Chapter Thirty Eight

Bang bang
He shot me down, bang bang
I hit the ground , bang bang
That awful sound, bang bang

Nancy Sinatra -Bang! Bang!

It was war and war was exactly the same as Cass remembered it from her experiences in Afghanistan. It was loud and disorientating, wretched and impacting. She had no idea of the amount of people she had patched up today but she could count the men who'd died. Cass had lost nine good men so far from various ailments.

The sight of the young Marine caught up in the crash landing of the Wraith dart had been dreadful, hearing his shrieks of pain as he burned alive was indescribable. His flesh had blackened and furled as he screamed and begged for them to help. Cass would never get those images out of her mind, nor would she forget the acidic stench of burning fat that hung in the air.

Carson had been tearing her back as she lunged towards the flames. She had kicked and squirmed like a Banshee as one of Everett's Marines pulled the trigger and put the poor bastard out of his misery. It had been the right call to make but it killed her to see it in action. There was nothing they could have done for the poor guy but that didn't help chase away the demons at night.

Chaos was raining down on them from the heavens as the whistle of Wraith darts cut through the air, piercing her ears with their shrill, violent noise. There was a low rumble vibrating through the corridor from yet another explosion from somewhere above her. The building was holding stable for now but Cass didn't know how long that would last if the onslaught continued. She could hear the bursts of heavy duty gun fired snapping through the silence as Everett's Marines shot at the darts with their huge, mounted rail guns.

The Siege had gone on for over a day now and The Wraith forces showed no sign of letting up. Wave after wave of Dart ships hurtling towards their city and there wasn't a damn thing they had been able to do about it. Their plan of disabling all three Hive ships had gone to hell when the satellite had been destroyed during the process of trying to dispose of the Wraith. They had managed to kill one of the Hive ships approaching Atlantis but the two that were left were just as bad.

Only three more days to go, Cass told herself as she hurried down one of the corridors leading to the main tower. Even as she thought that she knew there wasn't a chance they were going to last that long. Over forty eight hours ago, the SGC had sent a crew of Marines complete with heavy artillery and headed by Colonel Everett into their city through the Stargate in order to help fortify the area until the Daedalus arrived.

The Daedalus was a new spaceship the SGC had built that could travel through hyperspace at immense speeds. It was currently carrying a fully functional ZPM all the way from Earth to the City and would arrive in three days and counting. That would give them the extra power needed to launch a full mounted attack against the Wraith. As Colonel Everett had said when he'd arrived through the Stargate, they only had to hold the city for four days.

Over twenty fours in and things weren't looking so good. Despite the fact they were defending the city with rail guns Wraith darts were still managing to crash land their way into Atlantis. Already the warning had gone up from Teyla that the city was swarming with Wraith.

Which was the reason why Cass was clasping a light weight P90 in her hands, she had used one before out in the field to blast a couple of rounds at a Wraith that had been coming at them. She'd managed to slow it down it before Sergeant Bates had taken it out completely.

Cass was comfortable with firearms, weapons training was an essential part of her integration into the military. She wasn't what you called a sharp shooter but she was proficient enough to hit a target. Cass only wished she had taken the time to learn more instead of...

Well what her and John did in their spare time as probably a lot more fun but if they survived this nightmare then she vowed she'd take Ford up on a few of those lessons he had offered. Anything to maybe give herself more options in the field. If coming to Atlantis had taught her anything, it was to be prepared.

Cass found herself starring down another empty corridor, it was stacked with boxes and from the singe marks and bullet holes in them, she guessed this area had been subject to a fire fight recently. The lack of bodies confused her though, it appeared there were no winners or losers between whoever had fought this war.

Cass let out a sigh of relief as she reviewed the final stretch. This was the last corridor she had to clear before she was home free. Carson had evacuated the final skeleton crew of doctors from the Infirmary, the patients had been sent to the Alpha Site long before the Siege had begun. While the Marines were hunting down the Wraith, Carson and her and decided that she should do a final sweep of the area for any lingering members of staff. Now she was starting to regret that decision.

Only a few more steps and the apprehension that was writhing around inside her gut would hopefully evaporate. There was a prickling in the air and she wasn't sure what it was but something felt wrong, the feeling grew with every step she took. Her eyes were hostile and searching, her ears straining for a noise that was out of place. Her palms were growing just the slightest bit sweaty as her grip on the P90 shifted. The Teleporter was right in front of her, just a few more strides and she would be safe inside of the Control Room.

The first static blue blast missed Cass by a matter of inches, she could feel the crackle in the air as it brushed past her face at an alarming speed. She dived out of the way as the second shot whizzed past her head. She could taste the Ozone in her mouth from the searing energy bolt as she rolled onto all fours and propelled herself forward bolting for cover.

Being hit with a Wraith stunner would immobilise her in the same way in which a Taser would, allowing the Wraith to feed upon her helpless form. Her back was pressed to the pillar she'd ducked behind as her thumb flicked the safety of the P90. She could hear the steady stomp of the Wraith's heavy boots as it stamped closer. Her heart was hammering in her chest and she could feel the anxiety mounting with each clomping footstep. She swallowed hard before she took a deep breath to steady her quivering nerves. She'd seen a Wraith feed off someone and it was an horrendous way to die, the agony in those screams haunted her.

