"The Australians will catch them," suggested McKay, sounding more hopeful than certain.
"Unlikely." Teyla had pulled herself together as well as could be expected. "They share a mind-link. They will have realized what has happened here and will make every attempt to disappear."
"Then we'll do what we have to do to find them." Sheppard turned toward the entrance and abruptly thrust out a hand to steady himself on the wall. In the uneven light provided by a handful of lamps, it was hard to tell, but to Daniel he looked pale.
McKay frowned fiercely, as if unsure how to convey the right amount of concern. "Are you sure this Anata healed you all the way?"
"I'm okay." The Colonel straightened, not without effort. "I think I might not have gotten every last drop of my blood back, that's all."
"Oh, that's all, is it?" Rolling his eyes, McKay dug into his pockets until he came up with a somewhat battered Snickers bar. He slapped it into his teammate's palm. "It might be a bit melted, what with the raging forest fire I had to negotiate earlier."
The comer of Sheppard's mouth quirked up as he looked down at the candy. "Thanks," he said quietly.
"Yes, well, now we're even. Don't say I never gave you anything."
Sheppard scanned the room once more before squaring his shoulders. "Let's get out of here."
When they emerged, the sun was beginning to rise. The fire had taken what it could and moved on, leaving behind a barren world that resembled a forest of spent matchsticks. The sky was bilious and unwelcoming, the air tasting of ashes in the increasingly strong wind, smelling of cinders and death. Daniel scrubbed at gritty eyes, feeling the complete absence of moisture in the air. He'd seen his fair share of post-apocalyptic scenes, but never before had one forewarned of a future their own planet might no longer be able to avoid.
Jumper Two had landed near the cave entrance, and through the devastated foliage it was now easy to see Jumper One parked a few hundred yards away. Marines were loading the acoustic equipment onto Jumper Two under Lee's supervision.
"Damn good to see you, Colonel," Lome greeted his CO with a relieved smile. As soon as he picked up on the look in Sheppard's eyes, however, his tone and bearing became rigidly professional. "Sir, General Landry's ordered us to remain in place for the time being. We're to secure the cave and help sanitize the area. Local teams will be arriving shortly to assist. The General assumed there would be a number of bodies in need of disposal."
"The General's a smart man," Sheppard said, his voice flat. "We need to make him aware that the last contingent of Lilith followers is probably going to ground as we speak. He'll pass the information to the Australians so they can decide how to mount a search. Can you get him on the sat-link?"
"Will do, sir."
Daniel barely paid attention as the two officers went into the jumper to make the call. As grisly as their duty would be, he was glad of the chance to stay in Tasmania. It would take him a quite a while to document the extensive collection of markings on the cave walls. With any luck, the symbols would give him some indication of what the Lilith had been searching for, either in the caves or in Antarctica.
If their murders and influence could be ended, maybe the recriminations wouldn't remain so long in the back of his mind, mocking him with the torturous beauty of that hymn.
His equipment safely stowed on the jumper, Lee approached the others with an expression of frank curiosity. "I presume the acoustic effect worked," he commented brightly. "Remarkable. Can you describe how?"
McKay's answer was terse and accurate. "Efficiently."
Glancing around at bleak faces, Lee's enthusiasm faltered. "Have I missed something? Shouldn't we consider this a win for our side?"
Under Daniel's boot, a branch crumbled to ash. Between his surroundings and what had transpired over the past few hours, he couldn't avoid thinking of the words of King Pyrrhus. "One more such victory," he mused, "could utterly undo us."
Chapter thirty-four
The bustling Salamanca markets in the city of Hobart held endless fascination for Teyla. She absorbed all the sights and sounds-more varied, more exuberant, and simply more than any trading world she had ever come across. Her teammates had been surprisingly tolerant of her curiosity, showing no impatience as she inspected every stall, marveling at the craftsmanship of each piece of spun glass and sculpted wood. The fragrant scent of lavender began to erase the disturbing odors that had clung to her memory over the past few days. John had managed to procure some local currency for them, and she planned to bring many items home.
They had needed this escape, Teyla was sure. The worst of the fires had been brought under control, and she had been eager to leave the cave area behind as soon as the last of the bodies had been removed. She was not yet certain she had fully accepted the notion that her singing had caused such devastation. Even so, she had begun to understand that the incantation had been intended, in fact programmed, by the Ancient Lilith-or Ninlil, as they had come to think of her-into her creations.
According to the autopsies Dr. Lam had performed, the activated virus caused marked changes in the brain. Exposure to a particular pattern of frequencies-namely, the specific sequence of tonal variations in the cantillation-triggered the rupture of blood vessels. While Teyla didn't pretend to comprehend Lam's detailed explanation, she recognized the results of a massive hemorrhage.
Prompted by the knowledge that Teyla, who carried Wraith DNA fragments, and John, who'd once been infected with the iratus virus, had been unaffected by the melody, the doctor had looked further into the neurological differences found in the activated followers. She'd concluded that, despite her presumed insanity, Ninlil had most likely engineered the acoustic trigger as an inbuilt failsafe-a kill switch, John had called it- for her creations. The chances of it having an impact on Wraith, or on humans carrying the inactive retrovirus, were slim.
John had just received a call from General Landry, and the whereabouts of the remaining group of Lilith worshippers had become the subject of discussion.
"So the FBI and Interpol tracked the last group that fled Germany to…where?" Rodney prompted.
After paying for a cup of steaming chestnuts, which the vendor handed to Ronon, John pocketed the change and replied, "Argentina."
For reasons that escaped Teyla, Rodney rolled his eyes and tossed his hands up in the air. "Of course they fled to Argentina. Where else would they go?"
With the activity and noise in the crowded market, there was little chance of anyone paying attention to the conversation. Nevertheless, John dropped his voice so that Teyla had to lean in to hear his next words. "They tracked them to the town of Ushuaia, near Cape Horn."
Noticing Rodney's pointed interest in the chestnuts, Ronon tossed him one. Juggling the hot nut between his hands, Rodney said, "Ushuaia. Isn't that where the tourist cruises to Antarctica depart?"
John nodded. "They boarded a Scandinavian-built ice ship, the Verreisen Sie Heim, on a chartered cruise that's been planned for months. The ship only carries a hundred and ten people, and it's owned by-"
"Let me guess," said Rodney around a mouthful of chestnut. "Goeldi. So the last group never intended to come to Tasmania in the first place, which leads me to conclude that the other groups intended to acquire information from the caves and then transmit it to their pals."
"Either that or they're not completely sure of the location of whatever it is they're searching for, so they decided to split up.
Swallowing, Rodney asked, "I'm assuming the General has dispatched a squadron of F-302s down there to engage in a judicious round of target practice?"