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Chapter Text

"We've secured the location of Kolya's base," Ladon Radim said. "I'm forwarding you the dialling coordinates right now."

Rodney stared at the image of the Genii leader on the viewscreen, letting the rest of Elizabeth's conversation with Radim fade into the background.

Will it be the right planet this time? Rodney wondered as his mind replayed the video images of John tied to a chair and gagged as a hungry Wraith closed on him.

Three times, he mentally repeated over and over. Sheppard had been fed on by that Wraith three times. Three times Rodney had been forced to watch, unable to do anything, while Sheppard aged before his eyes as the Wraith sucked away his life.

That you know of, a corner of his mind whispered, remembering the last conversation between Kolya and the Wraith.

"Who told you to stop?" Kolya demanded.

"He is near death," the Wraith replied. It glanced from Sheppard to Kolya. "Shall I finish him?"

The transmission abruptly ended a moment later, and Rodney had stared at the dark video screen in a daze. John was only a year and a half older than he was, but the John Sheppard staring back at him through the camera lens had looked like a man of eighty.

"He is near death."

The phrase echoed in Rodney's mind as panic grew in his chest, and he suddenly found it hard to breathe.

"Are you certain this is where Colonel Sheppard is being held?" Elizabeth asked, and Rodney forced himself to pay attention to the conversation.

Sheppard's life depends on it, he told himself.

"Certain enough to send a full brigade through the portal," Radim replied. "It will take us an hour to marshal our forces." Radim paused. "I thought you might want that time."

It took Rodney a moment to realise what Radim was saying. He was giving them time to find Sheppard's body. Maybe even time to deal with the Wraith who had killed -

Rodney felt a shiver up his spine.

"He may already be past the point of no return. We know that a large percentage of those who survive a partial feeding die anyway due to complications as a result of strain on the system. What appears as physical ageing is actually a by-product of a complex process we barely understand."

Rodney replayed Carson's less-than-optimistic prognosis in his head, and he had a fleeting thought of Brendan Gall sitting in an abandoned Wraith ship telling him to go save the day right before he …

Rodney ducked his head. He didn't want to think about what Gall had done next.

He remembered telling John once that he couldn't keep watching Sheppard die. At the time, he had meant the statement more metaphorically, but that was precisely what he had been forced to do for the last day. Watch as John slowly died from a Wraith feeding from him.

Someone would need to go to Earth, Rodney realised. Even though John was estranged from his family, someone would need to talk to John's father and brother. Rodney told himself he would have to be the one to go. It might be easier to send a nameless Marine, but he'd never been one to take the easy way out. They wouldn't know or probably care that John had been his brother, too, his only family, but he owed it to John to talk to Sheppard's blood relations personally.

And tell them what? Rodney wondered. What would be the cover story to explain why a man, not even forty years old, died looking like he was eighty?

It was hard to breathe again, and Rodney forced down the growing sense of loss. He felt a gentle hand on his arm, glanced to his left, and saw Teyla watching him.

Then there was the team to consider, Rodney realised. Even if John survived the feeding, he would never lead a mission through the 'gate again. Would Sheppard be happy spending his remaining days, however many that turned out to be, in Atlantis? Would the SGC insist on him returning to Earth?

And what about missions? Who would Elizabeth assign as Sheppard's replacement? he wondered. Would he even want to continue going through the 'gate without John?

Rodney stood, staring at Radim on the video screen, thinking about who he could possibly work with in the field if not John when a different conversation rose in his mind.

"Due to the war with the Wraith, there were occasions when one half of a linked pair died before he or she could reach ascension."

"What happened … What happened to the one left behind?"

"A few were able to move on after a time," Yana replied, "but they were never the same. Most went mad from the loss."

Rodney crossed one arm over his chest and pinched the bridge of his nose with his free hand.

The link, Rodney reminded himself. If John was dead, the link would be gone too. While the link and what it did had shocked him initially, over the last two years, it had become a part of him. He relied on that connection to Sheppard for more than just knowing when John might be hurt.

What would happen to him? Rodney wondered. If John really was dead, how long would he have before the loss of the link drove him insane?

No, John is still alive, Rodney mentally argued. How many times has Sheppard come back from the dead? he asked himself as a series of Sheppard's close calls swam through his memories.

A suicide run at a hive ship.

John nearly transformed into a hybrid iratus bug.

The hive ships exploding in front of him after the team had been kidnapped by Ford.

Not to mention John captured by angry natives on Mendar, and only a few months ago, escaping a culling on Haven.

Sheppard had survived all of that, Rodney told himself. He wouldn't die now. He wouldn't give the Wraith the satisfaction of killing him.

"A large percentage of those that survive a partial feeding die anyway due to complications as a result of strain on the system."

"I ask only that you leave Kolya for my own forces to find," Radim said.

Rodney jerked his head up and stared at the video screen.

Kolya.

He'd been so focused on the Wraith and John possibly dying that he'd forgotten about Kolya. Rodney absently rubbed his right arm as a new set of memories rose to the surface.

Kolya standing over him as one of his Genii goons held him down.

The Genii commander smiling as the knife sliced into his arm when Rodney refused to answer his questions about the plan to save Atlantis from a monster hurricane.

The last time they had encountered Kolya, John had thwarted his attempt to build a nuclear weapon by preventing the Genii commander from gaining access to the uranium necessary to complete the bomb and kidnapping Rodney to finish it for him.

Now, Kolya had taken John. Tortured him in a way that left Rodney's mind numb at the thought of how Sheppard had suffered. He felt Teyla squeeze his arm, looked up, and saw Elizabeth watching him. Rodney turned away before Elizabeth, or worse, Radim, saw the fear in his eyes.

The transmission ended a moment later.

Elizabeth took a deep breath, turned, and said, "All right, get a cloaked jumper and a team of Marines."

Rodney didn't need telling twice. He shook off Teyla's hand, turned, and walked out of the control room without a backward glance.

"I'd like to reserve one of those seats for a member of my medical team," Rodney heard Carson say behind him.

"He may already be past the point of no return."

Rodney felt another shiver down his spine and walked faster.

He ignored the people in the hallways outside the control room, trusting they would get out of his way. Armoury, he told himself. Gear up and get to the jumper bay. With luck, they could leave in the next five minutes.

Rodney wore a tac vest and reached for the Beretta lying on the table when Teyla and Ronon entered the room.

"Rodney? Are you all right?" Teyla asked as she pulled another vest off of a hanger and slipped it on.

"I'm fine," Rodney replied shortly, snapping a full magazine into the Beretta. He glanced around the room and frowned. "Where are the Marines?"

"Weir is talking to Lorne," Ronon replied as he checked the power cell for his blaster. "Should be here soon."

"We're not waiting all day for them," Rodney growled. "We need to go. Sheppard …" He paused and took a deep breath. "We need to find Sheppard."

"We will," Teyla replied.

Rodney glanced at her.

"We will find him," Teyla repeated. "And we will bring him home."

Rodney nodded and holstered the Beretta. He grabbed a spare magazine, stuffed it into one of his vest pockets and turned toward the door.

"Here," Ronon said, holding out a P-90.

Rodney shook his head. "I don't -"

"There is a Wraith and an unknown number of rogue Genii on the planet," Teyla said. "Ronon is correct." She took another P-90 from the rack and snapped a magazine into place. "We must be ready for anything."

"Fine." Rodney took the rifle, loaded it, and turned toward the door. "I'll be in the jumper bay prepping a ship."

He left the armoury, dodging around the group of Marines entering the room, and headed back to the control room and the stairs up to the jumper bay.

"Rodney," Elizabeth said, stepping in front of him as Rodney crossed the control room.

"I really need to go," Rodney countered. He tried to move around her, but Elizabeth blocked his way.

"This won't take long." Elizabeth turned, crossed the bridge to her office, and stood in the doorway, watching him.

Rodney clenched his jaw but followed her into the office and stood in front of her desk. So much for leaving in the next five minutes, he mentally grumbled.

"What?" Rodney growled as Elizabeth closed the office door and walked to her desk. "I need to get to the jumper bay."

"That's what I want to talk to you about," Elizabeth said, clasping her hands on the desk. "I'm not sure you should be going on this mission."

"What!" Rodney exclaimed, his frustration at the delay morphing into anger that she wanted to bench him. "Why not?"

Elizabeth glanced out the window toward the control room and frowned.

Rodney turned and saw Chuck watching them from the control console.

"I think you can guess why," Elizabeth said in a low voice. "If Colonel Sheppard is -"

"He's still alive," Rodney ground out.

"And if he isn't?" Elizabeth countered. "You were the one standing in this office not two hours ago thinking he was already dead."

Rodney scowled at the reminder.

"You don't know what will happen with the link once you go through the 'gate," Elizabeth continued. "It might be better for the safety of the others if you stayed here."

Rodney stared at her, then glanced down at the silent 'gate. Elizabeth's argument was logical, but Rodney wasn't in the mood to listen to logic. This was one time he was willing to let emotions make his decisions.

"I need to do this," he told her. "I need to know."

"Rodney -"

"Maybe I can help him," Rodney spoke over her.

Elizabeth frowned and jerked her chin toward the control room.

Rodney glanced out the window, saw Chuck still watching them, and lowered his voice. "Maybe I can use the link the same way Sheppard used it to heal my hand."

"You've tried that before, and it didn't work," Elizabeth said.

Rodney had a flash memory of Sheppard getting shot and Rodney trying and failing to use the power in the link to heal the injury.

"A lot has happened since then. Maybe this time will be different," Rodney countered. He glanced out the window and saw Ronon and Teyla crossing the control room. "I need to go," he said, turning toward the door.

"Rodney," Elizabeth said.

Rodney clenched his hands. He didn't have time for this, he grumbled to himself but turned around.

"Be careful."

Rodney gave her a stiff nod and left the office.

"And bring John home," he heard Elizabeth whisper behind him.

Teyla and Ronon met him at the base of the stairs leading up to the jumper bay.

"Is everything all right?" Telya asked, glancing at the glassed-in office.

Rodney glanced at Elizabeth watching them, then shrugged and started up the stairs. "Elizabeth is concerned about the link," he muttered once they were alone outside the jumper bay.

Teyla frowned. "Perhaps -"

"Don't even say it," Rodney growled.

He stormed into the jumper bay and randomly selected one of the shuttles. Rodney barely waited for the rear ramp to completely lower before he entered the ship, dropped the P-90 on the bench seat in the rear section, entered the cockpit, and settled in the pilot's seat.

His hands hovered over the tiles, and he stared out the windscreen. This is so wrong, Rodney thought, even as Sheppard's voice in his head reminded him of everything he needed to do for the pre-flight checks.

Rodney shook his head and focused on the controls as he mechanically ran through Sheppard's list. He was aware of Teyla sitting next to him in the co-pilot's seat and Ronon standing behind her as he double-checked the various systems. A few minutes later, he heard a clatter behind him, twisted around in his seat, and saw Beckett enter the jumper carrying a large backpack emblazoned with a red cross.

"The Marines are right behind me," Carson said as he walked into the cockpit.

"Good," Rodney growled. "The sooner everyone decides to show up, the sooner we can find Sheppard."

"Rodney," Carson started to say, and Rodney caught Teyla shaking her head at Beckett from the corner of his eye.

Carson pressed his lips into a thin line and sat behind Rodney without another word.

Rodney gripped the control sticks so hard his knuckles turned white. Why wouldn't people just leave it alone, he mentally screamed. Did they think he wasn't aware of what they might find? Did they think he wasn't half out of his mind with worry and fear? Worry about Sheppard. Fear as to what would happen to him if John were dead.

"Reporting as ordered, sir," a voice said behind him.

Rodney turned and saw a tall Marine standing in the doorway separating the cockpit from the rear section. Rodney shifted his gaze and saw four more men stowing their gear in the overhead netting.

"Finally," Rodney replied. He pressed a tile, sealing the rear hatch.

He waited just long enough for the Marines to find seats on the benches in the rear section, then keyed in the 'gate address Ladon Radim had given them.

The jumper rose into the air, floated toward the opening in the floor, and dropped into the gateroom. The wormhole shimmered in front of them, and Elizabeth stood with her hands clenched on the railing overlooking the gateroom.

"Rodney, Teyla, Ronon," she said over the radio. "Good luck."

Teyla glanced at Rodney, then tapped her earpiece. "Thank you, Doctor Weir. We will return as quickly as possible."

The jumper shot through the event horizon and, moments later, exited the 'gate on an unnamed planet.

"I'd say we're in the right place," Carson said as a group of Genii soldiers opened fire on the jumper.

"Engaging the cloak," Rodney said. He pressed a tile and pulled back on the control sticks.

The Genii stopped firing as the ship gained altitude and vanished.

Once clear of the weapon's fire, Rodney hovered the ship over the forest and studied the tree canopy.

"It's a big planet," Carson said. "Where are we supposed to look for this base, then?"

The HUD appeared on the windscreen, and Rodney saw close to a dozen blue dots surrounding a red dot a dozen kilometers from their location. As he watched, the blue dots started disappearing.

"What's going on down there?" Carson asked from the seat behind Rodney.

Good question, Rodney thought. He studied the HUD and felt the knot in his gut ease.

"Well, one of them is definitely Sheppard." Rodney pointed to the red dot surrounded by quickly disappearing blue dots on the screen. "His subcutaneous transmitter's still broadcasting."

The last of the blue dots vanished, leaving a single blue dot alongside Sheppard's red dot.

If he's still able to kill that many Genii, Rodney thought as he stared at the screen, then maybe Carson was wrong. Maybe John would beat the odds once again.

"Could the other remaining dot be Kolya?" Teyla asked as both dots moved across the screen.

"Let's hope so," Ronon growled.

Rodney gave Ronon a startled glance.

"Land a hundred meters south of their position," Ronon ordered.

Rodney swallowed, nodded, and arced the shuttle in a slow turn, setting them on a course for Sheppard's location.

They had only been on their new heading for a few moments when more blue dots appeared on the screen and surrounded Sheppard's red dot.

Rodney felt a frigid blanket settle over him and an increased pressure in his skull.

He gasped and tried to hide the involuntary shiver as he grasped the flight controls in a tighter grip.

Pull yourself together, Rodney silently ordered as waves of fear and anger battered against his mind along with the pain and cold.

The feeling of cold and the vise-like pressure increased the closer they flew toward Sheppard's location, and Rodney wasn't sure how much longer he could hide how much pain he was in.

Another wave of fear hit him, and he groaned low in his throat.

"Rodney," Teyla whispered, and Rodney felt Teyla's hand on his arm.

Rodney shook his head and tried to focus on the trees sailing past below them.

"Going to go brief the Marines," Ronon said and stood. A moment later, Rodney heard the bulkhead door close.

Rodney squeezed his eyes shut as the vise-like pressure increased. He heard Teyla hiss in a breath and opened his eyes.

Thanks to his inattention, the jumper had dipped, and they were perilously close to the tree canopy. Rodney groaned louder and pulled back on the control sticks. The ship regained altitude and levelled off high above the trees.

"Doctor Beckett," Teyla said, glancing at Carson.

"I don't know, lass," Carson replied. He knelt next to Rodney's chair and added, "Rodney? Talk to me, lad."

"The link," Rodney replied with another groan.

He saw Teyla and Carson exchange a worried glance.

"A spike?" Teyla asked.

Rodney shook his head and shivered again. "Different," he ground out as the pain increased.

Rodney thought of the eighty-year-old man wearing Sheppard's uniform and shuddered. John was dying, he realised. That's what the link was telling him. They were too late.

"Perhaps Doctor Beckett should take over," Teyla suggested.

Before Rodney could reply, the pressure in his head doubled, and he couldn't breathe. The feeling of anger had ebbed, but the fear was still there, now laced with resignation.

Rodney closed his eyes and moaned. He released the controls and listed to one side as he cradled his head in his hands. A corner of his mind screamed at him to regain control of the ship before it crashed, but the larger part was overwhelmed by the pain, the cold, the fact he couldn't breathe, and the sudden realisation that the emotions he was feeling weren't his.

"Doctor Beckett!" Teyla exclaimed as if from down a long tunnel.

Rodney felt something bang into the pilot's seat a moment later. He opened his eyes and watched the jumper level off just above the tops of the trees. Rodney glanced to his right and saw Carson standing beside him, gripping the control sticks as he stared out the windscreen.

"See if you can move him out of the way," Carson's voice wafted across the pain in Rodney's head.

The bulkhead door opened and closed, and Rodney was vaguely aware of Ronon lifting him out of the pilot's seat and dropping him into another chair. He curled in the seat and closed his eyes, hovering on the edge of consciousness as he panted and shivered.

"What happened?" Ronon asked.

"I suspect the mental link is reacting to Colonel Sheppard's condition," Carson replied.

"That would mean Colonel Sheppard …"

"Aye, lass," Carson said, and Rodney heard the depth of sadness in his tone. "If Rodney's reaction is anything to go by, I believe we are too late."

"Get us on the ground, Doc," Ronon ordered.

"Aye," Carson replied. A moment later, he added. "We're nearly to Sheppard's last known location, I think."

Rodney kept his breathing shallow and felt himself drifting as his world was reduced to the feeling of intense cold and the pressure in his skull. So this is how it ends, the analytical part of his brain thought. Sheppard is dead, or at least at the brink, and your last sane moments are filled with freezing pain.

Pull yourself together, he ordered himself. If you plan to use the link to save John, you have to be conscious. Rodney shifted in his seat, cracked his eyes open, and forced himself to ignore the pain and waves of fear. He took a deeper breath and silently watched his teammates as the jumper flew over the tree canopy.

Ronon stood behind Teyla's chair, his right arm braced on one of the overhead beams, staring out the windscreen. Rodney had Dex's face in profile, but it was enough for him to see the rigid set of Ronon's jaw and how his left hand reflexively clenched and unclenched as they flew over the trees.

Teyla divided her attention between watching the HUD and glancing at Beckett. There wasn't much she could do to assist with flying the ship, but Rodney heard her murmured suggestions for Carson to adjust their course as they closed on the area with the blinking red dot.

The only part of Carson Rodney could see was the back of Beckett's head. Carson sat at rigid attention, and Rodney imagined he had a white-knuckle grip on the flight controls. Each time Teyla suggested a course correction, Beckett gave her a minute nod and adjusted their trajectory.

None of them paid any attention to him, something Rodney was grateful for. He didn't need an audience if he was about to completely lose it.

The transmitter is still active, Rodney thought, watching the blinking red dot. That meant Sheppard was still alive, didn't it? Rodney tried to concentrate and understand what the link was telling him. As far as he could tell, nothing had changed. His head still pounded. He was still cold, and the feelings of fear mixed with anger and resignation were still there.

John's emotions, Rodney realised with a start. He was feeling what John was feeling. As if watching Koyla torture Sheppard wasn't enough, Rodney suddenly realised he was sharing John's final emotions as Sheppard stood at the brink of death.

"There is a clearing," Teyla said, pointing out the windscreen. She looked up at the HUD. "And it appears to be near Colonel Sheppard's location."

"I see it," Carson replied. He bent forward in the pilot's seat, and the jumper started its descent.

The ship landed a few minutes later, and Ronon opened the bulkhead door. A corner of Rodney's mind noted that Ronon stood in such a way that he blocked anyone in the rear section from seeing into the cockpit.

The spicy scent of pine trees and the earthy smell of fresh dirt wafted across Rodney's nose, and he assumed Carson had lowered the rear hatch.

"We'll look around," Ronon said, jerking his thumb over his shoulder. He glanced at Teyla and nodded in Rodney's direction.

Teyla nodded back, and Dex walked into the rear section.

"Perimeter sweep," Dex ordered, and Rodney heard the clomp of boots against the rear hatch a few seconds later.

"Should I leave the cloak engaged?" Carson asked.

"Yes," Teyla replied. "We do not want the Genii," she glanced at Rodney, "or the Wraith finding the ship."

Carson nodded, and the remaining ship systems powered down a few moments later.

Teyla stood, squeezed Rodney's shoulder, glanced at Beckett, and walked into the rear section.

Beckett moved from the pilot's seat to Rodney's side and crouched before him. "Rodney, how are you doing, lad?" he asked, reaching for Rodney's wrist.

"How do you think?" Rodney grumbled.

Carson frowned and let go of his wrist. "Your pulse is fast. How bad is the pain? One to ten?"

Rodney crossed his arms over his chest and tried not to shiver. "Eight," he muttered. "Maybe a nine."

"You should lie down in the back. We can -"

"Perimeter's clear," Ronon reported, walking into the cockpit.

Carson looked up and nodded. "You lot go ahead. I'll stay here with Rodney."

"What about Sheppard?"

Carson glanced at Rodney, but before he could say anything, Rodney pushed himself to his feet. The room swayed as he moved, and he grabbed the back of the chair for balance.

"I'm going with you."

"Rodney, don't be a fool. You can barely stand," Carson countered.

Rodney braced one hand on the bulkhead and glared up at Ronon standing in the doorway.

Ronon glanced from Rodney to Carson, then backed out of the way.

"You were a lot of help," Carson groused at Ronon as Rodney shuffled into the rear section and picked up his P-90. "He's in no fit state to be wandering around."

"Don't have time to waste arguing," Ronon replied. He pushed past Rodney and walked out of the jumper.

Rodney staggered down the ramp and stood with one hand braced against the side of the ship. He used his other hand to shield his eyes from the morning sunlight stabbing into his aching head, and stared at the surrounding pine trees.

The Marines stood at regular intervals, weapons at the ready, watching the surrounding forest. Rodney thought he saw two trees growing from a single trunk and rubbed his eyes.

"What the …" he muttered, studying the strange double tree. No one else seemed to notice the weird tree, and Rodney chalked the illusion up to the headache.

Ronon walked over to the sergeant in charge of the Marines. "Anything?" he asked, looking around.

"Still clear," the Marine replied.

There wasn't a breeze, but Rodney zipped his jacket nearly to his chin as another wave of cold crawled up his spine.

A Marine standing not far from Rodney glanced at him and frowned. "Are you all right, sir? You don't look so good."

"Fine," Rodney told him. He pushed off the side of the ship and silently ordered his legs to keep him upright just a little while longer.

"Let's go," Ronon said, taking point.

"You heard the man," the sergeant next to Ronon said. "Move out Marines!"

Rodney waited until the Marines fell in behind Ronon, then shuffled along at the rear of their procession with Carson beside him. Teyla walked a few steps in front of them, watching the trees and occasionally glancing at Rodney.

No birds chirped overhead, and Rodney didn't hear any scurrying of animals through the sparse undergrowth. Other than their footsteps on the dirt path, the only sound was the low drone of insects in the nearby scrub.

Ronon and the Marines crept through the thinning trees, watching the path and the forest, alert for any movement. Their slow but steady progress was maddening for Rodney. On one hand, the slow pace allowed him to keep up, even as every step jarred his aching head. On the other hand, he knew from the link they were out of time.

"Contact," one of the Marines whispered, holding up a closed fist.

Rodney stumbled to a halt as the Marines fanned out around him.

"Where?" Ronon asked, crouching low.

"Ahead, twenty paces," the Marine replied. "Body on the ground."

Rodney swallowed. This is it, he thought. Sheppard really is -

"Appears to be Genii," the Marine finished, and Rodney blew out a breath.

Carson glanced at him, and Rodney shook his head.

A moment later, a piercing scream cut through the trees.

"Move!" Ronon shouted and ran into the trees, out-pacing the Marines, who scrambled to keep up with Dex.

Rodney started to follow, only to gasp out a breath and stagger into Carson a moment later.

"Rodney?" Carson asked, grabbing Rodney's arm and keeping him upright. "What's wrong?"

Rodney shook his head. He pressed his hands to his temples, then stood straight and stared at Carson.

"It's gone," Rodney murmured. He shook off Carson's hold on his arm and stared into the trees where Ronon and the Marines had disappeared.

"Sorry?"

"The link -"

"The link is gone?" Carson interrupted. He gave Teyla a startled look and reached for Rodney's arm.

"We need to go," Rodney said and tore after Ronon.

Rodney, Carson, and Teyla caught up to Dex and the Marines just as they ran into another clearing. Several bodies lay on the ground, and a Wraith crouched over another victim.

Rodney stopped short, staring at the bodies. A quick glance was all he needed. None of the bodies could be John. They all wore Genii uniforms.

So does that mean … Rodney turned and stared at the Wraith. From how the link had reacted once they were on the planet, Rodney was certain Sheppard wasn't in any condition to run.

That's why the headache and the icy cold feeling were gone, he realised. That's why he no longer felt the waves of fear. They were too late.

Rodney had barely reached his conclusion when Ronon yanked the Wraith away from the person on the ground with a growl. The Wraith hissed as it tumbled across the clearing and stopped only a few paces from Rodney.

Dex blocked Rodney's view of the body, but looking at the desiccated remains of the Genii surrounding them, he had a good idea of what the Wraith had been doing.

The Wraith rolled to its feet, staying low with its hands spread away from its body.

Three Marines standing nearby pointed their weapons at the Wraith. Two more stood on the other side of the clearing, checking the bodies on the ground.

Rodney swallowed hard and aimed his P-90 at the Wraith.

The Wraith growled low in its throat, looking one way and then another, and Rodney hoped that if it was about to escape, it didn't try to go through him to do it. Could he do it? he wondered? Could he kill someone who was unarmed, even if it was a Wraith? John was likely dead, he reminded himself. Dead because of the Wraith huddled in front of him.

Rodney swallowed and tightened his grip on the P-90. He heard Ronon's low growl, glanced at Dex, and saw Ronon aim the particle weapon at the Wraith.

The Wraith crouched lower, glanced at Rodney and the Marines, then focused on Dex. Rodney saw the Wraith shift its weight and tightened his finger on the P-90's trigger.

"Wait!" a familiar voice shouted from behind Ronon.

Rodney felt a jolt in his stomach and stared in disbelief as Sheppard, a normal Sheppard, not artificially aged, and more importantly, not dead, rose and stood behind Dex.

"Leave him!" Sheppard added, glancing at the Wraith.

The Wraith gave Sheppard a puzzled glance.

Ronon held his aim on the Wraith and shook his head.

"That's an order," Sheppard growled at Dex.

Ronon held his aim for a few more seconds, then lowered the particle weapon.

"I don't understand," Carson said as he lowered his Beretta.

That makes two of us, Rodney silently added, still staring at Sheppard.

"We all saw what he did to you," Beckett finished.

"He just undid it," John replied. "Lower your weapons," he ordered the Marines.

The Marines hesitated, then exchanged confused glances as they lowered their guns.

Teyla stepped forward. "How is this possible?"

John shrugged. "Don't ask me."

The Wraith watched the Marines, then glanced at Rodney and Carson before slowly lowering its arms, straightening, and turning to John.

"The gift of life is reserved only for our most devout worshippers … and our brothers." It glanced at Teyla and added, "Sheppard gave me back my life. I merely repaid the debt."

Rodney listened to the exchange in stunned silence.

In the course of a day, he had watched his best friend, his brother, age before his eyes as John was tortured by a madman. Standing in front of the screen, watching the Wraith feeding on John, had been a different sort of torture for Rodney, true, but torture just the same.

Which was probably Kolya's intention, Rodney grumbled to himself.

Yet here was John, seemingly perfectly fine, standing before him, telling them not to kill the Wraith who had caused all of their suffering. While Rodney was grateful Sheppard had dodged death once again, the residual feelings of helplessness, not to mention feeling Sheppard near death and the agonising pain from the link, were still fresh in his mind.

Before Rodney could stop it, the first thing he thought of popped out of his mouth, "Are you kidding?" he asked, glaring at the Wraith and then Sheppard. "I mean, he looks younger than he did before!"

Carson and Teyla stared at him, and Rodney felt Beckett's elbow dig into his ribs. "Rodney," Carson hissed.

"What? It's true!"

Ronon shook his head and focused on John. "What about Kolya?"

Rodney started at the name and glanced at the trees. How could you forget about Kolya? he chastised himself, half-expecting the Genii commander to strut out of the forest and order the Wraith to feed on all of them.

John patted his jacket pockets, then turned and scooped a radio off the ground. "Kolya, this is Sheppard." John waited a moment, then added, "Kolya?"

Rodney blew out a silent breath and relaxed when Sheppard didn't receive a response. After everything else that had happened, he wasn't looking forward to a confrontation with Kolya too.

"I figured you'd run," John growled into the radio. "Next time I kill you on sight, you hear me?"

John glared at the radio, then narrowed his eyes as he tossed it aside. "Let's get off this rock," he said to Ronon.

No argument from me, Rodney silently thought.

"What about him?" Ronon asked, glaring at the Wraith.

The Wraith grunted as it glanced from Ronon to Sheppard. Rodney wondered if it was considering making a break for it even though it was surrounded by Marines.

John studied the Wraith, then took the particle weapon from Dex, stepped forward, and shot the Wraith in the chest.

The Wraith fell, unmoving, and lay on the ground.

Ronon took the blaster, gazed at it and then at the Wraith. "You didn't kill it," he growled.

"No, I didn't," John replied, walking over to Rodney. "Get him in the jumper," he ordered the Marines. "We'll drop him off somewhere."

Ronon shook his head, holstering the particle weapon as the Marines stepped forward and picked up the Wraith.

"Thanks for showing up," John added, pushing past Rodney as he followed the Marines.

Rodney stared at John's back in stunned silence. Was John being sarcastic or sincere? he wondered. After the day he'd had, he wasn't in any shape to parse out emotional nuance. He started to say something in reply, but John was already walking away from him.

"Come on, lad," Carson said, tugging Rodney's arm. "Let's go home."

Rodney only vaguely paid attention to where he was going as he followed the rest of the group back to the jumper. Now that he knew Sheppard was alive and surprisingly well, he had time to think about not only what had happened to John but how the link had reacted to Sheppard nearly dying.

Over the last two years, he had grown used to the pain spikes and headaches whenever John was injured. The way the link had reacted to the Wraith feeding on Sheppard had been different. The pressure in his skull and the cold was one thing, but he had felt John's emotions as he was dying. A shiver ran down Rodney's spine.

That was new.

Was he going to start experiencing John's other feelings? Rodney wondered. Would Sheppard now know all of Rodney's inner secrets and fears? Or had this been an extreme reaction to an extreme situation?

The thought of John knowing what he was thinking or feeling all the time was almost as scary to Rodney as experiencing Sheppard's near death.

Then, there was the problem of telling John about the reaction. After Yana's revelation about the link's true purpose, they had made a pact to tell the other if the link did anything new or different.

How do I even bring it up? Rodney wondered as he walked. 'Oh, by the way, not only did I get to watch you slowly dying, but I actually felt it,' seemed a little blunt even for him.

Even after two years and everything they had been through, Rodney knew Sheppard was more inclined to stuff his problems into boxes than admit he might need help. Rodney suspected John would not take it well when he found out Rodney had been an unwitting voyeur to his near-death.

Rodney frowned and rubbed the back of his head as he debated with himself what to do.

"Rodney?" Carson asked. "Are you all right?"

"Hmm?" Rodney glanced at Beckett and saw his concerned expression. "I'm fine. Just thinking."

Rodney waited until Beckett looked away, then rubbed his right arm and continued his internal debate.

Of course, all of this assumed John would want to talk about what Kolya and the Wraith had done, Rodney reminded himself. He glanced at John's stiff posture as he walked beside Ronon at the head of their group.

Maybe wait a few days, Rodney decided. Delay the inevitable fallout as long as possible.

Decision made, Rodney let the late morning sun warm his face as he walked. It felt good after the numbing cold he'd felt before they found Sheppard.

Ten minutes later, Rodney was beginning to wonder where they had left the jumper when he heard Carson muttering about something.

" … but where?" Carson said.

Rodney glanced at Beckett. "What?"

"Sorry?" Carson replied, glancing at Rodney with a distracted expression.

Rodney shook his head. "What are you muttering about?"

"Oh." Carson pressed his lips into a thin line. "It's that Wraith," he explained, pointing at the inert body carried by two Marines. "He looks familiar."

Rodney studied the Wraith, then shrugged. "If you say so."

"I know I've seen him before."

"Doc?" John said. He held up a hand, and the Marines stopped walking. "What's the problem?"

"Not a problem, Colonel. Just a puzzle."

John studied the trees as he walked back to Carson and Rodney.

"Carson, what's going on?" Sheppard asked. "Did you see something in the trees? More Genii?"

"No, no, nothing like that," Carson replied. He pointed to the Wraith. "I know I've seen that Wraith before. I just can't remember where."

John shook his head. "Don't think that's possible. I got the impression Kolya had had him in that cell for years. Decades, maybe. Certainly longer than we've been in Atlantis."

Carson frowned. "I know I've seen him somewhere."

"Even if you have, the middle of hostile territory isn't the place to figure it out," John replied with another wary glance at the trees.

Rodney flinched at the reminder there might still be Genii after them and peered through the trees.

"Yes, yes, of course, you're right," Carson said. "As I said, it's a puzzle."

Sheppard glanced from Carson to the Wraith, then made a circling motion with his hand. "Move out."

The Marines traded off carrying the Wraith, and they continued the hike back to the jumper.

Assuming we're going the right way, Rodney grumbled to himself. He had no memory of the trip from the ship to where they had heard Sheppard scream, and all the trees looked the same.

"We're here," Ronon said when they entered another clearing a few minutes later.

"Are you sure?" Carson asked, patting his vest pockets.

"Ronon is correct," Teyla replied. "I remember that doubled tree."

Rodney glanced to his right and saw two trees growing from a single trunk. "Huh. So it was real."

Teyla glanced at him with a raised eyebrow, and Rodney shook his head.

Carson pulled a remote control out of his vest pocket and pushed a button. The air a few meters in front of them briefly shimmered before the jumper appeared. Carson pushed another button, and the rear hatch opened.

Rodney stepped toward the lowered ramp, eager to leave the planet as soon as possible.

"Where do you think you're going?" John asked.

Rodney stopped at the bottom of the ramp. "Where do you think," he replied, stepping onto the ramp.

"No, you're not. You need to dial the 'gate and go home."

"I plan to. From inside the jumper."

"The jumper isn't going back to Atlantis. You are," John replied.

Rodney crossed his arms over his chest. "Excuse me?" he demanded.

"Colonel Sheppard?" Teyla said at the same time.

"You heard me." John glanced at the Marine beside him and jerked his chin toward the rear ramp. "Get him loaded," he ordered.

"Yes, sir," the Marine replied.

Rodney scowled and stepped out of the way as the Marines carried the Wraith aboard the jumper.

"If you aren't coming with us, where pray tell are you off to, then?" Carson asked.

John pointed at the ship. "I'm going to deal with him."

"Deal with him?" Rodney asked. He glanced into the jumper and watched the Marines settle the Wraith on one of the bench seats. "Deal with him how?"

"Should have done that before," Ronon said, fingering the particle weapon.

"Not like that," John said to Dex. "We made a deal, and I plan to honor it."

"Why?" Ronon growled. "It wouldn't hesitate to kill all of us if given the chance."

"So leave him here," Rodney countered. "He won't be stunned for long. He can leave when he wakes up."

"And give him a chance to find the address to Atlantis in the DHD buffer?" Sheppard countered, glaring at Rodney.

Rodney scowled but knew John had a point. Michael had known about Atlantis, but hopefully, any Wraith he had passed that information along to were now dead. No reason to give more Wraith the chance to attack the city.

"You intend to leave the Wraith on another planet," Teyla said.

"Yes," John replied. "One we know is occupied by the Wraith." He glanced at Rodney and added, "That's why you aren't coming."

"Where do you intend to take him?" Teyla asked.

"The same planet Michael took you," Sheppard replied. "We know the Wraith are building some sort of stronghold in that valley not far from the 'gate. I'll drop him off there and be back through the 'gate before the Wraith know we were there." He turned to Rodney. "I'm going to need that," he said, pointing to the P-90.

"Unbelievable," Rodney grumbled. After everything he'd been through trying to save John, he couldn't believe Sheppard wanted to ditch him. He unclipped the rifle from his vest and held it out to Sheppard.

John took the weapon and walked over to the ramp.

"You're just going to leave us here?" Rodney asked. "It's twelve kilometers back to the 'gate. What if Kolya and his Genii soldiers are still here?"

"That's why the Marines are staying here with you," John replied.

Rodney gaped. Surely, he had heard that wrong. "Are you insane?"

"I think what Rodney is trying to say is, are you certain you want to do this by yourself?" Teyla asked.

"He won't be going alone," Ronon said.

John glanced at Ronon. "I don't need company."

Ronon crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Sheppard.

"Fine," John acquiesced. "Come if you want."

The Marines exited the jumper and stood near the edge of the clearing.

"Prisoner is secured, sir," one of the Marines said.

"Thank you, Sergeant," John replied.

Rodney opened his mouth, but John raised his hand. "No more argument. Get back to Atlantis. Tell Elizabeth we'll be back inside a day."

John walked up the ramp with Ronon behind him. A few seconds later, the rear hatch sealed, and the jumper took off, circled the clearing, and then disappeared over the trees in the direction of the stargate.

"Of all the stupid, reckless plans you've had over the years, this one might top the list," Rodney muttered under his breath as he watched the jumper disappear in the distance.

"Sir?" the Marine standing nearby asked.

"Nothing," Rodney replied.

"We should not stay here," Teyla said with a glance at the Marine sergeant.

The sergeant nodded. "Let's go. Standard formation."

One of the Marines took point. Teyla, Rodney, and Carson followed the sergeant, and the remaining Marines brought up the rear.

"He could have at least dropped us at the 'gate," Rodney muttered as they walked. "I did not need a hike on top of the rest of my day."

Carson gave him a worried glance, but Rodney shook his head as he followed the Marines.

They stopped at the edge of another clearing a few hours later, and the Marine sergeant held up a hand.

"Perimeter check," he said in a low voice. He pointed to one of the Marines behind Rodney and added, "Stay with the civilians."

"Yes, Sergeant," the Marine replied.

The Marines inched through the last of the trees, and a moment later, the sergeant called over the radio, "All clear."

Teyla led the way into the empty clearing, and Rodney blew out a breath.

"Where did the Genii disappear to, I wonder," Carson said.

"If Commander Kolya survived and escaped as Colonel Sheppard suspects, they likely left the planet when he did," Teyla replied.

Rodney felt a shiver down his back at the reminder that, once again, Kolya had slipped through their fingers as he walked over to the DHD and began dialling the address for Atlantis.

