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"What happened?" Rodney cried out as he entered Carter's office and saw Lorne and Ronon there as well. "Did we get new information?"

Lorne gave a half smile. "Yeah, we may have caught a break. Martin's team was talking to a vendor just a few days ago who thought they recalled … the couple … coming to his stall on occasion. He couldn't really remember exactly which planet they were from but he knew it was one of about four that he got customers from. He gave us the addresses and I sent teams to each one."

"Tell me you found Sheppard and Teyla," Rodney begged, his eyes frantic.

"No, but we did find where the couple live. Rodriguez' team talked to a few people near the gate and they confirmed that this couple actually live there. They also said the place was heavily fortified with guards so Rodriguez decided it would be more prudent to come back and get some reinforcements."

Lorne looked at Carter as if asking her to sanction the mission to extract Sheppard and Teyla from the horror show they had been in. He knew the SGC had pretty much decided to write them off as lost but Carter couldn't do that. Yes, it had been over seven months but if they were still alive they owed it to them to try.

Carter took a deep breath and nodded her head. "Take a few units of Marines and put this down as gathering Intel on some possible Wraith hive ships. If we happen upon information on Sheppard and Teyla while on another mission, we'll be fine. You know Barrows will be all over us if he knows we're sending troops specifically to search for them, though."

Lt. Col. Barrows had been sent to replace John although Sam thought he was only temporary. He didn't have a whole lot of experience in the SGC but he had done some good stuff in Kuwait. But the SGC was still undecided as to what they were doing with John's position. They had yet to find someone who had the knowledge and experience with alien races like he did. Maybe they wouldn't have to make a final decision if they could actually get John back.

Lorne nodded and said, "I thought I'd take the crew that was with me when we found the slaver. I can trust them not to talk about anything they see when we get there. I don't really know what we'll find. The other units I'll place on the gate and outside for backup if we really need them. That way we can get the two of them out of there with as few people seeing what really happened as possible."

"Good thinking," Sam praised. "I'd like you to leave first thing in the morning. The sooner we can get them out of there the better."

"We should bring some clothes for them to wear, too" suggested Ronon. "Just in case what they have on isn't appropriate for public viewing."

Rodney looked horrified at the thought and Sam nodded understanding that the situation would most likely be awkward.

The four people all stood around looking at each other, all of them thinking the same thing. They knew Sheppard and Teyla had been gone a very long time and would very likely need help once they got back to Atlantis. But they all wondered what they would find. How had the two friends handled the situation? They were both extremely strong individuals but being a slave to immoral people for seven months wasn't even something they could try and imagine. The best they could hope for was that their friends weren't permanently damaged, either physically or emotionally.

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"You know if you weren't a slave, this place might be okay to live in," Rodney commented as they approached the huge mansion that potentially held Sheppard and Teyla. Ronon slapped him on the side of the head and Rodney was about to complain when he realized he probably deserved that one. He was trying to keep his mind occupied with other things so he didn't have to think about Sheppard and Teyla and what it had been like living here.

Rodney tried to imagine in his mind that his two friends had just been put to work cooking and cleaning and mucking out stalls and other menial labor. The other 'work' they could be forced to do was just too agonizing to even think about. He just hoped when they went in, the two weren't in the middle of 'working' because that would be more than a little awkward not to mention embarrassing for all parties involved.

Maybe they could just ring the bell and ask for their friends back and Sheppard and Teyla would be allowed to walk out without a fuss. And maybe he was being completely delusional and needed some psychiatric treatment if he thought it would be that easy.

"We start out asking nicely," Lorne instructed, "and then if we get refused, we can resort to force, understood?"

Ronon just grunted. He really just wanted to blow through the doors, take out any guards who got in his way and retrieve Sheppard and Teyla. He didn't think any big discussion would be necessary. Of course along the way he also wanted to blow a large hole in the two people who had dared violate his friends. But he understood why Lorne was doing it this way.

Several guards blocked their way as they came up to the estate gates. Their weapons were primitive and they figured they were no match for the Lanteans. Lorne took a step forward and asked nicely, "We'd like to see the owners of the house, please. We have some business to discuss with them."

