Note: Vision of the Future was originally posted online January of 2006 in script format. It has been novelized and reedited to correct unparallel plot elements and to clarify confusing passages. The continuity of the original story line, however, will remain the same through all five chapters. The story is based on the events that took place during and before the Stargate Atlantis episode 2.19 Inferno.

CANYONS

Time: Day One

Dr. Elizabeth Weir turned restlessly in her bed while her mind moved through a dark maze full of shadows. A hand stroked her cheek, but nothing was there when she turned. Lights, voices, chaos...

“Ah!” She screamed and sat up in bed feeling completely lost. Her nightgown clung to her sweaty skin. She pulled the smooth fabric down to her thighs and made her way to the sink. The Atlantian moon Isare spread an eerie glow through the room.

“Leave me alone, please,” she begged. She held her hands under the cool water from the faucet. “I'm tired...very tired.” She looked up at the dim mirror. “So, this is me asking the ghosts in my head to leave me alone. Five months is long enough.” Her voice softened. She shut off the water and wiped her hands over her face. “Haunt me!” she laughed. “I live to see everything. I live to understand everything. Haunt me, but I will not go mad!” She smiled for a few seconds longer before slamming her fist against the mirror. A consuming anger had replaced her desperation. The bottom glass of the mirror broke distorting her reflection. She drew back again to strike the other half of the mirror, but her hand stopped and instead she opened her fingers and rested her palm on the cold glass. Something had stopped her hand, but only for a moment. It had been too quick for her judge whether the intervention was her own or from something else. Blood dripped from her hand into the sink, but she did not move.

Doctor Carson Beckett tried to keep a steady sleep schedule, but he had given up since he had come to Atlantis. Casualties were expected at any hour, and he had often been awake for several days doing what Stargate Command had described as an 'interesting job' when they had approached him with a summons from Elizabeth to join her team. He was up in the late hours of the fourth shift working on one of his projects. He liked the quiet. Everything seemed organized when the city was asleep.

“Carson?”

He turned to see Elizabeth enter the infirmary. “Elizabeth! Is there something I can help you with?”

“Yes. Actually two things.” She held up her hand.

“Something involving glass. What happened?” He quickly crossed the room to assess the damage.

“I'll take the liberty of skipping that part right now. I need something to help me sleep.”

“Insomnia?” he asked.

“Nightmares.”

“That's common with the stress you've been under. I think I can help you, but do you know when they started?”

She looked away hesitantly while he pulled a shard of glass from her hand. “When I met her, myself from another time. It's odd because it didn't bother me after the initial shock.”

“Maybe you have some repressed emotion in that area,” he offered.

“I don't think that's it. My dreams aren't really clear. I feel that if I understood them better, if I could see everything, then I might feel differently.”

He ran a scanner over her hand to identify any foreign particles that might still be in it and then wrapped it in gauze. “We'll start by helping you to sleep and deal with the rest later. Come by again before you want to go to sleep and I'll have something for you to take.”

“Thank you, Carson,” she said as she turned to leave.

He stopped her. “Take care of your hands Elizabeth--take care of yourself.” She nodded and left the room to think. Instead of returning to her bed, she headed to the low dock off the east pier.

Dr. Rodney McKay, the lead scientist at Atlantis, sat at the table in the conference room ready to give his presentation. Teyla Emmagan, their native guide among the stars of Pegasus, was the only other person seated. Colonel John Sheppard leaned against the wall and gazed across the room while he listened to Ronon tell a story. The two men had become good friends due to the harsh conditions in the galaxy that involved constant combat and teamwork. Ronon was a native of Pegasus like Teyla, but the Atlantis team had rescued him from a life of being a pawn of the Wraith. The race of Wraith had become a plague upon the people of the galaxy.

John was the commanding military leader for the expedition. He had a greater hate for the Wraith than any of the other people from Earth. He had felt their madness when an accident almost changed him into one, and they had playfully antagonized him above all others with each contact the Atlantis expedition had with them. Elizabeth, the civilian sociologist and leader of the expedition, entered the room with a smile. Though everyone noticed the bandage on her hand, they said nothing and would not ask. They had learned to trust each other as much as they had learned to be concerned.

“Rodney, you've called this meeting, so I'm giving you complete control. You promised to dazzle us.”

“Yes I did,” Rodney said, “Although dazzle is hardly a word I would use.”

“I'm sorry, will you continue,” Elizabeth replied.

“Okay, I came across a section in the Ancient database that has an altered script from the Ancient language we know. It is a relatively short passage. I almost overlooked it because it seemed to start as a song or lament of some sort. I skipped over that part to work on the rest. I'll translate it later of course when I have more time. The part after it explains where the song came from. The people sang it to remember some great sacrifice. Because of this sacrifice things changed. The best part is that it goes on to describe a device that is like a ZPM, sort of like a different year and model. But I think it is close enough. There are still some gaps in my translation because of the strange text, but this could be what we've been looking for.”

“How long will it take you to finish translating?”

“Oh, not long, but that's not the important part. I have a gate address. Its notation was based on an Ancient charting system, but it comes out to be planet M5H 1E5.” He shrugged. “It's not exactly like a metric conversion, but I figured it out. The ZPM is definitely there. It may be a bit of a hunt if you go looking for it, but it says that it is sheltered near a body of water and a flat rock faced mountain or mesa.”

“That's all you have!” John said.

“Teyla, Ronon, do either of you know anything about this world?” Elizabeth asked.

“Never heard of it,” Ronon replied.

Teyla hesitated and pressed the palms of her hands together while leaning back in her chair. “It is one of the planets in an area known as the expanse of the Wraith Ancients. It is called Kalasandar. It is believed that the Wraith watch those planets more than all the others in the galaxy, however they do not feed upon the people any more than those on other worlds. Many believe that those were the first worlds the Wraith colonized when they evolved. We do not know for sure.”

Rodney threw up his arms in defeat. “So much for my good news!”

“Teyla, do you know anyone who has gone to that world and survived?” Elizabeth asked.

“My father took me there once when I was a child.”

“Would the people help us?”

“Dr. Weir, my knowledge of this planet is based on a child's perspective. I did not understand at the time, but I know now that they could sense the Wraith genes in me. They were cautious of me when my father left me alone, but they were always kind to us. I don't know.”

“We can't ever pass up a chance to get another ZPM,” Elizabeth said. She glanced at each of their faces. Rodney's excitement was spreading. “Is there anything you can tell me that will let me approve this mission?”

“They are a very open and honest people. My father went to learn of their medicines. He asked and they agreed to teach him. If we go through the gate we can ask them where the ZPM is. They will either bring us to where it is, tell us all they know about it, or give an honest reason why they cannot help us. Once they respond we must accept their answer. They are not like the planets we've been to where the people lie when they say they speak the truth. It will be useless to argue or reason with them, because their rationality keeps them alive.”

“So, we just walk in and ask for it nicely?” John said doubtfully.

“I assure you Colonel, it will not be easy for any of us. First, they will not allow you near their city,” Teyla replied.

“This again! What if we check our guns at the gate?” He hated being confined by diplomatic rules. Everything had a catch.

She stood and backed away from the table as if putting distance between herself and the idea. “If we are to go you will have to wait for me at the gate. I will go to the city alone and inquire for us. You will be safe to follow me once I have told them of you.”

“I don't like the idea of you going alone,” Elizabeth said.

“The people of Earth and their purposes in this galaxy mean nothing to them. Nothing ties you here, you are foreign, and they will see that. I cannot take any of your things with me if I go. They know me as an Athosian, not as member of this team.”

“You'll come back and let us know what they say?” John asked.

“Yes, though I will be honest. I do not look forward to returning, but a ZPM is worth as much to my people as to yours.”

“Get your team ready, Colonel,” Elizabeth said as she stood. “Teyla take whatever you need.” She looked down at Rodney. “I need you to finish those translations, preferably before they come back incase there are warnings.”

“I'm not on the team? I don't have to go to the Wraith guarded world! This day gets better and...”

Elizabeth left the room hearing echoes of Rodney's relief.

The gate room was nothing exceptional unless an event horizon creating a wormhole between two different worlds was an unusual occurrence. John, Ronon, and Carson stood on the platform dressed in military gear. They all carried guns, but Carson also carried a medical kit. Teyla approached the platform last wearing a leather bodice and skirt that her native people wore. She carried no weapons, only a canteen with water. She nodded at John. He dialed the address on the DHD, and they remained silent while the iris opened, then they stepped through the gate.

Kalasandar was a planet of dark red stone and deep canyons that created a dramatic contrast to the cerulean blue sky above it. The Grand Canyon was the first thing that came to John's mind. “Looks like we found the stone. We'll have to work on the water part. Anyone feel thirsty yet?” he asked.

Teyla ignored him. “I will leave you now. You must not follow me or try to look for me if I do not come back. It could be a couple of hours or a couple of days.

John gently grabbed her arm. “Are you sure you're okay doing this?”

“I will be fine,” she said quickly. She turned away just as she felt the surge of a chill that seemed to have radiated out from his hand. It carried with it a small thread of doubt, and now she wasn't completely sure she would be fine.

They watched her cross the rocks and then climb down a ledge. Finally she disappeared out of sight. Carson dropped his bag on the ground with his gun. He stretched and then shook his head while glancing back in the direction Teyla had disappeared in. “It seems a bit useless to have me come along if we're just going to sit by the gate. I won't listen to you next time you insist on something, Colonel.”

