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Chapter 2: New Friends
Why is there a dog licking my face? Was John's first thought the next time he became aware, followed by full-blown panic.
His panicked thoughts continued. The hideous beast has found me. Why is it licking me rather than chewing on one of my limbs? Where is my gun, and why can't I use my arm?
These were all good questions, and since the pain in his arm was notching up, it seemed like a good time to open his eyes. When he finally managed the feat, he found a pair of dark brown eyes staring at him, and his immediate thought was Torren.
A tiny voice spoke and killed that idea, "Are you okay, Mister?"
John's brain was still fuzzy, so he had no idea what he said when he answered, "Umm…"
"My name is Rollo," the young boy staring at him said. "This is my sister, Jallell."
It took him a while to get his bearings, and he soon realised he was in a cave system with phosphorescence on the walls - that was a good thing because it gave him plenty of light to see by.
Sitting beside him were two small children, a boy and a girl. The boy looked around ten earth years old, with dark brown hair and big brown eyes. His skin was fair, and his pants and shirt were ragged and torn. The girl would have been about seven and was the splitting image of her brother, except her hair was long and halfway down her back. Jallell's hair was in a ponytail and was knotted and dirty. Jallell had pants and a shirt on, and like her brother, her clothes were dirty and torn.
Next to them sat a small black dog, similar to an earth poodle. The dog had been licking his face, which was a relief because he hated the beasts outside the cave system.
"What's your name?" Jallell asked in a sweet voice.
These kids looked scared, so he had to be strong despite his pain. He had no idea how long they'd been in the cave or if they were alone.
"My Name is John. What's your dog's name?"
"Her name is Trixie," Rollo answered.
Trixie sounded like an earth name, but so did Ronon and Teyla, so he decided not to comment.
"Are you alone, Rollo?" John asked with apprehension. If these kids were alone, he had no idea how they had survived.
Before Rollo had a chance to answer, Jallell burst into tears and that made John feel uncomfortable. Luckily, Rollo put his arm around his sister and answered.
"We were playing near the caves when the wraith came. My Mom told us to hide in the caves, and she would go and look for my older sister. We have no idea what happened to her or my sister because we hear a monster howling when we try to go outside. By the state of your arm, I'm guessing the monster is still outside."
Rather than focus on his injury, he changed the subject.
"Do you have food and water?" He asked, looking around the cave.
"There is always plenty of food in these caves because this is where we're supposed to hide from the Wraith. There's also an underground spring nearby." Rollo said, nodding his head.
Although it was good to know there was food and water, he didn't intend to stay here any longer than he had to.
"Is there another way out of this cave system, and how close does it come out to the great ring?"
"There are many exits," Rollo supplied, "I think one may come out close to the ring."
He knew his only chance was to return to Atlantis. The pain in his arm was excruciating, and he was finding it difficult to focus. If he didn't get help soon, he might pass out, and then he'd be no help to these children.
"We need to get going. If we can get to the ring, I can take you to a place where you'll be safe."
"But what about Momma and Stella?" Jallell asked through her tears.
John knew there was nothing left of the settlement. But how was he supposed to tell these kids that their mother and sister were most likely dead?
"They're probably dead," Rollo answered in a matter-of-fact tone.
The boy seemed to be holding it together for now, but John had no idea how long that would last.
"I'm sorry Jallell. But there's nothing left of your settlement," he told her as gently as possible.
Luckily, Rollo held her tight and tried to comfort her.
Rollo looked at him, taking a deep breath, "I think we should get going, but let me find Trixie first."
For the first time, John noticed that Trixie had disappeared. He hoped the dog wouldn't wander outside because the monsters looked hungry. Although, he had no idea if they ate dogs.
"Well, I suggest you hurry. I want to ensure you are safe. I have a friend who can work out where these monsters came from then."
Rollo whistled, and the dog ran out of the darkness.
"Can you hold on to Trixie, please Rollo?" John looked at Jallell before continuing, "And I will hold Jallell's hand if she doesn't mind."
The little girl nodded and held his good hand, but he immediately let it go. He knew there was one last thing he needed to do before they left.
"First, I need to check my arm and take some medicine for the pain. So can you kids wait on the other side of the cave, please?"
"Do you need some water, John?" Rollo asked, handing him a water bottle.
"Thanks, Rollo."
He waited until the children had crossed the room before taking his sling off and inspecting his arm. There was blood on the bandages, but the bleeding had stopped. The biggest problem was the dressings were filthy. He suspected his arm would be infected before long, so he was even more determined to return to Atlantis.
He took some Tylenol out of his tac vest and used the water to swallow them. He longed for a shot of morphine but knew he needed to remain alert for the children's sake.
