Chapter 9:Ancient Ruins
By the time John and his friends reached the ruins, they had endured a gruelling journey. John, in particular, was hot, tired, and thirsty, his clothes drenched in sweat, his skin burned by the relentless suns. His muscles ached with every step, and Rodney's constant complaints only added to his discomfort, causing a migraine headache. Yet, despite these challenges, he pressed on, his resilience a beacon of inspiration in the face of adversity.
After an arduous hour, they finally reached the ruins, the last vestiges of an Ancient city. The sight that greeted them was both awe-inspiring and haunting. The once grand metropolis, now reduced to a mere shadow of its former glory, stood as a testament to the passage of time and the remarkable resilience of the Ancient spirit. Despite their dilapidated state, these ruins held the promise of a way off the desolate rock they were stranded on.
The city hadn't fared well over the eons. The railings of the balconies had twisted into unrecognisable shapes, and the glass had shattered. The walls were crumbling, and the glass had turned to dust long ago, Leaving John to wonder why the ancients would bother to build a city on this unforgiving planet. The mystery of the Ancient city hung in the air, igniting his curiosity and driving him forward.
Even though the Ancients were an arrogant race who created the Wraith and made many mistakes, they had also done many good things throughout the Milky Way and Pegasus galaxies. They could now add KK203 to that list, and John wondered how many other galaxies the ancients had seeded. It was a testament to their genius and noble desire to evolve and learn despite their arrogance.
John led the team into the ruins, their caution evident. The crumbling walls held unknown dangers, and the darkness within the city was a stark reminder of their vulnerability. However, the team was well-prepared, armed with powerful flashlights and spare batteries, ready to face whatever lay ahead. Their preparedness was a comforting reassurance in the face of uncertainty, instilling confidence in their ability to overcome the challenges ahead.
"Okay, McKay, how about you try to find us some power while I have a rest?" John suggested, falling into an old, rusty chair.
Carson was beside him instantly, and John could sense the mothering coming on:" Are you alright, General? How's your breathing? How does your arm feel?"
Logo came, sat on John's other side, and started to check his breathing.
"Okay, Docs. I will be honest with you, so enjoy it while it lasts. My arm is numb, I feel breathless, my back is on fire, and thanks to McKay's constant complaining, I have a headache. And before you ask, I will gladly rest in a few minutes."
Before Carson could say anything, he turned to Ronon and Minister Toth, "Can you two try and find a water source? I will watch McKay because I hope he can get some power in this room."
"I'll get right on it, Sheppard," McKay said, and John didn't miss the roll of his eyes.
While talking, he knew Logo and Carson were tending to his injuries, which was becoming annoying because everything they poked and prodded hurt, "Have you two finished torturing me?"
"I'm worried about your arm, John," Carson said with concern, "I'm worried the blood flow may be compromised, and your back may be infected."
"Look, Carson, if you can't do anything to fix my arm right now, please leave it alone. While you're at it, can you give me some pain meds and let me have a rest? Oh, and if possible, can someone find me some clothes?" John asked as diplomatically as he could under the circumstances.
"We'll try to find you some clothes," Logo suggested kindly. "When we have more water, we must bathe your back to prevent infection."
"And what about my arm?" John asked, feeling a little worried.
"It doesn't appear to be healing properly. We can break it again and try to reset it," Carson suggested, "but I don't want to do that in an unsterile environment."
John nodded at his friend. Things were not looking good, and he wondered if they would ever find a way home. The first thing they needed to do was find a way off this rock, but before he even thought about it, John needed to sleep because he was exhausted, so he closed his eyes and drifted into a deep sleep.
oOo
Forty minutes had passed since Teyla's last contraction, and it gave her hope that she wouldn't give birth any time soon. After filling her canteens in the stream, she had begun the long walk back to her cave, her steps quickening as Teyla kept an eye out for shelter along the way - if she didn't have to return to the cave she'd spent last night in, Teyla would feel much better.
Her thoughts turned to Atlantis, and she wondered how Lorne, Zelenka, and the others were fairing. Had they managed to overpower the intruders? And if so, why weren't they here to rescue her? Her only hope was they were all still alive and striving to mount a rescue mission. She didn't even want to think about the trouble John and the others were in. Was John injured? Knowing John and his propensity for trouble, he probably was.
As Teyla walked past the crashed jumper on her way to the cave she'd spent the night before, she spied something out of the corner of her eye. It looked like part of an ancient city. If it were, it would confirm Rodney and John's assumptions that the Ancients had a presence on this planet in the past. Her curiosity piqued, she changed direction and walked towards the ruins. She was determined to find something that could help her contact Atlantis. She might not be Rodney McKay, but she knew enough to fix fundamental problems with communication arrays.
