Chapter 21
Pismo Beach and All the Clams We Can Eat!
Witnessing dawn break over an entire side of a planet was nothing short of spectacular. The HUD provided him with views of the planets of his solar system. He had only seen them in pictures or on NOVA specials before joining the project. How many missions had he flown in space and his home system was a stranger? Too bad he could not enjoy seeing the moons of Jupiter or the rings of Saturn or the Asteroid Belt in between Jupiter and Mars. It really was too bad that this would be his only time .
"How many?" Lucy's voice was full of wonder. "Billions?" She made it sound like that could not possibly be right. "And they are so loud. All of the chatter just begging us to investigate." She was way too cheery.
On an unrelated topic, Wraith healed-up real nice. The hole in her gut was completely gone only after a few minutes of feeding. A few snacks on others-- not him because that might have been too tempting-- cleared her complexion right up. Super strength Clearasil, gets rid of unsightly blemishes. It was too easy for them. Who would want to give that up? It was a topic for another time and other people.
The ship slowed before the asteroids and came to a complete stop. On her screen a marvelous picture popped up, the Big Blue Marble. It levitated in space like an ordinary desk globe in his grandfather's living room. The HUD zeroed in on a single solitary speck in a high orbit.
The Prometheus looked grand for a ghost ship.
"That cannot be all, human." She turned to gauge his reaction or to gloat, whichever she felt the need to do.
He, of course, remained out of the conversation. The ship gave off a signal from what he could tell. This had to be part of an SGC or, even better, a McKay plan.
"Now, where is the trap?" She studied her readouts and probably conferred with those driving this boat. "Release the darts and proceed slowly."
The ship charted a course through the belt and emerged on the other side with its swarm fully intact. The Prometheus sat there silently beckoning to them and then it spoke.
"Wraith vessel, this is Col. Cameron Mitchell of the Earth vessel Prometheus. We request your immediate surrender."
Sheppard liked that. That was a good one. Mitchell had a mischievous streak a mile wide. Whatever SG-1 and McKay had come up with should be fun to watch. And, here he was with a front row seat…stand…cocoon…whatever.
She did not answer or have anyone else answer. "Little human, they try my patience." She looked over her shoulder at him.
"OK, I'll take that as a no." Mitchell said after several minutes. "Well, it's not like we didn't try to warn ya."
Sheppard watched as the Prometheus had babies.
He started to hum.
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Mitchell sat in his glorified movie theater seat with the kick-ass view. He had to admit he was a little nervous about jumping back in the saddle for an invasion on the planetary scale again.
"We're drawing them in," reported Emerson.
"I think I'm drawing them in." He paused and looked at the hologram surrounding his ship. "It's nice to see the old girl even if it's only for a little while." He watched his screen as the blip stopped on the wrong side of the asteroid belt. He would give them a few minutes to enter before trying to contact them.
Then the Hive released its darts and entered into the belt. "Come on, a little closer." He smiled as the stern of the ship exited the asteroid belt. It was time to do his thing. "Wraith vessel, this is Col. Cameron Mitchell of the Earth vessel Prometheus. We request your immediate surrender."
Might as well get to the point and pull the ship a little more his way. He did not truly expect them to answer, but it would have been the polite thing to do.
"Colonel, get ready to light them up," Carter instructed him.
"OK, I'll take that as a no." He started flipping the switches on the alien device. "Well, it's not like we didn't try to warn ya."
Five little innocuous satellites transformed themselves into five more Prometheus's. "Come and get it…"
The darts started to advance and the ship opened fire on the lies. He hoped they had brought enough Hot Shot for everyone. "Blue, Green and Red squadrons get ready. Serpent and Jackal squadrons get ready…Let's go get 'em boys and girls!"
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Shots went through the baby Prometheus's after she commanded all guns to fire. Instead of explosions, smaller targets blinked into existence.
"A trick…" She studied the readouts and any available information. "Release the rest of the darts." She was saying it for his benefit. The ship continued to ease forward getting closer to the planet of his birth. The HUD reoriented itself to show the asteroid belt again. Only this time, the asteroids started moving.
She had expected resistance, just not ships assigned as Goa'uld. She had foolishly not pressed hard enough. But she was destined and she could not fail.
And they had caught her in a vice. She still could win; there were no large ships. These minor annoyances could be swatted away with a few well placed shots and her horde.
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"All Al'kesh, begin your runs," ordered Bra'tac as the Hive ship moved far enough away from the field to ensure their safety.
The Ha'tak waited patiently on the other side of Earth hidden from view. They would be the final blow. Bra'tac paced the bridge and monitored the offensive. So far, it was going according to plan.
The restlessness of the crew was unavoidable because they wanted revenge for all those taken on Joben. And that was part of the promise to the Council; let the Jaffa deal the death blow. The Tau'ri did not have a problem with that at all.
So they played the waiting game.
