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carpenyxTitle: Deus Ex Machina (9/10)
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
carpenyx
Rating: NC-17
Characters: Main SGA Characters, with appearances by Zelenka and Major Lorne.
Pairings: Ronon/Melena
Word Count: 3,396
Warnings: Character Death, Sexual Content
Spoilers: Through season 3, most importantly "Sateda", "Progeny", "The Real World" and "The Return: Part 1". This story takes place in a future alternate season 3.
Beta:nytel
Disclaimer: I do not own, just playing in the Pegasus Galaxy with my Flyboys. No copyright infridgement intended.
Summary: He remembered her; the smell of her perfume, the sweet honey taste of her lips, and the warmth of her body against his. It was almost as if she were still there.
A/N: Cross posted at![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
atlantisfic, lostcityfound, stargate_fanfic, satedan_fire, and rdfever
Deus Ex Machina
Chapter 9
Sateda – Complex Ruins
“I’m Melena.” She reached her small hand out to him.
“Melena,” he repeated softly. He took her hand gently into his.
Broken memories flashed in his mind while he kept his eyes tightly shut.
Ronon was plagued with conflicting emotions: rage, fear, and sorrow, not to mention confusion and doubt of them combined together threatened to consume him wholly. Every muscle in his body was taut, his teeth were clenched and his hands were balled up in fists within their bindings.
The once familiar scent of his wife was lost to him. The sound of her voice was strange and the woman towering over him was no longer the woman he knew.
Melena crouched low in front of him, her hand reaching up and lifting Ronon’s chin. “Open your eyes.”
He did not move.
“Look at me,” she spat out angrily.
Ronon jerked his head away from her, eyes slowly opening.
“Don’t be like that.” Melena spoke softly and frowned a little.
He grunted, yanking on his restraints.
“I didn’t want to involve you, but what choice did I have?”
Ronon narrowed his eyes, working harder on the restraints. She merely watched.
“I had to get through the Ring.” She continued to explain, her eyes trained on Ronon as he attempted to release himself from the bindings. It was futile, she knew, but he went on trying and she kept on watching. “I knew they wouldn’t have opened fire on you…”
“They should’ve,” he muttered.
“You wouldn’t have allowed it.” Melena reached out again, her hand resting against his cheek. “Even if you knew what I was…”
That’s when his eyes finally met hers.
She caressed his cheek. “Even now, you can’t bring yourself to hurt me… can you?”
Ronon narrowed his eyes, lurching towards her and growling low. She was quick and backed away before he could make contact. There wasn’t much else he could do; the restraints were sturdy.
“If you really wanted to harm me, you would have already,” she stated.
Ronon looked at her, his eyes laced with regret and sorrow – he was losing his wife for a second time and there was nothing he could do about it. “If you only needed me so that you could get off Atlantis, why keep me captive?” He clenched his teeth, pulling on the ropes around his wrists – he wasn’t giving up.
Melena didn’t answer as she kept her eyes focused on him.
“What?” he hissed. “Programming fucked up?”
“No,” she said quickly. Melena rose to her full height. “How-”
“Not the first time I’ve had a hand squirming around up there.”
She started to pace back and forth, agitated.
“Cat got your tongue?” he taunted.
Melena cursed under her breath, shooting a glare at Ronon.
Ronon smirked slightly.
“I’m the first.” She knelt down in front of Ronon again.
Ronon stopped his attempts to free himself… for the moment.
“She’s the first…” Melena shook her head. “We can build cities, ships and even others like us. We can infect other species, but never have we completely changed an organism of another species into an Asuran. Until now that is.” A wicked grin spread across her face.
“Why?” he growled.
“Why your wife?” Melena’s smile softened – it made him uneasy. “She was in the wrong place at the wrong time. She was running from the Wraith and dialed Asura at random. We probed her mind and recognized you, that’s when we came up with the perfect plan. We had the opportunity to infiltrate Atlantis and we took it. It’s nothing personal.”
Ronon lowered his head.
“Unfortunately our perfect plan wasn’t quite as perfect as we’d originally perceived it to be. Doctor McKay is a little too smart for his own good…”
“Let me go…” Ronon spoke low and gruffly.
“I can’t do that, Ronon. I’m sorry.”
Ronon’s eyes met Melena’s. In that moment, he suddenly realized his wife might not be lost to him. “If she’s still in there…”
“I’m sorry, but there’s nothing left of your wife.” She had spoken clearly, but he caught the hint of doubting in her tone – one he’d heard his wife use in the past…
***
Sateda – Stargate
“I really think this isn’t such a good idea,” Rodney muttered. He followed Sheppard and the others away from the Stargate.