"You don't discuss business with large weapons like that," one of the guards commented. "I can't let you in unless you tell me who you are and what it's about and give up your weapons. And even then I'm not sure the Masters will see you. They're very busy people."

"You can tell them we're from Atlantis," Lorne informed the man and was happy to see his eyes grow wide with interest. "And you can also tell them that we're coming into the house whether they want us to or not. They can invite us in for a polite conversation or we can get a few more units of soldiers and come in by force. It's completely their choice."

Lorne gave a very forced smile but made sure the guards understood that they meant business. One of the guards left to enter the house and came back a few minutes later, his smile also forced.

"The Masters say they would be more than happy to entertain a contingent from Atlantis. If you'll follow me."

Lorne motioned for one unit to stay outside the estate, spread out and keep their eyes and ears open. He'd left another unit by the gate. That left just Ronon, McKay and the two Marines who had been with him when they'd gotten the tape from the slaver and himself. They followed the guard inside the house and each person in the group surveyed the surroundings, looking for any signs of trouble or Sheppard and Teyla.

They were led into an immense room where two middle aged people sat on an elaborate sofa. The man stood when they entered the room and greeted them politely.

"Welcome, I am Torqueo and this is my wife Scelestus. We are honored by this visit from Lanteans such as yourself. How may we assist you?"

Lorne moved forward and said, "We're looking for a few of our friends. We received information that they were here." He pulled out a picture of Sheppard and Teyla and held it out for the couple to see. The wife blanched quickly and Torqueo's jaw clenched tightly. Yeah, they knew who they were; Lorne could see that quite easily.

Ronon obviously saw the reaction, too. He took a step closer and rested his hand on his gun. "Where are they? We want them back."

Torqueo drew himself up to his full height and said, "They are not here anymore. They were only here for a handful of days and then they attempted to escape. Of course it was after the man disgraced my daughters and killed two of our guards."

"You said they attempted to escape," McKay called him on his wording. "Where are they now?"

"They are dead!" Scelestus finally spoke and with a chill in her voice.

Ronon moved menacingly close to the couple and roared, "You killed them for attempting to escape!"

Lorne stepped in front of him and held him from harming the two people before he could get more information from them. If Sheppard and Teyla truly were dead though he wasn't sure he would be able to keep Ronon from hurting them.

"Tell us what happened," Lorne demanded. "We know you bought them from Erus as slaves and we know what kind of slaves they were, so don't think you're going to make us feel bad for anything they did."

Torqueo scowled. "Erus! She guaranteed we would be satisfied with them. However they were only here a few days and we had hardly utilized them when Scelestus and I went on another buying trip, leaving them under guard in the house. As I said before, the man disgraced my daughters and then slit the throats of two guards. The men would have been punished ultimately as they were using the woman for their own needs; perhaps why the man killed them so viciously. Those two had a deep connection and desire for protecting the other which is why we purchased them. We thought we could use it to our advantage. We did not realize they would become violent."

Rodney heard what the man was saying and kept trying to convince himself that his two friends were not dead. But he also heard that they had hardly been utilized, which meant that they had been, at least a little. Maybe Sheppard and Teyla would have preferred being dead to 'serving' these two in that manner. He knew he probably would, too. He looked at Ronon and could see the man using every ounce of control he had to keep from strangling these people, especially after hearing that the guards had been 'using' the woman. Ronon and Teyla had a bond closer than most siblings and Rodney knew Ronon was dying inside at this information. He felt the same way.

Torqueo tried to defend himself when he saw Ronon's face turn as hard as stone. "My wife and I had nothing to do with their deaths. Apparently during their escape attempt they were killed by my guards. We would not have authorized that penalty especially since we paid top price for them and when subdued, they performed nicely."

Scelestus, realizing these Lanteans didn't want to hear how their friends had performed, stepped into the explanation. "Your friends fought mightily and the guards felt they had no choice except to stop them using deadly force. They had taken one of the kitchen staff with them, as a shield or for her knowledge of this world perhaps. She was also lost and needed to be replaced. But you must not blame us for their deaths."

