Fic: The Scarlet Thread PG13 1/3
Title: The Scarlet Thread
Author: Rubygirl29
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Gen, John, Ronon, Team
Rating: PG13
Warnings: None
Written for:
hc_bingo
Prompt: Monophobia (fear of being alone)
Spoilers: References to Sateda, The Eye, and The Storm. The story takes place between Sateda and Common Ground.
Summary: John is captured and tortured by the Genii, and the psychological damage is slow to fade.
The Scarlet Thread
"My name is Theron Heurin. I am the Prime of the Caldosians. Welcome to Caldos."
Caldos was a rather grim planet with overcast gray skies, houses build of gray stone, and populated by pale, gray-faced humans. Heurin was no exception. Something about the set of the man's eyes and the wide, slightly fishy smile made John wary. He took the offered hand; it, too, was cold and clammy. "John Sheppard and Ronon Dex." He was very glad that Ronon was at his back. He wished he could see Ronon's face; read his expressions, but he had told him to stay in the background and look threatening. Judging from Heurin's slightly alarmed expression, Ronon was doing exactly as John wanted.
"Where do you hail from?" Heurin asked.
"Away. We've been exploring through the Rings of the Ancestors."
"Ah. What made you choose our fair city?"
City? It was a town, a civilization on the borderline of pre-industry. "Random chance," John said. He looked around. "Many planets we visited had been culled by the Wraith."
Heurin nodded. "Yes, we have had refugees come here for many years. Has your planet been culled?"
"We were attacked. We fought back. We won."
"How?" Heurin asked. He looked impressed.
"We had a few tricks up our sleeve," John said. He saw Heurin's eyes go to his P-90.
"Would you be willing to share those tricks?"
"We'll talk," John said.
Heurin managed to look almost friendly. "You and your friend will be welcome at my table. After we eat, perhaps we can learn more about each other."
John looked at Ronon. "We can do that."
"Follow me. I will show you to the inn. I will come to guide you after you have been rested and refreshed." He took them to a two-story stone building where the only color came from the lanterns glowing through the age-frosted windows.
Their room held two beds with stingy straw mattresses and thin blankets, a small night table with a candleholder, hooks on the wall for clothing, and a basin of lukewarm water. John made a wry face. "If this is the equivalent of a VIP suite, it kinda makes me wonder what the rest of the people get."
"Six to a room and wooden pallets," Ronon said. He had been to many planets where that was the norm for everyday travelers.
John sat on the bed gingerly. "Not too bad. I've slept on worse. Smells clean. Doesn't seem to be bug-infested. He lay back cushioning his head on his arms. "Wake me in forty-five."
Ronon paced the small room. "I'm gonna go out and look around. I don't like this place."
"Anything in particular, or just a general bad feeling?"
Ronon looked at him. "You don't feel anything off?"
"Besides the general misery, no." He closed his eyes. "Go. Snoop around."
Ronon hesitated briefly. What could happen? Sheppard had his P-90, a 9mm, and his knife. But he doesn't have me, Ronon objected to himself. Trying to ignore his inner warning, he closed the door and went out into the muddy street.
The few Caldosians on the street passed him without meeting his eyes, keeping theirs downcast. Occasionally, he'd catch somebody glancing at him, then they would shy away from contact like they had been burned. Ronon did his best to look, if not harmless, at least not menacing. It didn't help. He still loomed over the local population whose growth seemed to have been stunted by the lack of sunlight.
He wandered down an alley, heard something and drew his gun, moving into the shadows. Two men, taller than the locals and wearing disturbingly familiar uniforms walked past. Genii. Not as bad as the Wraith, but not good news, either. They passed the alley and Ronon slipped out, following them and keeping to the dark side of the street. It was nearly nightfall. The only illumination was provided by the occasional fire-pot on street corners and the pale pools of light from windows.
He should go back and get Sheppard, but he also wanted to know what the Genii were doing on Caldos and if they, too, were welcome guests. How many of them were there, and how many more were coming? He slipped out of the alley and followed the two Genii.
They stopped in front of what looked like a private residence, larger and well-lit. They knocked and the door opened. Theron Huerin stood there, his hand extended in welcome. This was bad. Ronon turned as quietly as he could and headed back towards the inn. He took the stairs two at a time and shoved the door to their room open. "Sheppard!"
The room was empty. There was no sign of a struggle, but Sheppard's boots lay forlornly on the floor; the only sign that he had even been there. There was a sound behind him, a slight scrape of a boot sole on wood. Ronon whirled, his gun ready, but he was too late. A blast of blue fire from a Wraith stunner hit him full in the gut. The pain was excruciating, but he remained conscious. He tried to lift his arm and aim at his attacker. Instead, a second beam shot out, this one taking him on the side and driving him to his knees. Dimly, he was aware of voices. He tried to focus through the fog of semi-consciousness. He was shoved down, metal touched the base of his skull and then a final blast hit him; fizzling down his spine, paralyzing him. He fell forward, unable to move. Darkness overtook him and he felt nothing more.
