Bounty Chapter 2
Title: Bounty
Author: stella_pegasi
Genre(s): Action/Adventure, H/C, Whump
Rating: PG-13
Character/Pairing: John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Ronon Dex, Teyla Emmagan, Evan Lorne, OC's.
Spoilers: Set after Season 5, Events in Inquisition
Warnings: Minor language
Het/Slash/Gen: Gen
Word count: ~27,500
Disclaimer: I do not own them, I would have treated them better.
Summary:A bounty has been placed on Sheppard and his team, but by whom? An old enemy or by a new one?
Written for sheppard_hc's Summer Fic Exchange as a gift to maddie_amber, who wanted Sheppard whumped…I did my best!
maddie_amber, I hope you enjoy!
BOUNTY
By stella_pegasi
Chapter Two Hell Hath No Fury
Ronon was struggling against his bindings; his wrists rubbed raw from the rough ropes twisted around them. He grunted deeply, his frustration evident on his battered face.
"You cannot get loose, Ronon. You are only injuring yourself; please stop," Teyla pleaded with him.
"We have to get out of here and find Sheppard. I’m pretty sure he got shot; he's in trouble, and he needs us. McKay, can't you do what you did earlier, and get your ropes loose."
Rodney sounded dejected, exhausted, "They tied them too tight this time; I can't even feel my hands."
Teyla sighed, looking around the small room, illuminated only by moonlight coming through the windows. "I could hear voices earlier, but it is very quiet now. Do you think they left us here?"
"We're dead if they did; Atlantis will never find us."
"I have faith that the colonel will find us, Rodney."
Silence settled over the three teammates, punctuated by an occasional soft groan from Ronon as he continued to strain against his bindings. They waited.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Onboard the jumper, piloted by Evan Lorne, the teams were silent, some checking their weapons or sitting with their eyes closed, but no one was speaking. Captain Isaacs sat in the cockpit, there after winning an argument with Dr. Keller, who wanted his team to remain in the infirmary. His team refused, saying they were responsible for the safety of the colonel's team, and they had failed. They were going on the search and rescue mission.
Sitting behind Lorne was Latiran Captain Langar Herus, accompanied by six of his men, who were scattered between the three jumpers. Herus had reluctantly agreed to follow Lorne's command until Councilwoman Shiana was located, then he and his men would take over her security.
Over the COM, Lieutenant Salem's voice entered the jumper, "Major; we have spotted a town about three clicks to the east."
Lorne responded, "Check it out, Salem and report back as soon as you have any information. Winters, head to the west toward the other settlement Dr. Zelenka located. I'm going to land and investigate the vehicle parked by the gate; Lorne out."
Lorne eased the jumper toward the gate and landed facing the vehicle's cab. "Isaacs, I'm not reading any life signs, take your team, and check it out."
Isaacs' team quickly filed out of the jumper as the ramp descended. After cautiously approaching the vehicle and examining the interior, Isaacs radioed Lorne. "Sir, no sign of anyone around the vehicle, Danzig and Powers are checking out the perimeter. Major, there's blood in the back of this truck, looks like someone was lying on the floor."
Lorne turned to the medic sitting in the jumper, "Pierce, secure a sample of that blood, and get it back to Atlantis. I want to know if one of our people is injured. We're going to join the other jumpers in the search, but dial the gate when you have a report. Isaacs, leave two of your people here to guard the gate and rejoin us on the jumper."
Isaacs replied, "Understood, sir:" followed by the same from Airman Pierce as he exited the jumper. Turning to Herus, Lorne asked, "Okay to assign two of your team to assist in guarding the gate?" Herus nodded and motioned for two of his people to join Isaacs' team.
Once the medic had collected the blood sample and safely gated to Atlantis, Lorne took the jumper into the air, beginning a grid search of the area. They had been flying for about ten minutes when he glanced at Herus. The Latiran captain had said little, and his impassive face gave no indication what he was thinking.
"Captain, have you ever visited this planet?"
The captain took a deep breath before he replied, "No, major; I have not. Most of my time recently has been spent putting out rebellions and chasing thieves preying on people who are simply trying to survive. Before that, we tried to protect our people from the Wraith. You remember them, don't you, Major Lorne?"
Lorne turned to look at Herus whose face was no longer impassive, but scornful. The major did not hesitate, "Yes; I remember them, captain. We lost people to the Wraith as well."
Herus' expression slowly returned to impassivity, and he said, "I guess from this point, it is best we move on; the past is the past."
"Major, Salem here," the lieutenant's voice over the COM prevented Lorne from having to respond to Herus. "Sir, we may have something."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sheppard squirmed upright until his back rested against a rough stone wall in the room he and Shiana currently occupied. The goons, who removed them from the truck, literally threw them into the tiny room. Sheppard had landed on his left shoulder, burning pain coursing through his body. Shiana was unluckier; she hit her head on the corner of a wooden bench and was still unconscious.
Sheppard was happy about one thing; the guards untied them and removed the nasty gags from their mouths. He was having a hard enough time breathing without having a gag obstructing his mouth and nose. He tried to take a few deep breaths in order to get some oxygen into his system, but the pressure in his chest increased as he pulled in air. He quickly decided to take shallower breaths.
