Sorry everyone! I got sick! No, really! I even missed work yesterday! (Not that that was a hardship). Anyway, guys, thank you so, so much for your feedback! It really means so much! Oh, and blame the parentheticals in the beginning on the allergy medicine—they're popped in during my last revision. In other words—totally drug induced.
NEVER STOP MOVING
By Tipper
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CHAPTER FIVE: HEADING INTO THE FIRE
"I hate these kinds of plans," Rodney sighed, rubbing at the tiny scar on his shoulder where Carson had implanted a sort of 'on and off' trigger for his subcutaneous transmitter. It would allow him to signal for help once they found Connam. "Why is it always me that has to walk into the lion's den, eh?"
"Because you're the least tasty looking," Ronon informed him over the radio, and Rodney could easily imagine the smart ass grin on the Satedan's face. The scientist glared at the underside of the jumper as it lowered down from the ceiling in front of the Stargate.
He moved down a step from where he was standing on the main stairs, pointing up at the jumper. "I'll have you know plenty of people think I'm—"
"Uh, guys?" Sheppard's amused voice interrupted, "can we argue about McKay's tastiness later? We're about to pass through the Gate. Rodney? Are you and Teyla ready to follow?"
"We are ready," Teyla assured, standing on the steps at Rodney's back, resting a hand on his other shoulder. Her subcutaneous transmitter had been similarly altered, but she gave no sign of discomfort (Of course, Teyla could have her arm sawed off, and she'd probably just grimace slightly. She and Ronon had tied for the title of 'most unlikely to ever admit to pain' down in the labs.)
"Good. Just keep your radios on. We'll be listening."
Teyla smiled. It was the smile of someone who has had the same instruction repeated to her several times. "We will." (Teyla had also won for 'most likely to eventually slap Colonel Sheppard.' Naturally, Rodney had thought up that category—he was quite proud of that one.)
Sighing again, Rodney looked down, fiddling with his vest as if checking his pockets, then rubbing his chest—to his surprise, he was missing the weight of the P90. To give the illusion of harmlessness (which, let's be honest, wasn't hard), he was unarmed except for his knife. Teyla was the only one carrying weaponry.
Another reason he didn't like this plan.
He looked up, fixing his eyes on the two people watching them from the Control Room, and raised his voice to be heard more clearly. "I just want to go on record as saying, I hate this plan."
"So noted," Elizabeth said from where she was leaning over the balcony, Simpson standing by her side. The expedition leader turned her attention to the jumper as it finally settled just above the Gateroom floor, "Good luck, John."
"See you soon," he promised, just as the jumper shot through the wormhole to Kaveer. Rodney sighed heavily, then moved to follow on foot, Teyla at his side.
"And be careful," Elizabeth called out as they stepped through the event horizon.
The plan was pretty simple, in that much of it was going to be off the cuff. John, Ronon, Major Lorne and three other marines were to stay hidden in the cloaked jumper, so that it seemed as if only two people had come through the Gate—Teyla and Rodney. When the Kaveer showed up, Teyla was to introduce Rodney as a scientist wishing to trade knowledge. Rodney was to carry enough toys with him to impress, without giving any indication of exactly where they came from. The hope was that they would be taken to the same place as Connam, and Teyla would separate from Rodney and see if she could find the trader. Once she did, either she or Rodney would signal Sheppard in the cloaked jumper, and they'd get them all out.
Dora's information on the planet was pretty sparse, and, in the end, the best they could do was work off assumptions. For example, Dora said that there were no people watching the Gate but that, somehow, the Kaveer had been alerted to their presence. Before Dora and her companions had moved more than a half a mile down the road leading away from the Stargate, they had seen a transportation vehicle bearing down on their location. Therefore, there was obviously some sort of sensor on the Gate alerting the Kaveer to any wormhole activity. Hopefully, it was not a camera, so they would not see the Jumper before it was able to cloak.