^*^*^*^*^*^*^
"How is he, Doctor?"
"If he weren't so strong, he'd be dead. As it is, I canna be certain how long the paralysis will last."
"When will he regain consciousness? He is the only one who can tell us what happened to Colonel Sheppard."
"Elizabeth, it is possible that the Colonel is ... that he didn't --"
"I won't believe that until I see his body. Until then, he is alive. It seems we have a mystery to solve."
"You sound like Sherlock Holmes."
Elizabeth gave him a wry smile. "Hardly. You believe Ronon was shot by Wraith stunners?"
"Aye, the wounds are consistent with that ..."
"There were no signs that the planet had been culled in the near past, or signs of a current incursion. Therefore, there were no Wraith."
Ronon struggled through the veils of sensations: Sound, scent, pain, awareness. He focused all his will on his hand. It twitched. He tried again and this time, he grabbed Weir's hand. "Genii," his voice rasped through his nearly paralyzed vocal cords, but she heard him.
"Ronon? Carson, he's awake! Did you say Genii?"
Beckett turned away from the monitors. He guided Elizabeth away from Ronon's side before she could start grilling him. Medical issues came first, and he was in charger here. He set a hand on Ronon's shoulder. "Easy, lad. You've had quite a beating."
"Had worse." His entire body felt like he was being stabbed with thousands of needles. He had learned long ago to be grateful for pain, because pain meant you were still alive. He opened his eyes. Found Weir's. "Genii. I saw them."
"You saw them take the Colonel?" He nodded. He could move his head, his neck, his shoulders. Sensation and movement were returning quickly. His legs? Not yet, but he'd work on it.
"Water?" he asked.
Becket held a cup of ice chips to his lips. "Until your swallow reflex is normal ..." he explained.
Elizabeth persisted despite Carson's warning frown. "What happened on the planet? What happened to Colonel Sheppard?'
"The Genii happened," Ronon let an ice chip melt slowly on his tongue. "I saw them. Went to look for Sheppard. He was gone. I got ambushed. That's all I know."
Elizabeth tapped her radio. "Major Lorne, ready an off-world team. You, Dr. McKay, Teyla and a squad of marines."
"You're not going without me," Ronon said. He struggled upright. His legs were heavy, weak. He had to stand, had to move, had to be ready to run. He had to save Sheppard. He owed him that much and more.
"Where do you think you're going?" Beckett asked.
"With Lorne," Ronon said.
"Two hours ago, you were nearly dead."
"That was two hours ago." He grabbed the rails at the side of the bed, swung his legs over and stood up. At first, his knees buckled and he had to catch himself before he fell to the ground. He gritted his teeth, forced himself upright.
"You can't go anywhere," Beckett objected.
"The more I move, the faster I'll get strong again. I've been stunned like this before."
Carson looked at Elizabeth, hoping she would side with him, not Ronon. She looked from Carson to the warrior, standing only slightly unsteady on his legs and only slightly favoring his side. "Are you sure?" she asked. His expression told her to stop asking stupid questions. "If you're not in the jumper bay in fifteen minutes, we'll leave without you."
Ronon glared at Carson, daring him to object. Carson just threw his hands up in surrender.
Elizabeth paused in the doorway. "Carson, I want you on standby. "We don't know that Colonel Sheppard has been injured, but if he has ...
"I'll be ready," Carson said. He got out a hypodermic and a small bottle. He took a step towards Ronon, who backed away from the needle like it was a weapon."What is that?" he growled.
"It's a nerve stimulant to speed your recovery, but I still say you're putting your life in jeopardy, not to mention the lives of the others. Think about that, lad."
He had thought about it. If he had any doubts he would have stayed back. But he knew his body, he knew what he had been through over the last seven years. He knew that he would be fine. Above all, he knew he had to find John; because without Sheppard, he might as well be dead.
^*^*^*^*^*^*^
They could have used the Atlantis gate, but Rodney had argued that using the Athosian gate would be an extra security measure. So they crowded into the jumper. Ronon, Lorne, Elizabeth, Teyla, Beckett and five marines. It was an uncomfortable, but short flight. Lorne set the jumper down on the mainland and McKay dialed the Caldosian gate.
They stepped through into dim, early morning light and a fine mist. The weather on Caldos hadn't improved. "Oh, for God's sake, we're all going to come down with pneumonia," Rodney complained. He peered at the Life Signs Detector. "Nobody in the immediate area."
Ronon, Lorne, Teyla and the Marines spread out to search the surrounding terrain. Ronon felt the same unease that had plagued him since he had first set foot on Caldos.
"What is it?" Teyla asked him.
"Nothing."
Teyla touched his arm. "It is not nothing. You were ambushed, injured, betrayed."
"So was Sheppard. I'm alive. He is, too." He has to be.
Teyla's earpiece crackled. "Yes?"
Ronon tapped his, and heard Lorne's voice, hard and emotionless. "I've found something. I'm about 500 feet due west of the jumper. Dr. Weir, you need to be here." For the first time, there was a crack of emotion in Lorne's voice and Ronon felt sick. He and Teyla took off at a run towards Lorne's location.
