Chapter the Seventh: Carry on wayward son

Teyla ran a finger over the Ancient words. She could make out some of them, but not enough to help Sheppard with his Task. Sheppard stood a few steps behind, squinting at what he hoped would become a pattern.

She stepped back when he moved closer and reached out to follow the trace of a word. "What does this one mean?"

"I do not know, but the one before means honour." She doubted it would help, but one could not devise what clues would prove to be useful.

"Honour…" Sheppard squinted some more before stepping back and crossing his arms. "I got nothing. What about you?"

Teyla regretfully shook her head. "I cannot see anything."

Sheppard ran a hand through his hair. "We could use McKay on this."

"I believe we could use both Ronon and Rodney."

"You're right about that." He let his hands drop by his side and sighed.

"They are well. We will find them soon."

Turning toward her, John nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, sure." He stood before the first door and examined the symbols. After a moment, he spoke to her. "Can you tell me the symbols you know, again?"

Teyla approached him and pointed. "This one is honour. Sight. Chant. Fall. Solid."

Nodding, he repeated them. "Does it make any sense to you?"

"It does not."

"What about those?" He pointed to the words above the doors.

"Those are unfamiliar to me as well, but I believe this one might mean Plentiful."

"Great."

They continued to stand before the door until Sheppard let out a curse. "You know what, screw this! There has to be another way in."

He moved to the side of the rocky surface, away from the door. Teyla followed, observing their surroundings. The same trees that made this forest encircled them, and though they were tall enough to block the sunlight the stone rose far higher than they did. The door was tall and wide, leaving no doubt that it would be immovable without a healthy amount of firepower. As she followed John, the ground rose higher. He jogged ahead and as long as she could see him, she did not feel the need to hurry. He left his hand on the rock and stopped occasionally to look at what had caught his touch.

He stayed longer at one of those locations and she hurried to join him. "You have found something?"

"We could climb here. There's a ledge. Maybe we'll see the gate."

She held her breath but the sting of reprisal didn't come. He must've shared her thoughts, for he too released a breath in relief. "It is worth a try, Colonel."

"Alright. Do you want to go first?"

She didn't like the thought of leaving him alone on the ground, but danger didn't seem imminent. She nodded and evaluated the rocky surface. John was right; there was an easy path to the ledge. She grabbed on to the first hand-rest and lifted herself from the ground. She found a resting place for her feet before searching above her head for another place to grab. Her hand moved to a fissure in the rock and she moved on higher. The rhythm of the climb came naturally, her body moving as if it knew where to land, which direction held the most secure dips and curves of the rock. Its surface was harsh and grainy, not at all the smoothness she had expected; it made it easier for her feet to dig into the unyielding hardness. She reached the ledge faster than she would've expected and smiled, proud of a task well done. She looked down when Sheppard shouted out.

"You ok up there?"

"I am well. Come."

"Coming up."

She let her eyes roam over the forest. She was not high enough to see over the trees, but as the terrain had been steadily climbing, she could see some of the ground they had covered, where the trees were sparser. The river looked calm from above as it flowed near the rocky walls they had climbed. She checked on John's progress and saw that he was more than halfway up. He would be sweaty and wincing when he reached her, of that she was certain. He had so little of the discipline needed to keep his body in the best shape possible, so he was often in pain, or on his back in the training room, she thought affectionately.

She searched the horizon for something to assist them, in vain. Trees all around her and a wall of stone at her back made it so there was little to see.

Finally, Sheppard reached her and as predicted was in no better shape then when he had left the ground. She, on the other hand, had found the stretch of the climb rather pleasurable. Well, she allowed him his weaknesses; he was an impressive man despite of them.

His face fell when he reached the conclusions she had. "Wow, bad view."

"There is little to see."

They heard a high-pitched squeal echo above the trees. "Good acoustics though."

"I do believe I have heard such a cry before."

"Me too."

They fell silent, listening in puzzlement.