John smiled. “Well Ronon and I can beat people up, but if Teyla comes back with holes in her we're not going to be able to do much. Does that make you feel any better?”

“You think she might get hurt?”

“I hope it doesn't come to that. This place is strange.” John looked down at where Ronon was sitting. “I'll teach you to play poker.” He pulled a deck of cards out of his vest. “The three of us can spend the rest of the time betting rocks.”

Ronon grinned, “Oh, go ahead, Colonel. Teach me. I'm sure we'll have fun.”

Teyla moved at a quick pace over the uneven terrain. She was tired and her skin was damp from perspiration. Her canteen was empty. The dry heat in the darkness had drained her. She was grateful to see a small stream in the distance. She knelt beside it to splash water on her face and to refill her canteen. As she tightened the seal on the cap, she looked up to see the outline of a city carved into a mountain. Relief, fatigue, and jubilation drove her to run into it.

“Avare! Avare? Na leete?” she asked. She couldn't remember anymore of their words, but she saw that it was useless. No one was there. “Hello?” she whispered. Tears crept into her wind burned eyes. Her gaze caught everything around her. Dust swirled into the air. She entered one of the arch openings to the city. Moonlight streamed in from above through skylights in the rocks.

She touched a wall and suddenly she was a little girl. She was walking in the same place. People were around her. She passed by children who were running and playing. They suddenly stopped to stare at her as she passed by. The chill of the cave brought her back to the present. She moved to a different part of the city that held a giant courtyard. In it there were living plants that had survived even when their keepers had abandoned them.

A man nudged his wife and the woman turned to see where he was pointing. Teyla. She quickly turned away when she saw them looking. Teyla plunged her hands into a small pool of water. She knew her memory would not be silenced by any distraction. She sat on the ledge and ran her fingers over the plants. She stopped over a long spiked grass with a furry skin. It was a succulent plant. She broke off a piece and rubbed the sap between her fingers.

She wandered into a room to watch her father work. She touched each plant and no one scolded her. They were beautiful, she thought. A Kalasandarn man spoke calmly to her father about each one. “Teyla.” Her father smiled and he knelt beside her. “This will heal burns.” He laid a leaf from the plant in the palm of her hand. Teyla lay her head on the cool stone ledge. The water trickled behind her and the fragrance of the plants surrounded her like a blanket. She was too tired to head back to the gate. Morning, she thought, she would return then.

Her long hair blew in the wind, and she gathered the skirt of her dress in her hands. She was confused for a moment. Her breath was so real. She was standing at the edge of a cliff watching Lantians climb out of the water and up the side. They wanted to kill her. Behind her, people were yelling. Wraith! She was trapped. At the last moment, before hands grabbed her feet to pull her down, she closed her eyes, spread out her arms, and fell. Her body plunged into the ocean. She sank lower and lower in the water to where the city of Atlantis was submerged. It was dark, but she felt a hand grab onto hers. Both of their hands connected and she tried to pass through the shield, but it would not let her through. They struggled together to bring her in. She was trapped and the air seeped from her lungs, dragging her away. She tried to take another breath, but she was pulled to the surface. Their hands slipped away from each other and she floated further and further from Atlantis until she disappeared.

Teyla fell off the ledge and woke. She gasp for air as she rose from the floor. She looked around the dark room quickly, inspecting the shadows, before feeling her way out of the city. The freedom she had hoped to find on the open sands outside was evanescent. Under the light of the moon, it looked like she was standing on a world covered in blood.

“May the Ancients forgive me,” she cried. “I was never wanted here!”

John closed his eyes for a moment while strange pictures filled his mind. His head was killing him and he was tempted to ask Carson for something to take away the pain. He laid his cards down without even looking at them. His eyes remained focused on the darkness.

“I'll have to send you back through the Stargate soon, Colonel, because I'll own the rock you're sitting on,” Ronon said.

“Here I was trying to be nice and teach you to play some decent Poker, but you already know the game somehow. We call that being a hustler.”

“You just assumed that I didn't know how to play,” Ronon laughed. “I've been at Atlantis for awhile, and your people play the game all the time.”

John ignored him as he swatted at a bug on his ankle. He turned again to the darkness and listened to the strange sounds. He closed his eyes for a moment longer, thinking, and then stood to his feet.

“You can have your rock back, John. I wasn't telling you to leave the game.”

John checked the chamber of his gun and then began strapping on his gear. “Let's go. We're going to get Teyla.”

Carson stood and grabbed his arm to stop him. “She was quite serious when she asked you not to follow. It hasn't even been a day yet.”

“Yeah, well plans have changed. This is a weird planet and I can see why she didn't want to come back here. Carson, get out a bio-scanner and look for her. Ronon, kill anything that comes close, as long as it's not Teyla.” They moved away from the Stargate together in the same direction Teyla had gone. Neither of them argued with John again.

She wandered back to the Stargate with determination. She was tired and lost, but she pushed herself to find a safe place. They would find her if she waited in a safe place. She came to a vertical rock face, and with the last of her strength she climbed the twenty feet to the top. The stars were her guide and light the whole way. Foreign stars. Familiar stars. She looked around briefly before collapsing onto the mesa. The open sky consumed her and she lay back, closed her eyes, and then smiled.

By early morning, they had gone further than they had expected. John had driven them at a quick and steady pace. He walked ahead while Ronon and Carson laughed and talked about drinking games and drinking songs. The daylight had made them mutually cheerful.

“Aye lad,” Carson said. “You should come to Scotland. We'll put you out of your misery. Not that I recommend consuming copious amounts of alcohol. I just find the stuff in this galaxy a wee bit of a disappointment.”

Ronon laughed. “That's because you lived at Atlantis. I'll dig something up for you and let you be the judge.”

“That's kind of you.” The bio-scanner beeped. Carson looked up and saw John two hundred feet ahead, looking up at a flat rock face. “That's got to be her,” Carson said. He turned to look behind. They had been climbing for several hours, and they were at the top of a steep incline.

“I hope both of you can climb, because I'm not taking any excuses,” John said as he began to climb. Carson slowly followed with Ronon behind to monitor his progress. Teyla still lay sleeping when John's head peeked above the ridge.

“Teyla?” he said as he approached. She didn't move or respond. He knelt beside her and propped her up in his arms. “Teyla!” He shook her, and she opened her eyes, but closed them quickly because of the sun. She opened them again with her hand shading them and smiled weakly.

“Colonel, I'm sorry. I fell asleep and I lost...”

“Are you okay?” he interrupted.

“Yes, but I ran out of water.”

Ronon laughed from behind them. “Well there's plenty of water here.”

They turned to where he was pointing. The ocean lay next to the mountain they were standing on. Teyla stood slowly and walked closer to the edge. The cliff was the same one from her dream. Yet this time there were no plants, only rocks and dust. She turned to look behind her where the Wraith had been. The others turned to look in the same direction when she did not look away.

“Teyla?” John asked softly.

She glanced back at the ocean. “Too many echoes,” she said to herself, yet the others heard her. She began to walk towards the phantom village of the Wraith, but quickly sat after walking only a few feet.

“I think you're a bit tired,” Carson said. He rushed over. “Here's some water and you need to eat as much as you can. Are you feeling sick?”

“No.” She ate in silence, but kept looking out at the ocean with intensity.

“So, we're on the rocks looking at the ocean. Are we going to look for the ZPM?” Ronon asked. “Rodney said it should be around here.”

“I'll stay with her if you two want to look around.” Carson offered.

John knelt before Teyla. “Did you get lost before or after you got to the city?”

“After,” she replied. “I'm sorry. The people have been gone for a while. It could be six months or twenty years. The dust and sand seemed to have erased all traces of life here. I'm not really sure. We're on our own.” She hesitated for a moment. “I'm sorry I got lost, Colonel. I was sure this was the right way to the Stargate last night and now I see that it was not. I'm glad you did not listen to my orders to stay there.”

“Well everything seems to be working out. You found the water so we have time to find the ZPM before returning to the gate. Keep your radio on Doc, we'll check in on both of you in an hour.”

“No!” Teyla said quickly standing to her feet. “I'm fine. This is not a good planet to get separated on. Let me go with you!”

“Alright, you're behind me then.” John replied. “Doc, watch her. Ronon, take the six.”

They traveled for several hours not wanting to admit that they wouldn't find the ZPM. They could still see the ocean. John held a sensor that read energy signatures. Among all of them, he had kept his strength the longest.

“I'm not Rodney,” Carson said. “But I do know that our readings could be greatly altered by any metal in these rocks. Iron deposits give them the red color.”

“Well I guess hide-and-seek is over,” John admitted. “When Rodney translates the rest of the text we can come back in a jumper with air conditioning.” He looked towards the ocean. “I think if we keep going this way we'll make a full circle and save ourselves from skating down a very steep slope. I did that on a skateboard once--not pretty.”

They continued on. Teyla was gazing in the distance when John suddenly slipped on some gravel and began to fall. She refocused and caught herself from falling too, then steadied his arm.

“That was fun. Sorry about that, Teyla. Thanks.”

“I think we are all tired,” she said. “Do you really know if this is the way back to the Stargate?”

“Yes. I tried to scan the entire planet to make a map during the poker hands I sat out. I got the rest of it when we reached the ocean front.” He handed the scanner to her and then set his gear on the ground. As he sat down, he began to slide backwards.

