Sweat glued his black t-shirt to his skin within minutes. Sheppard wished he had a bag of powdered chalk to keep his hands dry. The day was going to be hot and steamy, and he frequently found rainwater pooled in the handholds on the way up. He slowly moved from one handhold to the next, occasionally lodging a wedges into one of the many small cracks in the face of the rock. After anchoring the rope to the wedge and testing it would hold his weight in a fall, he would move on.
It was easier going than Sheppard thought it would be, but there was a frequent need to dry his hands. He kept his weight on his legs, even though the muscles burned from the previous day's effort. About halfway up, Sheppard paused to drink some water and rest for a few minutes. He leaned back slightly, wiped his wristband across his forehead and looked around.
From a hundred and thirty feet up, he could see the extent of the side of this mountain falling down. The debris extended hundreds of yards, far into the trees which had grown up through the rubble where they could. He turned slightly and found the rest of his team. Then he looked to see if he could find the Falnons.
After a few minutes, Sheppard saw movement well down the mountain and west a couple of miles. There were still a sizeable number of them, perhaps twenty or twenty-five. He was not happy to see them, but was relieved they had followed Ronon's original heading for a long time, and were hours away. He unclipped his radio from the back of his harness.
"Teyla?" He spoke quietly.
She responded with an equally hushed voice. "Yes?"
Sheppard pointed in the direction of the Falnons. "Somewhere between twenty and thirty, about eight miles to my seven. Can you see them?"
"Stand by." A few minutes passed before she spoke again. "No, we cannot see them yet. Can you tell which way they are going?"
"I think they've figured out where we went. They're looping around in this direction." He watched for another minute. "Yep, they're coming this way."
He heard McKay's voice next. "How long before they get here?"
Sheppard couldn't help chuckling. Leave it to Rodney to get right to the point. "Two or three hours, maybe more. They'll have to cross the newer fall. It's bigger and a hell of a lot rougher than this side. That'll slow them up a bit."
"Okay. Shouldn't you get moving again?"
"Yeah." He took one more long around the entire area. "I don't see any other movement, but keep your eyes open. I'll check in when I get up to the cave."
"Be careful." McKay said with feeling.
Sheppard smiled and readied himself to start off again.
----------
McKay was leaning forward on a boulder, binoculars glued to his eyes. His jacket was draped over her head to protect him from the sun. They had been waiting for almost an hour since Sheppard contacted them. Once the sun cleared the trees, the air and rocks warmed quickly. It was difficult to stay awake in the heat and bright sunshine. Even Ronon and Teyla were finding it difficult to stay alert. Ronon's voice startled him.
"Where is he?" Ronon did not turn to look. He and Teyla maintained their vigil.
McKay had been watching the Colonel the entire time. He was fascinated by the almost rhythmic motion. Sheppard would climb three or four times his height, pause to secure the rope to the rock, dislodge the previous anchor and take in the slack then climb again. Over and over again, this little dance was played.
"He's right under the mouth of the cave. Only another fifty feet or so." He suddenly straightened, his jacket falling to the ground. "Oh, God!"
Both Teyla and Ronon whipped around. It was easy to pick the Colonel's black t-shirt out against the dun colored cliff. He was swinging slightly and scrambling to get a handhold again. After a few moments, they saw him move upwards a few feet. Then he stopped. A minute or two later, he waved with one hand then started climbing again. Teyla looked at McKay, who was visibly shaken.
"I am sure he is alright, Rodney. He seems to be moving easily enough." Teyla smiled reassuringly. Both she and Ronon were taking turns watching the direction the group Sheppard spotted and scanning the entire tree-line. Now, they stole worried glances at the cliff every two or three minutes. They were tired enough, so they knew Sheppard had to be near exhaustion.
"Damn. I thought for sure he was going to fall." McKay lowered the binoculars and exhaled heavily. He wiped his face with the back of his hand and brought the glasses back to his eyes. His heart kept pounding for several minutes. It was enough to keep him awake and alert until the Colonel reached the cave thirty minutes later.
----------
Sheppard leaned back on his anchor and looked up. He had crossed from his ascent route. Now he was directly under the mouth, about fifty feet below it. He turned to look for the men on their trail. They were still a good three or four miles away. The terrain was difficult and slowed them considerably.
