Issis and the Warriors of Thoth
By EchoTango
Word Count: 28, 673
Part 1
John Sheppard stepped away from the humming, shimmering ring, hands clenched tightly on the P-90. He could not shake the feeling that he was being watched, again. Two heartbeats later Teyla and Ford stepped through, one going to the left and one to the right, instantly alert and watching for potential danger. He could sense McKay coming through a moment behind them, stopping abruptly a few feet in front of the gate, eyes alternately scanning the piece of electronics in his hand and squinting towards the nearby hills. He instinctively moved to position himself so the scientist was protected on all sides.
He scanned the area uneasily before giving Atlantis the all clear, "Next contact in eight hours, Sheppard out," he announced waiting for the splft indicating the gate closing.
"Ford you take point, Teyla you've got our six. We keep to cover whenever we can. I don't want to be in the open anymore than we have to." He glanced around again, noticing the tension in Teyla's shoulders and the tight, white knuckled grip Ford had on his weapon.
The last few missions had all ended up with the Wraith hot on their tails and he grudgingly had to admit that something was very wrong. Bates had all but come right out and accused Teyla and the Athosians of sabotage but he wasn't buying it. He had made mistakes both in his career and in his personal life, heck if he was honest with himself he had screwed up big time more than once but when it came to something like this, his gut never lied. He trusted Teyla and her people, end of story. Still, "I have a bad feeling about this place," he muttered.
"Please Major," McKay huffed in exasperation, you've said that every time, "and of course," he continued without missing a beat, pointedly ignoring the glares from his teammates, "you've been right. Screwed, screwed, screwed, we are so Pegasus, life sucking vampires screwed."
"McKay," he growled, "they're not deaf, you know. The Wraith'll zoom in on the sound of your voice alone. So, for once keep quiet and just please tell me the energy signature is still there" He knew he was being a little harsh and half expected for McKay to engage him in verbal sparring for he had learned quite quickly that a nervous McKay was loud and talkative.
"Uh? Right Major, still here and…hmmm, that's where we want to go," he said pointing to the farthest hill off to the right.
An hour and a half later found the team approaching the hill in question. He still had that vague feeling of being followed but had to see any hard evidence of a stalker. More of a small mountain, John thought, looking up the length of the hill in question, surveying the dense mixed forest covering the slope. It was a beautiful summer's day and notwithstanding the annoying 'no see um" insects that periodically descended upon them in humming, black, puffs, it was turning out to be a nice hike.
They had progressed through the valley at the bottom of which the gate rested, a majestic ring of blue grey looking oddly out of place in the middle of a lush, green meadow overgrown with the small pink flowers that seemed to grow everywhere. The dandelions of the Pegasus Galaxy, John thought careful not to voice this observation aloud. The last thing he wanted was to set McKay off on the subject of weeds and pollens and allergens.
The landscape between the gate and their destination rose in elevation through a series of gently rolling hills. They had traversed the open exposed area in the valley without incident. Yeah, a nice hike and a beautiful day until it all goes south, John thought grimly.
He stopped just inside the tree line at the base of the hill and took a sip from his canteen. He had set a brisk pace and it was starting to show on McKay. The scientist had been relatively quiet, though John knew that was due more to the several mouthfuls of insects he had no doubt swallowed than to any words of warning from him.
"McKay, take a break."
"Finally," he exclaimed breathlessly, dumping his pack and quickly sitting down with his back up against the nearest tree.
"Why is it," he asked between mouthfuls of the powerbar he had pulled from his vest "that everywhere we go it's uphill? I mean, just once, I'd like to stroll along a gracefully winding pathway to…"
John's mouth twitched with amusement as McKay clamped his mouth shut at the approach of a particularly wide swath of humming 'no see ums'.
"Look at it this way," Ford said before John had a chance to reply "it's all down hill when the Wraith are breathing down your back and you're running for your life."
Ford's voice trailed away, his attention once more focused on their surroundings. John could literally see him mapping out a potential pathway up the hill.
He was a good kid and a fine soldier but inexperienced which was why John had placed him on his own team instead of giving him his own to lead. Pegasus promised to supply experience in quick time, if he lived through it.
"Teyla? You got anything?"
Teyla shook her head. "No, I do not sense anything that would indicate the presence of the Wraith."
"OK, let me know the instant you get the vaguest of feelings," he said quietly and was rewarded with a nod and a tentative smile.
"Of course, Major Sheppard, you will be the first to know."
"Hey McKay, ever wonder how many germs fit on the head of a 'no see um'," John began casually leaning on the tree McKay had claimed.
Rodney's eyes widened and then quickly narrowed in suspicion. "Major, unlike some people I understand the importance of personal hygiene in the field."
John watched with a smug expression as his new friend unconsciously wiped his mouth and then his hands down the sides of his BDU's.
"Isn't it true that you could line up a thousand bacteria across the head of a pin?" John added.
Rodney glared at him for a moment before turning his attention to the electronic sensor pad in his hands. "You can be such an ass sometimes," he griped.
