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SGA - O Hellish Night
Just to note, I totally and completely blame E and TJ. No, seriously, I do. Also, Merry Christmas and/or Happy Winter Holiday of Your Preference!
Title: O Hellish Night
Genre: SGA, Gen, Challenge
Rating: PG-13
Synopsis: Shot down on some backwater planet. What else could go wrong?
Author’s Notes: This was a challenge issued by my partner and encouraged by the truly evil![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
threnodyjones for me to complete in one night. No beta because of the whole one night thing. See notes at end. Also, I do apologize for the abuse of religious imagery.
Disclaimer: I don’t own them, people with a lot of money do. I’m just borrowing them and making no profit from the experience.
Edit: Because I completely forgot to mention the whole underlying holiday theme thing...
~~~~~~~~~~
“Anyone want to tell me why the hell we had to take a Jumper in the first place?” Rodney huffed, trying to untangle himself from the equipment that had fallen on top of him during the less than graceful descent.
“I believe the scientists had some equipment they wanted to bring with and we thought this would be easiest,” John carefully replied.
“What? They couldn’t carry their own gear for like less than a mile?” McKay scoffed. He finally got the last of the netting off of himself and tossed it to the side.
“I do not remember requesting such assistance,” Radek cut in, pushing more of the debris to a relatively clear area.
John cleared his throat, looked pointedly at him, then to the very pregnant but refusing special treatment Teyla, and back again. Rodney picked up on the implications and blustered, “Yes, yes you did and Sheppard was kind enough to fly you and your nitwits around while we looked for the source of the energy signature.”
“It was your idea we come on this mission, and they are people from your department, so they are your nitwits,” Radek grumbled before saying something that was probably less than flattering in Czech. Rodney slapped him on the shoulder and looked pointedly at his pregnant teammate who was still trying to extract herself from her chair. Zelenka’s eyes grew wide in understanding and hastily added, “But you are correct, it was very kind of Colonel Sheppard to cart us and our equipment around so that we did not tire ourselves out so.”
Teyla rolled her eyes with a wince. She obviously knew what they were saying without saying it, but also probably knew it was the only reason she was allowed to come along on this mission, request of the natives or not.
Her people had once traded with the people of M12-2507, but it was many seasons ago. What little she did remember of their ways dictated you needed someone with previous experience with the Betans prior to even being allowed near their villages. She had gone with her father, and that hopefully would be sufficient for an audience. Normally, they would barely waste their time with a simple farming community like this, especially now that the Gate Bridge was open and running and supplies from Earth were a regular occurrence, but the planet offered two possible boons: it was known to her own people so it was possible they may have word of their whereabouts, and they were rumored to have the gift of protection from the Gods.
From McKay’s point of view, the fact the Jumper was hit by some sort of electrical disturbance that shorted everything out and sent them crashing to the ground below was a sign that this “gift” was most likely a shield of some sort; the thing with the Athosians was just an added bonus. He, and his teammates, and most of Atlantis, had not wanted Teyla to travel this far into her pregnancy, but she insisted. She wanted her child born with her people, if at all possible. He doubted it was going to happen at this point, but figured it was worth a shot.
He turned to find Ronon trying to help the woman up out of her seat, his own hands immediately offering support when it looked like she was about to topple over. He gave her a quick once over as she steadied herself. Still pregnant, but with a gash across her forehead and little incisions down her arms from the flying glass and other debris. On the up side, the extra large tac vest and super padded maternity shirt the scientists and soldiers had contributed seemed pretty much unharmed. He was not a medical doctor, but did not need their voodoo to know participating in a crash landing of an alien spacecraft was probably not good for your unborn child. “You okay?” he asked, still fighting the urge to support her, even though she was already standing.
She attempted to smile serenely at him, but failed miserably. “I am fine,” she insisted, despite all the evidence to the contrary. “I do, however, wish for some fresh air for a moment.”
The back hatch of the Jumper opened obligingly as Sheppard and the other passengers got ready to disembark. The ship lurched as it settled, and Rodney saw the woman turn an interesting shade of green before pushing herself through the others, ahead of the recon team, and out to the field that surrounded them, the sound of retching soon following.
He looked to Ronon, eyebrows raised in an identical fashion. “She’s fine,” he repeated, disbelievingly.
“That’s good,” the Satedan replied, and it was only then that Rodney noticed he was still leaning heavily against the bulkhead. “Because I’m not,” he added, raising an obviously broken arm slightly before clutching it to his chest again.
McKay made a face and tried to swallow the bile that formed in the back of his throat at the image. “I so did not need to see that,” he said calmly. Turning towards the rear compartment, he shouted, “Medic!”
Sheppard’s voice came floating in through the open hatch. “He’s a bit busy with Teyla right now, so your bump on the head’s going to have to wait.”
Radek answered before he had the chance to. “It is not Rodney for a change, it is Ronon,” he explained. There was a pause, followed by, “I know, I am shocked as well.”
