1Hi guys, I'm so glad you're enjoying the story. After months of work, it's nice to see it's being appreciated. Take care!

1

Chapter Twelve

"You were gone a very long time, Mac-Kay," Conteale said as she brushed her fingers along McKay's cheek.

"No, not really. Well, maybe it just seemed like a long time, because you were missing my sunny disposition."

He tried to sound interested, while at the same time, he tried to ignore the way his stomach turned upside down at his words. Boneys had just escorted him back to Conteale's cabin and the man still stood in the doorway, watching as they talked. A dark expression was painted on the guard's face.

S'moa smiled. "Oh, but I did miss you, my darling. Did you not get my earlier message?" she asked innocently as her fingers lingered on the metallic bracelet around his wrist.

"Oh yeah, it was kind of hard to ignore," McKay answered, not bothering to hide the bitterness in his tone as he pulled away from her and rubbed at his wrist.

She smiled. "My apologies, but it was necessary for you to remember who's in control here."

Going to her desk, she sat on the edge and said, "I see you have been busy bringing my equipment up to full operating capacity. I'm sorry there was so much for you to do. We haven't had anyone with your skills in a very long time."

McKay shook his head. "I believe you think me more capable than I really am."

She smiled. "Even with a broken arm, I think you are capable of many things, things that come easily to you, like fixing equipment and being painfully handsome, but I shall find out what other things you are capable of tonight – and every night after that."

McKay bristled. "I am not a possession. I am a human being and therefore deserve my freedom!"

"No, my darling Mac-Kay, your freedom was lost the moment you stepped on this planet, but luckily I have chosen to save your life. Your friends will not be so lucky."

He looked at her, his gaze meeting hers in a silent plea before he said, "But the others are smart, too, and they can do other important things."

She shook her head slightly. "Not like you. Besides, they do not interest me the way you do."

She approached him again, reaching up as she brought his head down to meet her and gave him a long, lingering kiss. When she pulled away, she said, "It is the anticipation of our night of passion that gives me the greatest thrill. Knowing you are mine and that I will have all of your hidden secrets revealed to me soon – oh, there is nothing more delicious."

McKay let out a small whimper. "I don't know, the blue jello they have back at home is pretty good . . . " he mumbled.

She didn't say anything, just smiled that damned smile of hers. He felt his resolve weaken further. He glanced away, rubbing his injured limb, then he held it up for her to see. "Yes, well, with this broken arm, there will be a limit to certain things I can do."

She smiled sweetly. "We can work around those limitations, my darling. Do not concern yourself with such things. But there is something I do need to talk to you about – "

She pressed a button on her desk and a screen lit up, showing McKay as he tinkered with his pilfered medical scanner. Boneys was behind him, but looking in another direction, as McKay knelt below a recycling unit that he'd been repairing.

Rodney watched himself move on the big monitor with a strange interest, staring at the screen mesmerized, until she reached inside his arm sling and pulled out the converted medical scanner.

"What is this, my darling?" Conteale asked, her tone chiding and dangerous at the same time.

McKay's eyes widened and he took a deep breath, hoping his inability to lie would not cost him his life or those of the others. "Well, it is – I mean – there's a perfectly good explanation – "

Her demeanor softened and she silenced him with a finger to his lips. "There's no need to explain. I understand completely. You are loyal to your companions and seek to save their lives. The sooner you accept they are going to die, the sooner you will accept your new life with me here. I could have caused you great pain right then, but I didn't want you to suffer without a warning . . . "

He knew what was coming a split second before he felt the pain. That damned control bracelet. He sucked in air as he dropped to his knees, his body folding around his wrist and the blinding pain. He thought he was going to pass out this time when it stopped without explanation, leaving him breathless.

She knelt beside him and kissed his suddenly sweaty cheeks, then brought up his trembling hand, her lips brushing against the area around his wrist. "I do not like causing you pain . . . " she whispered.

