THE NEXT EVENT - by Kolyaaa!
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR: THE "ABOUT TIME"
A/N: Your reviews have delighted me! Thank you for building that shrine in my honor. It is well deserved. Please continue to pay homage to me.
A/N: The lizards are assembling. They are lining up. I wonder what's up.
[{O}]
Sheppard let Teyla steady him as they sloshed through the frigid, dark water and awkwardly climbed the crooked ramp into the jumper.
"Are you guys crazy? What the hell are you thinking?" Sheppard raised his voice as Ronon closed the hatch once again.
Carson blinked at him from the pilot's seat. "Oh thank God." He stood, swaying precariously. "You drive." The doctor's obvious relief was tempered by the concern in his eyes as he stared at the battered and bloodied duo. "Wha-?"
Ronon eased past Teyla and grabbed Beckett, steadying him as he steered him out of the way so John could get to the front. "He's hurt," Dex stated evenly, his dark eyes meeting John's.
Sheppard bit back a sarcastic "who isn't?" Ronon looked as if he'd been on the losing side of a battle... with a tree perhaps? He wouldn't put anything past this planet. The Satedan's face and arms were scratched, torn open, bleeding and bruised and a few stray leaves and twigs remained tangled in the man's dreads. He wasn't sure he wanted to know what had happened to Carson. The man was soaking wet and looked like he couldn't see straight.
"Why are you letting him fly this damn thing at all?" John sank gratefully into jumper seat and scowled as he felt the dampness beneath him. He called up HUD to get a handle on where they were. Was that sand on the control panel?
"We have to get to the others," Ronon explained urgently. "Doctor McKay is dying."
"What?" John whipped around, forgetting about his arm and banging it against the DHD. He hissed through clenched teeth. "What happened?"
"He saved Nonor," Carson told him, resisting Teyla's assistance towards the backbench. "Even after the wretched alicorn killed Jerkin, that silly girl was walking right up to the blasted thing. He shoved her out of the way and got taken down and bitten. He won't stop bleeding." Beckett shook his head and leaned against Teyla. "I couldn't...I couldn't..." He closed his eyes, his face expressing his despair.
"Easy, Doctor," Teyla tried to reassure, as Sheppard quickly scrutinized the HUD to ensure that the jumper was still capable of flight.
But Beckett kept going, "The infection is spreading too fast, and I couldn't stop the bleeding. There was nothin' I could do."
"You will." Teyla glanced worriedly at John. The bandage on her face stood out in the stark light of the jumper.
"There's just no chance...none...he—"
"All right," John cut Carson off, satisfied that the craft would fly. "Where is he?"
"He is with Nonor, here." Ronon pointed to the schematics. "Where we first left the jumper. Fell through here." The Satedan pointed again.
The schematics showed that they were now completely blocked in. John studied it quickly, trying not to think about the time he was taking or the fact that somewhere above ground Rodney was hurt and dying, with only Nonor to take care of him.
Damn!
"Everyone get settled in," he ordered. "Teyla?" He turned in his seat, carefully this time. "You got him?"
"I do," she replied, not looking up from Carson. The doctor had sprawled onto the backbench and kept trying to slide off the edge.
"Can you fly like that?"
Sheppard looked to see Ronon indicating the arm he still cradled to his chest. "Can you hunt wraith?" he asked sharply, turning back to the HUD without waiting for an answer.
Finally he saw it, the weakest section of earthen-ceiling. He guessed it to be located under the edge of the big lake. "Sorry molemen," he muttered under his breath as the ship lifted easily off the sand bar and the weapons pods noisily opened. "Hang on!" he warned just before water and rock exploded around them.
[{O}]
Even as Nonor's proud declaration echoed up an across the hillside, Rodney heard the eerie bray of the alicorn.
"Oh God." Still on his knees he swayed with exhaustion, his eyes widening with renewed terror as in perfect formation the five alicorns began the charge.
Sparkle-dusted fur glimmered in the sunlight. Glittering hooves tore up the grass and flung mud into the sky and the gold-gilded horns shone like beacons, seeming to entice other creatures into the fray.
Behind Nonor's legendary beasts, nuttalli surged from the forest in a mass of undulating pastel. A new creature, looking like a mixture of jungle-cat and bison with impressive looking claws joined the herd. Its bright orange skin mixed amongst the pink and purple and teal. It reminded Rodney of one of those big tubs of swirled sherbet he used to be able to get on Earth. Sherbet… why did some people insist on pronouncing it 'sher-bert?' Oh God… he was going to die thinking about desserts.
