Can't Find My Way Home #3: Lost
Title: Lost
Rating: PG for now
By: Jendavis
Spoilers: SGA: The Last Man, FF: Serenity
Pairing: Eventual Jayne Cobb/ Ronon Dex
Genre: Crossover
Warnings: Pre-slash.
Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue, don't take this too seriously.
Summary: Timelines diverge by converging.
A/N: Feedback=love!
Previous:
1. Man of Steel
2. Keys to the World
3. Lost
"We're seriously going to step through there?" Jayne, asked, clearly concerned.
"Just makin' a call," Ronon said, pressing buttons on the console. "Stand back." He pressed the center stone and looked up, but nothing happened. He frowned.
"What is it?"
He started over and tried it again. "Don't know. Can't get a lock. Either there's. Hang on." Again, it didn't engage. "I can't get through."
"What's that mean?" Jayne crossed his arms.
Ronon closed his eyes. "They're using the gate on their end. Could be a few minutes."
"Okay," Jayne stepped back, circling around the gate, clearly suspicious. Eyeing Ronon a little more warily now, like his patience was about to run out.
Well fuck you too, he thought. He set his jaw, and punched in the coordinates for the new Wenrala gate. Smirked a little when Jayne jumped back as the wormhole exploded out from nothing.
"The hell-" Jayne started to ask, but Ronon's attention was already on his radio, checking in with Vanaar. Giving directions to where the fallen lay. Explaining why he wasn't coming through yet, and offering condolences.
He tried to determine if the blame and angry disappointment in the man's voice would wear itself out, or fester into something dangerous a month or a year down the line. Told himself, he knew the risks. So did Jiro. It was a good plan that went wrong. There's nothing you could have done. He'll see sense.
He disconnected the wormhole and found Jayne still staring.
"Still think I'm lying?"
Jayne's face broke into a grin. "Mo ming qi miao, but all right."
Ronon blinked, and dialed yet again, and again, it didn't connect. "Fuck. It's not-"
The Atlantis gate was never open for more than a minute at a time, always so wary of their power levels. If it's still open, there's something wrong. He took a deep breath and tried not to guess what it might be. They never. Okay...
He had to think for a minute, to remember the coordinates, but this time, the gate connected.
"Alpa site, this is Ronon, come in." he waited a moment, took a breath, and was about to repeat himself, when the radio squealed in his ear.
"Ronon," Lorne's voice was strained.
"I just tried dialing-"
"Atlantis is gone. Not everyone made it."
"What?" Ronon was pretty sure his heart stopped. Pretty sure Jayne noticed it, too, judging by the man's sudden stillness.
"Look, come on through," Lorne instructed, "we could use your help moving supplies before it gets dark. I gotta go."
"Right." Ronon tapped at his radio and looked over to Jayne. "Come on. Guess we are going through."
Jayne looked like he wanted to argue, staring hard at the event horizon, and Ronon was pretty sure this would be the moment he bailed out. But then Jayne cocked his head to the side and challenged, "Sure thing. You first."
Ronon saluted as he stepped into the gate, and was a little surprised to find that Jayne actually followed him. Arriving on the other side, he looked a little disoriented, but none the worse for wear, and he was wearing an irritated grin.
"That just ain't right," he decided, but his attention was soon caught by all the activity, all the people carting equipment from the stockpile at the side of the gate. "You mind cluin' me in on what the hell is going on?"
Ronon almost wanted to laugh at the insanity at all. "Had to evacuate the city," he glanced up the trail. "Other than that, I don't know."
The camp was visible from here. Barely. It was too small to fit everyone from Atlantis. He froze as the dread knotted itself in his gut. "Lost a lot of people, too."
We just lost our best defense against the wraith.
He grabbed an equipment case, hefted it once, and started walking, trying to move before the reality set in. Before Jayne asked another question he didn't want to answer. "C'mon."
Jayne took the hint and grabbed a case before following. Glancing back, Ronon could see him surveying everything. Getting the lay of the land and the people.
"Were it your people this time?"
