Title- A Moment in Time
Chapter- 7/?
Author- Dekardkain
Date- 11/12/09
Rating- M
Category- AU, S/W romance, K/OMC, action.
Archiving- Would be an honor, just ask.
Warnings- Violence/consensual sex
Disclaimers- I don't own this, no money, yadda yadda.

Summary: An unexpected arrival brings new hope to Atlantis

AN: This chapter contains major spoilers for the Season 3 episode 'Common Ground'. Hopefully everyone has seen it, but if not, you may not want to read this until you do.

Chapter 7 - "Parallels"

Elizabeth was out of her office the second Chuck announced the incoming wormhole, using what little self-control she could grasp at the moment to keep her speed just a notch under frantic. She was through Control, down the stairs and standing in front of the Gate even as the first of the search team was stepping across the event horizon. Taking in a deep breath to school her voice she clasped her hands in front of herself and turned to Teyla, "Anything?"

"There were no signs of Captain Sheppard or the soldiers Major Lorne reported were pursuing them." The Athosian woman seemed barely able to contain her own worry at their failure. It seemed Elizabeth wasn't the only one who'd grown attached to the young man over the last month - though likely for entirely different reasons.

Ronon nodded grimly, "They covered their tracks well. Though we did find..."

Teyla momentarily silenced him with a pointed glare, "There is no need to unduly worry her, nor is there a reason to assume it was his."

"Assume what was his exactly?" Elizabeth inquired, though she had a pretty good idea what they were talking about just from the context.

"We found a rather large quantity of blood near the gate," Teyla stated almost apologetically. "As I said though, there is no reason to assume it was his. Doctor Zelenka was wounded in the retreat and..."

Ronon cut her off with a growl, "That was not from Dr. Zelenka! You saw how much blood was there Teyla as well as the pattern on the trees - someone's throat was cut."

"That is still not reason enough to assume he is dead!" She fired back just as vehemently.

Elizabeth stepped forward and silenced them both with a look. "No one is assuming he's dead until we have a...," She was going to say 'body' but thought better of it, "A good reason to believe otherwise. That's an order."

Looking rather green at the conversation of blood-splatter trajectories Rodney stepped forward still looking at his hand-held's screen. "There's a good chance he was taken off-planet so I gathered the last fifty or so Gate addresses that were dialed."

"That should be helpful," Elizabeth nodded to the scientist gratefully, "But since the transmission that summoned us to the planet was sent using a code we gave the Genii, that will be our starting point."

Rodney scoffed, "What are you gonna do? Just like ask the Genii if one of them took Sheppard?"

Elizabeth suddenly became 'Dr. Weir' as she schooled her resolve, "Yes. I am."

All conversation came to a screeching halt as the Gate behind them began dialing in. McKay frowned in obvious disbelief as he motioned over his shoulder, "So this is...?"

"Yes it is." Putting on her best leader face she stepped around the men as the security contingent in the Gate Room fanned out behind her with weapons at the ready.

"Incoming wormhole," Chuck's voice blared out over the PA, "We are receiving the new identification code."

"Security teams stand by." Someone had just abducted one of her people, Elizabeth was in no mood to play around. "Lower the shield."

Less than a second after her command had been obeyed, the self-styled Genii leader and an escort of three guards stepped out through the Gate. "Welcome Ladon."

"I came as soon as I...," The man cut himself off as three hundred pounds of pissed off Satedan rounded the guards and got right into his face.

"What have you done with Sheppard?" Ronon bent down over the Genii leader, his form literally towering over the smaller man.

"Ronon," Elizabeth chastised, "He is here as our guest."

The sound of combat boots descending the stairs behind them caused the group to glance up at the man trotting down to meet them. Zipping up his tac vest along the way he nodded to Lorne who was already prepping the search team they would be taking through the Gate personally. "Dial it down a bit Chewy. We need this guy in one piece."

John's smile seemed genuine enough but the tone of his voice clearly indicated his next words weren't entirely in jest. "I promise that if we get to the part where he needs his arms ripped off you'll be the first one I call."

Ladon glanced at Dr. Weir incredulously. "What is this? I thought you said Colonel Sheppard was missing? If this was some sort of ruse to get me here I can assure you.."

