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“I still think we should have taken the Puddle Jumper.”
Zelenka stopped walking and turned to face Sheppard. After hiking up a rocky path for the better part of an hour, Zelenka was out of breath and inclined to agree with the colonel. The Jumper would have covered the same ground in no time. The planet’s climate wasn’t unpleasant—much like a quiet evening in May, with the hint of breeze—but this last climb was relentless.
McKay, who was leading their little expedition of three, also came to a standstill, red-faced and sweating. “What part of ‘gravitational anomaly’ did you not understand?”
“Oh, I understood all right,” Sheppard replied evenly. “I just think maybe you should trust my flying skills.”
“It’s not a question of abilities, it’s a question of physics. Tell him, Radek. Flyboy here won’t believe anything I say.”
There was a note of hurt in his voice, and Zelenka caught the guarded look he gave Sheppard. The events in the Dorada system had clearly put a strain on their relationship.
“I’m afraid Rodney is right,” Zelenka replied. “No disrespect, Colonel. Everybody knows you’re a brilliant pilot. But the MALP confirmed what we discovered in the Ancient Database—this planet and its large moon emit an unusual and highly volatile gravitational field that would wreak havoc on navigation systems and flight controls. There’s no way you could fly safely, not to mention land.”
“You guys just don’t want me to have any fun,” Sheppard replied with a drawl.
McKay rolled his eyes. “Know your limits.”
“Look who’s talking,” Sheppard shot back, and Rodney winced.
“Maybe we should keep moving,” Zelenka suggested, eager to break the tension. “I’d like to reach the cave before nightfall.”
McKay jabbed at his PAD, his shoulders hunched. “We’re almost there,” he muttered, turned on his heel and continued up the hill with uncharacteristic speed.
Zelenka sighed. He’d been looking forward to this mission—the chance to get out of the city and discover new Ancient Tech—but now he sensed he’d spend the trip wondering just when McKay and Sheppard would come to blows.
*****
The first odd thing Zelenka noticed once they reached their destination was the bed in the middle of the cave.
The cavern itself was roomy, almost as large as the gateroom though not quite as high. The floor was polished marble, and stone tablets covered in Ancient script lined the rocky walls. Rays of moonlight filtered in through long shafts on the ceiling and illuminated the center of the space, the location of the narrow, single bed with one pillow and cream colored sheets, very like the ones back on Atlantis. The whole place was eerily calm.
The second thing that became abundantly clear was that there was no technology present, Ancient or otherwise.
“I don’t understand…” McKay muttered as he walked up and down the walls with echoing steps, running his fingers over the rocky surface. “There’s got to be something here. The database was clear.”
Zelenka let his pack slide onto the floor and massaged his aching shoulders. “ I don’t know. That would explain why nothing showed up on the scanners.”
Sheppard, who had stayed back to study the cave entrance, joined them and folded his arms. “I thought you said that was because the technology was out of power.”
“Well obviously I was wrong,” McKay snapped. “You should be used to that by now.”
“Guys!” Zelenka held up both hands. He was getting a strong sense Elizabeth hadn’t asked him to go on this mission for his scientific expertise. “Let’s take a look around. There’s got to be a reason this place is mentioned in the Ancient Database. What did they call it—The Cave of Wisdom?”
Sheppard nodded at the stone slabs. “Maybe they just mean all that Ancient writing.”
“That doesn’t make any sense,” McKay replied. “The Ancients talk about gaining knowledge vital for Ascension in this place. Any information on the slabs would just have been transcribed to the database. There’s no need to make it this difficult to access.”
“Is anybody going to mention the weird-ass bed over there?” Sheppard pointed his thumb at the middle of the cave. “I think it’s kind of creepy.”
McKay shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe the Ancients appreciated that even brilliant scientists need to sleep every now and then?”
“Yeah, but doing what?” Sheppard grabbed his flashlight. “Why don’t you and Zelenka scan the tablets while I go outside and have a look around. Maybe Elizabeth can make sense of them once we get back to Atlantis.” Without waiting for a reply, he walked out of the cave.
McKay sighed and hung his head. “He’s never going to let it go, is he?” he asked morosely.
“Let what go?” Zelenka asked, though he had a pretty good idea what McKay was talking about.
“You know. The whole blowing-up-a-star-system-thing.”
“Ah…that. You have to give him some time. He’ll get over it. I did, and I was the one you accused of jealousy when I told you it wouldn’t work.”