The sun-warmed cliff was getting to be almost too hot to touch. He was sweating profusely and finding it hard to keep his hands dry. He wiped them on already damp clothes and waved them around in an attempt to dry them. Giving it up as a lost cause, Sheppard carefully reached up for the next hand hold. He felt for the most secure places before pulling and pushing himself up a few feet.
This time knew he would fall as soon as he put weight on his next grip. He did not have his feet properly positioned in time. Straining fingers slipped off the tiny ledge and he fell until he dangled on the rope anchored to the last wedge placed in the rock wall. He swore through clenched teeth as the abrasive surface scraped skin from his arms and hands as he tried to stop falling and steady himself. He started upwards again, wondering how he could have possibly thought this was a good idea.
Sheppard was grateful when he finally hauled himself into the mouth of the cave. After pausing to catch his breath and swallow some water, he sat on the edge and unclipped his radio. He looked out at the landscape below him.
"Teyla? Rodney?"
McKay responded quickly. "Are you okay?"
The Colonel glanced at his arms. The abrasions weren't bad, but stung as the sweat ran though them.
"Yeah, just a few scratches." He leaned forward slightly to watch the approaching Falnons. "Our new friends are getting closer. You have maybe an hour before they're in range of the P-90s."
"Yes, we have been watching them closely." Teyla responded. "Do you see any others?"
"No…wait." Sheppard scanned the area again then saw movement in the distance. "There's a handful of people some distance out, maybe six or seven miles behind. They are headed in this direction, though."
"Have you found the machine?" McKay asked.
"I'm just going to look. I'll let you know what I find." He rolled back and stood up as he unclipped the harness and wiggled out of it. The cave was dark after the bright sunlight outside. It took several minutes for his eyes to become accustomed to it. He pulled a small flashlight out of a bag hanging from the harness and cautiously walked into the darkness.
When he found the machine, Sheppard was not surprised by it. The squat device was similar to the one they found on M7G-677, but more massive. It seemed older, too. He could not see what the problem was, though. There was no rubble in the cave, no sign of any damage. Apart from being covered in a thick layer of dust, the machine itself seemed unharmed.
He worried that the ZPM might be depleted. As he brushed the dust away, the top of the device rose with a hiss. The Ancient power source glowed brightly. Sheppard frowned at it. He touched the cover and it descended again. Nothing happened. He rested his hand on it for several seconds, but knew it wasn't going to work.
Rodney was not going to like this.
----------
"What! You want me to do what?" McKay's voice was rising.
Teyla and Ronon both shushed him in alarm.
Sheppard's voice came over the radio again. "Rodney, not so loud."
"I just knew you were going to expect me to come up there!" The astrophysicist hissed into his radio.
"You have to. I don't see anything wrong with it and the ZPM isn't dead." Sheppard exhaled heavily. "Rodney, I can't fix it. You have to come up here."
"I don't know how to climb!" McKay tried not to whine. "I'm not good with heights. You know that."
Ronon and Teyla listened to the exchange in silence as they watched the mob in the distance.
""I know, Rodney." Sheppard spoke gently, knowing this was going to be very difficult for McKay to do. "Look, we don't have time to argue. I'll do all the work. You just have to hang on for the ride."
"I can tell you what to do. You can fix it." McKay said with what he knew was vain hope. He glanced at Teyla and Ronon then back up at the cliff.
"You know you're the only one that can fix it, Rodney."
"What about using a Jumper?"
"The Jumper can't come through the Gate because of the pillars. Besides, it would be stranded when you repair the machine." Teyla said quietly.
Sheppard was sympathetic, but worried about the dwindling amount of time they had. "Don't worry, I won't drop you."
McKay whimpered then hung his head for a moment. "Alright."
Sheppard exhaled in relief. "Good. Bring your pack and come to the cliff directly below the cave. I'll get ready."
Teyla spoke into her radio. "Do you want us to stay here?"
There was a moment's silence. "No, I need you to help Rodney. And, I could use my P-90 to cover you."
----------
When they arrived at the base of the cliff, a rope with two loops at the end dangled there. Each loop had a carabiner tied on the end. McKay looked up and gulped in dread.
"Rodney?" Sheppard's voice made him jump.
"Don't do that!" McKay was breathing heavily from his scramble over the rocks. "We're here. What do I do?"
"Get the harness out of…"
"I knew it!" McKay muttered through clenched teeth. "You knew you were going to get me up there!"
"No, I hoped I wouldn't have to ask you to do this." Sheppard winced. He didn't want McKay agitated for this. It was going to be hard enough with him as calm as possible. "Ronon, get out the harness then attach his pack and my P-90 to the rope. Rodney, while I haul it up, put on the harness. You can do this."
