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Chapter Twenty-one

When Ronon stepped out of the mine, he felt like he'd emerged from the gateway to hell. The chill of the early morning air was welcomed after the sauna-like temperatures in the mine, and he took in a long deep breath, finally inhaling the air of freedom. It was something he hadn't been sure he'd ever enjoy again. He took another breath, then glanced back at the mine's opening. He never wanted to go underground again.

He squinted against the sun that was creeping over a hilltop as his eyes tried to adjust to the dawn's morning light. After being inside the mines for so long with only the glow of the Benji crystals to guide them, his eyes had gotten used to the darkness. Closing his eyes, Ronon leaned his back against a tree. Sheppard and McKay were still missing, then there was the whole matter of the villagers to take care of. He couldn't relax until all of them were safe.

After resting for another moment, he pushed himself away from the tree and pulled his weapon. He scouted the area to make sure Conteale's men weren't lying in wait, then he looked for a safe area for the villagers to hide out. Once done, he returned to the entrance and headed inside. He didn't have to go far, because McMurphy was with Casea and Denaz, along with the rest of the villagers, as they approached the exit.

Casea came to a stop in front of him. "What did you find?"

Ronon glanced around. "It looks good out there. I think we're safe for the moment. There's some dense forest right below here. It's probably the best place to lie low while I go ahead to see if I can find Sheppard. If he's not – " he paused, emotion hitting him hard and without warning, then he forced himself to continue, despite the uncharacteristic tremor in his voice. "If I can't find him or McKay right away, I'll scout the area, and then come back for you."

Casea put a hand to his forearm and squeezed, the gesture giving much more comfort than Ronon would have anticipated. When she spoke, her voice so soft, he could barely hear her. "Take a minute to rest before you go, Ronon."

Ronon shook his head. "You know I can't do that."

She sighed slightly. "I know you won't do that, because of your concern for your friends."

Ronon shrugged. "Same thing."

Casea looked up at him, her eyes shiny with emotion, and nodded. "You put the needs of others so automatically before your own."

Ronon grunted, then winced when he moved the wrong way. The reaction caught Casea's attention and she reached up and pulled back his shirt to look at the wound. Frowning at him, she said, "At least, let me bind the wound to slow down the bleeding. It will only take a moment."

Ronon glanced down at the blood seeping down his shirt. He didn't want to waste time arguing with her. It would be faster to let her do what she wanted, so he nodded. "Okay, but hurry. I need to get moving."

A couple of minutes later, he was ready to go. He started to walk away when Casea stopped him again, surprising him as she wrapped her arms around his chest, giving him a gentle squeeze. "Thank you for saving my people. Be well, Ronon. I pray John and Rodney are still alive."

Ronon felt a little awkward with her display of affection, but he was also strangely warmed by it. He patted her on the back before pulling away, then without warning, she faltered and he caught her. Denaz moved forward to help Ronon as he said, "I told her she needed to rest."

"What is it?" Ronon asked as he helped to settle her on the ground.

"The healing, two treatments, one after the other, takes its toll on the healer. I told her I should do the second one, but – "

"I'm okay," she said quietly, her voice rising to interrupt them.

"Mother – "

"Shush," she said, and started to get up.

Denaz stopped her. "You need to rest."

She looked up at Ronon. "So does he."

She smiled wearily, and said, "Don't worry, I will rest. Go, find John and Rodney."

He nodded, not really wanting to leave her in the shape she was in. Finally, his concern for the missing men won out. He told himself Casea just needed to rest, whereas his teammates might need his help to save their lives. "I'll be back as soon as I can. Just hold tight."

He looked at McMurphy and stood, pulling him aside. "Watch over them until we come back for you, but if it's over twelve hours, you better assume something's gone wrong, and follow your orders. You're a good man. I know you'll keep these people safe."

McMurphy nodded. Ronon glanced at Casea as she got to her feet with Denaz's help. He gave her a quick smile and left without another word. His thoughts went to Sheppard and McKay. His gut told him they were still alive, but his head whispered doubts. It didn't matter, though, because he rarely listened to his head anyway.

oOoOoOoOo

Elizabeth stood in the doorway to her office. Across the control room, she saw Zelenka sitting in his makeshift recovery bed and work station area. Radek yawned and rubbed his eyes. She still worried about him, but she was also encouraged at the same time. Radek's people had made a good deal of progress in the last few hours. She felt a glimmer of hope grow inside her heart.

