Thanks again to Titan5 for looking things over for me!
-------o-------
CHAPTER 2: Out of the Frying Pan
When the three finally climbed up and entered into the refreshingly cool atmosphere of the dome, they were taken aback. Standing in a half circle along the far end of the dome opposite from them were 12 men of varying heights, all dressed in white robes and all pierced with a single shard of bone through their noses. There was nothing else to occupy the interior of the dome and if they had had time to observe, they would have noticed that they could see clearly out the glass as if it weren't even there.
However, the man they had encountered in the jungle stood in the center of the dome beside a very stiff Sheppard. The colonel's weapons were missing. In fact, his tack vest had been stripped from him. The expression on his face was stony and his eyes flashed a warning to his teammates.
Seconds later, there was struggling as they found themselves being stripped of their weapons and their radios. Ronon was the hardest to persuade, but one glance in Sheppard's direction told him he should comply.
"Colonel, what is going on here?" Teyla demanded to know. She watched their weapons being dropped precariously into a square hole in the floor at the feet of the men across the room.
"You are Ancients."
Again, not a question. The tone of the man standing next to Sheppard was accusatory.
"No, actually." Sheppard replied curtly.
The piercing gaze the man standing beside him was chilling. Enough for his teammates to dare to take another step forward, on the verge of pouncing in the event that Sheppard be attacked.
"We demand to know why you abandoned us!"
The man was almost shaking with rage. The row of men beyond him glared at the newcomers. Some of the men were even snarling. Their fists were clenched tight, gathering the material of their white robes, clawing at something to quell the need to strike flesh.
The air was tense in the silence. Even in the refreshing coolness within the dome, they would have much preferred the unbearable conditions outside. To say their situation was precarious was laughable. Who were these people and why were they so angry?
"Listen, we're just try…" Sheppard began to speak in a reassuring manner when a hand slapped him across the face, the contact resonating throughout the dome. His head whipped to the side from the force of it.
Ronon advanced several steps before he had two men grabbing at his arms, their fingers digging painfully into his bulging muscles. Teyla stepped forward as well, with Rodney following suit, but they knew they were powerless to do anything. Sheppard straightened, rubbing his reddened jaw sorely and narrowed his eyes at the man.
"Ten thousand years." The man punctuated every word, his lip curled in a bitter snarl.
"The Ancients left Atlantis ten thousand years ago." The words had spilled out of his mouth before he had even considered the consequences. Seconds later, Rodney was the one rubbing his jaw sorely after the man standing closest to him had struck him. Apparently, speaking out of turn wasn't tolerated.
The men remaining on the opposite side of the room began to converse with each other in hushed voices. They regained their composure and grew silent as the apparent leader standing beside Sheppard glanced their way.
"Please, there must be some misunderstanding." Teyla began. A hand rose to strike her but in one fluid motion, she stopped it with her own, grasping the wrist of the man behind her and twisting it. The man's eyes bulged in surprise. And then they glazed over with pure spite. No woman was going to strike him down. He struck Teyla on the collarbone in a move so sudden she was on the floor before the others could comprehend what had happened. Teyla moaned, reaching for her upper chest and rubbing the spot sorely. It wasn't a damaging blow, but enough to keep her down momentarily.
Ronon shuffled in the iron grip of the men holding him. Rodney only whimpered and Sheppard grew that much more pissed. Teyla glared up at the man whom had struck her and helped herself off the floor. She was not much shorter than the man, staring him in the eyes with menace.
"Women do not speak."
Teyla chewed the inside of her lip, biting back a retort. She wasn't stupid. Responding would only goad the man on into striking her again.
By now the team had noted the air of authority these men held from both their intense personas as well as their efficient ways of dealing punishment. For once, even Ronon was beginning to think these new opponents were a little out of their league.
It was hostile ground. No one dared make a move. Finally, Sheppard attempted to regain control of the situation.
"We can help you."
The man beside him began to laugh. It was quiet at first then grew into a comically maddening sound that was joined by echoing laughter from the others. Sheppard exchanged uneasy glances with his teammates. Ronon tried to shrug his way out of the grip the men continued to hold on him but to no avail. They were stronger than their appearances made them out to be.
"Let the fighters have them!" A voice cried from the other side of the room.
"Fighters?" Rodney squeaked, his face paling.
The men seemed to have reached a mutual decision and the one standing beside Sheppard smiled devilishly. Sheppard shared another look with his teammates. Things were about to get messy.
In one swift movement, Sheppard brought his fist up and slammed it into the man's face. As the man staggered backwards and the other men started to react, Ronon, Teyla, and even Rodney joined in the fray, striking at the men nearest them.
Ronon sent two men skidding across the polished stone floor of the dome. Teyla had two more spinning from her blows and landing in heaps at her feet. Sheppard was pinning the leader down on the ground with his foot as the man squirmed. Two men were approaching him from behind but no one else seemed to be aware of his situation. Or Rodney's for that matter, as he was currently locked in a strangle hold, sputtering for air.
