Sensitivity : Part Nine

Defending

It went against her nature to do nothing.

Teyla sat in the shadows of the inner room and chafed at the inactivity.

The wing had two rooms behind the gallery area where the first defensive line gathered. The larger room next to the gallery area was the main room, and most of the women stayed there. The smaller room behind it was accessible only through the main room - and there were some thirty to forty women clustered in the main room with the supplies and weapons.

Most sat in groups, talking in hushed undertones. Some tried to sleep, but were inevitably woken when the attacks came. And the women willing to handle and use a stunner against their male colleagues cycled in and out of the room, nursing bruises and muttering uncomplimentary things about men.

Teyla envied them.

She wasn't allowed out in the larger room. Dr. Weir had confined her to the smaller room - along with all the other women 'at risk'.

"It's like a damned Muslim house or something," one of the younger women groaned when she discovered she was 'confined to quarters'. "You know, when they talk about sexual choice, doesn't that include the right to choose not to have sex?"

Another woman - Dr. Reznick - had made an annoyed sound as she dumped her bedroll in one corner. "You can talk," she sneered. "At least the damned virus has you correctly pegged!"

It was rare among Teyla's people to have women who preferred other women as lovers - or men who preferred men, although the practise was not unknown. And even among those women whose preferences lay with their own gender, it was not unusual for them to take a male lover in order to bear a child.

Apparently this 'virus' or whatever it was, only classified tinael by intercourse with a member of the opposite sex.

It made sense within the context of Dr. McKay's conclusions.

Of course, Teyla had more wisdom than to voice such an opinion before the others - none of whom were happy to be confined.

But she still resented the inactivity.

During the third attack - or was it the fourth? - Teyla rose and went to the door to see if she could offer her services doing something - anything!

She got four steps into the room before Dr. Beckett caught her with a hand that gripped a little too tight at the shoulder. "For God's sake, Teyla, have you no sense of self-preservation?"

The distraction of the usually gentle doctor was enough to convince her to go back to the room. That didn't mean she liked it. And as the night wore on, the restlessness grew worse. Cards, books, and games on someone's laptop didn't help the itchy need to be doing something.

"It's the testosterone," said a black-haired young woman apologetically as she began scrunching her hands into her bedroll. "It gives you lots of energy, but we don't have an outlet for it. Unless we fight each other, of course, which we don't really want."

"I would feel less uneasy if I could only do something," Teyla confessed. The other woman had introduced herself as Elin and was from a place called Sydney.

"Yeah, well," Elin shrugged. "I wouldn't mind going out and walloping someone right now. But I don't particularly care to be raped either, so I think I'll manage. My gyno said I have high testosterone anyway, so the aggro isn't unusual for me."

She stiffened, and turned her head as the shouts and yelps of another attack sounded from outside.

"How many does that make?" Dr. Reznick asked abruptly.

"Six," Elin said without hesitation, then paused. "Or seven. I think I might have dreamed one of the attacks during that snooze I had several hours ago."

"It is seven," Teyla confirmed. "How long can we hold out here?" With only seventy women, and nearly twice that in men, the ratio of defender to attacker was very small

"I think they're hoping things ease off at dawn," said Elin. "Which seems a little short-sighted; I mean, just because the moon's set doesn't mean that it's not still full. Technically, this could go on for days."

"But it only got really bad tonight," someone said. "Before that, it was a bit edgy, sure, but they weren't after us this bad."

"Well, here's hoping," Elin said, and continued scrunching her hands in the bedroll.

Teyla went to the door.

"I really wouldn't advise that," Dr. Reznick said.

Teyla glanced back but pushed open the doors a little so she could peer out into the main chamber. There appeared to be no men in the outer room, and she opened the doors further - enough to spot Dr. Weir taking a stunner from a woman who looked more than a little weary.

"Dr. Weir!"

"Teyla." Dr. Weir crossed the room swiftly. "Is everything okay in there?"

"We are fine," she reassured the other woman. "But restless. Is there nothing we can do?"

"Teyla, if there was something you could do--"

Another woman interrupted, "I'm sorry, Dr. Weir, we're just on our way out to relieve the current shift."

"I'll be there in a moment, Val," she reassured the last of the women leaving the room before turning back. "We're short on combatants - but there isn't anything that you can do about that--"

Teyla wasn't so sure. "One of the women is still up on the lookout?"

"Yes."

"I can take her place," she said with sudden inspiration. "That would give you one more fighter."

"Teyla, you know that's not safe."

"Dr. Weir, you need every woman capable of fighting out there," she said. Beyond the expedition leader, the room was filled with exhausted and wounded women, trying to gain a little sleep. "There, I would be out of the way and still able to help. Please."

