TEAM PLAY: pass the buck, "Playing for Keeps"
Title: Playing for Keeps
Author: mandykaysfic
Team: Play
Prompt: pass the buck
Pairing(s): McKay/Sheppard
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: implied dub-con between minor OCs, slave rescue
Notes: I'm obviously grateful (in more ways than one) to my betas half_elf_lost and polly_b. I appreciate your help. Also thanks to my fellow Team Play members, shakespherical for the title, and the McShep Match organisers.
Summary: The game is K'nada. The prize is possession of one of Okonna's bucks for one week. When Rodney is given over to Okonna, his best hope at rescue lies not with his team's more usual modus operandi, but with John's skill at cards.
Once you've read the story, please take a moment to vote in the poll below. Ratings go from 1 (low) to 9 (high), so all you need to do is enter a single number in that range into each text entry box. You'll be able to see the Prompt and Team (Genre) information in the header above.
More details about the voting procedure can be found here.
**
The inn was like no other they'd visited so far. For one, it was brightly lit, and for another, it looked more like a small scale gaming room that would be more at home in Las Vegas. Sheppard blinked at the green felt covering the semi-circular tables. He couldn't read the words printed in front of each place, but the small rectangular outlines surely couldn't be mistaken for anything other than places for playing cards.
"You're too early."
"Too early?" Sheppard studied the man behind the bar, who kept on polishing and stacking glasses.
"Does aren't for another three nights."
"Are we after does, Teyla?" he asked nonchalantly, hoping she knew what the man meant and he hadn’t given away the fact he didn't.
Teyla stepped up to the bar. "And why do you think we would be needing a doe?"
The man dropped his towel and raised his hands. "My apologies, Lady. I just thought with two of them and one of you, you'd be needing to balance things up. Being as it's bucks' night tonight, and with you already having two bucks. Of course, that one’s getting past his prime and a third buck would add much to the..." he trailed off and hastily rearranged his features as Ronon and Sheppard stepped up to flank Teyla. “I can see I was wrong. Perhaps you've heard of the Fixer and want to try your luck to win him. A Lady like yourself would surely have many items of interest to him.”
“The Fixer?”
“Okonna's newest buck. He fixes things.”
Teyla turned and exchanged glances with Sheppard and Ronon. "I believe we are in the market for another buck."
"I've just acquired two first sitting places at Okonna's table for tonight. Normally, I would offer them to the first of the second sitters, but to make amends for my misunderstanding, I would be pleased to offer them to you." Business-like he continued, "You do understand Okonna's terms: the buck's term of service is strictly for one week and must be returned in the same state in which you received him. You are not permitted to inflict permanent damage." He rattled off the remaining conditions.
"Are we permitted to inspect the bucks before this evening?"
"No, Lady. Okonna doesn't permit that. Besides, which buck becomes yours will depend on the play of the cards, will it not? Now, how many places shall I reserve for you tonight?"
"It doesn't matter which of us plays? Then one will be sufficient," said Teyla when he shook his head.
"It is K'nada we'll be playing." Ronon sought confirmation.
"Standard K'nada. Is that a problem?"
"No, no problem."
"We shall return tonight," said Teyla and led the way out.
"It's got to be McKay. Who else would be known as the Fixer? This is the closest we've come to finding him," said Sheppard once they were alone. "We should see if we can find where this Okonna keeps his 'bucks'. If Rodney is one of them, maybe we can break him out before tonight."
"And if we cannot? Someone will have to play to win him." Teyla looked pointedly at Ronon. “I'm only an average player.
"What's this K'nada anyway?"
"It's like your poker. You place bets. Best hand wins," explained Ronon.
"I'll play," said John firmly. "Ronon, you get me up to speed with how this game works. Teyla, see if you can find out whether this Fixer matches Rodney's description. You might also want to find out how much is typically bet and make sure we've got enough of whatever currency is needed."
Teyla nodded. "Very well. I suggest you get us a room. We are supposed to return the buck after one week. This way it will appear as though we are planning to stay at least that long. It will also give you somewhere for Ronon to teach you the finer points of K'nada."
Sheppard approved. It would make their cover stronger. It would also give them a little time and privacy to deal with whatever means Okonna used to keep his bucks under his control. "You'd better come with us to check out the room. After all, you're the one apparently wanting another buck.”
They were unable to procure a ground floor room, but the large upstairs room with private bathroom and balcony in a nearby inn suited them well.
"Not quite a Gideon Bible," murmured Sheppard when Ronon pulled a pack of cards from the bedside drawer. He shook his head at Ronon's quizzical look and sighed. Rodney would have appreciated the joke. Teyla had barely left the room before they set two chairs on either side of the table by the window.
Ronon shuffled the cards and laid them out in their suits so John could examine them. Sixty-two cards, five suits of twelve, two wild cards. Ideally played with six people. He began calculating odds as Ronon explained the values of the cards.
"I can't believe we've never come across this before."
"We're usually participating in some ritual or fighting for our lives."
"True. But you've never taught it to anyone on Atlantis."
"Never thought about it. Now, watch while I play out a game." Ronon dealt the cards face up so John could follow, then he bet for each hand in turn.
As the game progressed, John realized Ronon had been hiding his talents at their various poker games. The Marines simply thought he was lucky. By the time Teyla returned, they'd progressed from the simple two handed version, to the four-handed game and were engaged in a confusing epic battle by playing three hands each.
"Lorne bets four," announced John, and picked out four small black stones from a pile in front of one set of cards.
"Cadman negates."
"Cadman always negates. She'd kill you if she knew how badly you played her hands."
"I can't help it if she always gets the weakest cards," said Ronon, not sorry at all.
"Do you want in next time, Teyla?" offered John. "Maybe you can take over being Cadman. She might have more luck."
