disclaimer: Not mine, why aren't they mine? I want them to be mine but I am only allowed to play with them and then I must put them back where I found them.
Ratings and warnings: M for violence/torture and sexual situations
A/N: The title Today is Monday is the title of a children's book and no offense is meant whatsoever to the incredibly talented Eric Carle. This book is a favorite of mine and all children everywhere.
This was written for the Het Big Bang Challenge and has some beautiful pieces of art that were done especially for it by the very talented Twisted_Slinky.These can be seen on AO3 or my LJ page. (and the icon for this story)
Even though I use some of the same names for David Sheppard's family, this story is not in the same universe as any of my other stories.
Thanks: to puerta de las estrelles for her wonderful Beta, and to wisconsinrocks for all the great medical advice and corrections. And to my darling Sara-Lee, because you are the absolute BEST!
Feedback: PLEASE! Yes! Affirmative! Absolutely! Of course! Why not?
Today Is Monday
by karasel
.
"Come on, baby. Come on! Come on!" John Sheppard yelled as he tried to coax the controls of the 302 out of the spiral he had been thrown into after a lucky shot from a dart winged one of his engines.
The craft was now in a nose dive and John seriously wondered if this would be it. Would he end up splattered all over the Nevada desert and be dismissed along with all the other anomalies of Area 51?
As the ground rushed up to meet him at an alarming rate, John gave a little prayer that Atlantis would be able to get here in time to save Earth from the Wraith super hive ship that was approaching the planet. But he had his doubts since they had expected it would take the hive ship at least another week to reach the Milky Way. He didn't think Atlantis could travel fast enough to get here in time unless McKay or Zalenka pulled a miracle out of their asses.
John tugged as hard as he could in a last ditch attempt to get the ship under control and right as he thought he'd be squished like a bug against a windshield he felt the craft straighten out and respond to his commands.
John pulled the nose up and released a huge breath of relief as he looked around at his current location. To his dismay he saw a massive plume of smoke rising in the nearby sky. His stomach plummeted again as he realized what it had to be.
"Stargate Command, this is Sheppard. Am I seeing what I think I'm seeing?"
"It was a nice try, John," came Samantha Carter's voice through his radio. "There were just too many of them. The Chair's been destroyed."
John closed his eyes and processed the news then pulled the stick again to take his 302 into a steep climb.
Carter watched the monitor at the SGC and saw his movements.
"Sheppard, what are you doing?"
"I've got an idea."
Major Davis watched the monitor as well and noted, "He's climbing rapidly. He's heading into the upper atmosphere!"
"Sheppard, your orders are to return to the base," Sam's voice rang out with authority though she knew John Sheppard didn't always respond to authority very well. But they had gotten along just fine when she had lead the Atlantis Expedition and she hoped John would listen to her now.
"I've still got a nuke. I'm gonna finish this mission," John stated firmly.
Carter shook her head even though John certainly couldn't see her. "You don't have enough fuel. You'll never make it to the Hive."
"He got what he wanted. He's gonna come to us."
Davis pointed at the monitor. "He's right. The Hive ship has changed course. They're on their way."
"I've got enough fuel to establish orbit, then I'll shut everything down except basic life support. That way he won't detect me 'til it's too late."
Sam felt her stomach drop. She didn't like the idea of John going after this hive ship on his own without back up. "Even if that doeswork, given what we know about this ship, one nuke is not gonna be enough."
John's voice remained calm but Sam could hear the steel resolve in his tone. "No, not from the outside. I'll wait for him to enter orbit, I'll fire up my systems, shoot my way through the Dart Bay door and fly the damned bomb right down his throat. Then I'll detonate it from the inside.""John, I can't ask you to do that." Sam knew Sheppard was well known for being a daredevil and he'd done more than his share of suicide missions but this time there didn't seem as if there would be some miracle to save him.
"Well, you're not asking. I'm volunteering. Look, without that Chair, Earth is basically defenseless, right?"
Sam looked over at Major Davis and neither one of them said anything. They knew he was right. But Sam certainly couldn't advocate his doing this but it seemed they had no choice. If this worked they would lose one very good man. If it didn't, then the entire planet could be lost. Sam didn't know what to say. But John didn't seem to need her to say anything.
"Right. Commencing radio silence. Sheppard out."