~~~
It took nearly an hour before their little caravan was able to head out, not that anyone was certain of the time. The pulse, or whatever hit the Jumper, wiped out pretty much anything electronic that was active at the time it hit. This meant all watches, com systems, and half their scanners and laptops were toast, along with the Jumper. They took what they could and headed in what they roughly remembered as the direction of the gate.
Radek, Miko, and Kavanagh carried most of the equipment with Sergeant Ableman taking point, while Lieutenant Sharpe and Corpsman Elliot joined Sheppard and his crew carrying the weapons and other supplies. Ronon’s arm was splinted and bound, but he still carried his gun in his free hand. Teyla’s P90 was given to Elliot so she could concentrate on simply walking, but McKay and Sheppard still carried theirs along with light packs.
“Why doesn’t McKay have to carry any of this crap,” Kavanagh complained about an hour into the trek, putting down one of his parcels to stretch his neck.
“Because we don’t know if we were hit by a shield or a defense system and we don’t know if there’s going to be a gaggle of natives chasing after us trying to finish us off,” Rodney replied. He held up his P90 and asked, “Now, raise your hand if you’re signed off on one of these.”
Sheppard, Ableman, Sharpe, and Elliot raised their hands with a grin, as did Teyla and Ronon, though a bit more wearily. Rodney waved at them with his raised hand. They waved back. Kavanagh made a face and picked up the package once again.
They had walked a total of about ten steps when Teyla doubled over in pain, clutching her abdomen. Ronon reached to grab her, belatedly realizing there was not much he could do with a broken arm. Of all people, it was Kavanagh who was closest, dropping his gear and wrapping an arm around her. “Breath through it,” he directed as the corpsman checked her vitals.
“She’s in labor,” Elliot announced, a bit unnecessarily.
“Well, duh,” Kavanagh muttered before McKay could get the chance. “Any fool could have guessed that. I’m just surprised it took this long.”
Not to be outdone, McKay snarked, “What, you suddenly have another useless degree I don’t know about?” His harsh words were countered by a gentle hand to the gasping woman’s back. “You okay?” he asked, ignoring the other scientist blathering on about something to do with a sister and a farm.
“No,” she grit out. “But I shall continue.”
“Should have expected that,” Ronon pointed out, and Rodney had to agree.
“Can this day get any worse?” he asked the sky, not surprised that there was no answer aside from a strong cold breeze with the hint of rain in the air. Shaking his head, he added under his breath, “Can this day get any more clichéd?”
As they were still not certain whether they were shot out of the sky or hit an automated defense system, Sheppard felt they still needed to look out for any stalkers, attackers, or random people trying to kill them. That meant all armed personnel remained armed and on watch while all unarmed personnel carried the rest of the gear. Kavanagh kept his pack, but the rest of his load was split between Radek and Miko, with Abelman taking one package as well, so the scientist could half carry and half guide the pregnant Athosian towards the likely source of civilization.
It took nearly another full hour before they reached the outskirts of the village, but there was no one in sight. A quick check around confirmed it was abandoned, and had been for quite some time. There were a few random farm-type animals wandering around, free from the broken pens, but nothing more.
“Are you sure this is the right place?” Sheppard asked, casting a doubting eye to the cobweb strewn buildings.
Teyla nodded. “It has been many seasons, but I am certain there was only the one village,” she confirmed. She gripped onto one of the supports for a porch-like attachment to one of the buildings, breathing heavily. She tipped her head to the side as she examined something on the wood. “Look,” she directed.
Ronon strode over and deliberately did not lean against the railing for support as he nodded. “Those look like stunner blasts.”
Rodney pushed his way through to see what they were looking at. Now it was his turn to tip his head to the side as his thoughts started to whirl. “I have a theory,” he said. Looking to a smirking Sheppard he added, “And no, it’s not bunnies.” The man’s obsession with bad television shows was going to be the death of him one day, possibly by Rodney’s own hands. He snapped his fingers together several times, ordering, “Get me one of the scanners from the equipment.”
He held out his hand, fully expecting one of his minions to comply, and was not disappointed as the scanner was slapped into his hand. Miko stood at his side, a data pad at the ready, and an old-fashioned notebook and pencil in case it did not work. “If the electronics were disabled by the blast...” Radek began.
“These scorch marks had to come from somewhere, and we are definitely still within the radius of whatever we encountered,” Rodney countered. He flipped a switch on the scanner, saying, “If I’m right...”
The screen dutifully lit up and Zelenka snapped his own fingers, catching on. “The shield, and it is definitely seeming like a shield now, prevents active technology from entering the area!”
“But if it’s deactivated when it crosses the threshold...”
“It has no effect, allowing it’s use once inside,” Radek finished for him. The small scientist seemed thoughtful as he added, “Useful for preventing aerial attack with the Wraith darts, but not so useful for prevention of ground attack.”
“So the village?” Miko prompted, pushing her large glasses up into place before booting up the laptop.
“Culled,” Rodney answered.
“Most likely,” Radek agreed, regretfully.
“All of them?” Miko asked.
