SGA Fic: Cutting The Gordian Knot, Pt. 1/4
Title: Cutting The Gordian Knot
Author: katstale
Rating: PG-13
Category: Gen
Word Count: 16461
Characters: John & Teyla
Pairings: John-Teyla (Friendship/UST)
Spoilers/Warnings: Some violence; AR character death
Summary: When John accompanies Teyla on a trading mission, they find themselves in the middle of a situation neither of them would have ever dreamed possible.
Notes: This story was originally published in "Taking Flight: Tales from the Pegasus Galaxy, Volume II" which debuted at MediaWest Con last year. While this story contains characters from an alternate reality, it takes place in our reality with our John and our Teyla.
Cutting the Gordian Knot
We have met the enemy, and he is us. --Walt Kelly
"I'm a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Air Force and the military commander of Atlantis." Sheppard grinned at Teyla and shifted the bag of medical supplies on his shoulder. "Tell me again why I'm here playing delivery boy on a backwater planet to a village of tava bean farmers? And I still think we should have brought the jumper."
She flashed him a knowing smile in return. "I have already explained to you that the Daarsans are a very simple people. Technology such as the jumper would be too much for them to accept. Bringing it here would cause them to lose whatever trust we have managed to build thus far. And I would like to believe that you are here simply because I asked you to accompany me."
"What other reason would there be?" His lazy grin belied the false indignation in his tone.
She shook her head, laughing. "We both know the true reason you have agreed to come."
"Oh?"
"You are only here because Dr. Beckett has not yet fully cleared Ronon and Rodney for duty. You were getting restless," she accused.
"That's not the reason." He again repositioned the heavy bag. "Well, it's not the main one. How far did you say it was again?"
Teyla adjusted her own weighted pack. "The settlement is just beyond the next rise. And do not think you can change the subject so easily. Tell me why you agreed to accompany me?"
"Well…there were a lot of reasons." John paused as the pair crested the hill, bending to rest his hands on his knees. "One down, one to go," he muttered, eyeing the final steep rise before them. "One BIG one to go."
She mimicked his actions, bending to relieve the pressure. "And those reasons would be?"
He peered over at her with a wry smile. "You aren't going to let this go, are you?"
She straightened, smiling down at him with her hands on her hips. She pretended to consider it, but finally shook her head. "No."
He stood as well, rolling his eyes at her as he started down the hill. "Well, for starters, someone had to come along to watch your back."
She shook her head, but followed his lead. "Not that there is any need of it here, but that is a task any number of your marines could have easily and efficiently handled. I wish to know specifically why you came."
He sighed. "Because you asked me to," he admitted.
She raised an eyebrow, but his discomfort certainly supported his answer. "So the main reason you came is because I asked."
"Well, you are a member of my team. And besides, we just got the other two out of Beckett's little vacation spa. I need to make sure no one else ends up there."
Smiling warmly, she read between the lines of his words. "In that case, I am honored."
"I would have done it for any number of people," he protested. "Ronon. Elizabeth. Carson."
She recalled their conversation on the Daedalus only a few days prior, noting the missing name with amusement. "And Rodney."
He made a face, pretending to consider the addition, and then shook his head. "Nah, I wasn't that desperate yet."
She laughed. "Stop. You would and you know it."
He grinned mischievously. "Maybe."
They continued in comfortable silence, until John stopped abruptly near the top of the last hill. He scanned the skies, but found nothing amiss. "Do you smell that?"
Teyla nodded, worried. "Something is wrong."
The duo turned in tandem and hurried to the top. Panting, they dropped their packs and stared in dismay at the smoldering ruins of the farming community.
"Wraith?" asked John.
"Possibly." She seemed doubtful, but offered no explanation.
"Come on, let's go check it out."
Weapons ready, they hurried down the hill to the ruined village.
-A-
Together, they methodically made their way through the burned out ruins. One by one, buildings were scouted and bodies counted. By the time they were finished, both were sweaty, exhausted, and covered from head to toe in soot.
"I do not believe this was the Wraith's doing," said Teyla.
"Not their usual MO, that's for sure. And what happened to the kids? I didn't see a single body under the age of ten."
"Let us hope that the children were taken to safety before the village was destroyed."
"Yeah, but where? I didn't see any sign of a hiding place either. Think maybe they got them offworld before they were hit?"
"I do not believe they would have sent them elsewhere," she responded, shaking her head. "The Daarsans have very strict beliefs. They would not trust their children to anyone who was not of this world."
"Okay. So what happened to them? They either hid 'em, or whoever did this..." He made a sweep of the smoldering ruins with his arm. "Took 'em. So the question is where--and why?"
Teyla coughed on the lingering smoke. "A hiding place would have to be far enough away to be safe, but near enough to be easily accessible if needed. I would guess they are in the hills somewhere.
