Chapter 24 - Nothing Is Ever As Easy As It Looks

Zelenka's eyes widened as he looked passed Teyla and saw the Wraith facing them. Everything was blurry without his glasses, but he could see that. He struggled to get into full-seated position his muscles screaming in protest. An aggravating pins and needles sensation rippled in waves over him like he was being attacked by a swarm of angry bees. He sighed, just as Rodney had described the experience of being shot by a Wraith stun blast. A thrill of panic tore through him. He had been shot!

The Wraith stared at them and didn't move. Zelenka glanced at Teyla and she was frowning. At least, he thought she was frowning. He squinted, trying to pull things into better focus. Squinting helped, but only marginally.

"It is not moving," she said, inching forward. "And I cannot feel it."

"Be careful," he whispered needlessly. He found himself following her.

She crept over on her knees toward the Wraith and then leaned back. "It is dead. It is the Wraith that Doctor McKay, Lieutenant Ford and Doctor Beckett killed."

"How can you tell?" Zelenka asked her.

"It was shot repeatedly with your weapons."

"Oh," he said. "I see, or rather, I don't." He sighed again. "I need to find my glasses."

She nodded and then turned her back to him. "Can you untie me?"

He looked at her a moment and then caught what she was implying and he turned his back to her, reaching out with his hands to find her. He brushed against her back and butt before finding her hands and he felt a blush creeping into his cheeks. "Sorry," he mumbled, felt for with the knots that held her. His fingers were a bit numb and after a good deal of fumbling, he finally managed to loose the knots enough for her to slip her wrists free. Then she in turn untied him.

She rubbed her wrists getting a little unsteadily to her feet as he tried to rub some feeling back into his numb fingers. His fingers and toes seemed to be the parts of his body still most affected by the stun blast.

Teyla moved around the small chamber they were enclosed in. "There is no exit," she said after making a circuit. She turned back to him. "Do you still have your radio?" Teyla asked him and he blinked at her a moment before her question registered.

He quickly felt around for it and quickly found it was there. "No, you?"

She shook her head. "My radio and my weapon are gone."

Zelenka looked over at the dead Wraith. "So, if he didn't bring us here, who did?"

Sheppard stared that the thing that looked like a door. It took some searching, but they found an access panel. Sheppard rested his hand against it, concentrating and the wall split open. Stackhouse went first, his weapon raised. Sheppard held his 9mm at the ready and followed once the Sergeant gave the all clear. It was a rough hewn corridor that led around the chamber McKay had fallen into on their first trip here.

"Major," Stackhouse said, pointing at the disturbed trail in the dust on the floor. Something or someone had clearly been dragged through there. "It looks like they went this way."

Sheppard nodded for him to lead the away and they quietly followed the marks. Stackhouse moved slowly down the curved passage until they came to another door like the first they had come through. The drag marks ended abruptly at the edge of the door.

He looked over at Sheppard who motion him into position before he started looking around for another access panel. He found it in nearly the position as the last one. He glanced over at Stackhouse. The young man tightened his grip on his P40 and then gave a nod. Sheppard pressed his hand to the panel and the door hissed open. They both burst into the room.

Teyla and Zelenka spun to face them, looking just as surprised to see them as Sheppard felt.

Teyla broke out in a wide smile. "John, it is good to see you."

"I could say the same," he said and then spotted the Wraith. "Whoa!" he exclaimed, raising his pistol.

"It is dead," Teyla told him far too calmly. "It is the one that Doctor McKay and the others killed."

Sheppard looked at it. "Then how did it get in here?"

"That is the same question I have been asking," Zelenka said, coming over and squinting at them very nearsightedly.

"Oh," Sheppard said, holstering his weapon and pulling the Doctor's glasses out of his pocket. "I think these are yours."

Zelenka smiled gratefully. "Thank you," he said, putting the glasses on and giving the room a good look.

"Are you two okay?" Sheppard asked, looking at them. They were both very dusty and bit bruised looking and Zelenka's coordination was a bit off, but that seemed to be the extent of it.

"We are well," Teyla informed him. "We were stunned with a Wraith weapon, but that is all."

Zelenka shot her a look and started to say, "That was all?" But stopped himself and just said, "We are fine."

Sheppard just nodded. He knew how...disconcerting a Wraith stun blast could be. "We better get out of here," he said.

"Sir—"Stackhouse started and then a blast of white light slammed him into the wall.

Sheppard cursed hotly as he shoved Teyla out of the way and dove for cover as more blast slammed into where they had just been.

"Crap."