After ten minutes rest, McKay was breathing heavily, but no longer felt as if he was going to pass out at any minute. He realized Sheppard wasn't back yet. Trying not to panic, he looked around to see if Ronon had returned. Long minutes later, he saw movement a few yards away. He pushed back against the tree, wanting to disappear. A dark figure paused then came straight for him.

"Rodney?" Teyla's voice was barely audible.

McKay thought he would cry with relief. He whispered hoarsely. "Where is…"

She knelt down next to him and put her hand on his shoulder. "Rodney, John is fine and will be back soon. I am sorry it took so long."

McKay nodded vigorously. "Good, good. Did we loose them?"

She shifted around so that she could see the paths Sheppard and Ronon would take to rejoin them. Her voice was a little breathless as well.

"Maybe. We will have to wait until daylight to know for sure." She carefully watched their surroundings. A large shadow silently approached. Teyla whispered. "Here is Ronon. Perhaps he has found a place for us to rest until morning."

Ronon looked up at the sky as he squatted next to Teyla. "It'll be dark soon. Where's Sheppard?"

"He is watching for our pursuers and will be along shortly." She peered at the path she had taken.

McKay followed Teyla's gaze then looked at Ronon. "Did you find…?"

"Yes, I think so." He looked up again. "We should leave soon to be sure we're not seen."

A few minutes later, Sheppard quietly appeared in front of them. He squatted next to McKay and looked at Ronon, who nodded. The Colonel spoke softly. "Rodney, I need you to go a little further. Okay?"

"Yeah, okay." McKay took a couple of deep breaths and tried to stand.

When they saw he was having difficulty, Ronon and Sheppard reached out and helped him rise. They all moved out, following Ronon as he began to climb even higher on the mountain. Teyla again trailed a little way behind to ensure they were not followed. Sheppard steadied McKay to prevent him from falling on the slippery rocks.

They were all grateful when Ronon stopped at a long rocky outcrop. Water flowed over it, creating a waterfall. Ronon ducked and disappeared behind the sheet of water. The niche was not deep enough to be considered a real cave, but sufficient to shelter them from the weather and remain relatively dark. Even though the rain was pouring down, it was dry inside.

The Colonel handed his P-90 to Teyla and took off his pack. Then he turned to unhook McKay's pack and settle him against the back wall. The floor was covered in the needles from the trees around the shallow cave, providing insulation from the cold stone floor as well as a cushion. The mud that covered them earlier was almost completely washed away by the deluge over the last mile or so of rocky ground.

Even in the dim flashes of lightening, Sheppard could see McKay was pale, and had felt him shivering with cold for some time. Ronon and Teyla hovered close by, alternately watching them and the forest near their shelter.

They were all cold. It was summer and the day was warm, but the constant rain leeched the heat from their bodies. The unrelenting exertion of the last twenty-four hours had drained them even further.

"Let's get this off you, Rodney. It'll be easier to get warm."

He knelt next to the exhausted McKay and helped him out of his vest and jacket then pulled an emergency blanket from the vest. He wrapped it around the shivering man then pulled out a rain poncho and draped it over the shiny material. He dug around in the pockets of McKay's vest again and found an energy bar. After tearing open the wrapper, Sheppard pushed it into his hands.

"Eat this. You'll feel better." Sheppard spoke softly, concern in his eyes and voice. He peered closely at his friend in the near dark. "You gonna be okay?"

"Thanks." McKay nodded and began to eat the bar. "I'm alright. I'm good."

The Colonel smiled. "Good. We're going to stay here for a few hours and rest."

"They won't find us, will they?" McKay took another bite, looking at the waterfall.

"No, looks like they've settled in for the night." Sheppard moved McKay's pack to make it a pillow and helped him lay down. "I want you to get some sleep. Don't worry, we'll keep watch."

McKay nodded and, with one last look at the outside, he finished the bar and closed his eyes. Sheppard was sure he was asleep in seconds, but waited next to him to be sure. He gently laid his hand on McKay's shoulder. After a few minutes, he felt the shivering stop and breathing slow to normal.

Sheppard stood up and took off his own wet vest and jacket. He pulled a poncho over his head in hopes of retaining some body heat. Teyla followed suit.

He went over to Teyla and Ronon. "It looks like they pitched camp in some kind of shelter over to the west. It puts them more than a few miles from us."

