Hi, gang! I hesitate posting this next chapter because I can hear the screams already, but it's got to be done to get to the end of this story. OY! The good news is that the final chapter has been completed and just needs some tweaking and then to be beta read. There's going to be thirteen chapters in all. Enjoy!

Chapter Eleven

"What the hell is going on there?" McKay asked, concern taking some of the sting out of his words.

Teyla brushed back her wet hair from her forehead. "We had a scare, Rodney, and were forced to climb again. The tree we are in shifted and we lost the detonator to the C4, along with my flashlight."

"Shifted? Just how secure is your position?" Sheppard asked.

"It's as safe as it's going to get, Sheppard," Ronon answered, hugging his broken arm close to his chest. Apparently, the cold was getting to him, too.

Sheppard said, "Hold on, we're almost done here – "

McKay interrupted him with a huge sigh of relief. "Not almost. We are out from under the rubble! Hallelujah! Now it's just – "

Then Rodney's tone changed abruptly and he stammered, "Whoa, whoa, wait a sec, Sheppard, you still have to withdraw slowly until we can collapse the shield."

"I know, McKay! Tell me something I don't already know! Damn, it's a hell of a lot harder to fly this thing with only one engine and part of the shield still holding back thousands of tons of earth."

Sheppard usually didn't bother with long excuses when he was involved in a crisis. Listening to him now caused Teyla's concern to blossom and she wondered how much longer he'd be able to continue. The night went white with a brilliant flash of lightning and was almost immediately followed by a series of thunderclaps that shook the air, then the sky opened up and rain began to pour down in earnest.

After a few more moments, McKay said, "Okay, I'm shutting down the last vestiges of the shield and shifting it back to envelop the jumper and give maximum protection. Be ready. This thing will probably go when I'm done."

Right on cue, there was a huge rumbling. McKay's voice was heard above it shouting, "Damn it, Sheppard, move! It's coming down now!"

"Going as fast as I can," John answered.

Teyla felt a great whoosh of air rushing past them, probably caused by the mass of shifting earth, peppering them with tiny bits of dirt, even as far away as they were from the edge of the sinkhole. Another bolt of lightning erupted and Teyla was amazed to see the trail they'd just taken to the center of the sinkhole was now hidden by a fresh layer of dirt and mud that had rushed forward like a collapsing wave.

McKay exclaimed, "My God, I think we actually survived."

He sighed with relief, and Teyla sighed right along with him, then Sheppard said, "Don't relax yet. We've still got a couple of passengers to pick up. Be there in a second, guys."

He paused. "Okay, I'm picking up your life signs, but it would really help if you could light up a flare."

Teyla nodded and reached for the one she carried in her vest. "Understood."

The flare flashed to life, sparks spraying off it as it lit up the night with a bright red glow. Teyla waved it back and forth in the air to get Sheppard's attention.

"Gotcha!" Sheppard said, sounding suddenly rejuvenated.

The jumper's exterior marker lights came on and it was the most welcomed sight Teyla had seen in a long time. The jumper approached them rapidly and she dropped the flare to the ground to use as an added deterrent to the skree, then she gasped as she realized they still had a very big problem.

Glancing at Ronon, she said quietly, "Ronon, we will have to go back down through the skree to get to the jumper."

Ronon glanced down and shook his head. "That's not gonna happen without a lot of help."

Teyla looked up at the jumper, seeing John and Rodney inside as they hovered in the air a dozen feet away from their position in the tree.

"Ah, hell," Sheppard said and Teyla knew John had just came to the same conclusion.

She swallowed and looked at Ronon before glancing over to the jumper. "John, we are still safe enough for you to leave the sinkhole and go to get help."

She saw Sheppard shake his head. "No, we're not leaving you behind like this."

Teyla took a deep breath as she watched the jumper waver slightly while it hovered. "John, you are not abandoning us. You will be going to get the additional help we need to remedy this situation. Besides, none of us are in any shape to fight our way through this pack."

"We could – uh, we could..." Sheppard stammered.

Teyla softened her tone. "You are wasting time and energy you don't have to waste. Someone recently reminded me how futile that can be. Please, get us the help we require."

Sheppard didn't move and she knew he was fighting an internal battle, one that would inevitably lead to the same conclusion she'd already acknowledged.

"John, you are injured, ill and pushing yourself too hard. If you do not leave soon, you will be unable to fly out of here and where will we be then?"

Nodding in agreement, Ronon said, "Just go, Sheppard. We'll be okay."

Sheppard still hesitated. "It doesn't feel right to just leave you here like this – "

"Whoa, guys, we've got us another whopper of a problem – as if the current plate isn't full enough," McKay said, his tone frantic.

"What now?" Sheppard growled.

"We're losing power fast." He swallowed hard. "I told you using the shields like we did would eat up power. We have maybe five minutes before the engines are gonna shut down...maybe completely."

