"This is Sheppard do you read?" The Lieutenant Colonel said into his radio.

"Go ahead Colonel." Dusty replied.

"Sarge we are thirty feet off your position, making our way over to you."

"Been tracking you for a few minutes Sir." The Sergeant answered.

"You have?" Sheppard asked surprised. "Well that's good." He added after a pause. "Anything you want to tell me?"

"Like what Sir?"

"I can't help but notice there are lots of bodies lining my path."

"We had some uninvited guests. Managed to hold them off though. You should have a clear path to us."

"Thanks Sarge, but we'd appreciate you not shooting us on the way up."

"I'll pass on the request." Dusty said signing off.

"Pass it on?" McKay asked incredulously.

"She was joking." Sheppard said.

"Don't you have discipline in the ranks?" McKay muttered to the amusement of the others.

"You need some help getting up there Chewie?" Sheppard asked, still not convinced that Ronon should be on his feet.

"I'm fine." Ronon said slowly and, for Ronon, clumsily making his way to the entrance.

"Sarge." Sheppard said as he approached Dusty.

"Sir."

"There seem to be more people in the cave than there were when we left." Sheppard said noticing some of Lorne's team. When he saw Porter trying not to laugh he asked. "Something funny doctor?"

"No Colonel. Sorry. It's just that what you said kinda reminds me of the joke about the biologist, the physicist and the mathematician." Porter rambled nervously.

"That's not even a funny joke. I mean if you want a good joke at the expense of mathematicians you want the hotel one." McKay chipped in making the others feel like they were missing something. However, before they could comment their attention was drawn to inside the cave and the shouting that was erupting.

"Jennifer!" Ronon called as he sprinted inside, immediately recognising her voice. Following his lead Sheppard and Teyla hurried after him, P90s raised.

Inside the cave instead of seeing an ambush by the hunters they saw Jennifer sitting on the floor wildly brandishing a knife, shouting at everyone. The others stood back, except for Lorne who was lying on the ground rubbing his jaw, trying to calm her down.

"Lorne, what's going on?" Sheppard asked trying to assess the situation.

"The doc is delirious." Lorne replied groggily.

"I need to get close enough to sedate her." Cole explained. Not waiting for further instructions Ronon headed straight for Jennifer, gently calling her name. As he reached her Jennifer looked up at Ronon and for a moment everyone thought and hoped that she had recognised the Satedan. However, as Ronon dropped down next to Jennifer that hope was dashed when she thrust the knife at Ronon. Shocked by her attack, and still feeling the effects of the explosion at the camp, the former runner did not move as fast as he was capable and found the knife lodged in his shoulder. Not stopping to think about the pain he wrapped his arms round the now thrashing doctor and waited for Cole to administer the sedative. Even after she went limp in his arms he continued to hold her.

"Everyone ok?" Sheppard asked as calm descended. Having heard a chorus of yeses he looked at Ronon. "Ronon?"

"Fine. What's wrong with Jennifer?" The former runner returned.

"The infection is spreading causing her fever to get worse and cause hallucinations." Cole explained, trying to pry Jennifer from Ronon's arms, which were still clamped round the small doctor.

"Ronon." Sheppard said noticing the problem. "Let Cole look at the doc and I'll look at your shoulder."

The Satedan looked down at Jennifer, whose heat he could feel radiating from her. Reluctantly he moved Jennifer to ground and backed away, letting Cole work. Cole, however, was focused on Ronon's bleeding shoulder.

"Doc, Ronon will make your life difficult if you don't treat the doc first. I'll keep an eye on him." Sheppard said trying to help. Sighing Cole set to work on Jennifer.

"Why did she have a knife?" Sheppard asked looking at Ronon's wound.

"Don't know. After the gun incident we tried to keep her away from weapons." Lorne said.

"Gun incident?" Sheppard questioned, taking his eyes off Ronon. The distraction was long enough for Ronon to pull the blade free from his shoulder.

"Ronon, it would have been better to leave that in." Sheppard said, quickly trying to apply pressure.

"It's not bad." Ronon replied looking at the knife. "It is one of her concealed ones."

"One of? How many does she need?" McKay asked.