“It does not appear anyone has been here for some time,” Teyla concurred, reminding them of her presence. She grunted in pain again, clutching the post hard enough for it to shake and for her knuckles to turn an alarming shade of white.
“Shouldn’t you be, like, laying down or something?” Rodney inquired with concern.
Teyla pushed herself off of the porch and towards the door to the small building, stumbling only once, gritting out, “No.”
John appeared at her side to help shoulder open the entrance, revealing a dilapidated interior riddled with blast patterns and crumbling walls. “What was this place?” he asked, using the light on his weapon to try to get a better look.
“Traders’ residence,” Teyla replied. She leaned heavily against something that looked suspiciously like a check in desk. “There may be multiple negotiators making many treaties at any given time. This provided them with a place for respite during their stay.”
“Well, it looks like there’s no room at the inn,” John commented, offering her an arm as the desk made an ominous creaking noise. He shuffled her the few steps back to the porch, pointedly ignoring the crashing noise from within.
“We’re going to need shelter soon,” Ronon advised. He used his good arm to gesture towards the rapidly dimming sky. “Night’s coming and she’s in no shape to try to make it back to the gate.”
Teyla opened her mouth to protest, but it came out as a near wail instead. Her knees started to buckle and John rushed to grab her before she completely collapsed. Rodney tossed his scanner to Radek, helping to lower her to the wooden planking to sit.
John bit his lip in thought for a moment before ordering, “Ableman, Sharpe, I want you two to hightail it back to the gate and report in. We’re going to need some way to transport her without it getting knocked out by the shield,” he ordered.
“What about the scientists?” Sharpe asked. “Do you want us to take any with us?”
“No,” Ableman shook his head. “They have their pretty little light show to keep them busy.”
“Light show?” Rodney questioned. He stepped off the porch, allowing himself a clearer view of the darkening sky. Sure enough, there was a steady pulsing along what must have been the edges of the shield they hit. It flashed almost yellow in the center, fading to blue the further it got away from the village. It was not completely steady, little flickers giving away the power fluctuations and drawing their attention to the middle, which formed a roughly cone-shaped pillar in the center of town, the edges laid out with neat little crumbling bricks and everything. “Huh.”
A snap of his fingers had the scanner back in his hands and Radek and Miko shooting out ideas as they followed him towards the stone circle. They were muttering things back in forth in a combination of three languages and half-finished ideas, each one picking up where the others left off.
“Stay close!” Sheppard ordered, calling after them.
Rodney turned around and made a face. “This village is what, like the size of our cafeteria? How much closer do you want us?” He did not expect an answer, but was not surprised to find Sharpe no longer leaving with Ableman, but staying behind to pace between the scientists and the rest of the group.
What he was surprised at was that Kavanagh had not yet joined him and his team. He turned around to comment, just in time to see him start to wander over, stop, turn, and catch Teyla after she somehow became convinced she could move without any help from the others. In another surprising turn of events, the skinny, whiny, ass of a man actually managed to pretty much carry the pregnant Athosian all on his own to a broken down enclosure filled with dry hay and grasses.
Rodney figured it could be worse. Though the rain had held off, there was still the chance it could hit at any moment, and the rough roof-like covering would offer some protection from it.
Satisfied his teammate was safe and all three scientists were now gathering around him, he focused his attention on the scanner once more. “Okay, people, let’s follow the shiny flashy light.”
~~~
Just over a half an hour later, and the four scientists were rushing to the cover of the semi-enclosed structure, the deluge finally hitting. The nice thing was that the shield also seemed to protect from lightning strikes, so there was at least that. The not so nice thing was that wet hay really reeked and that wet hay that had been housing animals for unknown months really, really reeked.
He plopped down beside his team, trying hard not to think what he might be sitting in. “How is she?” he asked, gesturing to where Teyla was taking short, measured breaths.
John slid slightly away from the others, reluctantly relinquishing his hold on Teyla’s hand and adjusting the blanket around her. Ronon had her refocus on just him as Sheppard replied, “Elliot says full labor hit about ten to fifteen minutes ago. He says it could be anywhere between minutes and hours because this is her first.” He paused for a moment, and Rodney swore he could see him blush beneath the lights from the shield. “He also promised I would never have to cut the pants off a pregnant member of my team ever again. I’m really hoping he’s right on all accounts.”
While they were talking, Kavanagh had crawled forward, patting the sweating woman lightly on the shoulder with what for him had to be a reassuring look. He started whispering something, his hand moving to make broad, elegant waves through the air. Teyla’s eyes grew wide and she scrambled to sit up, reaching out and grabbing towards Elliot and his medical kit.
“What do you need?” His voice was full of concern as he started to double-check the supplies of his pack.
“Drugs,” she demanded, voice lowering as her eyes narrowed.
He shook his head. “It’s too dangerous to give you anything at this point, it could hurt the baby.”
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to look over at him. “Not for me, for him,” she said, slowly turning her head towards the still mumbling Kavanagh. “Make him shut up, or I will.”
Radek and Miko rushed to pull the other scientist away from her and a glowering Ronon while John and Rodney slowly edged the narcotics out of her reach.
