Chapter Eleven

Rodney stepped through the gate and onto the rolling plains of a planet. He grumbled as the wind blew through his hair as if it were trying to rip it off. He walked passed the DHD as the rest of the team came through the gate.

"Welcome to Kansas," Rodney said as he brought out his computer. "I think I can see the other side of the planet from here."

"Then maybe you can use your eyes to see something of interest," Sheppard said.

"Shut up, both of you," Elizabeth snapped as she walked passed the DHD. "If there are people on this planet I don't want them to think we can't get along."

"Fine," Sheppard said as he took the lead. "Everyone stay together and no wandering off."

Rodney said nothing as his computer finally booted up. He tapped some keys, keeping one eye on the path and the other on the screen.

"What are you looking for?" Elizabeth asked, startling him. He looked at her in surprise then at the screen.

"Energy readings," he answered. "Hopefully there's something on this planet of interest besides grass."

"I'm sure there's something."

Rodney nodded, but so far nothing showed up on the screen. He sighed and looked at Elizabeth. He rolled his eyes and stared off into the distance.

"You didn't have to come along," he said softly. "I knew this planet wouldn't have anything of interest on it."

"Let me be the judge of that," she said, placing a hand on his arm.

The warmth from her hand sent liquid fire through his body. He looked at her, into her green eyes and was drawn into them. His heart raced at her nearness, his desire for her nearly taking over. He inhaled her perfume, closing his eyes as he breathed it in.

"Rodney?" Elizabeth asked, squeezing his arm. "Are you all right?"

Rodney opened his eyes and saw they had stopped. He glanced in the direction the team had gone. They were behind, really behind. He turned his gaze to Elizabeth and sighed.

"I'm fine," he said as he continued on his way. I just want you so bad I can't think straight.

"I told you not to wander off," Sheppard said as Rodney cleared the hill.

He glared at the other man, but said nothing as Elizabeth came up behind him. He saw the dark expression in Sheppard's eyes, but made no comment. Let the man think whatever he wanted. He was past caring. Maybe Sheppard would become angry enough to put him out of his misery.

"Let's keep moving," Sheppard said and headed down the other side of the hill.

Rodney shook his head and glanced at his laptop. Still there weren't any readings. He grumbled as he typed on the keys.

"There has to be something here," he whispered. "It can't be completely devoid of everything."

"Rodney, it's all right if we don't find anything," Elizabeth said calmly, her hand on his back.

He sighed again and felt her soothing touch all the way to his bones. He closed his eyes briefly, thankful for her being here.

"It's enough just being here," she told him.

Rodney offered her a smile then his computer beeped. He looked down at it and excitement bubbled inside him.

"Finally," Rodney whispered as he typed on the keys. "There's something here!"

Sheppard turned, an eyebrow raised. Rodney jogged to catch up to them.

"Energy readings," he said, bringing his computer around. He pointed to the white blimp on the screen. "This looks like the ruins of a building over here."

"Well, now this planet isn't so boring after all," Sheppard said, earning a glare from Rodney. "Lead the way."

Rodney shook his head and took the lead, listening to the sound of the beeping. As it grew louder, he knew the ruins were closer. The excitement increased and soon he jogged toward the ruins.

"This way!" He shouted as he saw the ruins up ahead surrounded by a dispersion of trees and bushes.

There were several buildings scattered across the land. Some were still intact with four walls and a roof, while others were nothing more than foundations. Several of them were crumbling stone, monuments to a long ago civilization.

The beeping was beyond noisy now as he closed the gap between him and the town. He heard Sheppard yell for him to stop, but he ignored him. He was focused on finding the source of the beeping.

Movement to his right brought him to a halt. What the hell? There are still people here?

"Hello?" Rodney called as he cautiously stepped toward the movement. He was able to make out a tall shape through a window of a crumbling building. His hand went to his gun, deciding to be suspicious until otherwise.

"Dr. McKay," a familiar voice said. "We have to stop meeting like this."

Rodney's heart raced in trepidation as Kolya stepped from behind the building. The man eyed him with both malice and glee. Rodney took a step back, not liking what might be going on in the man's mind.

"I take it you found something," Kolya said, eyeing the computer in Rodney's hands.

"What are you doing here, Kolya?" Sheppard asked behind Rodney.

Rodney didn't turn around, but relief flooded him. He kept his eye on Kolya as he slowly drew his gun. He aimed it at Kolya, hoping he wasn't shaking too much.

"The same reason you are," the man said, his hands behind his back. "I'm searching this planet for something fascinating. I see Dr. McKay found that something."

"We're not sharing," Sheppard said, standing beside Rodney. From the corner of Rodney's eye, he saw Sheppard had his P-90 aimed at the Genii soldier.

