Mine Cave

CHAPTER SIX

A/N Thank you for all the reviews, favourites and follows, it means a lot!...and sorry this chapter was late in coming!

SGA SGA SGA

"Okay, Colonel Sheppard. You came into my tent voluntarily, what has changed?"

Sheppard regarded the slender, grey haired figure in front of him with curiosity. Her heaving chest suggested she had been caught unawares by his actions and her sense of excitement was heightened if her blood pressure was anything to go by. Her cheeks glowed rosy red against the pale complexion that was her normal. She half leaned against her desk, one hand on the firm surface to stop her legs from slipping on the muddy ground under her feet. The tent had a smell of damp after the storm and it felt uncomfortably warm inside after the cold of the outside morning air.

"I thought I would do you a favour and not cause a scene." He spoke.

"And just why do you think that would bother me? This is my world, after all. My mine. My cave. What I say here goes. Funnily enough though, you seem to think you are immune; like you can defy me, you and your friends."

"I think that yes; you can demand anything you want here." Sheppard dared to step closer to her; just a small bit of intimidation. "But…and this is a big but, I think you know that your little toys will not work on me anymore. They are not functioning: dead. So, you cannot forget about forcing me into being some sort of walking weapon. That's what you wanted, wasn't it?"

"I think you lie, Colonel Sheppard from Atlantis. I have heard of your natural gene from people in other worlds and how amazed they were with your powers."

Sheppard stared at her without speaking for a space, just a small smirk crossed his lips. "Conjecture."

"Oh no, Sheppard. I know they speak the truth of what they have seen, and I already know these artefacts work. I can…" She'llyn stopped talking suddenly.

Sheppard raised an eyebrow and came even closer to his prey. "You can light them up... I saw you on more than one occasion. They are of ancient design, aren't they? Is that what you are saying?" Sheppard knew that connection was not to be ignored.

She'llyn started sweating and shifted her feet until she stood up straight and walked further away from Sheppard.

"I don't know what you are talking about?"

"I felt it off you earlier. A connection. You are of ancient blood, aren't you?"

"A connection! With you? Are you insane?"

Sheppard lunged for a small artefact that rocked precariously on her desk and grabbed it in his hand. It lit up slightly and he felt a warmth creep into his hand. He held it for just a short time as he stood up straight and smiled towards She'llyn as he tossed it to her.

She'llyn, on reflex, seized the object from mid-air and the moment her skin touched it, it lit up as Sheppard expected. He was still stunned into silence though, and She'llyn swiftly threw it to the ground where it bounced once and then fell hard, shattering into a few pieces.

"I presume you have told no-body about this…ability of yours? Did you have to fight to have them remain static for you before they were placed on me?"

The silence, like the artefact, may have been broken, but She'llyn stood as still as a statue. After the death of her parents and brother, she had been alone with the secret that she was of ancient blood. Her father had pressed into her from when she could first understand things, that she was special, and to keep the secret to just within the immediate family as it would not go down well with others.

A secret kept for so many decades had been blown apart with one wrong move of her hand. Why did she just not allow it to fall?

She'llyn looked up at Sheppard, expecting to see a man mocking her. Instead, she saw a man nod with understanding and perhaps sympathy. Curiosity oozed from him and she watched as he stooped down to pick the broken items.

"Leave them!" She barked, suddenly frightened and unsure of what to do next.

Sheppard straightened mid bend and put both hands up before, unbelievably, stepping back and away from her.

Was it submission? No. But it was an opening to move again and to breathe out a breath she didn't realise she had been holding.

"I suspect you have an interesting story to tell me?"

She'llyn heard him speak, but her head was buzzing suddenly and unwanted images of when she was young ran through her mind; images she had not allowed herself to think of for years.

"…special…"

"What do you mean papa?"

"Ssh, just now my sweetheart. Your mother will hear us. I promised her I would wait until you were older until we told you that…"

She'llyn had wondered what her father had wanted to tell her for years, but the Wraith had taken her family away and she had remained in the dark ever since.

"I…" She started to shake and she was furious with herself.

Here she was, the imposing leader of a mine, notorious with her same kind. She had remained at the top of her game since she had reclaimed her birth right, and now she felt like her life, as it was, was unfolding before her very eyes.

She had never meant for Sheppard, or his friends, to ever have found out about her abilities. She just wanted answers. She had planned to draw out of them information she could use to piece together the secrets of her life to a fulfilling conclusion and then move on.

