A/N: Okay, here's another SGA story I'm working on. The inspiration behind this was, of course, watching SGA eps, as well as listening to a BUTTload of Skillet on MediaPlayer. Right now, my fav song is "Whisper in the Dark". It's grungy and growl-y, and it just fits with the tone of the story. Or maybe I just think it does because I happened to make a John/Teyla vid to the same song. *Shrugs*

Anyway, a little info on the story...it's set anywhere you like, so far. There's no spoilers, except for the fact that they know Todd already. That's it, though. If that changes, I'll let you know. There's a bit of whump already so far, which I know I enjoy, as well as the comfort that comes later.

So, have fun, kids. Lemme know how it goes!

Work In Progress

Chapter 1

Pinned down.

Damn, John Sheppard cursed silently. Chancing a quick look over the wall he and his team crouched behind, he counted eight Wraith soldiers advancing on his position. Stunner blasts exploded all around them, sending chunks of rock in every direction. The resulting dust clogged his nose and burned his eyes, but nothing he did could clear it away. He took a quick look down at himself, and noticed that his palms were scraped, no doubt from when he flung his body over the wall after the Wraith had opened fire on his team. A scowl covered his face when he also saw that the right leg of his pants had been ripped open, and blood oozed sluggishly from his knee. Doctor Keller wasn't likely to be amused with him when they got back to Atlantis.

If they ever got back.

"Rodney!" He shouted to his left, where he knew the physicist should be. It was the last place he'd seen him, before the smoke and flying debris had obscured his vision.

"I'm here!" Rodney called back, the terror in his voice clear. The Wraith still scared him, even after so many encounters with them. Especially after so many encounters, John corrected himself. He had to admit that he wasn't too fond of them, either, what with their feeding habits, as well as their overall general creep-factor.

"Can you get to the Jumper?" He asked.

Over the noise of the weapons-fire, John heard his friend make a disgusted sound in his throat. "Oh, I don't know. Let's see…we're being fired at by an entire hive of Wraith. So, I'd say – NO!"

John was about to tell McKay to calm down, when a high-pitched whine suddenly filled the air, followed by an even more sudden silence. The Wraith had stopped firing. Puzzled, he debated trying to steal another look, to find out what had happened. It could be a trap, the military part of his mind said. Stop firing, wait until we're confused and take a look, and stun us all. It wasn't exactly standard Wraith MO, but they could've picked up a new trick or two on their way through the Pegasus.

Too tired to think rationally, he ignored his misgivings, and leaned up to peer over the pile of rubble that had once been a stone wall.

"They are gone," Teyla suddenly said beside him, and he jumped a little in surprise. He hid it by giving her a nod.

"Sure looks that way. Question is, why?"

"Not to mention where," Ronon added, lowering his gun to his side. He didn't holster it, however. He wanted to be ready, just in case it was some kind of bizarre trap.

Rodney came over to join them, brushing dirt and small pebbles out of his hair. "Yes, well, maybe we can ponder their sudden disappearance from a safer place? The Jumper, for instance?"

"Good idea," John agreed quickly. He wanted to be far away from this place when – and if – the Wraith returned, and he wasn't extremely eager to find out why they'd disappeared in the first place. Curious, yes, but not so curious that he'd be willing to stick around and experience it himself. A sudden thought came to him then, and he glanced around at his team. "Everyone okay?"

Teyla nodded sedately, though a large bruise was slowly darkening on her cheek.

"Yep," Ronon assured, as his eyes roamed over the landscape around them. So far, there hadn't been any movement, but that didn't mean it was safe.

"I'm bleeding!" Rodney shouted then, and all eyes turned to him. He pulled his hand away from the back of his head and held it up to show them. His fingers were indeed coated in a thin layer of blood. "Oh, God, I'm bleeding from my head. My skull's probably fractured…"

"McKay!" John yelled at him, and he instantly shut his mouth with a snap. "Your skull's fine!" John turned to Teyla. "You have a bandage on you?"

She nodded and immediately began to dig in her front jacket pocket. A moment later, she pulled it out and tossed it to him, and he strolled over to where Rodney stood, still gingerly examining his wound with his fingers.

"Hold still," John ordered him, as if he were a fidgety eight-year-old. Rodney dropped his hand, and the colonel first inspected the wound – it wasn't very deep, and most likely wouldn't need stitches – and then securely wrapped his friend's head with the bandage. "Must've been when that rock bounced up on you."

"Rock?" Rodney asked nervously. "What rock? I don't remember a rock. What if I have amnesia?"

John and Teyla exchanged an exasperated look, and then he asked Rodney, "What's your name?"

"Rodney McKay."

John considered telling him he was wrong, as his first name was actually "Meredith", but he decided against it. Some things just needed to be left alone.

"What's the value of pi?" He asked next.

"Easy," Rodney snorted. "3.14159265."

John winked at Teyla and said, "Okay. Who won the first Superbowl?"