Lorne was standing over a patch of moist, freshly turned earth, roughly the size of a grave. No headstone, just a branch stuck in the ground and draped over it, black fatigues and black boots, laces knotted tight.
"No," Elizabeth said. "No."
Rodney looked stricken. "Is it ...?" He couldn't say the word.
Lorne looked at Elizabeth. "Ma'am?" Grief, anger, fear warred in Lorne's throat. Ronon knew better than to try to speak. A howl of pain and rage would break from his soul, so he kept silent.
"Dig it up. He deserves better than this."
Ronon fell to his knees and began shoving clods of dirt aside, clawing his way through the thick, clinging soil. Lorne finally pulled him back. The mist had turned into rain; rivulets of water fell down his face and hid his tears. Lorne gave him a small shovel and they both dug their way down and down, until Lorne's shovel hit pale wood that splintered under the blade.
He, Ronon and the marines muscled the crude wooden coffin out of the earth. Lorne looked from Elizabeth to Ronon. Ronon nodded and pried the lid open with his shovel. Nails screamed as they were ripped out of the damp wood. He closed his eyes, flipped the lid over.
Ronon sagged against Lorne, his eyes closed as if against the rain. Lorne held him up as Rodney tore away the canvas bag. A moment, a breath, a pause that seemed to last an eternity, then Rodney speaking. "It's not him. It's not him!"
Teyla grabbed Ronon's arm. "It's not him, Ronon! There is still hope."
Ronon's knees gave way and he found himself staring into an unfamiliar face. Dark hair, a pale face, and a grayish Genii uniform. The man's throat had been cut.
Had Sheppard escaped? Was he hiding out? Was he injured? No matter what the answers were, Sheppard, as far as they knew, was alive. Elizabeth looked at the team. "Major Lorne, I want you with me. The marines should stay and watch the gate. Perhaps Colonel Sheppard will try to reach it. Rodney, can you tell me the last address dialed?"
"I can, but you know it will take time, and it won't be one hundred percent accurate."
"Do what you can. I think we need to talk to whoever was the last person to see Colonel Sheppard."
"And if they're Genii?" Ronon asked, spitting out the bile in his throat.
"Then we will have a bargaining chip," she said. "Where is the town?"
^*^*^*^*^*^*^
They strode through the streets, heedless of the mud. Ronon took the lead. A P-90 was hooked on the strap of his sword. It wasn't heavy but it swung slightly against his chest with every step, a deadly metronome. His gun had been taken. He would get it back. He would give Sheppard the P-90.
"Here. This is the inn. Heurin's house is the large house facing the square. The alley is where I saw the Genii."
McKay shivered. "Does the sun ever shine here?" He turned up the collar on his jacket and swept the LS detector around. "There are people in the town," he said. "It looks like Sheppard's transmitter has been removed." He didn't voice the other possibility. Hope was too new and tender to be broken.
"Let's wake them up," Elizabeth said. She nodded at Ronon. "Do it."
He walked up to Heurin's door and pounded on the planks. Heurin jerked the door open. He looked frightened, pale. "What are you doing here?"
"Did you think I wouldn't come back for my friend?" Ronon asked. "Think again." He shoved Heurin up against the wall, his forearm pressing on his throat. "Where is he?"
"Dead!" Heurin squeaked.
"Wrong."
"I saw his body! I saw --"
Elizabeth stepped forward. "I am Elizabeth Weir. I speak for our people. You saw a dark-haired man being buried. You saw somebody put Colonel Sheppard's fatigues on the grave so we would think he was dead. You should know that we will never leave one of our own behind, alive or dead, so it would be wise to tell us the truth."
Heurin looked at her. "I don't know." It wasn't the answer or the attitude Ronon wanted to hear. He leaned in, exerting pressure on his larynx and cutting off some of Heurin's air. He tried to swallow, and gagged. "Truly. I don't know."
"I saw the Genii," Ronon growled. "Don't lie to us."
Elizabeth intervened. "Minister, perhaps you made a deal with the Genii. I know how persuasive they can be, but believe me, we can be persuasive as well."
Before Heurin could reply, Teyla came up to Elizabeth. "Rodney has found Colonel Sheppard's life signs detector. It was near the gate."
"Minister Heurin, can you explain that?"
Heurin's gaze skated nervously about; avoiding Ronon, looking at Teyla and Elizabeth as if gauging where their sympathies would lie. The Genii offered technology. A power source, if we would allow them to meet with Colonel Sheppard."
"To meet with him? You mean to betray him to his enemies!"
"I didn't know! By the stars, I didn't know!" Heurin's face was nearly gray with shock and fear. "I am sorry about your friend, but my planet is poor. Our winter is long. We have no resources and our crops failed to thrive. I no choice. Let hundreds of my people starve, or give the Genii what they wanted. They only wanted one man, a stranger, in exchange for help in developing a source of power that will provide us with food and heat? What would you have done?"
"I wouldn't have betrayed an innocent man to his enemies."
