"Duck!" Ronon snapped. Instantly Max dropped to her belly and rolled to her right. The spot she had been standing was peppered with blasts from a Wraith weapon. She got to one knee and leveled her own weapon to return fire.

"Sir we have to get out of here!" She called as Ronon took out a drone wraith with two perfect shots from his ridiculous shotgun pistol thing.

"Working on it Holloway they've got the gate pinned down and we're cut off from the puddlejumper remember?"

"Sir, let me run a diversion, we can get the science team back to the puddlejumper and they can come pick us up."

"Holloway you'll get killed –"

"No sir I won't." She insisted.

"Or captured." He said sternly.

"Then send Ronon –" She broke off to open fire on a pair of drones, they went down with Ronon's help.

"Alright, this is what we're going to do, Ronon you, Lorne and Rodney are with the science team, Tey'la and I will stay with Max and keep these guys busy. You get to the jumper you radio us and we meet up."

"That's … a great plan sir." Max said with a grin.

The scientists piled in to the puddlejumper like a gaggle of excited puppies. Rodney nervously took a seat next to Lorne as the Major took off and radioed Sheppard.

"Sir we're airborne."

"Any time you want to open fire on these guys and come get us would be great Major, don't wait for an invitation."

"Acknowledged." Lorne said and guided the puddlejumper in an aggressive maneuver that allowed him to open up at close range in to the small horde of wraith drones hen arc up and over the thin stand of trees the rest of the team was using as cover.

"That was cool." Max gasped as she followed Tey'la and Sheppard in to the jumper.

"Let's get out of here before they call in reinforcements or a hive shows up." Sheppard grunted. Lorne was already dialing the gate.

Max's heart was racing, her skin felt clammy and she couldn't easily remember ever being so terrified. She leaned back in her seat and felt her aspblade press against her back, the weight of her assault rifle and the familiar bulk of her vest reassuring her.

"Holloway remember you're on a team." Sheppard said. She looked at him neutrally.

"He means good job." Ronon grunted and Tey'la smiled gently.

"Don't you people have some kind of early warning system? Would've been nice to have some early warning of that." Rodney whined.

"I can only sense other immortals Rodney." Max said with a tired smile.

"Oh. That's…not helpful." He sighed.

"In Pegasus? Nope. Back home? Like crazy. Y'know those awkward moments when you run in to an ex at the grocery store? Try that times like a hundred only add a sword and homicidal intent."

Rodney gave her a narrow eyed glare then glanced at Sheppard mumbled something about sensor readings and hunched over his datapad.

"Is that true?" Ronon asked.

"Yeah."

"Handy." John said.

"One of the very few perks."

"Living forever isn't a perk?!" Rodney squeaked.

"You want to trade places Rodney?" Max asked quietly.

"Of course I do, you can fry Wraith you never need to worry about being fed on-"

"Right instead I get all the fun sensation with none of the death. Only with a side order of being hunted like an animal and getting to outlive everyone and everything I give a shit about." Max said actual anger seeping in to her voice.

"Okay kids settle down." Sheppard said tiredly and glanced at Tey'la.

"The antagonism between Rodney and Max is troubling." Tey'la said diplomatically.

John was sitting in the mess hall pretending to eat a sandwhich. Tey'la sat across from him and waited.

"Yeah."

"I would like to attempt to improve their relationship."

"Well, we tried team bonding, that ended with Rodney bruising his whole left hand and Ronon politely restraining Max. We tried solo bonding and Rodney claimed she spent the whole session thinking of ways to kill him."

"Yes,l but in both situations they knew the intension was to improve their bond."

"You're thinking sneaky?"

"It is not uncommon for persons that have endured a difficult situation to grow closer."

"Yeah but sometimes they also kill each other. What the hell, what do you have in mind?"

"We need a task that requires Rodney's expertise."

"I'm listening."

"If the rest of the team and Major Lorne's team were indisposed Rodney might need to request Max's help."

"Makes sense but what would be that compelling?"

"John it's a bad idea."

"But it's not my bad idea Colonel, it's Tey'la's."

"John this is not going to work, they're going to see through it."

"Sure they are but they'll still have to work together."

"No. Figure out another way for now I'm not going to risk the safety of either of them or your team as a whole for this. Though it would be extremely funny."