Emerging (4/4)

[yappichick]

Nearly an hour passed before they were able to determine which order of symbols successfully established a wormhole. As Peter controlled the MALP through the event horizon, Teyla allowed herself a brief glimmer of hope. Perhaps she would be able to convince Elizabeth to allow a rescue mission.

“We’re receiving visual telemetry,” Peter announced.

Teyla and Elizabeth stepped slightly closer to the screen. There was nothing coming over the screen.

“I can’t see anything,” Elizabeth said, squinting at the screen.

McKay looked at a readout to the side. “There are no atmospheric readings at all.”

Suddenly, a round object passed by the screen quickly. Teyla pointed to the screen. “What was that?”

“Rotate the camera,” McKay told Grodin.

A couple of keystrokes caused the camera to turn around. Teyla frowned as the image appeared. It took a couple of seconds for her to process the fact it wasn’t on solid ground. In fact, Teyla was pretty sure what they had seen on the screen was a planet.

“Well, there goes that MALP,” complained Rodney.

“It is floating in space,” Teyla commented, wondering if Stargates floating above planets was a normal thing.

McKay nodded. “It’s in high orbit around a planet on the far side of the galaxy,” he replied as he studied the data coming from the MALP.

Elizabeth watched the dizzying footage as the MALP continued to spin around in the vacuum of space. “You’re sure this is the right address?”

McKay shrugged. “It’s the only one we could get a lock on.”

“Very well. Shut it down.” She turned to face Teyla, a sincere frown on her face. “I’m sorry, Major.” She closed her eyes briefly before walking away.

Teyla looked at the screen, feeling as helpless as the MALP was floating in space. That was it? The lives of those who were taking were just to be forgotten? To walk away now went against every fiber of her being.

“There must be something we can do,” Teyla said softly.

Rodney looked at her briefly. “Come with me, Major,” McKay said, walking out of the control room.

As they continued walking down the hallways, now flooded with bright sunlight, Teyla’s mind raced to figure out some kind of solution. She laughed inwardly. It wasn’t like she could steal a chopper and go on a rescue mission.

Then again, Teyla thought as they entered into a large room, maybe she was wrong.

It was a hangar. True, she admitted inwardly as she stepped inside, the aircraft were different, but there was no doubt in her mind what this room was. There were at least a dozen crafts; most of them had a couple of scientists studying them.

“This way,“ Rodney said as he led her to one of the oblong ships. As they approached, the rear hatch of the vessel opened, courtesy of Teyla’s ATA gene. The lights flickered to life as they walked inside the small ship.

Teyla looked around. The rear compartment was relatively small; it could hold about a half dozen people with their gear. She ducked her head slightly as she stepped forward. In the front, two seats were placed in front of a large control panel. Instinctively, Teyla touched the console, causing it to light up.

“Do you think you can fly it?” he asked.

“I think it would be wise to find out.” She took a seat and waited for McKay to do the same.

With a quick thought, the engines were activated and the ship floated slightly off the ground. This, Teyla thought with a smile, was too easy.

To the side of her, Rodney was not enjoying the sudden movement. He looked around frantically. “Where are the seatbelts? Do you know what could happen if we crashed into something? The fatality rate--”

“Dr. McKay,” she said calmly, “I am not going to crash into anything.”

Turning on the engines was a good thing, but Teyla wondered how she was going to take this ship out to test its ability to fly. As if sensing her thoughts, a large hatch on the side of the bay opened, allowing her a way to exit the room.

“That was convenient,” she commented.

Rodney gripped his seat as the ship effortlessly started to rise. “I knew I should have had Zelenka show you this,” he complained. He craned his neck, trying to look at the floor. “Watch out for the beams overhead and the other ships.”

Teyla smiled patiently. “I am, Dr. McKay.”

She needed to see how the ship flew, how it could maneuver, how fast it could go. This could be her way of saving those people. She looked at McKay mischievously, filled with an optimism that she hadn’t felt since she stepped through the Stargate.

“I hope you enjoy flying,” she said simply before guiding the ship out of the hatch.

Seconds later, they were hovering over the city of Atlantis. She drew in a breath as the vastness of Atlantis shone; they hadn’t even begun to see a glimmer of how huge the city was. Dozens of towers glistened in the sunlight. The architecture of the buildings were stunning. Even her passenger couldn’t help but to notice.

“Wow, uh, seems we’ll be exploring this for a while,” he said, still gripping the seat of his chair.

