AN: Thank you for the reviews!

Another Virus

Chapter 4

"The Genii? Could this day get any better," John said sarcastically.

"My people and I used to trade with them for herbs and other healing medication," Teyla explained. "Well…that is until we found out they weren't being honest with us."

Rodney folded his arms in disapproval. "Well, trading with them is out of the question," he shuttered at the thought of the wound he had received from one of Koya's men.

"Maybe not," Teyla answered, as a crazy plan entered her mind. It was just crazy enough that it might work.

20 minutes later. Location: The Jumper Bay

"This is insane!" Rodney complained. "Supposing that Teyla does know the location of the herbs, we still could get caught. Whatever happened to the idea that we are never going back there?"

"Relax, McKay, and get in the jumper!" John ordered.

"I will not…I…I'm," Rodney put a hand to his head. "Oh….damn," were the last words he said before sliding to the ground.

John shook his head and looked at Teyla. "How convenient."

It was 4:00 when John, Teyla, and two other military officers left for the Genii planet. They had taken Rodney to the infirmary and then started out on their way.

"How long should this take us?" John asked. "I mean these herbs aren't hard to find…are they?"

"They are not hard to find," Teyla said. "When I used to trade with the Genii, Sora used to take me with them to pick the herbs."

"Where are they located?" Lieutenant Mathews, one of the new guys, asked.

"They are located in the Jungle not far from the Genii's dwelling.

"I hope there aren't spiders," Lieutenant Peterson said.

"Are you scared, Lieutenant?" John asked slightly amused.

"No," the young man said defensively. "I just don't like them Sir. What about you? Rumor has it that you're afraid of large Wraith like bugs."

John turned his head to face Peterson while he still tried to keep the ship steady. "I'm not afraid of anything. Just don't like them."

Teyla smirked. Sometimes the Colonel and the men under him teased each other like children. She kept quiet and instead said, "There are worse things in that jungle."

This shut the two of them up this time,as they continued to head to the jungle. The silence didn't last long, and Teyla was the one to break it.

"So, is there something between you and Doctor Weir?" She couldn't help but ask, and the two Lieutenants tried to keep a straight face but where failing miserably.

Instead of choking like most people would, he almost crashed The Puddle Jumper into a tree.

"Colonel Sheppard!" The three of them yelled, as they were thrown to the side of the ship.

"Uh…sorry," he mumbled trying to steady the ship while hoping to think of a good answer.

"You didn't answer my question."

The two Lieutenants sat back in their chairs and grinned. "This is better than cable,"
Mathews whispered.

"Doctor Weir said you said I needed sparring practice. Is that true?" He looked at her suspiciously.

"I can neither confirm nor deny what I might or might not have said, and don't change the subject," Teyla said seeing through his plan to change the subject.

"Well…nothings really going on. I guess…."

"Are you sure?" Peterson piped up.

"Hey, you shut up," John half teased andhalf ordered. "Or I'll get you for disrespecting a senior officer."

"Yes, sir."

"People are starting to take…I think what you call bets," Teyla said.

John's mouth hit the floor. "Who's taking bets?"

Teyla shook her head. "I can't really say."

"I'm ordering you."

Mathewshad been watching the scene intently and spoke up. "Teyla is not in the military."

"Thank you for that input."

"Anytime."

"Teyla I'm asking you as a friend."

"I think McKay started it," Teyla admitted. "Then some of the scientists, and…military personnel got involved," she said frowning at the two Lieutenant behind her.

"I'll kill him."

"Who?"

"McKay. I should slip something he's allergic to into his food," John said evily.

"Colonel!" Teyla said, as she looked shocked he would even suggest such a thing.

"Calm down, I'm only joking," John said feeling guilty but only for a second. He and McKay were friends despite their talent for annoying each other, but he still vowed to get McKay back some how. Maybe he would even recruit help from a certain curly haired doctor.

"You two act like children," Teyla said finally voicing her opinion.

"That's what Elizabeth says," John said thinking back on Elizabeth in the infirmary.

"I'm sure we'll be able to find the herbs, and she'll get better," Teyla reassured him.

"Yeah, Doctor Weirs a strong person," Mathews said. "I guarantee she'll get better."

"I sure hope so," John said. He couldn't imagine Atlantis without her. Heck, he couldn't even imagine his life without her. That was something we would need to tell her oncethis was all over."So where do you want me to land?" John said seeing them near the Genii's establishment. He felt thankful for the cloaking device. Without it, they would have been seen already.

"Fly beyond the Genii's dwellings and I'll tell you when to land."

They passed the Genii's town, and Teyla told him where to land. The four of them loaded up weapons and empty backpacks for the herbs and other items for the medicine. Then they left the jumper and headed into the jungle.

"Which way do we go?" John asked, as he let Teyla lead the way.

"The Genii's town is behind us, so the herbs are this way," she said heading into the jungle. They followed a dirt covered trail into the semi tropical jungle. They passed many exotic plants and animals. John and the two Lieutenants had never seen anything like it before. Purple and green fuzzy looking creatures hung from the vines and watched them walk by. Huge hibiscus looking plants were scattered here and there along the foliage, and long vines hung from many of the unusual looking trees.

