Finally, here's chapter 7. Sorry it took so long to update, I had the two word illness that every writer fears: Writer's Block! I sat in front of my computer and the words just wouldn't come out. I had to keep re-writing this section again and again until it was decent. But now I hope I wrote something at least half-way good.

Please comment.

Part 7

For a minute nobody spoke, then Teram broke the awkward silence.

"Pity you felt the need to leave so soon," He said, "I was just starting to enjoy the party. It's not often that we I get visitors that have the chance to be so useful to us."

"And what do you want us for, huh?" Rodney asked, "We haven't done anything to you."

"Please, if you had done anything to anger me you wouldn't be standing there right now. Just as I said, you're a useful resource, nothing more."

"Let us go," Ronon growled, his face a mask of anger.

"Oh, not yet. At least, not home. For you will be taking a little journey with me and my men," Teram gestured to a large team of goons behind him. He grinned at the number of able bodies at his disposal, "To tell you the truth I was quite surprised to see that you had overpowered my four escorts. You are indeed as strong bunch. I'm almost sorry to see such strong people delivered to our enemy. But politics is politics. "

"Then why are you turning us over?" Teyla asked, still slumped against Rodney, "We are injured, and our people will compensate for our safe return."

"Then would they not also be willing to pay ransom?" Teram inquired.

"You aren't seriously considering giving us up to your enemy so they can have the advantage of our people's technology, are you?" McKay asked, shocked, "That's the stupidest plan I've ever heard! Give the enemy the greatest weapon at your disposal, that's really smart."

"Seriously, do you really think we're dumb enough to give up something as valuable as yourselves?" Teram asked, "You're the decoy. We go in under the pretense of the negotiation of the off-world prisoners. Then, when the moment is right, we attack. Brilliant, no?"

"No," Ronon said, glaring at Teram.

"Don't you realize that by doing this, you are only making yourselves as bad as your enemy," Teyla pointed out.

"We do what we have to," Teram said, "If our land falls to the Empire, than our whole planet will become one of mass chaos. You have no idea what that government plans to do!"

"And we don't care! Look, he is dying!" Rodney yelled, pointing as Sheppard, "If we don't get him medical attention soon, he will die! A dead man isn't worth a whole lot in negotiations! "

"I can't say that I regret that your friend was injured," Teram replied, "After all, he did murder several of my best men."

"Oh, yes. Blame Sheppard for defending his life," Rodney said. For the first time, Teram looked annoyed at McKay's comment.

"Take them," Teram ordered his guards, "We leave now for Kerasport. There is no doubt this is going to be an interesting day for us all."

Doing as they were told, the guards grabbed for their recaptured prisoners. They even went as far as pulling Sheppard from Ronon's back. John groaned as he was ruffly tossed to the ground. Ronon tensed at his friend's pain. This time there was nothing he could do to help, for the guards had his wrists bound. They had repeated this precaution on the rest of the team as well. Including Sheppard and Teyla, though Ronon wasn't sure why they thought two people barely able to stand posed much of a threat.

A few minutes later they were all standing outside the building, ready to leave. Teram gave the order to move out and the whole group started moving. Forward they marched toward a small path leading up a tall mountain peak far in the distance. Kerasport was at the base of that mountain, Teram had told them. It would likely be a full days journey before they got there. While their group was mostly composed of full grown highly trained men, their progress would be short due to the injured among them. This was certainly going to be an interesting trip.

A few hours later...

"Move faster!" The guards ordered.

They had been walking for several hours and the planet's sun was starting to set. Amazingly enough, Rodney had abandoned his complaining about how tired he was and the distance they had to walk. But that only made Teyla worry about his health. She tried to speed up her pace once again, but her weakened muscles didn't feel like cooperating.

Not long after they had started walking Colonel Sheppard had collapsed. Poor John, she didn't know how much more of this he could take. After he passed out, two of the guards had been carrying him up the trail. Even though he didn't have to walk the traveling had taken it's toll on him. His face was covered with sweat from an obvious fever. If they didn't get him back to Atlantis soon... No, she didn't want to think like that. They would find some way to make it back.

"We'll stop here," Teram ordered, "There is no way we'll reach Kerasport before nightfall."

Rodney was the first to hit the ground when Teram told them to stop. His feet were aching and deep breaths only brought up more sticky mucus. Exercise had never made his list of things to do, and walking all of that way made him realize how much he really appreciated cars. Teyla and Ronon sat down next to him. Teyla was looking even paler than he remembered, her eyes slide shut even as he watched her. Damn, how were they ever going to get out of this?