“Colonel!” Teyla screamed. She saw a canyon appear beneath him. The scanner slipped from her hands and fell over the edge. It crashed against the rocks, and the pieces scattered on their way down. She grabbed John's vest when he tried to catch himself. Her grip slid down to where she only held onto his wrist. They both knew he would fall.

“Let go, Teyla!” he begged painfully.

“No,” she screamed as she tried once more to pull him back to the surface. They canyon was too deep. He would die if she let go. She would watch him die.

Everything happened so fast. Ronon rushed towards her while she slid quickly through the gravel and over the edge. Ronon and Carson were amazed when they saw the canyon seal itself off again. They kicked against it, but the rock was solid. They looked at each other with shock and confusion. “Shit,” Carson whispered. Ronon echoed something similar in a different language.

Teyla fell towards the sea. She held her breath, but it left her body when she hit the water. A blanket caught her from the sharp waves, and she took in a deep, new breath. She woke again on the canyon floor.

John rubbed his head. “Great! I fell down a rabbit hole.” He looked at Teyla. Her eyes were wide open in terror. She hadn't moved since her breath. The nails of her right hand dug into his wrist and drew blood. He sat up and gently pried her fingers away from his arm. “Teyla, it's okay. You're fine. Look at me.” She looked at him with a mixed expression of pain and fear and then jerked herself up and stumbled before she ran away from him down the narrow canyon. “Teyla?”

The canyon opened into a perfectly round court carved out of the red stone. The ceiling was very high and there was a skylight at the top similar to the ones Teyla had seen in the city. John entered and saw Teyla crouched down in the dust. He looked over her shoulder. She was tracing the bold shape of a stranger letter that was part of a triangle pattern that had been carved into the stone floor.

“Do you know what it says?” he asked.

“No. The Ancients have scattered parts of themselves on so many worlds that I'm not really surprised by this.” She backed away to lean against the outer wall. “I don't understand. We should be dead.”

“Is that why you just ran away from me as if I scared you?” he asked.

“I have never trusted this world. Does anything about it feel odd to you? I was not scared of you.” She paused. “It was something else I thought I saw.”

“I hated the way this mission was planned to begin with. Mainly having to sit at the gate. The whole time I waited there I was distracted. It seemed like there was something in the darkness that I needed to see, that I was looking for. It was almost an obsession.” He laughed. “Rodney will find a way to get us out and maybe he'll have an explanation for this crazy world when he finishes with his translations.”

“We need to take inventory,” Teyla said quickly. “Then try to find a way out. In these caves it gets below freezing in the dark. We can't wait for Rodney.”

“I wish I would have kept my gear on before I fell. We both fell carrying nothing. Well, I have a ration bar in my vest so put that on the list.” He stopped and brushed her hand. “Why didn't you let go?” he asked.

She paused for a moment, unsure what to say. “I couldn't, I...I don't want to talk right now.”

“Fine. There's an opening in the rock over there. We might find something to eat or make a fire with since someone took the time to put artwork in the floor.” He stopped her again. “I'm really sorry Teyla, I've never seen you in so much pain.”

She walked past him with determination. “Colonel, I'm fine. Our perception and understanding of things on this world will be altered and we must account for that.” She continued to walk ahead to the archway that was opposite from the canyon passage. She had to drop back to him because the tunnel was dark. He cracked open a light stick from his vest, and they continued on together.

“We don't have time to look for an exit. We need supplies to get us through the night.”

“How far do you think this tunnel can go?” she laughed feeling more relaxed. “Maybe there is nothing in here.”

“I'm not sure.” The tunnel turned sharply as if to answer her and opened into a large room. He held the light in front of them and they began to inspect the items in the room. “Most of this is scrap metal. Tons of it. Somewhat organized, but all junk to us. Metal doesn't burn,” he said.

“This is a big room there must be something useful.” She pointed. “Let's go back there.”

“Right,” John mused. “Who leaves a survival kit at the entrance of a cave.”

They kept the light between them while they looked in separate places. John lifted the lid of a metal container and pulled out a tightly bound bundle. He unwrapped it and laughed. It looked similar to a bundle of large drumsticks. He held one up to the light. It was dark green and perfectly smooth. “On Earth we call this plastic,” he said. Teyla turned towards him. “I never thought I would find it here.” He held it up to her. “All we keep finding is metal and plastic. They don't burn.”

Without saying anything she took another stick from him and rubbed the two together, then held one under her nose. “Smell this,” she said.

“Definitely not plastic, smells really nice. Have you seen this before?” he asked. “It's so smooth and dense I thought... What is it?”

“I don't know its name, but it is a wood burned for its fragrance.”

“Well we will be warm and have sweet dreams because there are two large bundles in this box and the wood is very dense so it will burn longer and at a higher temperature.”

“Good, we have something for fire.” Teyla returned to a shelf she had been inspecting earlier. On the bottom she saw a pouch shaped bladder encased in leather. She shook it. “This is some type of liquid. Possibly water.”

“Or lighter fluid.” John took it from her. “We'll find out I guess. Age before beauty,” he grinned as he pulled the stopper. He sniffed the opening before taking a sip and then he held it out to her. “Try some.”

She took a quick drink and smiled. “This is very good, but it is not water.”

“Scented wood and really good wine,” he said suspiciously. “What kind of place is this anyway?”

“Wine will only dehydrate us and we do not know how long we will be trapped here.”

“Did you find anything else on that side of the room, because we should move these things out to the court before it gets dark,” he said.

“I found a stone jar, but the lid is stuck. I was afraid to break it. Maybe it only has chemicals inside. There's nothing else over here.” She handed it to him. John tried to open the lid, but it remained stuck.

“We'll take it with us then,” he said. “We might find a way to open it with more light.”

Teyla lead the way holding the light in one hand with a bundle of sticks under her arm and the wine skin slung over her shoulder. John carried the other bundle and the jar as he followed. They put everything together outside and were surprised that there was still light coming through the skylight.

“This has been a good effort so far,” she said. “I was afraid it would be completely dark when we returned. The light has not changed at all.”

John leaned back against the wall and looked up. “I always did like vaulted ceilings with skylights.” He glances at Teyla. “Thanks for hanging on to me. I'm glad I'm not alone down here. I mean, this is kind of fun.”

“I don't think I've ever seen you not having fun,” she laughed.

“Yes you have. One time involved a large insect and another time involved me turning blue. You could probably add all of my direct Wraith encounters to the list too.”

She stiffened and broke the light conversation. “Do you think we might find anything else in there to use?”

“A last try is always called for. I still need a piece of metal to start the fire with.” Teyla moved away from the wall and headed towards the archway. “Wait, you mean you want to go back now?” he asked.

“We won't want to go later when it is dark,” she replied.

They returned to the cave and spread out each using a separate glow stick. “Why don't you follow the wall on the left while I trace the wall on the right,” he said. “We'll meet up on the other side of the room and go over the stuff in the middle together.”

They spent fifteen minutes in silence making every effort to find anything that would help. Teyla stopped beside a heavy embroidered cloth draped over a large box. She had climbed over a metal shelf to get a closer view of it. She smiled as she held the light over it and reached out to touch the fabric. “Ahhh!” Bolts of electricity pulsed through her, and her pained voice echoed through the room. The current held her for a few seconds before releasing her. She finally fell to the floor.

John leapt around metal obstacles to get to her. “Teyla! What happened?” He held her against him while his back rested against the blanketed box. Her body was still shaking, and she was struggling to breath. “Take your time to breath. You'll be okay.” While her breathing steadied, she lay against him weakly, drained of strength.

“That was the worst thing I have ever felt in my life,” she finally said.

He pulled her to her feet, while their legs still touched the blanket. “What did you touch?” He backed away from her to look around. The moment he let go the electric energy gripped her again. He quickly turned back to her, and the moment he touched her it stopped.

“What was that?” he asked.

“Something only you can touch.” She was out of breath, but her anger forced her to say it as she pushed away from him and climbed over the shelf to leave the cave.

“Teyla!” he pleaded.

She stopped. “It is some type of cloth, and I thought we could use it.” She watched him fold away the cloth and inspect something underneath it. He laughed.

“Good work Teyla, you just found Rodney's ZPM. I'm just sorry the thing shocked you.”

“Well that explains why it was so hard to find. It probably generates a field to mask the canyon and the whole cave. This room has no dust in it probably because of the ZPM,” she said.

“Come.” He grabbed her hand while holding onto the blanket. “We'll leave the ZPM here for when the rescue party comes. We need to get back to camp and start the fire.”

“Did you get everything you needed to light it?” she asked.

“Yeah, on my way in I found a piece of metal that looked really nice. Did you notice that nothing in here is rusted either? Some ZPM.”

He continued to hold onto her while they left the cave and exited the hall to enter the court. The light had dimmed. John started the fire, and Teyla spread the blanket on the ground in the center of the court. It was a heavy velvet cloth of a deep burgundy color. The embroidery on it was the same as the triangle of letters that were on the stone floor beneath it. She moved the wine and the jar close to the fire and then stood with her back against the court wall to look up at the skylight. A few stars had come out. She watched them with a peaceful expression.

After John coaxed the fire into a great blaze, he wandered over to the wall where Teyla was. “It's nice that we can see a bit of the sky. I think it helps us from being disoriented.”

She laughed. “I think disorientation is unavoidable on this planet, Colonel. The whole experience has been so far removed from normal.