He looked over at Shiana, relieved that she was breathing normally, but concerned that she hadn't awakened. Laughing at himself, Sheppard thought that earlier that day he had considered Shiana as the only woman in Pegasus, who truly hated him. Now it appeared there was another. He had no clue who this tall blond woman was, but she did allude to Shiana kidnapping him and his team, then letting them go with disdain. "Crap," he whispered; no doubt, she lost loved ones to the Wraith or the Replicators. It didn't really matter; she must blame him. She was just going to have to get in line; he blamed himself more.
Closing his eyes, he considered trying to sleep; realizing he had lost quite a bit of blood and needed to rest. He grinned grimly, thinking how Carson and Jennifer would react if they heard him admit he needed to rest. That didn't fit his normal persona when he was injured, or the persona, he wanted them to see.
However, sleep was not in his future. The door flew opened, spilling bright light into the small room, and a rough voice spoke, "Get to your feet." Sheppard refused to move, which prompted a hard kick against his right hip. The impact rolled him onto his left side, but he still didn't make an effort to rise. His inaction led to his being struck on the right leg and hip by a leather stave, and pulled from the floor by the two guards who had entered.
"Come on, smart ass, she wants to have a chat with you."
The guards dragged Sheppard down a narrow corridor, filled with debris. Through an open window, he caught a glimpse of buildings, broken and collapsed, covered in scorched marks, as if they bombarded by weapons. He wondered if the Wraith or the Replicators were responsible. Then he realized it didn't matter; he was going to be held accountable.
They opened a door at the end of the hall where the blond woman was waiting. Roughly pushing Sheppard into a chair, they tied him securely, then retreated to stand next to the doorway. The woman slowly approached him.
"Colonel John Sheppard of Atlantis; welcome to my home world, Jutan. You and I have much to talk about." She motioned to a guard to bring her a chair; after sitting down in front of Sheppard, she continued. "You don't know anything about this planet, do you? Or any of the other planets that were destroyed by your meddling."
Sheppard took a deep breath before answering, "Look we came to Pegasus as explorers, we had no idea about the Wraith. We had no intention of creating the problems that happened as a result."
"So, you don't deny that you caused the destruction to the people of Pegasus?"
He dropped his head, "When we arrived, we gated to a planet looking for a safe haven; we thought Atlantis was going to flood. The Wraith attacked while we were on the planet. Some of our people were captured, and we went to rescue them. The Wraith on that Hive woke up while we were there; we didn't know what was going to happen."
She stood up and took a step closer to him, without warning, she hit him in the face with her fist, reopening the cut on his cheek. Blood sprayed away from his face, as he gasped from the jarring the blow caused. He had barely recovered when she hit him again, this time opening a cut above his eye, blood began to stream down into his eye.
She leaned down, "That's just a taste of what you're going to suffer, colonel. You will pay for what you have done."
Struggling to stay conscious, Sheppard managed to croak, "M-my te-am, l-let them…go."
The blond laughed, "Oh, how heartwarming; you are worried about your teammates. I told you, I have no interest in them." Laughing a bit harder, "However, I'm not sure when they will be found. No one knows where I had you taken, and now your team is all alone in a small room, tied up. It will be a shame if they die of thirst before anyone finds them."
Tying to look as if he had some modicum of control, Sheppard asked, "Who are you and what happened here?"
She sat down across from him once more, absently rubbing her right hand, reddened and beginning to bruise from striking him. "Not that it really matters, colonel, but I will tell you who I am. I am Livica Ponaes, and this was my home; a home destroyed by the Wraith, then devastated by the Replicators. You see, colonel, in the midst of a planet-wide culling by the Wraith the Replicators arrived. The battle was epic. We were a planet that had managed to stay hidden for several cycles from the Wraith. They culled predominantly in the center of the galaxy, not along the far edges where Jutan is located. When their food source began to become scarce, another event you were responsible for, they began to search the outer rim. The Replicators followed them, both arriving here within hours of each other.
Livica stood up, "My husband was a government leader; he was privy to the situation with the Wraith, from communicating with other planets. But we were foolish to believe that we would remain untouched by the events raging in the center of the galaxy." She walked over to the small window, "My parents ran a successful manufacturing business. We are in what is left of their facility. My father tried to protect his employees from the Wraith, but only a handful survived. One employee, who hid within the machinery, told me my father was fed upon by a male Wraith, as he tried to protect three of his youngest employees. He died, and the three employees were taken away by drones."
She was quiet for a moment, then spun to look at him, "I taught Jutan history at the Academa, and was teaching when these events began. My mother was watching my children, Vicio and Marira, who were already home from school. She managed to get the children to the Academa. We fled toward the government center, where I found my husband, injured by a Replicator attack on the center, but alive. We decided to flee to the Ancestor's Ring and escape. My mother refused to go without my father, and she left us, running toward this building. That is the last I ever saw of my mother."
She returned to the chair across from Sheppard, "I managed to support my husband, and we fled the government center. Vicio, who was twelve, carried his sister. We were steps from the Ancestor's Ring, when a large Wraith ship appeared. Vicio was lagging behind; my husband pushed away from me, yelling for me to save the children. I was so close to my son when a blast from the ship stuck the road leading from the city to the Ring, killing many who were still on the road. The concussion knocked me to the ground. As I struggled to get up, another ship arrived. I know now that it was a Replicator ship; it began to fire on the Wraith ship. I thought this was our chance to escape, when several smaller ships with pointed noses, crossed the sky above us and my children and my husband were caught in the beams that skimmed the ground. I would have been taken as well, but a co-worker of my husband's, grabbed my arm, dragging me through the Ring."