While gritting his teeth, he placed his makeshift sling around his neck before walking over to the children.
"Are you ready to go?" He asked the children before taking Jallell's hand. "Rollo, you'll have to tell me where to go, but please walk beside me?"
"I'll need to carry Trixie so she doesn't run away, " Rollo stated, picking up the dog.
"Make sure you don't let her go because we need to keep an eye on her at all times. I don't want her to wander off. "
"Yes, John," Rollo replied.
Once he was sure both children were ready, he nodded, and Rollo led them to the back of the cave. There was a dark tunnel behind a rocky outcrop, and he was relieved that it looked tall enough for him to stand up. It was also wide enough for them to walk side by side. The only problem was it was dark, and he'd lost his P90. He had no flashlight in his tac vest, so he had nothing to light the way.
Rollo must have read his mind because the boy pulled out a small square device and pressed a button. Immediately, light flooded the tunnel. He had no idea the Nafari people had anything that resembled a flashlight.
"Where did you get that from?"
Rollo shrugged, "We traded with the Genii for a while."
He wondered if they were still trading with the Genii because although Atlantis had a tentative truce, he still didn't trust them. That was a conversation he didn't want to have at that moment, so he merely nodded and started down the dark tunnel.
oOo
A loud argument pulled Teyla from her doze, and she was annoyed by it.
"I'm trying, Ronon, but I've never had to write such a complex code before."
That was definitely Rodney's panicked voice.
"Well, try harder because Sheppard's life depends on it!"
That was definitely Ronon.
"Please stop arguing. We're in an infirmary, and I have sick patients here. If you continue to shout, I will throw you both out."
That was definitely Carson. The voice was gentle and much quieter.
Ultimately, she decided to open her eyes to see what was happening, and she wasn't happy with what she saw. Ronon and Rodney were standing face to face, glaring at each other. Carson had an annoyed look on his face and looked angry enough to throw them out of the infirmary.
Sighing, she opened her mouth and spoke, "What is happening?"
"It was Ronon who answered, and she could sense the frustration in his voice, "Sheppard's still on the planet, and we can't open the wormhole. We suspect the Wraith are keeping it open. McKay is trying to write a program to override it, but he's not trying very hard."
For the first time, she noticed Rodney had his computer with him.
"I'm doing my best, and you know I'll come up with something because I'm a genius after all."
She sensed Rodney's ego would annoy Ronon even more, so she tried to say something to calm them both, and she instantly knew how to appease each of them.
"Dr. McKay. I know you will find the answer, but please hurry. And Ronon, why don't you go to the gym? Perhaps it will make you feel better if you hit something."
"You're probably right," Ronon mumbled.
"Yeah, sure," Rodney replied.
"How about you both go and do what Teyla suggested, "Carson started, "and then perhaps you can meet Teyla for breakfast in the mess hall when I release her."
Teyla was shocked by what Carson had just said, "How long have I been here?"
"About three hours."
"So the gate has been active for three hours?" She asked, looking at Rodney, her eyes open wide.
"Yeah, something like that," Rodney answered sheepishly.
"And why haven't you designed a program to override the gate? Surely, you've done it in the past."
This time, Ronon answered, and even though he whispered, she could sense his anger, "Yeah, I asked him the same question."
"And I will tell you the same thing I said to Conan, "Rodney started glaring at Ronon, "the Wraith have changed the program that keeps the gate open. It's more complex than it used to be. But if everyone shut up and left me alone, I could work it out."
"Well, perhaps you'd better go," Teyla said soothingly.
She was relieved when Ronon and Rodney left quietly, leaving her alone with Carson. For the first time, she noticed that her leg was in a plaster cast to the knee. Before she fell asleep, Carson had mentioned she wouldn't need a cast.
"Why is my leg in a plaster cast?"
"I'm sorry, lass. When we put you under the ancient scanner, we realised the break was worse than we first thought."
That was the last thing she needed to hear. She still needed to join the search for John - if they ever managed to get the gate open.
"How long do I need to stay in the infirmary?"
"You can leave whenever you want. As suggested, you may like to go to the mess hall for breakfast."
"Where is my son, Carson?"
"He stayed with Jennifer overnight."
"Did I hear my name?" Jennifer asked as she entered the infirmary with Torren.
"Momma!" Torren squealed as Jennifer put him on the bed.
"I was just telling Teyla that she can leave for breakfast. Perhaps Torren would like to go with her." Carson suggested.
"Come Momma?" Torren asked, using his ubiquitous puppy dog eyes. The ones he'd learnt from John.
"I will come with you in a moment, but you need to walk like a big boy, as I have broken my ankle and can not carry you."
"Yes, Momma. Where Da?"
