Chapter 2

Rone and Rodney quickly ran into the Flyer and took off cloaked, in the direction of the cave system. Rone expected other Makina agents were taking her there. He had contacted the ASC and informed them of the situation. The rest of AS: 2, Col. Akusi and Sgt. Dura (transferred after Gallata's promotion), and AS: 4 were on their way.

"What do they want with Anirul?"

"Makina sometimes takes hostages, or if they are deemed to have information they want, Makina… tortures it out of them."

"We will reach them in time?"

"We should. They'd have to be on foot being as they use as little technology as possible. They probably expect to have time."

"It was an ambush; back at the house… they wanted me…"

"Yes, and they used Anirul to get to you, she really didn't have a reason to send for you. I thought it was odd."

"Oh, well then."

A few miles later they spotted Anirul and her captors. They were walking through a ravine, Anirul being led by one man, another one behind her, and one leading the whole group. The last man had a bandage wrapped around his bleeding arm. She seemed to be okay, she was walking anyway.

"Hawat must have hit that one…Dr. McKay, this is the plan. I'm going to land a little ways ahead and then we are going to ambush them."

Rodney did not like this idea at all, "Why don't you just use those weapons that worked so well before?"

"I don't want to risk hitting her."

McKay didn't want to risk it either.

Chief Belacu landed the Flyer as he said and gave McKay a personal cloaking device, one of the same devices that the Tialys Avenue teams use off world.

"I have programmed them so we will be able to see each other."

McKay looked at it and was wary of using it. It looked too much like the personal shield he found back in Atlantis that he used to throw the generator through the Gate for the black energy-sucking entity. Rone saw his hesitation; he put the device on his shirt and promptly disappeared. Rodney followed suit, and he could indeed see Rone.

Rone ran up to one side of the ravine, Rodney to the other. As the Makina agents came closer with Anirul, Rone signaled to Rodney to move in closer. Rone fired on the man who was leading Anirul, and she fell to the ground for cover. Rodney got the man who was last in line and the one in front. All three men were on the ground, and Rone and Rodney took off their cloaking devices.

Anirul looked quite happy to see them as she stood up, but Rone held his hand out to signal her to stay down. A twig snapped behind him. As he turned around he pulled his knife out of its holster on his belt and threw it with pinpoint accuracy at the hidden Makina agent. He was almost on top of him, with a knife in his hand, poised to strike. But, his cloaking device was on top of his heart, and as Rone's knife passed through it, it shorted out.

Rone untied Anirul's hands and the cloth around her mouth. She was bleeding from a cut above her left eyebrow rather profusely. Rone used the cloth to wipe her face clean, and as his hand passed over the cut it stopped bleeding.

"There, you'll be fine now."

Anirul was sobbing on Rone's shoulder, "They were… and then Hawat... he… he tried to stop them…"

"Shh, it's alright now. He's Ascended."

Anirul sniffed, "What, are you sure?"

"Saw it with my own eyes."

Rodney was standing aside, feeling very uncomfortable, and trying not to interrupt. Anirul calmed down and wiped her face. She seemed to just notice Rodney standing there, went over and gave him a hug.

"Thank you Dr. McKay."

Rodney was taken back at this, and didn't return the hug, at first. But he wasn't going to let a chance to hug a beautiful woman pass him by.

Meanwhile, Chief Belacu fired on the agents McKay stunned, he really wanted them dead. He had kept his own weapon on kill, but switched McKay's to stun because he didn't know how good of a shot he was. He also went over to the agent he threw his knife into, stepped on him for a brace, pulled the knife out of the chest, and wiped off the remains of the cloaking device and blood on the dead man's uniform.

"Let's get out of here." Rone said. "AS: 4 and the rest of AS: 2 can clean this up."

"Good idea." Anirul said as she and Rodney separated.

They climbed into the Flyer, Rone in the pilot's seat, Rodney next to him, and Anirul in the back. She laid down and quickly fell asleep.

-Hmm…The lights are on… "I'm home Hon! I went out and bought some food for dinner. I know I'm a little late; Hawat and Tom are in a meeting so they won't be here for a while yet anyway… Paulus? Hello?" what's going on…(She walked into the living room to see Paulus on the floor, his head bleeding, surrounded by Makina agents…next thing she knew, she was on the floor…in immense pain…) -

"Will she be alright?" McKay asked as he glanced back at Anirul sleeping.

"In a little while. I expect this has trudged up memories of the day Makina attacked at the house in the city."

-"Paulus where are we…"

"I don't know…wait, this is where I proposed to you, remember?"

"Oh yes, there's the tree we sat under, and the field of wildflowers. But how did we get here?"

A woman appeared in front of them, dressed in a nice suit like outfit. "I brought you. My name is Oma Desala."-