Livica's voice was shaking but there were no tears as she continued, "I survived, along with several hundred of my fellow Jutans. Fortunately, somehow, the Ring was not damaged in the attack. Slowly over the last many months, we have been able to rescue and relocate those who survived but lived so far from the Ring." She glared at Sheppard for a moment, before she continued.
"The survivors are safe; it is time for revenge for the loss of so many innocents." She stood up once more and approached him, "You are a pariah, Colonel John Sheppard. You brought this devastation on my people and this galaxy, and you will pay."
She inspected her bruised hand, flexing it once more into a fist. Before Sheppard could say anything in response to her words, she struck him again, this blow knocking him unconscious.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lorne had ordered the other jumpers into stealth mode, and they made their way to the location that Captain Stackhouse's team, who were riding on Salem's jumper, had uncovered. Corporal Brenner spoke to a local constable who told him, when asked about anything unusual in the area, that there was some activity at a large compound about five clicks from the stargate. Someone had recently bought it, and there were reports of many men living there; some of the locals were concerned they were some kind of criminal group. The local security police had been observing the compound, but so far had seen nothing to warrant investigating further.
Before they joined the other jumpers, Lorne detoured back to the stargate after Airman Pierce radioed that he had the results of the blood test. When they arrived at the gate, they found Dr. Beckett and another medic waiting, along with Pierce.
Beckett walked directly to Lorne, who just shook his head, "My hunch was correct, doc?"
"Aye, laddie, the blood is Colonel Sheppard's. You really didn't expect any different result did you?" When Lorne simply shook his head, Beckett continued, "From the amount of blood Pierce reported was in that truck, I suspect the colonel is badly injured. You're going to need me, major."
Lorne sighed, "That's the problem, doc; we always need you." Beckett patted the major on the shoulder, then sat in the seat behind Lorne that Captain Isaacs' vacated. Lorne lifted off, heading toward the other jumpers waiting near the compound. When they arrived, Lieutenant Salem reported.
"Major Lorne, the HUD is showing seven life signs in the compound. Two are in the courtyard, walking the perimeter, two are inside in a large room, and three are close together in one room on the west side of the main building. There are no life signs in the smaller two buildings. Sir, there is a main gate, and a smaller gate on the east rear corner. The main building is where all the life signs are located; there are three entrances to that building. No life signs in the two outer buildings."
"Okay, Winters, put down on the east of the building; deploy teams and get ready to make entry through the back gate. Salem, land in the front on the east side, I'll take the west. I want people deployed around the wall; no one gets out of here, understand?"
Within ten minutes, the Atlantis and Latiran solders were in place, and on Lorne's orders, they stormed the building. The four bounty hunters remaining in the compound were surprised by the assault, but attempted to fight back. The Marine's quickly overpowered them. The four men were brought together in the courtyard, while Lorne and Herus, along with Captain Isaacs and other team members, headed for the room where the other three life signs were located.
Sergeant Johnston, the six-foot-five, two hundred and seventy-five pound Marine on Lorne's team, make quick work of knocking down the door. Rushing inside, Lorne and Herus found Sheppard's team. They untied the three quickly, Lorne calling for Beckett when he spotted Ronon's bloody wrists and bruised face.
McKay sputtered, "Sheppard, where's Sheppard?"
Lorne helped the scientist stand, as he asked, "We don't know; we were hoping you did."
"No, he escaped; he's in the woods somewhere."
"Are you sure?"
Rodney became indignant and frantic at the same time, "Of course, I'm sure, what the hell do you think?"
"Rodney, please calm down," Teyla whispered raspy, her throat extremely dry.
"Do you have any idea of which way the colonel went when he ran into the woods?"
Ronon answered, "He ran toward the trees on the left; but I doubt he got far. I'm pretty certain he got shot."
Beckett walked in as Ronon uttered the word shot, "Oh, you're talking about the colonel, aren't you?" He immediately began to inspect the damage Ronon had done to his wrists.
Ronon said, "Yeah."
"Well, that would explain how much blood we found in the truck." Beckett observed.
Rodney was almost out the door when he heard Beckett's comment, "Blood, you found blood where?"
Lorne answered, "There a vehicle, like a box truck, parked next to the gate; there was quite a bit of blood in it. Dr. Beckett tested the blood; it's the colonel's blood type."
Rodney sank back down on one of the chairs, "We came here in a truck like that, but Sheppard wasn't hurt then."
Teyla asked, "Major Lorne; Colonel Sheppard overheard some of the bounty hunters say that she was here. He suspected it was Shiana; did you find her?"
"No, only four men were here besides you three."
Ronon growled, "Four….there were at least twenty or more men here; we were ambushed by twelve or more."
Lorne looked at Herus, and Rodney noticed the Latiran for the first time, "Who the hell is he?"
"This is Captain Langar Herus of Latira; he's here because Councilwoman Shiana has also been kidnapped. The Pegasus Coalition requested that a team from Latira join us in the search."
Herus spoke, "It would appear to me that Shiana and the colonel have been moved from this location, most likely taken off the planet, but where?"
"Well, our best bet is to find out are the four prisoners we have."
"Let me talk to them; I'll find out where they took Sheppard," Ronon rose, while Beckett was still wrapping one of his wrists.
