MGM owns all characters except OCs.
A/N:Thank you for the wonderful reviews and Scr1 and betherdy babe for beta and assistance. Thank you for your military knowledge, starclipper01, this chapter is mostly for you!
Sorry for long hiatus. Got 3 stories going at once and it takes its toll.
"Pardon me, Colonel," Richards said from behind Jennifer. "Doctor Keller, do you have a moment?"
"Of course, Gunny." She noticed Rodney raising an eyebrow and smiled at him reassuringly. Richards must be concerned about me.
"What's up, Master Gunny?" Sheppard asked as Jennifer joined the men and walked into the adjacent room.
"Doctor Keller, is Sergeant Roberts strong enough to carry a stretcher?" he asked.
"I gave him my last two power bars and plenty of water after the transfusion. I also gave him a sugar solution, so he should have some strength back," she said looking at the two men.
"Thanks for the insight, Gunny," Sheppard said and turned back to the other room.
"What was that about?" Jennifer asked the Sergeant.
"Sheppard shouldn't have to be tied to a stretcher because Roberts is unfit to be called a Marine plus he's our commander and he can't make life or death decisions for us if he's carrying a wounded man. Anyone can be a stretcher bearer, Doctor Keller, but there's only one commanding officer," Richards explained and then nodded for her to proceed him out of the room.
"I'll do it, sir," Sergeant Warrington was saying as Jennifer and Richards reentered the corridor. "My injuries are minor, sir. I'll help carry Wagner."
"You did this!" Roberts yelled at Jennifer when she returned.
"Roberts, downstairs with me, now!" Barked Richards at the young soldier, who was angrily pointing at Jennifer. It was obvious Roberts was upset with his new assignment.
"I just gave blood, how am I supposed to…" He started to be cut off by Warrington.
"You and I have stretcher duty so shut the hell up. The Colonel and the Major can't be tied down because you're a sorry excuse for a Marine," Warrington continued.
Jennifer saw Sheppard and Lorne raise their eyebrows. Uh-oh, he's going to get in trouble. The young doctor really liked the big Sergeant from Bermuda and did not want him to get into trouble.
"You're such a kiss…" Roberts' insult was cut off as Warrington's fist connected with the other man's jaw.
Warrington turned to Lorne, Sheppard and Richards, nodding at each in turn as he said, "Sorry, sirs, Master Gunny, I'll take whatever punishment you feel is fitting for striking a fellow soldier."
"Sergeant Warrington, I'm going to give you an Article 15: confinement to quarters and extra duty, when we return," Sheppard said glancing at Lorne who nodded.
"Understood, sir," Warrington said and turned to gather his gear.
Richards walked past Warrington and stood in front of Roberts, who was rubbing his jaw. "Downstairs now!"
Jennifer glanced at Rodney after the altercation between the soldiers and saw a strained smile on his face. The stress is getting to everyone. We need to get out of here. "Major Lorne?"
"Sorry you had to witness that, Doctor Keller. Everyone is really strung out around here and we never had anyone who complained about direct orders in the military so much before," Lorne said glancing at McKay obviously implying that Rodney complained all the time.
"How much trouble is he in?" Jennifer asked, afraid that she was somehow the cause of this because of her advisement that Roberts was strong enough to help.
"Warrington's not in a lot of trouble, but it will go on his record," the Major said.
"So he won't face a court-martial?" Jennifer asked.
"No, but Roberts' will. Not sure if the Colonel will get him for insubordinate conduct toward a non-commissioned officer or failure to obey an order. Either way, Robert's career in the SGC is over," the Major explained. "I need to go. You two better get ready."
Five minutes later, Rodney was back at her side as they waited for the charges to be removed downstairs. "Jennifer?"
"Yes," she said as she pulled on her backpack after securing Wagner to the makeshift stretcher for transport.
"I want you to have this. It's the remote for the jumper door," Rodney said as he pulled a small object, smaller than a TV remote, from his vest.
"Why do you want me to have it?" Jennifer raised her eyebrows as she looked at the astrophysicist. Why wouldn't he keep it?
"Since we'll be approaching the jumper from behind, they won't know we're coming. If… Well, if something… You know, if something happens, you can get in," Rodney said rapidly and glanced around as if concerned someone was watching their interchange.
Jennifer smiled. "Thanks, but you really shouldn't have."
"It doesn't mean we're going steady or anything," Rodney said with a slight smile.
"I should at least learn your first name before we do that," Jennifer said with laughter in her voice. "Sorry, I'm getting silly from all the pressure and constant fear. I feel like I'm living through a scene in Aliens where Hicks gives Ripley the tracking device, so he can keep track of where she is. I really love that movie, but never wanted to live it."
"I love it, too, but," Rodney said with a look of disgust on his face, "I just can't watch…"
"..the aliens hatching out of people's stomach." Jennifer finished his sentence with a smile. "Me either. At least I know when it's going to happen now, so I always look away."
"Maybe we can watch it sometime?" Rodney asked sheepishly.
"Sure, but not on the first date," Jennifer replied with a smile as she took the remote from Rodney and stuck it in her jacket pocket.
