{012}
"I thought you said this thing was supposed to detect a ZPM within a couple of miles?" Sheppard gritted through his teeth as he maneuvered the Jumper over the trees of the large rainforest that was covered by a dense layer of thick, angry clouds that threatened to derail the mission. It didn't make it any easier that the forest bordered several mountain regions whose peaks were barely visible through the storm.
"Well we weren't really expecting a giant tropical thunderstorm." McKay snarled angrily, tapping on his data pad while attempting, and nearly failing, to stay in his seat.
Taking in the data points, I rode shot gun next to Sheppard, trying to find a calm point in the storm in which to land. The outcome wasn't looking bright. The entire planet was covered in either dense forest or jagged mountains with little to no valley in sight.
Fuckin' land of the lost shit.
"That's not possible," McKay murmured to himself, I could hear his tapping increase. "That's not possible at all."
Everyone but Sheppard turned to stare at Rodney as he got up from his seat, pacing the length of the back of the Jumper. "What is it Rodney?" Sighing, I stood up from my seat to join the pacing doctor. Rodney thrust the data pad at me before throwing his hands up in exasperation.
Man was a drama queen. Could give the Kardashians a run for their money.
"Well?" Sheppard gritted from behind me, the strain in his voice evident. "What is it?"
That was a good question. What the hell was it? According to the readings there were two sites emitting the specific frequency used by ZPMs, but the miles between each were extensive.
"The device is picking up two separate ZPM frequencies," I informed him as I tried to narrow down my findings. "The storm, however, is interfering with the device's ability to translate the wavelengths."
"That's good news, right?" Ford asked from the back. "Two frequencies means two ZPMs."
Rodney snorted. "The problem is that they are separated by a vast distance," The doctor pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Almost 500 square miles. That is half the size of Rhode Island."
"We're going to be spread over 500 square miles if you two don't hurry up and figure out where we can land." Sheppard yelled back at us.
"Yeah, well yelling makes it so much better." Rodney exclaimed, taking a long dramatic sigh.
"Rodney!" Sheppard barked. "We aren't going to make it back to the Stargate in one piece unless we get out of this storm!"
My fingers nimbly swept over the data pad, running my eyes over the accumulated data of the region in order to placate the Major when it came to a landing zone. The terrain around us was dense. Canopies of forest lay below us, unrelenting.
"There is a small landing zone just before the mountain base." Damn was it a small one. Sitting down next to Sheppard, I brought up the HUD to show him where I was looking. "It should be large enough to fit the Jumper, bit it will be a tight fit."
A really, really tight fit. Like trying to fit into your pre-baby skinny jeans.
"It's better than nothing," Sheppard's jaw clenched tightly. Every muscle in his body looked tense as he tried to keep control of the Jumper. It wasn't long before he had managed to land us in a small clearing, barely scraping the surrounding forest as he descended us into the dark canopy of the jungle.
The air around us was muggy and dense, weighing down on us like a thick blanket. The stench of rotting plants and mud was overpowering as the wind whipped around me. The sound of rain clattering off the leaves was echoed by the distant bird chirps and monkey calls.
God, I hope this place didn't have dinosaurs. Being eaten by a t-rex was not my idea of fun.
"All right," Sheppard looked around as he tried to piece together a new plan. "Where is the closest ZPM frequency?"
Silence. I tried to hold back my laughter at Sheppard rolling his eyes. The man sighed, turning back to look at the Jumper to find McKay bathing himself in what looked like bug spray.
"McKay!" Sheppard snapped back at him. McKay dropped what he was doing and tentatively stepped out of the cargo bay as if expecting to be attacked.
"Do you know how many viruses you can get from a mosquito bite?" He whined, my laughter broke through, a smiling Ford, and amused Teyla joining in. "Zika, Malaria, and who knows what new viruses are waiting out there that haven't been discovered yet." Sheppard shook his head in silent judgement before repeating his question.
"The closest signal is radiating somewhere within a seventeen-kilometer radius around us," McKay states showing Sheppard the tablet. "The handheld devices will help us narrow down the sear perimeter as we go."
"Great," Sheppard smiled, finally getting somewhere. "We'll keep our two teams. Teyla, Ford, McKay; head north and work out from there while the rest of us head south. Keep in radio contact and if anything goes wrong, we will meet back at the Jumper."
We all nodded our agreement, except Rodney who was looking at the jungle in silent fear of what bugs might lay ahead. Sighing, I pulled out the handheld device. I had been hoping that the Jumper would have been able to narrow down the search perimeter but with the storm there was no such luck.
The three of us walked in companionable silence as I led us through the thick brush. The rain had lightened to an easy drizzle, but the thick muggy atmosphere had grown. The hot air surroundings me felt smothering. Stopping, I pulled off my jacket, my eyes catching something odd.