Rodney looked around as he thought about that. Then, he quietly replied, "I don't know. I mean, I really only follow hockey and – you know, Canadian sports – but what if I used to know, and I forgot?"

John laughed and patted him on the back. "You're fine, McKay. Let's get home, and get you cleaned up."

"Are you sure? Sometimes these things sneak up on you, you know."

John rolled his eyes. "Amnesia does not sneak up on you. Now, come on, or I'll have Ronon drag your ass back to the Jumper."

The suggestion snapped Rodney back into reality, and he shook his head slowly, as if trying to keep his brain from sloshing out. "No, no. I'm good."

"Good." After Rodney had walked past him, John turned to Ronon and muttered, "Keep an eye on him, will ya?"

"On it," the Satedan rumbled, lengthening his stride to catch up with the scientist.

Teyla fell into step beside John, and gave him a mischievous grin. "So, who did win the first 'Superbowl'?"

John shrugged, and grinned back. "Don't know. I was just messin' with him."

Teyla didn't reply, only shaking her head at his sense of humor. After a few moments of walking in silence, she asked, "What do you think happened to the Wraith attacking us?"

He chewed his bottom lip thoughtfully. In truth, that question had been bugging him the entire time, though he'd been trying to push it to the back of his mind. Until now.

"I don't know," he answered finally. "Maybe someone decided to help us out."

"Perhaps," Teyla agreed. "But who? The planet has been deserted for some time."

Frustrated, he stopped and turned to face her. "Look, I admit that there are more questions than answers here. But right now, our priority is to get home and report on the mission. We can figure out everything else later."

Sensing his growing anxiety, Teyla wisely kept silent, and only nodded as they resumed their trek toward the Jumper. Soon, she and John stepped into the clearing where the Jumper sat. They just reached the ship when Rodney took out the remote and pressed a button, opening the rear hatch.

"Okay, kids, it's been fun, but let's pack up and go home," John said. He turned to make a comment to Ronon, and saw the Satedan being engulfed by a bright blue light. His senses now on full alert, John whipped around in time to see Teyla and Rodney enveloped in the same blue glow, and once it had dissipated, they sank unconscious to the ground beside him.

"Son of a…" He began, but he never got to utter the rest. The last thing he saw was a stunner blast hitting him in the chest, and then darkness swallowed him.

"John? John, please. Wake up."

John opened his eyes, and in the dim light of their prison saw Teyla staring back down at him. She seemed relieved, and if he didn't have a migraine pounding behind his eyeballs, he might've cracked a joke at her. As it was, he merely blinked and asked, "What happened?"

Teyla leaned back on her heels, her need to be near him diminished now that he was conscious. "We were stunned by the Wraith."

"Mm," he murmured, as if she'd just said they'd been at a barbecue, and not being held by their worst enemy. "How long've I been out?"

"Long enough," Ronon growled. "Would've thought you'd be used to getting stunned by now."

Suddenly, the day's events came rushing back into his memory, and he quickly sat up, causing his head to throb in protest. "Are we onboard a ship?"

"Worse," Rodney muttered from somewhere off to his right. "We're still on the planet."

John was confused. Rodney was right – the bars of their prison were made of metal, not the gooey, biological material the Wraith used, and the air smelled of dirt and trees. But why would the Wraith be keeping them here, instead of one of their cruisers?

"How is that worse?" He asked then. "Once we're late for check-in, Carter'll send another team. If we were on a ship, we'd be in another star-system by now, with pretty much no way to find us."

"Okay, maybe not worse. I should've said 'just as bad'." Rodney sighed. "From what I can tell, the Wraith have already sent their own reinforcements – at least one ship's worth. They're probably circling the planet right now."

"So there are two ships in orbit up there?"

"I thought I was the one with the concussion," Rodney snarled, and although both John and Teyla shot him a look, he went on. "Yes, John, two ships. One that must've been hiding while we were here tromping through the forest, and one they called after they shot us and threw us in here."

John dropped his head into his hands, the ache that persisted there threatening to burst a vessel. Alarmed, Teyla put her hand on his shoulder.

"Are you alright?" She asked him.

"My head is still pounding," he replied, his voice quiet as he tried to keep the noise level from aggravating the migraine. His stomach started to churn uncomfortably, and the room swayed as if he were on a sailboat. Even more softly, he added, "Cold air in here isn't helping much, either."

Teyla moved her hand from his shoulder to the back of his neck. "Would you like my jacket?"

"No," he said, "but thanks for the offer." Slowly, he lifted his head and looked around at their prison. "We need to find a way outta here."

"Already tried," Ronon muttered, his jaw muscles working under his goatee. "No way out."

"Okay." John stopped to think, but his headache made it difficult. Finally, he sighed and asked, "Any idea what they want?"

Rodney snorted. "A four-course dinner? What else?"