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Gaspar brought his ship online as other Al'kesh pilots did the same. They had pretty much attached themselves to the larger asteroids to hide from sensors and now it was time to come out of hiding. Their sole purpose was to disable the intergalactic drives so this ship could never attack another planet again.
"Beginning my run, firing at the engines…"
His first salvo of shots struck home. But the engines were shielded and he knew that it was going to take more than just a few shots to bring this monster down. Darts swarmed the area and then his day got interesting.
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The Hive ship rocked from an explosion.
"Little insect stings, hardly a noticeable irritation," she confidently stated.
He watched as she directed darts to intercept the ships. John smiled to himself and kept humming. Playing dead with the rocks, clever guys.
He watched the dog fights and ached to join. Unfortunately, he had to sit this one out. It was the Super Bowl, World Cup and the Triple Crown rolled into one. He continued to hum. Maybe, Ride of the Valkyries? Did napalm actually smell like victory? If it did not, then plasma weapons would have to suffice.
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Teyla's eyes fluttered as she sought the answer…
"Rescue. There are thousands aboard and very much alive. I will locate Col. Sheppard next." She closed her eyes again. "He is in the chambers of the Queen…he is also very much alive." Teyla opened her eyes and smiled.
Rodney did not spare a glance at her. "Good, then let's wait for that moment and take it." He hit his headset. "Col. Emerson, it's a rescue operation."
Carter smiled back at Teyla and turned to Ullr. "Have the beam ready."
"It has been ready."
Carter and Teyla bit back their smiles. Carter returned her focus to the controls and Teyla looked over her shoulder to one corner of the room. Sgt. Bates eyed her with suspicion. Landry explained to her that he knew Bates and she were not friends, but if she was controlled by the Wraith who better to stun her than the little paranoid man. She had to reluctantly concede that point. He would not hesitate which was very important.
What really and truly bothered her was that Ronon actually liked the abrasive man. Such feelings were like a betrayal of some sort. She could understand it on some level though, and that bothered her even more.
She walked back to Ullr's workstation and pointed to the areas where the humans were being kept. She wanted him to know exactly where her team leader was located and that he was to definitely be transported to the SGC.
"This has been explained to me already. I think by now I understand."
She gave him her warm smile. "Thank you…it is just, he has been missing from us for a very long time."
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"Damnit!" Mitchell rolled his craft. "T, you having as much fun with these game pieces as I am?" He had left the ruse of the Prometheus and joined the fight. Not much use once the trap sprung and the shots went through the ships.
"Indeed Col. Mitchell, they are very agile crafts," Teal'c answered swerving to miss a shot aimed at his wing. "It will be most difficult to merely cripple one like Dr. McKay wishes us to."
"We need it," McKay interrupted. "We have to piggyback our signal on one in order for it to look genuine. So gentleman, please cripple one just enough that it has to limp home to mama."
"Tell them that!" Mitchell yelled as he destroyed a dart with another one hot on his tail.
Mitchell shot his bird out to the side and slowed down. The dart went screaming past. He fired on it damaging its winglet. "There! That better?"
"Just what the doctor ordered."
Another shot narrowly missed his ship as Mitchell cursed at himself because the fight was not over.
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"McKay, the cloak is starting to disagree with the Odyssey's systems. You need to hurry up!" Carter yelled from her station.
"I'm overriding his communications! Transmitting the codes and requesting the ability to off load my troops-- now! Cross your fingers and toes." McKay squinted at the readouts and held his breath.
The readout flashed green. "Carter, uncloak! Ullr, let's get those people off of there!"
"I am starting the rotation now. The quick bursts are storing individual signatures efficiently, Dr. McKay," Ullr reported from his station.
McKay gave a terse acknowledgement as he kept an eye on the storage matrix. He had gotten the idea that if the Wraith had a grocery net, why not them? Instead of completing a transfer immediately, have a quick burst grabbing as many as possible and storing them until they could be transferred at one time.
"The Hive's noticed us, prepare for impact," Emerson broadcast throughout the Odyssey. No sooner had the words been uttered then sparks started flying from consoles and wall units due to the enemy weapon's fire.
"We are still storing the data, Dr. McKay and Col. Carter." Ullr's fingers flew across his console. He staggered only slightly as the ship rocked from another hit. "Fifty percent complete."
Teyla closed her eyes to see how it was progressing from the other end.
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Al'kesh were not the most nimble of ships. They handle well and were very responsive, but the darts could dance around like them like worrisome fleas. Bouncing up, shooting and leaving a scorched mark on your hull before you had time to scratch the last one. One-third of the Al'kesh had already fallen to the Wraith's agile little ships.
Gaspar and those that had completed the first attacks ran interference for the rest of the group until every last ship had a chance to take its turn at the stern of the hideous beast.
"Continue firing on those engines! This ship shall go no farther!" He yelled as the darts tried to keep them from that very task.
Satisfaction swelled as a lone Al'kesh scooted underneath the Hive ship and fired. Its one last shot before a dart mortally wounded it intersected with the sweet spot. The victorious Al'kesh exploded along with the Hive's hyper-drive engines. A cheer went up over the radio.
