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Chapter 11

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"What is so gosh darn important that we have to come here for a meeting?" Rodney whined as they rode down in the elevator of the SGC. "This place is so gray and depressing."

He, Teyla, Lorne, Ronon and Woolsey had been contacted just this afternoon on Atlantis and within an hour had arrived here in a cloaked puddle jumper. They hadn't been given any information other than that their presence was required for an urgent matter.

"You were given as much information as I was, Dr. McKay," Woolsey told him for the fifth time. "I'm sure General Landry has a good reason for this. He said General O'Neill would be waiting here for us to fill us in."

The elevator doors opened and Sam Carter was standing just outside them. She gave a tiny smile as she greeted them. "Thanks for coming so quickly."

"Sam," McKay said as they followed Carter down the hallway. "What's going on and what's so damn important that you couldn't tell us on Atlantis? And it couldn't wait until tomorrow? It's just about dinner time."

"You'll see. We're almost there."

They followed along a few more corridors then entered a large conference room that already had several occupants. Rodney saw O'Neill, Landry and Carolyn Lam but there was a fourth person he couldn't place right away, though he did look familiar. Teyla solved the mystery.

"Mr. Sheppard, David…" she corrected when she saw his smile. "What are you doing here?"

Dave walked over to her and gave her a small kiss on the cheek. "I'm a bit confused by things myself. General O'Neill said he'd clarify a few details for me. But he wanted to wait until you and your team got here. Thank you for coming so quickly."

Teyla looked up at O'Neill then glanced around at Landry, who she had only met once before and then the others. She gave them curious looks but allowed them to speak when they were ready. Rodney did not quite have that patience.

"What's going on? Why is Sheppard's brother here?"

"I'm about to get to that," Landry started, "we're just waiting for…" he trailed off as several others entered the room.

"Dr. Daniel Jackson, Colonel Cameron Mitchell, Vala Mal Doran and Teal'c, I'd like to introduce you to David Sheppard."

The new crew nodded at Dave then Landry said, "For any of you who haven't met, Richard Woolsey, Dr. Rodney McKay, Major Evan Lorne, Ronon Dex and Teyla Emmagen?"

The few who hadn't been acquainted gave nods of greeting but then all looked at O'Neill who had moved to the front of the large conference table. He motioned for everyone to take a seat and cleared his throat.

"Mr. Sheppard here had an interesting phone call earlier today and I wanted to share it with all of you. It was from a woman who identified herself simply as Athena."

"Athena!" Jackson exclaimed with disgust on his face. "I was hoping we had gotten rid of her with some of the others. Is she still using Charlotte Mayfield or did she find someone else to control?"

O'Neill glanced at Sheppard's puzzled face then said, "We don't have visual confirmation but the voice sounds right.

"And what did Athena want?" Vala sneered, having come across the woman before in a not very pleasant situation.

"She wanted to buy out Sheppard Industries for a pitiful amount," Dave answered them. "Mostly she seemed interested in controlling the power grid I own."

"So what exactly is The Trust up to?" Mitchell questioned suspiciously. "We haven't had a lot if Intel on them lately."

"Not really sure at the moment," O'Neill said. "But the reason you're all here is due to a different problem, though taking them down will hopefully be another mission objective."

O'Neill clicked on the large screen behind him as the lights were dimmed and a video came up of a dark room. "Athena sent Sheppard here a link and this is what he saw. He was smart enough to record the interaction and bring us a copy."

A light came on in the video and you could hear a woman's voice.

"Now bear with me, Mr. Sheppard, and you'll soon see what I'm offering."

The camera moved to a lone figure hunched on the floor, his hands chained to the wall. They took in his ragged appearance and McKay muttered, "Who is that?" right as you heard Dave's voice on the tape say, "Who is that?"

"In exchange for your complete cooperation I will be more than happy to reunite you with your brother."

"What?" Ronon shouted as his eyes scanned the screen. "Sheppard's supposed to be…"

"Just watch," O'Neill ordered quietly.

And they did and saw the hand reach for the hair and pull up. Quite a few gasps rang through the room as they truly saw that it was John Sheppard.

"John!" they heard Dave Sheppard's voice exclaim. "I don't know what you're trying to pull, lady, but my brother died over three months ago."

"Yes, that is what you were made to believe and truthfully the military certainly believed it to be true. But I managed to rescue Colonel Sheppard right before the explosion and he has been my guest ever since then. But I'm willing to trade him back to you for your cooperation. What do you say, Mr. Sheppard? Do we have a deal?" the faceless voice demanded.

"How do I know this is really my brother and you aren't just using old footage of him?" Dave Sheppard now asked.

