Rivets.

Why could he see rivets? And sheet metal? This wasn't where he'd fallen asleep last night. No…wait. He'd woken up this morning in his own bed; he could distinctly remember rolling over and staring up at Johnny Cash's trouser legs in his room on Atlantis. Or was that yesterday morning? He really couldn't recall, and his head hurt when he tried to figure it out so he gave up.

A sharp pain stabbed behind Sheppard's eyes, and he clumsily slapped his hand across them, almost breaking his nose in the process. His limbs felt leaden and not quite fully under his control, but at least everything seemed to be where it should be, even if he did feel a little the worse for wear. He'd been drugged - he recognized the sensation now - but who had done this to him? And more importantly, where was he now?

Not sure he had the strength to do it, he decided to get up. So, he tried it the safest way he knew, rolling into his knees first, then testing each leg for strength before finally rising to his full and slightly unstable height. His back felt stiff and sore, particularly his shoulders, and he found the back of his head was sporting a scrape when he tentatively touched at a stinging patch of scalp. There was blood on his fingers when he pulled them away, but not enough to worry about.

So he was alive and reasonably well; now to work out where the hell he was. Bars surrounded him on all four sides and the riveted ceiling now almost grazed his unruly hair. Great…a cell. That's always a good sign! he thought, scanning the room beyond it for more clues.

He got the impression he was on a vessel of some kind. There was a slightly surreal feel to the gravity imposed by inertial dampeners that was easily detectable if you were familiar with it. It made him feel just slightly heavier than normal.

'You're awake,' a woman's voice said from the other side of his bars.

He turned slowly until he located her, sitting on a chair in a shaded area to his right. Though he couldn't see her face, he did sense familiarity when she spoke. 'Er, yeah. Nothin' gets past you.'

'Please, no more of your humour. I have no patience for your jokes.'

He squinted, trying to make out who exactly it was throwing the orders around like that. Unfortunately, his vision was still operating in soft-lens mode from the happy juice someone had given him earlier. He supposed he would have to wait until she wanted to be seen.

'Where am I?' he asked.

'On my ship.'

'Oh, well, if I'm on your ship that's okay then,' he said, trying to keep his mounting temper in check. 'D'you have a name?'

His question met with stony silence.

'No name, huh? Well, perhaps you could tell me where this ship of yours is heading.'

'You'll find out, soon enough.'

Sheppard didn't like the sound of that…no, not one bit. How often had that line been a precursor to trouble in the movies he'd seen? Too many times to count. This woman was starting to seriously creep him out. Perhaps if he got her talking and found out more about her, she wouldn't seem so sinister. 'Sounds ominous. You know, I'm not real good with surprises; how 'bout a little hint?'

'It is your destiny…the reason you came here to the Pegasus Galaxy. You will right the wrongs that have gone before.'

Well that hadn't helped; now she seemed more disturbing than ever. Wondering if it was possible this woman wasn't playing with a full deck, Sheppard backed away a few steps without even consciously doing it. 'Okay. Well, you just let me know when you want me to do all that stuff, okay?'

He sat down, leaning back against the bars behind him. The woman remained motionless in the shadows, but he could tell she was watching him. Her rigidity gave nothing away about how she viewed him. He felt no malice, but no compassion or friendship either. That fact made him incredibly uncomfortable, not that he was going to let her see that. At least if she'd been pointing a gun at him he'd know to feel threatened. Right now, he was just plain confused - he didn't care much for confused.

His stomach grumbled a noisy protest, and he noticed how bereft of moisture his throat and mouth felt. Much as it went against his better judgment, he realized that without any food or water of his own, he was going to have to take whatever this woman had to offer, not that she was offering anything. The way he felt suggested it had already been more than twenty-four hours since he'd ingested anything. If nothing else, he needed a drink. After putting it off for as long as he could, until his woolly head and painful stomach cramps made it a more urgent need, he spoke up again.

'Any chance of some food and water?' he asked casually. 'The room's not up to much, but if you give me a good meal, I promise to write you a nice review.'

His joke met with absolute silence. Its blatancy reminded him of the order she'd given and he had discarded, as he sometimes did with orders he didn't care for. 'Sorry. I also promise no more jokes.'

Without any apparent movement from his captor, a meal appeared before him. The beam that transferred it there reminded him of the one used in wraith cullings; he really hoped that was just a coincidence. The plate lay invitingly in front of him - slices of thick meat and bread, and a side garnish of fresh fruit. Issuing from the metal cup beside the plate, he detected the faint aroma of wine.