“Yes, it does,” she said, continuing the guide the ship further through the planet’s atmosphere.

“What are you doing?” McKay squeaked.

Teyla couldn’t help but to be amused. Here was a man who walked through wormholes created by the Ancients but he was scared to fly in the machine created by them. “I am seeing how this ship flies in space,” she said calmly. “It does need to be space travel worthy in order to save our people.”

“Did I miss the memo where it said you were part of NASA?” he shot back.

“Hang on,” she said as they cleared the atmosphere.

To both of their surprise, there was no jolt as they entered open space; the inertial
dampeners on the ship were far superior than either of them had expected. Effortlessly, she guided the ship, making basic maneuvers throughout space.

“Do you think Dr. Weir will allow a rescue team to go after our people when we show her this?” Teyla asked, knowing how familiar he was with Elizabeth.

He nodded. “I think she would. I’ll talk to her. You know, if we survive the landing and all that.”

“Thank you,” she said, entering the ship into the planet’s atmosphere. As much as she would love the fly the ship around, getting accustomed to the way it flew and associating herself with all the controls, she knew the time was running out for those who were captured by the Wraith.

Moments later, she landed the craft back in its bay and released the rear hatch.

“Do you want to come with me?” McKay asked, grateful to be on firm land again.

Teyla shook her head. “I would like to try to determine what some of these controls do.”

He frowned. “Just make sure you don‘t fly and crash in the wall.”

As he walked out of the cabin, Teyla felt hope. Those people would be saved. She knew she still needed to overcome the obstacle of convincing Elizabeth, but she hoped that the doctor would see how necessary it was to rescue those people.

She scanned over the controls. It was fortunate that she didn’t have to know what any of the controls meant; she had been unable to take a crash course in Ancient written language before the expedition. Still, she thought, it would be nice if she could hide from the Wraith.

The ship made an awkward sound. She looked around, but didn’t see anything. She would need Dr. McKay to figure out what kind of defense mechanisms the ship had, if any.

She looked through the window, watching the scientists work. One of them, a taller man with a ponytail, was walking right towards the ship. She tried to call out to him, but he seemed oblivious to the fact the vessel was there.

With a loud thud, he walked right into the ship.

“What the hell?” he yelled.

Teyla ran out of the back of the ship, running towards the injured man.

“Are you alright? Should I page Dr. Beckett?” she asked.

“No,” he said, annoyed. “What did you do anyway?” he asked, holding his forehead.

“Me? I did nothing. You walked into the ship,” she replied indignantly. She pointed behind her to the ship.

Nothing was there.

She frowned. “I was sitting in the cabin of the ship. I watched you walk into the front of it,” she explained.

“And you didn’t think you should warn me?” he spat out.

“I tried,” she countered.

He stood up, picking up the tablet he dropped. He carefully walked forward, putting one hand out until he touched the outside of the ship. “Well, I guess we can add cloaking technology to the list of things this thing can do. Just one more thing McKay will want to know about.” He frowned at her as he walked away.

Cloaking technology? This was exactly what they needed. Quickly, she found the back of the ship and entered it.

She couldn’t wait to show Dr. McKay what she discovered.

Several minutes later, she saw Elizabeth and Dr. McKay entering the bay. The ship was already cloaked; the engines were humming quietly.

“What is that noise?” Elizabeth asked, looking around the room.

Rodney looked around, confused. “I don’t…She was right here.” He spun around the room. “Major?”

Teyla decided the teasing had gone on long enough; she uncloaked the ship, but left it hovering off the ground a few inches. She opened a comm channel. “Do you believe this will give us enough of a tactical advantage?” she asked Elizabeth.

Weir looked at the ship in amazement, but was still unwilling to relent. “Alright, so you can fly that thing. It doesn’t mean a rescue attempt will be successful.”

“Doctor,” Teyla replied confidently, “with this, I can assure you it will be.”

*************************

Less than twenty minutes later, Ford and a group of Marines were loaded in the ship with Teyla.

“All right, boys, get ready to go,” Ford said as the rear door closed. Most of the Marines stayed in the back, but Ford came to the front, taking a seat next to Teyla. He activated the comm channel. “Gate Ship One, ready to go.”

Teyla cut off the audio feed. “Gate Ship One?” she asked. “Do you know think the name is rather…excessive?”