All in the room continued to watch as Dave spoke with John and answered his question correctly, proving beyond a doubt that this was indeed their friend and fellow soldier.

They saw the phone removed from the viewing area and Athena continue, "Are you convinced, Mr. Sheppard? Do we have a deal?"

"Yes,"

"Good, my people will be in touch in a few days once we get the paperwork drawn up. Once I have the papers signed, I will hand you the GPS coordinates of where your brother is being held. I feel that's very fair. Until then, Mr. Sheppard."

The screen went blank and the lights were turned up again. Most faces were in shock though Teyla's had tears running down her cheeks.

"How were they able to capture him?" she asked, her voice a bit shaky.

"Most likely an Al'Kesh," Teal'c replied. "There are rings aboard that could possibly have been adjusted to procure Colonel Sheppard from the hive ship."

"Looking back at the data we got during that time," Sam informed them, "we did notice a power surge right before the hive ship blew. We didn't really think anything of it at the time, figuring it was from the nuke powering up to blow. Looking back now, it was probably John being transported off."

Most of them simply shook their heads but Dave was very confused. They were talking about ships? He decided to get to the heart of the matter; rescuing John.

"They won't get in touch with me for a few days but can you be ready to go get John as soon as this woman gives me the coordinates?"

Sam gave a crooked smile. "We don't plan on waiting that long, Mr. Sheppard. If at all possible, we'd like to get him as soon as we can and you won't even have to sign over any of your company."

Dave was even more confused. "I don't want to do anything that could cause John to be killed. I already lost him once, I don't want to do it again. I'd never forgive myself."

"Have we been able to track him?" McKay spoke up his eyes intense and hopeful.

O'Neill winced a bit then said, "As soon as Sheppard called me, I contacted the Daedalus and had them start scanning for his transmitter. Unfortunately, wherever he is, it seems to be jammed."

Sgt. Harriman walked in at that minute and handed Carter a data pad. Her face lit up and she took over. "We just got lucky. I whipped together a little program that looked for anomalies and could possibly identify jamming frequencies and it looks like we got a hit. It seems that the shield they're using to keep us from finding the Colonel's transmitter isn't fully powered. It has a millisecond every few minutes where it flickers. We've been able to pinpoint his location. It's in the middle of Russia in a very isolated area."

"Can we beam him out?" Mitchell asked.

Sam shook her head. "The Daedalus said they couldn't get a good lock on him and it would be too dangerous. But we have the location and they can send us there and we can go in on foot to get him."

"Let's go!" Ronon said and started to stand.

"Down boy!" O'Neill ordered. "Believe me you'll be on the extraction team. But …"

"Jack," Daniel interrupted. "If we can get a look at her operation and maybe get inside her computer …"

"I was getting there Daniel," Jack grouched at him. "You always ruin my fun. I plan on sending in two teams. I assume Sheppard's team will want to get him and then I was thinking Teal'c, Vala, Mitchell and yes, you Daniel, to see if you can get any Intel and maybe throw a little wrench into anything The Trust has up their sleeves. I want to know why they want a power grid."

"Who wouldn't?" McKay asked and Sam glared at him.

"When will you leave and how long do you think it will be before you can get him back here?" Dave asked his voice filled with concern. "John looked terrible. It's like he was completely out of it and he was covered in bruises and cuts. I'm really worried about him."

"I agree," Carolyn Lam finally put in her two cents. "His eyes were unfocused and his skin tone was too pale. He looked like he'd lost quite a bit of weight and Colonel Sheppard never had any extra to lose. The sooner we get him back here the better."

"Wait, why can't we bring him back to Atlantis to the infirmary there?" Rodney argued.

"We can get him there eventually, McKay," O'Neill replied. "But for now it's easier to get you all back here, especially as trying to transfer you with the cloak up will be a little difficult. Once Dr. Lam has him stabilized he can be moved."

They all nodded and Dave again brought them back. "Why don't we worry about that after you've gotten him? If he's in Russia it'll take you half a day just to get there and who knows how long to get inside where he's being held. Then flying him back here. He could be dead by the time you people actually do anything. Not that I don't appreciate everything but I want my brother back."

"Actually, Mr. Sheppard," Landry said and stood, indicating he should follow him out of the room. "That's where those non-disclosures I told you about come in. Why don't you come into my office and Walter can get those for you and I can explain a little bit of what you've heard today. I imagine you must be more than a little confused."

Teyla got up and moved quickly to catch him before he left. "David, I swear we will bring John back to you. Thank you for bringing this to our attention instead of just trying to handle it yourself. It is possible this woman would not have carried through with her promise of returning John to you. This way we have a much better chance of getting him out alive."

