Disclaimer: I do not own Angel or the Stargate Franchise.
"I take it the mission went well?" Elizabeth calls out as the gate disengages behind them.
"We collected many samples, Doctor Weir," Parrish replies as he and Lorne ascend the stairs. They head off to the infirmary for the post mission check up and then head to the briefing. Lorne explains the tentative deal and what he was able to learn about the about the people. Elizabeth listens to his views on how the village is run and can't help being a bit unnerved when he casually mentions what was waiting for them at the gate and the people of Olaf's protector.
They spend the next hour listening to Dr. Parrish's report and Dr. Brown's enthusiast conclusions of every point Parrish makes. She doesn't understand everything they say- and from the politely blank look on Lorne's face, neither does he- but she gets the basic point. The Botany department will be able to grow the fruits and vegetables on Atlantis.
She finally dismisses them and admonishes Parrish not to stay up all night in the lab as he'll be leaving the next day.
Lorne makes no effort to move and she raises an eyebrow.
"Is there something else?"
"Yes ma'am. About the Destroyer—"she cuts him off.
This is exactly what Elizabeth doesn't want. There had been reservations when Sheppard had first suggested that Ronon become a part of the Atlantis team but it had turned out fine and Ronon was now a valued member of the expedition.
That said she wasn't adopting every stray that senior personnel brought back.
"Major, you know nothing about this 'Destroyer'."
"Yes ma'am. I'm just suggesting that we talk to him. He may have information that we don't. Councilor Cronin did say that he wasn't from the planet."
Elizabeth narrows her eyes. She knows exactly what he's trying to do. She'll give him permission to make contact and he'll talk the man right into a place on Atlantis and really, she expects this from the Colonel.
When he sees that she isn't buying it he elaborates, "I've seen the results of his battles with the Wraith and I know we've been burned when we trusted the wrong people. I'm not asking that we make up a room for him, ma'am, just that we get as much information out of him as he'll allow. From what we were told about his fights, he completely overwhelmed them. It's nothing that even Ronon could do."
Elizabeth feels a flicker of interest rush though her and makes sure that it doesn't show.
"We've never found anyone in two galaxies that have been able to do what he has been, ma'am. The people believe that he was sent by the Ancients to protect them. If that is true, then this will be the first time we've meet an Ancient that resorts to physical violence."
She realizes that she had lost before he'd even made the request. Lorne is a sneaky, sneaky bastard and she now knows why they always get all the ammunition they ask for when he sends through the requisitions.
Lorne knew she wouldn't have been able to resist if he brought up the Ancients. And why would an Ancient kill Wraith and how is he getting away with it? Perhaps it's because he isn't using the abilities gained with ascension?
It was something to think about.
"Very well, Major," and to his credit, Lorne doesn't look smug, "you have a go to talk-talk- to him. Sheppard and his team will be going with you and that's not negotiable."
"Ma'am, I thought we all agreed that only bad things happen when my team and the Colonel's go on missions together."
Elizabeth smiles, "Superstitious, Major?"
Cadman and Stevens stays behind on Olaf and Cronin takes them on a longer tour of the village. He lets them test a few blasters and eventually leaves them to wonder alone.
"Think we'll get those blasters?"
Cadman shrugs, "Who knows. They seem to like the Major."
"Who doesn't like the Major," he smiles and kneels next to a group of children that start to crowd around them and searches his flak jacket.
"As long as we don't get them angry, we'll be fine," she watches as he splits chocolate among the kids and then gets dragged away as they decide he's their new best friend. Laughing at his helpless look she follows behind them and listens as they point out their favorite places to play and the best trees to climb for fruit.
As the suns go down and mothers call for their children, Cadman taunts Stevens, "You are such a pushover."
He scowls and takes his P90 from her, "They couldn't reach them," when he wasn't following the kids into every nook and cranny they could find, he'd been scaling trees and throwing down the fruits that they pointed at.
"You can't have any."
She just grins and corrals the children back to the village. They stay in the village's version of an Inn and she can tell from the villagers' body language that they had gotten major brownie points for playing with the kids.
They are with the kids again the next day when the gate activates. Stevens walks a few feet away, looks over the ridge, swears and goes running back. Cadman already has the kids rounded up when he reaches them and starts pushing them back towards the village.
"Wraith?"
"Wraith," he confirms. They are running down the winding path towards the village when an ear piercing noise slices through the air. It makes the hair on the back of his neck crawl and reminds him of the time he'd walked into the zoology lab and the scientists were dissecting an iratus bug. When they turn around a bend they have a direct visual on the gate through the trees and get there in time to see a figure in brown fall a Wraith and the others flee- flee- in panicked directions.
They run into another group of villagers and leave them to get the children to safety.
"What are you thinking?" Stevens murmurs even as he heads in the direction some of the Wraith had gone.
"Any of those paths eventually twists towards the village. How many?" they slow as they get deeper into the forest and listens.
"Six."
Cadman nods and points to a disturbed bush. Her heart beats a little faster and she has to wonder if all that talk about the Destroyer is real because she's never heard of Wraith running away… let alone from one person. She stops and motions towards a decapitated Wraith.
Stevens frowns, "Doesn't look like he needs our help."
They are running again and come across another Wraith; this one disemboweled. She crosses another off her list and they look for another five. It's a bit creepy, how silent the forest is. Every once and a while they will hear a thud or the rustle of undergrowth that makes them hyper-attentive and more jumpy and wary with every rustle. It was worst than the illusions that the Wraith cast. When ever they manage to locate the source of a noise, they are met with a dead body.
They can hear movement, soft whispers and barely there but it makes them high-strung and Cadman's sure that if they were fresh out of the basic training… even after the training you have to complete to join an off-world team, they would be scared enough to just start shooting in every direction. The first living Wraith they come across sees them first. It's a drone and she finds it odd that it doesn't have a weapon. They both open fire.
Cadman hears her ear piece click twice and is too busy gunning down the Wraith to pay it much attention.
"Cadman. Stevens, Come in," their ear pieces crackles to life and the Major's voice comes through.
"Sir, we're two clicks southwest of the gate. In pursuit of the-oh, shit…"
Stevens is knocked off his feet when a Wraith runs right in to him, seeming more interested in what behind him than a free meal. Steven's already poise and ready to shot but doesn't get the chance when an axe flies through the air. It hits the Wraith in the head hard enough that it flips over.
When Sheppard's team joins them in front of the gate the next day, Lorne ignores the resigned look on Parrish's face. McKay scowls at them.
"Great. We're going to get shot at," Lorne ignores him too and greets the Colonel.
"Sir."
"Major, looks like we're your back-up today," he turns toward Chuck, "Dial it up."
"Major Lorne," Teyla smiles reassuringly at him, "I am sure that the rumor of our combined… misfortunes have been greatly exaggerated. We have been on many successful missions together."
The event horizon explodes behind them. "Good luck," Elizabeth calls out.
Lorne returns her smile and follows her through the gate. The first thing he notices is that the Colonel and Ronon both have their gun raised and a dead Wraith on the ground.
He taps his earpiece.
"Cadman. Stevens, Come in," he waits a moment then tries again.
"Sir, we're two clicks southwest of the gate. In pursuit of the-oh, shit…"