"Fire!" Someone shouted frantically.
"They're back!" Another warned.
There was a blur of white descending upon the small opening the team had climbed up from. The men were retreating quickly, disappearing before the Atlanteans had a chance to register what was happening. The leader squirming under Sheppard's foot jabbed him in the knee and Sheppard went down with a grunt. The man scrambled off to join his men, far too quick for even Teyla to catch him.
Bringing his knee up to his chest, Sheppard massaged it with both hands and rolled onto his back. He was vaguely aware that his teammates were straightening themselves out after the attack as well. Through his pain-laced eyes, he saw the bright blue sky above, a piercing sun glaring down upon them. Shadows flitted across his vision. Tendrils of wispy black filtered across the sun. His gaze followed the dancing tendrils downwards. Creasing his brow, Sheppard finally saw the reason for the men's hasty exit. Just across the small clearing outside the dome from whence they came was a raging wall of flickering orange flames consuming the white tinder of the trees.
Hands were grabbing at his arms and lifting him up. Sheppard staggered in Ronon's grip as he put weight on his sore knee. The throbbing pain was bearable as he placed more weight on it and decided it was fine.
"You guys okay?" He asked. Rodney was sporting a split lip and a blackening bruise across his throat. Ronon had a cut above his right eye and scratch marks across the length of his left forearm. Teyla had a few more wisps of hair shooting at odd angles from her head, but she was otherwise unscathed.
"Nothing we couldn't handle." Ronon grunted.
"That didn't go so well." Sheppard commented on their attempt at first contact.
"Gee, which part gave it away, Sheppard? The first time they hit you or the second?" Rodney rolled his eyes. He rubbed his throat and made a show of wincing as he swallowed.
"We have to leave." Teyla said in a strong tone. Her eyes reflected the flickering flames as she watched them grow larger.
"That's a great idea, Teyla. However, if you haven't noticed, our only way out is presently being consumed by a raging wildfire." Rodney responded as he tested his back for any sore spots. Ronon rolled his eyes at the scientist and looked to Sheppard, crossing his arms.
"Someone set that fire and they knew who."
Sheppard nodded in agreement.
"Whoever set that fire wanted to flush our guys out of here. They probably ran right into an ambush."
"Ah, guys?" Something in Rodney's voice caused them all to turn in the direction he was facing. There were faint wisps of smoke beginning to curl up from the hole on the far end of the dome. Their only exit.
In a sudden rush, all four raced to opposing ends of the dome, running their hands along the glass surface and even the floor, desperate to find something that could lead them to safety. The smoke began to thicken, drifting upwards and traveling to the center of the massive space. The air became hotter and the sun's rays began to grow dimmer. The smoke was going to suffocate them.
Coughing now, their eyes tearing, the team found themselves losing ground. Teyla was the first to go down to the floor on her knees. Then Rodney. Soon Ronon and Sheppard joined them. The air was coolest and freshest along the still cool stone floor. The smoky air was growing thinner. They were starting to gasp and choke.
Suddenly, hands were on them, dragging them across the floor. Because of the smoke, they were subdued…not even Ronon could muster the strength to struggle. And to their fortune, these hands were guiding them to an unseen exit near the center of the dome floor. The cover was perfectly cylindrical and silently opened as if by magic. Pieces that had formed the circle retracted into the sides of the newly revealed exit. Darkness greeted the escapees from below. The team was unceremoniously dumped into the exit, their anonymous rescuers following shortly thereafter.
The rescuers had been swift. They must have had something covering their faces. For none of Sheppard's team, albeit in their current state of distress, could clearly make out their identities.
As their senses came back to them, the team found themselves resting in a small tunnel filled with refreshingly cool dry air. There was a small hint of light off to their right, leading back into the depths of the jungle from what they could see. As they straightened themselves out, coughing the last of the smoke out of their lungs, they looked to see who had rescued them.
Even in the darkness, they could see the eyes. Mad, menacing eyes sparkling with glee. There were four sets of them. Their features were hard to make out, but the team could already tell the four were of a different status on the social ladder. Their dirt-smudged clothes were ragged and torn, hanging limply off their bony bodies. Their hair was short and ruffled…not unlike Sheppard's. And their faces were drawn out. Three were men and one was a woman.
A distinctive noise, not unlike the call of some kind of monkey traveled to their ears. Those manic eyes focused on the light at the end of the tunnel. Without so much as a glance, their rescuers skittered out of the tunnel and into the light of the jungle. The team glanced at each other befuddled.
"Too much caffeine?" Rodney suggested. If it had been any other situation, he might have gotten a snigger out of at least Sheppard. But by now, the colonel had reached the end of his patience.
"We're leaving. We can find that switchback we saw on the cliff face and bypass the fire that way to get back to the Jumper." Sheppard commanded, standing upright and swaying unsteadily for a moment. He brought a hand up to steady himself against the carved rock of the tunnel. He wasn't the only one feeling light-headed by the sudden movement. The others got up as well, taking a moment to recover.