Shake the panic, she told herself, turn it into something useful.

Cass thought about the death of the young Marine that Carson and herself had witnessed earlier in the day. She remembered his screams ringing in her ears like a crescendo. She thought of the other eight people she had tried to save and of Teyla's people who had been the victims of these creatures. The anger was starting to burn like a fuse deep down inside her, she had a long leash as John called it but the Wraith...

They didn't deserve anyone's forgiveness.

Cass glanced at the stack of boxed parallel to her pillar, all she had to do was run to that shelter while getting off a few rounds in the process. Hopefully that would kill it. If not she could reload and try again. Whatever happened there wasn't a chance in hell she could risk the Wraith making it up to the Control Room.

Running away wasn't an option.

Cass swung around the corner, her gun training on the target for the first time since she had encountered the Wraith. It was one of the faceless warrior drones, they were built for muscle and not much else, the ideal super soldier she had been told in the briefings. Maybe she was in luck after all.

The retort of the weapon resounded through her body as the weapon bucked into her shoulder. She was ready for that and took the impact knowingly. She didn't hesitate as she ran pumping bullet after bullet in a close cluster in the centre of it's chest. The echo of the gunshots erupted through the room. She was still in motion when the blast from the stunner hit her square in the chest.

Jesus, it was like being hit with a Taser. Every single one of her synapses exploded like bombs as the electronic pulse surged through her body. The pain was like a thousand needles stabbing into everyone of her nerves. The gun slipped from her hands as lightning slammed through her veins, every single muscle in her body contracted as her knees buckled and she hit the ground face first with a jolt. Her cheek smashed against the concrete under foot. She struggled for control but her limbs were immobile, her body unresponsive as she lay on her stomach. She watched with growing terror as those hand made, leather boots strode tediously closer.

The Wraith's finger's were digging into her shoulder blade, nails raking her skin through the t-shirt as it turned her over roughly so that she was facing the ceiling. Cass was fighting, God damn it she was doing the best she could to move but she couldn't and the frustration was mounting like a furnace. She wanted to scream, hit, lash out but she couldn't. She was completely and utterly helpless.

The Wraith was in her line of vision, it's rigid mask tilting as it angled it's head to look at her. It enjoyed her fear, it drew satisfaction from the terror it sensed underneath her submissive form. It's breathing was in her ears, she could hear it's harsh ragged breaths quicken with excitement as it wrenched open her combat vest to expose her clothed chest. It's fingers flexed, it's hand splaying out as it drew closer to her beating heart. It's fingertips brushed her shirt, stretching the material even tighter across her collarbone.

This was it...

The burst of gunfire shot through the air striking the Wraith in the back. It's body convulsed as black ooze trickled from underneath the edge of it's mask. It sloped backwards, it's hand outstretched, clenching into a fist before the life began to drain out of it.

The garbled sound of voices carried down the corridor. Her brain was struggling to make sense of it all as they drew even closer. She wanted to call out, to move and speak freely but she couldn't. There was a conversation going on over her head and she had no part in it even though they were talking clearly about her.

"It's Doctor Pierce." Ford said as he knelt beside her, checking Cass over "She's been stunned."

The Wraith hadn't managed to lay a hand on her and for that he was grateful. Ford didn't want to consider what the Major would have done if Doctor Pierce had fallen victim to the Wraith. Slaughter wouldn't even cover the atrocities the other man would have committed upon the alien beings in revenge. Doc Pierce would be smarting like bitch when the shock wore off, right now it was up to Ford to make sure that she was escorted to safety, especially in the state she was in.

"Stackhouse, I need you to take Doctor Pierce up to the Control Tower. Beckett's up there, he'll be able to take care of her until the stun wears off." Ford ordered helping the other man gather Cass's limp body into his arms.

Cass was almost spitting with indignation, she was supposed to be better than this and instead yet again she was being carried to safety by someone else. It was so damned infuriating.

"I know you hate this Doc but you've gotta let us take care of you for once." Ford told her as if sensing her dark thoughts.

Cass had no choice but too oblige.

Hey guys! I hope your all having a great weekend! I have been gutting everything out of the wardrobes and it has taken me forever (I have far too many clothes!)

Thankies to everyone who has added me to their alerts list! I sincerely appreciate it!

Shippo: I love Bates and I have no idea why, I was devastated when he wasn't in the series anymore! Thank you very much for such a wonderful review!

Brn: It's frightening to think we have been through an entire season. The Siege is such a huge thing to take on and I just hope I do it some justice, there's a huge amount of things going on in those eps it's hard to touch on them all. I am glad that the new chapter made you happy and I hope this one did too! Thankies for the review they always make me smile.

Joey: I thought Bates personified what they were going through in terms of the Siege, we all know that that man and the people of Atlantis would never go down without a fight. I am glad you got that from the last chapter! Thankies very much for the review, it is sincerely appreciated.