“McKay.” Sheppard shot him a glare. “Can we save the whining for another day?” He may have been a little too harsh with Rodney, but his focus was on finding Ronon – it’d been over twenty-four hours and they weren’t certain if he was on Sateda… or if he was even alive.
McKay sighed. He shifted his pack higher up on his shoulders. The life signs detector was in his hand and the Asuran transmitter had been strapped on his vest.
“Richards and Samuels; Gate duty,” Lorne ordered his men before looking over at John.
“Teyla, you’re with me,” John said.
She nodded.
“Lorne, take up the rear with McKay. Let’s move out.”
***
“We’ve been walking for like-”
“Ten minutes, McKay.” Lorne informed him.
“Oh right.” Rodney wiped the sweat from his brow as he glanced down at the life signs detector. “I’m still not picking up any other life forms.”
“It’s a big planet,” Lorne commented.
“You don’t expect to search the whole planet…”
“If we have to,” John said immediately from a few meters ahead.
McKay looked up from the life signs detector, towards John. “Great,” he muttered under his breath.
Lorne rolled his eyes, wondering how and why he always ended up with Doctor McKay.
“Oh… oh! I got something…” Rodney halted, looking down at the device in his hand.
Both John and Teyla stopped, turning to look at Rodney.
“Damnit…” Rodney hit the side of the detector. “It was working but-”
“Rodney…” John looked at him, irritated.
“I think the battery died?” Rodney half-stated, half-asked as he looked at John.
“McKay,” he said through clenched teeth.
“What? It was working and now it’s not.” Rodney shook it. “Broken, dead… whatever – it just shut off.”
“Shit,” John said, followed by more curses as he kicked the dirt on the ground with his boot.
***
Complex Ruins
Silence loomed; no words had passed between them in the last couple of hours. Ronon had his back against the wall with his hands tied behind him and his legs stretched out in front of him, his ankles were bound together as well. He’d occasionally watch her as she paced. She was quite restless in her movements.
“Melena…?” he finally broke the silence.
She came to a sudden stop, whipping her head around and looked at him.
“I want to talk to her…” he said quietly.
“I told you-”
“I don’t believe you.” His voice resonated his plea in its hushed tone.
“If she were still in this body, why would I allow her to speak to you?”
“I think if she were gone… you wouldn’t bother with me.”
He caught it – that subtle twitch on her face that indicated to him that he might be onto something.
“Information…” she said.
“You already tried and failed,” he pointed out firmly.
“Is that so?” She advanced towards him, swiftly grabbing a handful of his dreadlocks and yanking his head back roughly.
He grunted, clenching his teeth.
“Care to go for another round?”
“Melena…” he pleaded.
Melena hissed, pulling harder.
“Melena.”
Her grip tightened and he said her name again, just above a whisper – his eyes locked onto hers.
Melena closed her eyes, her fingers slowly releasing him. She lowered herself onto the ground beside him, not saying a word.
Ronon watched her as moments passed. He was beginning to doubt if his wife was still inside of her.
“I’m dying,” she finally spoke as she lifted her head and looked at him.
***
Sateda – Edge of the City
“Colonel.” Teyla stepped towards John.
He sighed, shaking his head.
“Colonel…” Teyla gently placed her hand on his shoulder. “We will find him.”
“How?” John looked at Teyla, defeat creeping into his eyes.
“We will start where we found him last time, then go from there…”
“It’s a big planet.”
“If we have to, we will search the whole planet,” she said, using his own words to assure him.
John chuckled very lightly as he looked at Teyla.
She smiled slowly.
“Uh, guys?” Rodney interjected.
“Not now, McKay.”
“Colonel.”
John looked over at McKay. “What?”
Rodney looked up towards the sky and pointed.
John followed Rodney’s line of sight, as did Teyla and Lorne.
Not much could be seen above due to the cloud cover, but it was what was coming out of the clouds that caught their attention. A familiar shape broke through the dense clouds, hovering over what appeared to be the center of the city…
“That’s not ours,” John pointed out as the puddle jumper continued to descend.
***
Complex Ruins
“It’s too much,” Melena whispered. “I can feel everything shutting down…”
Ronon watched, not once taking his eyes off of her.
“I don’t have a lot of time.” Melena pushed her back up against the wall, next to Ronon. She pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around them.
It had taken a long time for him to loosen the rope around his wrists, but while she had her guard lowered he was able to release himself from the bindings.
It was swift and she didn’t know what had hit her until he had her pinned against the wall – his hand was wrapped around her neck. Melena gasped for a breath, her chest heaving.
“You were wrong about one thing,” Ronon growled.
Melena brought her hands up, grabbing onto his wrists. To her surprise, she was a lot weaker than she had previously thought. She struggled against him, but found herself unable to fight him off.
