Title: First Contacts
Part: 1/?
Rating: T (may have to upgraded at a later date)
Disclaimers: I make no profit from this and do not plan to (if only you could get paid for your hobbies!)
Spoilers: Set in AU world, set season 1-2.
Note: Part of Fic Tag with Gater101. This is a Prequel to my previous story 'Late Night Visitors', which sets up this new AU reality, which I will call the Alliance AU.
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The high pitched screeching alien alarm penetrated right into John's brain as he dashed down the cob web styled corridor and into the room beyond. The sound of the alarm was almost as painful as the burning wound to his left arm, but he ignored both as he lifted his weapon higher and fired on the massive drone reaching for Rodney.
The creature shuddered under the rapid fire of bullets, but it still had enough life left in it to grab at Rodney. Rodney's yelp was lost over the sound of an explosion from somewhere in the distance. John fired on the Wraith again and it finally dropped to the ground, one hand still clamped around the front of Rodney's shirt.
"You alright?" John demanded of Rodney as he headed through the room towards the terrified scientist.
"Do I look alright?!" Rodney all but screamed back at him as he shrugged off the dead Wraith's grip.
"Did it feed on you?" John asked the most important question, ignoring Rodney's usual panicked inclinations. After a year working together in Sumner's lead team, John had finally reached the point where he could tolerate Rodney for more than half an hour at a time. Truth be told they had become friends, though John still had to wonder what kind of crazy world he lived in which that was true. That Rodney was complaining so much told John that the man was alright, but he needed to be sure.
Rodney had appeared to finally understand John's concern and he clutched at his own front, pressing a questing palm over his heart.
"Could you have left it any longer to shoot it? It almost feed on me!" Rodney protested, his face pale, but John was reassured now and turned his attention back to the situation around them.
"Did you download what we need?" John asked as he turned back towards the open door to the room.
"Not yet, but I've got the connection established."
"Well, hurry up," John protested.
"Do you have any idea how much skill it takes just to get these two entirely different systems to communicate?" Rodney demanded.
"Just get it done, Rodney," John ordered him.
Another explosion rang out, drawing both their attentions back to the dangers around them.
"What was that?" Rodney asked worriedly.
John pressed the ear piece of his radio tighter into his ear. "Colonel Sumner, this is Sheppard. What's going on out there?" John asked. There had been no mention of explosions on this mission, but then there had been no mention of Wraith returning to this, supposedly, abandoned Wraith Base.
"Sheppard…report!" Sumner shouted back over the background noise of gunfire.
"Sir, Rodney is still downloading the data," John replied trying not to feel annoyed that his superior hadn't answered his question.
"Tell him to get his ass in gear!" Sumner shouted back.
"Yes, Sir," John replied, ignoring Rodney's mutterings behind him, "What's your status?" He asked Sumner.
Gunfire continued to echo over the radio connection. "We've got them held down here for now, but you need to hurry up."
"Yes, Sir," John replied trying not to give a glib reply. He turned to Rodney, who was fortunately back to work.
The Wraith alarm abruptly shut off, leaving John's ears ringing worse than they had been with the sound. With the noise abruptly gone John could now properly hear the P90 fire down the hallway. But, as he edged forward, he heard something else. The room shuddered suddenly, causing a thick cloud of dust to fall down on him from above. John looked up towards the ceiling and held his breath as he listened intently. There hadn't been any sound of an explosion accompanying the quake.
"What was that?" Rodney whispered worriedly from across the room.
John shook his head as he moved further away from the scientist, past the long table to his left, towards the open doorway. "I don't know."
"Maybe a quake, this moon could be unstable," Rodney suggested, his voice still quiet and nervous.
"Maybe," John replied absently as he neared the doorway. The gunfire in the distance had dropped slightly and that other unidentifiable sound became clearer.
"Maybe that's why the Wraith abandoned this listening post in the first place," Rodney suggested, clearly having lapsed into babble to help him feel better.
"Maybe," John repeated as he peered around one side of the doorway. Boots thundered down the hall and Wraith emerged from the opposite direction to Sumner's foxhole. John squeezed the trigger on complete instinct. One large Wraith drone fell forward, but there were still many behind it and they were too close. John retreated through the open door, knowing it would be cutting him and Rodney off from any retreat, but where else could they go?
The Wraith filled the doorway and John kept shooting. He saw, over the shoulders of those invading the room, that other Wraith were heading on past the doorway; right towards Sumner and the rest of the team's back.
John snapped his free hand to his radio. "Colonel, you've got Wraith heading in on your six," he shouted his warning.
The room shuddered again sending more dust from above and John felt it falling on his hair and down the back of his neck.
He shot down several more Wraith before the P90 jammed. He dropped the weapon instantly and reached for his sidearm. He emptied half a round into the Wraith almost upon him and the body fell forward, forcing John further back. He could hear Rodney's sidearm firing from behind him, but another Wraith warrior filled John's view and there was nothing he could do to help Rodney just yet. Pale Wraith hands clamped around John's hand in which he held his sidearm. The bizarre sick feeling of the sharp edges of the centre of the feeding palms instantly made John release his weapon and pull his hand to safety from the Wraith's grip. It grinned as it tossed the weapon aside, so John pulled out his knife and thrust forward at the creature.
It snarled as the blade sliced along its forearm as it forced John's arm aside, but the Wraith was still moving forward and it shoved its body weight into John. The force staggered John back and the table was suddenly against his backside. The Wraith thrust up with both palms and John allowed the blow to knock him backwards onto the table rather than resist and possibly allow those feeding hands to latch onto him.
John's back hit the table and he pulled up his legs, forcing his boots between him and the Wraith. The Wraith growled at him, clamping its hands around his calves, but John kicked out forcefully. The Wraith staggered back slightly and John used that momentum to move further along the table, but the Wraith reached forward again. John swung out with his knife, only for the table to shake under him. He looked up just in time to see another Wraith had jumped up onto the table behind his head and was reaching down towards him. Caught between two Wraith and stuck on his back John was in trouble.
The room shuddered violently around them again and the ceiling above the table abruptly caved inwards. Rubble and dust collapsed down around them, but amidst the mess John saw a shadow fall down towards him. The table vibrated under him again as something landed over him and he saw light glint off shining metal swinging above him. The Wraith behind him on the table snarled, but the sound was abruptly cut off. John looked up towards it and watched in bizarre shock as the Wraith's head parted company from its body. Light sparkled off metal again drawing his eyes immediately to the bright sword held high above him. John followed up the arm which held the weapon, wondering if his neck was to be next, and finally his vision cleared enough for him to understand what was happening.
A woman stood astride over him, her form dark except for the red brown hair braided back from her face to fall in long wavy curls down her back. She met his gaze for a moment, looking down at him along the length of her toned supple form, her clothing hugging the appealing curves of her body. One delicate eyebrow lifted at him before she swung out.
Another short sword sailed over him and John heard another Wraith head hit the floor beside the table. He should have helped, should have climbed up from his prone position lying between her feet, but he remained still for a second longer staring up in complete awe at the woman stood over him.
She turned, moving with a speed that was shocking as she stepped away from him. She ran down the length of the table and flipped elegantly off the end to land gracefully amidst the rubble and dust. And then she was off through the far door chasing down the Wraith, who appeared to be running away from her.
He was in love.
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TBC