you so unceremoniously dropped in his lap.
They walked out of the last of the trees half an hour later, and Ronon held up a closed fist.
"Why are we stopping?" Rodney asked, staring at the trees.
"We're here," Ronon replied, glancing at John.
John nodded and fished the jumper remote out of his vest pocket. He pressed one of the buttons, and Rodney saw the air in front of them shimmer as the ship appeared. Sheppard pressed the other button, lowering the ramp, and led the way aboard.
"Thank god," Rodney muttered under his breath and followed Sheppard into the cockpit.
Finish the survey, he told himself. Then you can go back to Atlantis, crawl into bed, and die in peace.