“Teyla, my name is John.” he corrected. “I wasn't born a Colonel.”

“I know, but that is how you are known among your people.” For a brief moment she felt as though everything around her had happened before.

He backed away from the wall and stood in front of her. “What is my name, Teyla?”

“Colonel, please!” she argued.

“Say it,” he whispered.

“John.” She looked away from him.

He smiled. “Thank you.”

“Is there anyone you don't order around? You are stubborn.”

“So are you.” He backed away from her seeming hesitant. “We've already admitted this is all new and strange. I don't want to make us sink any deeper, but I need to let you know something.”

“What is it?” she asked trying to mask her agitation.

“We've never talked about it, but I hurt you awhile back...”

“We don't need to talk about that,” she interrupted.

“Yes we do.”

“You were not yourself then. There is nothing to talk about and nothing to forgive,” she said as she walked away. He caught her arm, but immediately let it go knowing it was a wrong move. She watched, he had such a different look on his face this time. He had been sick and desperate to keep his mind sane that day.

On any other day she would have been better at traditional Athosian fighting. He had thrown away one of his sticks while she was desperate to keep up with two. They sparred. His attacks were brutal and her strength was not enough to match him. She hit the wall; he trapped her. He held the stick at her throat. Their conversation was playful while his movement terrified her. Her arms were pinned across her chest.

“You are showing considerable... progress, Colonel Sheppard,” she said hesitantly.

“You can call me John when we're off the clock.”

“Very well, John.”

“There y'go,” he said with a grin. He still kept her pinned.

“Should we continue or...” she started to ask.

He threw his stick to the ground and grabbed her face with his hands as he drew his mouth to hers. He kissed her deeply and harshly. His body crushed her against the wall. His kiss revealed his madness. She mourned in that moment. The John Sheppard she had known would never have caused her so much fear or pain.

“You remember,” he said. “You probably thought I was going to rape...”

“Stop it, John!” she demanded. “You didn't so drop the subject.”

“It was still wrong,” he whispered. “I regret that it was the first way I touched you. I'm very sorry. You make missions more enjoyable. You always have something new to teach us about this galaxy. You have so much love for these people and such faith that our efforts will make a difference in this war.” She tried to move away from him. “Please listen,” he begged

“Do not do this,” she replied.

“I'm not allowed to let you know that I care for you?”

“It is unlikely that it will make a difference. Here is the picture of the reality we live in. I know enough of your people. They allow me to work with them, but they have always been mistrusting of me. I would never fit in if you ever brought me back to your Earth, and any intimate association with you could be dangerous. My people would never accept you and they would question my authority for making such a poor decision by showing interest in you.” She paused. “If that were the case.”

“You don't think I've already thought of all of this? It's the reason I've been putting this off, but what is life if we don't push ourselves beyond the way the world has defined us? Regardless of whether it is possible I still want you to know.”

She laughed. “You have a history here. I'm not open to becoming one of your female love interests.”

“Yeah, plotting women who wanted me in a box or those who wanted me to ascend with them. It is much worse on Earth because there it is encouraged as a socially acceptable behavior. The point is that the temperature is dropping in here even with the fire. It is nice that the blanket is big, but we will still have to sleep side by side. I wanted you to know all of this because I've felt it for a long time. I'm in better control of myself this time, but that won't keep me from feeling anything.”

“A cold night is a poor excuse for bringing this up. Would it make a difference if I felt anything or not?” she asked.

“It would to me.”

His hopeful gaze watched her, but her expression was even and her face was void of emotion. “How can I help not feeling something? But I choose not to let it divert me. You should do the same,” she whispered.

He moved closer to her and braced his left arm against the wall, trapping her with his body. “We are destined to live, not hide. Do you think I would let you fight for this alone?” He lifted his right hand and held it close to her cheek without touching her. “I won't hurt you this time,” he said softy. “I'm just asking. Let me touch you.”

She reached up, pulled his hand to her cheek and kissed his palm. Then she released his hand. “It will be more difficult to let go next time. I can't afford to need you.”

“Some people believe that a person is only half until they find the person who is their other half. I believe that when two whole people find each other they become twice as strong.”

“This planet has taken my strength and made me unsure of everything. I'm not sure what I am feeling is really me. I am afraid because I don't understand you.” She looked away from his eyes to the floor. “Help me, John,” she whispered only moving her lips.

“I want you to understand me, Teyla. That’s where we’ll start.” His hand returned to her cheek, and he anchored her with the overpowering gaze of his eyes. His kiss was light at first, but then she breathed in his warm, passionate breath, which dissipated her fearful memory of his wild touch. Each kiss became stronger, and each touch brought more longing.

“I was wrong to be afraid of this,” she said softly. She pulled his shirt over his head and ran her fingers across his chest, touching every scar he had received over the years. He untied the strings of her bodice and saw that she had paid the same price to defend her people. They were both the same. He carried her scarred and naked body to the blanket in the center of the cave. Her body was soft and beautiful under him.

“This was a good plan.” She reached up to brushed her fingers against his cheek.

“I know,” he replied.

Rodney ordered a team of scientists around while they all worked on separate tasks. He seemed tired, but excited at the information he was finding, so it didn't bother him. Elizabeth entered the lab and glanced around the room for a moment to take in the chaos.

“Rodney.” She gently touched his arm. He looked up at her. “We need your help. Something has happened to part of our away team.”

“I'm sorry,” he said suddenly comprehending she was there. “What do you need?”

“Ronon and Carson just got back and they said John and Teyla fell through some sort of field that closed off behind them.”

“Why does this happen on every world,” he complained to himself. “God help us if it is time dilated. I suppose you want me to get them out on top of all the work I've been doing?”

“Yes, if there's anything you can do. Besides, there still might be a ZPM on the planet so you can help recover that while you're there.” He turned back to the grid he had been analyzing. “Rodney!”

“Fine, I'll help,” he said. “But you should know this database is a gold mine.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well it seems that it isn't just the Wraith that were broken up into opposing groups. The Lantians did the same thing. The Lantian opposition group wrote this section and entered the log into the city database not long before everyone abandoned Atlantis. Sort of like including their side of the story for everyone to know.”

“Does it say what their differences were based on?” she asked.

He laughed. “On how they were fighting the Wraith. The arguments became really heated. Many ascended just to stay out of the conflict. Elizabeth, there is so much here that I would really like to finish it.”

“After you get back I'll let you do whatever you want. Get ready to go off world now. I'll admit that anything that would divide the Ancients is important to study, but this is a priority.”

In the center of the court, Teyla and John sat together snuggling with the blanket wrapped around them. She laughed as he tried to open the mysterious jar. He was wearing his pants and she wore his shirt.

“I think my next plan is to break it open.”

“We're not even sure it contains anything useful,” she said.

He stood and walked towards the pile of their discarded clothes and shoes. He pulled a knife from his vest. “I'll try this and then I'll break it,” he smiled at her. She took a sip of wine and watched him wedge the blade under the seal. “Look at this!” He rubbed a crystallized substance between his fingers.

“Dust?” she offered.

He put a finger in his mouth. “Too sweet to be dust.” He carried the jar to the fire.

“John?”

“I have an idea. If I hold this in the fire it might melt the crystals that are sealing the cap.” He laughed. “This might actually be an Ancient candy jar. I bet it's just as good as the wine.”

“I can only imagine what consuming that will do to us. The wine has been enough,” she said. He held it in the fire trying not to get burned. He tested the top when he pulled it out, but jerked his hand back from the hot ceramic lid. “Use this.” She pulled her leather skirt from the pile.

The lid moved when he twisted it, but remained closed so he put it back in the fire. He finally pulled it off and they looked into the jar together. “Is that?”

“Yes,” she laughed.

They returned to the blanket and he set the jar in front of her. “You first.”

“Thank you,” she said sincerely. “It has been a long time since I've had this.”

The top lay discarded on the ground. She dipped her fingers in and drew out a warm stream of honey. She carefully put her fingers in her mouth, trying not to spill on his shirt. They began dipping their fingers in alternately and ate. He bent to kiss her holding his sticky hands away from her face.

“We've got wine, a fire that smells really nice, and now some rich honey that shames all the bees on Earth.” He kissed her again. “And then there's you and the warm blanket. I'm not sure I'll be very relieved when they find us.”

“Nothing lasts forever. We'll run out of everything, including the fire.”

“Everything?” he laughed. “You're beautiful, Teyla!”

“You're drunk, John.”

“So are you.” He drained wine into his mouth and handed the skin to her. “The last drink is for you.” She took it from him and drank.

“It's only the fire now,” she said as he lay beside her. “We've drugged ourselves.”

“I know, doesn't it feel great?”

She rolled onto her side and pressed against him, resting her head on his shoulder and her arm on his chest.

“This feels great,” she replied softly.

Ronon, Carson, Rodney, and Elizabeth sat in the conference room talking and looking at planetary chats.

“This is the location of where they fell?” Rodney asked.

“Yes,” Ronon replied.

“How is it that someone just happens to fall into a canyon and why was Teyla stupid enough to try to catch him by herself?”

“Rodney!” Elizabeth cautioned.

“Sorry.”

“We didn't see it,” Carson said. “It closed off after they fell through. Ronon and I didn't even have time to see how deep it was. John must have done something to make it open.”

