The Magnate called after him. "Think on my offer, Sheppard. I am a better friend to you than an enemy."
The words were ringing in his ears as they reached the landing pad with Linnian panting to keep up. The colonel paused as the gyro-flyer's rotors began to spin up to speed and he tog gled his radio. "McKay, this is Sheppard, you read me?" Static answered him. "Rodney? Can you hear me? Clarke, Hill, anyone, respond!"
"What is wrong?" asked Teyla.
"I'm not getting anything from McKay…"
Dex sneered. "More damn games?"
Sheppard grabbed Linnian. "You. That thing is fast, right? Go tell your pilot I want him to firewall it. Take us to the dolmen, double-time!"
They were in the air in moments and on the way; but despite their repeated calls, McKay's team remained silent.
Chapter Seven
Teyla's throat tightened as the gyro-flyer crested the ridgeline ringing the site of the dolmen. A sooty stream of black smoke extended from the stone arena and into the sky, a dark jagged arrow pointing down at the Ancient obelisk. The smoke issued from the smoldering remains of another flyer, the sleek lines and silvery rotor blades now nothing more than a crushed fist of metal. Even from the air, she could see the bodies of men in Fourth Dynast uniforms scattered about.
She heard Linnian let out a small cry of shock. "My… My Lady?"
Their aircraft rocked as the landing skis touched the ground and Sheppard was already at the hatch, flinging it open. "Fan out!" he shouted over the thrum of the slowing rotors. "Look for survivors!"
Teyla had her P90 in her grip as she disembarked close behind Ronon. In turn, Vekken, Linnian and a couple of other riflemen trailed the Atlantis team. Vekken was snapping out orders to his own men as Sheppard moved forward, ducking to avoid the downwash from the flyer. Ronon had his pistol out, swinging it back and forth, searching for targets. She watched the Satedan pause to check the crumpled form of a fallen trooper. He looked up and caught her eye, making a throat-cutting gesture with the blade of his hand.
"Who could have done this?" spat Linnian. "Who would dare? The dolmen is a prohibited zone, the rules of engagement disallow any actions here!"
Ronon nudged the dead man's lance-rifle with his boot. "Clip's almost full. Whoever took these soldiers down was quick about it. He barely got a couple of shots off."
"Hounds?" said Teyla, the word hard in her throat.
"No," offered Vekken, "the wounds are from needle shot. Hounds carry melee weapons only." The adjutant moved away as the whole group spread out into a semi-circle.
Teyla moved low, watching for any signs of movement. The area around the dolmen was largely open, what little cover there was coming from a low wall and stubby stone cubes dotted here and there. Her seasoned warrior's sense told her that what ever had happened had already passed them by, and they had arrived in the aftermath; but it never hurt to be cautious, and on too many occasions she had encountered scenes that appeared unthreatening on the surface, only to be proven otherwise.
From the periphery of her vision she caught sight of a familiar blue uniform jacket and the khaki frame of an L85 rifle. Teyla's mouth went dry as she rounded a squat divider to find Corporal Clarke hunched over, his head lolling forward. His right shoulder was wet and dark with blood.
She slung her P90 and knelt by his side. "Clarke? Clarke, can you hear me?" Relief flooded into her as she touched her fingers to his neck and found a thready but definite pulse.
The soldier mumbled something and shifted, groaning.
"Colonel," she shouted. "Over here!"
Clarke blinked slowly and gave her an unfocussed look. "Think. I took one."
Sheppard bounded over, tearing open the Velcro pocket of his medical pack. "Corporal, what the hell happened?"
"Ambush," said the British soldier, his words thick and slow. "Blokes in. Grey fatigues. Put some of the buggers down, but… But there were too many…" His head lolled forward.
"He's lost a lot of blood," Teyla noted, helping John bandage the man's wounds. She peeled back the slick material of the jacket and found ragged tears underneath.
"We need to get him back to the helo, back to Beckett."
Ronon came over at a run, his face grim. "I found Hill." He shook his head. "He didn't make it."
Sheppard shot to his feet and swore. "Where's McKay?" he demanded.
"Not here," continued Dex, "no sign of his gear, either."
Teyla glanced up as Linnian approached. He had Lady Erony with him, and she was pale with shock, walking with her adjutant supporting each stumbling footstep. "Lieutenant Colonel," she called, her voice trembling.
"Highness, please," Linnian was saying, "you must come with me…"
She pushed away from the man. "Sheppard! They took him!"
"Rodney?"
"Yes!" Erony wobbled unsteadily. "It was an assault splinter. I don't know how they got through the cordon. They gunned down our escorts, then they turned Wraith weapons upon us." She had tears of anger in her eyes. "Dr. McKay thought they were here for me! He tried to defend me. They shot him with a beam pistol…"
"A stunner," said Teyla.
"But why him and not you?" Sheppard demanded.
"Not just your doctor," said Vekken as he drew near. "Master Scientist Kelfer has also been abducted." He looked at Erony. "My Lady, did they attackers wear the gray?"
She nodded. "As the codes decree. No tabards or identifying sigils."
"So which of your lords or earls has gray coats?" said the colonel. "I don't take kindly to sneak attacks on my people!"
"You misunderstand," said Vekken. "No barony or Dynast sports gray uniforms. Only when a clan wishes to make a covert play against another will soldiers don that color, so their identity remains hidden."
Ronon snorted. "You've even got rules for that?"
"Of course. It is uncommon, but not unknown for a minor noble house to take prisoners of war in order to exert leverage over another Dynast. Although it is quite audacious to strike at a guest of the Magnate."
"You expect us to believe that this is some kind of power play? That doesn't track!"
They finished bandaging Clarke's injuries and Teyla stood. "The colonel is right. Would not Lady Erony have been a more valuable hostage than Dr. McKay?" She still had the corpo ral's blood on her fingers, and the coppery tang of it made her blanch.
Vekken gestured to his men to carry Clarke back to the gyroflyer. "You will pardon me for saying, but it is most likely McKay and Kelfer were taken because of their lesser value, not in spite of it. Erony's kidnapping, the capture of a Magnate heir, would have meant that Lord Daus would have had no choice but to declare a pogrom and eradicate the guilty parties involved. The two scientists do not warrant that scale of reprisal. A more equitable resolution may be found."
"How genteel," Teyla replied, "and along the way one of our men is killed and another badly wounded!"
"Halcyon soldiers have lost their lives here as well," said Vekken mildly.
Teyla's eyes narrowed. "I wonder how keenly you feel for their sacrifice."
Sheppard nodded. "For all we know, it was Daus who ordered this! Maybe that's why your boss wanted us out of the way for a while!"
"You Atlanteans should be careful of making accusations while your fury is up," Vekken's jaw hardened. "I would advise you keep such ill-founded suspicions to yourself. If you give voice to that dishonorable slander within my earshot again, I will call you to answer for it at the tip of my sword."
"Yeah, whatever," The colonel angrily turned away. "Get Hill's body. We're going back."
Staff Sergeant Mason's face turned to a stony mask after hearing of Private Hill's death. Carson Beckett heard the SAS soldier's growled response to Sheppard when the colonel broke the news.