Because you all rock so much (and, yes,I do love that phrase!), I'm giving you a two-fer. Two chapters tonight! Of course, Wraith Sleep Tonight's threats about Kolyaaa aren't going unnoticed either...hee hee. Anyway, the first chapteris nice and quiet, the second...not so much...
MORE THAN JUST PRETTY FACES
By TIPPER
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CHAPTER FIVE: SHELTER
It was sheer grit that got four people, one of whom was slung over the shoulder of the tallest member, into the room behind the waterfall in one fell swoop. Tied together by the vine, Sheppard literally opened the door, jumped inside, got out of the way of the others, then turned and shut the door again, all within the span of a heartbeat.
Well, not his current heartbeat, which felt like it would explode out of his chest, but close.
He pressed his eyes shut and rested his head against the now firmly shut metal door, breathing in relief. For the first time, he felt safe—at least for the moment. His feet splashed at the inch or so of water that had gotten inside, but at least it wasn't more.
"Um, Sheppard?" Ronon's voice behind him woke him from his reverie, and he opened his eyes. For a moment, he frowned…then turned.
He couldn't see Ronon. He couldn't see Teyla either. He couldn't see anything.
It was pitch black inside this space.
And somehow, he just knew what Ronon was going to say next.
"Sheppard," Ronon said again, indicating he was somewhere to the left. "It's dark in here."
The colonel let himself give a wry grin at that, at the same time that Teyla obviously remembered she still had her P90 tied to her vest.
A beam of light erupted from the weapon, and she swung it around to look at Ronon—Rodney still hanging loose over his shoulder—then Sheppard, then the room. By that point, Sheppard had his flashlight turned on as well and was untying the vine from his waist. Teyla untied herself one-handed with an almost distracted air, eyes and flashlight inspecting the Atlantian like decorations on the walls, but once Sheppard was free, he just looked for a place to sit down. He noted a pair of long flat benches facing each other in the middle of the room, and turned his light on Ronon.
"Put him down on there," he said tiredly, pointing the light at one of the stone benches, wanting to lie down on it himself. He heard Ronon grunt in agreement and, with Sheppard's help, got Rodney lying down on his side, slightly curled. Sheppard then pulled the emergency blanket from Rodney's vest and, shaking the silver material out, quickly draped it over him—the man was shivering even harder now. The second dousing had not done him—or any of them—any favors. Ronon knelt next to the bench, resting his hand atop Rodney's head, feeling his forehead and frowning.
"He's warm," he noted.
Sheppard had moved away to sit on the bench opposite, shivering a little himself. It was cold in here—a shock to the system after the heat of the jungle. Then it registered what Ronon had said.
"Warm?" he repeated.
"Fever. Slight, but there."
"Great," the colonel muttered, sighing a little. He swung his flashlight around a little more and took better stock of their surroundings.
It was obviously an anteroom of some kind. It was almost perfectly square and not very large—perhaps the size of a small living room. There was nothing in it but the two beautifully carved stone benches, one of which Rodney was now occupying, a few similarly adorned stone chairs, and some pretty artwork on the walls. On the opposite side of the room from the entrance, a set of six wide steps led up to another door.
Teyla seemed to notice it at the same time, and approached the steps cautiously. Sheppard sighed even more heavily, levered himself up from his chair, and moved over to join her. Moving gingerly up the steps, the two people quickly inspected the door—looking for the touchpad typically on the side—and, when they didn't find it, Sheppard just pressed a hand to the door itself.
Like the entrance, it slid open, revealing…another pitch black room.
"Can you turn the lights on?" Teyla asked, ducking her head inside and using her flashlight to inspect it. It was much larger, and it seemed to swallow the pale beams. When she spoke, her voice echoed slightly.
Sheppard closed his eyes, thinking "lights"…but nothing happened. Not exactly as responsive as Atlantis, now, was it? Of course, Rodney would know how to get them on. Hell, if he was awake, the lights would probably already be on, and the scientist would be halfway through figuring out the fastest route back to the jumper by some magical Ancient device...
