Entanglement

Chapter twelve

John sat down hard, but the floor he landed on was the floor of the maintenance bay in the installation. The abrupt change to brighter light and warm clean air was a shock. Next to him, Teyla was sprawled on the floor, just pushing herself upright.

Kethel and Caras were lying on the floor nearby, a couple of older Eidolon checking them out with some sort of medical scanner. John didn't see Edane, but nobody was acting worried. There weren't many Eidolon left in the room anymore; Edane might have been sent away to evacuate already. Across the room, the Queen and the others were still gathered around the console, watching the realtime sensor image of the scout ship.

Rodney hurried over from the jumper, crouching down beside John. He demanded, "Did it work? We need to get out of here as soon as possible."

Teyla pushed her hair back, starting to say, "It looked as if-"

At the console, one of the Eidolon said, "I'm reading an energy surge-

Then lines of red and black crept through and across the ship's image, growing out from the center. John heard a reverberating roar from outside, and the glowing hologram image tipped sideways, drifting downward, the angle changing as the sensors followed it down. John slumped in relief. "It worked."

"That was… uncomfortably close," Teyla said ruefully, and drew her fingers through her hair, combing out a handful of door membrane with a disgusted expression.

"That's our specialty," John told her. The adrenaline was wearing off, and he had time to notice just how much he hurt. Knee, side, the occasional shooting pain down his back. And he had a big splat of door membrane goo on his shirt.

"Seriously, we have to move," Rodney persisted. "The Mirror's accretion surface is building up to a major discharge and from my readings, it'll be the last one before the singularity collapses."

"Yeah, we're leaving now." John looked back at the jumper. Ronon was sprawled on the open ramp, Miko anxiously patting his hand. "How's Ronon?"

Rodney snorted, making a throw-away gesture. "He's fine, he's just sulking because he can barely move."

Then John saw the Queen coming toward them, her dark skirts sweeping the floor. Before John could try flailing to his feet, Rodney and Teyla got a grip under his arms and they all stood up together. The Queen stopped a few paces away, and said, "The Wraith ship is completely disabled. We thank you."

"You're welcome." John watched her warily. They had fulfilled their part of the bargain, and if the Eidolon wanted to screw them over, now would be the time. But the Queen just said, "The singularity is close to detaching, so we must retreat to our ships now. The others have already evacuated." She paused, as if weighing what to say, and it was odd to see her show even this much uncertainty. "If the Mirror does not function as expected-"

"It'll work," John said, because he didn't want to think about the alternative. Not until he had to.

The Queen eyed him, apparently deciding not to argue with the crazy human. She said, "Good luck."

John backed away with Rodney and Teyla as the blue-white transport beam outlined the Eidolon's bodies. In another instant the whole group vanished. He let his breath out in relief, shoving a hand through his hair. "Right. Rodney, what do we need to do?"

Rodney bolted for the stairs that led up to the Mirror control platform. "I need to make a last adjustment, then we go." He waved a distracted hand overhead. "The ceiling hatch will open automatically for the jumper, so that's not a problem."

John told Teyla, "I'll stay with him."

Teyla nodded and started for the jumper. "I will get Ronon inside and make sure the others are strapped in."

John followed Rodney up the stairs to the platform, keeping himself going mostly by force of will. He reached the platform to see Rodney at the big console, carefully manipulating a set of touchpad controls. Then he saw the miniature Mirror in the center.

He forgot his exhaustion, and limped forward for a closer look, circling around the console. From what this was showing him, the Mirror was an angry swirling cloud, throwing off jagged sparks of light. And he was going to take the jumper into it and hope it got them back home. Rodney glanced up and saw his expression. His mouth twisted in grim agreement, he said, "We've only got one shot at this."

"Yeah, well." John hadn't been expecting anything better.

John heard footsteps and looked at the stairs, expecting to see Teyla. But the figure standing at the top of the steps was Edane. The Eidolon halted, one hand on the railing, staring blankly at them. "I thought you guys were gone," John said, puzzled, though maybe the Queen had sent him back for some reason.

Edane said, "I stayed behind to help."

Occupied with the Mirror, Rodney barely glanced up. "I don't need help. After this last sequence engages, we'll be set to go."