"Sit; I am not done with you yet." Ronon glared at Beckett, but sat back down, as Beckett finished taping the bandage on his left wrist.
Lorne rubbed his forehead, a look of frustration on his face, "My gut tells me that the colonel, and likely Shiana, are not on this planet. I'm going to leave a jumper with a couple of teams here to search the woods around the compound, while we take the prisoners back to Atlantis. Herus, I'd like for some of your men to search this compound to see if they can learn anything." Herus agreed, and Lorne asked Beckett, "You done, doc?"
Beckett nodded, "For now, until I get them to Atlantis to be checked out."
"Okay then, let's go home."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The room was dark when Sheppard woke, which considering how badly his head hurt, he was thankful for the darkness. He was lying on the stone floor, on his left shoulder. As he became fully conscious, he felt the burning pain radiating down his left side. Cautiously, he rolled onto his back, trying to breathe through the pain.
A soft, weak voice spoke, "Colonel, are you awake?"
"Shiana, that you? Are you okay?"
"Y-yes, it is me, colonel and no, I-I am not…okay." Her voice was shaky as she continued, "After they returned you to the c-cell, they took me to Livica. She apparently blames me for not having you killed w-when I had you brought before the Coalition tribunal."
Sheppard chuckled, despite the pain it caused, "Day's not over, finish me off, and she might let you leave."
Shiana scoffed, "Do not t-think, that thought has not crossed my mind."
"Yeah, well, I was afraid of that."
A note of fear crept into Shiana voice, "Did she tell you what she planned to do to us?"
"No, but I don’t' think she plans on us leaving here alive. Look, her anger is with me; maybe I can convince her to let you leave."
"Y-you would do that for me, colonel?"
"Yeah, I would. How long have I been unconscious?"
"I’m not certain; I was taken as soon as they brought you, it was still daylight. It was dark when I was brought back and thrown in here. I must have passed out; I only woke up shortly before you."
"Shiana, try to get some sleep; I think we are going to need all the strength we can muster."
"Sage advice, colonel; you surprise me."
"Yeah, that's me, full of surprises."
As Shiana became quiet, Sheppard slowly rolled onto his right side, and curled into a fetal position, trying to stay warm. They were in more trouble than he had admitted to Shiana. He was sick. He was shivering and burning up at the same time, feeling weaker by the minute. He drifted to sleep, wondering what Livica planned next.
Sheppard was unsure how long he had slept when the guards abruptly threw opened the heavy door, awakening them. It was still dark, only the dim illumination from a flashlight that the guards carried lighted the room.
"Get up, now," the guards yelled. Shiana rose gingerly from the floor, but Sheppard struggled. The guards were becoming impatient, and one lashed out to kick Sheppard, but missed as the colonel rolled away in time. Shiana rushed to Sheppard and helped him up.
"He is injured, how can you be so cruel?"
The guard sneered, "We're being paid to be cruel; now move." He drew back a leather stave and hit Shiana's hip sharply with it, saying, "If you don't move faster, you're going to be injured as well." He struck her once more. Shiana glared at him but accepted as much of Sheppard's weight as she could to keep him stable. The guards led them to the room where they had both met Livica; she was waiting for them.
"Oh, did you have a nice nap? It will most likely be your last; the game begins. I want you both to feel what it felt like to be hunted, and to lose everything. Unfortunately, Shiana, you've already lost your family; so I couldn't bait you with them. I want you to suffer, but I don't care if you die quickly or slowly. The colonel is another story; I want him to die a very painful death."
"What good is this?" Shiana said, "Killing us cannot bring your family or mine back. Revenge does not always provide the pleasure you want, once you have achieved it, Livica. You will not get away with this; the Coalition will hunt you down."
Livica laughed, then backhanded Shiana, opening her already cut-lip once again. "You don't get it; I don't care what happens to me now. I waited until the people of my planet had created another life for themselves, but I don't want another life. I want the one I had. However, that isn't possible; Sheppard made certain of that, and you didn't hold him accountable, so you both die."
Sheppard was dizzy, sweat dripping down his forehead; he struggled to talk, "Let Shiana go, your q-quarrel is with me. She tried to punish us; you can't blame her for what happened, blame me."
"Your gallantry will not sway me, colonel; don't waste your breath. Now, allow me explain the game we will play. It will be dark for two more hours. I am turning you loose in the city and when day breaks, the bounty hunters will come for you. Let's see how far you can run in two hours. The hunters won't kill you when they find you; they will bring you back to me. I will have the pleasure of watching the life leave you as I take it.
She turned to the guards, "Take them to entrance of the building and let them go."
The guards grabbed Shiana and Sheppard, roughly pushing them through the door. Before Shiana left the room, Livica taunted her. "Shiana, I will give you an option; when they find you, providing they haven't found Sheppard already, I will allow you to live, if you turn Sheppard over to the hunters. That's the only chance you will have to survive."
Reaching the front entrance of the factory, the guards opened the large doors and roughly pushed them through into the night, closing the doors behind them. Both Sheppard and Shiana fell onto the rough, debris-covered street. Shiana managed to get to her feet first; she grabbed Sheppard's right arm and slung it around her neck, using all her strength to help him to his feet.
"Come on, colonel; you are a stubborn man, don't quit on me now. We need to get away."
She felt him take some of his weight back, leaning on her less than he had, as he said, "Bossy, aren't you? Well, that's okay by me; lead the way."