Torren had started calling John Da on Earth, and she suspected he was trying to say John. Although, it sounded like he was trying to say, Dad. She would be secretly pleased if Torren were calling John Dad. However, she had no idea what John would think.
Rather than worrying her son, she gave him the most simple explanation.
"John is off-world at the moment. Hopefully, he will return to Atlantis soon."
"Otay, Momma," Torren replied, and she was relieved that her answer was acceptable.
With Carson's help, she got out of bed and managed to stand on one foot for the few seconds it took him to give her a set of crutches.
"I want to see you back here after breakfast so I can give you some pain meds and instructions," Carson said with a wave.
She gave Carson a small smile and hobbled out of the infirmary with her son beside her. She knew she couldn't help rescue John, but made up her mind when John returned home that she would tell him how she felt about him, even if it meant him rejecting her.
oOo
Ronon immediately left the infirmary and started running towards the gym. He needed to do something, and if he couldn't go and find Sheppard, he needed to hit something or someone. Part of him hoped there were no marines in the gym looking for a sparing match because chances were they'd end up in the infirmary.
When he arrived at the gym a few minutes later, he was relieved no one was there. He thought about hitting the punching bag without boxing gloves, but he knew the last thing he needed was to be injured right now. So he took the time to put the gloves on before punching the bag.
It felt good to hit something hard, and it wasn't long before he started to kick the bag.
He continued to punch and kick until he'd worked up a sweat. Then he decided he'd go for a run. He had his com with him, so if someone needed to contact him about a rescue mission, they could.
He'd just exited the gym when he saw Teyla and Torren slowly approaching him.
"Hey, Teyla, I thought you were going to the mess hall?"
"I was, but I thought you might like to come too. I could use the company."
He had no idea what to say to her. Everyone knew how Teyla and John felt about each other. But while Teyla was with Kanaan, there was no way John would act on those feelings. Perhaps she was struggling with John was missing more than he was.
He had yet to learn where Kanaan was, but when he turned up, Ronon would give Kanaan a piece of his mind for not being here for Teyla and Torren.
Sighing, he took her hand, "I think it's about time I ate something."
Taking Torren's hand, they walked towards the mess hall.
oOo
They had been walking for half an hour when John heard running water. That was a relief because he needed an excuse for a rest. He was in agony and wanted to pass out, but he knew he needed to keep going for Rollo and Jallell's sake.
Suddenly, a tug on his sleeve caught his attention.
"John, can we stop to fill up our water bottles?"
He smiled at the girl, thankful for an excuse to stop, "sure, how much further is it to the stream?"
Rollo smiled at him, "Not far. It's at the end of this tunnel."
Trixie was trying to get away from Rollo, and John could see him struggling with the dog, "maybe you can put her down when we reach the stream. But remember to keep an eye on her."
"Yes, I think she needs to go," Rollo replied.
John chuckled at his comment, so things were the same no matter what planet you were on.
His arm was becoming more painful with every step, and by the time they reached the stream, he was happy to sit with his back against the wall.
"Are you okay, John?" Jallel asked, sitting beside him.
He smiled at her, but it was probably more of a grimace, "I'm fine. But I don't think I can fill up my water bottle. Do you think you can do it for me?"
"I'll get Rollo to do it," Jallell suggested with a small smile.
He sensed that Jallell was trying to put on a brave face. John suspected that her mother and sister were dead at the hands of the Wraith, and he didn't know how to comfort the child. That was more Teyla's department, so if they ever returned to Atlantis, he would ask for her help.
Suddenly, Rollo shouted, "Trixie, don't go near the water!"
John was on his feet in a second, running towards the stream - as fast as he could with a shredded arm.
He arrived at the water's edge just in time to see Trixie fall into the water.
Great, he thought, now I'll have to go in after her.
Rollo looked like he was going to jump in after her, so he held out his arm to hold him back.
"Please, John," Rollo begged, "Trixie can't swim."
The current on the stream wasn't that strong, so he could see where the dog was and the poor creature struggling to keep her head above water. Although Trixie seemed to be tiring, and he was sure she'd go under soon.
"I'll go in after her, " he offered, regretting the offer as soon as he'd made it.
He took off his sling and jumped in the water, where he got the shock of his life. Number one, it was deeper than he initially thought, and secondly, it was so cold that it felt like a thousand tiny needles were pricking him all over his body.
He took a deep breath and used his good arm to swim towards Trixie. Luckily, he was in good physical condition, so it wasn't long before he reached the dog.
By this time, his injured arm was numb, and he had no idea how he was going to hold the dog and swim to safety. Trixie must have thought the same thing, because she climbed on his back and put her tiny paws on his shoulders. Unfortunately, her claws were digging into his back - luckily, they weren't as sharp as the beast that had tried to rip his arm off.
