WHIRLWIND - by NotTasha
Okay, now that I know how to get in... posting should continue on a daily basis.

PART 10: TUMBLE

The sky lightened with morning as the groups hunched amid the ruined buildings. They stared up at the gray morning sky. The weather remained sulky, humid, unpleasant. The clouds hung like heavy curtains forbidding and dark.

Sheppard studied the strange EMP weapon, wishing there'd been a chance to test it out before the attack. It'd truly suck if this thing turned out to be some sort of a toaster-oven instead of the promised weapon.

Beside him, Teyla sat, her eyes closed as she monitored the progress of the Wraith. Gilbert and Clemmon were with them, looking anxious and alert, glancing across the street to the group of Colos imbedded with Ronon and Huxley.

The anticipation was the worst part waiting in the humid dawn. Sheppard clung tightly to the EMP weapon, wanting this to start even as he dreaded it let's get going so we can get it over with.

He thumbed the hanging key and glanced across the debris-strewn street to Ronon. Dex pulled off an air of detachment as he held the grenade launcher, but Huxley looked a little green around the gills.

Woodward and Radcliff were further south with the Colos, working at the Gate. They were exposed at that location, but the Wraith should be concentrating on the town. The natives were armed with their own weapons, powerful rifles and revolvers. The Atanteans, with their heftier arms, would take down the Wraith darts the Colos would join the Marines in chasing down the ships to finish off any survivors.

It wasn't the best plan, but they had limited resources and not enough soldiers. It would have to do.

Sheppard gazed again at Teyla. She looked almost serene as she plumbed the heavens, eavesdropping, keeping her distance their early warning system.

The sky grew lighter with each passing moment. A flock of black birds took flight, their wings making a clattering against the thick air.

Gilbert and Clemmon both tensed, their eyes narrowing on the thieving birds, hands creeping toward their weapons as if they couldn't help themselves. Realizing what she was doing, Clemmon withdrew her hand and smiled at John.

Saving their fields really didn't matter anymore, did it? Their town was gone their homes everything. All they had left were their lives. The birds could have the fields.

Gilbert's eyes followed the flock that dove and rose and whirred across the sky like one being. When the birds landed and disappeared in the middle of a nearby field, he let out a little sigh.

And again, it was quiet. They waited. The birds called to one another.

Suddenly, Teyla's eyes opened wide, her body tense. "Now!" she exclaimed, her voice echoing over his radio. She scrambled into a hunched position in the rubble. "They are coming, now!"

"McKay!" Sheppard shouted into his mic as he fit the key into the EMP weapon, instantly bringing it to life.

"On it!" was the short reply followed by a hum and a wup from inside the Meeting Hall. Sheppard glanced toward the building, expecting it to look different somehow, but it remained a beat-up building on a beat-up planet.

A high whine split the sky and Sheppard jerked his head toward it, searching for the dart. Hidden in the thick clouds, it screamed toward them. He lifted the weapon, letting it rest on his shoulder as he brought up the display.

He shouted, "We have five targets."

"I got the lead one," Ronon announced.

Sheppard grimaced, considered arguing the point, but conceded, "I got Number 2."

Dex fired the instant the first dart came clear of the clouds. The blast from the grenade launcher hit the craft, exploding into it blackly, shoving it upward until gravity pulled the crumbled ship down, twisting and turning. It tumbled to the ground.

Sheppard, grinning tightly at Ronon's success, zeroed in on the second ship with his EMP weapon. With one quick hope that he wouldn't be punched into next week by the recoil, he pulled the trigger.

Nothing happened.

He waited a heartbeat watching the display light up. The gun whirred, and characters blinked.

Waiting in horrible anticipation as indecipherable letters ran across his screen. Damn damn Work, you stupid!

As he followed the path of the ship with the display, the weapon went off.

He'd been expecting the kick, he'd braced himself for it but the sensation was entirely different. A strange numbness ran down his arm, from his shoulder to his hand lasting only a second. The weapon made a sound a strange sort of 'huff', like an old man gasping -- and nothing else. The display went back to a 'wait' screen.

Incredulous, Sheppard opened his mouth to shout at McKay, to beg answers.

And the dart he had targeted fell.

The high whine stopped instantly and the dart seemed to stagger in the sky. It lost power and fell, still following its original path and clomped to the earth not far from where Ronon's ship smoldered. Indignant black birds rose like a cloud around it.

Huxley let out a whoop and went back to firing his P90 at one of the remaining ships. Sheppard blinked in surprise, the thump of Teyla's weapon firing near him.

One of the remaining darts was tottering under the combined fire of Huxley and Teyla's weapons. Ronon finished off another with a shot from the grenade launcher.

John focused the EMP weapon again letting the gun hone in on the one dart that had remained unscathed. The gun tracked the flight of the ship, flashing strange symbols at him and he pulled the trigger again.

Another maddening hesitation and instead of a whirr, more symbols flashed at him in red this time.

"Damn!" Not fully charged.

"Colonel?" a worried voice came over the comm. "Colonel? It would be helpful to know what's going on out there. Really helpful. Because we're kind of in the dark here. Well, not literally, but figuratively."