Like hell you don't, Rodney thought, but he was too breathless to actually say the words. He hung his head, knowing if he glanced in her direction, he'd try to rip her throat out, then he closed his eyes as she started kissing him on the chest, pulling him toward her so she could work up his neck to his lips, still too weak to push her away.

"I am sorry I had to do that, Mac-Kay. Are you better now?"

"Huh?" He looked down into her questioning stare, surprised that her kissing had ended so quickly. His strength returned with a sudden surge of anger and he pulled away from her. "Oh yeah, I'm just peachy."

Her gaze narrowed as the fingers of one hand started reaching for her control bracelet. He realized his mistake and started sputtering, "I'm sorry, it must be the stress of the day, plus my blood sugar has to be bottoming out right now. I haven't eaten in a while . . . "

She patted his cheek and stood, pulling him up with her. "Come, I have had something prepared for us. I prefer a late dinner, so this is just a snack. I will have to watch this low blood sugar thing with you, though. But first, there's another matter we must discuss."

McKay looked to her in surprise. What was she up to now?

Conteale waved in Boneys who was still standing in the doorway. "Boneys, you let me down today. You were to watch Mac-Kay's movements, but there were times when you did not. Now, Mac-Kay will be your sole occupation. You go where he goes, you see what he sees, and if he feels the wrath of the control bracelet, so will you!"

She depressed a button on her gauntlet and Boneys went down to his knees, moaning softly. McKay could see the second she let up on the control device, because the relief was clearly evident in the man's entire body. Conteale's voice was low, but firm as she said, "Let me down again, Boneys, and it will be the last time you do, do I make myself clear?"

Boneys swallowed, still gasping for air, and McKay could see the fear present in the man's eyes, knowing just how he felt. She turned from Boneys and back to Rodney, reaching up to grab McKay by the hair, and then she pulled his head down close to her face, looking deep in his eyes. The inherent darkness in her spirit was so tangible, McKay thought if he looked too deeply into her eyes, he'd be swallowed up by it. Did the mythical Medusa have eyes like that, he wondered, but then stopped when he remembered that Medusa's gaze could turn men into stone. Well, he didn't feel like stone, but his life felt pretty damned rocky at the moment.

Conteale's darkness took on a sadistic glint and Rodney swallowed in fear. Her voice was menacing as she whispered, "I told you not to try to escape. You have disappointed me. Now, I will have to torture you."

"Torture?" he asked with a gulp, wondering what kind of torture could be worse than that damned control bracelet.

"Yes, it involves tying you to my bed, with rope, and feathers, lots of feathers. Have you ever been tortured with feathers? It is true agony."

McKay gulped again. Now, he knew exactly what could be worse and he was terrified. If the decision was up to him, he'd rather tell her to activate the control bracelet continuously until he died, especially if it meant she could never touch him again.

"I don't know . . . " he stammered, searching for words. Sheppard and the others were depending on him to save the day. With that in mind, he whispered with a little more encouragement in his voice, "I've never done anything like that before . . . "

"I will show you many things, Mac-Kay, many decadent pleasures."

She kissed him again before turning back to Boneys. "You heard what I said to him. Follow my orders implicitly. If he does something that would disappoint me, you too will suffer."

Boneys sputtered, "Yeah, but – but what if he does something to the equipment, or the mines, or even the ship? I'm not an engineer. I don't know about those things. That guy knows more about fixing things than all of us put together."

She smiled again. "No, I don't expect you to check his work, but I do want you to watch his every move and I want him to remember you are watching him, too. If you are constantly looking over his shoulder, he'll think twice about doing something he shouldn't. And the memory of the agony that my control bracelet can bring should end any further thoughts of unsanctioned activity, isn't that right, my darling Mac-Kay?"

Rodney nodded vigorously. "Yes, yes, of course, whatever you say."