Zelenka turned toward her and waved a couple fingers. Elizabeth joined him and asked, "What is it, Radek?"

"I believe we are ready to test the gate," he said, his enthusiasm obvious.

Her smile grew. "Excellent."

"Just a couple of things to finish first." He paused as he issued a few more orders, and then watched his laptop carefully.

As he worked, one hand rubbed at his leg, as if to rub away a troublesome cramp instead of a broken bone, but then the hand dropped away and he looked up at Weir again. "Okay, I believe we are ready for the test. Dr. Kline, please activate the power to the gate."

Kline pressed some buttons and the gate lit up. There was a collective cheer amongst the workers. Zelenka nodded to the stargate technician. "Okay, dial the address."

Elizabeth chewed on her lip as she waited. There was a rush of blue spilling forth from the stargate and then it receded, just as it was supposed to do. The seed of hope inside of her blossomed with the sight.

"Open a channel," she ordered, barely able to contain her excitement.

"This is Atlantis, please respond – "

There was a noise, then Zelenka shouted, "No, no, this isn't good. Kline, cut the power now!"

Elizabeth turned in time to see Kline do as ordered, but there was a spray of sparks from some equipment as he finished. She bit her lip as frustration replaced hope again.

Radek sighed and rubbed at his forehead as the normally reserved Dr. Kline kicked over a nearby chair. Grumbling disappointment arose from the others. Zelenka tried to infuse his voices with as much strength as possible, but still came off sounding miserable. "This is just a minor setback, everyone. We are close to resolving this problem, we just need to keep at it."

After a few instructions, Radek's teams went back to work. Radek shifted uncomfortably in his chair as Lorne knelt beside him. The major was just as worried as everyone else was about the missing Atlantis teams, but something in the events of the last day had made him seem more protective of Zelenka.

Lorne leaned over and said, "You don't look so good, Doc. Maybe you should rest for a minute."

Zelenka shook his head once. It was a very slight shake, as if more would have taken too much energy. Lorne looked up at Weir and pursed his lips together.

She took a deep breath. Beckett had gone to check on some of his other patients and hadn't returned yet. There was a nurse Beckett had left to watch over things while he was gone. Weir met her gaze. The nurse nodded and went to Radek's side, but Radek waved her away, too.

As much as Elizabeth wanted the gate active, her concern forced her to tap her headset. "Carson, could you spare a minute to check on Zelenka?"

"Och, I take it he's being obstinate again?"

"He could give Sheppard and McKay lessons."

There was a deep sigh, then Carson said, "Very well, I'm on my way."

Lorne had been right to be concerned about Zelenka. Radek didn't look good at all. Maybe he was just due for more pain medication, or maybe he was getting worse. She hoped it was the first option, because that would be so much easier to fix.

oOoOoOoOo

The hilly terrain slowed Sheppard down, but not as much as he thought it would. Of course, he still had that dose of morphine running through his body. Once that wore off, he'd be in a whole world of hurt, but maybe by then, they'd have a better handle on their situation.

John glanced up at the morning sun, grateful that it wasn't raining like the day before. He let his P-90 hang from its clip as he tried to slow his breathing. The infection in his arm had grown worse again, along with the stomach cramping and weakness. The poison was still coursing through his system, probably more so now that the effects of the healing were almost gone. He had to face facts. If a team from Atlantis didn't show up soon, his chances of survival weren't good. He wasn't really sure how long he had left, but he meant to make the most of it.

"Sir, over here," Stackhouse called out.

When Sheppard looked over, he saw Ronon approaching at a slow jog. The Satedan's face lit up as he saw Sheppard. John smiled back at him until he realized Ronon was alone, without the villagers or McKay. That wasn't good. Something twisted in John's heart, something he wasn't prepared to acknowledge. McKay and the others had to be okay, too. He just refused to consider anything less than that.

Sheppard noticed how Ronon was favoring his shoulder. There was a makeshift bandage wrapped around it and a dark red stain of blood that ran down the front of his shirt. Obviously, the healing of Ronon's bullet wounds had reverted, too.

"Where did you come from?" Sheppard asked as soon as Ronon was close enough.

Ronon grinned. "I've been tracking you for a half mile. You've got a worn place on the instep of your right boot. Once I saw that, I knew it was only a matter of time until I found you."

Sheppard smirked with a sudden rush of pride for his teammate's tracking abilities. He waited for Ronon to come closer, then asked, "Where are the villagers?"

