Fic post 1: Stargate Atlantis
Title: Delusions
Category: General
Rating: PG-13/R for language
Summary: Sheppard crammed himself tighter into the rock crevice and tried to convince himself that the big, ugly monster out there wasn’t real.
Disclaimer: nothing belongs to me and I make no profit off any of it.
Length: 5500-ish words
Delusions
betaed by piplover
P3X-492 - an hour and a half ago
This sucked. This sucked like a big sucky thing. Sheppard crammed himself tighter into the rock crevice and tried to convince himself that the big, ugly monster out there wasn’t real. McKay had told him it was just an hallucination, but it looked and sounded awfully real for a delusion.
“You sure you don’t see this thing, McKay?” he gasped as its snout brushed up against the rock near his shoulder.
“Trust me, Colonel, whatever you’re seeing, it isn’t really there.” McKay sounded certain, but then, he wasn’t actually in the cave with Sheppard and maybe he was wrong.
“Fuck!” A waft of hot, fetid air blew across Sheppard’s face as the creature swung its snout around, trying to reach the tempting morsel just out if its reach. He froze, barely breathing as he waited to see what would happen next.
He’d tried shooting the thing but his P-90 had jammed and the bullets from his 9 mm had done nothing but aggravate the creature. He still had his knife, but he thought that would be about as effective as the sidearm had been.
“Colonel Sheppard, listen to me. Can you hear me?” McKay’s voice crackled over the radio.
“Yeah, I can hear you,” he muttered.
“Good. Now, if you move forward about twenty yards, you’ll find another passage to your right, which should bring you to the surface.”
“Can’t do that, Rodney,” Sheppard responded tersely. “Big monster here, remember?”
“No, no, Colonel, it’s not real. I already explained this. You’re hallucinating because of a bad reaction to something in the food on this planet.”
Sheppard wanted to believe that, really he did. It was just that the creature in front of him seemed a little too real to be made up. As big as a T-rex but uglier, it seemed to be reptilian in nature, with a powerful body and sharp teeth that were mere centimeters from his face right now.
“Alright,” McKay sighed. “Just stay where you are, I’ll come get you.”
“Bad idea, McKay,” Sheppard said. “If it’s true that I’m hallucinating, how will I know it’s you? You might look like this bad boy’s mean old uncle to me. And if I’m not hallucinating, you can’t come down here because this thing will eat you as easily as you slurp down jello.” Sheppard paused, trying to think clearly. “Where are Teyla and Ronon?”
“They’ve gone back to the village. They’re going to try to get help.” McKay’s voice said clearly that he’d said all this before and wasn’t Sheppard paying any attention?
“Okay, okay, right, I remember you saying that before. Why didn’t you go with them? How could they leave you here unprotected?”
“Because the only danger to me here at the moment is boredom, Colonel. Do you have any idea how many times we’ve had this same conversation in the last few hours? You seem to be having some short term memory problems as well as the hallucinations.” McKay spoke acerbically but Sheppard could hear worry weaving through the words as well.
Taking a deep breath, Sheppard made a decision. “Alright, Rodney, I’m coming out.”
***
Mission briefing, Atlantis, two days ago
“Tell me about P3X-492, Teyla,” Dr. Weir said. She’d read the data file but wanted to hear from Teyla directly.
“I have never been there, myself,” Teyla began, “but my father told me of it. One of the last times he visited, they had been recently culled. While the population had not been entirely destroyed, it had been an exceptionally heavy culling. A few years later, my father returned and found the planet deserted, with no indications of what had happened to the survivors. It was only later that he learned of the plague which had nearly finished what the Wraith started. The few survivors moved to other worlds, hoping to start over. I have met a few of them on my travels.”
She took a sip of her coffee (strong and bitter, Elizabeth knew - strong enough to tan hides, she privately thought) before continuing. “Word has come to me recently that a number of these…refugees, I believe you would call them?... have returned to their home world.”
Rodney, already on his fourth cup of coffee for the day, fidgeted restlessly. “What sort of technology level are we talking about, here?” he asked, words flying from his mouth almost too rapidly to be understood.
Teyla looked at him flatly for a long moment before answering. “As I have said, I have never been to the planet myself. My father described their world as a rich source of fruits, with a lengthy growing cycle. I believe they were simple farmers, much like...” she hesitated for a moment before stiffening and continuing, “much like the Genii appeared to be.”
“Oh, great!” Rodney exclaimed, “another race of homicidal maniacs dressed like extras from Little House on the Prairie.”
“Rodney,” John growled warningly. Up until now he’d been quiet, lounging in his chair and giving every appearance of not paying any attention, although Weir had learned early on what a pose that was.
“What?” Rodney replied, looking undaunted. “Honestly, Colonel, do you really think these people are going to have anything worth trading?”
“Fresh foods, Rodney,” Weir answered, shooting the scientist a narrow-eyed gaze before John could say anything. “Even with the Daedalus making regular runs, I want us to have independent sources of food. Unless you like rationing?”
“Fine,” the scientist muttered, “but if there is little to no likelihood of finding any power sources, I think I should be excused from the mission. I have far more important things to do than waste my time on Planet Grub-in-the-dirt.”
“John?” Weir asked, waiting to see how he would respond to Rodney’s whining.
“No skin off my nose,” Sheppard drawled, although she could see the lie for what it was in the stiffening of his posture. “Hey, if he hadn’t come along with us to the Genii home world, we never would have found their secret base and we would probably be best friends with them by now.”
“Oh, that’s just great,” Rodney complained. “That’s a lovely image, Colonel, you and the Genii, holding hands and singing campfire songs while they plot ways to steal our weapons. I suppose I’d better come along, just to protect you from yourselves.”
Elizabeth looked around the table, searching the faces of each member of the team. Ronon had been quiet but looked eager to go. It was hard for him to stay in one place very long and he’d been cooped up in the city for nearly a week. Any mission, she knew, would seem better to him than spending another day here, twiddling his thumbs, or whatever Satedans did when they were bored. Teyla nodded slightly as she met Elizabeth’s eyes, calm and serene as ever. Rodney squirmed, flushing just slightly. John simply met her gaze, waiting for her decision.
“Very well, then, you have a go. Be prepared to leave at 0800 tomorrow morning.”
***
P3X-492 seven hours ago
The settlement was larger than Sheppard had expected from Teyla’s report, with children running underfoot, dogs yapping at the strangers and pigs rooting through the mud of the village ‘green.’ They had been met with caution, but upon learning that Teyla was the daughter of the Athosian Tagan, they had greeted her warmly and welcomed the team into their village.
“It has been many, many years since our people have traded with the Athosians,” the spokesman, who’d introduced himself as Davos, said. “We are pleased to welcome you back to Amanosa.
They had spent the next two days getting to know one another and working out the details of a trade agreement. Sheppard had done a lot of smiling and nodding, making nice with the friendly aliens who could provide them with food, and running interference whenever McKay got too acidic in his commentary about the village -- “Not bad for a third-world disease factory,” -- the people -- “Charming; simplistic people who wouldn’t know a ZPM if one came up and hit them over the head,” -- the food -- “You seriously expect me to eat that?” -- and the pigs -- “Lovely, children and livestock playing together like one big happy family.”
