FIC: 2/? Las Cinco Muertes (SGA AU - McKay/Sheppard - NC17)
TITLE: Las Cinco Muertes
AUTHOR: Tarlan
RATING: NC-17 McKay/Sheppard, Jack O'Neill and Daniel Jackson mentioned
DISCLAIMER: Not mine! Jurassic Park and Stargate Atlantis belong to someone else.
SUMMARY: After hearing about the dinosaurs of Jurassic Park, paleontologist Rodney McKay wants to see them for himself. He hires big game hunter, John Sheppard to protect him... but disaster strikes when they arrive on the island.
CHALLENGE: fanfic100 challenge 053. Earth and anotheratlantis challenge 40.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The five main islands in Las Cinco Muertes are: Isla Matanceros, Isla Muerte, Isla Sorna, Isla Tacano, and Isla Pena
Another part! I must be at least halfway through now!
With morning came the strange cries of exotic creatures but it was the scrabbling over the metal that brought Rodney awake with a start.
"Oh no."
"Yeah," came a disembodied voice from lower down. "It's real...not a nightmare."
More scrabbling brought Rodney's head around and he flinched backwards as something stared in through the window, its huge eye watching him with curiosity. Rodney let out a shaky breath as the immense head grabbed the branch beside the helicopter's fusilage and pulled back but his relief was short lived as the whole tree vibrated alongside the cracking of branches. He turned to Sheppard only to meet eyes widened in concern. Another crack and the helicopter shifted.
"Make it stop!"
"What?!" Sheppard looked to him in disbelief and even Rodney could see the stupidity in asking Sheppard to try to stop the massive brachiosaurus from pushing them out of the tree.
He cried out as the whole thing shifted again, dropping maybe ten feet, fingers scratching for purchase against the worn leather interior seats. Rodney fell, the breath knocked out of him momentarily by one of Sheppard's bony knees. He felt arms grabbing him, holding him tight as the helicopter dropped again, its nose dipping until the helicopter was almost vertical and pointing down, leaving him pressing John into the backs of the pilot and front passenger seats. He yelled, refusing to admit that he was screaming into Sheppard's neck, as branches cracked beneath them, his fingers tightening around Sheppard even as Sheppard's hand clenched around his uninjured arm with bruising force. Unable to tear his eyes away from his unobstructed view straight through the cockpit's front window and down to the ground below, Rodney screamed again in terror as, suddenly, the jungle floor was coming up way too fast. Seemingly at the last second, the helicopter lurched to a halt a mere ten feet off the ground.
"Mc...Kay?"
Rodney froze in place, terrified to move or even to breath.
"McKay?!" He felt Sheppard pushing at him and Rodney lowered his eyes away from the still terrifying sight, aware of wet warmth on his leg. His eyes met Sheppard's and slid away quickly as Rodney flushed with embarrassment.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, in a tiny voice. "I think I wet myself."
Sheppard grimaced slightly. "So how about you get off me then, buddy."
"Oh...yes." It took a few attempts to gain enough purchase to move off of Sheppard and, embarrassing as the situation was, Rodney felt the loss of Sheppard's body pressed close to his quite keenly.
Carefully, Sheppard opened the side door, wincing as gravity took it and the helicopter vibrated from the redistribution of weight.
"Okay, so we're still in the tree, about ten feet from the ground. Climb down and I'll drop down the stuff we'll need for the hike to the airstrip."
"What if there's something down there?"
"Something?"
"With teeth."
"Okay," Sheppard drawled, stretching out the word. "As we don't have a choice about staying in here. How about we drop what we need and then I'll climb down and watch for danger while you climb down?"
Rodney blinked and then scrubbed a hand over his face but he couldn't think of a better plan. He nodded, feeling extremely weary as the initial adrenaline rush ebbed. Another creak of a branch had Rodney freezing and he thought, for a moment, that the brachiosaurus was still grazing on the tree but he could see no sign of it now, aware that it was probably frightened off by the sound of the helicopter falling.
Sheppard pulled a weird face. "Let's make this quick." He began opening up compartments and pulling out various pieces of equipment, throwing them out the door to land in the thick vegetation safely, a little distance from the stricken helicopter.
Rodney grabbed what luggage he had in the rear seating compartment and passed it to Sheppard, watching with dismay as it was dropped the ten feet to the ground with an audible thud.
"That everything?" Sheppard asked and Rodney nodded.
"How are you...?" Rodney indicated towards the outside and the ground below.
"We climb."
"Don't you have a rope? Or something...?"
"It's only ten feet, McKay. Didn't you ever climb trees as a kid?"
"I'm....not so good with heights."
"Really?"
Rodney bristled at the heavy sarcasm but then Sheppard wasn't the one staring a gravity crushing death right in the face only a short time ago. He bristled some more as Sheppard wrinkled up his nose.
"Hope you've got spare pants, McKay."
