To the reviewers:
Linda Gagne: Appreciate the review. And Atlantis sure does love her favorite ATA gene carrier.
jodz92: Who doesn't love the Shep whump!
jaminesmommy: We'll see, we'll see…
-----SGA-----
Lorne had no hope of evading the piercing arrows of Theoron's bodyguards. They were quick, faster than he could have possibly moved. They soared through the air towards him and Elizabeth, their deadly speed creating a slight whoosh in the air.
One of Lorne's hands held Theoron's scepter, preventing the king from assaulting Elizabeth with it. His other hand clutched Elizabeth's shoulder, trying to push her out of the way of the arrow's path.
He could not push her out of the way in time.
Lorne felt one of the arrows pierce his gut, the feeling not unlike being burned alive. The agony of the impact was sudden and swift, the metal passing through his flesh with ease. It was like a hot knife cutting through butter, the plate it sat upon, the table below it and then some.
His mind registered two things: pain and the fact that the second arrow had sliced through Elizabeth's abdomen. As it struck her he caught her expression, a mixture of shock, confusion and hurt. It pained him to see her like this. He was supposed to protect her and he couldn't even protect himself.
And then the pain suddenly ceased.
Gasping for breath, Lorne sank to his knees followed immediately by Elizabeth. He struggled for air, gulping as much as he could. "What…the hell…was that?" he managed to croak out between breaths, trying to regain his footing before the guards could launch another volley of arrows.
"I…" she coughed, "I-I used…the bracelet…"
A light bulb set off in his head. She had phased them through the arrows. The bracelet must have merely distorted the area where their bodies should have been, causing immeasurable pain.
He could distinctly hear Theoron drawing ragged breaths beside them, having gone through the same ordeal. Lorne had been holding the scepter, which would have phased Theoron as well.
Struggling to stand, Lorne fell to his knees once more, the effort too much for his body to handle. The guards would have finished reloading their bows by now.
"Screw it," he said aloud, and aimed his P-90 in the vicinity where he thought the guards were standing. His mind was swirling in indeterminable spirals, so he fired blindly. The loud echo of bullets ricocheting off walls and discharging from his weapon was deafening. He was promptly rewarded by the sound of two bodies hitting the floor, one after the other.
The others would be alerted by the raucous he just made.
Pivoting in one fluid motion, Lorne trained his weapon on the king.
"W-wait! Don't shoot!" Theoron yelled, his hands thrown up to shield his body. "Y-You are free to leave! Please!"
This man had ordered their deaths and, if Elizabeth had not managed to activate the bracelet in time, would have killed not only him, but also the leader of their entire expedition. With guards trained on SGA-2, Ronon and Teyla, Theoron likely would have murdered them as well. "No," Lorne said, aiming between the king's eyes. "You shoot my peoples' leader, I shoot yours." His trigger finger itched.
"No! Major! Hold your fire!"
He glanced to his left, Elizabeth staring him in the face.
"They would have heard the shots. If Theoron doesn't emerge from this room, we'll have the whole damn city after us."
He heard an exhale of relief. Theoron was certainly pleased with this turn of events.
"Yes, Major Lorne, the woman is correct." He noticed the cross look on Elizabeth's face, quickly replaced by one of intense thought. "You kill me, you won't make it out of here alive. None of you will."
"Apparently," Lorne began, "We weren't going to anyway." Theoron grimaced.
"To be fair," Elizabeth interrupted, "He did give us the tool to survive the attack." She grinned slowly, holding her wrist vertically to show him as one of the three crystals faded to black, fully spent. "Now, let's head back to Atlantis."
As she stood, she gestured to Theoron. "We should bring him with us." She looked at the king. "Tell your guards to stand down when we enter the throne room."
Theoron gasped with shock and disbelief. "Insolent woman, you have already worn out any welcome your people derserved! Do not order me around!"
Lorne pressed the tip of his P-90 against Theoron's temple. "Do as she says."
"O-Okay, okay! I'll do it!" the fat man shouted, his waist jiggling as his arms flailed in the air.