"He was a threat!"
"Sheppard never threatened you," Ronon rasped. "You lie."
"The Genii said he would. They said he was without honor."
Elizabeth was shaking. "So you believed them because you wanted to? Here is the truth about the Genii. They have power, but it is a poisoned technology -- half of their people suffer severe illnesses from being exposed to it. We also have power, and Colonel Sheppard would have offered it freely, for an exchange of friendship and allegiance against our common enemies. He would not have demanded a man's life in trade! You will tell us what we need to know to get Colonel Sheppard returned safely to us."
"I don't know anything!" Heurin wailed, and Ronon looked like he was about to strangle the man.
"Ronon, let him go," Elizabeth said.
"Why?" Ronon snarled.
Teyla touched his arm gently. "I doubt that he knows anything, Ronon. He cannot help us find Colonel Sheppard if he is dead."
Ronon glared at Heurin cowering against the wall. "If you are lying, I will hunt you down and kill you." He stepped back and Heurin nearly collapsed. "And I want my gun back."
Heurin nodded. "It is at my house."
"Why didn't the Genii take it?"
Heurin paled, looked away. "It was part of my payment."
Ronon was reaching for his throat when Elizabeth stopped him. "We'll get your gun, and then we'll find Colonel Sheppard." She turned to Heurin, her eyes merciless. "If he is dead, I will let Ronon Dex carry out his threat."
They went to the gate where Rodney and Lorne were waiting. Lorne held out the bloodied subcutaneous transmitter. "I don't think the Genii removed it. I think the Colonel cut it out and left it to tell us that he had been taken through the gate."
"Why do you say that?" Elizabeth asked.
"Because it's what I would have done," Lorne said simply. "Leave a message for the S&R team."
"Why the transmitter? Isn't that counter-productive?"
"Ma'am, that was probably all he had left," Lorne explained with a glance at the dark fatigues draping the grave marker.
Elizabeth flushed. "Yes." She sighed and turned to Heurin. "Do you have a gate address to contact the Genii?"
He dug in his pocket and came up with a piece of paper. Ronon took it from him and gave it to McKay.
Rodney began the dialing sequence. "First stop. Maybe we'll get lucky."
"Or maybe it's a dead end," Lorne instructed two of the Marines to stick to Heurin like glue and to return to Atlantis at the first sign of trouble or until they were contacted. "We'll see you there."
"Yes, sir. What about him?" Stackhouse jerked his head in Heurin's direction.
"If he makes one wrong move, if we find Sheppard isn't alive ..." Lorne's voice dropped to a grim whisper. "You know what to do."
"Yes, sir." No doubt, no objections.
Rodney entered the final symbol and the gate sprang to life. They stepped through and into darkness.
^*^*^*^*^*^*^
"Have I ever told you how much I hate the dark?" Rodney asked as he waited for Lorne and the Marines to sweep the area around the gate. The life signs detectors showed a number of readings that were probably wild animals. "I mean look at this ..." He showed Elizabeth the display. "Wild animals ... small, vicious wild animals."
Elizabeth raised a brow. "Vicious? So far I haven't noticed. Though it is a little chilly." She rubbed her arms. She thought about John, wondered if he was somewhere in the darkness, in the cold. In a grave. She told herself to stop thinking like that, to start thinking like the leader she was. "Rodney, can you get anything from the gate addresses?"
"Time, Elizabeth. It takes time." He was bent over the crystals, distracted from his fears. The returning Marines' flashlights bobbed in the darkness. Ronon and Lorne were in the lead; both of them looked grim.
"What is it?" Elizabeth asked.
Lorne opened his hand. Something was wrapped in a bandanna. Elizabeth was afraid to look until she saw the dull glint of metal. Lorne explained, "The Colonel's breakaway dog tag."
"Did he drop it?"
"Possibly. If we had a fingerprint kit ..."
McKay spoke up. "We have something better. DNA."
"Back in Atlantis," Ronon said. "I don't like leaving the hunt. We'll lose the trail."
"What trail?" Rodney asked. "I need gate addresses. That takes time. We need DNA testing, that takes equipment we don't have."
Lorne surprised Elizabeth by supporting McKay. "Ma'am, we aren't equipped for a long hunt. We need food, medical supplies, weapons and ammunition. More marines. A jumper. The Genii have weapons that can do damage. We can't go in there without being prepared."
"Ronon?"
He nodded in reluctant agreement. "What about Heurin? What if he he's got more information than he's letting on?"
"Or an accomplice," Rodney said.
"I would not put it past him," Teyla said. She looked cold and tired. Lorne took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders.
Elizabeth sighed. "Ronon, go back to Caldos. We'll get supplies and reinforcements and bring a jumper to pick you up ... in ... eight hours?"
"At the gate at sunrise," Ronon agreed. He waited for Rodney to dial Caldos, then stepped through. The others went through after Rodney dialed Atlantis.
Somewhere, John Sheppard was waiting. They wouldn't let him down.