Lorne narrowed his eyes at them and ground out, "Oh, we can blame you plenty, I think. You're the ones who 'bought' them for your obscene amusement."

Torqueo gave a nervous chuckle. "If we had not purchased them, another would have. Your friends were quite desirable to view and many were in line for their acquisition."

"How do we know you aren't lying to us and they're still here somewhere?" Ronon growled.

Scelestus turned her head and tilted it at the man standing near the door. "Get Jarik."

Just a few moments passed before a tall, trim guard appeared and bowed his head at the couple.

"Jarik, these people need confirmation that their friends are no longer in this house with us." Scelestus reached for the picture and handed it to the man. He took one look and his eyes turned wary.

"They were only here for a short while. They were killed while trying to reach the gate."

"Did you kill them?" Ronon demanded, his anger barely in check.

"No," Jarik shook his head. "But I was there as they were hunted down. There was no choice but to stop them with force." He looked at his Masters and bowed his head to them.

"What'd you do with their bodies?" Lorne asked, thinking the least they could do was retrieve the Colonel's dog tags if this man was truly telling the truth.

"All bodies on this planet are burned to ensure no diseases are transmitted."

Lorne looked around and tried to assess if these people were telling the truth. Torqueo seemed to realize what he was thinking. He swept his hand out to encompass the house. "You may search the house if you still do not believe us. Your friends are not here."

"I think we'll do that," Lorne confirmed. He motioned for the two Marines to stay with the Masters and he, Ronon and Rodney left the room. Rodney had his LSD out and they began following any life signs that were detected. They met several guards but the servant that was sent with them assured the guards to let them roam free.

As they checked out the bedrooms upstairs, McKay started feeling sick to his stomach. This was probably where Teyla and Sheppard had been. He saw two blips on his device in a small room attached to the two larger ones and they ordered the door be unlocked. When opened, they found a young man and woman huddled with fear-filled eyes looking at them.

Ronon growled when he saw it wasn't Teyla and Sheppard. As much as he didn't want them to have been used as sex slaves for the past seven months, he also didn't want to admit they were dead. He had been hoping that maybe the two downstairs had been lying and his friends were right here. Then they could take them home and start getting them the help they'd need to get past what had been done.

But these two didn't look as if they wanted to be here either so Ronon asked, "You two here of your own free will?"

They both shook their heads vehemently and the man asked, "Please, will you help us? If you will not free us then at least have mercy on us and kill us."

Rodney wondered if that was how Sheppard and Teyla had felt and if maybe they had fought so hard against the guards so they wouldn't have to return to this life. Dead was better than this. McKay walked over to them and promised, "Yes, you can come with us. You don't have to stay here anymore."

The servant who was with them started to object but Lorne just lifted his P-90 and the man shut up immediately. Lorne eyed the man intensely and asked, "Are they really not here?" But he knew the answer. If the Masters had 'bought' a new couple it meant that they no longer were using Sheppard and Teyla in the same way.

The servant shook his head and looked around to ensure no guards were nearby. "They are not here but we have the items they came in with from the slavers. If you tell the Masters that you discovered them on your own, then I will show you where they are."

Lorne nodded his agreement and they followed him down the hall, their two new friends following behind gratefully. The man opened a door to a small storage closet and held his hand up to indicate Lorne could go in.

"The items are on the back shelf on the right. We did not know what much of it was so left it alone."

Lorne and Rodney moved inside while Ronon kept his eyes peeled in the hallway for any trouble. They pulled the items off the shelf and found two TAC vests that each held GDO's and radios. Their weapons were nowhere in sight. The slavers had obviously confiscated those and not passed them on. Many of the vest pockets were still filled with field compresses, extra ammunition and even John's sunglasses. Upon seeing these, Rodney actually let out a whimper. He didn't want to but he thought he might have to admit that his friends were really gone.

Lorne took both vests and asked Rodney if there were any more life signs that he could detect. There were a few and they checked them out on their way back downstairs but they were all guards or servants. As they passed each one, Ronon asked if they were being held there against their will and if they said yes, he told them they could follow along and they would get them home.

When Torqueo and Scelestus saw the people they had gathered behind them they started to protest. "You have no right to take these people. We paid for them fairly and they are our property."

