Bounty Chapter 3 "The Hunted"
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 Three The Hunted
Richard Woolsey was pacing the length of the observation room that overlooked the detention area, where the interrogation of the four men taken from the fortress was underway. The jumpers had returned less than an hour before, and Lorne wasted no time before beginning to question them.
"You are going to wear a path in floor, Richard." Kelore, Coalition council member from Latira was leaning against the railing along the glass wall.
Woolsey sighed and walked over to stand next to the Latiran. "I will admit to being worried. Beckett is quite concerned that Colonel Sheppard is badly injured; there was a lot of blood in that truck. If Sheppard is injured, then possibly, he cannot protect Shiana. Unless I'm mistaken, I don't believe she is trained to handle a situation like this."
Kelore grimaced, "No; she is not. If it was a battle of sharp wits, these kidnappers wanted, I wouldn't be worried. However, as for her defending herself; I, too, am concerned."
They were silent a moment as they watched Lorne, Sergeant Johnston, and Sergeant Mehra questioned one of the guards. Mehra had been standing against a wall, as Lorne repeatedly asked who was running the operation. A subtle movement of Lorne's head and in seconds, Mehra was behind the guard, her forearm around his neck, her free hand pinning his torso against the chair. Sergeant Johnston, the mountain of Marine and easily the most intimidating thing in the room, didn't move a muscle. He simply stood ramrod straight next to Lorne.
Kelore chuckled, "I realized that this is not an amusing situation, but I have to say, if I were that young man, I would be more frightened of the female soldier than the males. She is quite formidable."
"You do not even know, Kelore. Sergeant Mehra is Marine Special Ops, and even Colonel Sheppard finds her a bit intimidating. However, he manages to keep her in line; I actually think she is a more than a bit intimidated by him. I suspect that if we left her in a room unattended with these guards, we would have the information we need rather quickly."
"Then, why don't you let her do just that?"
Woolsey's head jerked around to look at Kelore, "This from a man who accused Atlantis of acting before we considered the consequences?"
Kelore's left eyebrow raised and his head tilted, "Well, Richard, there are times."
Ten minutes later, Lorne joined them in the observation room. "Mr. Woolsey, we have a bit of information. We know that Colonel Sheppard and Council member Shiana were taken off-world, and one of the prisoners confirmed that the colonel is injured; how badly, he didn't know."
Kelore asked, "Any indication of who is behind this?"
"One of them said that 'she' organized the entire plan, but that he didn't know her name; he said they only knew her as 'madam'. We haven't been able to get anything out of the others yet."
"Then, we're nowhere," Woolsey remarked, a dejected note in his voice. "Major, I don't have to tell you, not only is the fact that Colonel Sheppard is missing a serious situation, but a member of the Pegasus Coalition Council is also missing. We need to find them."
Lorne replied, hesitantly, "About that, Mr. Woolsey; I realize that Colonel Sheppard fully believes in applying the Geneva Convention in Pegasus. However, you and I both know that he colonel is also a practical man. He does what has to be done. Ronon has offered his services and I believe, if we allowed Sergeant Mehra to speak privately with the youngest of the guards, we'll gain the intel we need. He's pretty scared of her."
Woolsey glanced at Kelore, who grinned ever so slightly, then answered Lorne, "Major; I trust your judgment. Proceed as you see fit." Lorne spun around to leave, stopping as Woolsey added, "I'm not certain if I should request that you remind Ronon or Mehra not to injure anyone. Perhaps you should remind them both."
Lorne attempted, with little success, to stifle a grin, "Yes, sir."
Woolsey watched the major leave, commenting as he left, "Yes, Kelore; there are times."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Shiana had lost count of how many times they had stumbled and fallen over debris. Light was almost non-existent; a small distant moon provided only the dimmest illumination. She was aware that they needed to keep moving, but Sheppard was ill; she kept coaxing him along.
They had been moving for nearly twenty minutes she estimated, and if she needed a rest, she was certain that Sheppard did. She halted, finding herself needing to support him to keep him on his feet.
"Colonel, you need to rest, there is a doorway; let us go inside there for a bit."
Sheppard didn't argue, and she steered him toward the door. They both stumbled over a piece of broken furniture that was lying across the opening, but managed to get inside. She held him steady as he slid to the floor, lying on his right side.
"Colonel, do you have any water?"
"C-Canteen, pocket of…vest," he replied, his voice weak.
She slid her fingers along the pockets until she felt what she thought was a water bottle. Pulling it out, she unscrewed the cap, and supported Sheppard's head as he took a sip.
"Colonel, you are burning up; I suspect you must have an infection. Do you have any medications with you."
"N-no…just some Advil…right side pocket."
"Advil?"
"Pain meds."
She rummaged again, finding the pill packet. She ripped the package open, giving Sheppard the two pills with another sip of water.
He struggled to talk, "Listen, leave me here; you can move much q-quicker with…out me. At-lantis will come, find you; you just need to stay hidden."
Shiana closed her eyes, "I am not leaving you behind, colonel. Isn't that what you have always said, you don't leave people behind? That's what you told us when you explained why you woke up the Wraith."
"Yeah…that's…yeah, leave no one behind…but you should go…g-get away."
"So the rule applies unless it is you to be left behind, colonel?"
Sheppard sighed, "Yeah…that's it."