Sam looked back at Davis and then had to look away. She really hated this part of the job. She knew that people made sacrifices all the time but John Sheppard was a good friend and an excellent leader. The SGC would be hard pressed to find too many others who had the courage, knowledge, and loyalty that John possessed. And she knew Atlantis wouldn't be the same without him.
.
.
"Stargate Command, this is Sheppard. Come in."
Carter hurried over to the console after a far too long period of quiet and answered, "Sheppard, where are you?"
"I made it inside. Look, I don't have much time before this place is swarming with Wraith, so I'm arming the nuke."
Sam really hated that he was doing this. But how many times had she and her team done things that were just as crazy and dangerous? Many times. But they had always somehow managed to come back. John was on a hive ship about to explode with no way off. What she wouldn't give for the Asgard to still be around and available to beam him off.
She didn't know what to say but she tried anyway. "John ... "
"Just do me a favor," John interrupted her. Sam could hear the edge in his voice and couldn't even begin to imagine what he was feeling right now. "When Atlantis shows up ..." she heard him give a big sigh, "... tell 'em I said goodbye."
Sam wanted to say more but she heard the definitive click of his radio. She knew he didn't want to hear platitudes and she was never very good at giving them anyway. She glanced over at Davis then turned to the monitors. The man had a compassionate expression on his face but since he'd only just met Sheppard he couldn't truly know how much John would be missed.
Sam walked around the room pretending to look at the monitors and screens projecting deep space images and sensor readings on them. Davis did the same although he at least was really studying them.
"The Hive has completed surface scans," he announced as he checked a few more bits of data coming in.
"They'll target military installations first," Sam theorized, "then the power grid – send the population into a panic. Then they'll launch the Darts."
Davis looked closer at one of the screens. "Looks like a hyperspace window or something is opening near the ship. Can't be another hive ship, can it?"
Carter swiftly shook her head. "No, we were told this was the only ship that got the information and had a ZPM to get here this fast."
She pressed a few keys to bring up more data on her screen then her eyes widened. "It's Atlantis! I don't know how they got here so fast but maybe they can do something about this hive ship before John detonates the nuke."
Davis pursed his lips as his mouth twisted. "There's no way we can contact him since he shut his radio off."
Sam just nodded sadly.
.
.
"Sir, the Hive is returning fire," Amelia Banks announced to Richard Woolsey as they entered orbit around the Earth and sent a few drones out to try and take them out.
The city shuddered as they were hit by the force of the Wraith weapons. A few consoles started to ignite and send out sparks. More impacts were felt and the city started to shake.
"Shields are down, seventy percent."
Woolsey looked around at the chaos and wondered how much good they would be if the city was falling apart from the journey. But he knew they had to defend Earth at all costs. He just wasn't sure it would be enough.
"Keep firing, Doctor Beckett!" he yelled into the comm knowing the Scottish doctor was doing the best he could. What they really needed was Colonel Sheppard. That man could get the city to do most anything he wanted it to. Woolsey sometimes wondered if Atlantis wasn't a little in love with him.
He shook his head at his little flight of fancy and kept his eyes glued to the screens.
After a few more hits Woolsey thought they were goners but suddenly Chuck got a weird look on his face and shouted, "There's a strange power surge coming from the hive ship."
Zalenka and McKay ran to their laptops and started punching buttons. But they never got very far in their analysis because the hive ship had little explosions emanating from inside.
"Carson," McKay screamed over his radio, "Try and move Atlantis away from the hive ship. It's about to blow."
And no sooner had they edged away then the hive ship exploded into a fiery mass sending the shock waves tumbling into the city to push it around even more.
Zalenka looked around frantically and called out to Woolsey, "The force of enemy blast has pushed us into a lower orbit! We're skimming the atmosphere!"
Amelia looked up. "It's draining the shield, sir!"
"Doctor Beckett, can you adjust our course?"
"I'll do what I can," Carson answered frantically. "But I've lost a lot of power. I'll be lucky just to land this thing without killing us all."
Woolsey nodded his head. "Do what you can, Doctor."
.
.
Davis watched the monitors and noticed a slight power surge just seconds before the hive ship exploded into oblivion. The entire operations room in the SGC burst into applause.