"Ah, Dr. Weir, maybe you can convince these two to help me. It is in all our best interests, after all."

Rodney narrowed his eyes as he forced himself not to pull the trigger. Threatening Elizabeth was not in this man's best advantage.

"Leave her alone," he growled.

Kolya looked at him and smiled. He stepped closer, but Rodney pulled back the hammer on his gun. The man stopped, but continued to smile.

"Protecting her again, I see," the man said, causing Rodney's anger to rise. "Will you give me what I want if I leave her alone?"

"Fine, just leave her alone," Rodney said, putting his gun away.

"Rodney," Elizabeth said.

"I'm not going to let him touch you," Rodney said, turning his face to her. He was surprised she was so close to him. He saw the fear and worry in her eyes and he wanted to comfort her. He wanted to tell her he would be fine. They both knew better, but it was better him than her.

"You're not going anywhere with that monster," Sheppard whispered to him. "Let me shoot him."

"I forgot to tell you that you are surrounded," Kolya said as if he'd heard Sheppard. "They'll pick you off if you try to shoot me."

"There went that plan," Sheppard said with a roll of his eyes.

"It's the only way to get out of this alive," Rodney said. "Get out of here when you can."

"McKay," Sheppard said, but Rodney was already making his way to Koyla.

"Good choice," Kolya said. "To make sure you don't try anything, they'll be kept here until my men hear from me."

Rodney grumbled to himself, figuring the man would pull something like that. He shook his head and took one last look at Elizabeth. She stood beside Sheppard, flanked by Teyla and Ronon. He smiled at her, trying to tell her it would be all right, even though he knew it wouldn't. Kolya wasn't the kind of man to release his hostages in one piece.

"Move it!" Kolya said, pushing Rodney down the path. "Where is it?"

"Keep pushing and you'll be kissing my computer," Rodney growled.

"And you're lovely Dr. Weir will be shot. Keep moving."

Rodney grumbled under his breath, but kept moving. He looked down at his computer screen and saw they were almost there. He pointed in the direction they needed to go without looking up.

"That way," he said and turned right.

Elizabeth stared in the direction Rodney and Kolya had gone in. The fear threatened to send her into hysterics, but she forced it down. She had to be calm for all their sakes.

He has to come back, Elizabeth thought as she folded her arms across her chest. I don't know what I'd do without him.

She closed her eyes and pictured Rodney in one of his happier moods, his eyes sparkling with excitement over some artifact or an idea he came up with. It was then she realized she hadn't seen that look in his eyes in weeks. Something had gone wrong and she had no idea what happened. She missed the fire and she wanted to see it again.

What will it take? Elizabeth thought with a sigh. What can I do to get him to open up to me?

She looked toward the forest as if it offered the answers she needed. She saw movement and caught a glimpse of a Genii soldier, his gun aimed at them.

Kolya wasn't lying, she looked at John who stared at his gun as if he had never seen it before. She raised an eyebrow as he looked at her in confusion.

"What's wrong?" Elizabeth asked.

"W-what is this thing?" John stuttered in bewilderment.

She widened her eyes in surprise as she stared from him to the P-90 and back again. "Excuse me? You don't know what a P-90 is?"

John shook his head, dropping the gun and backing away from it in horror. He looked at her, panic in his eyes. What was wrong with him?

"Are you all right?" Elizabeth asked, reaching out to him.

John backed away from her as if her hand was a snake and might bite him.

"Who are you? Who am I? What am I doing here?"

Elizabeth looked to Teyla and Ronon and saw equal expressions of surprise. Teyla stepped forward and placed a hand on John's arm. He turned to look at her then quickly backed away from her as if she hit him.

"Who are you? Get away from me!"

"I am Teyla," she answered, her voice calm as if she talked to a child. "You are Colonel John Sheppard. We are here exploring this planet. Do you remember anything at all?"

"No," John said, staring at his surroundings. "I don't remember a thing."

"We have to get him back to Atlantis," Elizabeth suggested.

"What's Atlantis?" John asked, fear in his voice.

Elizabeth reached out to him again, but he backed away. He truly was afraid of them and didn't know who they were. She had to get him to trust them or else they would never get him back to Atlantis.

"It's all right," she said, her voice soft. "We want to help you. We're your friends."

"You can trust us," Teyla said, her voice also calm and soothing. "We won't hurt you."

A gunshot sounded in the distance and everyone stilled. Elizabeth's heart pounded in her chest as she looked into the ruins of the town. The sound had come from there.

"Rodney!" Elizabeth shouted, fear choking her.

