The Hunt
The Hunt
By Rubygirl
Genre: Action/Adventure and H/C
Rating: PG-13.
Characters: Sheppard, Ronon Dex, Teyla, Rodney McKay, Elizabeth Weir, Evan Lorne, and original characters.
Warning: Violence
Spoilers: References to Runner, Common Ground, Vengeance
Note: This is a work in progress and therefore subject to the whims of the author and her muse! I am well known to be the slowest writer in the world.
As I was writing this story, I realized that I was playing fast and loose with the timeline. I apologize for writing as if "Vengeance" takes place before "Sunday." It is a purely selfish whim to write Carson Beckett as a major character.
When completed it will be posted at www.wraithbait.com
Synopsis: The team responds to a request for help from the Counselor of a planetary colony. People are disappearing, leaving no trace. Can the team solve the mystery of their disappearance before one of them becomes a victim as well?
Prologue
Elizabeth Weir stood on her balcony looking out over the city she had come to love. It was Independence Day back home, and while Elizabeth didn’t force observances on the residents of Atlantis, they were marked on her calendar, and unit supervisors were made aware of both religious and civil observances for the entire population. However, given the difficulties they had faced in this second year, she had decided that one mandatory holiday would be appropriate, and the idea of an Independence Day appealed to everybody no matter where they came from.
She thought rather ironically that freedom was a perilous dream. These people wanted freedom - freedom from the menace of the Wraith, from the oppression of the Genii, from the belief that their home-worlds would be depopulated and vanish from memory. New threats loomed on the horizon, ones Elizabeth feared even more than the Wraith, but for these people, at this moment, she wished for peace above all. So many had lost so much. The lucky ones had leaders like the Athosian, Teyla Emmagen, who honored their cultures and carried on the traditions of her people even as she fought at the side of the people of Atlantis. The less fortunate came from home-worlds that had been reduced to rubble; like the city of ghosts that had been Sateda.
Elizabeth’s gaze found Ronon Dex as he stood next to John Sheppard. The two men should have been a study in contrasts. Sheppard was slim; lean, hard and fast. Dex was all daunting size, strength and muscular grace like a big cat. They seemed dissimilar, yet as a team of fighters, they were unmatched - as many enemies had since discovered.
When he had come to Atlantis, Ronon had been so wary beneath all the physical and emotional armor he carried that Elizabeth had doubted he would ever fit in with the others. Teyla and John had convinced her to be patient. And, frankly, she couldn't resist Sheppard's look of “See what I found, mom! Can I keep him?” She had agreed with some reluctance and distrust. The Satedan had made errors at first, and still could be set off like a firecracker with a short fuse, but Elizabeth could now see the man; not the Runner he had been.
As for Sheppard? She and John might not always see eye to eye - military and civilian points of view inevitably clashing - but she trusted him with her life. Elizabeth smiled, and he turned to look at her just at that moment.
“C’mon down, Elizabeth.” He motioned for her to join them.
“I’m on my way!” She took one last look at the sun glinting on the water. Yes, it had been quite a year. But they had this one day to celebrate before they began again. You never knew what tomorrow would bring.
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Chapter 1
Sheppard woke as the dawn broke through his window. He lifted an eyelid, winced and for the briefest moment, considered burying his head in the pillow and going back to sleep. Damn, that would teach him to listen to Teyla’s warning about some Athosian liquor called … hell, he didn’t remember its name, but he sure wouldn’t forget its after effects.
Aching and nauseous, he dragged himself out of bed, gulped down two aspirin and turned the shower on as hot as he could stand it. Ten minutes of steam and ten minutes of stretching later, he was jogging along the perimeter of the city. The first half mile was painful, but after that, his muscles took over and he loped easily along, his mind slowly clearing of the fog of the hangover, his heart pumping, his pulse singing. As far as he was concerned, this was the best part of the day. For the moment, nobody was shooting at him, which was all a soldier could expect from any morning.
He heard long paces behind him and without slowing, let the other runner catch up to him. There was only one man on Atlantis who would be up and running at dawn. Sheppard glanced over. Ronon’s dreads were held back with a leather thong, and he looked disgustingly chipper despite having downed more than a few pints of ale.
“Nice morning,” he said, loose and easy at Sheppard's side.
“That depends on what you were drinking last night.”
Ronon cast him a glance. “What were you drinking?”
“Something Teyla warned me about.”
“Maybe you should’a listened to her.”
“Yeah, maybe.” Sheppard gave his friend a black look. “I was having a good morning here until you reminded me how crappy I feel.”
“One mile and we’ll get coffee,” Ronon tempted and lengthened his stride once again.
“Hell.” He had no intention of competing at any level with Dex at the moment. He jogged on, made it to the transport that would take him to the mess hall, and found Ronon, with coffee, and Teyla sitting at their table. If anything, she looked more clear-eyed than Ronon.