The wormhole formed, and Rodney sent his IDC. "We're cleared to return," he announced a moment later.

The Marines stood to one side as Teyla and Carson walked toward the event horizon. Rodney stepped through the 'gate behind them and wasn't surprised when he saw Elizabeth waiting for them in the gateroom.

"Rodney, Carson, Teyla," Elizabeth greeted and nodded to the Marines. "We were getting worried something had happened." She glanced at the 'gate and frowned when the wormhole closed a moment later. "Where is the jumper? And where are Colonel Sheppard and Ronon?"

Rodney snorted, and Elizabeth frowned.

"Colonel Sheppard is dealing with a … personal matter," Teyla replied. "He said to tell you he will return as soon as it is complete."

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes. "Does this personal matter involve Commander Kolya?"

"No," Teyla replied. "We never saw him. Commander Kolya had likely left the planet by the time we found Colonel Sheppard."

"Then where -"

"Sheppard decided the Wraith needed a ride home," Rodney retorted with a scowl.

"Rodney," Carson chastised.

"I don't understand," Elizabeth said, glancing from Rodney to Teyla and Carson.

"It seems Colonel Sheppard and the Wraith had some sort of arrangement," Teyla explained. "Colonel Sheppard is merely fulfilling his side of the bargain."

"I see. In that case, we will debrief once Colonel Sheppard and Ronon return." Elizabeth glanced at each of them in turn. "Good work. All of you," she added, then climbed the stairs to the control room.

Teyla nodded and walked toward the exit. Rodney started to follow when Carson tapped his arm. "You need to come to the infirmary," he whispered. "I want to make sure there's nothing amiss after what happened in the jumper."

Rodney grimaced but nodded and followed Carson out of the gateroom and down the hall to the transporter.

Rodney walked into the infirmary and watched Sharon and Dana pace between the beds, each with a privacy screen separating the beds from their neighbors, lined along the far side of the room.

Dana glanced up as the infirmary door opened, saw Rodney, and Rodney saw her eyes crinkle above the mask she wore. Rodney assumed she was smiling behind the mask. Dana gave him a tiny wave and turned back to the Marine lying in the bed beside her.

Rodney gave her a hesitant wave and scowled when he heard Carson chuckle beside him.

"Come on," Carson said, smiling and tapping Rodney's arm. "Stop flirting with my nurses."

Rodney had a denial on the tip of his tongue but frowned when he heard a loud sneeze from the other side of the room. He glanced across the room and saw Dana handing the Marine a tissue.

"The one place you're guaranteed to get sick is a doctor's office," Rodney grumbled to himself as he followed Carson to a bed near the door.

"Doctor Beckett," Sharon greeted. She removed her mask as she walked over to their side of the room, glancing at Rodney. "Is everything all right?"

"Fine, fine, my dear," Carson replied. He glanced at the row of beds lined along the far wall. "Serefina sent Tsao and Sergeant Garcia back to quarters?"

Sharon glanced across the room. "Yes. Both were doing much better. Sergeant Thompson also reported that the rest of his team has recovered, and Doctor Zelenka informed us that he and several scientists are also on the mend."

Carson nodded. "Of all the potential diseases someone could bring back to the city, it's a new Marine with Earth-borne influenza that causes the problem." He shook his head. "What about the Daedalus?"

"Colonel Caldwell reported a few cases among his crew, but they should be able to continue on to Earth instead of returning here."

Sharon glanced at Rodney and then the infirmary door. "Colonel Sheppard …"

"He's just fine," Carson replied. "He's dealing with a situation and should be back soon."

Sharon frowned. "Wasn't he fed on by a Wraith? How is that possible?"

"It's a long story," Carson replied. "Rest assured, I will be running plenty of tests once he returns to try and answer that very question."

Carson waited until Sharon walked across the room to check on the flu patients, then turned to Rodney. "All right, up you get," he said, pointing at the bed.

Rodney sat on the edge of the infirmary bed and crossed his arms over his chest. "I feel fine now."

Carson ignored him as he checked Rodney's pulse and listened to his breathing and heart.

"Have you ever had that bad of a spike before?" he asked softly as he wrapped a blood pressure cuff around Rodney's arm.

"It wasn't a spike," Rodney said, wincing as the cuff tightened around his arm. "It felt more like someone was squeezing my head."

Carson glanced at him with a frown. "Hmm. Your blood pressure is elevated," he reported as he ripped the velcro and removed the cuff, "but you don't seem to be any the worse for wear."

Carson sat on the stool next to the bed and glanced at Sharon, busy with one of the Marines on the other side of the room. "Was there anything else unusual?" he whispered.

How much should he say? Rodney wondered, picking at the edge of the mattress. Should he talk to John before telling Carson, not to mention Teyla, Ronon, Elizabeth, and Zelenka, about feeling John's fear and anger? About sensing how close John was to death?

"Rodney?" Carson prodded and tapped Rodney's knee.

"Hmm?"

"What else happened while we were planet-side?"

Rodney stared at Beckett, then crossed his arms over his chest. "The, umm, the reaction from the link. It was different."

One of the Marines started coughing on the other side of the room. Sharon said something to the woman and, once the fit passed, offered her a cup of water.

Rodney glanced at the corner, half-hoping Carson would check on the Marine and leave the questions about the link for another time.

"Yes, I gathered that from the fact you were barely conscious in the jumper," Carson replied, ignoring the activity on the other side of the room.

So much for getting a distraction, Rodney mentally sighed.

"How was it different?" Carson pressed.

Rodney studied Beckett, then decided to tell part of the story. Just enough to get Carson to leave it alone for now, he told himself.

He watched Sharon walk back to her desk, then leaned forward and said, "I got, umm, cold. Really cold. That had never happened before. And it was hard to breathe."

Carson frowned and reached for the stethoscope. "Are you having breathing problems now?"

Rodney shook his head.

"Anything else?"

Rodney hesitated. "Umm, no. Just the squeezing in my head and feeling like I'd never be warm again."

Carson stared at him, and Rodney wondered if Beckett was about to call him on the white lie.

"All right," Carson said and stood. "You seem fine enough now. Come see me if you start to notice any problems."

Rodney hopped off the bed. "Umm, thanks, Carson."

"You're welcome, lad," Carson replied as Rodney walked toward the infirmary door.

Rodney stopped in the armoury long enough to return the Beretta and shed his tac vest, then headed for the mess hall. He was sure Carson had seen through his attempted obfuscation and wondered how long Beckett would wait before bringing up his suspicions with Sheppard.

"So much for waiting," he muttered as he walked into the mess hall and grabbed a tray. He still didn't know how he would broach the topic with Sheppard, but they had more than a few things to discuss once John returned to the city.

Chapter Text

A dart screamed past overhead, providing John with the distraction he needed. As soon as the Wraith glanced up at the ship skimming over the nearby treetops, John stepped back, concealing himself within the jumper's cloak.

The dart circled the clearing, and a culling beam lit the darkness. A moment later, John's reluctant ally disappeared within the beam. The dart turned in a tight arc and headed back down the valley toward a large, lit building in the distance.

John rubbed at the lingering ache where the Wraith had fed on him, watched the dart disappear, and blew out a breath.

If anyone had asked, and if he'd felt inclined to answer, the most difficult part of his day wasn't confronting Kolya or knowing the Genii commander had escaped once again. It wasn't even the Wraith feeding from him several times. He had known torture would be the consequence of making sure Kolya didn't get what he wanted. He was a soldier. That's what a soldier did. Fought the enemy any way he could so others wouldn't have to.

No, the part of his day he wanted to forget was those last few minutes before Ronon and the others showed up in the clearing. Lying on the ground, a wizened shell of a man, barely breathing but still aware of the Genii and the Wraith in the clearing.

You had given up, John chastised himself. You had accepted that you would die and didn't even try to fight. He stared at the shimmering event horizon lighting the shallow stream beside him. What kind of soldier did that? He hadn't tried to escape. He hadn't even paid much attention to what the Wraith was doing to the Genii soldiers. He had lay there, staring up at the leaves rustling overhead, and had accepted this was how he would die.

Another dart flew over the clearing, circled the active 'gate, then flew out over the forest.

John glanced at his watch, entered the jumper, slapped the control to seal the hatch, and walked into the cockpit. He had told Ronon to dial the 'gate while he moved the Wraith out of the jumper and figured he had about ten minutes left before the 'gate shut down.

He dropped the borrowed P-90 on the chair behind Ronon and sat in the pilot's seat.

"This was a mistake," Ronon said as John checked the HUD and fired up the jumper's engines.

And then there was the team second-guessing his decisions, John grumbled.

"I keep my promises," John replied, glaring at Dex.

Ronon sat, unfazed by John's impatience. "Need to leave before the Wraith find us."

"The Wraith don't know we're here," John told him.

Two dots appeared on the HUD, and a moment later, two darts screamed past overhead.

"Sure about that?" Ronon asked. "That's the third patrol since we've been here."

"We're cloaked," John pointed out. "There's no reason for the Wraith to suspect there's anything out here except one of their own."

Ronon crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at the HUD as the two dots circled the forest and flew back in their direction. The darts sailed over the cloaked jumper and continued on toward the lights in the distance.

"Told you," John said, pulling back on the control sticks.

The jumper lifted off, and John circled the clearing as the ship gained altitude. He checked the HUD, and when no more dots appeared, he dropped the cloak and aimed the shuttle at the active event horizon.

"I'm going to assume you didn't dial Atlantis," John said as they neared the 'gate.

"Ymber," Ronon replied.

John nodded as the ship exited the 'gate into a bright, sunny day. He pulled back on the control sticks and engaged the cloak as the 'gate shut down. He circled the clearing, keeping one eye on the HUD while he studied the area. The few dots picked up by the scanner were miles away.

Probably just animals, John thought.

John made one last pass over the clearing, then punched in the address for Atlantis. "Let's go home," he said once the wormhole formed and pressed the communications tile.

"Atlantis, this is Sheppard," John said.

"This is Weir," Elizabeth replied. "We were beginning to wonder where you and Ronon had disappeared to."

John grimaced. "Sorry about that. Things took a little longer than expected."

There was a pause over the radio before Elizabeth replied. "I'm going to assume this side trip was both necessary and successful?"

"Yes," John replied.

"I see. All right, Colonel, you're cleared to return. Doctor Beckett asked me to pass along the message that he expects to see you in the infirmary once you land."

John made a face. You knew this was coming, he reminded himself. You're the only person to survive a feeding. The questions and the medical tests were inevitable. So much for stuffing everything with Kolya and the Wraith into a very large box and shoving it into a deep hole.

"I get it. I do. Probably more than you realise. That's why I really need you to talk to me. You can't just keep this bottled up and hope it will go away. Trust me, that doesn't work."

The long-ago conversation with McKay after the storm and Kolya's attempted coup rose in John's memory. While he had been willing to listen to Rodney and offer what help he could, John couldn't let go of the idea that his situation was different. That as team leader slash older brother, he was supposed to handle his problems alone.

Besides, there was no reason for McKay or any of them to know he had given up, he told himself. They needed to believe he would always be there. That he would always fight tooth and nail to make sure they were safe.

"Colonel?" Elizabeth said.

"Understood," John grunted in reply. "Sheppard out."

John felt Ronon watching him but ignored Dex's scrutiny as he aimed the jumper at the event horizon.

The docking system took over as soon as they were through the 'gate. John looked out the windscreen and saw Elizabeth standing on the balcony overlooking the gateroom as the ship rose into the bay.

No Teyla or McKay with her, John noted with a frown. Had something happened on the planet after he left? he wondered. Maybe he should have flown them back to the 'gate, he thought, then shook his head. If he'd waited until they were at the 'gate to tell McKay and the others about his plan for the Wraith, there would have been even more argument and second-guessing.

There was no reason for Kolya to leave any of his Genii soldiers behind, he reminded himself. McKay had probably complained the entire way back to the 'gate, but they weren't in any danger. Even if a few Genii were still on the planet, Rodney and Teyla had had a squad of Marines with them. More than enough firepower to deal with a few stragglers.

John pushed the concern away as the jumper settled in the bay. They are fine, he told himself. Right now, you need to worry about you. Just get through the medical and the debrief, then you can start working on forgetting about this whole thing.

"Coming?" Ronon said, jarring John out of his thoughts.

"Hmm?" John glanced at Ronon. "Yeah, yeah," he added, "right behind you."

Ronon narrowed his eyes, but John ignored him. He picked up the borrowed P-90 and followed Dex out of the ship.

Never thought I'd see this again, John thought as he looked around the jumper bay. Waking up in a cell alone, John had prepared himself for anything. Genii soldiers pulling him out of the cell and leading him to Kolya had been a shock, but John had assessed the situation and accepted his odds of escaping without help were low.

He'd been defiant with Kolya, and admittedly, he'd been afraid when the Wraith closed on him and started to feed. Through the agony as the Wraith sucked away his life, John had had flashes of memory. Of Sumner on his knees, nodding at John to shoot. Of Everett, lying in an infirmary bed, telling John he wished Sheppard had given him the same release.

However, John refused to give in, not to the Wraith feeding on him and certainly not to Kolya's taunts. His team would find him, John had told himself and the Wraith. He just had to give them more time.

He'd been prepared to stall, to wait out Kolya and give his team the time they needed to figure out where he was. Then Kolya had done the one thing guaranteed to ensure John would actively fight the Genii commander and the Wraith, too, if he had to. Kolya had threatened his family.

"The truth is, I would've settled for Doctor McKay, but I don't imagine I would enjoy his constant wailing."

John had always known Kolya was twisted. He thought about the scars on Rodney's arm and clenched his fist. The bald statement that Kolya would have happily subjected McKay to more torture, and this time by a Wraith, had galvanised John into action. If he died, he told himself there would be no one to stop Kolya the next time he wanted a pawn to toy with.

Which had lasted right up until you decided to give up. John scowled at the wall, clenching and unclenching his free hand.

The door in front of him opened, and Elizabeth entered the bay.

Calm down, he ordered himself and wiped the scowl off his face. The last thing you want to deal with is more questions.

"Colonel," Elizabeth greeted, walking over to John and Ronon. "Good to have you back."

"Thanks," John replied. "McKay and Teyla got back?"

Elizabeth nodded. "They did." She gave John a questioning glance. "Rodney said something about you taking the Wraith home?"

"It's a long story."

"I'm getting that impression," Elizabeth replied with a tight smile. "Once Carson clears you, we'll debrief."

"Great," John muttered. The sooner you get it all over with … He thought as he led the way out of the jumper bay.

"Better you than me," Ronon said at the head of the stairs leading down to the control room.

"Thanks," John sarcastically replied.

Ronon shrugged and disappeared down the hallway outside the control room.

John followed at a slower pace, putting off the inevitable for as long as possible. He tapped the sensor for the transporter and hesitated.

"Quarters or infirmary," he muttered, hovering his hand over the map. He glanced down at his dirt-stained uniform and flicked the flap of loose cloth over his sternum where his shirt was torn.

"Quarters," he decided a moment later, pressing the appropriate section of the map. "If you're going to spend the next few hours as a lab rat, at least be a clean lab rat."

John stood in front of the mirror twenty minutes later, buttoning his uniform shirt. He caught a glimpse of the faint red mark on his chest where the Wraith had fed on him and paused, running a finger over the blemish.

The Wraith turned on him, and John saw the moment he'd been betrayed reflected in the Wraith's expression right before it slammed its hand into John's chest. The pain was worse than any of the previous feedings, and he screamed as the Wraith took its fill. The Wraith stepped back a moment later, leaving John a shattered husk.

As he lay dying on the ground, John focused on the sunlight dappling through the trees. If this was how he was going to die, he decided, he wanted his last sight to be of the sky …

"Stop it," John ordered himself. "You survived. It's over. Pull yourself together."

He quickly finished buttoning his shirt, found his boots and left his room. He was almost back to the transporter when he heard his name over the radio.

"Colonel Sheppard?" Beckett said.

John sighed. "Sheppard," he replied.

"I meant it when I told Doctor Weir I wanted to see you in the infirmary when you landed."

"I was -" John tried to say, but Carson spoke over him.

"I don't want excuses, Colonel. I want to see you in the infirmary in the next two minutes, or I'm sending a party of Marines to collect you."

"I was trying to tell you. I'm on my way now," John replied. He waved his hand over the transporter's sensor, then tapped the section of the map for the infirmary. "I'm nearly there now," he added as the transporter doors opened.

A few moments later, John walked into the infirmary and found Carson standing outside his office, his arms crossed over his chest, glaring at the door.

"Colonel," Carson greeted. "Nice of you to finally show up."

"It was just a shower and a change of clothes," John replied.

"Hmm," Carson replied, leading the way to a bed on the far side of the room.

The infirmary was quiet except for a few of Beckett's flu patients. Sharon stood over one of the beds lined along the back wall, talking to Sergeant Valdés. Dana, the pretty nurse with a crush on Rodney, sat at the desk in the far corner, entering data on a computer.

John had seen Rodney with her a few times since the incident with the Ancient memory device, but as far as he knew, their 'dates' had been little more than coffee or an occasional meal in the mess hall together.

"Up you get," Carson said, pointing at an empty bed.

John sat on the edge of the bed as Carson pulled over a rolling table with a tray of supplies.

"How's it going?" John asked, nodding at Valdés.

"We weathered the storm," Carson replied, wrapping a blood pressure cuff around John's arm. "There haven't been any new cases for a few days now, so I think we're in the clear."

John nodded. "So after all of his dire predictions, McKay didn't get sick after all."

"No, thank heavens. For a man who thinks he will catch every passing bug, Rodney is surprisingly resistant to getting sick."

"Maybe that's the secret," John replied. "He scares off the viruses with his complaining."

Carson smiled as he inflated the cuff.

"Pressure is good," Carson said a moment later, removing the cuff. "Any breathing problems or chest pain?" he asked, listening to John's chest and back.

"No," John replied. "Really, Carson, I feel fine. Better than fine."

Carson picked up the tablet computer on the cart and made a few notes. "Unbutton your shirt. I need to check that feeding wound."

"There isn't one," John replied, unbuttoning his shirt. "It must have healed when the Wraith restored everything."

Carson ran a hand over the faint mark on his chest, and John ordered himself not to flinch. Carson glanced at him, and John suspected he hadn't fooled Beckett.

"The wound appears completely healed," Beckett agreed. "Any pain?"

John shook his head and buttoned his shirt. "Not really."

"Not really? What does that mean?"

John crossed his arms over his chest. "It's hard to describe." He glanced down at his chest. "It doesn't really hurt. It's more of a tingling, throbbing feeling. It's more annoying than really hurting."

"Ghost pains," Carson said. "I suppose that would make sense."

Sharon walked over to their corner and nodded to John. "Anything you need help with, Doctor Beckett?"

Carson handed Sharon the tablet computer. "I'll need several blood samples for a complete workup. I also want to check the amount of residual enzyme in his system. Oh, and run a DNA test."

"Wait, what?" John asked, dropping his arms. "Why do you need a DNA test? I'm pretty sure I'm still me."

"It's nothing like that," Carson replied. "That comment Rodney made when we found you got me thinking."

"What that crack about me looking younger?" John snorted. "Come on, Carson, that was McKay being his usual witty self. You should know that."

"Maybe," Carson replied. "But I still want to be sure."

Sharon waited for Caron's nod, then walked to a cabinet and set several items on a tray.

"As for you," Carson said, turning back to John, "I want you to stay here at least until we get the results of the enzyme test."

John crossed his arms over his chest again and sighed.

Beckett glanced at him, and John saw he was about to say something else when Sharon returned with several empty vials in a rack and other paraphernalia on her tray.

"I'll come talk to you as soon as we have the results," Carson said as Sharon prepped John's arm and found a vein. "Once you have the samples, send one of the techs to the mess hall for a tray," Carson said to Sharon as he walked toward the medical lab. "I'm sure Colonel Sheppard could do with a hot meal."

"Yes, Doctor Beckett," Sharon replied, setting a filled vial on the tray and picking up another.

"I'm going to need some of that," John said a moment later as Sharon filled a third vial.

"Almost done," Sharon replied with a smile.

She filled a fourth vial, removed the needle, and taped a cotton ball to John's arm. "I'll have David bring you a tray," she said as she checked the labels and lined up the vials in a holder.

"Thanks," John replied.

John ate his dinner and lay dozing in the bed sometime later when he heard the infirmary door open. He opened his eyes and pushed himself more upright in the bed when he saw Ronon and Teyla enter the infirmary, followed by Rodney.

"John," Teyla said with a smile. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm fine," John grumbled. "I'm not sure how many more times I need to say that."

"I am sure Doctor Beckett only wants to be certain there will be no repercussions after what happened. This is a rather unique situation."

John grunted and crossed his arms over his chest. This was not a topic he wanted to think about, he grumbled to himself. He saw McKay's concerned expression and changed the subject before Rodney could ask any awkward questions.

"With so many of your scientists down with the flu, how is the search for 'gates coming?" John asked.

"What?" Rodney asked, clearly thrown by the question.

John frowned. Part of him wondered what had Rodney so distracted. The more selfish part didn't particularly care at the moment. He just didn't want to talk about Kolya. Or Wraith. Or nearly dying.

"Your whole big plan to build a 'gate bridge connecting Pegasus to the SGC?" John prompted.

"Oh, umm, slow," Rodney replied. "We've got teams working on the series of 'gates needed at the midway point, but we're still short seven Pegasus 'gates of the seventeen we need for my idea to work. I've had Zelenka searching the database for planets that might have 'gates we can harvest."

John nodded. "Good. Once we're through this debrief, I'll talk to Elizabeth about investigating one of those planets."

Rodney looked up in surprise, but before he could say anything, Carson walked over to their corner carrying a tablet computer.

"Tell me I can get out of here," John said as Beckett stopped at the end of the bed.

Carson looked up from the computer. "All of your tests look normal so far. And I'm happy to tell you, there is also no trace of Wraith enzyme in your system."

"Lucky you," Rodney grumbled under his breath.

Carson glanced at McKay, then focused on John. "I'm still waiting for the DNA results. I won't have those until tomorrow."

"So I can go?"

Carson studied John, then nodded. "I don't see any reason to keep you here."

John swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood. "I told you I was fine."

"Even so, I want you to take things easy for the next few days. Your body has been through a lot." Beckett glanced from John to Rodney. "Is there anything you want to talk -"

"No," John replied, pushing past Ronon.

In the hall outside the infirmary, he heard Carson ask, "Did you tell him?"

Tell me what? John wondered. He glanced back at the door, debating whether or not he should wait for the others. Don't need any more problems, he decided and kept walking.

The Wraith growled low in his throat as talon-like nails dug into John's chest, drawing blood.

He felt the kick of adrenaline even as the pain overwhelmed him. His heart stuttered, and his breath faltered as the Wraith snarled, sucking away his life. This time, there was no one to stop it. No one to pull the Wraith off of him. This time, he knew the Wraith would kill him.

The Wraith continued to feed, grinning as it stared down at him, taking everything from him.

John tried to fight. He weakly pushed at the hand clamped to his chest, but the Wraith only smiled as it drained his life energy.

The pain increased, and John tried not to scream.

This was it, he realised. There would be no last-second rescue. No one knew where he was. He was about to die.

"You are mine, Sheppard," the Wraith hissed in John's ear, drawing out John's name. "I will feed until you are nothing but a husk."

The pain increased, and this time, John screamed.

John woke with a start, and for a moment, he expected to find himself back in a cell inside Kolya's compound. He stared around the dimly lit room and huffed out a breath when he saw the photo of him and Rodney sitting on his desk.

"You're home," John muttered, pushing aside the sweat-damp bed sheets. He sat on the edge of the bed with his head in his hands as the last remnants of the dream faded.

The nightmares were to be expected, he told himself. Nothing he hadn't dealt with before.

"Not the first time you've had a bad dream," he told himself. "Probably won't be the last."

He scrubbed his hands through his hair and stared out the window at the darkness. He took several deep breaths and nodded as his heart rate slowed.

You're being an idiot, you know, he thought, and almost smiled when the voice sounded like McKay. You have a team willing and able to help. You don't have to try and cope alone.

John dropped his hands and picked up the picture on the desk, staring at Rodney standing next to him soon after his promotion. He remembered Rodney fumbling with the rank pins as he attached the silver oak leaves to John's shoulders and the crooked smile he had given John when he was done.

Your team found you, John thought, setting the picture back on the desk. Granted, after you had already done most of the heavy lifting, he added bitterly, but they had found you.

"Thanks for showing up."

A part of him had regretted the sarcastic comment as soon as he said it. The other, larger part, had needed to vent some of his frustration, and, he could admit to himself, his fear at the first available target, which happened to be McKay.

He had seen Rodney's hurt expression as he walked away but was selfishly grateful McKay hadn't pushed and had stayed with Beckett at the rear of their procession back to the jumper. He'd had enough problems keeping his roiling emotions under control without dealing with an indignant scientist, too.

While he was sure his team had the best intentions in wanting to try and help, John also knew they had all witnessed what Kolya had done to him. He'd barely been able to stop Ronon from shooting the Wraith. He had seen the pain lines across McKay's forehead and the exhaustion lurking behind his confusion as he stared at John. Teyla had managed to conceal her emotions better than Rodney or Dex, but John had seen the fear mixed with relief when he had stood up and ordered Ronon to stand down.

They had enough to deal with without you adding more trauma, John told himself. Stuffing the bad things into boxes and forgetting about them may not be the best idea for others, but it worked for him.

John glanced out the windows as the first glimmers of dawn lit the horizon and stood. No point in trying to go back to sleep, he decided with a glance at the rumpled bed.

He shed the clothes he'd slept in, found a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt in a drawer, and left his room. You need a nice long run to shake off that dream, he told himself and walked toward the transporter.

Two hours later, John walked back into his room, sweat-drenched from the exercise instead of his private demons. He showered, dressed in a clean uniform, and headed for the mess hall. It was still too early for any of his team to be there, but John needed coffee.

As expected, besides a few scientists, who John wasn't sure if they were just getting up or going to bed, the mess hall was empty. He walked over to the coffee carafes and caught two scientists staring at him before putting their heads together and whispering. John scowled at the scientists, who quickly finished eating and left the room.

Probably should have expected that, too, he thought as he poured a cup of coffee, took a few quick sips, refilled the cup and found an inconspicuous table in the corner of the room. The same thing happened after everything with Teer in the Ancient sanctuary.

John sat, sipping his coffee, watching the ebb and flow of people coming and going over the next hour while he considered what to do next.

He had decided during his run that his best course of action was to get back to work as soon as possible. There was still a lot of galaxy to explore, and finding stargates for Rodney's 'gate bridge idea would be a distraction from the nightmares.

He still wasn't entirely sure how the bridge was supposed to work, but as McKay had reminded him more than once over the past two months, they were too far along to abandon the idea now.

Get through the debrief, John told himself. Write up the reports, and hopefully, that will be the end of it. Except for finding Kolya and killing him, John reminded himself with a grim smile as he clenched the coffee cup so hard his knuckles turned white.

It was a promise he had made several times over the last two years, ever since he had seen Rodney's bruised and bloody arm after his first encounter with Kolya. It had been a promise he had silently renewed every time Kolya managed to escape.

Not again, John vowed. The next time he met Kolya would be the last.

So, find Rodney's 'gates and kill Kolya. John nodded to himself, finishing his coffee. Sounded like a plan to him.

"John?" Teyla said.

John looked up and saw Teyla standing on the other side of the table, holding a tray.

"Are you all right?" she asked. She set down her tray and sat across from him.

John tried not to scowl at the question. "Just thinking. I didn't expect any of you to be here this early."

Teyla's brow creased in a puzzled frown. "It is not early," she replied. "I suspect Ronon and Doctor McKay will be here soon."

John glanced at his watch, surprised to see it was nearly 8:30am. How long had he been sitting in the mess hall staring into space? he wondered.

John picked up his empty cup and stood. "Going to," he gestured at the mess line. "I'll be right back."

He returned a few minutes later with his breakfast, sat, and picked up his fork.

"I know you are tired of us asking, but are you sure you are all right?" Teyla asked a few minutes later. "With everything that has happened, it would be understandable if you were not."

"Really, I'm fine." John swallowed a bite of egg and tried to ignore Teyla's scrutiny.

Teyla poked at the fruit on her plate and sighed. "In that case, you may wish to speak to Rodney about what he experienced yesterday."

John pushed down the flash of irritation. Who was the one tortured by a Wraith? he grumbled to himself. He saw Ronon walk into the mess hall, nodded to Dex, and focused on Teyla.

"Oh?" John asked, hoping he sounded interested in whatever happened to McKay while he was busy having the life sucked out of him.

Teyla studied him briefly, then glanced around the room and leaned forward. "Something happened to him after we arrived on the planet yesterday." She pointed to her head and gave John a significant look.

John twitched at the mention of the link. He had still been lying on the ground, trying to understand what the Wraith had done, giving him back his life, when Ronon had stormed into the clearing. At the time, he had been too busy trying to prevent Ronon from shooting his unlikely ally to worry about the link or what sort of reaction Rodney may have experienced.

How close were they when the Wraith had drained most of his life? John wondered.

"Thanks for showing up."

The sarcastic comment echoed through his head, and John felt a tiny stab of guilt for taking his anger out on Rodney. No wonder McKay had looked so exhausted, he realised.

John glanced at Teyla and saw her watching him. He was saved from saying anything when Ronon joined them, carrying a tray in one hand and a pitcher of water in the other.

"Ronon," John greeted as Dex sat next to Teyla.

"Sheppard," Ronon replied, pouring syrup over his pancakes.

John ate a few bites of egg and wondered if McKay planned to join them when he saw Rodney push through the mess hall doors and shuffle through the breakfast line. A few minutes later, Rodney walked over to their table, took the last chair next to John, and started eating without a word.

Teyla glanced at McKay and then John.

"Rodney," Teyla replied with a frown. "Are you all right?"

Rodney glanced at Teyla. "Just tired," he muttered. "Didn't sleep well, I guess."

John caught Rodney's sideways glance in his direction and saw Teyla's raised eyebrow.

"Weir to Sheppard," John heard over the radio.

Teyla started to say something, but John held up a finger, took a swallow of coffee, and tapped his earpiece. "Sheppard."

"I spoke to the rest of your team last night, but I wanted to let you know that I've scheduled a mission debrief for this morning."

John glanced at Rodney and Ronon, still eating. "Understood. We can be in the conference room in twenty."

Rodney grimaced as he scooped up a forkful of egg.

"Twenty minutes, then. Weir out."

"The debrief?" Teyla asked.

"Yeah," John replied. "May as well get it over with." He finished the last of his toast, gulped the rest of his coffee and stood. "Conference room in twenty," he said, picked up his tray, and headed for the exit.

He turned down the hallway and stepped into the transporter. Instead of heading for the control room, he selected the pier where he and Rodney usually sat and drank beer. He exited the transporter a few seconds later, pushed through the outer door and paced far enough down the pier to be out of sight of anyone glancing out the door.

Last step, John told himself as he stared out at the water. Get through the debrief, write up the report, and finally put what happened behind you.

Clouds gathered in the distance, and a cool breeze rippled the water far below. John stuffed his hands into his trouser pockets, ignoring the weather as he stared at the white caps curling across the water. He spent another ten minutes soaking in the scent of the sea air and the sound of the waves crashing against the pier. When he felt as calm as he was likely to get, he turned, walked back inside, and headed for the conference room.

John entered the conference room and saw Ronon, Teyla, and Rodney seated around the table. He hesitated, then took his usual seat next to McKay.

"Where have you been?" Rodney hissed.

"Excuse me?" John replied with a glare.

Rodney scowled. "I was looking for you. There's something I wanted -"

"Later," John said as Elizabeth entered the room.

"Good morning," Elizabeth greeted as she sat at the head of the table. "Doctor Beckett will be here shortly. He was finishing up a few items for his report."

John felt a tiny jolt in his stomach. Had Carson found something? he wondered. They knew so little about how the Wraith feeding process worked, and until yesterday, they didn't even know the effects could be reversed.

You're fine, he reminded himself. All of the tests last night said so.

Carson entered the room with a tablet computer in one hand and glanced around the room.

"Apologies," he said, standing at the end of the table as the doors twisted closed behind him. "I had a few questions and wanted to double-check some of my findings." He glanced from John to Elizabeth. "If I could have a moment?" he asked, nodding in John's direction.

"Certainly," Elizabeth replied. "You are welcome to use my office."

"Colonel," Carson said, motioning to the door.

John stood and felt Rodney's gaze following him as he left the conference room. "What's that all about?" McKay asked.

"I'm sure everything is fine," Teyla replied.

"Let's proceed with what happened before you found Colonel Sheppard," Elizabeth said as the doors twisted closed.

Carson started across the bridge to the control room, but John stopped him with a hand on his arm. "No need for the office," he said.

Carson frowned, glanced at Chuck sitting at the control console, and motioned John into the corner between the conference room doors and the wall. He glanced down at the computer clutched in his hand, and John felt a spurt of anxiety in his gut.

"Spit it out, Doc," he ordered in a low growl.

Carson looked up from the computer and sighed. "I have the results of your DNA analysis."

John stood stiff with his hands clenched behind his back. So much for thinking everything was fine, John thought as he watched Beckett fiddle with the tablet computer. Was the reversal only temporary? he wondered. Was he suddenly going to turn back into that withered old man?

"And?" he asked in a clipped tone. He saw Chuck watching them and tugged Carson a little farther into the corner.

Carson shook his head. "Remember, we know so little about the Wraith or how their feeding process affects the human body. Even so, this is …" He glanced at the computer.

"Doc?" John growled.

"Sorry," Carson said, lowering the computer. "I'm happy to report you are perfectly healthy. There does not appear to be any abnormal effects to your genome after the Wraith feeding."

John stared in disbelief, then scowled at Beckett. "If everything is fine, what's with all the hesitant looks and secrecy?" He sagged against the wall and rubbed his forehead. "You nearly gave me a heart attack, and I'm sure McKay is in there," John pointed at the conference room doors, "having a panic attack."

"I'm sorry about that," Carson replied with a grim smile. "But I thought you'd want to hear my news in private."

John crossed his arms over his chest. "You just told me everything was fine. What else is there to say?"

Carson took a deep breath. "Rodney was right."

John stared at Beckett. "Rodney thinks he's right about a lot of things. Right about what, exactly?"

"Yesterday. After we found you. That comment he made about you appearing younger than before. He was right."

"You lost me," John admitted. He pulled one hand free and rubbed his forehead.

Carson took a deep breath. "You remember the Ancient sanctuary you found last year?"

Memories of Teer and Hedda and fighting an invisible monster flashed through John's mind. "Not something I'm likely to forget. I spent six months waiting for you guys to find me that time. Guess I should be glad it didn't take as long this time."

Carson grimaced at the accusation.

John started to apologise, but Beckett waved him off. "Yes, well, umm, while you seemed perfectly fine once you returned from the sanctuary, your DNA had 'aged'," he mimed the quote marks, "equal to the six months you spent in the time dilation field."

John felt a bubble of anger building in his chest. "You never said anything about that."

"Because it wasn't much of a concern," Carson replied. "It was a tiny genetic anomaly. Nothing else."

"I take it something has changed again?"

Carson nodded. "I believe when the Wraith reversed the effects of his feeding, he also corrected that six-month discrepancy. So, while Rodney was being his usual sarcastic self, he was also right. You are now genetically six months younger than when Kolya kidnapped you."

John blew out a breath. "So what does this mean?"

"Long term, nothing really. There are no increased risks for disease, for example. This simply means that your genetic age and your physical age once again match." Carson glanced down at the 'gate. "The fact that the Wraith could do that is medically fascinating. If I could understand how that process works, the medical applications would be endless."

John shook his head and turned to the closed conference room doors. "Come on, you need to tell the others before they, meaning McKay, get the wrong idea about this little side meeting."

John waved his hand over the sensor and waited for the doors to twist open.

"... landed the jumper," Teyla was saying. "After Ronon and the team of Marines verified the area was secure, we set out to locate Colonel Sheppard."

Elizabeth looked up from taking notes as the doors opened.

"Colonel?" she asked as John and Carson entered the room.

John resumed his seat next to Rodney, who stared at him with a worried expression and a raised eyebrow. Carson sat next to Teyla and set the computer to one side.

"Tell them," John said. "Before McKay blows a blood vessel."

"Humph," Rodney muttered and crossed his arms over his chest.

Carson nodded and explained his DNA results.

"That's it?" Rodney exclaimed. He scowled first at Carson and then at John. "I thought …" He let the sentence peter out and flopped back in his chair. "Teach me to be concerned," he muttered under his breath.

Elizabeth glanced at Rodney, then said, "Anything else?"

"I've updated the DNA sequence I have on file for Colonel Sheppard to match his new profile."

"And there are no other residual effects from the feeding?" Elizabeth asked.

Carson shook his head. "According to all of my tests and scans, Colonel Sheppard is the peak of health."

"Which I've been saying since we got back," John grumbled.

Elizabeth smiled. "If there is nothing else -"

Carson raised a finger.

"Carson?" Elizabeth asked. "Did you have something else to add?"

"No. Well, yes," Carson said. He hesitated again, then glanced around the room and blurted, "Did that Wraith look familiar to anyone else?"

"You're not serious?" Rodney sat forward in his seat. "It was a Wraith. I don't think anyone was interested in getting its autograph."

Carson frowned. "There was something about him," he muttered. "He looked familiar for some reason." Carson looked around the table. "None of you recognised him?"

"Like I said before, I'm not sure that's possible," John said. "The impression I had was that the Wraith had been Kolya's prisoner for years. Maybe decades."

Elizabeth studied John briefly, then said, "Colonel, this seems like a good time for you to tell us what happened yesterday."

John took a deep breath, sat rigid in his chair, and recited everything that had happened once he had woken up in Kolya's dungeon in a cold, detached tone.

"The only interaction you had with Kolya was when you were in front of the camera?" Elizabeth asked once John finished speaking.

"Yes," John replied.

Elizabeth tapped her pen on the pad of paper next to her. "Do you believe Kolya's only reason for doing this was to get to Ladon Radim?"

John snorted. "No."

Elizabeth smiled. "I don't either."

"Wait. What?" Rodney asked. "Why?"

"Because Kolya already had people infiltrating Radim's government," John replied. "He didn't need us to get to Radim. His people could have easily concocted something to get Ladon off the Genii homeworld."

"So why do all of this?" Rodney demanded. "Why kidnap you at all?"