"Yeah. Kind of." It wasn't really true, not anymore. Hadn't been for months.
But it wasn't entirely false yet, either. And he didn't know what the damages were. Not yet. It was just easier to lie than explain.
"Ronon!" a voice shouted as they approached. "Over here!"
It was McKay, and as panicked and dirty as he looked, it was damn good to see him.
"McKay!" Ronon set the crate down, straightening and stepping forward, grabbing him by the arm. "What's going on?"
"We had to self destruct," McKay confessed, his eyes darting nervously all over the place. "Michael got in. Full scale attack. Found a way around the shields. We managed to recapture the gate room, and were evacuating, but it wasn't holding. This is everyone that made it. Not even fifty. Carter. Parrish…"
"Shit."
"Yeah. Keller's in that tent over there," he pointed. "Triage, but she's a mess. Lorne's setting up defenses. I'm trying to get water filtration up and running-" He stumbled to a stop, shook his head. He looked like he was ready to collapse, like he'd just run out of batteries.
Ronon nodded, because what the hell do you say to that? Felt the world start to spin out again as the meaning sank in a little more.
Lorne was approaching, fast, stepping around tent stakes and dodging crates, and asked Ronon what he knew.
"We were." Ronon glanced uneasily over to Jayne. "We had a strike force out, got some intel that Michael had a lab going on Wenra. Hybrids. Was just going to be... The wraith got spooked. The lab was taken out, but..."
"Michael's lab? When was this?"
"Three hours ago? Four?"
"Was he there?"
"Didn't see him, but-"
"But someone could have gotten the message out that his lab was being hit," McKay sighed, his tone accusatory.
Lorne coughed, looking apologetically at Ronon and sparing a curious glance in Jayne's direction. "We don't know that for sure. Could have had his ship monitoring the lab, for all we know."
"Come on," Rodney groaned. "Ronon Hood's little band of merry men taking out his lab? Easy enough to tie it back to Atlantis. It's not like he doesn't stand out in a crowd, you know."
The universe threatened to spin out from under him again. "I'm." It wasn't supposed to go down like that. They weren't supposed to have the time to get a signal off, Ronon wanted to explain. "Fuck." Nice. You fucked the Wenrala, and Atlantis, all in one day.
"That doesn't matter," Lorne decided. "Nightfall's coming on pretty quick and there's not much we can do right now. You're welcome to stay, you know. Both of you," he finished, again looking at Jayne like he had questions, but not the time to ask them.
Ronon nodded, before remembering. "Oh. Ah." He gestured at Jayne. "Lorne, McKay, this is Jayne. Met him during the fight. Long story, but I was trying to track you down because his ship needs help."
"Immediate danger?"
"They're stuck on the ground less than a mile away from Michael's lab. There weren't any survivors scattering out when it burned, so unless the wraith decide to come back for it, no. But."
"We're ready to fight if need be," Jayne stepped forward. "Though we'd rather leave, given the choice."
"So you weren't calling us to check on our welfare," McKay sneered from where he was tugging angrily on one of the filters forcing it into its frame. "Should've known."
"Didn't know you needed me to," Ronon snarled back. "Only tried here when I couldn't get through to Atlantis."
McKay's smirk grew colder, and his eyes tightened, "Yeah, well. Thanks for the warning. Good to know you haven't gone-"
"McKay. Chill," Lorne's tone was more severe than it used to be, back when he was second in command. He deliberately faced Jayne again. "We'd like to help you, but right now, we're up to our eyeballs. I'll send some people in the morning," his eyes cut over to McKay, daring him to speak. "I can't make any promises as to what we can do, but you're welcome to stay the night."
"Right kind of you, but I should get back. Report in." Jayne was watching McKay work, apparently puzzled. He was about to speak when McKay's hand flew to his radio.
"I'm on it," McKay was winding up for another rant. "You'll have clean water when-"
"C'mon," It wasn't until Ronon spoke that he realized how tightly he'd been clenching his jaw. "Should grab some food-"
"Right," Jayne began to follow, surveying the encampment for a moment before stopping in his tracks. "Hang on a ruttin' minute." He turned, striding back towards McKay. "You're gonna get clean water with that thing?"
