Rodney was dragged out of a fitful sleep by the familiar clanging sound of the doors leading to his cell swinging open before the approaching guards. He shuddered with each one, counting down until...
Thump. Creak.
He pushed himself up onto his hands and knees, intending to stand before the guards entered and yanked him to his feet, but his muscles were sore and cramped from lying on the cold floor all night and refused to comply.
All he could do then was brace himself.
As soon as the guards burst into the cell, the one with the gruff voice marched straight over to him and took advantage of Rodney's vulnerable position to deliver a swift kick to his stomach. Rodney grunted and toppled over against the wall.
"On your feet," the gruff voice commanded.
Rodney knew better than to fight as they grabbed his arms and forced him to stand. He didn't say a word as he was escorted out of the room and through the same hallways as before.
This would make the fourth time they'd been through this routine, but it seemed as though Rodney had been in this place for years rather than days. He honestly wasn't sure how much time had really passed, as he knew it wasn't every day that Kolya came to play with him, and the rest of the time he tended to drift in and out of consciousness on the floor of his cell, only fully aware of his surroundings when he heard the scraping sound indicating it was time to eat. He was pretty sure that happened twice a day, but he'd lost track of how many meals he'd eaten now.
Way more than he'd expected to eat there, that was for sure.
As usual, the guards led him right into the torture chamber and clamped the chains around his wrists and ankles. Then they left him alone with Kolya.
"Hello again, Dr. McKay."
"Pleasure's all mine," Rodney said through gritted teeth as Kolya slowly walked towards him.
Kolya cocked his head to one side and studied Rodney closely. "Are you still going to fight me, Dr. McKay?" he asked. "You must realize by now that it gets you nowhere."
"I could say the same thing to you," Rodney said, even though he knew what the consequences of such a statement would be.
Sure enough, Kolya brought his hand out from behind his back and jabbed at Rodney's side with his beloved electroshock device.
As soon as he'd elicited a cry of pain from Rodney, Kolya dropped his hand to his side again and began to pace around him. "You were wrong, Dr. McKay. The pleasure is all mine." He stopped in front of him and stood there with a smug look on his face, watching Rodney squirm. "I have to travel a long way for these little visits, but it is well worth the trouble."
Rodney didn't even bother responding to that. He'd known Kolya's motives all along. There was nothing the bastard could say that would surprise him.
"Oh, before I forget to tell you, I have wonderful news regarding your precious Atlantis. They have finally reached an agreement with Mackush and have joined the Confederation."
Okay, except that.
"Bull. Atlantis would never align themselves with the likes of you after what you've done to me."
Kolya smiled in that creepy way of his. "Actually... that was part of the reason why it took so long for them to reach this agreement," he said. "But they have agreed not to contest your sentence so that they might gain access to the technologies and supplies the Confederation has at its disposal."
Rodney watched Kolya closely as he spoke, hoping for any sign that the man might be lying, but to his horror he actually appeared to be telling the truth.
'Just another scare tactic... just another scare tactic...'
He tried so hard to believe it wasn't true, that his friends would never abandon him, but that smug face staring back at him was starting to wipe all hope from his mind.
"Are you alright, Dr. McKay?"
Rodney rolled his eyes. Yeah, like he really cared. "Just get it over with, will you?" he whispered. All he wanted was to be taken back to his stinky little cell to sleep away the rest of his imprisonment.
"As you wish," Kolya said all too eagerly.
Rodney's mind went blank as he felt another jolt of electricity shoot through his body. He just did what was becoming a habit when things became too much for him to handle - envisioned Elizabeth's face in his mind's eye and clung to the smiling image for dear life.
Elizabeth was very close to just calling it quits.
Every minute her people spent on that planet was causing her enough stress to create an ulcer, and they had been there for almost four days now. It seemed as though Teyla's idea of hanging around the town's alehouse wasn't such a good one after all. They'd learned nothing thus far that could help them find Rodney.
It didn't help that their prisoner was starting to get antsy. He knew they weren't going to kill him, and he was making demands that they release him. He seemed to think that his people would be sending an army or something to rescue him, but Elizabeth knew better. They received reports from Teyla and her team every day, and there had been no sign that the Decarians were concerned over the loss of one of their own. It made Elizabeth realize just how heartless and selfish these people were.
And if they were that unfeeling towards one of their own, what would they be doing to Rodney?
With a heavy sigh, she pushed her chair back from her desk and dragged herself onto her feet. She was hungry - very hungry. It suddenly occurred to her as she headed out of her office for the mess hall that she hadn't eaten since the day before. That was not a good thing. She needed to be on her toes now more than ever, so three full meals a day were a must.
She walked through the halls on autopilot, not even pausing for a moment to acknowledge the people she passed. They were all busy doing their thing anyway, so she didn't waste any energy feeling guilty about it. She just really didn't feel like talking to anyone right now. To be honest, she didn't trust her voice not to give away the depth of her emotions.
Just as she got to the mess hall, Grodin's voice suddenly came through her earpiece. "Dr. Weir, we have an unscheduled incoming wormhole. I'm reading Teyla's IDC."
"I'm on my way."
That was an understatement. Elizabeth took off at a run for the control room, and got there just in time to see the gate shutting down and Teyla climbing the steps towards her.
"Dr. Weir," Teyla greeted her breathlessly. "I have just spoken with a man who says he is of the Genii. He claims to have accompanied Commander Kolya to Decaria in order for him to have a private meeting with Councillor Mackush. In the man's own words, the meeting is for them 'to discuss the status of the Atlantean.'"
"That bastard!"
Elizabeth felt as though she jumped half a foot into the air at Major Sheppard's sudden outburst. She hadn't even known he'd come to stand beside her. "Kolya's involved in this?" she asked.
"Does that surprise you?" Major Sheppard said dryly. "We knew the Genii had a hand in it, so it stands to reason, don't you think?"
Elizabeth didn't answer. The thought of Kolya being involved had crossed her mind before, but she hadn't wanted to think too closely about it at the time. Now, knowing almost without a doubt that Rodney was in Kolya's hands... it certainly didn't make her feel any better.
"I believe if we hurry, we could cut him off from returning through the Stargate," Teyla said, studying Elizabeth in concern when she just stood there in worried silence. "If we are lucky, perhaps we can find out where he is keeping Dr. McKay."
Elizabeth nodded slowly, and then turned to Major Sheppard. Before she could say a word, however, he quickly spoke up.
"Permission to take a team and go after him."
On any other day, his serious request would have brought a smile to her face, sounding so much like he was talking to a superior military officer. Coming on the heels of their last conversation, though, it just made her realize more than ever how desperate he was to be a part of this search and rescue.
She nodded. "Take Lt. Ford with you," she said. "And wear peasant clothing. I still don't want to take any chances."
"Okay," he said, already moving away from her. "We'll be ready to go in ten minutes tops."
Elizabeth tried not to wring her hands as she waited for Sheppard and Ford to prepare for their mission, but she couldn't seem to stop herself from at least pacing. Suddenly, she didn't care that she was hungry, tired, and anxious. Rodney was in Kolya's hands, so she didn't doubt for a moment that he was in way worse shape than she was. Kolya seemed like the type of man who would exact revenge on someone he felt had wronged him if he ever got the chance. Rodney certainly fit that bill.
True to his word, Major Sheppard jogged back into the control room less than ten minutes later, with Lt. Ford close behind. She gave the nod for Grodin to dial the gate, and moments later she stood up on the balcony and watched Sheppard, Ford, and Teyla disappear into the event horizon.
"Good luck," she whispered before the gate shut down behind them.
They were going to need it.