Part 3
Aiden Ford was angry, at who he couldn’t really tell, but there was still a part of him that knew and understood what he was doing was wrong. After visiting the colonel he’d raced wildly along the path at the end of the compound and didn’t stop until he reached the cave where he’d found refuge after escaping the wraith ship. Here he was able to think, to plan, and finally make his stand for his new beliefs, but now there were doubts and that fueled the anger inside him. John Sheppard had done everything he could to help him and from the stories he’d heard from McKay and Teyla, the colonel had tried to find him from the very beginning when he’d fallen into the water with the wraith still feeding on him. He’d gone to see Sheppard truly expecting to hate the man for everything he’d done, but the colonel had found a way to get through the tough exterior he’d built around himself since escaping from the hive ship.
That was another reason he agreed to join Kolya. Sheppard had left him behind and the code said ‘you never leave a man behind’. Yet, he wasn’t really a man anymore was he? After all he had the wraith enzyme coursing through his veins now and didn’t that make him a hybrid? Wasn’t he part human and part wraith or was he something completely different? He was unique and alone because there was no one else like him. Not even the people he’d injected with the enzyme had the initial contact through a wraith and they were all dead as far as he knew.
Colonel John Sheppard had always made him think, but there were times when thinking was dangerous and got a man in trouble. He’d been so damn sure that combining forces with Kolya and Michael had been the right thing to do to get what he wanted. The problem now was he’d made the mistake of letting Sheppard get under his skin. The man had said just what he needed to in order to put the doubts in his mind once more.
Ford slammed his fist into the wall and looked at his hand. There were several abrasions that healed quickly and left nothing to show that he’d taken out his anger and frustration on the wall. Didn’t this prove he was superior to the people on Atlantis? Wasn’t he better and stronger than Kolya and Michael? Shouldn’t he be the one to decide how they took what they wanted?
‘Aiden, we…you and I are friends…I know you’re not in control right now, but you will be and someday you’ll be that Aiden Ford again…the one I’m proud to call friend…’ The words echoed and re-echoed through his mind and Aiden Ford could not get the battered face of the man who’d uttered them out of his mind.
“Damn you, Sheppard, I could snap your neck like a twig! I don’t need this! I don’t need Atlantis! I don’t need you!” With each sentence he slammed his fists into the wall until they looked like raw hamburger meat, and then watched them heal in less than a minute.
“I am superior,” Ford thought and turned to leave the cave. He knew what he had to do and he damn well do it soon before Sheppard managed to shake his beliefs even further. He made his way back to the compound, but kept to the shadows in case any of the others were watching. The cave was his hideaway and no one else was allowed inside it. He would kill them if they made the mistake of stepping inside.
SGASGASGASGASGASGA
Elizabeth Weir was tired and worried. There’d been nothing new concerning John Sheppard’s disappearance and she already initiated the safety protocols he’d put in place. That included changing the codes that activated many of Atlantis’ defense mechanisms and weapons. She rubbed at tired eyes and leaned her face into her hands as she shrugged off the bone deep weariness that had been present since Sheppard disappearance and the knowledge that he was in the hands of a megalomaniac.
Kolya had overstepped the bonds of decency when he’d allowed a wraith to feed on Colonel John Sheppard. They’d thought Sheppard was lost to them, but they’d discovered something new about the wraith during the encounter. The wraith may have fed on Sheppard, but they’d banded together and worked to escape Kolya. In the end the wraith had given John back the years he’d taken from him. Elizabeth still smiled when she heard the story of McKay’s stammered surprise about Sheppard looking younger than he did before. The wraith had told them the gift of life was reserved for the most devout or a brother. It was something of an honor no matter how you looked at it and she was grateful to the wraith for giving them back their friend and military commander.
Weir looked up from the laptop as she heard the excited voice of Rodney McKay before he had the door partly open. There was no doubt that the doctor had something on his mind, something he wanted to speak with her about and she leaned back in her chair, unable to keep the half smile form her face.
