Chapter Text
The first time John woke up was to Rodney's voice complaining about something going on with Atlantis' systems. Although the only words he caught before falling unconscious again were "Atlantis" and "power fluctuations". The next time had to have been around night time because Rodney was no longer there but a sleeping Ronon was.
The third and final time, he woke up to his team sitting around his bed.
"W'at 'appened?" He asked as Teyla grabbed a cup of water and gently handed him it.
"The Ancients have done it again", Ronon said as he crossed his arms.
"Done what?" John clarified now that his throat didn't feel like sandpaper.
"When you leaned on a panel, the ATA gene activated it and surprise, surprise you glowed and passed out for four days" Rodney said as he looked up from the computer pad.
"What Rodney means to say is that he is glad you are awake and not dead" Teyla clarified calmly.
"Aye, and it's good to see you awake" Carson said as he walked over to the side of his bed. The Doctor checked the IV and his heart rate.
"Has McKay figured out what the damn thing does?" John asked needing something besides silence.
"Well, from what I have been able to access, it's designed to view memories, whether childhood, suppressed, and/or older than four years before the subject activates the device" Rodney said as he looked from the computer pad to John.
John groaned, Great, that's just what I need!, it sounded a little too sarcastic even to him.
"Anything else?" He asks out loud.
"You can choose who gets to view the memories, and who ever you choose can't talk about them with anyone who wasn't in the room when they're played" Rodney said, "side effects of not viewing them including Migraines, bloody noses, and internal bleeding until you inevitably die"
"I don't like those odds" John said as he sat up, "how long do I have until the side effects start?"
"Two hours"
okay John, he thought, you can do this. You just have let them see how broken you really are.
"Rodney, Teyla, Ronon, Carson and, Elizabeth" John said aloud and before anyone could question it, the panels by his bed flashed 'acceptable' in Morse Code.
"Fucking sentient cities" he muttered when he was thrown questioning looks from the four people around him, "let's getting this over with"