Lorne smiled. This 'king' was nothing but a mere coward.
He motioned forward with his gun. "Move," he commanded, forcing Theoron to walk ahead of him and Elizabeth. This was the same order they had initially walked into the room, but now the power belonged to a different pair trailing the king.
Glancing sideways, Lorne whispered to Elizabeth, "Ma'am, we have to get past the bodyguards and make it back to the Puddle Jumper. It won't be easy."
Elizabeth nodded. "Perhaps we can just coerce Theoron into letting us leave?"
He shot her a look.
She sighed. "Perhaps not."
"Nope." Lorne agreed, shaking his head. His eyes followed Theoron's slow, deliberate movements towards the throne room. Lorne could tell, he could just tell that this man would make their intentions known to the entire room as soon as they stepped foot inside. This man was a coward. He was frail. Fragile. Afraid.
This was a man who would not fight when the odds were against him, but would get others to do his bidding. Lorne hated him. Hated him for his pathetic need for approval, for his lust for power, for his lack of caring about his own people.
This man was a fool.
But he was a fool that had the means to kill them all.
As they approached the door, Lorne knew this room would soon reek of burned corpses and bullet-riddled bodies. It would smell of burnt flesh and fresh crimson would stain the golden floors.
In order to escape this city, lives would be lost.
-----SGA----
When Lorne and Elizabeth had left the room, Ronon knew things would get ugly.
They left them in a standoff. Fourteen guards with swords, bows and arrows surrounded them. Teyla and Cadman had their fingers itching on the triggers of their P-90s. Parrish and Simmons merely looked sullen and very, very concerned, while Ronon set his own gun off of 'Stun.'
Fourteen versus three.
He'd faced worse odds.
Cadman covered their flank, while Teyla held the right. Ronon aimed his weapon in the general vicinity of three guards to his left. Should anyone start shooting, he'd be ready.
All the guards, Cadman, Teyla and himself had their weapons slightly lowered, directed at the floor. A gun aimed at someone's body or face was enough cause for provocation. This way, everyone would be quick to react should someone initiate anything.
They had been standing there approximately twenty minutes when a roar of gunshots burst through the open door behind the throne room. Eyes flickered towards the darkness that lay there and Ronon could hear Cadman's feet shuffling, wanting to turn around to see what was going on, but not wanting to draw her eyes away from her targets. The scientists stood between the three, pensive looks on their faces.
Simmons extracted a life signs detector from his belt. "Five of them entered the room. There's only three there now." He looked up at Ronon with a face full of fear.
"Wait to make sure," he said, intent on keeping the peace until they absolutely could not. If Lorne and Elizabeth did not emerge from that room, there would be hell to pay.
"They're coming out."
Ronon let his eyes travel slowly towards the door.
Theoron entered first, his obese body shuffling forward small steps at a time. As if a gun was trained on him. Ronon had seen the expression many times before, both on his own people and their enemies. Lorne would not be far behind him.
Sure enough, Lorne and Elizabeth emerged after Theoron. Catching Lorne's eyes, Ronon tried to gauge the situation. The Major's eyes grew stern and knowing, and suddenly his head tilted ever so sharply, but ever so slightly, in the direction of Theoron.
That was all he needed to know.
The king began to shout. "Kill them all! Kill them or—"
"FIRE!" Ronon interrupted, raising his gun and firing three times before any of the archers on his side could even lift their arrows. They collapsed in a heap.
That left eleven.
He hadn't given much advance warning to Cadman or Teyla, neither of them returning fire for at least a few seconds after he commanded they shoot. An arrow skewered one of his dreadlocks from behind, a lock of hair smacking into the floor.
The hall was huge and a good deal of the guards immediately jumped back into their hiding positions behind the pillars.
Parrish was at his back, peering out every now and then to view the battle. Ronon tried to keep the inquisitive, yet frightened scientist hidden by moving in front of him. "Teyla!" he yelled.
"Three down!" she shouted, crouching low and keeping Simmons behind her.
"Cadman!"
