“So that’s six to one odds in our favor? You call that a clever plan?”
“I like six to one odds in my favor,” John said indignantly. “Less chance of somebody getting hurt.”
“How about we shoot these guys, you get Zelenka to get the door open, and we all get out of here?” Lorne put in. “How hard can that be?”
“That was my plan,” John said. “Well, except that I thought Zelenka could get the door open first, and we’d rush these guys together.”
“I think me, Cadman, and six other guys can take two guards,” Lorne replied dryly. “Sir.”
“Ok,” John said. It would be kind of embarrassing if they couldn’t. Lorne plus seven Marines on two guards. Yeah. He looked at Ronon and shrugged. “You do that. Ronon, go get Zelenka. Let’s get this door open and get out of here.”
He waited, crouched on the stairs beneath the door for what seemed like several very long minutes before the familiar sound of fire above rattled across the metal and stone. Lorne wasn’t taking any chances with those Wraith, or sparing any ammunition.
Ronon came back up the stairs with Zelenka, everyone else crowding into the corridor below.
“Can you get the door open?” John asked.
Zelenka shrugged and started prying the cover off the control panel with Ronon’s knife. “Certainly. Give me a moment.”
Teyla came up the stairs and crouched beside John. “Ronon told me that Rodney was here. What is the plan?”
“Lorne and his guys took out the guards. Radek gets the door open, and then we’re out of here. Carson has a cloaked jumper parked on the roof. We just run for the jumper.”
“On the roof?” Teyla’s eyebrows rose. “Do you think these people can climb up onto the roof?”
John looked at her bad shoulder, the one she hadn’t mentioned. Teyla probably couldn’t climb onto the roof, much less Nevin or Jitrine. “Ok. No. Hang on.” He flipped the radio back on. “Carson? Can you bring the jumper down here in the courtyard with Lorne covering you? We’ve got wounded who can’t climb.”
“It’s pretty tight,” Carson replied. “But I’ll give it a try.”
“Oh come on!” Rodney’s voice came over the radio. “It’s not that small of a courtyard!”
“I said I’d give it a try, didn’t I?”
John listened for the sound of the jumper’s engines above, hearing nothing. Of course he heard nothing. Carson had the jumper cloaked. He looked at Zelenka. “The door?”
“I am working on it.” The scientist had his head bent to the door panel. “It would help if I could see what I am doing.”
“Here.” Teyla switched on her flashlight and shone it at the panel.
Zelenka looked around with a quick smile. “Thank you.”
“Are you going to take all day?” Rodney asked over the radio. “You know the Wraith heard when we started shooting?”
“Rodney, keep your pants on,” John snapped.
“Keep my pants on! After I spend three days hunting your sorry ass all over this planet? No sleep, wild animals…”
The doors shook, a strip of daylight showing between them.
“It is unlocked,” Radek said.
Ronon put his shoulder to the left hand door. “Ok. Let’s get this thing open.”
John took the other side and pushed, the doors opening slowly on well greased tracks. They were heavy, but reasonably well balanced. As the gap between them grew, he saw Rodney’s face staring down with a concerned expression that changed to irritation as he saw them.
“Oh really,” Rodney said to Zelenka. “You didn’t leave the doors powered?”
“No, Rodney. I am sorry I have not done this as brilliantly as you would,” Zelenka snapped, climbing out into the sun. “I am sure you would have done a much better job.”
“I would have,” Rodney said, crossing his arms on his chest.
“I should like to see you try, you claustrophobic weasel!” Zelenka snapped. “Down in those caves you would have been calling for your mommy!”
“At least I wouldn’t have screwed up something as simple as opening doors,” Rodney snapped back. “Or been a complete dead weight.”
“Dead weight?” Zelenka’s glasses were trembling on the end of his nose, which was roughly level with Rodney’s chin. “I do not even have expletives enough for you!”
John stepped between them. “Not now! You can do your Lois and Clark imitation later! Everybody, get in the jumper. Rodney, help Teyla up the steps. She’s dislocated her shoulder.” He looked down at Teyla, who was coming up behind Nevin and Ailan. She didn’t seem to need any help.
“Oh.” Rodney elbowed past Nevin to grab Teyla’s good arm. “It’s ok. I’ve got you.” He put his arm under hers helpfully.
“Thank you, Rodney,” Teyla said sweetly. Her eyes flicked up at John with a look of amusement.
Zelenka headed for the jumper, spewing what were no doubt words he wouldn’t find in a Czech to English dictionary, followed by Jitrine and Suua.
Ronon had his energy pistol in hand and had taken up position next to Cadman. He glanced at her sideways. Cadman did look awfully small with a P90.
Cadman grinned at his pistol. “It’s not the size of the boat. It’s the motion of the ocean.”
It must have taken a moment to translate, but then Ronon roared with laughter.
There was a sudden blast of fire from one of the doorways around the courtyard, and John threw himself to the ground, returning fire with the Wraith stunner. Three, maybe four. He saw one of the Wraith move, coming forward to just behind an ornamental planter. Great. Stun beams were very effective on flesh, but much less so on ceramic. He could probably shoot at that thing all day and not bother the guy behind it.
Fortunately, that wasn’t an issue with a P90. Lorne laid down fire that sent the planter flying in a hundred fragments, the Wraith behind it diving for cover.
“Where is the jumper?” Teyla shouted. Suua and Jitrine and Teyla and Rodney were flat on their faces, trying to figure out which way to go. With the jumper cloaked, they couldn’t see exactly where it was, and under fire they couldn’t afford to wander around looking for it.
With a warping of air like a mirage coming into focus, the jumper decloaked. The back was down. “Come on!” Rodney yelled, dragging Teyla up. “Come on, kids!”
Ailan and Nevin scrambled after, running for the jumper as fast as possible.
Returning fire. John rolled out of the way of a stun beam, only to see it catch Ronon’s legs. It was a partial hit, and rather than rendering him unconscious, just dropped his legs out from under him.
“We retreated to the jumper under fire,” John muttered. “Why do so many of my reports end that way?”
Cadman’s fire laid out one Wraith and flushed another. John’s stun beam caught him and flung him backwards, buying at least a moment’s time.
“Ronon?”
Teeth gritted. Ronon was dragging himself along the pavement toward the jumper with his arms, his legs apparently paralyzed by the beam.
John swore, and scampered over the stones, staying as low as possible. He grabbed Ronon around the waist and yanked him along. “Come on, buddy. Let’s get this thing done.”
Pulling and scrambling, he got Ronon in the jumper, rolling onto the floor in the back. Behind them, Lorne was laying down covering fire as the last of their team got aboard.
John tried to get up, tried being the operative word. He was completely hemmed in by feet. Boots. Feet. More feet. Suua’s feet were big and wearing sandals. He stepped back enough, wedging against the seat, for John to get up, pressed tight between Cadman and a Marine lance corporal, who looked apologetic.
“Sorry, Colonel,” he said.
“How many people are in this jumper anyhow?” John asked over the general din as the back gate began to rise.
“Eighteen!” Rodney shouted from the front. “Six Marines, Lorne, Cadman, me and Carson. Plus you, Teyla, Zelenka, Ronon, and four people you picked up.”