She hoped that her plea would not fall on deaf ears. It was obvious that their situation was close to dire, and any help would be better than none. Still, there was no mistaking the hesitation in the other woman's eyes, even in the pre-dawn shadows.

"Okay," Dr. Weir conceded at last. "But only because you're more than capable of looking after yourself."

The pent-up tension eased as soon as she had a goal - something to do. But Dr. Weir gripped her shoulder hard, with more strength than Teyla had imagined the other woman to have "You'll have to get up there without going through the gallery. And take your earpiece. If you get into any trouble at all, you let me or Sergeant Haller know immediately."

Teyla nodded at the entreaty, although inside she was exultant as she went back to the inner room to get her jacket and a pair of thick, rough-palmed gloves.

Fifteen minutes and one cold, pre-dawn climb later, Teyla eased herself over the railing and relieved the woman who'd been standing sentry duty for the last couple of hours. If the woman wore her doubts on her face, she pointed out what Teyla would have to watch for and went down to the fight swiftly enough.

Here, on this ledge, the morning air was brisk and chill. Teyla ignored the cooling of her extremities, just pleased to be out and doing something.

Below her, the sounds of battle wore down, and she heard the voices of men and women mingling below her, hoarse and weary with their labours. Speculation ensued as to whether the other men would attack again during the night.

From what Teyla had heard, those who had attacked and been unsuccessful were dragged aside and dumped in various rooms, with assorted inventive restraints by which they were prohibited from attacking again. In the inner room, they had heard a number of jokes being told regarding the manner of restraints, and several of the other women had occasionally come in to relate them.

"Teyla?" Her earpiece buzzed softly.

"I am here, Dr. Weir."

"Good. Right now, we're not sure if there'll be another attack. Major Sheppard seems to think they'll try at least once more before dawn, but there isn't much time."

Teyla turned to look out at the midnight sky over the obsidian sea. Even now, there were signs that the night was ending and the dawn was coming. And even the dawn might not bring relief. They had no way of knowing. "We can hope."

"Yes," Dr. Weir agreed. "We can." There was a moment where it sounded like she was speaking with someone else - the cadences of the speech seemed to indicate it was Dr. McKay relating something. "Don't forget..."

"I will let you know if there are any troubles," she reassured her.

Sentry watch was a lonely duty. For the next hour, Teyla kept watch, staring towards the city, watching for any signs that another party of men were making their way towards this wing. Once one group had come through, it was easy enough for the others to make their way; and either the word had spread, or the various men had worked out where the women must be.

Below, the conversations held were terse and functional, and she listened to the occasional exchange between men and women; and the more usual conversations among the men or among the women.

It was nearly dawn when she heard the sound of bootsteps climbing up to her position, and turned, wary of whoever might show themselves over the railing.

Lieutenant Ford was unarmed, and held his hands out from his body. "Don't shoot," he said lightly.

"You should not be up here," she told him, relaxing a little. Perhaps it was overconfidence, but she was sure of her ability to defend against him should he attack. And there was an ease about Aiden that reassured her. If he was watchful of her, then that was no more than she was accustomed to about the last few days; and while his physical prowess was considerable, he was no match for her in a hand-to-hand fight.

"I figured you'd kick my butt if I tried anything," he said, smiling as he came to stand on the catwalk a few yards away from her. "Just do it gently, okay?"

Teyla smiled a little. The Lieutenant was hardly the most intimidating of men on the base; and she trusted him. It was enough for her not to call for help.

They made desultory conversation, easily enough, without any stiffness.

Overhead, the sky drifted to a pearly grey and the outlines of the city were becoming clearer by the moment as the moon sunk towards the sea. Would the men in the city attack again, or had they had enough for the night?

Teyla wondered. She also found herself wondering about the 'instincts' the other men had shown around her through the night, and was a little curious.

"What is it like?" She asked at length. "The awareness of...of tinael?" At the look that came over his face, she added, "If you do not feel that you should speak of it..."

Aiden shook his head. "It's...it's just...weird. Like an extra sense, I suppose. A bit like an itch that you want to scratch but know you shouldn't." He must have seen her confusion, because he tried to qualify it. "It's uncomfortable, though..." He paused and grabbed for the railing.

She took an automatic step forward, and stopped. It was difficult to see in the dim light, but his knuckles paled as he tightened his grip around the metal. "Lieutenant?"

"Sorry," he apologised, but didn't let go of the railing. "It comes and goes a bit. Sort of in waves."

Teyla took a step away, but continued to watch him with caution. Then, a wisp of mischief manifested. "Would you rather I knocked you out now or wait until you attack me?"

