Chapter 4:Ilaria
John tried to stand, but his arm was causing him pain, so he pulled himself up and sat with his back against the wall. He looked around the small room and took the time to process what he saw. Although he'd never seen the chamber because he was blind when he was here, it certainly brought some bad memories to mind. The soft bed where Sophia had cared for him was long gone, and the floor was dirt. He was sure the floor from ten thousand years ago was tiled and smooth - at least, that's how it felt on his bare feet. Ronon had shot the chamber where he'd powered the city so no one could use it again. Had the ATA gene carriers been used to power the city since then, or did things change for the better at that time? Perhaps Ilaria could give him a history lesson if he connected with her again.
The man who shot him in the head died thousands of years ago, but did one of his descendants roam the planet hell-bent on revenge? Sophia, Logo and all who helped him were long dead, and he wondered what became of them. Were their descendants still on the planet, or had they left thousands of years ago? That was something he could ask if he connected with Ilaria.
There was a lot to process from this trip, and he wondered if he'd ever truly understand the events from ten thousand years ago, and if not, would he grasp what was happening now.
A soft, lilting voice interrupted his contemplations, "Are you alright, Lad?"
"Yeah, it's a lot to take in. I remember being in this room, even though I've never seen it." Rather than continue an emotional conversation, John changed the subject, "Does anyone have any ideas on how we're going to get out of here?"
Ronon pushed on the door, and it opened, "I guess we can leave this way," Ronon smirked.
John sighed. It may have only been moments he thought about his bad memories, but he wondered why he hadn't thought to check the door, "let's get out of here then."
"Do we know where we're going?" Rodney asked, and it was clear he wouldn't move until he got an answer.
"Yes, Rodney," Carson began while rolling his eyes, "we're going to Ilaria."
A look of panic crossed Rodney's face, and if John hadn't been in so much pain, he would have laughed.
"There's one group of people who want to kill us if we enter Ilaira, and the other just shut us in this room, so I wonder how that's going to work out!" Rodney ranted.
"Yeah, but they didn't lock us in," Ronon mumbled before leaving the room.
"I have no idea why they didn't lock the doors, but I'm with Ronon. Let's get out of here." John said with determination.
"Come on, Rodney. Why don't you walk with me?" Carson suggested, grabbing the scientist's arm and following Ronon.
John took one last look at the room that had caused him so much suffering and hoped he'd never have to be there again. He then followed Carson and Rodney into a long corridor, hoping the others knew where they were going because, right now, he couldn't get his bearings.
They'd been walking for a few minutes when they stopped at a door. Or, in this case, a gaping hole in the wall surrounded by a pile of rubble.
"Where does this go?" John asked, his memories non-existent of anything after the chamber room. He knew that he was suffering from brain damage and was unconscious at the time, so it was hardly surprising.
"This leads to the city wall," Carson told him."We used this door to escape ten thousand years ago. Directly opposite the door is a tunnel through the wall. What's left of the wall anyway."
John was beginning to feel confused."But we don't want to leave the city. We need to get to Ilaria."
"We're not leaving the city," Ronon announced, "we're following the wall until we reach Ilaria."
John may have been confused and in pain, but even he knew that was a dumb idea.
"Wouldn't it be better if we stayed underground?"
"That's not necessarily true," Rodney answered, "the scavengers appear to live underground, and the descendants of the Hilarians seem to know the underground tunnels well."
"It's your call, General," Carson offered, "you're in charge of this mission."
John always listened to others' ideas but, ultimately, had to make the final decision. Sometimes things worked out, and sometimes they did not.
"Okay, we'll take Ronon's suggestion and follow the wall on the surface. Ronon, you take point, and I'll watch our six. Rodney and Carson follow Ronon. I don't need to tell you to be on high alert because the last thing we need is to get captured again."
Ronon headed out, and Rodney followed, but before Carson followed, he grabbed John's good arm," It's time for some pain meds, John."
He nodded and took the Tylenol and canteen off Carson and happily swallowed the pills - anything for relief from the relentless pain in his arm.
The water was almost gone, and they hadn't found another water source yet. Hopefully, Ilaria would know where they could find a spring or stream to refill their canteens.
Carson smiled and followed Rodney through the hole in the crumbling wall. John pulled his gun out with his left hand and was instantly on high alert. Anything could happen at any time. And from experience, it usually wasn't good.
oOo
Someone sobbing beside her bed was the first thing Teyla noticed when she awoke from a troubled sleep. In her dreams, she was in stasis and was never cured or woke up. John was still disabled, and neither of them could look after their children. She hadn't dreamed in months, although it wasn't surprising given John was missing.
Jennifer had released her from the infirmary that evening on the condition that she go to the mess hall for a meal before heading to bed. Jennifer had picked the kids up from school and daycare and delivered them to the mess hall to share a meal with her. After that, she had put the children to bed and fallen into an exhausted sleep.