John frowned and ducked his head. The last thing he wanted was for McKay to know Kolya would have been just as eager to use Rodney in his video sessions.

"Because he could," Elizabeth said into the silence.

John looked up, saw her watching him, and nodded. "This just proves what we already knew."

"Which is?" Rodney asked.

"That Genii politics are ruthless," John replied. "Kolya lost face after he tried to take Atlantis and failed. He never regained it. Ladon's successful coup over Cowen was the last straw. In his mind, Kolya blames us for the fact he's not in power as much as Radim."

"That's how I see it as well," Elizabeth said. "You realise this will make him even more of a threat."

"Yeah," John replied.

"Lovely," Rodney muttered.

John turned to Carson. "So sorry, Doc, but there isn't any way you would know that Wraith."

Carson frowned. "It's just so strange. He seemed so familiar."

"The Wraith trap," Ronon said into the ensuing silence.

"What Wraith trap?" Rodney asked.

"Yes!" Carson exclaimed at the same time. "He was the Wraith in the recording."

"What trap? What recording?" Rodney demanded, scowling across the table. "I think I would remember getting caught in a trap."

"You weren't there," Carson explained. "It happened while you and Colonel Sheppard were back on Earth."

"Wait. You're talking about that Wraith outpost we found last year?" Rodney asked Carson. "The one that nearly gassed all of you to death?"

"The very same," Carson said. "Sergeant Thompson, Ronon, and I were trapped in a room, and there was a recording of a Wraith commander."

"You never mentioned a recording in your report," Elizabeth said.

"There wasn't any sound," Carson replied. "Just an image of a Wraith speaking. I'm positive it was the same Wraith Colonel Sheppard met yesterday."

"Teyla?" Elizabeth asked. "Did you see this recording too?"

Teyla shook her head. "There was no such recording in the control room. One moment, Doctor Zelenka's team was working, and the next, the power went out, and Doctor Zelenka was racing to disconnect our computers from the Wraith systems."

"That was a trap the Wraith left for the Ancients?" John asked.

"Doctor Zelenka believed that was the case, yes," Teyla replied.

"But the war ended ten thousand years ago." Rodney gulped. "That would mean -"

"Yes," Carson agreed. "We've always assumed the hibernation cycles of Wraith could extend their lives by hundreds or thousands of years. Now we know it may be tens of thousands of years."

"Told you you should have shot him," Ronon told John.

John shook his head. "We had a deal. I kept my side of it."

Ronon shook his head, and Elizabeth held up her hand. "The Wraith is out of our hands for now. Colonel, do you believe there is any immediate threat by Commander Kolya to this base thanks to your escape?"

"Doubt it," John replied. "From what I could tell, Kolya didn't have more than twenty or thirty men, and the Wraith killed most of them."

Elizabeth nodded and set down her pen. "All right, if no one has anything else to add …" She glanced around the room. When no one said anything, she continued, "I will let General Landry know about recent events and that, for now, the Genii do not pose a threat."

John blew out a silent breath of relief, pushed back his chair, and stood. Now, to put the whole thing behind you, he thought as he walked toward the door. Maybe sit out on the pier with a six-pack and start forgetting about the whole painful mess.

"Colonel," Elizabeth said from where she still sat at the table. "A moment, please."

Rodney froze and glanced at John.

"Alone," Elizabeth added with a pointed look at Rodney.

John clenched his hands behind his back as Rodney glanced at him and then Elizabeth.

So much for a clean getaway, John grumbled to himself. He saw Beckett give Elizabeth a significant glance with a raised eyebrow. Elizabeth gave him a minute head shake in reply, and Carson nodded.

Beckett pushed Rodney out of the conference room, and John watched as the doors twisted shut.

John suspected he knew what Elizabeth was going to say and jumped in before Weir could speak.

"You heard Beckett, I'm fine." He started to cross his arms over his chest but changed his mind at the last moment and stuffed his hands into his trouser pockets instead.

"Physically," Elizabeth replied, and John ground his teeth at her patient tone. "John, you were tortured -"

"Not the first time."

Elizabeth shook her head, then said. "If Kolya had captured Rodney instead of you, what would you tell him?"

"The truth is, I would've settled for Doctor McKay, but I don't imagine I would enjoy his constant wailing."

John shook off the reminder and scowled. "That's different. McKay is a civilian."

Elizabeth frowned. "You don't have to deal with what happened alone, you know."

John thought again about those last few minutes before Ronon and the others arrived. About the fact that he had given up. Accepted what the Wraith had done to him without even a sarcastic comment, much less a fight.

Not something that needs to be discussed and analysed, he decided.

"Elizabeth, I'm fine." John took his hands out of his pockets and stepped toward the door. "If you want to help, the best thing is to let me get back to work."

Elizabeth shook her head. "That's not how this works." She gathered up the pad of paper and her pen and stopped in front of John. "We have these protocols in place for a reason. You, of all people, know that. You helped write them. Doctor Heightmeyer needs to clear you before your team can be put back into the mission rotation."

"Fine," John growled. He turned on his heel and waved his hand over the door sensor. "I'll go see Heightmeyer."

John pushed through the twisting doors and nearly ran over Rodney, who was pacing back and forth. He saw McKay's expression of nervous concern and held up a hand. "Don't."

"I just wanted -" McKay started to say.

"Whatever it is, it can wait," John interrupted.

"It really can't," Rodney muttered, but John ignored him and kept walking.

He had no idea what Rodney wanted, and at the moment, he didn't care. If he was going to convince Heightmeyer he was fit for duty, he couldn't afford the added distraction of McKay's problems.

John walked out of the control room without a backward glance, turned down the hall, and slapped the sensor for the transporter.

"Just get it over and done with," he told himself, pressing the section of the map with Heightmeyer's office. "The sooner everyone is satisfied, the sooner things can get back to normal."

He exited the transporter, turned down a quiet hallway and stopped outside the door to Heightmeyer's office. He took a deep breath, steeling himself against the upcoming encounter, and knocked on the door.

"Colonel Sheppard," Doctor Kate Heightmeyer greeted as she opened the door. "I'm glad you decided to stop by." She stepped back from the door and motioned John inside. "Come in."

John stepped into the room and noted little had changed since the last time he was here. The two leather chairs still sat facing each other near the windows. The blinds for the windows were open, and John wandered over to the floor-to-ceiling windows.

The clouds he'd seen on the horizon had gathered into a dark mass during the debrief, blotting out the late morning sunlight. The wind had whipped the waves into higher peaks, and John thought he heard a rumble of thunder in the distance.

"Would you like to sit?" Kate asked.

John glanced over at the two leather chairs. Heightmeyer sat in one and held her hand out toward the other.

John sighed and moved over to the chair. He sat and heard the leather creak as he leaned back, hoping he gave the impression of being at ease and calm.

Kate watched him settle in the chair, then crossed one leg over the other and clasped her hands around her bent knee. "I wasn't sure you would come see me," she said.

"Doctor Weir didn't give me much choice," John replied and mentally kicked himself.

Good job, John. he chastised himself. If she didn't think something was wrong before, she certainly does now.

Kate seemed to take the comment in stride. "Even so, I'm glad you took Elizabeth's advice."

John snorted. "Not sure advice is how I would phrase it," he muttered, shifting in the chair.

Heightmeyer sat back in her seat. "Have you talked to anyone about what happened? Doctor Beckett, perhaps?"

"No," John replied shortly.

"Why is that?" Kate asked.

John scowled. "Because there's no reason to. They all saw the video. They know what Kolya ordered that Wraith to do."

"So you blame Commander Kolya and not the Wraith?"

"You realise he is torturing both of us?" The Wraith said through the cell bars.

"Oh, yeah? What'd he do to you?" John demanded as he paced his cell.

"He stopped me."

John stopped and stared at the Wraith. "Really? And how is that torture?

"Have you ever known starvation, Sheppard? The few years I took from you are barely enough to keep me alive."

"I wasn't the only one Kolya was torturing," John replied.

"That's an insightful acknowledgement," Kate said with a nod.

"Yeah, well, I can't claim full credit for it," John replied with a tight smile. "Someone pointed that fact out to me."

"Oh?"

John glanced at her and blew out a breath. "The Wraith."

'Ahh,' Kate mouthed. "Was that when you decided to join forces to escape?"

"No," John said.

"The truth is, I would've settled for Doctor McKay …

Kate raised an eyebrow, and John continued, "Kolya threatened McKay."

"I see," Kate said with a knowing smile.

John glared and shifted in his chair.

"Speaking of Rodney, you have not spoken to him or to your team because …" She left the question hanging, and John pushed to his feet, unable to sit still any longer.

He paced between the chair and the window. Thunder rumbled in the distance, and John watched the lightning flickering in the dark clouds.

"They saw what Kolya and that Wraith did," he admitted softly. "They have enough to deal with without me adding to the pile."

"Is that all?"

John turned with a puzzled expression. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Kate sat forward in her chair, watching John. "Could part of your reluctance to talk to your team stem from the fact you did not expect them to find you?"

"I've got friends. And they're going to come for me."

John shook his head. "No. I knew they were looking for me."

"But you weren't sure they would find you in time," Kate replied.

"I spent six months waiting for you guys to find me that time. Guess I should be glad it didn't take as long this time."

"Thanks for showing up."

John hesitated. "I knew they were trying," he finally replied.

"So you trust your team enough to find you no matter where you may be, but you don't trust them enough to tell them when you need other help."

John scowled at Kate, then turned and stared out the window at the wind-whipped waves and the lowering clouds.

"I know from past conversations with Doctor McKay and Teyla that you will make time to listen when they need to talk. Why do you feel they won't give you the same attention?"

"They've been through enough," John said, never looking at Heightmeyer. "I can deal with what happened." He glanced at Kate. "This isn't the first time I've been tortured."

Kate frowned. "You can't suppress a trauma like this and expect it to stay buried," she admonished. "Unless you are willing to deal with it, it will continue to haunt you."

"I do plan to deal with it," John said. He turned away from the window and walked back to the leather chair. He gripped the back of the leather chair and stared at Kate. "The next time I see Kolya, I plan to kill him."

"That's not -" Kate said but stopped when John stormed over to the door and waved his hand over the sensor.

John didn't wait to hear what she said next. He left the office and slapped the sensor for the transporter. Find Rodney's abandoned stargates and kill Kolya, he told himself. As plans went, it had one important feature going for it. It was simple.

He stormed back to his quarters, changed into a pair of sweats and an old t-shirt and went for another long run.

Chapter Text

"Sheppard!" Rodney called as he peered into the open doorway. He waved a flashlight beam over the walls and sighed when he realised the room was empty. "Come on, come on. Where are you?"

He knew time was running out. John wasn't going to last much longer. He ran down the corridor and glanced at the scanner, hoping to see a blip telling him Sheppard was still alive and close by.

There was no scanner and other than the small flashlight, he didn't have any of his usual gear.

"What the hell?"

Cold air wafted down the hallway, and Rodney shivered in his shirtsleeves.

"Doesn't matter," he muttered as he hurried down the dimly lit hallway.

He glanced into the next room, waved the flashlight around, and shook his head. So far, all of the rooms he had found were empty. There was no evidence that anyone, much less a rogue Genii commander or Sheppard, had ever been there.

Rodney stopped at the junction of two hallways, looking left then right, and felt a stab of fear in his stomach when he realised he didn't know where the rest of the team was.

They must have split up to cover more area, he decided. The Wraith had already fed on John twice. They had to find him before it was too late.

He turned down the right-hand corridor and continued his search.

Have to find Sheppard, he told himself. John is counting on you. You can't mess this up.

The new hallway wound aimlessly through the building and was no better lit than the previous one. The only difference was the doors along this new corridor were all closed.

Maybe this is the right place after all, he thought, stopping in front of one of the doors.

"Sheppard?" he called as he opened the door and stepped inside. He moved the flashlight over the room and froze when he heard a low chuckle from the far corner.

"Doctor McKay," Kolya drawled as he walked out of the shadows and into the flashlight beam. "How nice to see you again."

Rodney took a startled step back, holding his right arm close to his chest, and glowered at the Genii commander. "What," his voice cracked, and he cleared his throat. "What did you do with Sheppard?" he demanded.

Kolya looked Rodney up and down and smiled. "So you are here to rescue Sheppard?" He laughed low in his throat. "You're too late," Kolya added. "Sheppard is gone."

Rodney stared at Kolya, unwilling to believe what the Genii commander was telling him. "What do you mean he's gone? Gone where?"

"Where doesn't matter," Kolya replied. "What matters is you failed."

Rodney shook his head. "You're lying. I know he's here somewhere."

Kolya laughed harder. "Did your precious bond tell you that?"

Rodney felt the blood drain from his face. Kolya knew about the link? How?

Kolya's hand closed around Rodney's right arm and a knife blade flashed in the dim room. "I think I'd like to hear more about this link you have with Sheppard."

Rodney twisted out of the hold and slammed the door shut.

"Sheppard!" he yelled as he ran down the hall. "Where are you?"

No one answered, and Rodney ran faster.

Sheppard had to be here. All of his research said Sheppard would be here. The problem was the building, and the hallways seemed endless. How was he supposed to find John in a sea of doors and rooms?

He opened another door and jumped backwards when a Wraith looked up from a desiccated body on the ground.

"John?" Rodney whispered, staring at the faceless corpse.

"You're too late," the Wraith replied in a low growl, glancing down at the body. "Sheppard is gone."

"No!" Rodney wanted to shout, but what came out was a hoarse whisper.

"There is no need to mourn," the Wraith continued, closing the distance to the door. "You will be joining him shortly."

Rodney skittered backwards and slammed the door shut.

A loud crack sounded, waking Rodney with a start. The room was dark, and for a moment, he thought he was still in the endless hallway.

A flash of lightning lit the room, showing him the picture hanging on the wall of him and John standing side by side on the deck of a boat and the carved wooden pickup truck sitting on its shelf.

"Quarters," Rodney mumbled. "Just another bad dream."

A clap of thunder shook the room, making Rodney jump as he pushed aside the sweaty bedcovers. He sat on the edge of the bed, listening to the rain hitting his window, and scrubbed a hand over his face.

Another sleepless night, he thought, scowling at his traitorous pillow. On top of his fears that Kolya or the Wraith would kill John, Rodney had spent a day worried that he wouldn't find John in time. That he would let Sheppard down when it mattered the most.

It wasn't that long ago that he and Ronon were trapped in a Wraith hive ship headed for Earth with no chance of anyone ever finding them or stopping the Wraith from entering the Milky Way galaxy.

"Could you overload the engines and blow up the ship?" Ronon asked.

Rodney stared at him in disbelief. "How is that an escape plan?"

Ronon glanced up and down the hallway. "I never said it was an escape plan."

"Well, how is that a plan?" Rodney demanded.

Ronon turned and glared. "You're the one who said there's no way out of this. If we're already dead, I say we take them with us."

Rodney felt a shiver down his spine as what Ronon meant sank in. "I suppose I'd rather die as a hero than as a meal," he replied.

"So you can do it?"

Rodney blew out a breath and nodded. "Yeah, probably."

He'd been about to put Ronon's plan of blowing up the hive ship into motion when Sheppard had strolled into the Wraith control room as if they had all planned to meet there. Rodney had stared in disbelief as John told them about hitching a ride on the hive ship and convincing Michael to help rescue them.

John had come halfway across a galaxy to find him, Rodney had told himself more than once after they'd received Kolya's first message. The least he could do was find Sheppard somewhere in the same quadrant.

"And what do I get for thanks?" Rodney grumbled. "'Thanks for showing up,'" He mimicked.

He rubbed his burning, scratchy eyes, then dropped his hand. Pulling an all-nighter when Weir or Sheppard needed another last-minute save was one thing, but he'd been short on sleep even before Kolya had captured John.

More thunder rumbled overhead, and Rodney glanced out the window at rain pounding on the glass, distracting himself from thinking about Kolya, Wraith, and what had almost happened to John.

"You need to find more 'gates for the 'gate bridge," he muttered. "You need to get the macro working, or the whole 'gate bridge idea is moot. Oh, and you still need to talk to Sheppard about what happened with the link."

He glanced at the wooden pickup truck, stood, picked up the silver challenge coin next to the toy, and plopped back onto the bed.

"Then there's your side project of finding a different way to harvest vacuum energy to recharge the Zed-PMs."

He stared at the coin, flipping it over in his fingers as he considered the vacuum energy problem. He hadn't found any concrete information on how the Ancients harvested energy from subspace pockets. Doranda and the Arcturus weapon had proven that harvesting energy from their universe was impossible, which had left Rodney trying to think outside the box.

Radek entered the lab carrying a folder and walked over to the work table. "Latest reports from the teams on the mainland," he said, setting the folder on the corner of Rodney's desk.

Rodney glanced up from the computer. "And?"

Radek shrugged. "The botanists have made several new discoveries." He gave Rodney a significant look. "I'm sure if you were to talk to Doctor Brown -"

"Anything else?" Rodney asked, glaring at Zelenka. He caught a glimpse of Radek's knowing smile before Zelenka turned away and Rodney scowled.

"The mapping project is going well," Radek continued. "The cartography team is surveying the next section of the river. They are now close to fifteen kilometers from the Athosian village."

Rodney grunted. "I'll read it later," he said with a distracted wave and focused on the computer.

"What are you working on?" Radek asked. He walked around the table and studied the information on the computer screen. "Vacuum energy?" he asked, and Rodney heard the censure in Zelenka's tone.

"Do you mind?" Rodney growled.

"I am surprised you are still investigating the possibility."

"One Zed-PM is not going to power the city forever. We need to figure out how the Ancients harvested the energy."

"Even if you discover a way to gather the particles, we do not know how the Ancients designed the crystals to hold that energy."

"I've already solved that part."

"Oh?"

Rodney sighed and looked up from the computer. "There are dozens of dead Zed-PM crystals on Haven. If I can find a way to harvest the energy, there has to be a way to recharge those crystals."

Radek stared at him, then crossed one arm over his chest and pressed a finger to his lips. "There's always a different universe," Radek suggested.

"What?" Rodney exclaimed, shaking his head. "Maybe you should go to the infirmary. Let Beckett do a brain scan or something."

"We cannot harvest the vacuum energy from our universe -"

"Thanks for stating the obvious," Rodney grumbled.

Radek frowned. "And we have not discovered any of the Ancients' records on how they harvested the particles from subspace."

Rodney scowled. "So you jump directly to science fiction?"

Zelenka ignored the sneering tone. "There is a growing body of evidence showing that the concept of a multiverse isn't so far-fetched as once thought."

Rodney snorted. "Of all the dumb ideas …" He started to say but stopped as a series of equations bloomed in his head.

"Rodney?"

"A near-infinite number," he muttered. He thought about the 'gate bridge macro he'd been working on for the last week. "If you can create a bridge between galaxies, would it be that hard to create a bridge between two universes?"

Rodney sighed, flipped the coin over in his palm a few more times, then stood and placed the coin back on the shelf next to the wooden truck. In the month since the conversation with Radek, Rodney had not mentioned the vacuum energy project to John. Weir knew about it. So did Carter and a few others at the SGC, but Rodney had yet to work up the nerve to tell Sheppard about his idea.

"Something else you need to tell him about," he told himself. "And won't that be fun."

Another flash of lightning strobed the room, and thunder cracked a few seconds later. Rain pelted the window, and Rodney shook his head.

"No point in trying to go back to sleep," he decided. "Between the storm and the nightmares, you aren't going to get any rest."

He shed the damp t-shirt and sweatpants he'd slept in and headed for the bathroom.

Showered, shaved, and dressed in a clean uniform, Rodney left his room and headed for the transporter. He glanced at the closed door to Sheppard's room as he passed and frowned.

It had been painfully obvious that John had been avoiding him for the past day and a half. Rodney stepped toward the door, raised his hand to knock, then sighed and dropped his hand. He stood in front of the door for a few seconds, then continued down the hall toward the transporter.

For once, you know exactly what happened, he told himself. Even you can understand why he wants to try and forget the whole thing with the Wraith ever happened.

He glanced back down the hall at John's door, then tapped the sensor for the transporter.

The problem was he needed to talk to someone. He had no idea how to deal with what he had experienced through the link. He had felt John dying. He had felt Sheppard's emotions in those last few minutes. He had experienced the fear, the anger, and finally, the acceptance.

How was he supposed to tell anyone other than John about any of that? he grumbled to himself, much less his fear that if the link did that once, it would likely do it again. He wasn't sure how he felt about John suddenly knowing how afraid he was in a situation. Rodney was sure John would not be happy when he found out what the link had done.

The transporter doors opened, and Rodney grimaced when he saw a few early risers roaming the halls near his lab. He managed to avoid any conversations, entered the lab a few seconds later, closed the door, and glanced from the files on his desk to the computer on the work table.

Paperwork or project? he asked himself, even as his feet carried him to the work table.

He booted up the computer and, after a brief hesitation, opened the program with his vacuum energy research and reviewed his notes for creating a containment chamber to house his parallel space-time bridge.

"Gotta come up with a better name for that," he muttered as he started typing.

The sounds from the storm were muted in the lab, but he still heard the occasional rumble of thunder over the next few hours as he worked. By the time his computer alerted him he needed to meet the team for breakfast, he had filled one computer screen with lines of equations for his new containment field theory, and he was working on a second computer outlining the physical requirements for building the actual containment housing.

Rodney stared at the equations on the screen and sighed. Zelenka's idea of pulling the vacuum energy particles from a parallel universe could work, he realised. "Which means you're going to have to tell Sheppard and the team," he decided as he saved the two files and powered down the computers.

Which would be the easier conversation? he wondered as he walked out of the lab. Telling John he was once again messing with vacuum energy or telling him what had happened in the jumper with the link?

A few minutes later, Rodney walked into the mess hall. Thanks to the storm, the light in the room was dim, even with the wall sconces lit. The breakfast rush was in full swing. The food line stretched past the waiting stack of trays, and most of the scattered tables were full of scientists and military personnel.

Lightning strobed the room in a series of bright flashes, and thunder rumbled several seconds later.

"How much longer is this going to last?" a young woman at one of the nearby tables asked as Rodney walked toward the line waiting for trays.

"Might be a few days," her companion replied. "I saw the data last night. Looks like a slow-moving front."

Rodney ignored the rest of the conversation as he glanced around the room. He found Teyla and Ronon sitting at a table near the windows and nodded when Teyla waved. Sheppard, he noticed, was nowhere to be seen.

Where was John? he wondered as he glanced at the door. Over the last three years, he could count on one hand the number of times he had arrived for their team breakfast before Sheppard and still have fingers left over.

John didn't magically walk through the door, and Rodney shrugged. He shuffled through the mess line, adding a plate of pancakes and a cup of coffee to his tray, and walked across the room to where Teyla and Ronon sat waiting for him.

"Good morning, Rodney," Teyla greeted as Rodney set his tray on the table and slid into the chair across from Ronon.

"Morning," Rodney replied. He poured syrup over his pancakes and looked up when he felt Teyla staring at him. "Problem?"

"You did not sleep well again last night," Teyla said, and Rodney could tell from her tone it wasn't a question.

"It was the storm," Rodney replied, cutting into the stack of pancakes. "Kept waking me up."

He glanced at Teyla, gauging his success with the fib, saw her skeptical expression, and shrugged. He ate several more bites and tried to ignore Teyla watching him.

"Have you talked to Colonel Sheppard about what happened to you in the jumper?" she asked.

"No," Rodney replied bluntly and focused on his pancakes.

"Rodney -"

Rodney clenched the silverware in his hands and leaned toward Teyla. "Look, I've tried," he muttered, low enough to not attract attention from the Marines seated at the next table. "He's not exactly making it easy." He glanced from Teyla to Ronon and then the door. "I don't suppose either of you has seen him this morning?"

"Saw him earlier," Ronon replied. "Said he was going for a run."

Rodney snorted and speared a piece of pancake with his fork.

"How much earlier?" Teyla asked.

Rodney's fork hovered near his mouth as he waited for Ronon's answer.

Ronon shrugged. "Before sun up."

So he's not sleeping either, Rodney thought as he chewed the bite of pancake. Would John have even been in his room if you had knocked earlier?

More lightning strobed the room, and the rain sheeted down the windows.

Sheppard entered the mess hall a few minutes later, and Rodney watched as he found his breakfast and walked over to their table.

"Colonel," Teyla greeted with a smile.

"Teyla," John replied. He sat next to Rodney and nodded to Ronon.

The Marines at the next table finished eating and left. Rodney double-checked that no one else was seated nearby, gulped a swallow of coffee, and glanced at Teyla.

"There's, umm, something we need to talk -" he started to say.

"All of this rain must be a relief for Halling and the others," Sheppard interrupted as thunder rumbled overhead.

Rodney scowled. He was tempted to call Sheppard on what he was doing but didn't relish getting into a fight in the mess hall where most of the base would see it.

Teyla frowned, and Rodney noticed Ronon watching Sheppard. So they're worried too, he realised. It's not my imagination.

"It is a mixed blessing," Teyla replied. "While the moisture is needed, too much rain can be just as bad as too little. Halling should be calling today with an update on the village. I will know more this afternoon."

John nodded and stabbed at his eggs.

"What about the kids?" Ronon asked.

"They should all be fine in another few days," Teyla replied, sipping from her cup.

John glanced at Teyla. "What's wrong with the kids?"

Teyla set down her cup. "It is nothing to worry about. Several of the children have come down with quelan fever."

Rodney looked up from his plate in surprise. "What? I was out there last week. First the flu, and now some weird Pegasus galaxy disease wants to kill me?"

Teyla smiled and shook her head. "There is no need to worry. It is a common childhood illness. Rada and the others know what to do."

"Still, a little warning would have been nice," Rodney grumbled. He finished his coffee and was about to broach the topic of the link again when he heard his name over the radio.

"Rodney, are you there?" Radek called.

Rodney sighed and tapped his earpiece. "Yes. What now?"

"I thought you should know I have the finalised data from the autonomous planet surveys. I have already informed Doctor Weir. She would like to meet in an hour to discuss sending teams to physically check the planets."

"Fine," Rodney replied. "I'll be in my lab in fifteen minutes. You can show me your results, and we can organise a plan for Elizabeth."

"Understood," Radek said. "Zelenka out."

Rodney tapped his earpiece, finished the last of his pancake, and stood.

"Is everything all right?" Teyla asked.

"Radek has the data on the next group of planets we need to investigate for the 'gate bridge project," Rodney replied, picking up his tray. He glanced at John and added, "I'll, umm, see you guys later."

Rodney dumped his trash and left the mess hall without a backward glance. Now what? he wondered as he walked. John was still determined to avoid him. Maybe Teyla or Ronon will have better luck getting Sheppard to talk to him.

More lightning flashed, and the rain pounded against the windows as he walked down the hall toward the nearest transporter.

He entered his lab a few minutes later and found Radek, bundled in a knit sweater and holding a tablet computer, waiting for him. "Just make yourself at home," Rodney grumbled as the lab door closed behind him. He saw the worried crease across Zelenka's forehead but ignored it as he walked over to the work table.

"Are you feeling all right?" Radek asked.

Rodney snorted and opened the laptop he'd left on the table. "You're one to talk. Aren't you supposed to be in bed?"

"I am feeling much better," Radek replied.

Rodney heard the nasal quality in Radek's voice and shook his head. "You don't sound like it," he replied, taking in Zelenka's chapped, red nose and the dark circles under his eyes. "And you look awful."

"I did not think you cared," Radek said with a crooked smile.

Rodney grunted. "Who said anything about caring. I just don't want to get sick."

'Ahh,' Radek mouthed as he pulled out the stool on the other side of the work table and sat. "What is your excuse?"

"Excuse me?" Rodney growled, looking up from the computer.

"You look as though you haven't slept in days."

Rodney scowled. He had avoided having this conversation with Carson. He had no intention of telling Zelenka what had happened with the link before he could talk to Sheppard.

"You said you had survey results?" he asked with an impatient wave of his hand.

Zelenka opened his mouth, then shook his head and tapped the tablet screen. "Yes," he replied. He handed Rodney the tablet and continued, "MALP and UAV images for the next three possible planets with abandoned stargates."

"Three?" Rodney asked, looking up from the computer. "In case you've forgotten, we need seven more 'gates if this idea is going to work."

"Technically, there are four planets with potential 'gates," Radek said. "Collecting the stargate on M2X-418 should be safe without further investigation."

Rodney glanced at the data for M2X-418. "Bit of a bold assumption," he muttered and heard Zelenka sigh. "Just because it's a cold planet doesn't mean people aren't living there. Need I remind you about Lurra?"

"Look at the atmospheric data," Radek replied. "The atmosphere is thin and made up of nitrogen and methane. The surface temperatures are near negative 180 Celsius."

"Why put a 'gate on a world like that?" Rodney asked himself more than Zelenka as he skimmed the data.

"Mining?" Radek suggested. "The database mentions several metal ores present near the surface."

Rodney looked up in surprise. "The database? That's ten-thousand-year-old information. Why didn't you send a MALP?"

"The MALP is not rated for those temperatures." Radek pushed up his glasses. "I included it on main list for the Daedalus to retrieve the stargate without further need to investigate. Aassuming, of course, it is not buried in ice."

Rodney grimaced and scanned the rest of the information. "What do we know about the other three planets?" he asked, skimming the report.

"Not much other than basic information. All three 'gates are planetside instead of in orbit. We sent UAVs to each planet in addition to a MALP. We have several days' worth of atmospheric information, not to mention the aerial images."

"And?"

Radek shrugged. "All three planets have temperate climates and breathable atmospheres. The MALPs found no pollutants in the air or large concentrations of life signs."

Rodney skimmed the data for the remaining planets and stopped when he saw the photographs from P4J-631. "When were you going to tell me there were Ancient buildings on this planet?"

"We don't know -"

"What does that look like to you?" Rodney demanded, pointing to one of the buildings.

"It does look similar to the tower here in Atlantis, but -"

"What else would it be?" Rodney studied the grainy photos of the ruined buildings surrounding the tower, which was nestled in a valley with stands of aspen and cottonwood trees. Tall pine and spruce trees crowded the valley's edges. He flipped through the rest of the images, then looked up at Zelenka.

"I count at least three villages."

"There may be as many as five," Radek said. He picked up the computer, tapped the screen several times and flipped the screen around. "If you look closely," he pointed at two other pictures, "there appears to be something at the edges of these images."

Rodney took the tablet computer, studied the photos for several seconds, and nodded. "If these are all Ancient structures, there could be far more technology on that planet than just a 'gate." He handed back the computer and stood. "I need to talk to Elizabeth. I need to see what else might be there."

"Umm," Radek said.

Rodney turned and saw Radek's pensive expression.

"What now?"

Radek sighed and shook his head. "Nothing, I suppose," he replied. He followed Rodney over to the lab door. "Let's go talk to Doctor Weir."

Rodney led the way out of the lab and back up the hallway to the transporter. He glanced at Radek several steps behind him and grimaced. He knew what Zelenka wasn't saying. He wasn't an idiot. He knew something was wrong with Sheppard, but since John had been avoiding him for the last two days, he wasn't sure what to do about it.

He remembered the trip to New York after John had been trapped in the Ancient sanctuary. Getting away from the city had helped then, he decided. Maybe that's what John needed. Something normal, like a simple planet survey, to help him forget about Kolya and almost dying.

He stopped in front of the transporter and hesitated. Are you thinking of what's best for Sheppard or yourself? he wondered, then shook his head and waved his hand over the sensor.

The door whispered open, and once Radek joined him, Rodney tapped the map section for the transporter nearest the control room. The doors opened a moment later, and Rodney strolled into the control room, ignoring Chuck and the other techs seated at the consoles as he walked into Elizabeth's office.

"Rodney?" Elizabeth said, looking up from her computer. "I didn't think we had a meeting scheduled."

Rodney heard a snicker behind him, glared at Zelenka, and waved away Elizabeth's comment. He sat in one of the chairs fronting Weir's desk and said, "We have news."

Elizabeth sighed, then glanced at the door, waved Radek into the office, and closed her computer.

"What sort of news?" she asked, clasping her hands together on the desk.

Rodney snapped his fingers several times, and Radek handed over the tablet computer.

"We have the preliminary data on three planets with possible stargates we can use for the 'gate bridge," Radek said as he sat next to Rodney.

"I see." Elizabeth pursed her lips, glanced at Rodney, then focused on Zelenka.

What was that look for? Rodney wondered.

"I'm assuming you found something?"

"Yes, well, no," Radek amended, "but that is the point, no? To not find anything?"

"Oh, good grief," Rodney interrupted. He pulled up the reports with the MALP data and turned the tablet so Elizabeth could see the screen. "There are four more planets with 'gates we can harvest. Three of them should be surveyed to make sure the planets really are abandoned. And one of them," Rodney twisted the computer back to face him, pulled up the images of the buildings, and flipped the computer back around, "one of them had an Ancient settlement."

"It might be the remains of an Ancient settlement," Radek clarified.

Rodney scowled at Radek. "What we can see of the architecture looks Ancient." He turned to Elizabeth and added, "I need to see what else might still be there."

"Rodney -" Elizabeth said.

"Who knows what other technology we might find," Rodney pressed. "There might even be another Zed-PM."

Elizabeth frowned. "I'm not sure -"

"Sounds like we have a mission," Sheppard said.

Rodney looked up in surprise and saw John leaning against the doorframe. "How did -"

"Saw you and Radek heading this way," John replied. "Figured you would be going to talk to Elizabeth about those planets you mentioned at breakfast." Sheppard stepped into the office and stood against the wall behind Rodney's chair. "When do we leave?" he asked Elizabeth.

"Colonel Sheppard," Elizabeth replied, handing Rodney the computer with the MALP data. "I'm not sure sending your team on a mission so soon after what happened with Commander Kolya is the best idea."

Sheppard scowled, and Rodney saw John's hands clench into fists before Sheppard hid his hands behind his back.

"Lorne and Valdés are still out with the flu," John countered, his tone stiff and precise. "You have three planets to survey and three teams. The math seems pretty simple to me."

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes, then turned to Zelenka. "Radek, would you give us a moment?"

"Oh, umm, yes, of course," Zelenka replied with a nervous glance from Elizabeth to Sheppard. He took the tablet computer, inched between John and Rodney, and closed the office door behind him.

Elizabeth waited until the door closed, then turned to John, her expression stony. "You are out of line, Colonel."

Rodney saw a muscle in John's jaw clench and realised Sheppard was trying to keep his temper in check.

"How many times do I have to keep telling everyone I am fine," John growled.

Elizabeth clasped her hands loosely on the desk. "You cannot be that blasé about what happened."

John shook his head and grasped the back of Radek's vacated chair. "Elizabeth, I know you're concerned, and I appreciate it, but I know how to deal with what happened to me."

Elizabeth narrowed her eyes and pressed her lips into a thin line.

"Carson agrees I'm medically fit," John continued, "and I talked to Heightmeyer. As ordered."

Rodney twisted around in his chair, not bothering to hide his surprised expression. "You did? Umm, when?"

John ignored the question and stood straight. "Do you have a better plan?" he asked Elizabeth.

Elizabeth sat back in her chair. "Yes, actually. We can either wait for Major Lorne to recover, or Rodney can join Sergeant Thompson's team as they investigate …" she glanced at Rodney.

"P4J-631," Rodney muttered, rattling off the designation for the planet with the Ancient tower.

"P4J-631," Elizabeth parroted.

"Umm," Rodney said, raising a finger. While he was eager to explore the ruins Zelenka had found, he did not relish the idea of exploring an alien planet without Sheppard, Ronon, and Teyla to watch his back.

"McKay is part of my team," John countered before Rodney could say anything. "He doesn't go anywhere without my authorisation."

"Excuse me?" Rodney exclaimed. His momentary hesitation at exploring an alien world without the rest of the team morphed into annoyance at the idea of anyone, even John, dictating his movements. "Don't I get a say in this?"

"No," John replied, never taking his gaze off Elizabeth. "He doesn't go anywhere without the rest of the team."

Rodney glowered at Sheppard.

"Then we wait for Lorne to recover -"

Rodney sighed and shook his head. "We can't afford to wait."

Elisabeth turned her piercing gaze toward Rodney.

"If this is all a plan the pair of you hatched to get back into the field …" Elizabeth accused.

Rodney impatiently waved aside the statement. "Finding possible Ancient tech aside, we're behind schedule with the 'gate bridge. The Milky Way 'gates are all nearly in place. We need to get the rest of the Pegasus 'gates aligned if you want this project to test on time."

Elizabeth glanced at Rodney, then looked up at John. After a moment, she sat back in her chair and sighed. "All right, Colonel. I will talk to Carson and Doctor Heightmeyer. If they agree with your self-assessment, I will consider sending your team to one of the planets on Radek's list."

"P4J-631," Rodney said. "We need to go to P4J-631."

Elizabeth glared at him.

"Thank you," John replied. He turned on his heel and left the office without a backward glance.

Rodney stared at Sheppard's retreating back, then leaned back in his chair and blew out a breath. Be nice if he made up his mind, Rodney grumbled to himself. For two days, I can't get Sheppard to even say two words to me, and now he's deciding where I go and who I go with?

Rodney closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Rodney?" Elizabeth said a moment later.

"Hmm?" Rodney replied. He opened his eyes and glanced across the desk.

"Was there something else?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, umm, no." Rodney stood and hurried out of the office.

The Wraith's feral grin was all the warning John had before he felt a cold, clammy hand slam into his chest. He had only a momentary glimpse of the Wraith's ecstatic expression before the pain overwhelmed him.

"Ahh, at last, the hunger is sated," the Wraith drawled as his clawed fingers dug into John's chest.

John felt his skin tighten and his muscles wither as the Wraith sucked his life force from him. He glanced down and watched the skin on his hand wrinkle and thin. Age spots marred what was once smooth skin, and he saw the clear outline of the bones in his hand as the Wraith growled in pleasure.

His bones ached, and he could barely breathe, but the Wraith didn't stop.

"Goodbye, Sheppard."

John woke in a cold sweat as the drawling voice of the Wraith faded. He took several deep breaths, then sat on the edge of the bed, scrubbed a hand over his face and glanced at the clock on the desk.

Four-thirty am.

"You managed more sleep than last night, at least," he muttered.

He dropped his hand and blew out a breath.

With the debrief out of the way and the reports written, as far as he was concerned, the mission and everything that happened was now a closed book. Except for the nightmares, he reminded himself with a grim smile.

