A/N: Just had to fix a minor thing in this chapter. I realized that I never really described what Lorne's men look like, especially Matt Cornell. But I made it all better now. In case visuals will help, Paul Medina resembles Javier Bardem (or Jeffrey Dean Morgan...they kinda look alike). Foster is a a mix of a little Simon Baker, with some Tim McGee (NCIS) and a pair of glasses thrown in. I dunno...he's just cute and nerdy..LOL. Gibson is kind of like a young Robert Patrick, only a little...friendlier, and of course, Matt Cornell looks like my hubby, whose pic I think I might throw up on my profile, so you can see.
Anyway, enjoy the few changes, and chapter 7 is on its way!
Chapter 6
The next morning, John woke slowly, his limbs feeling like lead bricks. He knew from the hard surface underneath him that he was on the Jumper's grated floor, but what he wasn't sure of was who was curled up against him, their back to his chest and his arm wrapped around their waist. Carefully cracking one eye open, he saw a familiar head full of brown hair, and he exhaled the breath he'd been holding in. Laying this way with her felt natural, and she was now so warm, so comforting, that he wanted to fall asleep again. But in spite of that, he gently pulled his arm back and rolled slightly away, putting a few more inches of space between them.
Feeling John move, Teyla also woke up, and was instantly aware of her surroundings. When she also noticed how close they had become over the night, she pushed herself into a seated position, smiling uncomfortably.
"I…I am sorry, John. I did not realize…" she stuttered, but John stopped her with a wave of his hand.
"'S okay, Teyla. Probably totally my fault."
She shook her head and continued. "I was just so cold…"
"Yeah," he interjected again, "Me, too." Rolling his neck to ease the tension there, he asked, "What time is it?"
"I am not sure, but it is some time after dawn."
John followed her gaze through the Jumper's front windscreen, and saw sunlight streaming through the trees outside. Just then, the rear hatch opened, and Major Lorne walked up the ramp to them.
"Good. You're awake," he said with a genuine smile. "Cornell's got some breakfast made, if you're hungry."
"Starved," John replied, his growling stomach further punctuating his statement. He looked to Teyla. "How 'bout you?"
She nodded emphatically. "I am hungry as well."
When they reached the meadow, they saw Lorne's team all sitting around a small campfire, each one holding a cup between their hands to ward off the fading morning chill. John found a large empty spot on a log someone had dragged close to the fire, and sat down, gently pulling Teyla down beside him. From the next log over, Gibson uttered a "good morning," and John returned it with a small grin. Lorne pressed the coffee-filled top of a Thermos into John's hands, and he took it with a nod of thanks, drinking it as Cornell passed one to Teyla as well. Though she didn't care much for coffee – especially black, as John liked it – she gulped it down, feeling it burn off the last of the cold that had seeped into her body the night before.
"Thank you, Lieutenant," she said after she finished it and handed the empty cup back. "It was very good."
Cornell ducked his head. "No problem, ma'am."
Now that it was daylight, and he and Teyla were out of harm's way – at least for the moment – John took the time to study Evan's men. Dennis Gibson was 30 at most, with a slightly rounded jaw and brush-cut, light-brown hair. There was a small scar above his left eyebrow, and though his blue eyes looked serious, his smile was warm and friendly. Paul Medina was at least 20 years Gibson's senior, his tanned skin and dark features clearly showing his Spanish heritage. His face held just a hint of salt-and-pepper stubble, which strangely had the effect of making him look younger rather than older.
Ted Foster sat beside Medina, his green eyes taking on a warm amber glow as he stared at the fire before him. At the moment, he was cleaning his glasses on his shirt, not even looking as his hand slowly rubbed the lenses against his black t-shirt. It was as if the fire had mesmerized him, like a cobra swaying back and forth. As he slipped the glasses back on, he rubbed a hand through his sandy hair and then took a slow sip of his coffee.
On the other side of the fire, Cornell stood poking at one of the logs with a blackened stick, looking deep in thought. John decided that out of the four, he liked Matt the most. The lieutenant had a certain attitude about him that mimicked John's, one that could be careful and cautious one moment, and perfectly reckless the next. John watched as Matt pulled out the buck knife he'd shown Ronon earlier, unfolding its blade and using it to sharpen the end of his stick. Matt's pale blue eyes focused on his work, not wavering even when a stray lock of his dark brown hair fell onto his forehead, tickling the skin there. His calloused hands brushed away the slivers of wood that peeled away from the stick, then carelessly wiped against his dark pants.
Suddenly, Evan sat down beside John, and the colonel turned to look at him. The dark circles under Evan's eyes showed how weary he was, as did the heavy sigh he breathed out as he sat down.