She also informed them that the Kaveer lived inside a series of white-walled compounds several miles away from the Gate, protected inside a shallow valley of sorts. She saw no overt signs of weaponry, advanced or not, and the people they had met were peaceful, albeit reluctant to engage in talks.
The planet itself was apparently fairly flat around the Stargate, and the flora was low-lying. No trees, except a few stunted juniper like bushes here and there, and a lot of sagebrush like grass. In general, it sounded a lot like a desert location, similar to that of the American Southwest. The compounds themselves did not sound large, and there was no indication of any other structures outside of the ones Dora saw. Of the population—it was small. Maybe a couple hundred, at most. That was not atypical of most Pegasus populations these days.
It was also, apparently, very hot and very dry. Dora recommended bringing plenty of water, and suggesting that their usual black uniforms "might not blend."
Consequently, Rodney and Teyla were wearing light and beige colored clothing as they walked through the Gate, slipping sunglasses over their eyes to fend off the harsh glare of the sun. Only their tack vests remained black.
"Christ," Rodney swore, resting his hands on his hips and looking up at the unyielding sun, "she was right about it being hot."
Teyla just grimaced, not disagreeing as the heavy air settled around them like a thick cloak. She could feel the sweat prickling at the base of her neck already.
"That must be the road," she said, pointing to where a rutted, dirt track led clearly away from the Stargate.
Rodney just nodded, then looked up again at the cloudless blue sky. Of course, nothing was visible, though he knew the Jumper had to be just overhead. They were to maintain radio silence as long as possible, but it was still a bit disconcerting not knowing for sure that Ronon, Sheppard, Major Lorne and the other marines were up there, watching their progress. He just had to have faith that they were, and that they could hear every word he and Teyla said.
With a sigh, he pulled out his handheld Lantean scanner, doing a quick review of the area. His eyes lifted as he noted something a few feet away from the Gate, hidden inside a juniper-like bush. Walking up to it, he ran the scanner over it.
"A sensor," he noted. "Not visual, but auditory. A listening device—its how they know when the Gate is activated." He smiled a little, leaning over to peer at it—it was a little rudimentary, but obviously effective. "Hello," he called into the bush. "We're coming to find you. Just wanted to let you know." He straightened and ran the scanner a little more over the area. He found a few others sensors, but little else. Fact was, there wasn't much else to see at all, other than the DHD, which looked like it always did. Still, he frowned.
"What is it?" Teyla asked, coming up along side. "Is something wrong?"
"No, just...there's an unusual level of power flowing to this Gate from the DHD." He glanced up at it, as if expecting it to look different. "It's drawing power at a rate I've only ever seen our Stargate do. It's odd."
"Odd...in a bad way?" she asked, sounding worried. "As in, would it effect our ability to dial out?"
"No," Rodney frowned, then shook his head. "It's just odd. I'm not sure what it is." He glanced over at the DHD, and headed over to it, feeling more than seeing her match his stride. "If you thought we had the time, I could take apart the DHD and see what extra—"
"Unfortunately," Teyla rested a hand on his arm before he reached the device, "I do not think we do have that kind of time. After all," she glanced at the juniper bush, "did you just not inform the Kaveer we were coming?"
Rodney grimaced, screwing up his face a little. "Right, right," he said to her, punctuating it with a sigh, "let's go."
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"They're coming in loud and clear, at least," Major Lorne said, settling back in the co-pilot's seat of the air conditioned jumper. He smiled, trying to inject an air of levity. "And considering how red-faced McKay looks already, gotta say, I'm glad we're not out in this heat."
Sheppard grunted noncommittally at that, his eyes not leaving his people on the ground. They'd been watching Teyla and Rodney mill about, as Rodney located the sensors that the Jumper had picked up instantly without even trying. Now, the two were quietly walking away, towards the road.
