Title: Bounty
Author: stella_pegasi
Rating: K +
Genres: Action/Adventure, HC, WHUMP
Word Count: ~27,500 (6 chapters)
Spoilers: Set after Season 5, Events from Inquisition
Warnings: Mild language
Characters: John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Ronon Dex, Teyla Emmagan, Evan Lorne, Carson Beckett, OC's (yes, Corporals Brenner and Rodriguez!)
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?
Author's Notes: Bounty was written for a summer fic exchange for sheppard_hc on LiveJournal. Prompt by maddie_amber was Sheppard whumped and on the run.
Enjoy!
Bounty
Chapter one: Price on their Heads
By stella_pegasi
The ball of hot, molten lead tore through John Sheppard's shoulder, causing him to stumble, but he kept running. He ignored the scalding sensation flaring along his left arm that quickly turned to numbness. Sheppard risked glancing behind him, and through the dimming light, he caught a glimpse of Ronon. Two of the bounty hunters were dragging Ronon's prone body into the fortress.
Once the bounty hunters had Ronon, Rodney and Teyla secured, they would be coming after him. They had made it clear that he was their prime target. Sheppard was certain as long as he eluded capture, his team would be safe. He had to give Captain Isaacs' team enough time to return to the stargate, request reinforcements from Atlantis, and find them. He had to keep running.
Sheppard and his team gated to PX3-8872, around mid-day to investigate a report filed by Captain Stackhouse following a mission the day before. In a tavern located in the largest village near the stargate, Stackhouse's team had discovered a flyer that offered a considerable reward for the capture of Sheppard and his team. The first real lead they had uncovered since the rumors of a bounty being placed on SGA-1 had reached Atlantis. Despite Richard Woolsey's objections, Sheppard had convinced him that they should investigate. Woolsey felt it better to send other teams to make inquiries, keeping Sheppard's team safe on Atlantis. He reluctantly agreed to Sheppard's plan as long as another team accompanied them.
With Captain Isaacs and his team along for security, they entered the village after a twenty-minute walk from the stargate. The village was modern by Pegasus' standards; the main streets were paved with flat stones. The buildings were constructed of stone or painted wood. Transportation seems to be primarily by carts and wagons drawn by animals called equua, horse-like animals often traded between planets. According to Stackhouse, the tavern was located on a side street approximately two blocks from the town center. With two members of Isaacs' team leading the way, the Atlantians headed in that direction.
As they turned down a narrow street, Rodney yelped, "Son of a bitch, don't they ever clean up after those damn horses?" He scrunched his face in disgust as he looked at his left boot, covered in animal waste.
Sheppard chuckled, "Crap, Rodney' you stepped in crap. Couldn't you smell it?"
"Smell it, this entire village smells like shit. Am I supposed to be able to smell every pile?"
Ronon slapped Rodney on the back, "That's what you use your eyes for, McKay."
They all walked ahead, with the exception of Isaacs, who stayed with McKay. The young captain supported the aggravated scientist, as he scraped his boot along the edge of the wooden sidewalk to remove the gunk. Sheppard smiled to himself; Isaacs had more patience with McKay than even he did, a commendable trait, in his opinion.
The pub in question had a nondescript entrance, a narrow door with a small round window and a wide window across the storefront, covered by a heavy drape. Ronon pulled the door open and walked in first, Sheppard behind him.
A long, rough wood bar extended across the back of the tavern, while dirty, gaslight chandeliers cast a dim light over the smoky room. There were seven patrons, two at the bar, and five others, three of whom were enjoying nahji pipes. Sheppard scanned their faces and was surprised at the disinterest shown as they entered the tavern. The hairs on the back of his neck prickled, usually at least Ronon and Teyla created a stir when they entered an unfamiliar place. Something didn't feel right.
Sheppard motioned to Ronon, "Come with me; the rest of you, take a seat." Ronon followed him to the bar. The barkeep was a short, chubby man with graying hair; he was sitting on a stool, leaning against the wall, apparently asleep. Sheppard picked up a heavy mug and stuck the bar with it; the barkeep jumped, nearly falling off the stool.
"Wha…what do you want?" He asked angrily, as he stared at the two men.
Sheppard pulled the flyer from under his TAC vest, "Who left this in your bar?"
The barkeep gave the flyer a fleeting glance and croaked, "How would I know, never saw it before."
"It was found in this bar yesterday; someone left it here and I want to know who it was."