She smiled with deep satisfaction, but then was distracted by the beeping sound of a communique. She stepped to a computer screen and activated it. Meanwhile, McKay's heart was pounding. She had fallen for his plan. He'd meant for the small device to be found after spying the hidden camera by the recycling unit, along with several others, and he just used them to his advantage. From now on, he had to be especially careful when working on his real plan.

He had a feeling Conteale would want to search him after he returned from the mines. By allowing her to find the medical scanner, he'd hoped she wouldn't search him further. After all, he still had that packet of crystals he'd slipped into his pants as he'd walked back to Conteale's office. If S'moa had become more aggressive with her groping, he would have been found out, but now he was getting a better idea of how her mind worked.

"Hetat, I wasn't expecting to hear from you so soon," S'moa said with a captain's arrogance as she faced the monitor.

The man's face was distorted with several scars, presumably war wounds of some sort. His voice also sounded scarred as well. "We need those Benji crystals by the end of the week or else I'll go somewhere else for them."

"I told you we'd have them for you and we will. Will two days be good enough?"

The man smiled. "Yes. Contact me when you are in route."

The screen went dark. When she tuned back to McKay, she said, "Okay, Mac-Kay, you've still got more work to do and so do I. I will see you later at dinner."

She stepped to the table that was set with a variety of food and picked up a piece of fruit, tossing it to him. "That will have to keep you until dinner, my darling. We will dine later to satisfy our hunger, then we will satisfy other appetites . . . "

McKay caught the fruit easily with one hand, but almost fumbled it as her words sunk in. He tried to smile, but he was sure all that came across was fearful meekness. She laughed out loud at his expression and gestured for him to leave, but he didn't step away. His hands wouldn't stay still from nervousness, so he folded his good arm around his broken one and said, "Um, I'll need the interface device to access the main mining apparatus . . . "

He tried to look nonchalant as he waited for her reply. Without that device, his plan was sunk. She reached into her pocket and held it up for him to see. "Boneys, you watch his every move, and I mean his every move. I want this back in thirty minutes. That should be more than enough time to repair the production apparatus."

Rodney nodded as he took the device from her hand and turned to leave. Boneys stepped aside, so McKay could lead the way out. Rodney started walking, but then looked down at the fruit in his hand, his mouth drooling at finally having food close enough to bite into, but stopped himself. He swivelled back to face her. "Do you know if this fruit related to citrus in any way?"

Conteale chuckled. "You say the strangest things, my darling." She turned away from him, moving toward her desk. "Thirty minutes."

Boneys pushed him a little to get him moving. As they left the room, McKay looked at the fruit in his hand again. He decided he'd lost his appetite, and it probably wouldn't come back as long as he was forced to spend time with Medusa.

oOoOoOoOo

"Okay, Forbes, check your connection now," Zelenka said as he picked up his tablet computer again.

Lorne stood close behind Radek. When Zelenka saw the information he need, he smiled and straightened so quickly, he almost head butted Lorne. Luckily, the major had good reflexes and moved back just in time.

"Oh, sorry," Zelenka said with mild irritation. "This would be easier if you weren't literally standing over my shoulder . . . "

"Oops. Sorry about that, Doc," Lorne replied. He backed up a couple of steps and asked, "I take it that did the trick?"

Radek smiled. "Yes, I believe so."

Lorne looked again at Zelenka's computer display. "Then, all these gizmos are gonna work together to catch that critter the way you want them to?"

"It appears so." Zelenka sighed as if he'd been suddenly relieved of a burden he hadn't know he'd been carrying. So much was riding on the success of this plan and in getting the stargate to work again. "That is the general idea. What these gizmos will do is incapacitate the creature by using reverse polarity of the –"

Lorne held up a hand. "No need to explain any more, Doc. I don't need to know exactly how it's going to work. I'll leave that stuff to you."

Radek fiddled with a dial on a nearby monitor and called to one of his coworkers. "Morrow, we need a higher output on that relay." The short, squat Dr. Morrow nodded and made the adjustment.

