— HIDDEN RESOURCES —

PART TEN: HERE THEY COME

"Sir!" Dunne's voice came in sharply over the radio, "Major Sheppard, come in!"

The Major raised a hand as he saw the illusory mesa come into view, and the two green-clothed guards waiting for him, but his grin was forced. So much for radio silence. "Yes, Corporal? What is it?" he said into the radio, the back of his mind adding 'this had better be good.'

"The Stargate just activated, sir! I think...oh shit! Weathers, get back in here now! Move!"

Sheppard didn't think, he just started running towards the two Deucalion guards. They perked up, confused by his sudden sprint in their direction.

"The Wraith, sir! Wraith darts! Two...three...four...They just keep coming...seven...eight... Oh, sweet mother of God...."

"Dunne?"

"Sir...there's a massive ship...it's descending from the sky above our heads...."

"Stay inside the ship, Corporal, you hear me!"

"Sir!" Stackhouse's voice came next. "I can see the mother ship! Lord, it's huge! The readouts coming up on the display...Christ, it makes n' aircraft carrier look like a tugboat, sir! Should I come...."

"Stay where you are, Stackhouse! Tanner, Greene, get back to the ship! I may need cover fire getting Ford and the others out of here!"

"Yes sir!" Tanner's voice replied. "Heading back sir!"

"Watch your backs! Stay under the trees and watch for shadows!"

The Major skidded before the two now very nervous Deucalion guards, his voice nearly a shout now. "The Wraith are here! They've come back! Alert your governor and take me to my people, now!"

Ford stared at the radio on Teyla's shoulder, while she gripped her hand around it, as if wanting to block the sound out. They'd heard it all, and the chills the Athosian was feeling made the reality of it even harsher. Colonel Luphron's eyes were wide before them, and he turned to the people he had clearing the rubble. They all stood like statues, staring at the two Atlanteans as if they'd betrayed them somehow, trapped by their fear.

"Hurry!" he shouted, jumping past the them to start tearing away at the fallen concrete himself, the action setting his people in motion again. "We need to get the doorway to the Great Eye clear now! We can't risk the shield coming up again. This is it!"

Teyla and Ford didn't even think as they dove in to help.

The darts bee-lined for the mesa, not in the slightest bit fooled by the Illusion. The mother ship followed more slowly, waiting for the smaller fighter ships to do their work and make sure the hidden gray city was secure before heading in after them.

The Wraith sensed the hundreds of thousands of people hiding inside that false hill, cowering inside the hollow rock. As if such a pathetic trick of the light would fool them. Did they really think they wouldn't be found? May as well try hiding a sun behind a moon.

The massive ship drifted towards the cloaked Puddle Jumper. It sensed a few small singular human presences below, but compared to the feast inside that Illusion, it was nothing.

Tanner and Greene stopped, pressing themselves against trees as the first dart whipped past over their heads, their eyes glued on the dark shape through the thick branches. Both men sighed in relief when it didn't bother to slow down, obviously not concerned with them.

"Keep moving!" Tanner called, turning and running once more for their cloaked craft. Not far now.

The Major and a couple of Deucalion guards sprinted down the dark gray corridors of Deucalion, trying to get to the hall of ages before the Wraith ships breached the Illusion.

"We're through!" Lieutenant Che called, jumping back from the gap they'd created. "I can get inside."

"Then go!" Colonel Luphron shouted.

She nodded, scrambling back up the rubble and slipping in through the gap. Teyla and Ford moved to go after her.

"It can only fit a handful of people inside that room," the Colonel called after them. "Some of us...."

"Too late," Ford called back, sliding in after Teyla as she disappeared through the gap.

The Colonel grimaced, his hands gripping themselves into fists. Shaking himself out of it, he looked at the other personnel around him.

"All right, go man your stations! We will defend this City, understand? We will not let the people hidden below be lost without a fight! Sergeant Cusp, stay here and wait for Major Sheppard, tell him where his people are. I have to get to the Governor."

The sergeant snapped to attention as everyone else around him ran out of the room, followed by the Colonel, who gave a half salute back before disappearing as well.

The first Wraith dart penetrated the illusion...and took aim at the first small gunnery firing at it that it came across.

"Communications system?"

"Yes," the hologram nodded, "you can communicate with the people in the Great Eye."

Rodney's face lit up, and he grinned, "Why didn't you tell me I could—"

And suddenly the world exploded.

The first blast rocked the entire room, shaking the foundations and sending Rodney harshly forward into the console as dust and silt came down from the ceiling.

"The Wraith!" the hologram hissed as the scientist levered himself back up, shaking dust from his hair. "It must be! You have to fix it! Now!"

Rodney just stared back at the projection nonplussed, not immediately responding, still feeling the aftershocks of that first hit in his knees. The hologram flickered more.

"Please," it begged. "The Weapon must work! It's our only chance!"

How does a hologram now how to beg? Rodney wondered.

Another blast rocked the room, and bits of concrete dust floated down from the already fragile ceiling.

It galvanized Rodney into action. Shoving the rest of the rubble off the console with a mighty heave, he pulled the knife from his belt and started trying to reconnect the damaged parts of the motherboard, to replace the crystals and reconnect the wires....starting with the green one.

TBC

A/N – thank you for all the reviews! You guys make me so happy!