Edane was looking at John, his alien eyes unreadable. That was when John knew why he was here.

John jerked the P-90 up but Edane threw himself across the small platform, slapping the weapon aside and slamming John backward into the floor. John caught Edane's arm before his hand could hit his chest, held it off inches away from him, the P-90 trapped between their bodies.

The bizarre thing was that Edane still didn't look that much like a Wraith. His features were still smooth and human, and his yellow eyes intent, lost in concentration; he was focused on his task and completely oblivious to the fact that John was pinned under him and fighting for his life.

Past Edane's shoulder John caught a glimpse of Rodney scrambling up, dragging out his sidearm and taking aim. Take the shot, Rodney, he thought, teeth gritted, all his strength concentrated on holding Edane back. He knew to his bones that he would rather take a stray bullet than be fed on.

Then Edane twisted, abruptly pulling away from John to slam the pistol out of Rodney's hand. It went off, flying across the platform. Rodney stumbled sideways, knocked off balance, and John tried to wrestle the P-90 up again. Edane grabbed it, tore it off the strap, and backhanded John. John's head bounced off the floor. Stunned for an instant, he saw Edane leaning over him.

Then somebody fired a 9mm, emptying the clip.

Dazed, John watched Edane stagger sideways and fall.

Trishen was standing beside the Mirror console. She set Rodney's pistol down on the edge with a shaking hand. She said, "We realized he was missing. Mother sent me back to find him."

Rodney dropped to his knees beside John, patting his shoulder anxiously. "You said you didn't feed on sentient beings!" he shouted at Trishen, furious and afraid. "What the hell was that?"

She shook her head. "I lied to you. That was the only lie."

John lifted a hand to his jaw. That really hurt. He managed to say, "Yeah, we figured that out."

John heard someone charging up the stairs, saw Teyla jerk to a sudden halt at the top, P-90 ready. John lifted a hand, signaling her not to fire. She nodded an acknowledgement, eyes wide as she took in the scene.

Trishen glanced back at Teyla and said, "It isn't-We aren't like the Wraith. We don't need the life force of sentient beings, but we can take it, and some are tempted. Some ofus go all our lives without ever feeling that temptation, others feel it and resist. But there are always a few who give in." She looked at Edane's body sprawled on the platform, and pressed a hand to her mouth. After a moment she continued, "They try to resist, but eventually they give way, and they take a life. A sibling, a friend, a child. It's terrible, and we punish them as the criminals they are."

"You have to kill them," Rodney said, sounding shellshocked. And now John understood what Kethel had said, about stun-weapons being forbidden. Of course they're forbidden. If you wanted to feed on someone, you needed him immobile but conscious, not dead. Rodney's throat worked and he shook his head. "Of course, you have to kill them."

Trishen nodded. "Yes. Once one of us succumbs, there is no turning back. Edane would have been dangerous to everyone he encountered." She made a helpless gesture. "We have tried to discover why, to stop it, but there's no answer. We can't tell if it's genetic, and there are no other signs of insanity or criminal acts. When we find places left behind by the Creators, that is the answer we desperately search for." She looked up, and this time John had no trouble reading the bleak misery in her expression. "My mother believes that the Creators were dying from the plague when they gave us life, and that they didn't survive long enough to finish what they had started. Some of the others here wanted to ask your assistance, thought that perhaps you could help us."

Rodney nodded, eyeing her. "Then we told you that we didn't know very much about the Wraith."

"Yes. And we knew the Creators didn't begin work on our race until long after they came here, so the chances of our solution even existing in your reality seemed small. My mother thought it safer for all of us if you left as soon as possible, then we realized the singularity was detaching and that there was no other choice. But we have the bodies of the Wraith killed inside the complex for our doctors to examine, and perhaps that will help us."

Watching her with a furrowed brow, looking torn between sympathy and disgust, Teyla said, "You were not afraid of us. You were afraid of what you might do to us.

Trishen turned toward her. "I was afraid of you because I knew you had every reason to kill me. The longer I was around you, there was something… strangely compelling. I was afraid that there would be those here who, though they weren't tempted by members of their own species, would be tempted by you."

John grabbed Rodney's arm, dragged himself into a sitting position. He said harshly, "We've got to go."

