Chapter 8

Their search for ZPM's has literally taken them all over the world. With limited time at their disposal, they had to narrow down the list of nine potential sites to just three. As the Egyptian ZPM had already been found – and used – that helped a little.

In the end they went to Mexico and India, and would soon arrive in China. As expected, every search took some time. In Mexico Elizabeth had been able to pinpoint the location almost immediately, as the ZPM was buried in a temple right next to the pyramid. Yet it had still taken them nearly a day's digging – and a couple of shots with Ronon's gun – to breach the chamber where the device was stored. By mutual agreement they had returned to Atlantis for the night; setting out again early the next morning. When they checked in with Sitnalta in the infirmary, Jennifer informed them that the young woman wasn't doing so well. She seemed to be slipping into a deeper coma. John was surprised to see Rodney's reaction to this news: instead of freaking out, he merely got more determined; a dark, set look on his face. For the first time the true importance of the mission settled on John. If Rodney was difficult with Sitnalta in his life, he would probably become intolerable should she die.

India had been a bit trickier. Though the site of the pyramids was clear and easily accessible, the ZPM wasn't nearby. They had to fly around in slow circles for nearly three hours before Elizabeth was able to detect the first traces of the device. It seemed that the pyramids as markers were rather loosely interpreted by those who hid the devices: the signal was coming from at least a hundred kilometres away from the nearest pointed building.

Unfortunately their first assessment of the situation proved incorrect: the ZPM had indeed been buried within a ten kilometre radius of the pyramid. But two generations ago (according to the wizened old man) the device had been found in the ruins of an ancient village by a couple of brothers. The younger brother was the old man's grandfather, and the ZPM had been handed down in the family. Sometime later one industrious family member had turned it into a chandelier. So now it hung from the cheap ceiling with bits of candle wax wedged into every available space.

Rodney nearly freaked.

It was Elizabeth who reverted to her role as negotiator and finally managed to retrieve the ZPM from the family. The negotiations took two days – two nervous days with only rations and the comfort of the jumper. Perhaps it would have been easier if the natives spoke English, but only one kid in the entire village was able to translate for them.

By the end of the first day, Elizabeth slumped down next to John inside the puddle jumper. Tiredly she laid her head against the bulkhead, closing her eyes. He frowned. Ever since they had saved her life with the nanites, she had needed only a little sleep. But these days she always seemed tired.

"You don't look so good," he told her. She opened one eye to glare at him for a moment. Then she sighed and focussed all of her attention on him.

"I don't feel so good," she replied. "And sleep doesn't help. Something else is wrong."

He thought about that for a moment, but in the end it was Ronon – Ronon who was so quiet one could actually forget he was in the same room – who came up with an interesting idea.

"The Replicator technology was created by the Ancients, right?"

"Yes, but..." Rodney began. But Ronon glared at him and the scientist fell silent.

"So perhaps a bit of the same thing that is happening to Sitnalta is happening to you," the Satedan proposed. The rest of them thought about that. It was only John, Elizabeth, Rodney and Ronon who had come along. Teyla had stayed behind with Sitnalta and Torren.

"You know, that is quite possible," Rodney began. But his heart wasn't in it and he stopped without offering any further explanation. John's worry increased tenfold at this development.

The next morning Elizabeth went to the villager and promised him everything she owned. While John watched her negotiate – or rather: give a description of everything she owned – he realized even this did not seem strange. Part of him – and obviously the same part for Elizabeth – had already given up his claim to earth. He suddenly realised he would gladly give everything he owned as well if only they could get that ZPM. It did not matter that Atlantis would probably never be allowed back on earth if they left. It definitely did not matter to Elizabeth, he realized. It probably hasn't mattered to her in a long time. No wonder she was so upset about him not trusting her with Atlantis: the city would forever now be her home.

Then his thoughts wandered to the rest of his friends. Both Ronon and Teyla were from the Pegasus galaxy anyway. But they had given up their people to join Atlantis in the fight against the super Hive-ship. Atlantis was their home, now. Then there was Sitnalta who could not even leave the city for too long a time. And of course Rodney had already thrown his lot with that of the city. The last one on the list who could not leave Atlantis was Duncan Beckett: according to earth he had no right to anything of Carson, therefore he had nothing on earth. Perhaps Jennifer would stay, too; for Duncan.

Finally the villager agreed to be separated from his ZPM, and the four of them went to the jumper: their prize firmly clutched against Rodney's chest.

As the jumper neatly ascended, they received a call from Radek.