“Good morning, John. Did you sleep well?” There was a gleam in her eyes that told him that Ronon hadn't been exactly discreet.
“No, I didn't. Thanks for reminding me.”
“Here.” Ronon shoved a mug of coffee towards him. “Black. Extra strong.”
Sheppard took a sip. “I might forgive you.”
“What did we do?” Teyla asked.
“Don't look at me all innocent-eyed. You and Ronon -- you took something.”
Teyla arched a delicate brow. “And did I not offer you the same?”
“What was it?”
“Merely a local herb infusion that clears the mind of strong drink. You should have taken it, or not have indulged so freely in Ruvan fire wine.”
The memory of it made Sheppard's stomach roil. The color must have drained from his face, because Ronon set a glass of water in front of him.
“Drink.”
“That's what got me here in the first place.” But he drank and when his stomach settled he asked, “I don't suppose that herb works after several hours?”
“It is not quite as effective, no. But it will do.” Teyla took a small packet of what looked like tea leaves from her pocket. “Put it in your coffee. It is bitter.”
Sheppard thought it couldn't be as bad as a hangover. He stirred the herbs into his coffee and took a tentative taste. Bitter, but the coffee in the mess was always that, so he drank it despite the acrid, musty taste that coffee couldn't disguise. “How long does this take to work?”
“You should feel much better in a few minutes. It is best if you lie down.”
As if that was going to happen. Almost on cue, the vibrating hum of the Stargate activating sounded through the mess hall, along with Chuck's announcement of an incoming wormhole, Lorne's IDC. He was way too early for a status report. Crap. That was always bad news.
All three team members pushed away from the table and hurried to the control room. Elizabeth Weir was already waiting, a slight frown on her face, when Lorne and his team came through. At least they weren't coming in hot, but Lorne was definitely tense.
“Major Lorne, that was a quick trip,” Elizabeth commented.
“Yes, ma'am. It seems there might be a situation down there. We were heading towards the town to scout it out when we ran into a search party. The local authority -- they call him a Counselor, by the way -- says several residents have disappeared without warning.”
“And you offered our assistance?” Her brow raised, but Lorne didn't back down.
“If we need friends out here, it's one way of making them. There's a complication. Communications are being blocked by some sort of electrical disturbance. That's why we gated back. All I could get on the radio was static.”
“Did the situation seem threatening?” Weir asked.
“No, ma'am. Not immediately. However, when people start disappearing it kind of sets off the alarm bells. I left Johnson and Harper at the gate to keep an eye on things, but I don't like leaving them without communications.”
“I don't blame you, Major. Colonel Sheppard, perhaps you had better take your team out there. See if Dr. McKay can determine the cause of the interference and establish communications.”
Sheppard looked at Lorne, still seeing lines of worry at his eyes. “There wasn't any sign of Wraith activity out there?”
“No, sir. When I asked, the people there said they'd never heard of the Wraith.”
Teyla spoke for the first time. “That can't be possible. These worlds have been culled in the past according to the Ancient databases.”
“Selective amnesia is a great defense,” Sheppard said. “Let's get out there.” He looked at Ronon, silent and grave at his side. “You need anything?”
Ronon's lips twitched, but there was no humor in his eyes. “Got my gun. I'm good.”
“You could wear a vest,” John suggested. It was an ongoing conversation. Ronon went into battle armed with nothing more than his weapons and his strength. John wished he would admit that Kevlar wasn't a bad idea. Ronon said it was added bulk and he moved faster without it. So far, he'd been right, but that didn't make John feel more sanguine about the whole thing.
“I'm ready.”
That kind of put a period to that argument. "We’ll be back in five,” John said. He and Teyla ran to the armory for guns and vests. When they returned to the control room, Ronon and Rodney McKay were waiting for them. McKay, as usual, wore an expression that was peeved, apprehensive and curious all at the same time.
“What world do we have to save at this time of the morning? I haven't had time for breakfast.”
“Relax, McKay. You'll be back before dinner.” He tossed him a power bar. “Here. Better than eggs and bacon.”
“I can't even remember what they tasted like,” Rodney said with a regretful sigh, but didn't turn down the offer.
Sheppard took a last look at his team and nodded, satisfied. Ronon, while not wearing a vest, had put on a leather jacket. It wouldn’t stop a bullet, but it would slow down a knife. It was the most he could hope for in concessions from Ronon. “Let's move out.”
“One moment, Colonel.” Elizabeth came down the gate level. “I want reports from you as soon as possible. Rodney, when you find the source of the EM field …”
“I know, I know.”
“Good luck.” She gave the order, “Dial the address.”
The wormhole rushed in, subsided, and they stepped through the gate.
Chapter 2