John was in Elizabeth's office, going over the mission rosters, when alarms started blaring. In seconds, both of them were out of the office and across the catwalk to the control room."What's going on?" Elizabeth asked Peter.
"I don't know," he replied, moving between the Atlantis control panels and his laptop. "The southwest pier has been completely cut off from our system."
"That's the pier Bates and his team were exploring," John said.
"We're trying to establish communication with his team now," Peter informed John.
"Don't bother," one of the other technicians said, pointing at the gateroom. Bates and two of his team members were running in from one of the corridors. Bates was pissed. So was John when he realized who was missing.
"Where's Dr. Zelenka?" Elizabeth called down.
"Still in the southwest pier, ma'am."
"What happened, Sergeant?" John asked, trying to keep his voice steady. Bates ran up the stairs into the control room, stopping by Peter's console.
"Sir, the recon of the pier was proceeding uneventfully until we came across a room that was mostly empty except for one piece of equipment in the center of the room. Dr. Zelenka went to investigate it, and something on the machine stabbed him."
"What?" Weir exclaimed.
"I don't know how else to explain it, ma'am. Some sort of arm came out of the machine and . . . jabbed Dr. Zelenka in the arm. Dr. Zelenka collapsed, and then shields went up around him and the rest of the room. We were forced back to the nearest transporter, which automatically brought us back here." Bates looked at John, who was frowning at him. "Sir, we tried to get to Dr. Zelenka, but every time we tried to get to him, more shields went up, and some of them were similar to the ones guarding the Wraith cells."
John nodded, although he still wasn't happy. He looked over at Elizabeth. "We need to go up there."
"Major, I'm not so sure that's a good idea at the moment."
"Elizabeth, we need more intel on the situation so we can get Dr. Zelenka back." John stared at her. "Beckett, McKay, and I can go back with Bates and his team."
Elizabeth stared back at him. She finally nodded. "All right, Major. But be careful. I want *all* of you back in one piece."
John nodded and turned to Bates. "You and your team willing to go back?" he asked.
Bates straightened to attention. "Yes, Sir!"
"Meet us at in the hall leading to the pier in half an hour," John ordered. "Full gear."
Bates nodded and he and his team took off. John nodded at Elizabeth as he went off to find McKay and Beckett. Ford and Teyla were on the mainland, or they would have been included as well.
McKay had literally dropped the report he'd been studying when John told him what had happened. Beckett, too, had been gratifyingly quick in getting into gear.
Grabbing his own gear, John refused to allow himself to give into his fear, even for a moment. He wanted to hit something. It had surprised him how much he'd wanted to go after Bates for leaving Radek in that lab, even though he knew there was nothing Bates could have done. Bates might have done more if he had known that Radek was John's lover, but he hadn't known that. They'd only been sleeping together for a month, although they had been flirting long before that. John had been quiet about the relationship simply because it was new, and he just liked having his lover to himself for a while before anyone else perceived them as a couple.
Not that McKay hadn't figured it out, from the look the Canadian had given John. Beckett probably knew too. It would be all over Atlantis after this if John didn't get his act together. John didn't care who knew, eventually. He just wanted to selfishly keep Radek to himself for a while.
They hit the first set of shields halfway to the tower room where Radek was. John stood back and let Rodney examine the mechanism. He, Elizabeth, and Grodin were debating he functions of the shield over the radio, afraid it could be another form of the city's quarantine protocols.
At least this one was just a barrier, stopping whoever touched it instead of giving them a shock. Beckett and Bates had joined the debate now, and John walked up to the shield, placing his hand on it.
His hand went through.
"Uh, McKay," he said slowly, noticing that McKay's hand was still firmly stopped in midair against the shield.
"Just a second, Major," McKay replied distractedly.
John looked at his hand, sticking further into the corridor than McKay's, closed his eyes, and stepped forward. He encountered no resistance, opening his eyes to fined he was a foot further down the hallway than the others. "McKay!" he called again.
McKay turned around and his mouth dropped open. Just then the shield turned off, and he stumbled forward, his balance thrown off by the lack of resistance.
"What did you do, Major?" Beckett asked.
"I don't know," John replied honestly. "I went to test the shield, and it was as if it wasn't there, even though I could see it."
"Could the city be able to tell that Rodney had the gene therapy?" Elizabeth asked over the radio.