"When we changed direction to move toward the cave, we left the natural path. That was some time ago, and the rain will have erased any trace of us." Teyla said hopefully. "They may not realize which way we have gone."

Ronon kept watching outward. "I would have trouble finding us, even in the daylight."

"They probably feel that we will eventually have to come down. Dinmar said these mountains were almost impassible." Teyla offered. "And, we have to go by the town get to the Gate."

"Well, I hope they don't figure out we're headed for the cave, but we have to assume they will." Sheppard spoke so softly Teyla and Ronon had to strain to hear him. They looked out at the quickly darkening night. It would be pitch black very soon.

"I don't know why you want to do this. They will try to kill us if they find us." Ronon growled.

"Ronon, most of these people do not wish to harm us." Teyla spoke firmly. "If we can repair the weapon, they will see we are allies, and the Genii will be discredited."

"Yeah." Sheppard sipped from his canteen. "Anyway, we need to get a look at this thing, no matter what."

Ronon exhaled heavily. "We shouldn't be too far from it. Do you really intend to climb up there?"

"I don't know. I'll be able to tell more when the sun comes up." Sheppard reached out to put his hand in the waterfall. "Looks like the rain is slacking off."

"Yes, it is." Teyla pulled the flimsy poncho close around her. "You will not climb if it is still raining, will you?"

"It'll depend." The Colonel stopped her before she could protest. "I'll take first watch. You two get some sleep."

They didn't move for a moment. Sheppard checked his watch and glanced outside. "Look, I'll wake one of you in a couple of hours. It's an order."

As Teyla and Ronon settled down, Sheppard squatted next to McKay. He gently rested his hand on the astrophysicist's chest and then his forehead. Satisfied that he was warming up and sleeping soundly, Sheppard went back to the edge of their little cave and sat down. Except for the diminishing rain and the sound of snoring, it was quiet.

He knew he should need to fight off sleep, but he didn't. His mind would not stand still. The Genii had been here, and were whipping up enough hatred for at least some of the locals to want to kill them. The bounty was a frightening wrinkle, too. If they lived through this, they would need to tread very carefully in the future. Now, he had to get everyone out of this without using deadly force. Sheppard wasn't willing to start shooting unless there was no other option. They needed to get to the Ancient's machine and fix it.

----------

Four hours later, Sheppard stood up and carefully tapped the bottom of Ronon's boot with his own. He'd gotten up a couple of times to stretch tightening muscles, and checked McKay's condition once. The rain stopped completely halfway through his watch, and the waterfall that hid them was no more than an annoying drip.

Ronon slowly stood up, a low groan escaping him as he moved. He, too, was feeling the effects of their long flight. They walked outside and talked quietly.

"Anything?" Ronon pulled out an energy bar and wolfed it down in two bites as he looked around. Even with eyes adapted to it, they found it was nearly impossible to see anything in the darkness.

"No, no movement or sound. I'm gonna get some sleep." Sheppard blinked wearily. "Wake up Teyla in a couple of hours."

Sheppard turned to go back inside. As he turned, Ronon grabbed his arm and looked at his watch. "You let me sleep too long."

"I needed to think." The Colonel yawned and went inside. He squatted next to a snoring McKay, gently shook his shoulder and whispered. "Rodney, roll over, you're snoring."

The scientist mumbled and did has he was told. Sheppard chuckled and lay down in the spot Ronon had just vacated. He rested his hand on his P-90 and was asleep in seconds.

----------

A gentle vibration on Sheppard's wrist woke him four hours later. He slowly opened his eyes then sat up. McKay was still on his side, breathing evenly. He could see dim sunlight outside of their little shelter. Teyla and Ronon were standing at the mouth. They both turned to watch him as he got up, pulled off his poncho and stuffed it into his vest.

"The sun will be up soon." Ronon said quietly.

Sheppard took a mouthful of water from his canteen and swirled around it in his mouth. "Any movement below?"

"Not that we can tell." Teyla looked down the hill.

"I can check it out." Ronon offered.

Sheppard shook his head as he ducked under the overhang and stepped into the open. He was pleased to see nearly clear sky when he looked up. Immediately, he searched upwards for the cave. The slope was steep and hazardous, the tree-line just yards away. Being careful of where he was stepping, he moved between the rocks and trees as he studied at the cliff above them. After a couple of minutes he stopped and pulled out his binoculars. Ronon and Teyla watched him peer through them for a long time, moving them up and down and side to side. Finally, he put the binoculars away and came back to them.