"Some of those kids have to be awfully little. Can't be easy to keep a group like that quiet for long." John scanned the surrounding hills. Some were definitely small mountains and he had to wonder how difficult it would be to move a group of children over that kind of terrain.
"We should attempt to locate them."
He looked around at the blacked buildings and fences, coughing. "We should report in first. We'll need a lot more manpower if we're going to manage any kind of effective search."
Her eyes roamed over the surrounding hills. "Yes, we should hurry."
The pair quickly backtracked through the village. They'd barely started up the hill when Teyla suddenly froze. "Did you hear that?"
"What?"
She waited for a long beat. "There. Did you not hear that?"
John nodded. "Sounds like crying. Come on."
-A-
They discovered it hidden in the wooded area on a hill east of the village. The entrance was well concealed by a wall of vines and Teyla wasn't certain they would have ever found it if not for the cries coming from within. The door was made of wood, thick and well constructed. John grabbed the handle, nodding to her as he pulled it open.
She shined the light of her P-90 into the structure, sweeping from wall to wall. A lone figure huddled in the corner, keening loudly. "Clear," she announced before hurrying inside.
He stayed at the entrance and shined his light inside, leaving her to deal with the distraught woman.
She knelt in front of the native, immediately recognizing her. "Jalea?" She kept her tone soothing, carefully reaching out to touch the woman's shoulder.
Jalea started at the hand on her arm. The crying stopped instantly, her eyes frantically searching the small enclosure for an escape. Before she could bolt, Teyla grabbed her by both arms and forced her to look at directly at her. "Jalea!"
The woman stilled, finally recognizing her. Without a moment's hesitation, she threw herself into the Athosian's arms and renewed her wailing.
"You know her?"
Teyla nodded, continuing to rub the native woman's back to soothe her. She had to yell to be heard over the loud cries. "This is Jalea, daughter of Monal and Brissa. We have been friends for many years, since we were but children ourselves."
John pointed toward the burned out village. "Ok. I'll go have another look around while you get her calmed down. Maybe she can tell us where the kids are--and who did this."
Teyla nodded and turned her attention back to her friend as he headed back out into the smoky mess.
-A-
It took some time, but Teyla finally managed to calm her enough to speak. "Jalea, can you tell me what happened here today?"
The native again began to cry. "Is he going to kill you, too?"
Teyla could barely understand her with the woman sobbing, her face deeply buried into the Athosian's shoulder. "No one is going to harm you, Jalea. I promise you, my friend and I will keep you safe."
She pulled away, tears still streaming down her face, and shook her head vehemently. "No! No, he said he would be back. He told me he was sorry and then took the children away--all of them. He took my Ryssa. Oh, Teyla, he took my baby! And now he has returned, as he promised."
"My friend has never before been to your world, Jalea. We came to trade with your people and found you in here. See? The door is open--we may leave anytime you feel up to it."
"No! He is not your friend! He is an evil, evil man! He killed everyone and now he is going to kill us, too!"
The woman was quickly becoming hysterical again. Teyla grabbed her, holding her head in a position that forced her to look at the Athosian. "I promise you, Jalea, that John is my friend. He will help me to protect you."
Tears continued unabated. "No," she whimpered. "He killed everyone. I heard it--we all heard it. We heard their screams as they were dying. The children, they were so very scared. It was awful! And then he came and took all the children. He beat me and left me here all alone. And now he has come back to kill me--like the others."
Teyla's heart broke at what her friend had gone through. Placing a hand on each of her friend's shoulders, she spoke as sincerely as she could. "Jalea, I do not know who has done this terrible thing--but I do know that it was not John. He has never been to your world before we stepped through the ring of the ancestors together a few hours ago--long after the attack on your village."
Jalea was clearly not buying Teyla's reassurances. "No, it was him! It was! Why will you not believe me?" she wailed.
Teyla shook her head and sighed. Looking the woman directly in the eyes, she tried a different tact. "Jalea, can you tell me about the man who did this? What was he wearing?"
She nodded. "He was wearing a gray coat, like your other one. Only not red. It was black here…" She paused to indicate first one, then the other side of her upper chest. "And here. And gray trousers, like yours."
The Athosian frowned. "Jalea, John is wearing all black. He has been wearing the same clothing all day."
"No! It was him--I know it was!"
Teyla quickly cut her off before she became hysterical again. "Perhaps it was someone who only looked like John," she suggested.
The woman was adamant. "No, it was him! His hair was sticking up on top and he wore those same strange dark covers over his eyes--just like that man out there you call your friend. The only difference is that he wore a gray coat instead of the shiny black one."
Before Teyla could question her any further, she heard Sheppard's voice over the radio. "Teyla? You read me?"