“Did you find the thing?” Sheppard asked with forced casualness.
“We found the thing that houses the thing,” Rodney confirmed. With a resigned sigh, he added, “But we decided not to risk electrocuting or drowning ourselves and came back here to try to dry off.”
There was a slight pause as they heard Ronon direct, “Scream it out if you have to. Melena always said that helped,” followed by an ear-deafening screech.
“So, what do you think it is?” Sheppard eventually asked, leaving Rodney to wonder if he meant the device or the sex of the child. Both had eluded him so far, but Keller swore she wouldn’t tell anyone about the one, and there was not much he could do right now about the other. “The thing,” Sheppard clarified, seemingly knowing the direction of his thoughts.
McKay shrugged. “Power source, possibly significant one at that if it kept this shield up and running for so long.”
“ZPM?”
“Possible, but not probable with our luck,” Rodney pointed out.
John nodded. “Very true.”
They sat in relative silence for a while, watching the flashing lights and listening to the heavy breathing and imaginative curses of their teammate. Finally, just as the rain started to let up a bit, they heard Elliot announce, “It’s crowning!”
John turned to Rodney and whispered, “That’s a good thing, right?”
“I think so,” McKay agreed. He looked over to his colleagues, who nodded.
“It means head is being pushed out,” Radek explained.
Miko added, “And that the birth is almost over.” She glanced at Kavanagh, who simply nodded a bit more vigorously behind his duct tape.
There was a flurry of activity on all sides as people edged for a better view without totally destroying Teyla’s privacy and Elliot managed to remove the baby, wrap it in a spare space blanket, and announce, “Congratulations, it’s a girl!”
There were cheers and hugs and pats on the back as everyone crowded around to gaze upon the little child. Elliot used some gauze from the kit to wipe her face and make sure she was not choking on the gunk that surrounded her before handing her to Teyla to be cradled in her arms. As everyone cooed, he instructed, “Okay, one last push.”
“Oh my god, there’s twins!” someone announced to another round of cheers.
Elliot shook his head and cut them off. “No, just one,” he insisted. At their confused looks, he asked, “Have none of you ever heard of the afterbirth?”
As Sheppard and Ronon surreptitiously spit into the hay, Rodney ran outside to hurl. Wiping his mouth on some tissue helpfully provided by Miko on his way out, he looked up into the clearing sky, watching the flashing fluctuations once more, taking comfort in their protection. As the light glinted off one of the stone columns in the center, he got an idea.
After a few minutes of scrambling, he returned to the shelter where the others were still gathered. He watched as Miko gifted Teyla with a small tube of her very own lily-scented hand sanitizer, earning a grateful smile. Radek was next, offering the new mother some of his private stash of raspberry-chocolate Power Bars, which she eagerly ripped into and devoured. Finally, after making sure Ronon and John had already said their congratulations and promised her presents still back on Atlantis, he stepped forward, offering his token of good will.
“Is that what I think it is?” Teyla asked in awe, little crumbs of chocolate flecking away from her lips.
“A ZedPM,” Rodney promised, holding out the glowing object. “It’s not fully charged, but it’s enough to keep us safe for quite a while,” he beamed.
“Okay, that so totally trumps ours,” Sheppard grouched good-naturedly. He turned to his teammate and her new charge, “But they really are rocking booties.”
Teyla ignored him, raising her child’s arm ever so gently to allow her little hand to touch the source of power. “It is a great gift, for us all,” she agreed.
Rodney looked down, giving in to the urge to run a finger through the little one’s dark hair, brushing it off her forehead before wiping the resulting goo on his already filthy pants. “I’m sorry you couldn’t be with your people when she was born,” he said, surprised he really meant it. “I know that was important to you.”
Teyla smiled up at him, covered in drying sweat, blood from her wounds, and chocolate, and radiating beauty. “You are wrong,” she said gently. Looking around at the others, she said, loud enough for them to hear, “My people were here with me.”
Rodney grinned, and saw the emotion reflected in the faces of everyone present who was not still gagged. They sat and bonded as they waited for the medical team to arrive, eventually untying Kavanagh and letting him have a look at the baby as well, under the watchful and threatening eyes of her many uncles and single aunt.
As they loaded Teyla onto the stretcher, the baby still clutched in her arms, McKay asked, “Have you decided on a name yet?”
She looked up at him in confusion. “She has not yet reached even a full moon’s age, why would we name her before the ceremony?”
“Why indeed?” he agreed, hoping he sounded somewhat believable as she was wheeled away. Turning to the waiting Sheppard at his shoulder he sighed, “It’s going to be a long month, isn’t it?”
John patted him on the back and handed him his pack, ZedPM carefully stuffed within. “Why should it be different from any other?”
End.
~~~~~~~~~~
Challenge: Teyla’s giving birth on some backwater planet in a stable-like structure with the three wise men (Atlantis scientists), her team, and such. Bonus points if Kavanagh is the donkey/ass who has to carry her because Ronon’s got a broken arm or something and Rodney doesn’t care about any of this because there’s a ZedPM leading them to a pretty shiny.