He poked a finger in Sheppard's chest. "Let's just hope we don't come face-to-face with a velociraptor or a T-Rex, or you'll be needing spare pants too," he snarled. Sheppard gave him a tight smile, slipped a hand gun into the waistband of his pants, and then climbed out of the helicopter, swinging down easily like a monkey. He landed lightly, drawing the gun and checking around before looking up to Rodney. Gingerly, Rodney tested the branch just outside the door and crawled out onto it, easing himself along until he could see a way to lower himself down onto a lower branch. He slipped but caught himself before he fell. Shakily, he clambered down, flinching when he felt something grab his ass but it was Sheppard.
"Damn it, McKay." Sheppard's strained voice was accompanied by a grunt of exertion as Rodney fell the final few feet to the ground, landing on top of Sheppard in a graceless heap, bodies pressed chest to chest and with Sheppard's arms wrapped around his waist. He was shoved to the side. "But at least we're out of the helicopter now." Rodney sat up and watched as Sheppard pushed to his feet and dusted down his clothes before grabbing Rodney's backpack and throwing it at him. "You should change those pants before they attract something...with teeth."
****
For someone who was terrified of being eaten alive, Rodney seemed to forget all about danger when it came to modesty. He knew his eyebrows had crept up into his head when McKay disappeared around the large tree, face once more flushed in embarrassment. John sighed and followed, keeping the man in sight covertly, just in case one of his monsters did leap out of the undergrowth and tried to make a meal of him. He watched as McKay stripped off his wet pants, feeling a mixture of mirth and sympathy for the man that swiftly turned to a different kind of interest when he really took note of the strong pale legs and the sweet curve of McKay's ass as he bent over to pull on the fresh pants. He didn't think he'd made a noise but maybe McKay was a little more on edge than John believed because he turned suddenly, staring straight at John, eyes widening in surprise before narrowing in annoyance.
McKay stalked towards him. "Were you watching me undress?" he hissed, nose twitching as he all but called John a pervert.
"You're the one who was worried about having someone watch your back."
"I..."
John wished he had not said anything as it simply reminded the frightened man that there could be danger lurking all around them. "Come on. Let's get moving while we have a full day ahead of us."
John returned to the equipment and quickly separated it into three piles; one for him to carry, one for McKay and the final pile to be left behind as an unnecessary burden.
"Wait! What...? You can't leave that behind." McKay pointed at the heavy case. "It's a highly expensive digital camera with zoom lenses and... It cost me a small fortune."
"And it will cost you your life if you try to carry that hefty case alongside all this."
"All this? Wait. What is all this?"
"Rope, a two-man tent...food?"
"Food? You have food in there?"
"Later. I want us to get some place a little safer before we stop to eat."
"Why can't we stay here and eat first? We spent all night here so it has to be relatively safe."
"Because it's a little too quiet here, as if..."
"As if there might be something dangerous lurking close by?"
McKay swallowed hard and John grimaced because that was exactly what he meant. McKay thought John was a big game hunter and he had lied by omission in not revealing that his African hunting experience was really limited to driving across the Serengeti in a Landrover, armed with a camera rather than a gun, or following a herd of wildebeest in a helicopter before he decided to herd tourists instead and headed back to the States and the big national parks like Yosemite. Admittedly, it took a lot of skill to track down the animals he wanted to photograph. He could read the trail of a big cat pretty good most anywhere across the world but no one knew enough about the creatures living here. It was all conjecture, all theories and dry studies of bones dug up from the ground. He had little idea of how most of the dinosaur predators hunted, solitary or in packs. Well, except for the velociraptors. He knew they hunted in packs because McKay had told him all about Grant's book that had been published following the events in San Diego where InGen captured a T-Rex and its infant and took them to the States with the intention of setting up some kind of zoo for dinosaurs.
In hindsight, he wished he'd picked up a copy of either Alan Grant or Ian Malcolm's books but he'd made a personal promise not to start reading another book until he had finished 'War and Peace'. That book was going in the pile of things to leave behind for the same reason as McKay's expensive photography equipment; it was too heavy and bulky to carry. He snorted softly as he ran a finger across the spine before dropping the heavy tome on the useless pile. Unless he wanted to try to bore the velociraptors to death by reading it to them, it would take up space and weight that could be utilized by more important equipment like spare radio parts, and the medical kit.
John finished packing McKay's backpack and handed it over, watching as the man struggled into it before stepping forward to adjust the straps. McKay let him, standing still and watching him carefully, his mouth tilted downwards in one corner, making him look so lost and vulnerable. He couldn't resist, his palm fitting perfectly as it cupped McKay's face. After a moment's hesitation, McKay leaned into his hand, some of the fear leaving his deep blue eyes. He leaned in to kiss the slightly parted lips but tensed instead at the loud crack sounding above them.
"Let's get going."
John hefted his own pack and started off into the undergrowth.
"Wait!"
He turned, puzzled as McKay pointed in a slightly different direction.
"Um...Isn't the airstrip that way?"
John frowned. He wasn't as good at taking his bearings on the ground as in the air. "Just wanted to make a wide berth around...that." He pointed up at the helicopter that seemed as if it was suspended in the tree, its back rotor caught between a V in the branches higher up though John knew it wouldn't take that much more before it fell completely.
"Oh...Okay."
