Hope is a Waking Dream

Chapter 17

Lorne, Ronan, Teyla, and four other teams set out to explore P43-981 shortly after Sheppard had returned. He was in no shape to be writing a report, and Carter wanted answers. Someone had assaulted her CO, and she wanted to know why.

Ronan was able to backtrack Sheppard's trail. It was difficult for the runner, and he commented several times that it didn't seem as though Sheppard wanted to be found, which furthered their suspicions that he had been hunted.

They found the body of the man who Teyla and Ronan remembered from the planet where they thought Sheppard had died. His body was about thirty kilometres from the gate and had already started to decay, but it was still easy to recognize the man who they had thought had killed their commanding officer and friend.

While Lorne's team followed Sheppard's trail on foot, other teams were searching the area by puddle jumper. They were able to cover more ground that way.

Teyla was shocked at how much death they encountered on the way. The brutality of each death cemented in each of Lorne's team members minds that their CO was not a man to be dealt with lightly.

"This was a massive hunt," Ronan remarked at one point.

"Looks like Sheppard gave them a run for their money," Lorne responded, nudging yet another body over onto its back. "You think they were hunting him for sport? It's ... it's inhumane."

"I agree," Teyla said, her anger kept in check as she pushed on through the mountains.

The jumpers had flown over a massive desert that they estimated might have taken a week to cross on foot, so they piled into one of the jumpers and took off, looking carefully at the desert floor for any more clues. They saw a few more bodies before coming back to forestland that bordered a great valley. Lorne decided they needed to look for any signs of civilization before investigating further on foot.

The nearest village was deserted, and it looked as though its occupants had made a hasty exit. They found a few houses scattered in the vast valley bordered by beautiful cliffs. All the houses were burned to the ground and they found evidence of bodies inside.

Wherever the people of the planet went, they were in hiding and they weren't going to come out. Ronan's theory was that the original inhabitants weren't Genii, but perhaps the Genii had terrorized them and hunted them much like they had done with Sheppard.

After a few days more of searching the area, Lorne had seen enough and turned the jumpers home.

As soon as Lorne reported in, Carter contacted Ladon. It was a brief conversation, but it turned out that Ladon was aware of the man named Jenar and his elite group of fighters. They had originally been working for Koyla, which explained the sadistic behaviour of the man. A few years ago, they had dropped off the radar and gone rogue. He promised he would look into what Jenar's men were doing on P43-981.

Carter was relieved to see the man barely holding back his anger at the news of Jenar and what he had done to Sheppard. She believed he truly did not know about Jenar's doings on P43-981 and wrote her next report to the SGC, telling them that despite how it may seem, their truce with Ladon was still intact.

As to what had actually happened to Sheppard, that report would have to wait. For now, the final piece of the puzzle lay with the Lt. Colonel. They wouldn't know the true story until he woke up and decided to tell it.

****

"So ... I can't even begin to describe how guilty I feel."

There was a sigh, and a slight shift at Sheppard's side as he became aware of the voice. There was a swallow, and the voice sounded thick, as though the speaker was trying to hold back tears.

"I told them I saw you get shot. I saw it. Just before they shoved me through the gate. I saw that Genii aim that gun at you. I saw him fire. I saw you fall. God ... how could I have believed it? We looked for you. We thought the Genii had taken your body. We talked to our contacts. No one knew anything. We ... I guess in the end ... we just ... We gave up." There was a long silence. "God ... Sheppard. I'm so sorry." There was another shift, as though the speaker had leaned forward. "You would have never done that," the voice said fiercely. "Never. We don't leave anyone behind. But ... we left you. I don't know what else I can say. I can't say 'I'm sorry' enough."

Sheppard worked his tongue, trying to produce enough saliva to reassure the speaker it was okay.

"Sheppard?" There was movement at his side and the speaker shouted, "Guys! I think he's waking up!" More movement, breathless voices.

Sheppard tried to open his eyes. They felt thick and weighted down, but he blinked until the blurry images swam into view. A gentle touch at his wrist nearly had him recoiling in fear, but he was too exhausted to move. He flinched, and the hand withdrew. It took him a long while to recognize the faces in front of him.

"Hey guys," he whispered.

Teyla smiled, her face gentle. "We are glad to have you back, John."

Even Ronan was smiling. "Thought you were gone for good."

"Thought I was, too," Sheppard sighed. "What ... what happened?"

"We were hoping you'd be able to tell us that," Rodney said.

Carson was at his side, checking wires and tubes. "You don't need to be telling tales until you're feeling better, Colonel. Time to rest. It's good to see you."

"I'm ... I'm really ... back?" Sheppard was struggling to keep his eyes open.

Carter laid her hand on Sheppard's other arm. "Yes Colonel," she said, gently. "You're home."