AN: Thank you so much for kind words, favorites and follows to this piece. I know I owe some of you acknowledgements and I am hoping to send them soon. But, since the rest of my weekend is full, I'll take a chance you forgive the lapse of individual acknowledgements and post this before sending them. Enjoy.
~~SGA~~SGA~~SGA
Skirting the edge of a small clearing, John put out a hand to halt their progress. The past two hours had been quiet but he had no doubt that the attackers were still searching for them. Glancing at his watch, he mentally noted that it was four hours past the check in time with the SGC personnel at the gate that meant they were likely dead or captured. That also meant they were overdue for a check in with Atlantis. Protocol dictated at least four more hours before any attempt to contact. And they needed to be in range when the call came.
"Nice to know there are places that jumpers can land around here if needed," Elizabeth said drawing his attention where she had sunk on a log.
Following her eyesight across the open span, he nodded as he judged the width of the opening at the top of the tree line. "Bigger than the bay access."
"You think the others have made it close to the stargate by now?"
John ran through the possible outcomes in his head. Six uninjured to help the three he had seen go down in the initial assault, if they were alive. Of the nine, only two had any experience in the Pegasus Galaxy and familiar with the planet to know the different routes to the stargate. Still, all of them had combat experience. They had a chance but it would depend on how long they were delayed in skirmishes. Remembering the large number of the enemy that was descending on the camp, it was likely they had had several battles already.
Lifting a shoulder, he indicated his doubt to her original question. Handing her his canteen and a power bar, he scanned the trees behind them for movement. "Teyla and Ronan would have gotten them headed out toward to gate. They could be close if they were able to keep moving."
Realizing that was not likely, Elizabeth nodded before taking a drink and slipping the food into her pocket. "You think they're still following us?"
The quiet question brought his eyes back to hers. Accepting back the canteen, he took a swallow to give himself a moment before answering. "Have to assume they are since we don't know what brought them here," he said quietly, clipping the canteen back to his body. "It could have been a coincidence they came when we were here, might not have been."
Watching him, realization pressed into Elizabeth. "You know who they are," she stated, knowing she was correct by his lack of response to her statement. "John?"
Flickering his eyes around the area, he brought his attention back to her. "We spotted them once on PFX-785. Call themselves Odens," he answered, watching to see if she remembered it from the mission report. Unsure, he continued. "Teyla said they're a nomadic group of mercenaries who take what or who they want and sell it to the highest bidder."
Frowning, Elizabeth tried to figure out why they would have come to this planet. The only thing she could think of was for them. "You think they're after us as a way to get to Atlantis?" Reading the message in his eye, Elizabeth looked away and swallowed.
"Let's face it. There's a reason we picked this as a beta site; one of which being that it's uninhabited. What other reason would they have to come unless they some how knew we were here? Atlantis would be a gold mine to them. Think of the damage they could do with the weapon stockpile alone, not to mention striping the computers and selling the intel."
"But first they'd have to get access to it," she countered sharply, not wanting to think too much about what he was saying as being possible.
"It's happened before," John stated, quietly reminding her of darker days.
Allowing John's words to seep in, Elizabeth drew in a breath as a visible shiver ran through her.
Reaching for her hand, John pulled her upright. Stepping into her, he slid his hand up her arm until his fingers were touching her cheek. "I won't let that happen," he breathed softly, his look and his words telling her he saw her fear and making a promise to do everything he could to keep both her and Atlantis safe.
~~SGA ~~ SGA ~~ SGA
Reaching up to grab John's hand, Elizabeth was thankful for the tug to help her tackle the last of the large rock wall. They had been scaling a large boulder strewn incline for the past half hour and her arms and legs were a little shaky from the exertion. She had barely been able to reach the top of some of them to pull herself up.
Gaining her feet, she blew out a breath as she looked around. Thankfully, they seemed to be on a plateau of some sort.
"We can take a minute if you need to," John said, noticing the edges of exhaustion creeping in on her.
Realizing he was watching her, she nodded to let him know she was okay and that a few minutes rest would be appreciated. "Gonna pay for that climb," she retorted ruefully, as the faint sound of moving water reached her. "A waterfall?" she asked, cocking her head to listen closer.
Nodding, John smirked. "Over two hundred foot straight into a lake that has almost seventy miles of shoreline," he told her leading her forward a short distance. ''Quickest way around it is here at the top."
"I don't see it," Elizabeth said, though the sound of the water was getting louder.
"It's virtually hidden until you're on it," John explained coming to a halt and holding out his arm to stop her as the ground suddenly disappeared, leaving nothing but open air before them. Below was a breathtaking view. Hearing a sharp intake of air beside him, he glanced at Elizabeth and grinned at the amazement on her face.