The high-pitched squeal came again, longer and louder than before.

"Damn…"

"Is that…"

In perfect unison, they called out to the source of the sound.

"RODNEY!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" was Rodney's response.

It was obvious he had not heard them. They continued to listen in hope as the sound came closer, louder. It was soon followed by a loud rumbling.

Sheppard lowered himself over the ledge. "Stay here, keep an eye on things. I'll be right back." No sooner had he finished those words that his hand lost its grip on the rock and he fell.

His scream was considerably lower, but his eyes just as wide as Rodney's, Teyla imagined. "JOHN." She uselessly reached out for him.

--OOOOO--

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" Rodney ran as fast as he could, screaming, huffing, puffing and probably certain he was dying.

Ronon followed closely, urging him on. "RUN! STOP SCREAMING AND RUN!"

He pressed a hand to the scientist's back in the hopes of quickening his speed. He could feel the ground shaking from the beasts' hooves. As large as the trunk of the trees that surrounded them, that's how big those legs were, and if McKay and he were caught in that stampede, they were condemned. Therefore, Ronon pushed and urged him to move.

He felt the breath of the lead beast on his legs and knew they were in need of a plan. Something needed to be done. "FASTER!" he shouted, that being his only plan at the moment.

"I CAN'T!"

"FASTER! MOVE IT!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

He moved to McKay's side and grabbed his upper arm, pulling the bulky man and driving his speed into him.

"I CAN'T!"

"SHUT UP, JUST RUN!"

"TOO FAST!"

"FASTER!"

Ronon knew McKay could not keep this speed for long. They needed something, or McKay would fall and then what would Ronon do? He wouldn't be fast enough to kill all those beasts before they trampled his team-mate.

It was, as always, Rodney who found the solution.

They had reached a high wall of rock and were running alongside it. It curved, roughly a hundred metres ahead, but not as smoothly as it might've, for damaged had been done over time.

"BREAK! THERE!" Rodney screamed, and pointed as he ran.

A few seconds run away the rock had broken, leaving a hole large enough for himself and Rodney to fit into, but too small for the animals to follow. Ronon marvelled at their newly acquired don't-die plan. "SEE IT."

They nodded at each other and set their sight on salvation. Seconds passed, as did distance, and when they drew level with the alcove, Ronon stuffed Rodney into the break in the wall and followed. The beasts never stopped and the top left horn of one ripped through Ronon's leg. He released McKay as he was pulled away. Twisting his body, ignoring the pain, he managed to climb upon the back of the animal and hold on. The horn had ripped through, leaving him bloodied, and he had twisted his knee as his leg had been caught between the two left horns when he tried to avoid a fall to the ground.

The beast beneath him bucked, but Ronon held on, not allowing himself to be dislodged so easily. He was jerked from one side to the other as the beasts changed direction. From atop, he could detail them more closely. They had a hard skin, not quite scales but something similar. Their backs where wider than Ronon's bed and nearly as long. He turned around, facing its head rather than its hindquarters, hissing as his leg followed gingerly. The Trucks had large flapping ears and a long snout. Small, dark eyes fixed to the front and as large a mouth as Ronon had ever seen sucked in air.

The beast bucked again, but Ronon held on, feeling the distance between himself and his team-mate grow. He turned around again, facing the beasts that followed the one he rode. Keeping one hand firmly attached to the folds of the beast's skin, he took out his weapon and brought the herd down from the rear. Kill, find team, go home. He felt the burn in his leg but it barely registered on his conscious mind. There were more important things than pain.

--OOOOO--

Sheppard's head was spinning, his back was aching, and he really didn't want to move, not even to answer Teyla's shouts.

"Colonel!"

"Yeah," he croaked, before clearing his throat and taking a deep breath. "Yeaaaaah." He winced. "Crap, that hurt."

"Colonel! Are you ok?"

