Violets in Vegas: Solitary Man2
I kept going. I'm a stubborn son of a bitch, or so I've been told, and I felt like hell but I kept going. I knew Moira was depending upon me and only me to save her. I refused the thought that I was already too late, but it haunted me anyway. A tiny voice that I swallowed like bile. I kept my focus on my objective and nothing else.
The world could go to hell for all I cared.
I was already there…or soon would be.
7:39pm
"Don't know that I will but until I can find me…"
"Todd!" John was slowly catching up to the Wraith. He held the gun concealed behind his jacket as it flapped open at his side, fluttered by the hot wind. "Todd, you've failed! Your fucking invasion won't happen! We stopped it! Like I'm going to stop you!" As the Wraith turned to see him John dropped. He became just another shadow in the darkness.
Todd looked round, but didn't see the human. He squinted to make his eye slits open even wider to allow as much light as possible but the blacks and grays were indistinguishable shapes in the desert sands. "John Sheppard, you will see. I am letting you live so you will see the devastation of your world. As much as I would like to feed upon your sweet anguish I will wait."
There was no reaction. Nothing but the wind howling. Dirt devils whirled and spun, choking the hot air. Todd frowned. He began to head in the direction of John's voice, oddly concerned. He wondered if at last the human had fallen. He had forgotten how vulnerable and weak these humans really were, even ones like John Sheppard. Todd knew he would have to kill the man. He was just too dangerous to be left alive for too long.
Stranding him in the desert seemed the most humane choice, and when the time was right Todd could return and retrieve him. And feed as he longed to do. But if the human was gravely injured he might not get the chance.
"John Sheppard?" he asked.
John remained silent, still. Watching as the Wraith got closer, closer. He stroked the trigger on the gun, waiting. He had to be closer. The moment had to be just right for the exact shot. Not to kill but to at least mortally wound. To give him the edge he desperately needed and give him time to get the damn thing to Moira before he could heal himself. John wished he had backup, any kind of backup but he was alone and it fell upon him to get this done now.
Todd had just come into range, his angular face eerily lit by the dancing auroras when the ground shook. Another earthquake rumbled like thunder in the sky. Todd staggered. John leapt to his feet, taking the shot anyway as he tried to keep his balance. The gun was loud in the night. Shot after shot until the ground shook so violently both man and Wraith fell into the dirt.
There was a horrible rending sound and both looked over at the crater. To their amazement it was expanding, a living maw ready to devour them both. They exchanged a glance and stumbled to their feet as the widening crack in the earth raced towards them.
"Shit!" John exclaimed, backpedaling away from it as the crack became a crevasse and separated the two enemies. He fired his gun but Todd was ducking, diving to avoid the bullets and the opening in the earth. But another aftershock hit and he tumbled into the opening, a yell on his lips as he fell.
"NO!" John bellowed, racing after him. He lunged to grab the Wraith's arm, falling hard onto his stomach. He slid along the dirt and only his shoe catching on some scrub yanked him back from falling as well. Pain jerked along his wrist but he kept a death grip on the creature's arm.
Todd scrambled, looked up at his would-be savior and laughed. "John Sheppard. You will save me instead of letting me fall to my death?"
"Yeah, so haul ass now!" John ordered through gritted teeth. He pulled and pulled.
Todd shoved and clawed, his feet digging but the earth was soft and the dirt kept giving way under his assault. The ground was shaking again, the vibrations making it hard to keep still or to gain any purchase. "I will miss you, John Sheppard."
"No! You bastard, no! You are not going out until I say so!" John pulled with all his might.
The ground abruptly became still. Todd scrambled and climbed, then seemingly flew over John to safety. John rolled onto his back, his arm screaming in pain but he sat and fluidly drew the gun. Fired into Todd. The Wraith cried out, falling, his exclamation of surprise oddly musical.
John threw the gun aside as it was empty. He hastened to the Wraith as it lay on the ground, a mess of blood and shredded clothing. It was wheezing, and John wondered if he had punctured a lung. He hoped he had. That would surely weaken it long enough for him to get it to his car, wherever the hell it was. He wondered if he could make it that far.
They would have to circle round the crevasse and that would take time. Too much time. John swore, seeing no other way. Seeing no other option. He fumbled in his pants' pocket and felt the reassuring presence of his car keys. He could find his car. No problem.
He drew the knife once more.
Evan Lorne's feet slid as the observatory of the Stratosphere began to shake violently. There wasn't much left of the building and he grabbed the remains of the wall before he slid out and fell a very long way to the street. The whole building was trembling and he didn't know if it was another earthquake or a sonic boom or some other catastrophe to ruin a very bad day and night. He only knew he had to hang on for dear life again as he stared at the darkness of the night sky and the darkness of the city below him.
There was not a single light in Vegas.
The helicopter had veered away from the building and with it the lights too. Evan couldn't see past the ledge at his feet. But he remembered where the light had been. He remembered the strap of the backpack hanging on a warped iron beam. "McKay!" he shouted.
Evan leaned over the edge, veered back as he heard voices behind him. He turned. "You! Give me some light over here now!"
The marine advanced as the tower shook again. He fell. The flashlight rolled and Evan snagged it before it tumbled out of the building. He clung to the wall as more of the ceiling crashed down. An iron beam was bending but it held and so far the room was relatively intact.
"Lorne! What the hell are you doing?" Steven Caldwell barked, standing in the doorway. "Stand down!"
"No! I think McKay might be out there!"
"What? How?"
"Backpack! Oh shit."
Part of the wall across from Evan broke away. It didn't crumble. It just fell into the air and plummeted to the street. The tower veered, rocking like a carnival ride. More of the ceiling fell and the tiles clattered, snapping and sending plaster into the air.
It felt like the whole observatory was going to collapse at any moment. It swayed in the wind and horrible groaning noises were coming from the infrastructure. So far the building was holding but it was only a matter of time before it gave way to gravity and the elements.
The hapless man on the floor slid across and was gone. There was nothing for him to grab to save himself. The room had been wiped clean by a vicious whirlwind. His gun skittered across the floor and flew after him.
Steven clung to the doorframe as the floor wobbled, wobbled like a spinning top. He felt sick, as if he were on a roller coaster. "Hamon no! Damn it!" Steven swore at the loss of his marine. He blamed the man who was stubbornly remaining. "Lorne, get the hell outta there now!"
"No! I think McKay is out there! McKay!"
Evan leaned, flashing the light along the backpack strap. There was a body swinging there. He couldn't tell if it was alive or dead. He reached for the strap.
The flashlight wobbled but he kept reaching.