May possibly be scared of feedback on this one…
Title: O Hellish Night
Genre: SGA, Gen, Challenge
Rating: PG-13
Synopsis: Shot down on some backwater planet. What else could go wrong?
Author’s Notes: This was a challenge issued by my partner and encouraged by the truly evil
threnodyjones for me to complete in one night. No beta because of the whole one night thing. See notes at end. Also, I do apologize for the abuse of religious imagery. Disclaimer: I don’t own them, people with a lot of money do. I’m just borrowing them and making no profit from the experience.
Edit: Because I completely forgot to mention the whole underlying holiday theme thing...
~~~~~~~~~~
“Anyone want to tell me why the hell we had to take a Jumper in the first place?” Rodney huffed, trying to untangle himself from the equipment that had fallen on top of him during the less than graceful descent.
“I believe the scientists had some equipment they wanted to bring with and we thought this would be easiest,” John carefully replied.
“What? They couldn’t carry their own gear for like less than a mile?” McKay scoffed. He finally got the last of the netting off of himself and tossed it to the side.
“I do not remember requesting such assistance,” Radek cut in, pushing more of the debris to a relatively clear area.
John cleared his throat, looked pointedly at him, then to the very pregnant but refusing special treatment Teyla, and back again. Rodney picked up on the implications and blustered, “Yes, yes you did and Sheppard was kind enough to fly you and your nitwits around while we looked for the source of the energy signature.”
“It was your idea we come on this mission, and they are people from your department, so they are your nitwits,” Radek grumbled before saying something that was probably less than flattering in Czech. Rodney slapped him on the shoulder and looked pointedly at his pregnant teammate who was still trying to extract herself from her chair. Zelenka’s eyes grew wide in understanding and hastily added, “But you are correct, it was very kind of Colonel Sheppard to cart us and our equipment around so that we did not tire ourselves out so.”
Teyla rolled her eyes with a wince. She obviously knew what they were saying without saying it, but also probably knew it was the only reason she was allowed to come along on this mission, request of the natives or not.
Her people had once traded with the people of M12-2507, but it was many seasons ago. What little she did remember of their ways dictated you needed someone with previous experience with the Betans prior to even being allowed near their villages. She had gone with her father, and that hopefully would be sufficient for an audience. Normally, they would barely waste their time with a simple farming community like this, especially now that the Gate Bridge was open and running and supplies from Earth were a regular occurrence, but the planet offered two possible boons: it was known to her own people so it was possible they may have word of their whereabouts, and they were rumored to have the gift of protection from the Gods.
From McKay’s point of view, the fact the Jumper was hit by some sort of electrical disturbance that shorted everything out and sent them crashing to the ground below was a sign that this “gift” was most likely a shield of some sort; the thing with the Athosians was just an added bonus. He, and his teammates, and most of Atlantis, had not wanted Teyla to travel this far into her pregnancy, but she insisted. She wanted her child born with her people, if at all possible. He doubted it was going to happen at this point, but figured it was worth a shot.
He turned to find Ronon trying to help the woman up out of her seat, his own hands immediately offering support when it looked like she was about to topple over. He gave her a quick once over as she steadied herself. Still pregnant, but with a gash across her forehead and little incisions down her arms from the flying glass and other debris. On the up side, the extra large tac vest and super padded maternity shirt the scientists and soldiers had contributed seemed pretty much unharmed. He was not a medical doctor, but did not need their voodoo to know participating in a crash landing of an alien spacecraft was probably not good for your unborn child. “You okay?” he asked, still fighting the urge to support her, even though she was already standing.
She attempted to smile serenely at him, but failed miserably. “I am fine,” she insisted, despite all the evidence to the contrary. “I do, however, wish for some fresh air for a moment.”
The back hatch of the Jumper opened obligingly as Sheppard and the other passengers got ready to disembark. The ship lurched as it settled, and Rodney saw the woman turn an interesting shade of green before pushing herself through the others, ahead of the recon team, and out to the field that surrounded them, the sound of retching soon following.
He looked to Ronon, eyebrows raised in an identical fashion. “She’s fine,” he repeated, disbelievingly.
“That’s good,” the Satedan replied, and it was only then that Rodney noticed he was still leaning heavily against the bulkhead. “Because I’m not,” he added, raising an obviously broken arm slightly before clutching it to his chest again.
McKay made a face and tried to swallow the bile that formed in the back of his throat at the image. “I so did not need to see that,” he said calmly. Turning towards the rear compartment, he shouted, “Medic!”
Sheppard’s voice came floating in through the open hatch. “He’s a bit busy with Teyla right now, so your bump on the head’s going to have to wait.”
Radek answered before he had the chance to. “It is not Rodney for a change, it is Ronon,” he explained. There was a pause, followed by, “I know, I am shocked as well.”
~~~
It took nearly an hour before their little caravan was able to head out, not that anyone was certain of the time. The pulse, or whatever hit the Jumper, wiped out pretty much anything electronic that was active at the time it hit. This meant all watches, com systems, and half their scanners and laptops were toast, along with the Jumper. They took what they could and headed in what they roughly remembered as the direction of the gate.