Davis grinned and laughed in relief. "They did it! The Hive has been destroyed!"
He looked at Colonel Carter and noticed her smile wasn't quite reaching her eyes. Obviously she was relieved that Earth had been saved from a terrible fate but he also knew she had liked and deeply respected John Sheppard. Davis had read enough about him to know he had done amazing things though in a very unorthodox way. But he had been very successful in his position over the last five years and it was a shame it had to end this way for him.
Walter Harriman walked into the room and crossed to Carter distracting him from his thoughts.
"Colonel, we've been monitoring radio chatter. Several commercial vessels in the north Pacific have reported a giant fireball streaking across the sky."
Davis lowered his face into his hands. They may have been saved for now but this mess would be a nightmare to clean up.
He watched as Carter had a small conversation with Woolsey assuring everyone that Atlantis was still in one piece and heading over open water. Davis followed their trajectory.
"We are tracking them again. We should be able to project co-ordinates for splashdown."
They looked at the screen indicating that the city should be landing in the middle of the Pacific Ocean.
"Walter," Sam directed, "you'd better get me the President. It looks like Atlantis is coming home."
Her smile widened then she closed her eyes and gave a deep sigh and added, "And get me some quick transportation out to them. Someone needs to tell them what happened."
.
.
"Sir, Colonel Carter's chopper just set down on the East Pier," Chuck looked up and informed Woolsey as he got the information over his radio.
"Thank you, Che… uh, … thank you."
Richard sighed and smiled back at him. "Can you inform the other senior staff and let them know we'll be meeting in the conference room?"
"Right away, sir."
Richard walked to his office, picked up his planner and laptop and walked slowly back to the conference room. It would be a few minutes before Carter got to the Control Tower so he actually poured himself some hot water, added his favorite Earl Grey and sat down to see if he could get a few sips before they needed to begin.
Soon people began to wander in but Woolsey merely greeted them and continued to sip his tea. He'd need to stop soon enough. He looked at Teyla and Ronon who sat further down the table, having left Sheppard's usual seat empty for him. Woolsey wondered if the Colonel would be with Carter or if he was still in Antarctica with the Chair. He knew it could take a while to get him back to this part of the world.
Dr. McKay and Dr. Zalenka made their entrance arguing about one of the city's systems that had been compromised during their journey here and he just smiled. Some things never changed. Dr. Keller strolled in next with Carson Beckett. Woolsey knew Beckett wasn't really senior staff anymore but after managing to get them here and landed in one piece he certainly wouldn't begrudge the man listening to the information on exactly what had happened to destroy the hive ship.
But he honestly didn't care how they had done it. It had worked and now Earth was no longer in danger of having their inhabitants sucked dry and lifeless. Yes, the facts weren't all that important in his mind right now. Funny how things changed in just one short year.
It was another ten minutes before Major Lorne walked in accompanying Colonel Carter. Lorne turned to leave but she waved him in and motioned for him to sit. Perhaps to take notes for Colonel Sheppard. Woolsey was very aware of how much of Sheppard's paperwork the Major actually did for him.
"Colonel Carter," Woolsey said and shook her hand as he stood up to greet her. "I have to say it's certainly lovely to see you and a bit surprising that we're all around to actually do it."
He motioned for her to have a seat right next to him and she did, her eyes taking in all the people around her.
"Why don't you fill us in on what happened here."
"Well," Carter began as she took a deep breath in. "The hive ship arrived long before we were expecting it. We figured it would be another week but apparently the ZPMs it had allowed it to travel much faster."
"Yes, well, we know how to do that too," McKay almost boasted. "It's how you people sent the Daedalus to us in our first year so quickly."
Sam nodded patiently as Woolsey scowled at him to let her give her report.
"Once it got close enough, it sent darts out and they headed straight for Area 51."
"But Sheppard took them out with the chair from the Ancient Outpost, right?" McKay interrupted again.
"Not exactly," Sam said and filled them in on why the Chair had been moved away from there.
"So, wait," Rodney started once more. "If Sheppard wasn't in Antarctica in the Chair, why isn't he here now? Where is he? Taking time off already?"
"Dr. McKay," Woolsey chastised, "Would you kindly let Colonel Carter finish with her report without interrupting her every minute."
Rodney sat back in his chair with a huff but stayed quiet.