Trishen nodded, her face set in what might have been regret. "I'm sorry. I hope.. that you will be safe." She touched her transponder and an instant later the bluewhite light took her.

Teyla came forward hurriedly. "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, just help me up." John held back a yelp as they hauled him upright. Once there, he thought he was fine; it was just that transition from sprawled on the floor to standing that he was having trouble with.

"Well, that was fun," Rodney said, grimly determined, picking up his side arm from where Trishen had left it and holstering it again. "Now let's go give the giant Quantum Mirror another shot at us, shall we?"

They got down to the jumper, and while John managed to fold himself into the pilot seat, Rodney secured the ramp. Rodney came forward to the shotgun seat to strap himself in, while Teyla stayed in the back. Powering up the board, John heard her quietly telling Miko and Ronon what had happened. Radek was only semi-conscious, strapped in on the bench with a couple of pillows from the sleeping bags to help pad him.

As they lifted off the bay floor, the ceiling hatch started to open, the triangular partitions sliding out of the way, letting in wan daylight and a strong breeze that carried dust all through the empty chamber. His voice tight with anxiety, Rodney said, "There's a chance of a strong concussion wave when we hit the accretion surface. Not hit. Pass through. I meant pass through the accretion surface."

John stared at him. "Right." He lifted the jumper up through the hatch.

As soon as they cleared the roof, the jumper registered a strong pull forward. Down on the platform, past the far side of the Mirror's frame, the Wraith scout ship was in pieces, smoke swirling up from it. But the lighter dart wreckage was stirring, lifting up as if pulled by a tractor beam. "Gravity well?" John asked.

"Yes." Rodney studied the platform, eyes wide. "It's going to pull some of this wreckage in. And us too."

"Here we go," John said, and directed the jumper straight for the Mirror.

The silver surface grew larger and larger in the port until there was nothing else. Then everything went black.

Carson felt he was half-mad from waiting. The Daedalus had been scanning the system for hours now, with no result. He couldn't fault their efforts; Hermiod and Dr. Novak had come up to the bridge to assist, and the little Asgard was at one of the consoles now, finetuning the sensors to better search for the jumper.

"It doesn't look good, Doc," Lorne said. He leaned on the bulkhead, watching the activity at the forward section of the bridge, his face set with concern. "If they had to land somewhere on this moon, they would have come out by now."

Carson knew Lorne was trying to prepare him for the worst. But Carson knew just how many times Rodney, Sheppard, and Teyla had survived the worst, and they had some good people with them. "Then it's either the Wraith or the Quantum Mirror, Major." Both possibilities were fairly terrible. He folded his arms, shaking his head. "I'd rather it was the Mirror. At least then we'd have a chance of finding them."

Lorne frowned. "They wouldn't have gone into that thing voluntarily. McKay knows just how dangerous it is." He threw an uncertain look at Carson. "Would they?"

Carson had to admit, "No, I don't think so either, lad. Not voluntarily."

An alarm went off somewhere forward. Carson saw Caldwell stride over to look at Hermiod's screen. He decided to hell with patience. He hurried forward, demanding, "What is it?"

Caldwell glanced up from the screen to say, "The Mirror's apparently activated. It's spitting out Wraith darts, and pieces of a ship."

"A ship?" Carson looked from Lorne to Caldwell, wishing the man would just say what he meant. "Is it-

Caldwell clarified, "A Wraith ship, Doctor. We can't tell what class yet."

"Colonel!" Novak called from her console. She flailed excitedly. "I'm picking up an energy signature from Ancient technology. I'm not sure if it's a cloaked puddlejumper, it doesn't quite match the pattern-"

Hermiod interrupted in his dry laconic voice, "It is a gate ship signature, possibly altered to avoid interfering with the Mirror's destabilized quantum field."

"It's them," Carson said. It had to be them.

"Open a channel." Caldwell sat down in the command chair.

"Oh, this isn't good," Novak muttered. "Sir, the Quantum Mirror-"

"The singularity is detaching from the Mirror's matrix and collapsing," Hermiod overrode her. "It will close, destroying the Mirror's physical structure, and causing a massive disruption to the area around it."

Caldwell shifted impatiently, leaning forward. "Can you raise the jumper?"

