Gordon looked at the smears of blood and drops of water on the floor and smiled. He'd been tracking the Major for some time, ever since he discovered that the man had escaped from the maintenance room. He'd purposefully let him get free from his bindings. He knew about the ladder, and where it went. He also knew the gun was empty, and that the Major would try and use it on him when he caught up with him. It would not be difficult, Lorne was slowed by his injury. When the Major realised that his weapon was empty, it would be too late. The Wraith's appetite would be satisfied, and his plan could still go ahead. The malfunctioning transport device had seen to that – a stroke of luck in the Wraith's favour. The human had not been able to call for help. It was only a matter of time.
oOo
Lorne froze. He heard something. He didn't need to turn around to know that he was being followed. The noise had come from just around the corner behind him.
"Damn." He muttered. "Looks like the party's about to start."
It had been an odd noise, the sort of squeak that rubber-soled shoes make on a shiny floor. Then he realised that he'd been dripping water the whole time from his drenched fatigues. He'd probably left a trail, which the Wraith had just slipped on. That thought, at least, gave him something to smile about, as he ducked down another hallway.
Somewhere behind him, the creature that had been following him cursed silently.
oOo
"Okay, we're here. What's their status?" Sheppard whispered into his comm.
"We got a problem. For some reason the sensors are down again. We can't see a thing from here." Rodney replied over the radio.
"Understood." He replied, deflated slightly, before remembering something he picked up from the Jumper when they landed. "Good job I brought this then." He muttered to Teyla, holding out a portable life-signs detector.
She smiled. "If you can locate them I may be able to determine which one of them is Major Lorne." She said quietly.
"Okay. Remember, think before you shoot. It might be Lorne. It's difficult to tell cause it's so dark." John didn't want the lights to alert the Wraith of their presence.
She nodded, and moved off to his left, surveying the area around them.
"Sir?" John's radio crackled softly.
"Go ahead Cadman." He replied.
"We're right behind you." She said in a hushed voice.
"Okay, keep your distance. If it moves, make sure it's not Lorne before shooting, got it?"
"Yes, Sir." The radio fell silent.
oOo
"Looking for someone?" Lorne said as nonchalantly as he could, while leaning against a pillar. His leg was killing him.
The Wraith, who'd just stalked past without noticing him, stopped and growled. It turned to face the Major and smiled as it saw the gun in his hand.
"Are you gonna let me in on the joke?" Lorne asked.
"Your weapon is useless. You are about to meet your fate, human."
"I thought we agreed that you were gonna call me 'Lorne'?" He replied smoothly. "And why would you think that this is useless?" He brandished the gun but still kept it pointed at his attacker.
"It is empty."
Lorne smiled and pulled the trigger. The gun clicked, but no bullet discharged.
"Well, it looks that way, doesn't it, Gordon?" Lorne said casually.
The Wraith took his coolness to be masking his fear, and stepped closer to him.
"But…" Lorne continued. "If I do this…" He flipped the safety catch off and waved the gun around. "Not so useless now, huh Gordon?"
"Your weapon is still empty." The creature replied, puzzled at the human's attitude.
"Not so much." The Major replied, and fired. The Wraith hissed in anger and pain as a bullet lodged into his shoulder from across the hall. Lorne gave it a cold smile.
"Hurts, doesn't it?"
oOo
John and Teyla sped into action when they heard the gunshot. The sound had come from a few hallways away and reverberated off the walls around them, but Sheppard had the life-signs detector with him, so he knew which way to go.
"Cadman, Hansen, Stackhouse, keep your distance. Provide cover for me and Teyla. Do not fire unless ordered." John said into his radio as he ran.
"Understood, Sir."
"Lorne, I hope to God that you're the one with the gun." He muttered.
oOo
"Your weapon was empty!" The Wraith screamed.
"If I learnt one thing whilst training for the military, it's always make sure you have some sort of backup plan. In this case, it was a spare clip of bullets." Lorne replied coolly, still leaning against the pillar. More for support than for effect.
Gordon charged at him, but it was useless. Lorne had a full clip and he used it. The Wraith fell to it's knees, secreting its dark, sticky blood from each bullet wound.
"Come on, Gordon, you're making a mess." Lorne said. The Wraith snarled at him, summing up the last of it's strength to fight back. Lorne allowed it to clamber to it's feet and step towards him. Behind them, the Major could see Sheppard and Teyla in position to back him up if necessary. It was good to see them, but he wouldn't need it.
"One shot left." He said as Gordon stopped three feet in front of him. He raised the gun and fired. The Wraith crumpled to the ground. It was followed shortly afterwards by Lorne, who gave up his fight to cling to the pillar for support. He'd forced himself to stay conscious so he could finish things with the creature, but had been in agony throughout the whole ordeal.
Lorne saw his CO running towards him, almost in slow motion. Sheppard kicked the Wraith out of the way and knelt beside him. Teyla was on her radio. The last thing he remembered was a searing pain in his leg, before everything went fuzzy and all he could see was black.
So, did I do well with Gordon's demise? Please tell me!