Chapter 7 – Reunion

Rodney watched the scene in horror, trying to react beyond his shock and slowness. He aimed the weapon, fired and missed, getting ready to be tossed down as well. But it didn't happen.

The roaring stopped and the wild men watched his shaky hands with scared looks. Their hesitation lasted only one second, but it was enough to have both warriors of his team overpowering the ones on their tops.

As the others moved to continue the attack, Rodney fired again, and kept them frozen in place. Teyla and Ronon got up and stood beside him, watching suspiciously for any move coming from the six people still immobile.

The wild glare disappeared and the natives of the caves stepped back and run away, leaving the three Atlantians staring at nothing.

John followed his way into the darkness. The voices he left behind were fading into the distance and he felt the utter loneliness that only complete darkness could provide.

He pushed his fear aside bringing to his mind hopes that his team would find him, that Atlantis would send a rescue that would easily track him down through his transmitter. But until then, all he could do was keep going.

There never were a lot of options to follow, and usually everything resumed to a long black corridor that made a lot of turns and curves. He breathed harder every time he had to make a turn, waiting for something to jump at him again and finish the job.

John kept his ears alert at the fading sounds, to make sure they weren't coming after him. And so far they weren't. Until, when focusing on them, he heard a loud bang that he immediately recognized. It was a fire weapon. Sounding awfully familiar.

He halted his pace and turned back, paying attention on the voices that silenced completely. Then there were more shots.

John started his way back trotting hurriedly, biting his lip and grimacing with tiredness and pain. He heard paces running towards him, getting closer and ducked by the wall behind a curve. He swallowed the metallic taste on his mouth, holding himself back against the wall so hard that he could be inside of it. The running paces passed right through him and he let go a relieved breath, sitting on the floor.

He took a few more breaths in before getting up releasing a quiet cry of pain and continued in the direction of the shots. As he turned another curve he heard a familiar voice speaking and let out a smile.

John walked, always holding the wall. He entered into the soft light of the fireplace, revealing himself to the three pleased people inside the room, covering his eyes with a hand until he adjusted to the light.

They got closer to him smiling and relieved to find him alive.

"John!" Teyla let out an exasperated sigh.

"Oh my God! You smell!" Rodney made a disgusted face and stepped back, turning his head away.

"I'm sorry for being tossed over a huge pile of carcasses like a dead corpse, Rodney!" John said trying to sound better than he actually felt. "Next time I'll just come out and tell them that I haven't died yet."

That remark gained a smile from Ronon that moved to give him a bear hug which John quickly evaded waving a hand and giving a step back, almost loosing his balance and falling to the ground. It was Teyla that held him.

He looked at her to thank and saw her worried look. He let go off her embrace.

"Are you okay, Colonel?" she asked.

"I'll be as soon as I get the hell out of here." He tried not to show weakness on his voice and was almost sure he failed.

They started moving out of the room when they heard another loud roar, just like the one they heard earlier but greater this time.

A lot greater.

John bit his lower lip.

"We'd better move." he said, hurrying the others into movement.

They all followed Rodney that led the way out, using the map on his screen. He tried to keep up his pace, breathing heavily, feeling his body weakening at each footstep, failing and tumbling at the wall.

Teyla grabbed him under his arm so gently he barely felt her touch behind all the agonizing pain on his chest and muscles and she led him away. John closed his eyes swallowing the metallic taste in his mouth. His stomach revolted again, his head was spinning and he felt cold sweats running down his frown. His vision blurred, and his legs felt like butter as he pushed harder forward leaning more of his weight on her, almost bringing both of them down.

He fell to his knees unable to continue moving. He started falling forward and was grabbed by a strong pair of hands, he acknowledged as Ronon's before blacking out.

They ran fast through the corridor and Ronon came last carrying Sheppard. Soon, he caught up with the scientist and kept beside him.

After a few minutes Rodney stopped gasping for air with hands on his knees. Ronon halted too, breathing heavily. The voices were no longer after them. He decided to place his burden gently on the ground to access his injuries.

The Colonel had several cuts on his arms and legs, hidden under the rips on his clothes. He couldn't tell the severity or extend of his injuries because of all the blood covering them.

Teyla opened his vest and jacket to reveal a chest covered with bruises and lacerations. She softly felt his chest and stopped when she felt a softer spot. She put her hand on his forehead lifting his wet hair. His skin was clammy and warm. Teyla looked up at Ronon with a worried expression that the former runner imitated.

"He needs medical attention," she said.

Ronon proceeded to carry the leader of the team treating him as if he was fine china.

Several hours passed until they met sunlight again. The sky was covered in red and orange and the sun was setting on the horizon. They entered the jumper just as the sky turned black.

Rodney started the CO2 recycling and the life support, Ronon placed John over the bench on the rear compartment and Teyla took the first aid kit to take care of his injuries. She cleaned his cuts, dressed his wounds, applied antibiotics and painkillers, and followed every lesson given by Carson for situations like this. When she finished she sat down exhausted and closed her eyes praying for the ancestors.

John woke up slowly, seeing the rush of images of what happened at the cave. He expected to find himself on the infirmary by now, but wasn't overwhelmed by the sensations, smells and noise familiar to that place. He opened his eyes just to find himself inside the crashed jumper.

He saw some stir behind him and soon saw the worried figure looking down at him. She looked tired and had two big shadows under her eyes. Teyla smiled faintly at him and he tried to return it.

"How are you, John?"

John tried to respond, but found his throat closed and dry and started coughing. The muscles of his chest and his ribcage sent a wave of pain with every choke he gave and didn't stop until Teyla gave him some water to drink. The effort had him breathless. He felt like crap.

"I'm good." John pulled himself together.

"I'm sorry that the pain medication that we have is not sufficient."

"Don't worry, Teyla." Every time John spoke, his chest protested with a sharp pain. His voice was weak and he almost laughed with his feeble struggle to make it better.

"Sheppard." Ronon appeared beside him.

"What's our condition?" John went back to team leader mode.

"Rodney said that we cannot fly out and that the moon has interference that does not allow communications or life signs detection." Teyla narrowed her eyes as she remembered the exact words of the physicist.

That wasn't good. Without communications, the rescue team wouldn't pick up their transmitter signals. It would take time to them to look at each moon orbiting the gas giant and they wouldn't have a reason to land and look for them here. He guessed it would be time for Rodney to share the little bit of information he kept to himself in case all their chances of surviving failed and a miraculous escape was needed. The one he always said it wouldn't work, but always ended up working.

"Where's Rodney?"

"He wouldn't stop talking, so I shut him up." Ronon stepped aside to reveal the man laying on the other bench.

John looked at Ronon suspiciously.

"He got tired after so much rambling about our hopeless fate and fell asleep." The Satedan explained. "McKay!" Ronon shook the scientist.

Rodney moaned, turned his head and snapped.

"What?" he shouted with his eyes still closed.

"Sheppard woke up," Ronon said.

Rodney jumped up in an instant and stood beside John.

"Hey! How are you doing?" he spoke a little softer than normal.

"I'm fine, just tell me what's your plan to get us out of here," John replied.

"I'm sorry for worrying about my friend that had disappeared and found injured!" Rodney shouted.

"I'm touched for your concern. Now, what's the plan?"

"What plan? There is no plan! We are stuck here!" Rodney waved his hands widely to both sides.

John eyed the physicist.

Rodney crossed his arms in front of his chest and stared back at John. "It's a long shot at best," Rodney finally said.

John continued to stare at the scientist with the beginning of a smirk.

"I could try to strengthen our distress signal to try to have it past the interference, but there is no guarantee it will make it to orbit, or even if we have enough energy."


TBC…