He laughed, then, half-choking on his amusement. "You know, that's pretty much what's keeping me in line," he admitted. "You'd beat me up now, then the Major would have at me for being up here, and the scientists would find something to laugh at..." Slowly, finger-by-finger, he took his hands off the railing. A faint smile touched his face, "Hey, as prophylactics go, it's a pretty effective one."

She saw the look that came over his face then, slightly abashed, as though he'd said something he shouldn't have. She didn't understand quite what a 'prophylactic' was, but she had her suspicions, and was about to ask, when she saw his expression change.

Even as she spun out of the way, she felt the edge of the stun blast take her in the side, throwing her off-balance. Aiden was not so lucky; she heard his grunt of pain as she ran towards the attacker, tapping her earpiece on.

"Attack on the lookout post!"

"What? Teyla?"

Response to their inquiries was impossible; she was taking in the situation before her.

Her attacker moved out of the shadows, already charging the stunner for another shot. The light fell across the intent expression of Sergeant Bates, only a few yards away.

Teyla later realised she was very fortunate.

Wraith stunners were capable of a steady barrage of force when fully charged. The longer they went uncharged after heavy use, the longer they took to regain enough strength for the next shot.

This stunner had been out all day with the men as they hunted for food for the base, and it had not since been charged. It was the only reason she had enough time to dodge the next shot, even with her left side half-numbed from the first blast. In close quarters and fully capable, she could take him easily, but in distance, with a weapon, and her injury, he had the advantage.

Teyla was well aware of this as she ran towards him.

He swung the now-useless weapon at her, and she ran in to the point where she could use the momentum of his swing to wrench the stunner from his grip. Her left hand could not grip as tight as her right on the barrel of the stunner, but she used it as a pivot and the momentum was enough.

The stunner clattered on the floor a few yards away, and was forgotten as he struck out at her.

His knuckles stung her cheek, and she tried to slam her left hand up, knocking his arm out of the way. This close, she could see the dark hunger in his eyes as he looked at her, the curl of his lip as he brought his arm back down and struck her hard across the head.

Dizzy, Teyla spun and grabbed his arm to haul him around and out, but felt his arm curl around her waist, and lost her grip. A second later, his teeth sank into the join between neck and shoulder and she stiffened, half-arching back against him in protest and pain.

There was a moment when her senses were thrown into confusion. Her body responded to the sensuality of the contact between them, however brutal, and her fingers flexed around his wrist, caught in the act of clenching.

Sanity asserted itself a moment later, and her elbow slammed into his side - enough to loosen his grip around her waist. A moment later, she'd swept his feet out from beneath him and driven her fist into his groin. He yelped and rolled away. One hand grabbed onto a railing to haul himself up. "What's the matter, Teyla?" The way his voice pronounced her name was almost obscene. "Nobody but Sheppard good enough for you?"

He got no further with his insinuations. Her fist took him in the jaw and knocked him unconscious.

Her body stung - especially her left side. Teyla ran an arm over her face as she sat back. Below, she could hear the sounds of another fight taking place in the pearly, greying dawn. She made to stand up, but all the pent-up energy of before seemed to have now deserted her and she could only just rock back on her heels.

"Having fun?"

Pure adrenaline got her up and spun her into a crouch. Even that much movement took its toll on her. If she was now required to fight, it would not be a long battle, but her opponent would not come out of it unscathed.

She almost relaxed when she realised Major Sheppard was bending over the Lieutenant, checking the young man's pulse. Almost. "A little nervous, aren't you?"

"And you do not feel I have good cause?" She nodded towards the Lieutenant. "How is he?"

"Out like a light," he said. "But breathing." He jerked his head towards Sergeant Bates. "Him?"

"Breathing." Since that was all he seemed to be concerned with, she gave him only the most basic of descriptions.

He seemed surprised.

"I would not kill him, Major," she stepped back as he passed her on his way to check the Sergeant, and watched as he pulled a length of rope from his jacket and tied the other man's hands. "He is not an enemy."

With Sergeant Bates restrained, the Major stood and nodded. "Maybe not," he said. "And maybe you should be more wary about who you define as a friend and an enemy."

It was disconcerting to see him conducting himself with such ease, especially when compared to his tension earlier this evening. Or maybe that was just a remnant of her unsettling encounter with Sergeant Bates.

She gathered her thoughts enough to ask, "Do you speak of the Sergeant? Or of yourself?"

A smile twitched across his lips and he opened his mouth to respond. Then he paused and reached a hand up to his ear. "Sheppard here."

It seemed someone was sending on a private channel, and he glanced around. "All clear up here." His gaze fell on Teyla. "Yes, she is. Well, I haven't yet. All right. May I remind you who's the--" His expression grew dark. "That won't be necessary. I'll be down in a minute." Pause. "In. A. Minute." Another pause. "Fine."