The barkeep jeered, "You're just going have to figure it out on your own; I don't know. Now are you gonna drink, cause if you aren't, get out of here. So what will it be, cider, ale or a nahji?"
Sheppard stared at the man, then answered, "Eight ciders." Turning to his group, Sheppard called for Sergeant Powers and Corporal Danzig to come help with the drinks.
As they sat down at two of the tables, Lieutenant Riva took the mug Danzig handed him, "Thanks, Sara. Colonel, what are those things?" He pointed to the tall structure sitting on each table, a glass bowl of water at the base, a slender cylinder extended to a small metal bowl at the top, metal tubes with hoses attached to them extended from the base.
"They're like hookahs, smoking machines, very popular in the Middle East," Sheppard smiled, "I take it you never did a tour of Afghanistan or Iraq, lieutenant."
"No sir; was recruited by the SGC right out of the Academy. I never had the pleasure of serving in-county with my fellow Marines, sir."
"I didn't think so, if you had, you'd be very familiar with a hookah. They are very popular over there."
They continued to discuss the hookah's popularity among soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq until Isaacs' team finished their ciders. Sheppard then sent them out to scout the nearby area, looking for flyers left in other businesses.
Teyla picked up the flyer that Sheppard had laid on the table. "Colonel; do you have any sense of who might want to put a bounty on our heads?"
Sheppard leaned back in his chair and rubbed his face before he answered, "I suspect that could be a pretty long list." He sighed, "If I was a betting man…"
McKay scoffed, "You are a betting man."
Sheppard flashed a snarky frown at McKay, and continued, "I am a betting man, and I would bet on our good friend from the Coalition."
"Shiana, " Teyla said quietly.
"That would be my guess, the few times I have seen her at Coalition council meetings, she's made it clear that she still despises me."
"Why would she risk doing something like this? Woolsey said the council was circulating a notice that this wasn't a true bounty, and whoever put out the bounty would be arrested." McKay seemed puzzled.
"Shiana still blames us…me…uh, Atlantis for the deaths of her husband and children. I really don't think she is going to forget that regardless of how the other members of the Pegasus Coalition feel."
Ronon spoke, "I thought Woolsey got that all straightened out."
Sheppard chuckled, "I think Richard simply did a better job of bribing the jury so to speak than Shiana did. The fact is we don't have a clue, for the moment, who put a price on our heads." He sighed, "I want more cider, anyone else?" Sheppard stood up; only Ronon said yes and Sheppard headed for the bar.
Another thirty minutes passed before Isaacs' team returned; Riva and Danzig had found another flyer at the butcher shop. This one had Sheppard's name circled on it. Teyla stared at the thin paper.
"John, I believe you are correct. This certainly feels like something Shiana would do; she has consistently been against any involvement of Atlantis in Coalition affairs.
McKay shook his head, "She's no idiot. I don't understand why she would do this, knowing that she would be the first person suspected."
"Revenge can fester for years until it is quenched, McKay." Ronon said quietly, exchanging a glance with Teyla. A glance noticed by Sheppard; he had always felt there was something Teyla and Ronon had not told him. Some day, he thought he was going to have to ask.
Sheppard asked Isaacs, "No other information, captain?"
"No, sir; nothing they seem willing to share with us. But, I got the feeling the people in this town know something; they're a bit skittish, sir."
"Okay, people, let's take a stroll around the village." Sheppard left the table, followed by the others. He paused at the door and looked around at McKay, "Watch out for the crap, Rodney." Smiling, Sheppard stepped outside.
They spent the next hour walking around the village. Isaacs' observation about the people was borne out by the attitude of the villagers. They were decidedly standoffish around the Atlantians.
Rodney was exasperated, "Really, Sheppard; this window shopping is so much fun; I've seen plenty of things I want to buy. Can we go home now?"
Sheppard sighed, "Yes, we can; I think we have given them enough time."
"Giving who enough time?"
"The bad guys, Rodney; we needed to be visible where we knew people were aware of the bounty, in order to draw someone out. Only way we are going to find out who's behind this."
"We're bait?"
"Yeah, I guess we are. More than likely, we'll be approached by a few locals, and we'll be able to overpower them. Then we can find out who distributed the flyers. Come on; let's head back to the gate."
With Isaacs and Danzig on point, and Riva and Powers on the six, they passed the outer edge of the village, and once again, the hairs on the back of Sheppard's neck were on end. He scanned the woods along the path, someone was watching them, "Heads up, everyone; we're being watched."