"I got two of 'em," the Lieutenant said, her voice tinged with a bit of disappointment.
"Keep your eyes open," Ronon called, "Six more out there."
They were stuck in the open with no cover. The empty hall stretched on for a fair bit and the pillars were daunting, spaced several feet apart from one another.
He tried signaling to Lorne for help, but the Major kept his P-90 trained on Theoron and moved to keep Elizabeth out of harm's way. They had taken refuge behind the massive throne. The guards obviously didn't care about protecting their king, more worried about a more imminent threat.
Ronon didn't wish to go searching for the guards behind the pillars, as it would leave the scientists exposed to attack. But one of them had to go search or they'd be here forever.
"I'm going to push forward. Cadman, stay on the flank. Teyla—"
"I know," she replied, moving into position to cover both scientists from the right side of the hall. Ronon smirked. One mind.
He moved forward carefully, his vision completely focused on the left side of pillars. When the shooting began, he saw one of the guards move behind a pillar two columns ahead. He'd be open to attack from any guards behind him, but he knew Cadman was watching.
The gun did not waver in his hand, years of practice instilled into moments just like this one. Ronon tilted his head just a bit, listening for any errant sounds. He heard Cadman reloading her P-90, Teyla's boot scraping the floor as she swept the right side, Theoron's scepter whacking the floor as it fell from his hands.
The guards were quiet.
Ronon could be quiet, too.
But the guards knew they would split up and that one of them would come looking. As soon as Ronon rounded the corner and saw his target, the other five guards moved as one and surrounded Cadman, Teyla and the scientists. Ronon took him out and whirled on the others.
Cadman was ready for the swordsman behind a pillar close to her, but not the archer on the other side of the room. As she gunned down the first guard, the second launched an arrow directly through her left shoulder, blood raining down on Parrish.
"Dammit!" she shouted, pulling her P-90 around and silencing the bowman. "Fuck you." She moved back into formation to guard Parrish.
Three swordsman swarmed Teyla at once and Ronon could not risk a shot without hitting her or one of the scientists from across the hall. He was content enough, however, that she could hold her own with her ranged weapon.
Click.
That was, until her gun jammed.
The first swordsman yelled and charged her, his blade almost as long as Theoron's scepter, which nearly reached the top of the throne when standing up straight. He swung hard, aiming to cut Teyla in half, the blade sharp and dangerous.
She jumped backwards, nearly crashing into Simmons, who she pushed back and out of her way. Ronon saw she didn't have time to reach for her handgun, so he ran to meet her. These were the final three guards. Cadman was still watching their flank.
"Cadman, there's no one else! They're all after Teyla!"
The Lieutenant whirled around and joined the foray. She mowed down one of the swordsman, but had to reload. That was all the guards needed.
The first swordsman continued trying to slice at Teyla. Even though his blade was long, he could swing it fast. It made soft rushing noises as it slashed through the air, growing closer and closer to Teyla's body. She couldn't even get close to him.
And while Ronon was most definitely a fast runner, he would not reach her in time. Parrish and Simmons were in his way now and he jostled them around, pushing them behind his body. "MOVE!"
As Cadman reloaded, the second swordsman swung at Teyla. This guard was not as fast as the first, but his swing was hard. The blade came crashing down towards her and time stood still as Ronon saw her raise her hand in defiance, sacrificing her arm to take the blow.
Clang.
But the blade struck metal. Ronon's eyes grew wide as the sword struck Teyla's arm and literally bounced off. What the fu—
"Got it!" Cadman bellowed and fired with an ease of precision at the remaining guards. Their bodies dropped like rocks.
Teyla's face was matted with sweat and her chest heaved, but she smiled.
Ronon sidled up alongside her. "How the hell did you do that?"
He grasped her wrist and inspected the damage. The swordsman had struck metal alright: the dagger he had given Teyla after teaching her how to fight with knives. His heart swelled with a touch of pride, having indirectly led to her safety.
"Thank you," she replied, warmly greeting him. He continued to gaze at her wrist and then grew awkward after several seconds had passed.