Suddenly, a sharp, searing pain ripped through her abdomen, and she held her stomach and bent over, a cry escaping her lips. It was only a minute before the contraction was over, but the pain was intense. Taking a deep breath, she continued her trek towards the ruins, wondering what she would find when she arrived - hopefully some way for her to contact Atlantis.
She would have tried using the crashed puddle jumper, but the severe damage to the front end of the craft would have damaged the communications array beyond repair.
Fifteen minutes later, she arrived at a tall, crumbling stone structure, which led her to wonder if the Ancients built it or if it was from some other technological civilisation that had died out or been culled by the Wraith centuries ago.
Taking her flashlight out of her pocket, she entered the building. On the inside, it looked like many other ancient cities, although it was damp and mouldy. The air was thick with a sense of mystery as if the ruins held secrets waiting to be uncovered. Perhaps water had run through it at some point in the past, giving the dampness and heaviness in the air.
A long, dark corridor stretched ahead, and she decided to explore further. It must lead somewhere, maybe to a control room. There was a deadly silence in the dark corridor, and it was icy cold—a cold, icy void that seemed to stretch on forever. She felt tempted to run in the other direction but kept walking because deep down, she felt there was something in these ruins that could help her find a way home to Atlantis and her family.
She saw a strange blue light ahead and felt inexplicably drawn to it. As she got closer, Teyla heard familiar voices - although she couldn't place where she'd heard them. The mystery of the light and the voices added to her intrigue, pulling her further towards the mesmerising light.
Against her better judgment, she walked towards the beautiful, shimmering blue light. It was similar to an active wormhole from a stargate, so it would be okay to walk through it - wouldn't it? She took a deep breath and stepped into the shimmering light. She could still hear the whispered voices but could see nothing. After trying to turn around and not succeeding, she gave into the pull of the ethereal tunnel. And when she reached the other side, she got the shock of her life, which would change her current situation.
oOo
They'd left Atlantis an hour ago, the city's spires disappearing into the distance, and were now flying over a desolate mainland. The icy lake below was a stark contrast to the darkening sky. They were trying to cover as much ground as possible before nightfall, the urgency of their mission palpable in the air.
Lorne had constantly tried to pick up Teyla's subcutaneous transmitter but hadn't found anything, which led him to conclude that Teyla either wasn't there or she was…well, that thought didn't bear thinking about. He certainly didn't want to tell the doctor his thoughts.
"Look," Jennifer exclaimed, "there's a jumper. Do you think she's in there?"
Lorne could hear the doctor's worry in her voice, and he couldn't blame her; he was worried himself.
"Yeah, I see it," Lorne replied, his voice tinged with a deep sense of worry, not holding out much hope that they'd find Teyla alive in it. He certainly didn't want to tell the doctor his thoughts on what had happened to Teyla.
After expertly maneuvering the jumper close to the crashed one, Lorne immediately opened the back hatch. He turned to Jennifer, his voice firm with urgency, "I need you to stay here until I give you the all-clear. Do you understand?"
When she nodded, Lorne exited the jumper, his movements cautious and deliberate, and made his way over to the crashed one. He was afraid of what he might see but knew he needed to look to either confirm or negate his worries.
The crashed jumper's back hatch was wide open, a clear sign that someone had left it. A surge of hope washed over Lorne, the possibility that it could be Teyla sparking a flicker of optimism in the grim situation.
When he entered, the smell of death was overwhelming. Taking a deep breath, he walked to the front of the jumper, and the first thing he noticed was the shattered glass littering the floor. The jumper had clearly smashed into a rock, flattening the front end, a grim testament to the violence of the crash.
Out of fear, he didn't want to look at the bodies in the Pilot's and co-pilot's seats, so he closed his eyes. However, ultimately, he knew he had to.
"It's not her," Jennifer said from behind, "This is Bannar and Jannar."
Opening his eyes, he looked at the remains of the two men in the front seats of the jumper and felt great relief. However, the sight of their disfigured faces made him feel nauseous.
"If I were to guess, I'd say Teyla went looking for shelter last night, so perhaps if we head toward the hills, we might find a cave," Lorne suggested, his relief palpable but his determination to find Teyla unwavering.
'But what shall we do with these two?" Jennifer asked, and Lorne could sense her concern and fear.
"Grab a blanket from the back hatch, and I'll put it over them. We will return and deal with their remains later," Lorne said, his voice carrying the weight of responsibility for the deceased. He had no idea why he felt the responsibility he did because these men had kidnapped a dear friend and tried to take his home away from him.
Jennifer pulled two blankets from the back compartment and threw them to him. After draping the blankets over the remains of Jannar and Bannar, he quickly exited the crashed jumper and went to the other one to resume their search for Teyla.
