John swore and ducked out into the corridor, leaning over Kethel. He grabbed the scanner where it had fallen on the deck, tossing it back to Ronon. Then he pushed the transponder on Kethel's shoulder. It pulsed blue, and John flinched back as Kethel's body dissolved in a sudden blue-white flash.
As he started to stand, a drone barreled around the corner, almost on top of him. It lunged for him and John fell backward, firing the P-90 almost point blank. Then a blast from Ronon's energy gun took the drone in the face, and Ronon grabbed John's arm, yanking him back through the hatchway.
Teyla hit the door control, but just as the membrane was folding down, another drone reached the hatchway, leaning down to fire his stunner under it. Ronon caught a burst in the leg and staggered, dropping his gun. He went to one knee, reeling. John lunged for Ronon's fallen gun, grabbed it and fired at the door control. The burst of energy fused the organic components just as the membrane sealed. The burned area steamed, releasing a sickening smell like fried meat.
Wincing at the odor, John said, "I hope that worked." He turned to Ronon. "You okay?" Ronon didn't look okay. He was trying to stand, but one arm hung limply and he struggled to move his leg; he looked like he was having a stroke. Teyla grabbed his arm, just managing to keep him upright. "How many hits did he take?" John asked incredulously.
"At least two," Teyla said with a sympathetic wince. Ronon tried to lurch to his feet and almost fell over. She set her jaw and held onto him. "Send him back?"
John nodded. "Do it."
Ronon growled an incoherent protest, glaring at them, but Teyla let go of his arm and pressed his transponder. She stepped away as Ronon disappeared in the flash. John keyed his radio, "Rodney, you got Ronon?"
"What? Hold it, wait-Yes, yes, he's here!" There was a slurred grumbling protest in the background. Rodney came back on, sounding sour, "He's not happy about it, but he's fine."
"Get him to the jumper." John signed off as he looked around. The dimly lit chamber was packed with pulsing membranes and bizarre organic shapes that looked like the internal organs of something huge, all shrouded with web. He could hear thumping and a high-power hum from just outside the closed membrane, a pointed reminder that they didn't have much time before the Wraith cut their way in here.
Teyla pivoted, flashing her P-90's light into the dark corners, her face grim. "I do not see it. Will Kethel's scanner work for us?"
"Good question." John studied the little device, brow furrowed. The screen showed the same schematic that Kethel had used to pick a spot for the damn bomb, and according to it, these were the coordinates it had been beamed to. John turned, surveying the chamber again. "It's working, and it looks like we're in the right spot, but where the hell is-" Then his eyes fell on a set of small familiar-looking tentacles sticking out of the bulkhead. They were near one of the pulsing organ-things, a foot or so above the deck. The energy drones. Oh, crap. The bomb was melded to the organic material of the ship's wall. "That can't be good."
Teyla followed his gaze, shocked. "Kethel was right, it was beamed into a wall." She shook her head, her brow creased. "Can it still work like that?" She threw a look back at the door membrane; a glowing spot was forming in the center, letting off steam and smoke as the Wraith outside burned their way through. "There is no time for anything else."
There was only one way to find out. "Get ready to hit your transponder." Just for luck, John closed his eyes, concentrating the way he did in the puddlejumper or the weapons chair, thinking about the energy drones, thinking about launching, targeting, impact. He pressed the detonator touchpad again.
There was a muted thump. John opened his eyes to see the heavy bulkhead around the bomb bulged out, like it was a misshapen helium balloon. He exchanged a desperate look with Teyla. "Okay, that's-"
Across the room, the door membrane exploded outward, sending them staggering back, showering the room with slimy debris. John ducked, raking the doorway with a burst of fire from the P-90, driving back the first two drones to step inside. Teyla opened fire an instant later, shouting, "We must go! It is not going to-"
Suddenly the distended bulkhead started to glow white, a high power whine filling the chamber. That did it, John thought. He yelled, "Go, go now!"
Two drones forced their way through the shattered door membrane, just as Teyla hit her transponder. She vanished and John pressed the crystal in his. The drones lifted their stunners, then the chamber disappeared in a haze of white light.
Chapter twelve
John sat down hard, but the floor he landed on was the floor of the maintenance bay in the installation. The abrupt change to brighter light and warm clean air was a shock. Next to him, Teyla was sprawled on the floor, just pushing herself upright.
Kethel and Caras were lying on the floor nearby, a couple of older Eidolon checking them out with some sort of medical scanner. John didn't see Edane, but nobody was acting worried. There weren't many Eidolon left in the room anymore; Edane might have been sent away to evacuate already. Across the room, the Queen and the others were still gathered around the console, watching the realtime sensor image of the scout ship.
Rodney hurried over from the jumper, crouching down beside John. He demanded, "Did it work? We need to get out of here as soon as possible."
Teyla pushed her hair back, starting to say, "It looked as if-"
At the console, one of the Eidolon said, "I'm reading an energy surge-
Then lines of red and black crept through and across the ship's image, growing out from the center. John heard a reverberating roar from outside, and the glowing hologram image tipped sideways, drifting downward, the angle changing as the sensors followed it down. John slumped in relief. "It worked."
"That was… uncomfortably close," Teyla said ruefully, and drew her fingers through her hair, combing out a handful of door membrane with a disgusted expression.
"That's our specialty," John told her. The adrenaline was wearing off, and he had time to notice just how much he hurt. Knee, side, the occasional shooting pain down his back. And he had a big splat of door membrane goo on his shirt.
"Seriously, we have to move," Rodney persisted. "The Mirror's accretion surface is building up to a major discharge and from my readings, it'll be the last one before the singularity collapses."
"Yeah, we're leaving now." John looked back at the jumper. Ronon was sprawled on the open ramp, Miko anxiously patting his hand. "How's Ronon?"
Rodney snorted, making a throw-away gesture. "He's fine, he's just sulking because he can barely move."
Then John saw the Queen coming toward them, her dark skirts sweeping the floor. Before John could try flailing to his feet, Rodney and Teyla got a grip under his arms and they all stood up together. The Queen stopped a few paces away, and said, "The Wraith ship is completely disabled. We thank you."
"You're welcome." John watched her warily. They had fulfilled their part of the bargain, and if the Eidolon wanted to screw them over, now would be the time. But the Queen just said, "The singularity is close to detaching, so we must retreat to our ships now. The others have already evacuated." She paused, as if weighing what to say, and it was odd to see her show even this much uncertainty. "If the Mirror does not function as expected-"
"It'll work," John said, because he didn't want to think about the alternative. Not until he had to.
The Queen eyed him, apparently deciding not to argue with the crazy human. She said, "Good luck."
John backed away with Rodney and Teyla as the blue-white transport beam outlined the Eidolon's bodies. In another instant the whole group vanished. He let his breath out in relief, shoving a hand through his hair. "Right. Rodney, what do we need to do?"