Meh. I hate my first chapters. This is kind of like the first draft of the second draft of the fourth draft...or something like that. In a nutshell, it's probably going to be edited. But I was just too frustrated with it, so I sent it here to you guys. I didn't use a beta, which is probably a bad idea. But if you think I'm in need of one, go ahead and contact me. I'm easy to reach. :)
Disclaimer: I do not own Stargate: Atlantis or the characters.
"What is it?!" Sheppard asked, shouting at the top of his lungs so that he could be heard above the jostling of the Puddle Jumper. His eyes were fixed on the screen that appeared on the canopy, but his mind was tossing and turning just as much as the ship.
"I don't know!" McKay yelled back, his panic-stricken voice grating against the colonel's ears. "Some sort of energy field we couldn't pick up earlier? I don't know! We have to get out of here!"
"I told you, Rodney, I can't! Not with this damned thing pulling us in! Just give me some answers!" John snapped, trying to jerk the scientist out of his self-preservation mode.
"Answers to what?" Dr. McKay screeched. "We have to get out of here! That's my answer!"
Before John could scream at him for being difficult, Teyla interrupted in an urgent tone. "As Colonel Sheppard has pointed out, Rodney, that is not possible. Perhaps you could supply a more useful response?"
"Like what?!"
"Like holes or something!" Ronon interjected, his gruff voice easily sounding through the deafening turbulence.
The sound of McKay snapping his fingers together in an inspirational genius moment made Sheppard relax slightly.
"You might be on to something," Rodney said, now tapping vigorously on his computer while the cogs in his mind turned rapidly. He went on to say something else, but the colonel eventually tuned him out as he tried to keep the Jumper upright. "I need answers now, McKay!" John snapped, his patience wearing thin as the planet's surface came closer to view.
"Okay, okay," Rodney replied. "Uh, there's a rupture in the energy field on the lower southern continent roughly…forty kilometers west of our position."
Sheppard moved the ship, causing the Jumper's trembling to increase exponentially. He headed towards the direction McKay had given him but couldn't see any kind of 'hole', as Ronon defined it. But as he got closer, he could see a large tear with a flickering electric green light dancing along the lines of the rip.
"There." The scientist pointed helpfully and the colonel put the ship in a nose dive towards it. He didn't know how much more the Ancient vehicle could withstand before it ripped apart from the stress. Crash landing was better than dying in the cold of space.
"We're going in," he announced.
Out of the corner of his eye, John could see Dr. McKay latch a hold of the seat and hunch his shoulders up.
Just before Colonel Sheppard cringed in anticipation, he caught a glimpse of a vast desert, rapidly filling up the view as the Jumper rushed towards it.
xXx
'Any one you can walk away from, huh? Well, you just might have barely squeaked by on this one, you incapable, Neanderthal excuse for a pilot! A chimpanzee could have landed better than that!'
Rodney reluctantly opened his eyes and he flexed his limbs, testing to see if he still had each one of them attached. After ascertaining this, he pushed himself off the Jumper floor painfully. Even though he still had his arms and legs, it soon became obvious that one of them – more accurately, his left leg – was most definitely broken. Well, maybe sprained, but it hurt just as much if it was! Once he was on his hands and knees, he slowly twisted his head around, surveying the damage that was John's "excellent flight experience". The Jumper had landed in an almost vertical fashion and the back end was at a slant, making it nearly impossible for the scientist to climb up as he searched for a battle-scarred-but-still-intact Sheppard.
However, the only light provided was through the half-buried canopy window of the Jumper and Rodney gave up trying to visually locate his comrades. He began patting around the floor, barely moving from his position. When he couldn't locate any body - Colonel Sheppard's, Teyla's nor Ronon's - he began to panic.
"Oh man," he whimpered. "I'm going to die here. I'm going to die alone and with a broken leg. Zelenka is going to be so happy about this…"
"McKay," a sharp voice from the darkness spoke. "Stop your whining and give me a hand."
"Sheppard?"
To his own surprise, Rodney had a giant smile on his face, overcome with relief that he wasn't alone. "Where-where are you?"
"I'm over here," John's voice was softer now, "at the back of the Jumper. Teyla's hurt."
"So am I," Dr. McKay offered as he crawled, up-hill, towards Colonel Sheppard. "I think my leg's broken...or twisted, not sure."
There was a heavy sigh from Sheppard's side of the cabin but Rodney decided against starting an argument over it. "What about Ronon?" he asked.
"Here." A low voice spoke up from the same direction as John.
"Good. So, we're all here." Rodney said aloud, hoisting himself up on the back seats. The breathing of his teammates was more audible now and strangely, very comforting.
The others were silent except for the rustling through boxes and vests by the colonel. Finally, a small light flashed on. It swung around the cabin until it shone directly in McKay's face. He held up a hand to shield himself from the light. Once it was drawn away from him, it flashed towards Ronon's large, muscular form, who was seated right across from him. Then it was directed towards Teyla, who was lying on the seats next to Rodney.
"What happened?" he asked, looking over his friend in worry.
"She hit her head I think," Sheppard replied, reaching into the first aid kit he had pulled down, as well as still keeping the light shining on the Athosian woman. "Could be a concussion."
"Will she be alright?"
"Yes, Rodney, she'll be fine," John sighed in frustration. "Go fix the Jumper."
"I can't see."
The colonel grabbed something from the top shelf and flung it towards McKay. It slipped through the scientist's hands but he caught it before it rolled down towards the front of the compartment. Once he had the object in his hand, he discovered it was a flashlight and flipped it on. He then limped down towards the main front of the Jumper, hoping to decipher what irreparable damage Han Solo-wannabe did to their only means of getting home.
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