End of Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Author: stella_pegasi
Genre(s): Action/Adventure, H/C, Whump
Rating: PG-13
Character/Pairing: John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Ronon Dex, Teyla Emmagan, Evan Lorne, OC's.
Spoilers: Set after Season 5, Events in Inquisition
Warnings: Minor language
Het/Slash/Gen: Gen
Word count: ~27,500
Disclaimer: I do not own them, I would have treated them better.
Summary:A bounty has been placed on Sheppard and his team, but by whom? An old enemy or by a new one?
Written for sheppard_hc's Summer Fic Exchange as a gift to maddie_amber, who wanted Sheppard whumped…I did my best!
maddie_amber, I hope you enjoy!
BOUNTY
By stella_pegasi
Chapter Two Hell Hath No Fury
Ronon was struggling against his bindings; his wrists rubbed raw from the rough ropes twisted around them. He grunted deeply, his frustration evident on his battered face.
"You cannot get loose, Ronon. You are only injuring yourself; please stop," Teyla pleaded with him.
"We have to get out of here and find Sheppard. I’m pretty sure he got shot; he's in trouble, and he needs us. McKay, can't you do what you did earlier, and get your ropes loose."
Rodney sounded dejected, exhausted, "They tied them too tight this time; I can't even feel my hands."
Teyla sighed, looking around the small room, illuminated only by moonlight coming through the windows. "I could hear voices earlier, but it is very quiet now. Do you think they left us here?"
"We're dead if they did; Atlantis will never find us."
"I have faith that the colonel will find us, Rodney."
Silence settled over the three teammates, punctuated by an occasional soft groan from Ronon as he continued to strain against his bindings. They waited.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Onboard the jumper, piloted by Evan Lorne, the teams were silent, some checking their weapons or sitting with their eyes closed, but no one was speaking. Captain Isaacs sat in the cockpit, there after winning an argument with Dr. Keller, who wanted his team to remain in the infirmary. His team refused, saying they were responsible for the safety of the colonel's team, and they had failed. They were going on the search and rescue mission.
Sitting behind Lorne was Latiran Captain Langar Herus, accompanied by six of his men, who were scattered between the three jumpers. Herus had reluctantly agreed to follow Lorne's command until Councilwoman Shiana was located, then he and his men would take over her security.
Over the COM, Lieutenant Salem's voice entered the jumper, "Major; we have spotted a town about three clicks to the east."
Lorne responded, "Check it out, Salem and report back as soon as you have any information. Winters, head to the west toward the other settlement Dr. Zelenka located. I'm going to land and investigate the vehicle parked by the gate; Lorne out."
Lorne eased the jumper toward the gate and landed facing the vehicle's cab. "Isaacs, I'm not reading any life signs, take your team, and check it out."
Isaacs' team quickly filed out of the jumper as the ramp descended. After cautiously approaching the vehicle and examining the interior, Isaacs radioed Lorne. "Sir, no sign of anyone around the vehicle, Danzig and Powers are checking out the perimeter. Major, there's blood in the back of this truck, looks like someone was lying on the floor."
Lorne turned to the medic sitting in the jumper, "Pierce, secure a sample of that blood, and get it back to Atlantis. I want to know if one of our people is injured. We're going to join the other jumpers in the search, but dial the gate when you have a report. Isaacs, leave two of your people here to guard the gate and rejoin us on the jumper."
Isaacs replied, "Understood, sir:" followed by the same from Airman Pierce as he exited the jumper. Turning to Herus, Lorne asked, "Okay to assign two of your team to assist in guarding the gate?" Herus nodded and motioned for two of his people to join Isaacs' team.
Once the medic had collected the blood sample and safely gated to Atlantis, Lorne took the jumper into the air, beginning a grid search of the area. They had been flying for about ten minutes when he glanced at Herus. The Latiran captain had said little, and his impassive face gave no indication what he was thinking.
"Captain, have you ever visited this planet?"
The captain took a deep breath before he replied, "No, major; I have not. Most of my time recently has been spent putting out rebellions and chasing thieves preying on people who are simply trying to survive. Before that, we tried to protect our people from the Wraith. You remember them, don't you, Major Lorne?"
Lorne turned to look at Herus whose face was no longer impassive, but scornful. The major did not hesitate, "Yes; I remember them, captain. We lost people to the Wraith as well."
Herus' expression slowly returned to impassivity, and he said, "I guess from this point, it is best we move on; the past is the past."
"Major, Salem here," the lieutenant's voice over the COM prevented Lorne from having to respond to Herus. "Sir, we may have something."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sheppard squirmed upright until his back rested against a rough stone wall in the room he and Shiana currently occupied. The goons, who removed them from the truck, literally threw them into the tiny room. Sheppard had landed on his left shoulder, burning pain coursing through his body. Shiana was unluckier; she hit her head on the corner of a wooden bench and was still unconscious.
Sheppard was happy about one thing; the guards untied them and removed the nasty gags from their mouths. He was having a hard enough time breathing without having a gag obstructing his mouth and nose. He tried to take a few deep breaths in order to get some oxygen into his system, but the pressure in his chest increased as he pulled in air. He quickly decided to take shallower breaths.
