Desperation (more UK Stargate fic).
Sophie came running out of the gate from Earth waving her arms. The sound of a rifle and her body twisted, the bullet punching a hole in her thigh muscle, narrowly missing the femoral artery and avoiding the kneecap which was Harrington's original target.
"IT'S PESTILENCE!"
"FUCK oh fuck.."
"STAND TO, STAND TO.."
The gunfire began as soon as the second to was started. Snipers lined up precise shots to watch them bounce off the Ga'ould shield which he possessed, his hand encased in the gauntlet becoming more familiar to Duncan . The probe-assisted ring teleports had introduced him first hand to a Ga'ould and the Jaffa, he'd literally shot at a Jaffa half an hour earlier.
Duncan watched the soldiers charge out. Then the laughter. Mocking them.
Benton was genuinely shouting, never a good sign. "I WANT EVERY MAN WITH A GUN OUT THERE NOW!"
Chase screamed her frustration. "IT WON'T WORK! He's got a shield.." the latter was drowned out in the clomping boots and roar of automatic weapons. Ineffective. Distant thunder and he saw the distant figure stagger as a section of ground ruptured under him. Knight had boasted some C4 was out there and it had seemed to work. Until Pestilence got up, levelled the gun in his hand and the explosions began. What the hell was he firing? The ground shook with each step he took. The soldiers switched up, machine guns chattering and Duncan saw Fitzgerald reach for the khaki tube with LAW stencilled on the side through the window. Modeski had vanished, Farrell calmly taking shot after shot. Chase shouted again "He's got a shield, bullets won't work.. "
The LAW rocket washed him in flame. Duncan could see him now, covered in sores, face sloughing off under the hood. The gun flashed and the building shook, concrete shards showering Captain Thorne and Fitzgerald. Duncan retreated as Daniels came running out, resolved but with worry on his face. Daniels, usually so poker-faced you sense-checked instinctively. Daniels worried. The omens were stacking up against them. Lucky followed, too quick for Duncan to see his face. It was Old Testament Bad.
Duncan suddenly realised that nobody was watching the nexus modulator. This arcane device was their only hope of stopping the Ga'ould invading the world. Calvin had opened up outside, swearing profusely. Energy blasts were exchanged and Duncan moved to the modulator knowing a heavy pistol would make no difference. Leave the military to their work, he had a job to do. The soldiers had taken cover. Benton shouted for everyone to prepare to evacuate the building.
Waterhouse thought about it and decided he would have to remain. He unscrewed the energy source in the flask attached to the modulator; when he''d attached it it had almost masked the power readings off the meters. Modeski shouted something, Waterhouse saw him slash at Pestilence with a knife. Slow enough to breach the shield. Pestilence changed hands and threw Modeski with a telekinetic wave. Doctor Chase was screaming at Pestilence and was being held back by two soldiers. Pestilence said something else, drowned out by explosions.
Everyone scattered. More blasts. Another LAW was fired, then another. A grenade detonated close to the building, shattering the windows and then he was upon them, the explosions and energy bursts driving them back. Captain Thorne fired a LAW at close range and the conflagration behind him set the ops bench behind him smouldering. An errant mission form burst into flame then extinguished as a cup of coffee spilled onto it. Pestilence staggered then fired a volley of energy bolts from the gun.
People scattered, not all of them in time. Colonel Thorne, father to Captain Thorne stabbed at Pestilence with an Ethernaut sword in hand. He stabbed at Pestilence who grunted and then threw him aside, exhaling a noxious mist that made his flesh begin to crinkle and bleed.
Then Duncan saw his eyes. Mad. Like a rabid dog. Only death would deter him. And he had Ga'ould technology - if he was their ally, it would be a victory if he took the device. No time for questions now.Duncan grabbed the flask and snatched up his pistol, pointed it at the flask. Pestilence looked at him and raised the gun.
"This is a power source like naquadah. You shoot me, I shoot this. We all go up."
Was his voice shaking? Was his hand trembling? Those mad eyes regarded him with some amusement then the gun was lowered, he inhaled and smiled. That smile, utterly confident turned almost genuine. The seconds seemed to drag as he started to walk away. Then Harrington came from the front door, primed grenades in both hands as he grabbed Pestilence from behind, hugging them to his chest. All was thunder, madness and shrapnel. Duncan shielded the flask and the modulator with his body, feeling the metal shards rip through his leg and side, showered in splinters from a chunk blown out the workbench which had saved Duncan from the worst of it. Harrington was fallen, bleeding dark red from his chest and Duncan leaned on the modulator, the cut on his lip bleeding. Pestilence couldn't have...
He rose up, lower lip half bitten through. Duncan saw a broken rib protruding through the skin, the armour on his chest a gory ruin, a dozen wounds weeping red blood. He coughed, a sick wet sound and then Daniels was on him in a blur of fists. The gun was dropped and Chase hauled it away, Captain Thorne and CSM Knight were there too, knives out. Yet Pestilence wasn't finished, those mad eyes turned on Daniels and a single hand pinned Daniels by the throat to the floor. Pestilence punched him over and over, turning only to hurl Knight and Thorne away against the wall, the hand device making the air waver. Duncan staggered closer, raised his pistol and fired at point blank range, watching the bullet deform on the shield. Then other soldiers joined in, Daniels was able to get to his feet and the fight went outside as the soldiers fought to contain Pestilence.
Duncan collapsed against the modulator, looking at the flask, breathing ragged. Outside there was shouting, screams of pain. Then a single gunshot, grunts of exertion and there was an awful silence. Then Daniels was rushed into the infirmary, there was the ragged sound of cheering. Someone - Knight maybe, shouted Pestilence was dead. The chaos of recovery began and quarantines were invoked - later Aeryn, one of the paramedics remembered Duncan. Wounds were bandaged but the shock of what happened had numbed him.