“Yes, well, obviously you had a point.”
“I did. And you didn’t listen. It wasn’t the first time, and it won’t be the last. This is not news to anybody.”
“I don’t know.” McKay rummaged around in his pack and pulled out a small digital camera. “I kind of put it on the line with Sheppard on this one. Went to his quarters and pleaded with him to trust me. Told him I deserved it, after everything I’ve done for Atlantis. And he did. He trusted me, really stuck his neck out for me. And then…well, you know what happened.”
“Boom.”
McKay huffed a humorless laugh. “ Yes. Boom.”
That moment, Sheppard came sprinting back into the cave. “Guys, we have a problem.”
“Oh what is it now?” McKay whined.
“The Stargate is flooded.”
Zelenka frowned. “That’s not possible.”
“Well, it is. That tiny creek we saw when he arrived? It’s turned into a giant lake. The whole basin is filled with water. Now if we’d come by Jumper…” he turned and gave McKay a pointed look, “we could have flown to the nearest Stargate. But like this, we’re stuck.”
McKay threw his arms in the air. “How many times do I have to spell it out for you. Wonky gravity and spacecraft do not mix. Oh…” McKay’s eyes went wide. “No no no, this is not good. I should have thought…”
“Of course,” Zelenka added. “We should have considered the effect…”
“The question is,” McKay cut in, “how long will it take before…”
“…possibly not long, considering how fast the water rose.”
“GUYS!” Sheppard shouted, and both Zelenka and McKay jumped. “Could either of you two geniuses tell me what the hell is going on!”
“It’s the moon,” McKay explained. “Well, that and this wonky planet. The gravitational anomalies are wreaking havoc on the tides. Like on earth, when full moon and new moon affect high tide and low tide.”
“But the gate isn’t close enough to the ocean for that to matter, is it?”
“Rodney is right,” Zelenka said. “The surge could be many meters.”
“Then how do we get out of here?”
“It’s like Radek said.” McKay glanced down at his PAD. We need to determine the speed of this planet’s rotation and time our descent accordingly.”
“What he’s trying to say,” Zelenka interrupted before Sheppard had a chance to reply, “is that this is a natural phenomenon. We can predict when low tide will happen and leave the cave in time to reach the gate before it floods again.”
“And until then?” Sheppard asked.
“We wait,” McKay replied with a shrug. “For now, we’re stuck.”
“Possibly for hours,” Zelenka added.
“Well that’s just great.” Sheppard strode to the middle of the cave, sat down on the bed and swung his legs up onto the mattress. “I’m going to put my feet up. We’ll take turns.You guys try and figure out if there’s anything useful on stone tablets. Wake me up in an hour.” With that, he lay down, folded his arms in front of him and closed his eyes.
Zelenka sighed. This was going to be a long night.
*****
There was sand everywhere, miles and miles of it, as far as the eye could see. The sun beat down mercilessly; there was not a cloud in the sky. John squinted against the blinding white light. He had lost his sunglasses at some point, but he couldn’t remember where.
Several dark specs appeared in the distance. Possibly humans, John figured, but it was hard to tell in the haze of the heat. He was feeling light-headed. He had stopped sweating a while ago, which was not a good sign, but he had drunk the last bit of water from his canteen a while back.
The wind tore at his blistering skin. There—he thought he heard something, beneath the rushing and howling. Calls for help, faint but desperate.
“I’m coming!” he tried to shout, but his voice was raspy and dry. His limbs were made of lead, each step heavier than the next.
“Help!” they shouted as he stumbled closer. “Help us.”
A familiar voice. Elizabeth.
“John!” That was McKay, no doubt about it. “John! JOHN! Don’t leave us here!”
More and more voices joined the cacophony, some familiar, some not. “Help us!”
He was surrounded now, hands all around him reaching out. John tried to grab hold of one, and then another, but one by one, they slipped from his grasp.”
“Elizabeth! McKay! I’ll get you out of here!”
The world was spinning now, the sand, his friends, the relentless sun all blending into one.
“Don’t give up!” he choked out. “You’ve got to hold on. I’m going to save you!”
***
Zelenka had only just drifted off when Sheppard started to scream.
He awoke with a yelp and scrambled to his feet. Across the room, McKay sat bolt upright at his makeshift sleeping spot on the cavern floor, his eyes wide. “What? What is it?”