Ronon set the backpack on a boulder and fished out the harness. He handed it to McKay and tucked the weapon inside. Then he hooked the pack onto the rope and gave it a tug. It quickly moved up the rock. He stuffed his coat in between a couple of boulders then took up a position to watch for the Falnons.
"Rodney?" Sheppard spoke quietly as he hauled up the pack.
"What?" McKay was obviously anxious.
"Turn your radio on vox so you can talk to me hands free."
McKay nodded and fumbled with his radio. "Okay. Now what?"
"Listen. I'll pull you up. Hang onto the rope with both hands. Use your legs to steady yourself. You can lean back a little, but not too much. The closer your center of gravity is to the rock face, the better. Okay?"
As the Colonel talked, Teyla helped McKay into the harness, carefully checking the buckles and making sure it was snug before slipping his vest back on.. Several minutes later, the rope reappeared, the carabiners clinking against the rock. An extra carabiner was hanging from the rope. A wedge was attached to it by a foot long strap.
"Hook the carabiners onto the harness." Sheppard instructed. "Rodney, you can use the wedge to anchor yourself if we need to take a break. You'll need to find a crack in the rock for it, but just let me know if you want to rest. Okay?"
Teyla clipped the rope and anchor to the harness and gave another tug.
"Rodney?" Sheppard took up the slack in the rope.
The scientist just nodded. He was pale. Teyla touched his arm.
"Yes, yes." He nodded again then looked up. "Oh, God. I'm going to die."
Teyla and Ronon looked away, trying to keep a straight face.
Sheppard cleared his throat. "Not today. I won't let you fall, I promise."
McKay sighed heavily. He looked at Teyla and Ronon then up towards Sheppard.
"Right, okay, I'm ready." He stood at the cliff, feeling for handholds.
"Rodney, look straight ahead, not up or down." Sheppard said softly. "Hang onto the rope."
"Right. Yes, sorry." McKay grabbed the rope with both hands.
As Sheppard began to pull, McKay let go of the rope for a moment to grab for the rock. Teyla steadied him and he grabbed the rope again. His feet scrambled in an effort to find traction. Soon, he was out of her reach and on his way up. She watched for a minute then turned her attention to the group of men closing the gap between them.
Ronon glanced at her then up at McKay. "Sheppard?"
"Go." The Colonel's voice revealed the strain of his task. "Both of you. Go to channel two on the radio. We'll stay on one."
Ronon grinned at Teyla. They split up and moved towards their pursuers.
----------
"Rodney?"
"What?" McKay stopped moving upward. He grasped the rope as tight as he could and looked up. The action made the rope sway a little. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing." Sheppard was breathing heavily. "I need to reposition myself, so I want you to find a crack and stick the wedge in it. Okay?"
"The what? Wait. You want me to let go?" McKay's voice had the edge of panic. "You want to let go?"
"It'll be fine. The wedge is that hunk of aluminum hooked to your harness, remember? Will you find a place to anchor yourself, please?"
McKay felt for the cord. He was dismayed at the relatively small size of the wedge and its light weight. He looked around for a crack in the surface. "There may be something about five feet up. Can you…?"
He started to move again with a small jerk. A minute later, he spotted a likely site. "Stop. Here. Don't let go yet!"
"I won't." Sheppard waited for a moment. "Does the wedge fit?"
McKay pushed the wedge into the split in the rock and pulled down on it. He took a couple of deep breaths. "Yeah, I think so."
"Good. Now put your weight on it. Don't worry, I'm still holding you."
"Okay, okay. Let me try it." McKay tugged on the cord attached to the wedge a couple of times. Then he moved to take his weight off the rope, putting all of it on the wedge. He took a couple more deeps breaths, holding the cord tightly. "What if it falls out?"
"I just need a foot or so of slack for a minute. I still have you. Ready?"
"No, not really, but go ahead." The astrophysicist screwed his shut tight.
Sheppard locked the rope on the belay device attached to his harness. If anything were to happen, the pulley on the upper rim of the cave would stop him. It was anchored to the rock with three wedges. And, he had backup safety by means of a rope that secured his harness to another anchor behind him. He was grateful for the amount of equipment sent through the Gate. It made the climb and getting McKay up here a good deal easier than it might have been.