Unfortunately, there were no unusual power readings or ancient ruins for McKay to go investigate so the scientist was bored and taking his frustration out on everyone who got within shouting distance. Sheppard finally had enough, shortly after the noon meal on the second day, and sent him back to the jumper to do some diagnostics.
“There’s nothing wrong with the jumper, Colonel,” McKay complained. “You’re just giving me make-work now.”
“I don’t care what you call it, McKay,” Sheppard answered with a note of warning in his voice. “Just do it. I want a complete diagnostic of all the operating systems by the time you return for the feast tonight.”
“Fine!” and McKay had stomped off, grumbling under his breath, hands gesturing in accompaniment to the unheard words. With a look, Sheppard sent Ronon after him. Everything seemed perfectly up and up here, but it wouldn’t do to let McKay get eaten by a wild pig or abducted by the local equivalent of the IRA, just because the man’s griping was endangering their negotiations.
Teyla had done good work these last two days and the Amanosians had invited them to a feast that evening, cementing their commitment to a mutually beneficial trade agreement between the two peoples. By mid afternoon everything had been hammered out -the Amanosians would trade fresh fruit, in season, in exchange for a periodic visiting health clinic. It was similar to agreements they had reached on several other worlds and seemed to work well.
It was still several hours before the feast was due to begin and Sheppard decided a walk would do him good. “I’m going to go see if Rodney’s settled down yet, or if Ronon was forced to stun him.”
“Very well,” Teyla said. “I will stay here and visit with Davos and his family. It will be enjoyable to speak with someone who remembers my father.”
“Keep your radio open. We’ll be back in an hour or so.” With that, Sheppard set off.
It was suspiciously quiet as he approached the jumper, and Sheppard put one hand on the butt of his 9 mm as he approached. “McKay? Ronon?” he whispered into his radio. There was a crackle and then Ronon’s voice in his ear, gruffly asking him what he wanted. With a grin of relief, Sheppard rounded the side of the jumper and peered into the open rear hatch. Ronon was standing at the top of the ramp, scowling, and behind him McKay was just barely visible. Putting one finger to his lips, Sheppard crept past the large Satedan and walked on silent feet to the front compartment, where Rodney was curled up in the pilot’s seat, snoring loudly .
“How’s that diagnostic going?” he asked, standing carefully just out of hand-flailing range.
McKay jumped completely out of the chair, hands - as predicted - flailing about in all directions. “Huh? Wha..? Oh, very funny, Colonel, give the genius a heart attack. Yes, I’m sure Elizabeth would be very amused by that.”
Sheppard grinned. “Relax, McKay, I came to see if you were ready to rejoin humanity. If you’re done napping, we have a party to get ready for.”
The feast turned out to be a true celebration of foods, with more dishes than any one person could possibly hope to sample without exploding messily all over the table. McKay and Ronon both made a fair attempt at it, though, plates piled high with a wide variety of meats, breads, vegetables and fruits.
***
Amanosian Village - three hours ago
Rodney, ever wary of things citrus, had been warned away from the fruit salad, which contained several suspicious looking items. The rest of the food was quite tasty however, with plenty of other fruit to choose from, and Rodney didn’t even complain about the possibility of dying a gruesome and painful death due to anaphylactic shock.
It was in the warm afterglow of the meal that he first noticed something was a bit off. They were seated around a fire pit, exchanging stories with their new friends and everyone was nicely relaxed, except for Colonel Sheppard, who kept waving his hands in front of his face, complaining about the bugs. It only gradually struck Rodney that there didn’t seem to actually be any bugs anywhere near them.
“What are you talking about, Colonel? Something in this fire must act like the perfect citronella candle, because there aren’t any bugs within a mile radius of this place.”
“Very funny, McKay,” Sheppard retorted, still waving his hands around. “Why don’t you tell that to the little glowy energy bugs that won’t leave me the hell alone!”
That was enough for Rodney to sit up and take notice. Now that he was looking, he could tell, even by firelight, that Sheppard’s eyes were slightly unfocused and the Colonel looked more on-edge than McKay could remember seeing him except in times of crisis.
Things happened very quickly after that. Observing the interaction between the two men, the villagers jumped up and surrounded Sheppard. Davos asked a few short questions and then turned to Teyla. “Your friend has been blessed by a visit from the spirits. It is a great honor. We must take him to the Sacred Cave now.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute.” McKay jumped up in alarm. “Just what do you mean, ‘blessed by a visit from the spirits?’ Sheppard, what the hell is going on here?”
“I am sorry,” Davos answered, over-riding a quiet murmur from Sheppard that McKay couldn’t quite hear. “We must go quickly, before your friend becomes incapacitated by the spirits.”
“I’m sorry, too, but that’s not acceptable.” Pushing through the villagers, McKay made his way to Sheppard’s side. The colonel was still sitting on the ground, staring into space, eyes tracking things Rodney couldn’t see. “We need to get you to Carson, Sheppard. I’m sure he’ll be able to figure out what’s wrong.”
“Is something wrong?” Sheppard asked, looking confused and vague.
“Aside from the fact that these nice people want to haul you off to some ‘sacred cave’ so you can have a vision quest? No, nothing at all.” He realized he was babbling and tried to calm down. Before he could say anything further, however, several of the villagers had hauled Sheppard to his feet and begun walking him away from the fire.
“Do not touch your weapons,” Davos ordered. “You are outnumbered and surrounded.”
Indeed, the villagers were all around them, pointing lethal looking projectile weapons at them. “I know you think we are ignorant savages, Dr. McKay, but we do know how to protect ourselves. Now,” he continued in a slightly friendlier tone, once Teyla, Ronon and Rodney had been relieved of their weapons, “we are not going to harm your Colonel Sheppard but it is crucial that we take him to the caves. You are welcome to come along, but you must not interfere. I will attempt to explain as we go.”
They were taken deep into the foothills that marched off towards distant mountains, escorted by what seemed to be the entire male population of the village. As they walked, Davos tried to make them understand the honor that had come to Colonel Sheppard. It seemed that on very rare occasions, and only when they had partaken of the Olexi fruit, the citrusy thing McKay had been warned away from during the feast, someone would begin hallucinating. Davos’ people believed it was a visit from the spirits, which would lead to a sort of vision quest - thingy. They hadn’t gone far before Sheppard, who had been muttering about Iratus bugs and slapping at his neck, started screaming and then passed out.
Two of the natives carried Sheppard the rest of the way. They were several miles from the village when Davos called a halt and led the two men carrying Sheppard away from the group. Ronon, Teyla and Rodney were restrained when they tried to follow. Ten minutes later, the men returned, without Sheppard.
“Your colonel has been lowered into the caves through the Eye,” Davos explained. “If he survives his experience with the spirits, he will make his way through the caves to an entrance located about a mile down the path. You may await him there, if you so choose.”