Part Two
This entry was originally posted at http://rubygirl29.dreamwidth.org/126683.html.Where it has
comments.Please comment there using OpenID.
Author: Rubygirl29
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Genre: Gen, John, Ronon, Team
Rating: PG13
Warnings: None
Written for:
hc_bingo
Prompt: Monophobia (fear of being alone)
Spoilers: References to Sateda, The Eye, and The Storm. The story takes place between Sateda and Common Ground.
Summary: John is captured and tortured by the Genii, and the psychological damage is slow to fade.
The Scarlet Thread
"My name is Theron Heurin. I am the Prime of the Caldosians. Welcome to Caldos."
Caldos was a rather grim planet with overcast gray skies, houses build of gray stone, and populated by pale, gray-faced humans. Heurin was no exception. Something about the set of the man's eyes and the wide, slightly fishy smile made John wary. He took the offered hand; it, too, was cold and clammy. "John Sheppard and Ronon Dex." He was very glad that Ronon was at his back. He wished he could see Ronon's face; read his expressions, but he had told him to stay in the background and look threatening. Judging from Heurin's slightly alarmed expression, Ronon was doing exactly as John wanted.
"Where do you hail from?" Heurin asked.
"Away. We've been exploring through the Rings of the Ancestors."
"Ah. What made you choose our fair city?"
City? It was a town, a civilization on the borderline of pre-industry. "Random chance," John said. He looked around. "Many planets we visited had been culled by the Wraith."
Heurin nodded. "Yes, we have had refugees come here for many years. Has your planet been culled?"
"We were attacked. We fought back. We won."
"How?" Heurin asked. He looked impressed.
"We had a few tricks up our sleeve," John said. He saw Heurin's eyes go to his P-90.
"Would you be willing to share those tricks?"
"We'll talk," John said.
Heurin managed to look almost friendly. "You and your friend will be welcome at my table. After we eat, perhaps we can learn more about each other."
John looked at Ronon. "We can do that."
"Follow me. I will show you to the inn. I will come to guide you after you have been rested and refreshed." He took them to a two-story stone building where the only color came from the lanterns glowing through the age-frosted windows.
Their room held two beds with stingy straw mattresses and thin blankets, a small night table with a candleholder, hooks on the wall for clothing, and a basin of lukewarm water. John made a wry face. "If this is the equivalent of a VIP suite, it kinda makes me wonder what the rest of the people get."
"Six to a room and wooden pallets," Ronon said. He had been to many planets where that was the norm for everyday travelers.
John sat on the bed gingerly. "Not too bad. I've slept on worse. Smells clean. Doesn't seem to be bug-infested. He lay back cushioning his head on his arms. "Wake me in forty-five."
Ronon paced the small room. "I'm gonna go out and look around. I don't like this place."
"Anything in particular, or just a general bad feeling?"
Ronon looked at him. "You don't feel anything off?"
"Besides the general misery, no." He closed his eyes. "Go. Snoop around."
Ronon hesitated briefly. What could happen? Sheppard had his P-90, a 9mm, and his knife. But he doesn't have me, Ronon objected to himself. Trying to ignore his inner warning, he closed the door and went out into the muddy street.
The few Caldosians on the street passed him without meeting his eyes, keeping theirs downcast. Occasionally, he'd catch somebody glancing at him, then they would shy away from contact like they had been burned. Ronon did his best to look, if not harmless, at least not menacing. It didn't help. He still loomed over the local population whose growth seemed to have been stunted by the lack of sunlight.
He wandered down an alley, heard something and drew his gun, moving into the shadows. Two men, taller than the locals and wearing disturbingly familiar uniforms walked past. Genii. Not as bad as the Wraith, but not good news, either. They passed the alley and Ronon slipped out, following them and keeping to the dark side of the street. It was nearly nightfall. The only illumination was provided by the occasional fire-pot on street corners and the pale pools of light from windows.
He should go back and get Sheppard, but he also wanted to know what the Genii were doing on Caldos and if they, too, were welcome guests. How many of them were there, and how many more were coming? He slipped out of the alley and followed the two Genii.
They stopped in front of what looked like a private residence, larger and well-lit. They knocked and the door opened. Theron Huerin stood there, his hand extended in welcome. This was bad. Ronon turned as quietly as he could and headed back towards the inn. He took the stairs two at a time and shoved the door to their room open. "Sheppard!"
The room was empty. There was no sign of a struggle, but Sheppard's boots lay forlornly on the floor; the only sign that he had even been there. There was a sound behind him, a slight scrape of a boot sole on wood. Ronon whirled, his gun ready, but he was too late. A blast of blue fire from a Wraith stunner hit him full in the gut. The pain was excruciating, but he remained conscious. He tried to lift his arm and aim at his attacker. Instead, a second beam shot out, this one taking him on the side and driving him to his knees. Dimly, he was aware of voices. He tried to focus through the fog of semi-consciousness. He was shoved down, metal touched the base of his skull and then a final blast hit him; fizzling down his spine, paralyzing him. He fell forward, unable to move. Darkness overtook him and he felt nothing more.
