Carson Beckett returned the walkie-talkie he had been fingering for the past twenty minutes to his jacket pocket, stubbornly wiping at his misting eyes. "This is ridiculous," he told himself. It had been a half an hour or so since Elizabeth last radioed and he was still waiting for any updates.

"Is everything all right?" Halling asked, descending upon the Scottish man with concerned eyes.

"Ay, just worried," Carson pressed forth a brave smile. "How are the patients doing?"

Halling nodded, "They are fine."

"That's good to hear." Carson swiped the back of his forearm across his forehead. Between all of the bodies in the caves, it was scalding hot. "I'm going to see what's going on out there," Carson announced.

"Is that not unwise?" Halling questioned.

"Somebody has to do it," Carson reasoned, "And I'd just as well that be me."

"I will come with you."

"No, Halling," Carson ordered, "If the Hive Ship sees me, I'd rather it be just me. Everyone here needs you," he reminded the other man. Beckett turned, ducking around people and heading toward the mouth of the cave. Bravery had little to do with it; he wanted, no, needed, to see what was going on out there. No one from the two jumpershad communicated in for a long time and he was getting worried.

"Return swiftly," Halling called after him.

Carson looked around as he stepped from the entrance of the cave. After skirting around a batch of trees, he could make out the outline of the Wraith Hive Ship, still high in the air. Two jumpers swerved in a deadly dance as they fired upon the larger, more capable ship. Carson swallowed and forced himself to look away from it. Though he was glad that the jumpers--and the people on the jumpers--were okay, it was sitll a bad sign that they hadn't been able to damage the Hive Ship so far. It appeared to be a losing battle.

"Is anyone out there?" Carson jumped at the noise before realizing that it was coming from his radio. With clammy hands, he took the black device out of his jacket.

"Who is this?" he questioned. The voice sounded familiar. But it couldn't be; Elizabeth would never allow it…

"It is Radek," Zelenka confirmed his identity. "Grodin and I are flying into the mainland at this moment."

Carson jogged clear of the trees, no longer mindful to keep an eye on the Wraith Hive Ship, certain that the other two jumpers were keeping it occupied. "I don't see you," he hollered into the radio.

"We are coming out of the cloak now," Peter's voice came through. Carson jumped as the jumper appeared yards before him, settling to a gentle stop. The doctor ran toward the door as Zelenka and Grodin exited.

"Where's the other jump—holy crap!" Peter began his question, only to spot the gigantic Hive Ship hovering to the other side.

"We must find its weaknesses to stop it…" Zelenka said, suddenly glad he'd thought of bringing his laptop with him.

Carson shook his head. "No…they would've found the weakness by now," he reminded them. "How long do we have until Earth's forces come?"

"Thirty minutes on their best speed," Zelenka provided.

"The jumpers…they can keep them busy until Earth comes," Carson said. It was a bold statement at best and most likely a false one. "We need to save John."

"What?" Zelenka frowned, "Isn't he leading the jumper teams?"

"He got hit by the aftershock of a bomb. His jumper isn't operational and it's cracked."

Peter glanced at the battle waging before their eyes. "We have to help them, too," he reminded Carson. "If we don't, everyone here dies."

"We can fly to Sheppard's ship, get him, and fly back all in time," Carson insisted.

Zelenka and Grodin looked at each other. Neither of them particularly wanted to engage in the battle with the Hive Ship, but they knew it had to be done. Still… John Sheppard was the military commander. More than that, he was their friend, their family. If what Carson said was right, and they could return in time… "You coming with?" Grodin asked, knowing that Zelenka had reached the same conclusion: they would save John before it was too late for him.

Carson nodded. "Just let me leave this with Halling," he said, pointing to his radio.

"All right," Zelenka nodded and turned to Grodin. "Fire up ze engines," he ordered.


"Absolutely not. No, never, nunca, niet—"

"Rodney!" Elizabeth cut him off.

"You are not boarding a Wraith Hive Ship, Elizabeth!" Rodney exclaimed, pinning her with an intense stare that made her pause for a moment.

"Listen—"

"No! The Wraith are not negotiators, Elizabeth. They'll invite you over for tea and suck you dry," Rodney reminded her, his voice heated.

"I don't need to make an agreement with them," Elizabeth told him. "I just need to stall until the Prometheus comes."

"How do you plan on boarding a Hive Ship anyway? It's impossible!"

"They can transport people onto their ship," Elizabeth said slowly, closing her eyes and waiting for his angered reply.

Rodney was silent for a few moments. "You want them to transport you using the culling beam," he said steadily.

"Look, Rodney, as soon as Prometheus comesI'll get a Dart and escape."

"We don't have any proof that Darts are even aboard Hive Ships, regardless whether a human can fly them. Not to mention the fact that our pale friends would never let you out of their sight."

"If I don't do this, then Atlantis will fall!" Elizabeth exclaimed.

"Then let me do it," Rodney said after a moment, his eyes meeting Elizabeth's.

Elizabeth's face went slack for a moment at the thought of it. "No," she said, shaking her head vehemently, "No. I'm going, Rodney, it's my plan and I can't risk—"

"And I can't risk you dy—" Rodney looked down at the floor, breaking the eye contact between he and Elizabeth. "Atlantis needs a leader," he said finally, "And you're the only one fit enough to fill that position."

"I'm not going to die, Rodney," Elizabeth said firmly, but it was useless to try. They both knew that if she went on this mission that she would not likely return.

"No, you're not," Rodney agreed, "Because you're not going."

"The last I checked, I was the leader of this base," Elizabeth said coolly, the emotion in her eyes seeping away. Rodney watched this and knew she had settled the argument by herself.

"Don't…" he pleaded weakly, but he knew it was useless. A cool lead feeling settled uncomfortably in his stomach.

"We'll take the last jumper," Elizabeth announced. "You can take the shield for the culling beam down for a limited time, right?" Rodney was silent, his lips pressed firmly together. No…he couldn't allow this. She didn't need to risk her life! What if…what if she died? Elizabeth couldn't risk her life like this. "Right?" Elizabeth asked again, a warning in her voice. Rodney's eyes were downcast and looking pointedly away from her when he replied. She knew full well he didn't want to do this…but he didn't have a choice in the matter. It came down to the chain of command. Rodney's response left his mouth bitterly.

"Right."


Author's Note: Hope you enjoyed! Feedback is appreciated!

Thanks to:
PurpleYin (Thank ya!I'm not that good writing Grodin, sorry about that!)
and
highonscifi (Don't worry! Next chapter!)
for the reviews!