“Elizabeth, we need to talk…”
“I figured as much. What’s got you running around when I know Carson wanted you resting…”
“Yes…yes…I know, but I had a visitor,” McKay suddenly realized there had been no alarm when Lo’ra’tek had appeared in his quarters and his eyes narrowed while his mouth set in a grim line. “That is strange…”
“What is?”
“The alarms didn’t go off. I thought the Ancients had knowledge of all beings…but that’s not important right now, Elizabeth. I know where Colonel Sheppard is and we need to start a rescue mission ASAP,” McKay told her and placed his laptop next to hers.
“How, Rodney?”
“What?” McKay asked impatiently.
“How do you know where Colonel Sheppard is?”
“Oh, Lo’ra’tek told me…”
“Who is Lo’ra’tek?” Weir asked.
“How should I know…I only met him for a few minutes, but he knew where Sheppard is and Elizabeth it’s not just Kolya we have to worry about…”
“What do you mean?” Weir asked, signaling for the newcomer to enter.
Ronan had seen McKay practically racing along the hallway and after a few seconds of indecision decided to follow him. “Did something happen?”
“You could say that,” Weir answered and nodded for McKay to continue.
“Kolya had help in kidnapping Colonel Sheppard…Ford and Michael are with him,” McKay dropped the bombshell and watched the disbelief turn to horror on their faces.
“Michael swore he’d find a way to pay us back,” Weir said.
“I thought Ford died in the hive ship?” Dex asked.
“We all did, but Aiden seems to have more lives than the proverbial cat,” McKay observed.
“Why would Ford join forces with Kolya and Michael?” Weir asked, standing and pacing the confines of her office worriedly. “Ford and Colonel Sheppard were friends and I can’t believe his condition has degraded so much that he’d do something like this.”
“Elizabeth,” Rodney said softly and waited for her to stop pacing. “The last time we had any dealings with Ford he was trying to make Ronan, Teyla and I like him. Remember the enzymes?”
“How could I forget,” Weir said, remembering how the enzyme had given members of Sheppard’s team near super human strength. It had taken some time for them to return to normal and she hoped there would be no residual effects. Beckett had assured them there was no sign of whatever it was Ford had given them in their food, but sometimes things had a way of coming back to bite you when you least expected it.
“Anyway, Lo’ra’tek…”
“Who?” Dex asked.
“A visitor…look, I’ll explain it in laymen’s terms later, but right now we need to figure out a way to rescue Sheppard,” McKay snapped impatiently. “Lo’ra’tek told me there’s a gate…”
“Then what are we waiting for?”
“Easy, Ronan, let him finish,” Weir warned.
“Thank you, Elizabeth,” McKay said, yet he understood the Ronan’s impatience, the truth was he was just as anxious to get a rescue operation underway. There is a gate on the planet, but Lo’ra’tek said it doesn’t always work properly because of the gaseous atmosphere or some such. He advised me that we’d be better off gating to the nearest planet and completing the journey to this planet by whatever means necessary. I figured we could use a Puddle Jumper.”
“Rodney, what if this is a trap?” Weir asked.
“No, at least I don’t think so. Look, Elizabeth, I trust Lo’ra’tek and I believe he’s sincere.”
“For Sheppard’s sake you’d better be right,” Dex warned.
“Don’t you think I know that, Ronan, I don’t do things simply on a whim, but there’s been nothing and Lo’ra’tek warned me we’d better hurry because Sheppard’s hurt…again,” McKay added, but there was no disdain in his voice. His worry for John Sheppard was real, and he didn’t give a damn whether his emotions were out in the open.
“Rodney, did he say what Kolya and the others were doing to Sheppard?” Weir asked.
“No, but he said we had to hurry, Elizabeth,” the Canadian told her. “We need to mount a rescue operation…”
“We will, but we need to get Major Lorne here before we decide who goes…”
“I’m going,” came from two men at once and Elizabeth Weir knew there was no way that she could stop them, short of having Carson Beckett knock the two men out, and that was out of the question right now.
SGASGASGASGASGA
Kolya had seen Ford’s wild eyed stare as he’d exited Sheppard’s cell with a bemused expression. There was no doubt in his mind that the Colonel had been able to get to Ford, but it didn’t really matter because when all was said and done both Ford and Michael would be dead. He hadn’t really decided about Sheppard just yet. There was something about the man that spoke of the Ancients and he was beginning to believe the colonel was leading a ‘charmed’ life because of the strength of the special gene he’d been born with.