Shiana replied, "Well, sick or not; I think my chances are better with you than without you. We have only been traveling for about thirty minutes, Livica said it was two hours until sunrise. We have some time to get further away."
His voice almost in a whisper, Sheppard said, "No…I believe she will think we'll get as far…away as we can. I also don't trust that she'll…give us t-that much…time. What we need to do is locate somewhere…defensible and find some weapons; you up to doing a little sco-scouting around?"
"Yes, what should I look for?"
"Find a place with a couple of ways out, d-don't want to get trapped, better somewhere with a front…and back staircase, where we have a vantage point. Look for anything…we can use as weapons. Bounty hunters are smart, military training…might think like me. The best thing is to find an unlikely place to hide, closer…than they think we'll hide."
"I understand; you rest; I'll look around for fifteen minutes, then return." Before she left, she gave him another sip of water. Scouting around the room, she found a strong wooden pole that had been broken into a short piece.
"Colonel, here is a short, sturdy stick, it has a pointed end; might be useful as a weapon." She pressed the pole into his hand. "Slide over a bit; you will be out of what little light there is. I will be back as quickly as I can." Without another word, Shiana slipped out into the street.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Woolsey and Kelore had gone to the director's office to wait for word from Lorne. They were on their second cup of coffee when Lorne rushed into the room.
"Major, do you have some information?"
"Yes, sir; we still don't have a name. I don't think any of these guys ever knew her name, but we do have something. The young guy, Raeder, Mehra questioned was in a refugee camp for a while, after the Replicators attacked his planet. He said he recognized this 'madam' as a woman who was searching all the camps for people from her planet. He said someone referred to her as a refugee coordinator; she was trying to find a planet where all of her people could relocate. He never saw her again until she showed up at the compound. Raeder joined the bounty hunters several months ago, and had been at the compound for a week. The one thing we do know is that her planet was attacked by the Wraith and the Replicators at the same time."
Woolsey asked, "Do you think that this woman has taken them to her home world to extract revenge on them?"
Lorne nodded, "Yes, sir; I believe she may have, but where? I understand that she may want revenge on Colonel Sheppard, but why would she take Shiana?"
Kelore spoke, "Shiana attempted to exert revenge on Atlantis but her efforts failed, major. This woman may feel Shiana failed her as well. Let me return to Latira City; after we formed the Coalition, we kept a registry of the people who were looking for others from their planets. After the fall of the Wraith, the process became quite organized. Perhaps I can find out who she is, and where her planet is located." He left Woolsey's office with his aide and Captain Herus; within seconds, the stargate activated.
As the Latirans departed for Latira, Rodney and Teyla, joined the group in Woolsey' office. Woolsey caught them up on the developments.
Rodney asked, "Why would this woman want Sheppard and Shiana? I mean; they can't stand each other, why would she kidnap them?"
Teyla answered, "Rodney; I believe that this woman may have a grudge against the colonel and the Coalition. Perhaps, she blames John for what happened to her planet and Shiana for not exacting revenge on Atlantis."
"Lorne, do you think you can learn any further information from these prisoners?"
"Don't know, sir; we'll try." Lorne departed, with Ronon on his heels, leaving Woolsey, Rodney, and Teyla sitting in silence.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sheppard was instantly alert at the slight scraping sound nearby, gripping the pole Shiana left tightly. His heart was pounding and he was burning up, but he was ready to defend himself, if he needed to do so.
"Colonel, it's me."
He relaxed slightly, whispering, "Shiana."
"Yes; I think I may have found a place that will work. It is not far, can you walk?"
"Yeah, just want to sit up for a moment." Using his right arm, Sheppard pushed himself into a sitting position, "Did…you see anyone?"
"No, it is very quiet; if they are watching us, I couldn't tell."
"Doubt…they a-are; more…sporting, this way. What did you find?" Sheppard was shivering, his teeth chattering.
I found a store; there is a lot of construction equipment inside. You told me to look for things that we could use as weapons. This shop is full of things that I think will work. Can you walk, colonel?"
"Yeah, no problem," he pushed away from the floor, but was too weak and fell back. "O-kay, problem…just…give me a second."
Shiana kneeled next to him and wrapped his right arm around her shoulders. "We need to move now, colonel. I imagine we have some tasks to accomplish once we get there. I will support you." Struggling, she managed to get the considerably heavier colonel on his feet. Once stable, she carefully led him over the debris and into the street.
The building they were heading was around the corner from their original hideout, and across another debris-strewn street. Sheppard fell twice, but Shiana forced him to stand up. After the second fall, she winced in pain as she felt the muscles in her back pull sharply as she helped him up. Ignoring the pain, she pushed him forward toward their next hiding place. They had walked for a while when Shiana stopped, causing Sheppard to stumble. He fell against a building wall, preventing himself from falling.
"Colonel, I am so sorry. I stopped because I wasn't certain if I was taking us in the right direction.
"Okay…it's hard to see…are we headed the right way?"
"Yes, I believe I see the doorway just ahead, come on." Shiana took his arm, and they continued to walk. Within a few moments, she stopped in front of a glass door, which was miraculously intact.
She gently pressed Sheppard against the wall of the building. "Stay here, colonel; let me open the door. I have to clear some boards away; I didn't want it to look like anyone had been in here."
Shiana moved some boards and a piece of concrete, and pushed open the door. She reached for Sheppard, and led him inside.