“I can hurt you.” The malicious words filled with pain fell from his lips. He looked into her eyes, his own laced with anguish for what he was about to do. Ronon pulled her away from the wall, bringing her into his arms. He whipped her around, her back against his front and he positioned his arm around her neck.
“Ronon, please!” she managed to whisper.
***
Sateda – Outer Complex Ruins
“What do you mean it’s not one of ours?” Rodney questioned.
“I mean it’s not one of ours.”
“Colonel?” Teyla looked at John, raising a brow.
“It’s one of theirs…”
“Whose?” McKay looked at John, confused.
“The Asuran.” John pointed out.
“What!” McKay swallowed, hard. “Oh god, we’re all going to die. I told you this was a bad idea…”
Teyla and Lorne exchanged a concerned glance before looking at the Colonel.
“I’m guessing they are here for her…”
“But that’s impossible,” Rodney said. “There’s no way they could find her without the transmitter…” He looked down at the transmitter strapped on his vest – the red light was blinking. “Shit.”
John looked at Rodney. “What do you mean ‘shit’?”
“As in, we’re in big trouble?”
“Rodney.”
“I must’ve hit it and turned it on…” Rodney quickly removed the device from his vest. “… completely by accident!” he added.
“I thought you deactivated it?” John questioned him.
“I did!” Rodney hurried to switch off the transmitter. “But in order to transmit the virus it has to be activated. It was only going to be on for a couple of minutes and that wouldn’t have been enough time to track the signal.”
“Okay…” John took a deep breath as he scanned the immediate area. “In there,” he said as he gestured to an abandoned storehouse.
There was no visible doorway with the exception of a shattered window. It took them very little time to climb into the old storehouse, seeking cover.
Once inside, John began to pace. “I have to think…”
“What are we going to do?” Teyla looked at him.
“Thinking…”
“Sir.” Lorne looked at Sheppard. There wasn’t a lot of time for thinking.
“As long as they didn’t see us, we can use them to our advantage.”
“How do you mean?”
“They can lead us to Ronon and Melena…”
“How?” Teyla looked over at John.
“They should be able to sense her nearby. Technically, the transmitter only serves for broader distances,” Rodney explained.
John looked over at Lorne. “I need you to scout out that puddle jumper. We need to know exactly what we’re dealing with.”
***
“I’ve got two in visual range,” Sheppard radioed Lorne.
“The jumper is clear, there’s no others,” he radioed back.
“Colonel, they are heading into an abandoned complex…” Teyla positioned her weapon against her shoulder.
“Uh, Sheppard?” Rodney looked at John.
“What now, McKay?”
“If you use the pistol on them… it won’t work against Melena – they adapt and she’ll be immune.”
“Well, your plan better work.”
“No pressure,” Rodney muttered.
***
Complex Ruins
“Ronon, please!” she pleaded through gasps of breath as she squirmed against him.
Ronon shut his eyes tightly, trying to drown out the sound of her voice…
“Ronon, please stop!” Melena giggled as she squirmed underneath him. “I hate being tickled!” She pleaded with him as their eyes met and he smiled down at her.
“Only if you let me have one kiss,” he said playfully in his gruff voice.
“I’ll let you have as many as you want.” She smiled brightly as she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him closer, their lips meeting in a deep and loving kiss.
Ronon clung onto Melena as he released his arm from around her neck. He could feel her heaving again him as air rushed back into her lungs – her body collapsed against his.
“Please forgive me…” he whispered softly as he lowered both of them to the ground.
Ronon turned Melena to face him, bringing her closer as he cradled her.
She looked up at Ronon, reaching her hand to touch his face.
In that moment it was unclear who was lying in his arms – Melena or the machine.
***
Outer Complex Ruins
Lorne hurried back to the group after declaring that the puddle jumper was unoccupied. Only two Asurans had come to collect their wayward project; that seemed like good odds.
John nodded to Lorne as he rejoined the group. “We don’t have a lot of time. We need to stop them before they get to Ronon and Melena.” It was coming down to the wire and it was a matter of taking out the two Asurans without drawing attention to themselves.
John looked over towards Teyla. “You up for this?” Concern was etched on his face and he wasn’t too keen on the idea of using her as bait, but there was no other way.
“I am ready,” she confirmed.
“It’s all you,” he told her as he and Lorne positioned themselves behind a large concrete barrier along with McKay. The Asurans were a few meters away from the entrance of the abandoned complex. John had the pistol trained on the Asurans’ position and Lorne followed suit.
Teyla cautiously moved out from behind the wall and made her way towards the complex. It would only be a couple of seconds before the Asurans’ programming kicked in and sensed the Wraith DNA in Teyla’s system.