At the forward control board, Major Meyers glanced up, her brow furrowed in concentration. "No, sir, it's not responding. And it's just heading straight up from the surface. It could be on automatic pilot."

Caldwell grimaced. "Life signs?"

"There's too much interference from the Mirror, sir," Lieutenant Hawkins answered him.

"They must be unconscious, that's why they aren't answering the comm," Carson said. He wasn't sure how much Caldwell knew about the puddlejumpers' ATA interface. "The jumper wouldn't still be flying if there wasn't someone with the Ancient gene alive inside it."

"He's right, Colonel," Major Lorne added quickly. "The jumpers only have a limited unmanned autopilot function, and that's only for dropping out of the Atlantis jumper bay and going through the gate. If it's under power and maintaining a heading, it's got a gene carrier pilot, whether he's conscious or not."

Hermiod's voice grated, "The singularity is detaching now. It will cause a gravitational well to form temporarily over the area. The gate ship is not powerful enough to pull free. If you intend to retrieve it-"

Caldwell sat back in his chair. "Full power, take us down into tractor range."

The starfield wheeled as the Daedalus dove down toward the moon's surface. Though the deck felt rock steady under his feet, Carson's stomach did a psychosomatic dip anyway.

"We're nearly in range." Captain Kleinmann, on the other forward console, made some careful adjustments to his controls.

The ship started to shake. "The gravity well is forming," Hermiod informed them, probably unnecessarily.

Carson couldn't see a damn thing through the port. He stepped forward, looking at the screens, but it was all just blips.

Hawkins said urgently, "Sir, we have a hiveship on longrange sensors, just entering the system."

Carson's stomach clenched but Caldwell just muttered dryly, "Of course we do."

"We've got it!" Novak called, "We've got the jumper, sir.

"Pull up, bring it into the bay, and get us out of here," Caldwell said, watching the screen with narrowed eyes. "It looks like the Mirror isn't going to be a problem any„more.

The screen was displaying a sensor schematic of the giant structure around the Mirror. The collapsing singu larity had taken a good portion of the ground around it when it had vanished. The remaining structure was slowly crumbling into the crater it had left behind. Carson didn't stay to watch further; he and Lorne hurried to the elevator, making for the F-302 bay.

John came to feeling like someone had punched him in the head. A lot. "Not again," he muttered. He managed to get his eyes open. The HUD was fuzzy and flashing error codes, but it was the view through the jumper's port that made him grip the armrests, the sudden jolt of adrenaline clearing his head. He wasn't looking at a starfield, but a set of enormous ship bay doors that were just starting to slide open. "What the hell-?"

"Giant Quantum Mirror of death," Rodney groaned from the co-pilot's seat. He was leaning forward on the control board, his head pillowed on his arms. "Does that ring any bells? The concussion wave must have knocked us out. If the jumper's inertial dampeners hadn't-" Rodney lifted his head, saw what was happening, and froze, gaping. "Oh, you meant `what fresh hell is this?"'

But as the opening grew wider, John spotted the familiar racks of F-302s. They weren't being tractored into an alien spaceship, this was a rescue. "It's the Daedalus," he said in relief He tried to twist around in his seat, gritted his teeth as pain stabbed through his midsection. He fumbled at the straps, calling, "Teyla, Ronon, you guys okay back there?"

Sounding shaky, Teyla's voice answered, "I believe…ow."

John managed to get himself out of the chair and stagger into the back cabin. Everyone was stirring, except for Zelenka, who hung limply against the straps. John limped over to him and felt his pulse. It was there, and he seemed to be breathing normally. "Is he all right?" Teyla asked, pushing unsteadily to her feet. Ronon was gripping the bench seat for support, still moving sluggishly from the stun blasts. Miko was fumbling to unbuckle her safety straps, watching Zelenka anxiously.

"He's alive," John told her. Rodney, standing in the cabin doorway, swore in weary relief. Alive, John repeated to himself. They were all alive. And apparently in the right reality. It was just starting to dawn on him that they had really made it.