"You get any sleep last night, Major?" John asked him.
"A little. But it's hard to rest on a different planet, with the threat of a Wraith invasion at every turn."
"That's true."
"Besides," Evan said, "I had to keep an eye on the two of you. Teyla was pretty near hypothermic, and you were catching up to her. Fast."
John shifted uncomfortably. Knowing he couldn't downplay the seriousness of their situation this time, he settled for gratitude. "Well, thanks for looking out for us, Major. We were lucky your team came along for the ride."
"Yes. Thank you, Major," Teyla echoed, and Evan grinned widely.
"No problem. I'm just glad we got to you when we did."
"And I'm glad someone thought to bring some coffee," John joked, bringing a smile to Cornell's face.
"That was me, sir," Cornell volunteered from his place on the opposite side of the fire, where he was using the toe of his boot to push a stray log back onto the coals.
"Good thinking."
After a few minutes' pause, Teyla leaned over to look at Evan and asked, "What is the plan for searching for Rodney and Ronon?"
"I've been thinking about that," Evan replied, the corners of his mouth tugged into a slight frown. "We can't very well go back to the place they disappeared, as we could get into the same trouble they did. We've been scanning for their life signs, and so far, we've come up with nothing. And they haven't tried to reach us over the radio, either."
"But as I pointed out, they could be deep underground, where the detector can't reach," John reminded him.
Evan nodded. "It's possible. But unless they're injured, they should've tried to get back to the Jumpers by now."
John thought about that for a moment, and realized that he was right. Ronon, at least, would've come outside at first light, if for no other reason than to find food, or to signal for help. It wasn't looking too good, he had to admit.
"Okay," he finally said, standing up and stretching his limbs, "here's what we do. We split into two groups. Lorne – you, Gibson, and Medina take one Jumper, and I'll take Teyla, Cornell, and Foster in the other one. We fly as low as we can over the planet's surface to scan for our guys' transmitter signals, but high enough that we'll hopefully be out of range for the device to grab us."
Lorne nodded. It was the best plan they had so far. "Yes, sir." Turning to his men, he called, "Let's get this cleaned up, and head out."
"Colonel Sheppard, this is Major Lorne. Come in."
Seated in the pilot's chair of Jumper One, John tapped a button on the console before him. "I'm here, Major."
"Colonel, we've been searching for over two hours, with not so much as a single beep."
John sighed, casting a quick, sidelong glance at Teyla, who looked as discouraged as Lorne sounded. "We've only been over half the planet, Major."
"I realize that, sir. It's just…we've been over the half closest to where they were beamed out, and…"
Before Lorne could continue on his tirade, John said, "Look, I know what you're thinking. But Rodney found the Wraith soldiers we encountered over 50 kilometers from where they disappeared. He and Ronon have to be here somewhere."
"John," Teyla suddenly interrupted. She'd been listening to them, slowly growing more agitated as precious seconds ticked by, when an idea struck her. "What if they were not transported anywhere?"
John swiveled his head around toward her. "What're you saying?"
"What if the device malfunctioned somehow, and they are still trapped within it?"
"What, like Rodney and Cadman inside the Dart a few years ago?"
She nodded. "Exactly."
As he digested this new theory, John's gut dropped into his feet. Rodney was the smartest person on Atlantis, the one they went to when things like this happened. If he was inside the device, who could they go to, to get him out?
"She could have a point," Foster said from behind him. "If this device is Ancient, or even as old as that, something could've gone wrong with it. Ten thousand years is a long time for something like that to run constantly."
"If it was running constantly," John muttered. "Okay, Lorne. New plan. Let's land the Jumpers, and head out on foot."
"You got it." Lorne had overheard the conversation, and was likewise troubled over Teyla's suggestion. He expertly landed Jumper Two on a large plateau overlooking a steep ravine, remarking offhand to Gibson how much the scenery resembled the Grand Canyon. Indeed, it looked much like the mile-deep formation on Earth, from the red, brown, and tan layers of rock that ran parallel to the horizon, right down to the irregular spires that jutted up into the sky. Evan couldn't help but be awed by the panorama before him, even as a sense of unease settled within his gut.
A few moments later, Jumper One could be seen flying past and then banking to the right, in order to land beside them. Medina opened the cargo bay door while Lorne powered the vehicle down, and the three of them exited onto the plateau to meet the others. John was the first one out of the other Jumper, still attaching his gear to his tac vest, followed closely by Teyla and Foster. Ted looked positively scared, his big green eyes blinking rapidly, reminding John of an owl. Teyla, on the other hand, concealed her concern well, even managing to give him a small grin. Cornell finally filled out the full complement of people outside the Jumpers, a data pad in his hand.