He looked over at Shiana, relieved that she was breathing normally, but concerned that she hadn't awakened. Laughing at himself, Sheppard thought that earlier that day he had considered Shiana as the only woman in Pegasus, who truly hated him. Now it appeared there was another. He had no clue who this tall blond woman was, but she did allude to Shiana kidnapping him and his team, then letting them go with disdain. "Crap," he whispered; no doubt, she lost loved ones to the Wraith or the Replicators. It didn't really matter; she must blame him. She was just going to have to get in line; he blamed himself more.
Closing his eyes, he considered trying to sleep; realizing he had lost quite a bit of blood and needed to rest. He grinned grimly, thinking how Carson and Jennifer would react if they heard him admit he needed to rest. That didn't fit his normal persona when he was injured, or the persona, he wanted them to see.
However, sleep was not in his future. The door flew opened, spilling bright light into the small room, and a rough voice spoke, "Get to your feet." Sheppard refused to move, which prompted a hard kick against his right hip. The impact rolled him onto his left side, but he still didn't make an effort to rise. His inaction led to his being struck on the right leg and hip by a leather stave, and pulled from the floor by the two guards who had entered.
"Come on, smart ass, she wants to have a chat with you."
The guards dragged Sheppard down a narrow corridor, filled with debris. Through an open window, he caught a glimpse of buildings, broken and collapsed, covered in scorched marks, as if they bombarded by weapons. He wondered if the Wraith or the Replicators were responsible. Then he realized it didn't matter; he was going to be held accountable.
They opened a door at the end of the hall where the blond woman was waiting. Roughly pushing Sheppard into a chair, they tied him securely, then retreated to stand next to the doorway. The woman slowly approached him.
"Colonel John Sheppard of Atlantis; welcome to my home world, Jutan. You and I have much to talk about." She motioned to a guard to bring her a chair; after sitting down in front of Sheppard, she continued. "You don't know anything about this planet, do you? Or any of the other planets that were destroyed by your meddling."
Sheppard took a deep breath before answering, "Look we came to Pegasus as explorers, we had no idea about the Wraith. We had no intention of creating the problems that happened as a result."
"So, you don't deny that you caused the destruction to the people of Pegasus?"
He dropped his head, "When we arrived, we gated to a planet looking for a safe haven; we thought Atlantis was going to flood. The Wraith attacked while we were on the planet. Some of our people were captured, and we went to rescue them. The Wraith on that Hive woke up while we were there; we didn't know what was going to happen."
She stood up and took a step closer to him, without warning, she hit him in the face with her fist, reopening the cut on his cheek. Blood sprayed away from his face, as he gasped from the jarring the blow caused. He had barely recovered when she hit him again, this time opening a cut above his eye, blood began to stream down into his eye.
She leaned down, "That's just a taste of what you're going to suffer, colonel. You will pay for what you have done."
Struggling to stay conscious, Sheppard managed to croak, "M-my te-am, l-let them…go."
The blond laughed, "Oh, how heartwarming; you are worried about your teammates. I told you, I have no interest in them." Laughing a bit harder, "However, I'm not sure when they will be found. No one knows where I had you taken, and now your team is all alone in a small room, tied up. It will be a shame if they die of thirst before anyone finds them."
Tying to look as if he had some modicum of control, Sheppard asked, "Who are you and what happened here?"
She sat down across from him once more, absently rubbing her right hand, reddened and beginning to bruise from striking him. "Not that it really matters, colonel, but I will tell you who I am. I am Livica Ponaes, and this was my home; a home destroyed by the Wraith, then devastated by the Replicators. You see, colonel, in the midst of a planet-wide culling by the Wraith the Replicators arrived. The battle was epic. We were a planet that had managed to stay hidden for several cycles from the Wraith. They culled predominantly in the center of the galaxy, not along the far edges where Jutan is located. When their food source began to become scarce, another event you were responsible for, they began to search the outer rim. The Replicators followed them, both arriving here within hours of each other.
Livica stood up, "My husband was a government leader; he was privy to the situation with the Wraith, from communicating with other planets. But we were foolish to believe that we would remain untouched by the events raging in the center of the galaxy." She walked over to the small window, "My parents ran a successful manufacturing business. We are in what is left of their facility. My father tried to protect his employees from the Wraith, but only a handful survived. One employee, who hid within the machinery, told me my father was fed upon by a male Wraith, as he tried to protect three of his youngest employees. He died, and the three employees were taken away by drones."
She was quiet for a moment, then spun to look at him, "I taught Jutan history at the Academa, and was teaching when these events began. My mother was watching my children, Vicio and Marira, who were already home from school. She managed to get the children to the Academa. We fled toward the government center, where I found my husband, injured by a Replicator attack on the center, but alive. We decided to flee to the Ancestor's Ring and escape. My mother refused to go without my father, and she left us, running toward this building. That is the last I ever saw of my mother."
She returned to the chair across from Sheppard, "I managed to support my husband, and we fled the government center. Vicio, who was twelve, carried his sister. We were steps from the Ancestor's Ring, when a large Wraith ship appeared. Vicio was lagging behind; my husband pushed away from me, yelling for me to save the children. I was so close to my son when a blast from the ship stuck the road leading from the city to the Ring, killing many who were still on the road. The concussion knocked me to the ground. As I struggled to get up, another ship arrived. I know now that it was a Replicator ship; it began to fire on the Wraith ship. I thought this was our chance to escape, when several smaller ships with pointed noses, crossed the sky above us and my children and my husband were caught in the beams that skimmed the ground. I would have been taken as well, but a co-worker of my husband's, grabbed my arm, dragging me through the Ring."