“What?” Ford asked defensively. “It’s a ship. It goes through the Gate. Gate Ship One. It‘s a good name.”

Teyla shook her head. “I have to respectfully disagree, Lieutenant. This is nothing more than a little puddle jumper.”

Ford sat back in his seat, frowning. “Doctor McKay thought it was cool,” he huffed.

“But Doctor McKay is not a pilot,” she countered. She opened the audio link. “Flight, this is…” she paused as she thought for a second. “Puddle Jumper. We are ready for launch.” She turned to Ford, who was nodding.

“That would have been my second choice,” he said with a slight grin.

“Er, this is Flight. I thought we were going with Gate Ship?” replied Rodney.

Teyla couldn’t help a small smile. She knew that Rodney hated when things changed unexpectedly. “Negative, Flight.”

“Stand by.” There was a long pause. Teyla could only imagine what was going on in the control room. Finally, he spoke again. “Fine, Puddle Jumper, you are clear for launch.” There was no mistaking the irritation in his voice.

Teyla nodded. “Dial the gate, Lieutenant,” she said, her mind now fully focused on the rescue mission.

He reached in between them and dialed the coordinates. The ceiling above them opened, allowing them access to the Gate room. As the jumper rose up, Teyla could see the bluish glow of the established wormhole. With a simple thought, Teyla guided the jumper through the gate.

Seconds later, they arrived on the other side of the wormhole. Instantly, Teyla cloaked her ship. As she effortlessly guided the ship, she couldn’t help but to be surprised at the ease of controlling such a vessel.

“It looks like you got the hang of it,” Ford commented.

She nodded. “This is the most amazing ship I have ever flown in. I could never imagine anything like this. It is almost as if it reads your mind.”

Suddenly, a holographic readout appeared over the front window.

“Did you just do that?” Ford asked.

“I was just wondering where we should go from here,” Teyla said, eyeing the display.

“I’ll take that as a yes.” Ford looked at her with amusement. He looked out to the large planet below. Even if the jumper led them to a location close to where the Wraith had taken their people, it would still be difficult to find the people taken by the Wraith. “So how do we find them once we land?”

Teyla shook her head. “I do not know, but I have been trying to figure that out. Perhaps, we will--”

Beside her, a panel opened up revealing a small rectangular device with a tiny readout screen. She took it off the wall and placed it into her jacket pocket. This was almost too easy, she thought.

“It was convenient,” Ford noted.

Teyla nodded. Maybe she was overcomplicating the mission. “Perhaps, if I think of the people that were captured, the ship could beam them aboard and we would not have to go to the planet‘s surface.” She thought about Sumner and the others for a couple of seconds.

They looked around, waiting for them to materialize.

“I guess it would be too easy,” Teyla replied, disappointed her idea didn’t work.

“It was worth a try,” Ford said simply.

Within several seconds, they were entering the planet’s atmosphere. The ship was guiding itself to the location the computer had plotted. As they started to land, Teyla got a glimpse of what they were going to have to infiltrate.

This was going to be harder than she thought.

An enormous structure, covered in trees and growth was in front of them. To the side of her, Ford frowned. “They’re in that thing?” he asked.

“It would appear that way,” she said.

Ford nodded. “All right, men, let’s lock and load,” he said as he entered the rear of the ship.

Teyla landed the jumper, decloaking the vessel. She stood up, checked her P-90 and stepped outside. The Marines and she checked the immediate area. There were no signs of the Wraith here.

Good, she thought, at least they hadn’t been detected. Yet.

“Alright,” she said, “I want teams of two to search the area. Lay down defenses as you see fit. When we leave, we are going to need some kind of explosion set up as a diversion.” She looked at the solider closest to her. “Two clicks, you’re clear to talk.”

Stackhouse nodded. “Yes, sir.”

“Do not engage the enemy,” she ordered. She faced Ford. “Come with me.”

******************

Teyla led Ford down the darkened corridor. So far the resistance they had met from the Wraith was minimal; obviously they were unaccustomed to people coming back for those that had been taken. Teyla was grateful, she would take any advantage she would get.

She and Ford ducked into a corner as they heard footsteps approaching. A creature Teyla assumed to be a Wraith stormed by, not bothering to look around for any intruders. After he passed by, the two of them stepped out from the shadows.

“I did not expect infiltrating the building to be so easy,” Teyla admitted softly.

Ford nodded. “That’s the first one we’ve seen,” he agreed. Quietly, he reached up and planted some C4 on the wall.