John was frowning now, looking off generally into the distance, where the Jumper had shown a concentration of energy spikes. The road leading away from the Stargate headed in that same direction. McKay said something over the radio about picking up the same energy readings on his little scanner from that way, and Teyla asked how strong they were. The scientist's answer matched what the Jumper had told them already—powerful ones.
"Wonder what he meant about the Gate drawing more power than normal," Lorne said then as they moved slowly away from the Gate, tracking their people below. In clear response to his thought, the HUD changed, showing readings on the Gate. Unfortunately, the information that skimmed past meant little to the men on the ship.
John glanced at the HUD screen Lorne pulled up, then mentally swapped it back to the life signs detector. Rodney and Teyla glowed a different color than the rest, their transmitters working nicely.
"Let's just focus on our people," he said, the soft edge in his tone the only sign that he was worried. Lorne grimaced, and returned his gaze forward.
"Yes, sir."
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As expected, the two Atlantians hadn't moved far down the dirt road before a clearly discernable dust cloud appeared on the horizon. Teyla stopped in front of McKay, holding up a hand to him, and waited, her P90 resting across her arms. Rodney lifted the scanner in his right hand, focusing it on both the dust cloud and whatever else he could pick up. The readings were strong, but disparate—he didn't know what he was seeing...yet. He really wanted to take out his data tablet, to do a more thorough and more expanded search of the power readings he was getting from all around them, but that required two hands, and, with only Teyla guarding him, he wanted to keep one hand free so he could pull the 9MM out of her thigh holster, if necessary. She had left it loose, just in case.
He put his scanner away when Teyla gave him a look, and made sure he was on her right side, where her berretta rested.
The dust cloud eventually resolved itself into a vehicle, and, for a moment, Rodney almost smiled.
It was a jeep. Or, at least, it looked like a jeep. Four wheels, basic steel frame...engine...
Then it backfired, and Rodney's smile fell. That sound was much too familiar. And, as it got closer, his fears were confirmed. Yes, the front still resembled a jeep, but it was just ornament—someone had added a glass windshield and a more protective front end, but it was no mere jeep. The vehicle was much longer, and, when it turned on a corner, revealing more of its side and girth, Rodney knew.
It was Connam's truck. What they called a "wagon" was in reality an early model of a flat-bed truck, though most of the time, Connam let Dodge pull it like a wagon to hide its true nature and it was covered with a thick cloth.
Teyla seemed to sense his unease, and looked back at him just in time to see him cross his arms.
"Connam's truck," he explained shortly, not hiding the anger in his voice. "I'm not surprised Dora didn't recognize it—they've changed it. But...it's definitely his wagon."
Teyla's eyes widened slightly, and she looked back towards the vehicle. If there was any lingering doubt in her mind about whether Dora was right, and that Connam was in trouble, that answered it.
"Rodney," she said, her voice soft, "let me speak. If you say anything, I fear your anger will—"
"I get it. Be my guest. The less I have to say to these people, the better." Fact was, he was furious, and it would take all of his self-control not to blow up at these Kaveer people the moment he met them. But they had to find Connam first...
Then he would tell them exactly what he thought of thieves and kidnappers.
She nodded, her eyes drawn briefly to the gritted jaw, before turning her gaze forward.
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"Here they come," Lorne said, leaning forward in his seat. Ronon was standing now, his hand resting on the blaster at his waist. John was leaning forward as well, his eyes on the truck.
Rodney was right. It was Connam's. He'd recognize it anywhere.
Damn it.
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Though Teyla knew Connam, she had spent only brief moments with him. Unlike the colonel and Rodney, she had no real reason to ever be in contact with him and had never made much of an effort to actually meet him, except once in order to thank him. For that reason, she hoped to be able to keep her emotional distance a little better.