"But…but…ZedPMs! They built ZedPMs, Sheppard! How can we just walk away from that? We have to…"
"Rodney!" Sheppard turned to face the scientist, his tone sharp. Rodney shut up abruptly, staring with fear into the glare of intolerance. "The natives aren't exactly rolling out the welcome mats. There are no energy readings. Face it. There's nothing here."
Sheppard turned towards the tunnel exit and began to lead them out. Ronon and Teyla gave Rodney looks as they turned to follow. His jaw hung open.
"The colonel is right, Rodney. There's nothing here. We must return to Atlantis." Teyla reasoned, her voice fading as she walked further away from him. Rodney snapped out of his reverie rather quickly, glancing about the darkness fearfully and rushing to meet up with his team.
Once they exited the cave, they came to see they were on the northern side of the dome, just below the cliff. Great billows of black smoke rose into the sky above them. A large expanse of bushy green vegetation stretched out before them, ending in a sliver of white bordering a sparkling blue sea. There was a rather sharp drop off immediately to their right and ahead of them. But to the left was a narrow pathway carved into the weathered black stone. The pathway was large enough for two people to walk side-by-side.
The team began to make their way along the pathway, noting that it began to lead into a slight decline instead of an incline. Though they couldn't see too far into the distance where the path led them, they could tell it didn't take them where they needed to go. Up. The Jumper was on the other side of the mountaintop. The fire wasn't the only obstacle now.
"Is anyone else beginning to think the people of this planet are a little crazy, or is it just me?" Rodney pondered, gesturing towards the treetops at large that they were presently towering above.
"Define crazy." Sheppard paused in his trek. He turned to stare hard at McKay, his eyes boring into the scientist as if he were the very definition of crazy.
The path started to turn sharply and descend in the opposite direction. They had reached the first switchback. The path was beginning to grow littered with small plants and loose rock. They were just beginning to reach level with the top of the trees of the jungle. The air was getting heavier. That same unwelcome mugginess was greeting them as they descended into jungle.
After what seemed likes hours, and eight switchbacks later, the team finally made it to the bottom. The path opened up into a broad clearing beneath a canopy of leaves providing the relief of shade. By now they were all covered in sweat and panting in the stifling hot air. Teyla and Rodney took sips from the canteens they still had on them. Ronon shared his water with Sheppard. They took in their surroundings as they rested, noting that the forest floor was a little more crowded with undergrowth here. Foreign creatures, most likely birds, chirped and cooed in the branches above and around them. If it hadn't been for their dire situation, they would have probably enjoyed the serenity of it all.
And just like that, fate screwed them again.
Charging screams filled the air from off to their right. A moment later, matching screams could be heard further off in the opposite direction. All four snapped their heads in the direction of each new sound, alarm jumpstarting their hearts into a flurry of beats.
More screams, this time closer.
And suddenly, breaking through the underbrush, were more natives, similar in appearance to their rescuers. Their fists clenched and pumping into the air, their faces drawn out in fear or excitement. Maybe both. They appeared not to notice the team as they raced right past them. One came so close to colliding with Teyla that her hair flitted in his wake.
From the opposite end of the clearing, another group of these peculiar natives came barreling through. Without so much as a glance, the team decided as one to high tale it out of there. Ronon and Sheppard headed off in one direction and as Teyla and Rodney made to follow, the first group rushed between them, separating them. Before they could catch up, Ronon and Sheppard had already disappeared through the underbrush.
Teyla looked over her shoulder to Rodney as they darted through the mass of bodies running around them. Rodney was trying his best not to panic. He kept his eyes trained on her, willing her to go faster. Another flood of bodies rushing by nearly sent them both to the ground. The natives were crisscrossing one another, and they appeared not to notice the confusion they were creating.
Teyla grabbed Rodney's wrist and dragged him in another direction. Within a minute, they were both out of harm's way, hiding behind a thicket near the otherwise comical scene before them. The natives would appear to be charging at one another, then right when it looked as though they would hit, they'd simply pass each other by.
"We have to find Sheppard and Ronon." Teyla said, keeping her voice hushed. It wasn't as if the natives would hear her. They were having too much fun screaming at each other.
"Please, please don't let this be a mating ritual." Rodney rolled his head on his neck.
--o--
"Sheppard, we've lost Teyla and McKay."
Both men paused and turned to look behind them.
Nothing but a great expanse of trees and undergrowth.
"Ah, crap!"
They both took a step forward when something made them turn back around.
Standing in the undergrowth just yards from their position were five bare-chested men. Their darkened skin perfectly concealed them amongst the low-lit surroundings. They were bulky…their muscles even more defined than Ronon's. The expression on their faces was one of intense rage.
Ronon and Sheppard glanced at each other.
"Shit."
------- tbc -------