A/N: So sorry for the slow updates on my stories. Life gets in the way of writing much more often than it did before. No formal beta, so mistakes are mine. Thanks dwparsnip for brief beta.
Jennifer stared in shocked disbelief. This isn't happening. I'm cuddled up with Rodney on the couch. I never pressured him to make love to me so he never left. I fell asleep during Sixth Sense, which is creepy so that explains all this.
A touch to her shoulder almost made her scream. She turned to look at Teyla whose brown eyes were wide and her head motioned for them to move down the small incline toward a thicket of brush and trees. Looking back to see the wormhole close, the physician felt like her life was being sucked into a black hole.
After several falls up and down brush covered hills Jennifer found herself alongside Teyla near a riverbank. The Athosian had set a hurried pace through the thick brush once they left the area around the gate.
Jennifer was more scared than she'd ever been. It was only stubborn pride that held the young woman together when she saw the look of fear on the face of the Athosians' leader. Only when they were huddled under a large outcropping of rocks next to the raging river did she tremble and let tears slide down her face. "W-weapons' cache?" she stammered, but already knew the answer.
An affirmative nod from the Athosian was all she got. Teyla was obviously deep in thought as she scanned the riverbank and the tree line on the far shore.
"The guys will be coming through tomorrow," Jennifer stated, knowing Teyla knew this but she needed to say it anyway. "If we don't warn them…"
"I know!" Teyla snapped. Her eyes were blazing as they connected with Jennifer's.
"Teyla." Jennifer tried to draw on years of having angry patients, like Rodney, and forced calm into her voice. "Will the Bola Kai kill them or try to capture them?" Capture might give someone, namely Ronon, a chance to get away.
"We need to find a place to hide for the night," Teyla stated, looking at a ridge across the river. "There is a hunting blind…"
Something in the Wisconsin native snapped. Teyla wasn't telling her everything and didn't want to include her in the plan. "Hey," Jennifer hissed, grabbing the Athosian's arm since she had turned away.
If looks could kill, Teyla's would have done Jennifer in when their eyes met.
"We're in this together. Like it or not. And trust me, I know you don't like it," Jennifer snarled, after releasing the other woman's strong arm.
Teyla's face softened slightly.
"I can't begin to imagine what's going through your mind. While we were running I tried to imagine going home and finding it deserted, my Dad, uncle and family gone. I'd probably lose my mind." Jennifer tried to soften the anger flooding her system. She refused to be treated like a useless sidekick even if she couldn't fight like Teyla could. "But we've got to stick together."
Sadness finally enveloped the other woman's exotic features. Her eyes drifted down for a moment before looking back to Jennifer's. "We must move..." She stopped speaking as she heard a new sound.
Jennifer strained her ears and heard what sounded like... "Drums?"
"We must go. Now!" Teyla got up quickly.
"Are those drums?" Jennifer asked again. Panic was rapidly replacing her stubborn pride as she began to tremble. Too many old black-and-white adventure movies with Dad and Uncle Jack came to mind, people lost in a jungle being hunted by marauding headhunters.
"The hunt begins," Teyla stated as she clutched the hand gun she took from Jennifer's backpack.
"Hunt?" the physician squeaked. "What do you mean hunt? Like we're prey or something?"
"That is exactly what I mean." Teyla seemed to snap once again. "The Bola Kai will hunt us, capture us, torture us in any way necessary to gain the address of where we came from and then either keep us for breeding stock or kill us."
Jennifer blanched. Rape. Torture. Her breaths came in giant gulps. Tears poured down her face. Shaking her head in disbelief, she clung to every possible fact to disprove this theory of Teyla's. "No. There aren't any dead, mutilated Athosians here."
"The Bola Kai don't leave much behind once they kill you," Teyla stated, her voice suddenly devoid of the intensity it had before. "We'll follow the river and cross a bridge not too far from here." The Athosian started moving stealthily along the riverbank.
Cannibals? Jennifer swallowed hard and put on the backpack Teyla handed her. A few more tears escaped her eyes as she thought of how Rodney would react when her Uncle Jack showed up to collect her belongings because she'd been killed on New Athos.
Master Gunnery Sergeant Dwayne Richards didn't need to work the night security shift. His storied career and numerous commendations should have led to a desk job: dishing out assignments, reviewing the enlisted personal on base and at least eight hours of shut-eye each night. But that was not the man he was. Guarding the city, going out with gate teams and training was more his style. No matter what he had done and who knew about it, he was just a grunt at the end of the day.
Something had unsettled the big Marine for the last couple of days. The Replicators hadn't attacked in several weeks and the Wraith were on the run, so the base's threat level had been lowered slightly. It's always in the calm before the storm that things go wrong.
As if on queue, the gate suddenly activated. He lifted his weapon and turned to Sergeant Campbell. "Wake Colonel Sheppard."
"Yes, sir," the Canadian said as he prepared to see who might be dialing.
Richards jogged down the steps and took up a defensive position at the bottom of the stairs. His fellow Marines took up positions facing the gate and the blue puddle held in check by the shield.
"It's Midway, Master Gunny," Chuck called down a few seconds later. "Someone's coming through."
Richard's brow furrowed as he stepped forward. "Better wake Colonel Carter as well," he replied to Chuck.
A single figure walked through the gate. The tall man looked around the Gateroom and when his eyes met Dwayne's, the Marine suddenly realized why he'd felt anxious the last few days.
Jack O'Neill stepped toe-to-toe with Richards and his brown eyes burned into the Marine's cool grey ones. "I'll deal with you later."
The General turned to walk up the stairs and shouted at Chuck, "Get me McKay in the conference room. Now!"
TBC
A/N: Sorry to leave you hanging at this point, but I need plenty of time to figure out Rodney and Jack since he really can't throw Rodney off the tower ;-)