"How long?"

"What sort of question is that? How long? How long what?"

"How long until this piece of crap recharges?"

"A minute, a half-minute, maybe two minutes. Something like that."

"Great!" Sheppard ducked as the remaining two darts came about. The impaired ship came first, followed by the one that had escaped damage. Around him, his people popped up like prairie dogs heavily-armed and highly-dangerous prairie dogs. They opened fire, concentrated on the lead ship as John tried the weapon again, targeting the last one.

He was met this time with the quiet whirr, the thrum that made his arm feel heavy and numb, the wheezy 'huff' and the last two darts wheeled about one exploded in a fiery conflagration under the onslaught of weapons fire, and the other just shut down. It faltered in the sky, tipping and waggling as the pilot tried to fight it without success. It lost any lift it might have possessed and fell like a stone, tumbling into the field after the other one.

Okay, that was cool.

Letting out a sigh, Sheppard looked up. Teyla smiled at him, holding her P90 steady. The two Colo who were with Ronon were already hoofing it into the fields, after the downed pilots to finish them off. At least, with the EMP weapon, the Wraith's self-destruct would be knocked out of commission, along with their weapons.

Ronon stepped clear of his 'foxhole' long enough to give Sheppard a nod before he took off to check the wreckage of a different ship with Huxley.

Clemmon and Gilbert stepped to the street, eager to get moving, to check out another of the wrecks, but Teyla still scanned the skies.

They'd taken down five Wraith ships in a matter of minutes. It couldn't be that easy, could it?

"They gone?" Sheppard asked, watching Teyla's movements.

"They're are confused," she responded. "They are wary."

"Damn well better be."

"They weren't expecting this," Teyla told him, looking pleasantly encouraged.

"It's about time we got the jump on them," Sheppard replied. "They think they're the only ones who can craft a sneaky plan. They'd"

"Wait!" she whispered, her face taking on an alarm. "They are sending more!"

"Ronon!" Sheppard called over the radio. He watched as the Satedan paused in his tracks, the long stalks of grain up to his knees.

Dex looked up into the rolling clouds and brought his weapon up again, firing as the second wave of darts broke through.

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"What's going on?" McKay demanded, gazing frantically up through the mauve glow of the shield to the Hall's wooden ceiling above. His eyes searched, wishing he could see. "Colonel?"

"The second wave!" Sheppard cried breathlessly. He was running by the sound of it.

"Is the EMP weapon working correctly? Were you able to target any of the ships? Have you figured out how long the delay is going to be when you recharge, because I think it'll be a half-minute or so. There should be some sort of message regarding that on your screen. You're going to have to factor that in, remember? And that hesitation before it fires don't forget that." McKay paused to take a breath. He staggered to his feet and restated everything as, "How's it goin'?"

"Kinda busy right now!" And Sheppard grunted sharply as if he'd jumped or landed or was knocked over. It was hard to tell.

"Colonel?"

"Busy, McKay!" was the sharp retort.

"Is everyone? I mean, are Teyla and Ronon everyone?"

"We're still moving. Get off the line!"

McKay frowned, and switched his gaze to glare at Beckett as if he could be found at fault for something.

Carson was beside Albion again, ensuring that she was still doing well. He gave Rodney a reassuring smile when he found that expression fixed on him. "They're doing all right," the doctor assured. "By the sound of it, they're giving those beasties a run for the money."

"He wouldn't tell me if the weapon worked!" McKay declared unhappily.

"I'm sure you'd know it if it didn't. He'd give you an earful," Beckett reasoned, carefully feeling for Albion's pulse as the woman gazed up at him wearily. Ames was never far from her side and crouched beside the doctor, looking frightened and trapped.

Outside, the world once again broke into a cacophony. Everyone in the room flinched, moving in toward the shield device, drawing closer to their loved ones as a battle raged outside. Something struck the roof of the Meeting Hall banging and clattering its way to the ground, drawing gasps.

McKay listened. He could make out the bark of the P90's and the FUMP- kaPOW of the grenade launcher the sounds moving further off with each second. They all must have been in motion.

Rodney tried to picture it seeing his teammates running for their lives from the darts. He gulped and closed his eyes, unconsciously angling himself toward the door.

The report of the local weapons punctuated the clamor. The Colo must have reached some of the downed darts. Without realizing it, McKay held his breath, straining to hear the EMP weapon yet knowing it wouldn't make much of a sound maybe a whirr if that. There was nothing to tell him if it was functioning. He closed his eyes tightly as he concentrated, determined to make out what the different sounds meant.

A smile crept to him as he discerned a change in the pitch of the swarm. He could pick out each dart if he listened closely enough another five had arrived -- they each had their own tone and one voice had suddenly gone out without a 'boom' or 'kablam'.

He laughed slightly and turned to Beckett. "It works," he stated. Laughing again as he heard a dart slamming into the ground.

Beckett looked at the scientist as if he'd gone mad. But Rodney paid him no mind, smiling, looking thoroughly pleased as he bowed his head and returned to working on the backup battery.