The truck rumbled up next to them and slowed to a stop. Three people looked down at Teyla and Rodney, one standing in the back, and two sitting up front. The driver was a younger woman with thick brown hair, the mass curling around her head like an animal's mane. Next to her was an older man with gray hair and a ruddy complexion, dark brown eyes measuring the two Atlantians with a dark gaze. In the back, a younger man stood up off the flatbed, holding what could only be a blaster rifle. It reminded Teyla of the ones he had seen on Sateda, and she wondered if Ronon was thinking the same thing from up where he was watching them.
"Hello," she said, stepping forward. "My name is—"
"Teyla Emmagen," the older man said, cutting her off. "Tagan's daughter. I recognize you. I am Cleran, one of the leaders of the Kaveer. Your people were here recently. We already informed them that we would not be interested in a trading alliance." His eyes lifted briefly, looking past her to McKay. Rodney glared unblinkingly in reply.
"I am not here on behalf of the Athosians," Teyla noted fluidly, not breaking a beat. "I am here on behalf of a different set of people. They learned of your aptitude for technology, and they would like to offer their expertise in return for—"
"What other people? There are no people left in this galaxy who come even close to our level of technology," Cleran said rudely.
"Arrogant much?" Rodney sneered, his tone razor sharp.
"Doctor," Teyla admonished quietly, before looking back at the Kaveer. "The people I speak of are called the Terran. And Doctor McKay, standing behind me, is one of their chief scientists. He—"
"Scientist," Cleran lifted his head, "Really? And what exactly earns you that title, sir?"
Rodney gave a tiny smile, "Um, my vast knowledge of just about everything? Believe me, if that's the extent of your level of technology," he looked disdainfully at the truck, then back at Cleran, "then Teyla misled us as to how advanced you are. That backfire we heard as you were driving up here? You might want to consider checking the air intake manifold for a leak, or, more likely, there is unburnt fuel lodged in the exhaust system. Have you had it cleaned regularly? Vehicles that, shall we say, old fashioned?" he curled his upper lip, "require constant maintenance, something you clearly have not been doing."
Cleran's eyes narrowed as he studied Rodney, meeting his gaze without either concern or curiosity, his face tightly wound. Teyla tried not to show how proud she was of the man with her—Rodney could really perform wonderfully sometimes. Finally, the Kaveer's jaw unclenched long enough to speak again.
"You have shown yourself to be an experienced engineer, at least," he said, though not without some disdain of his own. Rodney snorted, and Teyla flashed him another warning look to stop him from retorting. Cleran, meanwhile, kept talking. "But...the fact is, as Miss Emmagen knows, we are not a friendly people. We are secretive and we are isolationist. We would only consider an alliance if we thought you had something to trade that might be worth something to us."
"I am certain," Teyla interjected, "that Doctor McKay has much that would interest you, Cleran. His people are new to trading, having managed to remain hidden from the Wraith for many generations, and they have used their own isolation to great effect. This weapon," she patted the P90 she held, "is just one of their advancements. I have seen many others, all very impressive, and you know that the Athosians are not prone to exaggeration."
"If they are so advanced," Cleran sneered, "then what would they need from us?"
"They are currently experiencing a," Teyla pressed her lips together, then continued, "a lull, for lack of a better term. All science survives firstly and primarily on inspiration, and the Terran people are in need of new ideas to further their progress. They hope, based on what I have told them of your people's work, that you might be able to help. I believe working together could aid both the Kaveer and the Terran."
Cleran's eyes remained narrowed, though now they were focused on Teyla. "And what exactly is your stake in this, Miss Emmagen?"
"I believe it benefits all the humans in this galaxy to improve their technology, as a means to fight the Wraith. Also," she glanced at Rodney before turning back to Cleran, "these people are my friends. They came to the Athosians aid during a culling, rescuing almost all my people. We owe them a debt."
Rodney stiffened a little, obviously not expecting that. She wondered if he knew she meant every word.