She started to run into the ruins when Teyla grabbed her arm. She stared at the other woman, wanting to hit her for stopping her.

"Kolya might shoot you," she said softly.

"Rodney might need our help," Elizabeth pushed, wanting to go to him and see if he was all right. Trepidation filled her, causing her to shake. She didn't want to think about what might await her in the ruins.

"I'll go with her," Ronon said, pulling his gun from its holster. "Take Sheppard back."

Teyla glanced from Ronon to Elizabeth. Elizabeth pleaded with her eyes to take Ronon's suggestion.

"Be careful," Teyla said. She took a reluctant John's arm and led him away toward the gate.

Elizabeth looked into the forest and saw their guards had disappeared. Grateful for small wonders, she picked up John's gun and followed Ronon into the ruins.

She heard shouting toward her right and she swallowed passed the lump of fear in her throat. Ronon pressed himself against the deteriorating walls of a building and she did the same. They silently moved along the wall, the shouting growing louder.

Elizabeth's heart raced and a thousands scenarios of what they would find went through her head. She took several deep breaths to calm herself and forced herself to focus on getting to Rodney.

"I will shoot your precious Dr. Weir if you do not tell me what this thing does," Koyla snarled.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Rodney shouted back, pain in his voice. "I don't even know where I am!"

Fear raced through Elizabeth at those words. John had said similar words. She believed there was something on this planet that had affected them. The situation was made worse by the fact Koyla might kill Rodney because of it.

"We have to get to him," Elizabeth whispered to Ronon.

"Not a problem," the man said as he stepped away from the wall, aiming his weapon.

She followed Ronon and her stomach dropped. Rodney was lying on the ground, Koyla standing over him. Koyla kicked Rodney in the stomach. He cried out and curled into a fetal position to protect himself. Elizabeth felt as if she had been kicked in the stomach. She aimed the P-90 at Koyla and stepped forward.

"Get away from him!"

Koyla stopped before he hit Rodney in the head with his gun. He stared at her in surprise. He stood straight, smiling.

"Well, I must admit I'm surprised to see you," Koyla stated calmly. "What did you do to my men?"

"They ran off," Ronon said. "Listen to her and step away from him."

Koyla stared at Rodney and made a motion to hit him, but Elizabeth fired her gun at Koyla's feet. The man jumped back, staring at her in shock.

"Leave him alone," she said, her eyes narrowed. She took a step forward, determined to get Rodney away from this madman.

"I will make you regret this, Dr. Weir," Koyla said as he moved backwards.

"Get out of here," she said, not interested in his threats.

The man glared at her, but then jogged toward the woods.

"Rodney," Elizabeth said, dropping the gun and rushing to his side. He curled tighter into a ball, but she gently touched his shoulder. "It's all right. You're safe."

Blue eyes stared at her and she saw the fear and pain in them. Her heart ached, knowing that he probably didn't know who she was.

"Can you tell me what happened?" She asked softly, stroking his hair.

Rodney relaxed and allowed her to help him sit up. He cried out in pain and she flinched. He closed his eyes, breathing raggedly. She ran her fingers through his hair and they came away wet with sweat.

"Rodney, can you hear me?" Elizabeth asked, placing her hands on his shoulders. She leaned him back against the pedestal she'd only now noticed.

"Who are you?" Rodney whispered, his blue eyes filled with pain.

Elizabeth shook her head as she looked him over. He had a split lip she had no doubt from Koyla hitting him. She gently removed the vest, flinching as he gasped. His jacket was next, dropping it on the ground beside her. Her hands came away wet and she looked down at them. Her heart dropped as she saw the blood. She turned her gaze to Rodney, who was unconscious.

"That bastard shot him," she said as she checked for a pulse. Relief washed over her when she found one. She ripped his shirt open, revealing more blood on his chest.

Swallowing the fear threatening to spill over her, she grabbed his vest. She rummaged through the pockets until she found some gauze. She pulled it out and wiped the blood away, exposing a gunshot wound. Panic welled up inside her and she closed her eyes to force it away. Rodney needed her and she wasn't about to let him down. She pressed the gauze against the wound, trying to stop the bleeding.

"Rodney, can you here me?" Elizabeth asked, touching his face. "Rodney?"

Rodney slowly opened his eyes and stared at her. She knew he didn't know who she was, but she had to get through to him.

"I'm going to help you," she said gently. "My name is Elizabeth Weir. I'm going to take you home to Atlantis."

Rodney slipped back into unconsciousness and she took a deep breath to keep calm. She turned to Ronon, who moved toward them. She stood as the tall man lifted Rodney to his feet.

"Careful," Elizabeth said, taking Rodney's other arm. "Let's get out of here."