Disclaimer: More of the same. Didn't ask for permission from TPTB, Tears for Fears, American Idol, or Adam Lambert (who sings the better version of the song "Mad World")

Warning: there's mention of a death in this part (not of a main character, though)

Chapter 2

Mad World

And I find it kind of funny

I find it kind of sad

The dreams in which I'm dyin'

Are the best I've ever had

Sheppard reached out to steady himself against the wall, feeling the oppressive heat leaching into his back through the red bricks. Across the street, rocks shifted beneath the heavy boots of the drones as they moved in and out of the buildings near the square. A click at his side was all that warned Sheppard to the boy's ready firing stance as he took a bead on one of the drones. Auren was standing out beyond the safe camouflage of the wall, lining up the sights on his rifle.

Sheppard tried to wrestle the weapon away, but only managed to grab a piece of Auren's clothing, pulling the boy off balance. The shot went wild, exploding into the air in a burst of gunpowder. The boy yanked out of Sheppard's grasp and kicked off in a cloud of dust and pebbles toward another wall and another alley. Stunner blasts followed his flight through the intervening space and he tripped and scrabbled and then made it to the other side and into the darkness beyond.

"You better run fast, kid." Sheppard listened to Auren's footsteps clatter into the distance, then he spun to grab his other charge and ran in the other direction. Once he got the girl to safety, he could return for the boy.

Sheppard held his P90 in one hand, the girl bouncing roughly against his side as he ran toward the forest, entering the root tangled treeline as single blasts of gunfire echoed from the town in spurts. She hardly uttered even a single cry as she clung to his neck, almost panting as hard as he was in the effort to stay wrapped around him. A twig snapped somewhere to his right and he shifted the child away, bringing his weapon to bear. A squirrel-like creature chittered at him and then clawed its way up the bark of a nearby tree.

"Sheppard?" He almost dropped the girl on her backside as Ronon called out behind him. He turned around and rested his back against the tree, glad to see his team together and alive. The child still remained quiet, but she held on even tighter and her face was pressed into his neck, away from the unknown adults.

Ronon pulled his trench coat back and rested a hand on the hilt of his blaster. "Saw a Wraith scout ship and thought we'd check it out. You were late."

Teyla was eying the child with a furrowed brow, head canted, before her eyes slid back to Sheppard and one side of her mouth turned up in a smile. "We were concerned, John. It is good to see you."

"Who's the bundle of rags?"

"Rodney!" Teyla admonished.

McKay shrugged. "Hey, you know kids and I don't get along."

"No questions. Chewy, it's you, me and Teyla back in town. A kid's decided to take on the Wraith single-handed. McKay, since you're so good with kids, you get to babysit."

"Oh, that's just great."

Sheppard was making a great effort to unlatch the child from his neck. He let his weapon swing free and patted her back awkwardly. "Look, it's okay, they're my friends." He turned and pointed at McKay. "That's Rodney, and he's going to stay with you for a while. I'll be right back, I promise. Then we'll go away together. Someplace where there's food, and beds, and lots of other nice people. And we can probably even find you some other kids to play with."

Teyla smiled.

Little by little, she released her grip around his neck while Sheppard kept looking toward the town. He didn't want to just peel her off and run, but if she didn't let go soon, he'd have to.

Finally one eye looked at Rodney, blinked, and the head followed. Sheppard waved his free hand at Rodney in a "help me out here" gesture, and reluctantly, Rodney tried to smile. Unfortunately, it ended in a sarcastic snort, but the child didn't seem to understand the nuances of adult non-verbal communication. She finally set her legs on the ground and Sheppard held her hand and drew her toward Rodney, passing her off. McKay held her at arm's length like she was a dirty diaper as he watched his team take off.

Sheppard called over his shoulder. "Don't worry Rodney, she loves chocolate. I know you've got a ton of snacks ferreted away in those pockets. And if you get in any trouble, you can let her play with one of your blinky gadgets."

"Not a chance."