Elizabeth cut him off with a wary sigh, marveling once again at just how bad John's timing seemed to be as she pinched the bridge of her nose in agitation. "This could take some explaining."


"Kolya!" Jack throttled the bars of the cell as hard as he could. At the moment he was relishing the mental image of pretending they were the bastard's throat. "I want my phone call!"

Slamming a steel-toed boot into the door brought the desired rush of pain-fueled adrenalin he was looking for. "I said I want my fucking phone call! You know - little thing, has a cord, makes words go really far?!"

"You're wasting your breath." A gravely voice from the darkness of the cell next to him caused the Captain to pause, tilting his head to the side quizzically. He'd just kind of figured he'd been alone down here.

Approaching the small barred window separating them he tried to make out his unfortunate companion but couldn't see a damn thing in the dark. "Thoughtful of them to provide me with someone to talk to. Another set of hands for getting the hell out of here too if you're willing."

He scratched his stubble thoughtfully, "I don't suppose you've gone all Count of Montey Cristo on me and already constructed a tunnel out of here? That would be insanely helpful."

"There is no escape," The voice rasped. From the sound alone Jack assumed the man must be bordering on the ancient. Great, they give me someone who could be able to help and it's Old Man River. Memo to Universe - Irony is such lazy humor.

"Ah, they always say that." Jack couldn't help but chuckle despite his circumstances, "Wouldn't be much of a prison if they went around talking about how easy it was to get out of."

"Besides, I've got people on the outside who are gonna come down on this place like a cliff hammer." Pacing around the circumference of his cell, a thought seemed to occur to him after a long pause, "What about you? How long ya been down here?"

"Many years." The Captain was starting to wonder if they'd put this guy down here to annoy him into giving them information. Did the words vague and noncommittal mean anything to him? Did he have to take classes to become this evasive?

"How many is many?" Jack frowned, "We talkin' a few years or 'I've never seen the Simpsons'?"

There was a short pause, undoubtedly caused by the man trying to decipher his question. "It no longer matters."

"That long, huh?" Sheppard chewed on his lip as he tried to piece together whatever information he could that could help him. "What are you down here for anyways? Kill a couple of Kolya's men? Start a coup? Forget to pay your parking tickets?"

After a long sigh the voice moved almost imperceptibly closer to him. "I simply allowed myself to be captured alive."

"Well," Jack felt his lips turn up into an uncontrollable smirk at he shook his head sheepishly, "That'll happen."

The sound of more than one set of booted feet approaching had Sheppard turning back towards the front of the cell as three Genii soldiers rounded the corner. He hefted his arms up halfheartedly as one of them stood forward and unlocked the door, another behind him leveling one of those wicked looking three-barreled jobs at his chest. "So... can I assume this is about my phone call?"

"Move." The one with the gun motioned emphatically with the barrel of his weapon.

"Well there's a couple of problems with that." Jack tossed on his most infuriating grin, "First, you didn't say please. Second, if your front is this ugly, I think I'd like to spare myself the other side."

Gunfire barked like a thunderclap in the small area of the cells. Sheppard could feel the bullet zip right past the right side of his face before a dislodging a large chunk of the masonry in the wall behind him. "Jesus!"

"Commander Kolya insists." Boy does that guy look pleased with himself. Jack found that to be an unacceptable state of affairs, considering the circumstances. One he planned to remedy shortly. Shuffling forward just slowly enough to piss the man off, he waited patiently for the shove he knew was coming from behind. He blamed his injured and slightly loopy cranium for the fact his Uncle Jack's voice was echoing in his ears: This is so freaking cliche`.

As soon as the poor guy's fingers made contact with his shoulder Jack snatched his arm at the wrist in an almost casual gesture. Before either of the others could react he had spun himself behind the startled guard, pinned his arm behind his back and locked his free hand tightly under the squirming man's jaw. He briefly considered holding the guy hostage - unfortunately for him he knew Kolya cared more about revenge than his own men, so he was of more value to Sheppard as a battering ram. Slamming a closed fist into the base of the hapless guard's neck hard enough to render him unconscious, he shoved the limp body forward into the other two before they could shut the door to his cell.