Feeling exhausted, he slowly swan back to where the children sat on the bank. By the time he reached them, he barely had enough energy to get out of the stream. I must have lost a lot of blood, he thought as Rollo took the dog off his back.
He was relieved that the dog was off him because it made it much easier to drag himself out of the cold water. When he'd managed the feat, he lay on his back staring at the roof, and it didn't take him long to realise that Jallell was beside him with a blanket.
"Why don't you rest for a while," Rollo suggested, "and when you wake up, you can have some food before we walk to the ring."
The kid was right. He needed to rest, but he also knew he needed to keep going. Looking at the kids' faces, he realised they wanted to stop, so he agreed, "All right, but only for a little while."
Jallel put a blanket over him, and he wondered where she had got it from. But he was too tired to ask, so he closed his eyes instead. He had no intention of falling asleep, but it probably wouldn't hurt to close his eyes for a few minutes.
oOo
Rodney left the infirmary and went straight to his lab. He knew he had to create a dialling program to get around whatever the Wrath were doing to the gate, but he'd prefer to try and find out what those creatures were that attacked Sheppard.
When he arrived in his lab, the first thing he did was check to make sure Zelenka wasn't there. When he was sure he was alone, he locked the door. He had too much work to do to make idle chatter with the little scientist.
Sighing, he turned on his computer and set some simulations running. He'd done several calculations earlier, and hopefully, they would work so he would be able to disable the Wraith's dialling program.
While his simulations were running, he looked through Atlanis' database to see if he could find any mention of the hideous beast that had tried to rip Sheppard's arm off.
He'd searched through three files when his computer beeped, indicating one of his simulations was complete, and much to his disgust, it didn't work. So, he put his research on monstrous creatures aside and tried to write another set of calculations to shut the gate down.
Suddenly, he felt tired, and although he wanted to fall asleep, he knew he couldn't because Sheppard's life depended on him finding a solution to the dialling problem.
Once he'd worked out a new set of calculations, he put them into his computer and ran another simulation. While the simulation was running, he went back to researching monsters.
He felt his eyes closing and wondered if he should go and get some coffee.
A knock on the door brought him out of his foggy state, "Who's there?" He asked cautiously, hoping it wasn't Zelenka.
"It's Jennifer, and I've brought you some food," was the muffled reply through the door.
Standing, he slowly walked over and unlocked the door, and he was happy to see Jennifer standing there with a plate of sandwiches and a cup of coffee.
"How's it going, Rodney?"
"I don't seem to be getting anywhere fast."
"Well, why don't you take a break to have something to eat and then I'll help you with your research?"
He looked at her with a stunned look on his face. He had no idea how she could help him write a dialling program. However, she might be able to help him research the creatures that had attacked Sheppard.
"Sure, I'd love your help. Can you research what attacked Sheppard, and I'll get back to my dialling program?"
She nodded eagerly, while he took a bite of his sandwich. He sensed they were in for a long day, so he took a deep breath and got to work.
oOo
The sound of a dog barking brought John out of his slumber. Next, he heard a child shouting, "Trixie, please stay here?!"
That was Rollo speaking, and the boy's voice sounded urgent, so he opened his eyes just in time to see Rollo running after the dog. Jallell was standing near the exit to the cavern, and she looked about to cry.
Instantly, he tried to roll over but soon realised he was injured. He moaned and used his good arm to push himself to his feet. Ignoring the agony he was in, he turned to face Jallell, "Please stay here? I'm going after your brother."
"You have to find him," she begged through her tears.
Nodding at her, he turned and ran out of the cavern. He didn't want to leave Jallell alone, but he didn't want to endanger her either.
It took him a few minutes to catch up with Rollo, and even from a distance, he could hear the boy sobbing. However, that was nothing to the sound of Wraith Darts flying overhead. Although they were still in the cave, he could hear the darts whining as they flew over. The roof was also shaking, so there was a good chance there was more than one.
He saw daylight up ahead and immediately knew what Rollo was about to do, "don't go out there!" He shouted at the boy.
Rollo turned to stare at him and shook his head before running out of the cave.
He knew he was in trouble now, and even though he was in extreme pain, he had to try and protect the children at all costs, so taking a deep breath, he ran after the boy.
When he left the cave, he had to shield his eyes against the bright sunlight, so it took him a few moments to adjust. When he finally got his bearings, the first thing he saw was a dart's beam heading towards Rollo, so with one almighty effort, he ran towards the boy and tried to push him out of the way. Unfortunately, he was too late, and they were both swept up in the beam. Aw Crap, now we're in trouble was John's last thought before he lost consciousness.
TBC…