The former Genii commander heard movement behind him and knew instinctively who it was. Michael had tried to hide some things form him, some important things that would later be his downfall. He knew of the wraith’s inability to feed on humans and sooner or later the rest of his followers would succumb to the same ‘illness’. Kolya knew it had something to do with Carson Beckett’s recessive gene therapy and had finally admitted that the man really was brilliant and would someday figure out a way to change the wraith permanently. If it was left up to him he’d see that the wraith was annihilated along with any other creatures that threatened the Genii home world.
Perhaps he could get rid of two problems at once now that Sheppard was in his hands. He still had followers in the Genii military and perhaps it was time to contact them and ask for their help. If he played his hand properly, Michael and Ford could very well kill each other. Neither ‘man’ had any liking for his counterpart in spite of the similarities with the use of the wraith enzyme. If one or the other survived then Kolya would deal with him, but for now it was time to find out just how far Michael was willing to go where Ford was concerned.
“Kolya, we need to speed things up or we will miss the opportunity to take Atlantis by surprise,”
“As we shall, Michael, but we may have a problem,” Kolya warned.
“What kind of problem?” the wraith asked.
“Ford went to see Sheppard alone and took off. I’m not sure, but I believe Ford is having second thoughts about what we’re doing.”
“Ford hates the people of Atlantis almost as much as I do,” Michael told him.
“Does he…really hate them I mean,” Kolya asked, turning away and striding purposefully across the compound before coming to a stop in front of the colonel’s cell. “Ford may have been changed by his close encounter with your kind, but does that mean he’s turned his back on everything he’s known and believed in for most of his life? Sheppard can be quite diplomatic when he needs to be and if anyone can sway Ford it’s his mentor. I believe it is time to cut our ties with Ford.”
“Won’t we need him once we reach Atlantis?”
“Why? Now that we have Sheppard anything Ford could have done is a moot point,” Kolya told him.
“Where is Ford now?”
“I’m not sure…I saw him take the path leading north, but there are several trails that branch off from there,” Kolya explained, and watched as the wraith signaled for several others to follow him. Things were looking up, but he had yet to get what he really wanted form Colonel John Sheppard…who was nothing more than a means to an end. He needed to get Ladon Radim to listen and John Sheppard could give him an inside edge. The Wraith and Ford had been needed to help him get Sheppard, and he’d allowed them both to think they were getting what they wanted, but that was about to change.
Kolya reached for the keyboard and pressed the buttons that would disengage the locking mechanism and entered Sheppard’s cell. The man was on his left side, curled up in a fetal position, with his eyes clenched tightly and the odor of sweat, blood, and vomit permeating the air around him. “Colonel, you and I have something to talk about!”
SGASGASGASGASGASGA
Aiden Ford stared at the spot where Kolya had been standing less than a minute ago. He’d fought back the emotions John Sheppard had evoked in him and had made it to the compound just as Kolya and Michael started talking. He’d overheard everything and had leaned heavily against the wall as Michael and his followers headed down the path he’d used earlier. He knew they would not find tha cave because he’d made sure he hid the entrance and obliterated any sign that he’d been there.
Aiden know now that his decision to help Kolya had been the wrong one, but how could he change that now? How could he help Sheppard if Kolya and Michael had him under constant guard? He reached up and removed the baseball cap and looked at the logo and knew he would do everything in his power to free Sheppard.
“You wish to help him?”
Ford jumped as if he was a kid caught with his fingers in the cookie jar and turned to find one of the little beings standing in front of him. He hadn’t really spoken to them and didn’t really have a wish to, but this one seemed to be reading his mind. “What’d you just say?”
“I asked if you wished to help him. Colonel Sheppard is dying and I am afraid the others will arrive too late to help him, but you…you can help keep him safe until they arrive.”
“Who arrives?” Ford asked, fighting the insanity threatening to engulf his mind once more. He knew he needed to get to the enzyme stash he’d placed in his quarters, but right now Sheppard was more important than his own cravings.