“Wait, wait. What do you mean, if he survives?” Rodney asked. “You didn’t say anything about him not surviving this.”
“The caves are uninhabited. There is no danger to your friend from external threats,” Davos spoke reassuringly, as if nothing was wrong. “ However, a small percentage of the people who are visited by the spirits become very ill and not all of them make it out of the caves. Only time will tell how it will go with your friend.”
“That is just not acceptable!” Rodney fumed. He would have continued but Teyla stopped him with a touch on his arm.
“If there is any chance the Colonel will become ill as a result of the fruit he ate, we must return him to his people immediately,” she said, speaking calmly despite the tension visible in her jaw. “They have doctors who will be able to treat him, but only if he reaches them in time.”
Davos refused to yield the issue. “No one enters the sacred cave who is not in communion with the spirits. It is against the will of the gods.”
They were led back down the path, guarded closely by armed villagers. They stopped at a turn-off Rodney hadn’t seen on the way up. After giving the Atlanteans a measuring look, Davos spoke. “I believe it would be best if only one of you were to await Colonel Sheppard at the cave mouth. The rest of you will return to the village with us.”
Teyla turned to McKay and Ronon. “I do not like this. It is not wise to separate, but we cannot leave the colonel alone out here.”
“I will stay,” Ronon announced. “I should be able to get past any guards they leave behind and gain entrance to the cave. I will bring Sheppard out.”
“I don’t think so, Conan,” Rodney retorted. “Even you might find it difficult to outfight an entire armed village, without a weapon. I’ll stay.” He felt vaguely queasy at the thought, but continued. “They didn’t strip Sheppard of his gear, so that means he still has his radio. I can at least talk to him, try to provide a voice of clarity if the hallucinations start to overwhelm him. If the scanner works, I can also help him find the right path out of the caves, and make sure they were telling the truth when they said nothing else lives out here.”
“Very well.” Teyla did not look pleased with this suggestion, but didn’t argue. “We will wait for you back in the village. If we can, we will alert Atlantis, but I do not know if they will give us access to the Stargate.”
“Fine, fine. Just…do your best.” Within minutes, Rodney found himself being escorted down the side trail by at least ten villagers. Oh yeah, he thought to himself, this is gonna be fun.
***
Sacred Cave -an hour ago
He’d told McKay he was coming out and he meant it, but first he had to screw up his courage to attempt to walk straight through this giant scaly T-rex lizard thing that was trying to eat him. “It’s not real,” he muttered to himself. “It’s only in my head.” Taking a deep breath, he pushed himself away from the rocks and stood up, weaving slightly. He had a phenomenal headache and everything was a bit blurry, except for the monster, which stood out in sharp, Technicolor detail. Waving his knife menacingly in front of him, he took one step and then another, trying not to limp on the ankle he had twisted somewhere along the line.
The lizard/T-rex thing backed up as Sheppard advanced, always staying just in front of him, snarling and slavering, but never quite attacking. He wondered vaguely how long he’d been down here, shivering in the cold dark, trying to elude monsters while searching for a way out. This creature wasn’t the first big bad he’d seen down here, but he couldn’t remember clearly what had happened with the previous ones. He seemed to have survived his encounters, thus allowing him to be in his current situation, and he didn’t seem too injured; aside from the sore ankle, and numerous painful but small cuts, scrapes and bruises covering most of his body, he had a headache that wouldn’t quit and limbs that didn’t want to obey him. Okay, so maybe not injured, but definitely not in the greatest shape ever.
He wondered where the others had got to, whether the beasties had eaten his friends. “McKay? Teyla? Ronon?” he called softly into his radio. He sheathed his knife and began moving along the passageway, P-90 at the ready, forgetting that it had jammed, forgetting the T-rex which disappeared as soon as his attention had been suitably distracted from it.
“I’m still here, Colonel.” McKay’s voice came over the radio, tinny and oh-so-welcome. “You’ve almost reached the turn-off. In another five yards or so, you’ll want to turn right.”
Oh, yeah, that’s right. McKay was outside the caves. “Um, yeah, there’s just one problem with that plan, McKay,” Sheppard muttered as he reached the junction. “The passage is blocked. By a spider. A really, really big spider.”
He stood, mesmerized by the light of his flashlight sparkling over the creature’s many faceted eyes. He thought he heard Rodney mutter something about goddam hallucinogenic lemons and the ignorant savages who ate them, and wondered vaguely what the scientist was on about, but pushed the thought away as he tried to figure out how to deal with the giant spider that was now slowly advancing on him.
“Easy now, Shelob,” he said, swinging his P-90 up. “You go your way and I’ll go mine. No one needs to get hurt.” Sweat was dripping into his eyes and he wondered when it had become so hot. Now was not the best time to be blinded by his own perspiration. Crap. Raising his left arm, he blotted his forehead and squinted, looking for a way around the spider, cursing the fuzziness of his vision.
“McKay, I’m gonna need another route, here. Can you help me out?”
“Colonel, I’m not picking up any life signs other than yours. It’s just another hallucination. There is no giant spider.” McKay’s voice was tight with frustration.
“McKay, you’re gonna have to get that scanner recalibrated or something, because there’s definitely a giant spider here in the tunnel with me. I can see her, smell her, hell I can practically taste her, and if you think that’s an appetizing thing to taste on the air, let me tell ya, it ain’t.”
“We’ve been through this before, Sheppard,” McKay replied snippily. “You’re having hallucinations of big, ugly monsters that are trying to eat you. None of them are real and once you move past them, they disappear. Now, if you think you can wrap your tiny little brain around that concept for once, just walk straight ahead and you’ll pass right through Shelob or whatever the hell your subconscious has summoned up this time.”
There was muttering again over the radio; this time McKay seemed to be debating the point of doing research on his subconscious fears, as they seemed to consist of the most unlikely things. Sheppard didn’t know what the hell he was talking about. “I think you should see Dr. Beckett when we get back home,” he said, backing away from the spider. “Clearly you’re having a psychotic break, here. It’s understandable, Rodney, the pressure gets to us all occasionally, but this isn’t really the best time for it.”
He broke off when the spider lunged at him, finding his back pressed up against the far wall of the underground tunnel. “Uh, McKay, any special tricks you know to get giant spiders to go away?”
“Gee, I don’t know, Colonel, maybe your T-rex will come back and gobble it up.”
“Not helping, Rodney.” Sheppard fired his P-90 and cursed when it failed to do anything other than click in an entirely non-menacing way. “Damn thing’s jammed!” he shouted, dropping it and pulling his 9 mm from his thigh holster; it was empty. “Fuck! Reload, reload.” Feverishly searching his pockets for an extra clip that had been used several delusions ago, he sidled along the side of the tunnel, trying to emit bad-taste vibes. “That’s right, Shelob, you don’t want to eat me, I don’t taste very good. Too damn skinny, not enough meat on my bones. You want someone nice and fat, like the Biggest Billy Goat Gruff. If you’re patient, I’m sure he’ll be along any minute now.”
