I know this fic has been confusing, so I hope I'm not losing you. Things are revealing themselves, chapter by chapter so please be patient. Thank you if you left a review as it definitely gives me a lift.
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Helplessness did not suit Ronon and Teyla. They were unaccustomed to the very idea of it. Their entire lives had been built around survival. Survival meant always being aware, always being in motion to ensure that life continued.
To stand so close to their leader and not be able to reach him in any form was tantamount to torture. The thin glowing strands were in constant motion, like thin streams of rain traveling down the length of a spider's silk trail. Miniscule though they were, they boosted the incredible strength of ten Wraith warriors. There was no way to break through, no way to reach for Sheppard and pull him to safety. While Sheppard was physically trapped, they felt they were the ones trapped with the inability to act.
"He is strong." Teyla noted in a quiet voice. Her gaze never shifted from Sheppard's back.
Ronon nodded, staring at Sheppard's still form. A steel blade, one from the collection of knives hidden upon his person, danced purposefully across his agile fingers as he idled in impatience for the lack of doing something.
"Until I met him, I didn't have much faith in people."
It was Teyla's turn to nod. She smiled briefly.
"He has a skill for finding trouble, doesn't he?"
"I think he does it on purpose."
The two shared a smile before growing serious again. They returned their gaze upon Sheppard.
"He feels he must protect us, no matter the cost to him."
"That…or according to McKay, he likes ending up in the infirmary with all the pretty nurses."
"Perhaps." Teyla chuckled.
Silence fell between them. Sheppard's body hadn't moved the entire time.
Ronon stilled his fingers, studying his knife with renewed interest.
With a sudden thrust that Teyla had not expected, Ronon jabbed his knife into the threads.
Several things happened at once.
A vibrating buzzing that pounded into their ears erupted into the corridor.
The threads pulsated a brilliant blue light, like that of a strobe, before quickly fading back to their normal luminance.
Sheppard fell to the floor, his body curled into a fetal position, his fingers reaching up and pulling at his rakish hair. No sound came from him: at least none that Teyla or Ronon could hear.
The two, meanwhile, held their hands over their ears until the buzzing faded like the pulsating light had.
Relaxing, Teyla turned to Ronon, ready to scold him, only to find him staring in bewilderment at his knife.
It had been mangled into a twisted scrap of partially melted steel. It no longer resembled a knife, but a rather pathetic clump of metal.
"I am sorry Ronon." Teyla placed a consoling hand upon Ronon's bicep. She knew how much he treasured his knives.
He grimaced and threw the twisted metal to the sound. The resulting clang as the metal hit the floor was nearly mute due to the grimy film that coated the floor.
"We are not alone." Rodney's voice echoed down the corridor behind them. The two turned to see their teammate tagged by Zelenka and two marines.
The newcomers stopped a short ways away, staring at the threads and Sheppard's new position beyond them.
"He moved." Rodney pointed out and took a step forward to examine Sheppard's form the best he could from their vantage point. He turned to Teyla and Ronon. "What happened?"
"Ronon attempted to…cut open the threads." Teyla eyed Ronon before turning her gaze to Rodney. Ronon only breathed deeply in annoyance as Rodney stared at him with a dull look.
"Should of known he'd try something barbaric. Back to the point, as I was saying…we have a problem."
"Meaning?" Ronon prompted.
"Meaning that there are hundreds, if not thousands, of life signs surrounding us. Luckily one of Sheppard's grunts here brought along an LSD so I could verify it, so…according to this," Rodney held up his laptop, along with the LSD, "…we're not alone."
Teyla quirked an eyebrow and scanned the walls alongside either one of them, with Ronon mimicking her actions.
"Why can we not see them?"
"Ah!" Rodney held up a finger just as Zelenka opened his mouth to speak. Zelenka made a face as Rodney continued on with a smug smile. "They're in the walls."
Without further explanation, Rodney motioned to the mass of control panels he had been working on before this whole mess began. He pried open one of the doors, dug into his tack vest for a pocketknife, and proceeded to cut through a small section of softer material just beyond a dead control crystal. A moment later, there was a small opening where he had cut through.
"Flashlight."
One of the marines held up a flashlight and flipped the switched, illuminating the hole.
The group gathered together to catch a glimpse into the hole. A second later, they had all taken a step back, eyes bulging wide in either disgust or bewilderment.
"What the hell…?" One of the marines muttered under his breath.
There was blue-tinged organic matter clinging to every surface of a small burrowed out tunnel, not much larger than the width of a finger.
"What…made that?" The other marine asked in disgust.
"Zelenka…we wouldn't happen to have an entomologist here on Atlantis, would we?" Rodney asked, swallowing hard.
"Dr. Marley Row, I believe." Zelenka answered.
"Good. We need her. Now."
"Wait…what does this have to do with the colonel?" Teyla asked.
Rodney motioned to the still illuminated hole.
"Whatever created that…whatever those life signs really are…created those strands that are keeping us from getting to Sheppard."
--tbc--
Someone asked when I will be posting chapters and I am aware that ffnet has been a little funky as of late (when isn't it). Therefore, if you want me to email you directly when I update, I can do that, just let me know. Thanks.