SGA Fic: Cutting The Gordian Knot, Pt. 3/4

[katstale]

See Part One for Header info.

-A-

John paused, leaning heavily on the makeshift crutch he'd found. His injured knee had given out on him not long after he'd set out. Luckily, he'd found a long straight branch that was nearly the perfect height for him.

His attacker had left him with nothing other than his discarded clothing. It was the same uniform he and the other Atlantis military members had worn exclusively until a recent visit by the Daedalus brought a second option. He found the fact that it fit him to a tee extremely unsettling. There had been no sign of his utility belt, however, and his canteen had also been missing.

He started moving again, stumping along the narrow dirt path through the hills. Dismissing the rumbling in his stomach was far easier than ignoring his growing thirst, but he trudged relentlessly on.

He had to get to Teyla before his attacker did.

-A-

Teyla followed the trail of the pseudo-John deeper into the hills. The terrain grew steeper and more rugged with each step, but she had little trouble traversing it. His tracks were easy enough to follow; he seemed to be sacrificing stealth in favor of speed.

She bent to more closely examine the ground, remaining alert for anything amiss around her. The impressions in the dirt left little doubt that he was stumbling badly and had again fallen.

She rose and again set off to pursue the false Sheppard. Broken branches and small pieces of ripped black t-shirt appeared more and more frequently along the trail the further she went.

Where was he going in such a hurry? Would he lead her to the real John? Or was the John she knew gone, forever lost to her?

Her head shot up at the sound of a cry in the distance. He had again fallen. His…illness was growing worse.

She effortlessly tracked him to the rise of the stream from which she'd replenished their water supply before his flight. A voice drifted down to her, causing her to momentarily freeze. He was apparently not alone.

"I want to know who you are and how you got here for starters," demanded the man with John's voice.

The muffled reply was lost to her as a thought occurred. The voice was much stronger than what she would expect from him, given the trail he left. Perhaps…could it be the real John?

She immediately shook off the thought, not yet daring to hope. She used all of the skills her father had taught her to approach unnoticed. Moving from tree to tree for cover, she had her weapon poised and ready to fire if need be.

"I said I want to know where she is and what you did to her!" Again, John's raised voice. Whether it was her John or the fake one, she was still unable to ascertain. The anger in it, however, was unmistakable.

As before, she was unable to make out the muffled reply. With no way to tell if there were more than two of them, she continued to use extreme caution. After a great deal of careful maneuvering, she was finally close enough to observe.

She took in the scene before her with a critical eye. John was standing threateningly over a prone figure, though she was unable to determine the identity of the second individual. Almost entirely hidden by a large rock, the only part of the person visible was their black pants.

"Tell me!" John raised his P-90, forcing Teyla to act.

"Lower your weapon and back away slowly," she called, emerging from her hiding place.

"Teyla." The relief in his voice was evident. "You all right?"

It sounded like her friend, but she could not take the chance on being wrong. "I said lower your weapon and back away slowly. Do not force me to fire," she warned.

He turned slightly toward her, his eyes never leaving the person on the ground. "Teyla, it's me." His relief evaporated before her very eyes, replaced by a deep frown as he glanced her way. "But then again, maybe you're not you."

Without warning, he turned the P-90 on her in a good old-fashioned standoff. "Yeah," he continued. "How do I know for sure that you're really Teyla?"

Bewildered, she shook her head. "What do you mean?"

"Exactly what I said," he insisted. "How do I know you're you and not some look-a-like imposter like him?" He gestured to the hidden figure on the ground.

"I could ask the same of you. How do I know for certain that you are not an imposter?"

He seemed a bit taken aback at her turning the tables on him. "Well, because I am. Now stop trying to change the subject and answer the damn question. How do I know you're the real Teyla?"

Both caught the movement of the person on the ground at the same instant and immediately sighted him in their weapons. "Don't listen to him, Teyla," warned the downed man.

The Athosian was not surprised to see an exact duplicate of the man standing before her. Her gaze narrowed as she took in the condition of both men. The John who had confronted and questioned her was dressed in the gray and black expedition uniform of old. He was covered in cuts and scrapes, with at least one deep gash near his hairline. While dirty, the uniform was basically in tact. Blood trailed down the side of his face unnoticed and he was definitely favoring his right leg.

