Stephen tried to take a deep breath, but his lungs felt tight almost on fire. He gasps, and opens his eyes. Something was very wrong and he couldn't put his finger on it. It was just a hunch, one of those butterflies in the stomach moments. He knew what was going on, but the meaning seemed to float just out of reached of his pain fogged mind. He felt him self slipping into unconsciousness, he knew what he was thing about was important. It just he couldn't grasp it. His eye's slipped close and his world was fading to black.
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"Time to stop." Wage yelled from the front, and the solemn line of people halted behind him. "Time to pull out your lights, red lenses, goggles too. I think thing we might be in for some wind."
Mckay was standing there slightly winded, and shivering a bit. "You okay buddy?" Albert asked. Rodney just looked annoyed as he slipped his goggles over his eyes and turned on his headlamp.
"Everyone I ready." Wage asked.
"No." Mckay stated.
"Why would that be?"
"I cold." Rodney spoke from the part of the human mind which is primitive. The part which forces us to survive.
"It's okay Dr. Mckay." One of the marines patted him on the back while Albert tore open a chemical heating pack.
"Mckay, don't think of it like that. Just don't think of yourself as cold. Think that the faster you walk the sooner that you will get warm." Wage said as Albert slipped the heating pack into Mckay's gloves. Mckay started to move. "That's it. The faster we move, the sooner that we will get warm."
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"Hey, Bec, wait up." Sheppard tried to keep up, but the hydrologist was skiing at full speed and hadn't spoken a word for over an hour and a half. Dusk was fading and the stars were filling the sky. By now Sheppard was exhausted, Lark was about fall over, the Navy SEALS had stopped joking around, and even Ronan looked winded.
"Yes?" Bec stopped, and stretched her neck and looked at Sheppard, well more looked through Sheppard.
"We need to stop."
"Okay." Bec sat down in the snow.
Lt. Lark motioned at her and whispered to Tim Hendricks. "Is it just me or is she acting weird?"
"Migraine. Possibly a concussion. Don't worry, once we get to the place she will think clearly." Tim said quickly. "I have seen her do it before. She seems like she is about to pass out and she will still be able to climb a mountain or navigate a deep sea sub through a dangerous sent of currents."
"Everybody eat something." Sheppard was defiantly taking charge and he made sure everyone was pealing open their containers of Gorp. Bec was zoned out munching on the nuts and dried fruit. But the temperature was continuing to drop and they need to get moving again.
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The wind was starting to pick up as Teyla huddled in the tent with three marines. The fourth was outside keeping watch, but soon it would probably be to cold for that. Teyla was worried about the other teams out on the snow. She shivered just thinking about them, but there was nothing she could do, no matter how her heartaches to do so.
"It sounds like a storm is brewing." Dr. Zelenka muttered quietly.
"You're awake." Teyla smiled down at her charge.
"Yes, I am awake." But his eyes were starting to slide close again. "When are we breaking camp?"
"In the morning, rest until then." Teyla said sweetly, and the scientist obeys his eyes closed and soon his breaths slowed. Leaving Teyla and marines in silence listening to the wind beat upon the fabric of the tent.
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This time it was Bec who stopped and apparently for no reason. Instead of the huge hillocks the land in front seemed to just contain snow drifts. Other then that it was flat.
"What is it Dr. Thomason?" Lt. Lark asked and the group got closer to where she was poised not moving.
"Ice." Was all she needed to say in return.
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Stephen woke with a start and understood what was going on. The reason his head felt all stuffed up and the fact his thoughts were muffled. It was CO2, he was going to suffocate. They were all going to suffocate. Stephen didn't want to die period so dieing on this forsaken, ice planet in the middle of nowhere. They were going to have to open the door.
"Gary, Gary wake up. Please wake up." Stephen pleated to the unresponsive marine.
"What, what is going on?" Natalie groaned.
"We crashed, do you remember that?" Stephen asked worried.
"We crashed?" Natalie's words slurred, she seemed disoriented.
"Yes, yes we crashed. Can you try to nudge Gary? He isn't moving, I am starting to get worried." I am worried about you too; in fact, I am worried that we are all about to die.
"Gary is here? What is wrong with him?"
"Gary is right next to you. I think he might be really hurt."
"Okay, let me get this start. We crashed and Gary's hurt. Why aren't you helping to him?"
"Because I broke my leg. I can't move." Stephen was starting to get frustrated. "Oh, did I mention that I think we are running out of air!?!"
"No." Natalie was struggling to sit up. "We are running out of air?"
"Just check on Gary. Maybe we can get him up?" And he will probably be coherent and we might actually survive.
"Okay." Nat said as she made her way slowly to the fallen Marine. "Um."
"What is wrong?" Stephen started to panic.
"Um, I think that he is in shock." She spoke in a strange detached way.
Can things get any worst, but as soon as Stephen thought that he regret it, it could always get worse. "Nat, Natalie listen to me. I want you to try to open the door."
"Um," Nat said as she started to fiddle with the door. "This is bad."
"What is wrong?" Stephen asked again.
"Well. The door feels like the door is frozen shut."
"Stop, stop." Nat paused throwing herself at the door. "If the door is really frozen shut then there is nothing that we can do about that. Natalie, I think it would be best if you could take care of Gary, see if we can get him to wake up." Natalie blessedly didn't complain, she just found the first aid kit and started treating Gary leaving Stephen with his thoughts which were-We are so screwed. We are going to die.
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Author's Note-From bad to worse, but don't worry things will get better, eventually. Please give feedback to tell me were I should improve, or things you would like to read about. If I don't find a way to fit them in this story there is always the next one.
Because Bec gets migraines I thought I might give you a little information about it. Migraines are repeating headaches which often had cause nausea and sensitivity to light and sound. It is often treated by medication and sleeping it of. Some people who got frequent migraine appear to go on autopilot when they have a severe migraine. Sometime being described as zombie like.