“Colonel Sheppard, are you there?” A new voice was hailing him over the radio, catching his attention.
“Doctor Beckett? Are you lost in the caves too? Dammit! McKay, I’m gonna have to go back and find Carson.”
“No, no, lad. I’m not in the caves, I’m out here with Major Lorne. Just sit tight, Colonel, Rodney, Teyla and Ronon are on their way in to get you.”
Something seemed wrong with that scenario, but Sheppard was too tired to think it through. His legs felt rubbery and he slid to the ground, trying not to take his eyes off the spider slowly approaching. His knife was in his hand and he would make the creature pay dearly if it got too close, but he had no illusions that he could defeat it single-handedly, as weak as he was suddenly feeling.
The fear crept up his back as the spider closed in on him, threatening to strangle him. His training had failed him, his teammates had failed him, and all he could do was cower against the rocks and scream and scream and scream.
***
Amanosian Village - forty-five minutes ago
Ronon paced restlessly around the perimeter of the small hut they had been led to. Despite all her attempts to reason with the Amanosians, they had been refused permission to contact Atlantis through the Stargate. What the villagers had not counted on, however, was Dr. Weir’s tendency to worry about teams that didn’t report in on time. They had been waiting in the camp for no more than an hour when Teyla’s radio clicked and Weir’s voice came through the headset.
“We have encountered a - difficulty,” Teyla explained. “Colonel Sheppard has ingested something which is causing him to hallucinate. The villagers have removed him to a distant cave and will not allow us to help him.”
“Understood,” Elizabeth answered grimly. “Help will be there as soon as Major Lorne and Dr. Beckett are ready to go.”
It was no more than ten minutes before two puddlejumpers came through the gate and landed in the middle of the village, spilling armed men out into the night. The villagers took one look at the grim expressions on the soldiers’ faces and dropped their weapons. Apparently they weren’t willing to give up their lives for a stranger’s vision quest. Teyla and Ronon quickly retrieved their gear and boarded a jumper, guiding it towards the cave and their missing teammates.
***
Sacred cave - present time
They could hear his screams echoing down the tunnel, confirming that they were heading in the proper direction.
“Colonel, tell me what’s happening,” McKay shouted, exchanging looks with Teyla and Ronon. What if they had been wrong and there really was something down here with Sheppard?
“McKay,” Sheppard’s voice was a hoarse whisper. “Get out. Get out while you still can. They’re everywhere.”
“Who is everywhere? Colonel Sheppard, you must tell us what is happening.” Teyla sounded calm, but Rodney could see the worry in every line of her body. She was clearly restraining herself from running blindly down the passage.
“The Wraith,” Sheppard whispered hopelessly. “We must have stumbled on a hive ship. There’s hundreds of them. No way out this time. You need to go while you still can.”
Rodney looked to Teyla but she shook her head. “I am not sensing a wraith presence. Colonel, they are just shadows. You are seeing things that are not really there.”
Sheppard’s reply was a harsh laugh. “They’re all around me, Teyla. I can see them.”
There was a light ahead of them now, faint, but close. Another few steps and they had reached an intersection. Sheppard was slumped against the far wall, just a few yards away and to the right, the flashlight from his P-90 providing the dim illumination. He held his knife in one hand and waved it menacingly around, looking wildly in all directions.
“Sheppard, we’re here. There are no Wraith. Put your knife down and let us approach.” McKay tried to keep his voice steady and calm, not wanting to frighten the Colonel any more than he already was.
“Nice try,” Sheppard snarled, “but you look a little too pale even for Rodney.” He was looking at them, or rather right through them, and grinning. “Come on, then. Let’s finish this, now. I’m started to get bored with all the mind games you’re playing. You want to feed, then feed. But I warn you, I’m an expensive date.”
“Of all the dumb, stupid hero things to say,” McKay complained. “Put him out of his misery, Ronon.”
“With pleasure,” the Satedan answered, although he looked far more disturbed than McKay could remember seeing him before.
It only took one shot to stun Sheppard. Approaching cautiously, they quickly disarmed him and Ronon slung the unconscious man over his shoulder. Moving quickly, they hurried back to the cave entrance, where Dr. Beckett and a jumper waited for them.
***
Epilogue - Atlantis infirmary, the next day
“It was a rough night, and no mistake,” Carson said to the small gathering in front of him. Elizabeth, Teyla, Ronon and Rodney had all converged on the infirmary first thing in the morning, to check on the Colonel. “I’ve analyzed the samples we brought back from the planet. It turns out the fruit Colonel Sheppard ate contains a trace element that can have a strong psychotropic effect.”
“What about Ronon and Teyla?” Elizabeth asked. “According to their reports, they both ate the fruit as well.”
“Aye, and I’ve run a number of tests on Teyla and Ronon but they weren’t affected by it at all. I don’t really know why. Incidentally, you may be interested to know, Rodney,” he added, “that the fruit doesn’t in fact have any citrus in it’s makeup.”
“Gee, thanks. I’ll run right out and eat some,” McKay replied, barely bothering to put any venom in his tone.
“Without more tests I can’t say if it would affect everyone from Earth the same way it affected the Colonel or if it was more of an allergic reaction on Sheppard’s part,” Carson continued. “Either way, he’s come through the worst of it now. His fever broke about four this morning and he’s sleeping off the effects. I’ll want to keep him under observation for a day or so, but he should be feeling pretty much normal when he wakes up.”
Normal was a relative term, Sheppard decided a few hours later. He wasn’t hallucinating anymore. But he felt like he’d been run over by a puddlejumper. He’d slept until nearly noon, and he felt like he could easily sleep the rest of the day, as well. The idea was so tempting, in fact, that he allowed his eyes to close and his head to loll against the pillow.
“Uh, uh, no sleeping until you’ve eaten. Doctor’s orders.”
“Go away, McKay,” he muttered tiredly, not ready to face his friend just yet. He didn’t really remember the events of the previous evening very clearly, but he was pretty sure some fairly embarrassing stuff had happened.
“Nope. I’m afraid you’re stuck with me,” McKay answered cheerfully.
Sighing in defeat, Sheppard opened his eyes. The food on the tray Rodney had left at his side did look tempting, he had to admit. “Go ahead, McKay, tell me the worst.” Might as well let the scientist crow and get it over with.
“Oh, you mean the part where you screamed like a girl and then fainted?” McKay asked gleefully, as he pinched a roll off Sheppard’s tray, “or the part where you screamed like a girl and Ronon had to stun you?”
“This isn’t going to get old any time soon, is it?” Sheppard asked as he pulled the tray closer to him. Might as well eat, now that he was awake.
“Trust me, Colonel, this may never get old,” Rodney grinned.
Yep, Sheppard thought. He started calculating how much chocolate and coffee he was going to have to smuggle into Atlantis to buy McKay’s silence. He sneaked a look at Rodney, chortling over the bread. Oh, yeah, a lot of chocolate and coffee.
end
Coming up in fic post 2: "The Luster of Snow, chapter 5" Maybe tonight, possibly not till tomorrow night.