"Colonel Sheppard took a fleet of 302's up and tried to defend the complex but they were outnumbered and the Chair was destroyed."
McKay started to butt in again but Woolsey gave him the evil eye and he sank back into his seat.
"Colonel Sheppard had made provisions to have the 302's outfitted with nukes before they took off and so he took his into the atmosphere and waited, powered down, until the Hive Ship got closer."
"The drones from Atlantis were barely doing any damage at all," McKay argued vehemently. "There is no way a nuke could have made a dent in the shield protecting that ship,"
Sam shook her head sadly. "No, not from the outside. John blasted through the Dart Bay doors and detonated the nuke from inside the ship."
"So if he detonated from inside the ship," Ronon scowled, "Then how did he get out before it blew?"
Sam sat quietly and took another deep breath. She didn't quite know how to answer that one. She found she didn't really need to.
"Oh my God!" McKay jumped up from his seat and shouted. "He didn't! That stupid, idiotic, brainless hero-loving fool went on another of his crazy suicide missions again, didn't he?" Rodney looked straight at Sam. "And you let him do this?"
Sam tried her best to remain calm but dealing with a hysterical McKay was not always easy. She gritted her teeth and replied, ""I ordered him to come back when he first started heading into the atmosphere. But I'm not sure we really had any other choice."
"Of course we had a choice!" Rodney howled in rage. "Atlantis would have taken care of the ship and he could have been down here drinking all my coffee on me right now."
"Rodney," Carson spoke softly trying to calm the man down. "I know you're upset but really think about it. The city wasn't in the best shape after our trip here. Could we have truly taken down the Hive Ship with the extra ZPM's and upgrades it had? Especially as our orbit started to deteriorate shortly after we got here."
"Yeah," Rodney rounded on his friend. "We, we … could have … I mean I would have … thought of something. Right Zalenka?"
Radek looked up from where he had been staring at his hands, deep in thought. "I suppose it is possible. But we did not expect Hive Ship to already be here. We thought we would arrive before and have time to make adaptations and be ready when they did. Truthfully we are lucky we did not take on more damage in their attack on us."
"But, but …" McKay stammered obviously distressed.
"I'm sorry, Rodney," Sam commiserated. "I know John was a good friend of yours. I'm sorry to all of you. I wouldn't have wanted him to do this either but you know John, he always did what he thought was right. And in this instance I'm not sure I could say he was wrong. The hive ship had already powered up their weapons to target major cities. John blew it up just in time."
"And he went out with honor," Ronon said loud and clear though his voice had a tinge of sadness to it. "That's the right way to do it. You should be proud of him, McKay for saving your sorry ass instead of whining because he's not here anymore."
Rodney seemed to deflate and slumped back in his chair. "I know. I just …"
"Yes, Rodney," Teyla's emotion filled voice spoke up now. "We are all saddened and devastated at his loss but Ronon is correct. It is how John would have wanted it. It was his job to protect all that he served and that is what he did."
Sam cleared her throat and tried to get past the lump in it. "I spoke with the President earlier to inform him of the possible consequences of Atlantis hurtling though the sky not to mention the fact that the explosion from the Hive Ship was apparent in quite a few places in the world. Once I told him what John had done, he recommended he receive the Medal of Honor for his bravery and sacrifice."
"Whole lot of good that's gonna do him," McKay mumbled under his breath then folded his arms in front of him.
"It's what he deserves," Major Lorne now piped in. He had been sitting quietly alongside everyone else but hadn't said anything. "That medal is for people who have 'distinguished themselves through conspicuous gallantry at the risk of their life above and beyond the call of duty while engaged in an action against an enemy of the United States'. I don't think anyone could argue that Colonel Sheppard not only gave his life for his country but for the lives of everyone on this planet."
The only answer he got was silence. No one would dare argue with those facts.
Sam looked around at the assembled group and took a deep breath. "In his last communication … John told me … to say goodbye to all of you."
More silence fell over the room then Woolsey started to ask Carter questions regarding the President and Teyla decided she would make her escape. She did not think she could sit here any longer and listen to the politics of this planet. She knew they were certainly of great consequence but right now she had more important things to do.