Now that they had encountered their first Wraith, Teyla thought it would be wise to see how the device she found in the jumper worked. She pulled it out, looking at the screen. “This should be him,” she said, referring to the dot that to retreating. “Go over there,” she instructed Ford.

A tiny dot blinked, showing Ford’s movements. “Yes, that is you.”

“So we got ourselves a life signs detector,” Ford said, grinning.

“Yes, it would appear that way,” Teyla said, looking at the screen. They walked down the corridor several yards when Teyla noticed something encouraging. “Perhaps, these are the prisoners,” she said hopefully. She held out the device to show Ford several green dots grouped close together.

Ford nodded. “Might be, but we need to be careful, in case it‘s a trap.”

Slowly, they walked down the long hallway. Two guards were walking down the path, but thanks to the detector, Ford and Teyla were able to keep themselves hidden from their view.

Once the area was clear, they continued down the path. Finally, they found an area with several large cells.

Teyla nodded towards the middle cell where the life signs detector showed the prisoners. They cautiously cleared the area before approaching the cell door.

“Major?” Johnathyn asked, clearly surprised.

“We must be quiet. There are several Wraiths who are patrolling the area,” Teyla replied. She stepped up to the bars and saw a couple of Marines and several Athosians sitting in the cell.

Johnathyn stepped to her and reached out carefully touching her stitches. “Are you ok?” he asked sincerely.

“I am fine,” she replied.

He moved his fingers away from her wound and took a step back. “How did you find us?”

“Are the others safe?” Dafyd quickly asked.

Teyla nodded. “We evacuated your people to our planet. They are all well.” She looked around the cell. “Where is Colonel Sumner?”

Bates stood up. “He was taken by the Wraith a while ago. He hasn’t returned.”

Teyla frowned. This would complicate the rescue considerably. She didn’t want to separate from Ford, but she didn’t have a choice. She wouldn’t let this affect her drive; she would get every person off this planet and back to Atlantis.

“This changes things,” she said quietly to Ford. She tapped her radio twice.

“This is Stackhouse, go ahead, Ma’am.”

“We need something to distract the Wraith. I need you and the others to let the Wraith know they are not alone,” she replied.

“Yes, Ma‘am.”

Teyla turned to Ford, stepping slightly away from the cell. “Prepare the C4. When I give you the signal, I want you to blow a hole and evacuate these people.” She held up the life signs detector. “I should be able to find the Colonel with this. If I do not return in twenty minutes, blow the cells and leave.”

“You’re the only one who can fly us out of here,” Ford replied, worried.

“I will get to the jumper. With the Colonel,” she assured him.

Ford shook his head. “I should be the one to go, sir,” he argued. “Just in case…”

“Stay here,” she insisted. “Get ready. I will find him.” She turned around, armed with her P-90 and her detector and set off.

*********************

Twenty minutes was not going to be enough time.

She had severely underestimated how large the structure was; most of it must have been buried underground. She had been walking nearly non-stop for over ten minutes, twisting and turning through the elaborate hallways. She wasn’t able to move as fast as she would like; each step she took had to be silent.

Teyla frowned as she looked at the life signs detector. So far, the device she held was good at warning her that there were upcoming Wraith guards, but it wasn’t as successful in finding Sumner.

She ducked behind a corner as another Wraith guard walked by. She had been fortunate, so far she hadn’t needed to fire a single shot and they hadn’t noticed her.

The hallways were beginning to look similar; she hoped she would be able to find her way out once she had found Sumner. She checked the readout, turned the corner and continued making her way through the corridors.

She knew that her time was running out. A quick glance at her watch showed she had seven minutes left.

Suddenly, she heard a loud, painful scream.

It was Colonel Sumner.

Teyla clutched her gun and began to run in the direction she had heard the sound. Several yards later, she reached a T-intersection. She looked at the readout, hoping she was close enough to the Colonel to detect him.

There was no sign of Sumner.

Going with her instinct, she turned to the left and continued down the passageway. Finally, several seconds later, a green dot showing Sumner’s location appeared on the readout. She ran to the end of the hallway where the wall opened up, giving her access to see the ground below her.

On the floor beneath her, there was a large banquet table with a skeleton sitting at the end of it. There was a Wraith woman with strikingly red, long hair and a guard standing next to her in the center of the room. Besides the table another guard was standing close to an old man who was on the floor, kneeling next to female Wraith.