Ronon gestured with his head. "I left them with McMurphy. They are hiding out in the forest until I go back for them."

Ronon put out a hand to shake, but when Sheppard took it, Ronon pulled him into a gentle bear hug. "The others said you were dead, that you couldn't have survived the trip downstream."

When Sheppard pulled back, he looked up at Ronon. "And what did you say?"

Ronon grinned again and said, "That they didn't know you as well as I did."

"Well, I'm too ornery to die just yet," Sheppard said with a weary smile. It faded when he asked, "Have you seen McKay?"

Ronon's expression tightened. "No."

Sheppard sighed and glanced up at Ronon. "Well, what are we standing around for? Let's go find him."

Ronon nodded. "I figure if we follow this path to the crest of the hillside, we'll be able to sneak back down into the valley and approach the Sinomeans using the forest as cover."

Sheppard took a step forward. "You take point, Ronon – "

Ronon put a hand on John's shoulder, interrupting the orders Sheppard was about to give. His voice was low and concerned as he asked, "Wait, Sheppard, how are you doing?"

Sheppard frowned and licked his lips, avoiding Ronon's intense gaze. "Well, I guess I could say I've felt better."

He paused as he took in Ronon's bloody appearance. "And, apparently, so have you."

Ronon nodded, and the moment became awkward. They didn't have time to waste standing around doing nothing. Sheppard turned toward the others and raised his voice. "We need to overtake the Sinomean forces before they have a chance to pack up and leave. Yamato and Grimm, you follow Ronon. Stackhouse and I will cover your backs. Let's get moving."

Everyone fell into place without a word, and soon they were on their way. One way or another, they would find McKay.

oOoOoOoOo

McKay was still reeling from the blow to his head, but he never lost consciousness. He had to smile when he heard Boneys try to start up the ship's engines to take off and nothing responded for him.

Rodney pushed himself up on one elbow to gloat. "Thought you might try to double cross me."

Murder flashed in Boneys' eyes. "Give me the blasted password or I'll kill you where you lay!"

McKay stuck out his chin and glared back at him. "Kill me and you'll never get out of here."

Boneys stood. "I will, too!"

"Oh please, give me a break. If you could have, you would have already. No, your fate is tied to mine, so you'll do as I say."

Something snapped in Boneys and the murderous intent that had been brewing was now transformed into imminent intent. He leapt forward, wrapping his hands around McKay's throat. McKay tried to push him away, but Boneys was strong for a wiry little guy. As his airway was cut off, McKay's good arm flailed out desperately. Everything was starting to go dark when his right hand found one of the tools lying on the floor. He swung it and hit Boneys on the side of the head. Though he was stunned by the blow, Boneys' fingers never left McKay's throat. Worse, he started squeezing harder.

In pure desperation, McKay's finger activated the power switch and shoved the cutting tool up into Boneys' chest. Boneys screamed and fell back to the deck beside Rodney. The man held his chest as the blood spilled through his fingers, the cutting tool still running, but then his hands dropped away and his gaze went distant.

McKay laid there for a long moment just gasping for air. He pulled the cutting tool from Boneys' chest, ready to attack again if Boneys was faking, but then he waved a hand over Boneys' eyes and knew the Sinomean was really dead. He switched the tool off, dropping it to the deck. God, what had he done?

He felt as if he was going to be sick, but there just wasn't anything left in his stomach to toss back up again. Besides, he was too busy trying to breathe to worry about puking.

After a few moments of holding his throat, he tried to recover as he wheezed painfully. He continued to take open-mouthed breaths until his respiration became a little easier, then he staggered to his feet and looked outside for any unwelcome visitors that might be lurking about.

Relieved that the raiders were still out of sight, he plopped into the pilot's seat and bent down to pick up the cutting tool again. He hefted its weight in one hand and sighed. It appeared the device that had just saved his life was now going to serve him once again. He used a rag to wipe the blood from the tool, then began to cut the control bracelet from his wrist. Suddenly, he hissed with new pain as the blade breached the bracelet's hardened covering.

Damn it, Boneys had been right. The bracelet zapped him with sharp bursts of electrical current, but he ignored it, thinking only to be rid of the device. The pain increased until his arm was numb, but he kept on. He was so close to freedom.

With a raspy grunt of relief, Rodney cut the last segment of the bracelet away from his wrist, and dropped the cutting tool to the ground. He slumped over in the pilot's seat, gasping for air again, but this time, he finally passed out.

oOoOoOoOo