If Elizabeth, Carson, and Heightmeyer wanted him to move on, he grumbled, they needed to let him get back to work. The last thing he wanted was to sit around, letting the memories fester.

John sat for a few minutes longer, then shook his head and stood. A long run, a hot shower, and breakfast, he decided. That was his private therapy, and it had served him well in the past.

He found a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, quickly dressed, and left his quarters.

John strolled into the mess hall two hours later, feeling more relaxed. The run had done wonders to shake off the last dregs of the nightmare, and the hot shower had relieved some of the tension in his back and shoulders.

The light in the usually cheerful mess hall was again dim and gloomy, the watery sunlight doing little to brighten the room. John glanced at the low-hanging clouds and heard a low rumble of distant thunder.

"Coffee," he muttered, making his way to the carafes at the end of the mess line.

He filled a cup and, glancing at his watch, realised there was still at least an hour before Teyla or Ronon, much less Rodney, joined him.

Better here than your office, he decided. Even with the mission reports complete, there were still after-action reports to review from the active 'gate teams and the watch reports for the gateroom guard detail. With Lorne out sick, that also left John to deal with more of the day-to-day paperwork, which, given the choice, he'd rather avoid.

He found a table in a corner and entertained himself by watching the comings and goings of various scientists and Marines as he sipped coffee.

Radek entered the mess hall with a few of McKay's other scientists. After gathering their food, he smiled at John and then sat, listening to the two men and the woman argue about something to do with conversion rates.

Thompson walked through the doors a few minutes later, nodded to John, and joined the rest of his team at a table not far from the scientific huddle. Garcia still looked a little tired, but John noticed all four of them seemed excited about something.

Elizabeth must have told Thompson about the survey mission, John decided as he watched the Marines a few tables away.

The threatened rain started as Radek and the scientists left the mess hall half an hour later, and John watched the drops streak down the window as the wind picked up and thunder rumbled louder.

John glanced at his watch, then headed for the mess line. He took the offered plate of pancakes and bacon, refilled his coffee cup, and was seated back at the table when Ronon entered the room.

"Sheppard," Ronon greeted a few minutes later. He set a loaded tray on the table, sat beside John, and dug into his breakfast.

By the time McKay arrived twenty minutes later, Thompson's team was gone. John had finished eating and sat sipping his fourth cup of coffee.

Teyla glanced out the window as more thunder rumbled overhead and sighed.

"Teyla?" John asked, seeing her pensive expression.

Teyla set down her teacup and shook her head. "It is nothing, Colonel," she replied.

"Doesn't seem like nothing," Ronon said and ate a bite of pancake.

Teyla smiled. "I had a message from Halling yesterday. Several low-lying areas near the village fields have begun to flood, and the edges of the sinkhole are crumbling, making walking in that area treacherous."

"What about the village itself?"

"The village is safe for the moment. However, Halling is concerned that if the rain continues, it will do more harm than good. The seed we received from Hyram has sprouted and is doing well in the dry conditions. However, too much rain now will drown the seedlings before they can flourish."

"Before, you were concerned that it wasn't raining," Rodney said.

Teyla sipped her tea and sighed. "Yes. However, too much rain can be as problematic as too little."

"According to Mattings, this," Rodney waved a hand toward the rain-streaked windows, "probably won't stop for another few days."

John's forehead creased. "Mattings?"

"Mmm," Rodney replied as he chewed. He swallowed and added, "British climatologist. Bores anyone within hearing of his theories about Nelson and the Battle of Trafalgar."

An image of a tall man with neatly trimmed dark hair rose in John's mind. "I think you mean Matthews."

"Whatever," Rodney replied with a shrug. "The point is, it's probably not going to stop raining any time soon."

John glanced at his watch. "The meeting with Weir is in ten minutes," he said with a significant look at McKay and Dex.

Rodney bolted the last of his bacon and gulped his coffee.

John waited until Ronon finished the rest of his pancakes, then stood and led the way out of the mess hall.

They were outside the conference room when the doors twisted open, and Thompson's team strolled past.

"Grab your gear," Thompson ordered. "We'll meet in the gateroom in twenty."

Garcia, Masters, and Daley nodded as the team left the control room.

Rodney gaped after them, then stormed into the conference room. "Tell me you didn't assign Thompson's team to P4J-631."

"And good morning to you too, Rodney," Elizabeth replied with a stony expression.

"McKay," John hissed.

Rodney glowered at John, then sat in one of the chairs scattered around the table and crossed his arms over his chest. "I thought I was fairly clear that we needed to be the ones to investigate that tower."

Elizabeth waited until Teyla and Ronon sat on the other side of the table, then clasped her hands on the table and turned to John.

"I talked to Carson and Kate Heightmeyer last night."

John felt his shoulders tense.

"Carson agrees there is no medical reason to keep you grounded," Elizabeth continued.

"And Heightmeyer?" John asked.

Elizabeth hesitated, then said, "She has several concerns …"

John started to argue but stopped when Elizabeth held up a hand.

"She has several concerns, but for now, she is willing to sign off on limited duties."

John clenched his hands under the table. "How limited?"

"No missions involving first contact or the Genii." Elizabeth held up a file folder. "Since this is a presumed abandoned planet and so far all of our preliminary data supports that hypothesis, she has agreed that investigating P4J-631," she glanced at Rodney, "should be all right."

John relaxed and nodded.

"According to the data we gathered from the UAV," Rodney said as Elizabeth passed out file folders, "the Ancient tower is in a valley. It shouldn't take long to fly a jumper -"

"Not sure taking a jumper is a good idea," John said.

"What? Why not?" Rodney demanded. "The closest village is still twenty kilometers from the 'gate. And the tower is even farther away. You might want to go on a multi-day hike, but I don't."

"The villages are back in the trees," John replied. "Nowhere to land."

Rodney scowled at the images of the trees growing near and around the buildings. "So we land in the open valley and walk in from there."

John studied the images for a few moments, weighing his options. McKay's mission to find abandoned 'gates aside, what John wanted was some peace and quiet and a little time to let the memories of Koyla and the Wraith fade. For him, a multi-day hike was exactly what he thought he needed.

"Would not any sensor data gathered by the jumper's systems be of value?" Teyla asked.

"Thank you," Rodney said. "See. No one wants to hike that much."

John looked up from the pictures and found Rodney watching him. On the other hand, how much peace will you get with Rodney complaining every few miles? he thought with a wry smile.

"All right," he said, "we'll take a jumper." He looked at Elizabeth and added, "Even with flying most of the way there, this will not be a quick mission. These villages and the tower are pretty spread out."

Elizabeth nodded. "You have a week, Colonel. Learn what you can and report back. If you find anything interesting, we can decide how to proceed."

"Understood," John replied.

Chapter Text

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."

"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.

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 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?"

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.

Chapter Text

Rodney sat in the co-pilot's seat and forced himself to stay awake. No sleeping, he ordered himself as Sheppard ran through the preflight checks and powered up the jumper's engines. There's an Ancient tower with who knows what sort of interesting technology inside. After everything you went through to get here, don't blow your chance now.

John pulled back on the yoke, lifting off, and pointed the ship's nose toward the mountains.

Rodney glanced out the windscreen at the sea of trees below. A moment later, he grasped the armrests in a tight hold and squeezed his eyes shut as a wave of dizziness washed over him.

No good, he thought as he eased back in the chair, keeping his eyes closed. I'm going to kill Zelenka. His head throbbed in time with his heart, and the rest of his body sent up a raft of other aches and pains. Pain meds can start working any time now, Rodney grumbled to himself as he rubbed his head.

"Picking up anything?" John asked a few minutes later.

"What?" Rodney muttered, opening his eyes.

He glanced to his left and saw Sheppard watching him. Pull yourself together, he ordered himself. He looked out the windscreen, ignoring a fresh wave of dizziness along with John's frown, and stared at the tall spire rising in front of them.

"Umm." Rodney ignored Sheppard's concerned expression, shook his head, and squinted at the HUD. "Umm, no. Nothing," he replied. "There's a few scattered life signs, but nothing near the town. Oh," he added more to himself than to Sheppard. "That could be a problem?"

"What?" John asked.

"I'm not seeing anything like a power source," Rodney replied. "That's going to complicate things."

"Perhaps such systems are merely powered down?" Teyla suggested.

"Maybe," Rodney replied, with another glance at the tower.

"We're about to find out," John said. "We're here."

The jumper sailed over the last of the trees and into a wide valley at the base of a series of mountains. The tall spire, which looked remarkably similar to the central tower in Atlantis, stood in the middle of the town, surrounded by several other tall metal and glass buildings.

The remains of dozens of stone buildings and cobbled roads surrounded the tower complex in ever-widening circles like ripples on a lake. Diagonal roads bisected the circular streets at regular intervals like spokes on a wheel.

Rodney stared out the windscreen, his aching head and joints momentarily forgotten as the possibilities of what he might find in the tower bloomed in his mind.

No damage to the tower or the other central buildings, he thought as he visually catalogued the town. If this is a completely undisturbed site, there could be research, maybe a unique database, not to mention a Zed-PM or two.

"These Ancients certainly had a thing for circles," John said as the ship flew over the tower.

Rodney frowned as what Sheppard said penetrated his aching head. Something's not right, he decided. Something was just a little bit … off.

"What?" John asked.

Rodney shook his head and pointed out the windscreen. "We've found several Ancient settlements in the last three years. Were any of them laid out like this one?"

John opened his mouth, but Rodney spoke over him.

"The tower and maybe a few of the other central buildings are definitely Ancient. The rest of that," Rodney waved his hand at the windscreen, "probably came later."

"Only a few outlying buildings are still intact," Teyla said.

Rodney glanced up and saw Teyla and Ronon standing behind the pilot and co-pilot chairs.

"But the damage does not appear to be consistent with an attack by the Wraith," Teyla finished.

"How can you tell?" Rodney asked.

"Wraith would have destroyed everything," Ronon replied before Teyla could elaborate.

John glanced at Dex standing behind Rodney. "So what happened?"

"Doesn't matter," Rodney said. "Whatever happened here is ancient history." He grimaced at the unintended pun. "The central buildings are the ones I'm interested in, and those are still intact." He glanced at John and added. "Where can we land? I need to see if there's anything inside worth taking back to Atlantis."

"All right," John said. "Let's try the easy way first." He hovered the jumper over the central tower and pressed one of the tiles on the panel in front of him.

Rodney watched the tower and frowned when the sunroof didn't open.

John pressed the tile again. "Maybe there isn't a bay," he muttered when the roof still refused to open.

"I think I mentioned I wasn't picking up any power readings."

"Either way, we aren't getting inside through the sunroof," John replied.

Sheppard pulled back on the yoke and circled the ruined town.

"What are you doing?" Rodney asked.

John shook his head. "If you want to get inside that tower, we need to find a place to land."

Rodney mentally groaned at the thought of landing the jumper and climbing countless stairs to reach the tower's control room. "There has to be another way."

"I'm listening if you have any bright ideas," John said as the jumper circled closer to the tower.

"Use the rear hatch and make a bridge to one of the balconies," Ronon suggested.

Rodney twisted around in his chair and glared up at Dex. "Are you insane?"

"Sheppard did it before."

The memory of being trapped in one of the city's towers after a Wraith grenade exploded rose in Rodney's memory, and he felt a shiver down his spine. He had read the report on how John had created a similar bridge to rescue him and Ronon and had counted himself lucky he had been unconscious when Thompson and a med tech carried him across the precariously balanced rear hatch to the ship.

"Would Ronon's plan work?" Teyla asked Sheppard.

John grimaced. "Probably," he replied, and Rodney noted his pensive expression.

"You do not like the idea," Teyla stated.

John shook his head. "I don't like the idea of leaving the three of you to search the tower alone."

"If I can find the control room, I might be able to get the Zed-PM power up and basic systems running. Then I can open the sunroof to the jumper bay." Rodney offered.

"Assuming there is a jumper bay," John said.

Rodney grimaced at the reminder.

The jumper circled the tower again.

"What are we going to do?" Rodney asked as the jumper made another lazy circuit. "We can't fly around in circles all day."

John grimaced. "Fine." The ship circled the tower again, then stopped and hovered in place. "If this tower is like the one in Atlantis, that balcony should be the same as the one outside Elizabeth's office." He pointed to a wide, open area surrounded by a metal railing.

Rodney stared out the windscreen at the narrow railing and the long drop to the ground. "You're sure this idea will work?" he asked as the jumper rotated until the rear hatch faced the tower.

"I didn't hear you come up with something better."

Rodney scowled and stared at the crumbling ruins.

Sheppard concentrated on the flight board in front of him as the ship inched closer to the tower.

Rodney held his breath as the ship hovered in place, and John pressed the tile to lower the rear hatch. Rodney shivered as a gust of wind blew through the cockpit. He heard a metallic clunk a moment later, glanced behind him, and watched as Ronon walked into the rear section.

"Looks good," Dex reported a moment later and returned to the cockpit.

John nodded, and the ship dipped.

Rodney gripped the armrests and glared at Sheppard. He was about to make a sarcastic comment when he saw John grimace and Sheppard's white-knuckle grip on the yoke.

John glanced at Rodney, then jerked his chin toward the rear section. "This isn't as easy as it looks," he said, glancing at the HUD. "Go."

Rodney glanced into the rear section and the open hatch. You can do this, he told himself. Just think about all the amazing discoveries you are about to make and not the long plunge to a grisly death if you slip.

Ronon tugged on Rodney's jacket. "Move, McKay."

"Yes, yes, I'm coming," Rodney retorted. He stood and tried not to groan as he grabbed the pack beside his chair.

"What will you do?" Teyla asked John as Rodney clipped the pack to his tac vest.

"I'll circle the rest of the town and keep an eye on things," John replied. "Radio when you find something."

Teyla nodded, and Rodney followed Dex back to the open rear hatch.

Ronon pulled a large flashlight out of the cargo netting, then stepped onto the lowered hatch. He walked across the hatch with ease and jumped down onto the balcony. He unholstered the particle weapon and checked one end of the balcony and then the other.

"We're clear," he reported over the radio.

Rodney felt the ship dip and grabbed for the cargo netting over the bench seat.

Teyla went next, and Rodney noticed she seemed almost as at ease as Dex as she stepped out onto the hatch and crossed over to the balcony.

Ronon helped her down, and Teyla nodded her thanks.

Rodney stepped into the open doorway and grabbed for the edge when he felt the wind in his face.

The ship dipped and swayed, making Rodney grab for the edge of the hatch opening. He glanced down at the ruins far below and squeezed his eyes shut as another wave of vertigo hit him.

"Sooner rather than later," John said from the cockpit.

Rodney swallowed as the ship twitched again.

"McKay! Move!" Sheppard ordered.

Rodney took a deep breath and shuffled out onto the lowered hatch.

Cold wind buffeted him, and Rodney shivered as he shuffled across the hatch with his arms extended out from his sides.

"Don't look down," he muttered. "Don't look down."

The jumper dipped, and Rodney fell more than jumped from the hatch to the balcony.

Ronon caught him, setting Rodney back on his feet with a grunt.

"We're across," Ronon reported over the radio.

The hatch sealed a moment later, and the jumper moved away from the tower.

"Watch your backs," John replied over the open channel as the ship sailed out over the ruined town.

Rodney took a deep breath as he tried to get his heart rate back under control and looked around. Unlike the balcony outside Elizabeth's office, there was no furniture. Only a large open area with a sealed door at one end.

Rodney walked over to the solid door and ran his fingers over the frame. Instead of glass, the door was solid metal and appeared to slide open. Rodney studied the door, then waved his hand over the sensor.

"Figures," Rodney muttered when the door remained sealed.

"Rodney?" Teyla asked.

"Give me a moment," Rodney replied and pried the cover off the access panel.

He peered into the hole and noted the three crystals inside were dark. He grasped one of the crystals but didn't feel any vibrations.

"We might have a problem," Rodney said, stepping back from the door.

"McKay?" John asked over the radio. "What's wrong?"

Rodney rubbed his forehead. "The access panel isn't responding to the ATA gene. I don't feel any vibrations when I touch the crystals, so there probably isn't any power getting to the door."

"So you're telling me you can't get inside?" Sheppard asked.

"I don't know yet. Just give me a few minutes to think about this." Rodney pinched his lower lip and studied the access panel. "If no power is getting to the door …" He glanced from the open access panel to the jumper. "Maybe I can -"

His only warning was a faint whine, and Rodney barely had time to duck before Ronon fired on the door.

"What are you doing?" Rodney exclaimed.

"Opening the door," Ronon replied and fired two more times.

The smoke and dust cleared, and Rodney saw a gaping hole where the door used to be.

Rodney turned on Dex with a scowl.

"Rodney!" John yelled over the radio. "Teyla? What's going on?"

Rodney turned, saw the jumper flying toward him, and waved as much to clear the smoke and dust out of the air as to let John know they were all right.

"Ronon decided to take matters into his own hands," Rodney grumbled and coughed when he inhaled some of the smoke.

"You wanted inside the tower," Ronon replied, picking up the flashlight near his feet.

Rodney got the coughing fit under control and glared at Dex. "If you had waited two seconds, I had an idea for fixing the door."

"My way is faster," Ronon said.

Rodney scowled in reply. "Unbelievable."

"Just let it go," Sheppard said. "You wanted to get into the tower. He got you into the tower."

Dex stepped through the gaping hole in the door, holding the flashlight in one hand while he pointed the particle weapon and the beam of light to his left and then his right. "Clear."

Teyla flicked on the P-90's barrel light and followed Ronon through the hole.

Rodney watched the flashlight beams bounce off the inner walls, then glanced at the jumper but couldn't see John through the windscreen thanks to the sun's glare.

"Go on," John said over the radio. "You've only got seven hours left."

Rodney gave John one last wave and ducked as he stepped through the hole.

Ronon stood near the inner door on the other side of the room, pointing his flashlight and the particle weapon out into the next room. Teyla stood in the center of the room, pointing the light from her P-90 at one of the solid walls.

Sunlight trickled into the room from the hole, giving Rodney enough light to make out the shape of the room and the glass walls looking out at the dark control center. A desk and chair sat against one wall covered in dust, but there were no other furnishings.

Ronon pushed open the door between the office and the control room, and Rodney noted in passing there wasn't a bridge connecting the office to the control center.

"No 'gate," Rodney reminded himself. "No gateroom."

Teyla followed Ronon, and together, they walked over to the control center, shining their flashlight beams over the consoles and the walls. Ronon quickly searched around and behind the consoles, while Teyla watched the rest of the room.

"Stay here," Ronon said.

"Where are you going?" Teyla asked, glancing at Ronon.

"To check up there," Ronon replied, jerking his chin toward a set of steps behind the dark consoles. "Should be the jumper bay."

"If there is a jumper bay," Rodney said as he left the office.

Ronon grunted and disappeared up the stairs.

"You do not believe there is a jumper bay?" Teyla asked.

"How should I know," Rodney grumbled, rubbing his head. "Nothing about this place is making any sense."

Teyla turned, and the beam from the barrel light hit Rodney in the face.

"Do you mind," he said. He grimaced and tried to shield his eyes as the headache flared.

"Are you all right?" Teyla asked, moving the flashlight. "You appear out of sorts."

"I'm fine," Rodney replied.

He walked farther into the control room and frowned. "That's not good," he muttered.

"What?" Teyla asked.

"The consoles should have reacted to the ATA gene as soon as I entered the room," Rodney replied.

"This is not Atlantis," Teyla said. "Perhaps these systems require physical contact."

Rodney grunted. "Maybe."

He pulled a tiny flashlight out of his vest pocket and wandered over to the central control panel. He waved the beam over the console and blew out a breath when he spotted a faintly glowing tile.

"Yes," he hissed. "Finally, something is going right."

"Rodney?" Teyla asked.

"It seems something around here is still generating some power."

Teyla walked across the room and stood at Rodney's side. "I thought you said there was no power."

Rodney shrugged. "Maybe it's in stand-by, or the power signature is too faint for the jumper to pick up. For our sake, let's hope it's that first one." He studied the tiles for a moment, then glanced at Teyla. "This looks like the same setup as Atlantis. Once I power up the console, I should be able to get basic systems up and running in a few minutes."

Teyla nodded and moved the flashlight beam around the room.

"Here goes nothing," Rodney muttered and pressed his hand against the console's edge.

Nothing happened.

"Damn," he muttered under his breath as he shrugged out of the backpack.

"What is wrong?" Teyla asked.

"Your hypothesis was wrong," Rodney replied. He pressed his hand against the console again and concentrated. "Even when I touch it, the console still won't power up."

"So there is no way to activate the systems?"

Rodney pressed one of the dark tiles, then reached for the backpack. "Maybe I can initialise the systems manually."

He pulled his laptop out of its sleeve, then dug through his pack for his tools and the computer cables. He plugged one end of the cables into the computer, then ducked under the console.

"A little light would help," he called to Teyla.

A flashlight beam played over the underside of the console a moment later.

Rodney found the access port, plugged in the cables, and crawled out from under the console, trying not to groan as he moved. He hunched over the computer as the machine booted, then typed in a series of commands and pursed his lips into a thin line.

"Well?" Teyla asked.

"This doesn't make sense." Rodney pressed one of the console tiles and shook his head when nothing changed on the computer screen. "The console has minimal power, but the systems are stuck in some sort of stand-by loop."

Rodney straightened and scowled at the computer and then the console.

"That is unusual?"

"Not just unusual. That shouldn't happen," Rodney replied. "If there's power, the console should have responded to the ATA gene. It's a basic function."

"Is there a way to break the loop?"

Rodney crossed one arm of his chest, pinched his lip with his other hand, and tried to think around the persistent headache. Could the Zed-PM simply be too depleted? he wondered, then shook his head. No, that wouldn't explain the loop. There's enough latent power that the computer can measure it. Certainly enough to get a basic read from the diagnostics. The console just isn't acknowledging the gene. It's almost as if …

He bent and typed another series of commands into the computer.

Several tiles glowed with a faint light.

Rodney straightened and nodded. "Okay, that's more like it."

"Someone want to tell me what's going on in there?" John asked over the open channel.

"We have found the control room," Teyla reported. "Rodney is attempting to access the control consoles now."

"McKay?"

Rodney tapped his earpiece. "The good news is, it looks like the tower still has some power."

"And the bad news?" John asked.

Rodney crossed his arms over his chest and scowled at the console. "The systems aren't responding the way they should."

"What's that supposed to mean?" John asked.

Rodney rubbed his head as he studied the information on the computer screen. "Even though the console appears to have power, I'm having to come up with code workarounds for basic functions."

"Perhaps an additional security measure?" Teyla asked.

"Maybe, but that doesn't make sense, either," Rodney replied. "The ATA gene would be all the protection the Ancients would need to secure their systems."

"Jumper bay is clear," Ronon said, walking down the stairs.

Rodney looked up in surprise. "It's really a jumper bay?"

Ronon stared at him. "Seems to be."

"So why didn't the entry command work?" Rodney asked, scowling at the computer. "None of this makes sense."

"I don't suppose any jumpers are left in the bay?" John asked.

"Ten," Ronon replied.

"Good," John said, and Rodney was sure Sheppard was grinning. "We can always use more ships. If McKay can find more drones, too, we might salvage more than just a stargate from this planet."

Rodney ignored the jab, typed a long command string into the computer, and pressed several tiles on the console. He nodded when he heard a low grinding noise above the control room. "All right, the sunroof should be open," he said.

"It is," John replied. "I'll land and meet you in the control room in a few minutes. Sheppard out."

Rodney waved his flashlight around the room until he found a stool pushed under another console. He dragged the stool back to the central control console, sat, and typed another series of commands into the computer.

Overhead lights glowed to life a moment later. It wasn't as bright as the standard lighting in Atlantis, but it was still enough to make Rodney squint as the light stabbed into his head, ratcheting up his headache.

This is all Zelenka's fault, Rodney grumbled, shading his eyes from the lights. He just had to come into my lab spreading his germs.

A corner of Rodney's mind reminded him that he hadn't been around Radek long enough to be infected, but he ignored the logic. Blaming Zelenka was easier than admitting he was simply getting sick.

Teyla and Ronon switched off their flashlights.

"Amazing," Teyla murmured.

Rodney blinked a few times and looked out over the rest of the room.

The empty office with the outer balcony, the control consoles, and two other rooms across from the control center stood at the edges of the open space that would have been the gateroom in Atlantis. Instead of a stargate, a thick, floor-to-ceiling pillar carved with geometric shapes stood in the center of the room. The geometric designs carried over to the floor and the ceiling and radiated out from the pillar in a series of ever-expanding circles. There were no windows in the main room, and the walls, floor, and ceiling appeared to be made from some sort of stone.

Rodney suspected further investigation would reveal the material was similar to the faux stone walls in the meditation room with the alcoves they had found the previous year.

In addition to the stairs leading up to the jumper bay, four hallways, two near the control consoles and two across from the console stations, led out of the room.

"More circles," John said, walking down the stairs from the jumper bay. "Guess now we know where the people around here got the idea."

Rodney grunted and tried not to rub his aching head. He pressed another group of tiles and shook his head when they didn't activate as he expected.

"Teyla, you and Rodney stay here," John said. "See if you can find any information in the database about why the Ancients were here and why they left."

Rodney looked up from the computer. "Where are you going?"

"I'll take Ronon and check out the rest of this floor. See if there's anything else we can take back to Atlantis."

"Be careful," Teyla said.

"You too," John replied. "And no wandering off," he added, glancing at Rodney. "If you find anything interesting, use the radio."

Rodney watched as Sheppard and Ronon left the control center, then turned back to the computer, rubbing his head.

"Rodney, are you sure you are all right?" Teyla asked.

"What?" Rodney replied. He saw Teyla's concerned expression and added, "Oh, umm, fine. Just a, ahh, just a headache."

Rodney wasn't sure she believed him, but was silently grateful when Teyla let the matter drop. She walked over to the tall pillar, and Rodney focused on the console.

"I wonder what the symbols mean," Teyla said.

Rodney looked up and saw her tracing one of the shapes with a finger.

"Just so long as it doesn't decide to transport me into another Ancient death trap, I'm not really interested," he replied.

Teyla lowered her hand, and Rodney shrugged.

"Sorry," he muttered. Rodney dug through his pack and pulled out a video camera. "Here," he said, holding up the camera. "Get as much detail as you can of the pillar and the symbols." He waved his free hand at the floor and ceiling. "Maybe Elizabeth or Chaudhri can figure out what the symbols mean."

Teyla took the camera and slowly walked around the room, pointing the camera at the pillar, then up at the ceiling and down at the floor.

Rodney watched her move around the pillar for a few seconds, then focused on the computer. "May as well start with the database," he said. He studied the console, found the section of tiles he needed, and pressed the three tiles to activate the central computer systems.

The tiles flashed on and off, and the data scrolling across the computer screen stopped.

"Now what?" Rodney grumbled. "Maybe that's why the Ancients left this place. All the systems were over-engineered to the point nothing could get done." He typed a long series of commands into the computer to bypass the console and access the database directly from the computer.

The computer beeped, and text scrolled up from the bottom of the screen.

Rodney scanned the scroll of data and frowned. "Access should not be denied," he told the computer.

"Rodney? What is wrong?" Teyla asked.

She walked back to Rodney's side and set the video camera on the edge of the console.

"I'm not sure," Rodney replied, dropping the camera back into his pack. "I'm trying to access the main database like Sheppard wants. Just like I've done a hundred times before." He scowled at the console.

Teyla glanced at the computer. "But you are unable to open any files?"

"Nothing is working the way it's supposed to," Rodney grumbled. "It's not like I was asking for any sensitive information. Just basic access."

He typed a new command string and pressed the three tiles again.

"Warning," a disembodied male voice stated.

Teyla raised the P-90, and Rodney stared at the middle of the room where the voice seemed to emanate from.

"Unauthorised access detected," the voice continued. "User does not have authorisation to access systems."

"What?" Rodney exclaimed.

He pressed another group of tiles, then typed another string of commands into the computer in a vain attempt to stop the shutdown. "All I did was try to open the database!"

"Warning," the voice repeated. "System access denied. Initiating system shut down procedures."

"Does that voice sound familiar?" Teyla asked.

Rodney ignored her and tried a different command string. More data crawled up the screen, and Rodney felt the blood drain from his face as he read the results.

"Oh, no," he said. "This is bad." Now you know what the voice sounded familiar, Rodney thought as he felt a stab of fear in his gut.

"Rodney?" Teyla asked, still aiming the P-90 toward the pillar. "What is happening?"

Rodney shook his head and tapped his earpiece. "McKay to Sheppard."

"Tell me you found more drones," John said over the radio.

"Not even close," Rodney replied, desperately pressing console tiles. "We need to get out of here. Now."

"System shut down procedure initiated. System shut down in sixty seconds," the disembodied voice said.

"What's going on?" John demanded.

Rodney heard running footsteps from one of the hallways as he tried another command string.

"I figured out why none of the systems are working the way they should," Rodney replied as John and Ronon ran into the control room. He swallowed and stared at John. "This isn't an Ancient tower."

"What do you mean it isn't -"

"System shut down in forty-five seconds," the male voice stated. A male voice that sounded exactly like Oberoth.

John looked around the control center, then turned to Rodney with a shocked expression. "It's Asuran?"

"Yes," Rodney replied. "Which explains why I couldn't get anything to work. The Asurans didn't use the ATA gene to secure their technology. They used computer code."

"System shut down in thirty seconds," the disembodied voice said.

"I'm locked out of the consoles," Rodney reported. He unplugged the computer and shoved the laptop and the loose cables into his pack.

The lights blinked out a moment later.

Rodney swallowed as Ronon and Teyla turned on their flashlights. "If the sunroof closes, we'll be trapped in here."

John grimaced. "There's always the stairwells," We can get down the tower that way, and Ronon can always make another door."

Rodney shook his head. "Do you have any idea how far we are from the 'gate?" He held up a hand, stopping Sheppard from replying. "You're also assuming the Asurians were willing to leave people roaming around inside their tower. There could be any number of things in here meant to kill us, and I won't be able to stop them."

"Jumper bay it is," John said, tugging Rodney to his feet. "Move," he ordered Ronon.

"System shut down in fifteen seconds," the voice stated.

Flashlight beams bounced off the wall as Ronon ran up the stairs with Teyla on his heels. Rodney tried to keep up, but his aching head and stiff joints made climbing the two flights of stairs to the jumper bay agony. He missed a step and felt John's hand grab his arm as he started to fall.

He finally made it into the bay, and Rodney blew out a breath when he saw their jumper in the center of the room, lit by the afternoon sunlight pouring down from the open sunroof.

Ronon stood near the sealed rear hatch with the particle weapon raised and ready as he scanned the room.

Teyla crossed behind Ronon and raised her P-90 as she watched the other side of the bay.

The rear hatch lowered, and John pulled Rodney into the ship with Ronon and Teyla behind them. Ronon punched the control to seal the hatch, and Rodney followed John into the cockpit.

Rodney dropped his pack beside his chair as John skipped his usual routine of running pre-checks and powered up the ship's systems.

"Come on, come on," John muttered as the engines came online.

Rodney heard a low rumble outside the ship, checked over the co-pilot's board, then peered out the windscreen.

"Umm," he said, glancing at John. "That's the sunroof. It's closing."

John nodded and pulled back on the control yoke. "Hang on to something," he ground out through clenched teeth. "This is going to be close."

Rodney gripped the arms of his chair and closed his eyes.

Instead of a nice, easy ascent, Rodney heard the whine of half-powered engines pushed to their limit as Sheppard raced the closing sunroof.

A moment later, Rodney heard a loud grinding noise. His eyes popped open in surprise, and he saw blue sky and the tops of pine trees as John arced the ship in a tight turn.

"What was that?" Rodney asked.

"I said it would be close," John replied. "The closing iris caught us just as we cleared the tower."

"How badly was the ship damaged?" Teyla asked.

No sooner had she asked the question than the jumper shuddered and dipped.

"Rodney?" John asked, gripping the yoke.

Rodney checked the heads-up display and then his console. "Both drive pods were damaged," Rodney reported. "We're losing power."

"I'm also losing attitude control," John said. The jumper's nose dipped, and Rodney gulped as they skimmed over the lower mountains near the edge of the valley.

"Umm, the 'gate is in the other direction," Rodney said.

"I know that, Rodney," John growled in reply. He twisted the yoke to his left. "The controls are like cement."

The jumper turned just enough to miss hitting a stand of pine trees.

Rodney glanced at the HUD, then stood, aches and fatigue forgotten as he moved into the rear section.

"What are you doing?" John demanded.

"Trying to keep us from crashing into the side of one of these mountains," Rodney replied.

He scrambled to the control box and picked up the light stylus. He ran the stylus over the section for the steering controls and clenched his jaw when several read as non-responsive. He pulled out the bad crystals, then reconfigured the remaining crystals in a new pattern.

"How's that?"

"Better," John replied. "I can steer, but we're still losing altitude."

Rodney grunted and ran the stylus over a different section.

"I think the left pod is in better shape than the right," Rodney reported. "If I can lock out the right pod, can you get us back to the 'gate with only one engine?"

"Probably," John replied.

Rodney nodded and ran the stylus over a section of dead crystals. He pulled out three and dropped them on the bench under the control box.

The engine whine increased, and Rodney winced as the sound grated on his ears, increasing the headache.

"Whatever you plan to do, you better do it fast," John said. "I'm not sure I can keep us in the air much longer."

Rodney gripped the edge of the control box as the jumper shuddered.

"Right pod is dead," John said as an alarm sounded in the cockpit. "Rodney -"

"I'm working on it!" Rodney exclaimed. He pulled two more crystals out of one section and reinserted them where he had removed the three previous crystals. "Right pod is locked down. The left pod should have minimal power," he said, glancing at the back of John's head.

John pulled on the yoke and shook his head. "Not enough," he said as more alarms sounded. "I can't keep her in the air. Brace yourselves!" John ordered.

Rodney looked out the windscreen and saw a mountain valley and a forest of pine trees approaching them. Before he could decide whether to try to get back to the cockpit or strap into one of the bench seats, the ship hit the trees, knocking Rodney off his feet.

He heard the repeated thuds as the ship crashed through the trees and tried to curl into a ball.

There was a split-second of silence, and then the ship hit the ground and bounced back into the air.

Rodney groaned when his head hit something stored under the bench seat.

"Just a little … bit … more," John grunted from the cockpit.

The ship hit the ground again.

Rodney's head smacked against the crate again as the ship bounced. He heard a deep grinding, groaning noise and Teyla's yelp of pain, then a roaring in his ears moments before he blacked out.

Chapter Text

John groaned, sat back in his seat, and opened his eyes. He blinked a few times, then glanced out the windscreen. Surprisingly, the screen was intact, and sunlight trickled into the cockpit between the thick branches covering the window.

John shifted in his chair, groaning again as his shoulder and knee protested the movement. He powered down the few undamaged systems and turned to Teyla and Ronon.

"Everyone all right?" he asked, glancing from one to the other.

"Fine," Ronon grunted.

John saw a cut over Ronon's eye oozing blood but let it go as Ronon stood.

"Teyla?" John asked.

"I am all right," Teyla replied, though John heard the underlying pain in her voice.

"You sure about that?" he asked, stifling another groan as he shifted in his chair.

John spotted the bruise forming on her cheek and watched as she slowly rotated her arms and stretched her legs.

"I believe my injuries are minor," she replied.

John looked her up and down, glanced at Ronon flexing his wrists and bending his arms, then glanced into the rear section.

"Rodney? You okay back there?"

McKay didn't answer, and John and Teyla exchanged a quick glance.

"He would not have had time to strap into one of the seats," Teyla said with a worried frown as John stood. His knee throbbed when he moved, and John hissed in a breath.

"Colonel, are you all right?" Teyla asked.

John nodded. "Just a banged-up knee. I'm fine."

John ignored the faint itch at the back of his skull as he limped through the bulkhead door. The link had been reacting ever since John had twisted Rodney's shoulder, but he'd been trying not to think about it. He stepped into the rear section and stopped short when he found Rodney lying half under one of the bench seats.

"Rodney?" John called, kneeling at Rodney's side.

Rodney groaned and slowly opened his eyes. "Am I dead?"

"No," John replied, reaching out a supportive hand as McKay tried to sit up. "You all right?"

"You call that a landing," Rodney grumbled.

John saw the bruise forming across Rodney's forehead and down the side of his face and swallowed his first sarcastic reply. "Any landing you can walk away from," he replied with a tiny smile.

"You're assuming I can walk," Rodney retorted, rubbing his head.

John stood and nodded to Dex, standing near the bulkhead door.

Ronon stepped forward and grasped Rodney under his arms from behind.

"Hey!" Rodney yelped.

Ronon sat McKay on the nearest bench seat and stepped back as John knelt, taking Rodney's chin in a light hold. He checked Rodney's pupils and relaxed when he saw they were the same size.

"How's your head?" John asked.

Rodney's questing fingers found the bruise over his eye, and he winced.

"Yeah, you managed to give yourself quite the bruise," John said. "Feeling dizzy or nauseous?"

"No," Rodney replied, still poking at the bruise.

John let go of Rodney's chin and gently moved McKay's fingers away from the bruise. "Are you okay otherwise?"

Rodney blew out a breath and nodded. "As all right as I can be after surviving you crashing the jumper. Again."

John narrowed his eyes and shook his head when he saw Rodney's tiny smile.

He patted Rodney's shoulder, then stood and turned to Ronon and Teyla. "Perimeter sweep. We need to know where we are and what resources we have available. Depending on how long it takes Rodney to fix the ship -"

"You're assuming I can fix the ship," Rodney grumbled.

"These mountains are about thirty miles from the 'gate," John told him. "Unless you feel like hiking back to Atlantis, you really need to fix the ship."

Rodney muttered something under his breath that John chose not to hear but made Ronon grunt and shake his head.

"We're going to need a secure campsite," John continued. "We have enough supplies to last a week. Ten days at a push. Even if Rodney can't fix the ship, we should have enough food to get back to the 'gate."

"Camping," Rodney grumbled, rubbing his head. "Lovely."

"The sooner you fix the jumper, the sooner we can go home," John replied.

John pushed the rear hatch release and stepped out of the jumper. A trail of broken treetops and downed trees marked the ship's passage through the forest. He didn't see any sign of the Asuran tower or the town.