Darting forward between them he was just about to lay a hand on the unconscious man's rifle when an indescribable pain seemed to tear through his entire body simultaneously. His muscles clenched and shuddered uncontrollably, the coppery taste of blood filling his mouth as his gnashing teeth made contact with his tongue. After the fifteen longest seconds of the young soldier's life, the pain cut out suddenly as the guard withdrew the shock stick from his back. "Owwwwch! Pretty sure Kolya wants me alive!"

"Yeah. That's why I didn't shoot you." Setting his rifle aside, the guard stepped forward scowling and cracking his knuckles, "He didn't say what kind of condition you had to be in though."

"I didn't kill your friend." His entire body still thrumming with pain Jack could only toss out a smirk he was pretty sure ended up more of a grimace as he glanced up at the soldiers closing in on his fallen body menacingly, "Guess I'm not getting any points for that."


"Alien?" Jack couldn't help but scoff as he took a long drag off the bottle of spiced Athosian spirits. Stuff tasted like rum but hit like moonshine - a combination that could knock the uninitiated right on their ass. He vividly remembered giving a bottle to Lieutenant Kharkov the first time she'd saved his life. Sheppard had never seen someone raised on Russian rot-gut vodka turn that particular shade of green before. "Granted, it is a scary movie, but the scariest you've ever seen?"

"The part where the alien comes jumping out of the guy's chest? Yuch!" Jennifer shivered visibly. "Wait a second. Are you making fun of me mister?"

She scowled at him pointedly from her rather comfortable position with her head on his lap, legs draped casually over the ledge, bare toes dipping into the warm water below while she stared up at the sky. After finishing the ice cream the good Captain had requisitioned for them from the mess, and more than a third of the bottle of potent liquor Teyla had given him as a housewarming present, they'd sprawled out on the balcony to look up at the stars. The air coming off the sea was refreshingly warm, the small grey blanket spread beneath them and Sheppard's uniform jacket sheltered her from the cold of the deck as he pointed out constellations in the 'Lantian sky.

It turned out that as a child Jack had been very disappointed to find out that there weren't any named constellations here like there were in the Milky Way, so over the years he and the rest of the expedition had simply named their own. Jennifer was especially impressed by Rodney's 'Drunken Matador' and Cadman's 'Mc'Donalds Nebulae'. In the young woman's defense it did look an awful lot like the golden arches.

"I wouldn't dream of makin' fun of you Jenn," Jack leaned down to let his lips brush softly over hers, the scent of the spicy liquor dancing on his breath before leaning back and running a hand idly through her hair. "Something about an old proverb my mother used to quote. Always be nice to the people who make your food, tend your wounds, and share your bed - and you're two outta three Doc."

She snickered softly while slapping his chest, his dog tags tinkling quietly under her hand. "Good. Because I take enough flack already for 'robing the cradle' without you teaming up against me too."

"Now, just for clarification, is that because I'm five years younger than you?" His smile was downright infuriating, "Or because I haven't been born yet?"

"I thought I told you? The time travel stuff gives me a headache Jack." Jennifer groaned as she pulled herself into a sitting position, sliding her feet out of the water and shifting up until her head was resting over his heart. Her eyes fell closed automatically when Jack's fingers started gliding soothingly through her hair. "But to answer your question... I get hassled for both." She sighed softly at his touch, "And for a whole lot more."

His brows came together at that, "What exactly do you mean by 'a lot more'?"

"Ugh. This is why I don't drink!" She burrowed deeper into his chest, slapping at it again when he laughed at the blush spreading from ears to neck. "I shouldn't have said anything! You have to believe me, normally I wouldn't have brought it up..."

"Whoa there," Jack smiled easily while kissing the top of her head. "You're gonna break the sound barrier. Someone giving you trouble?"

Jennifer rolled her eyes exaggeratedly as she shifted slightly in his arms to rest her chin on his chest and look him in the eyes, "At ease Captain. No need to come barreling to my rescue this time."

"I see you heard about Rodney's late night wake up call." He tilted his head forward until their noses were almost touching, "Then what's the problem darlin'?"

Jack wasn't normally one for terms of endearment, but he'd stumbled on that gem while imitating Colonel Mitchell's accent in the mess a few weeks earlier. For whatever reason it seemed to regress the normally all too put together doctor into a blushing schoolgirl. An effect she was apparently all too aware of as she tried to scowl at him over her heating cheeks. "Don't you ever switch off Sheppard?"