The other John, the one who'd been all but hidden by the boulder, was still half-laying, half-sitting on the ground and had made no attempt to rise. He was covered with a myriad of scratches and his black t-shirt was torn and ripped in literally dozens of places. It was quite evident that this was the man she had been trailing. But how could she really be certain that the other man was the real John?

The gray-clad John glared at her with unabashed suspicion. She could see the instant he came up with a solution. Still pointing the weapon at her, he nodded. "What happened to that woman we found?"

Teyla's face fell, her grief evident in her eyes. "Jalea did not make it. She died shortly before you--he--returned from your trip to the stargate."

"Oh. I'm sorry," he immediately offered, his face falling. "You okay?"

She nodded. "Yes, thank you."

He studied her for a long moment before speaking. "Okay, so now that we've established that you're you, how do I go about convincing you that I'm me?"

"That will not be necessary. You already have."

"Oh?"

The John in black rolled his eyes. "Oh, gimme a break. The Teyla I know…argh!" He cried out as another spell overtook him, his features contorting and twisting from within. It was several minutes before they finally settled back to normal.

Gray-John grimaced sympathetically. "Cascade tremor?"

Black-John nodded weakly. "How'd you know?"

"I read the report on the Quantum Mirror from the SCG after McKay started carrying on about looking for one here in the Pegasus galaxy."

Teyla's unease returned, seeing the two Johns speaking almost as friends. "What is going on here? Where did this man come from and why does he so strongly resemble you?"

Leaning heavily against the boulder, he waved weakly. "Major John Sheppard, USAF, at your service."

"Major John Sheppard?" she questioned. "How is that possible?"

Gray-John supplied her answer. "He's from an alternate reality. That's why he's having the cascade tremors--technically, it's called 'entropic cascade failure.' Basically, we can't both exist in the same reality without…that happening." He then turned to the major. "So. You guys found a quantum mirror, huh?"

The other John stubbornly refused to answer. "Sorry, Major. That information would be classified."

His counterpart smirked, gleefully correcting his mistake. "Ah, no. That would now be Lieutenant Colonel, thank you very much."

Major Sheppard frowned. "But how? You couldn't have been promoted unless…" His eyes widened. "You found a way to contact Earth," he whispered reverently.

John shrugged. "Technically, they found a way to contact us. But yeah, we have contact with Earth."

Teyla had heard enough and wanted answers to more pressing questions. "Where are the children?"

The major's face clouded. "Gone."

John's eyes narrowed. "You've already sent them through to your reality."

Major Sheppard leaned back, his eyes closed, pointedly not answering them.

"But will they not experience these same tremors that are affecting you? They are but children--how could you be so cruel as to put them through a thing like that?" Teyla was livid.

"They'll be fine." The man made no effort to open his eyes or acknowledge her in any other way.

John step-hopped forward, his anger also apparent. "Here's a newsflash for you--going through entropic cascade failure is NOT fine!"

The major finally opened his eyes, giving his counterpart a glare that would have melted steel, reinforcing the reality that he had single-handedly wiped out the entire adult population of this world. "They're not going to experience cascade failure," he shot back. "And here's a newsflash for you--we aren't that different from one another."

"I do not understand." Teyla demanded, nearly trembling with rage. "I thought two people cannot exist in the same reality without getting this…entropic cascade failure."

"They're dead. In your reality, the counterparts of the kids you took are dead." The lieutenant colonel blurted out the answer before his duplicate and wasted no time in demanding answers of his own. "How'd it happen? And while we're on the subject, why take ours?"

"You wouldn't understand," his twin shot back. "Everything is…different here."

"So enlighten us." Gray-clad John refused to back down. "Tell us what happened in your reality that could possibly justify butchering an entire adult civilization and kidnapping their children!"

Before he could answer, another tremor took hold. Teyla took hold of his shoulders, carefully guiding him to a recumbent position. The John of her reality motioned to the far side of the rock and limped over to collapse against it.

"Are you all right?" Though his voice was strong and he did not appear to be gravely injured, she couldn't help worrying about him.

"I'm good for the time being. Just concentrate on getting what you can out of our friend there."

She frowned, looking from one to the other and assessing their needs. As much as she hated to admit it, the John before her was definitely most in need of attention. It galled her to have to aid someone who had so callously taken the lives of her friends. On the other hand, it was difficult to comprehend that the man before her, the man who wore the face of her friend, was capable of such an act. The John she knew was fair, just, and honorable. And yet, she knew when circumstances required, he could and would be ruthless.

