Duck looked over at his copilot, just checking to make sure everything was in order. The Corporal nodded his readiness, and palmed the control that would set the jumper in motion.
"Jumper 7, this is Atlantis control. Your departure is being delayed."
"What?"
"Repeat, Jumper 7, your departure is being delayed. Doctor Weir requests that you join her in the infirmary."
"Shit!" Sanders sighed in frustration and looked over at his copilot once more.
"It's probably important," the corporal said. "Otherwise she wouldn't delay. You know that."
"Yeah, I know." He thumbed the communications control. "Roger, Atlantis control. I'm on my way." He stood up, but gestured for the corporal and the other two men in the Jumper to stay put. "I'll be right back."
OOOOOOOOOOO
When Elizabeth Weir entered the infirmary, she was met by the doctor Carson had left in charge when he'd left. A Navy captain with a list of credentials as long as Weir's arm, but who was luckily very down to earth and easy to get along with.
"How is he?"
"He's still in shock, but he's coming out of it quickly. Teyla is still down, but she's starting to show signs of coming around."
"Can I see Ronon?"
"He insists that you do," she said, giving a tight smile. She led Weir over to the far side of the infirmary, where Ronan was sitting up on a bed looking pale and wan, but better than he had when he'd arrived back at Atlantis. His left forearm was wrapped in a white bandage, but aside from a few bruises he didn't look too terrible.
"Ronon?"
He scowled.
"Have you found Colonel Mitchell yet?"
She shook her head.
"We have two jumpers going back there to help with the search, but Teal'c hasn't found any sign of her. What happened out there?"
"We ran into Light Ones…"
"What?"
He scowled again.
"They're not the same as the Light Ones you know – unless there are others I haven't met. These don't turn into wolves or birds, they turn into cats."
"Cats?"
"Large ones. Bigger than those tree cats we fought before."
"You're sure?"
He held up his bandaged arm, wryly.
"Yeah. I'm sure."
"What-"
"Doctor Weir?"
She turned to see that Sergeant Sanders had walked up behind her, looking impatient and annoyed at being forced to wait – which she could understand.
"Sergeant. You're just in time to hear what happened." She looked back at Ronon. "Sergeant Sanders is flying one of the Jumpers back."
"I want to go, too."
"I don't…" she looked at the doctor, who shrugged.
"If he wants to go, he probably can."
There wasn't anything really wrong with him, after all. Just shock. Besides, he was a terrible patient.
"I want to," Ronon repeated.
Weir nodded.
"Tell us what happened, then, and we'll get you two on your way."
OOOOOOOOOO
Mitchell looked up when Hu entered the room she was being held in, but she didn't say a word as he walked over to stand close by. He frowned, however, when he saw that her wrists were bleeding – a result of struggling against the odd ropes that bound them.
"You're injured."
Like he caresSince Melony couldn't agree more, she didn't reply to that.
Hu frowned.
"Do you require anything?"
"I want to see the others."
"That is impossible."
"Meaning what?"
"It means that you cannot see them," he said. "Now… if you tell me what I want to know, perhaps I will-"
"I'm not telling you anything."
"There are others looking for you," Hu said, biting back his annoyance. "Beings who look nothing like you, but feel much the same. Who are they?"
She didn't answer him, and Hu had a little more trouble hiding his frustration.
"We're going to find out," he told her. "If you tell me, then I won't have to dissect them to see what makes them different from humans."
"Go to hell."
"Should I start by dissecting you?"
"If you were going to kill me you would have by now," Melony told him. "If you're not going to kill me, then you might as well just let me go, because I'm not going to tell you anyth-"
"I could kill you in an instant!" he shouted at her, his voice booming in his anger. "What are you?"
Not at all cowed by his tantrum – because that was what it seemed to be – Melony just turned her head, resting her cheek against the cool wall.
"Don't ignore me!"
What do you suppose his game is? Talon asked.
I don't have a clue. But I'm not going to tell him anything.
GoodThey'd already discussed that, and had agreed that the longer he waited for any information – and since he wasn't trying to torture her for any information – then that was that much longer they'd have to figure out how to escape. Or give Weir or someone time to find them and hopefully orchestrate a rescue of some sort.
"Answer me!"
Hu couldn't help himself. He lashed out with a foot, kicking Melony in the side. Of course, he was barefooted so while it wasn't fun, it didn't hurt nearly as much as it might have. With her hands tied, she couldn't do much more than try to dodge the next kick, but he didn't lash out at her again. Instead he looked almost afraid, and he left the room without saying another word, slamming the door hard behind him.
Trying to catch the breath that was knocked out of her, Melony stared at the door, wondering if he was going to come back.
"What the hell is going on around here…?"
OOOOOOOOO
"The trail ends here..."
Teal'c walked over to stand by where his best scouts were crouched, and looked over their shoulders at the ground they were looking at. Sure enough, the trail they had been following - one he'd been certain would lead him to Mitchell - was gone. One minute it was there, and the next it wasn't. Like they had suddenly vanished from that spot to end up elsewhere.
"Spread out," he ordered them - and those who had come over to look as well. "Look for blood, and feathers - or anything out of the ordinary."
As the Jaffa all moved to obey, there was suddenly a brilliant light, and a blast of force that seemed like a silent explosion which knocked him and all the other Jaffa and humans around him off their feet. Well trained and hard to stun, they all scrambled back to their feet,reaching for weapons, pulling them out and looking for the source.
"Stop! You will go no further - or you shall surely perish."