"How are you going to get McKay up there?" Ronon folded his arms over his chest. Teyla quickly checked to see if McKay was awake.

"I'm hoping I won't need to." Sheppard nodded as he stooped to get under the overhang again. He knelt next to his backpack and opened it. After emptying it out and rummaging around for a moment, he leaned over and shook McKay's shoulder. The astrophysicist jerked awake and groaned.

"What happened? Where are we?" He sat up with effort and looked around. He suddenly remembered where they were. "What's wrong? Did they find us?"

"Shh. No, Rodney. They haven't found us." Sheppard grabbed McKay's pack and opened it, as well as Teyla and Ronon's. He started rearranging the gear. "The sun's coming up. We have to get moving."

McKay rolled to his hands and knees. He groaned again. "I can't get up."

"You'll feel better once you have moved around a little." Teyla walked over and helped him to his feet. "The rain has stopped and the sun is coming out."

McKay pulled off the poncho and silvery emergency blanket. Then he turned to look for his vest. "I need food."

Sheppard handed him an MRE then a canteen as Teyla began to fold the discarded garments. McKay ate and drank in silence for a minute, watching Sheppard pull two thick coils of brightly colored rope, a smaller blue coil and a few other things he didn't recognize out of the packs and rearrange them.

"What're those?" He asked between bites. Teyla watched with interest.

"Carabiners, wedges, belays, a pulley and harnesses." Sheppard held up each as he named them before putting them in his pack. There were a couple of figure eight belays devices, about one and a half dozen D-shaped carabiners, and an equal number of metallic wedges of varying sizes, each with a long cord loop attached to them. He finished repacking the gear, lastly shoving one of the harnesses into McKay's pack.

"Where did they come from?" The astrophysicist asked quickly. "Wait. Why are you putting that in my pack?"

"They're part of the search and rescue gear. Remember?" Sheppard glanced up at him. "It's a harness, Rodney. I only need one, and we can't leave it lying around. Teyla and Ronon's packs are already full enough."

"It is very light, Rodney." Teyla handed Sheppard the neatly folded poncho and blanket. He put them in McKay's vest pockets.

"So, you really intend to get to try to get to the cave?" McKay mumbled with a full mouth.

"Yes."

After finishing the food, McKay slowly squatted down again and checked his equipment. The data pad and sensors were well wrapped and dry. He noted with relief that they worked when turned on. He carefully put them in his pack again and stood up, using Teyla and the wall for support.

He watched Sheppard for a moment, noting the amount going into the pack. "How the hell are you going to carry all of that? It must weigh, what, fifty or sixty pounds!"

"About fifty. I'll be using it as I go, Rodney. And, I can anchor it on the wedges on the way and haul it up." Sheppard glanced up at them with a grin. "There are ways."

Sheppard finished with the gear and strapped one large coil of rope onto the bottom of his pack. He then emptied the front pockets of his vest, pushing some things into his already full pack and handing others to Teyla. He held up his jacket and she took it. She knelt down and tucked the jacket inside her pack with the other things he handed her. When he came to the spare ammunition clips for his sidearm, he paused, packed one then handed one the others to Teyla.

"What are you doing?" McKay took a long drink from his canteen to wash down the second energy bar.

"I'm gonna need to drop the vest and pack when I start climbing, so I'm taking only what I can carry up." He turned back to Ronon. "Any sign of them?"

Ronon came in and looked down at Sheppard. He shook his head. "Nothing. Yet."

Sheppard handed McKay his gear then stood and shrugged into his vest. Ronon helped him clip on the full pack while Teyla helped McKay into his vest and pack. Ronon helped Teyla clip on hers then slung his bag over his shoulder.

"Okay, we're pretty close to the cave. We can go part way up the debris field together then I want you guys to go find a good position. Once I get to the wall, there's only two-hundred fifty feet or so to climb. It shouldn't take me more than a couple of hours if the route is decent. You're going to need to protect yourselves and be close enough to watch my back."

"They're going to be able to see you!" McKay looked at Teyla and Ronon with a deep frown. He turned to Sheppard. "You'll be completely exposed up there. They'll know where we are!"