'Will that win me a 'nice review'?' the shadowy voice called out to him, rebounding the joke his way.

'Maybe. I'll let you know when I've eaten it.'

He picked up a slice of meat and sniffed at it. The smell reminded him of pork, but wasn't quite the same. It certainly wasn't an unpleasant aroma, so he tucked in. It tasted every bit as good as it smelled. Even the wine hit the spot as he swilled it all down, despite the fact he was more of a beer man. He'd expected to still feel thirsty, but he didn't. In fact, come to think of it, he didn't feel much of anything from his feet up to his knees…and now his hands were numb. Oh, crap. She drugged me again, he realised as he listed to his left and slammed his shoulder into the hard floor with a thump.

Only now, with her quarry unconscious, did the woman emerge from her hiding place. 'Time to go to work now, Colonel Sheppard,' she said softly, as she opened the cell door and dragged him out by the ankles.

oooOOOooo

'Colonel Sheppard. You're late. We were starting to get worried,' Elizabeth chided, but the glint in her eye let her colleagues know she wasn't angry.

'Yeah, sorry about that. We ran into a couple of wraith darts and had to cloak for a while. I figured it would be a good idea to maintain radio silence until we were sure we'd shaken them.'

Elizabeth's expression immediately changed to one of concern. She unfolded her arms and leaned on the balustrade. 'Are you both all right?'

'Fine. I told you; we just had to hide out for a while,' Sheppard assured her.

'And Dr Travis? How's she feeling after your encounter?'

'Oh, she's fine. She knows she has nothin' to worry about with me around.'

Elizabeth couldn't contain her smirk of amusement at his feigned arrogance. 'Of course not. How could I have ever doubted that? Perhaps I could have a word with her to make sure; you know how I worry.'

'That I do,' he agreed.

After a short pause, another voice broke through. 'Dr Weir,' Travis said, her voice sounding confident and strong.

'Hello, Dr Travis. I just wanted to make sure you're surviving the flight with Colonel Sheppard. It sounds like you're having quite a trip.'

'Yes. It's been very enjoyable so far, a little scary at times, but very enjoyable.'

'I'll bet,' Elizabeth smiled. 'Is Colonel Sheppard looking after you?'

'Absolutely. I feel completely safe in his hands.'

'She obviously doesn't know him all that well, then,' Rodney sniped from his workstation, flicking a venomous glare toward the Stargate.

Teyla shot him a silencing look, and he bit back any further snark he'd planned to unleash.

'All right. Well, unless you need us before you reach M5J-739, I'll speak to you once you've landed there,' Elizabeth finished.

'Yes. We'll contact you then,' Dr Travis agreed, terminating the connection.

Elizabeth arched an eyebrow. 'Well, that was short but sweet.'

'Yes, I can't imagine why they would be in such a hurry to end the conversation,' Rodney grated out. 'That man is totally unprofessional.'

'You're just jealous, McKay,' Ronon laughed, clapping a huge hand on his shoulder as he walked past him and left the control room.

'I am not!' McKay called after him as he picked up his tablet and scurried along in the Satedan's, but the slight shriek in his tone suggested he just might be.

Teyla remained staring at the closed down Stargate, deep in thought. Elizabeth couldn't help but notice how distracted she seemed and felt the need to strike up conversation so she could delve further. 'Something on your mind, Teyla?'

'I'm not sure,' the Athosian breathed, her eyes still fixed on the 'gate.

'What's worrying you?'

'I wish I knew,' Teyla replied, turning to face her. 'It's probably nothing, but I have a strange feeling whenever we talk to Dr Travis and the colonel.'

'Maybe you're missing him,' Elizabeth suggested, thinking she'd detected the problem.

Teyla frowned, giving her an odd look. 'No, that is not it.' Then, she sighed, wrapping her arms around herself. 'Pay no attention to me, Dr Weir. I haven't slept well for the past few nights. I believe that is what truly ails me.'

'Then you should get down to the infirmary and see what Carson can give you.'

'Yes…yes, I think I will do that,' she said, offering up a sad smile in return for the advice.

'And take the rest of the day off,' Elizabeth called to her as she walked away. Much as you're a valued member of the team, I think we can get by without you for one afternoon.'

Teyla's smiled widened. 'I'm certain you can,' she nodded, leaving Elizabeth alone to watch the 'gate and think about just how worried Teyla's bad feeling had her.