I get dragged out of the holding cell by a Genii, who's also holding me at gunpoint so I wouldn't pull any stunts. As if. I just learned how to use a firearm, why would I try to fight off a well trained and heavily armed Genii soldier? I like being alive.
I hear muffled sounds coming from the room we're walking into, it sounds like someone's being punched repeatedly. And much to my horror, that is the case. Major Lorne is tied to a chair, barely conscious and blood all over his face.
I try to leap forward, wanting to wipe off the blood and take care of him, but the Genii is holding me back. I try to fight him, but it's no use.
"Major", I say and my voice barely goes through, I'm an inch away from crying and my stomach flip flops at the sight before me, but he hears me and slowly turns his head.
"Doc", his voice breaks, and his tone indicates warning. But for what? Danger? Imminent death? Oh God, I am so bad at this.
I immediately recognize the man opposite of the Major, tall, strong build, scarred face - I am looking at Acastus Kolya, whom I have last seen during the storm on Atlantis, when he and his soldiers tried to take over the city.
He's adjusting the glove on his hand - the hand he beats Evan with - and looks at me. He must've immediately recognized me as well, because he's walking towards me, obviously not interested in the bleeding man on the chair anymore.
Anger overwhelms me as he comes closer. I want nothing more than to wipe off that smirk on his face.
"I remember you", he says in his deep voice, "you were on Atlantis the day of the storm. What a tragic event, wouldn't you say?"
"As I recall, you got thrown through the Gate as the bullet hit you. You lost."
I really shouldn't be so smug about this. This is not the time to rub it in his face, me and the others being hostages and all.
"Now I remember where I'd seen you", he says and props up my chin with his hand, "you were in the Control Room with Dr McKay. Until I hit you, that is. Bleeding wound, if I remember correctly. It healed pretty well, not even a scar."
And in that moment, I want to vomit. The memories are flooding over me, like the gigantic wave that threatened to crash into the city. The wound that adorned my face for a long time reminded me how vulnerable I am without the proper training. That was the moment I swore to myself not to be vulnerable ever again. Well, guess it was not enough. I am still vulnerable.
"You're not talking? Shame. You were such an expressive young lady back then. You did have Dr McKay under good control, didn't you?"
"What do you want?", I hiss.
"I want many things, first and foremost the control of your city. But let's start with something simple. Get that Ancient device to work."
"And if I don't?"
He laughs and raises an eyebrow. "If you don't, I'll make sure that the Major's identification is found on a dead body yet again - and this time, it will really be him. Yes, I heard about what happened with Ladon and Gowen."
I swallow hard at this. If I get the device to work, the Genii will have a powerful weapon. Wait. No. The device is gene activated. No gene, no device.
"I can hear the wheels turning in your head, Doctor", he says and walks over to Major Lorne, who's got his eyes fixed on me, "don' t even think about manipulating anything. Remember, I have more hostages than you and your Major."
He is not my Major. God, really, what gives people the idea Evan is my Major?
"I know the device is gene activated and I happen to know that Major Lorne and most of his team carry the genes of the Ancestors. If you play nice, I'll let you and Dr Parrish go."
Wow, he knows our names pretty well. His spies are good.
"No", I say and immediately curse myself for it. I hate the times my mouth is faster than my brain.
"No?", Kolya asks and hits Evan in the face, who groans in pain.
I can't handle this. It's all too much. The violence, the blood, the pain the Major has to endure. I want to go over and hold him, treat his wounds, make him be alright again. I want him to look at me and tell me that everything will be alright. I want him to be safe. I want him to be with me.
My reply seems to be taking too long, so Kolya hits Evan again.
"No! Wait! Please!", I plead with tears in my eyes and wriggle free from the Genii's grasp, "please, stop. I'll do it."
"Naina", Evan groans and I can hear the desperation out of his voice.
"I'll do it. Under one condition."
Kolya, visibly interested in what I have to say, moves away from Lorne and walks towards me again. His presence and the danger in his eyes make my knees weak and I want to run away, but I have to keep my composure.
"What makes you think I would accept your condition?"
Ignoring his question, I look straight into his eyes and try to ignore the instinct to run away, "I want Major Lorne and his team unharmed and sent back. Just them. No Genii goes through the Gate with them."
"That's a lot to ask for, considering you're not in any position to make demands, don't you think?"
"Yes or no. Take it or leave it."
Kolya turns around, possibly to consider it, but before I know it, he whirls around and slaps me in the face with the back of his hand. I fall to the ground and feel the pain immediately. My heart is beating uncontrollably and all I want is to curl up into a ball and cry. I can taste blood on the inside of my mouth. He hit my lip and now it's bleeding. I am so scared. Scared for my life. But I need to do this. I owe it to the guys.
