Hey everyone, I'm sorry that I haven't updated this until now but I've been kind of busy with one of my other stories, I know, how rude of me. I hope you all had a good EASTER! And had lots of CHOCOLATE :D
Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter; I do believe it's longer than the last one and is a bit more action :P
And to any and all who are reading this; read it, enjoy it, comment on it, and wait for the update of it. KaseyKC
Nine
"In Flanders fields the poppies grow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place, and in the sky,
The larks, still bravely singing, fly,
Scarce heard amid the guns below."- John McCrae.
War. It's a funny word; too commonly used and too commonly ignored of its consequences. War is what every man, woman and child has experienced in their lifetime; heavens, war never stops, what stops is mankind's acknowledgement of it for certain periods of time before they declare 'oh! War's home!' and they see it again as they aim the barrel of a gun at an innocent being.
On Earth millions of people, billions in fact, have died in the name of some patriotic or self-centred cause which is only a fancy way of saying WAR: ANNILILATION OF THE OTHERS. But, one has to wonder who the others are? Are they the adversaries on the field who fire back? Are they the innocent people in towns and cities far from the fields of war? Are they the statistics that each side has? Who are the others? Who are they to politicians, who are they to soldiers, who are they to you?
When has it ever occurred to humanity as a whole that in-fighting is a pointless waste of time, blood and life that could be better spent working together as the family that every human is a part of? In World War Two millions of men; on both sides, died for the cause, but what was the cause? Can it be recalled over the staggering number of corpses, over the numbers collected on the bombs dropped, on the bullets fired? No soldier is to blame for what a politician orders, for what a single man says; but they are responsible for their own actions of servitude, afterall if they had said no they may have been shot for desertion but they would be able to die knowing they did the ultimate honesty and the most righteous of things; they died for what they believed in and for not executing another man merely because of a careless order from a man who is safely stowed away from the centre of the war.
Rush had always found it to be ironic that humanity was still fighting itself when it had much bigger, and more deadly, adversaries outside of its own atmosphere. The fact that mankind still held to the belief that it was the only thing in the universe that lived was absurd and Rush was forever thankful that it wasn't a true fact; afterall, his reasoning was how much quieter and lonelier would the universe be if mankind were alone?
"Rush," Scott hissed as he flattened himself against the wall; grabbing Rush's shirt and dragging him next to him.
Opening his mouth to insult Scott Rush was about to speak when Scott shoved a hand over his mouth and gave him a look that clearly said shut-up. Taking in the meaning Rush slowly nodded and Scott gently removed his hand from over Rush's mouth and replaced it back on the butt of his weapon; Eli pressed himself up against the wall just beside Rush and Greer just behind Eli, none of them spoke or made a sound as one of the raptors, as Rush had taken to calling them after the one outside their previous accommodations had taken a dislike to their escape plan, ambled past their hiding spot not paying too much attention to where it was walking.
Once it was gone from the immediate area Scott motioned for them to silently follow him out into the corridor and he made his way, cautiously checking any of the other corridors or rooms that connected to the corridor they were on, relatively quickly so when they reached the rising of the ground; which signalled the start of their ascent to the surface, it only felt like minutes had passed when in fact it had been more than half-an-hour since Young had contacted them.
Turning to Greer Scott whispered, "Greer, wait here with these two while I check our way out's clear," Greer nodded and moved into a defense position in front of Rush and Eli; as much as Greer hated Rush he wasn't going to let the bastard die since he was one of the few who could actually get them home. Scott moved away from them without making a sound on the dirt ground with his boots, which made Rush suddenly unnerved as he had the most absurd thought that Scott could one day sneak up on him and slit his throat and he'd never stand a chance; 'such a cheery concept' he thought as he stood in silence next to Eli whose eyes were darting from every crevice to every hole that was big enough for a slug to crawl through, 'assuming there are slugs on this rock'.
He didn't know how to calm Eli without words so he did the only thing he could think of; he nudged Eli and then pulled a silly face, which looked more like he had a hernia, behind Greer's back. Eli looked at him with a stare that just encompassed almost every emotion Eli could feel in less than a second; shock, humour, laughter, confusion, annoyance and amusement. He stifled a laugh as Greer turned to look at them for a moment before re-focusing on surveying the area. Shaking his head in amusement Eli grinned and decided to join Rush in his face-pulling and so stuck out his tongue, made himself go gozzey-eyed and put a hand behind his head sticking up like a shark fin. Rush damn near choked on the breath he'd just taken as he observed Eli wagging his head at Greer, who turned around so quickly that he caught Eli in the act.