Taking a deep breath, John took a few more steps along his original path and then veered in the direction McKay had indicated, only part of him listening to McKay's footsteps behind him while he stretched the rest of his senses out into the jungle surrounding them. A crash behind them made him flinch and he tightened his lips, aware that they had nothing to go back to now. The helicopter was probably only so much crushed metal junk on the jungle floor by now.
****
"I've got to stop!"
Rodney leaned against a tree, breathing heavily from the exertion of the past three hours. He was certain he could not go another step without falling flat on his face. He wriggled uncomfortably at the awful sensation of sweat trickling down his back and chest, of the roughness of his clothing against his sweaty, heat prickled skin. He looked up into the sky and judged that they must be close to the hottest part of the day with the sun high in the sky. When he looked back down, he caught Sheppard watching him, the grim line of his mouth making Rodney feel both angry and defensive. He just wasn't built for long treks through the jungle. He hadn't intended on them staying a single night on this godforsaken island let alone re-enacting the Burma death march through the jungle.
Ahead was a massive clearing. He could see the tree line some distance ahead with nothing but tall meadow-type grass in between and figured it would take them about half an hour to cross it at most, less if he had a chance to rest up first. The airstrip lay maybe a day's walk straight ahead of them.
Sheppard was staring across the clearing too, his lips tightening further. "Okay, we rest up here for an hour; let the sun pass overhead before we go on."
"Thank you," Rodney whispered in heart-felt relief and dropped the heavy pack from his shoulders before slumping down onto the thick bough of a toppled tree. He was so tired that he barely found the energy to wonder how or why the tree had fallen until he looked back and noticed a vague trail of destruction, as if something large had run through this very spot and out into the clearing beyond.
Sheppard had picked up the pace after hearing the death knell of the helicopter, wanting to put more distance between them and it in case something non-human came to investigate, something with teeth and yet, breakfast still seemed like an eternity ago, eaten cold in the boughs of a tall tree some distance away from the crash site. He watched as Sheppard dug into his pockets, eyes narrowing as the man pulled out a Powerbar. Sheppard tore the bar in half and offered one half to Rodney; he ate it in two large bites, barely stopping to chew, and then stared as Sheppard ate his half with a little more decorum.
"I don't suppose you have more...?" Rodney waved his hand towards the pockets in Sheppard's jacket.
"No...and this is not a great place to stop for too long."
"Right." Rodney took a breath. "The airstrip is straight ahead." He pointed across the clearing to the distant trees. "We could be there before the sun sets tomorrow."
"We're not crossing here."
"What? But the airstrip...?"
"We'll go round the edge and look for a safer place to cross."
"But...But it could take us four, five times as long to go around..." He looked along the clearing in both directions, realizing it was more of a game trail than an actual clearing, "Perhaps days..."
"We're not heading into the long grass, McKay."
"Why?"
Sheppard looked exasperated. "You really don't know that much about predators, do you?"
Rodney pulled himself up. "Of course I know... Oh."
"Yeah. Predators hunt on game trails...and they hide in the long grass."
"Um...You don't suppose?" He glanced back into the jungle along the trail of destruction.
"Yeah, which is why we're not staying here so...let's move it, McKay."
Suddenly, Rodney didn't feel quite so tired. "Right!"
The brief respite and another dose of fear left him energized for a while but Rodney found his energy depleting rapidly as they trekked through the undergrowth, staying just behind the line of trees where they would remain invisible to anything hiding out in the long grass. This time, Rodney made no fuss as the hours passed, measured by the sun tracking across the sky. Sheppard had already explained why they had to ration what little food they carried, because he didn't want to resort to hunting and trapping in case the blood of the kill attracted a larger predator. Unfortunately, it made sense and, as much as he hated to admit it, he could survive on a couple of skipped meals though not on a lack of water.
As they walked, Rodney unclipped his canteen and took another swig, washing the tepid water around his mouth to ease the dryness before swallowing. He knew they'd have to find another source of water soon because his canteen was almost empty and he could bet that Sheppard's was not far behind. At least he'd had the sense to carry purification tablets on him despite having no intention, originally, of camping out on the island. Paranoia had forced him to keep the tablets upon him after leaving civilization and boarding that first plane what seemed like an eternity ago now.
He was beyond exhausted by the time Sheppard stopped and he watched as Sheppard's eyes swept the area, gaze stopping on a particularly large tree. To Rodney's inexperienced eye, it seemed unclimbable but Sheppard had other ideas. He moved to it quickly and Rodney followed, tired but curious nonetheless. Sheppard dropped his pack to the floor and dug through it until he had the thin but strong rope. He put it over his shoulder and began to climb; Rodney flinched every time Sheppard seemed to lose his footing but, after a few minutes, he reached the top of the main truck where the branches spread out. The rope came down, almost hitting Rodney on the head.
"Tie my pack to the rope."
Rodney understood immediately and tied it in a knot that could be untied easily with a single pull, watching as Sheppard hauled it up. His own pack followed, leaving Rodney feeling strangely vulnerable and alone on the jungle floor.
"Okay...Tie the rope loosely around your waist and start climbing."
"What? Up there?"