"I will play, but don't you want to hear my news?"
John and Ronon turned from the cards and gave Teyla their full attention.
"Okonna keeps a stable of twelve 'bucks' and twelve 'does'. He hires them out on a weekly basis, but rather than charging a set fee, those wishing to utilize their services must win a hand of K'nada. It nets him considerably more wealth than simply charging a fee for service or hiring them as any other businessman would. He keeps only those who are sought after for their looks or talents."
"What about Rodney?"
"He is undoubtedly the one known as the Fixer. I was able to get a most detailed description from a woman who had the pleasure of his services two weeks ago."
John flinched.
"I am so sorry, John. While Reyna enthused about how he'd repaired her generator, made her lights shine more brightly and done something so that her water ran more cleanly than it had since she first purchased her home, it is likely others will have required more personal services from Rodney. The majority of Okonna's stable are reputed to be purchased for solely physical reasons." With every word, she watched John's expression tighten and close down. His personal relationship with Rodney was barely six months old. "Reyna is the matriarch of a family of 'useless females', as she put it. She was delighted with Rodney's facility with mechanics and did not require anything else from him."
"Nothing but slavery," rumbled Ronon. "We have to get McKay out as soon as possible."
“Okonna keeps his stable in a reputably impenetrable castle some distance away. They are kept there for a short period between each hiring. It would be difficult to overwhelm the castle's defences with such short notice.”
“Enough C4 ought to do it.”
Teyla shook her head. “I believe it would be better to win Rodney's services for a week, or failing that, take him from whoever does. I was not able to find out exactly how Okonna controls his stable and ensures their return. In the past, those who were not returned at the correct time suffered great pain and then died.”
“Drugs?” wondered John.
“There are no indications Okonna procures drugs or the ingredients necessary to manufacture them, and Reyna says none behave as though under the influence.”
“Then an implant of some kind.”
“Possibly."
John stared at the cards as he considered their options. While he itched to use guns and a large amount of C4, Teyla's recommendations would seem to have the greatest chance of successfully extracting Rodney. "Let's play to win. Ronon, start a new game. Teyla, you're Cadman and yourself. I'll keep Lorne. Ronon's got Zelenka. Watch him. I'm sure the wily Czech cheats even when he's not really here."
~ ~ ~
Sheppard's team entered the inn some thirty minutes before Okonna's game was due to begin. The place was crowded. People were there to ogle slaves as much as watch the game, and Okonna had a well-established reputation as something of a showman.
The bartender from the morning was acting as host. He hurried over to greet Teyla and show her to her assigned place, second from one end of the gaming table. She indicated Sheppard would be playing for her.
A young woman sauntered up. "Farson! You're not behind the bar. Where's Pellman?"
"Haven't you heard? The baby arrived not long ago. He's home celebrating."
"Ooh! Boy or girl? And how's Delia doing, do you know?"
"One of each, hence the celebration. Delia's fine."
"That's wonderful. I'll be sure to visit tomorrow." She eyed Ronon. "You're new," she said, not wasting time on greetings.
"Your seat is here, Shona. These people are all new tonight." Farson indicated that Ronon and John were with Teyla, looking as if he hoped to head off an incident if Teyla should take offense at Shona's forwardness.
"Excellent. Drinks for the four of us, Farson. We will get acquainted while we wait for Okonna." She handed Farson some coins. "For tonight." When he left, she turned to Teyla.
"Welcome, strangers. I'm Shona."
"Greetings, Shona. I'm Teyla. This is Ronon and John is next to you."
Shona eyed Teyla and grinned. "So you're here for a buck. Okonna's are the best. They're worth every bit. Energy and staying power like you wouldn’t believe." She turned to John when she felt him straighten at her words. She opened her mouth to say something, but thought the better of it when she saw the expression on his face.
"So we have heard," said Teyla smoothly. "Have you previously won the services of a buck?" Only Ronon and Sheppard were aware how distasteful Teyla found saying those words.
"It's the first time I've managed a first sitter. I've been a second at the tenth twice and once at seventh, but I haven't had the good fortune to win. I'm hoping my luck changes tonight."
While Shona chatted freely with Teyla, John checked out the rest of the players he'd be up against. Two more were women. Seated second from the other end of the table was another man. The chair on John's right remained empty until moments before the game began, when a woman slid into place next to him. He had just enough time to take in the striking platinum colored hair coiled at the nape of her neck when the lights flared and a man stepped onto the dais in front of the table.
He glittered. Jewels adorned his ears. Jewels sparkled on his hands. Gaudy gold shone against his chest where his shirt was open almost to his waist. And there were sequins. Lots of sequins. John shuddered to think of Rodney in this man's possession. He leaned back into his chair in relief when Marron, the self-proclaimed manager for Okonna introduced himself. John's hackles rose when Okonna came out and joined him.
Dressed in black, Okonna could have been taken for an executive officer from any large company back home. He produced a deck of cards from his pocket and the players at the table had an unobstructed view as he broke the seal. Okonna stood to one side and shuffled as Marron called for the first buck.
Not Rodney. John was relieved. He'd hoped for at least one round to get a feel for the game. The young man in his early twenties entered the room through a gap in a curtained off doorway. Dressed in close-fitting, deep brown leather trousers and jerkin, he joined Okonna and Marron. Shona, it seemed, was very happy with the fit of the slave's trousers, and she uttered a quick prayer to her god for luck.
Okonna handed the deck and a silver statue of a rearing buck to the first player and solemnly wished her luck. Shona bit her lip as she examined her cards. John displayed his best poker face as he mentally uttered a curse. He'd been dealt a potentially winning hand. As he wasn’t playing for Rodney he'd have to negate. Players were only permitted to win one buck, then they had to cede their place at the table to the next person. He exchanged his two best cards, thankfully accepting two lower valued cards in their place and matched the bet of the third player. Shona also took two cards and after a pause, raised the stakes. The dealer took a single card for herself and raised them again.