"Go ahead, John. I read you loud and clear."
"I found something a little…odd out here. I don't hear anymore screaming. Can you come out and take a look or do you need more time with her?"
"We will join you in a moment."
"Good, I'm over by the blacksmith's forge. Sheppard out."
Teyla turned back to Jalea, a serious expression on her face. "Colonel Sheppard has something to show us. He is NOT the man who attacked your village. Will you come with me?"
Her friend shook her head, her eyes wide as saucers. "No, we cannot go out there! He will kill us!"
"No, Jalea! John would never harm me--or you. I am certain that he will be able to help us get to the bottom of this and figure out who attacked you. Will you come with me? Please?"
Jalea stared at Teyla's outstretched hand, terrified. Slowly, she reached for it, whimpering when their hands made contact. "You promise he will not harm us?"
The Athosian smiled warmly. "Yes, I give you my word that John will not harm you."
"All right," she responded uncertainly.
"You are very brave, Jalea. Come now, John is waiting." Teyla grasped the woman's hand firmly and started toward the door.
They had barely taken two steps when the native cried out and stumbled, collapsing into Teyla's arms. The Athosian gently lowered her to the floor and began to check for injuries. As she carefully felt along her friend's rib cage, her fingers encountered a sticky wetness.
"Oh, Jalea." She briefly closed her eyes before tapping her earpiece. "John? We have a problem here."
-A-
John re-entered the dim structure, bearing an oil lamp. "Teyla?"
"Over here," she answered from the corner.
"What's up? And why couldn't you tell me over the radio?"
The Athosian met him half way, lowering her voice so that the injured woman could not hear. "Jalea has been gravely wounded."
"Damn. I'm sorry."
"Thank you. John, you need to know that she has insisted that you are the one responsible for the attack and for killing all of those people."
"What? That's crazy. I've never even set foot on this planet until a few hours ago."
Teyla nodded. "I know that. I tried to tell Jalea as much, but she is very firm in her belief. I thought that you should know."
"Yeah," he agreed. "Listen, I found something when I was looking around out there." He gestured to the lone rickety table in the room and ushered her to it.
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a handful of debris and tossed several small chunks to scatter atop the wooden surface. He picked up one of the larger pieces and handed it to the Athosian. "That's part of a detonator," he explained gravely. He grabbed a small metal ring next. "And this is the pin from a grenade."
Teyla turned it over in her hand. "I do not understand."
"Both of these are standard US military issue."
Her eyes widened. "Something very strange has happened here. First Jalea insisting that you were the one who attacked the village and now…this."
"You're telling me. Why would she say something like that anyway?"
"It was you!" the woman blurted out, now conscious. "I summoned the children from their studies and brought them to the shelter to hide. We thought the Wraith had come, so we were very quiet, just like in our practices. The children were all so good, so very cooperative and quiet, just as they have been taught." Her breathing increased as she told the tale, along with the speed of her words. "Then the loud noises began and the ground shook. We heard the screams and we knew! We knew that our families were dying! And-and-and then the door opened and the younger children began to scream. We thought the Wraith had discovered our hiding place."
Tears streamed down her reddened cheeks as she struggled to sit. "But it was not the Wraith--it was YOU! You told the children that you were going to take them to a better place. You went through the room, looking at each one of us. And when you got to me, you told me to stand in the corner, with my face to the wall. You told the children that you would kill me if they did not cooperate."
The woman's sobs make it difficult for her to speak, but she pushed herself to her feet and continued her story. "But I could not let you take them away--especially my Ryssa! So I tried to stop you, but you were too strong and you over-powered me. We struggled and you hit me. I tried to get your knife from your belt, but you stabbed me with it. And then you took them away--you took my Ryssa! Why did you take my baby? What did I ever do to you to deserve such a thing?"
Teyla went immediately to her side. "Jalea, please, you must calm yourself. Please come and lay back down before the bleeding worsens," she pleaded.
Without warning, Jalea wretched herself free from the Athosian's grasp and flew at John. "You murdered my family and took my daughter!"
A bit off guard, he managed to catch her, but nearly lost his balance as he stumbled backward into the table. "Hey, it wasn't me--I swear."
His words had no effect and she continued pummeling his chest with her fists. "You killed them! You killed them all! You took my baby--you are evil! Evil!"
He did his best to fend the woman off without hurting her even worse, but his efforts met with little success. "A little help here, please?" he called to his teammate.
The Athosian quickly came to his aid and pulled Jalea away, back to her makeshift bed. Shaken by the undeserved attack, he backed away and left her to tend to the woman.