'Oh...' Eli thought as Greer gave him a look that clearly said he'd love to shoot Eli there-and-then, and as he took a menacing step towards him Rush moved just slightly in front of Eli, blocking Greer's path, and Scott appeared just to their left. Rush's glare was at full-force and for a moment it was all that was needed to stop Greer in his tracks; it was look that he'd seen on the face of a man who was trying to protect his injured son when he'd been in Iraq, the look of a protective parent. 'Rush is protecting him... like a father... huh?' Greer's mind came to a halt as he thought about that and Scott clamped a hand on his shoulder, jolting him back into action, and asked softly, "there are problem?"
Rush and Greer looked at each other and Greer replied quietly, "no, nothing's wrong sir."
Eli watched as Greer moved away from him and Rush as Scott said, "come on, ways clear," and then he and Greer were off, ascending to the surface and Eli and Rush hurried to catch-up to them. As they made their way up to the surface all Eli could think of was, 'Rush protected me... again' and he considered what had transpired as they'd tried to get out of the room they'd been in.
-SGU-FB-SGU-FB-
They all stood beside the cloth-covered entrance; Scott and Greer directly on either side of the entrance with Rush and Eli behind them; both gripping their 9 mils tightly in their hands. Scott nodded at Greer and Greer slipped the collapsible mirror that they'd been issued with as part of their kit between the cloth and the wall; which allowed him to survey the area beyond the cloth and for him to see that there was only one of the creatures guarding them. Carefully he pulled it back through the curtain and closed it up as he signalled to Scott that there was only one.
Nodding and silently motioning, using military hand-signals, Scott told Greer to pull the curtain on three and he'd grab the creature.
One... Eli looked at Rush nervously adjusting his grip on his weapon.
Two... Greer removed his hands from his M-16 and stood ready to grab the curtain.
Three... Scott made his move, Greer moved the curtain, Rush followed after Scott and then Eli.
As Scott dived at the creature it began to turn but the butt of Scott's weapon knocked it for six. As he tried to hit it again though it grabbed his weapon, him as well, and threw him bodily away from it. Rush, who had come through directly after Scott, punched it with the hand he was holding his weapon in but it didn't do anything to the creature and only served to make Rush feel like he had two broken hands. The creature towered over him and went to swipe at his head when Eli shoved him aside; and whilst the creature missed Rush it didn't miss Eli.
The sound of tearing material could be audibly heard in the corridor as Eli landed next to Rush in a slump, clutching his shoulder and trying desperately to not cry out. Greer went at the creature but it did the same to him as it did to Scott; it threw him a good several feet and into the wall of the corridor. It turned its attention back onto Rush and Eli and looked ready to take off Eli's head and something inside of Rush snapped.
A fine and thin thread that had been dangling his restraint and control, and it snapped when the creature leaned down to grip Eli's shoulder which did cause him to whimper in agony. Rush was up on his feet before he could even think of anything, and moved with a speed and strength that he hadn't felt in a long, long time... it was a strength and speed that came from anger and protectiveness; purely instinctual, and absolutely terrifying for anyone on the receiving end.
He rammed his body into the creatures with so much force that they both went crashing into the wall, but Rush didn't care about the fact that his injured shoulder was a bit more injured or that his broken hand was fast becoming more damaged and painful as he continued to pummel the creatures face over and over and-
"Rush," Scott's hand landed on Rush's shoulder and pulled him away from the creature, "it's out of it... heck, I'm pretty sure it's dead now."
Slowly reason and control and self-restraint came back to him and he began to breathe heavily as he processed what had just happened and what he felt. Eli was looking at him in shock and surprise and... Was that awe, he could see as he stared at his son? 'My son... my son... it tried... my son...' his mind felt slow as though it were a car which had the wrong fuel in it. Eli smiled slightly and nodded to him, a silent conversation between them that Greer and Scot didn't notice all that much; it was a silent "thank you for saving me", and Rush wanted to respond with a "you're my son, I'll always save you" but he couldn't... and he hated himself for it.
"Come on, if they're really telepathic I'm guessing they'll notice his silence," Scott muttered gently as he helped Rush to stand, "Eli?" he looked to the Eli, who was being helped up by Greer.
"I'm alright," Eli responded automatically, although the response wasn't all that believable due to the fact that he winced as he said it and the obvious blood on his tac-vest. Obviously Scott thought the same thing as Rush at that moment which was 'bull-' but Eli added, "I'm alright to move at least."