"Depends." At her quirked eyebrow he continued in the most serious voice he could muster as he waggled his eyebrows at her, "Is this the part where you offer to help me find it?"

"Jack!" He was slightly relieved when she didn't hit him this time, just huffed and glared at him in disappointment. "See, this is part of the problem!"

Shifting his head to the side his lips made the lightest contact with the shell of her ear, "Gotta tell ya doc, I'm not seein' any problems from up here."

"That's because you're not the one they're treating differently Jack." Despite herself and what she considered to be her rather righteous indignation, Jennifer found herself tilting her head to facilitate his actions. "Ever since your little display in the training room last week the Marines are being polite to me!"

He chuckled quietly at that, "A scientist complaining about the soldiers being polite to them? This is new."

"They're being too polite Jack!" She took a much needed moment to gasp softly at the jolts of desire his wandering mouth was eliciting from her before continuing in a shaky voice, "When I went to treat those children on P9X-151 three of them offered to carry my equipment for me. I only had one bag!"

Jack shrugged, "So they respect me. Big deal. It's probably just because I'm the Colonel's son."

"It's not that." Jennifer shook her head at the memory of conversations she'd overhead the last week, "They're terrified of you Jack. No one has ever come close to giving Ronon a challenge, let alone forcing him to concede a draw. They said you broke three sets of sticks before calling it a day!"

"Blatant exaggeration." The humor in his voice was supposed to be disarming, but for some reason it only ratcheted up her apprehension. "We only broke two sets. Either the wood we used to make 'em in my time was sturdier or Ronon is just that much stronger, 'cause I've never had that problem before. You've also got to remember that Ronon and I have been training together my entire life - without that I wouldn't stand any more of a chance against him than those Marines."

Jennifer continued as if she hadn't heard him, "Everyone in the lab with the exception of Carson seems to think I've lost my mind. The women either glare at me or ask all these questions like they think you're a carnival ride they'll all get a turn on eventually. The men are either too scared to talk to me out of fear of your wrath or are openly contemptuous of the fact I'm seeing a soldier. Like I said, none of them understand... us."

"I'd be happy to explain it to 'em." Jack murmured as his lips drifted from her ear down the side of her neck. "You'd think scientists would be able to understand the principle of opposites attracting each other."

"Mmmhm." Not the most eloquent response she'd ever come up with, but it seemed to fit given the circumstances. The gentle vibrations of his words coupled with the slow journey of his tongue and teeth down to her collarbone was making focusing on his words increasingly difficult. In the end she pulled back a bit to regain her concentration, vaguely remembering that she'd really needed to get this out in the open. He was too good at distracting her and as she'd said earlier that was a part of the problem. "I'm serious Jack."

"So am I. I can be serious." He coughed slightly as he tried to school his features to anything but the arousal he was actually feeling, his ever-present smirk still trying desperately to break through as his eyes danced with barely controlled amusement, "See? This is me being very serious. It would help if I had glasses I could tilt down dramatically, but you get the point."

"What are we doing here Captain?" Sighing softly she ran a few fingers down from his sideburn onto the stubbled cheek below.

"Now Doc, I thought that part was pretty self-evident." Realizing her mock glare wasn't quite so mock anymore Jack sighed and moved back to look her in the eyes, "Look, I'm not really good at the whole... 'talking' thing. Especially with this much liquor and so little blood actually making it to my brain at the moment."

"Before this goes any... further," Jennifer seemed flustered at his refusal to address the issue, "I need to know if you're serious or if I'm just objective number one on your campaign to conquer Atlantis."

"You know, it's pretty damn sexy when you use military terminology." At her continued scowl he groaned, "I only have one conquest planned at the moment, alright? And considering this one appears to be encountering stiff enemy resistance I wouldn't worry too much about it."

"Good." Jennifer's smile finally broke through as she returned to her earlier position laying back against his chest, pulling his arms around her midsection as she snuggled into place. "I don't share Jack."