After ten minutes of eerie silence, the jumper approached the low-lying hills, their snow-covered, jagged peaks casting long, ominous shadows as the afternoon turned into evening. Lorne hoped to find Teyla or at least something to tell them she was alive. If not, Lorne feared they would have to call off the search and resume in the morning if they didn't find her before the sun sank below the horizon.
Lorne was at a loss for words, unsure what he would say to General Sheppard if he arrived home before they found Teyla. How could he explain to his leader and friend that they were still searching for Teyla, the General's heavily pregnant wife, in such uncertain circumstances?
Shaking himself of negative thoughts, he expertly landed the jumper on a flat piece of land outside a cave with a rocky outcrop, thinking that this was the closest cave to the crashed jumper, so Teyla would probably go there.
Approaching the dark cave, Lorne pulled out his gun, and Jennifer pulled out her flashlight. They had no idea whether anything called this place home, so they were ready for anything.
Jennifer gasped beside him, and Lorne looked at what she was pointing her flashlight at." Don't worry? It's dead," he told her when he saw the black beast caught in the flashlight's beam.
He slowly scanned the room and saw the remains of a fire near the opening. Leaning down beside it, he felt the heat still coming from it. " It looks like someone was here recently."
"Yeah, and I think it was Teyla," Jennifer suggested, holding up a survival blanket. "This is standard Atlantis issue, and they are in all the survival kits stocked in the jumpers."
"Okay, we've established she was here, but will she return?" Lorne commented while still looking around the cave.
"Do we wait to see if she comes back?" Jennifer asked, the worry evident in her voice.
"We should wait in the jumper because it will only get colder overnight," Lorne suggested, rubbing his hands against the chill of the evening. We'll contact Atlantis before nightfall as well."
Within a few minutes, they sat in the jumper, and Lorne contacted Atlantis. Luckily, the jumpers could communicate over great distances.
"Lorne to Atlantis, come in, please?"
"Atlantis here," Amelia replied.
"Amelia, I didn't expect to find you in the control room. Where's Sharnie?"
She's with Jasmine. As are Charin and Torren. I should warn you that both kids are worried about their mother. Jasmine's also concerned about Carson, but she's not letting it show around the kids."
"Tell them their mother is off-world, and you don't know when she'll return."
"Torren's an intelligent kid, Colonel; he knows something is wrong. He's trying to put on a brave face for his sister."
"We've found the cave Teyla spent last night in, so we'll stick around until she returns. Lorne out."
As Lorne cut the connection, a deep sorrow washed over him as he remembered the difficult times the kids had when Teyla was in stasis, and their father was recovering from a brain injury. Despite the challenges, both Teyla and John had regained their health, and Lorne held onto the hope that they would be found safe and well. He offered a prayer to anyone listening, a prayer filled with hope and determination - just in case.
oOo
A sudden, heated argument shattered Sheppard's peaceful slumber, jolting him into alertness. His head throbbed with a relentless ache, and a wave of heat washed over him, intensifying his discomfort. His breathing was difficult, and he wished whoever was arguing would shut up and allow him to sleep unless there was something worthwhile to tell him.
The arguing persisted, compelling him to open his eyes to a room flooded with blinding light. His eyes squinted in protest until they adjusted to the assault. He tried thinking dim, hoping that would lower the intensity, but no such luck the lights continued to blind him.
"I see you've managed to get some light on, McKay." He said as a wave of pain shot through his arm, and his headache intensified again, "Can't you manage to dim the lights?"
"Yeah, but you should see what else I've stumbled upon," Rodney's voice crackled excitedly, hinting at a discovery beyond their wildest imaginations.
With his tousled hair and weary eyes, John looked around the room to see who he was arguing with. He soon realised that Carson was the only other person there, and he was displaying his usual worried expression. Perhaps he'd talk to Rodney about the brightness of the lights later.
"What's the problem, doc? I thought you'd do anything to try and get off this rock."
"I strongly advise against any reckless exploration, "Carson said with concern, underlining the potential dangers ahead.
John sighed and ignored Carson's last statement. He was as excited as Rodney was at the possibility of a way to leave this chunk of rock. Not that Rodney had confirmed a way of the planet yet.
"Where are the others?" He asked wearily.
"Ronon is guarding the strange portal I discovered, and Logo and Toth are collecting water from an underground spring that Ronon discovered. This portal is not like anything we've seen before. It's emitting a strange energy, and I believe it could be our ticket off this planet," Rodney explained, his voice tinged with cautious optimism.
John looked at his sweat-soaked scrubs. "Why's it so hot here, doc? Surely, the three suns have gone down."