Radek, Miko, and Kavanagh carried most of the equipment with Sergeant Ableman taking point, while Lieutenant Sharpe and Corpsman Elliot joined Sheppard and his crew carrying the weapons and other supplies. Ronon’s arm was splinted and bound, but he still carried his gun in his free hand. Teyla’s P90 was given to Elliot so she could concentrate on simply walking, but McKay and Sheppard still carried theirs along with light packs.
“Why doesn’t McKay have to carry any of this crap,” Kavanagh complained about an hour into the trek, putting down one of his parcels to stretch his neck.
“Because we don’t know if we were hit by a shield or a defense system and we don’t know if there’s going to be a gaggle of natives chasing after us trying to finish us off,” Rodney replied. He held up his P90 and asked, “Now, raise your hand if you’re signed off on one of these.”
Sheppard, Ableman, Sharpe, and Elliot raised their hands with a grin, as did Teyla and Ronon, though a bit more wearily. Rodney waved at them with his raised hand. They waved back. Kavanagh made a face and picked up the package once again.
They had walked a total of about ten steps when Teyla doubled over in pain, clutching her abdomen. Ronon reached to grab her, belatedly realizing there was not much he could do with a broken arm. Of all people, it was Kavanagh who was closest, dropping his gear and wrapping an arm around her. “Breath through it,” he directed as the corpsman checked her vitals.
“She’s in labor,” Elliot announced, a bit unnecessarily.
“Well, duh,” Kavanagh muttered before McKay could get the chance. “Any fool could have guessed that. I’m just surprised it took this long.”
Not to be outdone, McKay snarked, “What, you suddenly have another useless degree I don’t know about?” His harsh words were countered by a gentle hand to the gasping woman’s back. “You okay?” he asked, ignoring the other scientist blathering on about something to do with a sister and a farm.
“No,” she grit out. “But I shall continue.”
“Should have expected that,” Ronon pointed out, and Rodney had to agree.
“Can this day get any worse?” he asked the sky, not surprised that there was no answer aside from a strong cold breeze with the hint of rain in the air. Shaking his head, he added under his breath, “Can this day get any more clichéd?”
As they were still not certain whether they were shot out of the sky or hit an automated defense system, Sheppard felt they still needed to look out for any stalkers, attackers, or random people trying to kill them. That meant all armed personnel remained armed and on watch while all unarmed personnel carried the rest of the gear. Kavanagh kept his pack, but the rest of his load was split between Radek and Miko, with Abelman taking one package as well, so the scientist could half carry and half guide the pregnant Athosian towards the likely source of civilization.
It took nearly another full hour before they reached the outskirts of the village, but there was no one in sight. A quick check around confirmed it was abandoned, and had been for quite some time. There were a few random farm-type animals wandering around, free from the broken pens, but nothing more.
“Are you sure this is the right place?” Sheppard asked, casting a doubting eye to the cobweb strewn buildings.
Teyla nodded. “It has been many seasons, but I am certain there was only the one village,” she confirmed. She gripped onto one of the supports for a porch-like attachment to one of the buildings, breathing heavily. She tipped her head to the side as she examined something on the wood. “Look,” she directed.
Ronon strode over and deliberately did not lean against the railing for support as he nodded. “Those look like stunner blasts.”
Rodney pushed his way through to see what they were looking at. Now it was his turn to tip his head to the side as his thoughts started to whirl. “I have a theory,” he said. Looking to a smirking Sheppard he added, “And no, it’s not bunnies.” The man’s obsession with bad television shows was going to be the death of him one day, possibly by Rodney’s own hands. He snapped his fingers together several times, ordering, “Get me one of the scanners from the equipment.”
He held out his hand, fully expecting one of his minions to comply, and was not disappointed as the scanner was slapped into his hand. Miko stood at his side, a data pad at the ready, and an old-fashioned notebook and pencil in case it did not work. “If the electronics were disabled by the blast...” Radek began.
“These scorch marks had to come from somewhere, and we are definitely still within the radius of whatever we encountered,” Rodney countered. He flipped a switch on the scanner, saying, “If I’m right...”
The screen dutifully lit up and Zelenka snapped his own fingers, catching on. “The shield, and it is definitely seeming like a shield now, prevents active technology from entering the area!”
“But if it’s deactivated when it crosses the threshold...”
“It has no effect, allowing it’s use once inside,” Radek finished for him. The small scientist seemed thoughtful as he added, “Useful for preventing aerial attack with the Wraith darts, but not so useful for prevention of ground attack.”
“So the village?” Miko prompted, pushing her large glasses up into place before booting up the laptop.
“Culled,” Rodney answered.
“Most likely,” Radek agreed, regretfully.
“All of them?” Miko asked.
“It does not appear anyone has been here for some time,” Teyla concurred, reminding them of her presence. She grunted in pain again, clutching the post hard enough for it to shake and for her knuckles to turn an alarming shade of white.
