Strange Bedfellows
A/N: I am only forgiven if I posted soon, so here it is! F word advisory (it shouldn't be a shocker by now, lol).
Augusta and NuclearMage: She doesn't have amnesia per se; it's explained in this chapter.
Chapter 13: Broken
John awoke slowly. He was getting sick of this. What is this, the third time now I've woken from a pain-induced snooze? They could at least have the courtesy to put me in a coma next time… Instead he had to suffer through the nightmares - at least he thought they were nightmares - of Elizabeth being brutally tormented. He would always awake, just as he had this time, as a Wraith descended upon her to feed.
He didn't bother sitting up; the floor suited him just fine for now. It was glacially cold but a welcome relief from his burning ribs. His eyes scanned the floor, searching for the knife, but no such luck. His captors must have taken it. Instead, his eyes wandered to a dark pull of blood that now stained the floor. Kropol's blood. Serves the bastard right, John thought. Sure, he never took pleasure in taking one's life, but he did it when necessary, consequences be damned. And in this case, it had been more than necessary.
His mind wandered to Elizabeth. She wasn't in his line of sight. Turning his head, he found her huddled in the corner of the cell, staring at her pulled up knees. Her face was blank. As he rose to a sitting position, he noted she didn't even acknowledge his presence. Her eyes remained fixed on her knees.
After taking a moment to collect himself and letting his eyes focus and head stop spinning, he slid over to her. He didn't dare trust his legs just yet. As he neared her, she finally noticed his proximity to her. Cocking her head to the side, she cast a perplexed glance at him, as if trying to place his face. Whether she recognized him or not he couldn't tell, but she shrunk further back into the corner, ducking her head below her knees and keeping a wary eye on him. She was afraid of him.
He slowed his approach and weighed caution against concern. "Liz… it's okay… it's me, John." Receiving an uncertain look, he continued. "You know, the guy you recruited on this expedition… the one who constantly gives you a hard time…?"
Elizabeth continued to watch him fearfully. He noticed her body was shaking and then remembered that without his jacket and with her shirt still unbuttoned, she was probably freezing to death. John reached out to touch her, but she shrank away from his contact.
"Elizabeth, listen to me. You're going to freeze with your shirt open like that. Now I'm going to button it back up for you, okay?" He spoke as if he were speaking to a child in calm, measured tones. John felt it was important to ask her permission before helping her, though he received no response. Her eyes remained fixed to his and full of worry.
He sighed and reached out once more. Again, she shrank back, but there was nowhere else to go - she was already backed into the corner as far as possible. As much as he didn't want to distress her, he knew that if he didn't get her warm soon she would fall ill. Christ, her hands are blue already… Despite her anxiety, he continued to attempt to help her. He was able to fasten the first button before a small whimper of fear escaped her lips.
Jesus… he thought. It pained him to see her in this condition, to have her fearing him instead of trusting him. Hell, he would have settled for one of her incensed diatribes - anything of her former self. He continued on, determined to get her warm before she caught a cold or something worse. John didn't want to lose her to a insignificant virus after she had made it through all this. No, he had gotten her this far and would get her home.
He finished buttoning her shirt. John wondered what kind of punishment he would have received had anyone caught him buttoning up the shirt of his CO in any other situation. When he finished, he grabbed his jacket which had apparently been ripped off or had fallen off her during the skirmish and placed it around her shoulders once more.
Satisfied she was now as warm as he could get her, he sat back and studied her. It broke his heart to see her like this: dark circles under her eyes, bruises covering her body, her hair disheveled…. No hint of the strong, dedicated woman he had gotten to know well in Atlantis now showed itself. John didn't want to begin to think about what she would be like if Kropol had actually… he blocked those thoughts from his mind. He had noticed her spirit dwindling over the past few days, but it seemed like she had finally collapsed. She had broken.
They sat in silence, each looking at one another, one with concern and the other with apprehension. In an attempt to win back her trust, he boldly but cautiously reached out toward her hands. She let him clasp her hands in his and rub them together, trying to get them warmed up. Her eyes did not once leave his. When he was done, he let her hands rest in his. Again, she did not pull away. John was even able to untie her bonds from around her wrists.
Cringing at the bruise that had already formed on her face where Kropol had hit her, John for the first time was glad he had killed someone. He had shot down bandit aircraft and attacked enemy ground troops, but never had he felt as… relieved as he had now. In the past, none of his foes had personally assailed him. But now… they had attacked Elizabeth, and that was as good as an attack against him.
Without thinking, John reached up and attempted to touch the bruise with his thumb. As soon as his hand neared her face, however, Elizabeth perceived his action as a threat and drew away shrieking.