How far off course did they end up? he wondered. He turned in a slow circle, studying the peaks surrounding them on three sides. And how high were they? John thought, grimacing when he saw more peaks marching away from the meadow.

Even with climbing gear to help with the descent, the trip back to the 'gate would not be easy, he realised. "Rodney, you better be able to fix the ship," John muttered under his breath.

John took a few steps away from the shuttle, ignoring his throbbing knee, turned, and surveyed the valley and the jumper. The ship sat in a little clearing surrounded by pine trees. Tall bushes, denuded of their leaves, stood at the edges of the clearing, and John heard the rasping rustle of dried grass as a gust of cold wind blew off the mountains behind him.

He walked back to the ship and ran his hand over the dented hull. Several large broken branches covered the front of the jumper. "It was a minor miracle nothing punctured the hull," he said, looking back at the broken trees marking their course toward the clearing.

He walked around to the starboard side and pursed his lips into a thin line when he saw the drive pod dug a foot or so into the ground, canting the ship at an angle. A long dent ran the length of the pod from the engine housing to the drone launchers, creasing the pod nearly in half.

"Lucky it didn't explode," John murmured and scrubbed a hand over his chin. This might be one time when Rodney would not be able to save their bacon with a last-minute Hail Mary repair job, he realised.

Teyla and Ronon stepped out of the jumper and walked over to John. They were both armed, and John noted the cut over Ronon's eye was held closed with a couple of steri-strips.

Ronon glanced from the damaged engine to the encircling mountains and grimaced.

"Yeah," John said in agreement with Dex's skeptical expression. "I know. Let's see what Rodney can do first."

Ronon shrugged and turned to the trees on the right side of the clearing.

"We will return soon," Teyla said as she ducked into the trees to John's left.

John nodded and paced around the rest of the ship. He blew out a relieved breath when he saw the port drive pod was in much better shape than the right. Dents ran the length of the pod, but most were shallow. John's sense of hope withered, however, when he bent and glanced at the exposed undercarriage. Several panels were missing, leaving behind exposed wiring and more dented housing.

"This is bad," Rodney said.

John walked around to the starboard side again and found Rodney staring at the damaged pod.

"I'm not going to be able to do anything to fix that," Rodney said. "Do you have any idea how lucky we were that the jumper didn't blow up?"

John smiled. "The thought had crossed my mind," he replied. "What about the rest?"

Rodney slowly walked around the ship, ducked his head, and peered at the undercarriage. He crossed one arm over his chest, rubbed his forehead with his free hand, and glanced at John.

"Assuming there's still anything left of the main drive systems," he bent and tugged on some of the loose wiring hanging from the undercarriage, "I might be able to get you enough power to limp us home on one engine," Rodney said.

"How long?"

Rodney's brow furrowed, and he squeezed his eyes shut. "Couple of days, at least. Maybe longer."

John sighed. Slower than he'd hoped but better than he expected, he thought.

"After that, the ship probably won't be good for much other than spare parts," Rodney added.

John smiled and clapped Rodney on the shoulder. "Lucky for us, we just found a bunch more ships."

Rodney stared at him in disbelief. "You're kidding, right? What makes you think we're ever going to be able to get to those ships? In case you've forgotten, we barely got out of that tower the first time."

"You're a smart guy, McKay," John said, dropping his hand from McKay's shoulder. "I'm sure you'll figure something out."

Rodney glowered in reply, and John frowned when he saw Rodney rubbing his head again. He concentrated on the link and felt the telltale itch at the back of his skull increase.

So you're hurting more than you're letting on, John realised.

"Hey," he said, tapping Rodney's arm. "You sure you're all right?"

"What?" Rodney asked, looking up from his examination of the drive pod.

"Are you sure you're all right?" John asked again. "That bruise on your face is pretty spectacular."

Rodney gave him a sideways glance and ducked his head. "Oh. Yes, yes, I'm fine."

What aren't you telling me? John wondered as Rodney inched around him and walked back to the lowered hatch. He disappeared inside the ship, and John shook his head.

After what happened this morning, are you surprised he's shutting you out? John mentally chastised himself.

"You can't suppress a trauma like this and expect it to stay buried."

Maybe Heightmeyer was right, he thought as he stared at the trees. Maybe he needed more than fresh air and open skies to deal with what happened. Not just with what Kolya and the Wraith had done to him physically but the reality that he had been ready to surrender to it.

That he had been ready to just give up.

Rodney walked out of the jumper carrying his roll of tools. He settled on the ground with a grimace, unrolled the bundle of tools, and set to work on the port-side drive pod.

And thanks to the link, Rodney knows what happened, John reminded himself. Something else they would need to deal with before much longer, he decided.

"We're clear," Ronon announced, shaking John out of his morbid train of thought. "No large predators or people in the area."

John pinched the bridge of his nose. Not now, he ordered himself. Get your team home, then worry about what Kolya did to you. He glanced at the back of the jumper. To all of them, he mentally added.

He shoved Kolya and the Wraith back into their box and turned to Dex.

"No people, so no place we can go for help or supplies. What about other resources?"

"Plenty of wood for a fire," Ronon replied, nodding at the trees. "Found deer and rabbit tracks. Food won't be a problem. No water nearby."

John nodded. Water was going to be their biggest concern, he knew. Even with the extra supplies, their water supply was limited. If they were forced to hike back to the 'gate, they'd need access to a lake or stream. He heard movement behind him, turned, and saw Teyla walking out of the trees carrying a wrapped bundle in her hands.

"Teyla," John greeted, glancing at the bundle. "What's that?"

"Fresh berries," Teyla said. She stopped in front of John and held out the bundle.

John peeled back a fold of cloth and saw a small pile of bright amber berries. He took one of the berries, popped it into his mouth and was surprised by the burst of sweet and tart flavors.

"These are good," he said, taking another berry.

"They are cloudberries," Teyle said, offering the berries to Ronon.

Ronon took a few of the berries and popped them into his mouth.

"They only grow in pine forests above a certain altitude," Teyla continued, "and can be difficult to find. I also discovered a small lake nearby." She jerked her chin over her shoulder. "There are tracks from several different animals near the shore, many of them fresh."

John nodded and ate another berry. "All right, Ronon and I will set up camp. There are a couple of empty five-gallon water cans in the jumper. We can use them to carry water from the lake." He shaded his eyes and looked at the sun already past its zenith. "Teyla, stay with Rodney. See what you can do to help him with the repairs."

"Rodney believes he can fix the jumper?" Teyla asked with a skeptical glance at the crushed pod.

"He thinks so, but it will take a few days." He dropped his hand and glanced at Rodney, busily dismantling the damaged starboard drive pod. He stepped closer to Teyla and added, "Maybe get him to eat some of those berries while you're at it."

Teyla nodded and wandered over to the jumper. "Rodney? Do you require assistance?"

John spent the next two hours dividing his attention between clearing a space for their campsite, setting up the large expedition tent, and watching Rodney and Teyla work. As the afternoon wore on, John saw more and more often that Rodney wasn't working but instead sat staring at the ship or the trees until Teyla nudged or spoke to him. Each time, Rodney would glance at her, then set to work again.

The itch isn't any worse, John told himself as he grabbed one of the empty five-gallon water cans and stepped out of the ship.

Rodney sat, holding a screwdriver in one hand as he spoke to Teyla leaning into the drive pod.

"No, not like that. Hold the wrench tight against the housing," McKay said.

Teyla adjusted her hold on something inside the pod. "Thus?"

Rodney rubbed his head and stared at the pod.

"Rodney?" Teyla prompted. "Is this the correct position?"

"Hmm?" Rodney glanced at her and then at the pod. "Oh. Yes, yes. Don't move," he replied, reaching into the pod with the screwdriver.

But the itch hasn't gone away, either, John reminded himself.

"Problem?" Ronon asked.

John shook his head. "Not sure yet." He adjusted his grip on the water can. "Come on."

Ronon picked up the other can and followed John into the trees. There was a faint animal track, nothing wide enough to be called a path, but it was enough that they didn't have to fight the encroaching tree branches. A few minutes later, they found the lake, and John marvelled at the stony lake bottom clearly visible from the shore.

"Must be from a glacier," John said, watching the late afternoon sunlight dance on the water.

Ronon knelt, scooped up a handful of water, and swallowed it.

"Tastes fine."

John shook his head. "It probably is fine, but we'll use the purification tablets just to be sure."

He dipped the can into the water and watched a tiny school of silvery fish dart through the water as he waited for the can to fill. Once both cans were full, Ronon led the way back to the camp as the sun started to set.

John had managed to ignore his sore knee for most of the afternoon, but lugging forty pounds of water sent shooting pains up his leg with every step. He did his best to muffle his low groans but knew he wasn't fooling Dex when Ronon kept glancing over his shoulder.

By the time they returned to camp, John's knee was pounding, and he was limping heavily.

"Rodney?" Teyla asked.

John glanced at the jumper and saw Rodney rubbing the back of his head.

"Oh, umm, nothing," he muttered, glancing at John.

John set the water can next to the tent and dug through his vest pockets until he found the blister pack of ibuprofen. He popped two of the pills and swallowed them with a swig of water from his canteen.

An hour later, the sun hovered near the horizon, their campsite was secure, Ronon had a fire going, and Rodney had the drive pod mostly disassembled with various components separated into different piles.

John set four MRE pouches near the fire to heat, picked up a weighted tarp, and walked over to the jumper. He stopped a few paces from the ship and frowned when he saw Rodney absently rubbing his chest with one hand while he pulled another component out of the drive housing.

"How's it going?" John asked, glancing from Teyla to McKay.

Rodney looked up in surprise. "Oh, umm." He dropped the hand rubbing his chest, and handed the component to Teyla.

Teyla took the component and placed it on top of one of the piles.

"No, the next one," Rodney directed. "That's part of the injector system, not the compressor."

John saw Teyla's concerned expression as she moved the piece to another pile and his frown deepened when he saw McKay's glassy eyes and the lines of exhaustion creasing his face.

Rodney rubbed his chest again. "I, umm, I think I can get the pod working," he said to John. "Might take a little longer than I originally hoped, though. There was a lot of damage." He reached into the pod, but John bent and grasped Rodney's shoulder.

"I think you've done enough for now," John said. He straightened and pulled Rodney to his feet.

Rodney swayed with the sudden change in position, and John kept his hand on McKay's arm until Rodney found his balance.

Once he was sure Rodney would stay upright, he and Teyla spread the tarp over the piles of components, and John retook Rodney's elbow.

"Come on. Dinner should be just about ready."

John led the way over to two thick logs Ronon had hauled out of the nearby trees and set near the fire. John sat Rodney on one of the logs, handed McKay one of the ready-to-eat meals, and sat beside him.

Ronon and Teyla sat on the other log, and John watched as Rodney opened his dinner and poked at the contents with the fork.

"Rodney," Teyla said.

Rodney looked up from molesting his dinner. "Hmm?"

"I wanted to thank you for teaching me about the jumper today."

Rodney stabbed a forkful of meatloaf and nodded. "You're umm, you're welcome," he said. He chewed and swallowed, then added, "You seem to have a real aptitude for engineering."

John smiled at the admission and glanced at Teyla. "I think that's the nicest thing I've ever heard him say about anyone."

Rodney scowled, making John grin, and ate a few more bites of meatloaf.

"Sounds like we have a few days while Rodney fixes the ship," John said a few minutes later. "Tomorrow, Ronon and I will take a hike and see what we can do about extending our supplies. Maybe we'll find more of those cloudberries. Teyla, since you are the engineering marvel, you and Rodney keep working on the jumper."

"Understood, Colonel," Teyla replied.

"We'll also need to set a regular watch," John added.

Rodney looked up from poking at his dinner. "Umm, why? I thought Ronon said there was no one around."

"Maybe not people, but I don't think you want the Pegasus galaxy version of a bear breaking into the tent during the night."

"Oh, umm, no. Guess not."

John smiled. "I'll take the first watch." He glanced at Ronon, who nodded. "Teyla, relieve Ronon, and Rodney will relieve you."

Rodney ate a few more bites of meatloaf, then set the half-consumed meal next to his feet and stood. "I'm umm." He shivered and nearly fell as he stumbled over the log John sat on. "I'll see you in the morning," he muttered to John.

He shuffled toward the tent and ducked under the flap.

John stared at the tent then went back to his dinner. McKay had been acting strange all day, he thought as he finished his stew. Even before the flashback or whatever it was in the forest, John had caught Rodney squinting against the light as if he had a headache.

Stress? he wondered. It shouldn't come as much of a surprise after everything they'd been through the past week.

"Colonel, is Rodney all right?" Teyla asked, voicing John's concerns.

John looked up from his meal, glanced at the tent, then focused on Teyla. "He said he was fine when I talked to him earlier," John replied.

The itch had crawled up his skull, and John rubbed the back of his head. Was the headache worse? he asked himself. Had Rodney hit his head harder than he thought when the jumper crashed?

"How was he while you two worked on the jumper this afternoon?"

"He seemed tired," Teyla replied. "He complained of a headache at one point and took the pain medication when I offered. I fear you would know more about Rodney's condition than I."

John shrugged. "The headache has been there ever since …" John let the sentence peter out and tried not to think about wrenching McKay's shoulder. He shook his head. "McKay has the right idea. You and Ronon should get some shut-eye. I'll talk to Rodney in the morning and make sure he's all right."

Teyla rose and walked over to the tent. "Good night, Colonel. Ronon," she added and disappeared inside the tent.

Ronon remained seated on the log, watching John.

"Go on," John said, jerking his chin at the tent. "Relieve me in a few hours."

John waited until Ronon zipped the tent closed, then policed the camp, disposing of their trash inside the jumper. He sat on a convenient supply case McKay had left next to the jumper, rested his back against the metal hull, and closed his eyes.

A soft breeze rustled through the pine trees, and John inhaled the sharp, spicy scent. He listened to insects in the nearby bushes and thought he heard the muffled breathing of a larger animal in the trees behind the tent.

John opened his eyes but didn't see anything near their camp. He waited until the snuffing sound moved farther into the trees, then leaned against the jumper, gazed at the stars, and smiled when a large moon rose above the peaks to his right. So much different from the last time you stared at the sky, John thought as those last few moments lying on the ground, listening to the Wraith feeding on the Genii soldiers attacking them, played over and over in his head.

You're still here, he reminded himself. Your team is here. You survived. You may have thought about giving up, but you didn't. And now you know what you need to do the next time you see Kolya. No more second chances, he vowed.

By the time he heard the tent flap unzipping announcing Ronon had come to relieve him, John felt more relaxed. He had a plan, he reminded himself. All he needed to do now was find Kolya and end things once and for all. John glanced at the tent. Who knows. Maybe it won't be just his demons he'd be putting to rest.

Ronon walked across the camp and stood next to John. "Anything?"

John shook his head. "All quiet," he whispered and stood.

Ronon glanced around the campsite and nodded.

John clapped Ronon on the shoulder and walked over to the tent. "See you in the morning," he said, ducking into the tent.

Rated for arctic conditions and sized for a ten-man tactical team, the tent was large enough for each of them to have plenty of space for a bedroll and their personal gear. A long table across the back of the tent held Teyla's P-90, Rodney's Beretta, and two tac vests. A few crates of additional supplies were stacked under the table. While not balmy, the inside of the tent was warm enough that John shed his jacket as he tiptoed across the tent.

Rodney lay in his shirtsleeves, curled on his side near the table, facing the side of the tent. Teyla was asleep on the other side of the tent near the zipped flap, lying on her back.

John set his tac vest and weapons on the table, pulled off his boots, and lay across from Rodney. He thought he heard McKay muttering in his sleep, but when the sound wasn't repeated, John settled in his bedroll with his hands behind his head and stared at the canvas ceiling.

If he wanted to find Kolya, he would need help, John thought. But Weir couldn't know about it. She had told him more than once the expedition wasn't in the revenge business, and John didn't want to hear the lecture again. It was long past time he dealt with Kolya, he decided. If Elizabeth wanted to reprimand him once he'd dealt with the Genii commander, John would accept whatever punishment she gave him. Killing Kolya would be worth it.

Rodney murmured something, and John heard him shifting on the other side of the tent.

"Got Sheppard," McKay muttered. "Have to stop it."

John sat up, glancing across the tent. "Rodney?" he whispered.

"Got Sheppard," Rodney muttered again. He rolled onto his back as the muttering faded.

John waited, making sure the nightmare had passed, then rolled onto his side and let the soft night sounds lull him to sleep.

John wasn't sure how much later it was when he felt someone shaking his arm.

"Colonel?" Teyla whispered. "Colonel Sheppard, you need to wake up."

John rolled onto his back and opened his eyes. "Teyla?" he asked groggily. "What's the matter?"

Teyla pointed a small flashlight at the ground between John and Rodney. "It is Rodney," she said, and even in the flashlight's dim glow, John saw her worried expression. "Something is wrong."

John sat up and turned to Rodney, lying a few feet away.

"What kind of something?" John asked. He crawled across the short distance to where Rodney lay, moaning and muttering.

"He did not wake when I tried to rouse him for his turn on watch," Teyla said.

John frowned, rested his palm on Rodney's forehead, and felt the fever heat.

"Damn it. He's burning up," John said.

"I believe he may be very ill," Teyla agreed.

"Give me the flashlight," John said.

Teyla handed him the tiny light, and John played the beam over Rodney's prone body.

"I need better light," he muttered.

"I will find one of the larger flashlights," Teyla offered and stood.

John heard her rummaging through the crates of supplies under the table but ignored her movements and focused on Rodney.

"Rodney?" he called, patting McKay's cheeks. "Hey, buddy, you need to wake up."

Rodney moaned and shifted toward John's voice but didn't wake.

John shook his head and slapped Rodney's cheek a little harder. "McKay! Come on. Wake up."

Rodney groaned and slowly opened his eyes. "G'way," he muttered.

A moment later, a bright flashlight beam lit the tent. John turned and saw Ronon standing hunched behind him, holding one of the large flashlights while Teyla set a second flashlight on the table with the beam pointed toward the tent's roof.

Rodney groaned again and curled onto his side, facing away from John. "Too bright," he muttered and tried to shield his eyes.

John frowned when he saw Rodney's flushed cheeks and the fine tremors running up and down his body as he shivered.

"What's the problem?" Ronon asked.

"Looks like Rodney's sick," John replied. "That flu going around finally caught him, I guess."

Teyla knelt next to John and shook her head. "I do not believe this is the flu," she said, her expression grim.

"What else could it be?" John asked. "Half the base has been sick the last few weeks."

"I have a suspicion," Teyla replied. "Colonel, please lift Rodney's shirt."

John stared at her with a cocked eyebrow, then gently rolled Rodney onto his back.

Rodney tried to push at John's hands, but the effort seemed to exhaust him, and he lay still.

John pulled up Rodney's shirt and stared at the angry red and splotchy rash covering McKay's chest and sides.

"What the hell is that?" John said, bending to get a better look at the rash.

"That is quelan fever," Teyla replied.

Chapter Text

Rodney moaned and curled, shivering, onto his side, facing the tent.

"We need to get his fever down," Teyla said.

John nodded and tugged Rodney's shirt, trying to get it over his head without disturbing him.

Rodney groaned and shifted away from him.

"Ronon," John said, glancing behind him.

Ronon traded places with Teyla and lifted Rodney's shoulders. John quickly stripped off the sweaty shirt, then reached for McKay's belt. Once he had Rodney's trousers off, they laid him on top of the sleeping bag.

"I thought you said this quelen fever was something only kids got," John said, as Rodney moaned and rolled onto his side. John grimaced when he saw more of the rash covering Rodney's back.

"It is a common childhood illness," Teyla replied. "I had it when I was seven." She paused, and her voice turned wistful. "At the time, I had only been living with Charin for a few months after my father was culled." She stared at the flashlight balanced on the table, then sighed and wiped her cheek.

John waited a few moments, then tapped her arm.

Teyla glanced at him with a watery smile.

John patted her hand, then glanced at Ronon. "What about you?"

"Had it as a kid," Ronon replied.

Teyla shook herself and squeezed John's hand. "The illness mostly affects children, but there have been cases where adults who were never exposed as children caught the illness."

John pressed his lips into a thin line. "And let me guess, getting it as an adult is worse than getting it as a kid."

Teyla nodded. "I am afraid so."

"So what are we looking at here?"

"For children, there is a fever," she pointed to Rodney's chest, "and the rash, which can feel like the skin is on fire. Fighting the fever and the pain from the rash leaves the child in a near-stupor." She glanced at Rodney. "In the worst cases, it is difficult to rouse them for simple things such as food or medicine."

"And adults?" John asked.

"The symptoms are much the same, but more extreme."

"How long for this quelen fever to run its course?"

Teyla glanced at Ronon, and John knew from their expressions that he wouldn't like the answer.

"Hours? Days?" he demanded.

"Several days, at least," Teyla replied. "Possibly as long as a week." She placed her hand on Rodney's forehead. "I believe Rodney started feeling the effects of the fever even before the jumper crashed. He seemed out of sorts while we were in the tower yesterday. I also noticed him wincing and rubbing his head several times while trying to repair the jumper."

John thought back to the hike to the jumper and the flight to the tower. He had seen the pain lines around McKay's eyes and felt the itch at the back of his skull but had thought it was the result of John's actions, mistaking McKay for the Wraith. He had never considered the possibility Rodney was getting sick.

He scrubbed a hand over his chin. "Great. And we're stuck in the middle of nowhere with a broken jumper, and the 'gate is miles away."

Teyla glanced at Ronon then said, "John, there is something else."

John dropped his hand and stared at Teyla. Fever, rash, and he's basically unconscious, John grumbled to himself. How much worse can this get?

"You should not be here," Teyla continued, her serious expression laced with compassion. "Quelen fever is contagious, and you have never had the illness. You risk becoming seriously ill yourself if you remain near him."

John shook his head. "I hear what you're saying, but I'm not going to leave him. Not after …" John let the sentence peter out as the memory of wrenching Rodney's arm floated to the top of his mind.

"He will not be alone," Teyla said. "Ronon and I will -"

John held up a hand, and Teyla stopped speaking.

"I've been within a few feet of him for the last two days," John said. "I'm already exposed. I'm staying."

Teyla sighed, and John was relieved when she didn't continue to push.

"So how do we cure this?" John asked into the silence.

"There is no cure," Teyla replied. "The illness must run its course."

"Somehow, I just knew you would say that," John grunted.

Rodney groaned and rolled onto his back.

John waited a few seconds until he settled, then asked, "There's nothing we can do for him?"

"There are remedies to help with the symptoms," Teyla replied. "Certain herbs can help with the fever, and there is a salve made from different plants to help with the rash."

"We're pretty high in elevation," John pointed out. "Are you going to find what you need around here?"

Teyla hesitated. "Possibly."

John stood, wincing as his knee protested, and unzipped the tent flap.

"Where are you going?" Teyla asked.

"To get the med kit out of the jumper," John replied. "There should be something in there that will at least help with the fever."

"We also need something light to cover him. A sleeping bag is too heavy."

It was still dark, but John saw a lightening in the sky to the east as he stepped out of the tent and re-zipped the flap. An hour or two before it's light, he told himself as he rubbed his hands up and down his arms, regretting the jacket he'd left inside the tent.

He dropped his hands and detoured around their banked firepit on the way to the ship. He hurried into the jumper, found the med kit in the overhead netting, and pulled out the bulky green bag emblazoned with a red cross. He glanced at the tent on the other side of the camp, saw the flap was still zipped closed, and slumped onto the nearest bench seat.

This was supposed to be a simple mission, he grumbled to himself. Survey an abandoned planet and recover a 'gate. "How had so much gone so wrong in such a short time?" he asked the bulkhead.

The flashback and Rodney's bombshell about the link.

John scrubbed a hand across his forehead and tried to ignore the itch at the back of his skull. He had hoped to find a chance to talk to Rodney about what happened in the forest, apologise, and talk about this new manifestation with the link before they returned to Atlantis and faced a barrage of questions from Weir, Beckett, and Zelenka.

Then, they barely escaped an Ancient tower that wasn't an Ancient tower, only to have the jumper crash-land miles from the 'gate.

"And now, on top of everything else, McKay is sick," John grumbled.

"For a man who thinks he will catch every passing bug, Rodney is surprisingly resistant to getting sick."

"Maybe that's the secret," John replied. "He scares off the viruses with his complaining."

"Figures he managed to dodge the flu but catches some sort of weird Pegasus galaxy virus," John muttered at the floor. He glanced at the tent and scowled. "And Beckett may as well be in another galaxy since you have no way to get Rodney back to him thanks to crashing the jumper. What else can go wrong?"

He stared at the tent again. You'll just have to hope Teyla can find what she needs to help him, he decided.

He dropped his hand and sat with his arms braced on his knees, staring at the jumper floor. He sat for a few seconds, then blew out a breath and sat up straight.

"Pull yourself together, Sheppard," he ordered himself and stood. "You aren't helping McKay by sitting here, feeling sorry for yourself."

He opened the med kit and nodded when he found a few chemical ice packs and the blister packs of ibuprofen. He then stood, checked the crates stored in the netting, found a thin blanket, and headed back to the tent.

John tossed the blanket over his shoulder, bent to unzip the tent flap, and took a hurried step back when the flap opened, and Ronon stepped outside.

"Ronon?" John asked. "Something else happen?"

Ronon shook his head and buttoned his leather duster. "Going to have a look around."

John watched Dex cross the camp, then re-entered the tent and knelt at Rodney's side. He grimaced when he saw the brick-red rash covering McKay's chest then covered him with the thin blanket.

"Find one of the water bottles," he said to Teyla, standing near the table. "We need to try and get him to drink something and swallow a couple of these." He held up the blister pack of pills.

Teyla found a bottle of water in one of the crates under the table and handed it to John.

John nodded his thanks, popped two pills from the pack and opened the bottle. "Rodney?" he called and tapped Rodney's cheek.

Rodney groaned low in his throat but otherwise didn't react.

"Come on, buddy," John cajoled. "You need to try and drink something."

Rodney turned his head in John's direction but never opened his eyes.

John glanced at Teyla, then held out his hand with the pills. "I'll hold him up. You try and get him to swallow those."

Teyla nodded and took the pills. She knelt on Rodney's other side, and John handed her the water bottle.

John wrapped his arm behind Rodney's shoulders and lifted him high enough that he could brace McKay against his chest.

Rodney groaned as John moved him. "Le' me 'lone," he muttered and tried to lie down.

John adjusted his hold and grimaced when he felt the heat radiating from McKay's body.

"Rodney," Teyla called softly. "I have water." She tapped Rodney's lip with the bottle.

McKay muttered an incoherent reply but opened his mouth.

Teyla popped in the pills, and McKay managed to swallow the pills along with several gulps of water before he turned his head away from Teyla and slumped against John.

John laid him down and pulled up the blanket. "The fever is getting worse," he said.

"Yes," Teyla replied. "I fear the pills will not be enough. We need to do something else to bring it down."

"I think I have something that might help."

John stood and felt his knee throb in response. He glanced around the tent, then walked over to the table, tugged one of the larger crates out from under the table, and dragged it back over to Rodney's side of the tent.

He sat on the crate and ignored Teyla's questioning frown as he stretched out his sore knee and picked up the medkit. He pulled out two large chemical ice packs, cracked each, and shook them to mix the chemicals.

"Here," he said to Teyla, holding out the packs. "Put one on each side of him."

Teyla took the packs and placed one under each of Rodney's arms.

Rodney groaned and tried to push away the packs.

"Hey, leave those alone," John said softly to McKay. "They're there to help."

Rodney stopped moving, and John saw a knowing smile cross Teyla's lips as she readjusted the packs.

"What?" John asked, suddenly uncomfortable.

"It is nothing," she said. She pulled the blanket up to Rodney's chest and sat back on her heels.

"Uh huh," John replied. He crossed his arms over his chest and stared at Teyla.

"You truly do not see it?" she asked.

"See what?" John replied with a frown.

Teyla reached across Rodney and rested a hand on John's arm. "Even after everything that has happened, he still trusts you." She glanced at John. "Perhaps you should trust him as well?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

Teyla squeezed his arm and stood. "Talk to him. Hearing a friendly voice will help to keep him calm."

John glanced at her as she walked past him and set the water bottle on the table.

"It may help you as well," she added.

John snorted and shook his head. First Heightmeyer and now Teyla. Why did everyone think he wanted to talk about what happened? he wondered. While he was willing to be a friendly ear for Rodney or Teyla, he was not the sharing type. His father had drilled into him at a young age that Sheppard men did not discuss such things.

Teyla pulled on her coat, crossed the tent, and unzipped the flap.

"Where are you going?" John asked.

"The rash is painful. However, the fever is the immediate concern. How many more ice packs do we have?"

"Two," John replied. "Which I'm assuming won't be nearly enough."

"No," Teyla agreed. "I will find a basin for water and a cloth."

John nodded as Teyla left the tent and glanced down at Rodney. "Beckett warned me more than once that you don't do things by halves. Guess he was right."

Rodney murmured in his sleep and turned his head toward John.

John reached down and rested a hand on Rodney's sweaty shoulder. "Just hang in there, buddy."

Teyla re-entered the tent several minutes later, carrying a shallow bowl and a small towel. "Ronon has food ready," she said as she set the basin on the table.

John nodded, stood, and poured water into the bowl.

"I will stay with Rodney while you eat," Teyla offered.

She knelt beside Rodney, set the bowl to one side and dipped the towel into the water. She squeezed the excess water from the towel and ran the wet cloth over Rodney's flushed cheeks.

John watched her for a few moments, then grabbed his jacket and left the tent.

The first rays of sunlight highlighted the tops of the nearby peaks as he walked over to the fire and sat across from Ronon.

Ronon handed him an MRE pouch and poured John a cup of coffee.

John accepted the food and wrapped his hands around the warm cup. "Any trouble?"

Ronon shook his head. "Saw a bear earlier."

John raised an eyebrow.

"Black bear," Ronon said. "It was moving down the mountain."

John ate a few bites of his breakfast, glanced up, and found Ronon watching him.

"What?" John asked.

Ronon balled up his empty MRE pouch. "We're just going to sit here?"

"You have a better idea?" John retorted. "The jumper is grounded, and our mechanic is sick. Unless you know how to fix the ship, we're kinda stuck here."

"Could head for the 'gate on foot," Ronon said. "Bring back help."

John considered the idea for a few seconds, then shook his head. "We're not desperate enough for that," he replied. "Teyla thinks this quelen fever will run its course in a few days. Once McKay feels better, he can fix the ship, and we can get back to Atlantis."

Ronon shrugged, downed the contents of his cup, and shook his head.

John narrowed his eyes. "Something you want to say?"

"No," Ronon replied and stood. He entered the jumper and walked out a few seconds later carrying a small axe.

"What's that for?" John asked.

"Weather coming in," Ronon said and nodded at the peaks behind the camp. "Going to need something to protect the tent."

John glanced at the gathering clouds behind the mountains and frowned. "You had to ask," he muttered.

"Ask what?"

John waved Ronon toward the trees. "Never mind. I'll go relieve Teyla and let her know her window for finding her plants is closing faster than we thought."

Ronon disappeared into the trees, and John spent a few minutes cleaning up the area around the fire pit before re-entering the tent.

"Teyla," John whispered as he unzipped the flap and stepped inside the tent.

Teyla sat on the ground next to Rodney, who appeared asleep. Teyla dipped the towel in the basin, squeezed out the excess water, and placed the towel on Rodney's forehead.

John tossed his jacket on his bedroll, crept over to the crate next to McKay, and sat. "How's he doing?"

"The fever appears no higher," Teyla replied. "However, the rash is getting worse."

She moved the blanket, and John saw the splotches were a darker red and tiny white blisters dotted Rodney's skin.

"Ronon says we've got weather coming in," John said as Teyla recovered McKay. "I'm not sure how long you have to find the plants you need."

Teyla nodded, picked up the basin, and stood. She stepped out of the tent, and a moment later, John heard a soft splash. She walked inside the tent, refilled the basin from the water can, and handed the bowl to John.

"I will leave now," she said. "Hopefully, it will not take me long to find the necessary ingredients."

John set the bowl at his feet as Teyla left the tent.

Rodney muttered in his sleep and pushed at the blanket.

John removed the spent cold packs, dug the last two out of the medkit, cracked them, and placed one under each of Rodney's arms.

Rodney squirmed against the cold packs and muttered incoherently.

John removed the now-warm cloth, placed his hand on Rodney's forehead and frowned. "So much for keeping the fever under control," he muttered.

He dipped the cloth in the basin, rang it out, and placed it on McKay's forehead. John adjusted the ice packs and the blanket, then sat back on the crate, staring at the canvas wall behind McKay's head.

"You can't suppress a trauma like this and expect it to stay buried. Unless you are willing to deal with it, it will continue to haunt you."

John grimaced at the memory of Heightmeyer's words as the flashback he'd had the previous day rose in his mind.

"Maybe this time, stuffing everything into a box isn't going to work," he admitted, glancing at Rodney.

"Talk to him. Hearing a friendly voice will help to keep him calm. It may help you as well."

A breeze rippled along the sides of the tent with a dull rumble, but other than a few birds in the nearby trees, John didn't hear anything unusual outside the tent.

Rodney shifted in his sleep, dislodging the towel.

John soaked it again, squeezed out the excess water, and draped the cloth across McKay's forehead.

He listened to the birds chirping for several more seconds, then blew out a breath.

If Elizabeth or Carson asks, you can honestly say you talked to Rodney, he told himself with another suspicious glance at the tent wall.

"Wouldn't hurt to make sure," he said.

He stood, peeked through the tent flap, and blew out a breath when he didn't see Ronon or Teyla in the camp. He zipped the flap closed, sat on the crate with his elbows resting on his knees, clasped his hands, and studied the tent floor.

"So what am I supposed to say here?" he wondered aloud. "That I nearly died? It's not the first time. Probably won't be the last." He remembered those last moments before the Wraith gave back what it had taken from him and glanced at McKay. "The pain was excruciating," he admitted. "Your blood feels like it's on fire. You're certain that if you move, your muscles will tear, and your bones will snap like twigs."

John shuddered and rubbed his hands up and down his thighs. "Then there's knowing your future is over. All that time. All the things you still wanted to do with your life are being sucked away, and there's not a damn thing you can do to fight back." John scrubbed a hand over his chin. "Feeling that once is bad enough, but that Wraith fed off me four times! Four times, I went through that agony. Each time, wondering if it would be the last."

John stood and paced the tent. "And then it was the last. Lying in that field. Right at the brink." He turned to Rodney and scowled. "You know, it isn't even the almost dying that haunts me. Dying while protecting others is part of the job I signed up for. No, it was realising that at that moment, I knew I had given up. I had stopped fighting. I had resigned myself to the fact that even if you and the others showed up, it was too late. At that moment, I just wanted that Wraith to put me out of my misery."

He walked back to the crate and sat down. "And now you tell me you were aware of all of that. That, thanks to the link, you know I was ready to just quit." John ducked his head and gave McKay a sideways glance. "Teyla thinks you still trust me. Right now, I'm not even sure if I trust myself. What happens the next time we run into Wraith?" he asked Rodney. "Will you still trust that I will do whatever it takes to keep you, Teyla, and Ronon alive?"

He stared at the floor. "Can I trust myself to fight and not freeze in fear at the thought of being fed on again?"

Rodney muttered, turned his head in John's direction, and pushed aside the blanket.

John caught a glimpse of the scars on Rodney's arm and grimaced. "And then there's Kolya. I made a promise almost two years ago that I would deal with Kolya once and for all. That I would make sure he never hurt you again. That didn't happen. Instead, you willingly went with him to Dagan to save the rest of us. Then Kolya nearly managed to get off-world with you when we ran into him on that mining planet."

John threw his hands in the air and stood, pacing from the tent flap to Rodney as his frustration mounted. "Some commanding officer I am," he groused. "Nearly giving up and incapable of dealing with one rogue Genii commander. Two years and Kolya is still out there. Still wreaking havoc. Still giving you -"

"Ko-ya," Rodney muttered. "No, no. Don' tell. Don' tell."

"Damn it," John muttered as he hurried back to Rodney's side. "Good job, Sheppard," he berated himself. "Just what he needs on top of some weird illness. Thinking Kolya is about to attack him again."

John sat on the ground next to McKay, ignored his protesting knee, and rested a hand on Rodney's shoulder.

"Don' tell," Rodney muttered. He tossed his head back and forth, and John frowned when he felt the fever heat and saw Rodney clutching his right arm to his chest.

"Sorry, sorry," John said. "Just calm down. Kolya isn't here, Rodney, I promise."

"Don', don'."

"Hey," John said, squeezing Rodney's shoulder. "Kolya isn't here. You're safe."

McKay's muttering drifted back into incoherence, and John covered him with the blanket.

He moved from the ground to the crate and glanced at the tent flap. "Come on, Teyla, where are you?"

John sat staring at the tent wall. "Is it any wonder -" he said and stopped when he heard a clatter outside. "What the …" he wondered and stood.

He rested his hand on the butt of the Beretta, unzipped the tent flap, and stepped outside. A gust of cold air blew past, and clouds over the mountains were thicker and darker, dimming the morning light.

John shivered and ducked back inside the tent for his jacket.

"Not good," he muttered with a grimace when he saw the tops of the nearby peaks hidden by the low-hanging cloud.

He heard more branches rustling behind the tent, unholstered the Beretta, and crept to the tent corner. He raised the Beretta, poked his head around the corner, and blew out a breath when he saw Ronon kneeling next to a tall frame made of tree branches. John spotted a pile of pine boughs behind Dex and suddenly had a horrible feeling.

How much of his confession to Rodney had Ronon heard? John wondered. He was reasonably confident that McKay would remember nothing of what John had said. Which was a big part of the reason why you said it, he admitted. But if Dex had heard him too …

"Great," John muttered under his breath as he holstered the Beretta, zipped his jacket, and walked around the tent.

Ronon glanced at him and then at the sky. "Storm will be here in a couple of hours," he said as he tied two thick branches together.

John crossed his arms over his chest and nodded. "What's all of this?" He waved his hand at the frame of stripped branches and pine boughs.

"Windbreak," Ronon replied with a sideways glance at John.

Another wind gust blew past, shaking the sides of the tent.

John looked up at the looming clouds and grimaced. "Maybe we should just move back into the jumper."

"Said it yourself. Not enough room." Ronon glanced at the sky. "Storm won't last more than a day, maybe two."