"And you can kill me and make it look like an accident." His hands glided slowly over her flat plane of her stomach on a steady upwards journey. Sheppard smirked against the skin of her shoulder when she arched into his touch, her backside grinding rather enticingly against his front while her hand around behind him to grasp desperately at the short hairs on the back of his head. "That's all the incentive I need darlin'."


The return to consciousness was rapid and more than a little painful as every cut and bruise reminded him of it's presence in vivid technicolor. Jack wasn't entirely sure what had dragged him back from the comfortable warmth of Jennifer's presence and into this dank bunker, but he was pretty confident the icy water covering him from his hair to his waist had something to do with it. He found his first impulse to clutch his aching head impeded by the shackles holding him fast to the chair while a soldier wheeled what looked like a 1950's era television camera around in front of him.

"It's been a long time Colonel." Kolya stepped purposefully into his field of vision, hands folded behind his back as he positively radiated smug satisfaction. "You're looking exceptionally well. Despite the damage my guards inflicted on you for that foolish escape attempt that is."

Jack tried to smirk but grimaced as his jaw popped audibly at the motion, "Can't blame a guy for trying."

"On the contrary Colonel," Kolya nodded towards him, "I would expect no less from a soldier of your distinction."

It occurred to Sheppard that he could really get used to the rank thing. It really was too bad the whole spiel was an act. "I guess I'll take that as a compliment."

"And you should," The man's smile was oddly disconcerting under the circumstances, "Just as you should understand this is not personal. As soon as my demands are met you will be returned to Atlantis unharmed. Well, relatively unharmed."

"You shot me in the back with a harpoon gun Kolya." Jack frowned, "Where I come from that's pretty personal."

Kolya shook his head at that, "Lets not pretend you wouldn't have done exactly the same in my position. We're soldiers Colonel, we do what is necessary to achieve our aims."

"Yeah. Some times are more enjoyable than others." He muttered under his breath, "What the hell do you want anyways?"

"It's not what I want so much as it's who I want." Stepping forward into his space Kolya nodded to the camera, "Who you're going to give to me."

It was about that time that all the pieces finally clicked in Jack's brain causing his blood temperature to drop somewhere just north of freezing. The capture, the other prisoner, the demands... he was so boned. Worst of all was the knowledge that he had to let this play out or they may very well never befriend one of their most important allies in the coming fight.

Old Man River was Todd, and Jack's capture was about to get a whole lot less bearable. He cursed himself for not having realized it sooner. Then again, it wasn't like he could just explain to Todd that they'd actually known each other for decades and that he should really think twice about sucking the life out of him. The Wraith would think he was a nut bar. Or a liar. Neither of which would help him get out of here in one piece and hopefully free of premature gray.

Clenching his teeth he waited until Acastus met his gaze, "Just so we're clear on this Kolya. I am going to kill you."

Despite his injuries, something on his face must have told the older man just how serious he was as the Commander paled slightly. "I've heard that before."

"Yeah." Jack's smile was feral, "But did I specify when?"

"Enough of this." Kolya was the first to blink as he turned to face the man approaching Sheppard with a gag. "No. If they refuse to meet my demands... I want them to hear him scream."


"Your son?" Ladon frowned, "I am sorry for your loss Colonel."

Elizabeth nodded before John had a chance to lob the insult she could practically see sitting on the tip of his tongue, "We didn't want this information to become public... for obvious reasons."

"Yes, of course." The Genii leader glanced around the sea of faces in the conference room. Their countenances varied only slightly from distrust to out-right hostility. "Many would love to have that kind of leverage over the Commander of Atlantis."

Ronon growled, "Such as yourself?"

"I am getting tired of these accusations Dr. Weir." Ladon pointedly refused to look at the glaring Satedan as he turned to Elizabeth, "Why would I have come here if I had anything to do with Captain Sheppard's disappearance?"

"To throw us off the scent." Teyla was only restraining her emotions slightly better than Ronon.

"And trade a lower echelon officer for the leader of an entire people?" The young man glowered at the Athosian woman.

"No one said it was a good plan," Rodney quipped, "It is Genii after all."

