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Underground Cont.
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They ran back through the ship to find Teyla and Ford standing at the ready with their guns pointed to cover their escape. The Wraith were coming behind them, and more were waking. McKay didn't hesitate, he ran straight past them into the cloaked jumper.

"Hurry! More are coming!" Teyla yelled before she disappeared into the jumper. Sheppard and Kai were right behind her as Ford covered them until the hatch started to close.

Kai could feel the anger rolling off the Major as she took the co-pilot chair. She pushed it aside as she began began firing up the systems. Hopefully they would all live long enough for him to still be mad at her.

"Where's Tyrus?" Cowen demanded looking around the shuttle.

The Major looked over his shoulder towards Teyla while Kai closed the rear hatch and ran preflight.

"He was struck by a Wraith weapon," Teyla responded hollowly. Kai didn't miss the fact that none of the people Teyla had stayed behind to try and save made it.

"Then he may have only been stunned!" Cowen snarled turning towards the closing hatch door.

"The wraith were upon him," Teyla said desperately. Kai could hear the other woman's guilt in her voice. Teyla was not the type to leave someone behind if there was even a chance they could be saved.

The ship rocked. Sheppard spun his chair back around. "Zian what the hell was that?" he demanded.

"We're taking fire," she reported clinically. "No damage. Appears to be small arms."

"Alright, everybody hang on," John called as the jumper lifted off.

The ship continued to take fire as they made their escape through the stargate. He kept his focus on flying but his mind was racing as he worked to put the pieces together about Kai. Her skills as a fighter paired with all Cowen had said about a Mortii were suddenly painting a very different picture than the mechanic with a traumatic past. He glanced towards her out of the corner of his eye. She was staring straight ahead at the controls, but her back was ridged and her movements stiff as she worked. She knew she had been found out, she looked like someone waiting to face the gallows.

John shook his head and turned his focus back to the mission. Kai would have to wait. Dealing with the Genii was enough for one day. And just because they had made it clear of the Hive ship he wasn't fooling himself into thinking they were done yet. Cowen was seething was rage over their lost man. He paced back and forth in the cargo area while Heiron looked on.

John set the jumper down on the Genii's planet, near the entrance to their facility. Sora was stood out in the open in uniform waiting with two Genii soldiers. The others filed out of the jumper. Kai stood hesitantly and John motioned for her to step ahead of him. He wasn't ready to have her at his back, not after what he had seen her do. If it bothered her, she didn't show it. She lifted her chin and set her jaw as she stepped ahead of him as though it were her idea.

The others had reached Sora when he and Kai stepped out. Sora looked beyond the group back towards the jumper. "Where is my father?" she was demanding.

Heiron stepped up to her. "He did not survive," he told her gravely as he covered her shoulders with his hands.

"How?" Sora demanded. Instead of looking sad, anger flashed in her eyes. "What happened?"

"I think we should find out," Cowen growled. His lifted his eyes to the trees.

Kai moved as Cowen opened his mouth, sensing the trap. "Take aim!" he called at the same moment Kai stepped forward and shoved her Blade up under his neck.

Genii appeared all around them, pointing their weapons at the group. Sheppard swung his P-90 up towards Cowen at the same time Kai leaned into him, pressing her Blade against his skin as hard as she dared without puncturing the skin.

"Lower your Blade Mortii, or your masters will die," Cowen threatened.

"You'll come with me," she threatened.

"Kai," Teyla said after a moment. Confusion shown in the Athosian's eyes. She had never witnessed this side of Kai before.

"Zian," John called sharply. "Stand down," he ordered, though he had no idea if she would actually listen to him. He had seen her fight in the Hive Ship. There was very little controlled about her right now. Her shoulders were heaving with the effort of holding herself still as Genii betrayed them yet again.

Kai knew that if she ever hoped to save her place here she would have to prove her worth to Major Sheppard. She would have to prove that she could listen to him. She jerked back from Cowen, sliding her knife away

Cowen watched with amusement dancing in his eyes. He snorted. "It has a bit of a temper. I thought Instruments were revered for being devoid of emotion," he said.

"Cowen," John warned, the other leader was deliberately trying to instigate Kai now. "I thought we were all just learning how to get along," he said staring down the barrel of his P-90.