A groan from the major drew her out of her thoughts. When he opened his eyes, he appeared to be surprised to see Teyla's face above him. He attempted to rise, but was too weak to raise his head more than a few inches. Cautiously, she lifted his head and allowed him a sip of water. "Thanks," he mumbled.

"Your thanks are not necessary. I would do the same for anyone." Though her touch was gentle, there was steel in her voice and anger dancing in her eyes. "Perhaps a better way to express your gratitude would be to explain to me why you have murdered my friends and taken their children."

"You think I wanted to?" he shot back, his voice still weak. "I had no choice--there was no other way."

"So you say." Her tone remained icy cold.

He sighed heavily. "All right, I'll tell you what you want to know." He hesitated, straining to raise his head and look for his twin. "Where's my double?"

"He is near." Her tone made it clear that this was as much information as he was going to get on the matter.

"Fine, but I'm not repeating this."

At her nod, he began his tale. "A few months after we first arrived in Atlantis, I took my team to planet called Hoff. We found out that they had been working on developing a serum that would protect them against being fed on by the Wraith."

"Yes, we visited Hoff and found out about the serum as well. It was unfortunate that they would not listen to Doctor Beckett; those not dead from the side effects of the vaccine were destroyed by the Wraith when their efforts were discovered."

"Then that's it. That's where the timelines diverged."

"Oh?" She didn't understand the theory of alternate realities and it showed in both her expression and tone.

He sighed wearily and tried to explain. "Basically, that's where things changed and my reality branched off from yours. Where I'm from, the Hoffans did listen to Carson. With his help, a serum was developed that appeared to be free from side effects." Short of breath, he paused. He closed his eyes tightly as the pain intensified.

Truth be told, it frightened her to see him in such pain. She was well aware of Sheppard's high pain threshold, and though the two Johns were different in some ways, she had a strong feeling that this was not one of them. And then there was the fact that the man before her had committed an atrocity of unfathomable proportions. It was difficult to reconcile the fact that the man with such a familiar, dear-to-her-heart face had wiped out an entire village and stolen their offspring. A village that included her friends.

When the worst of it finally passed, he was able to continue. "We organized and implemented a plan to mass produce it and inject everyone on every single planet in the galaxy that wanted it. In my reality, there are no more Wraith. Not a single one."

"You have found a way to defeat the Wraith?" she asked incredulously. Her eyes then narrowed in suspicion. "How could you possibly have avoided detection and manufactured enough serum to inoculate the population of an entire galaxy?"

He was quiet for a long time before answering. "Not all of the labs went undetected. We lost…a lot. Too much. Way too many good people died."

Her eyes widened as his unspoken meaning became clear. "From Atlantis?"

He swallowed hard, looking away as he spoke. "We managed to avoid the Wraith discovering our secret for almost eight months. Once they found out, the Hoffans were first to fall. Carson…" His voice cracked so badly he wasn't immediately able to speak. It took several moments before he spoke again, this time in a detached tone. "Beckett was there working with Perna when the attack occurred. By the time we arrived, there wasn't a single living being left alive."

He took another deep breath and squeezed his eyes tightly shut. "Atlantis was hit next. There wasn't time to evacuate. If Teyla and I hadn't been offworld testing the security at one of the other labs…" Again, he had to pause a moment to collect himself. "We lost McKay, Zelenka, Elizabeth--everybody. We didn't find out until we tried to gate home--the wormhole wouldn't connect. So we went to the nearest gate and eventually got there by jumper."

Tears slipped from his eyes to trail slowly down his face. "There was nothing left. She was just…gone. There was no sign the city had ever been there. The jumper's sensors detected debris at the bottom. McKay must have managed to set off the self-destruct."

Again, he swallowed hard and continued in the same detached tone. "The Genii homeworld was the next to fall. Somehow the Wraith found out about their underground bunker. No one was left there either."

"We knew that the Wraith would find out what we were doing sooner or later, so right from the beginning I set up several storage locations for the finished serum--away from the labs, for safekeeping. Ladon Radim was at one of them when the Genii were hit. He set up new labs to replace the ones lost. Basically, he took over Beckett's responsibilities and organized the distribution and inoculation of the various populations."

