Ghostly Intervention by Astraldust
Summary:- A routine mission leaves the team trapped in an old building and surrounded by a group of hostile men. They have no real clue as to why. Some McKay whump but Shep gets the brunt of it.
Spoilers:- Early S4. Small reference to Reunion
Rated:- K+ for mild language.
Disclaimer:- I don't own Stargate Atlantis. If I did, the series would go on for years.
Sorry no beta. All the mistakes are mine.
Ghostly Intervention by Astraldust
Chapter 1.
With an overwhelming sense of panic, Dr. Rodney McKay frantically battled his way through the dense forest of branches and leaves that hindered his progress. Annoyingly, some branches insisted on whipping back to hit him painfully in the face and neck, leaving scratches and bruises. His chest heaved with the need for air. He wanted to rest but his desperate fear of imminent death kept him moving forward as he stumbled clumsily through the undergrowth consisting of tangled bushes, dried leaves and dead wood that cracked too loudly with every frantic step he took. Yet the noise he made was never loud enough to drown out the dangerously close sound of gunfire.
Sheppard's voice still echoed in his head telling him to run for it. Instinct and survival had made him obey his friend and team leader without question even though his shoulder had throbbed with the intense pain of a gunshot wound.
Up ahead he could just make out Teyla's silhouette as she ran ahead in search of a place of refuge. Somewhere for him to stop and take stock of his injury, which was a huge and growing necessity in Rodney's mind, as he was convinced that the bullet was going deeper with every movement he made. As for blood loss, he wasn't even thinking about that. Then as if to verify the fact that he'd lost plenty, he suddenly felt slightly light-headed. He missed his footing and tripped, nearly falling flat on his face but a strong arm reached out to steady him.
"Come on, Teyla's heading for the old building we found earlier." Ronon's gruff voice encouraged.
"Yes, yes," Rodney panted. Single-mindedly, he continued to lurch on before the big Satedan and after what seemed like an eternity, he eventually staggered into the cool interior of the old stone building as Teyla covered his retreat.
Relieved to be able to stop running, McKay staggered wearily over to a very rickety looking iron bed. He took at moment to inspect it with disdain but his exhaustion won out. With a breathless sigh, he lowered himself none too gently onto the threadbare mattress and collapsed, ending up on his back. The whole contraption protested loudly with a series of twangs and groans but thankfully, the bed held fast under his weight.
Teyla spared a few seconds to glance his way but stayed where she was to cover Ronon's frantic sprint towards the house. When he was safely through the doorway, she quickly left Ronon to cover Sheppard's retreat.
Making her way over to the ailing scientist, Teyla was mildly surprised to see that he was still conscious as he lay panting for air like a grounded fish. She smiled down at him before gently lowering herself to sit near his head. "Rodney, I need you to sit up so that I may examine your shoulder."
His panting slowed down somewhat but he made little effort to do as she requested. "A little light-headed here," he muttered.
"Yes, I am sure you are but I must attend to your wound."
That was all the incentive that Rodney needed. "Yes, I know. I must have lost litres of blood by now," he proclaimed, loudly. However, despite his declared weakness, he found enough energy to sit up and with Teyla's help, struggle out of his tac vest.
Teyla's attention was distracted for a minute by the loud report of Ronon's blaster as he covered John's hasty dash through the doorway. The colonel caught her eye for a second before turning towards one of the small windows situated near the door. The glass of the old dilapidated window was surprisingly still intact so John broke out the bottom most pane and, resting his P90 on the window frame, he aimed it at the bandits still outside. Seconds later, Ronon's blaster and the sound of the P90 echoed loudly around the confines the small room.
Teyla tried to ignore the noise as she eased Rodney's shirt away from his left shoulder. A look of surprise crossed her face because she had expected to find was a gapping hole marking a bullet's entry. Instead, the flesh seemed relatively untouched apart from a coating of fresh blood. Teyla followed the blood trail to the outer edge of his shoulder to find a nasty score wound where the bullet had lightly grazed Rodney's skin. She sighed with relief before reaching for her backpack and the med kit it held.