Livica's voice was shaking but there were no tears as she continued, "I survived, along with several hundred of my fellow Jutans. Fortunately, somehow, the Ring was not damaged in the attack. Slowly over the last many months, we have been able to rescue and relocate those who survived but lived so far from the Ring." She glared at Sheppard for a moment, before she continued.
"The survivors are safe; it is time for revenge for the loss of so many innocents." She stood up once more and approached him, "You are a pariah, Colonel John Sheppard. You brought this devastation on my people and this galaxy, and you will pay."
She inspected her bruised hand, flexing it once more into a fist. Before Sheppard could say anything in response to her words, she struck him again, this blow knocking him unconscious.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Lorne had ordered the other jumpers into stealth mode, and they made their way to the location that Captain Stackhouse's team, who were riding on Salem's jumper, had uncovered. Corporal Brenner spoke to a local constable who told him, when asked about anything unusual in the area, that there was some activity at a large compound about five clicks from the stargate. Someone had recently bought it, and there were reports of many men living there; some of the locals were concerned they were some kind of criminal group. The local security police had been observing the compound, but so far had seen nothing to warrant investigating further.
Before they joined the other jumpers, Lorne detoured back to the stargate after Airman Pierce radioed that he had the results of the blood test. When they arrived at the gate, they found Dr. Beckett and another medic waiting, along with Pierce.
Beckett walked directly to Lorne, who just shook his head, "My hunch was correct, doc?"
"Aye, laddie, the blood is Colonel Sheppard's. You really didn't expect any different result did you?" When Lorne simply shook his head, Beckett continued, "From the amount of blood Pierce reported was in that truck, I suspect the colonel is badly injured. You're going to need me, major."
Lorne sighed, "That's the problem, doc; we always need you." Beckett patted the major on the shoulder, then sat in the seat behind Lorne that Captain Isaacs' vacated. Lorne lifted off, heading toward the other jumpers waiting near the compound. When they arrived, Lieutenant Salem reported.
"Major Lorne, the HUD is showing seven life signs in the compound. Two are in the courtyard, walking the perimeter, two are inside in a large room, and three are close together in one room on the west side of the main building. There are no life signs in the smaller two buildings. Sir, there is a main gate, and a smaller gate on the east rear corner. The main building is where all the life signs are located; there are three entrances to that building. No life signs in the two outer buildings."
"Okay, Winters, put down on the east of the building; deploy teams and get ready to make entry through the back gate. Salem, land in the front on the east side, I'll take the west. I want people deployed around the wall; no one gets out of here, understand?"
Within ten minutes, the Atlantis and Latiran solders were in place, and on Lorne's orders, they stormed the building. The four bounty hunters remaining in the compound were surprised by the assault, but attempted to fight back. The Marine's quickly overpowered them. The four men were brought together in the courtyard, while Lorne and Herus, along with Captain Isaacs and other team members, headed for the room where the other three life signs were located.
Sergeant Johnston, the six-foot-five, two hundred and seventy-five pound Marine on Lorne's team, make quick work of knocking down the door. Rushing inside, Lorne and Herus found Sheppard's team. They untied the three quickly, Lorne calling for Beckett when he spotted Ronon's bloody wrists and bruised face.
McKay sputtered, "Sheppard, where's Sheppard?"
Lorne helped the scientist stand, as he asked, "We don't know; we were hoping you did."
"No, he escaped; he's in the woods somewhere."
"Are you sure?"
Rodney became indignant and frantic at the same time, "Of course, I'm sure, what the hell do you think?"
"Rodney, please calm down," Teyla whispered raspy, her throat extremely dry.
"Do you have any idea of which way the colonel went when he ran into the woods?"
Ronon answered, "He ran toward the trees on the left; but I doubt he got far. I'm pretty certain he got shot."
Beckett walked in as Ronon uttered the word shot, "Oh, you're talking about the colonel, aren't you?" He immediately began to inspect the damage Ronon had done to his wrists.
Ronon said, "Yeah."
"Well, that would explain how much blood we found in the truck." Beckett observed.
Rodney was almost out the door when he heard Beckett's comment, "Blood, you found blood where?"
Lorne answered, "There a vehicle, like a box truck, parked next to the gate; there was quite a bit of blood in it. Dr. Beckett tested the blood; it's the colonel's blood type."
Rodney sank back down on one of the chairs, "We came here in a truck like that, but Sheppard wasn't hurt then."
Teyla asked, "Major Lorne; Colonel Sheppard overheard some of the bounty hunters say that she was here. He suspected it was Shiana; did you find her?"
"No, only four men were here besides you three."
Ronon growled, "Four….there were at least twenty or more men here; we were ambushed by twelve or more."
Lorne looked at Herus, and Rodney noticed the Latiran for the first time, "Who the hell is he?"
"This is Captain Langar Herus of Latira; he's here because Councilwoman Shiana has also been kidnapped. The Pegasus Coalition requested that a team from Latira join us in the search."
Herus spoke, "It would appear to me that Shiana and the colonel have been moved from this location, most likely taken off the planet, but where?"
"Well, our best bet is to find out are the four prisoners we have."
"Let me talk to them; I'll find out where they took Sheppard," Ronon rose, while Beckett was still wrapping one of his wrists.
"Sit; I am not done with you yet." Ronon glared at Beckett, but sat back down, as Beckett finished taping the bandage on his left wrist.
