AUTHOR: sablecain
DISCLAIMER: see part one
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"Damn it," Sheppard swore as Vicily looked again at the hourglasshe'd been using to track the time. "Just let us go now," theMajor demanded. He paced back and forth, two steps one way; two steps back, daring the Smyrnians to stop him. His rage boiled inside. He was furious at everyone. At Kolya for taking Rodney, at the Smyrnian's for their part in the set up and at himself for letting it all happen.
The Smyrnians watched tensely, already having forced the team to remove their packs and radios. Though some of the men had left the pavilion, the majority had stayed, retaining tight grips on the weapons they kept aimed at the three visitors.
"Soon, we will lead you back to the gate," Vicily responded smoothly.
"Why have you donethis?" Teyla asked, her low voice was laced with anger, but her face remained impassive.
Vicily gave a small shrug. "Commander Kolya came to us days before you. Our loyalty is to him foremost."
"Why?" Ford shook his head disgustedly.
"He promises protection," The leader explained without apology.
"Protection from what? The Wraith? He can't protect you," Sheppard argued
Vicily nodded, accepting Sheppard's anger. "We shall see," he murmured, confidently.
"How will he protect you?" Sheppard pushed. "By taking McKay?" He advanced on Vicily but Vidor stepped in front of him, using his rifle to hold John back. John ignored the cold steel pressing into his chest. "How could you let this happen? McKay never did anything to hurt you or your people…we've done nothing to harm you!"
Vicily met his angry stare but didn't answer.
"What does Kolya want with McKay?" John demanded.
"Its not my place to reveal the Commander's plans." Vicily answered.
"Not your place…"Sheppard shook his head. "Right, but you felt fine about setting us up. Damn it!" He turned away before he struck out at the Smyrnian, realizing it would be a futile attempt that could only get them killed. A tense silence settled in the makeshift building as the Major returned to his pacing.
At last, Yakov stepped forward and pointed to the glass of sand. Vicily whispered to him and turned, smiling to Sheppard, Teyla and Lt. Ford. "Your time has come."
Sheppard shrugged off any attempts to guide him, glaring vengefully at the men around him and bitterly enjoying the fear he could read in their eyes.
The trip back through the field of grass seemed to take three times longer than it had coming in. John tried notto think about what was happening to McKay, but his mind could wrap around nothing else. Where had Kolya taken Rodney? What did he want him for? How badly was the doctor hurt, and would Kolya hurt him any worse? John knew that McKay's history with the commander was scattered with physical violence, but he also knew that Kolya tended to leave Rodney alone when he wanted the scientist to complete a task. Sheppard hoped that would be enough to keep McKay safe this time.
Finally, they reached the tiny clearing and the stargate. "You are free to return to your world." Vicily gestured, stepping back toward the field and allowing Ford privacy as he stepped forward to dial the gate.
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Rodney stumbled along, tripping over the rough terrain as he was shoved from behind. "Hey!" he protested once, but that only earned him another blow to his kidneys. He hit all fours again, gasping and trying to breath through his pain.
"Get up," Kolya ordered.
"It'd be a whole lot easier to stay on my feet if your goons would keep their hands and weapons to themselves," McKay snapped, glaring angrily up at the commander. "I'm of no use to you dead," hereminded dramatically.
Kolya rolled his eyes and grabbed McKay's arm, wrenching him up to his feet. "You're not even close to dead…yet." The Genii smiled.
Rodney opened his mouth, then closed it, deciding it was time to keep quiet. Another shove and he was in motion again. Behind him he heard Kolya speak sternly.
"Touch him again without my order and you'll be the one dead."
Was Kolya actually protecting him now? God, what did the man want from him? He knew where they were, he'd recognized the world the Genii inhabited as soon as they'd stepped through the gate. What surprised him though was that instead of being hustled into their city below ground, he'd been quietly led on this undeveloped path through the woods.
"Where are you taking me?" He forgot his earlier decision to keep quiet.
Kolya sighed almost wearily. "Shut up and keep walking."
"You at least can tell me why I'm here. Cowen has got to know I won't make a nuclear weapon for him now." McKay glanced over his shoulder at the commander, trying to gauge the man's reaction.
"Cowen has nothing to do with this," Kolya growled.
Rodney stopped walking. "What? Did Cowen decide he was done with you after you failed to take over Atlantis and then lost the ZPM as well?" he taunted.
Kolya reacted instantly, backhandingMcKay hard enough to make the doctor stumble backwards. "Shut up and walk," Kolya hissed before stalking past.
Rodney bent over, hands on his knees as blood oozed from his split lip, and his back cramped painfully. He watched the commander carefully. "That was stupid," he mumbled to himself. "You have got to quit spending so much time with the Major."
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"What do you mean it was an ambush?" Elizabeth Weir's eyes were wide with shock as Sheppard stormed up the gate room steps with Teyla and Aiden. "Are you okay?"
"No. I'm not okay. That bastard has McKay!" John fumed.
"What? Who? The Smyrnians?" Elizabeth looked from John to Lt. Ford.
"Commander Kolya, ma'am," Ford filled in.
"Kolya?" the name physically rocked Elizabeth and she reached out to steady herself against the control room's glass wall. "Kolya?" she repeated. "Please, someone explain this." The control room was silent as those manning Atlantis' computers listened intently.
Sheppard waved at Ford, gesturing for him to fill Weir in.
"When we arrived on planet, everything was going as originally planned until we reached their village. We were led into a building where more men were waiting and as soon as we arrived, they surrounded us. They were heavily armed. That's when Commander Kolya arrived. The Smyrnians disarmed us and Kolya took Dr. McKay and left. Evidently he'd made contacted with the group days before we did. They had three days to set all this up with him."
Elizabeth shook her head. "I don't understand. Why does Kolya want Rodney? What reason did he give?"
"I believe his intention is to use the doctor for his knowledge," Teyla spoke calmly. "He said he wanted Dr. McKay for his mind."
"And McKay went with him?" Weir rubbed her forehead.
"He didn't have much of a choice," John snapped. He sensed Teyla flinch beside him and caught the anger flash across her face at the reminder that she'd been used against Rodney.
"Did he hurt him?" Elizabeth shuddered as memories of Kolya's attempt to take Atlantis flooded her thoughts. She could see Kolya angrily trying to push Rodney over the rail at the grounding station, and could feel his arm tightly locked around her waist as he dragged her toward the event horizon.
"I'm going to get him back," Sheppard avoided answering.
Weir shook her head, herprofessionalism returning as she took a deep breath. "Do you even know where they took him?" she asked.
"I'm going back to MXH-348 and find out." He looked at Ford. "Get started, I want all available men," he ordered.
"Major, you can't leave Atlantis undefended," Elizabeth argued.
"Elizabeth, it's Rodney."
She nodded, "I know that,but we have no idea where he is or what Kolya wants him for. What if Kolya has a plan to use him to attempt to take Atlantis again? If you're off world with our entire military force, how are we going to protect ourselves?"
"I'll leave half," Sheppard compromised.
"That's not enough. Rodney knows this city and its functions almost better than any of us. How can we defend ourselves against that kind of inside knowledge?"
John looked at Elizabeth, then at Teyla who gave him the briefest nod as if reading his thoughts. He looked back to Weir, confidently. "Then we trust that Rodney would never let his knowledge be used against us."