That was three hours ago, and now she wondered why she was awake. The sobbing continued, so she did her best to roll over in bed and was surprised to find Charin standing beside her bed.
"Me, seep with you?" The child asked through her tears.
Teyla didn't know what was wrong with the child - although if she were to guess, it would have something to do with John missing.
The night was cold, and Charin was shivering, so she needed to get the child in bed as soon as possible.
Icebergs were forming on the ocean, so she suspected the weather would only get colder over the next few weeks. She suspected it would be colder than the previous year.
"Yes darling, can you climb on the bed?"
Once the child was on the bed, Teyla did her best to put her arm around her,
"What is wrong, Charin?"
"Where Da? I want Da!" Charin stated before bursting into tears.
"I am sorry, darling, but Daddy is on a mission."
"Tum home soon?"
She didn't know what to say to her daughter because they couldn't contact John. The assumption was that something on Ilaria Two had destroyed the gate, and if so, there was no way John could get home.
Zelenka was researching the ancient database to see if he could find another planet in KK203 with a gate they could use, and Lorne was trying to contact Todd and their other allies to see if they could shed any light on the situation. The coalition of planets was now aware of what happened to Atlantis. The Coalition had also lost many worlds to the unknown enemy that had destroyed New Lantia.
Teyla knew Charin wanted answers, but Teyla couldn't make any promises right now.
"Soon, darling," she replied.
"Otay, Momma?" Charin answered, cuddling up to her.
Teyla felt tears brimming in her eyes. She didn't know what she would do if they never found John. But she knew she had to pull herself together for the sake of her children. John was always in trouble, but he always found a way home to them, and she was confident he would for the sake of his unborn child.
She emptied her mind of all negative thoughts and tried to send positive, comforting thoughts to her children. If they knew she was alright, they would be.
It wasn't long before Charin fell asleep. Teyla felt comforted with her daughter next to her, so she closed her eyes, and it wasn't long before she drifted off to sleep.
oOo
John tried to remain close to the ancient wall as he followed Carson and the others around the city. The wall was in remarkable condition, considering it had stood for ten thousand years or more. However, the Hilarians could have knocked down the wall and rebuilt it any time over the last ten thousand years. Perhaps many times over the centuries.
He could see Ilaria in the distance, and the city looked as magnificent as it had ten thousand years ago. It made him wonder what materials the ancients used if their cities lasted so long.
The Hilarian city surrounding Ilaria hadn't faired so well, and most buildings had crumbled over the millennia. John wondered how long people had occupied the city before they left.
They'd been walking for around five minutes and hadn't seen a soul. Hopefully, that meant the planet's inhabitants didn't come to the surface often. It could also have something to do with the sun beginning to go down.
He shivered as the sun sank below the horizon. Rodney told them the temperature could get as low as zero degrees centigrade overnight, and the last place John wanted to be was outside.
Ronon stopped and turned to face them, "we're almost there. I can see an opening up ahead."
"Great, let's get inside before the temperature drops to zero. And we freeze to death," Rodney complained.
"I'd hate to agree with Rodney, but let's hurry," Carson said while trying to keep up with Ronon.
Rodney seemed to be slowing down, so John grabbed his arm and dragged him towards the entrance of the ancient city.
John was relieved a few minutes later when they entered the city, and the lights came on. Obviously, the lights were reacting to his and Carson's ATA gene. He shut the door behind them and found a chair to sit on. He winced as his back came into contact with the back of the chair. He'd almost forgotten he'd been in an explosion, and Carson had removed Shrapnel from his back. But now, the pain in his back and arm were making themselves known.
He hadn't seen the inside of Ilaria before, so he took the time to look around. They were in a small room with the same decor as Atlantis. The ancients sure had a thing for reds and greens. Cracked pots sat in the corner, and at some point, the pots obviously had plants in them. Scattered chairs lay around the room, and in the centre sat a large table.
"Okay, McKay, find out where the chair and control rooms are while I rest."
Carson sat beside him, and he feared that the doctor was about to go into mother hen mode, "General, it's time for your pain meds."
He nodded at his doctor and accepted the canteen and pills Carson gave him. His canteen was almost empty, so he dry swallowed the pills and handed the canteen back to Carson. Hopefully, when they found the chair room, Ilaria could direct them to a freshwater source.
"I'm going to have a look around," Ronon announced.
John knew Ronon would get bored quickly and felt tempted to go with him, but he was too tired to move. Once Rondey discovered where the chair room was, he knew he'd need to connect with Ilaria to try and find information that could lead to a way home.
"Just be careful, Chewie."
"I think I'll go with him, "Carson suggested, "who knows what we might find."
"Keep an eye on the Doc, Chewie. I'll stay and watch McKay," John suggested, closing his eyes.