Rodney's face lit up. “Of course! John has the Ancient gene and maybe it let him through because of that. I think the field is somehow guarding the ZPM. Giving access only to Ancients and keeping out the Wraith.” He pointed quickly to a map. “The ocean is not far from that place because it comes in forming an inlet near that spot. I bet they're down there saying, “Hello, we've found it. Get us out of here.”

“I tried to open it, Rodney,” Carson said. “But it didn't let me pass.”

“Maybe the Ancient gene is expressed differently in some people. We all know that John has the strongest natural expression of it.”

“Well it will be another five hours before dawn on that rock face on Kalasandar so we will have to wait a bit before we go looking for them,” Carson said.

“Fine,” Elizabeth replied. “At first light I want all of you to go there and do what you can.” She turned quickly to Rodney. “Can you tell me anything else about this planet?”

“Oh, yeah” he said realizing he hadn't told her more. “The people who lived on Kalasandar were part of a group of opposition Ancients. They were guarding some very important stuff from the other Ancients and the Wraith. The strange ZPM that is described seems to be able to protect the oppositions from the Wraith as well as the other Ancients. The physics of that doesn't really make sense to me. Some great sacrifices were involved, but they are never explained.” He hesitated, “Well I might not have gotten to that part yet.”

“This brings everything to a new dimension,” Elizabeth said.

The firelight grew dim in the cave, and the empty jar and wine skin were discarded off to the side. John and Teyla were wrapped in the blanket together. He was still on his back with her snuggled against them. Their bodies were still, but their minds struggled to find their way through a foreign realm.

Teyla was shocked that she was standing on the cliff from her dream. The grass and green trees surrounded her, but no one was chasing her. She smoothed the skirts with her hands and suddenly held them to her face. She combed her fingers through her long, wind blown hair as tears streamed down her cheeks. She turned to see John approaching. He was dressed like an Ancient. “John!” She held her arms out to show him. They were the pale color of the Wraith. “No! What is happening?” She backed away from him.

“It's okay, Teyla, nothing changes between us. We are defined by our thoughts and actions.” He stroked her cheek. “Not by this.”

“This is another chaotic dream. You aren't here. This isn't real.”

He held her and refused to let her turn away. “Then we are in the same dream together. Look.” He pointed out to the ocean.

“I've been here before,”

“So have I,” he replied. “What was happening?”

“I dreamed of this place my first night on the planet. I stood here like this, but I wasn't a Wraith then. The Ancients came for me from the sea and the Wraith came after me from the land. ”

“I dreamed too,” he said. “Only I wasn't asleep. I was at Atlantis dressed like this. People were getting ready to leave the city. There was unrest among them. I was hiding while I looked out through the shield. I touched someone that I could not see outside of it, but I couldn't hold on to her and she disappeared. You.”

“Does this scare you, John?” She looked away from him and moved closer to the edge. “There was nothing I could do to get away so I dove into the water. Atlantis was deep underwater and I tried to get in. Someone, you, tried to help me, but I slipped back to the surface. This might be proof that we will never work out.”

“I think we are seeing echoes of things that happened a long time ago, Teyla. A warning showing us what failed. Maybe not all the Wraith were bad then and maybe some of the Lantians wanted to help them. But it was impossible because so many things worked against them. This is a different time where we have a chance to make the end different.”

“I am more Wraith than I thought just as you are more of an Lantian Ancient.”

“That is not a bad thing,” he said.

“Charin always said I was born for a higher purpose, to lead my people. Maybe she knew of this.”

“Every war ends somewhere, just as it had a place to begin. My people can't do it without yours.” He stepped closer to her.

“Is this real? Where we are standing? Your hand against my cheek? The sea in the distance? How?”

“We learn one moment at a time, Teyla.”

“I don't want to hurt you!”

He took her right hand and laid it on his bare chest at the opening of his shirt. He held it there. “It is the risk you take to be able to know someone. Our people will never make peace if they don't know each other, and they will never know how to unless I know you.” He removed his hands leaving her hand alone on his skin. “Unless I let you know me,” he whispered.

She looked up at him painfully, then pressed her palm against the center of his chest, and began feeding on him. He stepped closer and circled his arms around her to share her essence. Slowly her Wraith features faded, and her eyes and skin returned to what they had always been.

They finally stepped away from each other while taking in deep breaths. Their eyes met again and they laughed. He stood behind her with his arms around her waist. They looked out over the water. He heard her singing faintly under her breath while she leaned against him.

Circle renewed, peace will be found,
Beyond the night on sacred ground.
River flows, led by the wind.
First new breath, our journey begins.

She stopped and turned to him. “I understand the song now, John. We sing it for each death, but it was not meant to be that way.”

He closed his eyes and kissed her cheek. “Our journey begins, Teyla.”

Teyla sat up breathing hard. The fire had gone out, and the starlight filled the cave with a pale light.

“Are you okay?” John asked upon hearing her wake so suddenly. He sat up.

“I just dreamed...”

“I know, I was there.” he interrupted.

She looked down at her hands. They were different, her body felt different. She lifted her right hand and saw ducts in her fingers and palm that were almost invisible. Her fingers changed in response to his warm body beside her. She was flooded with an intense hunger for his blood.

“No!” she screamed.

John grabbed her and pulled her towards him before she could move away.

“Nothing changes, Teyla. Nothing is gained without sacrifice and you won't run from me this time because you know who I am now.”

“I also know what your people think of Vampires.” She held her arm up to block him, but he took it and pressed her body completely against him. Her face was strange, and her brown eyes had become tangled threads of silver. She was terrified to be held in his arms because she was afraid of what she had become. He kissed her forehead hoping it would soothe her mind.

“Wraith feed to consume, you feed to share my essence--to let me share you. I'm not sure there are others out there who feed to do the same. We all tend to put people in categories and then give them labels.”

“Look at me, John! There is still so much that I don't understand,” she said.

He pushed her onto her back. “It will all come together over time, but right now this is more important.”

He held her jaw firmly in his hand feeling no disorientation when he looked into her eyes that were like troubled water in the amorphous light. He drew her to him, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. He knew she would change back just as she had in the heavens. On earth as it is, he thought passively. She still didn't see it.

“Are you still afraid?” he asked.

“Yes,” she whispered. “But I know you can bring me back from this darkness, so come, love your enemy.”

“I will always love you, Teyla.”

It was a fierce and beautiful war. He forced into her body while he rose above her, and she reached up with her hand and pierced her fingers towards his heart.

Elizabeth walked through the silent corridors and turned to enter the infirmary, but she changed her mind. Instead, she traced her hand along the walls of the city and sat on her bed in the dark when she returned to her room.

Carson and Ronon watched Rodney take readings. They stood a short distance from the jumper that had landed easily on the rock face. “There is definitely some sort of low frequency energy emitted from this area. A type of benign radiation. It is masked well with the elemental composition of the rocks. It seems that it is being emitted from inside the field. We're on the wrong side. I just don't understand why it let John in, but not me.”

“So there's nothing you can do?” Carson asked.

“Of course there's something I can do!” Rodney turned away from them. “It will just take some time.” He walked in a line along the rock plane and called back to them. “I can trace the fault line by the fluctuation in the energy flow. When the readings spike I'll know I am close to the emitter.”

John stood balanced thirty feet up the rock wall. Both he and Teyla were dressed and concentrating on the climb. There was no appearance of Wraith in her from the night before. Their voices remained calm while they discussed the safest ascent even though they occasionally argued. They were not speaking English and they acted as if they didn't notice.

“You should start coming up now. Do you see the way I took?”

“Yes, I see it.” she replied.

She followed him quickly matching each of his previous movements with her hands and feet. “Do you know where the field is?” she asked.

“I think there are two of them actually,” he admitted. “One we fell through at the top and one near the bottom that broke our fall to keep us from getting smashed.”

“And I thought you broke my fall,” she laughed.

He stopped to look down at her. “Was that a joke coming from you, Teyla?”

“I'm sorry,” she replied. They both laughed. “I must have borrowed your sense of humor, I promise not to do it again.” She climbed quickly to catch up with him.

“We will have to pick a good time to let everyone at Atlantis know what happened here,” he said.

“I will agree with that. Let's see how much they've learned about this planet first. It might answer some of our questions and help us explain things better.” She stopped. “I think I just went through the lower field. You probably didn't notice earlier because you were concentrating on not falling.”

“Yeah, well in my other life I wouldn't have been confident enough to free climb 150 feet up a vertical canyon. Why aren't we waiting for them to rescue us?”

“Because we agreed they probably can't.”

“I am still amazed that I have no anxiety doing this.” He turned to see that she was not far behind. She stopped.

“Um, John, how are you? I mean is your chest getting any better?”

“I'm fine. What about you, I was really...”

“I'm fine,” she replied quickly.”

“Yeah, we should be in good shape by the time Carson gives us our return checkups.”

“I thought I would be overwhelmed by learning your world all at once. I remember struggling to understand the different eras of Earth’s history when I had time to read about them at Atlantis.”

“Yeah, well I'm surprised at how much you've traveled.” he replied.

They continued to talk freely despite the hundred feet drop below them.

Elizabeth stood by a low pier near the water. She sorted through a handful of coins she held in her hand. They were from countries from all around Earth. Her voice quoted softly and the words were almost lost in the sea wind.

He clasps the crag with crooked hands,
Close to the sun in lonely lands,
Ringed with the azure world he stands.

The wrinkled sea beneath him crawls,
He watches from his mountain walls,
And like a thunderbolt he falls.

