Work Text:
24 hours 2: 18 Hours
by Damion Starr
"In 18 hours they'll be laying flowers on my life,
It's over tonight.
I'm not messing, no, I need your blessing
And your promise to live free.
Please do it for me."
~ "24" Jem
John Sheppard and Aiden Ford stumbled out of the Stargate, the former tripping over his feet in the process. Major Sheppard slowed his young lieutenant's descent to the soft emerald grass. "Well, we're here. We're in big trouble, but we're here," John joked, tryin to make light of the situation, even as he wiped the last of the brown-red vomit from Aiden's chin.
"You shouldn't have done this. You should go back," Aiden seemed half out of it when he spoke.
"It's a little late for that, now, don't you think?" John asked with an arched eyebrow. "Besides, you know as well as I do that I couldn't let you come back here alone. Not knowing what I know now," John stood and pulled Aiden to his feet. "This is what we do. We save each others' asses,"
Ford laughed, but it quickly turned to another coughing fit. He was reduced back to his knees, doubled over and hacking into his hands. John knelt beside him, rubbing his back. Finally, Aiden gave one last hack, then fell quiet.
"You okay?" John almost whispered for reasons unknown even to him.
"I think so," Came a shaky reply. Aiden sat back on his heels, and Sheppard caught a glimpse of his second in command's palm.
There was a small puddle of blood cupped in Aiden's hand, with one black, sickeningly large blood clot in the middle. John's stomach threatened to upset, but Aiden quickly dumped the crimson liquid onto the ground and began to vigorously rub his hand on the grass. He was trying to get the blood off, John realized, but it wasn't working. Grass isn't exactly the best cleaner.
"Ford?" No response. "Lieutenant," John tried again. Same results. "Aiden!" This time, John grabbed Aiden's wrist.
"It won't come off," Aiden whispered after a moment, and John's heart broke.
"I know," John replied lamely.
"It won't -" A sob broke the lieutenant off midsentence.
Silence hung heavy between them for a moment as both stared at Aiden's blood-stained hand. "We should get going," John finally said quietly. Aiden nodded and wiped the last of the blood on his pants, which were still dirt-covered and grass-stained.
"Yeah," Aiden whispered, allowing John to help him to his feet.
***
John and Aiden entered the aged compound, the lieutenant's arm slung over his major's shoulders. "Wait, sir, please," Ford gasped out, wincing and clutching his chest. John lowered Aiden to the floor and gently leaned him back against the stone wall.
"Are you okay?" The words tumbled from Sheppard's mouth before he could stop them, and he immediately felt like an idiot, but Aiden just smiled, albeit painfully.
"I'll live,"
John chuckled. "You keep doing that. That's an order,"
"Sir, yes, sir,"
Aiden's bottomless eyes flickered briefly to something behind John, and that was enough. Sheppard swung around, putting all of his strength and momentum behind his left fist. He was rewarded when his knuckles connected solidly with the intruder's jaw. The man was rocked, but didn't go down. He stumbled backwards, holding his jaw.
"Hey!" The stranger cried out in surprise. "That wasn't necessary!"
"I think it was very necessary, you bastard," John growled from where he stood protectively in front of Aiden, the older man's body taunt and ready to lash out at the slightest wrong move. "You're the one that did this to Ford, aren't you?"
"Sir?" Aiden spoke up from the floor.
"You're the reason why he's sick," John took a step toward the man, who was still rubbing his bruised jaw.
"Uh, sir," Aiden gagged behind John's back.
"You're the reason why he's dying!"
John's last word was half drowned out by the sound of the young lieutenant violently vomiting up the last of his stomach contents onto the floor. John jumped slightly, instinctively wanting to go to Ford's aid, then stopped.
"See to him," The stranger nodded to Aiden while he still nursed his ginger jaw. "See to him!" He barked when John didn't move.
Sheppard knelt beside Aiden, keeping an eye on the injured stranger. "Ford?" John asked gently. As he gripped the lieutenant's shoulder, John felt another spasm wrack the man's body before he dried heaved; coughing up nothing. John then realized that tears were running down Aiden's cheeks. "It's okay," The major murmured, stroking his second in command's fevered brow soothingly. Once Aiden's heaves subsided, John eased him back against the wall, tenderly wiping his lieutenant's lips and chin. "Shh, it's okay," Sheppard said softly, then shot a glare at the silent alien. "What the hell did you do to him?"
The man looked at his feet. "That is unimportant at this moment. We should move Aiden where he will be more comfortable,"
John hesitated, then slowly looked over at him. "How did you know his name?"
"...He told me," The human-like alien still refused to meet John's gaze. "Look, just follow me,"
The stranger set off down a hallway. John stared after him for a moment, then sighed. "C'mon, Ford. We're gonna move you some place more comfortable," Aiden groaned in protest, then fell silent and allowed his CO to pull him to his feet.
***
"Over there," The alien didn't look at John as it pointed to a bed set in one of the walls of, what appeared to be, some sort of science lab. Sheppard shifted his lieutenant's body to get a better grip, then moved the limp form over to the bed.
"No," Aiden moaned and lashed out. Whether he was asleep or not, John couldn't tell.
"Shh, it's okay, you're safe," John gently gripped Aiden's wrists until the younger man subsided and fell still.
"Sir," Aiden whispered, but didn't open his eyes.
"I'm right here," John knelt beside the bed.
"I just- Needed to tell you-"
"Shh, quiet," John rested a cool hand on his lieutenant's hot forehead. "You can tell me later, okay? Get some sleep. That's an order," Aiden said nothing, so John assumed he had followed his orders. Sheppard remained where he was, gazing at his friend's face perhaps a little longer than he should have, then, reluctantly stood and left the room.
***
"My name is Gaigun,"
John was caught off guard by the sudden introduction, especially considering it was so civialized. "John Sheppard," He stammered out, feeling like an ass.
Gaigun turned back to a bench and what appeared to be a microscope. "Nice to meet you, John Sheppard,"
John slowly; not menacingly, just slowly, moved to Gaigun's side. The man, who was clearly getting on in years, but who's body seemed to be clinging stubbornly to that last glimmer of youth, didn't look up.
"You never answered my question," John finally said, breaking the suffocating silence.
"And what question would that be, John?"
"What did you do to him?" Sheppard's voice dropped to little more than a whisper.
Gaigun sighed, looked down, then turned toward John. "...I injected him with a compound I engineered to create a growth inside him for experimental purposes. I intended to give him the terminal illness, then discover the cure before it spread. Unfortunately, I underestimated the disease," Gaigun quickly turned away again. John had to take a moment to process this. Something clicked in his mind, and stomach lurched.
"Wait a minute...'Terminal illness'? 'Growth'?..." Gaigun heard the recognization in John's voice, and visibly winced. "Cancer?" John choked on the word. "You gave Aiden an advanced form of cancer?"
To Be Continued...