For the first time, Sheppard realized just how much they took McKay for granted.
"No," he said, sighing a little, "I can't turn the lights on, at least, not by will. And they're clearly not automatic."
"Well, they might be," Teyla said, stepping further into the room, trembling a little. It was even colder in this room, and the wet hair dripping water down her back was not helping. "But there may not be any power."
Sheppard considered this, then shook his head. "But the doors opened. Something powered them...right?"
"How do the doors work in Atlantis?" Teyla said, answering his question with one of her own. "And aren't some lights on all the time, at least when there is a little power? The ones in the walls? But there are none on in here at all. This feels more like how we found Doranda."
Ooh, that brings up painful memories. Still, she had a point. Sheppard shook his head, thinking of how fast Rodney had gotten that place up and running—mere seconds under Rodney's touch and it had been humming.
"I...I'm really not the one to ask," he replied, his brow furrowing. "I don't know."
Teyla grimaced, and, as if on cue, turned to look at Rodney. Sheppard did the same.
Come on, Answer man, Sheppard thought. We need you.
Ronon had sat on a chair next to McKay's bench, slumping into it, and was now just watching Rodney breathe. At some point, he had pulled McKay's much larger flashlight out of his pack, and had it pointed at the scientist, practically right in his face. The fact that it didn't cause McKay even to stir was beyond unsettling. Ronon had also placed something soft under McKay's head to act as a pillow, and the way McKay's head was arched as a result, the colonel could easily see the deep puncture wound in the man's neck, an angry red welt in the white light.
Oh right...the dart the villager's had hit him with. Rage boiled up inside him at the memory, finally quelling some of his exhaustion.
"What the hell was in that dart, Teyla?"
She looked back at him, frowning a little, her cheeks darkening a touch.
"A drug. It is designed to incapacitate. The people here prefer their meat as fresh as possible, and so, in their hunt, only seek to bring their prey down, not kill it. That they do later. I have…," she paused, swallowing thickly before continuing, "I have hunted with them a few times when I have visited. They hunt in the morning, and usually the meat is eaten at dinner. I believe the drug is supposed to wear off within six to eight hours."
Sheppard was watching her intently, never blinking. When she finished, he nodded. "And how big are the animals they hunt here?"
She shook her head. "Large," she admitted unhappily. "Larger than Rodney."
"What do you mean," Ronon said then, swiveling his light to point at her, "it's only 'supposed' to wear off in that time. You've never seen it wear off?"
"No," she replied. "They kill the animal before it wakes up."
For a moment, neither man spoke, then Sheppard hissed a small swear.
"So we have no idea whether he will wake up...not really."
"I...I do not know. I am sorry, colonel."
"Yeah," he muttered. He leant against the doorframe and lifted his left arm, to check his watch. It had been less than an hour since Rodney was hit—it felt like years.
"Six to eight hours," Sheppard repeated, "probably longer. And we have no idea what it's doing to him. Assuming that it's the same drug that they use when hunting, of course." He stepped down off the steps and headed back to McKay. Sitting down on the edge of the bench next to the scientist's head, he rested a light hand on the man's forehead, feeling the same unnatural warmth Ronon had. The Satedan was right—McKay had a fever. His body was fighting something—but what?
"We have to get him back to Atlantis," he said finally. "Sooner, rather than later. I was hoping we could rest here for a couple of hours, but I don't think he has that time. I'm already worried about how long it took us to get him breathing again, not to mention the damage we did to his ribs, and this drug-induced sleep of his is freaking me out. He needs Beckett."
"But," Teyla glanced into the pitch dark room behind her again, "this place..."
"Isn't going anywhere," Sheppard said, looking up at her. He stood, rubbing hard at his head, willing the pain throbbing there to fade.