Through the dim light spilling from a huge window across the storefront, Sheppard noted a wooded counter along the back wall, running nearly the width of the large store. He could barely make out a stairway at the far back of the store, and a doorway leading toward what he supposed was a storeroom. As he got his bearings, he realized his heart was beating rapidly. He just wasn't certain if it was from the infection or from the fact that there were hammers, axes, shovels, screwdrivers, all kinds of things that they could use to defend themselves. The only problem that he foresaw was the fact there was nothing to stop bullets. He called to Shiana.
"You did good, there are things…we can use as weapons here." He turned to slip behind the counter and became dizzy, nearly falling.
"Colonel, let's get you to the back of the store. There are tarps back there; you need to lie down."
"No, need to get ready," he gripped the counter to stay upright.
"No, you need to lie down; I will bring you what you need." Shiana pulled him away from the counter, toward the back of the store.
A cupboard stood against the back wall under the staircase, its cubbyholes full of canvas-like tarps. Shiana pulled a few out of the bins, throwing them onto the floor. She then helped him sit down, pulling one of the tarps over him.
"How are you feeling?" She asked as she tucked the tarp around him.
"Why?"
"What do you mean?"
"Why are you helping me? I don't think…you like me very much, so why?"
Shiana sighed, "Every time I look at you, colonel, I see the faces of my husband and children as they died. I have good reason not to 'like you very much.' However, I believe in justice, even though I desire revenge. I had you brought before the Coalition tribunal so that you would be punished by the Coalition after a fair trial. You won, colonel, a fact that was difficult for me to comprehend. You caused the death of my family, yet you walk free."
She reached into the pocket of his vest holding the water bottle, and offered him a sip; then took a small sip herself and continued. "I am a pragmatic person; I cannot change past events. I had to make a decision to go forward and try to make this galaxy a better place for those who are left."
"Noble words, Shiana."
"Not so noble; don't think for a moment that I still do not desire to kill you myself. However, at this moment, you are my best choice for getting out of here. I will resume plotting how to kill you once we are safe, colonel."
In the pale light, Sheppard believed he saw a slight smile on her face. He replied, "Nice to know I have something to look forward to once we get out of here."
She didn't respond to his comment, just returned to the matter at hand, "What should we do first?"
Sheppard reeled off a list of things he had spotted for her to bring to him. They were going to need everything they could to fend off the bounty hunters. At least, until Atlantis found them, and Sheppard had faith that Atlantis would find them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Livica Ponaes stood quietly behind her father's desk, not noticing Ventur enter the office. He cleared his throat, which brought her out of her thoughts.
"Yes, what is it?"
"Madam, you asked to be notified when an hour had passed. Do you have other orders?"
She absently ran her fingers along a battered, dusty ledger lying on her father's desk, "No; I promised them two hours. I will give them that. They will believe that they have time to hide somewhere that you cannot find them. I want them to have that false hope."
Ventur nodded, "Do not worry, madam; we will find them."
She glared at Ventur, "You best do just that. I hired the lot of you because you are the best trackers in the galaxy. If you fail me, it will be the last regret you ever have.
Ventur bowed slightly, "We will not fail you."
As he left the room, Livica whispered, "My loves, my family, you will soon be revenged."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Shiana had gathered several of the things that Sheppard wanted, and as he was sorting through the items, she returned to her search. Sheppard was whacking off the end of a broom handle to make a lance when she returned. He was breathing shallowly, his hand holding the large knife shaking.
Fearful that he would cut off his arm, she reached out to steady his left hand, only to find his left forearm covered in a warm, sticky substance, blood.
"Colonel, you are bleeding."
He was slow to respond, "Wha…oh," he dropped the knife as he reached with his right hand to touch his bloody arm, "yeah, I guess I am; shot…in the shoulder."
Dropping her head, she took a deep breath before responding, "You've been shot? When did this happen?"
"Got away after hunters…brought us to compound. G-Got shot then."
Shiana began to unzip Sheppard's TAC vest, but he swatted her hand away. She grabbed the edge of his vest. "Stop fighting me, I need to stop the bleeding, or you are no good to me, colonel. Now let me get this vest off."
Sheppard sat quietly, moving when she needed him to until she had his vest and BDU shirt off. She then took the large knife and sliced through the black t-shirt, pulling it away from his body. The metal slug had torn through his shoulder. The entrance wound on his back was ragged, crusted with dried blood, only a small amount of blood oozing from the wound. The exit wound, just below his collarbone was bleeding profusely. She reached for the remnant of his t-shirt, holding it against the wound.
He laid his head against the cubbyholes behind him, a low, deep groan escaping his lips. He visibly steeled himself to speak, "Might be…b-bandage in vest." She rummaged through the pockets, finding another bandage.
"P-pressure bandage…put it…"
"I understand, stop talking, colonel, save your strength. I will take care of this."
She cut his t-shirt up, folding a section into a pad of cloth, then placed the prepared bandage over the exit wound, then wrapped the long ends of the bandage under his arm. She held the folded t-shirt fabric over the entrance wound, then wrapped the bandages ends around a couple of times as snuggly as she felt she could and tying the ends.
"Is that too tight?" she asked in response to his flinching as she tightened the knot securing the bandage.
Sheppard shook his head, "No, just right…"
She felt his chest, "Colonel you are burning up; I do not know what else to do for you."
"It's 'kay, thanks…help me get my shirt on."