John was already regretting this plan.
She kept her cool as she edged closer and put her trust in her teammates.
John tensed, his finger held over the trigger firmly.
The Asurans stopped mid-step, both turning their heads, suddenly alerted of Teyla’s presence.
Teyla halted, her muscles becoming rigid. She kept her eyes on the two machines in front of her.
The Asurans and Teyla remained in a locked stare, neither knowing who would make the first move. John’s finger squeezed the trigger of the pistol slightly – not enough to set it off, but it was obvious he was becoming more and more anxious.
“Come on,” she whispered to herself as she stared at the two Asurans.
It happened quickly - a little too quickly as both of the Asurans lunged towards the Athosian. One of them whipped her around, gripping his hands tightly around her forearms. The other circled both of them, eyeing the Athosian inquiringly.
***
Complex Ruins
“They’re coming,” she said quietly as she lay in Ronon’s arms.
Ronon held her close, stroking her dark brown hair. It didn’t seem to matter any longer who was lying in his arms. All he saw when he looked at her was his wife – his dying wife. He felt helpless, there was nothing he could do to save her, and he felt the life slipping from her with every moment that passed.
His heart was breaking – he was losing her again.
“Shh,” he whispered.
“Leave me, they will kill you…” Melena looked up at Ronon.
“I made a promise.” Ronon held onto her and prepared himself for what would be walking through that door at any moment. He made a promise to her that he’d never leave her again and he refused to break that, even now.
***
Outer Complex Ruins
“Teyla!” John shouted as he compromised his position. It took him a second to leap over the concrete barrier, pistol aimed on the Asurans. He wasted no time and fired the first shot on the Asuran closest to her.
The Asuran looked in John’s direction, almost startled before he burst into tiny pieces, scattering all around Teyla.
She gasped as she staggered backwards from the sudden release of the Asuran.
Again, no time was wasted as John did the same thing to the other one – not giving him enough time to build immunity to the energy weapon. Once the Asuran shattered to pieces, he made his way over to Teyla. “You okay?”
Teyla nodded her head slowly. “Yes, I am okay.”
“You sure?”
“I am sure,” she said as she straightened herself, looking at John.
John nodded.
***
Complex Ruins
“Promises can be broken,” Melena said softly and closed her eyes.
Ronon knew that she had very little time left – her breath was becoming more labored, her body tensing in his arms. “I’m not leaving.”
Melena attempted a smile; it came very slowly as her body fought against her. “I love you.” Her voice was gravelly and low.
He felt a pang in his chest at her words; it was no longer a question, the woman in his arms was the woman that he loved. He pulled her even closer, wrapping his arms around her as he kissed her forehead.
“Ronon,” she managed through her gasps of breath – death was beckoning her. “Even in death, I’ll never leave you…”
“Don’t,” he mumbled as he buried his face in her hair. He inhaled the sweet scent of her, letting it consume him.
“It’s time,” she murmured.
***
Complex Ruins
“Let’s go,” Sheppard said as he headed towards the entrance of the complex.
Rodney followed closely behind him. “I need to get as close as possible to her for a least a couple of minutes.”
“I got it covered.” John kicked the door open, his P-90 pressed against his shoulder and he scanned the entranceway before declaring it all clear. Everyone made their way inside the complex and headed up the stairs.
Teyla maneuvered into position beside John as they reached the second level and headed down the hallway. It took them a few minutes, checking several doors along the way – finally it was down to two.
John positioned himself in front of one of the remaining doors and indicated to Lorne to watch their backs.
Rodney flipped the switch on the transmitter and looked at John. He nodded his head, indicating that he was ready to send out the virus as soon as they were inside.
John inhaled sharply before raising his weapon and forcefully kicking open the door.
***
The door flew open and Ronon’s head whipped around. He was sitting on the ground, in the middle of the room with Melena lying in his arms. His body was trembling - his hands shaking. John entered slowly, looking at Ronon – that’s when he noticed his face had been dampened with tears and his eyes still burning with unshed tears.
John lowered his weapon slowly and gestured for the others to do the same. “Turn it off, Rodney,” he told him quietly.
“What?” he questioned, looking at Sheppard.
“Turn it off.”
“I still need-”
“It’s over.”
TBC
Previous Chapters:
+ Chapter 1 + Chapter 2 + Chapter 3 + Chapter 4 + Chapter 5 +
+ Chapter 6 + Chapter 7 + Chapter 8 +
Author:
carpenyxRating: NC-17
Characters: Main SGA Characters, with appearances by Zelenka and Major Lorne.