"Sheppard…. I…"

Sheppard felt the sensation of movement at the same time as She'llyn's did. Her desk, once static, lurched and suddenly fell to the side in a dramatic turn of events. The ground moved and, in the distance, the voices that were shouting at them, and having being previously muffled by the canvas tent, now became clear in glorious stereo surround. They ran outside together. Any previous scenario of slaver and slave forgotten.

Several smaller explosions, like a domino event, were pushing out of the ground in abstract areas, with several people running for cover; eyes wide and terrified. Out of her peripheral She'llyn saw M'atra run towards her and her two personal guards grabbed her arms to keep her steady.

The ground, under their feet gave a slight movement and Sheppard stood as still as someone would who was standing on a frozen lake and the ice cracked suddenly. Slowly, he turned his head to watch the flames lick up into the air from the ground below and saw Ronon fall to the ground as he tried to make his way to him over middle ground. Rodney wasn't far behind him, and Sheppard held out an arm to stop them as he knew they would be safer where they were. He turned, fast this time, to bellow out to She'llyn that they had to make their way quickly to the higher ground that she liked to stand on early morning and evening, surveying her mine.

But it was too late for any run to safety. The ground rose and split in two, like a loaf being cracked to share. Sheppard and She'llyn swayed to keep purchase of the ground, but their feet had no say in the matter and they were tossed in the air by an underground stream that was being blown up out of its origin by the force of the invisible gas as it detoured its run under the mines. The force of the water, mingled with the flames, opened up a hole in the ground under their feet that had no border or stepping stone to safety. Down Sheppard, She'llyn and her two guards went and the ground consumed them as if they were pebbles on the shore.

The cold invaded his nostrils and mouth first as the shock of the cold water mingled with the realisation of his new situation. They had fallen about twenty feet into the raging torrent below that the explosions had set off. The stream had turned into a river with all the rain that they had had, and was now quite deep. It had taken land with it in chunks, leaving gaping holes that Sheppard could see daylight from above as he floundered in the force of the water. He frantically searched around him for signs of life from the other three that had fallen with him, and he was soon rewarded with the long flowing grey hair of She'llyn bob up beside him. He grabbed her arm and pointed upwards. She nodded but jerked her arm out of his hold; as stubborn as he was it seemed.

"I can manage. Find my guards!" She commanded.

Sheppard shook his head at her, but dived under again to see if he could find them. One, he met immediately. The large gash on his head indicated his death; he must have hit his head on stone as he fell. Sheppard pushed him aside and caught She'llyn watching him; her face impassive. She had managed to feel her way along the underground shelving and had heaved herself up out of the water onto a narrow ledge where she breathed fast and looked for signs of help from above.

Above them the fire raged, and more and more small explosions rocked the ground, spilling debris and chunks of ore and stone down on them like rain. Sheppard came up again for air as one large piece of stone clipped his cheek and he shot out a hand quickly to hold onto another exposed shelf. He touched his face and was dismayed to see his fingers come away with blood on them, but it only stung so Sheppard ignored it. Great, he had just had the last bandage on his head taken off and now he had another wound.

Up above him the land roared in anger at the abuse it was suffering, and it was hard to get a bearing on where they actually were. Fire danced along with its enemy, water; with neither of them willing to yield to the other. The resulting spectacle was a marvel of how fierce nature can be when fighting for dominance.

Sheppard worried for his team; it was obvious that their fall below was not an isolated case and he hoped they were safe and well. He had made only the briefest of contact with Rodney's eyes as he vanished down the hole; but he knew it was enough to know the danger he was about to be exposed to. He allowed the fast water to carry him towards She'llyn's now secured position. The enemy she may be, but she was also a human being in need of help and he wouldn't relinquish that promise he made all these years ago to save lives.

He reached the shelf she was sitting on with her feet still dangling in the water that was at least calming down now and grabbed onto a protruding rock and wiped his face clear of water and blood.

"There is no sign of the other guard! Are you okay?"

She'llyn just started at him and shrugged.

"I take it, that's a no then!" His voice competed with all the other noises around them. Still She'llyn didn't move, and Sheppard took a minute to just stop and look at her.

Whereas earlier she had looked strong, dominant, in control; now, with her hair and clothes wet through and plastered against her, she looked frail, bewildered and vacant somehow.

Sheppard poked a finger at her knee to get her attention and then hauled himself up beside her.

"Hey?"