"Okay, I believe we are about ready to begin. LaSalle, are you ready on your end?" he asked of the other group of engineers.

"Yes, Doctor, we are ready."

Lorne looked to Zelenka. "Teyla, is that a go for you, too?"

"Affirmative, Major."

Zelenka took a deep breath. "And we have confirmation that the creature is still on our projected course, so all we need to do is wait for it to get closer to us in order to ensnare it. Okay, then – "

Dr. Kline's nasal-toned voice interrupted their conversation. "Dr. Zelenka, there is a problem in the control room that needs your attention. We can't stabilize one of the power relays. Until we do, all work here will stop. Could you please come here right away?"

Zelenka balled his hands into fists of frustration. He now had an inkling of why McKay always grumbled about being pulled in so many direction at one time, but McKay seemed to handle it much better than he did. "Thomas, we are just about to begin here."

This time, Kline's tone was more emphatic. "Radek, I'm really worried about the feedback we are getting here. It's very unstable. I am afraid to let it go for very long . . . "

"Have you tried – "

"Yes, yes, of course, we've tried all the tricks we know. We need you here – "

Dr. Morrow spoke up, "Radek, this exercise is very straightforward. Your presence here, while welcomed, is not mandatory. Go ahead and help Thomas. We've got things under control here."

Zelenka sighed. "Very well. Just be sure all of you keep a safe distance away from the Madj."

"You sound like my mother. Go and we'll report in when we are done."

Zelenka looked at Lorne and nodded. "Call me if there are any questions."

He scooped up his computer and left without looking back, grumbling under his breath as he went. How does McKay do all this, plus his own research, along with the off planet missions with Sheppard's team? No wonder the man never sleeps.

"You better get home soon, Rodney, or else I'll go through that gate myself to pull you back here," he muttered as he got into the transport and selected the station nearest the control room.

oOoOoOoOo

McKay worked with Boneys watching over his shoulder. It was irritating, but he knew it was better for his plan if Conteale had some level of false security. He remembered a quote from one of his physics professors, "Patience is a bitter tree, but its fruit is sweet."

Well, Rodney never had much use for patience, but when his plan finally reached fruition, his satisfaction at besting Conteale would be very sweet indeed. He heard Boneys yawn and he smiled inwardly. All he had to do was finish one more connection and he'd have Conteale's ship ready to lock down whenever he wanted. He had just reached forward to make the final link when a hand snaked out and grabbed his forearm.

Looking up in startled surprise, he saw Boneys give him a toothy grin. "I don't know much about a starship's control relays, but I do know affecting that juncture will bring everything to a standstill, so I don't think you really want to do that. The captain would have your ass in a sling, along with mine."

McKay jerked his hand away from Boneys, sputtering for a moment as he stalled, trying to come up with a convincing lie, but Boneys spoke again before he could say anything. "I might not be a fancy engineer who knows everything about computers and machines, but I ain't all dumb either."

The little man smiled. It was obvious Boneys had more experience with the ship's systems than he'd indicated all day long. Rodney sat up a little straighter, still trying to think of a resolution that didn't involve Conteale and pain, or worse, death. He waved a hand in the air. "How did you – I mean, I don't know what you are talking about."

Boneys shook a finger at McKay. "Keeping Conteale from commanding her ship will put her in a very nasty mood."

"So what you are going to do about it?" McKay asked angrily, deciding to opt for honesty, instead of any further denials. That way, he didn't have to keep track of his lies.

"What do you think I'll do about it?" Boneys sneered and looked to the door. "The captain has eyes everywhere. If I don't tell her, I'm a dead man and if I do, you're dead. Guess which option I'm going for?"

McKay gazed into the man's hard, bitter stare and sighed. He thought he'd planned everything so perfectly. So much for grandiose plans. Now, he'd been caught red-handed and all of his marvelous schemes were going to tumble down around him. He was going to fail the villagers, but worse, he was going to fail Sheppard and Ronon, and that hurt the most.

oOoOoOoOo