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NEVER STOP MOVING
By TIPPER
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CHAPTER NINE: FROM OUT THE EARTH
"What the hell did they do to him?" Sheppard demanded, lifting the Jumper up and turning to avoid two more missiles. Damn it, how many of those damned rocket launchers did they have? "They barely had him alone for more than ten minutes!"
"Don't know," Ronon answered from the back, sounding calmer now that they were flying. Sheppard listened to the sounds of the Med Kit being pulled down, and Teyla saying soothing things to Rodney, though there was a tight edge to her voice. Sheppard bit his lip, wishing he could turn around to see them.
"Is he okay?" he asked, climbing up high and searching visually for Connam's truck on the ground.
"Don't know that either," Ronon replied, sounding distracted now. "He was shaking like crazy when we found him—he's got some marks like he's been hit, too."
"There's...ugh." Teyla didn't sound too happy, and Sheppard, unable to fight the need to see them any longer, risked a glance back. He saw her shaking something off her right shoe as she and Ronon finished settling McKay on the floor of the Jumper on his side. Ronon was grabbing a blanket and pillow from overhead, obviously to tuck around the man.
Teyla looked up at Sheppard, her expression upset as she opened the first aid kit. "There is blood on the back of his head. It looks like he might have hit it."
"Or someone hit him," Ronon muttered, gently tucking McKay inside the blanket and putting the pillow under his head. He then stood up again when Teyla handed him something to clean up the vomit. Sheppard returned his full focus to the front, moving swiftly to avoid any last missiles. He'd flipped the cloak into a shield, but even one hit would drain power, which he hated to do.
He spotted the truck, the flatbed looking ant-sized from this height, and jetted forward to catch it up. He couldn't see too clearly from this distance, but he thought he could see Dodge's coloring riding in it. They'd picked up the horse—good.
Ronon spoke again from the back, his voice still quiet. "McKay? You hear me?"
"Wait, he's awake?" Sheppard asked in confirmation, wishing he had a rear view mirror on this thing. He kept looking generally where one would be, just in case the Jumper was clever enough to read his mind and provide one...but no such luck. "I thought he was unconscious?"
"Nah, just out of it. You in there, McKay?"
"Sh...shocked me..." McKay said then, barely audible even inside the quiet Jumper. "S...some kind, kind...of...electroshock..."
"Electroshock? Jesus..." John swallowed hard. Damn it. "It's gonna be okay, McKay," he called back. "Just hold on—we're going to get you home. Ronon..." his voice softened, "keep on eye on him." It was taking all of his willpower not to destroy the Kaveer compounds altogether. He'd seen fellow soldiers turned to mental mush by electroshock in prison camps, their minds never fully returning. If they hurt McKay permanently—he was coming back here to make sure the Kaveer never hurt anyone again.
"Will do," Ronon said. "Not going anywhere," he added quietly. It sounded like it was meant more for Rodney than John.
Teyla was already moving forward, walking a little unsteadily herself. She had dried blood on the side of her face, and when she sat down a little more heavily than usual into the co-pilot's seat, Sheppard guessed McKay wasn't the only one hurting.
"How about you?" he asked, guiding the Jumper down, closer to the truck he could see climbing up out of the basin in the distance. Lorne and the others were already almost back on level ground. Squinting a little, he saw that Dodge wasn't actually on the truck...she was in front of it, charging up the road at a fast clip with someone on her back—one of his marines, based on the coloring of the uniform. Whoever it was—he could ride.
He swung the Jumper in a tight circle, and called up the HUD, checking for activity behind them. No one seemed to be chasing them or the truck—yet. That didn't mean there might not be more surprises, however.
"I will be fine. I got hit on the head, but I did not lose consciousness. It is merely an irritation." Teyla leaned forward, squinting as Sheppard had in the direction of the truck when they turned around again. They were gaining on it quickly now. "Is that them?"
"Yeah."
"The Kaveer had Lantean technology," Teyla said then, changing the subject and looking over her shoulder at McKay. "They could see the Jumper on their sensors."
Sheppard's eyes widened, and he looked at her. "What? You mean they could have fired on us before? Then why didn't they?"
"They did not know what it was they were looking at. They were trying to get Rodney to tell them, but..." She trailed off, her lips pressing themselves into a thin line. She didn't need to finish.
"Tough little man," Ronon muttered, still in the back. Sheppard risked another glance back, and saw that the Satedan was now sitting next to McKay, leaning his back against the hatch, one hand resting on Rodney's forehead. The scientist himself was just a lump under the gray military blanket.
"Oh, Christ," the blanket wrapped body sucked in a breath, "Do you have...to call me little? M'not little..."
Sheppard smiled when he turned back around, throwing a quick, grateful thank you to whomever was watching over his team. If Rodney could whine...
"I'm talking height," Ronon replied quietly, and Sheppard could hear the smile in his voice. "Not girth."
"Ha ha," McKay muttered softly. "Very funny."