"If you will excuse me, Mr. Woolsey, Colonel Carter, I need to see to Torren. I …" she couldn't finish her sentence but no one really expected her to. They all knew how she felt.
Sam and Woolsey both nodded and she quietly slipped out of the room. She walked past the smiling faces of the techs in the control room who had no idea of the enormity of the news they had just received. To them Atlantis was safe and Earth had been saved. She would not be the one to tell them their Military Commander had been the one who was responsible for the safety of this planet but that he had died while doing it.
She moved quietly down the stairs and continued down the hallway as her mind tried to process the fact that John would no longer be around. She stopped to lean against the wall, her strength leaving her momentarily. Her eyes filled with tears and she took in a few shaky breaths. She did not want to believe it but she had witnessed the explosion of the Hive Ship and knew no one could have survived that if they had been on board. And Colonel Carter said the nuclear weapon had been attached to the ship that John had flown inside.
After many minutes of wandering, Teyla found herself in the crews quarters atrium heading down the hall where John's room was. She glanced around and saw the hallway empty so she waved her hand and entered his room. She knew she had said she needed to see to Torren but she also knew that she needed a little time to cope with her grief before she saw her child. He could sense her feelings and right now they were extremely strong and filled with sorrow.
Teyla allowed the door to close behind her and she stood just inside and looked around. It had been barely a day ago that she had stood right here as John packed for his trip to Earth. He had been given a half hour to grab a few things before he left and Teyla had sought him out during this time.
He had greeted her as usual and continued throwing things in his bag for a moment then had stood up and looked at her with a half smile.
"Atlantis is leaving the Pegasus Galaxy for Earth in a little while," he had told her. "You should get Kanaan and Torren and make sure you get to New Athos before they leave."
She had stood proudly before him and replied, "I am not leaving and Kanaan is already there. Torren will stay in the city with me. I do not wish to be separated from him if Atlantis is not able to return immediately."
John had taken a few steps and placed his hands on her arms. "Teyla, it might not be safe here for Torren. I know you don't want anything to happen to him and I don't either. I've gotten used to having the little rugrat around."
Teyla had smiled at John's nickname for her son but argued for his staying. "Dr. Spencer in the biology department has told me if it seems unsafe for us, she will take us in a cloaked jumper and leave the city to be safe. I hope it will not come to that but I will not leave Atlantis when for so long she and her inhabitants have fought bravely for us. But I also will not be without my son."
John's thumbs had moved in a gentle caress up and down her arms. "What about Kanaan? Doesn't he have any say in what you do?"
Teyla's eyebrows had risen when John asked this question and she had suddenly realized that John thought that she and Kanaan were a couple. She knew it had been time to explain otherwise.
"Kanaan is Torren's father and as such has certain rights, however he does not have any right to tell me what to do. We simply share a child and friendship, nothing more."
John's eyes had narrowed at this information and she knew they did not have much time before he left. "So you and Kanaan … you aren't … you know … together?"
"No, John," she had responded. "I am sorry I did not make this more clear to you but I did not think it truly mattered."
John's eyes had grown dark and intense and his hands held her more firmly. He took a deep breath and sighed. "Maybe it would have."
Teyla had thrilled at these words but before she could respond to them John had turned his head and she heard him called over his radio. They were ready to send him to Earth.
"I've got to go, Teyla," John apologized as his hands reluctantly left her arms. "We should talk about this more when everything is settled, okay?"
Teyla had nodded sadly then reached for John. "Please be careful and safe, John."
John gave a crooked smile and said, "I'll try. You, too."
But he had actually allowed her to glide into his arms and hug him without flinching or stiffening up as he usually did. She had in fact felt his arms tighten on her in comfort and reassurance. And she had felt his lips in her hair. But then he had left her standing there alone as he trotted down the hall to the gate room.
Just as she was standing alone here right now.
She moved around the room and finally sat down on the bed. Her eyes roamed and settled on the many items John had brought to this place to make it more of a home to him. She still did not understand this game of golf that he liked to play and she truly wondered how he managed to stay upright on the small wheeled board in the corner.
Her glance landed on his guitar and she smiled when she remembered the many times she had brought Torren here and John had played this instrument and sung a silly tune to make him laugh. She knew John did not let others see him play this but she had felt honored that he had allowed her and her son to receive this gift of his music.
