Suya placed another mark on the pad of paper in her hand, nodding. "That is correct sir," she answered. "Fourteen so far. There are several more storage bunkers under construction, but they should be ready by harvest time."
"Very good." From behind his desk, Kizel leaned back in his chair, satisfied. Things were going well in the fields, the medicine they had acquired was proving to be a profitable trading commodity, and Doctor McKay and his assistant were obediently working down in the labs. Best of all, Doctor Weir had agreed her people were never again to set foot in the ruins, which meant no more worrying about being discovered. Perhaps he should send her flowers and his humble sympathy for the loss of Doctor McKay. Suya looked up from her work as the Magistrate chuckled to himself. At her odd glance he simply waved her off.
"Sir, if there is nothing else, I shall excuse myself." He offered another wave. As she began to make her way to the door loud voices could be heard from outside. A moment later the curtains were thrown aside and several of the Atlanteans entered. She recognized Colonel Sheppard and Teyla Emmagan, but the others she did not know. However, their intent was clearly hostile, and she clutched the pad to her chest, wide-eyed with fear.
"What is the meaning of this?" the Magistrate demanded as he stood. "How dare you enter my office without permission!"
"Screw your permission," Colonel Sheppard spat out. "You kidnapped two of my men, and in my book that is an act of war. And unless you want us to turn your entire village upside down and inside out, you will release them immediately."
Suya had never seen someone so angry, so full of hatred. She quietly stepped back, stopping only when her back struck the wall. With the soldiers blocking the doorway, she was trapped.
"We have been through this before, Colonel," Kizel calmly replied, adjusting his cloak. "We allowed you a search of our sacred ruins and your scientists have found nothing. You must accept that your friends were taken by the Wraith. If you continue to accuse us we will take that as a sign of aggression. Now, I demand that…"
Sheppard slammed his fist onto the desk, the loud noise making Suya jump. When he lifted his hand a silver piece of paper remained. She recognized the odd wrapping from the food that Doctor McKay been eating when he had returned from the ruins, but what did that mean?
The Magistrate looked down at the foil, the uneasy feeling growing stronger. This wasn't looking good. Putting on a strong front he casually asked, "A wrapper?"
"Yes, a wrapper," Sheppard answered in a low voice, "delivered to us by an Ulata Sitera. The same one that was culled along with both Dex and McKay."
Fear fully engulfed him now. They knew! Somehow the stupid creature had escaped without him even noticing. That meant Doctor McKay must know the systems had failed – he had probably arranged it himself! Fear turned into fury; the man would pay for his insolence! Taking a step back, Kizel casually reached for his right wrist, activating the device he wore.
"I see you have discovered my little ploy, Colonel Sheppard," he said, still backing up. "Too bad it will do you no good. By the time you find him, your Doctor McKay will be dead. Guards!" Kizel turned and jumped as part of the wall behind him slid aside. The moment he was through several guards rushed in, weapons firing. The Atlantean soldiers quickly responded, ducking and returning fire.
Suya knew she had to leave but she couldn't move. The fear of the fight and the shock of the Magistrate's betrayal left her numb. Then suddenly she was on the ground, the notepad flying from her arms. She turned, seeing Teyla kneeling protectively over her. By the time she recovered enough to speak, the fight was over.
"We need a medical team in here now," Sheppard called through his radio. "Kreola, Kizel escaped through a secret passage. Can you track his movements?"
"He is heading toward the ruins," came the reply. "He … what? A Wraith Dart has just appeared on the sensors!"
"Wraith?" He turned to Teyla. "Do you sense anything?"
"No," was the firm answer. "Whoever is in that ship is not a Wraith, of that I am sure."
"The ship is heading your way. I will try to intercept."
"Negative!" Sheppard answered. "Neither you nor that ship were designed to fight. Lt. Mason, I'm taking your jumper. The rest of you, stop Kizel!" With that he ran out of the room.
"Smith, Young, stay here with the prisoners," Lorne called out. "The rest of us are going to the ruins. I have a feeling our friend is heading to the crystal room."
"Crystal room? With the walls of colored glass?" Suya's quiet questions caused the group to turn their eyes to her. She swallowed nervously.
"How do you know of it?" Teyla asked. "We were told only priests were allowed into the ruins."