“The one named McKay…”
“Dr. McKay is coming here? How? When?”
“I went to see him…he is worried about Colonel Sheppard and has promised to bring help, but they cannot use the Stargate…it is not safe for them.”
“It’ll take them a couple of hours to come up with a viable plan and even longer since they have to use a puddle jumper to get through the nearest Stargate…how did you get to Atlantis?”
“We are a race that has been able to harness the energy barriers and displace time, thus giving us the ability to travel anywhere any time in the blink of an eye .This is something we cannot teach you, but I assure you someday your people will be able to do this as if it was a part of every day routine,” Lo’ra’tek told him and watched as the man’s face screwed up as if he was experiencing excruciating pain. “Are you all right?”
“Not really, but I’m in better shape than Sheppard. Look, it’ll be dark soon and I’ll be able to get Sheppard out of here easier once the others are sleeping. Kolya’s in there with him now…”
“There is no point in interfering…if we can help you with Sheppard’s rescue just ask,” Lo’ra’tek told him.
“I will….I know a safe place where we can hole up until McKay gets here,” Ford said and turned away as a sharp cry of pain emanated from Sheppard’s cell. He had no idea what Kolya was doing to the colonel, but he understood it wasn’t something good. Ford raced out of the compound and hurried toward his cave, fighting his body’s craving for the enzyme because right now his mind was clear and he knew exactly what he had to do. ‘I won’t leave you behind, Colonel, that’s a promise I intend to keep,’ Ford thought, seeing things clearly as the enzyme’s hold on his mind lessened with the passing of each minute.
SGASGASGASGASGA
“Now, Colonel, you and I have a unique understanding of each other and you know I will carry out my threat if you do not tell me the codes for Atlantis’ security system,” Kolya repeated, striking Sheppard openhandedly across the right cheek and striking his head against the hard wall.
“They w…won’t do y…you any g…good…”
Sheppard’s voice was weak, but there was a strength to this man that Kolya admired and he wondered if they could have been friends if they’d met under different circumstances. Right now time was running out, and the window of opportunity was fast approaching, making it imperative that he get the codes and gather his forces. Michael and his followers were unlike the other wraith because of Beckett’s recessive gene therapy, but they were still wraith and therefore untrustworthy. He’d used them to get what he wanted and now they, like Ford were unnecessary. “Then what harm would it be to give them to me? Who would know Colonel?”
“I would,” Sheppard whispered. His body felt as if it was on fire and he knew there was a fever raging inside him, probably caused by the Traxians, but he was no doctor and was only guessing. The wounds burned and were swollen, giving of a noxious odor that made his stomach churn, and he knew Beckett would be incensed when…if he ever got back to Atlantis.
“Colonel, I get that you are a proud man, but what good is pride when you’re dead? I’m sure you’re friends on Atlantis respect and admire you, but they’d also tell you keeping the codes from me was a stupid…”
“Go to h…hell, Kolya!” Sheppard spat and cried out when the former Genii commander pulled him to his feet and threw him across the room. He landed hard against the wall and slid bonelessly to the floor, but would not bow down to the other man, instead he used every ounce of strength he had to climb onto his knees and haul himself to a standing position. He stared at Kolya, a hint of a defiant smile on his face as he worked to find his voice. “Is that all you got, Kolya, ‘cause my eighty year old grandmother packs more of a punch…”
“Insults, Colonel…I’m afraid they don’t mean a damn thing to me,” Kolya said and advanced on the other man. He knew Sheppard had no idea what the codes could do in the proper hands, but time was running out for him and he needed those codes now. There were things about Atlantis that Sheppard and the others didn’t know, including another way into the high tech system if he had the codes, any codes as long as they’d been used at some point in time. He really didn’t want to kill Sheppard, but it was beginning to look like he wouldn’t have a choice.
John watched Kolya through blurred eyes and managed to duck out of his way when the man lunged for him. His movements were slow and he knew it was only a matter of time before Kolya caught him. He feigned left, but moved to the right and kicked out at the other man’s knee, somewhat surprised when he actually made contact with enough force to make the man stagger. Unfortunately, Kolya recovered quickly and stood with a slight grin on his face.