By the time they got Zelenka unstrapped and laid out on the bench, the jumper had thumped softly to the deck of the bay and someone was banging on the hatch. Rodney hit the ramp release and it lowered, letting in the Daedalus' filtered air. A group of SFs were warily waiting, aiming weapons. John understood the necessity, but at the moment it just exasperated the hell out of him. He said tightly, "Yeah, it's us. Get a damn medical team in here, now."

Then Major Lorne pushed forward, stepping onto the ramp as soon as it touched the deck. He was already on his radio, saying, "Dr. Beckett, we need a medical team for Dr. Zelenka immediately. Everybody else looks pretty beat up, too."

"And we were actually pretty beat up before the concussion wave," Rodney added, slumping down on the bench in relief.

Beckett came up the ramp, saying, "Thank God." He turned, waving to someone across the bay. "Get those gurneys over here!"

John ended up debriefing Caldwell from a gurney in the sick bay, in one of the private treatment compartments with a lot of esoteric unrecognizable medical equipment built into the bulkheads and people in Daedalus medical uniforms walking in and out.

John gave Caldwell the brief outline while a nurse scanned him and took blood. With a grimace, Caldwell said, "This was a close one. If the Wraith had managed to return with an Eidolon ship, this war would be over."

"I don't think they were there long enough to figure out what the Eidolon could do." On the way down to sick bay, before Beckett had chased him off, Lorne had managed to tell John about the hiveship that had arrived. The Daedalus had entered hyperspace before it could scan them, and there hadn't been anything left of the Mirror installation for it to find. "And none of the Wraith in the other reality made it out alive." John frowned, realizing he didn't actually know that for certain. The scout ship had been in pieces, and he didn't think any of the darts had managed to get in the air. "Did they?"

Caldwell shook his head. "Our scans didn't pick up anything coming out of the Mirror but debris and your jumper.

That was a relief. John winced as the nurse jabbed the needle for the IV into his arm. "I need to send a report to Dr. Weir." Lorne had said that Atlantis hadn't gotten any of the transmissions sent to the base moon after the Wraith had arrived, and John knew Elizabeth would be worried.

"As soon as we're well clear of the hiveship, we'll drop out of hyper and I'll send her an initial report." With a restrained flash of humor, Caldwell said, "Your team got lucky, again, Sheppard."

"Yeah, we usually do," John told him.

Caldwell left, and John meant to get up and check on the others. But this was the first time he had been able to rest in hours and the IV was taking the edge off the pain; he fell asleep before the nurse finished scanning him. He woke up with someone leaning over him, and he almost punched Beckett before he realized who it was. Beckett, used to this after more than a year in Pegasus, just dodged like a pro boxer and said, "Easy now." An unfamiliar doctor in Daedalus coveralls retreated hastily. Unperturbed, Beckett ran an Ancient handheld medical scanner over John. "You've banged yourself up this time, Colonel."

"I think I knew that." John rubbed his eyes. He had cold packs jammed into various places and his bad knee was propped up on a couple of pillows. Whatever was in the IV must be working, because the pain felt floaty and distant. Not unlike his head. "Where's my team?"

"They're all fine," Beckett assured him. "Just get some rest."

Beckett left with the other doctor, but John still wanted to check on everybody. He unhooked the IV bag from the stand and climbed carefully to his feet, shedding cold packs. Then he had to hold onto the table to steady himself, head swimming. Okay, maybe getting up wasn't such a great idea, but he was here now, and he still wanted to see how the others were doing.

The corridor was quiet now, empty except for Ronon, who was sitting in a chair, holding an IV bag in his lap. He looked like he had been in a bar fight involving chairs and broken bottles. John was pretty certain he looked the same. "You okay?" John asked.

Ronon nodded. John was a little too woozy to wonder why Ronon was out in the hall instead of in a treatment room, and just checked the next compartment.

He found Teyla and Miko there, both curled up asleep on the narrow beds that doubled as examination tables. Miko still had her glasses clutched in one hand. Teyla woke enough to squint blearily up at him, asking, "All is well?"

"Yeah. Go back to sleep," John told her softly, trying not to wake Miko.

John went out to the corridor again, noticing he now had Ronon trailing along after him. "Where's Rodney and Zelenka?" John asked him.

"Down there." Ronon nodded toward the end of the corridor.

