Here's another chapter. Thanks to everyone for their encouraging reviews. Now, if I could only get my boss to cut down my work days to something less than 13 hour days sigh But you guys are an inspiration and I thanks for your kind words!

Chapter Eleven

Just as Sheppard settled down, Ashina started to move, whimpering quietly in her sleep. If it wasn't one thing, it was another, Ronon told himself with frustration.

Teyla and McKay were deep in discussion with Lorne and Zelenka. Whatever they were saying had pissed McKay off and looked like it was pushing Teyla's patience to the limit.

Ashina continued to move, slowly awakening. Ronon used his fingers to brush across her incredibly soft skin and shushed her the way he did with Torren when he was fussy.

Just as it usually happened with Torren, Ronon found the motion helped to settle himself down, too. Ashina raised her hand and batted at Ronon's hand in a slow, sleepy kind of way, then she put out her arms to be held, all done without actually opening her eyes.

Ronon chewed on his lower lip for a moment before he reached down and gently picked her up, careful not to flare the pain in her side. Once he got her situated in his lap, he rocked her and began to hum a song his mother used to sing to him every night as a child.

Ashina snuggled her cheek against his chest and put a hand up to play with her ear. It reminded Ronon again of Torren, except Torren would play with his hair as he drifted off to sleep.

"I love you, Daddy," she whispered.

Ronon kept rocking her, but he felt strangely out of place. After all, his place was on the battlefront, fighting for the safety of little girls like this one, and not here, holding this delicate being in his arms. He watched her for a long while as her breathing slowed and deepened.

Shaking his head, Ronon looked up in time to see Teyla leave the computer console. She walked off in the direction McKay had gone, and Ronon was almost relieved that she hadn't decided to come over to him. She might have take Ashina and that would have left him a little emptier inside. For some reason, Ashina's presence helped to ground him and give him some sense of normalcy in the middle of all of this madness.

He let out a long breath and looked down at the girl, knowing he would do whatever he could to keep her safe, along with the rest of his team. It was a responsibility he took on without regret. Then he glanced over at Sheppard and wished there was some way for Sheppard to feel the peace and calm that came with holding Ashina in his arms. If he could, it might help steel Sheppard against the fight ahead... and Ronon had no doubt there would be a fight in store for them.

oOoOoOoOo

Teyla found Rodney bent over at Damisk's skeleton. He had one hand on his crutch for support with his bad leg dangling in the air behind him for balance as he went through the scientist's pockets. Teyla stopped a short distance from him and waited until he saw her, so that she wouldn't startle him. He glanced up at her a few seconds later, took a deep breath and straightened, looking uncomfortable both in body and spirit.

"How are you doing?" she asked softly.

He shrugged. "I was wondering what else Damisk might have in his pockets. What do you know? There's no plastic pocket protector. I ask you, what kind of scientist is that?" He gave her a slight smile at his attempted humor, then glanced away.

"Did you find anything of interest?" she asked as she neared him.

He nodded, and opened his hand to show her a couple of odd-shaped devices.

"What do they do?" she asked as she stopped in front of him.

"Unfortunately, they didn't come with an instruction manual," he said with a sigh, then he shook his head slightly. "But luckily for you, you have someone who rarely needs an instruction manual. I think one is an actuator of some kind. The other must generate some sort of magnetic field."

Teyla looked at the objects, knowing they meant nothing to her and again she marveled at Rodney's innate intelligence and the gift he had to look at something and know exactly how it worked; it would forever amaze her.

"Why do I get the feeling a battle played out here?" she asked after a moment of glancing around them.

Rodney grunted. "Maybe it's because of all the remnants of violent explosions that inundate this area. Something happened here, that's for sure – something big and messy, gauging by the debris."

When she glanced back up at him, she saw Rodney chewing on his lower lip, his forehead creased. "What is wrong?" she asked.

He looked away, shaking the items in his hand nervously, turmoil revisiting his expression. "Speaking of battles – I... uh... I might owe an apology. So... I'm sorry I went overboard with Zelenka. I know I'm not known for my patience, but even still, Mother Teresa herself would have had issues with Radak's ability to irritate!"

"Rodney, we are all tired and stressed. Do not dwell on it. We have other things to focus on."

"Yeah, well, in the interest of maintaining good relations with the people working to save our lives, I might have to... well, it's possible that... " He took a deep breath and rubbed the back of his neck. "Dammit, I might have to apologize to him, too."

Teyla cleared her throat. "An apology could clear the air," she offered.

Rodney made a sound that could have been a groan, then he went silent.

She frowned when he didn't say any more, his dark mood making her move closer. "What is it, Rodney?"

When he glanced up at her, he turned from her, limping a few steps away, then he stopped and looked back. His clear blue eyes searched her expression for a moment, then he shook his head.

She waited, knowing Rodney would speak when he was ready. She didn't have to wait long. He scrubbed his hands over his face and approached her until they were practically face to face, then said, "Much as it pains me to admit it, I'm not perfect. I just hope... " His eyes flickered back towards Sheppard's direction. "I just hope the one time I can't pull a rabbit out of the proverbial hat, Sheppard doesn't... " He twisted his fingers together. "It's my worst nightmare. Well, that, and the one where Zelenka wins the Nobel Prize instead of me."

