Invincible

by ValleyA

A rescue turns into a life-and-death struggle for Sheppard and his team.

3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

The crash of the ladders and boards falling into the pit was bad enough, but that was nothing compared to the worry that stabbed at Teyla's heart, knowing something above them had gone terribly wrong. She squeezed Ashina closer to the cavern wall, protecting her from the falling debris with her own body acting as a shield for the child. Luckily, all Teyla felt was the peppering effect of flying objects with her jacket and tac vest buffering most of the debris.

When the cavern grew silent again, except for Ashina's terrified screams, Teyla straightened and looked around with her flashlight. There was barely any space on the ground to move about, because of the sprawling rubble. Teyla heard Methet's voice come over the radio. "Ashina? Shini, honey, answer Mamma! Teyla? Someone, please answer!"

Somehow, hearing Methet's voice over the radio in Ashina's hand broke through the child's panic and she stopped crying long enough to say, "Mamma? Mamma, come get me! I want out! Please, Mamma!"

Teyla knelt down and hugged Ashina, who was rigid in her arms.

Methet murmured, "I know, Shini, I know. Just hold on."

Ashina shook her head. "It's too scary here! I want to go now!"

Teyla continued to hold Ashina, patting her on the back as she shushed her quietly. "It is scary, but we are okay, Ashina. I will get you to your mother as soon as I can, I promise."

Ashina relaxed a little and sank into Teyla's embrace as she sobbed. Teyla took a deep breath, trying to get a handle on her own adrenaline that was pumping through her system. She squeezed Ashina again, then leaned closer to speak into Ashina's radio, "Methet, Ashina is fine, she is merely frightened. What has happened?"

Methet's tone changed as her words came in a rush, "Your friends fell through the new opening in the ground. We cannot see where they landed from here, but the ropes holding them went slack as if they were cut or snapped. Can you see them?"

Teyla's gaze darted upward. "My friends? All three of them?"

"Yes, it happened very quickly."

Teyla chewed on her lip for a moment as she stared into the dusty darkness, then said, "I do not see anyone at the moment. I will look for them and report when I have more information."

Methet hesitated as if unsure what to say next, then she added, "People are coming from all over the trading post to help, Teyla."

"Good. Others from my people will be here soon. Tell them what happened. I will see what I can do here."

Turning away from Ashina, she tapped her radio off and called out, "John? Rodney? Ronon? Where are you?"

She thought she heard some movement, and maybe a groan, but she still couldn't see anyone. Ashina's crying had quieted, but Teyla could feel the child pressed tightly against her. Teyla knew she had to settle her down before she could begin searching for the others.

She pulled away from Ashina a little and drew her hands up to encircle Ashina's face. "I promise you we will be okay, but I need to look for my friends."

Ashina's lower lip trembled and she whispered, "Don't leave me."

"I will not leave you, little one. You may go with me as I search for my friends. They fell through a hole in the ground as you did."

She patted Ashina's tear-streaked cheek and said, "Come with me while I search for them."

The expression on Ashina's face brightened and she nodded as she spoke into her radio, "Mamma, I'm going with Teyla to help her."

Teyla nodded and added, "If I say to stay back at any point in our search, Ashina, you must obey me without question."

Ashina nodded.

"Listen to what she tells you to do, Shini," Methet said, her voice tight with anxiety, and Teyla wondered if Methet feared her daughter was about to venture into greater danger.

"Do not worry, Methet. I will watch over her," Teyla said, wishing she could show Methet that Ashina was safe instead of just saying the words.

Ashina looked up at Teyla. There was a confidence about her, the kind only small children possessed, fueled solely by their innocence, as she said, "I'm a good helper."

Teyla squeezed Ashina gently as she stood. "I am sure you are. Come, we will begin the search."

Ashina hesitated for just a moment, looking out at the rubble filling the cavern, then said, "My mamma lets me sing when I help her. Can I still sing with my mamma now?"

Smiling sadly, Teyla said, "No, little one, I must be able to hear my friends if they call to me. Perhaps, later, when we know everyone is safe. Give me your radio and I will put in my vest pocket."

Ashina shook her head. "I have a big pocket in my shirt for the radio. It's where I keep Soho and her stuff."