"It's all falling apart on me and I have not had any answers yet."

Sheppard grew exasperated. "To what?" He grabbed at the disc on his neck. "This for instance?"

She'llyn focused on him at last and then reached into her breast pocket in a panic, only to sigh when what she had felt for was still present. Panic over, she reached into another pocket and withdrew the device that partnered the disc in his neck. She looked at him once more and pressed hard, concentrating as she did. Sheppard felt a slight heat and put a hand up to investigate, only to discover the disc was no longer there.

"I never did know exactly what it would do to someone with the ATA gene, I found it on a Wraith once."

"Wraith? What the…"

"Shut up, Sheppard. Ignore that for now. I need out of here!"

"Well, in case it has escaped your notice – SO DO I!" He shouted at her, using the surrounding noises as an excuse to just shout. "I think we had better stay here just now and see if one of my team put their heads over the edge to look for me, though."

"You seem sure that they will come looking."

Sheppard didn't even think to answer her back. She obviously didn't know what it was like to have full trust and faith in someone.

"It's over." She said faintly. "It's all destroyed."

Sheppard just nodded, staring into the water.

"I'll probably never get to my room again."

That got his attention. "Your room?"

She'llyn spoke as if he wasn't there sitting beside her. "Probably soon enough your people will come for you and I'll never find out the truth about my past, will I? I'll never know why I am so special…who I am?" She threw the accompanying device for the redundant disc in the water and watched as it spiralled under the water to vanish from view.

"What's your story, She'llyn? What made you who you are? Who said you were 'special?"

She'llyn scoffed at that, laughing so hard, she flung herself back against the wall with a sigh.

"Sheppard, I couldn't even tell you if I wanted to. My parents died when I was young, along with my baby brother. The Wraith killed them. I hid in a special room my father built for us to escape intruders…."

"Here?" Sheppard butted in.

She'llyn suddenly noticed he was bleeding and scowled. "You are hurt?"

Sheppard wiped the fresh flow of blood away. "It's nothing. You lived here as a child?" He wanted to know.

She'llyn nodded. "Yes…I did. My parents told me we had to be prepared to hide at any given time because they were on the run from some people who wanted me and my brother killed. They couldn't let that happen, so they hid us here successfully for a number of years on this planet."

She shifted her seat slightly until she looked Sheppard in the face. "The Wraith came one day and everything I knew was taken from me. It took me years to fight my way back to own this Mine. It was mine from birth anyway." She looked fierce. "No-body would take it away from me…they all learned that lesson soon enough."

"And this…secret that was kept from you?" Sheppard prompted. "You think that I could have helped you…how?"

She'llyn's demeanour changed suddenly. "Forget I said anything!" She snapped. "Get me out of here."

"I will. But I think you are desperate and that makes you dangerous to me. Now, you do not know me; or my friends, but you have to know that when my people come for us …and they will … we will also be taking the Shoana people, including the afflicted with us, and any of your guards that want to come too. You have no right to hold people here against their will…"

"I was shutting it down anyway, Sheppard. I was wanting to settle down on another planet!"

"Then do it, She'llyn. Don't back down on this."

They both remained silent for a while, with Sheppard watching the conflict play out on her face.

"When I heard that my hunters had captured some people from Atlantis, I did some research on you Sheppard and I felt if you could just activate my father's artefacts, I could finally find out what they were for. I only got so far."

Sheppard held up his hand. "Wait a minute! Your father's artefacts? We were told that they were all mined from here...so really, mining the ore was not as important to you as finding these artefacts?"

She'llyn nodded.

"So, you knew they were all here?"

"There was an explosion once and my father's room where he kept several items including the artefacts were all either destroyed or blown into parts of the mine in different directions. Slowly over the years I have had many retrieved. Some, I was surprised, glowed for me and they would either feel hot or strange. I would panic and throw them away, or save them in the hope that someday I would meet someone with ancient blood to activate them for me. That was to be you, Sheppard... as your other two friends could not."

Sheppard bristled when he remembered his fallen soldiers; but curbed his tongue for now, unwilling to have her stop talking now that she was opening up to him. Although he would not forget about them so quickly.

"And now?"

"Now, Sheppard…now, I will never know who my parents really were." She smiled slightly when she looked back his way. "You know, you remind me of him I have just realised."

Sheppard uncomfortably scratched his neck. "Yes, well…all we gene carriers look much the same."