The game continued until the fourth pass, when the other man negated. John thankfully followed his lead. The first buck eventually went to the woman in the third seat. She and her buck departed to a flurry of catcalls and congratulations after she'd signed the contract Okonna smoothly placed in front of her.
Marron swept the pile of coins into a bag and with an obsequious bow, handed it to Okonna, who locked it into a box. He produced another pack of cards and again shuffled them as the second buck appeared. Copper colored hair fell almost to this man's buttocks and once again Shona practically swooned. When he posed, his chest muscles rippled beneath his brown leather jerkin while the side lacings of his trousers let players and watchers catch glimpses of dark markings on the skin of his bare hips. The silver buck and the new cards were given along one position to the other man. A woman sporting a tattoo above her left eyebrow took the vacant seat.
This time John's hand gave him a little more food for thought. It was a fair enough poker hand, but the presence of the fifth suit altered the odds. His calculations became moot when Shona pulled a rare double joker on the second pass and won outright. Okonna was probably the only one in the room not happy with her win; it was a paltry amount for one of his more popular bucks. His lips curled in a thin smile as he handed the contract to Shona. She certainly didn’t notice as she gave Marron more than enough money to buy the other players the obligatory round of drinks that came with that pair of cards.
At the end of the first six hands, Marron called a brief recess. Sheppard’s team held a quiet consultation. Ronon surreptitiously handed over another purse of coins. He’d disappeared after the third hand played out. While he’d had no luck discovering where the bucks were being held, he’d found some of the rowdier elements of town and had arm-wrestled and knife-thrown his way to several profitable victories. John breathed a sigh of relief. The stakes had increased more than they’d anticipated and if Rodney ended up being the twelfth buck, John would be at a financial disadvantage in comparison with the later second sitters. A bell rang and the players took their seats once more.
John and the woman on his right were the only two left of the first sitters. He was convinced she had negated at least two of her hands, probably waiting for a particular buck. Engrossed in brooding over his theory, he almost missed Rodney’s entrance. John was hard pressed to maintain his poker face. Dressed in what was obviously a buck’s uniform, Rodney looked good. A little thinner, a lot unhappier as evinced by his tightly pressed lips and even more than usual downturned mouth, but he seemed uninjured and healthy. At a word from Marron, he bared his teeth in a grimace. John nearly grimaced back in response, but a sudden movement to his right caught his eye. Madam Platinum, as he’d dubbed her, straightened in her seat and smoothed her hair. She was after Rodney.
‘The Fixer’ could be heard throughout the crowd. A woman’s high pitched voice called out that Rodney could fix her any time. An argument almost became physical when someone suggested the local council get priority on the Fixer’s services. The councillor who’d spoken up was told to apply for a place in the game, same as everyone else. Reyna, Teyla’s acquaintance of the morning, promptly disputed the idea of the council gambling. Okonna ordered Marron to get things under control, but he appeared satisfied at the interest in his newest buck.
John maintained his conservative pattern of play for two passes, bidding just high enough to keep himself in the game as he formulated a plan. Madam Platinum favored the same method of play. His cards were all middle value and none of his substitutions had proved helpful. He’d have to bluff as he’d never bluffed before. The woman next to the dealer took one card and quickly trebled the stakes. The tattooed woman in the third seat sighed as she negated. Madam Platinum also took one card and matched the new stakes. John’s stomach clenched, then a wave of calm passed through him. Suddenly, he knew he could do this. He forced himself to relax and exuding confidence, signalled he’d keep his cards. He then matched the stakes and tripled them.
After another pass in which John doubled the stakes, the dealer examined the contents of her purse and negated. Madam Platinum shot John a look from the corner of her eye and also doubled the stakes. He barely waited for the coins to settle before upping the ante again. On John’s left, the man who’d taken Shona’s seat calmly matched John’s bet, but reluctantly negated on the next pass, as did the woman who’d first tripled the stakes.
Silence reigned as Madam Platinum and John faced off. He hadn’t dared look at Rodney again. He knew it was unlikely that Rodney, stuck under a spotlight, had seen him clearly, but there was a chance he’d noticed Ronon’s distinctive silhouette. John sent reassuring thoughts in Rodney's direction, all while wishing for a little mutant telepathy.
It was Madam Platinum’s turn. Everyone knew that how she played would determine the outcome of the game. Slowly she stacked ten coins of the highest denomination and placed ten more in another stack beside them. “K’nada,” she said firmly. It was an uncommon call for a hand like this.
John took his time, sipping the water that was all he’d allowed himself to drink, lifting his cards just enough to check their values and running a hand through his hair. He had to either match the woman's bet and let her draw one of his cards, exchanging it with one of her own, put in twice as much and have the dealer perform the exchange with a card from those that remained, or negate. To call K’nada against her would cost more than he had left and she knew it. If he didn’t negate, they both had to show their cards.
Matching her speed, he placed ten coins beside her first pile and then ten more by her second. He made to start a third pile, but suddenly sat back. “Your K’nada, I believe,” he drawled, loudly and clearly. If Rodney hadn’t heard John's quiet bets before, John made certain he’d heard that.
She raised her eyebrows. It was clear she'd hoped John would negate or at the very least take the dealer swap. Her hand hovered above his cards. He hadn’t rearranged them at all, so she had no way of determining where his highest card might be. She watched his face carefully as she made to pick up first one card and then another. When he gave nothing away, she finally grabbed the card second closest to herself and gave him the one from the same position in her own hand.