Category: General
Rating: PG-13/R for language
Summary: Sheppard crammed himself tighter into the rock crevice and tried to convince himself that the big, ugly monster out there wasn’t real.
Disclaimer: nothing belongs to me and I make no profit off any of it.
Length: 5500-ish words
Delusions
betaed by piplover
P3X-492 - an hour and a half ago
This sucked. This sucked like a big sucky thing. Sheppard crammed himself tighter into the rock crevice and tried to convince himself that the big, ugly monster out there wasn’t real. McKay had told him it was just an hallucination, but it looked and sounded awfully real for a delusion.
“You sure you don’t see this thing, McKay?” he gasped as its snout brushed up against the rock near his shoulder.
“Trust me, Colonel, whatever you’re seeing, it isn’t really there.” McKay sounded certain, but then, he wasn’t actually in the cave with Sheppard and maybe he was wrong.
“Fuck!” A waft of hot, fetid air blew across Sheppard’s face as the creature swung its snout around, trying to reach the tempting morsel just out if its reach. He froze, barely breathing as he waited to see what would happen next.
He’d tried shooting the thing but his P-90 had jammed and the bullets from his 9 mm had done nothing but aggravate the creature. He still had his knife, but he thought that would be about as effective as the sidearm had been.
“Colonel Sheppard, listen to me. Can you hear me?” McKay’s voice crackled over the radio.
“Yeah, I can hear you,” he muttered.
“Good. Now, if you move forward about twenty yards, you’ll find another passage to your right, which should bring you to the surface.”
“Can’t do that, Rodney,” Sheppard responded tersely. “Big monster here, remember?”
“No, no, Colonel, it’s not real. I already explained this. You’re hallucinating because of a bad reaction to something in the food on this planet.”
Sheppard wanted to believe that, really he did. It was just that the creature in front of him seemed a little too real to be made up. As big as a T-rex but uglier, it seemed to be reptilian in nature, with a powerful body and sharp teeth that were mere centimeters from his face right now.
“Alright,” McKay sighed. “Just stay where you are, I’ll come get you.”
“Bad idea, McKay,” Sheppard said. “If it’s true that I’m hallucinating, how will I know it’s you? You might look like this bad boy’s mean old uncle to me. And if I’m not hallucinating, you can’t come down here because this thing will eat you as easily as you slurp down jello.” Sheppard paused, trying to think clearly. “Where are Teyla and Ronon?”
“They’ve gone back to the village. They’re going to try to get help.” McKay’s voice said clearly that he’d said all this before and wasn’t Sheppard paying any attention?
“Okay, okay, right, I remember you saying that before. Why didn’t you go with them? How could they leave you here unprotected?”
“Because the only danger to me here at the moment is boredom, Colonel. Do you have any idea how many times we’ve had this same conversation in the last few hours? You seem to be having some short term memory problems as well as the hallucinations.” McKay spoke acerbically but Sheppard could hear worry weaving through the words as well.
Taking a deep breath, Sheppard made a decision. “Alright, Rodney, I’m coming out.”
***
Mission briefing, Atlantis, two days ago
“Tell me about P3X-492, Teyla,” Dr. Weir said. She’d read the data file but wanted to hear from Teyla directly.
“I have never been there, myself,” Teyla began, “but my father told me of it. One of the last times he visited, they had been recently culled. While the population had not been entirely destroyed, it had been an exceptionally heavy culling. A few years later, my father returned and found the planet deserted, with no indications of what had happened to the survivors. It was only later that he learned of the plague which had nearly finished what the Wraith started. The few survivors moved to other worlds, hoping to start over. I have met a few of them on my travels.”
She took a sip of her coffee (strong and bitter, Elizabeth knew - strong enough to tan hides, she privately thought) before continuing. “Word has come to me recently that a number of these…refugees, I believe you would call them?... have returned to their home world.”
Rodney, already on his fourth cup of coffee for the day, fidgeted restlessly. “What sort of technology level are we talking about, here?” he asked, words flying from his mouth almost too rapidly to be understood.
Teyla looked at him flatly for a long moment before answering. “As I have said, I have never been to the planet myself. My father described their world as a rich source of fruits, with a lengthy growing cycle. I believe they were simple farmers, much like...” she hesitated for a moment before stiffening and continuing, “much like the Genii appeared to be.”
“Oh, great!” Rodney exclaimed, “another race of homicidal maniacs dressed like extras from Little House on the Prairie.”
“Rodney,” John growled warningly. Up until now he’d been quiet, lounging in his chair and giving every appearance of not paying any attention, although Weir had learned early on what a pose that was.
“What?” Rodney replied, looking undaunted. “Honestly, Colonel, do you really think these people are going to have anything worth trading?”
“Fresh foods, Rodney,” Weir answered, shooting the scientist a narrow-eyed gaze before John could say anything. “Even with the Daedalus making regular runs, I want us to have independent sources of food. Unless you like rationing?”
“Fine,” the scientist muttered, “but if there is little to no likelihood of finding any power sources, I think I should be excused from the mission. I have far more important things to do than waste my time on Planet Grub-in-the-dirt.”
“John?” Weir asked, waiting to see how he would respond to Rodney’s whining.
“No skin off my nose,” Sheppard drawled, although she could see the lie for what it was in the stiffening of his posture. “Hey, if he hadn’t come along with us to the Genii home world, we never would have found their secret base and we would probably be best friends with them by now.”
“Oh, that’s just great,” Rodney complained. “That’s a lovely image, Colonel, you and the Genii, holding hands and singing campfire songs while they plot ways to steal our weapons. I suppose I’d better come along, just to protect you from yourselves.”
Elizabeth looked around the table, searching the faces of each member of the team. Ronon had been quiet but looked eager to go. It was hard for him to stay in one place very long and he’d been cooped up in the city for nearly a week. Any mission, she knew, would seem better to him than spending another day here, twiddling his thumbs, or whatever Satedans did when they were bored. Teyla nodded slightly as she met Elizabeth’s eyes, calm and serene as ever. Rodney squirmed, flushing just slightly. John simply met her gaze, waiting for her decision.
“Very well, then, you have a go. Be prepared to leave at 0800 tomorrow morning.”
***
P3X-492 seven hours ago
The settlement was larger than Sheppard had expected from Teyla’s report, with children running underfoot, dogs yapping at the strangers and pigs rooting through the mud of the village ‘green.’ They had been met with caution, but upon learning that Teyla was the daughter of the Athosian Tagan, they had greeted her warmly and welcomed the team into their village.
“It has been many, many years since our people have traded with the Athosians,” the spokesman, who’d introduced himself as Davos, said. “We are pleased to welcome you back to Amanosa.
They had spent the next two days getting to know one another and working out the details of a trade agreement. Sheppard had done a lot of smiling and nodding, making nice with the friendly aliens who could provide them with food, and running interference whenever McKay got too acidic in his commentary about the village -- “Not bad for a third-world disease factory,” -- the people -- “Charming; simplistic people who wouldn’t know a ZPM if one came up and hit them over the head,” -- the food -- “You seriously expect me to eat that?” -- and the pigs -- “Lovely, children and livestock playing together like one big happy family.”