He really hoped she winced at the question, because it was a spectacularly stupid one. "Yeah, just dandy."

"Can you get up?"

He waved a hand in what he hoped the affirmative and rolled over to his side. "Not a good move." Despite the definite error in his plan, he continued to roll over until he was facedown. He laid his hand flat on the ground and pressed up.

He didn't rise. "Ok, John, you're no wimp." He went in search of strength he didn't think he had and pressed.

He drew himself up to his hands and knees and froze. Only Teyla's questioning shout put motion back in his immediate future. He rose to his knees and from there to his feet. He swayed in the light wind and turned, reaching out to lay a hand on the rock wall. He exhaled slowly, fighting a slight bout of nausea. "Down, stay down, stay down," he muttered to the ingested food.

He heard the loud rumbling sound drawing close. He raised his head to Teyla, who was staring down, stretching her neck to see around the rock that blocked her view. He returned his sight to his level in time to see a herd of, what had they been called now…Trucks? Yeah, that was it…he was taken out of his name recall by the sight of Ronon, riding backwards on one of those things, shooting the ones unfortunate enough to bring up the rear. Massive beasts that looked a little like triceratops on steroids fell as a reddish pulse engulfed them. Sheppard stood, watching, dumbstruck for long seconds before he thought to yell out, as Teyla was doing.

Too late, the herd stomped pass and Ronon was gone.

Teyla shouted from above. "RODNEY! ROOOOOOOOOOODNEY!"

Sheppard rewound the memory and noted the distinct lack of Rodney. He leaned against the rock and limped forward. He reached the point where the wall curved away and peered around the corner. Beasts were laid at regular intervals, shot down by Ronon.

He joined Teyla in her calls. "RODNEY! RODNEY MCKAY! ROOOOODNEY!"

He limped forward, passing more beasts. Sweat fell into his eyes and he blinked it away, not trusting his body to hold him was he to take his hand off the rocks. No way was he letting go of his P-90, in case one of those things wasn't all the way dead. Unlikely, but still, one had to move prudently amongst freaky, gigantic, dinosaur look-alike.

"ROOOODNEY!"

"SHEPPARD?"

"RODNEY!" He saw the head pop out of the rock and attempted to run toward it. It was a valiant attempt that brought him a step of two further than he had been.

"SHEPPARD!" Rodney extricated himself from the stone and ran forward. He was red in the face, panting, dirty and panicked to no end, but what a great sight he made.

Sheppard stilled, judging that McKay would reach him just as fast was he to move or not. He rested his back against the rock wall and waited. Hands reached for him, his arm was draped over broad shoulders and he was in motion before he had the time to catch his breath.

"What happened to you? Where's Teyla? Did you see Ronon; was he alive? Did you kill those? Are you ok? You're not bleeding internally are you, because we can't help you with that! Did you break anything? Is Teyla ok? What are you guys doing here? Have you finished your Tasks? Are they dead, they're really big, if they wake up we're in trouble, and I lost my gun. Can you handle your P-90? What am I saying, you can't even stand up, how are you going to handle the kick on that thing. You should give it to me. No, you should give it to Teyla. Where is she? She's not…she's…ok…right?"

Sheppard waited for Rodney to take a breath before slipping into the conversation. "Teyla's fine. She's up there, see?" He pointed to the ledge, not far away from their position, upon which Teyla stood.

"Oh," McKay whispered, sagging slightly before remembering he was actually holding Sheppard upright. "What about you? What'd you do?"

"I –"

"You fell, didn't you? God, you're such a moron. Just because Teyla does it, doesn't mean you can too. You're not like her; you don't have her super-warrior powers."

"I didn't fall!"

"He did."

Sheppard frowned at Teyla, who peaked over the ledge at them. "I fell going back down, not up."

"You fell down. Wow, what a feat. Falling down. As I've said: moron," Rodney retorted, lowering John to the ground. "Where's your pack?"

It landed at his feet a few beats before Teyla.