"Uh…" he said, causing her smile to morph into a knowing grin. "We should get out of here."
"That all of them?" Major Lorne called from behind the throne.
Ronon answered. "All clear."
"Thank God," the Major hauled Theoron up by his robes. "Let's get the hell out of here."
-----SGA-----
John was dying.
"We have to hurry," Elizabeth said, glancing down at her watch. Three hours. If John's oxygen tank had not yet run out, it would soon.
"We can't bring him with us," Ronon said, pointing to Theoron.
The group remained in the throne room, deciding their best plan of action to make it back to the Stargate. They all knew Theoron would inform all guards outside of what had occurred and have them secure the 'Gate.
"We can tie him up and leave him here," Cadman suggested menacingly, Teyla applying a bandage to the Lieutenant's shoulder. "I mean, I'd do much worse, but I'm not in charge here."
Lorne sighed and flicked his eyes in Elizabeth's direction. "Ma'am, what would you have us do with him?"
All eyes turned to her.
"H-Hey! You can't let her decide!" Theoron exclaimed, his bubbly face turning bright red. "She's nothing! You hear me? NOTHI—" He didn't even feel the punch that knocked him unconscious.
Ronon nursed his knuckles, a slight grunt heard above the noise of the king's body crashing to the floor.
"Thank you, Ronon," Elizabeth said. He nodded.
She spoke aloud, "We should just leave him here. It's obvious we've wounded his pride enough, especially from a culture with a woman in charge." She towered over the unmoving mass of the king. "He's afraid of the Wraith. That is why they built this hidden city and used the technology in this manner. They are isolated and afraid." She then glanced at each member of the expedition in turn. "Now, he's afraid of the Atlanteans. I highly doubt he'll want to bother us anytime soon."
Lorne smiled at her.
"Now, Major, what's the best way out of here?"
"Well ma'am," Lorne started, "I assume we'll have to retrace our steps from the way we came in. The Tallinns won't know what happened here until the king wakes up." He motioned towards Theoron with his head, "Ronon?"
"On it," the hulking Satedan replied, pulling a coil of rope from one of the packs the scientists had brought with them. He set to work on tying and gagging the king.
"We must tread carefully," Teyla said, finishing up on Cadman's shoulder. "The guards outside this door will wonder what happened. They may investigate the room."
"She's right," Elizabeth agreed. "If we leave this room without Theoron's approval, the guards will stop us. And if we let him regain consciousness, he will not help us escape."
Parrish, who had begun to inspect the large hall, spoke up, "There's a skylight." He pointed upward as the sun's harsh rays continued to fill the room with light.
"And that helps us how, exactly?" Cadman asked, her expression the very definition of skeptical.
"I don't know…" he muttered. "Just throwing things out there…" Parrish continued inspecting the walls of the room, while Simmons checked the life signs detector to confirm that, yes, there were indeed a small army of guards just outside the intimidating double doors through which they originally came.
"We do have a way to get us out of here…" Lorne said, glancing towards Elizabeth. "It saved us once already, why not again?"
Elizabeth held up her wrist, two crystals sparkling solidly in the base of the bracelet. She did not wish to use the remaining crystals. With two attempts left, she could use one to reach John and the other to retrieve him.
"No," she said forcefully. "If we use one now, we won't be able to remove Colonel Sheppard from Sector Four." She stared hard at Lorne's face. "He's dying, Major. He doesn't have much time."
Lorne swallowed noticeably. "Yes, ma'am. But if we don't get out of here and back to the 'Gate soon, it won't matter. It'll have all been for nothing."
"There has to be another way. I don't wish to risk the lives of everyone here, but this is why we came on this mission: to find a way to save Colonel Sheppard and—" An idea suddenly sprang to mind. "The scepter!"
Lorne's eyes lit up. "We can unlock more bracelets in that room!" They ran towards the throne where Theoron's scepter lay, the ruby having now dimmed to a dull sparkle. Lorne picked it up and inspected the sudden lack of light shining from the crimson stone.