The injured native promptly collapsed again, taking Teyla with her. The Athosian dropped to her knees, gathering her childhood friend into a tight hug. "I am so very sorry this has happened to you, Jalea. And I know that you need to blame someone." She pulled away slightly, placing a hand on the distraught woman's chin and gently lifting. Looking deeply her into eyes, she spoke earnestly. "But I swear to you on all that I hold dear, John is not the one who did this to your people."
"It was him!" she insisted, shaking her head and whimpering. "I saw him."
Before Teyla could refute her, John called out to her. "Teyla, can I have a word over here?"
The Athosian nodded and turned to her sobbing friend. "I need you to remain here while I speak with John for a moment. Can you do that for me?"
The woman's eyes went wide with fear as she latched onto Teyla for dear life. "No! He will hurt you!"
Teyla gently, but firmly pulled her away. "No, Jalea. John will not harm me. I have already told you that he is my friend." She helped the injured woman lay back onto the pile of blankets. "I will be right there where you can see me the entire time. Will you wait here for me?"
Jalea's tears continued to fall, but she reluctantly nodded. "Good." Teyla tucked her friend's long, golden hair behind her ear and smiled encouragingly. "I shall only be a moment," she assured her, checking the injured woman's bandages.
She quickly closed the short distance to where Sheppard waited. As promised, she and John remained in sight--but out of earshot.
"This is probably stating the obvious, but something really strange is going on here," he began. "Care to enlighten me as to why she is so sure I'm the one who did this?"
Teyla turned to check and found that Jalea's eyes were closed. "I do not know why, but she is quite insistent that you were the perpetrator of this…despicable act. She said that you were wearing a different jacket--the gray one with the black shoulder panels. But she is quite adamant that the man had the same hair as you do, the same eyes, and the same face. I have been unable to convince her that you had never set foot on this planet before our arrival."
He frowned. "That's strange, all right. But there's still the more pressing question of how whoever did this got a hold of our ordinance."
Teyla tilted her head questioningly. "Are you certain that it is from Earth?"
He nodded, his expression grave. "Yeah, positive. Which leads us to the question of how someone got their hands on it. You know the measures in place to prevent our weapons and ordinance from falling into the wrong hands. There is no way this much could have gone missing without my knowing about it."
She readily agreed. "It does seem highly unlikely. Is it possible that this did not come from Atlantis's stores? Perhaps someone brought it on the Daedalus."
He considered her suggestion. "I don't know. Security's pretty tight, even for personal belongings. No, there's got to be another explanation for it."
"There is one other matter we must discuss."
"And that would be?"
"Jalea has also been quite insistent that the man who did this said that he was coming back for her."
Sheppard drew in a sharp breath. "Well, then I guess we'd better not stick around. Think she's up for a hike to the gate? We can send her through when we notify Atlantis about what happened here. She'll be safe there until we can find out what happened to the others."
Teyla shook her head, a sorrowful expression on her face. "I do not believe she will be able to recover. Doctor Beckett would better be able to say for certain, but the wound is deep and the bleeding has been severe. It…does not look good."
"Damn it! I don't like leaving you here alone with that madman still out there--especially if she's right about him coming back for her."
"Yes, but what other choice do we have? We cannot leave her alone here in her condition."
"I know, I know. Okay, I'll head back to gate and get a medical team, along with a detail to take care of the bodies out there and some search teams. We still need to find out what happened to those kids. You stay here with her until I get back."
Teyla nodded. "We will be fine."
He nodded and turned for the door, but she put a hand on his arm to stop him. "Be careful."
"Always," he promised, heading for the door. Before stepping outside, he called back to her. "Hey, watch your back."
She smiled. "Of course. And you as well."
-A-
John made good time getting back to the gate without the heavy supply pack to weigh him down. There had been no indication of anyone following him or anything amiss--a good sign, he hoped.
He stepped up to the DHD, his P-90 still in hand, and pressed the first glyph. He frowned when nothing happened. He tried again, the second attempt also resulting in failure. He was about to try the next glyph in the sequence when he heard a noise behind him and momentarily froze. He slowly adjusted his grip on his weapon and pushed the second symbol. He knew nothing would happen, but he didn't want to alert the intruder that he'd been discovered. Taking a deep breath, he whirled and prepared to fire.
He'd barely begun to move when he felt a sizzling jolt hit him squarely in the back. A familiar numbness began to spread through his body as he fell to the ground. Helpless, he could do nothing more than watch as a shadow moved into his field of vision.
"You know, I was really hoping you'd already be dead."
John's mind whirled as a face that was identical to his own looked down on him, speaking with a voice that was also a perfect match to his own. He absently noted the Wraith stunner his duplicate held, having already recognized the sensation when he was hit. Consciousness was fading fast as the stunner was tossed aside and he felt himself being pulled upright. An insistent tug on his jacket was the last thing he knew before surrendering to the beckoning darkness.