She'llyn just shook her head. "No, it's more than that. I do not have a picture of him, but from what I remember he looked like…well, he also had very dark hair and…never mind."

"Your mother?" Sheppard changed the subject.

"I do not remember much about her either now. It saddens me... but I remember her smile."

Sheppard took her cold hand. "Come back with me to Atlantis and we can check your blood – diagnose you with the ancient gene properly." He said.

She'llyn shook her head and reached into her breast pocket and withdrew the piece of jewellery she had cherished for decades. "My father gave me something just days before he died. He said that one day it would help answer all my questions and I have kept it all these years…until now." She turned it over in her hand a couple more times before taking hold of Sheppard's hand and placing it in his palm.

Sheppard would have leapt up into the air with joy if the low rock ceiling had not been a deterrent.

In his hand, encased in a jewelled surround, was a remote locking device to a Puddle jumper.

"Do you know what this is?" He asked excitedly.

"No."

"It is a remote for something bigger…much bigger. We call it a Puddle jumper and it is a space craft. Not as big as your one, but big enough. It can also be cloaked, as I suspect your father must have done. She'llyn this means your parents must have come from Atlantis. This is pure ancient technology, and the craft must be hidden somewhere safe if you have not discovered it yet." Sheppard spoke fast and hard, searching up above him for his team mates with renewed vigour as he now had a way out of here for his team and friends. Before she could take it back, Sheppard pocketed it and patted it again to make sure it was safe.

"We have to make a move; the water has calmed down." Sheppard held out his hand for her. "We will swim along until we get to that much brighter opening up ahead."

She'llyn turned to see where he was looking and indeed, a huge hole had appeared where daylight beckoned.

"You do not hate me?" She asked, suddenly needing to know.

Sheppard considered the question. "Everybody can change, She'llyn; and everyone should forgive and forget…let's work on the changing part first, eh?"

She'llyn nodded and Sheppard entered the water with a grimace. "Cold!" He spoke. She'llyn followed suit and together they slipped and swam their way along the hidden stream bank.

Up ahead, a figure was pushing through the water to get to them. Sheppard expected the large silhouette to be that of Ronon, but as they got nearer, he was surprised to find out it was M'atra. His face was expressionless, waiting on his orders from She'llyn.

She held up both hands to stop his advance on Sheppard. "M'atra what is happening?"

M'atra looked between the two, wondering what had transpired, but nodded towards She'llyn, obviously pleased to see she was still alive.

"We have lost several men but the fire is contained and the explosions have stopped for now…but, She'llyn, the mine has folded in on itself; most of it has gone."

Suddenly She'llyn smiled; slightly un-nerving M'atra. "It does not matter anymore." She said sadly. "I was finished here anyway."

M'atra now took her arm. "Do not talk like that. I will help you rebuild; but for now, I will help you to safety. Your men are waiting to hoist you up and then…"

"My men?" Sheppard interrupted.

"Wha..?" M'atra looked to She'llyn.

"Answer him?" She shouted, whilst finding her feet on the now shallower rocky bottom.

"They…um, they are both searching for you. They are untouched…She'llyn?"

"Go home, M'atra, wherever that is. I am finished here. I am going to move to another planet that I have picked out. I release everyone."

"But…what if I do not want to be released?"

She'llyn and Sheppard both stopped their awkward walking and looked at him. Sheppard coughed and moved himself forward, leaving She'llyn unable to move or speak.

She knew that M'atra watched her a lot, but she had thought it was just like every male that came across her; wanting to own her beauty. She swung a look at him. She had already told him he was free to leave her employment; but did he just hint what she thought he had hinted. He was nervously looking at her eyes, seeking an answer.

She looked at her cold hand and reached out for his and clasped it hard.

"So much happening just now. Please, stay with me if you want, and then…"

M'atra put up a hand. "Say no more. Let's get you out of here."

"SHEPPARD!" reverberated around the stone wall. "JOHN!"

Sheppard turned to She'llyn and smiled. "It was only a matter of time before they found us. We are HERE!"

She'llyn grabbed his arm. "Your name is John? I don't know if I ever knew that, perhaps I did."

"What does that matter?" Sheppard said, quickening his pace to where he now noticed some dreadlocks hanging down, followed by a very cheesy grin on Ronon's face.

She grabbed his arm again and turned him around to look at her. "That was my father's name!"

"Your father's name?"

She'llyn nodded and looked him up and down again, watching his face frown in concentration.

