The camp was deserted.
And had been for a long time.
Long, thin buildings stood randomly placed beneath the trees, hidden from the air by the high, dark canopy. In the winter months, the buildings might be more easily visible, but now, in the height of the warm season, they would be completely camouflaged.
Guided by flashlight, they walked slowly into the ghost town, weapons raised, seeking any sign of occupancy. But only the forest creatures seemed to be living here now – and they scattered with the approach of the team. There were no sounds other than those expected in a forest – birds, rustling leaves, and the occasional curse from McKay who couldn't seem to keep his feet level.
Hard packed paths wove through the undergrowth, moving from building to building. The forest hadn't claimed the pathways yet, so the abandonment hadn't been that long ago.
Garbage and a few scattered tools lay lost in the dirt. Ronon stopped to pick up a small shovel. A long wooden handle and silver scooped end. He turned it over in his hands before dropping it back onto the dirt.
He felt a moment of panicked urgency surge then subside. There was no one here. He moved after the others while the camp was thoroughly searched.
Evan was the one to find the cages.
Standing at the top of a small rise, the Major called the others over, pointing out a long row of wooden cages. A dozen feet in diameter, each was built with tall, spike topped bars. Too smooth to climb for most, and should they make it up, the spikes and spars across the top edge would prevent any handhold for escape. The structures were sound, and could easily house large animals… or people. Whatever was kept in there had no protection from the elements for in these spots, the trees had been cut back to expose the contents directly to the sky.
They left the puzzle of the cages, and moved onto the buildings. The first three units were empty – the only remnants were various piles of discarded tools, cloth, and broken dishes. A barracks, complete with small rooms and empty bunks, stretched long and thin along the far side of the central area.
The farthest building was smaller than the others, and windowless. There was a single narrow door along the front, and a matching door across the back. Inside stretched three rows of long tables, each roughly hewn running the length of the building. The surfaces were naked and bare, covered in scratches and a thick layer of dust.
Ronon wasn't sure what they were looking for – or looking at. If this was one of the prison camps, it was obviously abandoned, which meant Jennifer and Teyla weren't here.
He wasn't sure if that was a good thing… or a bad thing… because the twisted feeling of helplessness and need was still building in his abdomen.
A passing sparkle in the beam of a flashlight beneath one of the far tables drew his eye and he crossed the room for a closer look. Kneeling, he reached down and brushed the dirt away from a half-buried circle. Giving it a tug he followed a heavy chain as it popped out of the dirt, exposing several more circles spaced out along the chain.
John squatted down beside him, offering light, and reached for the chain, a dark hiss escaping through his teeth when he found the end securely attached to a hook in the floor. John pulled, but the hook held firm. They watched the chain jingle in a matching hook at the other end.
Ronon stared at the thick linked chain in his hand, and the evenly spaced circles.
Leg shackles.
He exhaled a low growl and glanced at Sheppard, taking refuge in the furious understanding behind the Colonel's hardened expression.
"Move out." John stood, his command unquestionable. "We need to check those other camps."
Two hours later and they were back at the jumper, after confirming the second camp was just as deserted as the first. This time, the facility appeared to have been left several years ago. Many of the pathways were being reclaimed by the forest, and the buildings were weathered and uncared for. One row of cages were crushed and mangled beneath a toppled tree.
"Hold on." John didn't bother to see if everyone was ready before leaping their ship into the air.
Ronon could feel the frustration and the tension mounting. If this location was abandoned, he… well… he had no idea what he'd do short of walking into the damn city and blasting everyone until someone gave him straight answers.
The second camp had the same buildings, and the same layout. But it was the addition of the small pits next to the crushed cages that had them all silently counting ammunition and grenades. Each pit was a good six feet deep, narrowly lined with wooden planks. The narrow space would provide barely enough room for a single person. It wasn't until the fourth pit that they'd realized what they were looking at. Dangling from the top of the last hole, on a long chain tied to a nearby tree, hung two pair of shackles. One high, and one low. Wrists and ankles.
Sheppard surmised that the victim was locked into the chains, then tossed into the pit – with no room to move, no protection from the elements, and no way to eat or drink – if they were given the opportunity. The shackles were too far apart.
It was at that point that everyone turned as a group, quickly covering the ground back to the jumper, with no words spoken.
Now, as they neared the final location, the air inside the jumper became un-breathable. No one exhaled as Sheppard reached the edge of a massive gorge, and the location of the third camp. The sun was still a time from rising, but its quickly growing light gave play to the trees, making it easy to see the tall buildings of the city across the wide expanse of the rocky canyon.
Ronon could see the strangely circular cut of the rock walls, dropping down into a leafy valley below. A huge waterfall roared off one side of the cliff face, cutting a foaming white strip through the trees. The sides of the canyon were sheer and impassible. It easily explained the lack of fencing required. The circular gorge made a perfect prison.
"Shit!" Evan exclaimed, pointing to the HUD as they dropped down over the ridgeline.
Clusters of dots flickered and blinked on the screen. At least fifty life-signs shone brightly on the HUD. Four clusters were tightly packed in circular groups, their position unchanging. Several pairs moved around the clusters at various distances, and a long thin line of a dozen or so moved away from the camp towards an unknown destination.
"Life signs." Rodney exclaimed, leaping out of his chair to point at the display. "There!"
On the edge of the screen, two red dots glowed strongly.
Ronon felt the collective exhale. Subcutaneous transmitters. Jennifer and Teyla.
Then with a sharp inhale everyone swore as the single line of life-signs disappeared. Everything else remained unchanged.
"McKay!" Sheppard yelled.
"I didn't do anything!" Rodney answered sharply. "You saw the same thing I did! They could have entered another shielded area for all we know!"
"Get us down there!" Ronon growled.
"Working on it!" John answered, banking the jumper sharply to the right towards the right. He scanned the ground, finally locating a rocky beach next to a bend in the fast flowing river.
They barely fit. When they dropped the ramp, the last two feet of metal were quickly covered in the rushing whitewater.
"Okay." Sheppard announced, pulling everyone's attention to the front of the jumper. He pointed to the HUD. "This is a rescue, people. We're here to get our people and get out. Keep your eyes open. We don't know what kind of firepower we're going to be up against. McKay, I want to know the minute those transmitters appear. Major, follow the river towards that location – and stay out of sight."
"Roger, that." Evan nodded.
"We'll hook around the camp to the back side." John continued. "We need to know what we're facing, but keep the communication to a minimum. Shoot only if provoked. We don't want to announce our presence until we have too. Our silence could be the difference between life and death." He turned around. "Questions?"
Ronon turned leapt into the water and disappeared around the corner of the jumper.
"I guess that's a no?" John called out as he lead the rest of the team out of the jumper and onto the wet, rocky shore.
.
.
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A/N - Yes, i'm leaving the girls out of it for a reason! :) More quickly!! Promise!! - Nika