Ashina went to put the radio into her pocket. A stricken look passed over her expression as she moved her hand with the radio around in the pocket. "Soho! I lost Soho! She was in my pocket and now she's not!"

Teyla glanced around and didn't see anything resembling Soho in the rubble and mud. Ashina's tears began to fall anew as she spun around in a circle. "I lost Soho! We have to find her!"

Teyla clasped the girl's shoulder. "Ashina, we do not have the time to look for her now, but I promise you we will later."

Ashina ran her hand around the inside of the big pocket again to no avail. Her tears escalated into sobbing. Teyla closed her eyes and silently begged the Ancestors for help. She didn't have time – more specifically, her friends didn't have time – for a temper tantrum right now. The fact that she couldn't see or hear anything from them cast a cloak of apprehension over her heart.

Ashina pressed her face into Teyla's leg. "I have to find Soho."

Teyla knelt down beside her again and said, "I have a suggestion. While I look for my friends, you can look for Soho. Does that sound agreeable?"

Ashina wiped at the tears on her cheek, then she stared at the radio still clutched in her hand. She took a deep breath and slid the radio into a large pocket in the center of her shirt. The weight of the radio pulled her shirt forward and down, but Ashina didn't seem to notice as she gave Teyla a glimpse of a smile. "See, I told you it would fit."

Teyla smiled back at her. "Well, that is a convenient place. Come, we must not waste any more time."

Teyla knew she was rushing Ashina, but they had to get moving. Methet's voice was soft as she said, "Thank you, Teyla, for keeping her close to you."

Teyla knew how she'd feel if it was Torren trapped in a similar situation. She patted Ashina's shoulder. "There really was no other option. I could not have left her alone, not in the middle of everything that is going on. Come, it is time to go, Ashina. Take my hand."

Ashina clasped Teyla's hand, wrapping her little fingers around Teyla's. Teyla stood and turned back to stare into the rubble. The ground above must have been much more unstable than Rodney had originally feared, and she wondered in what condition she'd find her friends, especially with so much debris present.

"Can anyone hear me?" she asked loudly as she began to step around the rubble.

There were dangerously sharp rocks strewn throughout the area, along with the broken timber from the lattice work, jagged edges sticking out at every angle ready to trip her up if she wasn't careful. It was difficult to traverse, because they would hit a pocket of soft dirt, then it would shift and there would be an unmoving rock or splintered wood in its wake, leaving their gait very unsteady.

She turned to Ashina and knelt down. "This would go faster if I carried you. Would that be all right?"

Ashina nodded, but her expression revealed a blend of fear, pain, and apprehension. Her voice was very small as she whispered, "Please, can I sing, Teyla? I promise I'll be really quiet."

Teyla studied her for a moment as Ashina's big blues eyes begged for her approval and she noted how Ashina's breathing would catch now and then, remnants of her sobbing still present. "Does it help to sing when you are scared?" Teyla asked finally and Ashina nodded.

Teyla picked Ashina up, mindful of her injured arm, and hugged her gently. Trying to keep a little girl calm in the middle of a disaster was not easy, even with the bravest of children, but Ashina was trying. Once Teyla adjusted Ashina on her hip, she met Ashina's waiting gaze. "Yes, Ashina, you may sing, but you must do it very quietly."

A relieved smile stilled Ashina's trembling chin. Teyla began walking again, and Ashina laid her head against Teyla's shoulder. "'The Sun and the Moon are Sisters' is my favorite song."

After a moment, she started to sing. Her tiny voice seemed to resonant in the air around them, and it cut through all the emotions swirling through Teyla's heart. The lyrics Ashina sang as Teyla walked forward spoke of the family of the sun and the moon, and their cousins, the stars, and how they spent their time playing as they crossed the sky.

Though the melody was light and cheerful, Teyla was filled with dread. There was a gnawing at the bottom of her stomach and she knew it wouldn't go away until she'd found the others safe and sound.

From another direction, there was some coughing, then louder groans. Teyla turned that way, her flashlight sweeping over the area as she held her breath, then she heard a sharp intake of air and, "Ouch!"

Teyla sighed deeply with relief as she recognized the voice. "Rodney!" she exclaimed. "I am coming to you!" she shouted.