Unfortunately, there were no unusual power readings or ancient ruins for McKay to go investigate so the scientist was bored and taking his frustration out on everyone who got within shouting distance. Sheppard finally had enough, shortly after the noon meal on the second day, and sent him back to the jumper to do some diagnostics.
“There’s nothing wrong with the jumper, Colonel,” McKay complained. “You’re just giving me make-work now.”
“I don’t care what you call it, McKay,” Sheppard answered with a note of warning in his voice. “Just do it. I want a complete diagnostic of all the operating systems by the time you return for the feast tonight.”
“Fine!” and McKay had stomped off, grumbling under his breath, hands gesturing in accompaniment to the unheard words. With a look, Sheppard sent Ronon after him. Everything seemed perfectly up and up here, but it wouldn’t do to let McKay get eaten by a wild pig or abducted by the local equivalent of the IRA, just because the man’s griping was endangering their negotiations.
Teyla had done good work these last two days and the Amanosians had invited them to a feast that evening, cementing their commitment to a mutually beneficial trade agreement between the two peoples. By mid afternoon everything had been hammered out -the Amanosians would trade fresh fruit, in season, in exchange for a periodic visiting health clinic. It was similar to agreements they had reached on several other worlds and seemed to work well.
It was still several hours before the feast was due to begin and Sheppard decided a walk would do him good. “I’m going to go see if Rodney’s settled down yet, or if Ronon was forced to stun him.”
“Very well,” Teyla said. “I will stay here and visit with Davos and his family. It will be enjoyable to speak with someone who remembers my father.”
“Keep your radio open. We’ll be back in an hour or so.” With that, Sheppard set off.
It was suspiciously quiet as he approached the jumper, and Sheppard put one hand on the butt of his 9 mm as he approached. “McKay? Ronon?” he whispered into his radio. There was a crackle and then Ronon’s voice in his ear, gruffly asking him what he wanted. With a grin of relief, Sheppard rounded the side of the jumper and peered into the open rear hatch. Ronon was standing at the top of the ramp, scowling, and behind him McKay was just barely visible. Putting one finger to his lips, Sheppard crept past the large Satedan and walked on silent feet to the front compartment, where Rodney was curled up in the pilot’s seat, snoring loudly .
“How’s that diagnostic going?” he asked, standing carefully just out of hand-flailing range.
McKay jumped completely out of the chair, hands - as predicted - flailing about in all directions. “Huh? Wha..? Oh, very funny, Colonel, give the genius a heart attack. Yes, I’m sure Elizabeth would be very amused by that.”
Sheppard grinned. “Relax, McKay, I came to see if you were ready to rejoin humanity. If you’re done napping, we have a party to get ready for.”
The feast turned out to be a true celebration of foods, with more dishes than any one person could possibly hope to sample without exploding messily all over the table. McKay and Ronon both made a fair attempt at it, though, plates piled high with a wide variety of meats, breads, vegetables and fruits.
***
Amanosian Village - three hours ago
Rodney, ever wary of things citrus, had been warned away from the fruit salad, which contained several suspicious looking items. The rest of the food was quite tasty however, with plenty of other fruit to choose from, and Rodney didn’t even complain about the possibility of dying a gruesome and painful death due to anaphylactic shock.
It was in the warm afterglow of the meal that he first noticed something was a bit off. They were seated around a fire pit, exchanging stories with their new friends and everyone was nicely relaxed, except for Colonel Sheppard, who kept waving his hands in front of his face, complaining about the bugs. It only gradually struck Rodney that there didn’t seem to actually be any bugs anywhere near them.
“What are you talking about, Colonel? Something in this fire must act like the perfect citronella candle, because there aren’t any bugs within a mile radius of this place.”
“Very funny, McKay,” Sheppard retorted, still waving his hands around. “Why don’t you tell that to the little glowy energy bugs that won’t leave me the hell alone!”
That was enough for Rodney to sit up and take notice. Now that he was looking, he could tell, even by firelight, that Sheppard’s eyes were slightly unfocused and the Colonel looked more on-edge than McKay could remember seeing him except in times of crisis.
Things happened very quickly after that. Observing the interaction between the two men, the villagers jumped up and surrounded Sheppard. Davos asked a few short questions and then turned to Teyla. “Your friend has been blessed by a visit from the spirits. It is a great honor. We must take him to the Sacred Cave now.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, wait a minute.” McKay jumped up in alarm. “Just what do you mean, ‘blessed by a visit from the spirits?’ Sheppard, what the hell is going on here?”
“I am sorry,” Davos answered, over-riding a quiet murmur from Sheppard that McKay couldn’t quite hear. “We must go quickly, before your friend becomes incapacitated by the spirits.”
“I’m sorry, too, but that’s not acceptable.” Pushing through the villagers, McKay made his way to Sheppard’s side. The colonel was still sitting on the ground, staring into space, eyes tracking things Rodney couldn’t see. “We need to get you to Carson, Sheppard. I’m sure he’ll be able to figure out what’s wrong.”
“Is something wrong?” Sheppard asked, looking confused and vague.
“Aside from the fact that these nice people want to haul you off to some ‘sacred cave’ so you can have a vision quest? No, nothing at all.” He realized he was babbling and tried to calm down. Before he could say anything further, however, several of the villagers had hauled Sheppard to his feet and begun walking him away from the fire.
“Do not touch your weapons,” Davos ordered. “You are outnumbered and surrounded.”
Indeed, the villagers were all around them, pointing lethal looking projectile weapons at them. “I know you think we are ignorant savages, Dr. McKay, but we do know how to protect ourselves. Now,” he continued in a slightly friendlier tone, once Teyla, Ronon and Rodney had been relieved of their weapons, “we are not going to harm your Colonel Sheppard but it is crucial that we take him to the caves. You are welcome to come along, but you must not interfere. I will attempt to explain as we go.”
They were taken deep into the foothills that marched off towards distant mountains, escorted by what seemed to be the entire male population of the village. As they walked, Davos tried to make them understand the honor that had come to Colonel Sheppard. It seemed that on very rare occasions, and only when they had partaken of the Olexi fruit, the citrusy thing McKay had been warned away from during the feast, someone would begin hallucinating. Davos’ people believed it was a visit from the spirits, which would lead to a sort of vision quest - thingy. They hadn’t gone far before Sheppard, who had been muttering about Iratus bugs and slapping at his neck, started screaming and then passed out.
Two of the natives carried Sheppard the rest of the way. They were several miles from the village when Davos called a halt and led the two men carrying Sheppard away from the group. Ronon, Teyla and Rodney were restrained when they tried to follow. Ten minutes later, the men returned, without Sheppard.
“Your colonel has been lowered into the caves through the Eye,” Davos explained. “If he survives his experience with the spirits, he will make his way through the caves to an entrance located about a mile down the path. You may await him there, if you so choose.”
