Chapter: 37 - Walker

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They entered the ruined edge of what had been a camp, the remains of fires glowing and dying away around them. Ahead of them new fires were blazing and the shouts and screams of violence were loud enough for Walker to really start to worry.

Keeping a tight formation the two combined teams moved along one avenue between the wreckage of huts and tents towards the new fires closer to the centre of the camp. Above them several pieces of partial ships stood in the firelight and in the very centre of the camp the tallest massive ship stood firm. Walker paused at an intersection and looked one way to see mad chaos at the far end of the narrow street.

He had once been trapped on a world in which the System Lord who had controlled the planet had been killed and a massive riot had broken out. The people of that planet, or at least in the main city built up around the System Lord's ship, had attacked anything that had even looked like a Jaffa had touched it. Walker remembered the manic craziness that had followed; people fighting over nothing, stealing from each other and destroying anything and everything that they could. That same madness filled the air here. These people were clearly the attacking force, but they went from helping each other build up a fire to getting into a deadly tussle. This was a very dangerous place to be.

Doctor Beckett tapped Walker's shoulder gently. "I've got the signal again." He reported as his arm extended forward pointing ahead. "It's still straight ahead." Straight towards the massive ship. Walker could only hope that the Colonel and Teyla were alive at the end of this signal as he nodded and led the team across the intersection praying silently that they would remain unnoticed. They silently made their way down the next street, but quickly darted one over to keep away from a group of men pounding each other in front of a small audience cheering them on.

A massive burst of sound drew Walker's attention and he paused with the rest of the team, all eyes turning towards the dazzling burst of sparks from the far right of the camp. The sparks were followed by a burst of fire and he watched in shock as a section of a ship that stood across the camp began to shift and slowly fall down into the camp. Flaming debris scattered up as it landed over the burning tents around it and Walker could hear distant cheering.

Ronon moved forward past Walker, leading the way and Walker returned his attention to where they were as he followed along behind the big guy. Ronon's gun glinted in the fires around them, the heat of the flames hot against Walker's face as they paused at another intersection. Doctor Beckett pointed off slightly to the right now, to an area just to the right of the massive central ship.

An angry aggressive cry surprised Walker and he turned to see a large hairy man look up from where he had been standing behind the fire. His eyes latched onto them and his shout echoed out. Ronon's gun discharged and the man was engulfed in a short burst of energy before he fell down; Walker had to wonder whether Ronon had set his weapon to stun or to kill. But, that thought didn't matter as behind the fallen man others turned towards them. They had been seen.

"Keep moving." Walker ordered as he and Ronon took up a defensive line across the street and lifted their weapons allowing Doctor Beckett and the others to move across it towards the distant signal.

"Stay back or we will fire." Walker shouted at the advancing people. They didn't look like they had anything more than knifes, swords and rocks in their hands; but they could be just as deadly.

Ronon fired at one and he dropped in a frizzle of energy. The man who had been next to the stunned man laughed as the guy collapsed before reaching down and stealing the guy's weapons. Walker pulled the trigger on his P90 and cut a quick line through the dirt just in front of the enemy. Some of them paused, but others just advanced faster, their arms pulling back ready to throw their rocks and knives.

Walker began to pick them off as they approached, going for leg and shoulder wounds, but soon they were too close and too many. This could get real ugly real fast.

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TBC