Teyla looked at him and tried not to gasp as she realized that she was looking at a significantly aged Colonel Sumner. He looked like he was ninety years old.

What had they done to him?

The Wraith with the red hair was speaking to the Colonel, but Teyla wasn’t close enough to hear what she was talking about. She saw him defiantly look at her then say something to the Wraith. Suddenly, she reached out, putting her hand on his chest.

The Colonel screamed again.

Quickly, she aimed her P-90 and fired at the creature that was holding Sumner. The shot hits its mark, but it didn’t distract the Wraith as Teyla thought it would. The female Wraith looked around, trying to determine where the bullets came from, but didn’t move away from the Colonel. Teyla turned her fire to the guard standing next to the red headed Wraith.

She shot him in the chest two times, causing him to crumble on the ground. She turned her attention to the other guard and shot him squarely in the shoulder. He fell back, unable to keep his balance. Once he was on the ground, she fired one more shot to make sure he didn’t get up again.

Teyla aimed the P-90 at the Wraith woman again. Before she pulled the trigger, she looked at Sumner who had somehow gotten even older. It seemed as though the Wraith was literally sucking the life out of him.

Sumner made eye contact with her, holding her gaze. He nodded at her, pleading silently for an act of mercy from her.

Kill me, his eyes begged.

Teyla paused, unable to convince herself to squeeze the trigger. Shooting a fellow officer went against everything she stood for; it meant she thought there was no hope for him. No, she thought stubbornly, there had to be a way to save him.

The Wraith hissed again as she continued to drain his life.

“Please,” he mouthed, wanting his suffering to end.

She froze, unable to give him his request. Adjusting her gun slightly, Teyla closed her eyes and fired. Her aim was perfect; the bullet pierced the Wraith in the chest.

That caused the Wraith Keeper to turn around and face her. She snarled at her. Before Teyla could shoot her again, she heard heavy footsteps behind her.

Then, the world went black.

*******************

When Teyla opened her eyes, she was greeted by the disturbing view of a Wraith guard. He was holding her down on the table by her neck, making it unable for her to move. She shifted her gaze around, but only saw a darkened ceiling.

Lorne was right, she thought humorlessly, she did suck at rescue missions.

Somewhere to the side of her, she heard Sumner groaning in pain.

She turned her gaze to the female wraith, noticing she was still bleeding from where she had shot her in the hand. To her surprise, the Wraith held her hand up; the wound was healing before their eyes.

What kind of creatures were these?

The Wraith leaned forward and pulled out the life signs detector from Teyla’s pocket. She studied it for a second. Hey eyes narrowed as she realized where the device had come from.

“How did this come to you?” she demanded.

Despite being scared, Teyla would not let her intimation show. “I do not recall,” she replied.

The Wraith snarled again. She raised her hand; Teyla knew that she had better come to terms with aging quickly.

Suddenly, the guard who was holding her down was shot in the head. Teyla rolled away from the table and the continued gunfire, as the other guards fell to the ground. She looked up to the window she had been as she grabbed her radio.

Lieutenant Ford had found her.

She pressed the button on the radio. “Set off the C$ now, Sgt.,” she ordered.

As Ford continued to fire at the guards entering the room, she reached down and grabbed the long, spear-like gun from one of the corpses. The redheaded Wraith turned back towards her, her hand raised high.

Before the Wraith could attack, she rammed the spear through her chest, making it come through the other side. The Wraith gasped, looking down at the spear inside her. It was almost as though she couldn’t believe Teyla had managed to wound her.

“Not even you could survive that,” Teyla said, out of breath. She pulled it out of the Wraith and watched her fall to the ground.

The guards had been cleared out and Ford had made his way down to the floor level. He scanned the room, looking for any other Wraith as he walked to her.

“How did you find me?” she asked.

“Tread marks. Standard issue,” Ford answered simply. He looked around the room, not liking how out in the open they were. “Ma’am, we need to go.”

Before they could walk away, the Wraith keeper was lying on the floor, writhing in pain. “You don’t know what you have done. We are merely caretakers for those that sleep. When I die, the others will wake.” She gasped as the pain overwhelmed her. “All of them.”

She laughed evilly. “You will pay for what you have done.” Then she breathed her last breath.

Now that the Wraith was dead, Teyla put down the spear and grabbed her life signs detector. She had a feeling they were going to need it when they escaped.

“What’s she talking about? How many are left?” Ford wondered.