Beckett shook his head. "No, because I tried the shield as well, and I couldn't get through."
John could hear Elizabeth's sigh over the radio. "All right, keep going. Just be careful."
"We will," John said. He turned to Bates. "Which way, Sergeant?"
"This way, sir," Bates replied, gesturing down an offshoot hallway on the left. John nodded at Bates to take point.
They encountered several more barrier shields, each one disappearing after John had crossed through them. "I don't like this," John muttered to Bates as they got closer to the lab. The life signs detector indicated Radek was still alive, alleviating one worry of John's.
Bates nodded. "Why have the shields at all if someone can disarm them by walking through them?"
"Exactly," John replied. "It doesn’t make sense."
Finally they stood outside the lab. Through the various shields inside, they could see Radek lying on the ground, his eyes closed. The machine was next to him, a solid wheel on top of a rectangular base. There was no sign of the arm Bates had seen attack Radek.
McKay reached out to touch the shield guarding the opening to the lab, and jumped back when it sparked. "I guess we've found the nasty shields," he said.
John reached out with a careful finger. Once again, he went right through the shield, without so much as a spark. He walked through, and turned around. McKay put his hand up, and got shocked again.
"Um, this is not good," McKay said. Beckett reached out to try the shield, with the same result.
John put his hand up to the shield to go back, but found himself stopped by the shield, although he wasn't subjected to a shock.
"This is really not good," Beckett said.
"What's going on?" Elizabeth called over the radio.
"We've reached the lab, and the Major was able to walk through the shock shield guarding the door, but the rest of us are stuck outside. The Major can't get back through the shield, either," Bates reported.
"Major?" Elizabeth asked.
"Bates is right," John said. "I got through this shield, but can't get back out." He turned to the next one, put a hand out, and it melted away before him. Once John was through, the shield was back in place. He tried to go back, but again he was blocked. "It's like the city will let me reach Dr. Zelenka, but doesn't want me to leave."
"So what do you suggest?" Elizabeth asked.
"Well," John said, stepping through another shield. "I'm going to keep trying to reach Dr. Zelenka to make sure he's okay. Once I'm there, I'll see if that machine has any ancient writing that could help us out."
Elizabeth didn't reply, and John kept going until he was at Radek's side. Eyeing the machine carefully, he knelt down to check Radek's pulse. It was strong and steady, and he was breathing. It looked as if Radek were merely asleep. John closed his eyes in a silent prayer of thanks before turning to the others who were anxiously watching from beyond the door. "He's alive."
The relief on their faces was palpable. "We need to get him out of there," Beckett said. "We don't know what that machine did to him."
"Working on it," Rodney said as he examined the power junction next to the door.
John absently stroked an errant strand of hair off Radek's forehead as he regarded the Ancient machine. There was writing, but he was by no means an expert in Ancient. He knew enough to know what the jumper displays meant, but most of this went over his head. He did know the Ancient alphabet, though.
"There's writing on the machine, but I can't read the words. If I spell them out, would you be able to translate?" he asked Elizabeth.
There was a pause. "I can try," she finally said. "Let me get to my computer." Another pause. "All right, go ahead."
John read out the letters, his hand still combing though Radek's hair. He didn't move the unconscious man, not wanting to exacerbate any injuries or cause the machine to notice John was there. Looking up, John saw an odd look on Bates' face. John froze, but Bates just smiled and shook his head. "Sir, you just cost me my last decent MRE."
"Sergeant?"
Bates turned red. "Well, sir, the men noticed that you were apparently, uh, involved with someone. There was a pool on the identity of the other party."
John crossed his arms. "You were betting on who your C.O. was sleeping with?"
"Uh, yes, sir."
John should have been upset. He probably would be once they'd gotten Radek out of this lab. But for now, the banter with Bates was keeping him from taking his P90 and shooting the damn Ancient machine. Elizabeth would be really pissed if he did that.
"So how did I cost you an MRE, Bates?"
Bates turned even redder. "I, er, had noticed that you were spending a lot of time in the science labs. I'd bet on McKay."
The man in question turned around to stare at Bates. "You thought *I* was sleeping with the Major?"
"It was a logical conclusion, given the way you and Major Sheppard act around each other," Carson said calmly, although he didn't look at McKay.