Shiana helped him back into his shirt and vest, then gave him another drink of water. He sighed deeply, "Got to get this finished. Had enough rope to put that one knife in a groove I cut in one broom handle. Uh…" he took another breath, "need to finish sharpening this one…we have sledge hammers and axes, a few hammers and some s-screwdrivers. Tuck the screwdrivers in your clothing. If they get too close…use them like knives."
She held out four hunting knives, "I found these, and these." In her hands were several small metal spikes made of some type of lightweight but strong metal, with small flanges on one end. Sheppard took one of the spikes from her, examining it closely.
"Did you see any thin but strong pieces of wood and some sort of flexible cord or string…something with some give to it?
"Not sure about the cord but there are packets of wooden pencils."
"Go get those, and some pliable wire…and see if you can find some cord or something."
While she was hunting for the items, he requested, Sheppard finished hacking a sharp point onto the second broomstick. She returned with several packets of pencils and wire, then returned to search for cord. After she left, Sheppard glanced at his watch, time was running out; it would be daylight soon. He only hoped he could last that long.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Evan Lorne walked into the ready room to find several of Atlantis' younger military personnel waiting impatiently; their restlessness clearly reciprocal to their frustration level. Almost to a soldier and airman, they jumped to their feet as Lorne arrived. Certainly, in deference to the major's rank, but also, in the hope he had some come with news.
"At ease," Lorne told them, adding, "You realized that you can stand down anywhere, you don't have to wait here."
Corporal Rodriguez answered for them all, "We'd rather wait here, sir; closer to the gate. Is there any news, major?"
"I hear you, corporal. Nothing to report at the moment; I just wanted to tell you to stand ready, we are hoping to have a location from Kelore soon. I know you're anxious to go look for the colonel, but right now, we don't have any other information than what you have already been told."
Lorne left the ready room, heading for the control room, where he found Richard Woolsey, McKay, and Carson Beckett leaning on the railing over the gate room. He joined them, "No word yet, sir?
Woolsey shook his head indicating no, causing Beckett to slam his hand down on the railing. "Bugger, the colonel is injured; we have to find him."
Lorne replied, "We will, doc; I can tell you if we don't hear from Kelore soon, I think the Marines are going to take matters into their own hands and start dialing the gate at random. They're getting pretty anxious down there."
"They aren't the only ones, major." McKay uttered.
Richard Woolsey gripped the banister, "If we don't hear anything in the next fifteen minutes, we're dialing Latira for some answers."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"What are you doing, colonel?"
Sheppard looked up at Shiana, a slight chuckle escaping his throat, "I'm…uh…attempting to make a crossbow." When he saw the incredulous look on her face, "A buddy of mine, Digger,…taught me how to make a mini-crossbow, not sure I rem…ember everything. D-did you find some cord?"
She held out her hand, "I don't know if this will work, but it is all that I can find." She was holding a spool of white cording, which looked liked elastic, "It's quite stretchy."
He took the spool and pulled on the cording, "Not bad, Shiana; think this will work."
They sat in silence for a few moments, as Sheppard wound wire around pencils and formed the shape of a crossbow. Once he was ready for the cord, Shiana cut off a piece and helped him stretch it across the bow. When he was satisfied that it was ready, he reached for one of the metal spikes. Positioning the spike on bow, he aimed the small bow toward a sack, about three feet away that appeared to be filled with something soft, and fired. The metal spike flew away from the bow and impaled the sack.
"It works!" Shiana kept her voice down, but her enthusiasm was evident.
Sheppard shifted his position, sitting up a bit straighter, wincing as he put pressure on his left shoulder. "Remind…me to send Digger a box of cigars. This is will only work…if the hunters are close…not a lot of power."
"What else do we need to do?"
"Did you stash all that stuff…where I told…you?" Shiana answered yes, and he continued, "Then nothing…I want you to stay out of sight. Let them think we split up. You need…to stay alive, uh…until Atlantis comes."
"No, I am not allowing you to die for me."
"Watch out…you're beginning to sound like you don't…hate me anymore."
"Keep dreaming, colonel. I told you, you're my best protection, but I will not allow you to defend me. I will defend myself."
"Shiana…"
"It is settled, colonel."
With that cryptic statement, Shiana rose and headed toward the front of the store. As she walked away, the word enigma floated through his mind concerning her. She had been unswerving in her disdain for him, since they had first met. That first meeting was when she had him, and his team captured and put on trial for crimes against the people of Pegasus. The ensuing months had brought them together on a few occasions, and she made it perfectly clear that she still held him responsible for everything that had gone wrong in Pegasus; he suspected since the dawn of time.
Resting his head against the cabinet, he wondered if the last few hours had changed her. She had been attentive to his injuries and more than cooperative in helping him plan for their defense. He knew that she still had the option that Livica offered her, she could turn him over to the hunters in exchange for her own life. Time would tell which Shiana he would be dealing with when the bounty hunters arrived.
The one thing Sheppard did know was that he was hanging on by a thread. He was dizzy, burning up, in enormous pain, and concentrating was becoming increasingly difficult. Part of him was hoping that if the bounty hunters were going to find them, that they'd do it quickly. He didn't know how much time he had.
Shiana's return startled him, and he raised his hand; knife clenched in his palm. She grabbed his arm, pushing the knife away. "Colonel, daylight is breaking; we must get ready."