Part Two
Author: katstale
Rating: PG-13
Category: Gen
Word Count: 16461
Characters: John & Teyla
Pairings: John-Teyla (Friendship/UST)
Spoilers/Warnings: Some violence; AR character death
Summary: When John accompanies Teyla on a trading mission, they find themselves in the middle of a situation neither of them would have ever dreamed possible.
Notes: This story was originally published in "Taking Flight: Tales from the Pegasus Galaxy, Volume II" which debuted at MediaWest Con last year. While this story contains characters from an alternate reality, it takes place in our reality with our John and our Teyla.
Cutting the Gordian Knot
We have met the enemy, and he is us. --Walt Kelly
"I'm a Lieutenant Colonel in the United States Air Force and the military commander of Atlantis." Sheppard grinned at Teyla and shifted the bag of medical supplies on his shoulder. "Tell me again why I'm here playing delivery boy on a backwater planet to a village of tava bean farmers? And I still think we should have brought the jumper."
She flashed him a knowing smile in return. "I have already explained to you that the Daarsans are a very simple people. Technology such as the jumper would be too much for them to accept. Bringing it here would cause them to lose whatever trust we have managed to build thus far. And I would like to believe that you are here simply because I asked you to accompany me."
"What other reason would there be?" His lazy grin belied the false indignation in his tone.
She shook her head, laughing. "We both know the true reason you have agreed to come."
"Oh?"
"You are only here because Dr. Beckett has not yet fully cleared Ronon and Rodney for duty. You were getting restless," she accused.
"That's not the reason." He again repositioned the heavy bag. "Well, it's not the main one. How far did you say it was again?"
Teyla adjusted her own weighted pack. "The settlement is just beyond the next rise. And do not think you can change the subject so easily. Tell me why you agreed to accompany me?"
"Well…there were a lot of reasons." John paused as the pair crested the hill, bending to rest his hands on his knees. "One down, one to go," he muttered, eyeing the final steep rise before them. "One BIG one to go."
She mimicked his actions, bending to relieve the pressure. "And those reasons would be?"
He peered over at her with a wry smile. "You aren't going to let this go, are you?"
She straightened, smiling down at him with her hands on her hips. She pretended to consider it, but finally shook her head. "No."
He stood as well, rolling his eyes at her as he started down the hill. "Well, for starters, someone had to come along to watch your back."
She shook her head, but followed his lead. "Not that there is any need of it here, but that is a task any number of your marines could have easily and efficiently handled. I wish to know specifically why you came."
He sighed. "Because you asked me to," he admitted.
She raised an eyebrow, but his discomfort certainly supported his answer. "So the main reason you came is because I asked."
"Well, you are a member of my team. And besides, we just got the other two out of Beckett's little vacation spa. I need to make sure no one else ends up there."
Smiling warmly, she read between the lines of his words. "In that case, I am honored."
"I would have done it for any number of people," he protested. "Ronon. Elizabeth. Carson."
She recalled their conversation on the Daedalus only a few days prior, noting the missing name with amusement. "And Rodney."
He made a face, pretending to consider the addition, and then shook his head. "Nah, I wasn't that desperate yet."
She laughed. "Stop. You would and you know it."
He grinned mischievously. "Maybe."
They continued in comfortable silence, until John stopped abruptly near the top of the last hill. He scanned the skies, but found nothing amiss. "Do you smell that?"
Teyla nodded, worried. "Something is wrong."
The duo turned in tandem and hurried to the top. Panting, they dropped their packs and stared in dismay at the smoldering ruins of the farming community.
"Wraith?" asked John.
"Possibly." She seemed doubtful, but offered no explanation.
"Come on, let's go check it out."
Weapons ready, they hurried down the hill to the ruined village.
-A-
Together, they methodically made their way through the burned out ruins. One by one, buildings were scouted and bodies counted. By the time they were finished, both were sweaty, exhausted, and covered from head to toe in soot.
"I do not believe this was the Wraith's doing," said Teyla.
"Not their usual MO, that's for sure. And what happened to the kids? I didn't see a single body under the age of ten."
"Let us hope that the children were taken to safety before the village was destroyed."
"Yeah, but where? I didn't see any sign of a hiding place either. Think maybe they got them offworld before they were hit?"
"I do not believe they would have sent them elsewhere," she responded, shaking her head. "The Daarsans have very strict beliefs. They would not trust their children to anyone who was not of this world."
"Okay. So what happened to them? They either hid 'em, or whoever did this..." He made a sweep of the smoldering ruins with his arm. "Took 'em. So the question is where--and why?"
Teyla coughed on the lingering smoke. "A hiding place would have to be far enough away to be safe, but near enough to be easily accessible if needed. I would guess they are in the hills somewhere.