She remembered that he had promised that someday they would do a song together where he played and she sang. Teyla knew he was only speaking in jest as he was far too reserved and awkward in public situations for something like that. But she had hoped that perhaps some day they would do this even if it was just here in his room.
But now that would never happen. His guitar would sit here, silent and still and Torren would not get to hear John's low voice warbling out ridiculous lyrics that made absolutely no sense but which made the child giggle hysterically. She wondered if John had made up some of these songs or if they did indeed exist.
Teyla moved to the instrument and strummed her fingers down over the strings. John had offered to teach her how to play it at one point but she usually had Torren in her arms or was attempting to keep him from chewing on everything in John's room, so it had not been feasible. Perhaps there was someone else on Atlantis who could show her. She did not think John would mind if she borrowed his guitar to learn.
She strummed a few more times then lowered it to its stand and wandered around the room. She looked out the window and was surprised at how different the scene was from their previous location. It was still filled with ocean but John's room faced the sparkling Earth city and she could see many of the fascinating sights from here.
But she did not wish to think about being here on this planet without John to show her all the places he had described to her over the years. She turned and moved throughout the room looking at all that belonged to John. She opened his closet and touched his clothes hanging in there then took a shirt from his hamper and pressed it to her face. It still had a strong odor of John, his soap and deodorant mixing with his sweat and general earthy scent. But it was all too much.
She kept the shirt in her hands and moved back to the bed where she collapsed against it, still holding the fabric to her face. Tears began to flow and she found no matter how hard she tried to stem them, they would not stop. And she knew she should not try to. She needed to mourn and it was best to do it here where no one could see her. Out in public she needed to be strong and stoic but in here she could allow her feelings and emotions to come out in full force.
She adjusted herself and lay on John's pillow though the scent on that filled her with even more memories of him. Her tears continued to fall in earnest and she did not even attempt to stem them anymore.
She was not sure how long she lay there wallowing in grief but eventually she felt another presence and opened her eyes and raised her head to see Ronon lowering himself to sit beside her. His hand reached out and stroked her arm and he gave her a tiny smile.
"Figured I'd find you here," he said softly as Teyla sat up and wiped the moisture from her eyes.
Ronon handed her a box of tissues and she gratefully took a few and cleaned herself up. "Thank you, Ronon. I … uh …"
"You don't have to say anything. I know how you feel. I spent the last hour punching that big bag thing in the gym and McKay locked himself in his lab and won't let anyone else come in, even Keller."
Teyla took in a wobbly breath and responded, "I know I should go get Torren but I do not wish him to see me this way. He will be very upset if he knows I am upset. I thought by coming here I could perhaps find some perspective and get through my grief. But I am finding all of John's belongings are causing more pain and misery than anything else because they remind me of everything that was so good and decent about him and knowing we will no longer have that is unbearable."
Ronon didn't reply to this just pulled her to him and held her close. Teyla could feel the misery and despair radiating from him and so she leaned against him and held him close to try and assist each other with their grief.
.
.
She walked down the hallway, her blonde hair swinging with the rhythm of her steps, and took note of the damp, cool air that permeated this part of the old building. Her office a few floors above, though still built with brick walls, was considerably more comfortable.
She turned to the man beside her and asked, "Has our guest been made comfortable since he arrived here?"
The tall, dark skinned man smiled though there was no warmth in that either. "He's about as comfortable as he's gonna get. I've seen you work. I don't imagine this will be a vacation for him."
Her own smile mimicked his, though had a wicked twist to it. "That is true. I do have plans for him. This really was a lucky catch. Remind me to reward the one who got this information to us."
He merely nodded and stopped at a large wooden door halfway down the hallway. He inserted a key and twisted the knob then pulled the thick wood open. A small room maybe twelve by twelve was illuminated only with light coming through a tiny, high window on the back wall. A rough commode and sink were inserted into a little alcove on the right while two more doors lined the left side.
Her eyes took in all the details and smiled when she saw the bar overhead with the thick chains hanging down to just a few feet above her head. This would do perfectly.
"Open it up!" she ordered her associate then took a step through the door closest to her.
This room was even smaller, no bigger than perhaps six by six and aside from the door she had just walked through, there was nothing but stone surrounding the four walls. Though now one of those walls had a very nice decoration.