Instinctively he tried to scoot further from the animals, but his legs refused to cooperate and he ended up slumped against Nonor's perfectly toned leg. Nonor stood, legs spread firmly apart, her weapon raised. Her beautiful face was twisted into a familiar scowl that Rodney was certain she'd learned from her brother.
She should have left me, he thought as she fired at the encroaching horde. She needs to survive to find the others. Why now? Why did she suddenly find him worthy enough to protect him now?
Then again...damn...she really was good!
Nonor fired again and whooped exuberantly as one of the leading alicorns went down, its horn rent from its forehead. It fell, its front legs folding up under itself as plowed into the earth. Its downed body was immediately covered with gnawing, ravaging demon bunnies, but the massive army of creatures never slowed.
Nonor took out another alicorn in the same way and then another, both bodies immediately melding into the sea of pastel. A few things stopped to tear and gnash at the ready flesh, but the bulk of the group were intent on reaching the humans.
Two alicorn remained. Their heads bowed as they paused and seemed to contemplate the latest happening. Around them, all the rest of the creatures paused with them. The horned llamas took halting, delicate steps, as they gnashed their teeth and tossed their horrible heads.
Just as Rodney started to allow some flicker of hope, the flame was extinguished. Something slithered through the grass toward them, making the pretty green groundcover undulate. He caught sight of one of the things, and then more, as they came closer - slithering amid the fluffy nuttalli. The slimy feathery creatures lifted their serpenty bird-like heads to look about and flit their forked tongues, before lowering their heads and continuing on their path - directly at Nonor and McKay. They looked like festive, horrible garden hoses in motion.
From further back, the trees swayed - and ominously stepped forward. The ground trembled with their movement. And, something as big as a haystack took a leap and let out a low 'ribbit'.
The rest of the group started forward again – their pace slowed, but their manner showed that they had no intention of stopping again. The beasts watched their prey warily, despite knowing that the advantage obviously lay with the creatures of Ctesias. They growled and chittered and chattered.
Nonor fired again and the weapon went… click.
"No," Rodney gasped, staring with Nonor at their last, now useless defense. They really were going to die. Nonor met his gaze and shook her head determinedly as she tossed the empty weapon aside.
"What the hell are you doing?" Rodney shouted as she grabbed him by his good arm and half-pulled, half-shoved him behind her, pushing him alarmingly close to the cliff's edge. He tried to settle into a comfortable position. He was sitting upright at least, but too weak to get to his feet. For some reason he was still clinging to Ronon's coat with his good hand and couldn't let it loose.
"I will fight them. With my dying breath, they will not get past me to you."
McKay knew his eyes were about to pop out of his skull. He must be hearing things. He looked at the animals, only meters away now. Yeah, he was hearing things.
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me," he whined, but another look at Nonor assured him she was serious. He recognized her stance from the few times he'd watched Teyla spar with anyone.
"We are so dead." He closed his eyes.
Somewhere far away, a massive wet explosion occurred, and he frowned as the world began to shake like a massive piece of jelly. If that was the Loch Ness Monster rearing out the lake, well...that would be just about perfect.
"I am definitely going to haunt somebody for this," he decided. The shaking increased and the sandy cliff started to disintegrate. With a whimper, he leaned forward and wrapped an arm around Nonor's leg for fear of falling off the cliff (even as he debated whether that would be an easier death then being mauled and eaten by rabid Easter bunnies and mutant unicorns). He could feel Nonor's muscles tense as she waited, ready to spring into battle.
He opened one eye and yelped, tightening his grip. The alicorn were almost on them. He could see the swirling pattern on their horns. They moved slowly and deliberately. They seemed to have gained some level of wariness for the woman warrior, but it hardly seemed to deter their goal.
"Let go of me." He heard Nonor's order and obeyed despite the futility of it. Too weak to sit up on his own, he slumped, trying to keep from falling over and watched in shock. The world grayed, the sounds of the animals faded and time seemed to slow. He could hear the wild beating of his heart and Nonor's slow, controlled breathing. He smelled the animals, sweat and the frightening stench of his own blood. He felt the breeze on his hot skin, light and pleasant. His sight zeroed in on one pink bunny, its beady black eyes shining against its fur and suddenly it was gone – simply erased - as a flash of bright yellow light skimmed past overhead and the planet exploded in front of him.