“Wait, wait. What do you mean, if he survives?” Rodney asked. “You didn’t say anything about him not surviving this.”
“The caves are uninhabited. There is no danger to your friend from external threats,” Davos spoke reassuringly, as if nothing was wrong. “ However, a small percentage of the people who are visited by the spirits become very ill and not all of them make it out of the caves. Only time will tell how it will go with your friend.”
“That is just not acceptable!” Rodney fumed. He would have continued but Teyla stopped him with a touch on his arm.
“If there is any chance the Colonel will become ill as a result of the fruit he ate, we must return him to his people immediately,” she said, speaking calmly despite the tension visible in her jaw. “They have doctors who will be able to treat him, but only if he reaches them in time.”
Davos refused to yield the issue. “No one enters the sacred cave who is not in communion with the spirits. It is against the will of the gods.”
They were led back down the path, guarded closely by armed villagers. They stopped at a turn-off Rodney hadn’t seen on the way up. After giving the Atlanteans a measuring look, Davos spoke. “I believe it would be best if only one of you were to await Colonel Sheppard at the cave mouth. The rest of you will return to the village with us.”
Teyla turned to McKay and Ronon. “I do not like this. It is not wise to separate, but we cannot leave the colonel alone out here.”
“I will stay,” Ronon announced. “I should be able to get past any guards they leave behind and gain entrance to the cave. I will bring Sheppard out.”
“I don’t think so, Conan,” Rodney retorted. “Even you might find it difficult to outfight an entire armed village, without a weapon. I’ll stay.” He felt vaguely queasy at the thought, but continued. “They didn’t strip Sheppard of his gear, so that means he still has his radio. I can at least talk to him, try to provide a voice of clarity if the hallucinations start to overwhelm him. If the scanner works, I can also help him find the right path out of the caves, and make sure they were telling the truth when they said nothing else lives out here.”
“Very well.” Teyla did not look pleased with this suggestion, but didn’t argue. “We will wait for you back in the village. If we can, we will alert Atlantis, but I do not know if they will give us access to the Stargate.”
“Fine, fine. Just…do your best.” Within minutes, Rodney found himself being escorted down the side trail by at least ten villagers. Oh yeah, he thought to himself, this is gonna be fun.
***
Sacred Cave -an hour ago
He’d told McKay he was coming out and he meant it, but first he had to screw up his courage to attempt to walk straight through this giant scaly T-rex lizard thing that was trying to eat him. “It’s not real,” he muttered to himself. “It’s only in my head.” Taking a deep breath, he pushed himself away from the rocks and stood up, weaving slightly. He had a phenomenal headache and everything was a bit blurry, except for the monster, which stood out in sharp, Technicolor detail. Waving his knife menacingly in front of him, he took one step and then another, trying not to limp on the ankle he had twisted somewhere along the line.
The lizard/T-rex thing backed up as Sheppard advanced, always staying just in front of him, snarling and slavering, but never quite attacking. He wondered vaguely how long he’d been down here, shivering in the cold dark, trying to elude monsters while searching for a way out. This creature wasn’t the first big bad he’d seen down here, but he couldn’t remember clearly what had happened with the previous ones. He seemed to have survived his encounters, thus allowing him to be in his current situation, and he didn’t seem too injured; aside from the sore ankle, and numerous painful but small cuts, scrapes and bruises covering most of his body, he had a headache that wouldn’t quit and limbs that didn’t want to obey him. Okay, so maybe not injured, but definitely not in the greatest shape ever.
He wondered where the others had got to, whether the beasties had eaten his friends. “McKay? Teyla? Ronon?” he called softly into his radio. He sheathed his knife and began moving along the passageway, P-90 at the ready, forgetting that it had jammed, forgetting the T-rex which disappeared as soon as his attention had been suitably distracted from it.
“I’m still here, Colonel.” McKay’s voice came over the radio, tinny and oh-so-welcome. “You’ve almost reached the turn-off. In another five yards or so, you’ll want to turn right.”
Oh, yeah, that’s right. McKay was outside the caves. “Um, yeah, there’s just one problem with that plan, McKay,” Sheppard muttered as he reached the junction. “The passage is blocked. By a spider. A really, really big spider.”
He stood, mesmerized by the light of his flashlight sparkling over the creature’s many faceted eyes. He thought he heard Rodney mutter something about goddam hallucinogenic lemons and the ignorant savages who ate them, and wondered vaguely what the scientist was on about, but pushed the thought away as he tried to figure out how to deal with the giant spider that was now slowly advancing on him.
“Easy now, Shelob,” he said, swinging his P-90 up. “You go your way and I’ll go mine. No one needs to get hurt.” Sweat was dripping into his eyes and he wondered when it had become so hot. Now was not the best time to be blinded by his own perspiration. Crap. Raising his left arm, he blotted his forehead and squinted, looking for a way around the spider, cursing the fuzziness of his vision.
“McKay, I’m gonna need another route, here. Can you help me out?”
“Colonel, I’m not picking up any life signs other than yours. It’s just another hallucination. There is no giant spider.” McKay’s voice was tight with frustration.
“McKay, you’re gonna have to get that scanner recalibrated or something, because there’s definitely a giant spider here in the tunnel with me. I can see her, smell her, hell I can practically taste her, and if you think that’s an appetizing thing to taste on the air, let me tell ya, it ain’t.”
“We’ve been through this before, Sheppard,” McKay replied snippily. “You’re having hallucinations of big, ugly monsters that are trying to eat you. None of them are real and once you move past them, they disappear. Now, if you think you can wrap your tiny little brain around that concept for once, just walk straight ahead and you’ll pass right through Shelob or whatever the hell your subconscious has summoned up this time.”
There was muttering again over the radio; this time McKay seemed to be debating the point of doing research on his subconscious fears, as they seemed to consist of the most unlikely things. Sheppard didn’t know what the hell he was talking about. “I think you should see Dr. Beckett when we get back home,” he said, backing away from the spider. “Clearly you’re having a psychotic break, here. It’s understandable, Rodney, the pressure gets to us all occasionally, but this isn’t really the best time for it.”
He broke off when the spider lunged at him, finding his back pressed up against the far wall of the underground tunnel. “Uh, McKay, any special tricks you know to get giant spiders to go away?”
“Gee, I don’t know, Colonel, maybe your T-rex will come back and gobble it up.”
“Not helping, Rodney.” Sheppard fired his P-90 and cursed when it failed to do anything other than click in an entirely non-menacing way. “Damn thing’s jammed!” he shouted, dropping it and pulling his 9 mm from his thigh holster; it was empty. “Fuck! Reload, reload.” Feverishly searching his pockets for an extra clip that had been used several delusions ago, he sidled along the side of the tunnel, trying to emit bad-taste vibes. “That’s right, Shelob, you don’t want to eat me, I don’t taste very good. Too damn skinny, not enough meat on my bones. You want someone nice and fat, like the Biggest Billy Goat Gruff. If you’re patient, I’m sure he’ll be along any minute now.”