"It's broken," Elizabeth said, exasperation seeping from her words. She pointed to a few bullet holes that clipped off several pieces of the scepter. "Damn it."
"We're back to square one," Lorne said, dropping the stick to the ground. He stared at Elizabeth, intent on following her decision, hoping she made the right one. Without the bracelet, they would be stuck here. She knew that.
Elizabeth's shoulders sagged, defeated.
"I've got something!"
"Parrish?" Lorne spun around.
The botanist had scoured the walls for clues, any possible way to get them out of the hall undetected. He motioned towards a mass of green on the golden floor, hidden behind a far pillar near the corner of the room.
"Look!" he pointed excitedly, "See these small orange flowers?" Parrish pointed out several small, flat, orange stems that struck out of the tiny green blob. "They're reminiscent of taraxacum officinale back on Earth!" He stood and gestured towards the flowers with unrestrained enthusiasm. "This is amazing!"
Lorne stepped forward, a frown on his face. "You know Parrish, when you said you found something I assumed it might've been, oh, you know, a way out of here?"
The botanist rolled his eyes. "Of course! Look, these flowers have similar characteristics to taraxacum offici—"
"Parrish," Lorne warned.
"Right, right, sorry. The flowers are similar to dandelions. Their height, their stems, even their florets have the same characteristics."
Lorne coughed.
"My point being, Major, that these flowers are weeds. They would only grow in this room if they had direct access to it. Considering the long walk here from the front entrance, the seeds wouldn't survive the trek."
Teyla was the first to pick up on Parrish's train of thought. She plucked one of the orange flowers and twirled it in her hand. "Are you implying that these flowers entered the room from some other entrance?"
"Yes! Exactly! If the seeds are dispersed the same way as regular dandelions, they would essentially fly right into the room. Since the skylight is blocked by whatever glass is up there," Parrish pointed at the odd material the dome above their heads was made out of, "The seeds would have to enter some other way."
"Another entranceway?" Simmons inquired. He checked the life signs detector. "I'm not getting any life signs other than the guards outside the doors."
"There are no windows," Elizabeth commented. "And the door behind the throne room leads to an enclosed area with a giant crystal inside."
Ronon joined the conversation. "Then it's hidden."
"Like the invisible wall guarding the city," Teyla agreed. Pocketing the small flower, she recalled their earlier expedition to Talina. "Tendo managed to find the door easily enough. He opened it as if it had a handle."
"That settles it then," Lorne said. "Search the walls around this area. Feel around for a handle of some sort."
The group started checking the walls, their hands roaming over the pristine architecture. After a few minutes, Ronon struck gold. "Got something." He grasped an invisible door handle and gave it a twist. It turned.
Hauling on the handle, a select portion gave and tore away from the rest of the wall. Light shone into the hall from the outside.
"It's a courtyard," Parrish said, stepping into the light. His eyes grew as wide as saucers as he noticed several rare and never-before-seen species of vegetation. Turning around, he looked like a lost puppy.
"No." Lorne was adamant about getting out of here immediately.
"Fine, fine." The botanist kicked the ground sadly with his boots.
"We still need a way out of here," Elizabeth said.
"Over here!" Simmons shouted, running forward through the plant life.
"No!" Parrish exclaimed and then clamped his hands over his mouth as if he'd swallowed something dangerous. "Sorry, I didn't mean to yell…It's just…the plants!"
Now it was Lorne's turn to roll his eyes. "They'll be fine Parrish, I'm sure." He called ahead, "Simmons, slow down! Where're you headed?"
The scientist came to a halt in front of another extravagant door that obviously led into the courtyard from the opposite side. He held up the life signs detector. "I've been monitoring the guards' positions. They've been making rounds down this hallway, which connects to the one in front of the throne room. If we go through here, we can slip past them and walk out the front door!" He smiled a toothy grin.
Lorne clapped him on the shoulder. "Looks like everyone's coming in handy today!" Motioning with his shoulder, he gave the others the go-ahead. "Let's head on out."