She sent the fistful of coins through the air over the water as if they were the falling thunderbolt in the poem. She listened to each one hit the water and smiled.

“That's beautiful and a bit dramatic,” a voice called to her. “What is it about?”

She moved to sit on the edge of the pier and put her feet in the water without turning. “Tennyson's immortalization of a terrible and beautiful creature that dives into the sea to attack its prey.”

“Like you,” he said. “You fight in the sea of the unknown.”

“You've kept me blind long enough,” she said angrily. “Why is it you appear now? Your voice. Are you tired of tormenting me with silent illusions?”

“You are too strong to break from anything.” he said. “We simply needed time to give you answers.”

“Then tell me why? I have too many questions and more are added to the list every day,” she replied.

“The city was supposed to rise the first time. The Lantians would never have been so careless without a reason.”

“So there was some sinister purpose for me being trapped in stasis for thousands of years beyond getting it to rise the second time? That makes me feel so much better.”

“The vision waits for the appointed time,” he said softly as if he were sitting beside her. “Though it lingers, wait for it. In fullness, it will surely come. ”

“Habakkuk,” she said easily remembering the verse from the Bible. The days when she was a child, not a scientist.

“Your faith drives you, Elizabeth, and your love for political science comes from your desire to see.”

“Who are you?” she demanded.

“The one who asked to guard you.”

“Do I really need you?”

“Eagles rise to the top of the mountain and fly alone,” he said. “That is not your fate. Your heart is too warm. I like it that way.”

She stood suddenly and turned in the darkness searching for the voice. “Leave me alone! Stop invading my sleep and don't talk to me. I live my life and I don't need you to live it for me.” Before he could give her any reply she stripped off her uniform, down to her black bra and panties, and dove into the ocean.

Rodney sat by the jumper eating a ration bar and looking at a map. His annoyance was obvious and Ronon and Carson stood a distance away talking.

“He'll never admit defeat, but it's written all over his face.”

“I've noticed that your people always consider last that someone is possibly dead,” Ronon said. “I hate the thought of it too, but if it is true, why wait around when we can't do anything anyway? Maybe the canyon was really deep.”

“Maybe they only fell ten feet,” Carson argued. “I guess we're a stubborn lot. Give us a few more days to recover our senses. It also gives us time to accept death and move on.”

Rodney suddenly looked up. John and Teyla approached from the distance. They broke hold of each other's hand when Rodney noticed them.

“Where the hell have you been?” Rodney demanded. Carson and Ronon turned to see who he was talking to. “We've been looking for both of you in this giant oven for hours,” he added.

“We know that,” John said. “We found a way out because we knew you probably wouldn't find a way in.

“Tell them about the ZPM,” Teyla said softly in the strange language.

Rodney looked at her in shock. “What did you say?”

“Oh I reminded him to tell you about the ZPM,” she said nervously.

Rodney's suspicion was replaced by excitement about the ZPM.

“So you found it! Thank God we don't have to stay here much longer.” He looked back at Teyla unable to resist. “I'm sorry, what language was that?”

“We didn't know how long we'd be down there,” John said trying to cover for her. “I tried to teach her Pig Latin and Gibberish. She had a lot of fun with it, but I think she still gets a few things mixed up.”

“Oh.”

“Well, I've figured that the ZPM is powering the field and keeping everyone on the surface,” John said.

“So all we have to do is get through the field and unplug the ZPM so we can get through the field? That really sounds like a paradox,” Rodney said.

“It really isn't,” John replied. “I'll take you down and you can have as much time as you want with the ZPM.

“And how am I supposed to get down there?” Rodney said full of sarcasm.

“The same way Teyla did.”

“You mean fall off a cliff with you and hope some field is intact enough to catch me?”

“You'll be fine. Think of it as skydiving where your parachute is waiting for you at the bottom,” John smiled.

“Fine.”

Rodney began gathering equipment while John took long ropes and lanterns from the jumper. He walked up to Teyla. “When we are down I want you to lower all of our things through the field. Keep it open until everything is through so that it doesn't sever the rope. I don't think this field reads anything except bio-signatures.”

Rodney was surprised as he listened to them. “What do you mean? She can open the field and I can't? I thought she got down there because of you?”

“Chill Rodney,” John said. “Your equipment will get smashed if we drop our gear through because the field is only meant to shield a life force.”

Rodney walked to the edge of the invisible canyon they had marked off with chalk. “I don't believe this,” he muttered to himself. “She doesn't even have the Ancient gene.”

John and Teyla smile at each other and then she turned away to help Ronon tether all of the gear together while Carson watched. Rodney looked down into the canyon nervously while John tested the opening with his hand, opening and closing it. It was much deeper than Rodney had thought, but Teyla had made it.

“Are you ready to do this?” John asked.

“No,” Rodney replied.

“It will go pretty quick. If you close your eyes it will be easier. I will open it and pull you with me when I jump down. Do not let go of my hand. Okay?”

“That's the best you can come up with?”

“Teyla, you ready?” John asked.

She nodded. John grabbed onto Rodney and dragged him over the edge. They hit the bottom of the canyon quickly. Rodney rubbed his elbow. “I thought you said I wouldn't feel anything!”

John stood and looked around. “What's feeling a few feet when you fell over a hundred.” He looked up just as Teyla opened the field and looked down at them.

“Colonel?”

He waved and she began to lower everything down. Everything stopped before it got to the bottom and John shook his head. “I can't believe we didn't think of that. If it's not going to shield it, it's not going to let it through.” He began climbing the wall.

“What are you doing? What went wrong?” Rodney asked.

“There is a second field. It broke our fall. Our gear is caught on it and I'm going to pull everything through.

“What's wrong, Teyla?” Ronon asked on the surface.

“It's stuck, but I think John has figured it out. Just don't let go.”

John reached his arm through the field and grabbed the bags. They dropped through the singularity he created and Teyla lowered them to the ground. Rodney untied the rope and she pulled it back up before John moved his arm to close the field. John and Rodney walked together towards the court carrying the gear and Rodney began to take readings.

“This is fascinating!” He stared up at the skylight before concentrating on the writing on the floor. “This is the same writing as the passage in the database. I've have seen this exact triangle shape of words.”

“Well you can bring a whole team down here to investigate as soon as we get that field down,” John said.

They entered the cave and the lanterns illuminated the walls better than the glow sticks. There was strange writing all over the cave. John had to drag Rodney away each time he stopped. “Look at this!” Rodney said. “It will take years to translate all of this. I will definitely have to come back.” They entered the cave room. “It looks like a lot of junk. There are shelves with no books, metal tables, and random placements of scrap metal parts, mostly flat and bowl shaped pieces of metal.”

“The ZPM is over there,” John pointed.

Rodney followed him in the direction and reached out to inspect it when he stopped. “Aaah! What's wrong with you, Sheppard? You could have told me it would do that.”

“Sorry it did that to Teyla too, but not to me.”

“Well aren't you special! I'm going to sit right here and tell you how to disconnect it.”

Teyla sat eating next to Carson and Ronon. She was grateful she had had a chance to wash her hands and face before sitting in their company. She checked her clothes for traces of John's blood and was thankful they had been naked. The blood easily looked like dirt anyway.

“Did you have anything to eat down there?” Carson asked.

“John had a ration bar left and we found a jug of wine and a jar of honey. We were not there long enough to need food.”

“Well I'm glad you both are safe and out of there. I never liked being stuck in small spaces.”

“Oh, it was very open down there. We could see the sky through an opening in the rocks.”

“It must have been cold though. I was in a cave once.” Carson said.

“We had a fire also, so that helped,” she said.

“Ay, that's good. The cold can be miserable.”

They all stood quickly when they saw a flash of light along the fault line where the field had been.

“Well they did it!” Carson said. “No doubt Rodney will be crazy for weeks playing with that thing. Do you know if the canyon will be wide enough for the jumper, Teyla?”

“It should be. When we get to the bottom we can always park it in an open space and walk.”

“Well let's load up. It's getting really hot here,” Ronon said.

“You should be able to touch it now.”

Rodney inspected the ZPM. “How do you know for sure?”

“Touch it and find out, doctor. There's nothing connected to it so it isn't reading energy signatures. We put it to sleep.”

Despite the dirty look Rodney sent John, his fascination won him over. He touched the upper brace and nothing happened. “Whew! According to the database this thing will change life as we know it. Getting shocked is just a small price I pay for my art,” he shrugged smugly.

John smothered a laugh. “Is it going to be difficult to move?”

“There isn't really a case or anything to wrap it in to keep it from being jarred. We can just wait until the jumper gets here.”

“Hold on, I'll be back,” John said quickly. Rodney watched him disappear.

John could hear the jumper flying towards them when he entered the court. Teyla had neatly folded the blanket and lined it against the wall with the rest of their used and cast off items. He unfolded the blanket and ran his fingers over the embroidery. The middle letter of the triangle had blood on it. Not his blood. Teyla's. The rocks and sand on the planet were blood-red so no one would notice. He carried it back into the room where Rodney waited.

“What's that?”

John unfolded it completely. “Teyla was looking for a blanket. This was covering the ZPM. That's how we found it.”

Rodney looked at the writing on the fabric. “It has the same symbol of letters. It's a wonder the threads are intact for having been in a place like this for so long. Maybe the field protects it. There's no dust in here.”

“Yeah, we noticed that.”

Rodney suddenly turned to John. “And you used this as a sleeping bag!”

