Summary: Missing scene for Suspicion. Sheppard and his marines come across an unfriendly native.
A/N: this was a response to a Gateworld challenge. Haven't watched Suspicion in a while so please forgive any mistakes!
Words: 434
It Wasn't Even A Wraith!
Sheppard felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, his muscles tensing. He was being watched. He stopped and signalled the others to do the same, as he tried to determine what had spooked him. There was nothing, no reason for his unease that he could see. Nobody moved. All Sheppard's senses were on high alert – his ears strained to pick up any sound, eyes scanning the forest around him, his hands ready on his P-90. Something was out there. Then without further warning, something burst from the forest beside them, a flash of green and orange. In the seconds before he opened fire, Sheppard could only think two things – it was big, and it was aggressive. The first round of bullets struck the creature and it halted in its attack for a moment. Sheppard noted with panic that the bullets had failed to penetrate the creature's thick skin. Then it roared, mouth opening to reveal rows of razor teeth like a shark.
"Fall back to the gate!" Sheppard shouted.
Alternating between running and shooting, they were able to retreat to the gate without too much trouble. The creature seemed somewhat unnerved by the P-90 fire, though it was mostly the noise that kept him at bay and not the actual shot. It continued to growl horribly, but remained at a distance.
"Dial the gate!" Sheppard ordered the nearest soldier.
The gate whirled to life, and after sending in an IDC they rushed into the puddle. Sheppard fired off one last spray of bullet in the creature's direction, before he too turned and ran. The animal roared and he could hear its heavy footsteps coming up behind him, but he reached the gate first. The moment he was on the other side he shouted at anyone who was listening.
"Close the iris!"
Panting, he looked around the gate room. His team looked spooked. His own heart was racing, adrenaline still pumping through his veins. Sergeant Bates was coming down the steps, followed by Weir. Neither looked happy, least of all Bates. It was a continuation of Bates' earlier discussion that ensued, and Sheppard was eager to put him on the right track. The insistent "Teyla's a liability" comments were wearing on his patience.
"It wasn't even a wraith! It was a..."
He stopped. Sheppard didn't want to be the one announcing they'd just seen a dinosaur, but that was what it had seemed like - a very angry, very real dinosaur. So he questioned Ford.
"Ford, what was that?"
"It looked like a T-rex, sir," Ford replied, still sounding a little jumpy.
Satisfied, Sheppard turned back to Bates.
"See? It wasn't even a wraith!"
END