"McKay...Rodney." His eyes flicked away, any trace of emotion on his face dropping away as his lips flattened. "I need you start climbing now."
"What?" Rodney flicked a look over his shoulder, seeing nothing. "Why?"
"Because the sun is going down and it's going to be dark soon."
"Oh! Okay. Fine. I'm..." He took a deep breath and found the first decent hand and foothold, pushing himself up, feeling Sheppard take some of the strain of Rodney's body weight. "Did I mention that I'm not very good at climbing trees?"
"Yeah, but I need you to climb a bit faster, Rodney."
Rodney froze. "You called me Rodney...Twice."
"Well, it is your name, isn't it?"
"Yes, but..."
"Rodney...Climb the damn tree. Now!"
Rodney grumbled and found a few more hand and footholds, making slow progress as he searched for another, wishing he'd taken note of how Sheppard had climbed but he decided the man had to be part-monkey. He slipped, crying out in a whimper as Sheppard took all of his weight for a moment, hearing the harsh whisper as Sheppard told him where to find a good foothold to take the strain off. As Rodney reached the top, Sheppard grabbed his injured arm and hauled Rodney up the rest of the way but some sixth sense made Rodney bite back on the pain. He slumped down next to Sheppard and whispered harshly, "Did you have to grab my bad arm so hard?"
Sheppard didn't seem to be paying him much attention. Instead he was looking out into the slowly darkening jungle. "Yeah...I did," he whispered and only then did it register that Sheppard had kept his voice low throughout the climb.
Rodney looked in the same direction as Sheppard, squinting as he sought out the slightly darker shadows and freezing when he saw it. The gray, almost reptilian head was unmistakable and a series of short barks confirmed his worst fear.
"Velociraptor!" he breathed.
Sheppard's palm wrapped over Rodney's mouth as the predator came closer, sniffing at the undergrowth as if hunting. Its head cocked to one side as if in puzzlement, sniffing and scratching around the base of the tree where they sat hidden within a veil of smaller branches and leaves. A series of distant barks had it raising its head, mouth opening to reveal razor sharp teeth. It barked a response and ran off fast, heading back towards the long grass within the clearing.
Rodney sagged back against Sheppard, the hand dropping from his mouth, arms wrapping around his chest as Sheppard drew him even closer. He could feel Sheppard's warm breath against the side of his neck, could feel the rasp of a two-day growth of bristles against his own bristled cheek and Rodney closed his eyes, letting his head drop back against Sheppard.
When the first stars appeared, Rodney stared up into the unpolluted sky, seeing the beauty of the universe unfolding, and he wondered what his life might have been like if his dad had bought him the telescope and radio kit rather than the paleontologist's kit as a child. He laughed softly and almost jumped when he heard the low voice close to his ear.
"What is it?"
Rodney turned his head slightly and then sighed, nestling back against Sheppard, who had propped both bags behind him to use as a makeshift pillow. Despite that, Rodney was certain he had the better deal, his body relaxing into the heat of Sheppard's body.
"When I was a child, I wanted to be astrophysicist. I was just wondering where I'd be right now if I'd followed that path."
Sheppard snorted softly. "Probably in some musty laboratory surrounded by geeks who never saw daylight from one week to the next."
Rodney had to smile at the image, knowing he had a propensity for spending hours upon hours in front of his laptop, working on his theories before taking those theories out into the field. He been on a few important digs across the world. He'd even taken a contract with the US military once, working alongside some specialists in other fields as they mapped the ancient ruins of the strangest temple Rodney had ever seen, a beautiful interior of lattice work in some very unusual stones and metals. Archaeology was his second love and he excelled in both fields, perhaps more so in archaeology though he hated to admit that. He closed his eyes, bringing forth an image of Daniel Jackson, the leading archaeologist, and some colonel....John? No, Jack....Jack O'Neill. They'd wanted him to join some expedition that required a nondisclosure agreement before they would even talk about it, and in hindsight, he wondered if he ought to have said yes, but the fear of stepping into the unknown had stopped him from signing. Perhaps he should look up Jackson or O'Neill if he ever got off this island alive, see if the job offer was still open because he had a feeling that if he did survive this then he could survive anything they cared to throw at him.
"What about you?"
"Hmm?"
"Where was the fork in the road?"
The silence lengthened and Rodney felt strangely disappointed when it seemed that Sheppard was not going to answer. He straightened a fraction within Sheppard's comfortable embrace when Sheppard finally answered.
"I...made a mistake and had the choice of ferrying scientists around in Antarctica, or leaving the military altogether."
"You were military? Huh!" It seemed strangely right somehow. "I guess you chose the latter."
"Yeah."
"Least it's not freezing here."
"I thought you Canadian types liked the cold."
"I'm sorry I don't follow your typical Canadian stereotype."
"Well, you got the 'sorry' in there," Sheppard drawled, then laughed softly as Rodney tried to turn and glare at him.
Arms tightened around him, reminding him that he was not alone, and he thought he felt Sheppard nuzzling against his neck as he slowly dropped to the edge of sleep, unable to keep his eyes open even with hunger gnawing at his belly. It felt good but he was too tired to take it any further and slipped quickly into sleep.