Lorne rubbed his forehead, a look of frustration on his face, "My gut tells me that the colonel, and likely Shiana, are not on this planet. I'm going to leave a jumper with a couple of teams here to search the woods around the compound, while we take the prisoners back to Atlantis. Herus, I'd like for some of your men to search this compound to see if they can learn anything." Herus agreed, and Lorne asked Beckett, "You done, doc?"
Beckett nodded, "For now, until I get them to Atlantis to be checked out."
"Okay then, let's go home."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The room was dark when Sheppard woke, which considering how badly his head hurt, he was thankful for the darkness. He was lying on the stone floor, on his left shoulder. As he became fully conscious, he felt the burning pain radiating down his left side. Cautiously, he rolled onto his back, trying to breathe through the pain.
A soft, weak voice spoke, "Colonel, are you awake?"
"Shiana, that you? Are you okay?"
"Y-yes, it is me, colonel and no, I-I am not…okay." Her voice was shaky as she continued, "After they returned you to the c-cell, they took me to Livica. She apparently blames me for not having you killed w-when I had you brought before the Coalition tribunal."
Sheppard chuckled, despite the pain it caused, "Day's not over, finish me off, and she might let you leave."
Shiana scoffed, "Do not t-think, that thought has not crossed my mind."
"Yeah, well, I was afraid of that."
A note of fear crept into Shiana voice, "Did she tell you what she planned to do to us?"
"No, but I don’t' think she plans on us leaving here alive. Look, her anger is with me; maybe I can convince her to let you leave."
"Y-you would do that for me, colonel?"
"Yeah, I would. How long have I been unconscious?"
"I’m not certain; I was taken as soon as they brought you, it was still daylight. It was dark when I was brought back and thrown in here. I must have passed out; I only woke up shortly before you."
"Shiana, try to get some sleep; I think we are going to need all the strength we can muster."
"Sage advice, colonel; you surprise me."
"Yeah, that's me, full of surprises."
As Shiana became quiet, Sheppard slowly rolled onto his right side, and curled into a fetal position, trying to stay warm. They were in more trouble than he had admitted to Shiana. He was sick. He was shivering and burning up at the same time, feeling weaker by the minute. He drifted to sleep, wondering what Livica planned next.
Sheppard was unsure how long he had slept when the guards abruptly threw opened the heavy door, awakening them. It was still dark, only the dim illumination from a flashlight that the guards carried lighted the room.
"Get up, now," the guards yelled. Shiana rose gingerly from the floor, but Sheppard struggled. The guards were becoming impatient, and one lashed out to kick Sheppard, but missed as the colonel rolled away in time. Shiana rushed to Sheppard and helped him up.
"He is injured, how can you be so cruel?"
The guard sneered, "We're being paid to be cruel; now move." He drew back a leather stave and hit Shiana's hip sharply with it, saying, "If you don't move faster, you're going to be injured as well." He struck her once more. Shiana glared at him but accepted as much of Sheppard's weight as she could to keep him stable. The guards led them to the room where they had both met Livica; she was waiting for them.
"Oh, did you have a nice nap? It will most likely be your last; the game begins. I want you both to feel what it felt like to be hunted, and to lose everything. Unfortunately, Shiana, you've already lost your family; so I couldn't bait you with them. I want you to suffer, but I don't care if you die quickly or slowly. The colonel is another story; I want him to die a very painful death."
"What good is this?" Shiana said, "Killing us cannot bring your family or mine back. Revenge does not always provide the pleasure you want, once you have achieved it, Livica. You will not get away with this; the Coalition will hunt you down."
Livica laughed, then backhanded Shiana, opening her already cut-lip once again. "You don't get it; I don't care what happens to me now. I waited until the people of my planet had created another life for themselves, but I don't want another life. I want the one I had. However, that isn't possible; Sheppard made certain of that, and you didn't hold him accountable, so you both die."
Sheppard was dizzy, sweat dripping down his forehead; he struggled to talk, "Let Shiana go, your q-quarrel is with me. She tried to punish us; you can't blame her for what happened, blame me."
"Your gallantry will not sway me, colonel; don't waste your breath. Now, allow me explain the game we will play. It will be dark for two more hours. I am turning you loose in the city and when day breaks, the bounty hunters will come for you. Let's see how far you can run in two hours. The hunters won't kill you when they find you; they will bring you back to me. I will have the pleasure of watching the life leave you as I take it.
She turned to the guards, "Take them to entrance of the building and let them go."
The guards grabbed Shiana and Sheppard, roughly pushing them through the door. Before Shiana left the room, Livica taunted her. "Shiana, I will give you an option; when they find you, providing they haven't found Sheppard already, I will allow you to live, if you turn Sheppard over to the hunters. That's the only chance you will have to survive."
Reaching the front entrance of the factory, the guards opened the large doors and roughly pushed them through into the night, closing the doors behind them. Both Sheppard and Shiana fell onto the rough, debris-covered street. Shiana managed to get to her feet first; she grabbed Sheppard's right arm and slung it around her neck, using all her strength to help him to his feet.
"Come on, colonel; you are a stubborn man, don't quit on me now. We need to get away."
She felt him take some of his weight back, leaning on her less than he had, as he said, "Bossy, aren't you? Well, that's okay by me; lead the way."
End of Chapter 2
Chapter 3