Rodney snorted, "Your spidy sense in overdrive again, Shep…"
Rodney didn't get to finish, as at least twelve men dropped from the trees and quickly took out Isaacs' team, although not without a fight. Isaacs managed to clip the jaw of one of the hunters with his P-90 before another hunter struck him in the head with some sort of padded leather baton. Danzig was able to draw her weapon, but one of the hunters grabbed her hand, wrestling the gun from her. She managed to get a quick punch into his gut, doubling him over before he hit her with another baton. Powers and Riva suffered the same quick dispatch.
Ronon was taking on two of the bounty hunters, and Teyla had attempted to help Rodney, who had thrown a punch and knocked his attacker back. The attacker quickly recovered, and overpowered Rodney, while another gained control of Teyla. Sheppard had landed a few solid punches, and had taken some strong blows. He had driven a fist into his assailant's stomach before he was struck from behind by a baton, knocking him to the ground. Ronon followed quickly as four men subdued him.
Sheppard managed to pull himself to his knees, and struggled to take a deep breath, stopping as a wave of pain coursed through his abdomen. He was shaking, but determined to stand up; he forced himself to his feet, getting his first clear look at the bounty hunters. He realized that he had misjudged who would be coming after them. These men behaved like military; they were organized, well trained, and well armed.
Despite the effort it took to speak, he managed to mutter, "Who are you?"
A tall man, sporting a bloody nose after tangling with Ronon, approached him, and answered sarcastically, "Your captors. However, I am a bit surprised at how difficult it was to capture you. You fight much better than we had assumed." He motioned to some of his men, "tie them up, and let's get to the gate."
Sheppard looked at Isaacs and his team, all unconscious, "What are you going to do with them."
"Don't worry, no reward, so we have no quarrel with them. We simply tapped them with the staves; they'll be fine. If I were you, I'd start worrying about what was going to happen to you." He glared at Sheppard and then walked away.
The hunters bound their hands behind them and forced them to walk toward the gate. As they were passing Isaacs and Danzig, Sheppard noticed that Danzig's eyes were open. She blinked to let him know she was conscious, but Sheppard gave a barely perceptible shake to his head. He wanted her to stay put; she didn't move.
"Hey, where are we gating to, we have a right to know?" Sheppard yelled at the leader, who only laughed in reply. Sheppard didn't ask again; he hoped Danzig would understand.
~~ooOoo~~
Daylight was quickly fading as Sheppard ran through the thick brush. The sharp, slender brambles stung as they cut into his face and arms, and snagged his black BDU pants, but he kept pushing. He had no delusions that he was going to elude the bounty hunters for long, but every moment he could delay the inevitable, gave Atlantis a chance to find them. As he made his way through the dimming light, he thought back to the moments as they gated to this planet.
Once they had reached the gate, Sheppard resisted the urge to scan the area to see if Danzig understood to follow them and observe the gate address, fearing the hunters would notice. His other fear that the bounty hunters would take them through more than one gate was quickly alleviated when they only traveled through the gate once.
Leading away from the gate, on the new planet, was a wide road; a large transport was waiting for them. As they were being loaded into the enclosed rear of the truck, Sheppard heard the driver inform the leader that she had arrived at the fortress. She was most likely Shiana, the one woman in Pegasus, who would like to see him dead. At least he thought she was the only woman in Pegasus, who would like to kill him. If this were the Milky Way galaxy, he suspected the list would be somewhat longer.
"You guys, okay," Sheppard asked.
Rodney frowned, "Just peachy, considering we've been kidnapped."
Sheppard frowned back but didn't respond to Rodney's comment, "Listen, I heard the driver say, she is at the fortress. That's probably where we are going."
Teyla asked, "She, colonel: I suppose 'she' would be Shiana?"
"That's what I think, it's the only thing that makes sense."
Looking at Ronon, who was quiet, his face was bruised, his lip cut, Sheppard asked, "Chewie, you put up a hell of a fight, took four of them to take you down."
Ronon looked decidedly unhappy, "I shouldn't have let them; but Sheppard, those guys are good."
Sheppard worked his jaw from side to side; his own lower lip was cut, and he had taken a huge hit to his left jaw. "No argument here, but don't be hard on yourself. Those guys are professionals. I'd imagine that they were military somewhere. Rodney, what are you doing?" Sheppard had noticed Rodney was squirming.