"Oh…" Rodney looked surprised and stammered. "Uh…Ah, of course not. I wouldn't suggest a horror movie as a first date. That wouldn't be much fun."
"It's fine Rodney," Jennifer said as she briefly touched his forearm. "I don't care what we do. I just wanted to have a few reasons for us to have more than one date." Jennifer turned quickly leaving a stunned Rodney staring after her. I've never been this bold before. What is it about him that makes me say what I'm thinking without any filters? Is it just the intensity of the situation?
They were ready to leave the security of the building once the scientists got downstairs. Ronon was on point, Warrington and Roberts followed with the stretcher, Jennifer, who was flanked by Rodney and Lorne, was close by, Sheppard and Richards on their six.
The astrophysicist was clutching the pack with the Morse code transmitter under one arm as if it was a precious baby and held his handgun in his other hand. Jennifer found herself looking past him into the buildings and alleyways for anything that moved. If something comes at Rodney, I gotta be ready. Clutching her P90 tightly, she tried to focus on the gun in her hands and scan the surrounding area for the creatures. Don't think about how exposed you are out here. The soldiers will protect you. But who will protect them? Jennifer's mind was getting too busy and she needed to try and focus on putting one foot in front of the other and taking careful aim should she need to shoot at something.
As they got further from the meetinghouse, Jennifer noticed movement behind buildings and in the tree line. It appeared the creatures were getting closer. She could see bipedal, black creatures with long arms that ended in claws. When they started howling, she noticed Rodney jump. Realizing he only had a hand gun, Jennifer moved around him so she was between him and the buildings.
"What the hell are you doing?" Rodney growled.
"How long have you been shooting? Since you got here three years ago, I bet?" Jennifer asked glancing up at him and then quickly looking back at the creatures. It appeared they started howling when they got close enough to the noise for it to affect them.
"Doctor Keller, what are you doing?" Colonel Sheppard hissed as he came up on her right side between her and the creatures.
"I've been shooting since I was twelve, Colonel. Rodney's got a hand gun, so he's not going to be able to do much if he needs to protect himself and that device is saving all our buts," Jennifer said.
"You have a serious problem following orders!" John barked as he continued to scan the buildings and trees behind them.
"You didn't give me any orders, Colonel." Jennifer was terrified, but still managed to get her temper going.
"Sheppard!" Ronon yelled drawing everyone's attention to a creature that had leapt off a building in front of them, blocking the way to the jumper.
"Don't worry. As soon as I get closer, he'll move," Rodney shouted at the same time Ronon shot it. "Or you could just kill it." The Satedan's powerful gun knocked the creature backwards and Lorne finished it off with his P90.
"Let's pick up the pace," Sheppard said as he walked slightly ahead of Jennifer to talk with Rodney.
Jennifer's grip on the P90 tightened as she heard shots fired from Ronon and Sheppard in front of her and Lorne and Gunny slightly behind her. The soldiers spread out around the stretcher-bearers. Realizing that she should probably shoot at something, she lifted the gun up and shot a creature that moved between two houses in front of her.
An exceptionally loud round of howling caused the hairs on Jennifer's neck to stand up. More gunfire erupted around her as she began to feel real fear. Looking at Rodney and John, she noted they had moved several feet away from her. Turning her back on the buildings to her right, she moved quickly toward them.
Something slammed into her as soon as she began to move and drove her into the ground. A scream escaped from her as she felt something stab through her upper left shoulder and slice her upper right arm. Her face was shoved into the dirt and she could hear little except for the howling of the creature that was standing or sitting on her waiting to tear her to pieces.
Dad! Jennifer felt tears run unchecked down her face as the pressure upon her upper body remained constant and threatened to crush the air out of her chest. The howling had let up to be replaced with gunfire. As she felt her consciousness fading, she became aware of the little things, the P90 clutched in her hands and now pressed into her stomach and chest, the taste of blood mixed with dirt in her mouth, the ringing and pounding of gunfire around her. Odd thoughts began to race through her head. How useless knowing how to use a weapon when you turn your back on the enemy! My uncle will kill me if I survive this. I hope they get my body back to Dad. Too bad Rodney gave me the door opener. I hope they can get in the jumper now.
As the weight upon her shifted, the pain in her upper body returned with a vengeance. Screaming as the creature's claws were pulled out of her body, Jennifer felt herself teetering on the brink of oblivion.
"Jennifer! Jennifer! Oh God, Jennifer!"
She heard a voice screaming and then felt someone rolling her over. Since her head hurt so much, she did not open her eyes. They must have killed it.
Jennifer tried to speak, tried to grab onto something to anchor her to life, but no sounds but some moaning came out and her arms burned and throbbed, which did not allow for movement. I wonder if it punctured an artery to my heart. Weird, I thought you stop feeling things when you are dying, it still hurts like hell.
"Look at the blood! She's bleeding to death!" Rodney's voice was the last thing she heard as darkness descended on her.
A/N: Happy Halloween Rodney and Jennifer! I know, take forever to publish and leave the story like this, but I know you will happily wait for the next installment.