“It was a cold night,” John admitted. “The thing is still in good condition and we need to get back to Atlantis. Can we do that right now?”

“Fine.”

Teyla entered the cave. “Colonel, the jumper is parked a short ways up the canyon.”

“Thanks, we're heading that way,” he replied.

They wrapped the ZPM in the blanket and carried it out of the room. Ronon and Carson watched them approached. “Well look who won a prize,” Ronon said.

“This will be useful to all of us so stop making such a fuss.”

Ronon helped Rodney secure the ZPM for its ride back to Atlantis, and John wandered towards Teyla. Carson noticed, but kept an indifferent appearance.

“Are you ready to go back?” he asked.

“We will never truly leave this place.”

“I know.” he replied.

John headed to the front of the ship, planning to fly the return trip. Rodney held a camera and headed back to the court. He stopped. “Um, Ronon, I was wondering if you would help me. There are some things I saw that I would like to bring back.” Ronon shrugged and followed. They came back carrying the leftover wood, wine skin, and jar. Teyla gave John a wary look from the copilot's seat when Rodney set everything down. “It's too bad that these things are empty thanks to you two, but they are worth some study since there doesn't appear to be anything else in the cave except writing on the walls.”

They all sat around the conference table. This time John sat beside Teyla. Everyone looked refreshed from showers and a change of clothes, but their faces were wearied by the experience. Elizabeth pulled her chair closer to the table and glanced at each of their faces again. “I'm glad to have both of you back safely and that Carson has given you both a clean bill of health. I am amazed that we were able to bring back the ZPM also. Now that we're together again I would like to go over everything about that world and what happened.”

“Earlier I was telling Elizabeth that there were factions among the Lantians as well as the Wraith,” Rodney said. “I think the opposition Lantians were from that world. I just don't understand why they would choose a planet in what is called Wraith Space.”

“What if the Wraith in Wraith space were also a rebel faction? What if they were working with the Lantians on that planet to stop the war?” Teyla asked. Her words shocked the others in the room. She looked at John and he smiled encouragement.

“That is a very bold statement, Teyla. We know that the Wraith have tried to make themselves more human-like, but I have a hard time believing that the differences among the Lantians were because some were trying to work with the Wraith.”

“The passage in the database did say something about the Ancients disagreeing about the war,” Rodney said. “They just didn't state the cause. And there is still so much more I have to translate now that I have writings from the cave to work with. He put a picture on the table. This was written on the floor of the court. It was in the database and again on the blanket covering the ZPM. Someone wanted those words to be remembered.

“It is written in the strange Lantian language, which I am actually convinced was a way for the rebels to hide their ideas from the others and to identify themselves to each other. Anyway, I was able to translate it. It's a triad poem. Sort of like a sonnet or haiku. It has a defined pattern. This one has only six words in a triangle pattern of three on the first line, two on the second line and one on the third line. From all three angles you read this, the meaning is the same.”

“What does it say?” Elizabeth asked.

Rodney steadily read the translated words.

A song woven by Ancient hands,
Will bring peace to rival lands,
When minds seek to understand.

“How close is that translation?” John asked nervously.

“All right,” Rodney sighed. “It is very accurate to a degree, but some of the words have no equivalent in English or even standard Ancient. Song is very figurative, although melodic in nature, it is part of the intended reference that also means to create. It's as if a song is bringing something forth. A summons or prophecy. The symbols used for Ancient hands were a bit misleading because the hands could also mean remnant or portion. The word peace in the second line is intended more as a balance or stasis.

“The single word that makes up the last line was the most difficult to translate. I spent hours working on it. 'Understanding minds' goes beyond just mind. In a single word it includes the heart, soul, and body, but it literally means two different or warring worlds coming inside of each other in a will to comprehend each other.”

“Is there anything we can use from this?” Elizabeth asked.

“The best I can come up with is for us to translate the writing in the cave and somehow learn how they lived and try to understand their culture better. It might also help our efforts in the war if we could understand the Wraith too.”

Teyla whispered to John, “Do you think it is possible that the people of Kalasandar knew who I was. I may have misinterpreted their anxiety. Maybe theirs was a hopeful anxiety.”

Rodney suddenly turned away from his notes about the poem that he was explaining to Elizabeth. He looked at Teyla. “Okay, I know Pig Latin and that was not Pig Latin. What language is that Teyla and how does John know it? Last time I checked he only spoke English.”

“What's going on?” Elizabeth asked Rodney while keeping her gaze on Teyla and John.

“Ask them,” Rodney said.

“Are you accusing us of anything, Rodney?” John asked. “Last time I checked we were in a briefing.”

“Oh yeah?” he countered. “Can anyone tell me what wine, incense, and honey have in common?” Everyone was silent with confusion. “Okay, fine,” he said. “An intoxicant, hallucinogen, and ambrosia? These things will get you higher than high. They will make you ascend with the gods according to Greek mythology. I assume results are similar in this galaxy. What did you two do? Strange languages don't come out of nowhere.”

Teyla stood up and turned to John. “My people need to hear this from me before it gets out. It is too late to hide anything.” She began to leave the room.

“See that!” Rodney laughed. “You all heard her right? What did she say, Sheppard?”

Before John could answer Carson entered the room. Teyla stopped. He noticed she was upset. “My dear, are you alright?” he said softly as he touched her arm. “I'm sorry I missed it earlier. I was just coming to see you.” Teyla backed away giving John a pleading look. He got up quickly and headed towards her.

“Doctor, is something wrong with Teyla?” Elizabeth asked.

Teyla stood quietly with John behind her and his arms crossed over her chest. Everyone was focused on Carson. He laid two charts on the table.

“This is what Col. Sheppard's DNA matrix used to look like.” He held up the chart for everyone to see. This is what it looks like now. It is an identical match to the genetic markers shown in the DNA samples we have of full-blooded Lantian Ancients.

“How is that possible?” Elizabeth asked.

“I have no idea.”

“And Teyla?”

“Teyla?” Carson turned to where she stood sheltered in John's arms.

“Thank you Doctor, I need to go to my people now,” she replied. John released her.

“Colonel? Doctor? One of you needs to explain right now!” Elizabeth demanded.

“Teyla is a Wraith. At least she is now, completely by blood,” Carson said. “She looks like she always has, but there are certain Wraith markings that are on her body now. I thought they were cuts on her hands until I noticed the DNA.”

Elizabeth stood in shock with her hands over her mouth. “John, what happened down there?” she finally asked.

“Wait,” Rodney said. “If Teyla is a Wraith then why could she open that field when I couldn't?”

“Everyone, stop it!” John yelled. “Listen, I am warning all of you not to screw this up. You've heard that history repeats itself. Atlantis sank once because the majority of the Wraith and the majority of the Lantians could not handle this. So if you all want to keep your war, fine, sink the city!” He left the room to follow Teyla.

“Doctor is there anything I should be concerned about?” Elizabeth asked after John stormed out of the conference room. “Is there anything you can do?”

“Anything strange is cause for concern, but John was down there with her. If this doesn't alarm him, then there must be a reason why. He'll probably only talk when someone's willing to listen without bias. That is all we can do for now.”

“See if they'll let you look at them again,” Elizabeth asked. She turned to Rodney. “I need you to finish those translations. Let me know if you find anything that can explain this.”

Teyla sat in the center of the floor with a group of Athosians around her. Many had gone to the Mainland to live, but these were the ones who had chosen to stay behind and live at Atlantis with their leader. Some of the older women cried while they listened to her, but they were all eager to hear what she had to say. John entered the room.

“May I join you?” he asked in the native Athosian language. Whispers of surprise circled the room. Another strange event greeted them.

“Come in. I have told them.”

John sat close to where she was kneeling. “Have you told them everything?”

“Not yet.” She gazed around the room and then gently took his hand in her own. “I do not want our people to live in fear. We have done that for ages already. This is a change that may give us life. There are Wraith out there that we need not fear. I am one of them. I will always love and lead you as the people of my birth, but the sacrifice I make to free our people is to become one of our enemy. We have been on our own for too long. I ask that you accept who I have become and continue your faith.”

“You look the same,” a young boy said.

“Just as those who are the same may look different on the outside.” She held her right hand before them and a duct in the palm opened exposing the sharp and deadly barb that Wraith used to feed upon their victims. For a brief moment her eyes turned a alien gray. A flare of noise filled the room as the group of Athosians reacted. She took a deep breath, dropped her hand, and assumed her normal appearance. “There are those out there who have chosen not to be what they have become. I have chosen the same. Forgive me if I have scared you. I wanted you to understand.”

“Tell them,” John whispered impatiently.

She locked her fingers in his and held his hand up so they could see. “We will be joined together and he will be your brother and stand with me while I lead. He may be from a different world but he is the same as you.”

“That's Colonel Sheppard?” the boy laughed. “Is he a Wraith too?”

“No, he is a Lantian Ancient. The first to return to Atlantis.”

Teyla met John's eyes as she answered. The Athosians were slow to respond. They kept their focus on the motionless couple in the center of the room. Teyla turned away with a smile and stood. John followed and wrapped his arms around her. For a moment their bodies shimmered and almost disappeared before stabilizing again. The Athosians looked at him in awe, but the children finally approached to greet them and then the adults followed.

Elizabeth sat in her office reviewing reports Rodney had sent for her to read. John knocked on the door and she waved when she looked up.

“Colonel! I didn't expect to see you.”