Cowen turned to Teyla. "She killed Tyrus."

"No," Teyla denied.

Cowen scoffed. "By leaving him to die, you may just as well have killed him yourself."

Teyla turned to John, her eyes imploring as though he somehow needed convincing of her innocence. "He shot the man we were trying to save."

"It was a mistake to try and save anyone. It jeopardized the mission," Cowen reached into his pocket and lifted out the data drive. "We will keep this intelligence information," he said gravely.

"You're the one making a mistake-" John warned his voice tight.

"And your ship," Cowen interrupted. "And whatever quantities of C-4 you have in your possession."

Teyla scoffed angrily. "That was all you ever intended. To use us."

Cowen arched a brow impassively. "And for your efforts I will spare your lives."

"How generous of you," Kai snapped, her temper flaring.

"I guess the Tava beans are off the table," John said ironically.

"Your weapons," Cowen insisted.

John's jaw tightened. "No, I don't think so."

Cowen looked amused. He gestured around the clearing. "We have the advantage Major."

"Yeah," John agreed, looking around at the men surrounding them. "It certainly looks that way, but I guess I lied too," he said and he reached up and touched his comm. "Jumpers two and three execute."

Behind them two cloaked jumpers appeared. The Genii surrounding them all looked up in awe and fear. Some of them shrunk back, uncertain what to do in the face of such superior technology.

"You didn't really think we only had one ship did you?" John mocked. "Tell your people to get back and nobody gets hurt."

Cowen stared the Major down, refusing to back down.

John refused to break eye contact from the other man's challenge. "Jumper two, prepare to fire on my mark."

"Wait!" Cowen called urgently, realizing the Major wasn't bluffing. "Do you promise to leave?"

John's smile was brittle. "Well, that's the plan," he shrugged. "I guess we'll have to go somewhere else to find our Tava beans, but I think it's only fair we leave with something," John said and he snatched the data drive out of Cowen's hand. He slid it inside his flak vest.

Cowen scowled. "You do not want to make an enemy of the Genii," Cowen warned dangerously.

"You know what, same here," Sheppard promised and they backed towards the jumper.

Once they were on board Sheppard moved towards the controls. Kai moved to follow but Sheppard swung back around to face her. His eyes flashing dangerously. "Uh uh," he said shaking his head. "You sit right there and don't move until I tell you," he ordered pointing to the bench in the cargo section.

Both Teyla and Ford exchanged confused looks.

He jogged towards the controls. He pressed a button. "Jumper two, Jumper three, lead the way," he ordered. He turned on the cloak and lifted off. "McKay take the controls," John ordered standing up.

"What?" Rodney squeaked.

"You'll be fine, Ford'll talk you through it. Just follow the others," John said flippantly stepping back across the bulk head.

Teyla fidgeted beside Kai, she could feel the tension between the two of them. She had seen something in Kai in that clearing that seemed entirely out of character, but the Major's anger seemed extreme for what had happened.

"Close the door," John ordered.

He turned to Teyla, ready to tell her to leave but the Athosian crossed her arms over her chest. She wasn't sure what was happening but she wasn't going to leave the Major alone with Kai right now. The woman looked brow beaten and like she was prepared to be yelled at. Teyla respected the Major, but sometimes his military training made him more gruff than he intended. Perhaps Kai had made a tactical mistake, but she didn't deserve to be yelled at for it.

John sighed and shook his head, knowing it was useless to argue with Teyla. The door hissed shut behind him as he stepped into the small aft section and crossed his arms over his chest.

"What is going on Major?" Teyla asked in an overly calm voice as she looked back and forth between Kai and Sheppard.

Kai was still leaning forward with her elbows resting on her knees as she stared down at her hands.

"We ran into some Wraith guards on the ship," John said, knowing he was going to need to offer Teyla some kind of explanation. He could already see the other woman bristling to come to Kai's defense. "She took three down with nothing but that fancy black knife she has."

Teyla went very still, but it had nothing to do with Kai being able to take down three Wraith. "What black knife?" she asked slowly.

John had already turned his attention back to Kai. "I want the truth," John said, resting his hand on his gun at his hip. "You aren't just a mechanic are you?" he asked unnecessarily.

Kai glanced up at him. His stance was aggressive but he was going to give her a chance to explain herself. She straightened.