End of Chapter 3
Chapter 4
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 Three The Hunted
Richard Woolsey was pacing the length of the observation room that overlooked the detention area, where the interrogation of the four men taken from the fortress was underway. The jumpers had returned less than an hour before, and Lorne wasted no time before beginning to question them.
"You are going to wear a path in floor, Richard." Kelore, Coalition council member from Latira was leaning against the railing along the glass wall.
Woolsey sighed and walked over to stand next to the Latiran. "I will admit to being worried. Beckett is quite concerned that Colonel Sheppard is badly injured; there was a lot of blood in that truck. If Sheppard is injured, then possibly, he cannot protect Shiana. Unless I'm mistaken, I don't believe she is trained to handle a situation like this."
Kelore grimaced, "No; she is not. If it was a battle of sharp wits, these kidnappers wanted, I wouldn't be worried. However, as for her defending herself; I, too, am concerned."
They were silent a moment as they watched Lorne, Sergeant Johnston, and Sergeant Mehra questioned one of the guards. Mehra had been standing against a wall, as Lorne repeatedly asked who was running the operation. A subtle movement of Lorne's head and in seconds, Mehra was behind the guard, her forearm around his neck, her free hand pinning his torso against the chair. Sergeant Johnston, the mountain of Marine and easily the most intimidating thing in the room, didn't move a muscle. He simply stood ramrod straight next to Lorne.
Kelore chuckled, "I realized that this is not an amusing situation, but I have to say, if I were that young man, I would be more frightened of the female soldier than the males. She is quite formidable."
"You do not even know, Kelore. Sergeant Mehra is Marine Special Ops, and even Colonel Sheppard finds her a bit intimidating. However, he manages to keep her in line; I actually think she is a more than a bit intimidated by him. I suspect that if we left her in a room unattended with these guards, we would have the information we need rather quickly."
"Then, why don't you let her do just that?"
Woolsey's head jerked around to look at Kelore, "This from a man who accused Atlantis of acting before we considered the consequences?"
Kelore's left eyebrow raised and his head tilted, "Well, Richard, there are times."
Ten minutes later, Lorne joined them in the observation room. "Mr. Woolsey, we have a bit of information. We know that Colonel Sheppard and Council member Shiana were taken off-world, and one of the prisoners confirmed that the colonel is injured; how badly, he didn't know."
Kelore asked, "Any indication of who is behind this?"
"One of them said that 'she' organized the entire plan, but that he didn't know her name; he said they only knew her as 'madam'. We haven't been able to get anything out of the others yet."
"Then, we're nowhere," Woolsey remarked, a dejected note in his voice. "Major, I don't have to tell you, not only is the fact that Colonel Sheppard is missing a serious situation, but a member of the Pegasus Coalition Council is also missing. We need to find them."
Lorne replied, hesitantly, "About that, Mr. Woolsey; I realize that Colonel Sheppard fully believes in applying the Geneva Convention in Pegasus. However, you and I both know that he colonel is also a practical man. He does what has to be done. Ronon has offered his services and I believe, if we allowed Sergeant Mehra to speak privately with the youngest of the guards, we'll gain the intel we need. He's pretty scared of her."
Woolsey glanced at Kelore, who grinned ever so slightly, then answered Lorne, "Major; I trust your judgment. Proceed as you see fit." Lorne spun around to leave, stopping as Woolsey added, "I'm not certain if I should request that you remind Ronon or Mehra not to injure anyone. Perhaps you should remind them both."
Lorne attempted, with little success, to stifle a grin, "Yes, sir."
Woolsey watched the major leave, commenting as he left, "Yes, Kelore; there are times."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Shiana had lost count of how many times they had stumbled and fallen over debris. Light was almost non-existent; a small distant moon provided only the dimmest illumination. She was aware that they needed to keep moving, but Sheppard was ill; she kept coaxing him along.
They had been moving for nearly twenty minutes she estimated, and if she needed a rest, she was certain that Sheppard did. She halted, finding herself needing to support him to keep him on his feet.
"Colonel, you need to rest, there is a doorway; let us go inside there for a bit."
Sheppard didn't argue, and she steered him toward the door. They both stumbled over a piece of broken furniture that was lying across the opening, but managed to get inside. She held him steady as he slid to the floor, lying on his right side.
"Colonel, do you have any water?"
"C-Canteen, pocket of…vest," he replied, his voice weak.
She slid her fingers along the pockets until she felt what she thought was a water bottle. Pulling it out, she unscrewed the cap, and supported Sheppard's head as he took a sip.
"Colonel, you are burning up; I suspect you must have an infection. Do you have any medications with you."
"N-no…just some Advil…right side pocket."
"Advil?"
"Pain meds."
She rummaged again, finding the pill packet. She ripped the package open, giving Sheppard the two pills with another sip of water.
He struggled to talk, "Listen, leave me here; you can move much q-quicker with…out me. At-lantis will come, find you; you just need to stay hidden."
Shiana closed her eyes, "I am not leaving you behind, colonel. Isn't that what you have always said, you don't leave people behind? That's what you told us when you explained why you woke up the Wraith."
"Yeah…that's…yeah, leave no one behind…but you should go…g-get away."
"So the rule applies unless it is you to be left behind, colonel?"
Sheppard sighed, "Yeah…that's it."