Ashina stopped singing as Teyla adjusted her hold on the girl, then took off in Rodney's direction, traversing the rubble that separated them as fast as she could. She nearly stumbled once, making her tighten her hold on Ashina.

Rodney groaned again and she called out again, "Hold on, Rodney, I am near!"

"Teyla?" Rodney's voice sounded rough and confused, and her heart began to pound a little harder.

"Yes, Rodney, it is me."

"Ow, ow, ow," he murmured.

Teyla could see him move now and her relief grew. She stopped at his side and set Ashina on the ground. "Stay beside me, Ashina," Teyla said quickly as she turned toward Rodney.

Rodney moved as if he was going to sit up and she rushed to place a hand on his chest to stop him. "No, do not move, Rodney, at least not until we see the extent of your injuries. How are you?"

McKay groaned. "How the hell do you think I am? I just fell twenty feet to the bottom of a huge pit. Unfortunately, I didn't bounce."

Teyla shone the flashlight over McKay's body and didn't see anything terribly wrong with him, but she also knew the worst kind of injuries often couldn't be seen with the naked eye.

"Ah, geez, not this, too," McKay muttered as he brought his hands up to cover his ears and groaned loudly.

"Rodney?" Teyla asked, uncertain how to help the man.

"That damned buzzing noise is a whole lot louder down here. I so do not need that right now!"

He closed his eyes and let his head drop to the ground. "Just shoot me now."

Teyla made her tone stern to help keep Rodney directed as she said, "There will be no shooting of any kind. Where are you hurt?"

Rodney scowled, then reached for his leg. "My knee. It's broken or something. You can break your kneecap, can't you? That's got to be what it is, because it hurts like a son of a bitch!"

Teyla took out her knife and slit Rodney's pant leg open from his boot to above his knee, then reached forward to examine his knee. The joint was already bruised and starting to swell, but she couldn't feel any obvious breaks with the quick sweep of her fingers. Before she could check it out further, Rodney exclaimed, "No! Stop it! That hurts, damn it!"

Teyla felt Ashina lean against Teyla's back, a little hand touching her shoulder, with Rodney's angry words. She glanced back at her and said, "Do not worry, Ashina. Everything will be fine. My friend, Rodney, likes to talk loudly. He does it all the time."

"I do not!" Rodney sputtered indignantly, then paused, looking to see who Teyla was talking to, then stared at Ashina for a moment.

Teyla put a hand on Ashina's shoulder, then put out her other hand towards McKay. "Ashina, do you remember my friend, Rodney?"

Ashina's gaze narrowed as she looked at Rodney closely, then she shook her head.

McKay's mouth gaped open, then he sputtered, "That's her? Well, obviously, it has to be her, but – but she's so little. I don't remember her being so tiny. Who would have let that little girl go off running where there could be unstable ground – "

"Rodney," Teyla said firmly.

"Seriously," he started, "she's barely big enough – "

"Rodney."

McKay nodded reluctantly, then cleared his throat. "Hi," he said to Ashina with forced politeness before he turned to glare at Teyla.

Ashina didn't say anything, just stared at him which seemed to make Rodney more uncomfortable. Rodney glanced at Teyla for support or maybe it was guidance he was looking for. She gave him an encouraging smile, then Rodney moved the wrong way and hissed loudly in pain.

When he could speak again, he ignored Ashina completely and looked to Teyla. "You know, I just remembered reading once that it only takes six to eight kilos of pressure to fracture a kneecap. Six to eight kilos of pressure. That's nothing... Crap, I've fractured my kneecap! Do you know the complications that can arise from an injury like that? They'll probably have to amputate or something equally dire."

"Let me take a closer look," Teyla said as she went to examine Rodney's knee joint again, but he stopped her. "No, it hurts enough already. I won't have it blindly groped. I'm just not up to that at the moment."

Teyla sighed. "Very well, I will look at it later when we have more time. For the moment, I will use your cut pant leg to bind the knee and help provide a little more support."

She tied it off, which caused him to yelp again in pain. Filling her tone with compassion for his situation, she said, "Rodney, your knee is definitely injured, but there is no way to know if it is broken or not until Jennifer can put you under a scanner."

"Trust me, it's broken," Rodney moaned, keeping a hand on his knee. He glanced over at Ashina again. "She's okay? I mean, the kid – "

"Ashina," Teyla inserted.