"Actually," Teyla was looking forward again, her brow furrowed, "I just realized..." She gave a small impressed grunt, and she looked back again at the men in the rear of the Jumper, then at Sheppard. She smiled. "I just realized, the machines were dark when we found him. He must have shut them off."
"Of course, I...shut them off," McKay mumbled, sounding less shaky. "Why do you think," he took a breath, "they did this to me? They don't know," he took in another deep breath, but Sheppard could hear a smile this time when he continued, "about the gene. And they," another breath, "call themselves scientists." He snorted a little at the end.
Sheppard grinned, but didn't turn around again to look at McKay, as Teyla had.
Damn, he loved his team.
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Metra held her still burnt left arm close to her side, refusing to look down at the dead form of her second in command at her feet. Baret's lifeless eyes stared up at nothing, the blackened hole on his back from that monster's weapon still smoking.
Someone handed her the Genii wrist communicator, and she clicked it on.
"Commander Cray?"
"Minister! What is going on? All the Lantean systems are down under here, and we heard explosions! Are you—"
"We were attacked, Commander," Metra snapped, cutting him off. "I need you to send as many men as you can up to the surface, to guard the Stargate. You must stop the escapees. At the very least, you must stop their ship."
"Ship?"
"It's Lantean, I'm sure of it. We must have it—in pieces if that's the only way. Do whatever you can."
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When the Jumper reached the basin's edge, Connam's truck was already on the flat, moving swiftly down the dirt road at a good clip, though not as fast as modern vehicles. It was probably the old thing's top speed—which the Jumper clocked at 42 miles per hour. Dodge still led, galloping at her own top speed—which looked to be faster than the truck. The huge creature could really move—he knew some horses could move that fast, but not something that looked like an elephantine Clydesdale, and surely not for longer than a sprint. He tried to see who was riding her, but the hat obscured the marine's face. Whoever he was—he looked born to it.
"Major," Sheppard called, hitting the communicator, "You okay?"
"Shaken up, sir," Lorne replied over the radio, his voice nearly drowned out by the truck's engines. "But I think we're good. How's Doctor McKay?"
"He's awake, sort of. We'll know better when we get him home. Hey—who is riding Dodge?"
"Corporal Dunne, sir. Boy just jumped up and took off. We're just trying to keep up." Lorne sounded amused by this, but the truck's engine was roaring—they really were pushing it to the limit.
"Guess we all have hidden talents," Sheppard answered. "Speaking of home, I'll dial the Gate for you—send you to the Alpha Site, because of all of our unexpected extra guests. You just head straight on through—don't even slow down. By the way, how's Connam?"
"Ask him yourself, sir. He says he needs to talk to you. Here he is..."
"Colonel!" Connam's voice was strong over the connection, louder than Lorne's calm tones. "I need to warn you—we're not out of this yet. I tried to escape when I first got here, and I was prevented from reaching the Gate. There are defenses between here and there—weapons that come out of the ground. I nearly had my head taken off by something a bit like a laser beam."
Sheppard just blinked at that, not sure what to make of the information. He frowned, looking at Teyla, who was already trying to search for evidence of this weapon with her eyes through the Jumper window. The Gate wasn't visible from this altitude—too many small mesas in the way.
"A what?" McKay called from the back. "Tell me...he didn't say...laser beam..."
"Unfortunately, he did." John blew the air out of his cheeks. "Okay," he said into the radio, "We'll keep an eye out for it. Connam, Major, watch yourselves." Turning off the com link, he turned to his right. "Teyla, get ready to dial and send your IDC. I don't want them shooting Dunne when he comes flying out of the wormhole on that horse." He smiled suddenly, unable to resist adding, "If any of them saw Time Bandits, they might have bad flashbacks."
Teyla gave him a confused look. "Time Bandits?"
"Oh, right." His lips twisted ruefully. "Never mind."
"McKay says to tell you you're an idiot," Ronon called from the back. "Time Bandits shouldn't give anyone bad flashbacks—it was a comedy."
"Yeah, thanks for that, Rodney," Sheppard replied, smiling tightly. "Still gave me bad dreams," he muttered under his breath. He'd seen it on his 13th birthday—for a whole week he kept waking up, expecting horses to explode out of the wall over his bed.
The half smile on his face faded as he spotted movement up ahead. Straightening up in his chair, he frowned as it was clear that something else was moving towards the Gate...fast.
"There is movement up ahead," Teyla said, obviously having spotted the shadows at the same time.
John called up the HUD, calling for life-signs, and swore. There were at least three dozen dots moving towards the Stargate—Kaveer soldiers—and more kept popping up. They were just appearing on the screen, as if out of thin air. Where the hell were they coming from? They couldn't just appear from nowhere!
Unless they were coming up out of a shielded underground facility.
Why did every planet with bad people on it have to have a shielded underground facility?