"I-" she started to say but she stopped.

John cocked his head to the side. "That's what they meant when they called you that, wasn't it? It's not a religion is it?"

"Major," Teyla stressed. "What did they call her?"

"A Mortii," Kai supplied looking down at her hands once more.

Teyla's eyes widened in shock.

"And what exactly does that mean?" Sheppard demanded.

"Death," Kai's voice was soft as she spoke the truth that would get her thrown out of Atlantis.

"She's an assassin," Teyla said in a low voice.

John's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You wanna run that by me again?" he growled.

Teyla turned to fully face the Major. "The Mortii, if that is in fact what she is, are mercenaries, assassins...but I've never met one. I believed them to be stories made up to frighten children."

"What, like eat your peas or an assassin will come and get you in your sleep?" John asked incredulously. He was stressed and when he was stressed his mouth tended to have a mind of it's own. He crossed his arms over his chest and turned back to Kai. "So why the hell are you here? What's in it for you?"

Kai looked back a Teyla before resting her gaze on Major Sheppard. "I needed a way off that planet, your people needed what skills I had, and I-"

"You?" Sheppard pushed, his anger made his tone snappier than usual.

Kai refused to back down in the face of the Major's anger. He had every right to be mad, but she wouldn't shirk away from it. "It gave me a chance at a new life," she said unapologetically.

Teyla's eyes softened for a moment. "How did you come to be stuck on that planet?"

Kai tightened, her eyes flashing with temper. "My people left me there as a tribute to the Wraith. It's how they have kept the Wraith satisfied and from culling our people. Every year one of our best was left on an abandoned planet as a challenge for the Wraith."

"And you all just agreed to this?" Sheppard growled stepping closer to her.

She shook her head, looking at the ground at her feet. "No, we didn't know."

"How could you not know? One of the best and brightest just disappears? Isn't that a little suspicious?" he asked incredulously.

"What my people do, it's dangerous," Kai said. "People die or are imprisoned all the time," she lifted her gaze to meet the Major's hard eyes. "You're a soldier Major, as you know you can't mourn everyone, all you can do is keep moving forward."

John went very still at her words. Her lying to them was unacceptable, but he remembered the haunted look on her face in the hospital. He remembered how she recoiled from being touched like she expected to be struck. And most of all he remembered her anger over the dying boy.

"They hunted you for sport," Teyla filled in quietly.

"I was told they believe my people are considered some kind of prize, that our physiology makes us...better somehow."

"Who told you this?" Sheppard asked, remembering Beckett's comment about her subtle differences. He wished now he had pushed for more information or a full genetic work up. It wasn't a mistake he was going to make again.

Kai lifted her chin defiantly. "The wraith that was about to feed on me when I risked my life saving Sergeant Bates and his team," she snapped back.

Sheppard pressed his lips into a hard line. He didn't like uncertainties, Kai was turning into an even bigger uncertainty.

"I have saved your life Major, as well as the lives of your people. I have fixed your ships, and your base. I at no point asked nor exposed myself to the military side of your expedition. All I have asked for is a new life."

"John," Teyla said reaching out and laying a hand on his gun arm. "She is right. She has done nothing to hurt us Major."

"I'm sorry that the lies became necessary," Kai responded formally.

"I don't like being lied to," John growled, but he took his hand off his gun. "It hurts my feelings," he added sarcastically.

John turned back to the bulkhead door. He pounded on it with his fist. It slid open. He moved towards his seat and Rodney scuttled out of his way. The jumper hadn't moved at all since they stepped back through the door. Jumper 3 was just dialing the gate, and Jumper 2 was no where in sight.

"Zian," Sheppard's voice barked as he sat back at the controls.

"Major?" she responded formally.

"This conversation isn't done. I'll expect a comprehensive evaluation when we make it back to Atlantis."

"Looking forward to it Major," she called back glibly.

Kai exhaled and shook her head as the Major flew them towards the gate. Her fear had been he would leave her behind on the planet with the Genii. Cowen had made it perfectly clear what a prize he considered a Mortii to be.

Teyla noticed Kai's relief. "It's all right," Teyla soothed. She reached out to cover Kai's hand with hers.

Kai stiffened and pulled her hand back as she shook her head. "I don't think it will be Teyla."

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