Elizabeth kept to the rear of the group with only Teyla and Ronon behind her. Cadman still held her P-90, determined to not be excluded from anymore firefights even though her arm was bandaged and now in a sling. Lorne took point with Simmons guiding him, while Parrish just looked depressed at having missed an opportunity to catalogue new plants.
We're coming John…Hang on.
The towering statues in the hallways were glaring at her again as if to say We know what you did, woman. You will not leave here alive. Their faces were hard and menacing, contrasting with the marvelous shine they projected.
Theoron's vile taunts were getting to her.
It wasn't long before the group made it to the glorious lobby of the Great Hall of Kings. Having backtracked through the castle was simple. Backtracking through the city of Talina would not be quite so easy.
"Stick to the shaded areas," Lorne advised, motioning them to the entrance.
No sooner had the words left the Major's mouth when the massive double doors swung open and an armada larger than the group outside the throne room began to pile in. "Simmons! What the hell happened?!"
"I don't…I don't know!" he stammered, checking the life signs device. "It's not picking up anyone outside the castle! Whatever material the roof is made of…the glass! It's blocking the signal on the life signs detector!"
The guards at the front of the group pulled their bows and reached to the quivers on their backs to retrieve the first volley of arrows.
"We need to get out of here!" Lorne shouted. "Go back!"
"Problem with that!" Ronon yelled from the back of the group.
"No!" Simmons said, scanning for life signs. "The other group is behind us now! We're trapped!"
The guards continued to pile into the colossal lobby, the room created to house an army of limited size. Lorne and Cadman held their P-90s at the ready, Teyla and Ronon following suit on their flank. If even one arrow flew, they would open fire.
"We have a standoff," Lorne said. Déjà vu, he thought, as the guards pulled their arrows taught once more. This time, however, there was way more than two guards to contend with.
His trigger finger itched. Sparing a glance in Cadman's direction, Lorne saw her sweating profusely. He hadn't picked up on that on the walk here. The wound was affecting her much more than she let on, but he saw the P-90 in her hands and its solid position. It did not waver.
That's my girl. Lorne smiled, ready for battle.
Elizabeth was the first to hear the voice amidst the piling of men into the room. Over here! It sounded like a fleeting thought in her head, one she couldn't seem to place. It was very familiar.
"Here! Over here!" And then she saw him.
Tendo the tour guide was waving towards her, hidden behind an invisible door, motioning in the direction of the closest wall. "Hurry! Quickly now!"
She knew they'd have to be discreet. Men continued to rush into the room from both sides, drawing arrows and swords alike. Any sudden movement and Elizabeth knew—though they'd put up a hell of a fight—they wouldn't be able to last very long.
"Lorne," she whispered. The lobby echoed back to her, even with the noise level as high as it was. The Major didn't move, but she could tell he was listening. "Tendo is to your right. Ronon, Teyla, to your left. There's a doorway there." It was evident they were all listening to her now. "We need to make some sort of distraction."
Elizabeth saw Cadman smile deviously.
"Distraction, you say?" the Lieutenant whispered back. "I can do distraction."
"Careful," Lorne said.
"Yes, Papa Bear." Moving slowly so the guards could see her every movement, Cadman removed the backpack from her wounded shoulder. They eyed her perceptively.
"We mean you no harm!" she said and Lorne rolled his eyes for the second time in less than an hour. "Really, look! We even have offerings for you! Please," she begged now, her voice clearly overdramatic, "This is all we can spare. Please, just take this."
Lorne hoped the Tallinn's couldn't recognize bad acting.
Cadman moved forward now. Her right hand lowered the P-90 and let the strap dangle it from her good shoulder. The majority of the guards at the entrance trained their arrows on her and for a good, long minute she was sure she was about to be target practice for about fifty people. When they did not fire, she ventured forth once more, her steps small and steady.
After about ten feet, she carefully laid the backpack onto the ground and, steadying herself, set a hand on the ground for balance. Lorne registered that her hand ended up inside the backpack for several seconds before she pushed herself off the ground and stood up. What are you doing…
"All yours!" she said perkily, sliding backwards slowly across the floor.