He knew he should keep an eye on Rodney, but the pull of sleep was strong, and it wasn't long before he dozed off.
Loud voices invaded John's senses the next time he became aware, and he wanted nothing more than to tell them to shut up because he had a headache. But then he remembered where they were, and by the sounds of it, Carson was excited about something, and Rodney wasn't impressed.
Sighing, he opened his eyes and looked at both men. They were red in the face, and John suspected it was for different reasons.
"What's happening?"
"I've found the medical lab," Carson said excitedly, "and there's a scanner there, so I think I should check your arm out straight away, General."
Rolling his eyes, he turned to Rodney, "And what's your problem, McKay?"
"I've found the chair room, and the chair's intact. I think we should get down there straight away. So we don't have time for the doctor to practice his voodoo medicine on you."
"Where's Ronon?" Sheppard asked, looking around the room.
Ronon answered from where he stood by the door, "I'm here, Sheppard."
John knew time was of the essence. They needed to leave this planet before the scavengers turned up and executed them, "Any sign of our friends, Chewie?"
"Nope, but I suggest we find a way out of here as soon as possible. Because I guarantee someone will be looking for us in the morning."
"I couldn't agree more. Sorry, Doc, but we're off to the chair room. As I've stated more than once, you can mother me all you want when we return to Atlantis."
John pushed himself to his feet and was surprised at how stiff he felt.
"Let's go. McKay, you lead the way, Ronon, stay with him, and I'll stay with Carson."
He was apprehensive about sitting in the chair because the last control chair he tried to sit in had exploded. But that was on Ilaria Two, so there was a good chance whoever sabotaged Ilaria Two hadn't done the same thing to Ilaria.
They approached the chair room ten minutes later, and John was surprised at how quickly they'd arrived. Not that he was complaining because his arm was aching with every step despite the Tylenol Carson had given him. His back was on fire, and his head was beginning to ache. So the sooner he sat in the chair and found a way home, the better.
The humming from the city had steadily increased as John walked towards the chair room, and Ilaria sounded happy to see him. The humming sounded right, as it did on Atlantis when everything was operating well. Not like on Ilaria Two when the chair exploded and sent shrapnel flying into his back.
As they walked into the chair room, a hologram activated, and an image of a woman with dark brown eyes and long grey appeared. She was old and frail, and John estimated her to be one hundred years at least.
"Generations ago, my people found peace after a long civil war. We fought for ten years to ensure ancestor gene carriers weren't used to power the city again. During the war, hundreds of people died, gene carriers and non-gene carriers alike.
All my life, I read stories of the dark-haired stranger and his friends who came from the stars and set into motion events that led to centuries of peace. The dark-haired man was severely injured when he was shot in the head by the leader of the council. That was the event that started the civil war. The man had powered the city against his will before that. His healer feared brain damage from both incidents. His name was John, I think, and his healer was Carson. That's what the stories tell me.
One of my ancestors travelled to the great city of Atlantis, and Carson confirmed John had suffered brain damage. I don't know what happened to John or whether Carson cured him. But I keep reminding myself these men died centuries ago, so it doesn't matter. All that matters is the chain of events they set in motion."
John felt embarrassed as he watched the recording because he knew the woman was talking about him. But all he remembered was being shot in the head and used to power the city. He never saw himself as a hero, but the Hilarings obviously did.
"We never knew what happened to the people of Atlantis. Did they return to their own time and galaxy, or are they still wandering our galaxy today? My ancestors never saw them again. I sometimes pray that John, Carson and his friends will watch this transmission, but that's just the dreamer in me.
I'm leaving this transmission before my family, and I leave Ilara so future generations can know what has happened.
A ship crashed in the south one hundred years ago. I was a baby then and didn't know what was happening. The survivors came to us for help. We helped them out in whatever way we could, but their numbers were great, and they decided to settle in the south and build a city of their own.
We lived in peace with these people for many years, but more came from the stars, and their numbers grew. Eventually, they wanted our city and Ilaria, so war broke out. We've fought for many years, and I fear that if we don't leave now, destruction will come upon my people.
I looked up at the sky for many years, praying the people of Atlantis would come and save us, but they never came. I can only assume they found their way home.
I have no idea where we're going, but the ancestor ship we found is large and can accommodate us for many years. Thankfully, many gene carriers still live among us, so we have plenty who can activate the ship.
Anyway, I must go now. I hope we can find a place to call home, and if someone sees this recording one day, they will come and look for us."
John smiled to himself. At least the woman's wish came true, and we saw her transmission.
"I think she looks like Sharnie," Ronon commented when the transmission ended.
John knew Sharine was the young girl Ronnon befriended on Hilaring, and he named his daughter after her.
"Do you think the ship that crashed caused the radiation problems?" Ronon asked.
"No," began Rodney, "I think this ship crashed centuries before the one that leaked radiation.