She knew this had been the real reason behind Rodney's meltdown with Zelenka earlier. It wasn't his rudeness or arrogance... it was pure worry. She put a hand on Rodney's tac vest, right over his heart and smiled at him, passing along as much strength and encouragement as she could.

"I am sorry that we have had to place so much responsibility on your shoulders," she said softly.

Rodney grunted. "No, no, I can live with responsibility – the price of genius and all – it's just I might not be much good at living with the guilt thing."

He swallowed and looked at her. "Sheppard's saved my life a hundred times, probably more. What if – what if I can't pull this off... " his voice broke and Teyla's heart went out to him.

She let her hand move from his chest to his shoulder. "What if you fail? We will never know if you do not try, but you cannot quit now because you are afraid of failing. That is not the Rodney McKay I have known these many years."

Rodney closed his eyes and let his head drop. He didn't resist as she took him into her arms without a word and hugged him tightly. "You cannot give up," she whispered into his ear.

"You sound like Sheppard," he said with a sigh.

She pulled back, catching his eye. "I can live with that," she replied with a smile. "Or would you prefer I sound like Ronon at a moment like this?"

There was a quick chuckle, then Rodney shook his head. "No, not at all. He'd be on my ass for wasting time."

The cloud of gloom descended over him again. She reached up and put a hand on his cheek. "No, you are not wasting time. You have become so focused on saving John that all you can see is a possibly negative outcome rather than the task at hand, but you can overcome that. You will find your way through this, of that I have no doubt."

Rodney looked a little uncomfortable, so she pulled away a bit. He nodded and started fidgeting. She figured he was moments away from moving again when he stopped and looked at her with a puzzled expression. He said, "Must be nice always knowing the right thing to say."

Teyla grunted and rolled her eyes. "Rodney, you obviously have not do not recall the many times when I have stepped on my own tongue."

Rodney shook his head. "Yeah, but you always work it out. Me, on the other hand, I drown in a pool of my own making."

He frowned as if deeply vexed, then looked up at her again. "I never thought about it before, but we are about as far as apart as emotionally as any two people can be, polar opposites, if you will, but... "

Teyla smiled and finished his sentence. "... but we thrive as friends and teammates. There is no other way I would want it to be."

He looked into her eyes for a long while, then finally nodded and straightened his shoulders, as if something that had been broken in his spirit had fixed itself and the sight gave her immeasurable strength.

He nodded slightly. "Yeah, me, too. There's an old Earth saying, Winners never quit and quitters never win, so I guess I better get back to work if we are going to win this one. Come on."

He gestured for her to go ahead of him. She stepped forward, still drawing from what she had seen of Rodney's inner strength and prayed it would be enough to save them all.

oOoOoOoOo

Teyla had listened to Ashina speak to her parents on the radio, relieved that Ashina was up to talking. It was a session healing in nature for the whole family. Finally, it was only Methet and Teyla speaking when Ashina drifted off to sleep and Jisef was called away.

Methet said, "Ashina's talking so much more now."

Teyla nodded. "I know, it is very encouraging."

"I wish the efforts to get to your location were just as encouraging," Methet said softly, and Teyla knew the woman was close to tears again.

"Be strong, Methet. Ashina needs your strength right now. One way or another, we will be out of here soon."

"Thank you, Teyla, for everything you are doing for our daughter. I know things are not easy for you right now with your own injury and Colonel Sheppard's situation. All of you are in my prayers."

"Thank you, Methet. I have no doubt they are helping. I will be in radio contact with you again in an hour."

"Be well, Teyla, and kiss Ashina for me when she's awake next time."

"I will. Go rest, Methet, you sound exhausted. We will be fine. Teyla out."

Teyla clicked off her radio and leaned back, sighing deeply. She felt the pain of Ashina's parents creep into her own heart, as if the ache they felt originated in hers. How could they not be in turmoil? The full extent of Ashina's medical condition was unknown, and she was trapped with strangers in a situation where she'd already been injured once.

"Won't give up, so quit while you're ahead... " John's tightly uttered words interrupted Teyla's thoughts.

Sitting beside John as she held Ashina in her arms, Teyla glanced down toward him and placed a hand over John's clutched fist. Nothing about John's appearance gave her any peace. It seemed he was lost in another contest of wills and it had been like that for a while now... at least that was what Ronon said before he handed the watch over to her and went to help Rodney.

John had spent most of the night whispering, threatening, standing his ground against whatever the suit was trying to get him to do. Obviously, John didn't want any part of it.

His face suddenly scrunched up with emotion, then he said, "I said leave me the hell alone!"

Teyla's hand trailed up his arm and found the muscles there were tightly bunched. The strain on him was immense and she sought to offer her support. "John, stay strong. You can defeat this thing. We are here for you."

John nodded tightly as if in reply and his response startled Teyla. She squeezed his arm. "John, can you hear me?"