Cleran grimaced, glancing from Teyla to Rodney and back again. Finally, he gave a slow nod. "I see. Well...that was eloquently put, Miss Emmagen." He licked his lips, and looked at Rodney. "I will take you to our leaders, if," he raised an eyebrow, "you can answer two simple questions for me."
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"Crap," John muttered, glancing up at Ronon. The Satedan's hand wrapped more tightly around his blaster, as if he could shoot through the Jumper's windscreen. "They know about us."
"You sure?" Lorne asked. "That didn't sound like—"
"Oh yeah," John replied, his eyes dark. "They know."
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"Just two questions?" Rodney said, attempting coolness. A thousand throw-away answers flashed through his mind—everything from 'I seek the holy grail' to '42'. Showing what he felt was great restraint, though, he just raised his chin and waited. Cleran gave a small smile.
"First, what is it you wear in your ear?"
Rodney's eyebrows lifted, trying not to show his relief at the easy question, and unconsciously reached up a hand to touch his earpiece. He had honestly thought they were going to ask about the Jumper. Letting his hand fall before it actually clicked the radio, he shrugged.
"They're radios. In the event Teyla and I are separated, we can stay in touch."
Cleran's eyes narrowed, but he nodded. He had obviously already guessed as such.
"Second," he continued, "before you and Miss Emmagen came through the Ancestral Ring, our sensors picked up something else first. It sounded like a machine, but it disappeared almost instantly. Then you two came through. I would like to know what it was that preceded you." His eyebrows lifted, then narrowed. "Meaning, what...or who...is here with you?"
Rodney froze, almost missing the feigned expression of puzzlement that Teyla was throwing at him.
Shit.
"What?" he asked.
"You heard me, Doctor McKay. Answer the question. What came through the wormhole with you?"
All the answers Rodney had planned to reply to such a question—all the answers he'd been told to answer with when John had drilled him—completely fled his mind, and he knew he had to look bad. Teyla's stare, begging him to say something, was beginning to hurt, and his mind was yelling at him to speak—but his vocal cords felt weirdly paralyzed.
Say something! Say something! SAY something!
Teyla sucked in a breath, as if to answer for him, and the movement sent a shock into his brain. His vocal cords suddenly released, and he almost gasped as he spoke, words tumbling out like an out of control steam train.
"Here with us? Something here with us? I...I don't know what you're talking about. We brought nothing with us. All we have is what you see. What else could there be?" Crap. He knew was babbling, but he just couldn't stop. "I mean, you don't see anything, do you? So, clearly, there's nothing else here. Just us. Alone. By ourselves." And he smiled. "Alone." Oh God, why did he have to smile? Teyla looked pained where she met his eyes, but she showed none of it as she returned her calm gaze to the Kaveer.
Cleran, however, was clearly not an idiot. "I did not say you brought it with you, Doctor McKay. I am saying, it preceded you through the Ancestral Ring. And, it is obviously still here with you. Now, what is it?"
Rodney just shook his head. "Got me. Teyla?" He glanced at the woman still standing protectively before him. "Any ideas?"
"I assure you, Cleran," Teyla said, trying to overpower Rodney's nervousness with her own hypercalm. "Rodney is correct. All you see is all there is."
"Oh," the Kaveer's eyes narrowed again, "I highly doubt that."
"Look," Rodney stepped forward, "do you see anything else with us? Any other people or other equipment? No. There's just us. We, uh," he threw a hand out, an idea suddenly popping into his head, "We may have been a little over cautious, and sent a small device through to ensure there were no Wraith around, but other than that..."
"Device?" Cleran appeared puzzled, and Rodney blinked a few times, his mind already reeling with ways to cover his lie. "What device?"
"Ah, this." He grinned and quickly pulled his scanner out of his pocket. Turning it on with a quick mental command, he turned it around to show the screen to Cleran. "It's a scanner and a relay device. Right now, it's detecting life signs in the immediate vicinity. As you can see, there are only five. Us." And he grinned some more. Damn it, why couldn't he stop smiling? No one ever trusted him when he smiled. He finally managed some self control at that thought, and the grin was reeled back into a self-satisfied smirk. Better than nothing.
