Sorry this is so late. I ahve barely had time for any of my longer stories with my exams, but after tommorow I am free (for a few weeks anyway). Hooray. Thankyou to all reviewers, hey, even if you just read I'm glad your getting enjoyment out of what I create. Be assured of some good action in this chapter, and some team whumping. Sheppard whumping coming soon, so just hang in there. A little bit of swearing, but nothing major. Minor spoilers for Common Ground.What had seemed like a decent plan began to go wrong almost immediately. John and Teyla advanced to the right, weapons held at the ready. The instant he caught sight of the enemy he barked over the radio to Ronon and Rodney, "Go now!"
Firing a round at the closest enemy, he and Teyla burst forwards, firing at all enemies in sight while desperately trying to break free of the corral they had found themselves in. The sound of Ronan's weapon and the occasional staccato burst from Rodney told him that the other members of his team were also fighting their way out. He ducked behind a tree when a beam from a wraith stunner passed close enough by his shoulder to make it tingle, and saw Teyla do likewise.
Sheppard motioned Teyla to stay in cover, and ducked his head out from behind his tree to risk a glance, in time to see the enemy moving up to their position, he immediately fired a burst from his P-90 and dived back into cover. Reaching for a grenade, he threw it with a casual seeming toss toward where a large group of the enemy had taken cover when he fired. In the noise and confusion, he motioned Teyla to move through the trees, taking advantage of the debris to get as far away from the enemy lines as possible.
Ronon and Rodney had escaped through the enemies to the left, and were now jogging at a steady pace, Ronon turning around every so often to fire at anyone foolish enough to pursue him, and Rodney keeping his eyes on the LSD to make sure they weren't headed into a trap. Of course Rodney was unsure whether he wanted to know the extent to which they were screwed. Little dots were surrounding them on all sides, and he couldn't see any way out of the slowly closing noose of enemies. They were so screwed.
Even if they managed to evade the enemy long enough to meet up with Sheppard, there was no way they could get to the gate with what seemed like hundreds of enemies intent on capturing them. Rodney knew if they wanted to kill, they wouldn't be using stunners. However the thought of capture was just as unpleasant as the thought of death, perhaps more if you thought about it for too long, which was why he tried not to think about it, and instead focused on trying to find a gap in the ring of enemies.
They would have never made it thought Rodney as Ronon went down when three stunners hit him in the chest. The thought carried him off into darkness as he felt his own body turn limp and enemy soldiers began to swarm around them. They were so screwed.
Sheppard and Teyla just kept running, cutting down anyone who got to close with a barrage of bullets, but otherwise ignoring the enemy and focusing on running. Sheppard smiled grimly, all those runs with Ronon were paying off, a few years ago he wouldn't have been able to run this far without a breather. Teyla just kept going, showing no signs of exhaustion. Normally Sheppard would have felt a little peeved that while he felt like his chest was on fire she was barely breaking a sweat, but now was not one of those times, he was just glad that they were still running at all.
As if sensing his thoughts, she flashed a tight smile at him, they had to keep running.
Rodney McKay awoke to bound hands and the feeling of being dragged by his hair, and immediately yelped in pain, thrashing about and trying to free himself from the man who was obviously trying to tear his scalp off. Said man threw him to the ground in disgust, and he felt a foot slam into his chest. That did it!
"Forgive me for inconveniencing you but surely there are better ways to transport someone then by pulling them around by their hair!" He wheezed, grimacing at the pain in his ribs and regretting his words as soon as he said them, for the same foot came down on his chest yet again, and he felt something crack. With another yelp of pain he guessed that he had at least one broken rib, maybe two. Things were not going so well for the scientist.
Using his brief respite to get another look at his enemy he couldn't help but swallow nervously. Genii. Rogue Genii by the looks of things, their uniforms were tattered, their faces unshaved and they looked like they had been spending there nights sleeping in hedges. Not the sort of look you would expect in your average Genii soldier, hence, rogue Genii.