John nodded and stared at the trees. He caught Ronon watching him and blew out a breath.

"How much did you hear?" He nodded at the tent.

Ronon shrugged. "Some." He finished with the frame and began tying pine boughs to the rows of bare branches.

John felt his shoulders tighten. Damn, he thought, staring at the surrounding trees, so much for a private confession.

He ignored the bitter wind cutting across his face as he tried to decide what to do next. Leaders weren't supposed to let anyone see their weaknesses. It was bad for morale. If Ronon admitted to hearing some of what John had said, chances were high he had heard all of it, he realised.

Ronon grunted as he hefted the now complete windbreak and set it to one side, shaking John out of his train of thought.

John noted the frame was taller than Ronon, with three rows of overlapping pine boughs lined along the cross pieces of branches. Ronon had left the last eighteen inches of the frame bare, and John wondered how he planned to erect the break once he was done building it.

Ronon glanced at John then focused on laying out the branches to make another frame. "He won't escape again."

John glanced at Dex with a frown.

"Kolya," Ronon clarified. He finished tying two branches together and looked at John. "Next time is the last time."

"I've been saying that for two years now," John replied with a crooked smile. "He's still out there. Still gunning for McKay." John clenched his hands into fists. "He admitted he would have just as easily …" John paused and glanced at the tent. "I got the feeling Kolya saw capturing me almost as a consolation prize. He's terrorised McKay for years, and I haven't been able to do much to stop him."

Ronon finished constructing the branch frame and stared at John. "Not anymore."

John studied Dex, saw Dex's determined expression, and nodded. "I'm going to check on Rodney. Let me know when Teyla gets back."

Ronon laid out pine boughs on the second frame and jerked his chin toward the trees on the other side of the camp. "She's back."

John looked across the clearing and blew out a breath when he saw the bundles of leaves and flowers in Teyla's arms.

"Finally," John muttered under his breath.

He left Ronon to build his windbreak and met Teyla as she entered the camp.

"Colonel," Teyla greeted with a nod.

She sat beside the fire and laid the leaves and flowers on a convenient flat rock.

"Teyla," John replied. "I take it you found what you need?"

Teyla found a large pot amongst their cooking gear and filled it with water from her canteen. She set the pot next to the fire and began crushing the various leaves and flowers between two stones.

John felt his nose twitch at the pungent smell.

"I could not find everything, but I managed to locate what I hope will be viable substitutions."

John grimaced but let it go. There wasn't anything in the medical kit for the rash, he reminded himself. Even something that would only help a little was better than doing nothing.

Teyla looked up from crushing the various plants. "Once I apply the salve, we will need something to keep it in place."

"There should be plenty of gauze in the medical kit," John replied. "How long for …" he waved his hand at the pot.

"Not very long," Teyla replied. She added the crushed leaves and flowers to the bubbling water. "I will let you know when the salve is ready."

John nodded, walked to the tent, unzipped the flap, and ducked inside. Rodney hadn't moved. He still lay curled on his side, facing the side of the tent. John glanced at his watch, then walked over to the table, found a bottle of water in one of the crates, and dug a couple of drink packets out of his pack. John dumped the powder into the bottle, shook it, then picked up the blister pack of ibuprofen and walked over to Rodney.

"Hey," John said in a low voice as he sat on the crate.

Rodney didn't react to the call.

John grimaced and bent forward. "Rodney?" he tried again and shook McKay's arm. "You need to try and drink some of this."

Rodney moaned but didn't move.

"Rodney!" John said a little louder.

McKay rolled onto his back, groaned, and cracked open his eyes. "Wha?"

"I know you feel pretty awful," John said. "Teyla's putting something together that should help." He held up the bottle of purple liquid. "You need to drink some of this. You don't want to deal with low blood sugar on top of everything else."

Rodney stared at him, his eyes glazed with fever, then weakly pushed at the ground.

John scooted off the crate, knelt at Rodney's side, and helped him sit up. He handed Rodney the bottle but hesitated before letting go.

"Got it?" he asked as Rodney took the bottle.

Rodney nodded and sipped from the bottle. "Not flu," he said between swallows.

"No," John replied and sat on the crate. "Quelen fever."

Rodney looked over at him with a puzzled frown.

"That kids' illness Teyla told us about." John popped two pills out of the blister pack and handed them to Rodney. "Those should help with the fever. Teyla is making something that will help with the rash."

Rodney gave him a puzzled frown. "Rash?"

John pointed at Rodney's chest.

Rodney looked down and stared at the angry red splotches.

"You didn't notice?" John asked.

Rodney took the offered pills. "Hurts," he muttered. "Feels like that sap burning me all over again."

John grimaced at the memory of McKay's hand after his encounter with the corpse tree.

"Thought it was all part of the general dying," Rodney continued.

John smiled. "You aren't dying. Teyla says it should clear up in a few days."

Rodney frowned, swallowed the pills, and handed the half-full water bottle back to John.

"You should really try and drink the rest," John said, taking the bottle.

"Tired," Rodney muttered and lay down again.

He stopped moving, and John reached for the blanket.

"Do still trust you," Rodney murmured, and John froze.

Had he heard McKay right? John wondered. Had he heard more of your confession than you thought?

Rodney sighed a few moments later and lay still.

John pulled the blanket up to Rodney's chest and sat on the crate, lost in thought. First Ronon, and now McKay. So much for not talking to the team, John thought.

He glanced at Rodney and then at the side of the tent where he heard Ronon working. And neither of them thinks any less of you after the admission, John reminded himself.

He sat watching Rodney sleep, letting the idea that he didn't always have to stuff his pain into a box sink in. The concept was entirely outside his experience. Talking about emotions was simply not done in his family.

"Your old family," John said with a glance at McKay.

He adjusted the blanket covering Rodney and stood.

He doubted he would ever be as emotionally open as Heightmeyer may want, but he was willing to entertain the idea that he could talk to Rodney, or Ronon, or Teyla, and they wouldn't think less of him afterwards.

John stepped out of the tent and hissed in a breath. In the short time he'd been with Rodney, it felt as though the temperature had fallen another ten degrees. He saw Teyla by the fire stirring the contents of the large pot but didn't see Ronon. He heard low grunts and what sounded like digging coming from behind the tent, and he assumed Dex was still working on his windbreak idea.

"How's it coming?" John asked, walking over to Teyla.

"The salve is almost ready," Teyla replied. "Once it cools, we can apply it to Rodney's chest and back."

A few fat snowflakes drifted down, hissing as they landed in the fire, and John glanced up at the gloomy sky.

"How is Rodney?" Teyla asked.

"He was awake for a few minutes," John replied. "He was more coherent this time. He said the rash feels like that sap that burned his hand last year."

Teyla glanced up from the pot. "The salve will help with that."

"I gave him more ibuprofen, and he managed to drink about half a bottle of water," John continued. "I added a couple of drink packets to it, so we shouldn't have to worry about hypoglycaemia at least."

Teyla nodded. "And how are you?"

"The itch is there, and a bit of a headache." John waved off her concern. "I'll be fine."

Teyla shook her head. "That is not what I meant."

John gave her a quizzical stare.

"You seem less on edge than before," Teyla told him. "I assume you took my advice?"

John rubbed his hands up and down his arms. "Maybe."

Teyla smiled, gave the pot's contents one last stir, and moved the pot away from the fire. "The salve is ready. However, it will need to cool before I can apply it."

"Hopefully, that won't take long." John pointed at the clouds. "That is going to be here soon."

Teyla glanced at the sky. "Do you wish to move Rodney into the jumper?"

John shook his head. "With the pods offline, there won't be any heat." John shuddered and tried not to think about the last time he'd been trapped in a jumper during a snowstorm. "Ronon doesn't think the storm will last for more than a day or two. The tent is insulated, and Ronon is making something that will help protect us from the wind. When I left him, Rodney was asleep. I'd rather not move him if we don't have to."

"I can begin moving supplies we will need from the jumper to the tent while the salve cools," Teyla offered. "That will allow me to watch Rodney while you and Ronon finish work on the windbreak."

"Thanks," John replied. He heard more digging sounds behind the tent and hooked his thumb over his shoulder. "I'll go check on Ronon's progress. Once we're done, we'll move the components for the drive pod into the ship for safekeeping."

"Safekeeping?"

John smiled. "Once the storm passes and McKay feels better, I don't want to listen to Rodney complaining about something being damaged from the snow once he's well enough to finish the repairs."

Teyla smiled in return and stood. "A valid consideration."

John waited until Teyla entered the ship, then walked around the tent.

One of the branch and pine bough frames stood a foot away from the edge of the tent. John glanced at the remaining two frames, then at the three fresh holes in the ground, each about eighteen inches deep, and nodded.

Now, the exposed section at the bottom from the frames made sense, he realised.

He glanced at the top of the break and saw that even with the bottom of the frame sunk a foot and a half into the ground, the break still stood a few inches taller than the tent.

Ronon grunted as he dug a narrow shovel into a fourth hole in the ground and glanced up at John.

"Need some help?" John asked.

Ronon dropped the shovelful of dirt onto the pile and held the shovel out to John.

John took the shovel, watched Ronon pick up one of the frames, and set the legs into the four fresh holes.

Another strong gust blew past, and John watched the exposed sides of the tent ripple in response. The side with the first section of Ronon's makeshift windbreak in place never moved, and John nodded. In the strictest sense, the tent might not need the break, but John knew it would help make the next few days more bearable.

He picked up a shovelful of dirt and poured it into the nearest hole.

An hour later, the last frame was in place, and John stood bracing his weight on the shovel handle as he surveyed their work.

"Looks good," John said as a gust of wind blew off the mountains behind them, swirling the falling snow into a mini blizzard and ruffling the pine boughs surrounding the tent. He was pleased to note the tent remained unmoved.

Ronon nodded. "Should do."

John brushed snow off his shoulders and hefted the shovel. "Teyla was moving supplies from the jumper to the tent. I told her we would move McKay's spare parts into the ship to protect everything from the weather.

Ronon grunted and led the way around the tent.

The fire had been banked, and John didn't see Teyla near the ship. He poked his head inside the hatch and didn't see her in the rear section or the cockpit.

"Let's check the tent," John said, pointing across the campsite.

John stopped outside the tent, kicked the snow off his boots, walked into the tent, and was pleasantly surprised when he saw the crates of supplies neatly stacked under the table or along the back wall.

Teyla sat beside Rodney with the pot of salve. She looked up from rubbing the greenish-yellow goo over Rodney's chest and nodded a greeting.

"Colonel. You and Ronon are just in time. I will need assistance applying the salve to Rodney's back."

John stopped at the table long enough to find a roll of gauze in the medical kit, then knelt next to McKay. "What do you need from us?" John asked.

"You will need to hold him upright while I apply the salve to his back and sides. Then we will need something …"

John held up the roll of gauze.

"... to keep it in place." Teyla finished applying the salve to Rodney's chest and sat back on her heels.

John glanced at Ronon. "You pick him up," he said to Dex, "and I'll hold him while Teyla applies her goo."

John sat near Rodney's waist and nodded to Ronon.

Ronon bent and picked up Rodney by his shoulders.

Rodney groaned when he was moved and opened his eyes. "John?" he muttered.

"Yeah," John replied. He braced Rodney against his chest with McKay's head on his shoulder, careful not to touch any of the sticky paste, and nodded to Teyla.

Teyla switched places with Dex and began applying the salve to Rodney's back.

Rodney flinched as she smeared some of the paste on his back. "What's goin' on?"

"Teyla is putting something on your back to help with the burning feeling from the rash," John explained.

"Smell like flowers," Rodney muttered.

John adjusted his grip on Rodney's shoulders. "Yeah, it does. But you'll feel better once she's done."

Rodney muttered something John didn't catch, then lay silent.

Teyla quickly rubbed the paste over Rodney's back and sides, then she and Ronon wrapped the gauze around Rodney's chest.

"Not too tight," Teyla said. "We do not want to hinder his breathing."

Ronon nodded, finished wrapping McKay in the gauze and tied off the ends.

"You can lie him down now," Teyla said to John.

She wiped her hands on a clean towel, picked up the pot of ointment, and walked over to the table.

John and Ronon eased McKay down, and John covered him with the blanket.

"Well?" John asked, walking over to Teyla.

"I have done what I can for him," Teyla replied. "Now all we can do is try to get him to drink something every few hours and wait for the fever to run its course."

John grimaced and stood. "Stay with him," he said to Teyla.

"Where are you going?" Teyla asked.

"We still need to get the pod parts into the jumper, and I want to make one last check of the camp before the worst of that storm arrives."

"Doctor Beckett," Dana said, her voice muffled by the mask she wore. "Doctor DeCampo just came in. She appears to be in the early stages of the illness."

Carson looked up from checking the rash across Doctor Müller's chest and sighed. "How many does that make now?" he asked.

"Twelve here," Dana replied. "Another half dozen in the city. The good news is no one else in the science camp seems to be showing symptoms."

Carson nodded. "Get Gemma settled in one of the beds and start an IV. If she's like the others, we'll need to keep her fluids up. I'll be over to check on her once she is settled."

"Yes, Doctor," Dana replied.

Carson finished with Müller, washed his hands in a basin against the far wall, and walked over to his newest patient.

"Gemma," Carson greeted. "How are you feeling, lass?"

Doctor DeCampo opened her eyes and blinked several times. "Not so great, Doctor Beckett," she replied.

"Understandable, my dear."

Dana handed him a tablet computer, and Carson pressed his lips together when he saw the elevated temperature. "Rash?" he asked Dana.

"A few small patches on her stomach and under her arms," Dana confirmed.

"All right, let's see about getting that fever down and then apply Iranda's ointment."

"Yes, Doctor," Dana replied. She took the computer from Carson and walked over to a long table in the corner.

Carson patted DeCampo's hand. "Gemma, Dana is going to give you something for the fever and then apply a paste the Athosians use to help with the rash. We've caught things early, so hopefully, we will have you feeling much better in a day or two."

DeCampo nodded even as her eyes drifted shut.

A shaft of light crossed the tent, and Carson glanced up with a sinking feeling in his gut.

The feeling quickly changed to relief when he saw Iranda enter the tent with her daughter, Isla, following her carrying a large bowl.

"Iranda, it's good to see you," Carson greeted as he approached the two women.

"Doctor Beckett," Iranda said. "We have brought more of the salve."

"Thank you, my dear." Carson nodded to the dozen beds behind him. "I fear I will be needing it. I still have scientists coming in with symptoms." He glanced at DeCampo across the tent. "How much longer will people be contagious?"

"I believe we are through the worst of this bout," Iranda replied. "The children are all recovering, and we haven't had any new cases in the village for three days."

"That's good news, at least," Carson replied.

Iranda nodded and glanced around the tent. "Most of the people here were in the village last week." She paused and frowned.

"Is there something the matter?" Carson asked.

"I recognise many of the men and women here." She nodded her head at the nearest cots. "But several others are missing. Doctor Brown, Doctor Matthews, Doctor McKay, and a few others."

"Doctor Brown and Doctor Matthews returned to the city …" Carson stopped as the implications of what Iranda said sank in. "Rodney was here?"

"Mmm." Iranda nodded. "Halling asked him to look at the communications equipment when he visited the mainland last week," Iranda replied. "Several of the children were sick at the time."

Carson pursed his lips into a thin line behind his mask.

"Doctor Beckett?" Iranda asked. "Is everything all right?"

Carson shook his head. "I'm not sure," he replied as the sinking feeling in the pit in his stomach grew. If Rodney became ill while off-world… He glanced around the room. "I need to talk to Elizabeth," he muttered more to himself than Iranda. "Thank you, Iranda, for telling me about Rodney. I'll have someone check on him immediately." He turned and called across the tent, "Dana, love."

Dana looked up from the desk in the corner and stood.

"Yes, Doctor Beckett?"

"Iranda has brought more of the ointment. Please check our patients and see if they need a top-up."

"Certainly," Dana said.

"I will help if you like," Isla offered, and Dana nodded.

Carson watched as the two young women stopped at the first bed, stepped out of the tent, and removed the mask.

"Beckett calling Doctor Weir."

"Weir, here. Carson? I wasn't expecting your daily report for another two hours. Is there a problem?"

Carson stared in the direction of the city. "You could say that," he replied. "Have you heard anything from Colonel Sheppard?"

"Not since they left four days ago," Weir replied. "Why do you ask?"

"Did you know Rodney was on the mainland last week?"

"Yes," Weir replied. "There was a dispute amongst some of the scientists about one of their projects. He went to resolve the situation."

Carson grimaced at the news. "It seems Rodney was also in the village last week. At the same time, the worst of this quelen fever was hitting the Athosians."

There was a brief silence over the radio, then, "You believe Rodney may have been exposed?"

"Aye," Carson replied. "It's probably safe to assume Teyla and Ronon have had this illness already, but Rodney and Colonel Sheppard -"

"Are likely both very sick," Elizabeth finished.

"We need to send a team after them," Carson said.

There was a pause over the radio.

"We can't," Elizabeth replied.

"And just why not?" Carson demanded as his temper flared. "Elizabeth, Doctor Hooker was one of the first infected. This rash has covered most of his upper body. He is rarely awake or lucid, even when he is conscious. He's on IV fluids now, and if he doesn't show improvement soon, I may have to insert a feeding tube. Rodney and Colonel Sheppard -"

"Carson, I hear you, and I understand your concern. But they could be anywhere on that planet."

"Elizabeth -"

"Let me finish. They could be anywhere on that planet. The Daedalus is due to make its last communication check in this afternoon before they prepare to leave the Pegasus galaxy. When Colonel Caldwell radios I will inform him we need to borrow his ship for a medical emergency. He can take you out to the planet, find Colonel Sheppard's team, and hold all of you in quarantine until we learn more about this disease and how to keep it from spreading."

"On that front, I may have some good news," Carson said. "I've taken blood samples from all of our infected personnel as well as from some of the Athosians who had the illness in the past. I'm running the samples now, and hopefully, I'll be able to sort out exactly what this quelen fever is in a day or two."

"Good to know," Weir replied. "Do the best you can. I will let you know when I hear from the Daedalus."

"Aye," Carson replied with a glance at the tent. "Beckett out."

Chapter Text

John stretched his back and groaned under his breath. Two days of sitting on a crate as he watched over McKay had given him a new appreciation for the importance of proper chairs.

Next time you plan an extended mission, make sure you pack a camp chair, he told himself. He shifted on the crate, trying to find a more comfortable position as he glanced around the tent.

Teyla stood near the tent's center pole with her eyes closed, moving through the slow steps of an Athosian meditative form. Ronon sat on another crate propped on its end in front of the table, sharpening an impressive array of knives.

McKay shifted under the blanket and muttered under his breath.

John rested his hand on Rodney's shoulder and waited. A few seconds later, McKay settled, and John sat back on the crate.

Rodney had been stable for the last day. The fever wasn't any higher but hadn't dropped either, and the rash was still an angry red speckled with white blisters.

Of course, you had the ibuprofen to help, John grumbled to himself. Now that it's gone, what's going to happen? John absently rubbed the back of his head and frowned. So much for hoping to get him back to Beckett quickly.

He sat forward with his elbows braced on his knees, but that didn't relieve the ache in his back. John gave up on the crate, stood, and paced the small area from the end of Rodney's sleeping bag to the front of the tent, hoping the movement would work out some of the kinks.

The storm, while never as severe as the blizzard on Lurra, had still been bad enough. John estimated at least eighteen inches of snow had accumulated in their clearing over the last two days.

He had heard several loud cracks followed by a low thump from the trees behind the tent overnight. Every time he heard a crack, John held his breath, waiting to see if anything hit the tent. So far, they'd been lucky. Most of the downed trees and branches had fallen deeper into the forest. The wind had downed a tree at the edge of their campsite the first night of the storm, but it had missed both the tent and the ship.

John heard the pine boughs shake as another gust of wind rattled Ronon's windbreak. He glanced behind him when McKay mumbled something and pushed the blanket off again.

Was it the noise from the wind or fever dreams? John wondered. He'd suffered through more than one windstorm in a tent and was silently grateful that Ronon's windbreak protected the tent from the worst of the wind and snow, allowing them to weather the storm with a modicum of comfort.

Something that would not have been possible if they'd been forced back into the ship, John reminded himself as the wind shook the wall of pine branches.

Dex looked up from sharpening a short blade, twisted around on the crate, and said, "What?"

Teyla opened her eyes and glanced from Ronon to John.

"Nothing," John said, waving off the question. "Just thinking."

Ronon grunted and turned back to the table.

Rodney muttered something about particles and conversion rates and rolled onto his side with a low moan.

John turned in his short back-and-forth path and knelt at Rodney's side. He pressed his palm to Rodney's forehead and noted the fever seemed much the same. Is that a good thing or not? he wondered as he adjusted the blanket. How much longer was the fever going to last?

John had done his best to keep Rodney hydrated the past two days, but it was getting harder to wake him and then keep him awake long enough to get him to take more than a few swallows of the drink powder mixed with water. They were out of ibuprofen and almost out of the salve Teyla had made for the rash, and John wondered how long it would be before the hypoglycaemia added to their growing list of problems.

How much much more could McKay take without real medical intervention? John asked himself.

John sat on the crate, scrubbed a hand over his bristly chin, and ignored the persistent, dull headache and the itch at the back of his skull. Another indicator Rodney wasn't getting better, he thought with a frustrated sigh.

The reaction from the link had done more than keep John apprised of McKay's condition. It was a constant reminder that their shared bond had only strengthened over the last several months.

"I don't know what he's feeling or thinking, and I don't want to know. It would be a breach of trust."

John ducked his head as the comment he'd made to Teyla more than a year ago on Eidolon rose in his mind. Of course, that was before Rodney's little bombshell, John groused to himself.

What were they going to do now? John wondered. While the incident with the Wraith nearly killing him had been an extreme circumstance, would there come a time when he would know what Rodney was thinking as he worked on a mundane problem in the lab? When Rodney would know what he was thinking while he sat in his quarters playing his guitar?

If Rodney's coping mechanism was an acerbic attitude, John's was keeping his innermost thoughts and feelings buried. Now, thanks to the link, John realised, that may not be possible for much longer—at least not with McKay.

He hadn't mentioned the other change in their bond. It had been a subtle difference, and one he wasn't even sure was new until recently, but he had had his suspicions even before Rodney's revelation that the link was evolving and the decisions they had made a year ago might need revising.

Another loud crack followed by a thump sounded from the forest, breaking John out of his spiralling thoughts.

Rodney moaned, and John looked down as McKay rolled onto his back and pushed aside the blanket.

"It's just the wind," John said to Rodney.

He leant forward and picked up one of the MRE bags sealed with duct tape. Ronon had suggested using the bags filled with snow as makeshift ice packs. The bags worked well enough, but between Rodney's fever and the stuffy warmth inside the tent, the snow lasted less than an hour before it melted.

John gently shook the bag, heard water sloshing inside, and stood.

"Going to make a snow run," John said, reaching for his coat.

Ronon set the knife he'd been sharpening on the table and stood.

"I'll go," Dex said, and John hid a tiny smile.

He knew Ronon was not the type to sit and do nothing. When Dex suggested his makeshift ice pack idea, John wondered if Ronon had meant it as an excuse to get outside for a few minutes as much as it was to help McKay.

"What now?" Ronon demanded as he pulled on the leather duster.

"Nothing," John replied. He picked up the shallow basin sitting on the end of the table and handed it to Ronon. "Don't go too far," he added as Dex took the bowl and unzipped the tent flap.

Ronon grunted and pushed through the opening.

A blast of cold air blew through the tent as Ronon stepped outside, and John quickly zipped the flap closed.

Rodney groaned, and John frowned when he glanced at McKay and saw he was shivering. He walked back to Rodney's side and pulled up the blanket.

"Colonel?" Teyla asked as she crossed the tent and knelt at Rodney's side. "How is he?"

"He's not any worse," John replied, trying to conceal his worry.

Teyla gave him a sympathetic glance. "But he is no better, either."

"No," John replied.

"He is in the worst phase of the illness," Teyla said. "It is important that we do not let the fever go any higher." She glanced at him and added, "How do you feel?"

John waved off the concern. "I'm fine. No fever. No rash. I guess I'm just naturally immune."

"That is good," she replied.

Teyla peeked under the gauze wrapped around McKay's chest and sat back on her heels. "There is some good news. I think the rash may be starting to scab."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning, once all the blisters have dried, the fever will likely break soon after."

"How long?"

"It is difficult to say. In children, the scabs form in a day or two, and the fever breaks a few hours later."

John could tell Teyla was holding back something.

"And for adults?"

Teyla sighed. "It takes longer for the scabs to form. At least two days, sometimes three."

"And the fever?"

"Another day or two after the rash crusts."

John glanced at the crates of emergency supplies tucked under the table, did some mental math, and frowned. Almost a week, he thought. And that's just to get him past the worst of the sickness. How long would it be before McKay was well enough to fix the ship?

He remembered Ronon's strange looks over breakfast three days ago and pursed his lips into a thin line. McKay wouldn't be in any shape to work on the ship any time soon, he realised. Which meant they had a supply problem.

"Colonel Sheppard?"

John turned to Teyla. "It could be at least another five days for this to run its course?"

Teyla nodded.

"And who knows how long before he can work on the ship." He jerked his thumb over his shoulder at the supply crates. "This was supposed to be a short-duration mission. We're only supplied for a week plus an extra few days in case of emergencies."

"Food and water should not be a problem," Teyla replied. "I am sure the forest will provide enough to eat, and there is the lake for water."

John grunted and glanced at Rodney. Food wasn't what he was worried about.

Another bitter gust of wind blew through the tent a few moments later, announcing Ronon's return.

"Here," Ronon said, holding out the basin full of slushy snow.

Teyla stood and took the bowl from Dex.

John handed Ronon the makeshift ice packs. Ronon disappeared outside briefly, then returned with the empty bags.

"Stopped snowing," Ronon reported as he handed the bags to Teyla. "Wind is dying down, too. Looks like the storm's clearing."

Teyla filled the bags with fresh snow using a serving spoon from the camping gear.

"Good," John replied. "One less thing to worry about."

Ronon crossed his arms over his chest and stared at John.

"What?" John asked, taking the refilled and sealed bags from Teyla.

"You know what needs to happen."

John glanced at Dex with a raised eyebrow.

"Someone needs to walk to the 'gate and get help," Ronon said.

John placed the ice packs along Rodney's sides and adjusted the blanket.

Ronon had a point, John told himself. You said yourself the supplies weren't going to last much longer. The problem was figuring out who should go and who should stay with Rodney. Teyla had the most experience dealing with the quelen fever. If Rodney took a turn for the worse, John knew her expertise would be necessary to keep McKay alive.

But if he went with Ronon back to the 'gate, that meant leaving Teyla alone with a sick McKay. If something were to happen while he and Dex were gone, she'd have no backup. If he stayed with Teyla and Rodney, Ronon would be on his own to get back to the 'gate through unknown territory.

John rested his hand on Rodney's forehead and grimaced when he felt the fever-heat.

They couldn't keep waiting, John reminded himself. He needs Beckett. Now.

He stared at the side of the tent for a few more moments, then blew out a breath, tweaked the blanket and stood. "All right, we'll wait until tomorrow morning. That will give the sun a day to melt off some of the snow and maybe make the trek down the mountain a little less dangerous. Teyla, you'll stay here with Rodney. You're the best one to deal with anything that happens with the fever while we're gone."

Teyla nodded.

"Ronon and I will head for the 'gate. We'll explain things to Elizabeth, and I'll come back here in another jumper with Beckett and pick up the pair of you."

"I can move faster on my own," Ronon countered with a significant glance at Rodney.

John caught the unspoken message but shook his head. "If something happens to you trying to climb down a mountain by yourself, McKay won't be the only one in trouble."

Ronon grunted but didn't press the issue.

John waited a moment and said, "Since it sounds like the storm is almost over, let's see about clearing a spot for a fire. I think we can all use a hot meal."

By late morning, Rodney lay under the blanket, burning up one moment and shivering the next while mumbling incoherently.

Teyla pressed her hand to Rodney's forehead, then glanced at John.

"He's getting worse, isn't he?" John asked as he rubbed the back of his head.

"I am afraid so," Teyla replied. "I did not see any plants in the forest that would help with the fever."

Ronon grunted, sheathed the last knife on the table, and picked up Rodney's backpack. He pulled McKay's computer, tools, and some spare clothing out of the pack, then filled it with a blanket and a couple of MREs from the crate under the table. He slung a coil of rope over his shoulder bandolier-style, clipped his canteen to his belt, and zipped closed the backpack.

"What do you think you're doing?" John demanded.

Ronon picked up the backpack and walked over to the front of the tent. "Leaving."

John shook his head and stood. "Even if I had agreed to let you go alone, what happened to waiting until tomorrow?"

Rodney muttered something John didn't catch, and Ronon stared at him with an impatient expression.

"Can't keep waiting," he said. He stepped around John and unzipped the tent. "I should be back in a few days."

John glanced at McKay, and a corner of his mind knew Ronon was right. They couldn't wait. Rodney needed Beckett sooner rather than later. He followed Ronon out of the tent, shivered in the cold air, and wrapped his arms around his chest.

"I should come with you."

Ronon shook his head. "McKay needs you more than I do."

John blew out a breath. "Fine. Just be careful," he admonished. "And report in every hour."

Ronon nodded and turned toward the end of the valley leading out of the mountains.

John watched until Dex was out of sight, then reentered the tent and zipped the flap.

"Ronon will be fine," Teyla said. "He survived on his own for seven years."

"Yeah," John replied. He pulled on his coat and sat on the crate next to McKay.

John rubbed his hands up and down his arms as he tried to warm up. He glanced at Teyla, found her watching him, and focused on Rodney, shivering in the cooler air.

John pulled up the blanket and watched Teyla pull another crate over to John's side and sit beside him.

"Ronon will bring back help," she said with a tiny smile.

Ronon hiked through the forest, savoring the solitude. The trees muffled the decreasing wind, and other than an occasional chirp from a bird, the only sound was snow crunching underfoot as he walked. He took a deep breath of cold air, enjoying the peaceful silence that always came with a big snow.

Joining Sheppard's team had given him a purpose and a way to kill Wraith, but living in Atlantis also meant he was rarely alone. He had enjoyed the company of his fellow soldiers when he was part of the Satedan military. Tyre telling wild stories around the campfire. Rakai challenging all-comers to fight him while Ara egged him on. He had thrived in the devil-may-care attitude that came with soldiers fighting a war.

Seven years running, he had shed the need for such camaraderie. Anyone he met was a potential threat. Even those few he'd been forced to trust out of necessity, he soon left behind, afraid he would bring the Wraith to their doorstep. Thanks to the Wraith, he had discovered how to survive alone.

Then he'd captured Sheppard, and Ronon's life changed again. Over the last year, he had slowly relearned how to be comfortable around the team and a few others, such as Zelenka and Beckett. But there was something to be said for hiking through a snow-covered forest alone.

"Certainly quieter," Ronon muttered, glancing back toward the camp.

He pushed through the last of the trees a few minutes later and stood at the lake's edge. The late-morning sun glinted off the water, and for a moment, Ronon stood along the shore of a different lake. A lake on Sateda, and Melena stood beside him, one hand tucked into his arm as she pointed to where they would build their home once they were wed.

"We will teach our sons and daughters to sail and swim," Melena said as she stared across the lake. "And our families will be close by."

"Maybe not too close," Ronon replied with a wicked smile.

"Ronon Dex! What exactly are you implying?" she replied, squeezing her arm.

"This," Ronon replied, bending forward and kissing her.

Ronon blinked a few times and wiped his nose.

The Satedan lake faded back into memory as he stared out at the snow-covered trees.

Melena was gone, and as far as Ronon knew, so were Tyre and his fellow soldiers. But there was still something of Sateda, he reminded himself.

In the months since finding Orlin and the other Satedan survivors, he had made two trips back to Haven. Once after the recent failed alliance with the Wraith. And the second after the team returned from Keota.

Willem and the others had welcomed him with open arms, and visiting Marta had been a balm on his soul after everything that had happened with his capture and forced return to Sateda. His interactions with Orlin were still stiffly formal. Ronon suspected they both had too many tragic memories for their relationship to ever return to what it was before Sateda was destroyed and Melena lost.

Ronon stood staring at the lake for a few moments, then pushed the memories back into a far corner of his mind. He had a job to do, he told himself.

He filled the canteen, took several long swallows, refilled the bottle, and tried not to think about the past. He capped the canteen, stood, and spun around when he heard a soft thump behind him.

Had Sheppard decided to come after him? Ronon wondered as he scanned the forest behind him.

A gust of wind blew past, shaking the snow from the trees at the lake's edge. Ronon heard another thump and watched the crystals dance in the air as one of the trees shed its load of snow.

Ronon waited a moment, and when he didn't see Sheppard walk out of the forest, he hooked the canteen to his belt and started down the mountain. He had a rough idea of where the portal was in relation to the downed jumper and checked the sun's position every ten minutes as he hiked through the forest.

Along with the sense of peace, the solitude gave Ronon time to consider recent events with Kolya and the Wraith. Kolya getting away again rankled him. After hearing how McKay had acquired the scars on his arm, he too, had made a silent vow to deal with the Genii commander, either singly or with Sheppard.

He had almost succeeded on the mining planet.

Ronon heard the whoosh as the portal engaged and ran faster. Kolya was not going to escape again, he vowed. Not after what had just happened in the forest with McKay. He had seen McKay's panicked expression as he fired the particle weapon at Kolya. But it was too late. The blast hit McKay full in the chest. Kolya had dropped the scientist and run before Ronon could do more than notice there wasn't a bloody hole in McKay's chest.

As far as Ronon was concerned, Kolya was no leader but a coward. He had used McKay as a shield, purposely moving McKay into the line of Ronon's fire. The only reason McKay wasn't dead was because Ronon hadn't reset the weapon after Randorian's people had confiscated it.

Ronon ran into the clearing, saw Kolya standing near the control pedestal as Genii soldiers ran into the watery pool, and growled low in his throat.

"Kolya!" Ronon shouted as the last soldier entered the 'gate.

Kolya turned, gave Ronon a mock salute, and walked into the portal. Ronon was only a few steps behind when the portal shut down.

"No!" Ronon shouted.

He turned to the control pedestal, intent on following the Genii, and slammed a fist on the edge of the pedestal when he saw all of the glyphs were dark.

Ronon stared down the mountain as the memory washed over him. He had grudgingly accepted that Sheppard had not been in a position to stop the Genii commander's escape this time, but letting the Wraith go still rubbed him the wrong way.

You'd think they would learn after Michael, he grumbled to himself. Wraith cannot be trusted, and letting another one go was a mistake. How long would it be before the Wraith found them and caused fresh problems? he wondered. When would Sheppard learn that the only way to deal with the Wraith was to shoot on sight?

As for Kolya, Ronon had meant what he said to Sheppard before the snowstorm. After learning about the scars on McKay's arm, after Kolya nearly killed McKay on the mining planet, and now after Kolya had captured Sheppard and tortured him, Ronon would not let him escape again.

The next time he saw the Genii commander, he wouldn't wait for Sheppard. He'd shoot to kill and deal with any fallout afterwards.

By mid-afternoon, he was halfway down the mountain. The sky was clear, and the sun warmed the rocky outcrops, melting the snow into treacherous rivulets. He had left the last of the forest behind in the valley and few trees grew from the rocky ground. Ronon grimaced as he studied the slick rocks leading down to a grassy meadow surrounded by more trees and overlooking the open plain below.

He checked the open ground to his right and left, then glanced back up the mountain. There were no boulders and the few trees were too small and spindly to tie off the rope. He looked over the edge again, saw a few places where the rock was cracked or jutted out allowing for hand and foot holds.

Climb or look for another way down?

Ronon glanced back up the mountain and shook his head. Trying to find another route would take time. Time he didn't have.

"Great," he muttered.

He paced from one end of the outcrop to the other, found what he hoped would be the least dangerous route, and started down the rocky face.

"Always maintain three points of contact," Tyre said from his position above Ronon. "That way, if you lose a hold, you can recover."

Ronon reached for a seemingly stable rock and felt his heart climb up his throat as the rock pulled free of the cliff face. He grabbed the support rope with both hands and swallowed hard as he slowly swung back and forth.

"Make sure of your next hold before moving," Tyre told him. He grabbed the rope and stopped Ronon swinging. "You're lucky we're tied off. Otherwise, you'd be a dead man."

Ronon grimaced as he carefully made his way down the slope. No rope this time, he reminded himself.

He was little more than halfway down when he slipped on a patch of black ice and slid several feet before catching himself on another outcrop. Once he stopped sliding, Ronon clung to the wet rock face with his eyes squeezed shut as he tried to get his heart rate back under control.

"Too close," he muttered as he carefully descended to a narrow ledge.

Once he was sure of his balance, Ronon quickly checked his hands and scowled when he saw the numerous scrapes and cuts across his palms.

Just some lost skin, Ronon told himself. He wiped the little blood on his trousers and, after checking the rock face below him, continued his slow progression down the mountain.

He slipped a few more times but managed to catch himself each time and, with a last jump, landed at the edge of the muddy clearing. Scanty patches of snow lingered under the trees lined along the clearing's far side. A stream meandered out of the trees and across the meadow. Birds chirped in the nearby trees, and Ronon saw several rabbit trails leading from the edge of the trees to the stream.

He surveyed the meadow and nodded to himself. Plenty of cover and a defensible position. If he was still running, the meadow would have been a good spot to camp and rest for a day. He glanced at the sun, still a few hours from the western horizon, and shook his head.

No time to stop, he thought as he crossed the meadow and stood at the stream's edge.

The clear water bubbled over a few stones before dropping over the side of the mountain. Ronon glanced over the edge and grimaced when he saw the waterfall drop fifty feet or more before cascading over a series of jagged rocks and then plunging down several hundred feet to the plain below.

"Not good," he muttered.

He glanced to his left and right and nodded when he spotted a narrow animal track leading down to the open plain from the meadow. Snow lined the path's edges closer to the mountain, but from what Ronon could see, the animal track seemed safe enough.

He knelt at the stream's edge, and after a quick taste, Ronon nodded and filled his empty canteen.

He drank his fill, set the canteen aside, and dipped his scraped hands into the cold water, hissing as the water rinsed out the scrapes and cuts. Despite the frigid temperature, he dipped his hands in and out of the water until he was sure the scrapes were clean. Then, he dried his hands on a scrap of cloth he found in McKay's backpack and examined his palms.