“Well, I decided I needed to get the talk out of the way before too long,” he said. “You've always been a good friend and guide. I owe it to you. I'm sorry for keeping you in the dark, but Teyla needed to have time with her people and we didn't expect Rodney to get so much from the database.”

“Thank you for doing this.” She cleared the reports from her desk. “I can see that something happened that makes you protective of each other.” She laughed, “Which is a good thing since we usually try to shoot Wraith who are in the city. How did it happen, John? How did you change?”

He laughed. “We should back up. I'd like to give you a warning before I shock you. It started with Teyla and I having the same daydream several hours after we arrived on Kalasandar. She said she was sleeping though. The Wraith and Lantians were attacking her and I was at Atlantis trying to get to her while hiding from the other Lantians.

“Is there anything that explains why you both were having the same dream?” she asked.

“The words Rodney translated. Ancient hands somehow wove everything together. It's as if some energy force drew us to the planet, to that rock face. She could never explain to me why she didn't let go when she knew I was going to fall into the canyon. Teyla thinks the Kalasandarn people knew who she was and that she misinterpreted their behavior, but even then she could sense something odd about the planet.”

“What was in the cave?”

“The ZPM, wine, honey, and firewood.” He hesitated for a moment as he looked through the glass wall into the gate room. “Look, I'm not sure how much you want to hear of the next part, or even how much I can explain...”

“You might not want to here this, John, but Rodney found biological samples on the blanket from the cave. It had Wraith DNA from blood on it and Ancient DNA from semen. His interpretation of the triad passage said that the consummation of enemies was intended at that place.”

“Well I guess we followed the script. The wine, the honey, and the fire, and we dreamed together. It was not a dream, Elizabeth. We entered a new realm. It was an echo of the past when the planet was alive. Teyla was a full Wraith and I was an Ancient.”

“Wait, this wasn't a dream?”

“No, I don't think so. Our blood changed there. I took her into my being. I saw everything in her.”

“Is this how you are suddenly speaking a strange language to each other?”

“Did you know Teyla can speak 38 languages and dialects and understands another 20 more? I took Spanish once in college, but never learned it. If Teyla went back to Earth she could easily fly an Apache helicopter right now. The language we were speaking we call Skandar. It is the spoken form of the new language Rodney has discovered. I stopped by to see him and I was surprised that the symbols are familiar and that I understand most of the words.”

“So on top of everything you've gained from each other, you've learned a new language out of nowhere?”

“More,” he corrected. “We understand each other as well as the Ancients and the Wraith. Their first efforts to end the war failed, and they set this up hoping they'd have another chance to tie the two races together.”

“Bringing you and Teyla together accomplishes this?” she asked skeptically.

“Oh come on Elizabeth. Admit that an Ancient and a Wraith have few chances of making it together on top of the gross out factor,” John replied.

“But she was only a Wraith in that dream.”

“No, she was a Wraith when we woke,” John replied.

“But how did she change?”

“Two worlds, Elizabeth. I can't really say anything else.” Elizabeth was silent. “It's cute little Teyla and you've been racking your mind, begging Carson to find a cure. Would anyone think of curing me? No, the Ancients are such idols here that I will be worshiped and envied. See how divided we are?”

“It won't go over easily with the rest of the people in the city,” Elizabeth replied. “I'm sorry John, I'll admit it is a bit unsettling.”

“It was unsettling to the Athosians when Teyla showed them, but they have accepted her.”

“Show? How?” she asked.

“Her body is the same except Wraith always retain their ability to feed. If you look at her right hand you'll see that she's physically capable of doing it. You wouldn't believe how much this still scares her. Look, I've told you and you're welcome to spread it to anyone with and open mind. There's a chance...” His words tapered off and he stood suddenly. Elizabeth looked up with concern. “Teyla!” he said. “Excuse me.” He left the room before Elizabeth could reply. She opened the door and followed him.

John rushed into Teyla's room to where she lay on the bed. Her body convulsed, and her eyes were Wraith. Her bronze skin was even in color, but it was misted with sweat from the intensity of her straining. He sat down and pulled her into his arms just as Elizabeth entered the room. He looked up at her with panic. Tears streaked down his face.

“I don't know what is happening to her, Elizabeth,” he said.

“Ah!” Teyla gasp. Her body stopped shaking and she sat up.

“Teyla?” John asked.

She looked up at Elizabeth. “Tell Rodney to get the new ZPM working. Wraith are coming.” She dangled her feet over the side of the bed, and she began pulling on her boots.

“How far away are they?” Elizabeth asked.

“They are close,” she replied. She followed Elizabeth into the hall. “They did not want to make contact with me until the last minute incase the other Wraith in this space could hear. They are asking you to give them refuge, Elizabeth.”

“What?”

“I think she means there are bad Wraith ships chasing good Wraith ships.” John said.

Elizabeth turned down a hallway and called to Rodney while she ran off. John and Teyla left the hall in a different direction.

-----

The sky was clear above Atlantis. Elizabeth stood with Teyla and John on the East pier landing. Rodney approached Teyla. “Do you know anything else about this new ZPM other than the fact that it can power the whole city with ease?” He was amazed that he had even admitted something could power the whole city much less have seen it work in the last thirty minutes.

“It will operate on its own,” Teyla replied confidently. “I'm not completely sure, but it allows the free Wraith to enter while keeping the other faction out.”

“How soon will they be here?” Elizabeth asked.

“In ten minutes they will be in the outer atmosphere.”

“How many ships?”

“There are nine cruisers being chased by eleven ships.”

“We're just going to let them camp at the city,” Rodney objected.

“Teyla and I will open another section of the city for them now that we have the new ZPM,” John said.

“I don't believe this!” Rodney said.

The ships began entering the atmosphere. They watched them shoot at each other. One of the ships was shot down, and it crashed into the ocean. John held Teyla while she went into another trance to guide them to the platform. The other eight ships crossed through the shield and landed safely on the platform. Teyla opened her eyes just as flashes of light like the drones snaked out and crashed the other Wraith ships. “They are grateful, Dr. Weir,” Teyla said.

They waited on the platform while the Wraith left their ships. There were between ten and twenty people on each one. They filed out and headed towards the group on the deck. An old man and a young woman led them. When they were close she dropped back with the rest and they stopped while the old man approached alone. When he stopped ten feet away, Teyla walked out to him.

“We've whispered of this for centuries, I am glad you no longer hide from us A'Khia.” He bowed to her.

“Then I welcome you to hope, Grare,” she said. She took him by the hand and turned towards the others.

Grare looked at John, “Xasn?” He scanned the faces of Elizabeth, Rodney, and the others from Atlantis who were waiting closer to the city, then turned back to him. John approached to stand beside Teyla. “When she fed on your blood we understood you and your people. We have hope now. More are coming to serve as we have. There are many who want peace, but we are caught between the fear of other people and the hatred of our own.

“Teyla fed on John?” Rodney hissed beside Elizabeth.

“Shh.”

“We can give you a place to stay here,” John said, “But this war is not over yet. My people need to change as much as yours. If we are patient and work together things will change.” John pulled Teyla closer to him and kissed her forehead, then he looked back at Grare. “As she is mine, so are her people.” He smiled and then motioned to the Wraith. “Welcome to Atlantis!”

The platform was full of Atlantis staff who handed out supplies and gave directions. Teyla talked with a few Wraith women. The activity did not last long, and the Wraith quickly left the platform until only the eight battered ships remained.

“How did you get people to help without a riot?” John asked as he approached Elizabeth.

“I asked them to be open minded and then told them the truth. We are still a military installation and people do follow orders.”

“John, we need to go,” Teyla said when she joined them. “Carson will be finished soon and they will need a place to stay.”

“Thank you, Elizabeth,” John said turning back to her. “Your have always had an open mind.”

“Wait!” she called after them. “He called you both by names. What do they mean?”

“Xasn? A'Khia?” Teyla asked.

“They are gender derivatives of the same word in Skandar meaning 'the first to see,” John replied.

Elizabeth stood alone on the platform staring out at the sunset on the horizon. She walked closer to the edge, and a man suddenly appeared behind her. He was an Ancient with dark shoulder length hair that blew freely in the wind. His hands reached around her waist.

“You came back, when I told you not to.” she said.

“I always will.”

“Skandar, Kalasandar, the words seem familiar.”

“The Skandar wanted to be remembered. To guide people to the truth we left behind, our people built the Great Library and Lighthouse in the city Al’lskandarya. Sadly, it was all lost. You know the city by the modern Egyptian name Alexandria. The words all have the same meaning: the defenders or guardians. I told you this city was supposed to rise, that we wouldn't have been so careless. The other Ancients knew what we wanted and they did everything they could to stop us, they even tried to destroy Atlantis. You were the only way we could save the city and our plan.”

“Why don't I remember that I once loved you?” she asked.

“This is a different time. All things are made new, even memory.”

“Did you know he would come back here?”

“He agreed he would, just as I agreed to stay.”

“What name do you go by this time?” She turned to look up at his face.

“Kiron.”

“I remember,” she said. His eyes were warm and dark, and his face looked like John's, familiar, but different.

Cited:

Transcription and paraphrase of a scene from Episode 2.08 Conversion
Transcription of verse from Beyond the Night from Episode 2.13 Critical Mass
Quote of The Eagle by Alfred, Lord Tennyson
Quote of Habakkuk 2:3 (paraphrase)
All other content is the author's original work