Elizabeth sighed softly. She had the distinct feeling this meeting was spiraling out of her control. How was she supposed to keep six very angry human beings with access to heavy weapons from stringing this man up when she was fighting the urge to do it herself? She was rapidly running out of good reasons to run interference for the Genii Leader. Luckily the argument was abruptly derailed as Chuck's voice blared over the intercom over the sound of the Gate coming to life. "We have an unscheduled off-world activation!"

Before the technician could even finish the sentence the room had emptied. Ladon was close on her heels as she entered Command just in time to see Rodney practically shove a young German tech out of his chair in front of the console. "McKay. Do we have an identification code?"

The scientist's face fell after consulting the screen, "No. But we are receiving an analog video signal."

Dr. Weir locked her hands behind her back in an effort to stop from wringing them raw in her agitation, "Get it on the screen."

Everything in Command seemed to come to a screeching halt the moment that Kolya's face filled the screen, static distorting his voice and features. "Dr. Weir, if you are receiving this, please respond."

A sudden weight settled over Elizabeth's chest at the horrifying realization that this man had her son. She and Rodney exchanged a helpless glance that Ronon didn't understand, "Who the hell is he?"

Teyla shook her head in a mirror image of her leader's resignation, "Acastus Kolya. The Genii military leader who tried to capture Atlantis. Ladon was a member of his strike team."

The massive Satedan crossed his arms over his chest as he glowered at the Genii standing a few feet from him. At least Ladon had the good sense to look away guiltily.

"I know you're there Doctor." Kolya sighed, "It's pointless to pretend otherwise. The existence of Atlantis is no secret among the Genii."

"Yeah," Rodney groused, "Obviously not so good with the secrets."

John shared a significant look with Elizabeth, "No shit."

"Open a channel Chuck." Elizabeth could only shake her head, "Lets get this over with."

At the tech's nod she took a last breath to calm her voice before breaking the silence, "This is Doctor Weir."

"Oh, good." Kolya's smile was maddening as he stepped out of the way of the camera, "I wanted to be certain you would be there to see this."

Captain Sheppard smiled halfheartedly at the camera doing his best to look completely bored with the situation. Despite his apparent humor over the whole situation, Elizabeth could feel her blood run cold at the sight of the bruises and cuts marring his face and arms. She shuddered to think what damage he might be hiding under his black t-shirt and fatigues.

Before she had a chance to find her voice Rodney stepped up beside her, "What did you do to him?!"

"Nothing whatsoever Doctor McKay." The Commander motioned idly at Sheppard behind him, "Colonel Sheppard on the other hand has killed three of my men and wounded another during an aborted escape attempt."

Ronon exchanged a look with John, shrugging slightly and mouthing the word 'nice'. The Colonel couldn't help but agree with the sentiment. If the carnage they'd found in the clearing near the Stargate was any indication the kid had put up a hell of a fight before they'd managed to bring him down.

Temporarily forgetting Kolya couldn't see his face Rodney made a point to roll his eyes, "Alright. Let me rephrase that - what are you going to do to him?"

"That's really very simple Doctor," Kolya smiled as if this was the most reasonable way to do business in the galaxy, "I propose a trade."

"Before we continue this conversation another second I want to speak to Sheppard." Few missed the way Jack seemed to cringe as her voice came across the line.

"Be my guest."

"Really?" Jack frowned in the man's direction, "Dial down the melodrama a bit there chief. I think they can grasp a simple prisoner transfer without all the theatrics."

He turned back to face the camera, "Seriously, this guy just needs a cape and a cat to stroke while he's making his demands."

At the Commander's nod one of the guards stepped forward and brought a meaty fist down across his jaw. The sound of the blow carried loudly over the radio causing everyone in the room but Ronon to cringe. Elizabeth could feel her nails digging into the palms of her hands painfully, but refused to look away from the screen as Kolya stuck his head back into frame. "As you can see, he's still his same charming self. If you have anything to say Colonel I suggest you get on with it while you're still capable."

"Stop searching for me blindly already." Kolya puffed his chest out in triumph at the words. Not rolling his eyes at the man's oblivious stupidity was one of the premier accomplishments of Jack's life. "I need you to do this for me McKay."

His brows knitting together the physicist leaned closer to the console, "Alright? What can I do for you John?"

"Rodney," Jack glared at the camera imploringly, "I am in it pretty deep here buddy. Deep, deep down. So deep not even the long range scanners would find me."