Dave looked down at the petite woman who was now wearing some sort of military pants and a gray matching jacket. Her sturdy hiking boots looked well-worn and the determined expression on her face made him think she would keep that promise. He reached over and squeezed her hand.

"Thank you, Teyla. Bring him back for both of us, huh?"

Teyla gave a solemn nod and Dave walked away to follow Landry. She turned around and took a second to process that John was still alive. She could not even describe her relief yet the fact completely eliminated all thought that his ascended self or his spirit had been visiting her the past three months. But there was not time to analyze it now.

She found the others all leaning over the table to see the tablet Sam had been looking at. It was time to start planning.

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"As soon as you're all ready, give me the signal," Caldwell instructed the two teams who he had beamed aboard the Daedalus just a few minutes earlier.

"Just as soon as I download this map with the coordinates of where you're sending us to and where Sheppard supposedly is," Rodney answered. "It wouldn't do us any good to get lost and wander around the woods for a few days."

Mitchell pointed to the screen that showed where their drop off and pick up point would be. "It's less than a klick so I don't think we have to worry too much, McKay. Plus it's still daytime down there. We still have a few hours left of sunlight before it gets dark. Hopefully we can get Sheppard, do our jobs and get back out before then."

Rodney just glared at him and Teyla moved in closer to Mitchell to explain, "It will take far less time to simply allow him to do this than to argue with him. We need to go as quickly as we can. John has been down there far too long."

Everyone there nodded solemnly and finally McKay looked up and said, "I heard that you know. But for your information, I'm done. So now we can go."

"We'll send you down in two groups. Radio back if you have any problems."

Caldwell looked over at Major Marks and nodded. Marks responded, "Yes, Sir," and Lorne, Rodney, Teyla and Ronon disappeared.

The Colonel now faced Mitchell, Vala, Teal'c and Daniel and said, "Good luck with your objective. I'd like nothing better than to know we got more of those snake heads off our planet."

"With pleasure, Sir," Mitchell snapped back and he and his team disappeared too.

Caldwell looked at the group of people on the bridge. "Keep your eyes open for anything suspicious down on the ground and up here. They got Sheppard off the hive ship somehow so my guess is they have some sort of cloaked ship."

Everyone snapped to attention and kept their eyes on their monitors. They didn't want to be caught unawares.

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The beam of light fizzled out and Mitchell saw that the others were already checking out the area. Lorne, Ronon and Teyla had separated and were scouting the perimeter while McKay tapped away at his data pad.

"Anything?" Mitchell asked as he moved closer.

Rodney shook his head and pointed. "The closest life signs are in that direction, maybe half a kilometer. They're consistent with the energy readings I'm picking up. Must be whatever cloak they're using to keep Sheppard's transmitter hidden."

"Then we should proceed," Teal'c said and began walking in the direction Rodney had pointed. The others all joined in the procession, guns at the ready.

Lorne also had an LSD and was keeping an eye on how close they were getting to the recorded blips. Pretty soon they had the complex in sight. It had a high barbed wire fence surrounding it but no power was running through the wire so they simply cut a large hole in it and continued on.

Several large buildings were off to one side with a big courtyard abutting it. It was built up on a plateau and there was a deep drop from the courtyard to the surrounding vegetation. The group stopped before they got there.

"According to my research this was a medical facility used for psychiatric patients who were extremely violent," Daniel Jackson issued the information as they approached even closer. "It's why it was placed so far away from anything else."

"Well, according to MY research," Rodney tried to sound more knowledgeable, "it was actually used for political prisoners that they didn't want anyone to know about. They were labeled insane and sent here where they figured no one would take anything they said seriously."

Jackson was about to reply but Lorne moved between them and challenged, "Maybe we should worry about what it was used for later and think about getting the Colonel out of there. I don't imagine it was very pleasant regardless of what it was originally used for."

"How many life signs are you reading?" Teyla asked and came to stand beside Lorne and Rodney who both were looking at the Ancient equipment.

Lorne was about to answer when he saw McKay take a breath to do so. He figured it was easier to allow the scientist to do that than argue with whatever answer he had.

"I'd say about a dozen give or take a few," the man answered very unscientifically and Lorne wanted to pat him on the back for not taking the time to actually count. "They're located in two separate groups inside this building and then there's one in the courtyard almost above us."

"A guard probably?" Ronon suggested as they became quieter the closer they got.

The others just nodded and moved stealthily to the edge of the vegetation. Ronon grabbed Teyla and lifted her with his arms around her thighs. "Take a peak and tell us if there's still only one guard and what he's doing."

