Chapter 10
Ronon shifted on his seat uncomfortably. The rain had finally stopped, but the pavement from the village had ended and was replaced by the soft mud of a whole night of drizzle. The truck slid sideways when he turned and he struggled to keep the thing going forward.
He hated driving.
"Why can't you drive, Rodney?" he growled.
"Because I'm navigating." He turned the big paper around and followed a line with his finger. "Someone's got to make sure we're going the right way."
"And are we?"
Rodney put the map down. "Yes. According to this, the main city of Milania should be right ahead. I imagine that the big red circle must be the stargate. At least the position of the streets and the distance to the capital seems right."
"How long?" Teyla asked.
Rodney shrugged. "Another hour."
Ronon groaned.
"You know," Rodney continued. "If we had stayed on that main road from the prison, we would have gotten there long ago."
"We would have been caught if we had stayed in that road," Teyla reminded him.
The next hour of driving was as painful and boring as all the previous ones, but finally they seemed to have arrived somewhere. The road was now paved and buildings could be seen in the distance, growing in size as they drove forward.
They entered the first street as indicated by Rodney and noticed the lack of activity. It was day and the sun was high, yet Ronon didn't see the activity that had been present when they had first arrived in that planet. Everything was completely deserted.
"Hmmm..." Rodney looked around. "Where's everyone?"
"This can't be good," Sheppard commented from the back seat.
Ronon continued ahead, the small brick constructions giving space to taller buildings the farther from the suburb they got, but still no sign of people. Ronon took his gun from the seat next to him and put it on his lap.
"How far to the gate?" Sheppard asked.
"Several blocks. We have to cross the city," Rodney said as he pointed at the map.
Ronon felt a tap on his shoulder. "Just drive fast, okay, buddy? This is looking too messed up," John said.
Ronon accelerated. "Got it."
He looked inside the big glass windows and saw all the offices empty. They passed some residential buildings and the curtains were all closed. There was no way to know if there was someone inside. He slowed down as he got near the center of the city then hit the brakes suddenly when he turned a corner.
The Government Building was surrounded by soldiers. Hundreds of them.
"Crap."
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John bent down when bullets started popping the metal exterior of the truck.
"Down, everyone!"
"God! I knew this was too good to be true!" Rodney shouted.
"Drive, Ronon!" John yelled above the roar of Teyla's and Ronon's weapons fire.
The truck accelerated again and made John crash to the back of his seat. He slid sideways and poked Ronon's shoulder, asking for his gun. John went back to his window and shot back at the battalion that was now running to their vehicles. He hissed when another window broke and showered him with glass.
He got up again to shoot, the recoil of the rapid fire make his shoulder spike with pain. The truck turned abruptly and John fell sideways on top of Teyla, groaning with the complaining bruises. He rose, firing two quick sprays of bullets and felt the dull click of an empty gun.
"Great!" he complained as he tossed the gun aside.
He looked at Teyla when she stopped shooting as well.
She shook her head. "No more bullets."
"Oh, God! We're not gonna make it!" Rodney cried out as he tried to stay low and failed when the truck did another sharp turn. "What are you doing?" he shouted. "The gate is that way!" He raised his hand in the direction they had been following.
The truck turned another corner and slid slightly to the left. John grunted when he hit the side of the car.
"We have to stay clear of their fire; we're out of bullets," Ronon growled as he tried to keep the vehicle steady.
He whipped around a corner again. The strategy was working and the chasing soldiers couldn't stay on the same street as the team for long enough to get a shot.
Another turn, more banging and sliding on the leather seat.
"Do you even know where you're going?" Rodney squeaked.
"Yes, McKay!" Ronon growled. "Just taking the long way around."
The truck slid on the pavement and the tires screeched.
"Look out, Ronon!" Teyla warned as a tall car appeared right beside them.
It appeared that the soldiers weren't as stupid as John wished and had noticed their little strategy. They were no longer trying to follow them and had decided to simply follow the main road.