Teyla saw Sheppard glance at McKay standing at the access panel behind him. McKay's shoulders slumped as he held a hand to his forehead, then he nodded. Sheppard sighed, then he straightened in his seat. "Okay, we'll be back as soon as we – "

One of the skree leapt from another tree and landed on the same tree trunk that Teyla and Ronon were clinging to. The beast was close enough for Teyla to see its extended fangs in detail. Ronon didn't hesitate. He fired right away, blasting the skree off the tree trunk. It went flying, but not before another one landed near where the first one had been.

"Crap!" Sheppard exclaimed. "What else do we have that we can use to drive these damned skree back?"

"A drone?"

Sheppard glared at him. "Yeah, right. A drone would almost certainly blast Teyla and Ronon out of the tree, if not kill them outright. Keep thinking."

"Light!" Rodney said as he snapped his fingers and limped over to the copilot's seat to flip some switches. "Don't know why I didn't think to use this earlier."

Teyla took aim and fired at the skree in front of her. McKay's warning came a split second too late. "Better cover your eyes."

Hot white light from the jumper nearly blinded her and she blinked to recover from it. She wasn't the only one affected by it. The remaining skree backed away from their tree with keening whines, but remained nearby.

"Damn it, I was sure that would run them off," McKay said with disappointment.

"Maybe, we could – " Sheppard's brainstorming was cut off by McKay.

"Crap, our power levels are still dropping. If we are going to get Teyla and Ronon, we better do it fast!"

"I'm open to suggestions here," John answered harshly.

McKay paced for a moment, then turned to Sheppard. "What about – what about opening the rear hatch and moving the jumper close enough for them to leap for the hatchway?"

Sheppard turned to glare at McKay. "You are kidding me, right? Do you realize the finesse it would take to pull that off in this storm with only one functioning drive pod?"

Teyla silently added, 'Especially in John's current condition.'

McKay sighed and threw up his hands before he calmed himself and said, "John, it's the only way we can do this quickly. Get as close as you can and they'll have to jump over. It's either that or we leave them here!"

Sheppard looked from him to Teyla and Ronon. "Jump over? Ronon, can you and Teyla manage that?"

"Do we have a choice?" Ronon said gruffly.

"No, I guess not. Give me a few seconds to get into position," John said, his voice grim, as he maneuvered the jumper away and then backed up to the tree.

"McKay?" Sheppard asked as he finished.

"Yeah, I know, I've got the rear hatch." Rodney sighed. "Since when did I become your grunt?"

If Sheppard answered him, Teyla didn't hear it. She and Ronon were too busy trying to get to the best spot to attempt to leap from the tree. Something moved at the corner of Teyla's vision and Ronon fired in a fluid motion at the approaching skree.

"Damned things keep trying to get closer," he muttered as he holstered his weapon.

He looked at her. "You jump first and I'll cover you, then you and McKay can cover me when I go."

"You could go first – " Teyla began.

Ronon shook his head. "No, let's face it, you're not up to much more. Like you just said to Sheppard – you're sick, injured and at the end of your rope. This is what we're going to do. You jump first, that way I can help you from this end and McKay can help you on the jumper."

Teyla chewed on her lip and nodded, though she hated doing it. There was no time for arguments, no time for anything but a last ditch attempt to board the jumper and fly out of the sinkhole, or wait it out and pray Sheppard and McKay could contact Atlantis quickly enough for a rescue to come in time.

The rear hatch opened up and McKay flinched at the wind and rain that came streaming in at him. There was a huge flash of lightning, then the air around them rumbled with thunder. Rodney cursed at the sky and wiped at the rainwater on his face before he waved them on.

She gathered herself and stood as much as she could with Ronon steadying her arm. The base of the hatch door was about four feet away, but the jumper kept veering, first listing to one side and then the other. She heard McKay shout, "Damn it, Sheppard, if this is going to work, you've got to keep the jumper steady!"

"Just do it," was all the response Sheppard gave him. "Can't keep this up forever."

When Teyla's gaze went into the forward compartment, Sheppard was turned in his seat, looking back at them. Nodding at him, she looked at Ronon and said, "I am ready."

In the next instant, she leapt. There was a flash of fear as she was mid-air over twenty feet of empty space, then her feet landed on the ramp. She started to roll, but the jumper dipped to one side, nearly throwing Teyla off the ramp. McKay grabbed her left arm and struggled to hold her in place while she caught hold of one of the ramp's supports with her right hand.

Her side screamed in agony, but she tried to ignore the pain, just as she tried to ignore her legs dangling over the edge of the ramp, but it didn't work. Dark spots blended with flashes of light behind her closed eyes as she strove to maintain consciousness. She couldn't catch her breath, which didn't help, then her hand started slipping from the ramp support.

Somehow, McKay found his footing and grabbed the back of her tac vest, then hauled her the rest of the way into the rear compartment using all of his weight as leverage. They collapsed in a pile on the floor. Teyla tried to breathe normally, but all she did was take in large gasps of air, still needing more.

"Damn it!" Sheppard exclaimed.

He managed to right the jumper and glanced back at them with concern, then turned forward again and seemed to slump forward in his chair a little. Teyla shook uncontrollably and Rodney threw a blanket around her before standing. He looked at Ronon, rubbing his forehead as he said, "Okay, big guy, it's your turn. Make it fast. I don't think Sheppard's gonna last much longer."