"Based on her luck?" Lorne whispered to the physicist.

"Where are the others?" Sheppard questioned, ignoring the discussion behind him. When Ronon growled the Lieutenant Colonel changed his plan. "Second thoughts when you have the all clear you can remove them from her."

"Ok, let's look at you Mr Dex." Cole said moving over.

"Jennifer?" Ronon immediately asked.

"She's stable." Cole replied cutting Ronon's shirt away from his shoulder.

"When you're done with the shoulder you might want to look at his back and his head, he was caught in an explosion." Sheppard said standing and walking over to Lorne.

"Major?"

"Sir."

"Your jaw ok?"

"Yep, just didn't realise the doc's elbow packed such a punch."

"So, have you come bearing crystals?"

"No."

"Not that I don't appreciate your company, but why are you here? I mean you do understand that without a crystal you are stuck here."

"Yes Sir. But with the Daedalus being three, well I guess more like two days away I thought you'd need the extra supplies and manpower. Cole was pretty insistent that the doc needed immediate attention as well."

"I bet Woolsey was all for the idea." Sheppard commented.

"Yes Sir. Although I think the pressure may be getting to him, he suggested that he came along just so all of the senior staff could get wiped out at once."

"That would probably save on the paperwork, get it all down in one report." Sheppard concurred.

"Problem is it would make life too easy for the bureaucrats back home only having the one report to read." Lorne commented.

"Is that why your reports are always at least twice as long as mine?" Sheppard asked, not giving Lorne the chance to answer he added. "There I was thinking you just didn't have life. How's Teldy?"

"She lost a lot of blood, Cole said she needs proper medical treatment." Lorne answered. "Probably best for you that she is out of it, she was kinda pissed you took her P90." After a brief pause he asked. "You have any luck find the crystal?"

"No. After it was taken from the gate it was taken to a second camp. My source didn't know where the other camp was."

"Can't McKay extend the range on the lifesigns detector?" Lorne asked.

"I'm right here." McKay said. "And that is a stupid idea."

"Why?"

"You extend the range by increasing the false detection rate."

"So?" Sheppard asked looking blank.

"If you'll excuse me I'm due on watch." Lorne said quickly not wanting another McKay lecture.

"So?" McKay asked in disbelief. "So, instead of a dot being displayed on the screen for every human, you'll get a got for every human and every bear. The further out you go the more animal life gets thrown into the mix and you end up searching for a needle in a haystack."

"So what you're staying is we are stuck here with two critically injured personal and, thanks to me insisting on going on a futile mission, a wounded Ronon and there is nothing we can do?" Sheppard asked, the frustration clear in his voice.

"To be fair the odds were stacked against you. I mean no drop dead gorgeous alien chicks for you to Kirk your way out of trouble with. Maybe you should have just ripped open your shirt." McKay said, hoping some light hearted banter would ease his friends gloom. "I know you want to get off this planet, but there is nothing I can do to find the crystal." McKay added before wondering off, leaving Sheppard to ponder his options.

As time ticked by Teyla watched John from a distance growing increasingly concerned by his demeanour.

"John," she said gently when she eventually approached him. "What is wrong?"

"Apart from the fact that the doc is dying of an infection, the Major is dying from blood lost, Ronon got blown up then stabbed by his girlfriend, we are being hunted by some rather committed individuals and there is no way off the planet?" Sheppard threw back not looking up from the lifesigns detector he had clenched in his hand.

"No one is dying." Teyla pointed out.

"Yet." Sheppard said darkly. "It's only a matter of time."

"They are both strong. They'll hold on." Teyla assured him, concerned by his negative attitude.

"They can't hold on forever. Assuming we have that long anyway." Sheppard said before looking up. "Sorry."

"What is really on your mind?" Teyla asked. John opened his mouth as if to reply but no words came.

"This is not the same situation as Captain Holland." Teyla said, hazarding a guess at what was on John's mind.

"Yeah, no sand for starters." Sheppard shot back.

"Last time you were alone. This time you have us." Teyla assured him as she sat down next to him. "This time we are all going home."


A/N: Thanks for all the reviews, any feedback, positive or negative, is gratefully received. Chapter ten up next weekend.