Ronon turned away and changed his direction at the last minute, leaving the pursuers behind on the main road. He turned again and again, skipping a few turns and going for unpredictable.
"Left, left! You have to turn left, Ronon!" Rodney waved his hands madly.
"I know!" Ronon yelled with uncontrolled anger.
Ronon bent left and followed on a straight line, now going the right direction to the gate. The square started appearing right ahead, and John fell forward when the truck stopped suddenly and veered slightly to the left. John raised his head and saw the gate surrounded by a barricade of soldiers.
The prisoners in the back started climbing down and running for cover, firing their guns. John gave his team the signal and they exited as well, running behind the truck next to the scar-faced man from the village.
Scar Face rose from his position and fired at the nearest soldier, his bullets hitting home and downing the enemy. Another middle aged man made a run for it to try to grab the soldier's gun, but went down on the way, sprayed by a wave of bullets from a hidden opponent. Scar Face saw it and shot the attacker, injuring but not killing.
John exchanged looks with Scar Face and both nodded. Scar Face rose and fired at the enemy's position, giving John the opportunity to dive and grab the fallen weapon, going back to his previous position successfully. He nodded his thanks and started firing. Scar Face's bullets soon ran out, followed by the few other guns the prisoners kept, leaving John the only one armed.
The soldiers soon noticed it and started firing back in full force, opening their way towards the truck. John couldn't rise to fire and had to shoot blindly, hoping to hit something.
After a while, John heard Scar Face's rapid breathing and looked at him. Scar Face looked back, then eyed Ronon, nodded and dashed out, drawing fire away from the truck. John peeked over the fender and let loose a barrage of bullets, killing two soldiers. He looked at where Scar Face had run and saw his bloodied body in the street.
John turned back and glanced at his team, seeing Teyla holding a pair of knives. She adjusted her grip on the handles, not to use them to fight, but to throw. John nodded at her and rose from his position at the first opportunity. She rose as well and threw both knives. Two soldiers fell dead with blades through their hearts. John continued to shoot when the enemy ran from their exposed position, giving Ronon the opportunity to grab two guns from the nearby bodies. Ronon kept one and gave the other to Teyla, and both started shooting.
More soldiers fell. The team was defending from a point of advantage, surrounded by buildings and the truck, while the Milanians defended an open square. John hoped they could hold on for long enough to diminish the attackers down to a point when they could run and gain some ground. Ronon hit another one, lowering the soldiers' numbers to a handful. John pinpointed the location of each shooter and passed the positions to his team. He instructed Ronon to run to the next barricade while John and Teyla provided cover fire. Ronon nodded and prepared.
John and Teyla rose and shot at precise locations. Ronon made it to safety and started firing. John nodded and signaled Teyla to go while he and Ronon covered her. Next went Rodney and John stayed for last.
He crashed down at the new position, giving himself no time to think before going back to firing. He could see the square clearly now and realized the team wasn't far from the DHD. They all exchanged glances. Ronon pointed at six different locations and Teyla added another two. John agreed at the positions of the aggressors and and they all looked at Rodney.
"What?" he barely kept his tone to a whisper. "Why me?"
"Rodney, you have to trust us," Teyla begged.
"Oh, God!" Rodney closed his eyes momentarily then crouched and nodded. "Okay." He took a few deep breaths.
John joined Ronon who had already gone back to defending their position while Teyla shot in the opposite direction. Rodney ran and stopped behind the concrete building before continuing. John concentrated on his targets for a few moments, but failed to find Rodney the next time he looked up. Heart pounding, he skimmed the ground and saw the glimpse of feet rushing inside the small office. He tapped Ronon's shoulder and indicated the direction, mouthing Rodney's name as he did so. They both rose and ran to the building, slamming their backs against the concrete wall, one on each side.
John took a couple of deep breaths and nodded at Ronon before peeking inside. He saw nothing. He signaled Ronon to enter and followed.
He heard an electric buzz a moment before he hit the ground, unconscious.
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