Ronon growled menacingly and Lorne took a step closer to the couple. "Listen, this big guy here, he's ready to just blow you away for your whole part in what happened to our friends. He has no problem just blasting away and killing pretty much everyone in sight and there's not much I can do to stop him if he really wants to. But I figure if you let him take these people who really have no desire to be here, I may be able to keep him from killing you. Doesn't mean he won't come back at a later time and still carry through with it but there's less of a possibility."

Torqueo and Scelestus stood stock still, their eyes wide with fear. Good, Lorne thought, let them know how it feels to be afraid. They didn't say anything but they gave slight nods.

Lorne motioned for his people to leave and he allowed Ronon one more fierce growl before they did. The five people they had rescued waited until they had safely cleared the estate gate then began bestowing thanks on their saviors.

As they made their way to the Stargate, Lorne showed these people the picture of Teyla and Sheppard and asked if they remembered them. The two who had replaced them in the bedroom did not. But the others had.

"They were only here for a few days," one older woman confirmed. "I remember when they escaped, the guards were out in full force, knowing the Masters would be livid they had allowed their new pets to get away. We had all hoped they would actually free themselves from this life but when we heard they had been killed, it was a blow for all of us."

"It was disheartening," a middle aged man agreed. "Especially as we knew what they were purchased for was far worse than what we needed to endure." With this he gazed sorrowfully at the young couple who had been locked in the bedroom.

"What I don't get," Rodney broke in, "is that they said that Sheppard had disgraced his daughters and then killed two guards. Why would Sheppard do that if he wanted to get away? I know why he killed the guards by why the daughter thing? I tease him about being a Kirking ladies man but let's face it, he really isn't."

"I think I can answer your question," the young man replied. "The daughters of the Masters love to 'use' their mother's slave even though they aren't supposed to. They probably were doing this when he escaped and they lied about what had happened to save their own skins." The man looked away, ashamed and the others all were aware of how he would know of the daughters' tendencies.

Rodney thought for sure he would lose his breakfast. He really shouldn't have eaten so much. Again he realized that death would have been a better option but it didn't make the pain any less severe when it came to losing his friends.

The older woman spoke again. "The very sad part was that they had Tenyse with them when they were killed. She did not deserve that. But I do not think they took her by force. I believe she helped them escape to possibly try and be free herself. She was such a lovely woman and she spoke so longingly of her husband and children. She missed them so. She always dreamed of being reunited with them."

"Well, we're going to get you reunited with your loved ones as soon as we reach the gate," Lorne promised.

And he kept that promise and allowed the five now free slaves to dial their home planets before they dialed Atlantis. He wasn't looking forward to telling Carter that Sheppard and Teyla were dead. He was still having a hard time believing it himself. After all, it was all hearsay, they had no actual proof that they were indeed dead. But they did know they'd been there. The TAC vests and the eyewitness accounts proved that. The former slaves had no reason to lie about the Colonel and Teyla being there.

Lorne looked at the other Marines and saw their downtrodden faces. They had all been eagerly awaiting their CO to be rescued but when Lorne had shook his head dejectedly; they knew it wasn't good news. Lorne knew the rest of Atlantis would feel the same way. They had all been holding out hope that eventually they would be found.

Rodney had to stop a minute and take a few calming breaths before he dialed the DHD and Lorne knew that the scientist would be one of the hardest hit by all this. He and Sheppard had formed a very strange but tight knit relationship. He wasn't sure what it was that had allowed the two very different men to actually work well together never mind be friends. But they were and he knew Rodney had worked harder than anyone over the past seven months, scouring the database looking for where they could possibly be. Rodney finally pulled himself together enough and dialed Atlantis. He sent their code through and at the all clear signal, they began going home, without what they had come here for.

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Colonel Carter heard the gate come to life and Chuck call out that it was McKay's IDC. She rushed from her office and headed down the stairs, noticing that there were a few more people than usual in the gate room or control room at this time. She wondered if word had gotten around that they had a solid lead on Sheppard and Teyla.