"Very well, Ashina, then, is she okay?"

Teyla nodded. "For the most part."

She was about to say more when Rodney tried to raise his head high enough to look around. "Where's Tarzan?"

"Tarzan?" Teyla repeated, fearing for a moment that he had begun to hallucinate.

"Yeah, Tarzan, you know, the guy who grabbed me and went flying through the air, holding onto me and a thin little rope. The only thing missing was an ear-piercing yodel and a loincloth. Then he dropped me, by the way – none too gently. That wooly mammoth is going to get a piece of my mind when I see him next."

Ashina pressed herself closer to Teyla's back again, knowing Rodney's fast-paced monologue was adding to the child's fearful state.

"You speak of Ronon?" Teyla asked softly, already knowing the answer as her gaze darted around the area near them.

"Who the hell else would fit that description?" Rodney sneered as he tried to move.

"Be still," she said, "I will look for him."

Rodney's wide eyes skimmed the scene around them as he opened and closed his mouth several times. This time, when Rodney tried to sit up, he didn't back down, even when she put a firm hand on his chest.

"No," Rodney said as he resisted, "Seriously, I think Ronon's hurt. I – I heard him cry out right after he dropped me – and you know him, he never screams, not even if he's been cut in half."

He put a hand to his forehead. "How I heard his scream in the middle of everything falling down around us, I don't know, but I did and we've got to find him."

Teyla started to shift her weight as her gaze darted around the area, and she felt Ashina step back a little, anticipating Teyla's move to stand. Resigned to the fact that McKay's stubbornness could rival John's at times, Teyla scooted back to give him some space, only to have Rodney wince and grab his leg. "Ow!"

She started to reach for his leg again when he brushed her hands away. "No, no, it's okay for the moment. We've got to find – "

Teyla's hands curled into fists. She took a deep breath and let her frustration with Rodney drift away. The man was hurt and worried – if their roles had been reversed, would she be acting much differently?

Rodney's features tightened and his grogginess continued to slip away. He asked, "Say, wh-where is Sheppard?"

He blinked several times. Teyla could almost see the events sweep across his mind's eye as he said, "Damn, Sheppard went down first... we've got to find him – we've got to find both him and Ronon!"

Teyla nodded. With a great deal of effort, she got Rodney to his feet. He held his injured leg out stiffly, puffing short gasps of air. Even though everything told Teyla she needed to keep Rodney still, she also knew there was no way Rodney was going to lie down until he knew the fate of his teammates. It was only part of the reason why he held a special place In her heart.

Ashina moved closer to her again, pressing against the back of her leg. "Stay beside me, Ashina," she said quietly without looking back at her.

They had just stepped forward when people yelled at them from up above. Teyla couldn't make out the words. She was about to radio Methet to find out what was going on when more rock began to drop to the floor of the cavern. Teyla bent over to protect Ashina. The rubble landed several feet away from them, but it was still alarming.

Teyla tapped her radio, then said tersely, "Methet, please ask the others to do nothing more until my people arrive to help. The debris that falls further endangers those of us down here. I will contact you when I have more information. Teyla out."

She exhaled sharply as she tapped off her radio.

Rodney's voice was quiet as he said, "No wonder the rest of us are afraid of you when you're pissed off. You'll scare off every rescuer for kilometers using a tone like that. Don't worry, we'll find Ronon and Sheppard."

Teyla eyed him closely. Rodney had a knot rising at the top of his forehead and his words sounded nothing like the usual McKay acerbity. He started forward with Teyla's arm around his back to help steady him, but his gait was uneven because he was trying to avoid putting any weight on his bad knee. Teyla had to work extra hard to keep him from toppling both of them. Ashina kept one hand on the back of Teyla's right leg, as if to help steady her, too.

"Go slowly," Teyla told Rodney, keeping one hand on his upper arm to catch him again if she needed to, then she saw part of a broken ladder at their feet.

Bending to pick it up, she brushed the dirt from it and using her handgun as a hammer, she knocked all of the remaining rungs free except for the top rung. She held it in front of Rodney. He rolled his eyes, but took the makeshift crutch from her without comment and tested it carefully. It wasn't an exact fit, but it was close enough to be useful.

Stepping away from him, she took Ashina's hand and called out in a louder tone, "Ronon, John, please answer!"