She turned up a pair of eights. The triangles and squares were ranked second and third highest suits. John held back a laugh when he matched her eights with his own. His were circles and pentagons, ranked first and fourth highest. They were even. She flipped the five she’d taken from him. Copying her move, he flipped over her card. It was a four. Playing to the crowd, who’d drawn a collective breath at the sight of John’s card, she turned over a nine of circles. His nine of pentagons ranked lower than hers. They ignored the money changing hands amongst the onlookers. With a smirk, she offered him the chance to turn his last card up first. With a smirk of his own, he took it. Unless she had a joker, he knew he had the highest value card in the deck. She didn’t even try to censor the curse that left her lips. Her ten was not enough to take the game.
“Well played,” said John. “We should do it again some time.” He laughed when she ignored him. For the sake of propriety, he made a show of glancing through the contract before scrawling his name at the bottom. He hustled Rodney from the dais before the ink had time to dry. “Not now,” he murmured in Rodney’s ear before he could say a word.
While they were as eager to leave as the other winners before them, people wanted to stop John and congratulate him. In the end, Teyla and Ronon resorted to menacing looks and they finally escaped.
They kept silent on the way back to the inn, other than a muttered ‘you okay?’ from John to Rodney, and a heartfelt ‘now I am’ in return. Once they were behind locked doors it wasn’t much different. After several repeats of ‘John’, ‘Rodney’, John’, ‘Rodney’ in varying tones, Teyla took it upon herself to interrupt.
“Colonel Sheppard. Dr McKay.” Her authoritarian tone got their attention. “Rodney,” she continued more gently, “it’s good to see again, but we need to know what Okonna has done to you.”
“Here.” Ronon pushed a power bar from his pocket into Rodney’s hand.
“I don’t suppose you’d have any of my clothes? I’d rather not wear this any longer than I have to.”
John bent over his pack to hide his flush. He liked the way the leather looked on Rodney, although he understood him wanting to get it off. He handed over the sweat pants and t-shirt he used for sleeping. They hadn’t thought to bring anything for Rodney.
“May as well get comfortable,” said John when Rodney came out of the bathroom. He and Rodney sat on the bed, touching at the shoulders, hips and thighs while their feet tangled together.
Rodney tilted his neck to one side. An angry looking, inch-long scar was visible just below his hairline. “There’s an implant, wired into the nerves. It gets adjusted every day and replaced on the eighth by some techno-doctor Okonna brought from another planet. The technology is way too advanced for this world. If any of his stable is not present at the designated time, the thing emits some sort of pulse, which produces rapidly escalating pain, and that’s just for starters. Death results within a few hours.”
“But I thought your contract was for a week and for once we’d be able to plan a leisurely getaway.”
“Didn’t you even read what you signed?”
John shrugged. “Since I wasn’t going to honor it by returning you at the end of the week in the same condition I got you, I didn’t worry.”
“Well, I need Beckett and I need him sooner rather than later. Can we just get out of here?”
“We should wait awhile, until the town sleeps.”
“Teyla’s right. It’ll be safer. In the mean time, you can fill us in on what happened after the good people of M38-7K7 lost you during a raid.
“Is that what they’re calling it?” Rodney snorted. “I wasn’t supposed to go to Okonna. You saw the other bucks. They’re all ten to fifteen years younger then me.” John squeezed his hand. “I was a last minute substitute when his original choice had the misfortune to choke to death on a fishbone, can you believe it? Okonna threatened my captors with several nasty alternatives if they didn’t supply the buck he’d ordered to replace one who hadn’t been returned on time. He wasn’t thrilled with me as a replacement, but he changed his mind when people started betting ridiculously large sums of money for me.”
“Fuck, Rodney. I’m so sorry we didn’t find you sooner.”
“Actually, it wasn’t like that. I didn’t… Nobody… Well, they nearly, but as it turned out, I didn’t have to… Not yet, anyway.”
“You mean.”
“Yeah. The first lady who won me, we were in her living room. She told me to start undressing, when an almighty bang came from the next room. She told me to wait and ran to check what happened. I followed her and it was a good thing I did. It turned out that the tank supplying hot water to the house blew up. I told her I could fix it. She eventually decided to let me try, cold baths not being something she particularly enjoyed. It took until she needed to take me for my implant adjustment to get it going.” He noticed his team's sceptical expressions and flushed. “I might have made sure it took that long, along with making sure her cooling system would fail within an hour. I fixed that as well. Got them running more efficiently, if I do say so myself. By the end of the week, I’d solved her lighting problem, built her a new vacuum cleaner, installed a water fountain in her garden and replaced the worn treads on her stairs. She told her friends. They bid for me. Turns out I was cheaper than hiring a different repairman for each job, at least to start with. After a few weeks, it was like some sort competition as to who would have me for a week.”
“Okonna didn’t care?”
“No. The contract doesn’t stipulate what services must be performed. He just wants his money.”
~ ~ ~
Beckett tut-tutted over Rodney’s neck, keeping him in the Infirmary for two days, despite Rodney insisting Okonna’s doctor had accomplished the weekly replacements in under an hour. As Rodney was the only patient, Carson complained only briefly at the K’nada tournament that took place around his bed and even consented to join in after getting a lesson from Ronon, but he negated more often than Ronon’s Cadman. The real Cadman proved to be a far cannier player.
Finally back in his own quarters, Rodney asked John the question that had been bothering him. “What would have happened if you hadn’t won?”
“We would have taken you from Madam Platinum’s custody that evening. I wouldn’t let you spend one moment longer than necessary with. But she was never going to win.”
“Confident, aren’t you?”
“She didn’t stand a chance against me.”
“I’m glad. So, got anything that needs fixing?”
“Rodney.”
“I’m pretty good with pipes, you know.”
“Rod-ney”
“Just joking, although technically I’m yours for another four days.”
