“What purpose do your actions serve?” Yann demanded of the gang’s leader. “We all battle the Wraith now. Kill us and there will be fewer left to stand against them!”
“We don’t plan to kill all of you.” The leader, a man whose brutish demeanor reminded Teyla of Balzar, turned a knowing sneer on her. “Only the ones we have no use for.” He all but slung the whimpering child aside, and she landed in a sprawled heap at Dr McKay’s feet.
“This one is known to me.” Another rebel spoke up, giving Yann a hard jab in the shoulder. “You are the one who became Chosen. These are the visitors who bring the genetherapy!”
“We reject the name Chosen,” Yann said, defiant. “We are Genes.”
His protest was lost amid a sudden flurry of arguments between gang members. Clearly they wanted to be a part of this new elite, the Genes, but none agreed on how to achieve that aim.
“You can provide this genetherapy.” The leader stopped in front of McKay, assessing him. “We have no need of the others.”
“I’d rethink that if I were you.” McKay stood rigidly straight, his features conveying an odd mix of apprehension and exasperation. “The only person who can administer the genetherapy is this man here—” He indicated Ford with a jerk of his chin. “—and the only person who can get it for you is the one you just brain-damaged.”
Unmoved, the leader stepped back over Sheppard’s sprawled body, apparently to position himself for a wider swing, and raised the long handle of his axe. Smirking at McKay, he adjusted his grip on the weapon. “So you are not needed after all?”
Eyes widening in alarm, McKay’s gaze followed the motion of the axe, but his voice was more impatient than fearful as he replied, “Oh, for crying out loud, would you just slow down for one damn—”
A pack of children appeared from within the darkest recesses of the hall, shrieking, “The Wraith come! We beg your protection!”
Teyla recognized the children, and the look in their eyes. She’d seen that same contrived expression of terror when they had enticed the Wraith into Quickweed Lake.
The thugs hesitated, their glances darting back and forth between the deepening shadows of the Sanctuary Hall. “They hide in the darkness,” one girl whimpered, clutching at the first meaty hand within reach.
It was a masterful ploy, Teyla acknowledged. The sunlight was growing fainter in the windows, and the smoke still hung in the air, creating many potential places for danger to lurk unseen. But although she trusted the children, she was not assured that their cries might not have some truth to them.
A piercing scream broke the tension, as a Wraith arm sprang out of the shadows and snatched one of the children out of sight. The scream became a horrific plea for mercy that quickly faded into the oily blackness.
That was enough to convince the thugs, who fled the Hall with frantic shouts. “And now you’ve changed your minds yet again?” McKay yelled over them, his voice pitched high. He jumped when a figure emerged from the shadow where the child had disappeared. “Holy—”
The figure coalesced into Peryn, the taken child perched on his shoulders. Both grubby faces were lit by victorious grins, and the smaller child held a lifeless Wraith arm like a prize.
Yann gave a throaty chuckle. “Well done!” he congratulated the children, who scampered out of the darkness to help free the adults.
Her bonds untied, Teyla offered an approving smile, admiring the skills garnered by the young of this world. She could not mask her amusement at Dr McKay’s face as he slumped in sheer relief. The girl who’d been thrown to the floor now patted his hand reassuringly.
The moment of levity passed, and Teyla joined Ford at the Major’s side.
“Still breathing okay,” Ford judged. “But that second blow to the head couldn’t have done him any good. We should get him back to the Command Center.”
Yann bent to lift the unconscious man again, and this time McKay stepped in to assist. Teyla enlisted the children to help her collect their packs and weapons, and they made their way outside to the road. Her eyes were constantly in motion. They had been ambushed once. She would not allow such a thing to occur a second time.
On the road, they passed groups of people clustered together, protecting themselves as best they could. The illumination provided by the flames from the burning North Channel was only minimal, and the oily smoke further hampered their vision. There were few warriors in evidence until they were almost to the base of the Command Center Station, where a large number of Dalerans were concentrated. From within the throng, the two warriors who had become Teyla’s personal guards noticed the group’s approach and hurried toward her.
“Thank Dalera,” one greeted. “We believed you to be lost when we became separated.”
“I am pleased to see you well,” Teyla replied.
One of the men looked over her shoulder. “Where is Ushat?”
Teyla felt the pain of loss anew. She held the man’s eyes and said, “Ushat fell bravely, as a true warrior of Dalera.”
His eyes showed his grief, but he lifted his chin and nodded once.
“We have much to do still. Can you organize the other warriors? They are needed to protect the refugees entering the Sanctuary Hall. Now that night falls and the transports are no longer necessary to evacuate outlying villages, we should move as many people as possible inside for their security.”
“What of the Wraith? Have they not fallen back from the Northern Wall?” the other asked, pointing in the direction of the flames. “We lowered the weir as ordered. The entire Northern Channel is now ablaze.”
“You have done very well,” she assured them.
McKay, however, was less gracious. “In an ideal world, sure, but I think we’ve demonstrated conclusively that this is anything but. What’s to stop the Wraith from changing gears and attacking from the south?”
While it was normal for the Wraith to attack with ferocity, Teyla had never before heard of them continuing a cull in the face of such resistance. Reluctantly conceding Dr McKay’s point, she said, “Your people are not yet safe. Go now and protect them.”
The warriors exchanged a glance, then thumped their breastplates in acknowledgement and departed.
“Would it have been too much to ask that they help out a little before dashing off?” McKay grumbled, struggling to stay upright as he and Yann muscled Sheppard up the steps.
At the first landing, they were met by Lisera, who had rushed down from the upper level with as much haste as her leg would allow. “Yann!” Flying past Ford, she clung to the young merchant’s arm. “I feared you dead.” The girl pulled Yann forward, leaving the majority of Sheppard’s weight to fall on McKay. The scientist yelped a warning, and Ford moved immediately to to his aid, sparing a bewildered glance for Lisera’s sudden change in affections.
Rather than express gratitude for the assistance, McKay commented, “Lost your admirer, did you?”
The Lieutenant smirked. “At least I had one.”
There was an empty bed in the corner of the first level, onto which they maneuvered the Major. Yann sent one of the children off to find a healer. Teyla was deeply concerned to see no sign of awareness from her team leader. They had need of his guidance, and she found his stillness troubling.
“I wish I could tell how serious his concussion is.” Ford made an abortive attempt at pacing beside the bed. “He needs Beckett and Atlantis, not this.”
“And how do you suggest we accomplish that?” McKay snapped, carefully rearranging the chain of Shields around his belt. “Considering he’s the only one who can actually fly the jumper in space?”
“You were awfully hot to prove you could fly it when we came in.”
But as it was apparent to all that since there was no way to reach the jumper, the debate was meaningless.
Through cracked and smoke-clouded windowpanes, Teyla could see that darkness had now completely fallen on the city. In the distance, beyond the walls of the Citadel, she imagined that she could see the glow of flames. The Wraith appeared to be setting the abandoned villages and the fields ablaze. As on other planets, here, too, the Wraith were determined to ensure that any humans who survived their culling were robbed of even a modest ability to restore their world.