Rodney winced again, then put a hand to his temple, making Teyla worry more for him. Perhaps, she shouldn't have let him get to his feet... but how was she going to look for the others while also keeping Rodney down, short of hurting him more?

There was some coughing from their right caused her and Rodney to turn in unison. Rodney swayed a little from the movement, but he didn't seem to notice as he called out, "Ronon? Is that you?"

Teyla held her breath as she heard Ronon groan, and cocked her head to one side to better pinpoint his position. Ashina pointed excitedly and said, "He's over there!"

Rodney looked at Ashina strangely, as if just remembering she was with them, but there was relief in his expression as his gaze darted toward Ronon. They moved together in that direction. "Ronon, please answer us," Teyla called out.

Ashina started to lead the way until Teyla gestured for her to stay back with her. "Do not stray far from my side, little one."

She heard Ronon utter a Satedan curse. He sounded as if he was grinding his teeth together as he let out another low angry groan. That was never a good sign with Ronon.

"Ronon?" she called again.

"Here," he said finally.

The beam of Teyla's flashlight caught Ronon as he tried to stand, holding onto the wall of the cavern for support.

"Stay where you are, Ronon! We are almost to you," she called.

Now that she could see Ronon, she noticed the odd way Ronon held his arm. Something was wrong. He bent forward, then threw up, surprising all of them.

Rodney started mumbling, "Oh, that's not good. No, not good at all. I always hurl when somebody gets sick around me. No question about it."

As if to illustrate his point, Rodney put a hand over his mouth and gagged while Ashina darted behind Teyla and pressed herself against Teyla's leg in response.

"Stay here," she told Rodney, leaving him to stand on his own, then bent down to catch Ashina's eye. "I need to help my friend. Rodney will watch over you."

Ashina's lower lip puffed out, and tears started forming in her eyes, making Teyla take Ashina's hand. "You may come with me," she said as she rushed over to Ronon's side.

When they arrived, she stopped in front of Ronon and let go of Ashina's hand, moving her hand to rest on Ronon's back as he retched again.

"Ronon?" she asked, trying to catch his eye when he came up for air.

When Ronon raised his head, his jaw was firmly clamped shut and he grimaced as he moved his upper body. "Shoulder," he said finally. "Dislocated it again."

"Ah, yes, I can see that," Teyla said after a moment, "Allow me to assist you."

Ronon looked at her again, grimacing. "Don't think you can do it by yourself, Teyla."

She smiled at him. "You sometimes underestimate my abilities, my friend. It is a situation I will have to address one of these days," she said softly.

She glanced down at Ashina and smiled, then said, "Give me a moment."

She turned Ronon toward the wall, then climbed up on some rubble.

"On the count of three," she told him and he nodded.

She began counting as she took hold of his injured arm, "One."

Positioning it as best she could, she said, "Two."

She shifted her weight, then moved it all to bear on his arm and shoulder as she said, "Three."

The joint moved easily back into place as Ronon groaned hoarsely, then dropped to his knees. Teyla followed Ronon down and knelt beside him, moving his face toward hers with her hand. "Ronon?"

He was bloodied, cut and covered in dirt, looking much like Rodney and Ashina. His eyes were closed, but he responded to her touch. "Never gonna underestimate you again," he said hoarsely. "Thanks."

She put her forehead to his and held it there for a long moment. When she pulled away, she looked deep into his eyes and asked, "How are you?"

"Better now." He paused when he saw Ashina standing behind her. He smiled and said, "Hey. I'm glad you're alright."

Ashina didn't say anything in reply. She just leaned against Teyla's back as if she had done it a hundred times before, and Teyla reached back to take her hand.

Ronon glanced up at Rodney, then asked, "McKay? You okay?"

Teyla paused, bending down to pick up Ashina again when she reached up toward Teyla. Rodney's voice held its usual ring of drama as he answered, "Yeah, as long as you don't puke again!"

Rodney stood at a distance with one hand on his bad leg and the other on the makeshift crutch, then he reached out with a pointed finger and said indignantly, "You dropped me."

Ronon grunted, then sat up a little straighter. "Didn't want you to crash into the wall with me."

McKay looked incredulous. "You could have warned me!"

