AN: I was worried I wasn't going to be able to update today, but my muse has been kind! Huzzah! Anyhoo, yea, I'm just paranoid about my writing sucking, t'is a character flaw. Dun mind the crazy author. I hope y'all continue to enjoy! Next chapter should be last, and should up by the end of the week, hopefully sooner, if my muse continues to be kind!
Chapter 8
"What was that?" Karina asked, a quaver in her voice.
"I don't know," Sheppard said, looking around, "But whatever it is, let's see if we can use it to our advantage." McKay and Zelenka, with borrowed clothing secured around their waists, began to investigate their surroundings more closely, while Sheppard moved to try his luck at bullying the door open.
"Will that do any good?" Karina asked as the colonel pulled at the bars.
"I don't know," he said, "But if the power has been interrupted, and these doors are secured with electronic locking mechanisms, it's sure as hell worth a shot." Another rumble shook them, this time threatening to knock them to the floor. As Sheppard held onto the bars for support, he felt the door slip just slightly. Teyla noticed, and immediately darted over to grab a bar and start pulling.
"Some help would be nice!" Sheppard grunted, and the others rushed over. With five people pulling, the door slowly slid open an inch at a time. When they had managed to create a gap about a foot wide, Sheppard turned to them. "Ok, everyone out!" he ordered. Teyla nodded and slid out the opening, followed quickly by Zelenka and Karina.
"Are you sure that's big enough?" McKay asked, nervously eyeing the gap.
"McKay!" Sheppard growled, "Out!"
"Right!" Rodney said, squeezing through the opening. Sheppard was the last one out, holding his breath, careful not to touch anything in case it caused the pain to flare up again. The only spots on his body that didn't tingle at the moment were the palms of his hands and the soles of his feet, probably because that oily stuff hadn't gotten to those places.
"Ok, now we're out, where do we go?" McKay asked. Sheppard paused and glanced around.
"This way," he said, starting down the corridor they had been brought down. The group moved quickly, but it rapidly became apparent that none of them had any idea where they were going.
"This place is a labyrinth!" Zelenka muttered. Suddenly, Sheppard held his fist up, signaling the group to stop. The colonel led them in ducking into a side corridor, and in a moment, the rest of the group heard the sound of running feet. They held their breath collectively as the steps grew closer, and Sheppard readied himself for another fight, if it became necessary. He desperately hoped it wouldn't come to that, though, since he wasn't sure how much he could take if the pain flared back up.
When a huge form passed the opening to the corridor they were hiding in, though, a sigh of relief escaped Sheppard's lungs. There was no mistaking the wild hair and brown trench coat.
"Ronon!" Sheppard said, stepping towards his teammate.
"Sheppard!" Ronon said, then froze in his tracks. For a second, Sheppard had forgotten that he was quite out of uniform.
"Coat!" Sheppard grumbled, and in a second, Ronon had handed the garment over, which Sheppard quickly donned, fastening it. The colonel ignored the sharp stinging in his shoulders at the touch of the fabric.
"What's going on?" the now covered colonel demanded.
"Rescue mission," Ronon grunted. He touched the radio at his ear. "I've got them!" he said, and a voice crackled back over in response.
"Good, now get back up a few levels so we can get a lock on you," it said.
"Is that--" Sheppard started, but Ronon cut him off.
"Caldwell," the Runner said, already heading back up the corridor he had come down. The others quickly followed him, and within moments, they were all jogging. "The Daedalus is ready to beam us up as soon as we're close enough to the surface." McKay's stride faltered, causing Karina and Zelenka to bump into him and nearly send them all crashing to the ground. As it was, both of the men winced as pain blossomed where they had impacted.
"What do you mean?" McKay asked. "How far underground are we?" Ronon didn't stop moving.
"I don't know, far enough that the Daedalus can't get a lock on us until we get up a few more levels," he replied. "Now, do you want to continue this conversation here, or wait until we're back on the ship?"