TBC
*
AUTHOR: Tarlan
RATING: NC-17 McKay/Sheppard, Jack O'Neill and Daniel Jackson mentioned
DISCLAIMER: Not mine! Jurassic Park and Stargate Atlantis belong to someone else.
SUMMARY: After hearing about the dinosaurs of Jurassic Park, paleontologist Rodney McKay wants to see them for himself. He hires big game hunter, John Sheppard to protect him... but disaster strikes when they arrive on the island.
CHALLENGE: fanfic100 challenge 053. Earth and anotheratlantis challenge 40.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: The five main islands in Las Cinco Muertes are: Isla Matanceros, Isla Muerte, Isla Sorna, Isla Tacano, and Isla Pena
Another part! I must be at least halfway through now!
With morning came the strange cries of exotic creatures but it was the scrabbling over the metal that brought Rodney awake with a start.
"Oh no."
"Yeah," came a disembodied voice from lower down. "It's real...not a nightmare."
More scrabbling brought Rodney's head around and he flinched backwards as something stared in through the window, its huge eye watching him with curiosity. Rodney let out a shaky breath as the immense head grabbed the branch beside the helicopter's fusilage and pulled back but his relief was short lived as the whole tree vibrated alongside the cracking of branches. He turned to Sheppard only to meet eyes widened in concern. Another crack and the helicopter shifted.
"Make it stop!"
"What?!" Sheppard looked to him in disbelief and even Rodney could see the stupidity in asking Sheppard to try to stop the massive brachiosaurus from pushing them out of the tree.
He cried out as the whole thing shifted again, dropping maybe ten feet, fingers scratching for purchase against the worn leather interior seats. Rodney fell, the breath knocked out of him momentarily by one of Sheppard's bony knees. He felt arms grabbing him, holding him tight as the helicopter dropped again, its nose dipping until the helicopter was almost vertical and pointing down, leaving him pressing John into the backs of the pilot and front passenger seats. He yelled, refusing to admit that he was screaming into Sheppard's neck, as branches cracked beneath them, his fingers tightening around Sheppard even as Sheppard's hand clenched around his uninjured arm with bruising force. Unable to tear his eyes away from his unobstructed view straight through the cockpit's front window and down to the ground below, Rodney screamed again in terror as, suddenly, the jungle floor was coming up way too fast. Seemingly at the last second, the helicopter lurched to a halt a mere ten feet off the ground.
"Mc...Kay?"
Rodney froze in place, terrified to move or even to breath.
"McKay?!" He felt Sheppard pushing at him and Rodney lowered his eyes away from the still terrifying sight, aware of wet warmth on his leg. His eyes met Sheppard's and slid away quickly as Rodney flushed with embarrassment.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, in a tiny voice. "I think I wet myself."
Sheppard grimaced slightly. "So how about you get off me then, buddy."
"Oh...yes." It took a few attempts to gain enough purchase to move off of Sheppard and, embarrassing as the situation was, Rodney felt the loss of Sheppard's body pressed close to his quite keenly.
Carefully, Sheppard opened the side door, wincing as gravity took it and the helicopter vibrated from the redistribution of weight.
"Okay, so we're still in the tree, about ten feet from the ground. Climb down and I'll drop down the stuff we'll need for the hike to the airstrip."
"What if there's something down there?"
"Something?"
"With teeth."
"Okay," Sheppard drawled, stretching out the word. "As we don't have a choice about staying in here. How about we drop what we need and then I'll climb down and watch for danger while you climb down?"
Rodney blinked and then scrubbed a hand over his face but he couldn't think of a better plan. He nodded, feeling extremely weary as the initial adrenaline rush ebbed. Another creak of a branch had Rodney freezing and he thought, for a moment, that the brachiosaurus was still grazing on the tree but he could see no sign of it now, aware that it was probably frightened off by the sound of the helicopter falling.
Sheppard pulled a weird face. "Let's make this quick." He began opening up compartments and pulling out various pieces of equipment, throwing them out the door to land in the thick vegetation safely, a little distance from the stricken helicopter.
Rodney grabbed what luggage he had in the rear seating compartment and passed it to Sheppard, watching with dismay as it was dropped the ten feet to the ground with an audible thud.
"That everything?" Sheppard asked and Rodney nodded.
"How are you...?" Rodney indicated towards the outside and the ground below.
"We climb."
"Don't you have a rope? Or something...?"
"It's only ten feet, McKay. Didn't you ever climb trees as a kid?"
"I'm....not so good with heights."
"Really?"
Rodney bristled at the heavy sarcasm but then Sheppard wasn't the one staring a gravity crushing death right in the face only a short time ago. He bristled some more as Sheppard wrinkled up his nose.
"Hope you've got spare pants, McKay."
