Work Text:
Winter Break I: Snoring
by Margaret Newman/Mererid
It all happened pretty fast. One moment they were the tail end of a convoy heading back to Atlantis, a short line of puddlejumpers skipping through space and heading towards a gate floating above a dead moon. The next moment, some strange alien ship comes out of nowhere. It ducked between the puddlejumpers, and whoever was following it fired at all of them. They took a direct hit and things got bad fast.
"Major?" Carson had inquired nervously from his seat behind them. The little ship was jerking spasmodically and circuits were crackling like mad.
"Hold on, doc. Everything will be fine." Sheppard had shot over his shoulder, his hands busy and his mind racing.
"Puddlejumper Two!" Dr. Weir's voice had blasted out from their comlink. "Major Sheppard! What is your status!"
"Uh, not so good." Sheppard replied in his usual nonchalant tone of voice with just a hint of panic around the edge.
"Puddlejumper Two has taken a direct hit." Someone from another ship replied for him. Then coms went dead, and their little ship started driving through space.
"Ford." Sheppard said the lieutenant's name low. They looked up sharply at each other.
"Yeah." Ford nodded. "I know."
"Doc, you got your seat belt on and your crash helmet pulled down tight?" Sheppard ask, stealing a glance at their hapless passenger. Carson was white with fear, but his jaw was clenched determinedly.
"I didn't get a helmet." His brogue was a little thick.
"Damn." Sheppard shook his head. "Ford, that's a demerit. You forgot another helmet."
"Sorry, sir." Ford glanced up at the disappearing sight of their comrades. Two, three through the gate. The escaping alien vessel's wings folded in and an under-compartment was sucked up, and it slipped neatly through the Gate in their place.
"Major!" Dr. Weir's voice warbled through the crackling wires.
That was the last time they heard her voice.
"Let's try aiming for that one." Sheppard used both hands on the stick, and managed to turn the puddlejumper ever so slightly.
"Yes, sir." Ford nodded.
A fire broke out in the back, some bags that they had used to collect seeds caught on fire. The alarm that sounded was oddly mixed with another sound reminiscent of popcorn.
"I got it!" Carson popped out of his seat; half crawling back the pitch was so steep. He pulled down what they had learned were the Ancient's versions of fire extinguishers and sprayed the bags. He lost his balance and came sliding back towards Sheppard and Ford, the extinguisher rolling and clanking on the floor.
"Grab that!" Sheppard shouted as he unfastened his seat belt and grabbed Dr. Beckett. Ford nabbed the extinguisher, and shoved it into the floor near his feet.
"I'm fine!" Carson protested as Sheppard hauled him up into his seat.
"Seat belt!" Sheppard slapped his shoulder and went back to his own spot.
They hurtled down towards some planet near the dead moon. It looked a lot like Earth although the land masses were arranged differently. They barely survived the entry into the atmosphere only to be banged around by turbulence.
"Aim for the beach." Sheppard muttered to no one in particular. "Hold on, boys!"
They came in low over a mountain, then followed down a slope, and hit dirt just as the slope curved out to valley. They scared the hell out of some herd that looked like reindeer on steroids. There was screeching metal, screeching animals, and a rumbling that numbed the ears, and then... darkness.
(*)
Sheppard woke up to the sound of snoring. The inside of the puddlejumper was barely illuminated by a few remaining lit buttons. The acrid smell of burning wires hurt his nose, and he sneezed. Who the hell was snoring?
He felt down his leg until he found a pocket with his small flashlight. He flipped it on and looked around. Ford was leaning forward, one arm laying loosing across the control board. His friend's stillness made his heart lurch.
"More sausage, please, mum." Carson muttered. Sheppard flicked his light back at the good doctor. His arms were crossed over his chest and he continued snoring, head back, with bouts of "mmmm" sounds interspersed. He looked relaxed, and dreaming happily.
Sheppard grinned. And Carson said he didn't like flying?
"Doctor Beckett, you okay?" Sheppard called out loudly. He undid his own seat belt, and then moved to Aidan. "Aidan? Aidan, please don't be hurt."
"What?" Carson snorted, waking up with a start. "Ah, damn." He mumbled as he unhooked his seat belt, and stood up. -and promptly tripped over the fire extinguisher canister. He swore in Gaelic.
"Doc!" Sheppard helped him stand, and sit back down. He grabbed the canister and set it up on a rack to the side.
"It's just my bloody fucking knee." Carson assured him. "I messed it up bad as a lad playing football. I must have stressed it out when I put out the fire, and now I tripped on that bloody thing. It'll be fine, pops out every so often and pops back in on it's own."
"Is it okay now?" Sheppard frowned at the doctor, and then back at Ford who was stirring.
"See to Lt. Ford." Carson waved him off.
"I'm fine." Ford blinked several times, eyes adjusting to the gloom. "We're alive."
"So far." Sheppard smirked.
"What's our situation?" Ford tried to sound business like. Sheppard was trying to get a good look at the younger man's face. "Quit shining the light in my eyes!" He protested, followed by, "Sir."
"I'm trying to make sure you're alright." Sheppard kept shining the small light in Aiden's face. "Lieutenant."
Ford grimaced, and wrapped his right arm around his ribs. "I think the fire extinguisher kicked me in the ribs. It came lose during the crash, I was trying to grab it when it thumped me in the chest."
"Be still." Carson ordered. "If you've cracked a rib, we've a real problem on our hands."
"Actually, I think our real problem is out there." Ford pointed out the front window of the puddlejumper. One of the injured reindeer-looking creatures was limping across the wide meadow when a huge beast burst through the forest on the other side. In a few strides, the beast took down the big reindeer and with an enormous mouthful of fangs, ripped open the belly.
"That kinda..." Sheppard caught himself whispering, and cleared his throat. "That kind of looks like a..."
Another beast emerged from the forest, and challenged the first one over the now half-dead animal, its guts and blood spilling over the grass.
"A werewolf." Aidan whispered.
"Too bulky for a werewolf." Carson countered. "More like a were-bear."
Oh, yeah. Sheppard thought to himself. That clarification makes it *so* much better...
end