John shrugged and smiled. For some reason hearing McKay call him an ass was fun and oddly satisfying.
"Major Sheppard," Teyla called, her voice hoarse and thick, "They are here. The Wraith are coming."
The whine of the dart echoed around them as it flew just above the forest canopy before, well beyond where John estimated the gate to be, it pulled up sharply disappearing from view in a steep climb through the gathering clouds. John knew it was returning to its hive ship having dropped off its cargo.
"Back to the gate, now. Move, move," ordered John, grabbing McKay's pack. "McKay, don't forget, safety off and for heaven's sake at least try to aim before you shoot. You have your spare clip, good, don't forget to re-load."
"Right, right, safety off, aim, re-load. I'm not an idiot Major," he muttered, as he shoved his piece of tech into an oversized pocket on his tac vest and prepared to hurry back the way they had come.
John looked at his pale, frightened face, "Just concentrate on staying with me, Ok, now go."
Rodney nodded and cursed under his breath. They were three for four now. Four times out and out of those four missions, three times time the Wraith had shown up and he couldn't figure out how they were doing it. If they got back, when they got back, he corrected himself; he was going to nail this one down. Rodney McKay was too smart to be beaten by a bunch of soul sucking creeps. For sure, he thought grimly, whatever solution he came up with he would have to work fast because things were going to get ugly back home and soon. "Ford was right," he muttered darkly, "running for your life is easier downhill."
Ford, on point, had reached the final hill overlooking the gate well before John. McKay was doing fine considering the circumstances and had kept up pretty well, but he thought that a few training exercises for all the geeks wouldn't be a bad idea."
"Two drones, two officers, Sir," Ford reported. "Should we try to take them, though it's like the drones are so stupid they're harder to kill."
"No, I think a diversion is in order. I'll circle around and draw them away from the gate. Teyla, you cover McKay at the DHD and make sure he gets through, understand?" John paused, taking a moment to meet her eyes.
"I understand Major, I will make sure Dr McKay returns to Atlantis safely."
"Ford, you keep the gate open as long as you can and cover m
"Yes, sir."
"Lieutenant?"
"Sir?"
"If it becomes necessary you will go through the gate and raise the shield. Is that clear?"
"Yes sir, perfectly clear."
John studied his face for a moment nodding once he was satisfied with what he saw.
"Right, let's do it"
"Sir, wait," Ford called quietly, holding John back by his arm. "Heading towards the gate, I saw something."
From above John could just make out a figure on horseback as it carefully weaved between the trees bordering the meadow. Shots rang out and two of the drones went down, while a third, limped awkwardly but swiftly towards the rider as its mount carefully, but quickly negotiated its way farther into the woods drawing the Wraith away from the gate. John wasted no time in urging his team to go before the Wraith had time to think and realize that the gate had been left unguarded.
The dialing sequence had slowed to an agonizing crawl and the sound made as each symbol was engaged seemed to reverberate throughout the still meadow. Deep in the forest and moving away from their position, he could hear the zing of energy bolts as well as the report of a projectile weapon.
Finally John heard the swoosh as a stable wormhole was established and felt a small measure of relief as he watched first McKay and then Teyla disappear through the shimmering puddle. Ford, keeping so close to the gate that parts of his body actually extended through the horizon, covered him as he quickly made his way across the short distance left between him and safety.
John took a brief moment to scan the nearby woods for their unknown benefactor but met with eerie silence. You can't save everyone, John, he told himself but still he hesitated, no one gets left behind.
Both men tensed, weapons clenched tightly ready to fire as a horse and rider emerged from behind an especially thick screen of trees and brush. He heard Ford gasp in surprise and felt his own hands tighten even harder on the P-90 he held.
The rider dressed in beige suede pants and a muted green jacket wore a mask that resembled the ones worn by the Wraith drones, enough that it sent shivers up John's back. The horse was completely bare, no harness or saddle or any type of man made equipment and John felt the tickle of envy and longing. It had been a long time since he had been able to ride.
"Thanks," he called out adding a casual salute.
The rider nodded and watched silently as both men quickly stepped through the shimmering blue puddle.
~ * ~
John was too frantic over the next few weeks hauling his team's collective ass out of the range of Wraith fire to think much about the mysterious stranger. Finally, thanks to Bates bulldog persistence, Rodney found the Wraith tracker hidden in Teyla's necklace.
John shuddered to think what would have happened to the Athosians if after activating the device he had simply handed it to Teyla and then walked away. He wondered how many more traps were out there. It didn't really matter; the ATA gene carriers had learned the hard way that they just had to be a little more careful; they all had to be more cautious. It was a dangerous galaxy out there.
The team was getting ready to go on their first away mission since they had captured the Wraith John had named Steve, a most satisfying conclusion to a rotten month's worth of missions that at least for Atlantis' lead team had gone FUBAR more often than not.
They hadn't gotten any real Intel from the creature but John was confident that he would get through one way or another. It was only a matter of time before one of them blinked and John was determined that it wouldn't be him.