Clearing his throat, John looked at his friends, "Umm… I need to sit in the chair now."
"Why don't you sit down, "Carson soothed, "I can sit in the chair."
John knew that Carson had improved with the ancient technology over the years, but Cason still couldn't activate it with ease as he could. Besides, he wanted to be the one to communicate with Ilaria again.
"No, I think I'd like to do it, Carson. But you can monitor me if you like."
John was tired, and although the pain in his body was only a dull throb, it was still there. So he was happy to sit in the control chair and close his eyes.
When he realised he needed both arms to connect with Ilaria, he sat up, opened his eyes and looked at Carson, "I'm going to need both my arms, Doc, so I'm gonna have to lose the sling."
Carson looked like he was going to argue, so John glared at him.
"Alright, General, but if you're in too much pain, I want you to disconnect."
Once Carson had removed his sling, John lay back, closed his eyes and put his arms on the armrests. Initially, nothing happened, but a few minutes later, he felt himself falling into darkness.
oOo
Teyla flopped into a chair in John's office. Lorne had summoned her there for a meeting, and she was annoyed to see she was the only one there. Apparently, Radek had something to share with them, and she hoped it was a way to find John. Five days ago, John had left for Ilaria Two, and they still couldn't contact him and his team. She was beginning to worry they wouldn't find John before his son was born.
After a restless night, she had awoken early and given up on the idea of sleeping any longer. Charin and Torren were still asleep, so she'd hopped in a shower and then moved to the kitchen to get breakfast for the children. The children were awake by the time breakfast was ready, and Jennifer arrived to help. That was when Colonel Lorne summoned her to come to a meeting.
A few minutes later, Radek turned up and interrupted her thoughts. And he seemed excited about something.
"Please sit down and tell us what you've found," Lorne suggested.
She was relieved when the little scientist sat down because he was irritating her.
"Yes, yes. I will tell you."
"Please inform us of what you have found, Radek?" Teyla practically begged.
"I have found a gate address with eight symbols. But I do not know where it leads to."
She felt like shouting at the scientist, but at least he was trying to do something. Calming herself, she smiled at her friend, "Thank you, Radek. Do you think you could find out where it leads to?"
"Yes, I think I can. I might also find another."
"Okay, keep working on it," Lorne began," and let me know what you find."
Radek nodded and left the room, leaving her sitting with Lorne.
"Are you alright, Teyla?"
She looked at her friend and sighed, "I am merely tired, Colonel. And I think I will return to my quarters and go to bed."
"We'll find them, Teyla. We always do."
She nodded and stood to leave, "Thank you, Colonel."
Jennifer told her that after the contractions she'd been having yesterday, she might go into labour at any moment. She was determined to rest as much as possible to hold off labour until John returned home.
oOo
John found himself on his favourite Balcony in Atlantis, and an image of Elizabeth Weir walked towards him.
He knew the image of Elizabeth was the image that the Ilarian AI used because it was the image the city had used ten thousand years ago when she had connected with him.
"Hello, Ilaria."
"John Sheppard, why are you here? It has been many years since you have contacted me."
"Yeah, I'm sorry, Ilaria. But I need your help."
"What do you need, John Sheppard?"
"We need to get to our home, but the stargate my friends and I came through has been destroyed."
"The ring on this world is no longer active, John Sheppard. Twenty thousand years ago, the Hilarian ship crushed it when it crashed on this planet."
"I know that Ilaria. Is there any way we can fix or rebuild it?"
"Only the gate builders can rebuild a gate."
"I don't suppose there's any of those in this galaxy?" He quipped.
The image of Elizabeth looked at him strangely. Maybe Ilaria didn't have a sense of humour.
"The Gate builders either ascended or died out. I thought you knew that John Sheppard."
"Yeah, I remember. Do you know of any other stargates in this galaxy where we can dial Atlantis?"
"I may have an address. I believe some of the inhabitants of this planet left for this world three thousand years ago. I will send the coordinates to your Dr McKay's console."
"What about a water source? Is there one in this city?"
"There is a spring under Atlantis that should be safe to drink from. I will send the information to Dr McKay."
John had one last thing to ask before he said goodbye to Ilaria.
"You couldn't fix my arm, could you?"
"I am sorry, John Sheppard, but my touch may be too powerful for you."
He nodded at Elizabeth's image, "Thank you, Ilaria."
"Will I see you again, John Sheppard?"
"I hope so."
The image of Elizabeth faded, and loud voices dragged him back to reality.
He sat forward and opened his eyes, and the first thing he noticed was Rulan and five other scavengers kneeling around the control.
The scavengers spoke in unison as they worshipped him, "Oh great and mighty God, why have you chosen to visit us after so many years."
Rolling his eyes, John looked at Rodney, and Rodney just shrugged.
TBC…
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