Pairings: Ronon/Melena
Word Count: 3,396
Warnings: Character Death, Sexual Content
Spoilers: Through season 3, most importantly "Sateda", "Progeny", "The Real World" and "The Return: Part 1". This story takes place in a future alternate season 3.
Beta:
nytelDisclaimer: I do not own, just playing in the Pegasus Galaxy with my Flyboys. No copyright infridgement intended.
Summary: He remembered her; the smell of her perfume, the sweet honey taste of her lips, and the warmth of her body against his. It was almost as if she were still there.
A/N: Cross posted at
atlantisfic, lostcityfound, stargate_fanfic, satedan_fire, and rdfeverChapter 9
Sateda – Complex Ruins
“I’m Melena.” She reached her small hand out to him.
“Melena,” he repeated softly. He took her hand gently into his.
Broken memories flashed in his mind while he kept his eyes tightly shut.
Ronon was plagued with conflicting emotions: rage, fear, and sorrow, not to mention confusion and doubt of them combined together threatened to consume him wholly. Every muscle in his body was taut, his teeth were clenched and his hands were balled up in fists within their bindings.
The once familiar scent of his wife was lost to him. The sound of her voice was strange and the woman towering over him was no longer the woman he knew.
Melena crouched low in front of him, her hand reaching up and lifting Ronon’s chin. “Open your eyes.”
He did not move.
“Look at me,” she spat out angrily.
Ronon jerked his head away from her, eyes slowly opening.
“Don’t be like that.” Melena spoke softly and frowned a little.
He grunted, yanking on his restraints.
“I didn’t want to involve you, but what choice did I have?”
Ronon narrowed his eyes, working harder on the restraints. She merely watched.
“I had to get through the Ring.” She continued to explain, her eyes trained on Ronon as he attempted to release himself from the bindings. It was futile, she knew, but he went on trying and she kept on watching. “I knew they wouldn’t have opened fire on you…”
“They should’ve,” he muttered.
“You wouldn’t have allowed it.” Melena reached out again, her hand resting against his cheek. “Even if you knew what I was…”
That’s when his eyes finally met hers.
She caressed his cheek. “Even now, you can’t bring yourself to hurt me… can you?”
Ronon narrowed his eyes, lurching towards her and growling low. She was quick and backed away before he could make contact. There wasn’t much else he could do; the restraints were sturdy.
“If you really wanted to harm me, you would have already,” she stated.
Ronon looked at her, his eyes laced with regret and sorrow – he was losing his wife for a second time and there was nothing he could do about it. “If you only needed me so that you could get off Atlantis, why keep me captive?” He clenched his teeth, pulling on the ropes around his wrists – he wasn’t giving up.
Melena didn’t answer as she kept her eyes focused on him.
“What?” he hissed. “Programming fucked up?”
“No,” she said quickly. Melena rose to her full height. “How-”
“Not the first time I’ve had a hand squirming around up there.”
She started to pace back and forth, agitated.
“Cat got your tongue?” he taunted.
Melena cursed under her breath, shooting a glare at Ronon.
Ronon smirked slightly.
“I’m the first.” She knelt down in front of Ronon again.
Ronon stopped his attempts to free himself… for the moment.
“She’s the first…” Melena shook her head. “We can build cities, ships and even others like us. We can infect other species, but never have we completely changed an organism of another species into an Asuran. Until now that is.” A wicked grin spread across her face.
“Why?” he growled.
“Why your wife?” Melena’s smile softened – it made him uneasy. “She was in the wrong place at the wrong time. She was running from the Wraith and dialed Asura at random. We probed her mind and recognized you, that’s when we came up with the perfect plan. We had the opportunity to infiltrate Atlantis and we took it. It’s nothing personal.”
Ronon lowered his head.
“Unfortunately our perfect plan wasn’t quite as perfect as we’d originally perceived it to be. Doctor McKay is a little too smart for his own good…”
“Let me go…” Ronon spoke low and gruffly.
“I can’t do that, Ronon. I’m sorry.”
Ronon’s eyes met Melena’s. In that moment, he suddenly realized his wife might not be lost to him. “If she’s still in there…”
“I’m sorry, but there’s nothing left of your wife.” She had spoken clearly, but he caught the hint of doubting in her tone – one he’d heard his wife use in the past…
***
Sateda – Stargate
“I really think this isn’t such a good idea,” Rodney muttered. He followed Sheppard and the others away from the Stargate.
“McKay.” Sheppard shot him a glare. “Can we save the whining for another day?” He may have been a little too harsh with Rodney, but his focus was on finding Ronon – it’d been over twenty-four hours and they weren’t certain if he was on Sateda… or if he was even alive.
McKay sighed. He shifted his pack higher up on his shoulders. The life signs detector was in his hand and the Asuran transmitter had been strapped on his vest.