"You son of a bitch!", I hear Evan shout, but it seems to go by the Genii, because he doesn't look at him.
"You have a big mouth, young lady, and I do not appreciate the way you talk to me. You spent way too much time around Dr McKay."
A tear runs down my cheek and I have to pull myself together to hold a sob back.
"But I am a generous man and I will think about it. In the mean time, I will keep Major Lorne here with me. If you try to escape, he's dead."
The horror that showed itself in that room earlier follows me back into the cell. As soon as I'm thrown back in, I can't help but start crying. It's more than I can bear and the risk of Kolya taking Lorne's life at will is greater than not being able to get the device working.
I slide down on the ground, my back against the wall and put my face in my hands. Immediately, Lieutenant Reed and Seargant Stackhouse are by my side and try to calm me down.
I draw my legs closer to my body and try to focus on one specific point on the opposite wall, right past Lieutenant Reed, trying to keep the nausea at bay.
"Doctor", I hear one of them say, but it sounds far away, so distant, that my brain doesn't make the connection that I'm being adressed, "Doc?"
"Naina!", someone shouts and touches my knees, and it immediately brings me back into reality.
I look up to find Dr Parrish's concerned face looking at me. "What happened? Where's the Major? Is he alright?"
I look away. "He's beating him up", I whisper.
"Who's beating whom up?" It's Lieutenant Reed this time.
I take my time with answering, fearing, that if I say it out loud, I will see it all over again in my head. "Kolya. He's beating up Major Lorne."
"Son of a-", Reed exclaims and stands up.
"Kolya? I thought the guy's dead?"
"Colonel Sheppard shot him after they tried to take over the city, but it was never confirmed that he's dead", Stackhouse answers reasonably.
"I have to get the device working, or he'll kill all of you", I say and take deep breaths to calm myself down, "I told Kolya that I'd do it, but only if he lets all of you go back to Atlantis unharmed."
"And you?", David asks, his eyes widened.
"I'm staying to do my part."
"Doc, what the hell?", Stackhouse shrieks and looks at me, concern and anger in his eyes, "why would you do that?"
"Lorne is on that chair, beaten up, tied up, blood all over his face. He can't endure this forever and God knows whatever else they're gonna do to him. He beat him in front of me. I just- I couldn't let Kolya continue."
"We'll figure something out." Reed is still looking at me, waiting for a reaction. I nod slowly, but I don't really believe him. There is no way we're gonna make it out of this if I don't do what Kolya wants. I don't even know if I'm gonna survive when I'm done with the Ancient device, since there would be no point in keeping me alive. The only way we'd get rescued is in approximately 18 hours, since we did the first check-in successfully, but will consequently miss the second one. 18 hours can be long.
"What does this device do anyway?", David asks, sitting down next to me.
"There's not much in the database. It said that it'd give you strength, everlasting youth and health."
"How'd the Genii hear of this?", Stackhouse asks, pacing around in the cell. Antsy fella.
"Maybe through their spies. They've heard of the device from someone in the village down the road and put someone there to observe, thinking that we'd come across it one day or another."
"What are the odds?", David chuckles and leans his head against the wall. He really shouldn't be here. He's a botanist, there's no interesting plant life on this planet, but he wanted to observe me and learn more about Ancient technology. He'd rather learn from me than from Rodney. But still, I feel sorry for him. Of course, I shouldn't be here either. I'm allowed to go off-world, but not as an add-on to a specific Gate team. I am only there when the coast is clear and someone needs help with technology. Or when Rodney and Radek are otherwise occupied. Or the latter vehemently declines to go off-world. I try to think of a moment in time when that task actually became mine; when I got on the list of scientists to help off-world. I can't put my finger on one moment exactly, it just sort of happened.
Suddenly, the cell door opens and a Genii soldier steps inside.
"You...", he announces and points to me, "you come with me."
Oh please, haven't I had enough already? Kolya can't possibly have made up his mind yet.
"What about the others?", I ask, but do as I'm told and follow the man. He doesn't seem tobother to answer anyway.
We walk down the hall. There are other cells, much like the one I've been in, but they're all emtpy. Where are we? Some kind of prison?
The soldier opens a cell and looks at me, silently ordering me to go inside. The door closes behind me, this time, I can't see through bars since it's a closed room. But, oh wonder, there's a window and judging by the light outside, the sun is about to set.
I wait a few minutes and want to see if anything might happen, but even after 15 minutes, nothing happens. No sounds, no explanation as to why I got separated from the others and most of all, no food.
I hope the others are okay.