McKay and I geared up to head out to P58-FSX. The MAPL hadn't read any wraith or genii, but it hadn't the last time either. Sheppard had given me some advice at dinner the night before and that was to take extra granola bars with me and then use them as bribes for McKay.
"I hate walking" McKay said for the hundredth time as we made our way through the under growth. "It gives me blisters" I sighed.
"I know McKay. You told me that 10 minutes ago" I said kicking a rock off the small path in front of me. "and 10 minutes before that." I stopped suddenly making McKay run into me.
"What is it?" he asked. I held up my hand to tell him he should be quiet. I had seen something up ahead but I wasn't really sure what it was. Definitely something that moved. Whatever it was made the brush rustle and I trained my gun on that spot. Slowly a small child made it's way out of the brush. A man ran up behind it covering her small body with his own.
"Please don't shoot!" He said looking up at us. "She's just a child" I slowly let my gun lower but still kept my finger on the trigger. I heard McKay give a sigh of relief behind me.
"Well no use in checking the planet out anymore" he said "C'mon let's go back to the gate." I grabbed McKay's sleeve. Even though we couldn't move the Athosians here we could at least see who these people were.
"Hold on McKay" I whispered. Then I said aloud "Don't worry, we were just taking precautions." The man straightened and put himself between us and the child.
"Precautions from what?" he asked eyeing our clothes and my gun.
"Ever hear of the Genii?" McKay said "They don't like us very much."
"The Genii have not been here for many months" the man said "they do not think we are worthy trading partners anymore since they took all of the ore from the mine." He seemed a bit disgusted by this statement and his lip curled slightly.
"Mine?" McKay asked. "What kind of mine?" the man shrugged.
"The village mine. We had no use for the ore but the Genii wanted it and traded many things for it." I glanced at McKay. I knew nothing about nuclear weapons but if this ore had something to do with them we could be in a lot of trouble. McKay leaned over the whisper in my ear what I'd already feared.
"That could be really bad if it's uranium" I nodded not taking my eyes off the man.
"We should go" I said my stomach sinking as I thought about having to meet new people here on this planet. "We can get Sheppard and come back later" I knew McKay would support that plan. At least I hoped he would.
"Go where?" the man spoke up "Through the ancestral ring? That is how the Genii traveled here." I shifted from foot to foot still holding my P90.
"We use the ring, but we're gonna have to come back to visit some other time" I said "We're late getting back" McKay nodded. It had become eerily quiet around the woods. I turned to go and McKay grabbed my arm to stop me. I looked back at the man. He had shoved the girl behind him and had a pistol in his hand.
"I'm afraid I can't let you do that." He said aiming his gun at me. Two more men came out of the woods one grabbed the child and the other trained his gun on Rodney. These men were wearing genii uniforms. "Tell Commander Farin we have the Atlanteans." He said to the Genii with the girl. He turned to me "Now Col. Darrow I think its best you hand over your weapons" I slowly handed over my P90 and the Genii grabbed my pistol and C4 from my vest. Farin came through the trees.
"Col. Darrow how nice to see you and Dr. McKay again" he said smiling "You'd better be careful or people will start to talk about how much time you two spend together." I glared at him,"Take them back to the village and send some one to watch the gate. No doubt Col. Sheppard will be here soon" Farin said. I was blindfolded and from McKay's protests I think he was also. We walked for what felt like hours and I felt us go indoors. We were sat in chairs and tied then they pulled the blindfolds off. I blinked as the light hit my eyes. We were in a musty room lit by the sunlight from the windows. It could have been a tavern once but that was a long time ago.
"I'm starting to hate going off world with you McKay" I said "We always get ambushed by the Genii." I looked at him. He met my eyes and nodded.
"One time is a coincidence. Twice is just plain bad luck." He said. The Genii guarding us had left and gone outside. "Any chance we'll make it out of this?" he asked. I shook my head.
"If they're watching the gate Sheppard won't be able to surprise them. Besides we had a three hour limit before check in. It's only been two if your watch is still correct." I glanced at McKay's wrist. McKay sighed in frustration. I tested the knots we'd been tied with. They were tight and very hard to reach with my fingers. "I can't get at these knots either." I said.
"Neither can I" McKay answered "even though I used to be an genius at untying knots." He started talking about his scout troop or whatever he was in when he was little. I shushed him when I heard noise in the corner. The little girl from earlier came out of the shadows. She couldn't be more than six or seven.
"Can you help us?" I asked pleading with her. "Can you untie us?" the little girl slowly shook her head.
"They'll kill them" she said "They said they would. They'll kill them all." She turned to go.
"Please" I said "Just untie us they won't know it was you. We can rescue them." The girl turned back and took a couple steps closer. "Just untie me." I begged her. She pulled a small knife from her belt and cut the ropes holding my hands. I got myself untangled and then used her knife to cut the bonds on my feet. I then cut Rodney loose. "Thank you" I said pressing the knife back into the girls hands.