“Richards and Samuels; Gate duty,” Lorne ordered his men before looking over at John.
“Teyla, you’re with me,” John said.
She nodded.
“Lorne, take up the rear with McKay. Let’s move out.”
***
“We’ve been walking for like-”
“Ten minutes, McKay.” Lorne informed him.
“Oh right.” Rodney wiped the sweat from his brow as he glanced down at the life signs detector. “I’m still not picking up any other life forms.”
“It’s a big planet,” Lorne commented.
“You don’t expect to search the whole planet…”
“If we have to,” John said immediately from a few meters ahead.
McKay looked up from the life signs detector, towards John. “Great,” he muttered under his breath.
Lorne rolled his eyes, wondering how and why he always ended up with Doctor McKay.
“Oh… oh! I got something…” Rodney halted, looking down at the device in his hand.
Both John and Teyla stopped, turning to look at Rodney.
“Damnit…” Rodney hit the side of the detector. “It was working but-”
“Rodney…” John looked at him, irritated.
“I think the battery died?” Rodney half-stated, half-asked as he looked at John.
“McKay,” he said through clenched teeth.
“What? It was working and now it’s not.” Rodney shook it. “Broken, dead… whatever – it just shut off.”
“Shit,” John said, followed by more curses as he kicked the dirt on the ground with his boot.
***
Complex Ruins
Silence loomed; no words had passed between them in the last couple of hours. Ronon had his back against the wall with his hands tied behind him and his legs stretched out in front of him, his ankles were bound together as well. He’d occasionally watch her as she paced. She was quite restless in her movements.
“Melena…?” he finally broke the silence.
She came to a sudden stop, whipping her head around and looked at him.
“I want to talk to her…” he said quietly.
“I told you-”
“I don’t believe you.” His voice resonated his plea in its hushed tone.
“If she were still in this body, why would I allow her to speak to you?”
“I think if she were gone… you wouldn’t bother with me.”
He caught it – that subtle twitch on her face that indicated to him that he might be onto something.
“Information…” she said.
“You already tried and failed,” he pointed out firmly.
“Is that so?” She advanced towards him, swiftly grabbing a handful of his dreadlocks and yanking his head back roughly.
He grunted, clenching his teeth.
“Care to go for another round?”
“Melena…” he pleaded.
Melena hissed, pulling harder.
“Melena.”
Her grip tightened and he said her name again, just above a whisper – his eyes locked onto hers.
Melena closed her eyes, her fingers slowly releasing him. She lowered herself onto the ground beside him, not saying a word.
Ronon watched her as moments passed. He was beginning to doubt if his wife was still inside of her.
“I’m dying,” she finally spoke as she lifted her head and looked at him.
***
Sateda – Edge of the City
“Colonel.” Teyla stepped towards John.
He sighed, shaking his head.
“Colonel…” Teyla gently placed her hand on his shoulder. “We will find him.”
“How?” John looked at Teyla, defeat creeping into his eyes.
“We will start where we found him last time, then go from there…”
“It’s a big planet.”
“If we have to, we will search the whole planet,” she said, using his own words to assure him.
John chuckled very lightly as he looked at Teyla.
She smiled slowly.
“Uh, guys?” Rodney interjected.
“Not now, McKay.”
“Colonel.”
John looked over at McKay. “What?”
Rodney looked up towards the sky and pointed.
John followed Rodney’s line of sight, as did Teyla and Lorne.
Not much could be seen above due to the cloud cover, but it was what was coming out of the clouds that caught their attention. A familiar shape broke through the dense clouds, hovering over what appeared to be the center of the city…
“That’s not ours,” John pointed out as the puddle jumper continued to descend.
***
Complex Ruins
“It’s too much,” Melena whispered. “I can feel everything shutting down…”
Ronon watched, not once taking his eyes off of her.
“I don’t have a lot of time.” Melena pushed her back up against the wall, next to Ronon. She pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around them.
It had taken a long time for him to loosen the rope around his wrists, but while she had her guard lowered he was able to release himself from the bindings.
It was swift and she didn’t know what had hit her until he had her pinned against the wall – his hand was wrapped around her neck. Melena gasped for a breath, her chest heaving.
“You were wrong about one thing,” Ronon growled.
Melena brought her hands up, grabbing onto his wrists. To her surprise, she was a lot weaker than she had previously thought. She struggled against him, but found herself unable to fight him off.
“I can hurt you.” The malicious words filled with pain fell from his lips. He looked into her eyes, his own laced with anguish for what he was about to do. Ronon pulled her away from the wall, bringing her into his arms. He whipped her around, her back against his front and he positioned his arm around her neck.
“Ronon, please!” she managed to whisper.