"It's not hot in here, General. You have a temperature. The last of the three suns went down hours ago, so it is cold." Carson told him with emphasis on the word cold.
He ignored Carson again, turning to face Rodney. "Wait, did you say portal?" John's excitement was palpable. Anything that offered a chance to be transported off this planet was news to his ears.
When Rodney nodded, John tried to get to his feet, "Let's go."
After three unsuccessful attempts, John finally stood on his feet, with help from Rodney and Carson. Once steady, he shrugged off their help and looked at Rodney with a lopsided grin, 'Take me to the portal."
Carson looked about to argue again, so John quickly followed Rodney. However, despite his initial excitement at the opportunity to explore, he felt worse by the minute—not that he'd let Carson know.
"Where are we going, McKay?" John asked as they walked towards a crumbling wall near the exit.
"We must cross the courtyard to reach the building with the portal," Rodney explained while walking through the exit.
John rushed behind him unsuccessfully, keeping up with the scientist. He was struggling for breath and knew now that something was wrong with him. When he looked down, he realised the miraculous silver disc was gone - not that he'd tell Carson.
When John walked outside, he stopped and looked at the sky. The night was clear, and a thousand stars were scattered across the sky, shining like a thousand diamonds put there for him. He wondered when he'd become so romantic - probably when he became a family man. His thoughts turned towards his family; were they safe? Had Teyla had her baby yet? Aboard the ancient warship, he'd heard the hostiles discussing their desire to take over Atlantis, but he couldn't remember whether they'd acted on it at the time.
Despite his fever, he shivered at the icy breeze blowing through the courtyard and wished he had something other than hospital scrubs to wear.
"Hey, did anyone manage to find me something to wear?"
Carson shook his head. " I'm Sorry, but Logo and I explored as much of the city as we dared without Ronon and couldn't come up with anything. But we'll figure something out," he reassured, highlighting the team's resourcefulness and resilience in the face of adversity.
"Great," John muttered to himself more than Rodney or Carson.
"John, let's get you inside," Carson suggested, entering mother-hen-mode.
"Okay, doc, but the only place I'm going is to see the portal Rodney's talking about," John asserted, his determination shining through.
Before Carson could say anything else John walked across the courtyard towards the small room in which he assumed the portal was enclosed - although, why would the ancients build a portal in such a tiny room?
"You're gonna love this," Rodney grinned before entering the room.
When John stepped through, he was amazed by the size of the room. It was much bigger on the inside than on the outside. It was something out of science fiction and not something he expected to see in reality. Clearly, the Ancients in this galaxy were conducting different experiments from the Ancients on Atlantis. His wonder and amazement were palpable.
"It's bigger on the inside, "John commented with total awe, "like a Tardis."
Rodney's eyes widened in excitement, and Carson's expression was a mix of surprise and concern.
John continued looking around for a few minutes before spying a strange blue light emanating from a nearby tunnel. The light was stunning, and John felt drawn to it for reasons he couldn't explain.
"Is this the portal, Rodney?"
"Yeah."
"Where does it lead?" John asked, not taking his eyes off the shimmering blue light.
"I don't know, but there are all kinds of strange energy readings coming from it," Rodney replied, stepping closer to the tunnel," But what if it leads to New Hilaring, or the Pegasus Galaxy, or anywhere but here."
By this time, John was panting as his breathing continued to worsen, but he knew he needed to warn Rodney not to get any closer. He could see the concern in Rodney's eyes and the furrow in Carson's brow as they both realised the severity of the situation.
He ignored Carson's concerned glance and spoke softly but urgently to the scientist: "Rodney, step back. Remember the time dilation field I was trapped in for six months?"
Thankfully, Rodney stepped back, but what happened next took him by surprise. The blue light shimmered intensely, and someone walked out—someone he didn't expect to see anytime soon.
"Teyla," He whispered as she stepped into the room, looking confused.
"John, how am I here? What has happened?"
"I have no idea, Sweetie," John replied, keeping his eye on the still-active portal. Suddenly, the light changed colour. It went from blue to orange to red in seconds, and he had a fair idea of what would happen next.
"Everyone out of here!" John yelled while grabbing his wife's arm.
He saw Ronon grab Carson and Rodney by the arm and start running, but he knew it was too late for him because he was struggling to breathe, and Teyla was heavily pregnant. So he knew he only had one option: he pushed Teyla to the ground and shielded her body with his. A second later, the portal exploded, sending a shower of sparks and debris his way; he winced at the feeling of hot molten lava hitting his back for the second time in as many weeks. The smoke was stifling, and he could barely breathe. The darkness was creeping in on him, so he was more than happy to let it take him.
TBC…
Sorry about the evil cliffhanger.