"As soon as you're done interrupting me so I can get it set up, yes. Infirmary's running out already, so if you don't mind-"
"Caught that. Just wondering why you ain't just boiling water instead," Jayne sneered.
McKay huffed, offended. "Because this is more safe-"
"Ain't safer than goin' without, though. There's a gorram stream right over there, dong ma? You all got gates and guns and spaceships an' such, and you're gonna tell me you ain't figured out fire?"
"Listen, whoever you are, you don't even-"
"McKay," Lorne hissed. "Seriously?" His hand went up to his radio. "Keller, this is Lorne. You got anyone boiling water yet?" He paused, rolling his eyes. "I know the filtration unit will be safer. In the long run…well, Carter didn't make it and I'm giving you new ones…Doctor, this is field triage. Deal with it and do your damned job. Right."
Looking up again, he nodded once curtly to Jayne, before stalking off, angrily muttering "Only in Pegasus, spoiled little…"
Ronon nudged him, his head tilting in the direction of one of the tents as he began to walk. "Why'd you bring it up? The water?"
"I figure, right now, we're in your debt. Just simpler to pay up front sometimes. Good public relations, dong ma? But mostly just wanted to take that prissy ass down a notch." His eyes darted up to Ronon's, briefly, before he continued, his voice low. "Why didn't you tell him it was our ship that screwed you?"
"He would trust you even less than he trusts me."
"He trust you at all?"
"Mostly. Used to. Long story." He rubbed a hand over his face, taking inventory. He needed food, and Jayne probably did, too. He needed sleep. He needed to be a dozen planets away from today. Just too fucking much. "Anyway. He's probably gonna be the one to fix your ship." Unless Zelenka…Shit, is he even alive?
"Ta ma de," he heard Jayne groan. "We're humped."
Ronon was pretty sure he managed a nod, but he couldn't track much of anything. It was too fucking much, to stay here, watch the loss and panic and fear in everyone's eyes. Not when there were so few of them, and he didn't even. Hadn't even asked who'd made it.
It didn't matter what Jayne said about where the blame landed. There was enough to go around. Judging by some of the looks being sent his way, it already had. Ronon kept his eyes down, trying to avoid the glares of the people he passed. Trying not to notice the people who weren't passing by. Who hadn't made it off Atlantis.
"Hey, man. You don't look so good," Jayne's voice broke him from his reverie. He closed his eyes.
"Long day."
"Yeah, well. Look, I gotta be getting back, so..."
"Yeah." Ronon didn't like what he was thinking, didn't like what he was saying, even if he meant it. "We'll eat first, then I'll come with you."
"Ya ain't gotta. I mean, done yer part an' all."
"Have to go back there anyhow. My camp's there. These." He broke off, not knowing what he'd been about to say, and not knowing why he'd been about to say it to this near stranger.
Jayne nodded, unsurprised, maybe even a little like he understood, and followed Ronon to the tent where provisions were kept. Apparently the medics had grabbed most of the water, but there were MREs. Ronon grabbed a few at random, tossing one to Jayne, and they sat on the ground outside, their backs against crates of provisions.
Ronon hadn't realized that he'd been expecting Jayne to complain about the food, but the man ate silently, seeming to actually enjoy it.
At the same time, though, he seemed to be on high alert, watchful. Glancing in his direction more often than he needed to. Ronon tried to ignore the feeling of eyes on him. Whatever Jayne was trying to puzzle out, he wasn't saying.
"You got a lot of people who ain't quite yours," Jayne eventually observed, once they'd finished, and hadn't yet moved.
"So?"
"Just trying to figure out your angle, is all."
---
They made it to Ronon's camp, and Jayne was fiddling with his radio, trying to hail his ship. And that's when they heard it.
Up above and behind them, probably just through the gate. More familiar than any human voice, more easily understood.
And growing closer, fast.
"Wraith," he cursed, as Jayne moved to raise his gun. "Come on."