Teyla looked at the readout. Numerous dots began to appear on the screen. They were outnumbered. She looked up at the high ceilings, realizing what exactly was what above them.

It was a hive of some kind. The ceiling was honeycombed with hundred of cells. Based on the readout in front of her, each one contained a Wraith.

Ford handed her a pistol, realizing the seriousness of their situation. “Ma’am, we need to leave. Now.”

Teyla nodded, grabbing the firearm. “Bates,” she said into the radio, “we are evacuating.”

“So are we, Ma’am. Did you get Colonel Sumner?” asked Bates.

Teyla looked at the aged man, heavily breathing. “Yes, Sergeant, but it may take us a while to get back to the Jumper. The Colonel has been…injured by the Wraith,” she answered.

Ford looked Sumner as they lifted him up, allowing him to use their bodies like crutches. “What happened to him?” he asked, knowing the Colonel was in no position to talk.

Teyla shook her head, not wanting to talk about it in front of Sumner. “Not now, Lieutenant. We need to get back to the others.”

Slowly, Ford and Teyla made their way out of the large room, trying to make their way to the entrance. They followed their boot prints through the darkened hallways. As they turned a corner, several shots from the Wraith’s energy weapons were fired.

“Duck!“ Teyla called.

Fortunately, the guard’s aim was off and the energy bursts hit the wall behind them. Teyla had a feeling the next time they wouldn’t be so lucky.

They lowered themselves to the floor. Carefully, they leaned Sumner against the wall.

“Wait here,“ she whispered as she looked down the hallway. There was a single guard, aiming again at the two of them. Quickly, she raised her pistol and fired directly at the guard, shooting him twice in the chest.

“Good shot,“ Ford said as the creature crumpled to the ground.

She nodded as they lifted up Sumner again.

“Leave me here,” Sumner muttered. “I’m holding you back.”

Teyla shook her head. “We will be fine, sir.”

They continued their way through the darkened corridors. Ford shot another Wraith that was near the entrance of the structure. Finally, they saw the sunlight peeking through the entrance. They had made it out.

The group of escapees was waiting for them. Together, they went through the woods, knowing soon the Wraith would send out their fighter ships. “We must hurry,” Teyla said to Ford.

“Major,” Teyla said to Bates, “your priority is to get everyone to the ship. They are not going to take you again. The Jumper is over the hill. Stackhouse will be waiting for you. The Lieutenant and I will provide some distraction.””

Bates nodded as he hoisted Sumner over his shoulder. “Let’s go, people,” he shouted.

She grabbed her radio, activating the comm. channel. “Emmagan to Jumper.”

“Stackhouse here. Go ahead, Ma‘am.”

“We have a big problem,” she said as she cut through a clearing. “We have retrieved the others and are on our way back. I need everyone to be prepared for an immediate departure.”

“Understood.”

“Lieutenant,” she said to Ford. “You and I need to distract the Wraith. We need to give the others time to reach the jumper,” Teyla ordered. “I am going to the Jumper, to get some more firepower. You need to draw them away from the ship.”

Ford nodded. “Will do.”

Teyla ran ahead, keeping an eye open for any Wraith ships.

Soon, she approached the Jumper. Teyla took a rifle from the closest Marine. “Wait here. The others will be here soon.”

Teyla ran through the forest as a Wraith fighter flew overhead. She aimed, firing at the ship. She hit it several times, causing it to lose control and crash into the ground.

Fifty yards ahead of her, Ford and Johnathyn were ducking behind a large tree, trying to get cover from the shots the Wraith ship was firing. She made her way forward and fired at the other fighter. Smoke began spilling out of the back of the ship.

“Thank you, ma’am,” Ford said as he and Johnathyn made their way to her.

“We are even,” she said.

The three of them ran towards the Jumper, entering through the rear hatch. The other Marines came in as she sat at the controls.

“We got incoming fighters!” Stackhouse yelled.

She nodded, focusing on getting out of there. The Jumper responded quickly to her commands, rising and cloaking almost instantly. As they entered flew up, Teyla looked back at her passengers.

“Is everyone alright?” she asked.

Johnathyn nodded as he looked at the others. “We’re fine.”

Bates frowned. “I don’t know how much time he has left,” he replied, nodding towards the Colonel.

Ford walked forward, taking a seat besides Teyla. “I hope that was the hard part,” he said.