Sheppard yelled again, and both McKay and Zelenka dashed to the bed. The colonel’s eyes were closed—he was asleep but clearly in the throes of some awful nightmare.
“John!” McKay reached out and shook Sheppard’s shoulder. “John! Wake up!”
No reaction. Sheppard had stopped screaming, at least, but now he was mumbling and squirming on the mattress, his face covered in sweat.
“Colonel Sheppard!” Zelenka took his limp hand and tried pinching his arm, but to no effect.
“What’s wrong with him, Radek?” McKay asked, his voice small and panicky. “Why won’t he wake up?”
Zelenka shrugged. “I don’t know! Maybe if Carson was here—”
“Yeah, well, he isn’t.”
“I know that!”
Sheppard groaned and turned to his side. “I’ll come get you,” he murmured.
McKay crouched down next to him. “What was that? What did you say?”
“Rodney…”
For one hopeful second, Zelenka thought Sheppard had woken, but no—he was merely talking in his sleep.
“Elizabeth!” he moaned and started to toss and turn once more. “Rodney! Teyla! Ronon!”
“I wonder what he’s dreaming about,” Zelenka muttered.
“Oh God,” McKay replied. “I don’t even want to know. It sounds like a nightmare from hell. But why won’t he…” His words trailed off, and he glanced at one of the stone slabs with Ancient writing on them. “Unless…”
“Ach můj bože. You might be right.”
McKay waved his hands in the air, walked over to the tablet and started scanning the text. “My Ancient is not very good, but I thought I caught something…here. Something about…the home of demons? Here, this word means Ascension, I’m sure of this. And this…something about terror? Sheppard sounds like he’s facing his fears—but then what is the home of demons?”
“Maybe…” Zelenka stopped. Something had been nagging him at the back of his mind, ever since he’s seen the bed illuminated by the moonlight. “It can’t be, surely.”
“What are you on about?” McKay snapped.
“The gravitational anomalies! They could be affecting his mental state. Back home, there are theories about the navigational capabilities of homing pigeons and how they might be influenced by gravity.”
“Oh for the love of God!” McKay threw up his hands. “Nobody wants to hear about your pigeons!”
Zelenka winced, trying not to let his hurt show. “My point stands,” he insisted. “Maybe this planet is the home of demons. Maybe this is all part of some Ancient ritual. That would explain the bed.”
“Oh. Ohhh.” McKay wagged his finger in the air. “You might be on to something. Maybe the flooding is not a recent thing. I assumed the Ancients wouldn’t be stupid enough to put a Stargate where it would be routinely submerged. I just assumed the orbit must have shifted in the last 10,000 years. But maybe it didn’t!”
“Maybe the Ancients put it there on purpose,” Zelenka finished for him. “Cutting off any means of escape when things become too, I don't know, scary? Or if you got cold feet?”
“Yes…maybe you have to face your fears before you can ascend, something stupid like that? And since the Stargate is flooded, you can’t get away. Kind of genius, in a sick sort of way.”
“But then why is he the only one who won’t wake up?” Zelenka nodded at Sheppard, who was still whimpering in his sleep.
“I wonder…” McKay walked over to the closest stone tablet and ran his fingers over the Ancient writing. “There was something here about sinking deep before one can rise. Maybe there’s something here that affects sleeping patterns and causes nightmares.”
“And Sheppard is susceptible because of his ATA gene.”
McKay’s eyes went wide. “Do you think…but no, I could wake up fine.”
“Maybe it’s different for people who’ve had the gene therapy.”
“No no…we’ve never noticed any discrepancy before. Ancient tech reacts the same to any gene carrier. But Sheppard does have the strongest iteration of all of us.” McKay shuddered visibly. “Maybe we should get out of this cave. I really don’t want to be next.”
“I doubt it’ll make a difference. I suspect this is also a result of the gravitational anomaly. There’s been research on how zero-gravity affects sleep.”
“Yes, I know. Astronauts in space need less sleep. I read the research.”
Sheppard suddenly released another moan and started thrashing violently. McKay fell to his knees and grabbed his left hand. “John. John! Snap out of it!”
“Colonel Sheppard!” Zelenka shook his shoulder, but still no reaction.
McKay looked up. He looked frightened, and Zelenka had to tamp down on his own fear. Sheppard was always the one in control, the one who kept his cool under pressure. Seeing him like this was unnerving.
“He must wake up eventually, no?” he told McKay. “The Ancients mention gaining enlightenment from this place.”