The two guards carrying Sheppard's limp form came up beside them and dumped him on the ground like a sack of potatoes. Teyla summed together what little energy she had, and weakly crawled over to him. Gingerly she pulled back the makeshift bandage covering John's wound, the flesh was angry red and burned with a heat greater than the fire crackling beside them. The infection had already spread past the initial injury, thus his fever.

"We must try to cool him down," Teyla said, worry evident in the tone of her voice. Ronon immediately got to his feet.

"Where do you think you're going?" A guard watching them said.

"We need water," Ronon replied.

"What for? We gave you water bottles when we started hiking."

"That was hours ago!" McKay interrupted, "We don't have any left. Besides it's now for us, it's for Sheppard. He's hotter than a furnace and most likely minutes away from a fatal seizure. Couldn't you idiots manage to do something other than looking threatening for two seconds to help us?"

The guard gave Rodney an angry look and Rodney returned the favor. Both stood by Teyla glaring at each other like a pair of caged animals. Rodney was surprised that Teyla didn't try to intervene, normally she would step in and break up these kinds of fights by saying something like, 'fighting does not help our situation, Rodney.' He must have underestimated her injuries, this ordeal had most likely been just as hard on her as on Sheppard.

"Get them their water." Teram called between mouthfuls of his dinner. "After all, we don't want the leader to die before we reach our destination. It'd ruin our plan."

He gets dinner? Rodney thought angrily. At least they were getting water for Sheppard, the angry guard had already disappeared around the cart that held the few supplies they had brought. Drowsily, Rodney looked back to Teyla who was pushing back sweat-soaked hair from John's face. The guard returned with a bucket of water, which he tossed down with obvious annoyance. Fresh water splashed over the lip of the container with the force to the impact.

Without looking up, Teyla tore a piece of cloth from her dress and dipped it into the cool water. She wrung it out and began to wipe down John's sweat and grime covered face. Even unconscious, the comfort this simple gesture brought was noticeable. Sheppard turned toward the cool hand and the refreshing water dripping down his brow.

"See if you can get him to drink any." Rodney suggested. It was only at this point that Teyla noticed that he'd been watching her, and she agreed with him. She unscrewed the top of her canteen (Sheppard hadn't been provided with one) and filled it with water. Careful not to spill, she raised the rim to his lips. If Teyla had wondered if he would be able to drink, her question would've been answered almost immediately. His body knew what it needed, and when the sweet liquid reached his lips he began to drink it down. At least he was getting hydrated.

After Sheppard had drank his fill the team was so tired that it would have been useless to even try to stay awake. Teyla, who had taken the job of 'pillow' for John, feel asleep as soon as her head laid on the ground. But for Ronon and McKay, falling asleep wasn't so easy. To mentally and physically exhausted to talk, they both lay on the ground with their eyes closed, considering all the events that had passed, and what they might possibly plan to do in the future. What had at first seemed like an ordinary meet and greet mission had turned out to be much more then they had bargained for. Who knew what would take place tomorrow when they reached Kerasport? Even if everything went smoothly they would still be prisoners of Teram. And what he planned to do with them no on wanted to contemplate.

As the fire burned low, Ronon and McKay's thoughts grew heavy, and pulled them towards the realm of sleep. Both too tired to resist they let sleep claim them and throw them into blissful oblivion.

SGA:SGA:SGA:SGA

The world was exploding! Fire, burning everywhere. People screaming. What was going on? Rodney woke to a world of chaos. An arrow whizzed right passed his ear and embedded itself into the grass.

"Oh my God!" He screamed. They were under attack! Rodney leaped to his feet and started looking around for Ronon, Teyla, and Sheppard. They weren't there. Stricken by panic and fear, McKay ran around the outside of their camp and hid behind the small cart. The rest of his team couldn't be far, they wouldn't just eave him in the middle of a battle. Would they?

Random guards and soldiers ran in different directions around the camp. Somewhere nearby Teram was shouting, "Catch them you fools! We can't let them get away!" 'Let who get away?' Rodney wondered, 'Not Ronon and Teyla, they wouldn't have left without me.' Suddenly, another sound was added to the mix of screaming and burning arrows. Gunfire. Somehow Ronon and Teyla had gotten their weapons back! Or, Teram was using them to ward off there attackers. Either way now was the perfect time to escape.

Dizzy with adrenaline, McKay threw all of his strength into running to the tree line, the direction of the gunfire. Whoever their attackers where, they had just saved their asses. Rodney plunged into the trees leaping over dead logs and fallen trees. The firing stoped.

"Teyla!" Rodney called, to the empty forest around him, "Ronon!" No one answered.

"Tey--." He began to yell again. But someone clapped a hand over his mouth. He started to struggle frantically against his captors arms.

TBC

How was it? Was the fact that I was sleep-deprived obvious when you read it?

Please comment.