4. Gone Away
Rating: PG for now
By: Jendavis
Spoilers: SGA: The Last Man, FF: Serenity
Pairing: Eventual Jayne Cobb/ Ronon Dex
Genre: Crossover
Warnings: Pre-slash.
Disclaimer: Don't own, don't sue, don't take this too seriously.
Summary: Timelines diverge by converging.
A/N: Feedback=love!
Previous:
1. Man of Steel
2. Keys to the World
3. Lost
"We're seriously going to step through there?" Jayne, asked, clearly concerned.
"Just makin' a call," Ronon said, pressing buttons on the console. "Stand back." He pressed the center stone and looked up, but nothing happened. He frowned.
"What is it?"
He started over and tried it again. "Don't know. Can't get a lock. Either there's. Hang on." Again, it didn't engage. "I can't get through."
"What's that mean?" Jayne crossed his arms.
Ronon closed his eyes. "They're using the gate on their end. Could be a few minutes."
"Okay," Jayne stepped back, circling around the gate, clearly suspicious. Eyeing Ronon a little more warily now, like his patience was about to run out.
Well fuck you too, he thought. He set his jaw, and punched in the coordinates for the new Wenrala gate. Smirked a little when Jayne jumped back as the wormhole exploded out from nothing.
"The hell-" Jayne started to ask, but Ronon's attention was already on his radio, checking in with Vanaar. Giving directions to where the fallen lay. Explaining why he wasn't coming through yet, and offering condolences.
He tried to determine if the blame and angry disappointment in the man's voice would wear itself out, or fester into something dangerous a month or a year down the line. Told himself, he knew the risks. So did Jiro. It was a good plan that went wrong. There's nothing you could have done. He'll see sense.
He disconnected the wormhole and found Jayne still staring.
"Still think I'm lying?"
Jayne's face broke into a grin. "Mo ming qi miao, but all right."
Ronon blinked, and dialed yet again, and again, it didn't connect. "Fuck. It's not-"
The Atlantis gate was never open for more than a minute at a time, always so wary of their power levels. If it's still open, there's something wrong. He took a deep breath and tried not to guess what it might be. They never. Okay...
He had to think for a minute, to remember the coordinates, but this time, the gate connected.
"Alpa site, this is Ronon, come in." he waited a moment, took a breath, and was about to repeat himself, when the radio squealed in his ear.
"Ronon," Lorne's voice was strained.
"I just tried dialing-"
"Atlantis is gone. Not everyone made it."
"What?" Ronon was pretty sure his heart stopped. Pretty sure Jayne noticed it, too, judging by the man's sudden stillness.
"Look, come on through," Lorne instructed, "we could use your help moving supplies before it gets dark. I gotta go."
"Right." Ronon tapped at his radio and looked over to Jayne. "Come on. Guess we are going through."
Jayne looked like he wanted to argue, staring hard at the event horizon, and Ronon was pretty sure this would be the moment he bailed out. But then Jayne cocked his head to the side and challenged, "Sure thing. You first."
Ronon saluted as he stepped into the gate, and was a little surprised to find that Jayne actually followed him. Arriving on the other side, he looked a little disoriented, but none the worse for wear, and he was wearing an irritated grin.
"That just ain't right," he decided, but his attention was soon caught by all the activity, all the people carting equipment from the stockpile at the side of the gate. "You mind cluin' me in on what the hell is going on?"
Ronon almost wanted to laugh at the insanity at all. "Had to evacuate the city," he glanced up the trail. "Other than that, I don't know."
The camp was visible from here. Barely. It was too small to fit everyone from Atlantis. He froze as the dread knotted itself in his gut. "Lost a lot of people, too."
We just lost our best defense against the wraith.
He grabbed an equipment case, hefted it once, and started walking, trying to move before the reality set in. Before Jayne asked another question he didn't want to answer. "C'mon."
Jayne took the hint and grabbed a case before following. Glancing back, Ronon could see him surveying everything. Getting the lay of the land and the people.
"Were it your people this time?"