Teyla balanced herself with her hands on Ronon's shoulders as he pushed on her foot to lift her higher and carefully peaked over the edge of the courtyard. She only saw one person but it wasn't a guard. It was someone kneeling in front of a metal pole and they were trying to wiggle the pole back and forth.

She looked down and motioned for Lorne. "Field glasses."

Lorne pulled them out of his vest and handed them to Teyla who lifted them to her face. She focused on the figure in the distance and saw the person was actually chained to the pole. She sucked in a deep breath when she saw the hair sticking up on the back of his head. It was John!

She twisted and Ronon lowered her to the ground. Her eyes were frantic as she told them, "The one person up there is John and he is chained to a metal pole in the ground. We should go get him immediately."

She was about to tell Ronon to hoist her back up so she could actually get onto the courtyard when they saw Vala running back from a short distance away and she waved for them to follow her.

"There's a set of stairs around this corner that leads right up to the door of the building. I didn't see any of the guards. Seems the only person up there is chained to a pole enjoying the brisk weather."

"It is Colonel Sheppard," Teal'c announced to her.

They all moved to the stairs and cautiously climbed until they were crouched on the top few steps. All eyes surveyed the area checking for any other people. Lorne looked at the LSD and said, "No one else around although there are a few people moving inside. If we put a few of our people over by the door to stand watch then the others can simply go and get Colonel Sheppard."

Mitchell looked uncomfortable and softly cleared his throat. "The problem with that is the people inside may very well be able to see Sheppard from where they are and that would alert them to our presence. Part of our mission is to get as much Intel as we can from any Trust computers we find; and then to blow the place up if at all possible. If we grab Sheppard now we may not get the chance to infiltrate their systems."

"We cannot just leave him there," Teyla gave an impassioned plea. "Look at him struggling. And it is obvious his strength is not what it should be."

Vala placed her hand on Teyla's arm and assured her, "We will not leave him there. I promise. Right now he's not in any immediate danger. But it is imperative we find out what The Trust has in mind and any future plans. Anything we can do to shut them down, even slightly, is vital."

"We'll take one team inside," Mitchell started laying out the plan, "and head to where their base of operations is. We'll keep in touch by radio and when we think we have most of what we need, we'll let the other team, who stays out here keeping an eye on Sheppard, know to move in and free him."

"I hate to say this," Daniel almost winced at his words, "But it might be better if McKay were in the group to get the Intel. He's even better than I am at hacking systems and it would make things move quicker."

Rodney got a smug look on his face and said, "Sure, if you need me, I'm happy to go."

Mitchell was just about to take another step up when Lorne held up his hand and motioned to the door. "We've got two life signs approaching."

Everyone ducked back down behind the top steps and watched as two big thugs came out and crossed to where Sheppard was chained. They saw him turn his head in their direction and slump down almost in resignation. Teyla cringed when she saw how defeated John had become with the approach of these two. She started to rise but Lorne touched her shoulder and shook his head.

As the men approached and unlocked the chains to the pole, they saw John lean on the pole to try and stand and then actually pull the pole out of the ground. He swung it in the direction of one and managed to hit him across the head and knock him to the ground. The second man grabbed for him and earned a slice from the jagged metal across his arm. But after too short a time of John swinging the pole at them they saw him begin to slump in exhaustion and soon he was overpowered and thrown to the ground. He received a few kicks and then was hauled up by his arms to be carried inside.

Ronon had almost lost it when he saw the men beat Sheppard but Mitchell motioned for them to remain still and whispered for the first team to follow Sheppard when he was brought in and take care of the guards quietly. The second team would move in behind and find the command center.

As they stealthily crept up to the building behind the two men, Lorne looked over and suggested, "How about we get Teal'c if you get McKay. We might need the help to subdue those guys."

"Not really an even trade," muttered Mitchell but nodded agreement.

Once inside the building Lorne, Teal'c, Ronon and Teyla moved silently through the halls and down the stairs trying to follow the men without being seen. It wasn't difficult as they could hear them taunting John as they walked. Lorne kept his eyes on his LSD to make sure there were no other surprises either in front of them or behind but so far the two goons were the only ones in this section of the building.

The men pulled on a large wooden door and left it open. Ronon peeked in to see them disappear into another room, maybe the cell they had seen Sheppard chained up in. When they went in, Ronon waved for the others to follow and they stationed themselves with two of them on each side of the inner door.

When the guards came back out Lorne casually said, "Okay guys, you want to stop right there."

The men immediately sprang into action and attempted to attack the team. In seconds, light flashed and Ronon had taken down one with his weapon and Teal'c had used his Zat on the other. They lay motionless on the ground.