“Not bad, Colonel, but you must realize you are at a disadvantage,” Kolya told him, amazed that the SGA colonel was able to stand, let alone try and attack him. “You know, Colonel, you and I are a lot alike…brothers in a way and we should work together…”
“Not a chance, Kolya,” Sheppard vowed and readied himself for the attack he knew was forthcoming as Kolya’s face lit up with impatient anger.
“I should have taken McKay…”
“Rodney wouldn’t give them to you either…he may talk, but he’d make damn sure none of it made sense to you,” Sheppard said and tried to move as the former Genii commander reached for him. John thought he’d made it, but Kolya was fast and healthy, while he had been tortured and was showing the effects of his wounds. Kolya grabbed him and struck him several times in the abdomen before throwing him onto the cot. John felt darkness reach for him and surrendered to it even as Kolya finally bellowed his frustration and stormed from the cell.
SGASGASGASGASGA
Michael knew wherever Ford was holed up there would be no finding him until he was ready to be found. They’d searched the trails leading out of the compound, but had found nothing that would tell them where he was gone. When they’d come up empty he’d ordered the others back to the compound just as Kolya was exiting Sheppard’s cell and he wondered what the Genii male had been up to while they were gone. Did he have the codes? Did Sheppard talk or had he proven as stubborn as always? Somehow he doubted Kolya would share the information with him if Sheppard had answered his questions.
Michael regretted working with Kolya even more than he did Ford and knew Kolya would be the one to betray them if he got what he wanted. Ford could be controlled; all he had to do was keep the enzyme away from the hybrid.
“What are you going to do about Kolya?” Jacob asked. He and the others had been with Michael since they’d escaped the planet Weir and her people had stranded them on. There was a fierce hatred for the people of Atlantis, but there was also the need to survive and sometimes that mean doing things they didn’t like.
“Kill him when he outlives his usefulness,” Michael answered.
“Do you think Sheppard told him anything?”
“Sheppard is stubborn…I don’t believe he’ll give us the answers we need. It may be necessary to use him to bring some ‘pure’ wraiths here and get them to force the information out of him,” Michael explained. His own kind had turned their back on him and would probably feed on him if they could, but something had changed in his body. It was no longer possible for him to feed off humans or other wraiths, and vice versa.
“That could be dangerous if they found out what we’re after,” Jacob told him.
“I know…but it may become necessary to fulfill our needs,” Michael said and watched the smaller creatures moving around the compound. There was something about them that bothered him, but he could not quite get a read on them and right now they were necessary to keep the area surrounding the compound from being over run by the gaseous atmosphere.
“Perhaps we should take Sheppard and leave,” Jacob suggested.
“Perhaps…we shall see,” Michael agreed and made his way toward the entrance to the lower level. He knew it was time to feed, and once they were finished perhaps he would take Sheppard and leave Kolya and Ford to fight it out between themselves.
SGASGASGASGASGA
Carson Beckett checked the supplies he’d loaded aboard the Puddle Jumper and still felt as if he needed more. John Sheppard was injured, there was no doubt of that, but how badly he really didn’t know. From what Lo’ra’tek had told McKay, the colonel was in desperate need of medical attention, but it would take them several hours to reach the planet. That was another thing that mystified him, how could they find the planet if it wasn’t always visible? It didn’t really matter because he was needed and God help him he’d do anything in his power to make sure Sheppard lived to see Kolya, Michael, and Ford taken down a peg or two.
“Carson, bring him back,” Weir said as she watched the CMO secure the last of his supplies.
“I’ll do my best, Elizabeth,” Beckett vowed. He knew Weir had been against his going on this mission, but he’d convinced her he would be needed if things were even half as bad as they suspected. They’d all seen what Kolya had done to Sheppard the last time, but the wraith had managed to reverse the effects without any residual affects. This time it was different because no wraith was feeding off the colonel and therefore no ‘brother’ would be there to give him the gift of life.