“More than four days, I hope.”
“Always.”
The End
**
Poll
Author: mandykaysfic
Team: Play
Prompt: pass the buck
Pairing(s): McKay/Sheppard
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: implied dub-con between minor OCs, slave rescue
Notes: I'm obviously grateful (in more ways than one) to my betas half_elf_lost and polly_b. I appreciate your help. Also thanks to my fellow Team Play members, shakespherical for the title, and the McShep Match organisers.
Summary: The game is K'nada. The prize is possession of one of Okonna's bucks for one week. When Rodney is given over to Okonna, his best hope at rescue lies not with his team's more usual modus operandi, but with John's skill at cards.
Once you've read the story, please take a moment to vote in the poll below. Ratings go from 1 (low) to 9 (high), so all you need to do is enter a single number in that range into each text entry box. You'll be able to see the Prompt and Team (Genre) information in the header above.
More details about the voting procedure can be found here.
**
The inn was like no other they'd visited so far. For one, it was brightly lit, and for another, it looked more like a small scale gaming room that would be more at home in Las Vegas. Sheppard blinked at the green felt covering the semi-circular tables. He couldn't read the words printed in front of each place, but the small rectangular outlines surely couldn't be mistaken for anything other than places for playing cards.
"You're too early."
"Too early?" Sheppard studied the man behind the bar, who kept on polishing and stacking glasses.
"Does aren't for another three nights."
"Are we after does, Teyla?" he asked nonchalantly, hoping she knew what the man meant and he hadn’t given away the fact he didn't.
Teyla stepped up to the bar. "And why do you think we would be needing a doe?"
The man dropped his towel and raised his hands. "My apologies, Lady. I just thought with two of them and one of you, you'd be needing to balance things up. Being as it's bucks' night tonight, and with you already having two bucks. Of course, that one’s getting past his prime and a third buck would add much to the..." he trailed off and hastily rearranged his features as Ronon and Sheppard stepped up to flank Teyla. “I can see I was wrong. Perhaps you've heard of the Fixer and want to try your luck to win him. A Lady like yourself would surely have many items of interest to him.”
“The Fixer?”
“Okonna's newest buck. He fixes things.”
Teyla turned and exchanged glances with Sheppard and Ronon. "I believe we are in the market for another buck."
"I've just acquired two first sitting places at Okonna's table for tonight. Normally, I would offer them to the first of the second sitters, but to make amends for my misunderstanding, I would be pleased to offer them to you." Business-like he continued, "You do understand Okonna's terms: the buck's term of service is strictly for one week and must be returned in the same state in which you received him. You are not permitted to inflict permanent damage." He rattled off the remaining conditions.
"Are we permitted to inspect the bucks before this evening?"
"No, Lady. Okonna doesn't permit that. Besides, which buck becomes yours will depend on the play of the cards, will it not? Now, how many places shall I reserve for you tonight?"
"It doesn't matter which of us plays? Then one will be sufficient," said Teyla when he shook his head.
"It is K'nada we'll be playing." Ronon sought confirmation.
"Standard K'nada. Is that a problem?"
"No, no problem."
"We shall return tonight," said Teyla and led the way out.
"It's got to be McKay. Who else would be known as the Fixer? This is the closest we've come to finding him," said Sheppard once they were alone. "We should see if we can find where this Okonna keeps his 'bucks'. If Rodney is one of them, maybe we can break him out before tonight."
"And if we cannot? Someone will have to play to win him." Teyla looked pointedly at Ronon. “I'm only an average player.
"What's this K'nada anyway?"
"It's like your poker. You place bets. Best hand wins," explained Ronon.
"I'll play," said John firmly. "Ronon, you get me up to speed with how this game works. Teyla, see if you can find out whether this Fixer matches Rodney's description. You might also want to find out how much is typically bet and make sure we've got enough of whatever currency is needed."
Teyla nodded. "Very well. I suggest you get us a room. We are supposed to return the buck after one week. This way it will appear as though we are planning to stay at least that long. It will also give you somewhere for Ronon to teach you the finer points of K'nada."
Sheppard approved. It would make their cover stronger. It would also give them a little time and privacy to deal with whatever means Okonna used to keep his bucks under his control. "You'd better come with us to check out the room. After all, you're the one apparently wanting another buck.”
They were unable to procure a ground floor room, but the large upstairs room with private bathroom and balcony in a nearby inn suited them well.
"Not quite a Gideon Bible," murmured Sheppard when Ronon pulled a pack of cards from the bedside drawer. He shook his head at Ronon's quizzical look and sighed. Rodney would have appreciated the joke. Teyla had barely left the room before they set two chairs on either side of the table by the window.
Ronon shuffled the cards and laid them out in their suits so John could examine them. Sixty-two cards, five suits of twelve, two wild cards. Ideally played with six people. He began calculating odds as Ronon explained the values of the cards.
"I can't believe we've never come across this before."
"We're usually participating in some ritual or fighting for our lives."
"True. But you've never taught it to anyone on Atlantis."
"Never thought about it. Now, watch while I play out a game." Ronon dealt the cards face up so John could follow, then he bet for each hand in turn.
As the game progressed, John realized Ronon had been hiding his talents at their various poker games. The Marines simply thought he was lucky. By the time Teyla returned, they'd progressed from the simple two handed version, to the four-handed game and were engaged in a confusing epic battle by playing three hands each.
"Lorne bets four," announced John, and picked out four small black stones from a pile in front of one set of cards.
"Cadman negates."
"Cadman always negates. She'd kill you if she knew how badly you played her hands."
"I can't help it if she always gets the weakest cards," said Ronon, not sorry at all.
"Do you want in next time, Teyla?" offered John. "Maybe you can take over being Cadman. She might have more luck."
"I will play, but don't you want to hear my news?"