Scott nodded and said, "Just be more careful," and Eli gave him a glare that would've scared Rush if it had been directed at him. Scott grinned as Eli replied.
"I'm not the one who punched the thing and then nearly got his head took off!" he exclaimed, his voice still low but filled with indignation and Rush felt that he should respond to that obvious dig at him.
"Well, at least I wasn't the one who rugby-tackled said person and almost got their own head took off," he smirked at Eli and he swore that Eli looked as though he would quite happily throttle him, if he wasn't currently in need of being supported by Greer at least.
"Okay, come on guys. We haven't got long," Scott cut into their little spat as he gave them both a stern glare and then nodded at Greer, "Help Eli for as long as he'll let you. I want to get out of this place."
Greer nodded but Eli muttered, "I'm perfectly capable of walking on my own," and just to prove it he pushed himself away from Greer, wobbled a bit but eventually held his own and gave Scott a smug look, "see."
Scott just shook his head in mild amusement and began to lead their way towards their freedom; the rest of them falling into step behind him.
-SGU-FB-SGU-FB-
Young crouched in the undergrowth next to the team he'd brought with him, waiting impatiently to see Scott's head poke out from the rock-face again; after the initial sighting of Scott's head Young had initially thought that they were coming out then but, when Scott had disappeared, Young realised that he had been checking the way out just encase, which had made him proud of the kid, 'he's definitely a good soldier' he thought as he finally saw Scott's head and then the rest of him appear from the rock-face again.
Scott looked about and noticed Young as he stood up in the midst of the undergrowth; a quick nod of his head and then a check on the others as they came out after him, and he was jogging over to meet with Colonel Young who smirked at the Lieutenant wryly, "Nice of you to join us again lieutenant."
Scott nodded and said, "It definitely is sir," and then looking behind him at Rush, Eli and Greer he said, "we'd best be getting back sir; these aliens are telepathic and we think they've gained some recon from us."
Taking in what Scott had just said, Young nodded and said, "Let's move out; I want to be back at the gate within the next twenty minutes!"
And the undergrowth around Young came to life as several camouflaged men stood up and began to make their way back to the gate; Rush, Eli and Greer joining them as Scott and Young brought up the rear. Scott said to the Colonel, his voice quiet, "I'd recommend silence from here-on-in sir, those creatures said there's some sort of animal that hunts using sound."
Young nodded and said; his voice softer and quieter than before, "I want silence people! No talking!"
There was a murmur of 'yes sirs' and a couple of nods as well as they continued on their way back to the gate in relative silence.
-SGU-FB-SGU-FB-
It dove left and right, following and occasionally feinting to in one direction then going in the other, as it chased its prey through the trees, dodging the branches with a deft agility normally reserved for the most experienced of hunters. As it curved itself around a tree, in a slingshot-like movement, it picked up the sound of more prey not far away but it didn't let that distract it from its current quarry; which is dived upon and jabbed its throat with its powerful and poison-tipped beak. Its prey choked and shook and died as it dove in for its feast; the just rewards of its hunt.
All too soon however its prey was nothing more than skin and bones and it was still hungry... and then it heard them again; those other creatures it had picked up before. It was then that it realised that it should be chasing them, hunting them down now, because it needed to stop feeling this hunger...
And then, with an almightily loud screech, it took off from the ground and swiftly made its way closer and closer to its next meal.
-SGU-FB-SGU-FB-
They had just reached the gate, in less than fifteen minutes which Scott figured to be a record for them as of late, when it reached them. It dove towards them, dive-bombing them from up high and they scattered; like snooker balls on a snooker table. Three soldiers went towards the gate, Scott and Young dove for the trees to their right, Eli, Rush and Greer dove towards the trees to their left and one soldier threw himself to the ground.
And he was the unfortunate victim of the creature as it swept down and jabbed him in the throat with its poison-tipped beak. Scott and Young, both immediately seeing this, knew there was no hope for the young soldier and so decided to try and get the gate open. Scott looked around for Rush and saw to his satisfaction that the scientist had already had the same thought as he and Young.
Mere seconds after the assault by the creature the Stargate burst into life; the vortex exploding outwards and impacting the creature, wiping it from existence as the bonds tying its molecules together were ripped apart. The vortex collapsed back in upon itself and without waiting for a moment Young and Scott were up on their feet and were next to Rush and Eli, who couldn't stand up properly, and hauled them both up; Greer assisting them, and they all dived through the gate just as another creature swooped down and dived through an empty ring as the Stargate disengaged.