"What do we do know?" McKay asked checking to make sure the guards were still at their posts. Unfortunately they were still there. I looked around. There was a backdoor it looked like but I doubted we would get far by sneaking out that way.
"We need to create a distraction" I said "What do you still have on you?" I asked checking my own pockets for whatever was left. A small picture of SG7 and the granola bars were the only things the Genii hadn't taken. McKay however pulled out a small bundle of C4. I grabbed it.
"I guess they figured I wouldn't be carrying anything" he said shrugging. I handed him the granola bars.
"Take these and her" I pointed at the girl. "I'll set this up and then we have to leave really fast. We can circle around and hide until Atlantis sends more people. I have no idea where the gate is from here. Go!" I said when McKay didn't move. I set the C4 near the door and set it to go off. Then I grabbed McKay and ran out the door. Once we were about 15ft away I set off the C4. Luckily the tavern wasn't far from the trees and we dodged behind some for cover.
"That worked out well." Rodney said breathing hard. I nodded. The girl was clinging on my arm very tightly and where I had been shot was beginning to throb.
"It's okay" I said peeling her off of me. "What's your name?"
"Lexa" she said sniffling a little. I tried smiling at her.
"Okay Lexa, let's get out of here. McKay which way to the gate?" I asked watching the Genii trying to put out the fire cause by the explosion.
"I don't know they took my scanner" McKay said "and I'm horrible with directions." I sighed and looked up through the trees. The sky above was like nothing I had seen before. There were two suns in the sky and one was smaller and dark red.
"Well I don't think we're going to be able to use the sun" I said still watching the Genii. "but we have to leave otherwise they'll find us"
"Of course we couldn't use the sun, that's going under the assumption that this planet revolved around its sun just like Earth revolves around our sun." Rodney said his voice filled with annoyance. I shot him a look.
"There's no time for a physics lesson McKay" I whispered fiercely. "C'mon" I grabbed Lexa's hand and led the way through the trees around the small cluster of buildings. It was hard to see clearly through the trees, but it seemed that the Genii had gotten the fire under control. We made our way as quickly and quietly as possible around the village. I had no idea where we were going, but away from the Genii seemed like a good idea.
"Caity wait" McKay said. I turned to look and he was heaving for breath.
"McKay we have to keep moving" I said going to him to pull him along.
"I know. I'm just so tired. The adrenaline is wearing off." He said gasping for air. I began to lose hope. I looked at Lexa who was also catching her breath.
"Do you know where the gate is?" I asked her. She gave me a questioning look.
"The ring of the ancestors" McKay gasped out. Lexa's eyes lit up and she nodded.
"It is not far from here" she said heading off through the trees. I grabbed McKay.
"C'mon Rodney, just a little bit more and then we'll be home" I said reassuring myself more than him. With a sense of direction we had a renewed energy and headed off after Lexa.
"Should we trust her?" McKay asked. "I mean the last time she was just a pawn in the hands of the Genii" I looked sideways at him.
"You didn't see the look in her eyes when I asked her to untie me. It was utter fear" I said. "Now do you have a plan to get through the gate once we reach it?" McKay shook his head.
"Just wait for Sheppard to come through I guess" he said. We caught up with Lexa as she stopped on a small ridge. Below us was the gate. A group of Genii surrounded it.
"You don't have anymore C4 do you?" I asked McKay hopefully.
"No, you managed to use it all back in the village" he answered. "All I have is this." He held up the granola bar I'd given him when I took his C4. I checked my watch. It was about 45 minutes since we had supposed to have checked in.
"Would Sheppard give us the benefit of the doubt and wait?" I asked "or would he come right when we missed the deadline?"
"He would wait a little bit, but not that long" McKay said opening the granola bar to eat. I grabbed half of it and gave it to Lexa who was eyeing the bar hungrily. McKay protested but I shot him a look that made him shut up. We were sheltered in the trees and sat there McKay and Lexa munching on their granola bar. The gate activated and the Genii went on alert. I slapped McKay in the arm to get his attention.
"We'll sneak down and try to rush the gate"
"and get us all killed" McKay hissed back. "We have to wait until Sheppard comes through the gate." I expected Sheppard to come through the gate or at least a MALP, but instead a couple of small balls came through.
"Close your eyes" I said pulling McKay down. I knew the range of flash bombs wasn't as far away as us but it could still give us a head ache. After a minute I looked out onto the field where the gate was. A dozen or so marines came through the gate shooting at the few Genii that were there. "C'mon it's now or never" I said pulling Lexa and McKay with me as I clambered down the slope. I grabbed a pistol from a fallen Genii and covered McKay and Lexa as they ran for the gate.
"Colonel nice to see you alive" Maj. Lorne shouted as I came up next him.
"Good to be alive" I shouted back. "There's a lot more Genii about two miles from here. We'd better get out of here ASAP" Lorne nodded.
"Fall back to the gate." He shouted at his men. One of them was carrying Lexa. We ran to the gate. I looked to the side for Rodney and saw him being held by two Genii. I stepped forward to go after them but Lorne had a hold on my arm and pulled me through.