Tendo witnessed this ordeal and held the door ajar for them. "Hurry," he spoke again, quietly.
The lead guard now began to move forward. His sandals scraped the floor as he took careful steps, his bow still trained on Cadman. After several minutes, he finally reached the backpack.
"Geez, it's like a game of friggin' chess," Cadman said, her right hand now resting good-naturedly against her hip. "Hurry the hell up."
As if understanding her meaning, the guard double-timed it back to the large group amassed at the entrance. He gazed inside the bag, wary of its contents.
And he had every good reason to be.
Almost silently, Cadman whispered, "Ka-boom." The hand on her hip slipped downward only for a second, but it was enough to arm the pile of explosives sitting in her backpack. The guards eyes widened in realization as one of the blocks of C4 started to blink red.
"Goodbye," she said and hit the detonator.
Without warning, the resulting explosion blew Lorne and Cadman off their feet, slamming into the bodies of Parrish, Simmons and Elizabeth. The entrance merely blew apart, sending many guards flying out the doors from whence they came. Ronon and Teyla stood their ground, expecting Cadman's trickery, and fired into the group of guards amassed at the back of the room.
"Get up! Get up!" Ronon yelled.
Lorne quickly rushed to his feet, knowing the distraction would buy them little time. He pulled Elizabeth up and shoved her towards Tendo. "Go! "GO!"
Cadman was unconscious, so Lorne grabbed her hands and started dragging her across the floor. The scientists were already ahead of him, rushing for safety.
"We're clear!" Lorne called.
Ronon and Teyla continued unloading their weapons into the crowd, moving painstakingly slow towards the door. Arrows whizzed past their heads and struck guards on the other side of the room. They tried to zig and zag to avoid the deadly darts.
Soon enough, Tendo slammed the door shut and the entire group breathed heavily in the suddenly darkened room.
"Everyone okay?" Lorne asked and he received all affirmative answers in reply. "Cadman's unconscious. We'll have to carry her from here."
Ronon grunted, a sign of acknowledgement. "I'll take her." And in no uncertain terms, he hoisted Cadman over his shoulder, careful to not jostle her wounded one.
"Tendo," Elizabeth said, "What are you doing here?"
"There is not much time," he spoke. "The guards inspected the throne room and found the king in ropes. I returned for the afternoon deliverance, in which I inform the king of any requests the citizens of Talina ask of him. One of the guards whom I befriended told me of the circumstances. I am here to get you out of the city." He paused, and then added, "Safely."
"How do we get out of here?" Lorne inquired.
"Through the door from whence you came," Tendo replied. "We must travel quickly through the city, for word will spread fast that traitors are amongst our ranks. For your knowledge, I do not think you are traitors."
Teyla stepped forward. "Thank you, Tendo."
"It is my pleasure, especially with such fine company such as yourself, Miss Teyla."
She bowed respectfully. "Please, we must leave as soon as possible."
"But of course!" Tendo said, his voice nearly drowned out by the sudden banging on the door they had just entered. "Come! Come! I know the pathways."
They had traveled for nearly twenty minutes at as fast a pace as they could manage. Ronon easily kept up with the group, even though he shouldered the weight of Cadman.
Elizabeth was sure she was slowing everyone down, having been the only one in the group to garner less than five hundred hours of off-world experience. Clearly being holed up in her office with paperwork had done her little favors. After this, she would certainly see about procuring a treadmill to replace her office chair.
The city had grown quiet. The streets milled with few people. Paying their respects to the king, Tendo had said.
They came to an open area where the buildings of Talina suddenly grew more rural. The spaces between them widened to a substantial length and they could no longer use the covered overhangs and alleyways to their advantage.
The group continued on. The clearing was no different than several other areas they had passed, but it brought a new obstacle: the sound of horns.
"Watchers," Teyla spoke immediately. "They have spotted us."
"Yes," Tendo said nervously. "We must hurry! The Watchers will inform them of our position! Go! GO!"