John and Ronon turned from the cards and gave Teyla their full attention.
"Okonna keeps a stable of twelve 'bucks' and twelve 'does'. He hires them out on a weekly basis, but rather than charging a set fee, those wishing to utilize their services must win a hand of K'nada. It nets him considerably more wealth than simply charging a fee for service or hiring them as any other businessman would. He keeps only those who are sought after for their looks or talents."
"What about Rodney?"
"He is undoubtedly the one known as the Fixer. I was able to get a most detailed description from a woman who had the pleasure of his services two weeks ago."
John flinched.
"I am so sorry, John. While Reyna enthused about how he'd repaired her generator, made her lights shine more brightly and done something so that her water ran more cleanly than it had since she first purchased her home, it is likely others will have required more personal services from Rodney. The majority of Okonna's stable are reputed to be purchased for solely physical reasons." With every word, she watched John's expression tighten and close down. His personal relationship with Rodney was barely six months old. "Reyna is the matriarch of a family of 'useless females', as she put it. She was delighted with Rodney's facility with mechanics and did not require anything else from him."
"Nothing but slavery," rumbled Ronon. "We have to get McKay out as soon as possible."
“Okonna keeps his stable in a reputably impenetrable castle some distance away. They are kept there for a short period between each hiring. It would be difficult to overwhelm the castle's defences with such short notice.”
“Enough C4 ought to do it.”
Teyla shook her head. “I believe it would be better to win Rodney's services for a week, or failing that, take him from whoever does. I was not able to find out exactly how Okonna controls his stable and ensures their return. In the past, those who were not returned at the correct time suffered great pain and then died.”
“Drugs?” wondered John.
“There are no indications Okonna procures drugs or the ingredients necessary to manufacture them, and Reyna says none behave as though under the influence.”
“Then an implant of some kind.”
“Possibly."
John stared at the cards as he considered their options. While he itched to use guns and a large amount of C4, Teyla's recommendations would seem to have the greatest chance of successfully extracting Rodney. "Let's play to win. Ronon, start a new game. Teyla, you're Cadman and yourself. I'll keep Lorne. Ronon's got Zelenka. Watch him. I'm sure the wily Czech cheats even when he's not really here."
~ ~ ~
Sheppard's team entered the inn some thirty minutes before Okonna's game was due to begin. The place was crowded. People were there to ogle slaves as much as watch the game, and Okonna had a well-established reputation as something of a showman.
The bartender from the morning was acting as host. He hurried over to greet Teyla and show her to her assigned place, second from one end of the gaming table. She indicated Sheppard would be playing for her.
A young woman sauntered up. "Farson! You're not behind the bar. Where's Pellman?"
"Haven't you heard? The baby arrived not long ago. He's home celebrating."
"Ooh! Boy or girl? And how's Delia doing, do you know?"
"One of each, hence the celebration. Delia's fine."
"That's wonderful. I'll be sure to visit tomorrow." She eyed Ronon. "You're new," she said, not wasting time on greetings.
"Your seat is here, Shona. These people are all new tonight." Farson indicated that Ronon and John were with Teyla, looking as if he hoped to head off an incident if Teyla should take offense at Shona's forwardness.
"Excellent. Drinks for the four of us, Farson. We will get acquainted while we wait for Okonna." She handed Farson some coins. "For tonight." When he left, she turned to Teyla.
"Welcome, strangers. I'm Shona."
"Greetings, Shona. I'm Teyla. This is Ronon and John is next to you."
Shona eyed Teyla and grinned. "So you're here for a buck. Okonna's are the best. They're worth every bit. Energy and staying power like you wouldn’t believe." She turned to John when she felt him straighten at her words. She opened her mouth to say something, but thought the better of it when she saw the expression on his face.
"So we have heard," said Teyla smoothly. "Have you previously won the services of a buck?" Only Ronon and Sheppard were aware how distasteful Teyla found saying those words.
"It's the first time I've managed a first sitter. I've been a second at the tenth twice and once at seventh, but I haven't had the good fortune to win. I'm hoping my luck changes tonight."
While Shona chatted freely with Teyla, John checked out the rest of the players he'd be up against. Two more were women. Seated second from the other end of the table was another man. The chair on John's right remained empty until moments before the game began, when a woman slid into place next to him. He had just enough time to take in the striking platinum colored hair coiled at the nape of her neck when the lights flared and a man stepped onto the dais in front of the table.
He glittered. Jewels adorned his ears. Jewels sparkled on his hands. Gaudy gold shone against his chest where his shirt was open almost to his waist. And there were sequins. Lots of sequins. John shuddered to think of Rodney in this man's possession. He leaned back into his chair in relief when Marron, the self-proclaimed manager for Okonna introduced himself. John's hackles rose when Okonna came out and joined him.
Dressed in black, Okonna could have been taken for an executive officer from any large company back home. He produced a deck of cards from his pocket and the players at the table had an unobstructed view as he broke the seal. Okonna stood to one side and shuffled as Marron called for the first buck.
Not Rodney. John was relieved. He'd hoped for at least one round to get a feel for the game. The young man in his early twenties entered the room through a gap in a curtained off doorway. Dressed in close-fitting, deep brown leather trousers and jerkin, he joined Okonna and Marron. Shona, it seemed, was very happy with the fit of the slave's trousers, and she uttered a quick prayer to her god for luck.
Okonna handed the deck and a silver statue of a rearing buck to the first player and solemnly wished her luck. Shona bit her lip as she examined her cards. John displayed his best poker face as he mentally uttered a curse. He'd been dealt a potentially winning hand. As he wasn’t playing for Rodney he'd have to negate. Players were only permitted to win one buck, then they had to cede their place at the table to the next person. He exchanged his two best cards, thankfully accepting two lower valued cards in their place and matched the bet of the third player. Shona also took two cards and after a pause, raised the stakes. The dealer took a single card for herself and raised them again.