"Rodney, you have been very fortunate." She told the pale looking scientist. "The wound is no doubt very painful but it is just a graze. I will clean and dress it but I will leave the rest for Dr. Keller to deal with once we return to Atlantis."
Rodney turned a worried face towards her. "What?" he questioned, coming out of his daze. As if not believing her words, he suddenly turned his gaze towards his shoulder and promptly passed out.
Teyla was quick to react as she supported his weight and gently eased him back down onto the mattress. At least with Rodney unconscious, it would make things easier to clean and dress his wound but before starting, she turned her attention back to her teammates. They were no longer firing continually. "Are the attackers still out there?"
Ronon answered without turning from his position by the second window. "Yeah, but they've back off for now. I've killed at least three of them."
Sheppard didn't turn or contradict Ronon's claim. "How's Rodney?" he asked so quietly that Teyla barely heard him.
She looked at his back for a second or two before answering. "Do not be concerned about him. It is just a flesh wound, and I will have it cleaned and bandaged in no time."
She heard John sigh with relief. "That's good," he muttered. Strangely, he didn't say anymore.
A mild look of concern creased Teyla's lovely face as she turned her attention back to Rodney. Pushing her worry aside for a moment, she expertly cleaned the graze with a sterile wrap from the med kit. When she was satisfied that the wound was clean, she dressed it with a large pad before securing it with a bandage. Rodney had remained unconscious throughout the procedure, so Teyla checked his pulse just in case and was relieved to find it strong and regular.
Knowing that she had done all she could for him, Teyla turned her attention back to her teammates. "John, do you have any idea who the attackers are?"
John remained quiet for a moment as he continued to peer out of the window. His answer when it came was subdued. "No. I guess they could be a rogue group of Genii, they're using similar weapons."
"Na, they're bounty hunters." Ronon proclaimed.
"And you know that because?"
"I've seen their leader before, about five years ago. He was after someone at the time. I had no idea why but didn't like the odds, so I helped the guy get away from him. Maybe he still remembers me."
"Maybe," John murmured, "but my spidey senses tell me that it was an ambush. A set-up just for us. They let us explore while they patiently waited for our return to the Stargate. Then the minute Rodney went to dial the DHD all hell broke loose. It kind of reminds me of Koyla's tactics when he was still alive. Thankfully we were on the ball otherwise, things could have been far…worse," he finished with a wince.
Teyla's concern returned tenfold when she heard the slight hitch in his voice. "John, are you all right?"
He didn't speak for a moment and when he did, it wasn't to answer her question. "This place is well fortified built partially into a high cliff. As it only has one door to the outside and two windows, we should be able to cover any approach they try. Meaning, we can hold out here for a few hours until…Atlantis sends a rescue team."
Once again, Teyla caught his slight hesitation. She nodded even though Sheppard hadn't turned to look at her. "Why would bounty hunters want any of us? And if so, why shot to kill?"
John didn't have an answer to either question. He was trying to hold it together for his team's sake. "Teyla, I…I don't know. Whatever, they obviously don't need us alive. Are you sure Rodney's okay?"
"No, dying here." Rodney piped up from his prone position.
Teyla hadn't even realised that Rodney had regained consciousness. She turned to him with patience. "Rodney, you are not dying. I told you before you fainted that it was just a flesh wound. The bullet lightly grazed your shoulder."
"Passed out," Rodney corrected her, "and no wonder with all this pain."
Ronon turned to exchange a look with Sheppard but the colonel was obviously not listening as he continued to stare off into the distance. "See something, Sheppard?"
"What? Oh, no…they seem to have retreated back into the woods," he told the Satedan. Then without turning to face Teyla, he quietly asked. "Have you given Rodney anything for the pain yet, Teyla?"
"I will in a minute but you have not answered my first question."
Without warning, John suddenly turned, grabbed his backpack and started to walk towards one of the closed inner doors. "I wonder if this place has a bathroom, I really need it right now," he said between gritted teeth.
Ronon and Teyla exchanged a smile. "Probably out the back." Ronon advised.
Rodney gestured with his good arm. "Yes, it's through the left hand door. I saw it when we were exploring earlier but it looked very primitive to me," he added.
"It'll have to do," John muttered, before warily moving towards the indicated door.
TBC