“I guess so.” McKay stood up and ran his hand over his face. “Damn it, I hate being this helpless.”
Zelenka had to admit that he felt very much the same. “Why don’t we go out for a breath of fresh air? The colonel isn’t going anywhere.”
McKay gazed down at Sheppard, who was now shuddering and twitching on the bed. “I don’t want to leave him like this.”
“We’re not. We’ll be just outside—well within hearing range if he needs our help.” Zelenka had seen enough friends and family members at various sickbeds over the years to know the signs, the look in one's eyes when the burden of someone else’s pain was overwhelming. He needed McKay to take a moment to calm down, clear his head. For all their sakes.
“I guess so.” McKay reached out, hesitated for a second, and then carefully patted Sheppard’s chest. He was finally breathing more calmly now—whatever nightmare had held him in its clutches seemed to have passed, at least for now. McKay for his part was no longer showing any of the wary apprehension he’d been displaying in Sheppard’s presence ever since the Dorada system debacle. His expression was one of worry and concern for a team member—for a friend.
“He’ll be alright,” Zelenka repeated as reassuringly as he could manage.
This was indeed going to be a long night.
*****
“Why do you think they’re called nightmares, Radek?”
“What?” Zelenka looked over at McKay, who was sitting next to him with his back against a big rock at the cave entrance, gazing up at the full moon. “What do you mean?”
McKay shifted to face him. “I always thought it was a stupid name. What do horses have to do with it anyway? You know—" he waved his hands in the air—“mares, female horses.”
“Oh. I never thought of it like that. In Slavic folklore, we talk about the mora, the night demon who sits on people’s chests when they sleep, causing bad dreams. I always assumed that’s where the name came from.”
“God, Radek, that’s an image I did not need.” He shuddered. “That’s horrible.”
Zelenka shrugged. “You asked.”
“Remind me not to do that again.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t.”
They both fell silent. The breeze had died down; it would be a pleasant night if it weren’t for Sheppard suffering and the knowledge that neither of them could do anything about it. Below, they could hear the faint sound of waves lapping against the shore.
It was McKay who finally spoke again. “You have any recurring dreams?” he asked.
Zelenka took off his glasses and rubbed his tired eyes. “Sometimes. I have this one nightmare; I arrive at the train station, and I’ve forgotten to pack my bags. Or I dream that I have to catch an important flight, and I suddenly realize I don’t have enough time to get to the airport. Things like that.”
McKay scoffed. “Oh yes. Missing a plane—how terribly traumatic.”
“It’s not like I choose what to dream about.”
“Touché,” McKay replied with a sigh. “I could do without being swallowed by a whale every other night.”
“A whale?”
“Don’t laugh. My dad read me Moby Dick when I was like six years old. That fear has haunted me ever since. Sometimes I dream that I’m about to go on stage for a play and I’ve forgotten all my lines. I’ll grab the script, but the words are gobbledegook.”
“I didn’t know you did theater.”
“That’s the weird thing—I never did. I used to play piano, but I never dreamed about that. And then there’s this one…” He paused for a moment and then shook himself. “Never mind. It’s stupid.”
“More stupid than dreaming about missing a flight?”
That moment, a strangled yell rang out in the cave behind them, and both McKay and Zelenka jumped to their feet and dashed to Sheppard’s side.
He was now sweating profusely, and his face was twisted in an ugly grimace.
McKay put his hand on Sheppard’s forehead. “I don’t care if this was a regular pastime for Ancients, this can’t be good for him. Our minds are different. What if he can’t handle the strain?”
As if to prove McKay’s point, Sheppard started to shake, his hands trembling uncontrollably.
“Radek!” McKay snapped his fingers. “Go check that last stone tablet again. It said something about being worthy. See if you can’t figure out what it says. I’m going to try and wake John. I’ve got a really bad feeling about this.”
Zelenka didn’t need to be asked twice. He strode over to the tablet and began to search for the section in question. His Ancient language skills were nothing compared to Elizabeth’s, but he had made an effort lately to learn the basics. He told others it was to better understand Ancient technology, but secretly he enjoyed having something in common with Elizabeth, something they could talk about, even if only on rare occasions.
There—at the bottom of the third paragraph, Zelenka found the phrase McKay had mentioned. He squinted and studied the sentences, wracking his brain for the correct meaning of half a dozen words. But yes—he could see why his friend was concerned. He wasn’t 100% positive his translation was accurate, but it seemed to say ‘Beware, those who are not worthy.’