They exited the planet’s atmosphere, entering into space. Several Wraith ships were ahead of them, flying around. She looked ahead to the Stargate where at least a handful of fighters were waiting for them.

“Unfortunately, Lieutenant, I do not believe we have gotten to the hard part yet,” Teyla replied, her eyes not leaving the screen.

Johnathyn stood up, entering the front part of the cabin. “Crap,” he said, looking at the ships, “what are you going to do?”

“We’re safe as long as they can’t see us,” replied Ford. He shrugged. “At least we have that advantage.”

Teyla shook her head slightly. “They do not have to see us. There is only one way which we can escape. The minute we begin to dial the Gate, they will start shooting blind and hit us on our approach,” she said, frowning.

“Then how do we get through?” wondered Ford.

Teyla knew they were trapped; she had no idea where the closest Stargate was or even if the Jumper had enough power to fly to one. She thought for a few seconds. “We should draw then away from the Gate, and then double back,” she decided.

She decloaked the Jumper, hoping the plan would work. The fighters started moving away from the Gate when they saw the Jumper, pursuing them. The Wraith started shooting at them almost instantly. The cabin shook slightly as they took a direct hit.

“Well, at least the ship has some kind of shields,” remarked Ford.

She nodded. “Be prepared to dial the Gate on my mark,” she told Ford.

Behind her, Johnathyn was watching every move carefully.

Teyla focused on dodging the fire coming from the Wraith ships. It was becoming increasingly more difficult; they were concentrating their fire on the Jumper‘s engines. “Do you see anything like a weapons console over there?” she asked Ford.

The Jumper answered her. Right away, the ship’s systems fired off a drone, like the one she had seen in Antarctica. They watched as the drone flew towards the closest Wraith fighter. On impact, the drone exploded the ship.

“Try to go invisible again,” suggested Ford.

“I tried,” Teyla answered, shaking her head, “It must have gotten damaged when we got hit. Dial the Gate.”

She flew the Jumper closer to the Gate where two Wraith ships were still guarding it. Teyla fired a group of drones at one of the ships, destroying it. She guided the Jumper around the debris.

“Get ready to punch in your code on the next pass.”

Ford nodded as he took out his G.D.O., preparing to dial his IDC. “What’s the range on these things?” he wondered aloud.

Teyla raised her eyebrows. “We will soon find out.”

Again, she swung the Jumper towards the Stargate. Quickly, the drones destroyed the other ship protecting the Gate.

Now that the area had been cleared, Teyla focused on trying to outrun the Wraith ships that were closing in on their position. The screen showed her a rear view; there were three ships behind her, shooting at the jumper.

“Enter your code,” she told Ford. She turned back slightly to the others in the Jumper. “Hang on, everyone!”

Despite trying to get a lead on the Wraith fighters, Teyla had to shift the Jumper around, dodging the fire. Finally, Teyla was able to straighten out and fly the Jumper straight towards the Gate.

“We’re going too fast,” Ford said nervously.

“I know,” Teyla replied.

She approached into the event horizon with enormous speed. As they entered the Gate, she commanded the ship to shut down its engines. She only hoped the Jumper’s systems would have enough time to process her request before they went flying through the control room.

When they arrived at Atlantis, the Jumper raced through the Gate. Teyla grabbed the console, bracing for the impact, but the Jumper managed to stop before it collided with the walls in the gate room. Everyone remained still for a few moments, coming to terms with the fact they had somehow survived.

“That was too close,” Ford muttered, looking around the cabin.

Teyla allowed herself a brief smile as the Jumper began to rise, automatically returning back to the jumper bay. “Yes, Lieutenant, it was. But, at least we made it back.” She looked back to the Colonel who was hardly able to draw a breath. “Some better than others.”

******
Teyla did not want to be here.

Instead, she would rather be in her quarters, mediating, trying to bring some sense to the past 48 hours. Instead, thanks to Elizabeth’s insistence that she be there, Teyla was standing in the corner of a large balcony, watching everyone in the room, not feeling particularly festive.

Despite Carson’s best efforts, there was no way that he could reverse the aging that had occurred. Left with no other option, the doctor put the Colonel in a stasis pod, hoping that all some later time he could come up with a solution.

Carson assured her that he was in no pain and, thanks to her effort, maybe someday they would be able to restore Sumner to his former self.

Teyla shook herself out of her thinking as she heard Carson walking up to her with Rodney close behind him. “Major,” he greeted with a half-smile.

