(no subject)

[piplover.livejournal.com]

Recipient: drusemia
Title: All for One
Author: Piplover
Rating: PG for one or two bad words
Category: Gen
Spoilers: nothing specific
Summary: Sometimes, getting away was the only really smart thing to do.



“Is it clear?”

McKay’s voice was rough, the harsh whisper barely hiding the nervous edge that tinged the question. Ronon could tell that the scientist was fighting to keep his breaths even and calm.

“Just stay behind me and you’ll be fine,” Ronon whispered back, sparing a moment to give the man beside him a brief grin. “And keep your gun pointed away from me.”

Ronon grinned as McKay sputtered, moving out into the hallway before the other man could utter a response, feeling his lips pull back from his teeth in a feral grin he couldn’t quite contain.

The hallway was empty, but the Satedan was still wary. What little light there was cast shadows in odd corners, giving the enemy plenty of spaces to hide. He spared a quick glance over his shoulder to make certain McKay was in a safe position behind him before moving on, his senses kicking into high gear as adrenaline started coursing though his veins.

Something skittered in front of them, a small metallic clicking that stopped him where he stood. Apparently McKay had heard it to, for the next thing he knew the scientist was yelling, “Oh, HELL!” and struggling to pull the larger man back the way they had come.

“That’s CHEATING!” McKay bellowed as an obnoxious smell started to fill the hallway, smoke slowly worming its way across their feet.

“Run!” Ronon growled, taking one deep breath before grabbing the hand still tangled in his shirt and hauling the swearing man back down the hallway, hoping neither of them had inhaled anything too dangerous.

He didn’t think that was the case, but he wasn’t going to take any chances. Not with McKay in his charge for the moment.

“Your job is to protect him,” Sheppard had ordered sternly, ignoring McKay’s eye roll with practiced ease and glaring at Ronon until the larger warrior had nodded. “Keep him safe, and we can all get out of here. Don’t…”

The sentence had been left to trail off, but the message had been loud and clear. So here they were, running blindly down a hallway, Ronon’s hand firmly wrapped around McKay’s uniform sleeve as he steered him through one room after another. Only when the scientist stumbled, his breath rattling in his chest, did he dare to slow, casting an anxious look around the room they were in before allowing him to rest.

“You ok?” he asked, taking in what little he could see of the other man’s red face and sweaty forehead.

“Do I…look…all right?” McKay panted, glaring up from where he was bent over, hands resting on his knees.

“You’ll be fine,” Ronon assured him, grinning at the dramatic eye roll and grunted snort that followed. “What was that stuff?”

As he talked he made his way around the room, looking for any other form of entrance that may be used against them, checking to make certain they hadn’t been followed.

“That,” Rodney muttered, finally gaining his breath back and pushing himself upright, “was what is known as tear gas back on earth. Not deadly, but awful enough to guarantee a very bad day.”

“How come we don’t have any of that?” Ronon asked, absently running his hand over the seam of the doorway, looking for weakness in the structure.

“Because I didn’t realize that we were sinking to their level,” Rodney muttered viciously. “But don’t worry. Give me ten minutes, and I’ll think of something.”

Of that, Ronon had no doubt, and took up a wary position by the door to allow his…friend.... to think.

The Satedan grinned at that last thought, his fingers absently caressing his gun. He didn’t have too many friends in his life. He wasn’t about to let anything happen to this one.

***

There was no warning before the lights flickered, then ceased to function, casting the room into total darkness.

“Let’s go,” Rodney whispered, taking up position behind Ronon once more as they cautiously opened the door to their hiding space.

The hallway once more seemed deserted, but after their last encounter, neither man was taking any chances. They waited, straining to hear any sound that would indicate they had been found. Only the soft hiss of the ventilation system could be heard.

Slowly, cautiously, they made their way through the warren of abandoned labs and water damaged rooms. Though they had been living in Atlantis for a little over two years, there were still sections of the city that were waiting to be brought back to life.

Ronon watched as McKay trailed a hand along one of the walls, quelling the urge to warn him about leaving a trace of their presence behind. At one point he would have simply grabbed McKay’s hand and pushed him away. Now he simply bit down on his lip and kept his silence.

For nearly fifteen minutes they remained undisturbed, finally daring to use one of the transporters to reach the puddlejumper bay. Silence filled the large room when the doors opened, puddlejumpers sitting innocently in their positions, as though waiting for something to happen.

The hair on the back of Ronon’s next stood up, and he squeezed McKay’s shoulder once in warning as they both left the safety of the transporter. He felt the scientist nod, allowing himself to be led to a more secure section of the bay.

Off to their left, clothing rustled.

Slowly, the two men pulled out their military issue field dressings from their vest pockets, Ronon tying his around his nose and mouth before turning to McKay. The scientist held the bandage close to his face, waiting for the larger man’s signal. At Ronon’s nod, he took in a deep breath and screamed, in his most piercing and strident voice, “FIRE!”

The room filled with a thick, hazy smoke, obscuring their movements and revealing the location of their stalkers as sudden swearing and coughing erupted off to their left.

Ronon wasted no time, firing off three quick rounds to cover McKay as the scientist darted across the bay to the nearest puddlejumper, working quickly with one hand, the other holding the bandage to his nose and mouth.

In a moment, the ramp to the Ancient ship lowered, and the bay suddenly filled with light.

“What the hell was that, McKay?” Sheppard’s annoyed voice demanded as the man came into view from around the corner, wiping his eyes with his hands as he glowered at his friends. One of Ronon’s paint pellets had hit him on the left thigh, staining the area dark purple.

“Oh, look who’s talking, Mr. tear-gas!” Rodney shouted back, emerging from the back of the puddlejumper with a triumphant grin. “That was a rotten, rotten thing to do!”

“I agree,” Teyla murmured, moving to stand beside the Colonel as she stoically wiped her streaming eyes. “However, it was not my decision to make.”

“Yeah, yeah, I get it!” Sheppard sighed, letting out a ragged cough before shrugging off the accusation with a grin. “What say we get out of here for that promised R&R, huh?”

“I don’t think Elizabeth meant we could leave the moment the exercise was finished,” Rodney said somewhat doubtfully, his eyebrows raising as he watched Sheppard and Teyla pick up packs from where they had been hidden behind Jumper 2.

“I already cleared it with her,” the Colonel assured his friend, motioning with his head towards the other side of the jumper, where two more packs could be seen.

Rodney’s eyebrows climbed even higher at that.

“Did you really have that much faith in us?” he asked, voice suddenly shy.

Ronon shared a grin with Teyla as he retrieved the last two packs before setting into his now usual back seat, enjoying the friendly banter that filled the small ship.

He may not have many friends in his life, he thought as the rear of the jumper closed, but he was certainly going to hold onto the ones he did have. Crazy bonding exercises and all.