Chapter 10

Rodney nearly stabbed at the tablet in his other hand; irritated. Whenever Sitnalta gets creative, it was invariably he that suffered for it. He was also irritated by the fact that he should have been the one to think of this plan. It had been him, after all, that had been rescued once before, using this same method.

"Okay, so I was not really thinking straight back then," he continued with a dialogue with himself that had been going on – on and off – for the past few hours. "But that's no excuse for not thinking of it today,' he berated himself even as he made an excuse. "You were in here when you should have been out there helping your friends," his train of thought derailed slightly. "And even though you did some wonderful work in here, you were so worried about Ronon you couldn't even think of the best way to help them."

He reached up and moved a crystal before returning to his tablet. He tapped it a few times again before taking up the conversation. "And now you allowed Sitnalta – whom I really love, mind you," he added, "to have the brilliant idea. And then she made you admit it so that everyone could hear it." He paused a moment and looked up; his mind far away. "Well, I guess only those in the control room heard it," he assured himself. But then he slumped slightly and typed at his tablet again. "But that doesn't mean everybody won't hear about it. They're probably laughing about it even now," he moped. He suddenly stopped typing and lifted his hand from the screen. "There you are," he told the tablet and dropped it onto the rear seat of the jumper. "Now to get you running," he told the jumper as he moved to the forward compartment.

"Okay," he said after seating himself at the pilot's seat. Then he realised he was going to need his tablet and quickly scampered back to get it. Moments later he sat down again and carefully plugged the tabled into the system again.

"Okay," he said once more. "I need a display of the jumper and the mining tunnel", he said even as the map of the small area flashed onto the HUD. The same image was repeated on his small tablet screen. He punched in a few things on his tablet and the shields extended to one side of the jumper. This did not show up on the HUD; only on his tabled. What did show on the HUD were the nearly fifty dinosaurs inside the main tunnel.

"Okay, you little bastards," he told the dinosaurs. "You will have to find dinner someplace else tonight," he said as the shields extended; forcing the dinosaurs back into the tunnel. Quite a few – most actually – scampered into the little side tunnel, but a few got caught between the door to the mining room and the shield. "I bet you're not so cocky now, are you," he told those few dinosaurs that appeared at little blips ont he HUD. As the shield passed through them – as it inevitably had to – the little blips disappeared. The energy of the shields would have crushed the life out of them.

A second later the shield passed beyond the door. As the door was made of the same stuff as Atlantis – and therefore the puddle jumper – the shield did not pass through it. Effectively those inside the room would have a doorway through which to pass into the shield.

He tapped his earpiece. "You can come out now, I've killed the bogey-man," he grinned; pleased with himself. They did not respond, but on the HUD Rodney watched their progress. First two blips moved into the tunnel and then one went back and fetched the third blip: presumably Ronon. Slowly they came nearer to the jumper and suddenly Rodney remembered that he had to open the hatch. He opened it just as the three blips reached the rear of the jumper. He turned and looked at them.

"Welcome," he grinned. John was pulling at a trolley on which Ronon lay while Teyla pushed. With some effort they got it inside and John turned to look at Rodney.

"A little help," he told his friend.

"Of course," Rodney said as he got up and moved to help John move Ronon onto the seat of the jumper. As they huffed in the effort to move the giant man, Teyla disappeared. "Where did she go?" Rodney asked.

His question was unnecessary as Teyla appeared moments later with a large piece of crystal in her arms.

"I can definitely see why they would need that trolley to move this," she heavily breathed under the weight of the crystal. Carefully she placed it on the ground before hurrying back for another piece.

"Really?" Rodney asked, incredulously. "Ronon might be dying and she's collecting rocks.

John glared at Rodney. "Would you want us to come back here later to get it?" he sneered. "Go help Teyla bring a few more as quickly as you can," the leader of their little group commanded Rodney with a glare.

"Oh," Rodney said; deflating. "I'll just go help her then," he said and pointed over his shoulder. With a sigh he got out and headed for the mine. On his way he passed Teyla as she carried another piece; her legs bent under the weight. He passed the bloody bits of dinosaur in the hallway and went to pick up a piece of red crystal. He was feeling rather sorry for himself.

Five minutes later they were on their way back to the gate. Rodney sat in front with Sheppard this time, as Teyla was hovering over Ronon. To Rodney she seemed incredibly possessive towards the big man and he wondered at the dampness in her eyes. Teyla was not the type to cry, yet he was sure she was on the verge of tears.

John left off on dialling the DHD to the last moment to ensure no dinosaurs preceded them through the stargate. Rodney closed his eyes as they seemed to enter the ring even before the event horison had settled, but when he finally opened them they were safely back in the gate room of Atlantis. Right in front of the jumper, on the stairs, stood Sitnalta and Elizabeth. They looked worried.

John landed the jumper onto the gate room floor and opened the hatch. Evidently Carson and his team had been waiting near the gate, as they now rushed into the jumper as soon as the hatch stopped moving. Rodney watched as they lifted Ronon onto a gurney with efficient care even as Carson started his cursory exam of the unconscious man. One of the techs picked up the dead dinosaur John had dragged into the jumper while Rodney and Teyla had been carrying crystal.

Teyla wanted to go along with them to the infirmary, but Carson took her by the shoulders. "Love, you'll only be in the way," he told her before returning to the gurney. Elizabeth walked into the rear of the jumper and spoke softly to Teyla for a moment. The two of them left together.

Rodney looked at John. "Well, I'll just get out here," he said uncomfortably.

"You do that," John said and Rodney realised John was just as worried about Ronon as he was. As he got up and started to the rear, Rodney put a hand on John's shoulder.

"He'll be fine, won't he?" he asked. It should have been a reassurance to John, but somewhere between the reassuring and his mouth something went wrong and he ended up asking reassurance.

"He'll'' be fine," John answered. "He's a big man and our doctors are the best," he assured Rodney. Rodney nodded and left.

Ont he floor of the gate room Sitnalta awaited him. As he stepped down the ramp she flung herself at him and he nearly fell over backwards under her slight weight.

"Hey, what's wrong?" he asked as she buried her face in his neck. Of their own accord his arms went around her slender waist.

In reply she pulled back slightly and punched him on the arm. "Don't do that to me!" she accused him. Rodney frowned.

"Do what?" he wanted to know, suddenly on very unfamiliar ground.

"These babies will not grow up without their father," she informed him. For a moment Rodney had no idea what she was on about, but then he realised how worried she must have been. So he pulled her close once more and kissed the top of her head.

"Don't worry," he assured her. "I have no desire to...you know," he lamely ended and he felt her smile against his neck. He smiled as well. "I wouldn't dream of crossing you on this," he joked and she pulled back again.

"Don't you forget it!" she told him and he bent down and kissed her upturned lips.