"It's gorgeous," she breathed in wonder watching the liquid spill over the nearby edge and float toward the ground. She could feel the mist of it in the breeze as it caressed her face.
"We were going to come this way today so you could see it," John admitted, watching her absorb the beauty and power of the site.
"So you're telling me I would have had to climb those rocks today regardless?" she asked, raising her eyebrow at him in a 'you've got to be kidding' look. Reading the truth in his amused gaze, she shook her head in disbelief. "Is that suppose to make me feel better?"
"Does it?" he asked, curious and teasing at the same time.
Looking back at the rushing water and daring to glance down to watch as it fell into the lake below, she stepped toward him and captured his hand. "Thank you for showing me this," she murmured
John's eyes acknowledged her words. "Come on," he said taking her arm. "'You can sit down over here for a few minutes while I check the bridge."
Walking a hundred yards or so along the embankment, they reached the top of the falls. A short distance beyond that, Elizabeth could see a rope bridge that had been hung several feet above the fast moving river that fed the waterfall. If she had to guess, it was an easy sixty feet across the span.
Leaning against a boulder, she watched as John scaled the rocks leading to the suspension bridge and began to tug on the lines of it. Following the three ropes, he checked the ties on the nearby tree that served as the anchor. Looking at the other side, she presumed it was similarly secured over there.
"I take it we put this up," Elizabeth called, her words serving as a statement and a question.
"Was a good training exercise, and it made getting to the other side shorter," John acknowledged, seemingly content with what he was seeing and feeling with his inspection. Coming down to her, he asked, "Ever been on one of these?"
Seeing a shake of her head, he continued, watching her assess the bridge and river. "It's not hard. Keep your weight centered and your hands on the upper ropes. The ropes are going to sag and sway some, so don't let that concern you. Slow down if it gets to feel like too much. The bottom rope may be slick so test your footing," he cautioned. "I'll go first and cover us from the other side just in case anyone is waiting."
Seeing uncertainty flash across her face, he laid a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it. "You okay?" he asked softly.
"If they are waiting for us, wouldn't it be to their advantage to attack when we are crossing?"
Scanning the far shore, John searched for any sign of movement as he debated how to answer her. Sometimes she was too sharp for her own good. He had been thinking the same thing for quite some time. Knowing that nothing less than the truth would suffice, he pinned her with his eyes "Not much choice if we want to get to the gate."
Realizing he was correct, a sigh escaped her lips as she stood up. "Slow, one foot in front of other, and don't fall. Got it." Wincing as her muscles protested, she caught his eye. "Rocks to climb down on the other side?"
"We'll hole up for a while to rest when we get back down," he offered apologetically. "I had a picnic planned, but hey, kinda forgot the basket this morning." A cheeky smirk pulled at his lips trying to ease the obvious tension and the fatigue that had seemed to settle into her. Her answering smile told him it had helped.
Pulling the pistol from the holster in case of trouble, Elizabeth waited beside the rocks leading to the bridge as John climbed up and prepared to cross. As if making a last minute decision, he paused and took a step back towards her. "Take this," John said, handing her the energy weapon he had commandeered earlier. "It has a longer range than your pistol," he explained.
Stopping at the edge of the rock, and putting one foot on the rope suspended over the water, he let his weight settle on it as a double check. Feeling nothing unexpected, he glanced back at her. "As soon as you see me hit the base over there, get ready. I'll signal if it's clear." Throwing her one last encouraging grin, he stepped forward and began his crossing.
Watching him, Elizabeth cataloged his movements, noting how he adjusted his body for the sway in the rope and the transition of his hands and feet with each step. He was about two thirds of the way when he stopped and his head snapped up toward the far tree line.
Reflexively gripping the weapon in her hand tighter, she tried to ignore the tingle of fear that swept down her back. If either of them were shot and fell, there would nothing to stop them from going over the falls. Peering across the river she tried to spot what had brought John to such a state of alertness. Realizing he was again moving but at a faster rate, she flicked her eyes between the shoreline and him.
When he stepped off the rope onto solid ground, she paused as he leapt from the rock and began to cautiously approach the trees with his weapon ready to fire. Losing sight of him, she cursed under her breath before climbing up the rock leading to the bridge and kneeling there to wait.
Straining to hear over the sound of the water and the breeze, Elizabeth inched forward anxiously. Separated as they were, each was more vulnerable to attack. Yet to try to cross the bridge without some indication of either immediate danger or safety didn't seem wise either.
The sight of a small tree across from her exploding from weapon fire gave her the answer she was looking for. She could not hear the rapport of John's weapon returning fire but she had no doubt he was doing just that. Frustrated that she was being no help to him, she made up her mind.
~~SGA ~~ SGA ~~ SGA
AN2: Okay, I know NOTHING about rope bridges. The very thought of them makes me shudder. So apologies for any errors in the construction or the use of them.