“All right, Carson, are you ready?” McKay asked, hoping no on could see how much pain he was in. Running around Atlantis was not doing his injured ribs any good, but if he said anything Beckett would have him tossed into bed and strapped down if need be.
“Rodney, you should be taking it easy…”
“I will, Carson…all I’ll be doing is sitting in that seat. Major Lorne will be flying the Puddle Jumper,” McKay answered, aware of Elizabeth watching his every move, and was relieved when Ronan joined them and diverted everyone’s attention from him. He stepped into the Puddle Jumper and made his way to the co-pilot’s seat and lowered himself into it while Lorne took the main seat. “I’ve programmed in the coordinates so once we go through the gate we’ll be able to head straight to the planet.”
“I hear you, Dr. McKay,” Lorne said and silently prayed they’d be bringing Sheppard back with them.
SGASGASGASGASGASGA
Lo’ra’tek knew the time for action was fast approaching as darkness surrounded them, bringing with it the frigid temperatures that marked the night. He knew Ford would be acting on his plan soon and had already initiated a plan that would help him succeed in getting Sheppard away from Kolya and Michael. He’d watched the wraith hybrids guarding Sheppard and knew it would be hard to get them away from the cell, but his people had long ago discovered ways to make even the wraith think nothing had changed. It was simply a matter of using what the humans termed telepathic powers, similar to the wraith’s ability to make every see things that were not there. There were several of his own kind ready to do just that as soon as Ford made an appearance.
SGASGASGASGASGASGA
Aiden Ford fought the nausea and pain that attacked his body, leaving him soaked in perspiration as his body cried out for the enzyme. He now understood what drug addicts went through and the withdrawal was killing him, but he had to fight it if he was going to help Sheppard. He would need to keep his wits about him and the enzyme took that away from him. ‘But it also takes away the pain,’ he thought and curled into a ball in one corner of the cave.
All he needed was a small amount of the enzyme and the pain would go away. “No…I can’t…I need…God,” he ground out through tightly clenched teeth and hauled himself up on his hands and knees. Ford knew he needed to move and that his best hope for getting Sheppard to safety lay in the shadowy darkness that now enveloped the land and sealed it in solitude. Aiden reached out and used the cave wall to get to his feet and stood fighting the urge to be sick. He swallowed several times and finally stepped outside the cave and listened for telltale signs that he was not alone.
Ford looked up at the sky so different from earth because of the lack of a moon and stars and felt saddened by the thought that he would never see his home or family again. He knew he was dying; there was no way to avoid it now that he refused the enzyme that sustained his life. Death’s shadow had fallen across his path, but he would not succumb to its call until he was sure Colonel John Sheppard was away from Kolya and Michael.
Aiden knew if he was caught they’d kill him, but what did that matter to a dying man? How long had it been since he’d thought about anything, but the enzyme and been able to do something to even feel remotely human again? Could he fight the craving long enough to help Sheppard? God, he hoped so and started toward the compound. He knew they probably knew he was missing and would have doubled the guard on Sheppard, but if the little guys were as good as he thought they’d be able to cause some form of diversion until he had Sheppard.
Ford moved along the path, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness until he was able to make out shapes. He knew exactly where he was in relation to the compound and the cave and could easily manage it with the changes in his eyesight. The problem was it meant stopping and allowing his eyes to make the adjustment. His heightened senses and strength meant he’d be able to carry Sheppard, but he knew it wouldn’t be long before those quirks would drain the last of his strength and he would die. Death didn’t scare him anymore and his eyes narrowed as he wondered what had brought on the change. How had his mind cleared enough to make sense of what the enzyme was doing to him? That question might never be answered, but Ford had a feeling it was something to do with Colonel John Sheppard and the friendship the man offered without asking anything in return.
Aiden saw the dark shapes of the buildings that made up the compound and gathered the courage and strength he needed to enter the clearing. He stayed to the shadows and spotted several of the little humanoids watching him. He hoped they would do what was necessary and wondered why he trusted them, but it was too late to think about changing his mind. He nodded to the one he’d spoken with earlier and received a signal he hoped meant things were clear.
PART 1 / PART 2 / PART 4 / PART 5 / PART 6 / PART 7 / PART 8
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