"Didn't McKay say that the planet was uninhabited?" Crouching down, my vision swept over the muddy trail in front of us, the rain beginning to sweep away the evidence. Sheppard and Connor came to crouch on either side of me. The outline of the footprint was just visible in the slick mud. The impression unmistakable.
We certainly weren't alone.
"He did," Sheppard confirmed. "But this could be from someone coming through the gate to explore, just like us."
"We're too far in for that," Connor shook his head. "This footprint is new. Otherwise it would have been washed away by the rains."
"Didn't we do a sweep for life signs when we came through the gate?" Sheppard stood.
"We did," I looked around nervously. "But the Jumper's sensors can only reach of a few miles at a time. Plus, the storm could have interfered with the readings."
We stood quietly, surveying the immediate area around us. Something felt off. Like, really off. The Shining off. I couldn't put my finger on it. It was like it was on the tip of my tongue.
"Back to the Jumper," Sheppard inclines his head in the direction we had come. "Now."
"Ford, come in." Sheppard called over the radio. Ford responded. "Regroup back at the Jumper. We may have a situation."
"Roger that." Ford acknowledged. Taking a deep breath, I struggled to keep up with the men's large strides. The uneven terrain making it difficult for me to keep my balance. I could feel a lump forming in the back of my throat. This feeling felt familiar. The rush of struggling through the forest—feeling chased. Glancing nervously around, I saw it. My eyes catching the sight of the shadowed figure as it sprinted towards us.
Diving forward, I knocked Connor to the ground, the Wraith's stun beam shooting past where he had just been standing. Damn. That was some reflex. The smell of cedarwood and campfire smoke rose up to greet me. The familiar scent conjuring up images in my mind unbidden.
The scene around us became dark and the forest began to change. Chaos rose up around me. The orange glow of the fire lit up the darkness as screams of terror assaulted me from all sides. Through the smoke I could just barely make out two shapes in the darkness; holding tight to one another as a beam of light barreled towards them.
"Alex!" A strong hand ripped me from my stupor, latching to my upper arm and hauling me up from the rain-soaked ground. "Stay with me." Swallowing hard, I nodded as I drew my pistol, following closely behind Connor as he led me forward. The Wraith's body lay discarded on the side of the muddy trail.
What are you?
The voice rang up in my mind, low and gravelly, sending a shiver of fear down my spine. A harsh whining scream broke through the canopy from above; ships. Sheppard had named them Wraith Darts.
"Ford," Sheppard called over the radio; eyes on the sky. "How far from the Jumper are you?"
"Closing in, sir," Ford responded out of breath. "I've got eyes on it."
"Good. Start her up. We're almost there but we've got Wraith on our tail."
Breath. Just breath. My chest was heaving and the hitch in my side was growing worse with every step as I struggled to keep pace. Fuck, I needed to get to the gym more…and lay off the brownie's private Scott's keep sneaking me at lunch.
"Contact left!" Connor aimed his P90 and fired as a trio of Wraith emerged from the trees. Raising my pistol, I fired as one of them stalked towards me; eyes dancing as fear raced across my face. My heart was pounding in my chest as he drew closer with no signs of stopping.
Each bullet hit its target, but the Wraith brushed it them off as if they were nothing more than flies. Well, shit.
Hands trembling, I struggled to reload. My nerves grayed and mind foggy as images called themselves to the forefront of my mind unbidden. I hit the ground long before I felt the blow. My left cheek stung, and my head throbbed as I attempted to gain my footing. Mud and leaves saturated my clothes.
He came at me. Claws out. Boots crushed against the ground and the sound of breaking leaves was all I could hear besides the beating of my heart.
A giggle sounded up around me. Looking around, everything seemed to have suddenly slowed. In the distance, I could see Sheppard and Connor fighting off a Wraith, each paused mid-blow. They were frozen.
My head whipped around to the left at the sound of rustling branches. No way in hell. I had to be dreaming. Or I was dead. That one seemed more plausible. It was the only way to explain away what I was seeing.
A mirror image of my younger self stood giggling; a finger held to her rosy lips as if warning me to keep a secret. Then, her large smile darkened. She stalked towards me; lithe steps silent against the forest floor. Her small hand reached out for me; the glitter polish I once coveted at her age gleaming elegantly in the sun.
It felt natural. This bond between who I am now and the younger version of myself that now stood before me.
Hesitantly, I took her hand.
Then everything changed.
A/N: thank you everyone for the amazing support! As always, I love it when you review, but thank you to everyone who has followed and favorited! Excited for this quick update!
Till next time...