^*^*^*^*^*^*^
"How is he, Doctor?"
"If he weren't so strong, he'd be dead. As it is, I canna be certain how long the paralysis will last."
"When will he regain consciousness? He is the only one who can tell us what happened to Colonel Sheppard."
"Elizabeth, it is possible that the Colonel is ... that he didn't --"
"I won't believe that until I see his body. Until then, he is alive. It seems we have a mystery to solve."
"You sound like Sherlock Holmes."
Elizabeth gave him a wry smile. "Hardly. You believe Ronon was shot by Wraith stunners?"
"Aye, the wounds are consistent with that ..."
"There were no signs that the planet had been culled in the near past, or signs of a current incursion. Therefore, there were no Wraith."
Ronon struggled through the veils of sensations: Sound, scent, pain, awareness. He focused all his will on his hand. It twitched. He tried again and this time, he grabbed Weir's hand. "Genii," his voice rasped through his nearly paralyzed vocal cords, but she heard him.
"Ronon? Carson, he's awake! Did you say Genii?"
Beckett turned away from the monitors. He guided Elizabeth away from Ronon's side before she could start grilling him. Medical issues came first, and he was in charger here. He set a hand on Ronon's shoulder. "Easy, lad. You've had quite a beating."
"Had worse." His entire body felt like he was being stabbed with thousands of needles. He had learned long ago to be grateful for pain, because pain meant you were still alive. He opened his eyes. Found Weir's. "Genii. I saw them."
"You saw them take the Colonel?" He nodded. He could move his head, his neck, his shoulders. Sensation and movement were returning quickly. His legs? Not yet, but he'd work on it.
"Water?" he asked.
Becket held a cup of ice chips to his lips. "Until your swallow reflex is normal ..." he explained.
Elizabeth persisted despite Carson's warning frown. "What happened on the planet? What happened to Colonel Sheppard?'
"The Genii happened," Ronon let an ice chip melt slowly on his tongue. "I saw them. Went to look for Sheppard. He was gone. I got ambushed. That's all I know."
Elizabeth tapped her radio. "Major Lorne, ready an off-world team. You, Dr. McKay, Teyla and a squad of marines."
"You're not going without me," Ronon said. He struggled upright. His legs were heavy, weak. He had to stand, had to move, had to be ready to run. He had to save Sheppard. He owed him that much and more.
"Where do you think you're going?" Beckett asked.
"With Lorne," Ronon said.
"Two hours ago, you were nearly dead."
"That was two hours ago." He grabbed the rails at the side of the bed, swung his legs over and stood up. At first, his knees buckled and he had to catch himself before he fell to the ground. He gritted his teeth, forced himself upright.
"You can't go anywhere," Beckett objected.
"The more I move, the faster I'll get strong again. I've been stunned like this before."
Carson looked at Elizabeth, hoping she would side with him, not Ronon. She looked from Carson to the warrior, standing only slightly unsteady on his legs and only slightly favoring his side. "Are you sure?" she asked. His expression told her to stop asking stupid questions. "If you're not in the jumper bay in fifteen minutes, we'll leave without you."
Ronon glared at Carson, daring him to object. Carson just threw his hands up in surrender.
Elizabeth paused in the doorway. "Carson, I want you on standby. "We don't know that Colonel Sheppard has been injured, but if he has ...
"I'll be ready," Carson said. He got out a hypodermic and a small bottle. He took a step towards Ronon, who backed away from the needle like it was a weapon."What is that?" he growled.
"It's a nerve stimulant to speed your recovery, but I still say you're putting your life in jeopardy, not to mention the lives of the others. Think about that, lad."
He had thought about it. If he had any doubts he would have stayed back. But he knew his body, he knew what he had been through over the last seven years. He knew that he would be fine. Above all, he knew he had to find John; because without Sheppard, he might as well be dead.
^*^*^*^*^*^*^
They could have used the Atlantis gate, but Rodney had argued that using the Athosian gate would be an extra security measure. So they crowded into the jumper. Ronon, Lorne, Elizabeth, Teyla, Beckett and five marines. It was an uncomfortable, but short flight. Lorne set the jumper down on the mainland and McKay dialed the Caldosian gate.
They stepped through into dim, early morning light and a fine mist. The weather on Caldos hadn't improved. "Oh, for God's sake, we're all going to come down with pneumonia," Rodney complained. He peered at the Life Signs Detector. "Nobody in the immediate area."
Ronon, Lorne, Teyla and the Marines spread out to search the surrounding terrain. Ronon felt the same unease that had plagued him since he had first set foot on Caldos.
"What is it?" Teyla asked him.
"Nothing."
Teyla touched his arm. "It is not nothing. You were ambushed, injured, betrayed."
"So was Sheppard. I'm alive. He is, too." He has to be.
Teyla's earpiece crackled. "Yes?"
Ronon tapped his, and heard Lorne's voice, hard and emotionless. "I've found something. I'm about 500 feet due west of the jumper. Dr. Weir, you need to be here." For the first time, there was a crack of emotion in Lorne's voice and Ronon felt sick. He and Teyla took off at a run towards Lorne's location.