He arched his back and rolled his shoulders, trying to relieve the burning in his muscles. Then, he picked up his canteen and swallowed a mouthful. He was almost afraid to look at his hands. The calluses had not afforded him much protection. A couple of the blisters were broken and beginning to bleed. He would have to wait for the meager medical supplies in McKay's vest to do anything about them. After waiting for his breathing to get back to normal, he took the slack off the rope again.
"Rodney?"
McKay opened his eyes and looked up. "Yes? What's wrong?"
"Nothing. Can you tell me where the Falnons are?"
"Okay." Try as he might, McKay could not turn his head enough to see them. He let go of the cord and carefully put his hands on the hot stone. He slowly twisted until he could see the group of men. They were almost in range, even for their more primitive weapons. It took him a little longer to find Teyla and Ronon. They were almost a hundred yards away.
"You need to hurry. They'll be in range real soon." He turned back to face the cliff and looked up. The fear of possible gunfire and his exposed position was greater than his fear of heights. He tugged on the rope. "Can you go faster?"
Sheppard braced himself to take McKay's weight again. "I'll try. You need to help."
"Help? How?"
"Make like you're Batman, Rodney."
----------
Teyla shook her head at Ronon's glee as he started to work his way down the slide again. She took a slightly different tack so that they would flank the approaching men. They would only need to keep them out of range and busy until McKay was in the cave.
Ronon was close, she knew. The two of them planned a course of action early, before the Colonel woke up. They immediately knew he would want McKay to try repairing the machine as soon as he said he would climb up there. The strategy was simple. They would be far enough apart to flank the group of men, but close enough to cover each other. They also needed to stay near to the cliff to protect the cave.
She looked back at the cliff to see how far up Sheppard had been able to haul McKay. She was quite surprised by the progress when she saw he was halfway there. And, he was doing remarkably well. He seemed to be walking up the rock in kind of a crouch. Peculiar, but apparently effective. Teyla could not help smiling. She had been impressed by how easily Sheppard coaxed him into it. Rodney must be very tired.
She turned and saw Ronon point to the second, smaller group of men hurrying to catch the first. They were still too far to be sure, but Teyla thought that Boslin and Matteus were among them. She nodded then focused on the main group. They would be in range of the cave in less than thirty minutes.
As planned, Ronon stood and aimed his weapon. "Stop."
Teyla scrambled up so that she could be seen but had cover. She flicked off the safety. "I suggest you do as he says."
"Why should we?" A very large, middle-aged man demanded. "You woke the Wraith. The Genii will give us weapons and protection in exchange for you."
"How many have they given you so far?" Ronon asked evenly. "On my planet, we had thousands of soldiers and weapons. It didn't matter. Only three hundred of my people survived."
The men looked at each other. They were all weary and disheveled from the chase. The big man and two others held rifles. The others had knives and farm implements, and not much more.
"There are only two of you." The leader sneered. "You can't hold us all off."
Teyla turned her weapon just a little away from the crowd. She squeezed the trigger just long enough to fire half a dozen rounds then aimed at the large man. They all jumped and many dodged behind boulders.
----------
McKay lost his footing when the sound of the shots reached him. The sudden movement caused the rope to pull through Sheppard's hands and he swore viciously. He was far enough in the cave for the sound to have been muffled slightly. He knew what happened.
"Damn it, Rodney!" He struggled to loop the rope on the belay to lock it in place. "Don't do that!"
"They're shooting!" McKay steadied himself and turned as far as he could, to look. Then he realized that this was possibly delaying him getting to safety. "Oh, God, hurry, pull me up!"
"Rodney, that was Teyla's P-90. Can you see them?" Sheppard's voice was calm. "Tell me what you see."
McKay carefully looked around again. "The Falnons aren't moving. Some of them are hiding, but they're not moving. It looks like Teyla and Ronon have them covered."
"Okay, Teyla was probably just showing them we have more firepower." Sheppard gingerly wiped his hands on his already dusty, sweaty trousers. "Get ready. We can't expect them to hold those guys for long."
McKay steadied himself and looked up. "Okay, I'm ready."
Sheppard loosened the rope and began pulling again.
----------
"We are trying to repair the machine. Isn't that better than any weapons the Genii are willing to give you?" Teyla said angrily.
"How can it be repaired?" One of the other men spoke up. "It was damaged generations ago, when the side of the mountain fell away."