"I'm sure they'll figure it out anyway, Rodney. That's why I want you to find a good position." Sheppard turned to the overhang and ducked out. The others followed, McKay moving stiffly. "Look, there's a good four hundred yards of heavy terrain to get over and they are still miles away. You'll have the high ground and should be able to hold them off easily."

"I very much doubt they have more than three or four weapons and very little ammunition. The Genii are not willing to give anyone too much power." Teyla looked back at the direction from which they came the night before. "And, the weapons would be very primitive compared to our own."

Sheppard tapped his radio. "Just keep in contact."

They left the overhang, climbing out of the trees and into the open. Each looked the worse for wear. Bruises and scraps gave evidence of the grueling day of flight.

Carefully picked their way through the landslide, they tried to keep out of sight while moving as quickly as possible. At one point, they came across a small stream of rainwater runoff in the rocks. After tasting it, they drank deeply and filled almost empty canteens. It was going to be a long, hot day.

When this side of the mountain came down millennia ago, it left a wide, sloping field of huge slabs and boulders peppered with smaller rubble. It was more settled and easier to navigate than the newer slide on the other face would have been for them. As it was, they all found it very difficult to remain on their feet. To help him pick up speed, Ronon quickly relieved McKay of his pack.

The Colonel stopped about a hundred yards from the cliff-face and pulled out his binoculars again. The mouth of the cave was not large, only about twelve feet wide and six or seven high. It was an irregular, rectangular opening. He turned to search behind them and to the west. The others also scanned the trees and hills below for signs of movement.

"I don't see anything moving, but the forest is pretty dense. We have to assume they're still coming. Let's just hope they aren't too close." Sheppard said quietly then turned to look up at the cliff face. He searched from the bottom to the cave mouth in slow sweeps for several minutes. "Okay, looks like there's a decent route. I'll have to go up a little to the right and then cross over."

"Are you sure you want to do this?" McKay looked up at the seemingly sheer cliff.

"Well, not really, but I don't think we have any choice right now." Sheppard handed Teyla his binoculars. He looked around at where they had paused then at Ronon and Teyla. "This looks like a defensible position. If you want to find a better one, go ahead. Just let me know where you are."

"No, this will be fine." Ronon assessed their surroundings then looked up at the cliff.

Teyla glanced up as well. "John, be careful."

"Piece of cake." Sheppard gave McKay his P-90, but looked at all three of them. "Just don't shoot anyone unless you absolutely have to. Most of these people want to be allies. I don't want to blow that."

He took a deep breath and headed off. McKay continued to watch him as Teyla and Ronon turned to search for the Falnons.

----------

The Colonel neared the base of the cliff and looked for the first handhold. When he was satisfied with his position, he took off the pack and vest and pulled on the harness. He quickly ate a couple of energy bars and drank some water as he arranged ropes, wedges and the other climbing paraphernalia on the harness. Once he finished, he stuffed his vest, jacket and pack into a gap in the rocks.

He stood up again and scanned the sheer wall above. His mind was running through the features he had seen through the binoculars. After a minute, Sheppard rolled his shoulders and took a couple of deep breaths in an effort to push away the fatigue and aching in his whole body. Then, he dried his already sweating hands on his pant legs and reached up.

----------

"Rodney, Elizabeth gave us forty-eight hours to check in again. We will not be missed until then." Teyla used the binoculars to search for their pursuers.

Ronon leaned on one of the boulders, seemingly relaxed, though his eyes never stopped wandering. "Do you see Sheppard yet?"

McKay turned back to look for the Colonel. Even though he was going uphill, Sheppard occasionally disappeared for a few minutes at a time as he scrambled around and over the rocks. They knew it would take him some time to get over the hundred or so yards to the base of the cliff and prepare to climb. It was more than half an hour before they saw him ascending the wall.

"I see him." McKay squinted in the glare of the rising sun. He shielded his eyes with his hand. "Yeah. Yeah. Can I have the binoculars?"

The others quickly turned to look as well. It took them a moment to find Sheppard. Teyla watched for a few seconds then handed the binoculars to McKay and went back to her search with Ronon. They did not expect to see the Falnons for at least two or three hours, but did not want to be surprised.

McKay watched for a minute then moved the glasses around to find the cave. He frowned. "Why is he climbing there? He's going to miss it by a mile."

Ronon glanced at the cliff. "He said it was the best…route. He will make his way across when he is closer."

The astrophysicist seemed satisfied with the answer and fell silent.