***
Sateda – Outer Complex Ruins
“What do you mean it’s not one of ours?” Rodney questioned.
“I mean it’s not one of ours.”
“Colonel?” Teyla looked at John, raising a brow.
“It’s one of theirs…”
“Whose?” McKay looked at John, confused.
“The Asuran.” John pointed out.
“What!” McKay swallowed, hard. “Oh god, we’re all going to die. I told you this was a bad idea…”
Teyla and Lorne exchanged a concerned glance before looking at the Colonel.
“I’m guessing they are here for her…”
“But that’s impossible,” Rodney said. “There’s no way they could find her without the transmitter…” He looked down at the transmitter strapped on his vest – the red light was blinking. “Shit.”
John looked at Rodney. “What do you mean ‘shit’?”
“As in, we’re in big trouble?”
“Rodney.”
“I must’ve hit it and turned it on…” Rodney quickly removed the device from his vest. “… completely by accident!” he added.
“I thought you deactivated it?” John questioned him.
“I did!” Rodney hurried to switch off the transmitter. “But in order to transmit the virus it has to be activated. It was only going to be on for a couple of minutes and that wouldn’t have been enough time to track the signal.”
“Okay…” John took a deep breath as he scanned the immediate area. “In there,” he said as he gestured to an abandoned storehouse.
There was no visible doorway with the exception of a shattered window. It took them very little time to climb into the old storehouse, seeking cover.
Once inside, John began to pace. “I have to think…”
“What are we going to do?” Teyla looked at him.
“Thinking…”
“Sir.” Lorne looked at Sheppard. There wasn’t a lot of time for thinking.
“As long as they didn’t see us, we can use them to our advantage.”
“How do you mean?”
“They can lead us to Ronon and Melena…”
“How?” Teyla looked over at John.
“They should be able to sense her nearby. Technically, the transmitter only serves for broader distances,” Rodney explained.
John looked over at Lorne. “I need you to scout out that puddle jumper. We need to know exactly what we’re dealing with.”
***
“I’ve got two in visual range,” Sheppard radioed Lorne.
“The jumper is clear, there’s no others,” he radioed back.
“Colonel, they are heading into an abandoned complex…” Teyla positioned her weapon against her shoulder.
“Uh, Sheppard?” Rodney looked at John.
“What now, McKay?”
“If you use the pistol on them… it won’t work against Melena – they adapt and she’ll be immune.”
“Well, your plan better work.”
“No pressure,” Rodney muttered.
***
Complex Ruins
“Ronon, please!” she pleaded through gasps of breath as she squirmed against him.
Ronon shut his eyes tightly, trying to drown out the sound of her voice…
“Ronon, please stop!” Melena giggled as she squirmed underneath him. “I hate being tickled!” She pleaded with him as their eyes met and he smiled down at her.
“Only if you let me have one kiss,” he said playfully in his gruff voice.
“I’ll let you have as many as you want.” She smiled brightly as she wrapped her arms around him and pulled him closer, their lips meeting in a deep and loving kiss.
Ronon clung onto Melena as he released his arm from around her neck. He could feel her heaving again him as air rushed back into her lungs – her body collapsed against his.
“Please forgive me…” he whispered softly as he lowered both of them to the ground.
Ronon turned Melena to face him, bringing her closer as he cradled her.
She looked up at Ronon, reaching her hand to touch his face.
In that moment it was unclear who was lying in his arms – Melena or the machine.
***
Outer Complex Ruins
Lorne hurried back to the group after declaring that the puddle jumper was unoccupied. Only two Asurans had come to collect their wayward project; that seemed like good odds.
John nodded to Lorne as he rejoined the group. “We don’t have a lot of time. We need to stop them before they get to Ronon and Melena.” It was coming down to the wire and it was a matter of taking out the two Asurans without drawing attention to themselves.
John looked over towards Teyla. “You up for this?” Concern was etched on his face and he wasn’t too keen on the idea of using her as bait, but there was no other way.
“I am ready,” she confirmed.
“It’s all you,” he told her as he and Lorne positioned themselves behind a large concrete barrier along with McKay. The Asurans were a few meters away from the entrance of the abandoned complex. John had the pistol trained on the Asurans’ position and Lorne followed suit.
Teyla cautiously moved out from behind the wall and made her way towards the complex. It would only be a couple of seconds before the Asurans’ programming kicked in and sensed the Wraith DNA in Teyla’s system.
John was already regretting this plan.
She kept her cool as she edged closer and put her trust in her teammates.
John tensed, his finger held over the trigger firmly.
The Asurans stopped mid-step, both turning their heads, suddenly alerted of Teyla’s presence.
Teyla halted, her muscles becoming rigid. She kept her eyes on the two machines in front of her.