"That is true," she answered. "But when you are young, you do not go by such rules. I used to play there as a child many years ago."
"What do you know of it?" Teyla prompted.
"Not much, only that it is used to…" Suya gasped. "Oh no! If your friends are truly being held against their will, they will be in the underground facility." She looked at Teyla with pleading eyes. "Please, I did not know."
"What underground facility?" Lorne asked, sidestepping around the incoming physicians.
"One time as I was playing in the crystal room my father arrived. He was angry and yelling about how important the pedestal was to our people and how I must never endanger it by playing in the ruins again. He took me to a place where scientists were working so I would understand, and made me promise to never speak of it again." She turned her gaze to Lorne. "Please, let me go with you. I know how to activate the device. I will help you."
"No way," Lorne answered.
"Major Lorne," Teyla interrupted, "If what she says is true, we will need her help entering the facility."
Clearly not happy, Lorne reluctantly agreed. Leaving the two soldiers to guard the prisoners as well as protect the physicians, the remaining group headed outside. Suya was amazed to see a strange-looking metallic contraption waiting in the middle of the street. There were no wheels, so how had it gotten there? Two soldiers stood near the bottom of its ramp, while a woman waited near the top.
"Need a lift?" the woman asked with a knowing grin.
"Kreola, nice timing," Lorne called out. "We need to hurry."
"I know," she answered, "get in." By the time everyone was inside she was already at the controls. "Hang on!" With a burst of speed, the jumper was up and heading to the ruins.
oOo oOo oOo
Sheppard had barely waited for the last of the physicians to disembark before he had ship cloaked and up in the air. The systems responded to his needs, showing the Dart's location and current heading. Whoever was piloting the craft was not Wraith, and he though it was time to end the charade.
The enemy ship came into view, leaving from the ruins and heading directly toward the city. Coincidence? Yeah, right. He waited until it was closer before firing off a drone, the jumper's cloak automatically disengaging. The Dart moved with incredible speed and agility, twisting as it fired its weapons, destroying the drone. He was dealing with an extremely skilled pilot - this was not going to be easy.
Sheppard launched another drone as he arched the jumper to the side, cursing under his breath as the Dart managed to dodge the drone again. As the golden projectile began to curve after its intended target, the Dart reacted by executing a tight upward turn before diving toward the jumper with weapons firing. With both mental and physical strength Sheppard pulled the jumper back, evading the attack as well as the seeking drone. Another twist and the Dart was facing the drone, firing until it destroyed it mid-air, then quickly turning yet again and firing at the jumper.
Cursing under his breath, wishing the ship had regular weapons in addition to the drones, Sheppard steered hard left and down, diving beneath the Dart and coming up behind it. With another twist he was facing it. "Dodge this!" he called out before sending off a third and fourth drone.
oOo oOo oOo
Teyla followed Suya through the ruins, her eyes constantly scanning about as they ran. It wasn't that she didn't trust Suya; the girl was perhaps the only honest person they had encountered so far. Rather, it was the uneasy feeling that came from the unknown. The Magistrate's life sign had vanished somewhere between the city and the ruins. Did he have technology to cloak his presence, or was it possible he was no longer there? While Kreloa and Mason remained in the scout jumper to continue monitoring the area, Teyla and the rest had entered the ruins. Despite her uneasiness, the group arrived at the crystal room without incident.
"There," Suya stated, indicating the pedestal. "That is how you enter the underground science facility."
"We tried that already," Lorne stated. "Nothing worked."
"It will only work if you know its secret," the young girl replied, walking to the pedestal. "The key is to know where you are going. That is what these walls are for." She swept her arm about. "It is a map of the facility, of how it used to be while the Ancestors were here." Her eyes roamed the walls. "I forgot how beautiful this was," she quietly added.
"A map?" Lorne asked, also looking around. If that was true, the facility was huge. "How will we know where they are being held? We don't have time to search it all."
"Not all of it remains. I still remember the sadness in my father's voice when he spoke of entire sections crumbling beneath the weight of the world. We had walked down a passage toward a central gathering room where so many scientists were working." Suya paused, recalling the mix of emotions she had felt those many years ago: wonder, pride, and sorrow. How many years had those scientists spent below the surface, sacrificing everything for the sake of protecting everyone? "I believe your friends would be held close to that area. I am sorry I cannot give you a more definite answer."