While Teal'c and Ronon dragged the two further into the larger room, Teyla and Lorne rushed inside to the Colonel's side. His hands were chained to the wall and his head was hanging down.

Lorne started to pull at the chains as Teyla knelt by him and called softly, "John."

John's head rose slightly and a tiny smile crossed his features. "Teyla."

His eyes remained closed though and Teyla caressed his cheek as she pleaded, "John, open your eyes. We are here to take you home."

John's eyes opened to tiny slits and he seemed to notice Lorne but his face grew confused and he shifted as if unsure.

"No, not Thursday. Friday, outside. Thursday, tricking, Wednesday, shooooock, Tuesday …"

"John, we are truly here," Teyla reasoned with him as she heard him say the strange words but in a sing song voice the way he read Torren's book about the silly animals. "We are going to get you free and bring you back home."

Ronon appeared in the doorway and Lorne flicked a hand to show him the chains that needed removing. Ronon moved closer and carefully pointed his weapon at the chains and soon John was tilting to the side. Teyla quickly grabbed him and took him in her arms. She looked woefully up at Ronon and he helped her raise their friend up and move him toward the door, with the unfortunate metal cuffs still attached. They would take the time to remove them carefully later.

"Man, this cell is small," Lorne commented as he got a good look at it on their way out. "And it doesn't have a window. I can't imagine staying inside this for so long."

"Sheppard's tough," Ronon grunted as he took most of the weight from Teyla. "He'll be fine."

Teyla truly hoped he would be but she was beginning to see that John had indeed been abused in many ways. He had lost much weight and he still did not seem to really comprehend that they were rescuing him. He kept muttering that it was not Thursday and singing the silly song.

When they passed through the outer room, John actually pulled back forcefully and fear was etched onto his features. "No… Friday … outside!" His head shook back and forth and his breathing grew ragged. He backed up and tried to go back to his little cell.

Teyla and Ronon held on tight and Ronon grunted, "What's he doing?"

Teal'c looked around and surmised, "I believe this is the room where he received much of his torture." He pointed to the overhead beam that still housed a chain where his cuffs could be easily attached and then the blood stains on the floor. "He appears to think that he will be tortured some more."

"Colonel," Lorne moved in front of him. "We're getting you out of here. No one's gonna hurt you anymore."

That seemed to confuse him even more. His head shook from side to side and he muttered again, "Thursday, tricking. Friday, outside."

Teyla slipped from holding his side and moved so she was pressed against his front. She lifted her hand to stroke his cheek. He closed his eyes when he felt it and his expression softened.

"John," she spoke softly to him. "No one will hurt you. I will not allow it. But we must leave. You must come with us."

At the sound of Teyla's voice, John slid from Ronon's grasp and encircled her with his arms. He pulled her in tight and sighed into her hair. "Teyla. God, I need you so much, Teyla."

Teyla felt his arms and his presence so strongly and it was exactly the presence she had felt for over three months. The deep emotions welled up inside her and she began to feel overwhelmed. But she knew they needed to leave soon before it was discovered that they were here and releasing their prisoner.

"Come, John, I will take you home." And he started to move with her but paused again when he saw the two guards out cold on the floor. Teyla rubbed her hand up and down his side and assured him, "They have been neutralized. They will not harm you. I promise."

Teyla could feel the tremors that shook his body but was unprepared for when he reached for her side arm and pumped a bullet into the larger of the two men. He stood shaking with the gun still pointed at him and held Teyla in his other arm, using her for support for his lack of strength.

Lorne moved to stop him but Ronon held up his hand and said, "No, let him do this. We just planned on blowing them up with the building, right? This is more merciful if you need to look at it that way."

Teal'c bowed his head and merely said, "Indeed."

Teyla could tell Lorne felt uncomfortable and she understood but she could tell by the way John was acting that these men had been directly responsible for much of his suffering and anguish. Perhaps it was one way to get him to put some of this behind him, though she knew that would not be an easy task.

John continued to shake but the next bullet that flew out shattered the same man's hand and John actually let out a relieved laugh when he saw the damage he had done to it. He continued to laugh and everyone in the room knew that what he had done had significance. They didn't dare ask. They weren't sure they really wanted to know.

"If you are done, we should go," Teyla whispered into John's ear so as not to startle him.

Ronon glanced at Lorne and questioned, "Did anyone hear that gunshot?"

Lorne reached for his LSD and took a look. His eyes became alert and he held his weapon high as he nodded and faced the door. Sure enough it was pulled open and standing there, eyes glowing, was Athena.

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