The game continued until the fourth pass, when the other man negated. John thankfully followed his lead. The first buck eventually went to the woman in the third seat. She and her buck departed to a flurry of catcalls and congratulations after she'd signed the contract Okonna smoothly placed in front of her.
Marron swept the pile of coins into a bag and with an obsequious bow, handed it to Okonna, who locked it into a box. He produced another pack of cards and again shuffled them as the second buck appeared. Copper colored hair fell almost to this man's buttocks and once again Shona practically swooned. When he posed, his chest muscles rippled beneath his brown leather jerkin while the side lacings of his trousers let players and watchers catch glimpses of dark markings on the skin of his bare hips. The silver buck and the new cards were given along one position to the other man. A woman sporting a tattoo above her left eyebrow took the vacant seat.
This time John's hand gave him a little more food for thought. It was a fair enough poker hand, but the presence of the fifth suit altered the odds. His calculations became moot when Shona pulled a rare double joker on the second pass and won outright. Okonna was probably the only one in the room not happy with her win; it was a paltry amount for one of his more popular bucks. His lips curled in a thin smile as he handed the contract to Shona. She certainly didn’t notice as she gave Marron more than enough money to buy the other players the obligatory round of drinks that came with that pair of cards.
At the end of the first six hands, Marron called a brief recess. Sheppard’s team held a quiet consultation. Ronon surreptitiously handed over another purse of coins. He’d disappeared after the third hand played out. While he’d had no luck discovering where the bucks were being held, he’d found some of the rowdier elements of town and had arm-wrestled and knife-thrown his way to several profitable victories. John breathed a sigh of relief. The stakes had increased more than they’d anticipated and if Rodney ended up being the twelfth buck, John would be at a financial disadvantage in comparison with the later second sitters. A bell rang and the players took their seats once more.
John and the woman on his right were the only two left of the first sitters. He was convinced she had negated at least two of her hands, probably waiting for a particular buck. Engrossed in brooding over his theory, he almost missed Rodney’s entrance. John was hard pressed to maintain his poker face. Dressed in what was obviously a buck’s uniform, Rodney looked good. A little thinner, a lot unhappier as evinced by his tightly pressed lips and even more than usual downturned mouth, but he seemed uninjured and healthy. At a word from Marron, he bared his teeth in a grimace. John nearly grimaced back in response, but a sudden movement to his right caught his eye. Madam Platinum, as he’d dubbed her, straightened in her seat and smoothed her hair. She was after Rodney.
‘The Fixer’ could be heard throughout the crowd. A woman’s high pitched voice called out that Rodney could fix her any time. An argument almost became physical when someone suggested the local council get priority on the Fixer’s services. The councillor who’d spoken up was told to apply for a place in the game, same as everyone else. Reyna, Teyla’s acquaintance of the morning, promptly disputed the idea of the council gambling. Okonna ordered Marron to get things under control, but he appeared satisfied at the interest in his newest buck.
John maintained his conservative pattern of play for two passes, bidding just high enough to keep himself in the game as he formulated a plan. Madam Platinum favored the same method of play. His cards were all middle value and none of his substitutions had proved helpful. He’d have to bluff as he’d never bluffed before. The woman next to the dealer took one card and quickly trebled the stakes. The tattooed woman in the third seat sighed as she negated. Madam Platinum also took one card and matched the new stakes. John’s stomach clenched, then a wave of calm passed through him. Suddenly, he knew he could do this. He forced himself to relax and exuding confidence, signalled he’d keep his cards. He then matched the stakes and tripled them.
After another pass in which John doubled the stakes, the dealer examined the contents of her purse and negated. Madam Platinum shot John a look from the corner of her eye and also doubled the stakes. He barely waited for the coins to settle before upping the ante again. On John’s left, the man who’d taken Shona’s seat calmly matched John’s bet, but reluctantly negated on the next pass, as did the woman who’d first tripled the stakes.
Silence reigned as Madam Platinum and John faced off. He hadn’t dared look at Rodney again. He knew it was unlikely that Rodney, stuck under a spotlight, had seen him clearly, but there was a chance he’d noticed Ronon’s distinctive silhouette. John sent reassuring thoughts in Rodney's direction, all while wishing for a little mutant telepathy.
It was Madam Platinum’s turn. Everyone knew that how she played would determine the outcome of the game. Slowly she stacked ten coins of the highest denomination and placed ten more in another stack beside them. “K’nada,” she said firmly. It was an uncommon call for a hand like this.
John took his time, sipping the water that was all he’d allowed himself to drink, lifting his cards just enough to check their values and running a hand through his hair. He had to either match the woman's bet and let her draw one of his cards, exchanging it with one of her own, put in twice as much and have the dealer perform the exchange with a card from those that remained, or negate. To call K’nada against her would cost more than he had left and she knew it. If he didn’t negate, they both had to show their cards.
Matching her speed, he placed ten coins beside her first pile and then ten more by her second. He made to start a third pile, but suddenly sat back. “Your K’nada, I believe,” he drawled, loudly and clearly. If Rodney hadn’t heard John's quiet bets before, John made certain he’d heard that.
She raised her eyebrows. It was clear she'd hoped John would negate or at the very least take the dealer swap. Her hand hovered above his cards. He hadn’t rearranged them at all, so she had no way of determining where his highest card might be. She watched his face carefully as she made to pick up first one card and then another. When he gave nothing away, she finally grabbed the card second closest to herself and gave him the one from the same position in her own hand.