"Who won?" John asked before McKay could reply.
"Lieutenant Crown, sir."
John nodded, reminding himself to track down the woman and ask her what had given it away.
Once they got Radek out of this mess of shields. John reached out to the shield with his free hand, expecting to be trapped. His hand went through. John stood and tried to continue, but he was stuck. Finally he pulled his hand back, without resistance.
"That's odd," he muttered.
"Aye," Carson said. "You got through while you were still touching Dr. Zelenka, but the minute you let go of him, the shield came back on."
"He needs to stay in contact with Dr. Zelenka to get through the shields?" Bates looked skeptical.
John reached out to the shield and found his way blocked. He put both hands on the barrier and leaned his weight on them. "Well, I'm not getting out on my own," he said as he stayed upright. He stepped back and knelt down to pick up Radek in a fireman's carry. Reaching out, he saw his hand pass through the shield harmlessly. He walked through each shield until he was at the door to the lab. He put his hand against the shield, and nothing happened. The shield remained up.
"Shit," John swore. He pushed against the shield to no avail.
Rodney shook his head. "It's no use. There may be some contagion in the lab that the city doesn't want to let out."
John set Radek down carefully before trying the shield again. This time, a door came out of the wall and slammed shut, cutting John and Radek off from the corridor.
"Fuck."
"Major? Are you all right sir?" Bates sounded concerned.
"I'm fine, Sergeant. McKay?" he called, knowing the scientist would understand the "What the fuck happened and how are you going to fix this?" implied in his tone of voice.
"The city must have decided there was a chance you would get through the shield and closed the door as a backup. I'm working on it, but this power junction appears to have been wired by a third-grader after drinking a six-pack of Jolt cola with a chaser of Pixie Stix."
John sighed. "And I thought Americans had odd habits. Keep me informed."
"Of course."
"How's Dr. Zelenka?" Carson asked over the radio.
"He's got a pulse and he's breathing, but I haven't checked much beyond that, Doc." The doctor had been able to see him the whole time, and knew that. "You want to know anything else, you'll need to tell me what to look for."
As John followed Carson's instructions, he tried not to think about all the implications of being stuck behind a shock shield. Granted, he had food and water in his vest, but trying to feed Radek would be a problem as long as he was still unconscious.
"I wish I knew more about what that machine did to him," Carson was saying.
John eyed the deceptively innocent sculpture. "I'm not sure I want to get too close to that thing. Besides, if it goes after me, then there's no one else on this side of the shield to help McKay."
"Good point," McKay said. "See if you can find something on that side of the shield that looks like it could be a control for it."
John nodded. "Hang on," he said, taking off his vest and jacket. He put the vest back on over the short sleeve black shirt and folded up the jacket to put under Radek's head. He couldn't leave Radek just lying on the hard floor.
Getting up, John started examining around the door and the perimeter of the room, hoping that he or McKay would find something to get them out of here.
"It's been three hours, McKay." John was sitting on the floor next to Radek, his hand on the top of Radek's head, thumb idly caressing his forehead.
"I know that, Major. Everything I've tried has failed to open that door or disable the shield. I'm presuming that machine is probably somehow tied into the door and shield controls." McKay sounded offended, as if the machine was insulting him personally.
Elizabeth's voice interrupted before John could respond. "Major? I've managed to translate most of the Ancient writing you found."
John looked over at the machine. "What does it say?"
There was a pause before she answered. "Well, it appears that machine was designed to help the Ancients find their . . . true mates. The machine renders one person unconscious and puts up the shields. Only the true mate of the unconscious person is able to get through the shields and wake them up."
John's mouth dropped open. "Wait, that thing is the Ancient version of Sleeping Beauty's spinning wheel?"
Rodney was speaking at the same time. "Wait, wait, hang on a second. You're saying that some Ancient basically created the spinning wheel from Sleeping Beauty to force people to kiss others and find spouses? What, this guy couldn't get someone to just set him up on a date?"
"The Ancients may have developed the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale," Carson said.
"This Ancient was probably insane," McKay commented acidly. "Otherwise why go through this elaborate ruse? It makes internet dating look rational."
"Nothing makes internet dating rational," Bates said.
"Gentleman," Elizabeth rebuked over the radio. "We have a more pressing problem."
