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Story Title: The Night That Changed All Others
Chapter Title: Chapter 6 - The Attack
Author: Nytel
Spoilers: Up to 203 for sure, but very light spoilers, if any, after that.
Summary: Teyla and John spend one night together, and they could never have imagined the series of events that would unfold because of it. These events would change the lives and the future of everyone in Atlantis.
Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate Atlantis.
Previously:
Teyla sniffed and then said, “I will only accept your apology if you accept mine.” Then she smiled, a true smile, and the sight of it warmed John’s heart.
John then wrapped her up in another hug and said, “I accept your apology, so I guess that you accept mine.”
“Yes, I do.” She said, and John could tell that she was smiling against his shoulder. Maybe everything would be all right after all.
Chapter 6 - The Attack
They stood there, wrapped in their embrace, for a few minutes before John heard someone calling him on the radio. Teyla must have overheard the chatter from his headset because she withdrew from his arms. John let her, but very reluctantly.
He then spoke into the microphone, “Sheppard here.” He was glad that his voice sounded steady. He had thought that it would be shaky at the very least considering how emotionally draining his talk with Teyla had been.
“Sir,” John recognized Ford’s voice. He sounded worried and out of breath. “The kids are heading toward the control room. I don’t know what happened. They were fine, then all of a sudden they started talking all funny and saying some pretty unbelievable stuff.”
“What?” John practically screamed into his mouthpiece. His heart was beating fast now. Somehow, knowing that the kids were his made the situation a whole lot worse.
“Sir,” Ford said. Then he took a deep breath and said. “I think it’s the wraith.” He still sounded out of breath, in fact it sounded like he was running after them.
Without a second thought John radioed Ford saying, “I’m on my way.” He barely had a chance to catch a glimpse of Teyla’s worried face before he ran out the door at full speed, heading for the control room.
John was so focused on making it to the control room that he almost didn’t hear Teyla following him out the door. He didn’t know if she had overheard the conversation, but she must have known that something was wrong.
John raced through the hallways at top speed as he unceremoniously dodged people that were in his way. To John it seemed like forever until he reached the control room. Just as he rounded the last corner he could see the two kids running in from the other entrance with Ford hot on their heels.
They came to an immediate stop when they saw that John was between them and the dialing control panel. They both frantically looked around, but the strange thing was that they were both doing the exact same thing at the exact same time. It was like someone had synchronized them to act as one.
When Tagan opened his mouth to speak, Abrianna did too. Or maybe it was the other way around, John didn’t know. But when they spoke, they spoke as one.
“Let the children through the gate.” Their voices did not sound normal, in fact they sounded very much like Teyla had when the wraith had possessed her so long ago.
“I’m sorry,” John said sarcastically knowing that he was talking to the wraith here. “But I don’t think I’m going to do that.”
“You must.” They said, still talking in the same deep voice. “If you do not, you will have to face the consequences.”
“Oh really.” John said as he pulled out his gun. The last thing he wanted to do was shoot one or both of his kids, and he was hoping that he wouldn’t have to resort to that as a means to stop them.
“Yes,” they replied with gleeful smiles. It was horribly disturbing to see such a malicious look on the faces of children.
It was at this point that Teyla finally entered the control room limping very badly. John quickly glanced around him and noticed that a few others had shown up as well, including Dr. McKay and Sergeant Bates.
Before John had a chance to say anything else to the wraith controlling the twins Teyla spoke. “Let them go.” It was a demand stated in the harshest voice John had ever heard.
Then they laughed. It was a cold and ruthless laugh that sounded completely wrong coming from the mouths of innocent twins. “Why would I do that, when these children fell so easily into my control. And I have need of them. We have need of them. Let them through the gate.”
“Like I said,” John began. “I’m not going to do that.”
“Very well then.” The twins said, still talking in that horrible voice. “But I am not going to release my control over these children.”
“Let them go!” Teyla screamed.
The twins did nothing but stand there with that awful grin on their faces. Then suddenly they made a dash straight toward John and more importantly the control panel. John tried to hold them back, but somehow the wraith had managed to lend its strength to the children too, because they knocked him over and immediately began to dial a gate address.