"IT'S PESTILENCE!"
"FUCK oh fuck.."
"STAND TO, STAND TO.."
The gunfire began as soon as the second to was started. Snipers lined up precise shots to watch them bounce off the Ga'ould shield which he possessed, his hand encased in the gauntlet becoming more familiar to Duncan . The probe-assisted ring teleports had introduced him first hand to a Ga'ould and the Jaffa, he'd literally shot at a Jaffa half an hour earlier.
Duncan watched the soldiers charge out. Then the laughter. Mocking them.
Benton was genuinely shouting, never a good sign. "I WANT EVERY MAN WITH A GUN OUT THERE NOW!"
Chase screamed her frustration. "IT WON'T WORK! He's got a shield.." the latter was drowned out in the clomping boots and roar of automatic weapons. Ineffective. Distant thunder and he saw the distant figure stagger as a section of ground ruptured under him. Knight had boasted some C4 was out there and it had seemed to work. Until Pestilence got up, levelled the gun in his hand and the explosions began. What the hell was he firing? The ground shook with each step he took. The soldiers switched up, machine guns chattering and Duncan saw Fitzgerald reach for the khaki tube with LAW stencilled on the side through the window. Modeski had vanished, Farrell calmly taking shot after shot. Chase shouted again "He's got a shield, bullets won't work.. "
The LAW rocket washed him in flame. Duncan could see him now, covered in sores, face sloughing off under the hood. The gun flashed and the building shook, concrete shards showering Captain Thorne and Fitzgerald. Duncan retreated as Daniels came running out, resolved but with worry on his face. Daniels, usually so poker-faced you sense-checked instinctively. Daniels worried. The omens were stacking up against them. Lucky followed, too quick for Duncan to see his face. It was Old Testament Bad.
Duncan suddenly realised that nobody was watching the nexus modulator. This arcane device was their only hope of stopping the Ga'ould invading the world. Calvin had opened up outside, swearing profusely. Energy blasts were exchanged and Duncan moved to the modulator knowing a heavy pistol would make no difference. Leave the military to their work, he had a job to do. The soldiers had taken cover. Benton shouted for everyone to prepare to evacuate the building.
Waterhouse thought about it and decided he would have to remain. He unscrewed the energy source in the flask attached to the modulator; when he''d attached it it had almost masked the power readings off the meters. Modeski shouted something, Waterhouse saw him slash at Pestilence with a knife. Slow enough to breach the shield. Pestilence changed hands and threw Modeski with a telekinetic wave. Doctor Chase was screaming at Pestilence and was being held back by two soldiers. Pestilence said something else, drowned out by explosions.
Everyone scattered. More blasts. Another LAW was fired, then another. A grenade detonated close to the building, shattering the windows and then he was upon them, the explosions and energy bursts driving them back. Captain Thorne fired a LAW at close range and the conflagration behind him set the ops bench behind him smouldering. An errant mission form burst into flame then extinguished as a cup of coffee spilled onto it. Pestilence staggered then fired a volley of energy bolts from the gun.
People scattered, not all of them in time. Colonel Thorne, father to Captain Thorne stabbed at Pestilence with an Ethernaut sword in hand. He stabbed at Pestilence who grunted and then threw him aside, exhaling a noxious mist that made his flesh begin to crinkle and bleed.
Then Duncan saw his eyes. Mad. Like a rabid dog. Only death would deter him. And he had Ga'ould technology - if he was their ally, it would be a victory if he took the device. No time for questions now.Duncan grabbed the flask and snatched up his pistol, pointed it at the flask. Pestilence looked at him and raised the gun.
"This is a power source like naquadah. You shoot me, I shoot this. We all go up."
Was his voice shaking? Was his hand trembling? Those mad eyes regarded him with some amusement then the gun was lowered, he inhaled and smiled. That smile, utterly confident turned almost genuine. The seconds seemed to drag as he started to walk away. Then Harrington came from the front door, primed grenades in both hands as he grabbed Pestilence from behind, hugging them to his chest. All was thunder, madness and shrapnel. Duncan shielded the flask and the modulator with his body, feeling the metal shards rip through his leg and side, showered in splinters from a chunk blown out the workbench which had saved Duncan from the worst of it. Harrington was fallen, bleeding dark red from his chest and Duncan leaned on the modulator, the cut on his lip bleeding. Pestilence couldn't have...
He rose up, lower lip half bitten through. Duncan saw a broken rib protruding through the skin, the armour on his chest a gory ruin, a dozen wounds weeping red blood. He coughed, a sick wet sound and then Daniels was on him in a blur of fists. The gun was dropped and Chase hauled it away, Captain Thorne and CSM Knight were there too, knives out. Yet Pestilence wasn't finished, those mad eyes turned on Daniels and a single hand pinned Daniels by the throat to the floor. Pestilence punched him over and over, turning only to hurl Knight and Thorne away against the wall, the hand device making the air waver. Duncan staggered closer, raised his pistol and fired at point blank range, watching the bullet deform on the shield. Then other soldiers joined in, Daniels was able to get to his feet and the fight went outside as the soldiers fought to contain Pestilence.
Duncan collapsed against the modulator, looking at the flask, breathing ragged. Outside there was shouting, screams of pain. Then a single gunshot, grunts of exertion and there was an awful silence. Then Daniels was rushed into the infirmary, there was the ragged sound of cheering. Someone - Knight maybe, shouted Pestilence was dead. The chaos of recovery began and quarantines were invoked - later Aeryn, one of the paramedics remembered Duncan. Wounds were bandaged but the shock of what happened had numbed him.