Here is chapter three, I hope you enjoy it and I KNOW that chapter two's cliffie was a surprise for you! I'll try not to be so shocking this time around. Okay??

KaseyKC


"To expect the unexpected shows a thoroughly modern intellect." ~ Oscar Wilde


Three

The stars observe as an invisible link between the Ancient-designed ship and the planet is created. They do not see but they sense the disturbance. It did not do them any harm in any physical sense but it caused a slight displacement within the planetary system they observed. That disturbed them. Something that did harm yet did not know it. Something that had caused a change that would make itself known in mere hours. How long would the ship remain in the system? Would it be caught unawares by its own blind ignorance?

The stars did not know, nor did they truly care. They were only there to watch after-all; they were not to interfere and they did not wish to either.

-SGU-FB-SGU-FB

They watched and observed in silence, silence is their language, silence is their very being. To make a sound is to be real and to be real is to be a target. These newcomers are the target now, not them. But they still do not make a sound, silence is safety to them and always will be.

-SGU-FB-SGU-FB

'There are legs, not attached to a body, on the ground!' Eli hyperventilated, he couldn't be seeing this! He just couldn't! Legs are supposed to be attached to the rest of the body! He was pretty-darn sure that was true for any living creature... except fish; in their case it was fins. But that's semantics.

'Eli! Breathe properly!' Rush said forcefully, his voice loud and concerned, worry layering it in a way that made Greer look away from the stumps of flesh and at him in confusion.

That bastard's worried about the kid? It confused him but he guessed that he was worried because Eli was the only one on Destiny who didn't want to kill the jerk... at least, not all the time.

'They look like they've been sliced off, maybe by a laser or something?' Scott looked at Greer, catching his attention.

Greer looked closer at the tops of the stumps and shook his head, 'Nah. They'd be evidence of burns or the wounds would be cauterised from the heat. I don't see any of that.'

They both lapsed into silence; Scott continuing to look at the stumps of flesh whilst Greer focused his attention on their surroundings. If it was some sort of weapon that did this then he'd be damned if he'd get caught in its sights, maybe Rush could be a distraction... it wouldn't be that much of a waste of flesh would it?

Eli was still hyperventilating when Rush grabbed his face with his hands and forcefully made Eli look away from the stumps of flesh and at him, into his eyes. He held Eli's panicked gaze with his own determinedly calm and controlled stare. He said softly, his Scottish accent becoming soft and lilting in a way he'd found helped to calm down people quickly, 'Eli. I'm asking you to calm down.... they are not important. I need you to focus on the task, on the mission. Let Scott and Greer deal with everything else. Understand?'

Eli, still hyperventilating, though not as severely, nodded as much as he could with Rush's hands trapping his head, cutting off his view of the legs.

'Okay. I need you to breathe properly. In, hold.... out. In, hold... out.' Rush said, his voice still soft, in time with Eli's slowing breaths, 'good Eli. Keep breathing. In, hold.... out.'

-SGU-FB-SGU-FB

They watched with cautious, baited breath as two of the newcomers inspected something on the clearing floor. The other two newcomers seemed to be in the middle of a ritual of some kind; one of them was breathing erratically and the other looked to be trying to help calm him, maybe he was trying to release a frèquà? They did not know and though they were curious they feared what may happen if they approached these newcomers. After-all, one of their own had died moments before they had stepped through the ring. What if they were Celestial Beings? What if they were here to deliver them from the Gat'urs? What if they were here to destroy them? What if?

-SGU-FB-SGU-FB

'Rush?' Scott called over to the pair of men by the still active gate, 'be ready to re-dial Destiny when the gate disengages. I want to get those through, see what T.J can make of them.'

Rush answered, not looking away from Eli, 'Of course Lieutenant.'

The sarcasm was clear even for a dunce to hear but Scott let it slide, he was still freaked out by the stumps of flesh lying on the ground. He tapped the comm in his ear and said, 'Destiny, do you read?'

After a few moments of silence he was rewarded with a crystal-clear response from the Colonel Everett, 'Yes Lieutenant, we read. What is your situation?'

'Well, there are a pair of legs in front of the gate that look like they've been separated from a body by some sort of energy beam or something. I'm going to send them back through when we re-dial. I think we should get off this planet while we can,' Scott replied looking at the trees around them; they seemed to ring around the stargate and he couldn't see any sort of path that they could follow, 'I don't think this planet's got much more use to use other than as fire wood Sir.'

At this point Rush began speaking; he'd obviously dealt with Eli because when Scott turned back around he was crouched down beside the stumps of flesh that the bugs were already attacking, 'Separated just below the patella. Seems to be a clear, separation without any burns or signs of cauterisation. I don't think any laser or weapon did this Lieutenant.'

'Well what do you think did it Doctor?' Scott asked, his voice layered with sarcasm. He too doubted a laser could do that sort of damage without any obvious signs or marks.

Rush looked up at him and glared in annoyance. He refrained from making any comment however as he stood up fully and turned to look at the gate with a calculating look upon his face. He stared at the event horizon and asked, 'Eli. How far does the vortex extend when a wormhole engages?'

Eli too looked over at the stargate, he'd been staring at the stumps of flesh intently with a sickly look on his face. He frowned and calculated the math in his head before answering, 'errm... about five to six feet. Why?'

Rush didn't answer immediately, he just continued to stare at the gate. When he did answer he looked over at Scott and said, 'I think that when the wormhole engaged the owner of these... legs... was stood within range of the vortex and was instantly de-moleculised by it when it enveloped most of his body; obviously missing his lower legs.'

Silence.

None of them spoke after Rush's theory, instead choosing to look at the stumps of flesh on the ground in the centre of them; each feeling sorry for the poor bastard who got caught out by the gate.

'Unlucky,' Greer muttered, still staring at the stumps.

Rush nodded and Eli turned an even more noticeable shade of green before turning away and staring out into the trees, not looking at anything.

Scott sighed and said, 'Sir. Disengage the gate now please and we'll dial back in immediately. We're coming back.'

Colonel Everett answered, 'Acknowledged. We expect you to dial back in in the next two minutes Lieutenant. Destiny out.' As Everett finished speaking the gate disengaged and they were left alone in the clearing, each trying not to think of how horrible it would be to die by wormhole vortex.

They stood in silence for a moment before Eli said, 'Hey! Look at-'

Each of them made an audible grunt as small darts impacted in their necks before collapsing to the ground, in silence, unconscious... and safe.

-SGU-FB-SGU-FB

Something stirred in the trees. Something that was not friendly. Something that was not nice. Something... that was hungry.

It unfurled itself and searched around, looking for sustenance. It sensed several beings that made sounds, that moved with noise and it homed in on them.

It swerved through the trees, in silence, heading towards its prey and when it reached them it made a terrifying shriek.

But not in triumph. In anger.

It's prey was no where to be seen. They were gone. It could not hear them. They did not move so it did not see them. Shrieking again it swerved back through the trees, seeking out more prey with which to feed itself.


TBC....

Okay. That's not as long as my other chapters but it's still of a decent length, right?

I hope you've enjoyed this chapter and do know that I'm half asleep right now and have school tomorrow so I should technically be sleeping and recharging my brain cells so you'd best ALL thank me for this!

Anywho, chapter four, when it is written, will be put up and you will all find out what happens next.

Once again, sorry about the cliffie! I seem to have a thing for dramatic cliffies... I think I'm predisposed to them :p

KaseyKC