It made sense, he knew for a fact that Ladon was probably not stupid enough to attack Atlantis's flagship team like this, probably. Any plan of Ladon's would involve a little more subterfuge, a fair amount of double crossing, and anything to ensure that the finger of blame would not land on him. No, definitely rogue Genii. That meant Kolya. Damn.
Further reasoning was cut short as he was hauled up by his shoulders, which, with his obviously broken ribs was almost as painful as being lifted by his hair. Almost. He kept his mouth shut though, it wasn't worth another kick to the ribs, he wasn't like Sheppard, the man seemed to enjoy pissing his captors off, even if it earned him a lot of pain. Thinking of Sheppard made him panic, and he really hoped that he had gotten away. Kolya may not like McKay, but one thing was certain, he really hated Sheppard. I mean you really had to hate someone to subject them to the pain of being fed on by a wraith.
Just as he was beginning to wonder where Ronon was, he was thrown down next to the man, who was still unconscious after taking three blasts from the stunner. The Satedan was bound even more than McKay, with both hands and feet tied together with very thick ropes. They were in the middle of a clearing, surrounded by no less than a hundred Genii, and, standing behind them was the last person McKay wanted to see right now, Kolya.
Sheppard and Teyla just kept running, they didn't stop to figure out which way they should go, at the moment south would have to do, Sheppard reasoned that as long as they kept going in one direction it would be harder for their pursuers to catch up with them, he refused to contemplate what would happen once they couldn't run anymore, and by now he knew that Ronon and McKay had probably been captured. They weren't running away, they were just getting to a position of strength so they could engage the enemy on their own terms. At least that's what Sheppard told himself, and right now stopping was not an option. He was no good to anyone in the hands of the enemy.
His musings were cut short by a shout of pain, and he twisted round midstride to see Teyla on the ground, her face pale as she probed her ankle with tentative fingers. She was obviously in pain, and it only took one glance at her ankle for John to realise she wasn't going anywhere.
She knew it to. "Keep running!" she ordered, her eyes offering no chance for argument, "Your no good to any of us if you get captured as well." John swallowed painfully, struggling to say something. He settled for a curt nod and bolted off further into the trees.
Moments later Teyla was swarmed with enemies, there wasn't much she could do without being able to stand, there was no real point in killing them, she would be captured nonetheless. She settled for sitting as straight as possible, her face defiant. She showed no sign of apprehension as she realised just who her captors were. This wasn't good.
Ronon was just coming to as Teyla was carried into the centre of the clearing to join them, he gave a low growl of anger at the pained look on her face, being manhandled and jostled with her broken ankle was obviously causing her a great deal of discomfit.
Rodney chose this moment to make himself heard, his own face showing signs of pain, "Ah, so they got you to? Well obviously, but how did they... never mind. The Colonel?" His eyes were questioning, and he seemed relieved when Teyla gave a cautious smile, "He remains free."
"Yes, it seems that he has managed to escape, although I would have thought he would show a little more...loyalty towards his men." The smooth voice behind them set Rodney's teeth on edge, he had been trying not to think about the man responsible for their current predicament.
"I would have thought you knew the Colonel a little better than that." Ronon's voice was low and dangerous, his eyes glittering with menace. He had long wanted to find the man who had caused Sheppard so much pain the last time they met. There was no doubt that if he could kill Kolya, he wouldn't hesitate.
"Come now, we don't have to begin hostilities so early, I assure you, we have all the time in the world for that. I do not believe we have been aquainted, I am..."
"Kolya!" Ronon spat, "Yes," replied Kolya, "and you must be Ronon Dex. Believe me, I will enjoy... getting to know you. If Sheppard does not want his friends to die slowly and painfully, then he has no choice but to give himself up."
Rodney's eyes now fell on the object held in Kolya's hand. A radio. "I assume you heard that Colonel."
On the other end of the radio Sheppard shook with fury.
"Kolya, don't you remember what happened last time you threatened me with the death of my friends? I seem to remember that it didn't end to well for you. Watch out, I'm coming."