"Some of those kids have to be awfully little. Can't be easy to keep a group like that quiet for long." John scanned the surrounding hills. Some were definitely small mountains and he had to wonder how difficult it would be to move a group of children over that kind of terrain.
"We should attempt to locate them."
He looked around at the blacked buildings and fences, coughing. "We should report in first. We'll need a lot more manpower if we're going to manage any kind of effective search."
Her eyes roamed over the surrounding hills. "Yes, we should hurry."
The pair quickly backtracked through the village. They'd barely started up the hill when Teyla suddenly froze. "Did you hear that?"
"What?"
She waited for a long beat. "There. Did you not hear that?"
John nodded. "Sounds like crying. Come on."
-A-
They discovered it hidden in the wooded area on a hill east of the village. The entrance was well concealed by a wall of vines and Teyla wasn't certain they would have ever found it if not for the cries coming from within. The door was made of wood, thick and well constructed. John grabbed the handle, nodding to her as he pulled it open.
She shined the light of her P-90 into the structure, sweeping from wall to wall. A lone figure huddled in the corner, keening loudly. "Clear," she announced before hurrying inside.
He stayed at the entrance and shined his light inside, leaving her to deal with the distraught woman.
She knelt in front of the native, immediately recognizing her. "Jalea?" She kept her tone soothing, carefully reaching out to touch the woman's shoulder.
Jalea started at the hand on her arm. The crying stopped instantly, her eyes frantically searching the small enclosure for an escape. Before she could bolt, Teyla grabbed her by both arms and forced her to look at directly at her. "Jalea!"
The woman stilled, finally recognizing her. Without a moment's hesitation, she threw herself into the Athosian's arms and renewed her wailing.
"You know her?"
Teyla nodded, continuing to rub the native woman's back to soothe her. She had to yell to be heard over the loud cries. "This is Jalea, daughter of Monal and Brissa. We have been friends for many years, since we were but children ourselves."
John pointed toward the burned out village. "Ok. I'll go have another look around while you get her calmed down. Maybe she can tell us where the kids are--and who did this."
Teyla nodded and turned her attention back to her friend as he headed back out into the smoky mess.
-A-
It took some time, but Teyla finally managed to calm her enough to speak. "Jalea, can you tell me what happened here today?"
The native again began to cry. "Is he going to kill you, too?"
Teyla could barely understand her with the woman sobbing, her face deeply buried into the Athosian's shoulder. "No one is going to harm you, Jalea. I promise you, my friend and I will keep you safe."
She pulled away, tears still streaming down her face, and shook her head vehemently. "No! No, he said he would be back. He told me he was sorry and then took the children away--all of them. He took my Ryssa. Oh, Teyla, he took my baby! And now he has returned, as he promised."
"My friend has never before been to your world, Jalea. We came to trade with your people and found you in here. See? The door is open--we may leave anytime you feel up to it."
"No! He is not your friend! He is an evil, evil man! He killed everyone and now he is going to kill us, too!"
The woman was quickly becoming hysterical again. Teyla grabbed her, holding her head in a position that forced her to look at the Athosian. "I promise you, Jalea, that John is my friend. He will help me to protect you."
Tears continued unabated. "No," she whimpered. "He killed everyone. I heard it--we all heard it. We heard their screams as they were dying. The children, they were so very scared. It was awful! And then he came and took all the children. He beat me and left me here all alone. And now he has come back to kill me--like the others."
Teyla's heart broke at what her friend had gone through. Placing a hand on each of her friend's shoulders, she spoke as sincerely as she could. "Jalea, I do not know who has done this terrible thing--but I do know that it was not John. He has never been to your world before we stepped through the ring of the ancestors together a few hours ago--long after the attack on your village."
Jalea was clearly not buying Teyla's reassurances. "No, it was him! It was! Why will you not believe me?" she wailed.
Teyla shook her head and sighed. Looking the woman directly in the eyes, she tried a different tact. "Jalea, can you tell me about the man who did this? What was he wearing?"
She nodded. "He was wearing a gray coat, like your other one. Only not red. It was black here…" She paused to indicate first one, then the other side of her upper chest. "And here. And gray trousers, like yours."
The Athosian frowned. "Jalea, John is wearing all black. He has been wearing the same clothing all day."
"No! It was him--I know it was!"
Teyla quickly cut her off before she became hysterical again. "Perhaps it was someone who only looked like John," she suggested.
The woman was adamant. "No, it was him! His hair was sticking up on top and he wore those same strange dark covers over his eyes--just like that man out there you call your friend. The only difference is that he wore a gray coat instead of the shiny black one."
Before Teyla could question her any further, she heard Sheppard's voice over the radio. "Teyla? You read me?"
