Into the Woods

By Ellex

See first chapter for disclaimers, etc.

Chapter Thirteen: What Even Worse is Still in Store?

Rodney was not alone in his head.

He'd never realized before how much he valued the privacy of his own mind. He had always been alone there, until now, and he was trying very hard not to freak out about it.

It helped that the other presence remained calm in the face of Rodney's incipient panic. It didn't seem to be particularly intelligent, because all he could feel from it was mild curiosity and a jumble of impressions which slowly resolved into a picture in his mind.

It was like looking through someone else's eyes. They were moving through the forest, following a smoky thread of bright yellow that meandered from ground to brush, to an occasional spot on a tree trunk. Other lines in a variety of colors overlay the forest floor in a tangled web, but they were following the yellow one, and the presence in his mind – which seemed to be as aware of him as he was of it – wordlessly informed him that the bright thread belonged to him.

And suddenly he knew what was happening, what he was seeing, what the device did.

And he hated it.

One of the things he loved about Ancient technology was that, once you'd figured it out, it made sense.

Except sometimes it didn't. Like the whole ATA gene thing. Having to think at things to make them work, instead of just pushing a button, what a stupid idea! He wanted things to be black and white, yes or no, zero or one…he wanted things to be quantifiable, and this most definitely was not.

Because what he was seeing was a scent trail.

That understanding was apparently the key to accessing the device, and it seemed to open within his mind, so that he could see exactly what it was for – and what he could do with it.

Now he knew how he could get rid of the Wraith so his team could get back to Atlantis. He should even be able to get himself home without difficulty if he just moved quickly.

And that was when the world exploded around him.

The conversation hadn't continued after McKay's transmission. Sheppard had a lot to think about, Teyla was watching the Wraith closely, and Serena was trying to stay awake. The sky was beginning to brighten with the first hint of dawn.

They hadn't been waiting more than twenty minutes when howls erupted from the surrounding forest. The Komodo wolves were back, and in force.

They made straight for the Wraith and attacked savagely and with intent. This time, instead of becoming distracted, the entire pack, some fifteen animals strong, remained and continued to attack. The Wraith fought back by grabbing the creatures and hurling them bodily away, but the pack was too large and it wasn't long before all six Wraith were overcome and torn to pieces.

The Komodo wolves disappeared back into the forest as quickly as they had come.

"Do you think that was Rodney's distraction?" Serena asked.

"I don't see how it could be, but we ought to take advantage of it anyways." Sheppard pulled out his radio. "McKay? McKay, come in. The 'gate is clear. I repeat, the Stargate is clear. Was that you, Rodney?"

There was no response. Sheppard frowned and checked the frequency. "McKay? Rodney! Are you there?"

Still nothing. Sheppard fought to remain calm, but it was a battle he was quickly losing. "Rodney!" he shouted into the radio. "McKay, respond!"

A crackle of static answered him this time, then a sudden eerie silence. He stared at the radio and almost dropped it when an oddly wet gasp issued from it, followed by Rodney's voice, hoarse and strained.

"Shep…" he heard, then static again.

"McKay, what's happening? What's wrong? The Wraith are dead, Rodney, what did you do?" They waited several tense seconds before the reply finally came.

"…safe now…go home…"

"Where are you? Are you still at the Ancient outpost? We'll send a team back for you, Rodney."

McKay's answer left him cold with dread.

"…broken…can't help me…"

"Rodney…what's broken?" Sheppard asked quietly. He couldn't look at Teyla and Serena's worried faces, so he watched the Stargate.

"…me…"

For a moment, he couldn't speak, couldn't breathe. Teyla took the radio from his numb fingers.

"Doctor McKay, you will be alright. We will come back with a Puddle Jumper and Doctor Beckett. Now tell us, what happened? Are you still at the Ancient's site?"

"…think so…not important…s'okay, Teyla…look…on the bright…side…"

"The bright side?" Teyla asked, confused.

"…doesn't hurt…John…" the voice was getting weaker. "…if this…is dying…" there was a long pause, then "s'not so bad…"

Sheppard found the horror he was feeling reflected on Serena and Teyla's faces. Then the voice of their friend issued from the radio once more.

"…jus'…wanna say…take care…each other…"

TBC

A/N: Yes, I know, another evil cliffhanger. And I can't even promise that the next chapter will be posted tomorrow! But I'm doing my best, and remember that I love happy endings…