"Hello," she greeted and saw narrowed eyes glare at her in the dim light. "I hope you like our hospitality so far. I can't tell you how excited I am to have you come and visit with us. You're exactly what we needed around here to spice things up."
"Sorry to disappoint you," the low voice of her prisoner rumbled as his mouth crooked sideways. "But I'm usually a bit of a party pooper myself. Not sure I'll be spicing anything up. You might want to look for someone a bit livelier than me."
She gave a wider smile and her eyes glowed, literally. That made the man sit up straighter and she saw his Adam's apple move up and down nervously. But he didn't say anything else.
"I am Athena," her tone echoed in the small room as she stared at the anxious man sitting on the floor. "Do not worry, I am sure you will give me many hours of entertainment. I believe we will become very good friends."
He rattled the chains holding his hands about a foot above his shoulders. "I'd get up and shake your hand but as you can see I'm a little tied up right now. But if you want to let me out of these I'd be happy to greet you properly."
Her eyebrow rose. "Oh, you will be removed from them daily, do not worry. You will see I am a very precise and methodical person. I like organization and structure and so we will quickly fall into a systematic routine. You will always know what day it is and what to expect."
"What is it you want from me?" he said as he pulled on the chains binding his wrists once again. "Not that I don't appreciate your pulling my bacon out of the fire like you did, but I'm wondering why you did and how you even knew I was there?"
She looked at the man standing near the door and nodded. "We have many associates who keep their eyes open for unexpected opportunities that could possibly benefit our organization. We were monitoring the situation that you found yourself in and were prepared to act if you had not been successful. We couldn't take the chance of this planet being attacked while we have a base set up here."
"We being The Trust," he said astutely. "I recognize you, you're Charlotte Mayfield, former Vice President of Farrow-Marshall Aeronautics. You've got a nice little file going at the SGC."
"Very impressive," she answered. "I see you've done your homework. Unfortunately many of my former associates had the misfortune of meeting up with some of your associates. I've been trying to rebuild this little empire and now with you here, I have a much greater chance."
The chained man just stared, unsure where she was going with this. She signaled for the man behind her and he left the room. She then took a step closer and lowered herself to run her hand through the unruly dark hair.
"You are very handsome and have a certain charm about you. I do believe I will have fun playing with you."
"Playing? Sure," he quipped. "Maybe we could begin with Hide and Seek. I'll start. You close your eyes and count to … say… a million. Then you can come look for me. What do you say?"
She chuckled and her eyes glowed yet again. "I do not think that will be our first game. I have several others in mind. I am sure you will come to appreciate them."
The door behind them creaked a bit and she stood and moved aside. Her dark skinned friend had returned with two other very large men, one of them holding a hand gun.
"Yes," she said at the questioning look of her prisoner. "That is your weapon that we borrowed from you when we first brought you here. We wouldn't want you to hurt yourself with it so we'll just hold it for now."
She stepped back and watched as the three men unchained her guest and attempted to pull off his outer button down shirt. When she saw how much he struggled it pleased her. There was nothing more boring than a complacent playmate. She moved to the outer room and reached inside the box that had been brought in behind her.
When she had chosen her toy for the day she turned and watched some more as the green t-shirt was removed as well and her visitor was attached to the chains hanging from the beam across the low ceiling. And he was still struggling valiantly.
She moved around the room until she was facing him and held his gaze. "There are a few reasons you've been brought here and I assure you very soon you'll know what they are. But first we have to make you understand that we have certain ways of doing things around here. Like I said earlier, I'm very organized and methodical so we need to establish some routines from the start. Once you understand them, we can begin to move toward your true purpose in being brought here."
She held up the leather whip so he could see and his jaw clenched and his green eyes grew darker. She could see his handsome chest rise and fall in trepidation and she could feel her own excitement rise.
She walked slowly around him again and stroked her finger down his back. She felt him flinch at the contact and an evil chuckle escaped from her lips.
"Do not worry, Colonel Sheppard, this is your first day here. I'll be very gentle with you."
And with that she let the leather fly and tear across his skin. She saw him arch his back and grunt but he didn't cry out.
"This is just the first of many games I like to play. And so you'll remember when we play this one, I'll let you know …"
She let the whip fly again and taunted, "Today is Monday."
.