“Colonel Sheppard, are you there?” A new voice was hailing him over the radio, catching his attention.
“Doctor Beckett? Are you lost in the caves too? Dammit! McKay, I’m gonna have to go back and find Carson.”
“No, no, lad. I’m not in the caves, I’m out here with Major Lorne. Just sit tight, Colonel, Rodney, Teyla and Ronon are on their way in to get you.”
Something seemed wrong with that scenario, but Sheppard was too tired to think it through. His legs felt rubbery and he slid to the ground, trying not to take his eyes off the spider slowly approaching. His knife was in his hand and he would make the creature pay dearly if it got too close, but he had no illusions that he could defeat it single-handedly, as weak as he was suddenly feeling.
The fear crept up his back as the spider closed in on him, threatening to strangle him. His training had failed him, his teammates had failed him, and all he could do was cower against the rocks and scream and scream and scream.
***
Amanosian Village - forty-five minutes ago
Ronon paced restlessly around the perimeter of the small hut they had been led to. Despite all her attempts to reason with the Amanosians, they had been refused permission to contact Atlantis through the Stargate. What the villagers had not counted on, however, was Dr. Weir’s tendency to worry about teams that didn’t report in on time. They had been waiting in the camp for no more than an hour when Teyla’s radio clicked and Weir’s voice came through the headset.
“We have encountered a - difficulty,” Teyla explained. “Colonel Sheppard has ingested something which is causing him to hallucinate. The villagers have removed him to a distant cave and will not allow us to help him.”
“Understood,” Elizabeth answered grimly. “Help will be there as soon as Major Lorne and Dr. Beckett are ready to go.”
It was no more than ten minutes before two puddlejumpers came through the gate and landed in the middle of the village, spilling armed men out into the night. The villagers took one look at the grim expressions on the soldiers’ faces and dropped their weapons. Apparently they weren’t willing to give up their lives for a stranger’s vision quest. Teyla and Ronon quickly retrieved their gear and boarded a jumper, guiding it towards the cave and their missing teammates.
***
Sacred cave - present time
They could hear his screams echoing down the tunnel, confirming that they were heading in the proper direction.
“Colonel, tell me what’s happening,” McKay shouted, exchanging looks with Teyla and Ronon. What if they had been wrong and there really was something down here with Sheppard?
“McKay,” Sheppard’s voice was a hoarse whisper. “Get out. Get out while you still can. They’re everywhere.”
“Who is everywhere? Colonel Sheppard, you must tell us what is happening.” Teyla sounded calm, but Rodney could see the worry in every line of her body. She was clearly restraining herself from running blindly down the passage.
“The Wraith,” Sheppard whispered hopelessly. “We must have stumbled on a hive ship. There’s hundreds of them. No way out this time. You need to go while you still can.”
Rodney looked to Teyla but she shook her head. “I am not sensing a wraith presence. Colonel, they are just shadows. You are seeing things that are not really there.”
Sheppard’s reply was a harsh laugh. “They’re all around me, Teyla. I can see them.”
There was a light ahead of them now, faint, but close. Another few steps and they had reached an intersection. Sheppard was slumped against the far wall, just a few yards away and to the right, the flashlight from his P-90 providing the dim illumination. He held his knife in one hand and waved it menacingly around, looking wildly in all directions.
“Sheppard, we’re here. There are no Wraith. Put your knife down and let us approach.” McKay tried to keep his voice steady and calm, not wanting to frighten the Colonel any more than he already was.
“Nice try,” Sheppard snarled, “but you look a little too pale even for Rodney.” He was looking at them, or rather right through them, and grinning. “Come on, then. Let’s finish this, now. I’m started to get bored with all the mind games you’re playing. You want to feed, then feed. But I warn you, I’m an expensive date.”
“Of all the dumb, stupid hero things to say,” McKay complained. “Put him out of his misery, Ronon.”
“With pleasure,” the Satedan answered, although he looked far more disturbed than McKay could remember seeing him before.
It only took one shot to stun Sheppard. Approaching cautiously, they quickly disarmed him and Ronon slung the unconscious man over his shoulder. Moving quickly, they hurried back to the cave entrance, where Dr. Beckett and a jumper waited for them.
***
Epilogue - Atlantis infirmary, the next day
“It was a rough night, and no mistake,” Carson said to the small gathering in front of him. Elizabeth, Teyla, Ronon and Rodney had all converged on the infirmary first thing in the morning, to check on the Colonel. “I’ve analyzed the samples we brought back from the planet. It turns out the fruit Colonel Sheppard ate contains a trace element that can have a strong psychotropic effect.”
“What about Ronon and Teyla?” Elizabeth asked. “According to their reports, they both ate the fruit as well.”
“Aye, and I’ve run a number of tests on Teyla and Ronon but they weren’t affected by it at all. I don’t really know why. Incidentally, you may be interested to know, Rodney,” he added, “that the fruit doesn’t in fact have any citrus in it’s makeup.”
“Gee, thanks. I’ll run right out and eat some,” McKay replied, barely bothering to put any venom in his tone.
“Without more tests I can’t say if it would affect everyone from Earth the same way it affected the Colonel or if it was more of an allergic reaction on Sheppard’s part,” Carson continued. “Either way, he’s come through the worst of it now. His fever broke about four this morning and he’s sleeping off the effects. I’ll want to keep him under observation for a day or so, but he should be feeling pretty much normal when he wakes up.”
Normal was a relative term, Sheppard decided a few hours later. He wasn’t hallucinating anymore. But he felt like he’d been run over by a puddlejumper. He’d slept until nearly noon, and he felt like he could easily sleep the rest of the day, as well. The idea was so tempting, in fact, that he allowed his eyes to close and his head to loll against the pillow.
“Uh, uh, no sleeping until you’ve eaten. Doctor’s orders.”
“Go away, McKay,” he muttered tiredly, not ready to face his friend just yet. He didn’t really remember the events of the previous evening very clearly, but he was pretty sure some fairly embarrassing stuff had happened.
“Nope. I’m afraid you’re stuck with me,” McKay answered cheerfully.
Sighing in defeat, Sheppard opened his eyes. The food on the tray Rodney had left at his side did look tempting, he had to admit. “Go ahead, McKay, tell me the worst.” Might as well let the scientist crow and get it over with.
“Oh, you mean the part where you screamed like a girl and then fainted?” McKay asked gleefully, as he pinched a roll off Sheppard’s tray, “or the part where you screamed like a girl and Ronon had to stun you?”
“This isn’t going to get old any time soon, is it?” Sheppard asked as he pulled the tray closer to him. Might as well eat, now that he was awake.
“Trust me, Colonel, this may never get old,” Rodney grinned.
Yep, Sheppard thought. He started calculating how much chocolate and coffee he was going to have to smuggle into Atlantis to buy McKay’s silence. He sneaked a look at Rodney, chortling over the bread. Oh, yeah, a lot of chocolate and coffee.
end
Coming up in fic post 2: "The Luster of Snow, chapter 5" Maybe tonight, possibly not till tomorrow night.