He poked a finger in Sheppard's chest. "Let's just hope we don't come face-to-face with a velociraptor or a T-Rex, or you'll be needing spare pants too," he snarled. Sheppard gave him a tight smile, slipped a hand gun into the waistband of his pants, and then climbed out of the helicopter, swinging down easily like a monkey. He landed lightly, drawing the gun and checking around before looking up to Rodney. Gingerly, Rodney tested the branch just outside the door and crawled out onto it, easing himself along until he could see a way to lower himself down onto a lower branch. He slipped but caught himself before he fell. Shakily, he clambered down, flinching when he felt something grab his ass but it was Sheppard.
"Damn it, McKay." Sheppard's strained voice was accompanied by a grunt of exertion as Rodney fell the final few feet to the ground, landing on top of Sheppard in a graceless heap, bodies pressed chest to chest and with Sheppard's arms wrapped around his waist. He was shoved to the side. "But at least we're out of the helicopter now." Rodney sat up and watched as Sheppard pushed to his feet and dusted down his clothes before grabbing Rodney's backpack and throwing it at him. "You should change those pants before they attract something...with teeth."
****
For someone who was terrified of being eaten alive, Rodney seemed to forget all about danger when it came to modesty. He knew his eyebrows had crept up into his head when McKay disappeared around the large tree, face once more flushed in embarrassment. John sighed and followed, keeping the man in sight covertly, just in case one of his monsters did leap out of the undergrowth and tried to make a meal of him. He watched as McKay stripped off his wet pants, feeling a mixture of mirth and sympathy for the man that swiftly turned to a different kind of interest when he really took note of the strong pale legs and the sweet curve of McKay's ass as he bent over to pull on the fresh pants. He didn't think he'd made a noise but maybe McKay was a little more on edge than John believed because he turned suddenly, staring straight at John, eyes widening in surprise before narrowing in annoyance.
McKay stalked towards him. "Were you watching me undress?" he hissed, nose twitching as he all but called John a pervert.
"You're the one who was worried about having someone watch your back."
"I..."
John wished he had not said anything as it simply reminded the frightened man that there could be danger lurking all around them. "Come on. Let's get moving while we have a full day ahead of us."
John returned to the equipment and quickly separated it into three piles; one for him to carry, one for McKay and the final pile to be left behind as an unnecessary burden.
"Wait! What...? You can't leave that behind." McKay pointed at the heavy case. "It's a highly expensive digital camera with zoom lenses and... It cost me a small fortune."
"And it will cost you your life if you try to carry that hefty case alongside all this."
"All this? Wait. What is all this?"
"Rope, a two-man tent...food?"
"Food? You have food in there?"
"Later. I want us to get some place a little safer before we stop to eat."
"Why can't we stay here and eat first? We spent all night here so it has to be relatively safe."
"Because it's a little too quiet here, as if..."
"As if there might be something dangerous lurking close by?"
McKay swallowed hard and John grimaced because that was exactly what he meant. McKay thought John was a big game hunter and he had lied by omission in not revealing that his African hunting experience was really limited to driving across the Serengeti in a Landrover, armed with a camera rather than a gun, or following a herd of wildebeest in a helicopter before he decided to herd tourists instead and headed back to the States and the big national parks like Yosemite. Admittedly, it took a lot of skill to track down the animals he wanted to photograph. He could read the trail of a big cat pretty good most anywhere across the world but no one knew enough about the creatures living here. It was all conjecture, all theories and dry studies of bones dug up from the ground. He had little idea of how most of the dinosaur predators hunted, solitary or in packs. Well, except for the velociraptors. He knew they hunted in packs because McKay had told him all about Grant's book that had been published following the events in San Diego where InGen captured a T-Rex and its infant and took them to the States with the intention of setting up some kind of zoo for dinosaurs.
In hindsight, he wished he'd picked up a copy of either Alan Grant or Ian Malcolm's books but he'd made a personal promise not to start reading another book until he had finished 'War and Peace'. That book was going in the pile of things to leave behind for the same reason as McKay's expensive photography equipment; it was too heavy and bulky to carry. He snorted softly as he ran a finger across the spine before dropping the heavy tome on the useless pile. Unless he wanted to try to bore the velociraptors to death by reading it to them, it would take up space and weight that could be utilized by more important equipment like spare radio parts, and the medical kit.
John finished packing McKay's backpack and handed it over, watching as the man struggled into it before stepping forward to adjust the straps. McKay let him, standing still and watching him carefully, his mouth tilted downwards in one corner, making him look so lost and vulnerable. He couldn't resist, his palm fitting perfectly as it cupped McKay's face. After a moment's hesitation, McKay leaned into his hand, some of the fear leaving his deep blue eyes. He leaned in to kiss the slightly parted lips but tensed instead at the loud crack sounding above them.
"Let's get going."
John hefted his own pack and started off into the undergrowth.
"Wait!"
He turned, puzzled as McKay pointed in a slightly different direction.
"Um...Isn't the airstrip that way?"
John frowned. He wasn't as good at taking his bearings on the ground as in the air. "Just wanted to make a wide berth around...that." He pointed up at the helicopter that seemed as if it was suspended in the tree, its back rotor caught between a V in the branches higher up though John knew it wouldn't take that much more before it fell completely.
"Oh...Okay."