Lorne was standing over a patch of moist, freshly turned earth, roughly the size of a grave. No headstone, just a branch stuck in the ground and draped over it, black fatigues and black boots, laces knotted tight.
"No," Elizabeth said. "No."
Rodney looked stricken. "Is it ...?" He couldn't say the word.
Lorne looked at Elizabeth. "Ma'am?" Grief, anger, fear warred in Lorne's throat. Ronon knew better than to try to speak. A howl of pain and rage would break from his soul, so he kept silent.
"Dig it up. He deserves better than this."
Ronon fell to his knees and began shoving clods of dirt aside, clawing his way through the thick, clinging soil. Lorne finally pulled him back. The mist had turned into rain; rivulets of water fell down his face and hid his tears. Lorne gave him a small shovel and they both dug their way down and down, until Lorne's shovel hit pale wood that splintered under the blade.
He, Ronon and the marines muscled the crude wooden coffin out of the earth. Lorne looked from Elizabeth to Ronon. Ronon nodded and pried the lid open with his shovel. Nails screamed as they were ripped out of the damp wood. He closed his eyes, flipped the lid over.
Ronon sagged against Lorne, his eyes closed as if against the rain. Lorne held him up as Rodney tore away the canvas bag. A moment, a breath, a pause that seemed to last an eternity, then Rodney speaking. "It's not him. It's not him!"
Teyla grabbed Ronon's arm. "It's not him, Ronon! There is still hope."
Ronon's knees gave way and he found himself staring into an unfamiliar face. Dark hair, a pale face, and a grayish Genii uniform. The man's throat had been cut.
Had Sheppard escaped? Was he hiding out? Was he injured? No matter what the answers were, Sheppard, as far as they knew, was alive. Elizabeth looked at the team. "Major Lorne, I want you with me. The marines should stay and watch the gate. Perhaps Colonel Sheppard will try to reach it. Rodney, can you tell me the last address dialed?"
"I can, but you know it will take time, and it won't be one hundred percent accurate."
"Do what you can. I think we need to talk to whoever was the last person to see Colonel Sheppard."
"And if they're Genii?" Ronon asked, spitting out the bile in his throat.
"Then we will have a bargaining chip," she said. "Where is the town?"
^*^*^*^*^*^*^
They strode through the streets, heedless of the mud. Ronon took the lead. A P-90 was hooked on the strap of his sword. It wasn't heavy but it swung slightly against his chest with every step, a deadly metronome. His gun had been taken. He would get it back. He would give Sheppard the P-90.
"Here. This is the inn. Heurin's house is the large house facing the square. The alley is where I saw the Genii."
McKay shivered. "Does the sun ever shine here?" He turned up the collar on his jacket and swept the LS detector around. "There are people in the town," he said. "It looks like Sheppard's transmitter has been removed." He didn't voice the other possibility. Hope was too new and tender to be broken.
"Let's wake them up," Elizabeth said. She nodded at Ronon. "Do it."
He walked up to Heurin's door and pounded on the planks. Heurin jerked the door open. He looked frightened, pale. "What are you doing here?"
"Did you think I wouldn't come back for my friend?" Ronon asked. "Think again." He shoved Heurin up against the wall, his forearm pressing on his throat. "Where is he?"
"Dead!" Heurin squeaked.
"Wrong."
"I saw his body! I saw --"
Elizabeth stepped forward. "I am Elizabeth Weir. I speak for our people. You saw a dark-haired man being buried. You saw somebody put Colonel Sheppard's fatigues on the grave so we would think he was dead. You should know that we will never leave one of our own behind, alive or dead, so it would be wise to tell us the truth."
Heurin looked at her. "I don't know." It wasn't the answer or the attitude Ronon wanted to hear. He leaned in, exerting pressure on his larynx and cutting off some of Heurin's air. He tried to swallow, and gagged. "Truly. I don't know."
"I saw the Genii," Ronon growled. "Don't lie to us."
Elizabeth intervened. "Minister, perhaps you made a deal with the Genii. I know how persuasive they can be, but believe me, we can be persuasive as well."
Before Heurin could reply, Teyla came up to Elizabeth. "Rodney has found Colonel Sheppard's life signs detector. It was near the gate."
"Minister Heurin, can you explain that?"
Heurin's gaze skated nervously about; avoiding Ronon, looking at Teyla and Elizabeth as if gauging where their sympathies would lie. The Genii offered technology. A power source, if we would allow them to meet with Colonel Sheppard."
"To meet with him? You mean to betray him to his enemies!"
"I didn't know! By the stars, I didn't know!" Heurin's face was nearly gray with shock and fear. "I am sorry about your friend, but my planet is poor. Our winter is long. We have no resources and our crops failed to thrive. I no choice. Let hundreds of my people starve, or give the Genii what they wanted. They only wanted one man, a stranger, in exchange for help in developing a source of power that will provide us with food and heat? What would you have done?"