"Major," he called, hitting the com link, "we've got trouble. Kaveer soldiers attempting to intercept. Whatever you do—don't stop, but tell everyone with you to get their heads down."
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Connam climbed into the back of his truck with the other kidnapped scientists and two of Major Lorne's marines. He hunkered down, but kept an eye on the sky.
The Jumper, which had been shadowing them, suddenly shot forward like a bullet, and he couldn't resist watching as it climbed high into the sky...then suddenly dove.
Peeking over the top of the flatbed, he watched as the ship aimed for a group of about fifty Kaveer soldiers running towards the Stargate from the left, the group still about two hundred yards away (but much closer than the truck). The ship flew so low as to force half of them to dive down to the ground. It then lifted and turned tightly as the still standing Kaveer soldiers started shooting at it. Flashes of light appeared around the Jumper, as the bullets impacted off some invisible shield.
It dove again, and the rest of the soldiers dove to the ground.
The Jumper lifted and turned once more, practically pivoting in place...and its weapon bays opened. Connam's jaw fell as what looked like a mini-sun lifted from the right side of the ship and skidded across the front of the group of people. It didn't hit any of them—instead, it just circled around them, pinning them inside the circumference it created. Then the weapon impacted the ground about a dozen yards directly in front of them and exploded. Those soldiers that had gotten to their feet were rocked backwards.
The Jumper turned again in the sky and moved to settle in front of the now mostly prone men and women, its weapons bays still open. The threat was clear—move, and the next weapon the ship fired would blow them to bits. The Kaveer didn't move—they just stared at the hovering ship, fully aware they didn't have a chance in hell against something that powerful.
Connam grinned, and was tempted to wave at the cowed Kaveer. It was only then that he realized they were almost at the Stargate. His eyes moved away from the Jumper guarding them and to the Gate, happy to see the chevrons glowing and spinning...
He had no idea how he was going to repay them for this. But he would find a way.
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Doctor Chressa, a petite gray-haired woman with wide, dark green eyes, staggered into the room, pushed by one of the soldiers. She paused when she saw Baret, who was still lying on the ground near his station, putting her hands over her mouth in shock.
"Chressa!" Metra shouted, getting the woman's attention. "Get over here! You turned this on before; you need to show us how you did it."
"Oh, Ancestors preserve us..." Chressa shook as she stepped gingerly over Baret's body, obviously trying not to look down as she did so, and stumbled over to the console Metra pointed at. The leader of the Kaveer rolled her eyes—she hated the weakness of the older scientists. Chressa, meanwhile, huffed a shaking breath as she studied the dead keys. "I just...I just hit these three keys together," she said. Trembling, pale hands reached down and touched the keys, and the crystals lit up. Metra's brow furrowed, sure she had seen Baret hitting those same keys multiple times trying to achieve the same thing.
Whatever. Metra shook her head sharply—she didn't have time to think about that right now. Around the room, the other Lantean equipment came on line one after another. People dove for their consoles as soon as they started working.
"That's it!" Metra said, "Get the shields up! And bring that ship down! Now!"
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Teyla finished dialing, and the Gate burst to life. "Alpha Site," she called into the radio, "this is Teyla Emmagen. We are coming in hot. We have Eric Connam, his truck and dram coming through. I'm sending my IDC." She hit the small device on her wrist as the colonel stared unblinkingly at the obvious commander of the Kaveer. The soldier stared back through the windshield, jaw tensed and waiting, equally unblinking.
"We hear you. Come on through," someone replied through the com.
At the words, Sheppard lifted the Jumper up into the sky and turned it sideways so that they could see the Stargate at the same time as the Kaveeran soldiers.
Teyla grinned as she watched Dodge leap up and into the wormhole, especially since she was pretty sure Corporal Dunne was grinning as the powerful creature carried him through.
The truck went through a second later, and Connam waved as they hit the event horizon.
"We did it!" Teyla smiled, standing up a little in her seat. "They're through!"
"Right," Sheppard said, quickly turning the Jumper around away from the soldiers and back to the Gate. Turning it sharply in the air, he aimed straight for the wormhole, mentally slowing the Jumper down to give the truck enough time to get out of the way on the other side. "Alpha Site, we're coming through, and we have a medical emergency. Have a team standing—"
"COLONEL!" Teyla screamed, but Sheppard was already banking upwards, the inertial dampeners unable to completely compensate for the sudden shift in altitude. Teyla nearly fell out of her seat, while everything in the rear of the Jumper shifted loudly...and painfully.
"What the hell?!" Ronon shouted from the back, where he'd fallen hard into the back hatch.
"They have a shield!" Teyla shouted back, her eyes wide where she stared at the shimmering Gate shield covering the open wormhole, which the Jumper just narrowly avoided being squashed against.
And then the Kaveer opened fire.
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TBC...
Whee!
And, yes, Time Bandits gave me the most insane nightmares as a kid...I should never have seen it at the same time as contracting the Chicken Pox. I made my dad push my bed away from the wall. Weak!