Westward to Pegasus
Author's note: The dastardly Wraith finally make their appearance, and the people of Atlantis aren't going down without a fight.
Chapter 11
The Wraith hit fast and hard.
John spared a quick look at Teyla before returning his gaze to their situation. They were pinned down behind a pile of wooden crates in back of the hotel by several members of Kolya's gang. John had one of his shotguns within easy reach, but they would need help.
"You don't happen to be armed, do you?" he shouted to Teyla over the gunfire. He saw some splinters fly into the air as a box farther down the line took a hit, but generally they seemed safe in their hiding spot. Most of the townspeople had managed to get to safety, but Teyla and John had been caught out in the open by the Wraith.
John gaped as instead of answering, Teyla merely lifted her skirts to reveal not one, but two, holsters strapped to her leg. John wasn't surprised that the weaponry wasn't visible beneath the layers she wore, but even in the midst of battle, certain parts of his brain couldn't help but remind him that it had been far too long since he had seen that much of a woman outside of a dance hall.
Pulling out one of her pistols, Teyla expertly handled it and prepared to shoot while John crept a few feet away. After trading a look and a nod, they rose in unison to take some well-placed shots. In a matter of seconds, the odds began moving in their favor, but soon they had to give up their assault and dive for cover once again.
In addition to the men he and Teyla had just taken down, John had seen at least four others shooting at them. Instinct kicked in and he instantly used military hand signals to convey the information. Only later did he realize that Teyla had no problem understanding what he meant with those gestures.
Another assault on their part narrowed the number of assailants to two, but at least one of them had taken cover in a place that didn't give them a clear shot. John quietly made his way back to where Teyla crouched.
"We're going to be here all day unless we do something," he told her. "I'm going to draw their attention. I need you to take them out. Can you do that?"
"Of course," Teyla said matter-of-factly. "But John, this might not end well."
John knew that, but he had no other choice. Around them they could hear people shouting and the occasional gunshots. Silently, he handed Teyla his shotgun and took the pistol that she had reloaded during their discussion.
With another quick nod, John made his way back down to the other end of the pile of boxes and took a deep breath.
O~o~O~o~O
For years to come, Teyla could not help but replay the next few seconds in her mind.
On his mark, John stood up, drawing fire toward him. Teyla rose at the same time, picking off one of the Wraith Gang shooters. However, her heart sank as she saw a rifle rise but realized she did not have a clean shot at the second shooter.
There was not enough time to warn John and for him to react. He was an easy target.
Then two things happened at once. The rifle's muzzle flashed as its owner took the shot…
…and an even louder bang reverberated through the area. The rifle sank down to rest pointing at the ground, and it quickly became apparent that the rifle owner's pull of the trigger was his last action on this Earth.
Their ears rang in the silence that followed. John Sheppard realized he was still standing, and it was Teyla's turn to gape at this. John's attention was focused on the shooter, stunned as he had thought he was about to die.
Then Ronon stepped out from behind the dead man.
Teyla had never been so happy to see her brother as at that moment. John remained frozen in place for a moment longer, staring at the oversized gun in Ronon's hand.
"You okay, Sheppard?" Ronon asked, not letting on about how close a call it had been.
John swallowed and nodded as Teyla ran up and looked over both men. "Yeah. Thanks, buddy."
"But … how…?" Teyla asked breathlessly as she realized that both men were unharmed.
John seemed to quickly regain his composure. "Ronon shot the guy just as he pulled the trigger. The shot went wide."
Teyla sucked in a breath. It had been a close call – too close. "Well, thank the Ancestors."
John nodded his thanks at Ronon and then began heading toward the main street. "Come on," he said. "The battle isn't over yet."
With a quick nod, Teyla and Ronon fell into step beside their friend, and together they headed back into fray.
O~o~O~o~O
The fighting was most fierce near the east end of town. As they ran toward the action, John saw horses moving out of the corner of his eye and felt the first stirrings of hope. It looked like the bad guys were preparing to leave town.
But they had business to finish first.
In the middle of the street stood a group of the town's men, and none of them were shooting. As they approached, John saw why, and his blood ran cold.
There stood Acastus Kolya, as evil and intimidating as ever. In front of him stood Elizabeth, a human shield whom he held with a choke hold. When he saw this John became livid and pushed his way through the crowd of men who stood doing nothing.
He stepped forward and Kolya's eyes registered his movement, lighting up when he recognized the one person bold enough to approach. Here was the one that had gotten away.
"Let her go," John said, struggling to keep the fear out of his voice. This could go badly for Elizabeth very, very quickly if he wasn't careful.
Kolya simply sneered while Elizabeth tried to control her panic as he dragged her back toward his own gathering men.
"I will shoot you if you don't let her go," John reiterated.
"And risk hurting Ms. Weir?" Kolya asked in a mocking voice.
John raised his rifle, praying that Elizabeth would hold still. His hands were steady, and he was not going to let the bastard hurt her.
"I'm not aiming at her," he said ominously.
He was a soldier. He knew his gun and he knew his skill. And when Kolya took one more step, he knew it was now or never.
A shot rang out.
To everyone's surprise, Kolya went stumbling backward. A few of the townspeople raced forward to drag Elizabeth to safety as she staggered forward, shocked by what had just happened.
Because of his human shield, John hadn't had a chance to take the kill shot that he so desperately wanted. Shaken, he watched in despair as horses and men surrounded Kolya. If they weren't threatening the townspeople right now, he wasn't going to start another shoot-out. By the time the dust had cleared, the Wraith Gang was gone.
O~o~O~o~O
John and Ronon returned with the other men to town to inspect the damage, having sent out scouts to quietly follow the gang in their retreat and posted sentries to raise the alarm in case they returned.
The town was in shambles. One house at the far end of town was burning, although a line of water-bearers had nearly conquered the flames. Rodney raced around checking the telegraph wires and muttering about delicate machinery being damaged. John saw Teyla comforting a woman on the stairs of the saloon, and she nodded toward the hotel as they passed.
Both men entered the building to find that it had been turned into a makeshift field hospital. Amelia Banks, who ran the hotel, was standing over a man tied to a chair in the front room, staring sternly. The man looked worse for wear, and certainly wary of the woman in front of him.
"He's one of them," she spit out. "He came in here and tried to kidnap me. But it didn't work so well, did it?" she asked him. Given how he cringed when she leaned toward him, John guessed that the man had come in full of bravado, but certainly would leave bruised and deflated.
"We're gonna check in with the doc, and then we'll escort him to the jail," John said, heading for the stairs.
"I'll stay down here and keep an eye on him," Ronon volunteered. The speed with which he did so caused John to turn around and raise an eyebrow. Ronon ignored him.
Resigned to heading upstairs alone, John filed the incident away for later questioning.
TBC
Up next: The battle may be over (for the moment), but now Teyla and Bates will face off.