They broke into a run. Elizabeth's lungs caught fire as they passed the thirty minute mark since leaving the Great Hall. Teyla and Ronon seemed to have no trouble at all getting around the twigs and rolls of logs littered throughout the wide expanse of area. Even Lorne was vaulting over several of them, while Elizabeth had to slow down and ensure she didn't trip.
Think of John. What if your positions were reversed? Would he slow down now?
"No," she said aloud, drawing a confused glance from Parrish.
She ran faster.
Another ten minutes and Tendo suddenly slowed down. His steps grew to a stop and he gazed ahead, the walls of Talina growing in front of them. The invisible walls were visible from this side.
Teyla, whose breath rapidly caught up with her, addressed the Tallinn. "Tendo? What is it? Have they already made it to the door?"
He did not respond.
"Tendo?"
Tendo's body fell, twisting as gravity sucked it mercilessly to the ground. An arrow stuck out of his chest, tall and proud; another victim claimed.
"Get down!" Lorne shouted and everyone dropped down.
"Where are they?" Simmons asked, peering out from a fallen, mossy log.
"Ahead of us." Ronon laid Cadman down gently. "They'll be behind us too, soon enough." He glanced sympathetically towards the fallen body of Tendo and then to Teyla.
She met his gaze. "He was a good man," she said, nodding in confirmation.
Ronon replied with a nod of his own.
"He did not deserve this." Teyla reached into her pocket and pulled out the simple orange flower from the throne room. She crawled forward and carefully laid it upon Tendo's body. "Be safe," she whispered.
"We have to move!" Lorne said. "It's not safe here. They're guarding the door out of the city!"
"We're trapped," Ronon spoke. He fired a few shots of his weapon towards the door to their salvation, hoping to pick off some of the guards. "We won't make it through that way."
Elizabeth judged their alternatives. She wasn't a tactician by any means, not in the field, but she could see a hopeless outcome when it arose. The guards had created a second pincer attack and were advancing from both sides. They had remarkable eye sight and relatively good aim. They also had huge numbers of archers. In such a vast, open area, the situation was dire.
What would John do?
He'd pulled off some crazy miracle, of that she was sure. John Sheppard had a knack for escaping death, but Elizabeth was sure her luck wasn't anywhere near that caliber.
"We're sitting ducks!" Simmons shouted, his handgun drawn for desperate purposes such as this.
John would find a way out of here.
But I'm not him.
If it was you lying in that room dying without oxygen, he would risk everything.
And she knew that to be the truth. She knew John Sheppard would give his life for her in a heartbeat. What kind of friend, what kind of teammate…hell, what kind of companion would she be if she did not—no—could not return that favor?
"Alright," she said. "Everyone grab hands."
"What?!" Lorne shouted over the gunfire.
"No offense Dr. Weir," Simmons said between shots, "But this isn't the time for Kum Ba Yah."
She let that comment slide. "The wall isn't that far from our position. We're going to run through it."
Lorne shot her a look. "You know what that'll mean."
"Yes," she said, her face resigned. "I know, Major."
He stared at her for a few more seconds and then nodded, satisfied. "Alright everyone, on the count of three, grab a hand. We're going to run through the wall with the technology we got from Theoron."
Ronon continued shooting, keeping the arrows at bay as he fired where he assumed the best places to shoot from were. Teyla followed suit, waiting for the order to run.
"One…Two…"
"THREE!"
The group stood as one. They ran quickly, trampling over muddy trails and rotten wood. They saw and felt no arrows, out of the archers' range for the moment.
The wall drew closer and Elizabeth continued to debate her own intentions.
He'll die if you do this. You'll only be able to get to his room, not out of it.
He might already be dead.
And what if he's not?
We'll die if I don't use it now.
You'll die if you can't use it on him later.
She paused.
Then we'll die together.
They reached the wall unopposed and before Elizabeth could think about the dilemma any further, she grasped Teyla's arm, who grasped Parrish', who grasped Simmons', who grasped Lorne's, who grasped Ronon's, who held onto Cadman, and activated the bracelet.
They phased through the wall to safety.