"No time," Ronon said as he got to his feet, and pulled at the remnant of rope still tied around his waist. Taking a knife from his belt, he cut the rope away, then stopped. "Sheppard?"

Teyla shook her head. "We have not found him yet."

Ronon started looking around. "Sheppard!" he shouted, his voice echoing in the recesses of the cavern.

Teyla nuzzled Ashina's head under her chin as she moved away from Ronon, searching the rubble. When Ronon received no answer, she put a hand to Ashina's back and called out as loudly as she could, "John? Can you hear me?"

The trio of adults shared a worried look, then spread out, each searching in a different direction. Teyla's concern grew the longer she didn't get a response and still couldn't see him. "John, please answer me!"

She gasped when she caught sight of a form at the far end of the rubble directly opposite her. There was more light shining at that end of the cavern, enough that she didn't needed her flashlight to see him.

"John!" she shouted as she picked up her pace. Without turning back, she called to the others. "He is over here!"

In her own way, Ashina helped by holding on tightly to Teyla's tac vest with her good hand, allowing Teyla to go a little faster. At least for a little while. The runoff from the rain made a steady spout of mud and water streaming down from the opening above, slowing her progress, because it stood between her and John.

"I am afraid we are going to get wetter, little one," Teyla said as she stopped.

She set Ashina on the ground as she unzipped and removed her tac vest, then her jacket. The jacket was waterproof and perhaps it would give the child a little warmth. As she wrapped the jacket around Ashina's shoulders, she knelt down and said, "I know you are wet and cold and in pain, Ashina, but everything will be fine soon and you will be back with your mother and father. This should help warm you up a little until then."

The bottom edge of Teyla's jacket went just below Ashina's knees. Teyla replaced her tac vest and tried not to shiver in the cold, wet air.

"Okay," she said as she picked Ashina up again. "Here we go." She folded herself over Ashina as much as possible and plunged on through the stream of falling water.

After they passed through, Teyla shook the water from her hair before starting again. Ashina shifted, trying to repeat Teyla's move, then she flinched, drawing her injured arm closer to her body, as if the movement had caused her pain.

She began to cry and Teyla tucked her head under her chin and shushed her gently. "I know you are miserable, Ashina, but we must continue."

Ashina's crying didn't stop, but it did grow more quiet. Teyla broke the temporary silence as she called John's name again. "John, can you hear me?"

She'd just started forward, but stopped when she heard Rodney shout, "Where is he?"

She glanced back, pausing for a moment as she tried to find Rodney in the darkness. The light from above was now a hindrance, blinding her to what was beyond the light, and the echoes in the cavern didn't help. She licked her lips, turning back in John's direction. "There, at the far end of the cavern," she answered as she pointed, "Be careful of the waterfall. It makes the footing uneven and slippery."

"As if I needed more trouble in that area," Rodney muttered.

Teyla couldn't hold back any longer and rushed forward, calling, "John, please answer!"

"Is that him?" Ashina asked, pointing toward John and looking at Teyla.

Teyla nodded, focusing on the treacherous terrain. It seemed like an eternity, but in reality it was only a minute for her to reach his side. John still hadn't moved. He was curled up on his left side with his back to her, his right arm flayed out behind him. She stopped, putting Ashina on the ground. She reached forward with one hand, then hesitated as she had a sudden fear of finding him dead.

Ashina's presence became more pronounced as she leaned against Teyla's leg, as if to comfort Teyla. Ronon arrived at their side without a word and moved forward where Teyla could not and touched John's right wrist for a pulse as it lay haphazardly behind him.

After a moment, Ronon gave Teyla a toothy grin and nodded. She let out a sigh of relief, then reached down to see for herself. Her fingers lingered at the base of John's throat. His pulse was fast, but steady and she sighed again, suddenly able to breathe again.

"John?" she said softly.

Ronon stepped across John and knelt on the other side of him while Rodney and Ashina remained behind Teyla. Ronon carefully began to move away the rock and dirt covering John. John still hadn't moved except to breathe.

Teyla took the opportunity to start checking for injuries as Rodney stammered in the background. "He's alive? I mean, of course, he's alive, I can see him breathing now, but he doesn't look good."