“Shouldn’t you be, like, laying down or something?” Rodney inquired with concern.
Teyla pushed herself off of the porch and towards the door to the small building, stumbling only once, gritting out, “No.”
John appeared at her side to help shoulder open the entrance, revealing a dilapidated interior riddled with blast patterns and crumbling walls. “What was this place?” he asked, using the light on his weapon to try to get a better look.
“Traders’ residence,” Teyla replied. She leaned heavily against something that looked suspiciously like a check in desk. “There may be multiple negotiators making many treaties at any given time. This provided them with a place for respite during their stay.”
“Well, it looks like there’s no room at the inn,” John commented, offering her an arm as the desk made an ominous creaking noise. He shuffled her the few steps back to the porch, pointedly ignoring the crashing noise from within.
“We’re going to need shelter soon,” Ronon advised. He used his good arm to gesture towards the rapidly dimming sky. “Night’s coming and she’s in no shape to try to make it back to the gate.”
Teyla opened her mouth to protest, but it came out as a near wail instead. Her knees started to buckle and John rushed to grab her before she completely collapsed. Rodney tossed his scanner to Radek, helping to lower her to the wooden planking to sit.
John bit his lip in thought for a moment before ordering, “Ableman, Sharpe, I want you two to hightail it back to the gate and report in. We’re going to need some way to transport her without it getting knocked out by the shield,” he ordered.
“What about the scientists?” Sharpe asked. “Do you want us to take any with us?”
“No,” Ableman shook his head. “They have their pretty little light show to keep them busy.”
“Light show?” Rodney questioned. He stepped off the porch, allowing himself a clearer view of the darkening sky. Sure enough, there was a steady pulsing along what must have been the edges of the shield they hit. It flashed almost yellow in the center, fading to blue the further it got away from the village. It was not completely steady, little flickers giving away the power fluctuations and drawing their attention to the middle, which formed a roughly cone-shaped pillar in the center of town, the edges laid out with neat little crumbling bricks and everything. “Huh.”
A snap of his fingers had the scanner back in his hands and Radek and Miko shooting out ideas as they followed him towards the stone circle. They were muttering things back in forth in a combination of three languages and half-finished ideas, each one picking up where the others left off.
“Stay close!” Sheppard ordered, calling after them.
Rodney turned around and made a face. “This village is what, like the size of our cafeteria? How much closer do you want us?” He did not expect an answer, but was not surprised to find Sharpe no longer leaving with Ableman, but staying behind to pace between the scientists and the rest of the group.
What he was surprised at was that Kavanagh had not yet joined him and his team. He turned around to comment, just in time to see him start to wander over, stop, turn, and catch Teyla after she somehow became convinced she could move without any help from the others. In another surprising turn of events, the skinny, whiny, ass of a man actually managed to pretty much carry the pregnant Athosian all on his own to a broken down enclosure filled with dry hay and grasses.
Rodney figured it could be worse. Though the rain had held off, there was still the chance it could hit at any moment, and the rough roof-like covering would offer some protection from it.
Satisfied his teammate was safe and all three scientists were now gathering around him, he focused his attention on the scanner once more. “Okay, people, let’s follow the shiny flashy light.”
~~~
Just over a half an hour later, and the four scientists were rushing to the cover of the semi-enclosed structure, the deluge finally hitting. The nice thing was that the shield also seemed to protect from lightning strikes, so there was at least that. The not so nice thing was that wet hay really reeked and that wet hay that had been housing animals for unknown months really, really reeked.
He plopped down beside his team, trying hard not to think what he might be sitting in. “How is she?” he asked, gesturing to where Teyla was taking short, measured breaths.
John slid slightly away from the others, reluctantly relinquishing his hold on Teyla’s hand and adjusting the blanket around her. Ronon had her refocus on just him as Sheppard replied, “Elliot says full labor hit about ten to fifteen minutes ago. He says it could be anywhere between minutes and hours because this is her first.” He paused for a moment, and Rodney swore he could see him blush beneath the lights from the shield. “He also promised I would never have to cut the pants off a pregnant member of my team ever again. I’m really hoping he’s right on all accounts.”
While they were talking, Kavanagh had crawled forward, patting the sweating woman lightly on the shoulder with what for him had to be a reassuring look. He started whispering something, his hand moving to make broad, elegant waves through the air. Teyla’s eyes grew wide and she scrambled to sit up, reaching out and grabbing towards Elliot and his medical kit.
“What do you need?” His voice was full of concern as he started to double-check the supplies of his pack.
“Drugs,” she demanded, voice lowering as her eyes narrowed.
He shook his head. “It’s too dangerous to give you anything at this point, it could hurt the baby.”
She took a deep breath, forcing herself to look over at him. “Not for me, for him,” she said, slowly turning her head towards the still mumbling Kavanagh. “Make him shut up, or I will.”
Radek and Miko rushed to pull the other scientist away from her and a glowering Ronon while John and Rodney slowly edged the narcotics out of her reach.
“Did you find the thing?” Sheppard asked with forced casualness.