"I wouldn't have betrayed an innocent man to his enemies."
"He was a threat!"
"Sheppard never threatened you," Ronon rasped. "You lie."
"The Genii said he would. They said he was without honor."
Elizabeth was shaking. "So you believed them because you wanted to? Here is the truth about the Genii. They have power, but it is a poisoned technology -- half of their people suffer severe illnesses from being exposed to it. We also have power, and Colonel Sheppard would have offered it freely, for an exchange of friendship and allegiance against our common enemies. He would not have demanded a man's life in trade! You will tell us what we need to know to get Colonel Sheppard returned safely to us."
"I don't know anything!" Heurin wailed, and Ronon looked like he was about to strangle the man.
"Ronon, let him go," Elizabeth said.
"Why?" Ronon snarled.
Teyla touched his arm gently. "I doubt that he knows anything, Ronon. He cannot help us find Colonel Sheppard if he is dead."
Ronon glared at Heurin cowering against the wall. "If you are lying, I will hunt you down and kill you." He stepped back and Heurin nearly collapsed. "And I want my gun back."
Heurin nodded. "It is at my house."
"Why didn't the Genii take it?"
Heurin paled, looked away. "It was part of my payment."
Ronon was reaching for his throat when Elizabeth stopped him. "We'll get your gun, and then we'll find Colonel Sheppard." She turned to Heurin, her eyes merciless. "If he is dead, I will let Ronon Dex carry out his threat."
They went to the gate where Rodney and Lorne were waiting. Lorne held out the bloodied subcutaneous transmitter. "I don't think the Genii removed it. I think the Colonel cut it out and left it to tell us that he had been taken through the gate."
"Why do you say that?" Elizabeth asked.
"Because it's what I would have done," Lorne said simply. "Leave a message for the S&R team."
"Why the transmitter? Isn't that counter-productive?"
"Ma'am, that was probably all he had left," Lorne explained with a glance at the dark fatigues draping the grave marker.
Elizabeth flushed. "Yes." She sighed and turned to Heurin. "Do you have a gate address to contact the Genii?"
He dug in his pocket and came up with a piece of paper. Ronon took it from him and gave it to McKay.
Rodney began the dialing sequence. "First stop. Maybe we'll get lucky."
"Or maybe it's a dead end," Lorne instructed two of the Marines to stick to Heurin like glue and to return to Atlantis at the first sign of trouble or until they were contacted. "We'll see you there."
"Yes, sir. What about him?" Stackhouse jerked his head in Heurin's direction.
"If he makes one wrong move, if we find Sheppard isn't alive ..." Lorne's voice dropped to a grim whisper. "You know what to do."
"Yes, sir." No doubt, no objections.
Rodney entered the final symbol and the gate sprang to life. They stepped through and into darkness.
^*^*^*^*^*^*^
"Have I ever told you how much I hate the dark?" Rodney asked as he waited for Lorne and the Marines to sweep the area around the gate. The life signs detectors showed a number of readings that were probably wild animals. "I mean look at this ..." He showed Elizabeth the display. "Wild animals ... small, vicious wild animals."
Elizabeth raised a brow. "Vicious? So far I haven't noticed. Though it is a little chilly." She rubbed her arms. She thought about John, wondered if he was somewhere in the darkness, in the cold. In a grave. She told herself to stop thinking like that, to start thinking like the leader she was. "Rodney, can you get anything from the gate addresses?"
"Time, Elizabeth. It takes time." He was bent over the crystals, distracted from his fears. The returning Marines' flashlights bobbed in the darkness. Ronon and Lorne were in the lead; both of them looked grim.
"What is it?" Elizabeth asked.
Lorne opened his hand. Something was wrapped in a bandanna. Elizabeth was afraid to look until she saw the dull glint of metal. Lorne explained, "The Colonel's breakaway dog tag."
"Did he drop it?"
"Possibly. If we had a fingerprint kit ..."
McKay spoke up. "We have something better. DNA."
"Back in Atlantis," Ronon said. "I don't like leaving the hunt. We'll lose the trail."
"What trail?" Rodney asked. "I need gate addresses. That takes time. We need DNA testing, that takes equipment we don't have."
Lorne surprised Elizabeth by supporting McKay. "Ma'am, we aren't equipped for a long hunt. We need food, medical supplies, weapons and ammunition. More marines. A jumper. The Genii have weapons that can do damage. We can't go in there without being prepared."
"Ronon?"
He nodded in reluctant agreement. "What about Heurin? What if he he's got more information than he's letting on?"
"Or an accomplice," Rodney said.
"I would not put it past him," Teyla said. She looked cold and tired. Lorne took off his jacket and draped it over her shoulders.
Elizabeth sighed. "Ronon, go back to Caldos. We'll get supplies and reinforcements and bring a jumper to pick you up ... in ... eight hours?"
"At the gate at sunrise," Ronon agreed. He waited for Rodney to dial Caldos, then stepped through. The others went through after Rodney dialed Atlantis.
Somewhere, John Sheppard was waiting. They wouldn't let him down.
Part Two
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