"Go ahead, John. I read you loud and clear."
"I found something a little…odd out here. I don't hear anymore screaming. Can you come out and take a look or do you need more time with her?"
"We will join you in a moment."
"Good, I'm over by the blacksmith's forge. Sheppard out."
Teyla turned back to Jalea, a serious expression on her face. "Colonel Sheppard has something to show us. He is NOT the man who attacked your village. Will you come with me?"
Her friend shook her head, her eyes wide as saucers. "No, we cannot go out there! He will kill us!"
"No, Jalea! John would never harm me--or you. I am certain that he will be able to help us get to the bottom of this and figure out who attacked you. Will you come with me? Please?"
Jalea stared at Teyla's outstretched hand, terrified. Slowly, she reached for it, whimpering when their hands made contact. "You promise he will not harm us?"
The Athosian smiled warmly. "Yes, I give you my word that John will not harm you."
"All right," she responded uncertainly.
"You are very brave, Jalea. Come now, John is waiting." Teyla grasped the woman's hand firmly and started toward the door.
They had barely taken two steps when the native cried out and stumbled, collapsing into Teyla's arms. The Athosian gently lowered her to the floor and began to check for injuries. As she carefully felt along her friend's rib cage, her fingers encountered a sticky wetness.
"Oh, Jalea." She briefly closed her eyes before tapping her earpiece. "John? We have a problem here."
-A-
John re-entered the dim structure, bearing an oil lamp. "Teyla?"
"Over here," she answered from the corner.
"What's up? And why couldn't you tell me over the radio?"
The Athosian met him half way, lowering her voice so that the injured woman could not hear. "Jalea has been gravely wounded."
"Damn. I'm sorry."
"Thank you. John, you need to know that she has insisted that you are the one responsible for the attack and for killing all of those people."
"What? That's crazy. I've never even set foot on this planet until a few hours ago."
Teyla nodded. "I know that. I tried to tell Jalea as much, but she is very firm in her belief. I thought that you should know."
"Yeah," he agreed. "Listen, I found something when I was looking around out there." He gestured to the lone rickety table in the room and ushered her to it.
Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out a handful of debris and tossed several small chunks to scatter atop the wooden surface. He picked up one of the larger pieces and handed it to the Athosian. "That's part of a detonator," he explained gravely. He grabbed a small metal ring next. "And this is the pin from a grenade."
Teyla turned it over in her hand. "I do not understand."
"Both of these are standard US military issue."
Her eyes widened. "Something very strange has happened here. First Jalea insisting that you were the one who attacked the village and now…this."
"You're telling me. Why would she say something like that anyway?"
"It was you!" the woman blurted out, now conscious. "I summoned the children from their studies and brought them to the shelter to hide. We thought the Wraith had come, so we were very quiet, just like in our practices. The children were all so good, so very cooperative and quiet, just as they have been taught." Her breathing increased as she told the tale, along with the speed of her words. "Then the loud noises began and the ground shook. We heard the screams and we knew! We knew that our families were dying! And-and-and then the door opened and the younger children began to scream. We thought the Wraith had discovered our hiding place."
Tears streamed down her reddened cheeks as she struggled to sit. "But it was not the Wraith--it was YOU! You told the children that you were going to take them to a better place. You went through the room, looking at each one of us. And when you got to me, you told me to stand in the corner, with my face to the wall. You told the children that you would kill me if they did not cooperate."
The woman's sobs make it difficult for her to speak, but she pushed herself to her feet and continued her story. "But I could not let you take them away--especially my Ryssa! So I tried to stop you, but you were too strong and you over-powered me. We struggled and you hit me. I tried to get your knife from your belt, but you stabbed me with it. And then you took them away--you took my Ryssa! Why did you take my baby? What did I ever do to you to deserve such a thing?"
Teyla went immediately to her side. "Jalea, please, you must calm yourself. Please come and lay back down before the bleeding worsens," she pleaded.
Without warning, Jalea wretched herself free from the Athosian's grasp and flew at John. "You murdered my family and took my daughter!"
A bit off guard, he managed to catch her, but nearly lost his balance as he stumbled backward into the table. "Hey, it wasn't me--I swear."
His words had no effect and she continued pummeling his chest with her fists. "You killed them! You killed them all! You took my baby--you are evil! Evil!"
He did his best to fend the woman off without hurting her even worse, but his efforts met with little success. "A little help here, please?" he called to his teammate.
The Athosian quickly came to his aid and pulled Jalea away, back to her makeshift bed. Shaken by the undeserved attack, he backed away and left her to tend to the woman.
