WORST CASE SCENARIO - by NotTasha
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CHAPTER 9: WOBBLE

The wagon wobbled, its axles protested and the wheels screamed at the load it was forced to carry. Teyla tugged at the handle, gripping it tightly as she held onto the Satedan's collar with her other hand. He didn't fit in the bed, and had to be wedged in a sitting position. His feet dragged along the ground behind them.

They moved through the fog-filled town.

Teyla huffed, doing what she could to put distance behind them. She'd tried pulling Ronon up the hill, to bring him closer to the Stargate, but the incline was more than she could handle with her loaded wagon and her already taxed resources. Every inch of her body ached. Pulling the wagon uphill had become… an uphill battle.

She'd managed to move up one block, to the main street, but that was all she could handle for upward mobility. Now, she pulled the wagon along the relatively even course, putting more space behind them. She'd worry about making their way to the Stargate later.

As they moved along, she called out loud for Colonel Sheppard and Doctor McKay, since they still would not respond to the radio. She listened, keeping her ears keen, trying to discern anything above the wobble-wobble of the burdened wagon, and the deep breathing of the passenger.

They weren't making very good time – and she knew it. The distillery could take out the entire town when it went up, and even if she was successful in moving Ronon to a safer location, the others were still missing, and she feared that they could be heading directly toward the danger.

And, if Sheppard and McKay thought their teammates were in trouble, they'd go looking. They would start the search at the distillery.

Inside the distillery, she knew the puddle still grew.

Was it safe anywhere in this area?

"Colonel Sheppard!" she drew the name out, putting as much force as she could muster into it, hoping that – maybe, this time, she'd hear a response.

Instead of the colonel's easy drawl, she heard a quiet voice from the wagon. "Huh…?" The wagon jerked severely, giving her already maligned joints another wrenching as the wagon came to an abrupt halt.

Ronon had pressed down on his feet, digging them into the road beneath them. He struggled to sit fully upright. His hands moved from his side, to reach his face and rub his eyes.

Teyla released her grip on his collar, and called hopefully, "Ronon?"

"I feel like…," Ronon muttered, face in his hands. "… like shit." His hands suddenly dropped and the Satedan gazed out at the fog. His eyes narrowed and he turned his head to one side and then the other as he took in his surroundings. A wince made it evident that the action hurt.

"Ronon," Teyla repeated with a relieved sigh. "It is good to hear you again."

He looked down to find his butt wedged inside an orange child's plaything and he grimaced. "Why am I in a wagon?" he grumbled.

"It was the best way to transport you," she informed him and watched Ronon's uncertain expression. "The pipes in the building were damaged during the fight and the fuel was spilling onto the floor. We had to leave the location before the fuel reached the furnace."

"The fight…" Ronon repeated, looking a little hopeful, as if the mere idea of a 'fight' made him feel better.

"You were badly hurt by the kiwanda," Teyla explained.

Ronon gave an irritated grunt at this news. "Never fought one before," he offered as an explanation as he pressed his hands against the sides of the wagon and struggled to release his hind-end from the confines.

For a moment, the wagon lifted, still attached to his rear, but a shove and a wiggle freed him. The wagon clattered to the ground behind him.

"Kiwandas are difficult to kill," Teyla said sympathetically as she watched his struggle.

Another grunt, and Ronon shoved himself up, straddling the vehicle. "So, how'd I do it?"

To that, Teyla offered a wry smile. "I killed the creature. You were incapacitated, and I had to carry you outside." Her grin increased.

Stepping clear of the wagon, Ronon regarded his companion, looking down at her petite frame. He frowned and seemed irritated at this news, but the expression passed, changing into something resembling amusement. He crossed his arms over his chest and chuckled.

"Figured you could do that," Dex commented. He rolled one shoulder and then the other. "Would explain my bruises."

"I never dropped you," Teyla stated evenly.

The Satedan took stock of his pains and decided there was nothing that would kill him – bruises, cuts scrapes. He took a deep breath, and figured that his ribs weren't broken – bruised maybe. Yeah, probably bruised. Head hurt, and things were a bit out of focus. It made him feel a bit dizzy, but that wasn't a big issue with him. "Must have been one hell of a fight."

"Yes, it was." Teyla regarded him, watching how the Satedan hunched his shoulders. The man was hurting, but was apparently able to function. She was hurting, too. Lugging about the large man had nearly crippled her.

But, her smile dropped quickly as she stated, "We must find the others."

"Hmmm," Ronon responded. "You don't know where they are?"

"They have not answered the radio. I have shouted their names." She lifted a hand to indicate the area around her. "But there is no reply."

"Figures," Ronon responded, looking unsettled.

"It is strange," Teyla added. "Something must be wrong."

"Yeah." Ronon looked about in the too close fog. "Still. Couldn't see them if they were standing just a few feet from us," he muttered. "Where are we?" He crossed his arms at his chest as he glared at the empty shops. "So, we'll search for them."

Teyla drew out a breath, looking toward the building that she could no longer see but loomed incredibly large in her mind. "There is a great danger that the distillery may explode at any moment. Let us hope that the fuel finds its way to the sewer system."

Dex shrugged. "We have to find the others." And he started off, in a wobbly walk, back the way they had come. He paused and felt at his back. "Where's my sword?"

Almost timidly, Teyla told him, "I had to leave it."

With a grunt of annoyance, Ronon told her. "You owe me a new one."

--
TBC - How hard is it to find swords in this galaxy?