“Rodney,” he called out, his eyes still fixed on the Ancient text. “You’re right. We should wake up the colonel, or at least get him out of here.”
There was no response. He turned around, and his stomach dropped. McKay was sitting on the floor, slumped against the bed, and his eyes were closed.
“Do predle!” Zelenka swore under his breath. He rushed to McKay’s side and shook his shoulder, but it was no use.
He too was now fast asleep.
******
Rodney didn’t notice anything off at first. People knew better than to talk to him on his way to the lab, before he’d had his first cup of coffee, and today was no different. The blond woman who looked vaguely familiar but whose name escaped him stared at her feet as he walked past her, and the pair of scientists engaged in some heated discussion paid him no mind as he stepped into the lab. Just as well. If nobody talked to him, he didn’t have to make meaningless conversation.
But after an hour, it did seem strange that nobody had come to him with a stupid comment or some inane observation. He looked up from the project he was tinkering with and gazed around the room. The lab was full of the usual bunch of scientists, working away and chattering to each other. But nobody was paying him any attention.
“Hello!” he called out. No reaction.
“Hello!” He repeated, louder now. “Okay, I get it. Very funny. You’ve had your joke. Now could somebody please look at me?
Every single person in the lab continued to ignore him.
A deep sense of dread clutched at his heart. He stomped over to Zelenka and waved his hand in front of his face.
Nothing. No twitch, no sign that he was at all aware of McKay’s presence.
Dread turned into panic. “HELLO! What is wrong with you people?”
McKay blinked, and he suddenly was in Elizabeth’s office. She was sitting at her desk with John standing behind her. They were both studying her laptop, clearly engrossed in what they were seeing.
“If only we had a specialist for Ancient tech on Atlantis,” John drawled, and Elizabeth nodded in agreement.
“Jesus!” McKay exclaimed. “I’m standing right here!”
Elizabeth closed the laptop and folded her hands. “I’ll talk to Stargate Command. Maybe they can send us somebody.”
“YOU DON’T NEED TO SEND FOR SOMEBODY, I’M HERE, I’M RIGHT HERE!” McKay’s voice caught in his throat, and he sank to the floor like a puppet whose strings had been cut.
“Why can’t you see me?” he croaked. “Why can’t you tell I’m RIGHT HERE?”
Without another word, John and Elizabeth walked straight through him and out the door, leaving Rodney utterly and terribly alone.
****
“Rodney! Wake up. Drahý bože, not you too!”
McKay was lying on the floor, writhing and moaning just like Sheppard had been only moments earlier. Ten colonel himself had grown quiet, but this did not reassure Zelenka in the least.
One thing was clear—he had to get his friends out of this cave, off of this planet if possible. He himself didn’t feel in any danger; for the first time, he was actually glad that he didn’t possess the ATA gene.
He couldn’t carry either of these two, but he could try and drag them. But where to? The cave seemed to be a focal point, so they might be less affected outside—if he could get them there. But he feared most of the damage was being caused by this planet’s gravitational anomaly, and there was no way to escape that, not with the gate still under water.
Water! Yes, that was it! Why had he not thought of that before, back when McKay was still conscious? He wouldn’t be able to counteract the effect of the moon, but the planet’s gravitational anomaly was another matter. He had to submerge them in water! “Neutral buoyancy simulation,” he said out loud. “Basic zero-gravity training for astronauts. Oh Rodney, if only you were awake to tell me how stupid I am. But then you didn’t think of it either,” he added. “Now look at me. I’m talking to myself.”
He glanced back and forth between the two men—Sheppard lying utterly still on the bed and McKay was twisting and turning on the floor. Despite everything, despite how Rodney treated him day after day, he was his friend. Probably his best friend, if he really thought about it. But the way he was thrashing about, there was no way Zelenka would be able to drag him all the way down to the lake. (He had no idea how far the water had risen—if only he had asked Sheppard!)
The colonel was also tall and heavy, but he had at least calmed down. It would be difficult, but Zelenka figured he could move him if he took it slowly and allowed himself frequent stops.
Yes, that made the most sense. After all, Sheppard had started dreaming first. If there were adverse effects, which Zelenka now feared was very likely, he was more at risk.
He pulled off his jacket and bundled it up in a makeshift pillow that he put underneath McKay’s head. “Take care, my friend,” he said softly. Then he stood up and took position at the head of the narrow bed.