There was a pregnant pause while every head in the Control Room locked on McKay and he stared at the screen seemingly mystified. Most in the room just looked horribly confused. Only Elizabeth and Rodney seemed to have gotten the message, though the reactions it engendered were entirely different. Elizabeth looked frantically at the scientist while McKay's eyes bored into the computer screen in front of him with renewed determination, his fingers now hammering away at light speed on the keyboard.

"Um, McKay?" The Captain sighed in exaggerated impatience, "Kolya, did your stone age technology just crap out on me?"

"I'm here John!" Rodney chewed on his lip while the information he needed finally scrolled before his eyes. "Umm... Colonel? Before I can do anything you ask, you know I'm going to need your ... your security access code!"

"Of course McKay." Jack glanced at Kolya, shrugging as much as his bonds allowed. "Procedure. My access code is Foxtrot Mike seven dash three one niner."

Quickly punching the adjustments into the long rang scanners Rodney almost cried out in triumph when a small blip appeared on the screen before remembering he was on the radio. Spinning in his chair to face Elizabeth he nodded enthusiastically and mouthed the words 'we've got him' before schooling his voice, "Very good Colonel. That code checks out perfectly."

Unable to keep her silence any longer Elizabeth was clutching at the last threads of calm she had left, "What's the situation Colonel?"

"It's Ladon he wants." Jack seemed to be staring directly at her through the camera, "Some sort of Genii political revenge thing. It's all very tedious."

"And your orders?" She barely managed to speak the words aloud, the answer was already clear in his eyes.

Sheppard took a deep breath before responding, "He gets nothing. We don't negotiate with terrorists."

"That's a very unfortunate attitude Colonel." Kolya growled as he motioned to the door, "Bring him in!"

Elizabeth shocked the entire room when she nearly choked on a sob at the sight before her, "Oh my God."

"No no no!" Rodney glanced around frantically like someone in the room actually had the power to prevent this, but the guards leading the shackled Wraith over to Jack's side never even slowed their stride. "Sheppard could have left you in that hole to rot Kolya! He doesn't deserve this!"

"Let us be very clear Dr. McKay," Kolya frowned as if in sympathy, "No one deserves this."

"No! Don't do this." Elizabeth was barely holding it together. She looked so unsteady that John instinctively moved to her side, sliding a hand to the small of her back in the only support he could offer for the moment. "Please don't do this."

"The choice is yours Dr. Weir." Acostus motioned back to the man still refusing to give them the satisfaction of seeing him squirm as they removed the shackle from the Wraith's hand. "Do we have a deal?"

The silence was deafening as Elizabeth focused entirely on the Captain's face, his eyes resigned as he shook his head slowly from side to side. Torn between the fact she would never forgive herself for allowing him to endure this when she could prevent it and the surety that he would never forgive her if she caved in to Kolya's demands. She felt John's hand practically holding her upright as Kolya sighed, "As you wish."

Jack's smirk never wavered as he locked eyes with the Wraith in front of him, "I hope I give you heartburn."

The creature seemed to pause for just a second, eying him appraisingly before slamming his palm into his chest. Jack's teeth clenched uncontrollably as he used every technique he'd ever learned to try desperately not to scream. Pain tore through every nerve ending in his body at the same time, radiating outwards in concussive waves from his breastbone. The tendons in his neck felt like they were going to snap from the pressure, his veins raising to the point he was waiting for them to rupture and bleed out. Fingernails drew troughs through the hard wood of the chair and the shackles cut deeply into his wrists as he convulsed against them uncontrollably.

"Stop!" Elizabeth jerked forward out of John's hands, "Dammit you've made your point Kolya! Stop now!"

Just when Jack was sure he was going to break the Commander nodded to the guards, "Enough."

It took a stun wand and two more of the burly men to remove the Wraith from Captain Sheppard's chest. The man slouched back into the chair, head lolling to the side as he tried desperately to regain his breath. Weir heard a growl she almost attributed to Ronon before realizing it was coming from her own chest, "You've just crossed a line Kolya."

The Commander proceeded as though he hadn't heard her, "We've found that a minimum of three hours is crucial to allow the subject to recover between feeding sessions. That is how much time you have to change your mind Doctor."