Taking a deep breath, John took a few more steps along his original path and then veered in the direction McKay had indicated, only part of him listening to McKay's footsteps behind him while he stretched the rest of his senses out into the jungle surrounding them. A crash behind them made him flinch and he tightened his lips, aware that they had nothing to go back to now. The helicopter was probably only so much crushed metal junk on the jungle floor by now.
****
"I've got to stop!"
Rodney leaned against a tree, breathing heavily from the exertion of the past three hours. He was certain he could not go another step without falling flat on his face. He wriggled uncomfortably at the awful sensation of sweat trickling down his back and chest, of the roughness of his clothing against his sweaty, heat prickled skin. He looked up into the sky and judged that they must be close to the hottest part of the day with the sun high in the sky. When he looked back down, he caught Sheppard watching him, the grim line of his mouth making Rodney feel both angry and defensive. He just wasn't built for long treks through the jungle. He hadn't intended on them staying a single night on this godforsaken island let alone re-enacting the Burma death march through the jungle.
Ahead was a massive clearing. He could see the tree line some distance ahead with nothing but tall meadow-type grass in between and figured it would take them about half an hour to cross it at most, less if he had a chance to rest up first. The airstrip lay maybe a day's walk straight ahead of them.
Sheppard was staring across the clearing too, his lips tightening further. "Okay, we rest up here for an hour; let the sun pass overhead before we go on."
"Thank you," Rodney whispered in heart-felt relief and dropped the heavy pack from his shoulders before slumping down onto the thick bough of a toppled tree. He was so tired that he barely found the energy to wonder how or why the tree had fallen until he looked back and noticed a vague trail of destruction, as if something large had run through this very spot and out into the clearing beyond.
Sheppard had picked up the pace after hearing the death knell of the helicopter, wanting to put more distance between them and it in case something non-human came to investigate, something with teeth and yet, breakfast still seemed like an eternity ago, eaten cold in the boughs of a tall tree some distance away from the crash site. He watched as Sheppard dug into his pockets, eyes narrowing as the man pulled out a Powerbar. Sheppard tore the bar in half and offered one half to Rodney; he ate it in two large bites, barely stopping to chew, and then stared as Sheppard ate his half with a little more decorum.
"I don't suppose you have more...?" Rodney waved his hand towards the pockets in Sheppard's jacket.
"No...and this is not a great place to stop for too long."
"Right." Rodney took a breath. "The airstrip is straight ahead." He pointed across the clearing to the distant trees. "We could be there before the sun sets tomorrow."
"We're not crossing here."
"What? But the airstrip...?"
"We'll go round the edge and look for a safer place to cross."
"But...But it could take us four, five times as long to go around..." He looked along the clearing in both directions, realizing it was more of a game trail than an actual clearing, "Perhaps days..."
"We're not heading into the long grass, McKay."
"Why?"
Sheppard looked exasperated. "You really don't know that much about predators, do you?"
Rodney pulled himself up. "Of course I know... Oh."
"Yeah. Predators hunt on game trails...and they hide in the long grass."
"Um...You don't suppose?" He glanced back into the jungle along the trail of destruction.
"Yeah, which is why we're not staying here so...let's move it, McKay."
Suddenly, Rodney didn't feel quite so tired. "Right!"
The brief respite and another dose of fear left him energized for a while but Rodney found his energy depleting rapidly as they trekked through the undergrowth, staying just behind the line of trees where they would remain invisible to anything hiding out in the long grass. This time, Rodney made no fuss as the hours passed, measured by the sun tracking across the sky. Sheppard had already explained why they had to ration what little food they carried, because he didn't want to resort to hunting and trapping in case the blood of the kill attracted a larger predator. Unfortunately, it made sense and, as much as he hated to admit it, he could survive on a couple of skipped meals though not on a lack of water.
As they walked, Rodney unclipped his canteen and took another swig, washing the tepid water around his mouth to ease the dryness before swallowing. He knew they'd have to find another source of water soon because his canteen was almost empty and he could bet that Sheppard's was not far behind. At least he'd had the sense to carry purification tablets on him despite having no intention, originally, of camping out on the island. Paranoia had forced him to keep the tablets upon him after leaving civilization and boarding that first plane what seemed like an eternity ago now.
He was beyond exhausted by the time Sheppard stopped and he watched as Sheppard's eyes swept the area, gaze stopping on a particularly large tree. To Rodney's inexperienced eye, it seemed unclimbable but Sheppard had other ideas. He moved to it quickly and Rodney followed, tired but curious nonetheless. Sheppard dropped his pack to the floor and dug through it until he had the thin but strong rope. He put it over his shoulder and began to climb; Rodney flinched every time Sheppard seemed to lose his footing but, after a few minutes, he reached the top of the main truck where the branches spread out. The rope came down, almost hitting Rodney on the head.
"Tie my pack to the rope."
Rodney understood immediately and tied it in a knot that could be untied easily with a single pull, watching as Sheppard hauled it up. His own pack followed, leaving Rodney feeling strangely vulnerable and alone on the jungle floor.
"Okay...Tie the rope loosely around your waist and start climbing."
"What? Up there?"
"McKay...Rodney." His eyes flicked away, any trace of emotion on his face dropping away as his lips flattened. "I need you start climbing now."