She turned up a pair of eights. The triangles and squares were ranked second and third highest suits. John held back a laugh when he matched her eights with his own. His were circles and pentagons, ranked first and fourth highest. They were even. She flipped the five she’d taken from him. Copying her move, he flipped over her card. It was a four. Playing to the crowd, who’d drawn a collective breath at the sight of John’s card, she turned over a nine of circles. His nine of pentagons ranked lower than hers. They ignored the money changing hands amongst the onlookers. With a smirk, she offered him the chance to turn his last card up first. With a smirk of his own, he took it. Unless she had a joker, he knew he had the highest value card in the deck. She didn’t even try to censor the curse that left her lips. Her ten was not enough to take the game.
“Well played,” said John. “We should do it again some time.” He laughed when she ignored him. For the sake of propriety, he made a show of glancing through the contract before scrawling his name at the bottom. He hustled Rodney from the dais before the ink had time to dry. “Not now,” he murmured in Rodney’s ear before he could say a word.
While they were as eager to leave as the other winners before them, people wanted to stop John and congratulate him. In the end, Teyla and Ronon resorted to menacing looks and they finally escaped.
They kept silent on the way back to the inn, other than a muttered ‘you okay?’ from John to Rodney, and a heartfelt ‘now I am’ in return. Once they were behind locked doors it wasn’t much different. After several repeats of ‘John’, ‘Rodney’, John’, ‘Rodney’ in varying tones, Teyla took it upon herself to interrupt.
“Colonel Sheppard. Dr McKay.” Her authoritarian tone got their attention. “Rodney,” she continued more gently, “it’s good to see again, but we need to know what Okonna has done to you.”
“Here.” Ronon pushed a power bar from his pocket into Rodney’s hand.
“I don’t suppose you’d have any of my clothes? I’d rather not wear this any longer than I have to.”
John bent over his pack to hide his flush. He liked the way the leather looked on Rodney, although he understood him wanting to get it off. He handed over the sweat pants and t-shirt he used for sleeping. They hadn’t thought to bring anything for Rodney.
“May as well get comfortable,” said John when Rodney came out of the bathroom. He and Rodney sat on the bed, touching at the shoulders, hips and thighs while their feet tangled together.
Rodney tilted his neck to one side. An angry looking, inch-long scar was visible just below his hairline. “There’s an implant, wired into the nerves. It gets adjusted every day and replaced on the eighth by some techno-doctor Okonna brought from another planet. The technology is way too advanced for this world. If any of his stable is not present at the designated time, the thing emits some sort of pulse, which produces rapidly escalating pain, and that’s just for starters. Death results within a few hours.”
“But I thought your contract was for a week and for once we’d be able to plan a leisurely getaway.”
“Didn’t you even read what you signed?”
John shrugged. “Since I wasn’t going to honor it by returning you at the end of the week in the same condition I got you, I didn’t worry.”
“Well, I need Beckett and I need him sooner rather than later. Can we just get out of here?”
“We should wait awhile, until the town sleeps.”
“Teyla’s right. It’ll be safer. In the mean time, you can fill us in on what happened after the good people of M38-7K7 lost you during a raid.
“Is that what they’re calling it?” Rodney snorted. “I wasn’t supposed to go to Okonna. You saw the other bucks. They’re all ten to fifteen years younger then me.” John squeezed his hand. “I was a last minute substitute when his original choice had the misfortune to choke to death on a fishbone, can you believe it? Okonna threatened my captors with several nasty alternatives if they didn’t supply the buck he’d ordered to replace one who hadn’t been returned on time. He wasn’t thrilled with me as a replacement, but he changed his mind when people started betting ridiculously large sums of money for me.”
“Fuck, Rodney. I’m so sorry we didn’t find you sooner.”
“Actually, it wasn’t like that. I didn’t… Nobody… Well, they nearly, but as it turned out, I didn’t have to… Not yet, anyway.”
“You mean.”
“Yeah. The first lady who won me, we were in her living room. She told me to start undressing, when an almighty bang came from the next room. She told me to wait and ran to check what happened. I followed her and it was a good thing I did. It turned out that the tank supplying hot water to the house blew up. I told her I could fix it. She eventually decided to let me try, cold baths not being something she particularly enjoyed. It took until she needed to take me for my implant adjustment to get it going.” He noticed his team's sceptical expressions and flushed. “I might have made sure it took that long, along with making sure her cooling system would fail within an hour. I fixed that as well. Got them running more efficiently, if I do say so myself. By the end of the week, I’d solved her lighting problem, built her a new vacuum cleaner, installed a water fountain in her garden and replaced the worn treads on her stairs. She told her friends. They bid for me. Turns out I was cheaper than hiring a different repairman for each job, at least to start with. After a few weeks, it was like some sort competition as to who would have me for a week.”
“Okonna didn’t care?”
“No. The contract doesn’t stipulate what services must be performed. He just wants his money.”
~ ~ ~
Beckett tut-tutted over Rodney’s neck, keeping him in the Infirmary for two days, despite Rodney insisting Okonna’s doctor had accomplished the weekly replacements in under an hour. As Rodney was the only patient, Carson complained only briefly at the K’nada tournament that took place around his bed and even consented to join in after getting a lesson from Ronon, but he negated more often than Ronon’s Cadman. The real Cadman proved to be a far cannier player.
Finally back in his own quarters, Rodney asked John the question that had been bothering him. “What would have happened if you hadn’t won?”
“We would have taken you from Madam Platinum’s custody that evening. I wouldn’t let you spend one moment longer than necessary with. But she was never going to win.”
“Confident, aren’t you?”
“She didn’t stand a chance against me.”
“I’m glad. So, got anything that needs fixing?”
“Rodney.”
“I’m pretty good with pipes, you know.”
“Rod-ney”
“Just joking, although technically I’m yours for another four days.”
“More than four days, I hope.”
“Always.”
The End
**
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