“Good evening,” she said quietly.

He looked at her for a few seconds, his gaze staying on the bandage on her forehead. “How’s the head doing?”

Teyla shrugged; she had been berating herself for her actions on the Wraith ship, she hadn’t thought much of her injuries. “It is doing as well as could be expected,” she answered.

“That’s good,” Carson replied. “Come down to the infirmary in a few days and we’ll see about getting those stitches out.”

Teyla nodded. “I will, Doctor.”

Rodney stepped forward. “Major, if you have time, there is this lab that Zelenka and his team found. We think it might--”

“Rodney,” Carson interrupted. “Dr. Weir made it specifically clear. There is to be no experiments tonight. We are to relax, remember?”

Rodney rolled his eyes. “Yes, I remember.” He looked at Teyla. “I’ll meet with you after breakfast tomorrow.”

“All right, Dr. McKay,” she said. She nodded to both men and walked out to the middle of the room. She crossed the room to where Ford was standing.

“I guess this is home now,” Ford said, looking around.

“I suppose it is,” Teyla replied thoughtfully.

Sensing her pensive mood, Ford joked, “I’m thinking of a little place with an ocean view. Out of the way.”

Teyla offered a slight smile. She appreciated the young man’s attempt to lighten the mood, but she couldn’t move pass what had happened to the Colonel. One minute he was a proud solider, the next he was one step away from his grave.

Elizabeth approached them from behind. “Major, Lieutenant,” she greeted, holding up mugs for the two of them. “I thought the occasion merited opening this. Compliments of General O’Neill.”

Teyla took the cup from Elizabeth. “Cheers,” she said, happiness not entering her voice.

Noticing her demeanor, Elizabeth turned towards her. “You did good, Teyla,” she said, trying to assure her.

“I do not know if I believe that,” responded Teyla, looking away.

“Hey,” Elizabeth argued, “you managed to rescue nearly every person who was taken by the Wraith. From what I heard from the Athosians, that has never been done before.”

Teyla drew in a deep breath, trying to move pass the guilt of not being able to rescue Sumner from being tortured and unleashing a dangerous new enemy. “I want to apologize, Dr. Weir. You were right. I have made things much worse. There is an enemy who will actively be seeking us and I have not made us many more friends,” she admitted.

“No?” Elizabeth asked, turning towards the Athosians milling around the room. “Look around you.”

The Athosians were walking around, talking to those in the expedition. She saw Jinto running around with several other young children. Dafyd was standing near Zelenka, talking animatedly about something.

“I have to agree with her, Major,” Johnathyn said with a smile. He stood in front of her and placed his hands on her shoulders, bowing his head forward.

She mimicked his movements, leaning her forehead against his. A moment later he pulled back.

“It’s our way of saying you‘ve earn our friendship,” he explained with a grin. “Don’t worry,” he said to them, “with our help, you’ll have many more friends.” He nodded towards Elizabeth. “Dr. Weir is right. No one has ever been saved after they have been culled by the Wraith. When people hear able this, they will feel hope. That’s something we haven’t had in a long time.”

Teyla smiled sincerely. “Thank you.”

He nodded as he walked away.

“One more thing, Major,” Elizabeth called as Teyla started to turn around. “Something I’d like for you to sleep on. I have a few thoughts on it myself, but…”

Teyla was confused. “Thoughts about what?”

“Who the members of your team might be,” Elizabeth replied simply.

Teyla couldn’t believe what Elizabeth was suggesting. “My team?”

“Well,” Elizabeth replied with a smile, “you are the ranking military officer now, or do you need to be reminded of that? We need to get back out there…do what we came to do.”

Teyla walked with her as she gazed at the expansive ocean in front of them. “You do know that I I will do things in a way that Colonel Sumner would not.”

Elizabeth smiled. “I knew that when I invited you on the expedition, Major. Don’t wait too long though. We need to start getting out there and developing some alliances.”

Teyla looked around and spotted Ford and Johnathyn who were talking to Rodney. Rodney, for his part, was rolling his eyes at something the young Lieutenant has said and was busy correcting him.

Though her heart ached for the familiar presence of Evan and Halling, Teyla knew she needed to move on from her past. They weren’t anything like her former comrades, but there was something about the three men that Teyla knew would make a good team.

She turned to Elizabeth, a slight smile on her face. “I think I will have a decision ready for you soon, Dr. Weir.”

****************