Without another word the transmission cut out, leaving them alone with the images still vividly etched into their minds. John ran a hand through his hair in agitation, the thought clearly painted on his face: That could have been... should have been him out there. "Rodney, what did I miss there?"

"I can't believe I didn't think of it before!" McKay pulled the long range scanners up on the main screen, "That kid of yours is a genius Sheppard. See, in his time they had developed sub-space tracking devices for just this kind of situation. While we don't have the ability to duplicate the technology yet, our long rang scanners can pick it up if..."

"If you have the right frequency modulation." Colonel Sheppard couldn't help but smile as the pieces fell into place, "His 'access code'."

"Foxtrot Mike. FM." Rodney shook his head slowly, "Like I said - genius."

John tried to act as casually as he could as he led Elizabeth slowly to a nearby chair. She appeared shell-shocked and he was starting to get a little worried about the severity of her reaction to what they'd just seen. He knew she cared for all of her people... but this was different. She appeared to be on the verge of tears and frankly it was starting to scare the crap out of him. "We recalled the Daedalus as soon as he went missing, but they're still at least forty-five minutes out. How long will it take to get us to that planet Rodney?"

The scientist's face fell as he did the mental calculations, "At maximum speed... seven hours."

"That's bloody unacceptable!" Carson stepped into the group, "Aye, Captain Sheppard is young and strong, but I dunna think even he can survive two more rounds of that!"

"Unless we can get the gate address from Ladon it might be our only hope Doc." Switching quickly into command mode John started barking off orders in rapid succession, "McKay, you stay here. Work with the Genii and see if you can narrow down that list of possible addresses. Carson, I'll need you and a medical team with me on the Daedalus. If it takes us seven hours he'll likely need..."

"Aye." Beckett was already on his way out the door, "I'll get everything together."

"Lorne, you and Teyla will coordinate the rescue from here if Rodney gets lucky." Sheppard nodded to Ronon, "Round up SGAs four and seven and meet me in the jumper bay. We've got a man down people, lets get to work!"

Deciding he had one more task to accomplish before getting prepped for the mission John caught Teyla's eyes and she fell into step with him while he helped Elizabeth back to her office. The fact the Doctor didn't even bother to protest his actions was probably the scariest part of all. Finally coming to stop at the couch in her office he helped her sink back into the soft cushions, a worried expression marring his features, "'Lizbeth? I've got to prep the teams before our rendezvous with the Daedalus. Is there anything I can do?"

When her eyes met his it occurred to him he'd never seen her so frantic. Earlier he'd though she had lost control, but now he realized it was the only thing keeping her from bolting from the room. "Bring him home John. Just... please... you have to bring him home."

"That's the plan." With Teyla waiting in the doorway he had to settle for squeezing her shoulder reassuringly before returning to his feet and pulling the Athosian out onto the walkway with him. "Something isn't right here. You need to keep an eye on her for me. If anything..."

"Go John." Teyla offered him a small smile, "Retrieve Captain Sheppard. I shall look after Doctor Weir."

The Colonel looked awkward for a moment before shrugging, "Thanks. Contact us if you hear anything."

As he made his way down to the Jumper Bay the young woman returned to the couch, sinking down beside her superior and placing an arm around her shaking shoulders. She often understood far more than her Lantian friends gave her credit for, and this instance was no different. Her suspicions had been confirmed the moment she'd seen Elizabeth's reaction to the news Jack had gone missing. What she failed to understand was why the leader had yet to inform the Colonel of the truth, especially under the circumstances.

Feeling Elizabeth's head turn into her shoulder she smiled sadly, "We will find your son Elizabeth."

The quiet sob that escaped was the only indication the other woman had heard her, but at this point words weren't really necessary. John was right - they all had a job to do.


T.B.C

Author's note: Unless people really like the premise, this will likely be the last time I write a chapter this directly connected to an episode. You would think it would be easy but it actually seems to make it more difficult. Trying to take an existing plot structure and mold it to suit your own needs is pretty frustrating. Anyways, I'm not sure how well this adaptation worked out and I'd love to hear your opinions about it. If you'd like to see more interludes like this in the future let me know, if you have a specific episode in mind I might just try to work it in down the road.