She could not help the faint amusement that touched her expression as he tapped the earpiece off. "Dr. McKay?"

"How did you guess?" He asked sourly as he glanced down at the gallery below then back to her. "You'll be okay up here?"

"In truth, it is a relief to be doing something," she said, moving past him to resume her position as lookout.

A light touch on her arm stopped her, and she whirled in automatic response, stepping back. His proximity was not intimidating, but there was too much uncertainty after the last few days for her to be completely comfortable in such close quarters. And at present, she was not at her full strength, and vulnerable.

He held up his hands. "I didn't mean..." A peculiar expression touched his face as his eyes alighted on something. Most likely he had only just seen it in the early morning light. "You've got a...hickey."

One finger lifted, and he slowly reached out towards her until his fingers rested on the join between neck and shoulder - the point at which Sergeant Bates had bitten her. She could not see where his fingers rested, but his expression was plain enough.

She shifted a little, abruptly aware of the speed of her pulse, risen after her brief scare with the Sergeant. In his eyes, anger flared briefly at her rejection of his touch. "It is nothing."

"It doesn't look like nothing," he said. There was a dangerous quiet to his voice as he regarded her.

"Then it is nothing about which you need concern yourself. As you see, I am fine."

Fine, but for the pounding of blood in her ears as his thumb traced down to the hollow at the base of her throat. In just such a way had he touched her, all those months ago when they first met. It had been a gentle touch back then, not quite a caress for they had only just been acquainted.

Now, there was the weight of the last months between them, the familiarity of friendship and companionship, and the intimacy of their sparring in the gym, intense and gratifying as any sexual experience - although vastly different in nature.

Teyla did not like where this was going. She did not like what his expression was showing - and she remembered only too well both Dr. Beckett's warning and Dr. Weir's entreaty.

"Major, I do not wish--" Her attempt to protest was lost against his mouth.

As with Sergeant Bates, Teyla felt a moment of turmoil, lost in the exquisite sensations of desire. Respect and liking complicated her state of mind and body; there was a heat in the lean lines of chest and thigh that pressed against her that matched a hunger in her own. It would be easy to give in to that.

No.

It might be easy to give in, but they would have to live with the choice afterwards.

No. Not like this. In the consciousness of choice, perhaps; but in the heat of the moment, to regret later?

He was friend and trusted team-mate; this was no behaviour she had come to expect from him. She was not immune to the attraction of him: reserve and focus, boyish charm and responsible leadership, but this was nothing more than lust.

She tried to retreat, but he followed, and she felt the wall at her back, solid and cool as he backed her into a corner.

Teyla pushed him away, "John--"

His hands caught her wrists, lean fingers pressing muscle to bone as his mouth came down punishingly hard on hers. She had no room to move and no strength to give her protest potency. He boxed her in, gave her no room to escape or evade, so she took action the only way he allowed her.

He cried out, spitting blood from his lip. A moment later, her head rang with the force of his blow, and she caught his wrist - although not before he gripped her jaw in his hand. "Don't you ever do that again, Teyla," he hissed, and she stared into the gaze of a man hardly rational, dangerously aroused and felt tendrils of fear wind icy around her soul.

Once again, his mouth came down on her, fierce and without mercy, and the wall bit into her shoulder blades as he shoved her against the wall. Her wrists were held, he'd trapped her legs between his, and she had not regained her strength after that last stunner blast.

She was relaxing beneath his hands as much as she could, trying to deceive him into believing she was quiescent. If he lessened his grip, gave her even a little leeway, she could...

Major Sheppard jerked with a sharp inhalation.

Teyla saw the whites of his eyes as he stiffened in pained reaction, then slumped against her, abruptly supine.

Over his shoulder, she met the steady gaze of Dr. Weir, the stunner she'd used on the Major already recharged for the next shot.

Then the other woman swung around as footsteps rang on the stairs.

Dr. McKay burst into the lookout, heedless of any danger to himself, holding a stunner of his own and looking more than a little flustered. "Elizabeth! Are you--" The scientist took one glance at the scene and dropped his weapon, lifting his hands slowly.

"I'm fine, Rodney," Dr. Weir said, her voice rich with amusement.

"Good. I can see that. Oh, and I see that Teyla's fine, too. Good." He paused. "Well, I'll just go back downstairs, shall I?"

"You do that," Elizabeth said.

He turned to go, hesitated, then turned back. "Elizabeth?"

"Yes, Rodney?"

"Remind me never to get you mad."

Then, with a slightly rueful expression, he was gone.

oOo

NOTES: One last chapter and we're done! Thanks for staying with me this far, only a little further to go!