One objective down, so now it was time to give full attention to the little fleas.
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"Another Earth ship has uncloaked next to that satellite," Linus reported pointing to the moon.
She smiled over her shoulder. "Another trick?"
Linus' head cocked to the side and they both shared a look of disbelief.
"The herd!" Lucy screeched. She stalked towards John. "Scramble it! What do they think stealing the herd will accomplish?"
"I have no idea, it's my day off." He returned to his new song. For this occasion, AC/DC was appropriate.
"We have lost the scrambling array." Linus brought up other images on her personal screen.
"Open fire." She abruptly stopped and appeared to study the ceiling and the walls. A look of genuine disgust wrinkled up her face. "It is here. What are you looking for?"
He realized she was not talking to Linus or him.
She stepped up to John. "Is this it?" She poked her pointer finger into his flesh.
It caught him off-guard and he howled.
Next, she sent out a mental message to all aboard her ship. "If they want the herd, then they can have them!" She sneered and twisted the finger.
"The engines are off-line," Linus reported to Lucy. "They have severed the coolant systems and subspace relays. We are dead in space."
"No matter, we can repair those; one little Earth ship cannot withstand a barrage."
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"Ullr, you had better hurry. They know I am here and they know what we are up to." Teyla remained calm in her pseudo-trance. She had seen the colonel. The Queen was enjoying showing her…things.
"Ullr, any human life signs outside of the cocoons are collaborators. You don't need to worry about them as much," Carter said.
"I understand Col. Carter, but it does not work that way. The beam is only searching for human life signs, but is doing it in micro bursts so it can cover the entire ship and save the data before we transport them. It is making no distinctions because of the limited amount of time."
Teyla went rigid. "They are killing all those cocooned!"
"The last grouping is now," reported Ullr in his ultra-bored tone.
Teyla laughed and turned an evil smirk towards those in the room. "Witness," her voice dropped an octave and it unnaturally vibrated as she spoke. She could feel the control from outside her own body. She prayed Bates would live up to his end and not hesitate.
Bates came at her with a Wraith stunner raised and read to fire, but not before she knocked Carter into him and gripped McKay in a choke hold. She could hear her teammate sputtering and trying to gasp.
Carter scrambled back up to her console. Her eyes widened at what the data told her. Seconds later, Emerson confirmed her observation.
"They are preparing to fire on Earth. We're out of time!" Emerson yelled into communications for the ship. "Bra'tac, it's your turn."
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"Fire at the planet, scorch it." Lucy never took her eyes off of John. She had three of her claws dangling from his chest with two imbedded in it. "Let your little friend witness your end."
She kept taunting someone and he finally figured out whom. He was a little slow on the uptake due to…well, all of this. Three little dots scampering down a craggy hole in a distant dream played across his mind. His team was here.
Warning sirens sounded and she lazily looked at her screen. Two pyramids with wide hoop-skirts exited hyper-space between the Hive and Earth. They immediately opened fire.
The combination of Rail guns and Ha'tak weapons firing upon the ship made it reverberate. He finally saw her flinch. Not an actual flinch, but one of karmic realization that her flawless plan might not end up as successful as she originally thought. That yes, she could have won against one tiny little Earth ship, but not two warships of equal caliber to her own. And, they were beating her while wearing a dress.
His constant tremor increased with the pin-cushion motif she had going in his chest. But, his need to piss off those in charge surged forward. He had an opening and he was sure as shootin' going to take it.
"Aah, there it is, failure. Oh, so close," he taunted her for a change. Wasn't turnabout fair play? "I believe you've been-- thunderstruck." Yes, this had been a grand slam of a sporting contest with front row seats to the main event. Didn't you always hear AC/DC at these things?
One of the shots from either the Ha'tak or the Odyssey breeched the hull of the Hive ship and the chain reaction began. More shots struck the weakened hull and it started to break apart.
He slowed his breathing and relaxed. He knew the end of the story now. He looked her squarely in the eye. He might not kill her with his own hands, but he could watch her crash and burn.
She answered her defeat with a screech, a last ditch effort to reclaim her perfection. Linus bowed his head and left through the fire starting to engulf the doorway and the walls. The room bubbled and boiled as she pressed her palm into his chest. Her hand pierced the already abraded flesh and he waited for that influx of strength before the rupturing of every cell in his body.
"We go together." He felt her breath on his cheek and then her head as it rested on his chest.
The walls blistered and disintegrated into melted strings of membrane and metal. He looked up as the ceiling gave way and for a spit second Earth served as a backdrop to the drama. Fitting, he thought.
John Sheppard closed his eyes and was consumed.
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A/N: You guys rock! Thank you so much for the responses. Well now, I hope that delivered some relief…I know another cliff hangar, but hey you just can't have too many, now can you? Those bunnies like messin' with folk.
Be warned: The bunnies rented themselves an airboat and went gator gigging. Poor thing didn't stand a chance. They celebrated with piña coladas.