"I wish I had my camera," Peterson said.

"I second that," John said, as they looked around in aw of their surroundings.

"What's a camera?" Teyla asked, as they stopped to stair at the jungle.

"You can take pictures with it," John said.

"So that people can see what you see," Mathews added.

"That's…very interesting," Teyla said still a little confused. "Wait, you guys don't have places like this on earth?"

"No, we do," John said. "It's just our jungle looks much different from this."

"I'm glad you guys could see this," she smiled, as she lead them the rest of the way to the herbs. Teyla stopped them a few seconds later. "We're here." She pulled out the list of plants and herbs Beckett had given her.

List of herbs and plants needed:

Black Stone Berries

Sap from Cartery Tree

Red Fern Blossoms

Purple Harvest Leaves

Brown Platen Bark

Blue Snow Flowers

Orange Mountain Fruits

Oat Peach Berries

There was about ten more items on the list, but Teyla stopped reading and scanned the rest of the list. The quantities of how much of each item they would need were on the list as well.

She looked up at the three of them. "We're going to have a hard job ahead of us."

"I thought you said this wouldn't take us too long," Peterson explained.

"It will take longer than I planed." Teyla sighed.

"Alright," John said. "Let's get to work."

It was seven now and the sky was getting dark. The jungle was also starting to lose light, as the sun went down.

"It's getting pretty dark," John said. "Are we almost done getting everything?"

"We're almost done. One more thing, and we can go."

"What is the last thing we need?" Mathews asked eager to leave the jungle and head back to Atlantis.

"I need some of those vines," Teyla said pointing to some of the vines hanging on the side of a tall tree.

"Save the hardest for last why don't you."

"I was going in order."

"So…who's making the trip up the tree to grab the vines?" John asked.

"I'll go," Teyla said.

"Are you sure?" John said. "Any of us can go."

"I think I'd be the best one for the job," Teyla said. "I just need a boost up there."

"I'd be glad too," Peterson said grinning suggestively.

Teyla rolled her eyes, as she was helped onto the tree. She hung on for a seconds, and then started up the tree.

It was quiet for a few minutes, until John asked, "Are you ok?"

"Yeah…" Teyla called from up above.

John, Mathews, and Peterson stood guard, as Teyla cut off some of the small vines.

"I'm coming down," she told them.

"Colonel, I thought I heard something," Mathews said swinging his gun toward the right.

John and Peterson pointed their guns in the same direction.

John looked around. "I don't hear anything."

Suddenly he heard the ground shake.

"Oh…no," Teyla said sliding down the tree. "We must have tripped some kind of alarm."

"What are you taking about?" John asked feeling like some kind of important information had been withheld from him.

"The Genii used to have alarms around their herbs to make sure no one stole them, but Sora once assured me they had been taken down."

"Oh really," John said. "Was it the same Sora that tried to kill you?"

The sound was closer now. Teyla's eyes darted this way and that. "I suggest we run, now."

"Colonel look out!" Peterson shouted, as a creature covered in this brown goop threw himself onto the back of John's jacket.

"What the hell?" He yelled, as the creature slashed at his back.

Peterson, Mathew, and Teyla started shooting at it like crazy, and John fell over from the creature's weight.

"What the hell is this?" John said apparently having killed it and now trying to stand.

"It's a Carsifer," Teyla said. "Sort of like the guard dog you have back on earth," She added helping him up.

"Why do these scary creatures seem to like me? I think I need to change my aftershave."

"I don't know. But they travel in packs. The rest of them can't be far behind."

John shook the slimy goo; the creature had left behind, off of him and looked up shocked.

"The rest of them?" He, Mathews, and Peterson asked at the same time.

Before Teyla could answer, a sound of loud growling and scampering feet reached their ears.

"Come on!" Teyla said taking off along the path. They ran for their lives down the path. John looked behind him and once he did, he wished he hadn't. Between fifty and one hundred creatures were chasing them. As John ran, he shot and killed a few of them. As they exploded, from the gun shot wound, tiny bits of burned flesh and slim hit the near by trees and plants. John winced, as he turned around and saw them explode. That must have been the most disgusting thing he had ever seen. The creatures saw what happened to their companions and quickened their pace. They snarled and snapped showing their fangs and blood shot eyes.

The four of them reached the ship in record breaking time, and John started it up. Teyla, Mathews, and Peterson continued to shoot at the remaining creatures trying to cling onto the ship. They managed to shoot them all off and shut the doors.

"Go now!" Teyla yelled at John. He pushed a button and with in minutes the ship was in the air. Peterson, Teyla, and Mathews flopped into their chairs tired from their run down the path.

Teyla turned to John. "That was close."

"Too close," John agreed, as the ship sped towards the stargate.

To be continued……

AN: Sorry about the mistakes. There are probably a lot. Anyways, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter. There is only one more left after this one. Review, review, review!

-D