Chapter 34

There were times when John Sheppard loved his job and loved the fact that he was out here in the Pegasus Galaxy, it was a refreshing change and he met great people. Another Wraith ship passed overhead, it sounded so low that he instinctively ducked and kept low to the ground only looking up when he heard it getting fainter. He stood up and carried on down the path. Then there were times that he hated his job and hated the Pegasus Galaxy. Mainly because of the Wraith, the blue guys who would sooner suck the life out of you than look at you. The stargate was in sight, but he knew as soon as he dialled into Atlantis the sight alone would attract them so he had to work fast.

The gate seemed much more visible under the pale glow of the moonlight; the land surrounding it was open and made it seem much bigger and lighter, which gave Sheppard an advantage. He slipped out his binoculars and knelt down, scanning for a good area by the gate which would help conceal him if the Wraith arrived at his position before he could even run back into the forest after closing down the gate. He spotted a few rocks; Sheppard lowered them and squinted to look at them with his own sight. It was a rough estimation but they should help him, or at least shield him some unless the ships were equipped with those beams because then he was screwed. One more look through the binoculars, then he put them into his pocket and looked at his watch. He'd been trying to time the Wraith ships while he was running, to see if they had a specific pattern but it seemed like they were randomly searching which meant there was a good chance they still hadn't found them. Then again, what did he know about Wraith logic?

Sheppard scanned the sky once more then got to his feet, heading for the gate at a dead run and skidding to a halt at the DHD. He worked quietly, punching in the memorised symbols and getting ready to send his IDC. The gate lit up as the final chevron locked into place and he knew he'd have to work quickly. "Atlantis, this is Major Sheppard. We have a slight problem here but we're working to resolve it." He paused, his blood running cold as he heard the whine of the ship closing in.

"John what…" Elizabeth Weir's voice came over the radio but he pressed the button twice to deactivate it and shut down the gate, his legs took over his brain and he lunged himself behind the chosen rocks as the ship passed overhead at a low altitude. It felt so low, that it could have blown him off his feet. He peeked over the top to see the ship had carried on its course. Now all he had to do was get back to Teyla and the others. There was a low rumble, which caused him to look back at the gate. "What the…?" he muttered softly to himself.

--

Peter Grodin stared at Weir completely bewildered. "What was all that about?" he asked. She had her arms folded, her mind at work and formulating a plan. "Sheppard said something about the Wraith, I have to assume that they're under attack."

"That makes no sense, if they were why wouldn't they simply come back through the gate?" Grodin asked.

"He didn't have enough time," Weir replied looking back to their own gate, she had been worried before but this message only increased it further. Her gaze became distant for a moment then she turned to Grodin. "Have Sergeant Bates get a security team together, we're sending them backup."

"He would've requeste…"

"This is not open for discussion Peter, I can't leave my people out there facing God knows what." Weir unfolded her arms and rested her hands on the table, leaning in and giving him a stern look. 'Contact Bates." He swallowed and did as ordered, within moments Bates and four of his best men were assembled in the gateroom, awaiting further instructions. She stood at the window and glanced to Grodin. "Dial the gate."

He set up the sequence but when it came to initialising it didn't do anything. It was more show than tell. The gate lit up then failed. Weir turned back to him. 'What's wrong?" she asked patiently.

"The gate cannot lock onto its location." Grodin tapped the DHD then at the screen of his computer, seeing if that could provide any help.

"What do you mean it can't lock on?" Weir asked.

"The only thing I can think of is that the gate on the other side is busy, a lot like a phone line. You can't dial in to someone else's number if it's already in use." Grodin stared back at the screen in disbelief.

"What do you mean? That the gate is active?"

"That's precisely what I mean, I can't open a wormhole if it's already in use."

Weir closed her eyes briefly as she turned back round to Bates and his men. "Tell them to stand down."

--

The gate became active again; Sheppard half expected it to be Atlantis but he half expected something else entirely. He peeked his head over the rock, looking at the shimmering blue which hurt his eyes for some reason probably because he had adjusted so well to the darkness surrounding him. He waited and waited but nothing came. Then he remembered the sound of the DHD. The Wraith? Were they somehow activating it from this side in order to prevent him from further contact with his people? "Crap," Sheppard muttered getting to his feet once more.

--

Teyla stood up and folded her arms; their situation was growing more and more desperate. Major Sheppard was out in the forest alone and now Doctor McKay's life was in further danger. She wasn't ready to accept defeat and glanced over to Ford who seemed to be thinking the same thing. Offering him a smile, she walked over to the wall and sat back down. Allowing herself a moment's rest and taking in a long deep breath. Beckett moved over to her, then looked round for Kiki. "Teyla, have you seen Kiki?"

"No," she replied looking at Beckett's face, the concern there mirrored her own. Ford listened in.

"She didn't get past me."

"Then she must have gone into the heart of the temple," Teyla said standing up, taking her weapon in her right hand. Beckett stood up, intending to follow her.

"Lead the way," he said quietly.

"You will be all right here?" Teyla asked of Lieutenant Ford. He gave her a nod and muttered a small. "I'm good." She gave him a smile then looked to Beckett; she could not understand why Kiki would run away. Especially since the Wraith were so close.

"Why did Kiki take off?" Beckett asked, he was aiming the question mostly as himself. Teyla knew that phrase thanks to Sheppard and didn't need to ask him to explain further, she looked ahead of her as they walked.

"I am uncertain," she answered.

"She was there just before I tended to Rodney then…" Beckett's words trailed off and he stopped, his face becoming less animated. Teyla looked round with a puzzled look. "Then he passed out, I think she's gone to search for the cure."

"But she does not know that it is here? Not for certain. We are not even sure."

"Aye," Carson answered quietly. "But she heard us talking about the possibility. We need to find her before she locates the room that she found the knife in." His voice became more urgent. "She hasn't got the personal shield to protect her this time."

Teyla didn't need any more prompting; she gave him a nod then carried on walking.