"At least it gives us a place to start," Lorne said. "Alright then, beam us down, Scotty." Suya looked at him with puzzled eyes. "Bring us to the facility," he clarified. With a nod she turned toward one of the walls, finding the room she had been brought to so many years ago, and placed a hand down gently atop the pedestal. Everything went dark for just a moment, like a long blink, and when light returned they were in the facility. The soldiers quickly raised their weapons, scanning around. The room looked similar to the transporters on Atlantis, only larger. The map of the facility was on the wall opposite the door, which had slid open to reveal a quiet and darkened corridor.
"The central gathering room is at the end of this passageway," Suya informed them. "I remember scientists walking about, moving from level to level. I can show you."
"No, you won't," Lorne ordered. "We go alone." Seeing the hurt in the girl's eyes Teyla placed a gentle hand on her shoulder, looking directly at her.
"You have helped us enough," Teyla softly said, "And we could not have made it this far without you. Yet this will be dangerous, and we do not want you to be harmed. Will you be able to return to the village safely on your own?"
"Yes," she sadly replied. "I will be okay. And I understand. Good luck, Teyla Emmagan." She watched as the group moved out of the room, amazed to see the corridor light up in response to their presence. Alone, she moved toward the map but paused, turning back. "To return to the surface, simply picture the crystal room." Suya placed her hand on the map and the doors slid shut, and when they opened again the young aide was gone.
"Alright, time to find our missing friends," Lorne said. "Move out!" With weapons raised and ready, the group of six proceeded down the corridor.
oOo oOo oOo
"He's good," Deidre commented quietly, watching the jumper weave in and out of her line of attack. His projectile weapons were beyond anything she had seen before, shadowing her movements almost perfectly. If she hadn't pushed the Dart to the extreme, executing moves that would mean the death to less experienced pilots, she wouldn't have survived the first attack. The Velian aircraft, those she had grown up learning to fly, were crude in comparison to either of these two crafts. Yet those simple ships, which pushed a pilot to his limits, had strengthened her both physically and mentally. She didn't know who the other pilot was but assumed it was one of the people from the recent trade agreement, one of Doctor McKay's companions. Was he trying to free his friend? It didn't matter. His efforts were futile, because she was not about to lose.
The enemy fired two
more of his glowing weapons, and she cursed under her breath. She
had barely dodged the previous two; this was going to be tricky.
Deidre pulled at the controls, forcing the ship into a tight backward
loop, arching up and over the projectiles, whose course had changed
to match her own. With another twist she had the Dart upright and
headed toward the scattered trees, weaving between them like a slalom
skier. The sensors were screaming at her, warning of imminent
collisions, yet she continued on. One of the drones struck a tree,
the loud explosion sending out a spray of light and wood.
Her
hands flying across the controls, Deidre aimed her weapons and fired.
The massive tree before her broke apart and fell, barely missing her
ship. The projectile weapon slammed into the falling timber, sending
forth another shower of wood and light. Letting out a laugh of
triumph, she set the ship upwards once more, seeking out the enemy.
Her laughter died out as the sensors came up blank – the ship had
vanished.
She knew the ship was equipped with some sort of device to render it invisible since it had appeared out of nowhere earlier. She also knew there must be a way to detect it, she just wasn't sure what that was. With another muttered curse Deidre switched to secondary weapons, firing the lasers at random while constantly scanning, looking for any indication of the ship, hoping for a lucky shot. In the end they were both lucky.
The ship appeared before her, launching its projectile weapon. At this distance there was no room to dodge it; she would be struck for sure, yet so would he. The strikes occurred almost instantaneously. Her weapons struck the right end of the ship, destroying one of the engine pods, sending the ship careening away and out of control. It would be unable to fight anymore, yet it no longer mattered. The drone had struck into the side of her ship, destroying the entire back half and most of the control systems. What remained was smoking, the controls sparking as the severed wires were flung about in the air. She knew this was her last flight. With an eerie sense of calm she flicked on the radio, not even knowing if the enemy craft was capable of picking up the signal.
"Well met," she said as her ship spiraled toward the ground. "Go and rescue your friends." With a serene smile she accepted her fate as the remains of the Wraith Dart crashed into the ground.
