At The Sign Of The Happy Helg

Chapter 15

Elizabeth folded her arms in an effort to appear calm and in control, rather than fidgety and on the verge of panic.  She felt her eyebrows contract and her mouth tighten and thin and she made a determined attempt to smooth her features back into her diplomat's bland competence.

"You're sure there's been no activity, either at the farm or the cave."

"Nothing, Dr Weir.  It's a clear half hour after the deadline, but nothing's happening." came Lorne's voice over the comms.  "And Dr McKay and Dr Beckett..."

"Yes?" Elizabeth noticed her voice drop into the lower register that always seemed natural when exercising determined restraint.  She wondered what predicament the two men had got themselves into and who had been the instigator; her money was on Rodney.

"We left them at the camp, but they're not there now."

"Any signs of a struggle?"

"No, Ma'am!  And their packs are gone."

Elizabeth felt tension creep into her expression once more.  She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and then opened them again.

"Major, do you think you can take the farmhouse?"

"I think so.  We can use a cloaked Jumper, throw a couple of flash-bangs through the windows and then go in."

"I'll leave the details up to you.  Report back in one hour.  Atlantis out."

oOo

Teyla knew the time was near and she could feel that John knew it too.  Karron still maintained a distance, still held his weapon trained on them, still gestured them to go first with sharp jerks of his flashlight, but he was on the edge of panic.  They stumbled forward, barely able to see in the fleeting flickers of light, moving by touch and instinct, hands feeling for walls either side and obstacles ahead.  Then, once again, the walls flared out and the sound of their laboured breath and weary, uneven progress whispered off into a void.  First John and then Teyla let themselves down a short drop onto a smooth, gritty surface and Karron's flashlight shone out over the mirror-like surface of a lake.

"Move away!" Karron stuttered, nervously.  "Right away!  And turn around!"

Teyla trod slowly down the gentle slope to the water's edge, John at her side, his arms tight around his body, his breath harsh and shuddering.  They needed to get out and get warm.  Teyla had kept going through force of will and repeated bursts of adrenaline, but she knew she could not carry on much longer and John was clearly hypothermic.  Nevertheless, when their chance came they both needed to be able to react.

The sound of a heavy fall and the wild bouncing of the light announced Karron's landing.

"Stay there!" His voice was even more unsteady and Teyla could tell the effects of his soaking in the icy water were taking their toll.  The light dimmed suddenly and jolted as Karron tried to shake some more life into its depleted power cells.  Teyla looked at John and met his eye; the light failed.

She dived to one side and hoped John had dived the other way as shots rang out and, in the split-second flashes that accompanied each report, Teyla turned and marked Karron's position.  He stopped firing and she could hear him heaving great, sobbing breaths. 

"Don't move!"  There was desperation and near madness in his broken cry.  "I know you're there!" He fired again, wildly and the gritty surface crunched as he took a few hasty steps along the shore.

Teyla hoped John would stay still and trust her; he could not move with anything like her stealth on a good day, and this had not been a good day for John Sheppard.  She closed her eyes, which made no difference to the light levels but helped Teyla to focus her other senses.  Softly, slowly, she turned and, raising one foot, brought it down ahead of her, so, so gently that there was barely a whisper of sound.  In her mind, Teyla prepared; there would be no mercy for this man who was prepared to hurt and kill, to kidnap and conspire, to lead others into darkness and risk, and not count the cost.  It was easy to be fooled into thinking that Teyla's calm demeanor and considered actions meant that she could not be coldly, brutally pragmatic if the need arose; the need had arisen and Teyla intended to kill rather than subdue.  Their own lives were in danger and a murderous prisoner would exacerbate their problems; therefore he would die.