The injured native promptly collapsed again, taking Teyla with her. The Athosian dropped to her knees, gathering her childhood friend into a tight hug. "I am so very sorry this has happened to you, Jalea. And I know that you need to blame someone." She pulled away slightly, placing a hand on the distraught woman's chin and gently lifting. Looking deeply her into eyes, she spoke earnestly. "But I swear to you on all that I hold dear, John is not the one who did this to your people."
"It was him!" she insisted, shaking her head and whimpering. "I saw him."
Before Teyla could refute her, John called out to her. "Teyla, can I have a word over here?"
The Athosian nodded and turned to her sobbing friend. "I need you to remain here while I speak with John for a moment. Can you do that for me?"
The woman's eyes went wide with fear as she latched onto Teyla for dear life. "No! He will hurt you!"
Teyla gently, but firmly pulled her away. "No, Jalea. John will not harm me. I have already told you that he is my friend." She helped the injured woman lay back onto the pile of blankets. "I will be right there where you can see me the entire time. Will you wait here for me?"
Jalea's tears continued to fall, but she reluctantly nodded. "Good." Teyla tucked her friend's long, golden hair behind her ear and smiled encouragingly. "I shall only be a moment," she assured her, checking the injured woman's bandages.
She quickly closed the short distance to where Sheppard waited. As promised, she and John remained in sight--but out of earshot.
"This is probably stating the obvious, but something really strange is going on here," he began. "Care to enlighten me as to why she is so sure I'm the one who did this?"
Teyla turned to check and found that Jalea's eyes were closed. "I do not know why, but she is quite insistent that you were the perpetrator of this…despicable act. She said that you were wearing a different jacket--the gray one with the black shoulder panels. But she is quite adamant that the man had the same hair as you do, the same eyes, and the same face. I have been unable to convince her that you had never set foot on this planet before our arrival."
He frowned. "That's strange, all right. But there's still the more pressing question of how whoever did this got a hold of our ordinance."
Teyla tilted her head questioningly. "Are you certain that it is from Earth?"
He nodded, his expression grave. "Yeah, positive. Which leads us to the question of how someone got their hands on it. You know the measures in place to prevent our weapons and ordinance from falling into the wrong hands. There is no way this much could have gone missing without my knowing about it."
She readily agreed. "It does seem highly unlikely. Is it possible that this did not come from Atlantis's stores? Perhaps someone brought it on the Daedalus."
He considered her suggestion. "I don't know. Security's pretty tight, even for personal belongings. No, there's got to be another explanation for it."
"There is one other matter we must discuss."
"And that would be?"
"Jalea has also been quite insistent that the man who did this said that he was coming back for her."
Sheppard drew in a sharp breath. "Well, then I guess we'd better not stick around. Think she's up for a hike to the gate? We can send her through when we notify Atlantis about what happened here. She'll be safe there until we can find out what happened to the others."
Teyla shook her head, a sorrowful expression on her face. "I do not believe she will be able to recover. Doctor Beckett would better be able to say for certain, but the wound is deep and the bleeding has been severe. It…does not look good."
"Damn it! I don't like leaving you here alone with that madman still out there--especially if she's right about him coming back for her."
"Yes, but what other choice do we have? We cannot leave her alone here in her condition."
"I know, I know. Okay, I'll head back to gate and get a medical team, along with a detail to take care of the bodies out there and some search teams. We still need to find out what happened to those kids. You stay here with her until I get back."
Teyla nodded. "We will be fine."
He nodded and turned for the door, but she put a hand on his arm to stop him. "Be careful."
"Always," he promised, heading for the door. Before stepping outside, he called back to her. "Hey, watch your back."
She smiled. "Of course. And you as well."
-A-
John made good time getting back to the gate without the heavy supply pack to weigh him down. There had been no indication of anyone following him or anything amiss--a good sign, he hoped.
He stepped up to the DHD, his P-90 still in hand, and pressed the first glyph. He frowned when nothing happened. He tried again, the second attempt also resulting in failure. He was about to try the next glyph in the sequence when he heard a noise behind him and momentarily froze. He slowly adjusted his grip on his weapon and pushed the second symbol. He knew nothing would happen, but he didn't want to alert the intruder that he'd been discovered. Taking a deep breath, he whirled and prepared to fire.
He'd barely begun to move when he felt a sizzling jolt hit him squarely in the back. A familiar numbness began to spread through his body as he fell to the ground. Helpless, he could do nothing more than watch as a shadow moved into his field of vision.
"You know, I was really hoping you'd already be dead."
John's mind whirled as a face that was identical to his own looked down on him, speaking with a voice that was also a perfect match to his own. He absently noted the Wraith stunner his duplicate held, having already recognized the sensation when he was hit. Consciousness was fading fast as the stunner was tossed aside and he felt himself being pulled upright. An insistent tug on his jacket was the last thing he knew before surrendering to the beckoning darkness.
Part Two