The shimmering blue started to ripple and quite a few Marines walked through then Ronon, Rodney and finally Major Lorne. There was no one else. And she could see by the looks on their faces that they hadn't found them. But their eyes were even more desolate than disappointed and she knew something bad had happened.

"Major Lorne," Carter called out as she got closer. He just looked up and she knew it was not good news. "What happened?"

Lorne looked up and answered, "They were there," he held up the extra TAC vests he had gotten, "for the first week."

Sam could see Lorne didn't want to really say what had happened but there was no need as Rodney cut in, "Then they tried to escape and were killed."

Sam sucked in a deep breath and saw that McKay was just about in tears. Ronon looked like he could easily kill someone right now and Lorne was despondent also. The other Marines all dragged as well.

"Is there proof of this?" Carter questioned skeptically.

"No real proof, no bodies as they burn all the bodies on that planet due to disease and stuff," Lorne responded. "But we managed to free a few other slaves who corroborated the story that they were there and had attempted an escape. They had no reason to lie and truthfully the people who had 'bought' them seemed a bit miffed that their guards had killed some pricey merchandise of theirs."

Sam could tell there was more to the story so she looked at the Marines and said, "Post mission checks for you. Lorne, you, Ronon and Rodney give me a quick debrief in my office."

The Marines headed off to the infirmary and the others trooped up the stairs and closed the door behind them. Rodney sank dejectedly into a chair and put his head in his hands. Ronon leaned against the wall looking like he'd rather be punching it and Lorne didn't really know where to look or sit. Sam finally indicated the other chair and he sat as she moved behind her desk.

"Tell me what happened, specifically," Sam asked.

Lorne started the conversation, detailing the meeting with the 'Masters' and their reaction to the picture of Sheppard and Teyla. He went on with what they'd been told had happened then finished with how they had actually searched the house and found other slaves or servants who weren't willingly there. He put the vests down on the side of her desk and pulled out Sheppard's sunglasses.

"They obviously had been there," he stated again and handed the glasses to Rodney, wondering if the man would want them as a reminder of his friend.

Rodney looked at the glasses in his hands and had to swallow hard before he could actually get any sound out of his mouth. "I hate that this happened to them but … I guess I'm a bit relieved that they hadn't been subjected to … you know … that … for more than a few days. The two new ones there were begging us to kill them if we wouldn't set them free. What does that tell you?"

"I want to go back and slit their throats and then find the guard who did the actual killing and rip his heart out with my bare hands," Ronon snarled from his spot against the wall.

Sam just sadly shook her head, even though she completely understood how the man felt. "That won't bring them back, Ronon. It might feel really good for a while but ultimately it's just more violence."

The room became quiet for a while then Sam gave a big sigh and said, "I guess I'll need to report this to the SGC. I'll have to say we came across the information while on other missions so they don't think we were still running missions just for this. But they need to know. And I'm sure John's father and brother will want to be informed also. I think I'll give it a few days and just send it with the regular weekly reports. There's no rush and maybe it will give us all some time to adjust to the news ourselves."

Sam sat back quietly again and looked at the group assembled in her office. They had all been close to John and Teyla and she could see how it was affecting them. She was starting to really feel it herself.

"Someone should tell the Athosians what we found," Ronon suggested then added, "I'll do it if you want me to."

Carter smiled her thanks. "I think that would be good, Ronon. You seem to have a good relationship with them. They'll appreciate it coming from you."

She gazed around the room again and ordered, "Now you all need to go get your post mission check in the infirmary and then I want you to take a few days off. Lorne, don't worry about anything," she added as she saw the man start to object, "I'll get a few of the others to cover your duties. I think you all need time to grieve and remember. We'll have to have some sort of memorial service here but I think that can wait a few days too. Think about what we should do for that."

She gave them all what she hoped was an encouraging smile and told them to go. They dragged themselves out of her office, leaving her sitting at her desk by herself. She knew without actual bodies there was always the possibility that their people were still alive. But thinking back on the circumstances and all the accounts of the other slaves, she knew it was highly unlikely. Rodney had said they weren't on the planet and Sam knew if Sheppard and Teyla had somehow managed to get off that world, they would have found a way to get back to Atlantis. But they hadn't, which meant they were really gone.

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