"What?" Rodney flicked a look over his shoulder, seeing nothing. "Why?"
"Because the sun is going down and it's going to be dark soon."
"Oh! Okay. Fine. I'm..." He took a deep breath and found the first decent hand and foothold, pushing himself up, feeling Sheppard take some of the strain of Rodney's body weight. "Did I mention that I'm not very good at climbing trees?"
"Yeah, but I need you to climb a bit faster, Rodney."
Rodney froze. "You called me Rodney...Twice."
"Well, it is your name, isn't it?"
"Yes, but..."
"Rodney...Climb the damn tree. Now!"
Rodney grumbled and found a few more hand and footholds, making slow progress as he searched for another, wishing he'd taken note of how Sheppard had climbed but he decided the man had to be part-monkey. He slipped, crying out in a whimper as Sheppard took all of his weight for a moment, hearing the harsh whisper as Sheppard told him where to find a good foothold to take the strain off. As Rodney reached the top, Sheppard grabbed his injured arm and hauled Rodney up the rest of the way but some sixth sense made Rodney bite back on the pain. He slumped down next to Sheppard and whispered harshly, "Did you have to grab my bad arm so hard?"
Sheppard didn't seem to be paying him much attention. Instead he was looking out into the slowly darkening jungle. "Yeah...I did," he whispered and only then did it register that Sheppard had kept his voice low throughout the climb.
Rodney looked in the same direction as Sheppard, squinting as he sought out the slightly darker shadows and freezing when he saw it. The gray, almost reptilian head was unmistakable and a series of short barks confirmed his worst fear.
"Velociraptor!" he breathed.
Sheppard's palm wrapped over Rodney's mouth as the predator came closer, sniffing at the undergrowth as if hunting. Its head cocked to one side as if in puzzlement, sniffing and scratching around the base of the tree where they sat hidden within a veil of smaller branches and leaves. A series of distant barks had it raising its head, mouth opening to reveal razor sharp teeth. It barked a response and ran off fast, heading back towards the long grass within the clearing.
Rodney sagged back against Sheppard, the hand dropping from his mouth, arms wrapping around his chest as Sheppard drew him even closer. He could feel Sheppard's warm breath against the side of his neck, could feel the rasp of a two-day growth of bristles against his own bristled cheek and Rodney closed his eyes, letting his head drop back against Sheppard.
When the first stars appeared, Rodney stared up into the unpolluted sky, seeing the beauty of the universe unfolding, and he wondered what his life might have been like if his dad had bought him the telescope and radio kit rather than the paleontologist's kit as a child. He laughed softly and almost jumped when he heard the low voice close to his ear.
"What is it?"
Rodney turned his head slightly and then sighed, nestling back against Sheppard, who had propped both bags behind him to use as a makeshift pillow. Despite that, Rodney was certain he had the better deal, his body relaxing into the heat of Sheppard's body.
"When I was a child, I wanted to be astrophysicist. I was just wondering where I'd be right now if I'd followed that path."
Sheppard snorted softly. "Probably in some musty laboratory surrounded by geeks who never saw daylight from one week to the next."
Rodney had to smile at the image, knowing he had a propensity for spending hours upon hours in front of his laptop, working on his theories before taking those theories out into the field. He been on a few important digs across the world. He'd even taken a contract with the US military once, working alongside some specialists in other fields as they mapped the ancient ruins of the strangest temple Rodney had ever seen, a beautiful interior of lattice work in some very unusual stones and metals. Archaeology was his second love and he excelled in both fields, perhaps more so in archaeology though he hated to admit that. He closed his eyes, bringing forth an image of Daniel Jackson, the leading archaeologist, and some colonel....John? No, Jack....Jack O'Neill. They'd wanted him to join some expedition that required a nondisclosure agreement before they would even talk about it, and in hindsight, he wondered if he ought to have said yes, but the fear of stepping into the unknown had stopped him from signing. Perhaps he should look up Jackson or O'Neill if he ever got off this island alive, see if the job offer was still open because he had a feeling that if he did survive this then he could survive anything they cared to throw at him.
"What about you?"
"Hmm?"
"Where was the fork in the road?"
The silence lengthened and Rodney felt strangely disappointed when it seemed that Sheppard was not going to answer. He straightened a fraction within Sheppard's comfortable embrace when Sheppard finally answered.
"I...made a mistake and had the choice of ferrying scientists around in Antarctica, or leaving the military altogether."
"You were military? Huh!" It seemed strangely right somehow. "I guess you chose the latter."
"Yeah."
"Least it's not freezing here."
"I thought you Canadian types liked the cold."
"I'm sorry I don't follow your typical Canadian stereotype."
"Well, you got the 'sorry' in there," Sheppard drawled, then laughed softly as Rodney tried to turn and glare at him.
Arms tightened around him, reminding him that he was not alone, and he thought he felt Sheppard nuzzling against his neck as he slowly dropped to the edge of sleep, unable to keep his eyes open even with hunger gnawing at his belly. It felt good but he was too tired to take it any further and slipped quickly into sleep.
TBC
*