"Shhh, Liz, it's alright… it's alright, it's me…" John soothed, remaining calm on the exterior but heart-wrenched inside.
"No! Get away from me!" she yelled.
"No, it's okay... I'm right here-"
"Stop it! Go away! Don't hurt me!"
John suppressed a pang of anguish, his eyes wide with hurt. "God, Elizabeth, I would never hurt you, and you know that," he almost pleaded. He reached out to touch her shoulder, but she pulled back once again.
He gave up. She was completely and utterly terrified of him. Not that he blamed her; he had just killed a man right on front of her. Right on top of her. A man who was about to rape her. Anyone would be traumatized. He had seen this type of behavior before in soldiers who had returned from harrowing missions or who had witnessed life-threatening events. Well, this certainly qualifies as a life-threatening event, he thought. He was no psychologist, but John was pretty sure he was looking at PTSD, posttraumatic stress disorder.
Not knowing what else to do, he left Elizabeth alone and moved a good ten feet away. She still held his gaze, muttering "go away," over and over again like it was her personal mantra. It agonized him. She wouldn't survive much longer in this condition; he needed to get her out. Now.
He looked over sadly at her. Elizabeth had stopped staring at him and was now once more looking at her knees. She was also rocking back and forth and her repetitive mumbling had softened. If he didn't get her help soon…
John felt if he had just kept is mouth shut again… but no, I had to tell him to go fuck himself. Way to go, John. He cursed himself for indirectly causing this.
They spent the next few hours in silence, the only sound the occasional murmur from Elizabeth. John spent the time with his eyes downcast, staring at the floor and thinking what he could have done, should have done, should not have done… surely there was something. He didn't know what it was, but there had to be something, there always was. And he was beating himself up over it. But he supposed it didn't matter now; the only thing that meant anything to him was getting off this God forsaken Hive Ship.
His head snapped up at the sound of approaching footsteps. The Wraith opened the entrance as soon as they were close enough, not even bothering to stop and scrutinize their prisoners. Hergon followed in after the creature, walking quickly with a single-mindedness to his step that scared John. No doubt the man would be infuriated with John for killing his second in command. John didn't give a shit.
"Major Sheppard. With me," he commanded in a curt tone.
John looked at Elizabeth. She hadn't even noticed their presence, and for that matter they hadn't bothered to acknowledge hers either, which he supposed was a good thing-
"Now," Hergon stressed.
Slowly, John rose to his feet. He was surprised he was able to walk at all, but judging by Hergon's temper, he doubted he would be able to after the man through with him.
Hergon led the way, his pace quick. John was forced by Tiny to follow just as quickly, a difficult task for the injured pilot. When the reached the room, Sheppard had felt like he had just ran a marathon. No sooner had they entered the room and closed the door than had Hergon turned around and decked John. Having not been paying attention, John was caught off guard and fell to the floor.
Hergon shook the hand he had used to punch the Major in disgust. He shouldn't have to be doing this. He should have the information from his prisoner already.
Two Wraith, Tiny and Number Two, yanked him off the floor and sat him in the chair. This time, however, his hands were bound tightly together behind his back.
"Not that we don't trust you, Major Sheppard, but we can't have another incident like today's occur again."
John simply stared at him, beyond the point of caring.
"What you did today was foolish. You may think you have bought her some time, but I can assure you that you have only hastened her decline," Hergon stated as if it were a commonly known fact.
Had I? John wondered to himself. Was Hergon correct? From what John had witnessed, he was. Not only was she unresponsive half the time, but the other half she was petrified of him. Who knew what would soon happen to her, especially if they got a hold of her once more?
"And by murdering my second in command," he continued, "you have only succeeded in making me thoroughly infuriated. I am giving you one chance to give me a reason not to kill you and Dr. Weir right now."
"Because I run Atlantis," John blurted out. He was sick of these cruel games, and if that meant lying to get Elizabeth the hell out of here, so be it. His plan had been to get the both out of here, but since that obviously wasn't going to happen…. Once they found out the truth, if they found out the truth, she would be home safe and there would be nothing they could do about it. There was no other way; it was obvious Ford and his team weren't going to come in time if they were coming at all. No, this was the only option.
"Is that so?" Hergon asked, not hiding a triumphant grin. He had won. The Major had broken.
"And I also have the Ancient gene," John added quietly. He tried to sound defeated, not that it was hard to do, but in order for this to work he would need to pull off a little acting job.
Hergon's grin broadened into a full blown smile. Finally, after several long days of hard work, they had met success. Soon, they would have the information they needed. He didn't know what he relished more: the thought of their objective being met or the thrill of finally crushing this defiant prisoner's will.