“Here goes,” he said and went to work.
*****
Zelenka didn’t know how he’d managed to get this far. Even without his jacket, he was drenched in sweat. Dragging Sheppard was almost more than he could handle. His back was screaming in agony, and his arms and thighs were shaking from the exertion. He had stumbled twice on the rocky path, and both times it had taken all his strength to extricate himself from Sheppard who always landed on top.
And all the while, he was wracked with worry over McKay’s wellbeing; if he was still in the full throws of terrible nightmares or if he’d reached the eerily calm state Sheppard was now in.
But finally, Zelenka heard it right behind him—a sweet sound of the lake. He reached the water’s edge and carefully lowered Sheppard’s unconscious body down onto the grass. After this, he was going to curl up in his bed and not move a muscle for a week.
He took a moment to catch his breath and gather his strength, and then he clapped his hands on his burning thighs. It was now or never.
It took every last bit of energy to pull Sheppard’s unconscious body that last bit and drag him into the dark lake. The water was chilly but not unpleasant. Zelenka carefully let Sheppard float on his back so that his head was submerged except for his nose and mouth, and then he waited.
For five minutes, nothing happened. Five endless, terrifying minutes in which all possible worst case scenarios flashed thought Zelenka’s mind as his body began to shiver from the cold: McKay, lying motionless on the cold, hard floor of the cave; Sheppard thrashing about, making it impossible to hold on; Sheppard slipping from his fingers and sinking deeper and deeper, out of sight.
Suddenly, there was a twitch, and Zelenka nearly jumped out of his skin. For a horrible moment, he thought Sheppard had started dreaming again, but no—his eyes were open and staring back at Zelenka in the bright moonlight.
“Colonel!” Zelenka yelled. He forced his heavy legs to move and pulled Sheppard out of the water. He himself was now shaking from head to toe, and his teeth were chattering, but none of that mattered. Sheppard was alive, and he was conscious!
“What?” Sheppard pushed himself up onto his elbows and looked around. “Where the hell am I? What happened?”
Zelenka let himself sink onto the grass and buried his head in his hands as waves of relief washed over him. “That is going to take some explaining," he finally said. But first, we have to go get McKay.
*****
“I still can’t believe you took Sheppard first!”
The three of them were sitting in med bay, blissfully dry and wrapped in warm, fluffy towels. Zelenka had his hands wrapped around a steaming cup of cocoa, and even McKay’s (predictable) whining could sour his mood.
“Face it, McKay,” Colonel Sheppard interjected with a sneer. “He just likes me better.”
Beckett walked in with two more cups of hot beverages. “Och, I’m sure that’s not true,” he said as he handed one mug to Sheppard and one to McKay. “I’m sure his reasons were entirely practical.”
Zelenka nodded. “Indeed. If I’d taken you first, you’d have had to help me drag Sheppard down to the lake, and you would have complained the whole way. It was self-preservation, plain and simple.”
McKay opened his mouth to protest but then clearly thought better of it. “I suppose this way did make more sense, I guess.” He turned to Sheppard. “And you were looking pretty bad there, before I blacked out,” he admitted in a small voice. “So, ah, good job Radek. For, you know, saving us.”
“My pleasure.” He was relieved to see McKay and Sheppard had returned to their lighthearted banter. If this had helped the two of them put the events in the Dorada system behind them, then their ordeal had at least been good for something.
Zelenka took another sip of his delicious hot chocolate and then climbed up onto one of the three hospital beds that had been prepared for them. Beckett wanted to keep them there for the night, just for observation. “I know you’ve been out for hours, but I’m tired and exhausted. So if you don’t mind, I’m going to catch a little shut-eye. Dobru noc!”
“Hope your dreams are better than mine,” he heard Sheppard mutter after he’d closed his eyes. That reminded him—he’d wanted to ask both what they’d been dreaming about, but then maybe it was just as well to keep that unsaid. It was awfully private, after all.
With that, Zelenka sighed and instantly fell asleep.
*****
Radek was flying. Not like a bird, though he liked to imagine soaring across the sky with giant wings. No, he had simply jumped and then continued to rise, higher and higher, until he could see all of Atlantis below him. The sun was setting, painting everything beautiful pink and blue and gold.
Indescribable joy flooded through him, as it always did when he floated in the air. Strange how he always forgot that he could do this. He never remembered, up until the moment his feet left the ground.
Then he knew it was the most natural thing in the world.