AN: Sorry this took so long. I had a bit of writer's block. A big thank you goes to my beta reader Geoff, who was a big help with this chapter. Hope you all enjoy it!
Oh, and to answer your question Lenka, I don't plan any romance for Rodney at this point, but I haven't actually planned out the sequal yet.
Chapter Four: Crazy Ideas
Rodney came awake with a groan. Immediately he felt a hand cover his mouth, cutting off the sound. Confused and terrified, he fought against the unknown assailant.
"Stop!" a strange voice hissed in his ear. "If you make a sound, we're both dead!"
He stopped, more from surprise than a desire to obey. He squinted, trying to focus on the figure above him. As his vision cleared, he was surprised to see that it was a girl. She couldn't have been much more than a teenager. She was dressed in worn clothes that looked like they had been ripped and mended many times. She was covered in dirt and her long gold brown hair had come loose in untidy tangles.
She released his mouth and helped him sit upright. The movement reminded him of the tiny pricks of pain all over his body, as well as a throbbing headache. He bit his lip to keep from crying out and tried to make himself more comfortable. It wasn't easy. The ditch they were hiding in was tight and rocks and roots greeted him at every turn.
Once he was settled, the girl help up his water bottle and helped him take a few sips while she explained in a whisper: "My name is Ree'an. I followed the Wraith who took you through the Stargate. The Wraith are searching for us as we speak."
He choked as his mind digested the information. "You attacked the Wraith!" She nodded. "And killed all six of them?"
"No. I fought four, and only killed one."
He stared at her, hardly able to believe what he was hearing. Before he could ask how, a familiar whizzing sound caused both of them to duck as a Wraith dart flew overhead. Ree'an's mouth fell open in shock. "It flies," she whispered in awe.
"I noticed," McKay said sarcastically. Then he saw the amazed looked on her face. "You've never seen one before?"
"Never. But I have heard of such a thing in the stories that traders tell us. I thought it was just a legend to frighten us when we were small."
"That would have been nice," he muttered in reply. His mind reeled. He had so many questions to ask that for a minute he didn't say anything. Finally, he decided to start simple. "Ree'an you said?" She nodded. "Dr. Rodney McKay," he said and held out his hand.
"That's a long name," she commented. She didn't take the hand.
"Well you can just call me McKay; most people do," he told her, taking his hand back. Then, feeling he should say something more, he added: "Thanks for rescuing me."
"We're not safe yet. Many Wraith now guard the gate and still more are searching. They will find us before long."
"Oh." That did not sound good. His mind raced, trying to come up with a solution. Atlantis didn't know where they were, so they had no chance of rescue. They were on their own. They only had his gun and a knife between them, which ruled out rushing the gate. They would never make it that far even if they had more to fight with. For once his brilliant mind did not seem to be able to think of a way out. He wished Sheppard was there; he would have known what to do. For once he wished he had some of the Major's expertise in fighting. It was the only thing he was willing to admit the man was better at than himself.
His thoughts were interrupted by another dart flying by. They were getting closer, which meant they were running out of time. "The stories say the Wraith fly in them," Ree'an said suddenly. "Is that true?"
"Yes, of course," he snapped. He hated having to explain the obvious. "Each ship has at least one pilot to control it."
Ree'an's face was thoughtful. Then she smiled. "So we should be able to fly in one as well."
He stared at her. Was she nuts! That was crazier than...than taking out four Wraith at once? After that, was there anything she couldn't do? It might just be their way out, but did it even have the slightest chance of success? "Be reasonable," he said. "We don't even know where the darts are, much less how to fly one. And besides, they're probably all in the air hunting for us, ready to shoot us if we move from here!"
"We won't know until we look," she pointed out. "And we will never escape if we just sit here and wait for them to find us."
He sighed. She had a point. As much as he hated to admit it, her crazy idea did seem like the only one they had. "Alright," he said finally. "But we're not going anywhere until I've had something to eat."
He grabbed one of the power bars, unwrapped it and started chewing. Ree'an was watching him with another of her astonished looks. Absently, he passed her another of the bars. She stared at it in confusion for several seconds before he snatched it, unwrapped it for her, and gave it back. She kept looking at it for a few more seconds before taking a tentative bite.
Her face exploded in a look of utter disgust. She spat out the piece and look at it in horror. "Ack! How can you eat that!" she asked, fighting to keep her voice quiet. "It tastes like..." she searched for the right word. "Like dried leather!"
McKay shrugged. "I kinda like them actually," he said matter of factly.
When McKay had recovered enough to move quickly, they made their way slowly in the direction the darts had come from. They gave the Stargate a wide berth, staying hidden behind scrub trees and hillocks. McKay kept a watchful eye on the life signs detector as they traveled, but few Wraith were still searching on foot so thankfully they had little trouble. Ree'an seemed just as amazed at the life signs detector as with the power bars, but she didn't bring it up. McKay had a feeling she was saving her questions for a more opportune time, for which he was grateful.
They saw their goal just beyond the first set of hills about a mile past the Stargate. It was a large open area that looked perfect for an airfield and even had a few chard patches, probably from takeoffs. One dart was still there. One Wraith seemed to be working on it, while several others kept stood guard. McKay couldn't believe their luck, and could only hope that the ship wasn't too damaged to fly. It looked all right, but he couldn't be sure.