John found the right cabin, stepping in to see a very pale Zelenka in the bed, hooked up to IVs and monitors, with a nurse making notes on a tablet. He asked, "How is he?"

"He's going to be fine," she told him, giving him an odd look. "Are you supposed to be-"

Rodney appeared in the hatchway, a laptop tucked under his arm. He was pale, bruised, and looked like he had a hangover. He frowned. "What are you doing up? Carson said not to bother you."

The nurse tried again, "You really need to-"

Zelenka stirred and tugged at the blankets, then he blinked, managing to focus on them. His voice hoarse, he asked, "Am I dying?"

"Don't be an idiot," Rodney told him, before John or the nurse could reply.

Zelenka frowned, waking up a little more. "Where are we?"

"The Daedalus," John said. "Everything's fine."

"Oh." Zelenka squinted up at them uncertainly. "You all look terrible."

The nurse made herding motions, saying, "He really needs to rest now. So do all of you."

She was probably right, so John left, prodding Rodney in front of him.

Outside, Lorne was just coming up the corridor. "Colonel-"

"Did Caldwell send a message to Elizabeth?" John asked him.

Lorne nodded sharply. "Yes, sir. While we were out of hyper."

"Great." John rubbed his eyes, swaying a little. That was one thing he didn't have to worry about. Maybe going back to his treatment table and the ice packs wasn't that bad an idea.

Then Lorne said, "I'm sorry I left you there, sir."

John blinked at him. "Left me where? Sony, there's been drugs. What?"

Lorne hesitated, and started to back away. "Maybe I should do this later."

"No, it's fine." John fought back a yawn. "What were you saying?"

Lorne fixed his gaze on the wall past John. "The Wraith showed up at base camp, sir, and I evacuated the teams. I should have-"

"That was your job, Lome." John was too tired and drugged and in pain to put this any other way but bluntly. "If you'd done anything else, I would've been really pissed off."

Lorne looked relieved. "Thanks, sir, I-"

Then Beckett stepped out of a cabin down the corridor, spotted them, and waved his PDA in exasperation. "Bloody hell, will you lot get back in your beds?"

Rodney turned toward him. "Oh, I'm sorry, I thought this was the sick bay, but obviously it's the brig."

While Rodney and Beckett were arguing, John decided lying down again wasn't such a bad idea. He was halfway to his room when he realized why Ronon was following him around. He stopped, looking up at him. "Ronon. You don't have to guard us here."

Ronon looked away, fixing his eyes on some invisible point down the corridor. "I've heard the others say the commander of this ship doesn't like you."

"Uh." John stared at him. The corridor was currently empty, but this wasn't a good place for this conversation, or to explain John and Caldwell's personal issues. And John wasn't thrilled to realize there were rumors about it. "That's kind of complicated. But it's not like-It doesn't mean you have to stand guard here. It doesn't work like that, with us."

Ronon shrugged a little. "I don't mind." He looked down at John finally, and he looked tired and young. "Even if you don't think there's a need."

"Look, just find somewhere to get some rest." This was a little too complicated for John to deal with right now, and he wasn't going to stand here and argue with Ronon until somebody overheard them. "We'll talk about it later, okay?"

Ronon shrugged again. Deciding to take that for an assent, John went down the corridor. He found his treatment room, and started the lengthy process of climbing back onto the narrow bed.

Rodney came in, dropping into the only chair and opening his laptop. He said briskly, "Carson wants a full debrief on the Eidolon when you're all more conscious."

"We don't have that much information." John eased down, propping his knee back up on the pillows. Yeah, this was a much better place to be. He had forgotten to hang the IV bag on the stand, and it was too much trouble to do it now, so he just left it on his chest.

Rodney huffed in annoyance, got up, hung the IV bag back on the hook, then sat down again. "I think he thinks that there's some kind of clue there for a weapon against the Wraith."

"Weapon?" John frowned at the metal ceiling. "Like what?"

"Something chemical, that stops them from being able to feed." Rodney made a vague gesture, frowning at the laptop's screen. "I have no idea. I don't listen to his medical babble."

"Yeah, but the Eidolon had been looking for that for years," John pointed out. "Centuries. And their technology was pretty good."

"Whatever. It's an area that needs further research anyway," Rodney said, or something like that. John was already falling asleep again.