Shiana replied, "Well, sick or not; I think my chances are better with you than without you. We have only been traveling for about thirty minutes, Livica said it was two hours until sunrise. We have some time to get further away."
His voice almost in a whisper, Sheppard said, "No…I believe she will think we'll get as far…away as we can. I also don't trust that she'll…give us t-that much…time. What we need to do is locate somewhere…defensible and find some weapons; you up to doing a little sco-scouting around?"
"Yes, what should I look for?"
"Find a place with a couple of ways out, d-don't want to get trapped, better somewhere with a front…and back staircase, where we have a vantage point. Look for anything…we can use as weapons. Bounty hunters are smart, military training…might think like me. The best thing is to find an unlikely place to hide, closer…than they think we'll hide."
"I understand; you rest; I'll look around for fifteen minutes, then return." Before she left, she gave him another sip of water. Scouting around the room, she found a strong wooden pole that had been broken into a short piece.
"Colonel, here is a short, sturdy stick, it has a pointed end; might be useful as a weapon." She pressed the pole into his hand. "Slide over a bit; you will be out of what little light there is. I will be back as quickly as I can." Without another word, Shiana slipped out into the street.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Woolsey and Kelore had gone to the director's office to wait for word from Lorne. They were on their second cup of coffee when Lorne rushed into the room.
"Major, do you have some information?"
"Yes, sir; we still don't have a name. I don't think any of these guys ever knew her name, but we do have something. The young guy, Raeder, Mehra questioned was in a refugee camp for a while, after the Replicators attacked his planet. He said he recognized this 'madam' as a woman who was searching all the camps for people from her planet. He said someone referred to her as a refugee coordinator; she was trying to find a planet where all of her people could relocate. He never saw her again until she showed up at the compound. Raeder joined the bounty hunters several months ago, and had been at the compound for a week. The one thing we do know is that her planet was attacked by the Wraith and the Replicators at the same time."
Woolsey asked, "Do you think that this woman has taken them to her home world to extract revenge on them?"
Lorne nodded, "Yes, sir; I believe she may have, but where? I understand that she may want revenge on Colonel Sheppard, but why would she take Shiana?"
Kelore spoke, "Shiana attempted to exert revenge on Atlantis but her efforts failed, major. This woman may feel Shiana failed her as well. Let me return to Latira City; after we formed the Coalition, we kept a registry of the people who were looking for others from their planets. After the fall of the Wraith, the process became quite organized. Perhaps I can find out who she is, and where her planet is located." He left Woolsey's office with his aide and Captain Herus; within seconds, the stargate activated.
As the Latirans departed for Latira, Rodney and Teyla, joined the group in Woolsey' office. Woolsey caught them up on the developments.
Rodney asked, "Why would this woman want Sheppard and Shiana? I mean; they can't stand each other, why would she kidnap them?"
Teyla answered, "Rodney; I believe that this woman may have a grudge against the colonel and the Coalition. Perhaps, she blames John for what happened to her planet and Shiana for not exacting revenge on Atlantis."
"Lorne, do you think you can learn any further information from these prisoners?"
"Don't know, sir; we'll try." Lorne departed, with Ronon on his heels, leaving Woolsey, Rodney, and Teyla sitting in silence.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Sheppard was instantly alert at the slight scraping sound nearby, gripping the pole Shiana left tightly. His heart was pounding and he was burning up, but he was ready to defend himself, if he needed to do so.
"Colonel, it's me."
He relaxed slightly, whispering, "Shiana."
"Yes; I think I may have found a place that will work. It is not far, can you walk?"
"Yeah, just want to sit up for a moment." Using his right arm, Sheppard pushed himself into a sitting position, "Did…you see anyone?"
"No, it is very quiet; if they are watching us, I couldn't tell."
"Doubt…they a-are; more…sporting, this way. What did you find?" Sheppard was shivering, his teeth chattering.
I found a store; there is a lot of construction equipment inside. You told me to look for things that we could use as weapons. This shop is full of things that I think will work. Can you walk, colonel?"
"Yeah, no problem," he pushed away from the floor, but was too weak and fell back. "O-kay, problem…just…give me a second."
Shiana kneeled next to him and wrapped his right arm around her shoulders. "We need to move now, colonel. I imagine we have some tasks to accomplish once we get there. I will support you." Struggling, she managed to get the considerably heavier colonel on his feet. Once stable, she carefully led him over the debris and into the street.
The building they were heading was around the corner from their original hideout, and across another debris-strewn street. Sheppard fell twice, but Shiana forced him to stand up. After the second fall, she winced in pain as she felt the muscles in her back pull sharply as she helped him up. Ignoring the pain, she pushed him forward toward their next hiding place. They had walked for a while when Shiana stopped, causing Sheppard to stumble. He fell against a building wall, preventing himself from falling.
"Colonel, I am so sorry. I stopped because I wasn't certain if I was taking us in the right direction.
"Okay…it's hard to see…are we headed the right way?"
"Yes, I believe I see the doorway just ahead, come on." Shiana took his arm, and they continued to walk. Within a few moments, she stopped in front of a glass door, which was miraculously intact.
She gently pressed Sheppard against the wall of the building. "Stay here, colonel; let me open the door. I have to clear some boards away; I didn't want it to look like anyone had been in here."
Shiana moved some boards and a piece of concrete, and pushed open the door. She reached for Sheppard, and led him inside.