He grew quiet then and Teyla contemplated his story. He'd lost so much in the process of defeating the Wraith. It struck her then, like a physical blow. There were no more Wraith in his world. Not one. And that meant that there would be no more cullings. No more running from Darts and dodging their beams. No more hive ships. No more queens or their lieutenants or drones. No more watching helplessly as dear ones had their life ruthlessly drained from them before her very eyes. No more visiting a village to meet and trade with dear friends, only to find their world in ruin after a visit by the Wraith. It was almost too much to comprehend.

"Are you willing to share this serum so that we may be free from the Wraith as well?" She was willing to deal with the devil himself if it meant eliminating the Wraith once and for all.

He shook his head, his eyes still closed. "I can't. There were…complications. It wasn't until later…" Another wave of pain hit, stealing his breath and stopping his explanation for the moment.

She wetted a square of cloth and wiped his face with it, considering all he'd told her as she worked. She'd grown used to life on Atlantis. It was difficult to imagine life without the great city, never again being able to stroll down its magnificent corridors and hallways. Never again having the grand city's resources to draw upon in a crisis. Never again sitting in the mess and dining with her friends, especially her teammates. Never again sparring with John, Ronon, or any number of other expedition members in the gym. Never again meditating in her room, surrounded by mementos of her people and her life on Athos.

He groaned, his face tightening with the pain that racked his body. She continued her ministrations, her mind again going back to contemplate his losses. Her chest tightened at the thought of losing her Atlantean friends. What would life be like without Elizabeth for her to share the difficulties of leadership that they as women faced? Without watching John and Rodney bicker back and forth like children, laughing at their antics? Without feeling like a parent trying to keep her children in line when the pair's arguments spiraled out of control? Without hearing the peculiar brogue from the gentle Scottish doctor upon waking in the infirmary? Without ever again hearing him call her "love" in that endearing way of his?

She turned to rewet the cloth, but before she could even uncap the canteen the next tremor hit. Longer and more severe than the previous attacks, it left him barely conscious. She was startled when he suddenly reached up to grab her arm.

"Please," he begged. "S-send me b-back." Panting from the effort of speaking, he pushed on. "P-p-please? P-promised w-would c-come b-back."

"Shh," she soothed. "You must save your strength."

"T-too late. P-please, p-promise me. C-canyon. E-e…argh!" He stopped abruptly, his jaw clenching in pain. A groan evolved into a cry of agony, every muscle in his body going rigid as he tried to ride it out.

Without warning, his body suddenly went limp. Teyla knew immediately that his end had come. Trembling, she placed her fingers against his neck and felt for a pulse. She found none.

She closed her eyes and sat back on her heels. "He is dead."

Her John's voice drifted over from the other side of the rock. "He didn't tell us why he took the kids or where the mirror was. There's no way to get them back without it."

She nodded, rising. "Yes, I know. I shall see to your injuries now." Teyla stared down at the lifeless body, surprised to find a tear sliding down her cheek. She quickly wiped it away and shrugged off her jacket, draping it over the corpse.

Moving on autopilot, she set about tending the living John's wounds. First, she cleaned and bandaged the deepest cut on his head. From there, she turned her attention to his injured leg, feeling along the bone for any sign of a fracture.

He hissed in pain when she touched the swollen knee, but she ignored it and continued her examination. "I believe it is badly sprained, but not broken," she informed him.

"It's not my fault, you know."

"Of course not. Why would you think that I believe it to be your fault? You could not help being injured." She continued to wrap the knee, not looking at him for even a moment.

He sighed. "That's not what I meant. It's not my fault that he's dead."

She stilled, finally lifting her eyes to meet his. "What?"

"You haven't looked me in the eye once--until now--since he died. It's obvious that you hold me responsible. What I don't get is why?"

Teyla flinched from the hurt in his tone. "I do not hold you responsible--I am glad he is the one dead and not you," she told him earnestly. "But I must confess that I am…conflicted regarding him. He murdered my friends and took their children. But after hearing what he has endured--what they have endured…" She sighed deeply. "I cannot help but wonder what other horrors they must have experienced to have driven him to this extreme. And now I fear that we shall never know. Our only hope of ever finding out is to locate this mirror of which you spoke."