Voices rang on the radio, and Rodney counted the seconds between responses from Teyla, Ronon and Sheppard. Growing anxious when one voice delayed for too long, he'd stop his work, and wait, forcing himself not to speak up because his chatter was wasted when their lives were at stake.

Then Ronon or Teyla or Sheppard would say something, and he could get back to work, listening to the whine of the darts and counting.

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"Son of a bitch," Sheppard roared as he targeted the weapon again and was met with the bright red symbols on the display. "Damn it! This recharge is worse than one of those crappy old flash cameras."

Teyla said nothing, knowing that it was the easiest response to his unfathomable comment. She was hunched down in the long golden stalks of grain, watching as the darts wheeled in the sky.

They'd taken down seven Wraith ships so far five of the first batch and two of the second. Another three were buzzing around their heads. Beside her, John was panting, the EMP weapon resting across his knees. Gilbert and Clemmon were no longer with them they'd gone to dispatch another Wraith pilot and had proudly reported on their borrowed radio that their mission was accomplished.

So far, they'd been lucky and none of the monsters had stepped free.

She listened to the Wraith, keeping her mind open. She felt their frustration, their anger, their rage. She felt their surprise and a tingle of fear. The Wraith were powerful, and anything that brought them to their knees was to be approached with trepidation.

The ships circled them, keeping their distance. John had discovered the weapon's limited range, which sucked when the darts kept their distance, but helped in another way. A downed craft, miles away, with a possibly living Wraith, was just a bad idea. The creatures could move quickly on foot, even after a crash.

They were better off keeping the crashes nearby and dispatching the creatures before they could get out of their ships.

So now, they were waiting as the darts cruised, circling slowly like predators. She felt the hunger of the Wraith, felt their anger, their annoyance, their uncertainty.

There was a blast in the distance. Black birds squawked. Sheppard's hand instantly went to his radio. "Ronon?"

"Took care of the last grounded one," the Satedan reported.

"Good," Sheppard responded, watching as the birds took flight, heading toward the horizon.

"Everyone," he announced. "Regroup." He released the mic and turned to Teyla. "Chasing down those sons of bitches spread us out too much," he declared. "We're probably a mile or two from Meeting Hall now."

Teyla nodded in response. Perhaps it was the merciless thoughts of the creatures, flitting around her mind. She wanted familiar, she wanted comfort she wanted to have her friends with her.

"As far as we know, that shield is still doing its job," Sheppard told her. "Rodney would have told us if it was failing. Wonder why the Wraith haven't tried to hit it yet. McKay didn't say it worked like a cloak, too, did he?"

"He did not," Teyla confirmed and then added thoughtfully, "I believe it would be visible on the Wraith's sensors, but the building is acting as their cloak."

With a sigh, John stated, "Yeah, they know the Colo have a shield, but what we have rigged up here is probably confusing them. Only a matter of time and they'll try to hit it with something big. Let's close ranks. We have too many holes right now."

She stood slowly, nodding, and they made their way slowly toward the others. She desperately wanted to be near them. She could feel the hatred of the creatures the Wraith weren't even hungry anymore they wanted revenge. She could feel their anger, thick on her tongue. She spat, as if she could rid herself of the sensation.

As Sheppard and Teyla moved toward the Meeting Hall, their eyes remained on the darts that circled, keeping their distance.

"Seven darts down is pretty impressive," Sheppard commented. "We gave them something to think about, if nothing else. Maybe they'll back off for a bit. Leave us alone for long enough to"

Teyla stopped, blinking hard as a new sensation crossed her a clearly formed thought struck. "John!" she cried.

He turned sharply, facing her with wide eyes. She pointed. Sheppard spun about, gazing in the direction she'd indicated.

The three ships broke their circle and closed in. With one quick movement, Sheppard raised his weapon, sighting the first ship on the display, and then swore thickly as he charted their path.

The darts screamed onward, heading directly toward the Meeting Hall, coming in on a collision course. Sheppard couldn't get a clear shot at any of them without risking shutting down the shield in the process.

"Ronon! Take them down!" Sheppard yelled, lowering the useless weapon and clasping it under his arm as he started running. "Damn it! Damn it! Damn it! Son of a Bitch!"

Teyla ran, trying to get within range. She could hear Sheppard running behind her, shouting over the radio, "Rodney! Carson! You've got three darts on a collision course, coming in at twelve o'clock!"

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At Sheppard's first shout Rodney came to attention. Ronon? Why's he shouting for Ronon? Is he hurt? What's happening?

Fretfully, he glanced to Beckett, who was still with Albion. The doctor returned his concerned expression.

At the second shout, everything changed.

"What?" Rodney cried. "Twelve o'clock? From whose perspective? What the hell kind of direction is"

He was still shouting when everything exploded around them. Rodney tumbled to the ground, throwing his arms out before him, wincing as he hit the ground hard. Wood and debris flashed around them, thrown up in a horrible shattering concussion as the Meeting Hall went to pieces.

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TBC - oh dear, this may be bad...