Teyla tuned him out as she continued to work. Her fingers swept over the left side of his rib cage, and John grimaced, arching slightly as if to move away from her and moaned softly. The movement encouraged her, because it meant he was at least semiconscious. "John? Can you hear me? It is Teyla."

Ashina moved her position to behind Teyla's left arm, leaning gently against her as she stretched for a better view. There was another moan from John, a little louder this time and his eyelids fluttered.

"Teyla?" she heard Sheppard rasp as he squinted at her. He blinked a few times, then slowly asked, "You okay?"

She smiled at him, squeezing his hand. "Yes, I am fine."

"The girl?"

"Yes, Ashina is also fine."

"Good," he said with a sigh.

Ronon removed the last of the stones around Sheppard, and together with Teyla's help, they guided John onto his back, carefully supporting his neck as they moved him. John didn't say anything, but his breath hitched with the movement.

After a moment, he relaxed. He started to say something, but then his hands shifted to cover his ears. "Damn," he whispered as he curled onto his side again.

"John?" she said, leaning closer to him.

His mouth opened, then he bit down on his lower lip. Teyla caught Ronon's worried glance, then she put her hand to rest on John's cheek. "What is it, John?"

"Is he okay?" Ashina asked in a loud whisper as she ducked around Teyla's side.

Rodney shushed her quickly with very little patience, "Be quiet."

Teyla gave Rodney a sharp glare, but he didn't seem to notice as he asked the same thing Ashina had been shushed for, "Is he okay?"

Shaking her head, she turned back to John as he closed his eyes, his breathing rapid as he struggled to control his pain. "That damned buzzing noise is a whole lot worse now."

"Tell me about it," McKay muttered. Teyla glanced back at Rodney and Rodney nodded. "Lucky us, we must be much closer to the source down here – whatever that is."

Teyla brushed back Sheppard's hair from his forehead. John let his hands drop away from his ears, but he kept his eyes closed for another moment. When he opened them, his eyes worked hard to focus and he asked, "Ronon? McKay? You guys okay?"

Ronon grinned and nodded. McKay pointed at Ronon and said with irritation, "He dropped me. Broke my kneecap, thank you very kindly."

Ronon hugged his injured arm close to his chest, still grinning. "Not on purpose."

Rodney didn't back down. "Yes, it was... you said so yourself."

Ronon shook his head. "Remind me next time to drop you on your head, that way you won't get hurt at all."

That response made Sheppard chuckle, then he put a hand to his ribs and said, "Ouch. Gotta remember not to do that."

Teyla leaned closer, looking deep into his eyes to see if his pupils were equal and reactive. He seemed to know what she was doing and why, because he kept his eyes open for her. Satisfied by what she saw, she pulled away and he asked, "Am I gonna live, Doc?"

Teyla smiled. "So, it would seem. Where are you hurt?"

He closed his eyes and started to move, then hissed as his hand went to cover his ribs again. "Just my ribs," he said, his hand carefully cradling the area. "I hit the wall pretty hard."

Teyla moved his hand away and felt the area carefully. "You may have cracked some ribs on the left side," she said as she straightened her shoulders.

"Great," Sheppard muttered, then seemed to push away his discomfort, and said, "Well, we're alive and that's all that matters."

She patted John on the shoulder. "Agreed. You are all very lucky to have survived this incident."

"We aren't out of it yet," McKay groused as he rubbed his forehead.

"Think positively, Rodney," Sheppard said with his eyes closed again. "We'll make it through this. Tell you what, to prove that I'm right, I'll buy you a beer when we get home."

"A beer? You'll owe me a whole damned case before this nightmare is over, mark my words."

John smiled, then noticed Ashina standing behind Teyla. "Well, hi, Ashina."

Ashina nodded. John gave her a big smile, as if they weren't injured and trapped in an underground cavern. "Good to see you again. I don't suppose you have any of those great tasting keba cookies with you, do you?"

As he talked to Ashina, Teyla took a deep breath and let it out slowly as her gaze swept over the people standing around her. They were barely recognizable because of the mud and water. They were alive – a little worse for wear – but alive.

"It is going to be okay," she thought, then realized she'd said the words aloud.

Sheppard didn't hesitate, he just nodded. Somehow, Sheppard's certainty helped calm the tension in Teyla's body... but she didn't relax completely. They still had to get out of the cavern.

oOoOoOoOo