The trio's steps quickened in concert with the increase in weapons fire as they crossed from scorched dirt to patches of blackened and wilted vegetation and back to the scattered rubble, wood, and metal that marked the outer perimeter of the town. The echoes drew them to a narrow alleyway whose entrance had at one time been proudly fronted by an archway and painted columns. They paused near the arch, not concerned that its stones might be clinging together by nothing more than a mere force of will atop the shifting supports.

The very fact that Auren had held on this long was testament to the fact that he knew the tiny holes and hiding places of the town like a rodent scurrying through the walls of a house. Sheppard motioned silently to his two team members to head off to either side and they both moved away. Teyla more cautious and systematic in her approach to silent recon, Ronon departing at a quicker, more determined pace, dreads swinging and shoulders set. Sheppard heard the mode of his blaster being switched and then the weapon swung back and forth in his hand until the amber power indicator light disappeared into the darkness.

Sheppard himself took a more direct route, leading with the tip of his weapon around the edge of the archway, followed by a hand clutching the main barrel and the trigger, then finally leaning just far enough around the barrier to clear the street both directions. His eyes scanned second story windows where flimsy scraps of curtains flapped gently through blown out window panes,

He hunched over his P90 and hurried toward the concealment of the shadows beneath the buildings across the street, flattening himself against the roughened exterior at his back. Even in the low light, he could make out the trowel marks in the plaster, a grim reminder of the once thriving population.

Another rifle shot echoed through town and he swiveled, trying to find the source location. He knew his team would avoid using their radios as much as possible while they were hunting. The Wraith possessed an abundance of super-human abilities, including hearing, so unless one of them was in immediate danger, silent running would be the rule.

Another shot, nearer this time and Sheppard kicked off from the wall and around the first break between the buildings he came to. Blasts from Wraith stunners joined the fray, adding to his adrenaline rush as he quickly made his way down side alleys, leading with his weapon to clear, and moving on. The last alley exited onto another square, smaller than the first he'd found.

On the far side, Auren was on the ground, his feet scrabbling wildly as one of the drones stomped a boot down on one of his thin arms, pinning him to the ground. He was pushing at the leg wildly with his other hand, kicking up dust in his flurry to get free. The slim, smooth-haired leader of the patrol descended, bending down with his right palm extended, reaching...reaching. That sickening sharp smile plastered on his face.

Sheppard's fingers clenched his P90 as he raised the weapon. There wasn't a chance in hell he was going to let this happen.

He grunted in surprise as he was grabbed from behind. The P90 was ripped from his hands, the black web strap fraying and tearing like string as the high-tech weapon was thrown to the ground like a plastic toy. His arms were pulled away from his Beretta. A dizzying spin and crash against the rough wooden wall of the building beside him brought the blurring vision of two masked drones, one to each side.

One drone pulled his left arm behind his back higher and higher and the weathered wood splintered against his cheek as he tried to escape the pain of a joint hyper-extending beyond its range of motion. Every time he was jostled, all he could feel was the searing pain and the blood rushing in his ears. If Drones laughed, these two would be enjoying his torture.

Then one of them slammed a palm into the back of his already abused shoulder. The joint ripped from its socket, each move was fire along his chest. The last time he'd felt pain like that, something had been attached to his neck in the back of a jumper. The scream that ripped from his throat was probably much the same. As his eyes squinted shut, and he waited for the drones to start feeding, a bolt of lightning flashed through his nerve endings, his muscles convulsed, and his world faded out, blocking his awareness of Auren's fragile choking scream.

"John?"

Was it raining?

Warm hands held his face. Another drop fell and soft fingers brushed wetness from his cheek. His body felt like pins and needles, his shoulder a throbbing mass of pain, the fingers stinging like he'd slept on top of a bent wrist.

"Ronon, his shoulder. You should try while he is still feeling the influence of your stunner."

"I got it."

Stunner? John blinked. Teyla was leaning back. Her eyes were red, tears running down her face. Not raining then.

"Keep him steady from the other side." Ronon descended above him, blocking out the light of the sun. The big runner grabbed onto him, arms bulging beneath his trench coat. He felt pressure under his arm, holding him down, and then the pulling started.