"Rodney has worked with the Ancestors' machines for a long time. He knows more about them than anyone else." Teyla's tone became more diplomatic. "And, Col. Sheppard said it did not appear damaged."
"Pollus, it would not hurt for us to let them try to repair it." Another of the men
"The Genii are our allies, Abel. These people woke up the Wraith."
"The Wraith were already culling worlds. Sadeta was destroyed seven years ago, long before these people came here." Ronon growled.
"Pollus!" Two of the men said together. "Let them try."
"We do not wish to hurt you, but we will defend ourselves and our comrades if we need to." Teyla's voice was filled with determination.
She could see that many of the Falnons were hesitating. A few of them converged on Pollus and a heated discussion ensued. After several minutes, the man called Abel turned to her.
"We have word that Boslin and Matteus are coming. We will wait and discuss this with them."
Pollus and a couple of the other men moved off to the rear of the group, obviously dissatisfied with the results of the discussion. Teyla and Ronon were not happy that two of the three, including Pollus, had a weapon. Everyone else sat on the rubble, talking in hushed tones. Ronon and Teyla settled in to wait, wary eyes watching the Falnons. They flicked their radios back to channel one.
"Colonel?"
"Yeah?" Sheppard grunted.
"We have a temporary truce. It seems that Boslin and Matteus are among those we can see in the distance. The Falnons here are willing to wait until they arrive." She turned aside a little. "Most of them anyway."
"Okay, keep me posted." There was a pause. "How far down is Rodney?"
"About fifty feet." Ronon glanced over his shoulder as he settled on a large boulder.
----------
McKay's head and shoulders finally appeared in the mouth of the cave. His arms flailed as he tried to grasp the edge.
"Hold still, Rodney. I'll get you." Sheppard locked the rope on the belay again. He reached behind and pulled around a carabiner attached to a loop of rope. He clipped the carabiner to the belay and he then detached himself from it.
Sheppard reached out and caught McKay's harness. The astrophysicist gripped his arm and held on for dear life as he was pulled in. Sheppard steadied him and unhooked the carabiners from his harness.
"You can let go now." Sheppard said wearily.
"Yes, thanks." McKay was almost hyperventilating. He looked back at the mouth of the cave and took several steps further in. Then he turned on the Colonel. "Never again!"
"It'll be easier going back down." Sheppard raised an eyebrow. "You do want to get down again, don't you?"
McKay groaned and looked down at the distance to the rocks below.
"Adam West would be proud of you, Rodney." Sheppard stepped out of his own harness. He pointed to deeper in the cave. "The machine is about fifty feet in. I want to see what's going on out here."
McKay saw the blood on Sheppard's hands. He began to search his vest pockets for the first aid gear. "Wait. What happened?"
"No gloves, so I got some blisters." He took a sachet of antibiotic powder and two small bandages from McKay. "Thanks."
The Colonel squatted down next to McKay's pack. He pulled out his P-90 and an energy bar, picked up his canteen then went to the mouth of the cave. After watching the scene below for a full minute, Sheppard sat down where he could still see Teyla, Ronon and the Falnons. He leaned against the wall and quickly cleaned up his hands. Then, he drank some water and began to eat the energy bar.
McKay busied himself checking his equipment. He pulled out the binoculars and went to hand them to Sheppard. "Teyla said to give these to you."
"Thanks." Sheppard laid them on his lap.
McKay patted his vest and opened another pocket. He handed the Colonel his sunglasses.
"Nice. Thanks." Sheppard put the rest of the food in his mouth and gratefully slid the glasses on. He chewed as he scanned the people below with the binoculars. Teyla and Ronon seemed to be relaxed, but alert. The majority of the Falnons were sitting in a large, loose group, talking or dozing in the sun. He focused on three who were sitting apart from the main group. Two of them had Genii weapons. Sheppard knew the big one was the leader of the mob from the other night. He kept glancing around, a stony expression on his face.
He turned the glasses on to the small knot of approaching men. They were still more than a mile away, and their speed had dropped considerably. They had apparently seen the truce, or were just too tired to hurry any more.
McKay finished checking his equipment and picked up his pack. He carefully peered out of the cave. "Everything okay?"
"Yeah. I think that's Boslin and Matteus coming. The others must be waiting for them." Sheppard drank from his canteen but did not take his eyes from the scene below.
"Okay. You said the device was back there?" McKay glanced back into the cave. Sheppard nodded. "I'll go check it out."
McKay picked up his pack, turned on his flashlight and walked deeper into the cave.