"Nothing serious," he grunted as he poked one of the shallow cuts with his finger. He stuffed the cloth into the backpack and then tapped his earpiece.

"Sheppard," he said as he zipped the pack closed and stood.

"Sheppard here. How's it going?"

"Nearly off the mountain. Should be down before dark."

"Just be careful," Sheppard admonished. "You won't help anyone if you fall and break your neck."

Ronon looked down at his scraped hands. "I'll be fine. Should be back to the 'gate late tomorrow afternoon."

"Understood. Sheppard out."

He drank the canteen dry, refilled it, then stood and pushed through the trees at the edge of the clearing, looking for a way down to the path.

Three hours later, Ronon slid down the gentle slope at the mountain's base and stared at the valley as the sun set. The diffused light bathed the valley in shades of gold and red, highlighting the scattered clumps of trees standing amidst the tall grass waving in the evening breeze.

The stream he'd found in the meadow joined another, forming a twisting river leading off to his left. The water ran close to bank height even though the snow in the mountains hadn't reached the lower elevations.

Ronon stopped at the stream edge long enough to fill his canteen, then jogged along a dry, dirt animal track, looking for a place to camp. A herd of deer scampered across the valley in front of him. Ronon stopped, and his hand reached for the particle weapon.

Had something spooked the animals? he wondered as he surveyed the valley. When he didn't see any predators stalking the deer, he relaxed.

Good hunting, Ronon noted as he watched the animals until they were out of sight. Plenty of water, he added, glancing at the meandering river. So where was everyone? He thought back to the tower and the team's previous encounter with Oberoth. Had the Replicators done something to the people here? he wondered. Or had something happened that forced both groups to abandon the planet?

"Doesn't matter," he told himself. "Finish the job, then let Sheppard worry about it."

He had taken only a few steps when he heard a rustling noise in the grass to his left. He glanced down, and a moment later, a large brown and green snake slithered out of the tall grass. The snake was as big around as Ronon's wrist and several feet long. It paused on the trail, raised its head, and stared at Ronon as its tongue tasted the air. After a few seconds, where each contemplated the other, the snake lowered its head and disappeared into the grass on the other side of the animal track.

Ronon was not a superstitious man, but he was still Satedan. From his earliest days, his mother had told him snakes were a symbol of transformation and healing and that a snake crossing his path was a sign of good luck.

"Always show deference to the snake," his mother said. "He has blessed you with his good fortunes, and if you do not wish the luck to turn bad, you must thank the animal for its guidance."

Ronon nodded toward the snake, waited until he was sure it was gone, and continued down the trail. Twenty minutes later, he found a rocky outcrop surrounded by a stand of popple trees whose golden leaves shook in the breeze. He walked around the outcrop, checking for evidence of a predator using the area as a den, and nodded when he decided the area was safe. He shrugged off the backpack and the coil of rope, and tapped his earpiece.

"Sheppard."

There was a long pause, and Ronon was about to try calling Teyla instead when Sheppard finally responded.

"Go ahead."

"Out of the mountains," Ronon reported as he dug through the backpack and pulled out one of the MREs.

"Any problems?"

Ronon glanced at his scraped palms. "No. How's McKay?"

There was another longer pause, and Ronon glanced up the mountain.

"Sheppard?"

"Sorry," Sheppard said, and Ronon heard the underlying concern in his tone. "Teyla was having trouble with Rodney."

Ronon grunted as he added water to the MRE's cooking pouch and set the now boiling pouch containing his dinner next to a rock to heat. "What sort of trouble?"

Sheppard sighed over the radio. "The fever has been climbing all day and he's more out of it."

Ronon glanced down at the bubbling pouch. "I'll eat, then keep going. Walking all night, I'll be back to the portal tomorrow morning."

There was another pause over the radio before Sheppard replied. "No. You've been on the move all day. You need to rest."

"Going to take most of a day to get back to the 'gate," Ronon warned.

"Yeah, I know. But it can't be helped. You won't do McKay any good if you drop from exhaustion before you get back to the 'gate."

"If you say so," Ronon said and tapped off the radio.

The golden glow faded as the sun set and darkness crept over the valley. Ronon settled against the rock with his dinner, listening as the night sounds took over the valley. He heard the rustling of a few animals and the dry hiss of the grass blowing in the breeze. A few seconds later, he heard the yip and reply of brush wolves.

Following the deer? Ronon wondered. Or was something else out there?

He stopped eating and listened to the animals barking to each other. Once he was sure the brush wolves had moved farther into the valley, he settled against the rock and ate a few more bites of his dinner. A few seconds later, he felt his back muscles tense and froze with his fork a few inches from his mouth.

What was it? he wondered, listening for any unusual sounds.

He didn't hear anything out of place, but when the feeling refused to go away, Ronon set the MRE pouch on the ground and stood with one hand on the butt of the particle weapon. He walked around the rocky outcrop, looking and listening for any threats. He didn't see or hear anything, but the strange feeling in his gut remained.

Ronon stood, staring out into the valley. The brush wolves were gone. He didn't hear anything other than the creak of the popple trees and the tall grass rustling as a breeze blew across the valley.

It took him several long seconds to realise what was out of place. It was too quiet. There was no Sheppard laying out a plan for the following day. No Teyla telling a story. No McKay complaining about his feet and back aching or explaining in excruciating detail some piece of technology they had found.

Ronon sank against the rock and picked up his dinner. He sat with the fork poised halfway to his mouth as he realised with a start that he missed being with the rest of the team.

Maybe the snake was right, he decided. He had changed. He wasn't the same man he was a year ago. Ronon glanced up the mountain to where he thought the jumper had to be. He'd sleep for a few hours, he decided, then head for the portal at first light. His team, no, his friends, needed help.

Chapter Text

"Simply amazing," Carson muttered as he read the results of his latest tests. "Sorting out the historic pathology will be fascinating to study."

"Doctor Beckett?" Sharon asked.

Carson looked up from the printout and saw Sharon standing in the lab's doorway. "My hypothesis was right," he said, holding up the paper.

"There's a genetic connection? How is that possible?"

"No idea," Carson replied. "But I hope to find out once this crisis is past." He added the printout to a file folder and walked toward the door. "I need to talk to Elizabeth and show her these results."

He crossed the infirmary and looked down on the isolation room below. "How are our patients?"

"Not much change," Sharon replied. "Sergeant Stackhouse is awake. The others are sleeping."

Carson nodded. "To be expected, I suppose. This quelen fever is a much nastier beastie than the Earth-based variant."

He watched Amelia, the shift nurse in the room below, walk from bed to bed, making notes on a computer. Sergeant Stackhouse sat up in one of the beds, reading a book. The other two Marines and the three scientists in the quarantine area with him were all asleep.

Carson glanced at Sharon. "And no new cases?"

"Not for the last two days," Sharon replied. "Dana reported from the mainland while you were busy in the lab. She hasn't seen any new patients since yesterday morning. She still has several patients with high fevers, but their rashes are starting to crust."

Carson blew out a breath and nodded. "Hopefully, that means we're past the contagious stage. Now all we need to do is deal with the patients we currently have."

Amelia stopped beside Stackhouse's bed and said something Carson couldn't hear.

Thomas glanced up from his book and said something that made Amelia shake her head, and Carson imagined her smiling behind her mask.

Amelia jotted something on the tablet computer and moved to the next bed.

"You know it's true," Stackhouse said loud enough for the mic in the room to pick up.

Carson narrowed his eyes and pressed the talk button on the microphone. "And just what might that be, Thomas lad."

Stackhouse looked up with a guilty expression and waved. "Oh, hi, Doc. Didn't know you were up there."

"So I gathered," Carson replied. "If you're done harassing my nurses, you can tell me how you're feeling."

Stackhouse grinned and replied, "Not too bad. Still kinda tired, but the pain isn't as bad, and I'm awake at least," he added, glancing at his sleeping roommates.

"Glad to hear it. If all goes well, you should be able to return to your quarters in another day or two." Carson clicked off the mic. "Sharon, I'll be back in a tick."

A few minutes later, he entered the control room and nodded to Chuck as he crossed the room to the bridge leading to Elizabeth's office.

"You are clear to land on the North pier," Chuck said, and Carson paused.

"The Daedalus," Chuck said to Carson and pressed one of the console tiles.

"They made good time getting back here," Carson said.

Chuck nodded. "Must have pushed the engines to the limit."

"Good. The sooner I can get to that planet and check on Rodney, the better." He crossed the bridge and tapped Elizabeth's door frame.

"Carson, come in," Elizabeth said, and waved him toward one of the chairs in front of her desk. "Good news. Daedalus just arrived."

"So I heard," Carson replied as he sat across from Weir.

"Assuming Colonel Caldwell didn't run into any problems pushing the ship, I'm hoping he can take you and your medical team to P4J-631 this afternoon."

"Good. If Rodney did come down with this quelen fever, he's likely very ill by now."

Elizabeth frowned. "Only Rodney? I thought you were concerned about him and Colonel Sheppard."

"That was before I realised what we were dealing with," Carson said. He handed the folder to Elizabeth. "Quelen fever is in the same virus family as chicken pox."

Elizabeth looked up from the folder in surprise. "Chicken pox? You're certain?"

Carson nodded and smiled. "The last tests I ran this morning confirmed it. It's not the exact same strain of the varicella virus as the Earth version, but it's close enough that anyone who has had chicken pox is immune to quelen fever."

Elizabeth closed the folder. "And that's why so few of our people became ill?"

Carson nodded. "And why Colonel Sheppard is probably not sick. According to his file, he had chicken pox when he was ten."

"And I take it Rodney never had it?"

"No, he didn't," Carson confirmed and turned when he heard a tap on the door behind him.

"Colonel Caldwell," Elizabeth greeted. "Come in."

"Doctor Weir," Caldwell said as he stepped into the office. "Doctor Beckett. Did I hear right? That this disease you're so concerned about is just the chicken pox?"

Carson saw the mix of amusement and frustration in Caldwell's expression and frowned. "Not quite, Colonel," he replied. "There are some significant differences. And with any illness that affects mostly children, adults who catch the virus have a more severe reaction."

"How are our people?" Elizabeth asked.

"Stable," Carson replied. "There have been no new cases in the city for a day, and while several still have high fevers, no one is critical."

Caldwell shook his head. "Doctor Weir, you led me to believe this was an emergency. It sounds like you have everything well in hand."

"We have the cases here and on the mainland contained," Carson told him. "Colonel Sheppard's team was off-world before we knew they had been exposed."

"But you don't know if any of them are actually sick," Caldwell countered.

"Doctor McKay was on the mainland when the outbreak started," Carson said. "Chances are high he is sick. Several of our people have needed IV fluids as well as other medical support while fighting this illness. Rodney has had none of that. Needless to say, I'm more than a bit concerned about what we will find when we get to him."

"If things were this bad, why didn't you just send another team in a jumper?" Caldwell asked.

"Because we are unsure where they are on the planet," Elizabeth replied. "The sensors on the Daedalus can cover the whole planet. A jumper would need to be in range of the shuttle's transponder signal or their subcutaneous chips to pick them up."

Caldwell glanced from Carson to Elizabeth, then blew out a breath. "All right. What sort of situation do they have on P4J-631? I'd like to at least know what I'm getting my people and my ship into before walking into a firefight."

"The planet is deserted," Elizabeth replied. "At least, that's what Colonel Sheppard's team was trying to determine. Once we were sure there wasn't a population, we planned to have the Daedalus collect the stargate for Rodney's 'gate bridge project."

"What about my crew?" Caldwell asked, turning to Carson. "How contagious is this, this quelen fever?"

"From the infection rates I've calculated, it's highly contagious," Carson said. "However, we haven't seen any new cases for twenty-four hours, so we might be past the worst phase. I can also run a search of your crew roster. Anyone who did not have chicken pox as a child should remain here. That will minimise any chances of creating another outbreak."

"All right -" Caldwell started to say but stopped when the stargate lit up.

"We have an incoming wormhole," Chuck announced over the open channel.

Elizabeth pressed her lips into a thin line. "Raise the shield," she ordered, leading the others out of the office and over to Chuck's console.

The wormhole formed, and Elizabeth glanced over the railing as the shield activated and the Marines took defensive positions in front of the 'gate.

"I'm receiving an IDC," Chuck said a moment later, then looked up at Elizabeth in surprise. "It's Ronon."

Carson exchanged a worried glance with Elizabeth.

"That cannot be good," Carson said.

"No," Elizabeth replied. "I suggest you have a medical team standing by."

Carson nodded, stepped away from the railing, and tapped his radio, "Sharon, please come in."

"Lower the shield," Elizabeth ordered.

"Doctor Beckett?" Sharon said.

"It seems Colonel Sheppard's team managed to get back to the 'gate after all. Send -"

"Ronon," Elizabeth said from behind Carson. "Where is the rest of your team?"

Carson turned and glanced over the railing in surprise.

Ronon stood in the gateroom, alone, looking up at Elizabeth as the 'gate shut down.

"Hold on, Sharon," Carson said. "Something is wrong."

He tapped off the radio and followed Elizabeth down the stairs.

"Jumper crashed," Ronon reported to Weir.

"Are you all right?" Elizabeth asked. "What about the rest of your team?"

"Team's fine," Ronon replied and glanced at Carson. "McKay is sick. Quelen fever."

"I was afraid of that," Carson replied. "How bad is he?"

Ronon hesitated. "Sheppard says the fever is getting worse."

Carson pressed his lips into a thin line and turned to Caldwell standing near the stairs. "I need that crew roster, Colonel. The sooner I clear your people, the sooner we can leave."

"I'll get you the list," Caldwell replied. "Mister Dex, I also need to know everything you can tell me about the whereabouts of the rest of your team."

Carson followed Ronon, Elizabeth, and Caldwell up the stairs and turned toward the exit while the others returned to Elizabeth's office. He waved his hand over the transporter sensor a moment later and tapped his earpiece.

"Sharon, change of plans," he said over the radio as he tapped the section with the infirmary on the map.

John stood outside the tent, stretching the kinks from his back and neck as he watched the sunrise. At least the weather has finally decided to cooperate, he thought as he rubbed his head.

How much of the headache was from yet another sleepless night? he wondered. And how much was it the link reacting to Rodney being sick?

He dropped his hand and considered the recent changes in the mental bond. This wasn't happening a year ago, he reminded himself. Until recently, it took a serious injury for the link to react.

John glanced at the tent.

If the link had changed this much in just a year … John shook his head. He still didn't see ascension in his future, but would they reach the point where they no longer had a choice in the matter?

The dull ache flared, and John winced.

He had stopped taking the ibuprofen Teyla offered him when he realised there wasn't enough for him and Rodney. Teyla hadn't liked the idea but had acquiesced once John pointed out they needed something to keep Rodney's fever under control.

Not that it mattered, John thought, rubbing the back of his head. They'd run out of the pills anyway.

McKay had become steadily worse as the previous day had progressed without the ibuprofen to help keep the fever in check. As the afternoon had progressed and McKay only got worse, John had silently thanked Ronon for leaving when he did.

By the evening, Rodney had been restless and muttering incoherently. After signing off with Ronon, John and Teyla had spent the night in shifts trying to keep McKay hydrated and somewhat calm.

How long would it take Dex to reach the 'gate? John wondered.

A flock of birds circled the clearing before settling on the pine trees behind the jumper.

Had Dex slept at all? John wondered. Or had he ignored the order to rest and pressed on through the night?

Rodney's fevered mutterings carried out of the tent, and John heard Teyla trying to reassure him that everything was all right.

"Any time now would be great," John muttered at the sky.

He glanced up at the clear blue sky, and when he didn't see a jumper materialise over their campsite, he walked over to the banked fire, stirred the embers to life, and added a few larger sticks. Once the fire was going, he knelt and warmed his hands over the flames.

"John," Teyla said, stepping out of the tent. She zipped the flap closed, walked over the fire, and stood beside him. "Are you all right?"

John nodded and stood. "I'm fine."

He saw Teyla's skeptical expression and shrugged. "The headache and itch are getting worse," he admitted, "but there's nothing we can do about either, so don't worry about it." John jerked his chin toward the tent. "How is he?"

Teyla pressed her lips into a thin line. "I am becoming concerned. The fever is too high, and he is less and less coherent."

"Yeah," John muttered, focusing on the red and orange flames.

"If you want to try to sleep after breakfast, I will sit with Rodney."

John waved off the suggestion and rubbed his head. "No, I'll stay with him. He seems a little calmer with me."

Teyla hid a smile behind her hand.

"What?" John demanded.

"Nothing," Teyla replied. "Have you heard from Ronon this morning?"

John nodded. "He radioed a little while ago." He glanced at the tent and then the sky.

"Is he all right? You seem concerned."

"Ronon is fine," John replied.

"But still, you are concerned."

John pinched the bridge of his nose. "When he radioed, Ronon sounded out of breath, like he was running." John glanced at Teyla, saw her puzzled expression, and continued, "I suspect he was up before the sun rose." Assuming he slept at all, he silently added.

"You did say last night that Ronon believed it would take most of the day to reach the stargate. It does not surprise me that he wanted an early start."

"Yeah, I know. I just hope he doesn't end up sick, hurt, or dead as a result," John replied.

"I am certain Ronon will be fine," Teyla said. She squeezed John's arm and stood.

"Where are you going? I was going to start some coffee."

Teyla turned toward the tent. "If it will be several hours before anyone finds us, we must do what we can to keep Rodney comfortable until Doctor Beckett arrives."

She stepped into the tent and returned a moment later carrying the shallow basin of water and the towel they'd been using to sponge down McKay. She crossed the camp and poured out the water near the forest's edge.

"We are almost out of water," Teyla said as she returned to the tent.

John nodded and stood. "I'll take the can down to the lake and fill it."

He entered the tent behind Teyla, picked up the nearly empty water can, filled the basin for her, and glanced at Rodney, who was mumbling as he shifted under the blanket.

Teyla sat on the crate beside McKay and dipped the towel in the cool water. She squeezed out the excess and reached toward Rodney but stopped when McKay's eyes opened, and he gripped Teyla's arm.

"Kolya has John. Have to find John. Find John. Find John."

John froze near the tent flap.

"John is all right," Teyla replied in a calm voice. "We found him in time. Do you remember?"

Rodney shook his head, and John saw Teyla wince as Rodney tightened his hold on her arm.

"No, no, no. Not listening. No one listening. Have to find John. Wraith. There's a Wraith. Killing John."

Teyla looked up at John. Talk to him, she mouthed, and John nodded.

John set the water can near the tent flap and approached Teyla. He carefully pried Rodney's fingers off Teyla's arm and sat on the crate once Teyla stood.

"Hey," John said, laying Rodney's arm at his side. "Hey, buddy. You need to calm down."

"Find John. Have to … Find John," Rodney muttered, tossing his head back and forth.

Rodney pushed the blanket aside, and John grimaced at the soiled bandage wrapped around McKay's chest. Along with the ibuprofen, they were also out of gauze, and Teyla had used the last of the salve the previous afternoon.

"Rodney, I'm right here," John tried again.

Teyla tapped John's arm, then handed him the basin and the towel.

"Wraith. Wraith. Killing Sheppard," Rodney muttered.

John gave up talking and ran the cloth over Rodney's arms, dipped the towel into the water again, rang it out, and tried placing it on Rodney's forehead.

"Have to find John," Rodney muttered, shifting away from John. "Too late. Carson said … too late. Can't be too late. Can't … Can't"

John looked up at Teyla with a puzzled expression. "What is he talking about?"

"It was after Kolya's second video," Teyla explained. "Doctor Beckett informed us he was unsure how long you would survive after one feeding, much less several. He told us that even if we did find you, your chances of surviving for long in an aged state were slim."

John ducked his head. He knew Kolya had meant to spread pain to more than just him with his video messages. Hearing McKay's fevered ramblings proved how right he'd been.

He ran the cloth over Rodney's arms and face, wetted the towel again and placed it on Rodney's forehead.

"Everything is going to be all right, buddy," John said. "Kolya isn't going to hurt either one of us again."

McKay's ramblings fell back into incoherence, and he drifted into a restless sleep a few minutes later.

John adjusted the blanket covering McKay and stood. "Here," he said, pushing the basin into Teyla's hands.

"John?" Teyla asked as she sat on the crate.

"I'll be right back," John replied. He picked up the water can and ducked out of the tent.

He crossed the campsite and stood just out of sight of the tent in the trees leading to the lake. Once he was sure Teyla couldn't see him, he dropped the can and paced back and forth, trying to burn off the angry energy. After a few moments, he took several deep breaths and forced his temper back under control.

Kolya is not the priority, John reminded himself as he picked up the can. Right now, your job is to keep Rodney from getting worse until you can get him back to Beckett.

He followed the muddy path down to the lake and stared across the calm water. A large, black bird dove into the center of the lake, rose a moment later with a fish in its beak, and flew out over the trees.

John watched the bird disappear into the distance, then knelt at the lake edge and filled the water can. Once the can was full, he tightened the lid and watched the water disturbed by the bird ripple against the shore.

The reckoning was coming, though, he promised himself. Kolya wasn't going to get another chance to inflict more pain.

He took a deep breath, letting the calmness of the water settle his mind, then turned back toward their camp.

John spent the rest of the day either sitting with Rodney or standing near the edge of the clearing, where he could glimpse a bit of the valley far below, hoping to see a jumper heading toward them. By the time the sun started to set, Rodney's fever had spiked again, and there was still no sign of Ronon or a rescue team from Atlantis.

"Any time you guys want to show up," John grumbled, rubbing his aching head as he stared down at the darkening valley.

A few moments later, he heard the tent zipper, turned, and saw Teyla step out of the tent with a large pot filled with water in one hand. She set the pot by the fire and walked over to John.

"How's Rodney?" John asked.

"The fever and rash are much the same," Teyla replied with a sad smile.

John grimaced. "Were you able to get him to drink anything?"

Teyla pressed her lips into a thin line and shook her head.

John frowned and turned back to the tent. "We need to get something down him. He's likely getting dehydrated, and probably hypoglycaemic."

"You need to eat something, too," Teyla replied. She returned to the fire and held up two MRE packages. "Would you like the beef stew or the spaghetti?"

John shrugged. "Either is fine. I'll go check on Rodney while you deal with dinner."

He took a few steps toward the tent and froze when he heard his name over the radio.

"Colonel Sheppard, come in, please."

John stared at Teyla in surprise and tapped his radio.

"Colonel Caldwell?" John responded. He motioned to Teyla, who tapped her earpiece. "I'm surprised to hear your voice, sir. I thought Daedalus was on its way back to Earth."

"Doctor Weir informed us of a medical emergency in Atlantis a few days ago," Caldwell replied. "We radioed Stargate Command about the emergency and turned around. We got here as quickly as we could."

"How did she know?" John whispered to Teyla.

Teyla shook her head.

"Colonel Sheppard?" Beckett said over the open channel before Teyla could reply. "How is Rodney?"

"Not great," John said. "He's got a rash and a high fever, and he's not really coherent."

"I was afraid of that," Carson said.

"Doctor, if you don't mind," Caldwell said. "Colonel Sheppard, I have a group, including Doctor Beckett, ready to beam down to your location. Please stand by."

John tapped off his radio and watched three people materialise on the other side of the camp near the jumper.

"Colonel? Where is Rodney?" Carson asked, walking over to John with Ronon and a female med-tech in tow.

"He's in there," John said, pointing at the tent.

Carson nodded and turned toward the tent. "Come with me," he said to the med-tech. "I'll do a quick preliminary exam, and then we need to get him prepped for transport."

"Yes, Doctor," the woman replied. She nodded and set her gear on the ground near the tent.

"Wait!" John said as Carson opened the tent. "Teyla says this quelen fever is contagious. Shouldn't you be in a bio-suit?"

"It's all right, Colonel," Carson said, unzipping the flap. "I know all about quelen fever. Several of the scientists from the mainland, along with a few Marines, are also ill. We've spent the better part of the last week dealing with the outbreak."

"Quelen fever usually does not affect so many adults," Teyla said.

Carson smiled. "That's probably because most people in the Pegasus galaxy were exposed to the virus as children."

"Virus?" John asked.

Carson smiled. "Varicella virus, to be exact."

'Varicella', John mouthed, then stared at Carson. "Chicken pox?"

"Aye," Carson replied. "It's not quite the same version as we have on Earth, but close enough. Which explains why you are not sick while Rodney is."

"What is chicken pox?" Teyla asked.

"It's also a common childhood illness," John replied. "Fever, itchy rash. I had it when I was ten."

"And Rodney never did," Carson added.

"Figures," John muttered.

"Not to worry, Colonel. As I said, I've had plenty of practice over the last few days. I should have Rodney right as rain soon enough."

John followed Carson into the tent and watched Beckett kneel beside Rodney.

"Rodney?" Carson called softly as he rested his hand on McKay's forehead.

Rodney shifted under Carson's hand and muttered something John couldn't catch.

Carson frowned, pulled a thermometer out of his bag, and inserted it into Rodney's ear. A moment later, the device beeped, causing McKay to flinch, and Carson frowned.

"One hundred and three."

"We ran out of meds yesterday," John explained.

Carson grunted and peeked under the gauze. "The blisters have not fully scabbed over." He sat back on his heels with a sigh and glanced at John. "Have you been about to get him to eat or drink anything?"

John walked over to the table and picked up one of the water bottles half-full of purple liquid. "We've tried. I've only been able to get him to drink about half the bottle since last night."

"I'll check his sugar numbers once I have him in the Daedalus infirmary," Carson said. He turned to the med tech standing near the table. "Get an IV started, then call Colonel Caldwell. He needs to send us directly to the isolation area in the infirmary."

"Yes, Doctor," the woman replied.

She knelt and reached for Rodney's right arm.

"Don't!" Carson exclaimed.

The woman jumped. "Sir?"

"His left arm," Carson told her. "Trust me."

The woman gave him a bewildered look but reached for Rodney's left arm.

Carson tapped John's shoulder and motioned him over to the other side of the tent. "Here," he said, holding out a blister packet.

"How did -" John started to say but stopped when Carson gave him a stern look.

Carson shook his head. "I could tell the moment I saw you that you were fighting a headache."

John shrugged even as he popped a couple of pills out of the packaging and swallowed them with some of the purple water. "Couldn't be helped."

"Doctor Beckett?" the med-tech called a moment later. "Daedalus is ready to transport us."

"Thank you," Carson said. He walked over to Rodney, and a moment later, Beckett, Rodney, and the tech disappeared in a flash of light.

John staggered a step as the headache and itch suddenly disappeared. He braced his hand on the table, took a couple of deep breaths, then stood straight, picked up the half-full water can and left the tent.

"Ronon, Teyla," John said as he poured water over the fire. "Pack up. We need to get everything back into the jumper. "

Two hours later, Ronon carried the tent, now packed inside a large canvas bag, into the jumper, and Teyla followed with the last supply crate. John stowed the tent in the netting over the bench seat while Teyla pushed the crate under the opposite seat.

"That was the last crate," Teyla said, following John down the ramp.

John nodded and surveyed the empty campsite. All that remained was the broken-down windbreak, the wet ashes from their fire, and the damaged ship.

"Good work," he said to Ronon and Teyla. "Time to go home." He tapped his earpiece and glanced toward the sky. "Daedalus, this is Sheppard."

"Go ahead," an anonymous voice responded.

"Camp is cleared, and we're ready to leave."

"Copy that, sir. Please stand by."

A moment later, there was a flash of light, and John stood on the Daedalus bridge. The headache and itch returned as soon as the beam released him, and John tried not to groan.

"Colonel," Caldwell greeted and nodded to Teyla and Ronon.

"Colonel," John replied, resisting the urge to support his weight on a nearby console or rub the back of his head. "The campsite is cleared, and everything is stored inside the jumper."

"Good," Caldwell replied, nodding to the woman standing at one of the stations behind him.

"I can come back with McKay in a few days," John started to say, but Caldwell held up a hand.

"When you're ready," Caldwell said to the female technician.

"Yes, sir," the woman replied.

"Umm," John said with a puzzled frown. "What are -"

"Jumper secure in the bay, sir," the woman reported a moment later.

"Very good," Caldwell said. He spun the command chair until he faced forward and added, "Captain, ready the FTL drive."

"Yes, sir," the man seated to Caldwell's left replied.

John glanced at the woman standing at the control station and then at Teyla and Ronon.

"Captain, set a course -"

"Colonel Caldwell," John said, his headache forgotten as he stepped over to the command chair. "Before you do that, there's one more stop we need to make."

Chapter Text

John watched as Daedalus crewmembers secured the last jumper from the tower for the flight back to Atlantis, then left the flight deck and headed for the infirmary.

"Carson?" John called as he entered the small infirmary.

"Back here," Carson replied.

John followed Beckett's voice across the room and around a privacy curtain.

Rodney lay in one of the beds, now dressed in white scrubs. An IV ran into each hand, and John noticed McKay wasn't muttering or even moving as he slept.

"How is he?" John asked.

"The fever is still high, but the rash is crusting," Carson replied. "I gave him something stronger for the pain, and he's resting a wee bit better. If he follows the pattern of our cases back in Atlantis, the fever should break in the next twelve to twenty-four hours." He looked John up and down. "How are you doing?"

John shrugged. "The itch and the headache are still there, but I can handle it."

"Hmm," Carson replied, shaking his head.

Beckett walked over to a cabinet in the corner, opened the cabinet, picked up a bottle, and shook two pills into a little paper cup.

"Here," he said, handing John the paper cup and a glass of water.

John hesitated, but when Carson merely stared at him, he swallowed the pills and water and handed Carson the glass.

"Thanks."

"You're welcome," Carson replied.

John stuffed his hands in his trouser pockets and studied McKay, asleep in the bed.

"John?" Carson asked. "Was there something else?"

"Hmm, no," John replied. He glanced at Carson and shrugged. "It's just a little weird seeing him so quiet and still after everything the last few days. You're sure he's going to be all right?"

Beckett nodded. "Oh, aye. We'll keep a close eye on him, but I think he's through the worst of it." Carson glanced at the infirmary doors. "Where are Teyla and Ronon?"

"Mess hall. Ronon wanted to eat something that wasn't from an MRE pouch."

Carson smiled. "Ronon has the right idea. Go," Carson added when John didn't move. "Rodney is as well as can be expected for now. You can sit with him once we're back in the city and his fever breaks."

John patted Rodney's leg, then turned toward the exit. "Can I bring anything back for you?"

"No need," Carson replied. "One of the orderlies brought me a tray a little while ago."

John nodded, left Beckett with McKay, and took his time walking from the infirmary up the three decks to the mess hall where Ronon and Teyla waited. He turned a corner and braced his back against the wall once he was out of sight of the infirmary. The near-constant headache, along with the lack of sleep over the past few days, had taken a toll he hadn't wanted to admit to Carson.

He glanced back up the corridor in the direction of the infirmary. Probably didn't fool Beckett, though, he thought with a thin smile. He rubbed his head and hoped the pain medication kicked in soon.

John squeezed his eyes shut and blew out a breath. Get home, make your report to Weir, then you can lock yourself in your quarters and sleep for a week, he promised himself. Hopefully, without any more nightmares.

A group of Daedalus crew members turned the corner in front of him, and John quickly stood straight. He nodded to the men and women as they strolled past him, then hurried down the hallway to the next set of steps leading up to the deck with the mess hall.

"Colonel," Teyla called as John entered the mess hall a few minutes later.

John saw Teyla and Ronon sitting at a table near the windows, nodded in reply to Teyla's wave, picked up a tray, and gathered his dinner. He poured a cup of coffee and walked over to the windows with blue streaks flashing past.

"How is Rodney?" Teyla asked as John sat beside her.

"He's sleeping better," John replied. "Carson thinks the fever will break sometime tomorrow."

Teyla nodded and sipped from her cup. "He will be pleased to know you convinced Colonel Caldwell to rescue the jumpers from the tower."

John snorted and took a bite of his dinner.

"You do not think so?" Teyla asked.

"I think he's going to want more than a few jumpers from that tower," John replied.

"He's going to want to come back," Ronon said.

"Yep, "John agreed.

"Would that be wise?" Teyla asked. "We were barely able to escape the tower the first time."

"It's an abandoned Asurian building," John replied. "The only thing Rodney will be thinking about is what he can learn. He won't be thinking about the possible danger of Asurian booby-traps."

Teyla gave him a withering glance.

"Okay, he won't be thinking about the danger once he gets back inside," John amended. "That's why we're coming back with him."

Teyla nodded and picked up her cup.

John poked at his dinner for a few seconds, then swallowed the vegetables on his fork and looked around the room. "Maybe I can talk Colonel Caldwell into waiting in orbit while we explore the tower. If something does go wrong, he can pull us out."

Teyla exchanged a quick glance with Dex and smiled into her cup.

"What?" John demanded.

"I suspect Rodney is not the only one who would like to explore the tower."

John shrugged. "It couldn't hurt to take a look around. We didn't have a chance to look for more drone weapons or anything else that might be useful the first time."

"Do you believe Colonel Caldwell will agree with this plan?"

"If we want the 'gate, we're going to need Daedalus out here anyway," John replied. "It shouldn't be that hard to convince Caldwell of the strategic benefits of searching the tower."

Teyla nodded and set down her cup. "When do you plan to inform Doctor Weir about Rodney's revelation -"

She stopped speaking, and John glanced at her with a puzzled frown.

Teyla shook her head and jerked her chin in reply.

John turned and saw two Daedalus crewmen enter the mess hall.

"Sir," one of the men said with a nod.

"Lieutenant," John replied.

The two men quickly gathered their dinner and sat at a table on the other side of the room.

Teyla watched the two men as John finished his dinner.

"Hopefully, the weather has improved on the mainland," Teyla said once the two men started eating.

John swallowed the last of his coffee and set down his cup. "We've been gone almost two weeks," John said, grateful Teyla had dropped the discussion about the link. "It had to have stopped raining by now."

"Still, I would like to see Halling. If they have lost their crop, I must make arrangements to trade for more seed."

"I'll talk to Elizabeth once we get back," John promised. "From what Beckett said, it sounds like Rodney will be in the infirmary for at least a few days. We can head to the mainland and see how things are going."

"Thank you, John."

Four hours later, showered and in a clean uniform, John tapped Elizabeth's office doorframe.

"Colonel," Elizabeth said, waving him into the glass-sided room. "How is Rodney?"

"Carson says he'll be fine in a few days," John replied as he sat in one of the chairs facing Weir's desk.

Elizabeth nodded and clasped her hands on her desk. "Good," she said with a distracted smile. "That's good."

"Elizabeth?" John asked. "Something else happen while we were gone?"

"No," Elizabeth replied. She sighed and sat back in her chair.

"Then what's the problem?"

"Do you have any idea how lucky we were that this quelen fever and chicken pox are so similar?"

John recalled the last several days of trying to care for Rodney as they slowly ran out of supplies.

What would have happened if you'd been sick too? John wondered. McKay had taken a turn for the worse as soon as their meagre medical stores ran out. If both of them had caught the fever, they would have run out of supplies faster than they did, he realised. With two critically ill teammates, would Ronon have left during the storm to try and get help instead of waiting for the weather to clear?

He had seen Ronon's scraped hands when Daedalus had transported him and Carson back to the camp and suspected the trip down the mountain hadn't been as uneventful as Dex had claimed. The odds of Ronon getting off the mountain without killing himself would have been slim if he had tried to leave earlier, John decided.

"It was bound to happen sooner or later," Elizabeth continued, and John pulled himself out of his spiralling thoughts. "I suppose we should count ourselves lucky that the exposure to our first Pegasus galaxy disease wasn't worse."

John settled back in his chair. "How many cases did we have?"

"Including Rodney, there were more than two dozen people sick between the scientists on the mainland and those in the city," Elizabeth replied. "There haven't been any new cases for a few days, so Carson thinks we're past the contagious stage."

Silence descended in the office as John's mind played out a variety of worst-case scenarios.

Stop it, he ordered himself. It didn't happen. Rodney will be fine, and nothing happened to Ronon.

John pushed the what-ifs out of his head and straightened in his chair.

"Speaking of the mainland, Teyla wants to see Halling. She's worried about the village now that it's stopped raining."

"According to the reports from Doctor Brown's people, the village only had minor damage." Elizabeth sat forward in her chair and picked up her computer stylus. "When did you want to leave?"

"Tomorrow?" John suggested. "McKay is going to be in the infirmary for a while."

"I don't think that will be a problem." Elizabeth made a note on the tablet computer next to her. "Other than salvaging a dozen jumpers and Rodney getting sick, did you learn anything else of interest on P4J-631?"

"Thanks to the link, I felt everything you felt while you were … While you were dying."

John felt his back muscles tighten. They would have to tell Weir, Beckett, and Zelenka, sooner or later, he reminded himself as he tried not to rub the back of his head.

"Colonel?" Elizabeth prompted.

But that was a conversation that could wait until Rodney was out of the infirmary, John told himself.

He ignored the headache and the itch as he shifted in his chair and focused on Weir. "From what we saw, the planet seems deserted. It shouldn't be a problem for us to use the 'gate for Rodney's bridge idea."

"Good. The SGC is eager to see this project completed."

John nodded. "Before we take the 'gate, there's something else we need to investigate first."

"You mean this Asurian tower you found."

"Yes," John replied. "Recovering ten jumpers is a good start."

"Especially considering you crashed the one you left with," Elizabeth said with a smile.

"It might be salvageable," John replied.

Elizabeth shook her head.

"The jumpers are nice, but who knows what else we might find," John continued.

Elizabeth smiled. "Isn't this usually Rodney's excuse?"

"It's a good idea," John replied. "From what Rodney, Teyla, and Ronon saw during their initial survey, the tower was abandoned. So no Replicators to complicate things. And as long as the Daedalus is there, we have an escape route if anything goes sideways."

"I'll take that under advisement." Elizabeth made another note on the tablet computer and glanced at John. She did a double-take and set the stylus on her desk. "I think that's all I need for now, Colonel. Get some sleep. We'll have a formal debrief once Carson releases Rodney."

John stood near the office door when Elizabeth added, "Let me know if there is anything we can do for the Athosians."

John nodded, left the office, and headed for the nearest transporter. "Check on Rodney, then bed," he promised himself as he tapped the section of the map with the infirmary.

A few minutes later, he walked into the infirmary and saw Carson standing at the end of Rodney's bed, writing on a tablet computer.