"I know that," Teyla said. "I meant, what if there is something here that can help us? Shouldn't we...look around a little first?"
Hand still resting on his head, he looked at her. Slowly, he shook his head. "We don't have the time."
She frowned, glancing at Rodney. Sheppard shook his head more.
"This isn't just about Rodney. In about five hours, Atlantis is going to dial here, looking for us. When we don't answer, what's going to happen?"
She grimaced, and nodded. "They will send another jumper."
"And even if it cloaks as soon as it's through the gate, it won't be fast enough to avoid detection by the Wraith. They might even be waiting for it. Which leads me to wonder...can a dart cull a jumper?"
Her eyes widened at the idea, then her jaw steeled. He nodded.
"I'm betting it can too."
Her eyes closed, and she turned her head away.
"Hey," Ronon said, calling their attention to him. He was sitting up a bit straighter, staring up at Sheppard. The colonel sighed.
"Ronon, I—"
"Not arguing, Sheppard," Ronon said. "Back to Atlantis as soon as possible—sounds like a great plan. My only question is—how do we do it?"
The colonel shrugged. "Same as before. I need to rest for a bit, get my head to stop spinning, then I'll climb this damn mountain and make for the jumper. You two stay here; watch over him. Don't explore—we don't know what's in this place, or what they did here. If it was a medical research facility, like McKay suggested when we first came through the gate, I don't want you two discovering how the Ancient's died of a plague. Plus, the power is off right now—the freaky doors notwithstanding—but if you do somehow turn it on, the Wraith'll probably pick it up…and come looking."
Ronon looked a little aggrieved by the McKay-like speech, but didn't reply, just slumped back into his chair. Teyla, however, took it all in stride.
"One of us should go with you," she stated, giving up her attempt to appear stalwart and sitting down heavily on the wide steps leading up to the dark, upper room. "Now that we are in here, Doctor McKay is as safe as he can be. You will need one of us to guard your back. And," she shrugged, "though I may be faster on my feet, it should probably be Ronon, considering his past…." She trailed off, looking at the former Runner.
"Avoiding Wraith hunting parties is something I'm good at," Ronon said, smiling coldly. "Lots of practice."
Sheppard frowned, and opened his mouth to argue that he'd be better on his own, when, oddly, he heard McKay's voice in his head. Oh, for Christ's sake, Sheppard, listen to the woman! For once in your life, ignore your idiot martyr complex and let Ronon help you. He's better at this than you, and you know it.
It sounded so real in his ears, Sheppard actually looked down, to make sure McKay hadn't moved.
He hadn't.
"What?" Ronon asked, sitting up a little at Sheppard's startled expression. "Something wrong?" He looked at Rodney, "He okay?"
"Yeah, yeah," the colonel swallowed, his eyes narrowing a little. "Just…." He frowned, shaking his head, then regretting the motion as his headache reminded him it was there—nastily. Sighing, he rubbed his head and looked up at the former Runner. "Just thought I heard McKay say something there for a sec." He shrugged, "Teyla's right. I could use the help. You willing to climb this thing with me?"
Over on the steps, Teyla's eyebrows lifted. She obviously hadn't expected it to be that easy to convince the colonel. She looked at Ronon, clearly willing him to answer in the affirmative. She needn't have worried.
"I'll get you to the jumper," the former Runner promised Sheppard, his voice brimming with confidence. Sheppard gave a small smile.
"Okay, then."
"How long do you want to rest?" Teyla asked, watching the colonel. Sheppard sighed, looked at his watch, then moved to settle himself on the other bench. As he lay down, he shut the flashlight on his P90 off, darkening the room a little more.
"No more than an hour." He curled up on his side, propping his head up on his hands, eyes already closing.
"An hour," she agreed. "I will wake you then."
In return, he gave a small smile, which faded as he immediately drifted off to sleep.
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TBC...
So nice and calm...everything will be just fine now, and, of course, Sheppard's going to get that full hour, right?