"Yeah. Kind of." It wasn't really true, not anymore. Hadn't been for months.
But it wasn't entirely false yet, either. And he didn't know what the damages were. Not yet. It was just easier to lie than explain.
"Ronon!" a voice shouted as they approached. "Over here!"
It was McKay, and as panicked and dirty as he looked, it was damn good to see him.
"McKay!" Ronon set the crate down, straightening and stepping forward, grabbing him by the arm. "What's going on?"
"We had to self destruct," McKay confessed, his eyes darting nervously all over the place. "Michael got in. Full scale attack. Found a way around the shields. We managed to recapture the gate room, and were evacuating, but it wasn't holding. This is everyone that made it. Not even fifty. Carter. Parrish…"
"Shit."
"Yeah. Keller's in that tent over there," he pointed. "Triage, but she's a mess. Lorne's setting up defenses. I'm trying to get water filtration up and running-" He stumbled to a stop, shook his head. He looked like he was ready to collapse, like he'd just run out of batteries.
Ronon nodded, because what the hell do you say to that? Felt the world start to spin out again as the meaning sank in a little more.
Lorne was approaching, fast, stepping around tent stakes and dodging crates, and asked Ronon what he knew.
"We were." Ronon glanced uneasily over to Jayne. "We had a strike force out, got some intel that Michael had a lab going on Wenra. Hybrids. Was just going to be... The wraith got spooked. The lab was taken out, but..."
"Michael's lab? When was this?"
"Three hours ago? Four?"
"Was he there?"
"Didn't see him, but-"
"But someone could have gotten the message out that his lab was being hit," McKay sighed, his tone accusatory.
Lorne coughed, looking apologetically at Ronon and sparing a curious glance in Jayne's direction. "We don't know that for sure. Could have had his ship monitoring the lab, for all we know."
"Come on," Rodney groaned. "Ronon Hood's little band of merry men taking out his lab? Easy enough to tie it back to Atlantis. It's not like he doesn't stand out in a crowd, you know."
The universe threatened to spin out from under him again. "I'm." It wasn't supposed to go down like that. They weren't supposed to have the time to get a signal off, Ronon wanted to explain. "Fuck." Nice. You fucked the Wenrala, and Atlantis, all in one day.
"That doesn't matter," Lorne decided. "Nightfall's coming on pretty quick and there's not much we can do right now. You're welcome to stay, you know. Both of you," he finished, again looking at Jayne like he had questions, but not the time to ask them.
Ronon nodded, before remembering. "Oh. Ah." He gestured at Jayne. "Lorne, McKay, this is Jayne. Met him during the fight. Long story, but I was trying to track you down because his ship needs help."
"Immediate danger?"
"They're stuck on the ground less than a mile away from Michael's lab. There weren't any survivors scattering out when it burned, so unless the wraith decide to come back for it, no. But."
"We're ready to fight if need be," Jayne stepped forward. "Though we'd rather leave, given the choice."
"So you weren't calling us to check on our welfare," McKay sneered from where he was tugging angrily on one of the filters forcing it into its frame. "Should've known."
"Didn't know you needed me to," Ronon snarled back. "Only tried here when I couldn't get through to Atlantis."
McKay's smirk grew colder, and his eyes tightened, "Yeah, well. Thanks for the warning. Good to know you haven't gone-"
"McKay. Chill," Lorne's tone was more severe than it used to be, back when he was second in command. He deliberately faced Jayne again. "We'd like to help you, but right now, we're up to our eyeballs. I'll send some people in the morning," his eyes cut over to McKay, daring him to speak. "I can't make any promises as to what we can do, but you're welcome to stay the night."
"Right kind of you, but I should get back. Report in." Jayne was watching McKay work, apparently puzzled. He was about to speak when McKay's hand flew to his radio.
"I'm on it," McKay was winding up for another rant. "You'll have clean water when-"
"C'mon," It wasn't until Ronon spoke that he realized how tightly he'd been clenching his jaw. "Should grab some food-"
"Right," Jayne began to follow, surveying the encampment for a moment before stopping in his tracks. "Hang on a ruttin' minute." He turned, striding back towards McKay. "You're gonna get clean water with that thing?"