"Yes, like getting someone to kiss the sleeping beauty that is Radek Zelenka," McKay stated with a touch of sarcasm.
"Sir, since you were able to get through the shields," Bates began, sounding almost apologetic.
"Right, I need to kiss Zelenka." Not that kissing Radek was a hardship. It was just the circumstances that made him uncomfortable.
"Come on, Major, don't you consider yourself to be Prince Charming?" McKay asked.
"I dislike having to kiss Zelenka just to appease some perverted Ancient's idea of a dating service."
"Major," Carson said softly, "it can't hurt to try. We do need to get Dr. Zelenka out of there and back to the infirmary."
John ran a hand over his face. "Give me a moment."
"Come on, Major, what's the deal? Kiss the man and wake him up so we can go home."
"Bates, if McKay even looks like he's going to make another remark, shoot him."
"Yes, sir," Bates replied with gratifying alacrity.
McKay made what sounded like a squeak, but no actual words.
"You're not the ones on this side of the door, so don't bitch about how I handle this, all right?" John snarled, fed up with the situation.
Looking down at Radek, John sighed. If this didn't work, he thought, he was going to track down the glowy squid that had created this machine and find some way to kill him.
But that wasn't helping, so John pushed those thoughts aside and concentrated on Radek. He kept stroking Radek's forehead as he shifted and leaned down to press his lips to his lover's.
For a long moment, nothing happened, and John felt as if he'd been gut-punched. What if he wasn't the right one? Was that why the shields wouldn't let them leave? They had only let him through because he was sleeping with Radek?
A noise brought John out of his fears and into the present. Radek was humming in his throat, the way he always did when John woke him up with kisses. His blue eyes opened and he smiled at John before frowning and asking a question in Czech.
John grinned in giddy relief, leaning down to kiss Radek again. "You know, you really ought to be more careful around Ancient technology," he scolded lightly.
A noise made them both turn. The door opened, revealing Carson, Rodney, and Bates. Carson reached out a tentative hand, but no shield blocked the doorway. He stepped through and hurried over to examine Radek.
"What happened?" Radek asked, batting at Carson's hands.
"Let him examine you," John said. "Some Ancient technology decided you needed to find your true mate, and knocked you out until that was accomplished."
Radek frowned, but stopped trying to push the doctor away. "That is stupid - knock me unconscious to find my true mate? Defeats purpose if I have no say. What if I do not like my true mate?"
Rodney coughed and Bates turned red. Carson looked like he was biting back a grin.
Radek blinked. "What?"
John quirked an eyebrow. "If you don't like me, I think you missed your chance to tell me about a month ago."
Radek blushed. "Oh," he said quietly. He looked at John, who smiled down at him and patted his hand.
"You can make it up to me later," he said.
"Really, did not need that mental image," Rodney complained.
Radek nuzzled John's neck. "True mates, hm?"
John smiled, boneless in the afterglow of great sex. "Apparently."
Radek chuckled. "There is a saying that geeks mate for life," he murmured.
"I don't think I qualify as a geek," John protested, running a hand up and down Radek's back.
"You've seen every episode of every Star Trek series, with the exception of what ran after we left Earth, you do math in your head with an ease that makes Rodney jealous, and you have that second hard drive in your laptop with the original Battlestar Galactica series, the Star Wars movies, and Independence Day on it. You, Major John Sheppard, are a geek."
John chuckled. "Okay, I'm a geek. But I'm your geek," he added with a grin and a kiss to Radek's nose.
Radek smiled back. "And I am yours," he said before kissing John.
They kissed for a long time before they settled against each other to sleep. A soft noise from Radek roused John. "Hmm?" he asked.
"I was just thinking of what would have happened if Rodney had been caught by the machine."
"Carson," John said without hesitation. "But we can figure out a way to get Rodney caught later," he added. "I'd much rather focus on us and the fact that we get to live happily ever after."
"We do?"
"Hey, I woke you from enchanted sleep with the kiss of true love. That qualifies us to live happily ever after."
Radek laughed. "Yes, it does." He kissed John lightly. "But you have always made me happy," he said with a yawn, closing his eyes. He was asleep within seconds.
John watched Radek sleep for a few moments before kissing Radek's forehead. "As long as I'm with you, I'm living my happily ever after," he said quietly. Pulling Radek closer, John closed his eyes and followed his lover into sleep.