CHAPTER FOUR

To quote one Dr. Rodney McKay…OH SWEET MONKEY!!!

White hot fire traced lines down my back as I choked back whatever sound sought to escape. Sound was bad. Big Baldie wanted silence. Before I could recover from the first blow, another fell just as hard, and I squeezed my eyes shut against the agony. From the feel of it, it was a multi pronged whip and I was almost grateful that I hadn't been able to sneak a glimpse of it. More blows fell across my already abused back and despite myself, I kept count in my head. When I reached 20, I realized how grateful I was for the guys holding me down…thoughts of escape, however futile, were starting to enter my head. And just as I realized how grateful I was, the ass wipe holding my head pushed it back into the dirt and while I was once again eating dirt, I forgot to be grateful and instead turned to thoughts of knocking him out. Or having Ronon knock him out. I wasn't in any condition to kick someone's butt.

25.

What? Only 5 hits had taken place while those thoughts had gone through my head. Despite my best intentions, I groaned a little and one small tear escaped to mix with the dirt. I don't think anyone heard me. My back was on fire and I wasn't sure how much more I could withstand. Why did everyone believe I was superman and…

Ouch! Number 28 really hurt! He was laying hits down over already battered and bleeding skin and every blow was getting worse. This guy wasn't pulling any punches. If anything, he was putting even more effort behind these latest strikes. I must have bucked after number 29 because my captives' grips suddenly tightened and Teyla spoke up.

"Be strong John!" she called from seemingly far away. "It is almost over."

I could hear McKay too, saying "oh geez oh geez oh geez" in a constant babble, reminding me of Dustin Hoffman in Rain Man.

Son of a !!!!! At least we were into the 30s. Less than 10 to go and I could see the dark haze threatening to overtake my vision. Ahh…sweet release! If only I had passed out at number 10! But I didn't pass out at number 32 either. I was SUCH an overachiever!

Ronon was getting agitated behind me, moving restlessly under the very watchful stares of the freaks with arrows. I was sure they were just waiting for an excuse to impale him. Another tear escaped, mixing with the first and I squeezed my eyes shut hard to force them back. I was almost done and when my head finally came out of the dirt, I wanted to hold on to as much of my dignity as possible, especially in front of my very worried team.

AAUUGGH!!! My tormentor was making the most of these final blows, laying them across my back with such force I was positive I was being flayed alive. I grimaced into the dirt and the hands holding me tightened their grip even more. I wasn't going anywhere & I'd have the bruises on my arms and legs to prove it.

Numbers 38 and 39 were the worst yet, but I nearing the finish line and I was starting to feel numb…until that final lash hit my very abused back, raking down across my skin and igniting the agony once more. But we were done. Forty lashes, come and gone.

I coughed back the bile that had taken root in my throat, trying hard not to chuck in front of the natives. Knowing my luck, puking was an offense to the ancestors and we'd be right back where we started. The hands that had been holding me were suddenly gone and I allowed myself a small groan. What I wanted to do was allow myself a very large groan, but I wouldn't do that in front of these big bald lunatics. I'd wait until I was alone to wallow in my self pity. I was starting to wonder if anyone on my team was carrying anything stronger than the Tylenol that we usually had on hand. The gate was a few miles away and I wanted the good stuff now.

"The first part of the Trial is complete. You have done well, stranger." Head Honcho weirdo was saying, bringing my thoughts of meds to an abrupt halt. I might be half out of it and in a haze of pain, but even I didn't miss what he had just said.

"Wha.." Yeah, that sounded articulate, but at the moment, it was all I could manage. Rodney didn't let me down though.

"What do you mean, the FIRST part?" The scientist shouted. "The Trial is over. He did your insane 40 lashes, without making a sound. We're done."

Teyla nodded, piercing the man with her steady gaze. "Colonel Sheppard did what you demanded. We will take our friend and leave your world."

The arrows remained in place as I tried to roll to a comfortable position while my back burned and bled. Geez, I needed those good drugs! Forget a comfortable position, I decided to remain on my stomach. Let the rest of them sort this out. Besides, I had other things to think about. For instance, was it just me, or was it getting really hot here? The dirt that had been cold and damp was suddenly starting to feel like hot lava against my chest. Was the sun plummeting from the sky and raising the temperature by 100 degrees? Now that would be just my luck. I cracked my eyes open a bit, but didn't see a huge yellow fire ball hurling towards me. Crap. Something was wrong.

I was starting to sweat as the heat moved on to engulf my legs and arms too. Soon it covered my entire body. What the?

"Guys?" It was just a whisper…all I could manage…but my friends heads snapped around to look at me. "Something's…wrong."

McKay's eyes widened. "What's wrong with him?" Aside from being freakin beaten by a large whip? I guess I looked pretty bad…why was it so danged hot?

"The second part of the Trial." Malorn explained. "Fire water from the swamps of the High Province coated our whip. Your friend will suffer its effects for the period of one day's cycle for disturbing the sacred ground of our ancestors. When the Trial is complete, you can return for him and remove him from our land. If he leaves before the Trial is over, he will die." He leveled them with his best psycho glare…crazy eyes and all. "As will you. Leave now."

"We can't just leave him here!" Bless you Rodney.

And while they argued and Ronon prepared to get us all very dead, I was starting to believe that I was truly on fire. What had started out as a little heat was starting to build into a very real, and very raging, inferno. My back was quickly forgotten and I started to writhe on the ground, trying in vane to alleviate the rapidly building discomfort.

I had to make them leave, while I still could. Summoning what little strength I could muster, I simply said "Go." and opened my eyes to give them a meaningful stare. Which they ignored. Dammit.

Dammit dammit dammit.

"He comes with us or we don't leave." Ronon growled. The other two nodded their agreement, drawing us ever closer to a crisis situation. One that left us vastly outnumbered and outgunned.

Marlon gave a small nod to one of the zealots, who knelt quickly beside me and placed a small device near my head. I watched through bleary eyes as another wave of pain engulfed my abused body and I clenched my teeth together. He took a step back as a wall of energy surrounded me.

Crap. I was caught in the middle of another force field.

"He stays until the sun has made its rotation. You can retrieve him then. If he is alive."

Double crap.

And while my team watched in horror, every nerve in my body was suddenly ablaze and I couldn't hold back any longer. I screamed.

To be continued…