John couldn't say how long it took, or how many tries, but before long, whatever Ronon had done with his stunner was wearing off and the pain was reaching even his upper tolerance level. Ronon's grip tightened, he pressed into Sheppard's side with a boot and pulled with a growl. John's back was straining to arch off the ground. Teyla stayed close by his side as his hand fisted in her tac-vest.

When Ronon eased off, he thought the runner had given up. They would have to wait until they returned to Atlantis and Beckett. But then Ronon shifted his grip and Sheppard's jaw muscles clenched until he felt his teeth would crack. There was an audible pop, and John finally relaxed, releasing his death grip.

"What happened?" John's voice felt odd and scratchy. He tried to cough it away as he looked around, but all he could catch a glimpse of was one of the drone's muddy boots lying awkwardly behind Teyla.

Teyla ducked her head and glanced away, scrubbing the wetness from beneath her eyes again. Sheppard started to lever himself up, shifting along his right side. Two sets of hands helped him to sit. "Now tell me what the hell happened." His voice was getting stronger, and with it, his impatience.

Teyla spoke quietly. "Ronon had no choice but to stun all three of you."

"Thought they might be starting to feed." Ronon had his weapon out and was fiddling with it. After a moment, he glanced up at Sheppard, his face partially hidden beneath the long curtain of dreads. "Then I set my blaster to kill. Took care of em."

John's heartbeat suddenly rushed in his chest. "Auren? What about Auren." He pushed himself to his feet, grasping onto his left arm to hold it steady against his side

Teyla wiped her eyes again. "No John, do not look. We were too late."

"I have to, I can't leave him like that."

"We understand. You do not have to face this alone. Let us help you."

John's mind was spinning as he stumbled toward the other circle of carnage nearby. Dead Wraith...and...and...He looked away for a moment. They didn't have any tools to dig a grave. All they were surrounded with were rocks and rubble from the crumbling buildings. Like they were on the Chisholm trail in the1870s without a shovel.

"We could take him back to Atlantis..." Teyla's voice was quiet, tentative.

John shook his head. "No, he was born here, he fought to protect it. We'll find a nice corner somewhere."

"Use this." Ronon already had his trench coat off. "You'll need something to wrap him in."

In some strange way, John's mind was wondering if the trench coat would keep Auren warm in the winter, when the snow was falling. He felt Teyla's hand on his back.

"Come, John. We will both help you."

"What took you so long?" McKay took a second to lightly slap the girl's sticky hands away from his pockets. "Enough chocolate already. Leave a little for the rest of us." Teyla frowned at him and walked over to kneel by the child.

"Where's the other kid?" McKay looked between the group and finally caught sight of Sheppard. His bruised and abraded cheek, smears of blood tracking down his neck and the belt holding one arm to his chest. "What happened to you?"

Sheppard still hadn't spoken. He turned his face back toward the town in silence.

"Shut up, McKay." Ronon growled.

Rodney recoiled slightly. "Fine, whatever."

Teyla smoothed a bit of ratty hair from the child's face and she pulled away, apprehensive of the attention. "Do you find out her name?"

Rodney was trying to pick empty wrappers from his stash of food off of the ground, crinkle them up and stuff them in his vest. "Not a peep from her. Just grabby fingers and a bottomless pit for a stomach."

Sheppard was numb to the dialogue passing between his team. Over and over, the scenes of the past few hours kept flickering through his mind like flashes from a movie. What could he have done? How could he have changed the outcome? Why had he lost when so much was at stake?

Tiny fingers interlaced with his own and squeezed gently. His eyes tracked slowly down and locked on to a pale thin face. The long-lashed brown eyes were no longer filled with tears, they were filled with trust. "Home?" she asked.

Sheppard squeezed back and turned toward the gate, his voice raspy. "Yeah, let's go home."

I find it hard to tell you

'Cause I find it hard to take

When people run in circles

It's a very, very

Mad world, mad world

Ende...just another little Atlantis story to fill the void since cancellation.