"Well…that's …unusual, I have to say!" Trying to comprehend what this could now mean.

M'atra moved to be beside She'llyn; being completely puzzled by what was going on to say the very least. "My leader?"

He broke the spell between the two, and each ignored the other until Sheppard took the lead again and waded forward towards rescue, his mind in overdrive.

John? How could her father's name be John?

He briefly looked at her again over his shoulder and found her to be watching him as he walked with an odd look on her face. Perhaps she was thinking the same thing as him.

Soon, Ronon's large hand was just above his head. He hopped up onto a large piece of stone that was jutting out with one foot and reached for Ronon's hand with his own, until he felt the firm grip clutch his wrist and he was pulled upwards and out of the cavern and aided by Rodney who had grabbed onto his soaked shirt.

"Hey. He said, standing on terra firm.

"Hey, yourself. Ronon punched his shoulder and Rodney pointed to his head. "First the head and now the cheek. You've taken a few more hits I see." He remarked, eyeing up his bruises.

"Don't just stand there; help She'llyn and M'atra up." He grumbled, with his voice getting lower as he surveyed the scene of destruction all around him.

Soon the other two appeared and She'llyn rubbed the mud off her clothes before she seemed to take in the scene laid out in front of them; her mouth opened and did not shut.

Middle ground had collapsed inwards on itself; a sink hole had taken it away. The surrounding caves, on three sides of where they now stood, were jagged like stalagmites; leaving only glimpses of what they once were. Fire still burned bright and hot against the sky and littered around them were dead bodies from both sides; some badly burned beyond recognition.

"Are you both okay?"

Firm nods were returned with worried glances his way.

Sheppard then started to shake: Teyla!

Ronon took his elbow and dragged him aside. "I know what you are thinking and she is fine." He whispered into his ear. "She is on the other side, helping Tain with the wounded."

"I think you qualify as one of them." Rodney piped up within earshot. "Come on."

Sheppard's two friends started to guide him away but he dug his heels in. To know that Teyla was alive was good enough for him, so he didn't need visual proof; but at that very moment he was more concerned about She'llyn.

"Guys, there is something strange going on here that I think you should know about."

Sheppard filled them in quickly, as he could see that M'atra had pulled She'llyn away from the edge of middle ground; probably with a view for having her 'beamed' back up to her ship. He seemed possessive of her now, and sheltered her from some inquisitive guards as they came up looking for her instructions. Her head remained in a stooped position from when she had moved off, and allowed M'atra to take the lead, much to his amazement.

Rodney ran a hand through his flaked, soot coloured hair. "Are you nuts?"

Sheppard chewed his bottom lip and looked to Ronon to see what his thoughts were. "You think her father was from Atlantis?" He spat out whilst scratching his forehead, leaving finger print sized clean coloured skin.

"Looks that way. She's messed up Ronon. She needs answers to her heritage and we can provide her with that and, in the meanwhile get everyone here home – get Teyla out of these bloody clothes; I need to see her…touch her; it's been hell…" Sheppard felt his cheeks turn red at the admission. "Well, you know what I mean!" He laughed it off.

The three friends stood silent for a few seconds just taking in the devastation around them. Teyla was now seen to be walking towards them in quick steps and Sheppard outwardly grinned; but reminding himself not to touch her was getting very hard to maintain.

"So, what do you suggest we do now?" Rodney asked.

"Go speak to her again, and…"

"Look at that?" Ronon suddenly shouted, pointing upwards.

A strange quiet surrounded the camp like a cloak, as everyone was united in looking up into the sky, as a straight and powerful gas eruption broke from the ground, straight up and passing through She'llyns space craft as if it was made of plastic. Down the fractured pieces fell like rain with everyone in it's vicinity scattering in all the directions they could to avoid being hit.

Sheppard spun to look at She'llyn, only to see her mouth open and close several times with a silent No!

He felt his stomach drop to see her in such distress and that puzzled him, and obviously his friends as they stared at him wondering why they didn't think he thought the natural disaster was not some way a small victory for them.

"Sheppard?" Rodney.

"I need to speak to She'llyn." He said with purpose and ran towards her, just as Teyla reached his side; not even acknowledging her presence.

Dumbfounded, the three friends looked at each other and then his departing back unsure if whether to follow him or not.

"Oh, hell." Rodney said, but joined Ronon and Teyla as they soon took off after their friend.

SGA SGA SGA

TO BE CONTINUED…LAST CHAPTER