The tension drained from his body. "Yeah, I know. On one hand, I can't help but feel that the son-of-a-bitch got what he deserved. But then I have to wonder, if I were in that position, if I had gone through what he did, would I have done anything differently? And then there's that whole trying-to-kill-me thing. He didn't even stick around to make sure the job was finished. Why throw me down that mountain anyway? He had me stunned and helpless on the ground by the DHD. I get why he didn't use the P-90 or the handgun; too risky. Someone--you--might hear and come investigate. But he could have snapped my neck or used a knife or any number of different things that would have left no doubt the job was done."

"And yet he did not." She was silent for a moment. "Perhaps, somewhere in the depths of his soul, he wished to be discovered. Perhaps he felt this…entropic cascade failure would be a just punishment for his crimes."

She reached up and placed her hand gently against his cheek. "Whatever his reasons were, I am most pleased that he did not succeed."

He looked away, blushing. "Yeah, me, too."

A comfortable silence fell over them as she cleaned and dressed the rest of his scrapes and scratches. When the job was finished she gathered her things and tidied up the area. She knew he was watching her; she could feel his eyes on her back. She smiled, finding yet another difference between him and his double. The deceased John's gaze had made her uncertain, uncomfortable even. But this John observing her felt right, much like coming home after a long absence.

Grabbing the two canteens, she turned and offered one to him. "You must not allow yourself to become dehydrated."

"Yes, Mother," he quipped, smirking. Nevertheless, he uncapped the vessel and drank.

She returned his grin, settling herself on the rock before uncapping her own and taking a swig. Her thoughts went immediately to Jalea and her lost child. If only he had been able to tell them where the mirror was before he died. At least then she'd have a chance of recovering Ryssa. There was little else she could do for her departed friend now.

"Penny for your thoughts?" asked John.

Pulled from her reverie, she smiled at him. "I was thinking about Jalea. There is a place not far from here where we used to sneak off to as young girls. My father would have to come and retrieve me when it was time to leave, as we never seemed able to return to the village within his allotted time."

"How well do you know this planet?"

"I used to know it very well, but it many years have passed since I visited regularly. But I believe I could still find my way without much difficulty." She knew the look he wore well--an idea was forming, perhaps a plan to locate the mirror device. "You have an idea?"

"Well, I was just thinking about your friends and their aversion to advanced technology. And I'm thinking that if they did know where this mirror was, it's a pretty good bet that they wouldn't want any of their fellow villagers anywhere near it, right?"

Teyla nodded. "Yes, they would definitely take measures to avoid such a device."

"Right, so I was just wondering if you might be aware of anyplace that was off limits. Maybe someplace that you were forbidden to play as a child?"

Teyla's eyes widened. "Yes. Yes, there is such a place. I remember once, Jalea's father became very, very angry when my father mentioned finding us near the entrance to a canyon not far from here. Jalea later told me that it was forbidden for anyone to enter. They called it "Echo Canyon". She was punished quite harshly for even going near there. She later told me that legend said that if one entered the canyon, they would cease to be themselves and be rendered into many, many different--but identical--people."

He sat forward eagerly. "That's got to be it. He said something about a canyon right before he…you know. Do you think you can find it?"

She nodded. "It is not far." Looking at his swollen knee, she hesitated. "Though it will most certainly take longer with your injury. Likely half an hour or more."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's get our stuff and move out." Groaning, he pulled himself to his feet.

"John." She nodded to his deceased twin. "He asked that we return him to his people."

He shook his head. "Not possible. We can't carry him, not that far."

"I can fashion a…travois, I believe you call it? It will not take long." Without waiting for his agreement, she began scouting for the poles she would need.

"Why are you so intent on doing this for him? He doesn't deserve it!"

She turned slowly to face him, determined. "I am not doing this for him. I am doing it for those he left behind. They have already lost so much--if I can in some way lessen their pain, then I must do so."

He scrubbed a hand across his face, sighing. "Yeah, okay. So, how can I help?"

"You can remove the branches from these saplings while I locate a means to bind them together," she suggested.

"Great, just what I always wanted to be--a stripper." His eyes grew wide with panic and his face turned a vivid shade of red. "Um, I didn't mean… I mean, what I meant was…" He gestured awkwardly to the saplings she dropped in front of him. "Um, I don't suppose you could just forget I ever said that?"

She laughed and gestured to the makeshift poles. "We should get to work."

"Right," he agreed.

Making a mental note to ask Elizabeth about it later, she set about finding what she needed to finish the stretcher.

Part Four