Through the dim light spilling from a huge window across the storefront, Sheppard noted a wooded counter along the back wall, running nearly the width of the large store. He could barely make out a stairway at the far back of the store, and a doorway leading toward what he supposed was a storeroom. As he got his bearings, he realized his heart was beating rapidly. He just wasn't certain if it was from the infection or from the fact that there were hammers, axes, shovels, screwdrivers, all kinds of things that they could use to defend themselves. The only problem that he foresaw was the fact there was nothing to stop bullets. He called to Shiana.
"You did good, there are things…we can use as weapons here." He turned to slip behind the counter and became dizzy, nearly falling.
"Colonel, let's get you to the back of the store. There are tarps back there; you need to lie down."
"No, need to get ready," he gripped the counter to stay upright.
"No, you need to lie down; I will bring you what you need." Shiana pulled him away from the counter, toward the back of the store.
A cupboard stood against the back wall under the staircase, its cubbyholes full of canvas-like tarps. Shiana pulled a few out of the bins, throwing them onto the floor. She then helped him sit down, pulling one of the tarps over him.
"How are you feeling?" She asked as she tucked the tarp around him.
"Why?"
"What do you mean?"
"Why are you helping me? I don't think…you like me very much, so why?"
Shiana sighed, "Every time I look at you, colonel, I see the faces of my husband and children as they died. I have good reason not to 'like you very much.' However, I believe in justice, even though I desire revenge. I had you brought before the Coalition tribunal so that you would be punished by the Coalition after a fair trial. You won, colonel, a fact that was difficult for me to comprehend. You caused the death of my family, yet you walk free."
She reached into the pocket of his vest holding the water bottle, and offered him a sip; then took a small sip herself and continued. "I am a pragmatic person; I cannot change past events. I had to make a decision to go forward and try to make this galaxy a better place for those who are left."
"Noble words, Shiana."
"Not so noble; don't think for a moment that I still do not desire to kill you myself. However, at this moment, you are my best choice for getting out of here. I will resume plotting how to kill you once we are safe, colonel."
In the pale light, Sheppard believed he saw a slight smile on her face. He replied, "Nice to know I have something to look forward to once we get out of here."
She didn't respond to his comment, just returned to the matter at hand, "What should we do first?"
Sheppard reeled off a list of things he had spotted for her to bring to him. They were going to need everything they could to fend off the bounty hunters. At least, until Atlantis found them, and Sheppard had faith that Atlantis would find them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Livica Ponaes stood quietly behind her father's desk, not noticing Ventur enter the office. He cleared his throat, which brought her out of her thoughts.
"Yes, what is it?"
"Madam, you asked to be notified when an hour had passed. Do you have other orders?"
She absently ran her fingers along a battered, dusty ledger lying on her father's desk, "No; I promised them two hours. I will give them that. They will believe that they have time to hide somewhere that you cannot find them. I want them to have that false hope."
Ventur nodded, "Do not worry, madam; we will find them."
She glared at Ventur, "You best do just that. I hired the lot of you because you are the best trackers in the galaxy. If you fail me, it will be the last regret you ever have.
Ventur bowed slightly, "We will not fail you."
As he left the room, Livica whispered, "My loves, my family, you will soon be revenged."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Shiana had gathered several of the things that Sheppard wanted, and as he was sorting through the items, she returned to her search. Sheppard was whacking off the end of a broom handle to make a lance when she returned. He was breathing shallowly, his hand holding the large knife shaking.
Fearful that he would cut off his arm, she reached out to steady his left hand, only to find his left forearm covered in a warm, sticky substance, blood.
"Colonel, you are bleeding."
He was slow to respond, "Wha…oh," he dropped the knife as he reached with his right hand to touch his bloody arm, "yeah, I guess I am; shot…in the shoulder."
Dropping her head, she took a deep breath before responding, "You've been shot? When did this happen?"
"Got away after hunters…brought us to compound. G-Got shot then."
Shiana began to unzip Sheppard's TAC vest, but he swatted her hand away. She grabbed the edge of his vest. "Stop fighting me, I need to stop the bleeding, or you are no good to me, colonel. Now let me get this vest off."
Sheppard sat quietly, moving when she needed him to until she had his vest and BDU shirt off. She then took the large knife and sliced through the black t-shirt, pulling it away from his body. The metal slug had torn through his shoulder. The entrance wound on his back was ragged, crusted with dried blood, only a small amount of blood oozing from the wound. The exit wound, just below his collarbone was bleeding profusely. She reached for the remnant of his t-shirt, holding it against the wound.
He laid his head against the cubbyholes behind him, a low, deep groan escaping his lips. He visibly steeled himself to speak, "Might be…b-bandage in vest." She rummaged through the pockets, finding another bandage.
"P-pressure bandage…put it…"
"I understand, stop talking, colonel, save your strength. I will take care of this."
She cut his t-shirt up, folding a section into a pad of cloth, then placed the prepared bandage over the exit wound, then wrapped the long ends of the bandage under his arm. She held the folded t-shirt fabric over the entrance wound, then wrapped the bandages ends around a couple of times as snuggly as she felt she could and tying the ends.
"Is that too tight?" she asked in response to his flinching as she tightened the knot securing the bandage.
Sheppard shook his head, "No, just right…"
She felt his chest, "Colonel you are burning up; I do not know what else to do for you."
"It's 'kay, thanks…help me get my shirt on."
