A/N: You guys are in for a treat; school lightened up on me enough for me to finish this chapter. Enjoy.
Nice turnout, John though to himself. He was standing at the head of a long table. Sitting on the right side where the people he'd already picked to be on his team—Teyla, Ronon, Major Lorne, Cadman, and two of Lorne's buddies from the Daedalus. On the other side of the long table sat a number of the scientist contingent—Rodney, Carson, several geeks from the Daedalus, and several geek from the original Atlantis expedition. Among them, was a very smug look Randek Zelenka.
The look on Randek's face was enough to worry John. All the other scientists could easily see how the odds were stacked against them, yet they had all come to play. John wasn't about to turn them down. Without warning, Elizabeth walked in and took a seat next to the elusively happy Randek.
John raised an eyebrow. "You're all here to play, right?"
Everyone nodded an affirmative.
John quickly listened off a set of rules he'd invented a long time ago to keep this game fun. They included things such as everyone had to where safety goggles. Everyone had to refrain from shooting at too close a range. Last but not least, everyone had to remember to be 'dead' if they'd been hit in the head or chest.
They all nodded in acknowledgement. Then John quickly listened off the teams that'd he'd already decided on. As he did this, he noticed the bag at Zelenka's feet. He paid little attention to it as he grabbed his weapons, an air soft electric P90 and a spring pistol, from the crate.
All of the weapons were already loaded, and as everyone took turns grabbing weapons he outlined that he'd already roped off the area where they were playing. They were playing in a small area of the city that had been fully explored and mostly vacant. He didn't mention this area used to be his and Teyla's make out spot.
Once everyone was ready, John glanced at his watch. "You guys have two minutes heads start. I suggest you move."
The civilians moved out at a rapid pace.
He glanced back at his team. "Ronon, Teyla, Cadman, you're with me. Lorne, you and your buddies are team two."
"What's the plan sir?" Lorne asked.
John pulled the map back up on the display screen. "We are going to encircle them." He pointed to the area in the middle. "They'll most likely hold up here, waiting for us to come to them. Since we don't have grenades, we have to be creative." John handed Lorne a radio. "Alert me if you get into trouble. Go!"
Lorne and his team darted off into the city. John motioned for his group to follow him. He led them silently into the city, circling slowly around the center area where he knew the scientist would be held up. There were only two entrances, and he didn't plan to make it that easy for them.
He stopped as he heard a noise. It sounded like a spring being pulled back. He quickly motioned for his team to fall into a defensible position. An air soft pellet whizzed by his ear just as he crouched down. Ronon fired a burst from where it had come from, but he didn't hit anything.
"I can get him." Ronon said.
"Go, we'll continue on." John replied.
"Do you really think it's fair?" Cadman asked.
"What do you mean?" John asked innocently.
"Putting all the scientists on the same team, they're going to get creamed."
"I would not underestimate Doctor Zelenka." Teyla replied. "I believe there is more to him than meets the eye."
"That's scary." John replied. He pressed his radio. "Lorne, any contacts?"
"We got shot at by someone." Lorne replied over the radio. "Couldn't identify."
"Play it safe. I've got Ronon hunting him."
"I almost pity them."
Neither of the teams suspected they were being talked by a single gunman. Neither did they suspect that he was listening to every word they said. The gunman silently continued to stalk them, waiting for the right moment with which to strike.