"Okay," he said, coming to stand beside John, "I've marked the position of the energy readings Dr. McKay picked up, as well as the last place he and Ronon were seen. From what I can tell, there's another way into the cave system that no one saw before."
"I sense a 'but' coming," John replied, drawing a nod from Matt.
"It's not gonna be a walk in the park, that's for sure." He held the data pad out so John could see it, and pointed to the left corner of the screen. "There's an opening right here, about 100 yards down the cliff face."
"So we'll need to rappel down to it to get inside," John huffed. Heights were definitely not his friend, and after the quarantine incident on Atlantis, when he was forced to climb up the outside of the central spire, he wasn't looking forward to facing this particular fear again. But as it was, it seemed to be the only way to get his friends back, so he swallowed against the panic that rose inside his throat, and nodded.
"Well, let's get there, and then we'll figure out the rest."
When the Jumpers were sufficiently cloaked, they headed over to the next ridge, first hiking down a particularly steep ridge, and then up again. Many times, their boots slipped on the crumbling shale of the ravine, and their pace suffered considerably as they hauled one team member or another back onto more solid ground.
For the thirtieth time since they'd come here, John cursed the planet as his foot slipped, and the only thing he could grab onto was a small outcropping that stuck out above his head. He just managed to catch the lip of rock with his fingers, and swung his entire weight over to the small ledge the rest of the team stood upon. He landed hard and almost tipped backward into the open air, but Cornell reached out and grabbed onto his vest, pulling him close to the canyon wall.
"Thanks," John breathed, his heart's jack-hammering turning to a quick thudding instead.
"No problem, sir."
"How much further is this damn cavern?"
Cornell pulled the data pad out of his vest and glanced down at it. "Should be around the next outcropping, and then down."
John craned his neck, leaning slightly over the edge. Sure enough, he could see a small portion of the cave's opening behind and below the bulge of rock that stood in their way. He pulled back again and examined the outcropping; the ledge that bisected it was even thinner than the one they stood on now, only able to accommodate one person at a time. If they were to have a chance of getting to the rim over the cave, they'd have to go single file, using the rocks that made up the wall as handholds as they inched across.
"Okay," John said then, his hands and feet tingling at the dizzying task ahead. "Lorne, you're first. Next is Medina, then Foster. Teyla, you'll be after him, followed by Gibson and Cornell. I'll go last."
Everyone nodded solemnly as their eyes took in the tiny ledge, and the deadly drop into nothing just beyond it.
"Take it slow and steady. I don't need to lose anyone else out here," he quietly cautioned.
Evan took in one steadying lungful of air after another, and when he was ready, shuffled carefully onto the natural bridge, his fingers gripping onto the partially exposed boulders and stones. He stopped once, when a shower of pebbles and dust rained down on him from above, but as soon as it was clear again, he kept going, his boots carefully scuffling across the path. Everyone else held their breath as they watched him, time seeming to slow to little more than a crawl. There was a collective exhaling of relief when both of Evan's feet reached the wide ridge that projected above the cave's entrance, and he gave John a thumbs-up.
The rest of the team made it safely across as well, and wordlessly decided to rest for a few minutes before continuing. As they sat down, John gazed at the canyon beyond them, watching as a falcon-like bird wheeled around the sky. He silently envied the bird, wishing that he was flying like it was, his only care being how much fuel he had left in his aircraft. Unfortunately, this galaxy had decided long ago not to cooperate with his wishes, and he was stuck here instead – on a dusty ridge in a barren canyon, with two of his best friends missing.
Too soon, the time to rest was up, and he and Lorne busied themselves with setting up a rappelling rig. Evan secured the rig to a sturdy boulder, then tested it by yanking hard on the rope. It held, and he nodded grimly at John, who gestured to Gibson to go first.
"Piece of cake, right, sir?" Gibson said in a half-serious tone as he clipped himself to the rope.
"Right. Just take it easy."
Gibson nodded and descended over the lip, slowly climbing further down, until John lost sight of him. When they could no longer even hear the creaking of the rope, John's heart rate ratcheted up a few notches, and there was a horrible moment where he imagined that the explosives expert had fallen, and his body was now laying broken on the jagged peaks below.
Then, the rope went slack, and Gibson's voice called up to them. "I'm down!"
"Okay!" Evan called back. "Medina's next!"
No more than twenty minutes later, everyone had climbed down, and were standing just inside the entrance to the cavern. John pulled a MagLite out of his pack and switched it on, shining it into the thick blackness before them. Behind him, he heard a few gasps of awe as the beam illuminated the quartz embedded in the rock, making them glitter like a thousand stars. Massive stalagmites twisted up from the floor of the cave, some of them nearly touching the ceiling, while their stalactite counterparts grew downward like icicles from a roof. Somewhere beyond the flashlight's reaches, water dripped sporadically into pools below, but it was the only sound they heard beside their own breathing.