Cleran's eyebrows lifted, studying the scanner with interest. Its simplicity and power had obviously distracted him, and, for the first time, Rodney actually saw the edges of a scientist in the older man. "What else can it do?"
"Besides scan for life sign readings? It can detect power sources, take energy readings, track people...and generally function as a PDA."
Cleran's eyes lifted from the scanner, "PDA?"
"Personal digital assistant. It can maintain logs, act as a mini computer for data, that kind of thing."
"Oh," Cleran actually looked impressed for the first time. "Well, that is...can I see it?" He held out a hand. McKay smiled softly, and shook his head. He'd already come up with a good lie for this one—had used it on other worlds.
"Unfortunately, it only works for me. It's tailored to my personal ident."
"Personal...what?"
"My fingerprint. It recognizes and works for me only. Here." He handed it over. "See for yourself."
Cleran's eyebrows lifted as he held the now dead scanner, and he sat back, slumping a little. "Oh. Well...huh." He pressed a few of the buttons, then, when still nothing happened, he handed it back to McKay with a frown, his brow furrowing even more as he saw the screen light up the instant it touched Rodney's hand. "Fascinating," he admitted softly. Rodney tried not to grin again. He had now lied twice! He'd not only covered up the Jumper, but had found a way around explaining the ATA gene. How do you like them apples!
"Cleran," the boy in back warned softly, and Rodney's mental glee immediately dimmed. "Do not forget...the object? That came through the ring? I am sure it was larger than that scanner thing he carries." The boy shifted his gaze to McKay, narrowing in distrust as he regarded the Atlantian. "How do we know you did not leave something at the Ancestral Ring?"
"The ground is flat," Teyla said, sweeping her arm towards the Stargate a couple hundred yards away, "you can see there is nothing there."
"Leyna?" Cleran glanced over his shoulder at the woman driving. The brown haired woman nodded, reached under her seat...
And pulled out a pair of Bushnell binoculars.
McKay's breath caught at the sight of them, at the oddity of earth equipment in a stranger's hands, and he was about to say something when he felt Teyla reach back and hit his arm. Still...clearly, the wagon and Dodge were not the only things the Kaveer had absconded from Connam. Luckily, none of the three Kaveer noticed his reaction.
The woman was standing up on the seat now, focusing the binoculars on the Stargate. After a few seconds, she lowered them again and shook her head.
"Nothing that I can see," she confirmed.
"Here, wait," McKay wasn't sure why he was doing this...but found he couldn't resist. "Try these. You can see farther." With a quick motion, he pulled his own pair of binocs from his vest and held them up. Three sets of jaws dropped, and then sealed as he handed them up to Cleran. The older man looked at the binoculars a moment, then at McKay, his eyes narrowed. Teyla shifted closer again to Rodney, once more protecting him with her body. Cleran gave her a disdainful glance, then turned and handed the binoculars to Leyna. The other Kaveer studied them a second, then held them up to her eyes, turning once more to look at the Stargate. She gave a soft sigh, lowered them, and nodded.
"He's right. These can see farther." As she spoke, she looked at the Canadian, her expression curious. He smiled back at her.
"They're called binoculars. That brand is Bushnell," McKay nodded at the pair, "like yours. It's one of the best. Of course, there are plenty more where those came from. Manufacturing them is a piece of cake."
Teyla was staring at him, looking torn between hitting him...and hitting him hard.
Cleran, however, was offering a half smile.
"You have made your point," he said calmly. "We'll take you to meet the other leaders." He thumbed over his shoulder. "Climb in the back." As he spoke, he grabbed what could only be the microphone to a radio transmitter from somewhere near his feet, and reported into it. "This is Cleran. We're bringing them in."
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TBC...