The Asurans and Teyla remained in a locked stare, neither knowing who would make the first move. John’s finger squeezed the trigger of the pistol slightly – not enough to set it off, but it was obvious he was becoming more and more anxious.
“Come on,” she whispered to herself as she stared at the two Asurans.
It happened quickly - a little too quickly as both of the Asurans lunged towards the Athosian. One of them whipped her around, gripping his hands tightly around her forearms. The other circled both of them, eyeing the Athosian inquiringly.
***
Complex Ruins
“They’re coming,” she said quietly as she lay in Ronon’s arms.
Ronon held her close, stroking her dark brown hair. It didn’t seem to matter any longer who was lying in his arms. All he saw when he looked at her was his wife – his dying wife. He felt helpless, there was nothing he could do to save her, and he felt the life slipping from her with every moment that passed.
His heart was breaking – he was losing her again.
“Shh,” he whispered.
“Leave me, they will kill you…” Melena looked up at Ronon.
“I made a promise.” Ronon held onto her and prepared himself for what would be walking through that door at any moment. He made a promise to her that he’d never leave her again and he refused to break that, even now.
***
Outer Complex Ruins
“Teyla!” John shouted as he compromised his position. It took him a second to leap over the concrete barrier, pistol aimed on the Asurans. He wasted no time and fired the first shot on the Asuran closest to her.
The Asuran looked in John’s direction, almost startled before he burst into tiny pieces, scattering all around Teyla.
She gasped as she staggered backwards from the sudden release of the Asuran.
Again, no time was wasted as John did the same thing to the other one – not giving him enough time to build immunity to the energy weapon. Once the Asuran shattered to pieces, he made his way over to Teyla. “You okay?”
Teyla nodded her head slowly. “Yes, I am okay.”
“You sure?”
“I am sure,” she said as she straightened herself, looking at John.
John nodded.
***
Complex Ruins
“Promises can be broken,” Melena said softly and closed her eyes.
Ronon knew that she had very little time left – her breath was becoming more labored, her body tensing in his arms. “I’m not leaving.”
Melena attempted a smile; it came very slowly as her body fought against her. “I love you.” Her voice was gravelly and low.
He felt a pang in his chest at her words; it was no longer a question, the woman in his arms was the woman that he loved. He pulled her even closer, wrapping his arms around her as he kissed her forehead.
“Ronon,” she managed through her gasps of breath – death was beckoning her. “Even in death, I’ll never leave you…”
“Don’t,” he mumbled as he buried his face in her hair. He inhaled the sweet scent of her, letting it consume him.
“It’s time,” she murmured.
***
Complex Ruins
“Let’s go,” Sheppard said as he headed towards the entrance of the complex.
Rodney followed closely behind him. “I need to get as close as possible to her for a least a couple of minutes.”
“I got it covered.” John kicked the door open, his P-90 pressed against his shoulder and he scanned the entranceway before declaring it all clear. Everyone made their way inside the complex and headed up the stairs.
Teyla maneuvered into position beside John as they reached the second level and headed down the hallway. It took them a few minutes, checking several doors along the way – finally it was down to two.
John positioned himself in front of one of the remaining doors and indicated to Lorne to watch their backs.
Rodney flipped the switch on the transmitter and looked at John. He nodded his head, indicating that he was ready to send out the virus as soon as they were inside.
John inhaled sharply before raising his weapon and forcefully kicking open the door.
***
The door flew open and Ronon’s head whipped around. He was sitting on the ground, in the middle of the room with Melena lying in his arms. His body was trembling - his hands shaking. John entered slowly, looking at Ronon – that’s when he noticed his face had been dampened with tears and his eyes still burning with unshed tears.
John lowered his weapon slowly and gestured for the others to do the same. “Turn it off, Rodney,” he told him quietly.
“What?” he questioned, looking at Sheppard.
“Turn it off.”
“I still need-”
“It’s over.”
TBC
Previous Chapters:
+ Chapter 1 + Chapter 2 + Chapter 3 + Chapter 4 + Chapter 5 +
+ Chapter 6 + Chapter 7 + Chapter 8 +
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2007-01-01 02:07 am (UTC)Well done!!!
(no subject)
Date: 2007-01-01 06:20 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-01-01 06:26 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-01-01 03:05 pm (UTC)*claps* Wonderful! :D Really kept me on the edge of my seat, trying to find out faster what was going to happen :P Sad there's only one chapter left, but I still can't wait to read it!
Oh and nice job on McKay! :D Hilarious
(no subject)
Date: 2007-01-01 04:07 pm (UTC)I've gotten a little more comfy with McKay. Not completely but a little bit. He's fun, hehe