"Hey, Cornell," John called softly over his shoulder. Although the roof looked particularly solid, he would rather not find out the hard way that it wasn't, and despite the beauty of this place, he really didn't want to be trapped here forever.
Cornell was beside him in a matter of seconds. "Yes, sir?"
"How far is the device from here?"
"A little over two miles."
John shrugged. "That's not too bad. It's about how far I run every night."
"There's something else."
John turned to face Cornell. "And here I thought it would be easy."
Matt gave him a tight-lipped smile. "Sorry, sir. As you can see, the cave's entrance is huge, like, Superdome huge. But the farther you go, the smaller it gets, until…"
John already knew where he was going with this, and finished, "…Until only one person can get in with the device."
Matt nodded. "And even then, whoever goes in will have to lay down to fit."
"Great," John muttered. Why did nearly every mission have to go from a bad situation to the worst possible, in a matter of minutes?
Teyla stepped in front of John then, her eyes seeming even wider in the glow from his flashlight. "I will go."
John shook his head. "I need you back here, Teyla."
Undeterred, she continued, "I am the smallest among our group. I will fit more easily into the space where the device is located." Not giving him a second chance to refuse, she turned to Cornell. "I would greatly appreciate if you would guide me through these tunnels over the radio."
"Radios won't work," Foster called from where he stood near the entrance. "The minerals in this rock, especially the quartz we saw earlier, are causing interference."
And John had thought it couldn't get any worse. "So what do we do, then?"
"We all go as far as the cave will allow. When it gets too narrow, Teyla –" John's piercing glare made him stop and correct himself " – or whoever, will continue on alone to the device."
"And what if they get stuck?" John asked. This mission was really starting to agitate him, on every level. "How are we even gonna know?"
Foster shrugged. "We won't."
Evan glanced around the group, and saw the same hopeless expression on every face. Still, he noticed that Teyla was weighing the options, and suddenly her eyes took on a glitter of determination. Her mind made up, she placed her hand on John's forearm, a ghost of a smile flicking over her lips.
"I think we should continue, John. Rodney and Ronon are depending on us to help them."
Knowing enough about John and his temper, the rest of the team quickly and quietly retreated a safe distance away. Anything above a whisper echoed easily in the cavern, but they at least wanted to give John and Teyla the appearance of privacy.
"And how are you gonna help them if you're trapped between thousands of tons of rock?" John hissed, his eyes stormy.
Her expression never wavered as she replied, "I will be careful, and the moment I feel I am in danger, I will return to you."
"You can't be serious!" The chuckle he let out seemed almost mad. "We're talking about a space just large enough for one person to lay down and crawl! If anything goes wrong, it'll be like a stone casket. A casket the size of an entire mountain!"
As he shouted at her, her eyes remained locked on his face, though they soon filled with frustrated tears. Why couldn't he understand that she needed to help? She needed to have her friends back; it was the only thing that was driving her to do such a risk-filled task. Couldn't he see that losing Rodney and Ronon was hurting her just as much as it did him? His apparent selfishness quickly began to anger her, and she frowned deeply, her slender eyebrows nearly touching.
"Then who would you have go instead?" She asked. "You?"
"As a matter of fact, yes."
She folded her arms. "Why?" When he didn't answer immediately, she nodded perceptively. "Because you somehow feel responsible for their disappearance."
John inhaled deeply and ran his hand through his hair, a nervous habit he'd picked up some time after his first trip through the Stargate. "I can't risk it, Teyla. I…" he shook his head, and his voice dropped a few decibels, "…we…already lost two of the team. I won't let you get lost, too."
Touched by his concern, but still resolved in her mind, she stepped closer to him, both hands now placed on his shoulders. "You will not lose me, John. I promise."
Though he knew he should be comforted by her words, all he felt was a cold emptiness inside him, as if she were already gone. His mind screamed at him to stop her, to tie her up to one of those huge columns if he had to, but he only nodded instead. She started to walk away from him, but he reached out and caught her elbow, and she turned back, a question in her eyes. He gazed at her silently for a second, as if he were struggling to find the words he wanted to say. Then, he blinked, and the look was replaced by his usual air of authority.
"The moment you're in trouble…" he warned, and she nodded her understanding. As she turned away again, he sighed deeply. He had the strange feeling that things were going to get worse before they got better.
"All right, kids," he called, his casual demeanor back in place, "let's get a move on."