“We found the thing that houses the thing,” Rodney confirmed. With a resigned sigh, he added, “But we decided not to risk electrocuting or drowning ourselves and came back here to try to dry off.”
There was a slight pause as they heard Ronon direct, “Scream it out if you have to. Melena always said that helped,” followed by an ear-deafening screech.
“So, what do you think it is?” Sheppard eventually asked, leaving Rodney to wonder if he meant the device or the sex of the child. Both had eluded him so far, but Keller swore she wouldn’t tell anyone about the one, and there was not much he could do right now about the other. “The thing,” Sheppard clarified, seemingly knowing the direction of his thoughts.
McKay shrugged. “Power source, possibly significant one at that if it kept this shield up and running for so long.”
“ZPM?”
“Possible, but not probable with our luck,” Rodney pointed out.
John nodded. “Very true.”
They sat in relative silence for a while, watching the flashing lights and listening to the heavy breathing and imaginative curses of their teammate. Finally, just as the rain started to let up a bit, they heard Elliot announce, “It’s crowning!”
John turned to Rodney and whispered, “That’s a good thing, right?”
“I think so,” McKay agreed. He looked over to his colleagues, who nodded.
“It means head is being pushed out,” Radek explained.
Miko added, “And that the birth is almost over.” She glanced at Kavanagh, who simply nodded a bit more vigorously behind his duct tape.
There was a flurry of activity on all sides as people edged for a better view without totally destroying Teyla’s privacy and Elliot managed to remove the baby, wrap it in a spare space blanket, and announce, “Congratulations, it’s a girl!”
There were cheers and hugs and pats on the back as everyone crowded around to gaze upon the little child. Elliot used some gauze from the kit to wipe her face and make sure she was not choking on the gunk that surrounded her before handing her to Teyla to be cradled in her arms. As everyone cooed, he instructed, “Okay, one last push.”
“Oh my god, there’s twins!” someone announced to another round of cheers.
Elliot shook his head and cut them off. “No, just one,” he insisted. At their confused looks, he asked, “Have none of you ever heard of the afterbirth?”
As Sheppard and Ronon surreptitiously spit into the hay, Rodney ran outside to hurl. Wiping his mouth on some tissue helpfully provided by Miko on his way out, he looked up into the clearing sky, watching the flashing fluctuations once more, taking comfort in their protection. As the light glinted off one of the stone columns in the center, he got an idea.
After a few minutes of scrambling, he returned to the shelter where the others were still gathered. He watched as Miko gifted Teyla with a small tube of her very own lily-scented hand sanitizer, earning a grateful smile. Radek was next, offering the new mother some of his private stash of raspberry-chocolate Power Bars, which she eagerly ripped into and devoured. Finally, after making sure Ronon and John had already said their congratulations and promised her presents still back on Atlantis, he stepped forward, offering his token of good will.
“Is that what I think it is?” Teyla asked in awe, little crumbs of chocolate flecking away from her lips.
“A ZedPM,” Rodney promised, holding out the glowing object. “It’s not fully charged, but it’s enough to keep us safe for quite a while,” he beamed.
“Okay, that so totally trumps ours,” Sheppard grouched good-naturedly. He turned to his teammate and her new charge, “But they really are rocking booties.”
Teyla ignored him, raising her child’s arm ever so gently to allow her little hand to touch the source of power. “It is a great gift, for us all,” she agreed.
Rodney looked down, giving in to the urge to run a finger through the little one’s dark hair, brushing it off her forehead before wiping the resulting goo on his already filthy pants. “I’m sorry you couldn’t be with your people when she was born,” he said, surprised he really meant it. “I know that was important to you.”
Teyla smiled up at him, covered in drying sweat, blood from her wounds, and chocolate, and radiating beauty. “You are wrong,” she said gently. Looking around at the others, she said, loud enough for them to hear, “My people were here with me.”
Rodney grinned, and saw the emotion reflected in the faces of everyone present who was not still gagged. They sat and bonded as they waited for the medical team to arrive, eventually untying Kavanagh and letting him have a look at the baby as well, under the watchful and threatening eyes of her many uncles and single aunt.
As they loaded Teyla onto the stretcher, the baby still clutched in her arms, McKay asked, “Have you decided on a name yet?”
She looked up at him in confusion. “She has not yet reached even a full moon’s age, why would we name her before the ceremony?”
“Why indeed?” he agreed, hoping he sounded somewhat believable as she was wheeled away. Turning to the waiting Sheppard at his shoulder he sighed, “It’s going to be a long month, isn’t it?”
John patted him on the back and handed him his pack, ZedPM carefully stuffed within. “Why should it be different from any other?”
End.
~~~~~~~~~~
Challenge: Teyla’s giving birth on some backwater planet in a stable-like structure with the three wise men (Atlantis scientists), her team, and such. Bonus points if Kavanagh is the donkey/ass who has to carry her because Ronon’s got a broken arm or something and Rodney doesn’t care about any of this because there’s a ZedPM leading them to a pretty shiny.
May possibly be scared of feedback on this one…