"Says you," John said as he took a deep breath, then added, "This thing needs a rearview mirror."

"It's not exactly a Winnebago," McKay quipped grimly and waved Ronon on.

Ronon nodded and jumped just as the sky went bright with lightning and the jumper tilted about thirty degrees to the right. For a moment, Teyla wasn't sure if Ronon was going to make it, or if the jumper was about to crash. Gravity pulled her and McKay to one side of the compartment, then Sheppard corrected it. Ronon made a rolling landing into the rear compartment, narrowly avoiding her and McKay, as if that was what he'd planned to do all along.

Rodney didn't hesitate. He got back to his feet before Ronon had stopped moving and hit the rear hatch control to close it. Ronon grimaced, holding his arm and nodded to Teyla as he lay on the floor of the compartment. McKay went past them, making a run for the forward compartment.

"Take care of each other," he said as he left, "I've got a couple things on the stove at the moment and either one of them could go at any time."

Teyla clutched at the blanket around her shoulders, drawing it closer, but it didn't seem to provide any warmth. The pain in her side eased some, but she was still about as miserable as she'd ever been. As she looked over at Ronon, she saw him shivering and put the blanket over him, placing a hand on his arm and asked, "Are you okay?"

"I'll live," he said grimly.

Ronon looked behind them into the forward compartment as he got to his knees. Teyla followed his gaze. McKay was there beside Sheppard, his hands outstretched as if he was trying to decide if he should fly the jumper or not, but then there was a spray of sparks coming from the port access panel and the ship lurched to one side again.

"Crap!" McKay cursed as he disappeared from sight, apparently going to the port access panel.

Teyla tried to get to her feet, but faltered. When she looked up, Ronon was there with a hand to help her up. Together, they entered the forward compartment, then she noticed Sheppard hadn't said anything for a while. As Teyla stepped toward the copilot's seat, her breath caught. Sheppard's skin tone was ash white and he didn't seem aware of their presence, at least until he said, "Okay, this ship's going up."

He spoke through gritted teeth, taking a deep breath as he angled one control up while accelerating with the other. Teyla sat down in the copilot's seat watching him while Ronon stood behind her. Sheppard was sweating heavily from the exertion. McKay was doing something inside the access panel. Everyone seemed to hold their breath as the jumper lurched forward, then it spun off to one side, grazing some fallen trees.

Teyla felt Ronon grab hold of her seat before he plopped down into the seat behind her. The inertial dampeners were working so the spinning of the jumper didn't seem so bad until Teyla looked out the forward viewport and became nauseated from the dizzying view.

Teyla glanced to one side and saw John hunched over the dash, determination in every muscle on his face. "Going up," he said again with more force.

They were close to the edge of the sinkhole by then, all they needed to do was rise out it, but there was too much forward momentum and the jumper's starboard drive pod nicked the edge, causing a small avalanche. Teyla saw the debris falling and looked back to Sheppard, then McKay.

McKay was up to his elbows in wiring and crystals. How he was able to keep working while the world was spinning around them amazed Teyla, but something happened and he grunted. "Yes!" he shouted and looked at them.

"I corrected the spin as much as I can, but power is bottoming out. We need to get to the surface fast."

Sheppard nodded and the jumper began to rise, but it was still close to the outer edges of the sinkhole and kept clipping the edge with the drive pod. "Come on, Sheppard, you said you could fly. I did better than this on the teacup ride at Disneyland...and I was only five."

Teyla saw the muscles in Sheppard's jaw twitch with tension and then they were rising again. For the first time in nearly two days, they saw the surface. McKay let out a bellow of relief, then put a hand to his head and the other to the wall, but missed.

"Uh, more than a little dizzy here..." Rodney whispered, his knees buckling.

Ronon jumped to his feet and caught McKay before his head hit the floor, cursing from the pain the movement caused him, but Rodney never heard it. Teyla looked at Rodney just as his head rolled to one side, unconscious, and then at Sheppard. John's knuckles were white on the jumper's controls and she reached out with her hand. "It is okay, John, we are on the surface. You did it."

Sheppard shook his head, turning toward McKay. The jumper listed to one side as he moved. Teyla's hand moved to cover his and corrected the tilt with a gentle squeeze. He glanced in her direction, his gaze unfocused. "Have...to...land," he whispered.

Teyla looked down below, trying to find a clearing, but all she saw was darkness. Glancing up at the HUD, she could see there was forest ahead of them, the lake to one side and a mountain to the other. There was no way they could go back the way they'd just come. Then there was a huge flash of lightning and she saw it, a small clearing, barely big enough for the jumper to land.

She looked at the HUD one more time to get oriented, then pointed into the darkness. "There, John, there is a place."

He squinted as if he had a hard time seeing it on the HUD, then nodded. They moved in the right direction and were almost there when John turned his head toward Rodney again. "Sorry... can't fly...gonna – " he whispered and then he fell forward, unconscious.

oOoOoOoOo

Chapter 11