"Now what?" he asked with a touch of despair in his voice. The site of so many Wraith between them and their goal was frustrating. "We just walk up and ask nicely if we can borrow their ship?"
Ree'an either ignored his tone or didn't recognize it. She considered the Wraith below. "We need a distraction." She glanced at his gun, which he had reloaded before they left. Then she looked back at the Wraith. Then she grinned wickedly. "I have an idea."
X X X
Rodney could not believe what he was about to do. 'I'm a scientist for goodness sake, not special forces!' He was crouched some distance behind the Wraith dart, ready to move when he got his chance. He desperately hoped that Ree'an's crazy plan would work. If it didn't, they would probably both end up dead. 'Why did I ever agree to this?' he wondered.
The unnerving silence was broken by several gunshots from the opposite side of the Wraith. McKay could just make out Ree'an, standing on top of the hill. She was shouting and waving to get the Wraith's attention. It worked. Bellowing with rage, they charged after the girl. Soon only one was left guarding the dart and, fortunately, he was facing the opposite direction.
McKay slipped as quietly as he could into the back of the ship. He quickly found the controls for the rear hatch near the back and closed it before taking a closer look at the inside. It was smaller than a puddle jumper and completely devoid of any sort of physical comfort. The rear is empty and separated from the front by a cage-like hatch that was already opened. In the front was a stiff, pointy chair situated at a bank of controls and a large, slanted window. The was one of the most uncomfortable things he had ever been in.
He sat down in the chair and scanned the unfamiliar symbols. The only thing he was sure of was the ship's DHD on one side. Two raised hand prints seemed to be for steering, but nothing else seemed to have any use. Hoping he wouldn't blow himself up, he placed his hands on the controls. The inside lit up with an eery glow and the ship rose shakily at his unspoken command. So it was like a puddle jumper. It made sense now that he thought about it. The Wraith were telepathic, so it was logical for them to be able to control their ships that way.
He carefully moved his hands from side to side. The controls slid and the ship mirrored his movements. He heard an angry snarl and saw the remaining Wraith raise his weapon. 'Time to get out of here.' He steered the dart to follow the path Ree'an and the other Wraith had taken earlier. The ship wobbled at the commands of its untrained pilot, but stayed on course. Soon he spotted Ree'an below, running full tilt and yet barely keeping ahead of her pursuers. He swooped lower in a line with her path. 'Transport! Transport now! ' he thought frantically.
X X X
Ree'an lungs burned as she fought to keep ahead of the Wraith. 'All this for a stranger,' she thought. She would almost have laughed if the situation hadn't been so bad. Her old teacher had always told her that her impulsive nature would get her into trouble. He had actually been right.
She heard one of the Wraith's flying things behind her, but she didn't dare take the time to look back. The Wraith were so close that she could almost feel their breath on her back. Then, without warning, a harsh screeching sound filled her ears and a blinding light filled her eyes. Her stomach did a nasty flip-flop as she suddenly found herself in a strange room. Her body had no time to react, it kept running through an open door until she slammed painfully into an upright chair.
"Hang on!" McKay called from the chair. She felt the floor rock violently and clung to the chair for balance. "What was that!" she cried.
"They're shooting at us!" McKay fought a rising panic. Where was Sheppard when you needed him?
Ree'an felt sick. The world was whizzing by at an impossible speed. It made her dizzy to watch and yet she couldn't take her eyes away.
"Oh crap!" McKay swore. The other Wraith were catching on and two darts were headed straight for them. He dodged erratically as they opened fire and watched the blasts miss them by mere inches. Then the darts blew past on either side and turned to attack again. He tried to ignore them and continued towards Stargate. Their only chance was to escape before their luck ran out.
As they neared the gate, the Wraith guards raised their weapons and prepared to fire on them. McKay dove at them. Weapons! he thought frantically. 'This thing does have weapons, right! ' He was rewarded by a barrage of shots that decimated the Wraith below, creating a burning path of destruction that sent them flying in all directions. He flew on past the side of the gate and turned around, narrowly avoiding another another attack from the darts. Apparently his poor driving was confusing the other pilots, because they kept going when he turned.
"Dial the gate!" he ordered, as he flew over the gate and attacked the Wraith on the ground a second time.
Ree'an broke out of her shocked state and moved to the DHD. "Which symbols?" she asked.
McKay cursed. He'd never be able to explain which ones much less explain his GDO. He saw only one solution: he would have to do it himself. He'd have to do it fast too, the darts were returning for another attack.
Ree'an cried out as McKay suddenly grabbed her wrist and forced her hands the controls. Her eyes widened in terror, even as he sat her into the chair. 'He's crazy! How can he expect me to control this thing! ' The ship rocked and pitched with her wild and frantic thoughts; magically causing their attackers to miss yet again. She swerved around, bringing the Stargate into view and she was just in time to see the watery blast as it opened.
"Go!" McKay shouted. He hurried to enter his IDC, praying that the signal would get through in time. They careened towards the gate at an alarming speed. "Slow down!" he screamed, even as the rocketed forward. He ducked behind the controls and braced for the impact her knew would come.
They shot into the wormhole, closely followed by the two other darts. McKay felt the world blur in the familiar rush of gate travel. 'We're gonna die,' he thought. even as his body disintegrated.