Again, there was another deliberate nod and Teyla could see the muscles in John's jaw twitch with tension. Teyla looked around for Ronon and Rodney, but they were both busy. She set Ashina on the pallet beside her, and moved closer. "John, what can I do to help you?"

John didn't move for a long moment, then he opened his eyes a little to look up at her. The dimmed light of the facility made his hazel eyes stand out like black obsidian against his pale skin, his fierce determination giving them a glowing luster of their own. She reached out and took his hand again. "John?"

He swallowed and let out a long breath. "Water," he said hoarsely.

Teyla nodded and grabbed a bottle from the duffel bag, removing its lid, then held the bottle up to his lips. She hadn't noticed earlier how dry and chapped they looked. It was another sign of the extended battle John had been fighting. By the Ancestors, it had been nearly twenty-fours hours since his ordeal had begun. No food, very little water, with only resolve and stubbornness to keep him going.

He closed his eyes with relief as he began to drink and didn't stop until the bottle was half empty. Finally, she pulled it away and wiped at the dribble that escaped down his chin.

John closed his eyes and relaxed against the pallet beneath him. Teyla squeezed his hand again. "It seems as if you are gaining some ground against the suit. You sound much stronger now than when the suit first trapped you."

He nodded and opened his eyes again. There was a deep weariness in them. He let out a short breath and rasped, "Maybe a little. It isn't easy."

He tried to sit up, but all he managed to do was raise his head off the floor. Teyla scooted over, so that he could put his raised head down to rest against her uninjured thigh. "We have been very worried about you."

"I know. I heard some of the conversations," he said as he licked his lips.

"Are you hungry? I have some power bars – " she started.

John cleared his throat and nodded. "Not really hungry, but I guess I need to eat something to keep me going."

She unwrapped a power bar and held it to his lips. "Chocolate chip... your favorite."

He smiled wanly and reached up to take it from her. "Thanks, but I can do it." His voice was barely above a whisper.

As he took a bite, she asked, "Why is the suit causing you such pain?"

John's gaze went distant as he chewed for a moment, then he said, "The suit can get me where it hurts the most and then it won't let up... it just doesn't take no for an answer."

He started to take a deep breath, but the breath caught in his chest. He shifted a little to one side, holding a hand over his hip, and a low groan slipped out. She could see the suit ripple as it shifted to thicken at his hip. Without looking at her, he spoke through gritted teeth and said, "Like right now. This thing doesn't know how to make friends or play nice."

She squeezed his hand and he squeezed back, his eyes tightly closed. "If only there was something I could do to help you," she whispered.

After several seconds, he sighed and relaxed, his breathing fast and shallow, his head heavy against her thigh. "Well, that was fun," he said hoarsely.

He looked down at the crumpled remnants of his power bar still in his hand. The rest had fallen to the floor. He grunted and brought what was left in his hand to his lips. After a long moment of internal debate, he shook his head and handed what was left of his power bar back to her. "I'll try again later."

Teyla frowned as she took the scraps from him and leaned over to catch his eye. "What is happening? Why the tremendous strain on you?"

John's expression turned angry. "The damned thing is trying to control me, to control my movements, trying to force me into cooperating. And, somehow, it's inside my head, talking to me."

Teyla sat up a little straighter. "The suit talks to you?"

"Yeah, not quite sure how, but I can hear it inside my head."

"Do not worry about it now," Teyla said as she brushed her fingers against his cheek. "Rest while you can. You are weary."

John sighed. "Tired I can deal with. This is different... it's like it's sapping energy from me like some damned iratus bug."

"For what purpose?"

John shook his head and waved a hand limply in the air. "Hell, if I know, but I can feel it weaken me as it gets stronger."

Teyla shook her head in confusion. "But, surely, it must know that once it exhausts you, you will succumb, and then it will be without an energy source again."

John bit his lip for a moment before continuing, "I don't know... we haven't really had any 'heart to heart' talks yet. It's mostly been 'submit' over and over."

His voice was raspy and if the dark bruises on his neck were any indication, there was probably some damage to his larynx from the suit's earlier attempted strangulation. John sighed, his eyelids drifting shut again. "There's some sort of artificial intelligence going on here and it only wants things its way like some spoiled brat..." his voice broke off as he gasped and curled into a fetal position.

Teyla felt the suit's material ripple under her fingers again. It was moving against John's ribs like some type of relentless torture machine.

"Geez," he muttered when he could talk again. He swallowed hard, then straightened to roll onto his back. "I guess it doesn't like that I don't want to play."

Teyla did the only thing she could; she put her hands over John's and held on to him tightly. "Be strong. Rodney is working hard to find information that will aid us in defeating the suit and freeing you."

John cleared his throat. "Well, I'm doing my best to be a thorn in its side."

He gasped again and winced, tucking his chin to his chest until the pain eased.

"Tell Rodney... " John said as he shifted again and closed his eyes, seeming much more frail now. He was practically whispering as he said, "Tell him to hurry."

She brushed her fingers across his stubbled cheek as his muscles went slack again and she hoped he was sleeping, but she feared that sleep was something none of them would see much of until they were back on Atlantis.

oOoOoOoOo