"I think I can get my ropes undone, leave me alone,"
Rodney had been able to get the ropes binding his hands loose, rattling on about his nimble fingers that his piano teacher had raved about until Ronon threatened him. Rodney then undid his and Ronon's bindings, but before he could untie Teyla, the transport stopped abruptly.
Sheppard hurriedly told them what to do when the doors opened. He wanted Ronon to get away and make his way back to the gate. The Satedan was younger, stronger, and quicker, giving him a better chance of reaching the stargate. When the hunters opened the transport's rear doors, as planned, Rodney acted like he tripped, falling onto two of the four hunters accompanying them. Sheppard and Ronon took out the other two, but Rodney's two assailants recovered quickly. Ronon yelled at Sheppard to run, taking on both men, giving him time to reach the tree line. As he disappeared into the heavy underbrush, he heard the retort of a weapon and then felt the slug rip through his shoulder. Before he disappeared from sight, he had looked back to see Ronon being dragged through the large gate.
Sheppard had been running for nearly five minutes, and his shoulder felt warm and tacky under his TAC vest. He was bleeding, and he knew he had to tend to his wound, or he wouldn't get very far at all. There was very little light left, so he quickly looked for a place to stop. Glimpsing a clump of the extremely tall trees surrounding him, he made his way, finding a natural niche formed in the base of the trees. Gingerly, he eased down onto the soft, spongy ground, leaning against the rough tree trunk. For a moment, he closed his eyes and tried to slow down his breathing.
Once his heart stopped slamming in his chest, Sheppard took a breath. He felt blood running down his face, dripping into his mouth. Instinctively he raised his hand, wincing as he touched his tender cheek, his fingers now covered in blood. A sharp bramble apparently had sliced opened his BDUs, exposing a long deep cut along his right thigh, beads of blood now sliding across his skin, dripping onto the ground.
His main concern was the bullet wound in his shoulder. The small metal slug entered just under the edge of his TAC vest and had enough velocity to pass through his left shoulder. He was thankful he still had his vest, and the bandages tucked in a couple of pockets. Pulling two thick pressure bandages out, he slipped one under his vest near his armpit, the other under the front edge of his vest. He was hoping the pressure from the vest would stop the bleeding. He took a drink of water, rinsing the blood from his mouth. After he spit that water out, he took another drink to wash away the metallic taste.
With his plan to have Ronon head to the gate foiled, Sheppard knew he couldn't remain long in one place. However, he needed a few minutes to rest before he moved. He would never be able to get to the gate, not with the injuries he had sustained. He had to figure out a way to rescue his friends alone, in case Danzig hadn't determined the address where they gated. After a short rest, he pushed himself up, using a tree for leverage, and headed deeper into the forest as the sun dipped further toward the horizon.
~~ooOoo~~
Major Evan Lorne ran up the gate room stairs toward the main landing between the control room and the conference room, where Richard Woolsey was waiting for him. Behind him, on the gate room floor, medics were triaging Captain Isaacs' team. He had left Major Teldy debriefing Isaacs when Woolsey summoned him.
"You wanted to see me, sir?"
Woolsey pointed to the injured Marines, "Are they alright?"
"Yes, sir; everyone but Danzig got knocked out, but they seem fine."
"Major, I was about to contact you when Danzig dialed in; obviously I waited until your teams returned with Isaacs and his team. I received a message from Kelore of Latira. He had some disturbing news; he said that Shiana, of the Tribes of Santhal has been abducted from the new world where her people and other refugees have settled."
Lorne blew out a deep breath, "Whoa, does Kelore have any idea who took her, sir?"
"Yes, the four people who took her fit the description of Sheppard, McKay, Teyla, and Ronon." Seeing Lorne's incredulous reaction, "Yes; I know it wasn't them, but someone wants us to think that it was."
"And someone wants us to think that the colonel and his team have a bounty on their heads, a bounty we suspected was put there by Shiana." Lorne shook his head, a sarcastic grin on his face, "I think it's evident that neither situation is true, sir."
"No, that's evident. Get Isaacs and his team to the infirmary and I'll meet you there in a few minutes. I'm going to have Chuck send a message to Kelore; I want him here."
"Yes, sir," and Lorne quickly headed down to the gate room, following as the medics transported their patients to the infirmary.
When Woolsey joined them, Lorne was talking with Isaacs and Corporal Danzig. Lorne noticed his approach, "Mr. Woolsey; the corporal managed to get the address where Colonel Sheppard, and the others were taken. I have Zelenka checking the planet out now."