"Tell me, Major. What sort of Atlantean technology can you operate?"
Now it was John's turn to smile. "Just a second. You let Dr. Weir go and I'll tell you everything you could possibly want to know about me." He cocked an eyebrow and waited for a response.
Hergon's own brow furrowed in thought. This was certainly not what he had expected. Was his captive offering him a deal? "May I remind you that you are the prisoner here and, as such, in no position to make demands."
"I disagree." John leaned forward, hoping it would give him some air of confidence. He hoped none of his captors noticed his hands shaking behind his back. John spoke softly and unhurriedly. "You and I both know it's the only way to get me to talk. You return her to Atlantis and I'll give you my entire autobiography if you want it. Otherwise, you might as well have a mute prisoner on your hands."
Hergon thought about the proposal for a long while. John tried to read his emotions, but his face was stone.
"Besides," John continued, "you'll have no need for Dr. Weir. You have nothing to gain by keeping her here." Shit, am I trying too hard? Will he call my bluff?
"What exactly are the conditions of your little arrangement?"
John was shocked. Was he actually considering his offer? Now he would have to think on his feet. "I want Dr. Weir and myself to be escorted off this Hive Ship back to the Stargate on your planet. I'll need my radio and IDC device. After I dial the Gate and Elizabeth goes through, you can take me back here."
"You ask a lot, Major Sheppard. You cannot possibly expect us to give you your gear and allow you to simply walk up to the Stargate."
"Look, I need my gear to get through to Atlantis. Without it, she doesn't go and you don't get your precious information. Besides, you can have all the Wraith you want guarding me at all times," John proposed.
Hergon tighten his lips in thought. This really was too good to be true. Their plan had paid off after all. But still, something was not right…
"Those are my terms. Take it or leave it," John declared.
The Klaan commander enjoyed watching Sheppard stew as he deliberated over his proposal in his mind. His prisoner expected him to agree to it, he just knew it. And therein lied the problem… the Major seemed almost to eager to strike a deal…. "I shall think about it."
John tried to keep his face from falling. He had hoped for an answer now so Elizabeth could be sent home ASAP. Now he would have to wait.
"But there is one flaw in your logic, Major Sheppard," Hergon said.
"What's that?" asked John, curious, He expected something about guards, weaponry, or even an objection to his presence being there at the Gate.
"We are not on a Hive Ship, Major."
John's jaw fell. How could this not be a Hive Ship? The interior was an exact replica! He had assumed that the Dart they had been captured in would return to a Hive Ship. Apparently, he had been wrong.
Hergon enjoyed the look of befuddlement on John's face. "This is a Wraith outpost of sorts, created when the Alliance between our races was first forged. Would it surprise you to learn you have never left the planet Klaan? That we are only a short distance away from the village you met us in?"
Uh, hell yes it would, John said to himself before thinking the better if it. Nothing surprised him anymore.
"Now in the meantime," Hergon went on, "we still have the little unresolved matter of the murder of my subordinate." He began to stroll around the room.
John didn't like where this was headed. He scoffed at the way these detestable traitors used the word 'murder' as if they were somehow better than the vile behavior they continued to display. He then saw Hergon get handed his gun, his own Beretta with six rounds still loaded.
Hergon stroked the muzzle wickedly. "I want to thank you, Major, for teaching us how to use your weapon. It is such a beautiful thing, not to mention effective…."
Oh, shit. John knew where this was going. The crown of onlookers had evidently watched John carefully when he had shot Kropol and now they knew how to fire the 9 mil: simply pull the trigger. They may not have been an advanced race, but they were sure quick to pick up on new skills.
"But why am I telling you this, Major? You already know how effective it is, don't you? After all, you killed one of my men with it." His voice turned cold and hard.
"But I wonder…." Hergon let his voice trail off as if he were actually pondering. "I wonder if you can truly appreciate its true efficiency without being on the receiving end of its power. What do you think, Major?"
John didn't know how to reply. Anything he said would surely get him shot. Hell, he was probably going to get shot anyway out of sport and spite. His eyes remained fixed on the weapon as the business end of the gun was pointed at him.
"You know what I think? I think you take its capacity for destruction for granted. Is that so, Major?"
Again, he remained silent, eyes still glued fearfully to his pistol.
"What do you say we find out, Major Sheppard?" Hergon concluded. And with that he pulled the trigger.
TBC
I AM SO EVIL! Now THAT was a cliffhanger. I know you hate me, review anyway:) Couple chapters more and then something really big happens, muahaha!