Shiana helped him back into his shirt and vest, then gave him another drink of water. He sighed deeply, "Got to get this finished. Had enough rope to put that one knife in a groove I cut in one broom handle. Uh…" he took another breath, "need to finish sharpening this one…we have sledge hammers and axes, a few hammers and some s-screwdrivers. Tuck the screwdrivers in your clothing. If they get too close…use them like knives."
She held out four hunting knives, "I found these, and these." In her hands were several small metal spikes made of some type of lightweight but strong metal, with small flanges on one end. Sheppard took one of the spikes from her, examining it closely.
"Did you see any thin but strong pieces of wood and some sort of flexible cord or string…something with some give to it?
"Not sure about the cord but there are packets of wooden pencils."
"Go get those, and some pliable wire…and see if you can find some cord or something."
While she was hunting for the items, he requested, Sheppard finished hacking a sharp point onto the second broomstick. She returned with several packets of pencils and wire, then returned to search for cord. After she left, Sheppard glanced at his watch, time was running out; it would be daylight soon. He only hoped he could last that long.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Evan Lorne walked into the ready room to find several of Atlantis' younger military personnel waiting impatiently; their restlessness clearly reciprocal to their frustration level. Almost to a soldier and airman, they jumped to their feet as Lorne arrived. Certainly, in deference to the major's rank, but also, in the hope he had some come with news.
"At ease," Lorne told them, adding, "You realized that you can stand down anywhere, you don't have to wait here."
Corporal Rodriguez answered for them all, "We'd rather wait here, sir; closer to the gate. Is there any news, major?"
"I hear you, corporal. Nothing to report at the moment; I just wanted to tell you to stand ready, we are hoping to have a location from Kelore soon. I know you're anxious to go look for the colonel, but right now, we don't have any other information than what you have already been told."
Lorne left the ready room, heading for the control room, where he found Richard Woolsey, McKay, and Carson Beckett leaning on the railing over the gate room. He joined them, "No word yet, sir?
Woolsey shook his head indicating no, causing Beckett to slam his hand down on the railing. "Bugger, the colonel is injured; we have to find him."
Lorne replied, "We will, doc; I can tell you if we don't hear from Kelore soon, I think the Marines are going to take matters into their own hands and start dialing the gate at random. They're getting pretty anxious down there."
"They aren't the only ones, major." McKay uttered.
Richard Woolsey gripped the banister, "If we don't hear anything in the next fifteen minutes, we're dialing Latira for some answers."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"What are you doing, colonel?"
Sheppard looked up at Shiana, a slight chuckle escaping his throat, "I'm…uh…attempting to make a crossbow." When he saw the incredulous look on her face, "A buddy of mine, Digger,…taught me how to make a mini-crossbow, not sure I rem…ember everything. D-did you find some cord?"
She held out her hand, "I don't know if this will work, but it is all that I can find." She was holding a spool of white cording, which looked liked elastic, "It's quite stretchy."
He took the spool and pulled on the cording, "Not bad, Shiana; think this will work."
They sat in silence for a few moments, as Sheppard wound wire around pencils and formed the shape of a crossbow. Once he was ready for the cord, Shiana cut off a piece and helped him stretch it across the bow. When he was satisfied that it was ready, he reached for one of the metal spikes. Positioning the spike on bow, he aimed the small bow toward a sack, about three feet away that appeared to be filled with something soft, and fired. The metal spike flew away from the bow and impaled the sack.
"It works!" Shiana kept her voice down, but her enthusiasm was evident.
Sheppard shifted his position, sitting up a bit straighter, wincing as he put pressure on his left shoulder. "Remind…me to send Digger a box of cigars. This is will only work…if the hunters are close…not a lot of power."
"What else do we need to do?"
"Did you stash all that stuff…where I told…you?" Shiana answered yes, and he continued, "Then nothing…I want you to stay out of sight. Let them think we split up. You need…to stay alive, uh…until Atlantis comes."
"No, I am not allowing you to die for me."
"Watch out…you're beginning to sound like you don't…hate me anymore."
"Keep dreaming, colonel. I told you, you're my best protection, but I will not allow you to defend me. I will defend myself."
"Shiana…"
"It is settled, colonel."
With that cryptic statement, Shiana rose and headed toward the front of the store. As she walked away, the word enigma floated through his mind concerning her. She had been unswerving in her disdain for him, since they had first met. That first meeting was when she had him, and his team captured and put on trial for crimes against the people of Pegasus. The ensuing months had brought them together on a few occasions, and she made it perfectly clear that she still held him responsible for everything that had gone wrong in Pegasus; he suspected since the dawn of time.
Resting his head against the cabinet, he wondered if the last few hours had changed her. She had been attentive to his injuries and more than cooperative in helping him plan for their defense. He knew that she still had the option that Livica offered her, she could turn him over to the hunters in exchange for her own life. Time would tell which Shiana he would be dealing with when the bounty hunters arrived.
The one thing Sheppard did know was that he was hanging on by a thread. He was dizzy, burning up, in enormous pain, and concentrating was becoming increasingly difficult. Part of him was hoping that if the bounty hunters were going to find them, that they'd do it quickly. He didn't know how much time he had.
Shiana's return startled him, and he raised his hand; knife clenched in his palm. She grabbed his arm, pushing the knife away. "Colonel, daylight is breaking; we must get ready."
End of Chapter 3
Chapter 4