Rodney shouted as he grabbed Nonor again, earth and grass, mud and gore reigning down on them. His ears rang as he blinked and shook his head, dizziness assailing him again. He really didn't feel well.
He focused on the animals only to see the alicorn were gone. Bits of nuttalli and the funny orange creatures lay scattered about a huge hole in the ground. A huge toad twitched under a fallen tree. The beings that survived were running pell-mell back to the forest – that was busily fleeing as well.
What? Why? How?
I must be dead, McKay decided. Really, must be dead.
Dead as the nuttalli and the alicorns and the sherberty beast. But, of course, he couldn't be dead if he felt so horrible – tired, weak, beaten down – and sticky. Deep aches that bore down through his ribs and shoulder. And his nose still felt stuffed up. It would be totally unfair if he were dead and still felt so badly!
Then, there was that reek.
Attempting to verify is current living-or-dead status, McKay discovered he was covered with fresh blood and muck. He looked up at Nonor who was also coated in goo, but her hair had somehow escaped untouched, it whipped in the wind, still shiny and clean. Her wide eyes stared in visible shock at something behind them.
Ronon's coat got hit pretty hard. Rodney stared at the soiled coat, wishing he'd thought to pull it over his head before the crap hit.
Rodney shifted and turned, leaning against Nonor's leg again for the strength to stay sitting upright. Hovering over their heads was the jumper with John at the controls looking a bit worse for wear, but obviously relieved. McKay smiled with his own relief.
"How?" Nonor finally managed to speak.
"Told you, you were wrong." Rodney grinned as she huffed indignantly. He noticed though that she didn't argue.
The ground shook unsteadily and McKay saw John's eyes widened suddenly with new concern. And then he heard it - that same flapping, fluttering sound that had concerned Carson – a sound like a tarp or a tent flap.
Oh no! No! It's just damn unfair!
He couldn't bring himself to turn and see the horrible creature that had snatched up Carson. The flying thing with no name had snagged away the doctor right in front of Rodney, and would have torn him to bits with its saw-toothed beak if Ronon hadn't saved him.
Oh God. Rodney gulped as he stared at Sheppard instead of the scorched and angry flying thing. He really didn't want to die by bird. Okay, he'd been exposed to a hell of a lot of horrid deaths today – but this one seemed particularly unpleasant.
He squinted his eyes, watching Sheppard.
The colonel's brow furrowed with an expression that showed he was totally out of patience. As the jumper bobbed above, the weapons bays opened, and light streaked out with a snickering sound. McKay turned in time to see the flash hit its target.
The awful flying creature squawked like an irritated hen and exploded in another shower of sticky meat bits and entrails.
McKay groaned, squeezing his eyes shut against the latest onslaught, and gazed up at the still beautiful and golden-haired Nonor. She seemed a little glassy-eyed at all the commotion. As he rotated his gaze, he looked toward the forests. The scattered creatures had been reassembling while the bird had distracted the humans - and the beasts were heading their way.
Enough! he thought. Haven't we been through enough?
"Land already!" He motioned weakly, wondering what had happened to his radio.
Sheppard must have read his lips or understood his frantic gestures because the Colonel simply smiled and shook his head. The jumper began to pull away from the steep cliff.
"Where are they going?" Nonor panicked. "They can't leave us here."
Rodney struggled to his feet, clasping onto her arm for leverage. "They won't," he reassured, wondering what Sheppard was doing, but knowing John wouldn't leave them. "He wouldn't."
He leaned heavily against Nonor, feeling her arm reach around his waist to support him and watched as John maneuvered the jumper around so the hatch was facing them. Slowly, the hatch opened. Rodney winced at the sound it made and looked dubiously up at Ronon who stood in the opening ready to help them aboard. The edge of the hatch met the edge of the cliff.
"Hurry!" Ronon stepped toward them, reaching for McKay.
Rodney tried to help as Nonor all but hefted him over her shoulder and dragged him - still clutching her brother's coat - aboard. He felt Ronon taking over and easing him to the floor. "What took you so long?" Rodney sniped, smiling as he let his weariness take over. They were back together. He heard the hatch closing again and Ronon calling his name, but everything was growing hazy and it was too hard to think.
They could go home now.
TBC
A/N: As you may have noticed, this story is nearly done. Send me more feedback now or I will withhold the end.
A/N: The lizards seem to be trying to tell me something. Let me get my glasses and see if I can figure this out.