John shook his head once. "No. If they were after a meal, we'd all be dead by now. They're gotta be after something else."

"Such as?"

"I don't know, Rodney. You're the genius, you figure it out!" He replied, instantly regretting raising his voice above a whisper. He closed his eyes, fighting the dizziness that washed over him. "I think I'm gonna lie down for a while. Let me know if anything interesting happens."

"Yes, yes," the scientist muttered as John lay down on the dirt floor, his arms wrapped around himself for warmth. "If we get fed on during your nap, we'll be sure to wake you up. Oh, wait. No, we won't, because we'll all be dead!"

"Rodney!" Teyla hissed, her eyes narrowed at him. "Be quiet!"

Finally realizing what he was doing, Rodney shook his head and said, "Sorry. John, I'm sorry."

John waved a hand at him from where he lay. "'S'okay. Goodnight."

For almost five minutes, no one spoke. When John began to snore lightly, Ronon looked over at Teyla and asked, "What d'you think?"

She shook her head, more in frustration than anything else. "I am not sure. I only know it can not be good."

"Maybe they wanna turn us all into runners."

"Perhaps. I suppose we will find out soon enough."

Ronon frowned and kicked at the bars of their cell. "I'd rather not find out at all."

Teyla's lip curled into a half-smile, half-sneer. "I agree. I am not looking forward to meeting with our captors, either."

"Hey," Rodney said quietly, his hands nervously clenching and un-clenching into fists. "Would either of you, um, happen to have any food on you?"

Both of them stared blankly at him, as if he'd just spoken another language.

"I mean, I only ask because I feel a little light-headed, and I'm worried that it's my blood sugar dropping."

Finally, Ronon reached into his pocket, and pulled out a semi-flattened Power Bar. He tossed it to Rodney, who caught it and stared down at it in dismay. "It's squished. You squished it."

Ronon walked over to him. "If you don't want it, I'll eat it." He tried to grab it back, but Rodney held it protectively behind himself.

"No, no. I'll take it. Thank you." Before Ronon could try and take it from him by force, Rodney stripped off the wrapper and shoved half of the bar in his mouth. As he chewed, groans of satisfaction reverberated in his throat, and Teyla couldn't help but smile at him. He finished the last of the bar, chewing a little more slowly this time. When it was in his stomach, he sagged against the wall of the cell, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Feel better?" Ronon asked him. Rodney nodded emphatically.

"Much."

Ronon's mustache twitched. "Good. Can we figure out a way outta here now?"

Rodney looked around at the prison for a while, examining every inch, then sighed. "Well, I've got nothing. Unless you happen to have a brick of C4 laying around somewhere?"

Ronon shook his head.

"I didn't think so. Okay, so…"

The sound of boot-steps hitting the ground interrupted him, and he involuntarily moved toward the middle of the cell. Teyla gently shook John awake, and he sat up just as three Wraith appeared in front of the door. The leader of the three glanced around at their captives, and then pointed to John.

"Take him," he growled to his guards, who began to unlock the cell door.

Rodney peered at his best friend, noting how the colonel was still wincing in pain, how sweat was beginning to stand out on his forehead. He wouldn't last, Rodney thought to himself. They'll kill him in a matter of minutes. Seconds, even. Hiding his shaking hands, Rodney took a step forward, his face less than six inches from the guard closest to John.

"No," he said in a voice merely above a whisper. He cursed his fear, and cleared his throat. "Take me instead."

He cut his eyes over to Teyla, who was staring widely at him, surprised. He managed a small grin at her, and then stared back at the guard. Well, rather stared at the mask covering its face. An unbidden curious thought suddenly popped into his head – I wonder if they even have faces under there – but he pushed it away. There were more important things he should be thinking about now, like whether the Wraith would kill him for getting in their way. Possible, he thought, but I don't care. I won't let them take John. They'll have to kill me before I let that happen.

The guards both looked to their leader, whose shake of his head was barely perceptible, and the guard Rodney blocked started to move forward again. Angry now, Rodney put his hands on the guard's chest, his face twisted in a sneer. Surprised that a pitiful human would think to touch a Wraith, the guard stopped, the only sound his breath hissing from behind the mask.

"Rodney," John said from behind him, "it's okay. I'll be alright."

Still, Rodney didn't move. Though he was terrified to die at the hands of these creatures, he refused to give up.

John stood up and put his hand on Rodney's shoulder. "Move back, Rodney."

Even as a disbelieving look came into his eyes, Rodney's hands dropped to his sides, and he took a step to the left. He watched helplessly as the other guard roughly pushed John forward, nearly knocking him through the open doorway. When he was safely out of the cell, the guard Rodney had challenged turned and locked the door once again, and they led John away.

Before they could lose eye contact, John turned to face Rodney. "Keep my spot warm. I'll be right back."

Horrified that his superior could joke at a time like this, Rodney could only blink rapidly and nod, before John disappeared from sight.

TBC...