They were so quick that within a few seconds they had finished dialing and were rushing down toward the gate. “Shut if off!” John commanded as he got up and followed them down the stairs into the gate room, his gun still poised to shoot. He distantly heard someone yelling in the background that they couldn’t turn the gate off. Ford and Bates had followed John down, and they both had guns too. Yet no one shot.
John knew that this was going to be his last chance to stop the wraith, but he couldn’t bring himself to pull the trigger. No one should have to feel that kind of inner turmoil, how could you decide whether or not to shoot your kid when it might either save them or damn them.
John then heard the click of the trigger as it was starting to be pulled. It was Bates. He had begun to pull the trigger but paused when Teyla yelled, “Sergeant no!” John heard her voice crack with emotion. “Not my children!”
But Bates began once again to pull the trigger. “Bates stop,” John yelled. “That’s an order.” He was aiming directly for Tagan and wasn’t stopping. Just as the gun should have released a round, a red flash shot between John and Sergeant Bates, hitting Tagan directly in the back. A second one immediately followed and hit Abrianna in her back. Both children hit the ground hard, within only a few feet of the gate. Just then the gate shut off.
Bates and Ford walked up to the children, both pointing their guns at the unmoving figures. John rapidly turned around to see Ronon almost directly behind him, holding his gun that was fortunately set on stun.
“I overheard your radio conversation and figured you might need some help.” Ronon said in the way of an explanation.
Teyla stood off to the side balancing with most of her weight on one leg. She was in shock. John could tell by the look on her face.
“What the hell Bates?” John screamed. “I ordered you to stop.”
“Sorry sir, but I am in charge of security and they were a security threat. I had to take them out.”
“You sure as hell didn’t have to Sergeant. I ordered you not to.”
“I’m sorry sir, but I believe that you let your emotions…”
John had heard enough. “Bates, you almost shot my kids!”
John could hear his voice echo in the gate room. Everyone had fallen silent at his last remark. Some people were openly staring at him in confusion. Others were looking away and trying to pretend they had heard nothing.
Then from somewhere behind him, John heard. “What?” He turned to look and saw that it was Rodney who was talking. Big surprise there. “I thought those were Teyla’s kids.”
John was saved from replying when Dr. Beckett came rushing in with a few other medics. John didn’t know who had called them, but he was glad they were there.
John was about to walk over to the kids, but Carson told him not to. Ford was telling Dr. Beckett all that had transpired while he checked the vital signs of both children. John couldn’t even bring himself to look at the children lying on the floor. They looked so helpless and John wanted nothing more than to be able to make everything better. Unfortunately he couldn’t.
John sighed and walked over to Teyla, knowing that there was nothing that he could do to help his kids right now. Teyla was leaning on Ronon and tears were streaming down her face for the second time that day.
John wanted so desperately to comfort her, but he didn’t know how. Nothing that he could say could possibly make the situation better. Their children had been possessed by the wraith and who knew what would happen when they woke up.
Before John could think of anything to say to Teyla, Carson walked over to them. Teyla roughly wiped her eyes and asked, “What’s going to happen to them?”
Carson sighed. “To be honest Teyla, I don’t know. Physically they seem fine, but I have no idea what will happen to them when they wake up. I’ve given them both a sedative so that they won’t be waking up for awhile. I just don’t think that we want to risk them waking up while still being possessed by the wraith. I’ll have to talk to Elizabeth before I can do anything else.”
Teyla nodded. Carson gently squeezed her shoulder and gave her a sympathetic look. He then went off to the infirmary with the children who were being carried on stretchers. Teyla watched until they were far out of sight. She then turned to look at John. She was no longer crying, but she looked emotionally and physically exhausted.
“John,” she whispered. He could tell that she didn’t know what else to say. There just weren’t words for a situation like this.
John stepped closer to Teyla and enveloped her in another hug. She clung onto him and buried her face in his shoulder. John rested his chin on the top of her head and closed his eyes. He hoped that no matter what happened they would be able to make it through together.
TBC
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