"You better hurry," he started without any formalities. "The scientists want to start disassemble the primary control crystals of the stargate. I can hold them off for a while, but..." and they could actually hear his shrug. "Just hurry."

The four of them turned to look at one another. "I suggest we go directly to the next site," Rodney voiced his opinion.

"I agree with him," Ronon joined in. John looked over at Elizabeth. Tiredly she nodded. He realised that all of his energy not spent on the mission was on Elizabeth and how tired she looked. He was really worried about her.

"Okay, then," he finally said, already turning back to the controls. "We forego sleep and save the city," he quipped. He could feel Rodney's glare on his back.

With the puddle jumper the flight took less than half an hour: it took a number of fly-bys to find a landing spot close to where Elizabeth said she could feel the ZPM. But finally the puddle jumper landed with a soft bump. The step-pyramid was only half a mile's hike to the east.

The four of them made the trip without any trouble or conversation. The only interruption was when Elizabeth stumbled and Ronon had to help her up. Though Atlantis was half a world away – and his theory had not been proven – she seemed to have worsened ever since they got the call from Radek.

Finally they came to the pyramid. Unlike some of the others, this one was still very much tucked away in the wilderness. According to one article a group of students from a local university had explored it for the duration of a holiday. But local legend kept the nearby villagers away. Besides, in a country full of wonders, a single, smallish pyramid wasn't something people worried about.

"Okay, where to now?" Rodney asked Elizabeth. He had his tablet out: from the student profile of the exploration done earlier, he had copied a map of the interior. Well, he had maps of hundreds of pyramids, seeing as they were never sure which one had a ZPM. Now he tapped at the tablet a number of times. "According to the kids the only opening to the structure is through a doorway about halfway up." He pointed: "and on the other side."

"Then let's go," John said, heading around the pyramid.

"I think the Ancients were crazy," Ronon grumbled, weapon at the ready. He had earlier stated his dislike in the gloomy, dangerous buildings. From his place in the lead John grinned, thinking Ronon had sounded exactly like Obelix from the Asterix comics.

On the other side they found the steps leading up and into the pyramid. They were much like those they had seen from the air in Mexico. So the small group headed up and into the heart of the pyramid. And of course, Ronon was correct: it was gloomy.

Inside, Elizabeth took the lead. For a moment she closed her eyes before heading off down one corridor. Unlike the other ZPM's they had found, this one seemed to actually be buried inside the pyramid. And according to the students this pyramid was virtually riddled with corridors. The outside was nothing more than a shell.

The corridor finally turned a corner – where their journey came to a sudden halt. The corridor had fallen away, leaving a jagged hole in the floor. It stretched all the way to where the corridor dead-ended at a corner, making it impossible to cross.

"Well, looks like a dead-end," John decided. "We'll have to go to another site," he said before looking at Elizabeth. "Are you sure we have to go this way?" he wanted to know from her. She nodded; a distant look in her eyes as she looked down the dark hole. "That settles it, we're leaving."

"We don't have time to go to another site!" Rodney exclaimed.

"We'll lose more time crossing that gap than going to another site," Ronon told his teammate.

"Besides," John said, scowling, "I won't risk any of our lives in trying to cross that."

"No," Elizabeth suddenly said, her voice distant. "Rodney is correct; we don't have the time to go to another site." She looked up at them. "Atlantis has little time left – too little. We need to get this one or we will lose both the city and Sitnalta." Her voice trailed off. Then she sighed. "And if what Ronon suggested is true, then I will not survive the loss of the city either."

"Please," Rodney asked them.

"I will go down there," Elizabeth offered. "I'm dead either way," she explained her resolution.

John leaned over the gap a little. "Down?" he asked.

"Yes, the ZPM is almost directly beneath us," she explained. "I have to go." She looked at John and he was suddenly reminded of a similar situation years ago. It was at the end of their first year on Atlantis and the Wraith were on their way. The Genii had given them two nuclear bombs, but they had no way of delivering it. Then he had thought of taking a puddle jumper. As he had been on his way through the control-room, Elizabeth had seen him and had somehow known what he had been planning.

"You can't," she had told him as he stood on the stairs.

"I have to, you know it," he had replied even though he hated the idea.

"John..." she had started. But she never finished the sentence. Instead they had simply stared at one another: as they were doing now, he remembered. And then she had simply told him: "Go."

Now, years later, it was his turn to agree to something he knew she had to do. "Okay," he replied.

to be continued...