In the meantime, the acquisition of trade goods and food supplies were needed to augment the expedition's dwindling supplies. They had no idea when or if they would ever reconnect with the SGC and Earth and had to plan accordingly.
The Athosian's list of contacts and trading partners were quickly exhausted and even though there had been some very successful trades and alliances made it wasn't nearly enough.
John had decided that organizing the Marines into hunting parties might not be a bad idea and Dr Weir had agreed and Teyla had arranged for Athosian guides. Since looking for a new ZPM trumped even the possibility of steak, McKay had trained those Marines with the gene in using the life sign detector to scan for energy signatures. If anything within a certain parameter showed up then and only then, would McKay join in the hunt.
John sighed; it was Athosian garbage soup day today, again. As supplies became tight, the cooks found it easier to make use of all the leftover bits by throwing everything into a big pot and simmering it with Athosian herbs. Even the cooked grain leftover from breakfast found its way into the pot. Nothing was wasted.
It was good and John liked it but he was so tired of having soup for lunch that the MRE's in his pack had started to look appealing. He would never admit that to anyone, especially Rodney who had complained when he was ordered to save the MRE's for their off world missions. McKay liked MRE's.
Maybe they could bag a couple of the large birds on the mainland that John really hoped tasted like turkey and he knew exactly where he could find at least one family of boars. Mmm, now that he really thought about it, he wondered how hard it would be to convince the marines to organize a citywide barbeque. Probably not hard at all, he thought with a smirk as he went to join Rodney at one of the more secluded tables along the back wall.
"Sure you don't want to come along, McKay, it's not too late. Be good for you, fresh air, exercise," John asked for the third time that day, not because he thought Rodney would change his mind but because he wanted to hear the man say no again.
"Thanks, but not today, Major," Rodney replied, around a spoonful of Athosian soup.
John blinked. Well, that was disappointing. He had hoped to get more of a rise out of the scientist than that. John looked more closely, at what Rodney was doing, his eyebrows arching up in surprise when he realized that he was reading a small, leather bound book, one of about a dozen that lay in a neat stack beside his tray. John had never seen Rodney eat lunch without a laptop in front of him.
"What'cha got there," John asked leaning forward and snatching one of the volumes.
"Hey, give that back," he yelped, automatically wrapping his free arm protectively around the remaining books.
"McKay, what are you up to?" John asked as he leaned away, out of
"Nothing," Rodney told him with a fierce glare.
John didn't say anything but pursed his lips and met Rodney's gaze with a slightly bemused expression on his face. Rodney was such a terrible liar it was almost funny sometimes, at least when it didn't end up with spear toting natives coming after them.
"Fine, I found them, hidden behind one of the consoles in the control tower and…what are you doing here anyways. I thought hunters got up and sallied forth at the crack of dawn."
John shrugged.
"The sun won't rise on PX4-145 for another two hours, McKay," John drawled while carefully keeping out of Rodney's reach so he could examine the book in his hand, "and quit trying to change the subject."
"I'm not, OK maybe I am, it's just if the Anthropologists get a hold of these, I'll never get them back."
"So, not so soft a science after all, uh, McKay," John teased as he opened the book.
"Shhh, not so loud," Rodney admonished looking furtively around at the other tables, relaxing when no one seemed to be paying attention to them.
"So you found a bunch of journals. Aren't scientists supposed to keep journals," John asked with a frown.
"No, no, no, you don't get it. I found some ancient's cache of very private, very personal diaries and she wasn't a fourteen year old girl," Rodney hissed in exasperation.
Startled, John looked at the book more closely. What appeared to be leather was actually a delicate sheet of the same material that had been used on the floors in most of the private areas of Atlantis. Soft and warm, the cover had the appearance of fine-grained leather while actually comprised of an almost indestructible and so far, unidentified compound. The inner sheets were of a crisp yet silken material that resembled paper but was so definitely not.
John studied the ancient script. Tiny and precise the handwriting was clean and bright even after ten thousand years. The ancient wrote in a straightforward prose, her honesty and sincerity making up for her lack of poetry.
As he read, John could feel the heat creeping past his collar because, OK, it had been excessively long.
"What, what?"
"Uh, it's just, uh, you're right McKay it is personal," John told him quietly, licking his lips before his eyes returned to the page he had been reading.
"She says, hum, 'Thoth was here today and we were able to steal a brief moment alone in between those awful meetings. The memory of his tongue on my lips and teeth was enough to keep the heat in my belly even through Councilor Bascillus insane proposal. Perhaps it was rather perverse of me but all I could think of was him, and how I would begin our tryst by…"
"What the hell Sheppard," Rodney yelled making John jump a little and this time the room went still and more than one inquiring gaze was directed towards them.
"You can read Ancient," Rodney hissed when he was sure everyone's attention was once more on the meal in front of them.
John swallowed hard and put on his best game face, the one he saved for the tougher black ops missions.
"Later McKay, gotta go, er, hunt," he mumbled and literally ran out of the mess, the Ancient diary clenched tight to his chest. Damn, he had been busted.