by Avalon (avalon99@telusplanet.net)
fanfic at http://members.dencity.com/avalon_online
PG-13, S/J, Part 2/8
THE MANY SHADES OF NIGHT II
"Hunters in the Dark"
The shadow moved closer to where Carter lay gasping for air and then a pair of hands were hauling her up by her jacket and holding her upright.
"Come on, Major!"
Colonel O'Neill. He was still here. He had come back for her. The wave of relief that swept over her was quickly replaced by one of sheer frustration. He should have gone through the Gate with the others. Staying here was suicide...
"Dammit, Carter," he was shouting. "We've got to go. Now!" And then he was pulling her into motion, dragging her stumbling form back towards the abandoned city.
It took a second or two, but Carter discovered that her body was at last responding to her brain's commands, at least a little, and she managed to get her legs under her enough that she didn't tip over as O'Neill pulled her after him. Her abused lungs were finally drawing in some oxygen and her head was beginning to clear, enough to realize...
...they were going the wrong way. Carter frowned and twisted slightly in the Colonel's grasp, trying to look back at the Stargate, but it was too dark to see now. With an effort she managed to draw in enough air to gasp: "What about the Gate?"
She sensed rather than saw him shake his head. "No good. The bugs were all heading for it. I told Teal'c to go through and shut the iris." He glanced back over his shoulder, tightening his grip on her jacket. "And now they're heading for us. Can you run a little faster, Carter? I think they're gaining."
Okay. Red fire was shooting up her right leg and side, and an inferno of agony was burning across her back, but she could run a little faster. Adrenaline was a wonderful thing.
A few moments later they had passed the city walls and were hastening once again through its dark streets, Colonel O'Neill dragging her in his wake. Behind them, Carter could hear the sounds of pursuit growing louder. She risked a quick look behind her, then wished she hadn't. The night was ablaze with red eyes. Directly behind them, on both sides, halfway up the surrounding roofs...and they were drawing closer.
Abruptly, O'Neill turned and dove into a small alley barely visible in the starlight, pulling Carter in with him. Not pausing, he reached for a grenade, pulled the pin, and tossed it back toward the creatures. Then he shoved her behind an empty doorway and flung his body over hers, holding her tightly.
One second. Two. Carter shut her eyes and clung to O'Neill. Another heartbeat passed and then the night was filled with sound and light. The force of the explosion drove their combined weight hard against the wall and she stifled a scream at the pain in her back.
After a moment, Carter opened her eyes, staring over the Colonel's shoulder. She could just make out dark forms scuttling away from them, their cries echoing in the night. "They're going," she said distantly.
O'Neill released her and turned to look, then grimaced. "Yeah, but not far."
He was right. The creatures had withdrawn slightly but were milling just out of range, as if waiting to see what the humans would do next. Already, a few of them were beginning to inch closer, as if they gathering their courage. In a moment or two, Carter knew, they would attack.
"Any suggestions?" O'Neill unconsciously moved forward a step, as if to shield her.
"No, I..." Carter's voice trailed off, then she said abruptly. "The plaza. We have to get back to the plaza."
"Why?"
"I..." She didn't know why and she couldn't begin to explain how, but she knew they would be safe there. "Trust me," she said.
He didn't bother to answer that one. Instead, he shot her a quick look, running his eyes up and down her body as if appraising her condition. "Can you make it that far?"
Carter nodded, then winced slightly. "Yes, Sir," she said firmly. Her voice didn't shake at all, she was pleased to note.
"All right," the Colonel said, hoisting another grenade and giving her a quick grin that was 100% pure O'Neill. "Let's go dust some bugs!"
The next explosion lit up the night like a nova. Once again the creatures retreated as Carter and O'Neill sprinted down the streets they had already travelled twice before, back towards the plaza.
At least O'Neill sprinted. Carter found herself limping heavily after him, as quickly as she could. There was no one to help her this time and the full extent of her injuries was becoming agonizingly apparent. The pain in her right leg seemed to have localized in her ankle -- it was probably only badly twisted, she thought, but it felt as if it had been shattered into a million pieces. As for the rest...she couldn't tell. She just knew it hurt. A lot. Nevertheless, she gritted her teeth and kept going. She could fall over and whimper later.
She hoped.
* * *
Only two grenades remained between them by the time they reached the plaza. Gasping, Carter came to a halt beside Daniel's wall. O'Neill did the same.
The impulse to crash to her knees and let oblivion take her was overwhelming. She had used up almost all of her reserves just to make it this far, Carter realized. She was shaking badly and her vision kept fading in and out. And something warm was seeping down her back. Her hand came away wet when she touched it.
"Major?" O'Neill's voice was strained. Small wonder. He had done most of the work as they fought their way through the city. He had transferred his submachine gun to his left hand after one of the creatures had gotten too close and slashed him across the upper arm. Blood was trickling down his forehead, the result of not ducking quickly enough when he had thrown one of the fragmentation grenades. "Now what?" he asked tiredly.
Carter straightened stiffly and turned to the carved runes, waiting for inspiration to strike.
"Carter...?"
She ignored him and limped toward the other end of the wall. Memories of -- something -- were beginning to ripple through her mind and she reached out and touched one of the symbols -- a circle quartered by a cross. She could barely make it out through the darkness but it was hauntingly familiar. She ran her hand across them all, trying desperately to remember.
"Uh, Carter..."
"Wait, Sir..."
There was a rapid burst of gunfire behind her. "Sure. No problem. Take your time..."
Carter bit her lip then shut her eyes to close out the sound of his voice, reaching instead for the memories. An eternity passed. Then, before she had time to think about what she was doing, she opened her eyes again and rapidly pressed a complicated sequence of runes, ending on the crossed circle.
Nothing happened.
Carter's heart sank. It should have worked. She didn't quite know what she was expecting, but something should have happened.
The grinding noise was the first indication that her actions had had some effect. Carter cast a startled look down. The stone wall was moving. Slowly at first then more quickly it slid upward until it had formed an opening approximately eight feet high and three feet wide in the side of the alien building. A gust of dry, musty air flowed out around her.
Carter caught her breath and stepped closer. Inside there was nothing but darkness and the beginning of what looked like a flight of stone stairs, leading downward. There was no light at all, no reflections...nothing. The darkness seemed so solid it was almost as if she could reach out and touch it...
She looked back over her shoulder. The creatures had surrounded them again. There seemed to be even more of them this time, if that were possible, and the night was ablaze with blood-coloured eyes. O'Neill was holding them off with his M9. As she watched he ejected the clip and reloaded in one smooth motion. That meant he was down to 15 rounds. Damn. It was the stairs or nothing. Taking a deep breath, Carter limped across the threshold and pivoted around on her good leg.
"Colonel!" she called urgently.
O'Neill turned his head, his eyes widening a little at the sight of the open doorway. Hastily, he pulled the pin from his second last grenade, counted under his breath, then threw it at the horde before launching himself through the opening. Carter barely had time to hit the symbol inside the doorway that she somehow knew was there, and then O'Neill was barrelling into her.
Several things seemed to happen at once. The grenade exploded and the creatures retreated, the sound of their screams ripping through Carter's mind. The heavy stone door slammed shut behind them with frightening speed...and O'Neill ran full tilt into her. Carter clutched at him, desperately trying to stop herself from going over backwards and taking him with her. His weight and momentum though, coupled with her own weakness, made it impossible to recover her balance. "Wait..." she just had time to say, and then they were both sailing downwards, with only empty air between them and whatever lay at the bottom.
TO BE CONTINUED...