"Point taken!" McKay squeaked and immediately picked his pace back up. Sheppard wondered where Soren and his goons were, but for the moment, he was more focused on getting his group out. The six of them raced along the corridors, and sure enough, they noticed a distinct upgrade. After a nearly ten-minute frantic dash, they reached an open room and Ronon slowed. He touched his earpiece again
"Can you get us from here?" the runner asked, and tinny affirmative came back. In a moment, the strange sensation of the transport beam had washed over the group, and none were sad to see their surroundings disappear. As the world reformed around them, they were greeted by a deep voice.
"Good to see you in one piece, Colonel," Colonel Caldwell said, straight faced. "Needless to say, when Ronon reported what had happened, we got here as quick as we could."
"Wouldn't it have been faster to send a puddle jumper through the gate?" Rodney demanded, painfully aware that the only thing between him and the crew of the Daedalus was Teyla's jacket. He pulled the material tighter around himself, and winced when his skin burned in protest.
"We did," said Ronon, "That's how we knew you were under that cliff face, and how we knew that there was no way in or out except by transport beam."
"Oh," was all McKay could manage in response.
"We made contact with a man who called himself Soren," Caldwell informed them. "He was under the impression that you were Ancients and that you had broken some kind of treaty."
"Yea, so we heard," Sheppard said. "I tried to explain to him that he was mistaken, but he wasn't big on listening to reason." Caldwell nodded
"We tried to explain it also, but the man got... agitated," the older colonel said. "We decided that if we were going to get you out, we'd need to do it ourselves. After a few blasts--"
"You SHOT at the complex we were trapped in?" McKay cried. The colonel continued where he'd left off.
"To knock out the shielding, we were able to beam a small strike force into the complex. While the Marines dealt with Soren and his men, Ronon took off to search for all of you." Sheppard took a quick look around, and indeed there were five Marines standing off to one side, doing their best not to laugh. "There were only about a dozen life signs in the whole complex, not including your group."
"We only encountered five of them," one of the marines chimed in.
"Let me guess, four huge men and Soren," Sheppard said. The marine nodded.
"Yes, sir. They were tough, but a few stunner blasts and a couple of bullets had them all down for the count." Karina gasped.
"Did you... You didn't... kill them, did you?" she asked. Sheppard turned and raised his eyebrows at the young woman. Karina flushed. "They did horrible things, but they still protect my people from the Wraith. If they are dead..." she trailed off.
"Last we saw, they were all still breathing," the marine told her. The young woman sighed and nodded slightly.
"Look, it's not that we don't appreciate the help," Sheppard said, "But for once, I'm a little eager to go see the good Dr. Beckett, and the gate will get us back home much faster." He shrugged his shoulders uncomfortably, and immediately wished that he hadn't, as it only made the stinging worse.
"Understood," Caldwell replied.
"Hey wait!" McKay snapped, "Can't we at least get some clothes?" Sheppard looked back at him.
"Clothes will hurt your skin," he said. "Trust me."
"Easy for you to say, Mr-I've-got-a-trench-coat! I don't see you taking off that oh-so-painful garment! I'll gladly trade with you!" McKay retorted. Sheppard just raised an eyebrow. "Fine, fine," McKay groused. "At least get Zelenka and I something a BIT larger to cover up with, hm?" No one said anything, but a few snickers were still heard as a crew member rushed up holding two emergency blankets. The scientists quickly and gladly wrapped themselves in the fabric, leaving their previous coverings laying on the floor. Neither Teyla nor Karina moved to reclaim their clothes.
"Now that we've gotten that taken care of," Caldwell said, "Shall we send you down to the gate?" Sheppard nodded, and as Caldwell's face swirled out of his vision, he would have sworn that he saw the man smirking.
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End Notes: Ok, I will stand by this: I suck at escape plans. Deus ex Machina is a way of life for me. Also, I dunno how long they were initially unconscious, so I say there was enough time for Ronon to get the Daedalus there! I am the almighty Author! Ack, power trip, bad Sarah. Anyhoo, last chapter coming, just some wrap up, ya know, fun stuff! I do hope you've all been enjoying my insane little trip!