“Yes,” she said with an expression that looked like forcing her face to relax. “So we should make ourselves comfortable, and perhaps the king will see us soon.”
Chapter Ten
Rodney looked at the assembled rescue team in horror. Major Lorne, of course. Lorne was ok. He was kind of growing on him, despite Rodney’s general distaste for career military. Dr. Beckett, naturally. It seemed more than likely there had been some kind of emergency, so Carson was all kitted out in field uniform and flak vest rather than his usual lab coat. Six Marines, to provide some firepower. And Lt. Cadman.
Entirely logically, there was a perfectly good reason for Cadman to be there. She was, after all, a Marine. She was one of the Marines assigned to off world backup teams, which was how he had met disaster with her in the first place. Rodney had successfully dodged having to exchange more than a word with Laura Cadman the last few weeks, since Carson and Radek had succeeded in disentangling their brains, but the few days he had spent sharing a body with Cadman were seared into his consciousness forever. He put that up there with being captured by the Genii commander Kolya as possibly the worst experience of his life, one that he would never want to repeat. To be so completely, involuntarily, rawly intimate with someone, much less this cheerful, uninhibited woman of twenty three… It was just horrible.
And now she gave him a friendly smile, like they were cozy old friends. “Hi, Rodney.”
“Cadman,” he barked, glaring at Lorne, who looked oblivious.
“Are we ready?” Lorne asked.
“Ready as we’ll ever be,” Carson said, settling into the pilot’s seat. With his ATA gene he was one of the pilots the jumpers responded to best, and after more than a year was actually getting comfortable with flying. Not that he was anywhere near as good as Sheppard, but Carson was becoming quite serviceable, in Rodney’s opinion.
He threw himself into the copilot’s seat. From that vantage point he wouldn’t have to look at Cadman in the back. Maybe he could just pretend she wasn’t here. Why couldn’t Lorne have picked one of the other lieutenants for the team? Kroger or Kruger or whatever his name was? It’s not like Cadman was the only Marine around. Ok, maybe she was better than Kroger, who as far as Rodney could tell had one setting — shoot it now. Cadman had a brain somewhere under that beret. Unfortunately he was too closely acquainted with Cadman’s brain.
“Let’s go,” Lorne said, and Carson dialed the gate precisely, watching the event horizon open before them.
Elizabeth didn’t say anything on the radio. There was a time not long ago when she’d have said something like “be careful” or “come back safe” but now that went without saying. Carson and Lorne wouldn’t go looking for trouble. Trouble was more likely to find them.
Carson eased the indicators forward, and the puddle jumper leaped through the gate.
The seas were boiling. Not literally, of course. They were actually quite a comfortable temperature, neither cold enough to be hypothermic, or hot either. Radek thought he should know, since he had been continually soaked for the last hour. It was most unpleasant, but not nearly as unpleasant as it would be to be unceremoniously deposited in the sea. Which began to seem increasingly likely.
The little fishing boat ran before the wind. Or rather, the little fishing boat limped laboriously up waves that seemed entirely too large, while above the heavens split with lightning and the downpour soaked him to the skin. The bottom of the boat was awash, though Radek was not sure whether that was from the rain pouring down or the seawater sloshing over the sides. In either event, he was fairly sure it was not supposed to be there. Filling up with water was a bad sign in a boat.
Ronon was holding onto the sail, apparently keeping it attached to the mast by sheer physical strength, while Radek attempted to bail with a rusty bucket. A few liters of water went out, and a dozen came in. This was a battle he was losing. Still, this was a thunderstorm, not a hurricane. Perhaps they could last it out, stay ahead of the water long enough to gain a respite.
Which was more or less their entire strategy in the Pegasus Galaxy for the last year and a bit. Bail, and hope it stops raining.
Ronon bellowed something, but the wind tore away his words. Radek saw him silhouetted against sky and sea, braided hair slicked back now, holding onto the mast like some sort of pre-war engraving of Ulysses. He saw for a moment what Ronon must have been yelling about, a green dark wave rising behind them, no larger than ten or twelve feet tall, but enormous from the perspective of a small fishing boat wallowing low and half swamped.
“Shit,” Radek said, and had time to take a deep breath.
And then the wave broke over them.
He struggled up through troubled water, kicking one shoe loose in the process, white foam coating the surface. He couldn’t see. By some miracle, or perhaps because of the strap, he still had his glasses on but they were so streaked with sea water that he couldn’t see anything but a vague impression of green sea, foam, and lowering sky.
“Ronon!” he yelled, and then took a breath as another wave climbed above him.
Relax, he thought. Remember, this is not the first time you have been in the sea. Ride the wave up to the crest and over, or dive through the crest before it breaks. Do not fight it. Do not waste your strength. Relax and go with it.
Radek stopped clawing at the water in an adrenaline fueled haze. Up and over. Try to get a look from the top. “Ronon!”
“Over here!”
He heard the shout back, but as he could not tell from which direction it came it was not as useful as that. Between his glasses and the perspective of being inches above the water, he had no idea where he was relative to Ronon.
Something brushed past his leg like a snake, and he recoiled. Surely not sharks, or hungry Pegasus Galaxy sea snakes?
It was a rope. It was a rope attached to a sail. Radek grabbed onto it, a spatter of rain hitting him full in the face. Up one wave and down the back side. Up and down. He kicked his other shoe off. Up and down, not fighting it. The rope was attached to a sail which dragged on the surface of the water, billowing out as though in unseen winds beneath the surface. Possibly the sail had torn away, or possibly it was still attached to the mast. Which was a big wooden thing that would float. That would be a useful thing to reach.
Radek followed the rope, only once getting a mouthful of water when he didn’t see a wave breaking through his streaked glasses. Coughing, he let the water pull him along with the rope, along with the sail.
Yes, perfect. There was the dark smudge ahead, and he heard Ronon shout, though he could not make out the words.
“I am here!” Radek yelled back.
The sail was attached to the mast, which was underwater. The little fishing boat had capsized and floated hull up on the waves, buoyed no doubt by a pocket of air trapped beneath it. Radek let go and swam the last few meters, grabbing onto the rough wood of the hull gratefully.
“You ok?” Ronon was on the opposite side, holding on near the other end, but he made his way closer hand over hand along the hull. Radek was incredibly glad to see him.
“I’m fine,” Radek said. He more or less was. No bruises, no cuts, the water too warm for hypothermia. Other than drowning, his prospects were not bad. And finding the hull of the boat greatly increased his chances of staying afloat. He had read once that most people drown at sea when their strength simply gives out, after hours or days. With the boat to hold onto, things were better. They were less likely to drown immediately. And who knew what opportunities might arise?