Woolsey smiled wanly at the corporal, "Good job, corporal."
"It was the colonel, Mr. Woolsey. He saw that I was conscious but let me know not to move, then he yelled at the leader of the attackers and asked where he was gating them. I figured he meant for me to follow and get the address, sir."
Lorne patted her on the shoulder, "You read the colonel very well; that's exactly what he wanted."
The corporal blushed, "I know Colonel Sheppard's pretty crafty, sir. I was afraid I wouldn't get the address; one of the bounty hunters was standing next to the one who was dialing the gate. Fortunately, he shifted position and I caught the sequence. I contacted Atlantis for help, then went back to my team to wait for assistance."
"So, we have a starting point; get your teams ready, major. Kelore should be here in a few minutes, and he's bringing reinforcements. Do you have an issue with having a Latiran team with you?"
Lorne grinned slyly, "Not as long as they know how to take orders, sir."
As Lorne walked away, Woolsey shook his head and whispered, "More like Sheppard every day."
~~ooOoo~~
Although there was a moon rising, the thick canopy of trees above him, all but filtered the light from the ground. Sheppard was trying to cover as much ground as he could but the roots and tangled brambles made his traverse almost impossible in the dark. Shot, bruised, cut, and near exhaustion, he was attempting to circle back around to the fortress. However, his sense of direction, which McKay ridiculed whenever possible, wasn't helping him. He was moderately certain that he was near the fortress wall, when he heard the sound of a gun cocking.
"There you are; I didn't think you'd get very far, colonel. At least, not after Ravert shot you." The voice was that of the leader of the bounty hunters who had captured them earlier. "Take him," he ordered, and two men roughly grabbed Sheppard.
He was right; he was close to the fortress, Within five minutes, the bounty hunters pushed him through the large gates and into a large stone building. The room they entered was large, heavy wood beams crisscrossed the ceiling, and at the far end, a stone fireplace covered the entire wall. Standing in front of the glowing fire was a tall woman; her blond hair fell in a long braid, trailing down her back. Sitting in a straight chair near the fire was Shiana, she was gagged, tied to a straight chair. Her face was bruised, her right eye puffy from being beaten.
The bounty hunter spoke, "Mistress, we have brought Colonel Sheppard back."
She turned, "Thank you, Ventur; please place him in the chair opposite our other guest. Bring the transport around, we will be leaving shortly."
The two men who had been manhandling him the entire trek to the fortress, weren't any gentler as the forced him to sit. Grabbing his arms, one man forced his hands behind the chair and bound them tightly. Sheppard tried to stifle a moan but was unable to, as the pain in his shoulder flared, sending a burning sensation across his body. The man binding his legs, made certain that he tied the rope across the worst of the cuts on his lower leg. Sheppard breathed through the pain in an attempt to calm himself.
He glared at the woman, "Sorry, I haven't had the pleasure; just who the hell are you, and where is my team?"
She walked over to him, and laughed, "I have heard that you are quite insolent. You will discover who I am in good time. Let's just say for now, I am your captor. Quite an accomplishment wouldn't you say? Others have tried, but I have succeeded in capturing the infamous Colonel Sheppard."
"Yeah, well, I wouldn't get all excited. You're not unique; I've been captured lots of times."
The woman laughed again, "Yes; even the lovely Shiana has managed to capture you, but she allowed you to escape the punishment you deserve. I intend on correcting her error."
"My team, where are they?"
"Don't worry about your team, colonel. I do not plan on killing your friends, although I was tempted to bring that tall one with us. He might prove to be an interesting companion, but from what I have seen so far, he doesn't appear to wish to cooperate."
The doors opened and Ventur, the leader of the bounty hunters, announced, "Madam, the transport is here."
"Untie them from the chairs, but gag them; I don't want to have to listen to them in transit. Load them onto the vehicle, I will be there shortly."
The ropes binding Sheppard and Shiana were undone, and they were hustled out of the fortress and into the transport. A few moments later, the blond woman and the bounty team who captured Sheppard joined them. They traveled to the stargate, where they gated to another location.
The event horizon collapsed only seconds before the gate activated again. Three jumpers exited, quickly rising above the trees.
End of Chapter 1
Hope you liked Chapter One of Bounty. Would love to hear from you...
Chapter 2 tomorrow...promise!