"Carson," John greeted.

Beckett looked up from the computer.

"How's he doing?" John asked and nodded at Rodney, who was asleep in the bed.

"Better," Carson replied. "He's no longer dehydrated, and his sugar numbers have stabilised."

"And the rest?"

Carson shook his head and stepped away from the bed. "It's only been a few hours. The fever is still high, but I expect it to break soon." He gave John a once over and added, "You look more than a little done in yourself. You should get some sleep, too. In your own bed, mind."

"Way ahead of you." He glanced at Rodney and then Carson. "You'll let me know if anything happens."

"You know I will," Carson replied and made a shooing motion toward the door. "Go. I don't want to see you back here until you've slept."

John woke the next morning to sunlight pouring through the windows near his bed. He lay with one arm behind his head, savoring the warmth and the fact that he felt rested for the first time in days.

"Not having to deal with a sick Rodney might have something to do with that," John muttered with a smile.

He sat on the edge of the bed, letting the sunlight warm his back, and noted the nagging headache had disappeared and even the itch at the back of his skull was barely perceptible. He let the implications of that sink in as he gave the clock on the end of his desk a quick glance.

"Ten thirty?" John muttered. "No wonder you feel better. You slept almost fourteen hours."

He thought about the other reason he felt more relaxed as he showered, shaved, and dressed in a clean uniform. For the first time in more than a week, he didn't remember having any nightmares about Wraith, or dying, or feeling like he had somehow given up on himself and the others when he was ready to just let go.

He nodded as he strapped on his watch and left his quarters. Their trip to P4J-631 had helped with that problem, too, he realised.

He walked into the mess hall a few minutes later and found the room mostly empty. Two of Rodney's scientists sat at a table with a chessboard between them. A group of Marines on the other side of the room nodded to him as they gathered their trays and coffee cups.

"Morning, sir," Corporal Takar said as the group walked by him.

John nodded in reply, then picked up a tray, took the plate of eggs, fruit, and pancakes that one of the cooks handed him and poured a cup of coffee. He sat near one of the windows and watched the waves curl and break along one of the piers far below as he ate.

Thirty minutes later, he had finished eating and was considering stopping by the infirmary to check on Rodney when Kate Heightmeyer walked into the mess hall. He watched her stop at the coffee carafes and plastered a neutral expression on his face when he realised she had seen him.

"Colonel Sheppard," Kate greeted as she stopped beside his table. "How are you?"

"Umm, good," John said.

Kate gave him a measured glance, then nodded. "You seem more relaxed than the last time we talked."

"Hmm," John replied. He finished his coffee and stood. "I was just on my way to see McKay."

"Of course," Kate said with a smile. "How is Rodney doing?"

"Carson says he'll be fine in a few days." John picked up his tray. "If you'll excuse me."

Kate stepped back as John moved away from the table. "Colonel, I'd still like you to come by my office," she said in a low voice.

John clenched the tray in a tight grip.

"Just to be sure you're as all right as you think you are before I sign off on your return to full duty."

John gave her a stiff nod and left the mess hall before Kate could suggest he come to see her now. At least she's talking about full reinstatement, he told himself as he stepped into the transporter and pressed the map section for the infirmary.

A few minutes later, he walked into the infirmary and tapped on Carson's office door.

"Good morning, Colonel," Carson said, looking up from his computer. "You're looking better this morning."

"Thanks," John replied with a wry smile.

Beckett stood from his desk and led the way to the far side of the infirmary. "And I'm happy to report you aren't the only one."

John stopped at the end of Rodney's bed and glanced at the monitor. "His fever broke," he said when he saw the number several degrees lower than when he'd left the night before.

"A few hours ago," Carson confirmed with a relieved smile.

"So he's going to be all right?"

"Oh, aye," Carson reassured. "Once the scabs are gone, I'll release him."

John cocked an eyebrow.

"Maybe tomorrow," Carson replied to the unasked question. "Most likely not until the day after."

John nodded and glanced at McKay. "I promised Teyla I would take her out to the mainland."

"Even though the fever is down, he won't be awake for a few hours yet," Carson said. "Go with Teyla. I imagine Rodney will be awake by the time you get back, and he'll be happy for the company."

John patted Rodney's leg and walked back to the infirmary exit with Carson beside him. "Elizabeth is waiting until you release him to hold the debrief."

"I've already talked to Elizabeth. Even once he's feeling better, Rodney will still tire easily for the next few days. I've asked her to hold off on the meeting for another week."

John nodded, then paused near Beckett's office.

"John?" Carson asked. "Was there something else?"

How much should he say? John wondered. He glanced back at McKay and crossed his arms over his chest.

Carson frowned. "Colonel? Did something else happen while you lot were gone?"

"I felt it! All of it!"

"You could say that," John replied with a grim smile.

Carson scowled and held up a finger. "If one of you was injured when the jumper crashed -"

John waved his hand and shook his head. "Nothing like that." He looked at Carson and then Rodney, lying across the room. "I assume you'll be at the debrief?"

Carson narrowed his eyes. "Aye. I need to give Elizabeth my final report on this outbreak of quelen fever." He took a step closer to John and added, "Did something happen with -" he started to ask but stopped when the infirmary doors opened and Sergeant Thompson entered.

"Colonel," Thompson greeted, then turned to Carson. "We're about to head out to M7R-486, Doc. Did you have the supplies ready?"

Carson stared at John with narrowed eyes. "I'll see you later this afternoon, Colonel."

John nodded and tried not to look guilty as Beckett turned to Thompson.

"All right, Derek lad. Let me double-check that we packed everything you needed," Carson said as John left the infirmary.

John stood outside the closed infirmary doors and blew out a breath. "A week," he muttered as he strolled down the hall toward the transporter. "That might be enough time to convince Rodney that telling the others about what happened is a good idea."

He stepped into the transporter and tapped the jumper bay on the map.

"Teyla, this is Sheppard,' he said as the door closed.

"Yes, Colonel," Teyla replied.

"If you're ready to head out to the mainland, I'll meet you in the jumper bay in five."

"You do not wish to sit with Rodney this morning?"

John smiled and ducked his head. When did he become so predictable? he wondered. "I just checked on him. He's asleep, and Beckett doesn't think he'll be awake until later this afternoon."

"I see," Teyla replied. "In that case, I will meet you in the jumper bay in a few minutes. Teyla out."

John entered the bay and saw their damaged jumper parked against the back wall. Zelenka and Doctor Tsao looked up from examining the damaged drive pod as John entered the bay, and Radek waved.

"Colonel Sheppard, hello," Radek said, walking over to John.

"Doc," John replied and nodded at the ship. "Think you can get it fixed?"

Radek glanced over his shoulder at Tsao, sorting through the various pieces of the engine housing. "It is difficult to say," he admitted. "We might be able to repair the actual systems, but the drive pod housing is too damaged. We will need to find a way to fabricate a new one along with several panels along the undercarriage."

Zelenka wrapped his arms around his middle and refused to meet John's gaze.

What's the problem? John started to wonder, and then it hit him. "Hey," he said and waited for Zelenka to look at him. "What happened with Jumper Six sinking was not your fault. It was just really bad luck."

"I am still not sure Rodney accepts that," Zelenka replied with a tiny smile.

"But you know what happened the last time," John pointed out. "Your team can make sure it doesn't happen again."

Radek glanced at the damaged ship. "Maybe."

John watched as Zelenka wandered back to the damaged ship, then entered Jumper Four. He was nearly through his preflight checks a few minutes later when he heard Teyla enter the rear section.

"Colonel," Teyla said as she sat in the co-pilot's seat. "How are you feeling today?"

John smiled and reached for the comm tile. "I'm fine." He pressed the tile and added, "Control, this is Jumper Four."

"Go ahead," Chuck replied.

"Teyla's here, and we're ready to head out to the mainland. Anything or anyone we need to take with us?"

"No, sir," Chuck replied. "You are cleared to launch."

"Roger that," John said. "We'll be back in a few hours."

John tapped off the radio and pressed another tile, signalling the sunroof to open. Sunlight poured into the bay from the open roof, and John blinked against the glare as he mentally powered up the ship's engines and pulled back on the yoke. He waved to Zelenka and Tsao as the jumper lifted off and felt himself smiling as the ship sailed up and out of the tower.

"Rodney is doing better today?" Teyla asked.

"Mmm," John replied, keeping one eye on the HUD. "His fever broke early this morning. Carson thinks he'll be awake later today."

"That is good news." Teyla gave him a tiny smile then glanced out the windscreen as the mainland came into view in the distance.

"Hey," John said when he saw her pensive expression. "I'm sure everything in the village is fine. Elizabeth told me there wasn't much damage."

"I hope so," Teyla replied. "My people have just begun to feel like this is home. It will be difficult to tell them we must move again if Rodney's predictions about the changing climate are correct."

"Whatever happens, we will be here to support you and your people," John told her.

Ten minutes later, the jumper flew over the Athosian village, and John marvelled at the difference compared to the last time he'd visited. The shrubs and trees near the village looked greener instead of dusty and thin. The river behind the village flowed near bank height, and to John's untrained eye, the crops looked healthier, too.

"Looks like the reports were right, and they came through pretty well," John said. "None of the tents appear damaged."

"Yes," Teyla replied, and John heard the relief in her voice.

John saw Halling standing at the edge of the village near the fields and dipped the ship's nose.

Halling waved back, and John turned toward the grassy field on the other side of the village.

"Teyla," Halling greeted as John followed Teyla out of the jumper a few minutes later.

Halling and Teyla touched foreheads, and Halling glanced at John. "Colonel Sheppard."

"Halling," John replied. He noticed the grass around the parked jumper still lay flat in places and mud squelched under his boots. "We came to see how you're doing since the storm."

"We are well," Halling replied as he led the way back to the village. "The only remaining area of real concern is the sinkhole."

"Oh?" Teyla asked. "What has happened?"

Halling shook his head. "The rains almost filled the pit. More of the ground is crumbling into the hole. One of the children nearly fell into it a few days ago while playing nearby."

Teyla glanced at John.

"I'll talk to Elizabeth," John said. "Maybe one of Rodney's scientists has some ideas on stabilising the ground. Worst case, we can build some sort of fence around the perimeter to keep the kids safe."

"I believe such assistance would be welcome," Teyla replied. She glanced at Halling, who pursed his lips but nodded.

"Thank you, Colonel," Halling said and led them around the edge of the tent village to the fields nearer the forest.

"How much did we lose?" Teyla asked as they watched the men and women clearing a muddy field.

"Less than I had feared," Halling replied. "The lower fields were flooded. The tava beans should recover, but the grain crop was lost."

They watched the men and women work for a few minutes, then Halling turned toward the tents.

"We saved some seed, and there should be time to replant," Halling said as they neared the village. "As long as the weather cooperates, we should have a decent harvest. Not enough to leave much for trade, but at least the village will have enough to sustain us through the winter."

But will the weather cooperate? John wondered as they walked. And even if the village did scrape through this year, what about next year?

"According to one of the botanists, it appears that part of the mainland goes through cycles of moderate conditions followed by decades of drought. This might be the beginning of one of these drought phases."

"Teyla!" several voices called as they entered the village, and Teyla was surrounded by her people.

John stood to one side, watching the happy reunion as he considered Rodney's ominous prediction. It was hard enough for Teyla to see her people when the village was a twenty-minute trip by jumper.

If the villagers were forced to move, possibly hundreds of miles inland, to find suitable conditions for farming, what would that mean for Teyla? John wondered. Would she want to return to the village instead of living in the city?

"Jeeta! Come back here!" a woman called, forcing John out of his musing.

"Lala!" the toddler shouted as he ran headlong toward Teyla.

The toddler's legs outpaced his balance, and the boy fell face-first on the muddy ground. Before his mother could catch up, he pushed himself back to his feet and giggled as he ran up to Teyla and hugged her legs.

"Lala!" he said again and held out his muddy hands.

Teyla picked the boy up and smiled, first at Jeeta and then Iranda. "And have you been good for your mother?" Teyla asked as she tickled the boy's knee.

Jeeta laughed and wrapped his arms around Teyla's neck as Iranda stopped in front of Teyla. "Hello, Teyla," she said, shaking her head at her son. "I'm afraid Jeeta has shared his mud with you."

Teyla glanced down at the muddy handprints on her trousers. "No matter," she replied. "You are all safe. That is the important thing."

What would happen to the village was something to worry about later, John concluded as Teyla walked toward the meeting tent, still carrying Jeeta and surrounded by her people.

Chapter Text

"Let this one work," Rodney muttered as he watched the computer run through the 'gate bridge simulation.

The math was sound, he reminded himself as the program started and the first 'gate lit up. Of course, the math was sound the last three times you tried this, too.

The simulation quickly passed the first four 'gates, and Rodney had started to hope this time would be the winner when a failure notice popped up on the screen.

"Damn it!" Rodney exclaimed.

He pushed back from the work table, crossed his arms over his chest, and scowled at the flashing notice.

"Rodney?" Radek called from the doorway.

"What?" Rodney barked back, still glaring at the computer.

Zelenka walked into the lab and stood at the end of the work table. "Should you be here?" he started to ask but stopped when Rodney scowled at him. "Umm." He glanced at the computer. "The macro for the 'gate bridge?"

"Yes," Rodney replied. He reached forward and pressed a key to end the simulation. "The command to signal the next 'gate in the chain still fails after the first few 'gates." He looked up at Radek and added. "Someone has to get it working if we ever want this project to get off the drawing board."

"Is the problem in the sequence or the buffer?" Radek asked. He bent forward, blocking Rodney's view.

"Do you mind?" Rodney growled and moved the computer so he could see the screen.

Zelenka muttered Czech invectives under his breath and stood straight.

"I heard that," Rodney told him. "Why are you even here? I thought you were checking the new jumpers we recovered."

"I was," Radek replied. "So far, Doctor Tsao and I have not found any anomalous systems such as you described with the inertial dampeners in the jumper that crashed."

Rodney flinched at the reminder. "That still doesn't explain why you're down here, bugging me."

Radek shook his head and stepped back from the table. "Colonel Sheppard radioed me. He wanted me to remind you that the debrief is scheduled for this morning."

Rodney hunched his shoulders and focused on the computer at the reminder about the meeting.

"Doctor Weir has asked me to attend," Zelenka continued.

Rodney grunted and considered various ways to fix the macro.

"She wants an update on the repairs to the damaged jumper and my analysis of the ships you found inside the tower."

"I'm sure everyone is eager to know how you plan to try and kill me with another of your so-called jumper repairs," Rodney replied without really thinking.

Even though he had grudgingly agreed when Sheppard said they needed to tell Weir, Beckett, and Zelenka about the recent changes in the mental bond, he wasn't looking forward to the meeting or the questions that would inevitably be raised as a result of their news.

If Radek even thinks about the word 'tests', I will personally dial M7G-677 and shove him through the event horizon, Rodney promised himself. Let Keras and the kids have at him with the face paint again.

He felt an evil smile cross his lips as he remembered Radek returning from his last visit to the planet with bits of straw braided into his hair and his face painted in vibrant reds and greens and quickly schooled his features.

Rodney looked up when Zelenka stopped speaking, saw the flash of genuine hurt cross Radek's face, and felt a quick stab of regret for making the comment. He was nervous and more than a bit worried about what would happen once Weir and Beckett heard about what the link could do now.

Heightmeyer would say you're lashing out, Rodney grumbled to himself as he checked his watch.

"Sorry," he muttered as he closed the computer and stood. "The briefing starts in five minutes. We need to go."

Rodney led the way back to the transporter, then into the control room and across the bridge to the conference room, his mind more on the impending explosion when the others found out about the link than the mission debrief. He entered the room and stopped short when he saw Colonel Caldwell seated in the chair next to Elizabeth.

"What's he doing here?" Rodney blurted.

"Excuse me?" Caldwell replied. "I don't think that's your decision, Doctor McKay."

John stood and quickly walked over to the door. "You want the 'gate on P4J-631, don't you?" he asked in a low hiss. He grabbed Rodney's arm in a tight grip and gave him a significant look.

"Oh, umm, yes?"

"Then we need the Daedalus, don't we?" John replied, tugging Rodney toward the side of the conference table where Ronon and Teyla sat.

"But -"

"That's why Elizabeth asked Colonel Caldwell to be here," Sheppard said, squeezing Rodney's arm harder.

Rodney glanced at Caldwell, who watched the exchange with a sour expression.

"Right." Rodney pulled his arm out of John's grip and sat. "Umm, sorry," he muttered toward Caldwell.

Caldwell held his glare for a moment longer, then turned to Weir, "Are we ready to get started? I need to get back to my ship."

Elizabeth gave Rodney a pointed look, then said, "We are only waiting for Doctor Beckett -"

"I'm here," Carson said as he hurried into the conference room. "Apologies. I needed to gather the last of the data on the quelen fever." He took the last chair next to Radek as the conference room doors twisted closed.

"All right," Elizabeth said. "Now that we're all here." She glanced around the table and then at the tablet computer next to her. "Carson, since you brought up the quelen fever, let's start there."

"Certainly," Carson replied. "The final count was twenty-seven full-blown cases and four more with lesser symptoms. All of our people are recovered …"

Rodney tuned out Beckett's report about the medical response to the quelen fever. He didn't need the reminder of how sick he'd been. Even though Beckett had released him from the infirmary two days ago, he tired more easily than he wanted to admit, and he still didn't remember much of what had happened once the jumper crashed.

He remembered John talking to him and had a vague impression of Teyla softly singing as she brushed something cool over his burning face and arms. He thought he remembered Carson spending at least one night sitting next to his bed, telling him he would be all right even as it felt like he was burning alive.

He stared at his hands as other memories surfaced.

Eleven-year-old Rodney watched as a nurse checked the IV in the back of his hand. A doctor stood at the end of the bed talking to his parents, and Rodney tried to listen without looking like he was eavesdropping.

"Your son is fortunate," the doctor explained as he studied a clipboard in his hand. "According to the tests we've done so far, he is hypoglycaemic but not diabetic. That's rare. Usually, the two go hand in hand."

"So he's fine," his father said.

"Not exactly," the doctor replied, looking up from the chart in his hand. "You will need to take certain precautions."

"What does that mean?" his mother asked.

"You will need to watch him more closely and make sure he eats regular meals. He told the school nurse that he hadn't eaten anything since the previous evening."

The doctor glanced from his mother to his father. "Something about a science experiment he'd been working on?"

"He's always working on some silly idea or other," his mother said. "I can't keep track of what he's doing most of the time."

Rodney shrank further into the bed. The idea wasn't silly, he wanted to shout, but he had learned a long time ago his parents weren't interested in hearing his theories.

The doctor looked up from the clipboard, then shook his head. "We've put him on a glucose drip to get his numbers back up," he continued. "We'll keep him on the drip overnight and let him recover from the effects of the reaction. You can take him home in the morning."

"So this wasn't much of an emergency then," his father said with an impatient glance at Rodney. "I was pulled out of an important meeting for nothing?"

The doctor frowned. "I wouldn't say that. If the nurse at his school hadn't acted as fast as she did, this could have been very serious."

His mother picked up her coat and purse. "I need to get back to the house. Jeannie will be coming home from school soon."

"I'll see you at home," his father replied, opening the hospital room door. "If I get back to the office before the end of business, maybe I can salvage something of the deal I've been working on for the past two weeks."

"You do not wish to stay with him?" the doctor asked, clearly surprised. "Hospitals can be scary places for a child."

"He's old enough to stay alone," his father replied. "Call us when you're ready to release him."

And people wonder why you go to such extremes to avoid getting sick, Rodney mentally grumbled.

He felt an elbow jab him in the side and blinked.

"Rodney," Elizabeth said with a concerned glance at Beckett.

"Hmm?"

"I said, what can you tell us about the Asurian tower."

Rodney shook off the bad childhood memories and focused on the present as he opened the laptop. He pulled up the file with the video Teyla shot of the pillar and symbols on the tower floor and ceiling and explained the problems accessing the Asurian database before the systems shut down.

"Do you have any ideas what these symbols could mean?" Elizabeth asked, studying the pictures on the screen behind Radek and Beckett.

Rodney shook his head. "I didn't really have time to study them. I took stills off the video and sent them to the translation team. They might have something back in a week or two."

Weir nodded and made a note on the computer.

"Maybe we should just harvest the 'gate and forget about the tower," Caldwell said.

"And leave a potential information source untouched?" Rodney demanded. "Are you insane?"

Caldwell scowled at him, and Rodney felt John kick him under the table.

"This is too good of an opportunity to pass up," Rodney continued in a less strident tone.

"I don't see how," Caldwell countered. "The Asurians were made by the Ancients, correct? They are just machines. Copies of the original."

"Learning machines," Rodney corrected, "that have been running independently for thousands of years. We know at least some of them have wanted to be more autonomous. They could have figured out the solution to any number of problems since the Ancients created them."

Caldwell glared across the table. "You said the tower locked you out of the system after a few minutes. How do you propose getting back in?"

"I'm …" Rodney scowled at the wall behind Caldwell's head. "I'm still working on that. I'm sure once I'm back inside the tower, I can analyse the systems and figure it out."

Colonel Caldwell shook his head and turned to Elizabeth. "Doctor Weir, I don't see how -"

"I might have a solution," Zelenka offered with a tentative glance at Rodney.

"Go ahead," Elizabeth said.

Radek nodded. "You said it looked like the village was modelled on the pattern of rings you found inside the tower, yes?"

"It is possible," Teyla replied.

"So the townspeople saw the pattern?" Radek probed.

"Based on what we saw of the villages near the tower, they must have," Teyla replied. "The similarities to the pattern were too many for it to be a coincidence."

Rodney stared at Zelenka, then scowled and crossed his arms over his chest. "Oh, that's just great."

"What?" Sheppard asked.

Rodney pursed his lips into a thin line. "Radek thinks the lockdown was because of the ATA gene, not necessarily anything I was doing with the console."

"Yes," Zelenka replied. "If the Asurians were determined to assert their independence from their creators, it would make sense they would program their systems to detect the ATA gene to act not as a key, but as a lock."

John glanced from Rodney to Zelenka. "So if we send a team of people who don't have the gene -"

"The tower's security measures won't react," Rodney finished with a disgruntled sniff.

"I'd still like to have the Daedalus there, just in case the team we send into the tower runs into trouble," Elizabeth said with a glance at Caldwell.

"How long is this going to take?" Caldwell asked. "We're going to be overdue back to Earth as it is."

"It should not take more than a few days to download the database and do a preliminary survey," Radek said. "We would then have time to review the data and plan a better search of the tower once Daedalus returns to Atlantis." He glanced from Rodney to Elizabeth and added, "We might find information on what happened that forced both the native population and the Asurians to abandon the planet."

"That sounds workable," Elizabeth said. "Colonel Caldwell?"

Caldwell nodded. "I suppose we can spare a few more days here. I'll alert my crew that the mission to P4J-631 will involve more than just harvesting the 'gate."

"Thank you, Colonel," Elizabeth said.

"In addition to the security team, I'll also put together a team of Marines to search for drones and any other weapons that might be there," John added.

Elizabeth nodded and made another note on her computer.

Caldwell grunted and stood. "If there's nothing else …" He let the sentence hang.

"No, I think that's everything involving the Daedalus," Elizabeth replied.

Caldwell glanced around the table, then left the conference room.

Radek pushed his chair away from the table "If there is nothing else," he said and stood, "I will start on a list -"

"Hang on, Doc," John said, raising his hand.

"Colonel Sheppard?" Elizabeth asked.

Rodney glanced at John, then crossed his arms over his chest and refused to look anyone in the eye.

Sheppard waited until the conference room doors twisted closed behind Caldwell, then took a deep breath.

"There's something McKay and I need to tell you." He glanced at Beckett and Zelenka and added, "All of you."

Carson narrowed his eyes. "I know that look," he said, staring first at John before turning to Rodney.

"I do, too," Elizabeth said with a frown. "Radek, you might want to sit down."

Zelenka stared at Elizabeth, then swallowed and sank into his chair.

"All right, let's have it," Elizabeth said to Sheppard.

Rodney felt John's elbow in his ribs again. "Tell her," Sheppard ordered in a low voice.

Rodney scowled in reply.

"Rodney?" Elizabeth asked.

John jerked his head toward Weir, and Rodney pursed his lips into a thin line. "There's, umm, something you need to know." Rodney hesitated. "About the link."

"I knew it!" Beckett exclaimed and sat forward in his chair. "How many times -"

"Carson," Elizabeth admonished.

Carson blew out a breath but sat back in his seat.

Rodney took a deep breath, glanced at John, then explained everything that happened in the jumper when they went to find Sheppard.

"Three weeks," Carson said, shaking his head once Rodney was done. "Why did you wait nearly a month to say anything about this?"

"Because I wanted to talk to Sheppard first," Rodney retorted. "But he wouldn't -"

"You know now," John said, cutting across Rodney's explanation. "That's the important thing."

Carson glared from Rodney to John. "That's not the point, Colonel."

"All right," Elizabeth said, turning to Rodney and John's side of the table. "I need to know how you plan to deal with this new development."

Rodney glanced at John and shrugged. "Umm."

"The diary did state this would happen," Radek said into the heavy silence.

"Is that your way of saying 'I told you so'?" Rodney asked with a scowl.

"It is not that," Radek replied. "According to the diary, the two women worked for years to perfect their bond once it was established. You and Colonel Sheppard have also been linked by the mental bond for …" He glanced from Rodney to John.

"Two years," John supplied.

Radek nodded and continued, "The fact that the link is stronger now more than before is only logical."

"More Spock," Rodney grumbled. "Since you've done all of this research, why don't you tell us how to keep this from happening again."

"You don't," Radek replied. "I do not think it is possible."

Rodney clenched his hands on the table. "Not the answer I wanted," he growled.

John rested his hand on Rodney's shoulder. "Did the diary say anything about how to control this at least?" He glanced at Elizabeth and added, "At least keep the reaction from being so overwhelming?"

Radek shrugged. "I do not remember all of the text. I can go through it again if you like."

"Do that," John said. "Let us know if you find anything."

Elizabeth pursed her lips into a thin line and rested her arms on the table. "Perhaps we should consider bringing Doctor Heightmeyer -"

"No," Rodney said with a scowl.

"Rodney -"

"Absolutely not," Rodney replied. "The last thing I need is someone psycho-analysing this."

"She might be able to offer some suggestions that could help," Elizabeth pressed.

"I'm with Rodney," John said. "We don't need more people knowing about the link."

Elizabeth studied John, then glanced at Rodney. "All right, I will table the suggestion. For now."

Rodney glanced at John, then stood. "I have work to do," he muttered at the room in general and turned toward the conference room doors.

A few hours later, John exited the transporter and wandered down the hall toward Rodney's lab. He wasn't surprised to see the lab door closed and was about to wave his hand over the sensor when Radek stepped out of his lab.

"Oh, Colonel Sheppard," Radek said. "I did not expect to see you so soon after …" He let the sentence peter out.

John glanced up and down the empty hallway. "I don't suppose you found anything we can use?"

Radek pushed up his glasses and motioned John into his lab.

"Umm, no, not yet," Zelenka replied once the lab door closed. "I found the section in the diary describing how the two women used the link to communicate over distance." He unlocked the bottom drawer in his desk and pulled out a stack of paper. "But I have not found anything on how they controlled the effects of the bond. Perhaps," he started to say and stopped.

"What?" John asked.

"I have been thinking for some time about how some aspects of the mental bond are … missing from all of our data searches."

"We know the Ancients weren't big on writing personal things down," John replied.

"Yes, yes, that is true. But to have so very little information about such an important step in their ascension?" Radek shook his head. "It is odd."

"And?" John prompted when Radek hesitated.

"Hmm?"

"What was your idea?" John asked, forcing down the spurt of impatience.

"Oh! Yes. Sorry." Radek set the translation on the edge of his desk. "I wonder if part of the reason was because the Ancients already had those skills."

John stuffed his hands into his trouser pockets. "I'm not following."

Radek leaned against his desk and pinched his lower lip. "I read your report about the people you found living inside the Ancient sanctuary last year."

John had a flash memory of the cloister and Teer.

"You mentioned that the people living inside the cloister spent much of their time in meditation."

"Yeah," John drawled. "I wasn't very good at it."

Radek smiled. "It is possible that is why so many of the instructions on how to control the mental bond are missing."

John paced from Radek's desk to the work table and back again. "But that was Teer and her people. They weren't real Ancients."

"True. However, I think my hypothesis has some merit. Consider the chamber we found last fall with the cubicles."

John grimaced when he remembered Rodney trapped inside a tiny, gas-filled, compartment. "What you're saying is the Ancients were already taking steps to control the various effects of trying to ascend even if they weren't linked?"

"Yes," Radek replied. "And the information for controlling the mental bond wasn't recorded because, to them, it wasn't important. It was part of their daily routine. It would be akin to us reporting to the SGC every time we had a movie night or played a game of chess."

"Great," John said. "So where does that leave me and McKay?"

Radek pushed up his glasses. "I'm afraid it means you and Rodney will have to find your own path," he replied. "The little information Rodney and I found in the Ancient database a few months ago only described some of the abilities of those who were bonded. There was no mention of how they mitigated the effects of their mental link."

"That's not the news I wanted to hear, but I guess it makes some sense. Thanks for trying," John said, walking toward the door.

"I will keep looking," Radek offered as John opened the door.

John nodded and walked back to Rodney's lab, weighing the significance of what Radek had told him. He absently waved his hand over the sensor and was surprised when the door opened.

"Hey," John said, entering the lab and walking over to the work table where Rodney sat typing on a laptop.

Rodney looked up from the computer in front of him and frowned. "Just come right in," he groused.

"The door wasn't locked," John replied. He walked around the table and glanced at the string of mathematical equations and the model of a wormhole on the screen.

"That doesn't look like the 'gate bridge."

"It's, umm, it's not," Rodney replied.

John caught McKay's deer-in-the-headlights expression and frowned.

"Okay," he drawled. "What is it?"

Rodney inched the computer away from John. "I've been, umm, working on a new …" he mumbled something unintelligible under his breath.

"Come again."

Rodney looked up and hesitated. "I said, I've been working on a new idea for collecting the vacuum energy we need to power the Zed-PMs."

John stared at him in stunned silence. First the link, and now this. He scowled at the computer and crossed his arms over his chest. "Any other secrets you've been keeping from me?"

"It's not like that," Rodney replied.

John pointed at the computer. "Really?"

Rodney glanced at the computer. "Okay, it's a little like that. But not for the reason you think. I'm not trying to recreate the Arcturus project." He pushed the laptop toward John and pointed to the lines of mathematical notation. "Radek and I have been working on the idea of pulling vacuum energy from another universe."

John was surprised to hear Rodney was working with Zelenka. Maybe he learnt something after all, he thought as he pushed down the flash of irritation.

"Other universes? I thought that was just science fiction."

A wry smile crossed Rodney's face before quickly disappearing. "Tell me where we are living again and how we got here?"

John smiled. "All right, fair point."

Rodney huffed out a breath and typed another string of equations into the computer.

"So how would this plan of yours work?"

Rodney pointed at the computer. "We know we can punch a hole between two galaxies thanks to the stargate. I'm trying to figure out if there's a way to do the same thing, on a much smaller scale, obviously, between universes."

John considered the idea and had to admit the way Rodney explained it, there was a certain logic to it. "Does anyone else know you two are doing this?"

"Of course," Rodney retorted. "I'm not a complete idiot."

John held his tongue.

"I told Elizabeth about my idea weeks ago. And I've had a few emails back and forth with Sam - Colonel Carter."

"And?"

"Elizabeth wasn't so sure about the idea," Rodney replied. "Carter thinks it might be possible, but the math isn't working. I'm missing something."

John sat on the stool across from Rodney and nodded. "All right. Keep me informed."

Rodney glanced at him with a surprised expression. "You aren't mad?"

John shook his head. "Why would I be mad?"

"After everything with the Arcturus device, I thought you would immediately shut down any other ideas I had about harvesting vacuum energy.

"Is that why you took so long to tell me about this little project?"

Rodney fiddled with a spare crystal lying on the table and shrugged. "Maybe."

John frowned. "It wasn't the idea of vacuum energy that was the problem," he said, making sure Rodney was looking at him. "The problem was you not taking the time to ensure your experiment was safe." He sat back on his stool. "That isn't happening this time."

"Oh, umm, okay then." Rodney dropped the crystal back onto the table. "I'll let you know when I sort it out."

John smiled. "You do that."

Rodney shook his head and focused on the computer. "Was there some reason you came barging in here?"

"Yeah, there was," John said. "I wanted to talk to you about the link."

Rodney flinched. "I don't want Heightmeyer -"

John held up a hand, and Rodney stopped speaking. "No argument from me."

"What do you want to talk about, then?"

"What you felt." John hesitated. "Right before you guys showed up in that clearing."

Rodney stared at him. "You mean, umm, when it seemed you were giving up?"

John grimaced.

Rodney glared across the table. "Is that why you've been so on edge since we found you?"

John crossed his arms over his chest. "Wouldn't you be? It's not exactly something I'm proud to admit."

"I thought it was because I had felt, well, everything. It puts a whole new spin on invasion of privacy." Rodney gave him a sideways glance. "I didn't do that on purpose, you know."

"Yeah, I know that," John replied with a smile.

Rodney nodded. "As for the rest, we all saw what …" Rodney swallowed. "We all saw what Kolya and that Wraith did to you," he said softly. "The fact that you survived at all was nothing short of a miracle." Rodney looked down at his hands. "I doubt I would have survived even one feeding."

"The truth is, I would've settled for Doctor McKay, but I don't imagine I would enjoy his constant wailing."

John clenched his jaw but said nothing. No reason for Rodney to ever know about that, he decided.

Rodney's forehead creased in a frown, and John forced himself to relax.

"I, umm, remember what you said while I was, umm …" Rodney paused and glanced across the table. "I don't think you're weak or something for wanting it all to stop if that's what you're so worried about."

Trust McKay to boil everything down in the most blunt of terms, John thought with a smile.

"Thanks. I think." He paused and weighed whether or not he should bring up the other thing he wanted to talk to Rodney about.

You agreed no more secrets regarding the link, he reminded himself and blew out a breath. "Since you brought up what happened in the jumper, I think there's something else we should talk about."

Rodney pushed the computer to one side and crossed his arms on the table. "I already apologised for -"

John raised his hand, and Rodney stopped speaking.

"That's not it."

"Then what?" Rodney rested his head on his hands and closed his eyes.

Beckett said he was still recovering, John thought. Maybe this should wait.

Rodney opened his eyes and stared across the work table. "Spit it out already."

John sighed and leaned forward with his arms resting on the table and his hands clasped together. "You said it on the way back to the jumper, and then Radek said something similar in the meeting today."

"What did I say?"

John frowned. "You said the link was changing. Getting stronger. I think what Radek described with those two women in the diary is happening to us."

Rodney opened his eyes and sat up. "Zelenka said they spent all their time working on strengthening the bond once they completed the trials. We haven't done anything like that." He stared at John. "Have we?"

"Maybe not consciously," John replied, "but yeah, I think maybe we have. How do you explain what happened in the jumper."

"We decided that was an outlier. It wasn't normal." John heard the hint of denial in Rodney's tone and wondered who McKay was trying to convince John or himself.

"But that's not the only difference," John countered. He paused and stared at his clasped hands. "I told you I had noticed some new things too."

Rodney nodded. "The headaches and itch lasting longer."

"Those aren't the only things," John admitted.

"Oh? Now who's been keeping secrets?"

"It's not like that," John countered. "There just hasn't been a good time to tell you about them."

Rodney narrowed his eyes. He started to say something, stopped, then shook his head. "So what else is different?"

Now or never, John decided. "Lots of little things," he replied.

"Like?"

"Like, I always seem to know where you are now."

Rodney frowned. "That's not new."

"This isn't like looking for you when something happens off-world or when you end up trapped in a sinking jumper."

Rodney flinched, and John mentally kicked himself. "Before I had to concentrate on following the link," he explained. "Now, I just … know."

"So you are inside my head." Rodney scowled.

"No!" John stood and paced back and forth on his side of the table. "Before it was more of a feeling. Like a rope tugging me in a particular direction."

"And now?"

"Now, it's different. I'm not consciously thinking about it. I'm not trying to find you. I just …" John stopped pacing and rested his palms on the table.

"Know," Rodney finished for him.

"Yeah."

Rodney sat back on his stool and crossed his arms over his chest. "How long?"

John frowned.

"How long has this been happening?" Rodney clarified.

John shrugged. "Not long. I didn't really notice until we were back from Keota."

Rodney freed one of his arms and rubbed his forehead. "What do we do about it?"

"Radek suggested meditation," John offered.

Rodney snorted. "You told me you fell asleep when you tried meditating in that sanctuary."

John smiled. "True. But Radek thinks the reason you guys aren't finding a lot of information in the database on how the Ancients controlled this stuff is because they were already doing everything they needed to even if they weren't a bonded pair."

"Lovely," Rodney muttered. "So basically, what you're telling me is, we're screwed."

John grimaced. There was another option, he knew. But he wasn't sure he was ready to reconsider the idea of ascension. He glanced across the table at Rodney staring at the spare crystal lying on the work table. And Rodney's in no condition to talk about it right now, anyway.

"Hey," John said, and Rodney jumped. "I think we could both do with a night off. Let's get out of here."

"I need to work on this," Rodney said, reaching for the laptop. "Not to mention figuring out why the macro for the 'gate bridge still doesn't work."

"Not tonight," John said. "Come on. It will still all be here in the morning."

Rodney sighed, pushed the stool away from the work table, then stopped. "Does make you wonder, though," he mused.

"Wonder about what?" John asked.

"Oh, umm, Kolya." Rodney swallowed.

"Kolya? What about him?"

"How many other spies do you think he has in Ladon Radim's government."

John shrugged. "Doesn't matter. Something tells me that won't be a problem from now on."

"Oh?"

John smiled. "We know how the Genii do things. I get the feeling Ladon has been cleaning house since everything that happened."

Rodney twitched. "Good point."

John pushed thoughts about the Genii and the link to one side and glanced at his watch. "Come on. Night off, remember?"

Rodney powered down the computer and stood. "What did you have in mind?"

"Dinner," John replied. "And then I thought we would have a team movie night."

"I could eat. What movie did you have in mind?"

"The Maltese Falcon," John replied with a grin. "Humphrey Bogart, Sidney Greenstreet. It's going to be great."