"As soon as you're done interrupting me so I can get it set up, yes. Infirmary's running out already, so if you don't mind-"
"Caught that. Just wondering why you ain't just boiling water instead," Jayne sneered.
McKay huffed, offended. "Because this is more safe-"
"Ain't safer than goin' without, though. There's a gorram stream right over there, dong ma? You all got gates and guns and spaceships an' such, and you're gonna tell me you ain't figured out fire?"
"Listen, whoever you are, you don't even-"
"McKay," Lorne hissed. "Seriously?" His hand went up to his radio. "Keller, this is Lorne. You got anyone boiling water yet?" He paused, rolling his eyes. "I know the filtration unit will be safer. In the long run…well, Carter didn't make it and I'm giving you new ones…Doctor, this is field triage. Deal with it and do your damned job. Right."
Looking up again, he nodded once curtly to Jayne, before stalking off, angrily muttering "Only in Pegasus, spoiled little…"
Ronon nudged him, his head tilting in the direction of one of the tents as he began to walk. "Why'd you bring it up? The water?"
"I figure, right now, we're in your debt. Just simpler to pay up front sometimes. Good public relations, dong ma? But mostly just wanted to take that prissy ass down a notch." His eyes darted up to Ronon's, briefly, before he continued, his voice low. "Why didn't you tell him it was our ship that screwed you?"
"He would trust you even less than he trusts me."
"He trust you at all?"
"Mostly. Used to. Long story." He rubbed a hand over his face, taking inventory. He needed food, and Jayne probably did, too. He needed sleep. He needed to be a dozen planets away from today. Just too fucking much. "Anyway. He's probably gonna be the one to fix your ship." Unless Zelenka…Shit, is he even alive?
"Ta ma de," he heard Jayne groan. "We're humped."
Ronon was pretty sure he managed a nod, but he couldn't track much of anything. It was too fucking much, to stay here, watch the loss and panic and fear in everyone's eyes. Not when there were so few of them, and he didn't even. Hadn't even asked who'd made it.
It didn't matter what Jayne said about where the blame landed. There was enough to go around. Judging by some of the looks being sent his way, it already had. Ronon kept his eyes down, trying to avoid the glares of the people he passed. Trying not to notice the people who weren't passing by. Who hadn't made it off Atlantis.
"Hey, man. You don't look so good," Jayne's voice broke him from his reverie. He closed his eyes.
"Long day."
"Yeah, well. Look, I gotta be getting back, so..."
"Yeah." Ronon didn't like what he was thinking, didn't like what he was saying, even if he meant it. "We'll eat first, then I'll come with you."
"Ya ain't gotta. I mean, done yer part an' all."
"Have to go back there anyhow. My camp's there. These." He broke off, not knowing what he'd been about to say, and not knowing why he'd been about to say it to this near stranger.
Jayne nodded, unsurprised, maybe even a little like he understood, and followed Ronon to the tent where provisions were kept. Apparently the medics had grabbed most of the water, but there were MREs. Ronon grabbed a few at random, tossing one to Jayne, and they sat on the ground outside, their backs against crates of provisions.
Ronon hadn't realized that he'd been expecting Jayne to complain about the food, but the man ate silently, seeming to actually enjoy it.
At the same time, though, he seemed to be on high alert, watchful. Glancing in his direction more often than he needed to. Ronon tried to ignore the feeling of eyes on him. Whatever Jayne was trying to puzzle out, he wasn't saying.
"You got a lot of people who ain't quite yours," Jayne eventually observed, once they'd finished, and hadn't yet moved.
"So?"
"Just trying to figure out your angle, is all."
---
They made it to Ronon's camp, and Jayne was fiddling with his radio, trying to hail his ship. And that's when they heard it.
Up above and behind them, probably just through the gate. More familiar than any human voice, more easily understood.
And growing closer, fast.
"Wraith," he cursed, as Jayne moved to raise his gun. "Come on."
4. Gone Away