8.
McKay stepped out of the wormhole and onto Hoff, Beckett on his heels. Teyla and four Marines stood waiting. Two Hoff guards were to the side, trussed up like Thanksgiving turkeys.
McKay peered at the men who were squirming behind their gags, and pulling uselessly at the bonds. "That was…quick," he mentioned.
Beckett ignored the tied men. "Have you located him?"
Teyla nodded. "We've tracked him to this building here," she pointed to a diagram on the handheld LSD. "Doctor McKay's program is proving to be effective. If they have him, they do not realize he has a device on his person."
"Of course it's effective," McKay said dismissively. "When you get to him don't tell him…"
"I understand," Teyla interrupted. She knew McKay was worried about Sheppard's reaction when he realized he'd been used. She also believed that McKay was failing to take into account that Sheppard was a trained tactician. He would realize the necessity of the actions that they had been forced to take. "Is your safety off?" she asked, looking at McKay's pistol strapped to his leg.
McKay glanced at the weapon. He reached down and fingered the switch, sliding it to off. "It is now," he answered. He turned to Beckett. "Ready?"
Beckett nodded, patting his vest to reassure himself that the vial was where it should be. "Would no be an option?" he muttered.
McKay rolled his eyes. "No."
Teyla gestured for the Marines to move out. "I believe this is a time where the saying 'Good luck' is appropriate," she said.
"I think a better saying would be 'Shoot first'," admitted McKay.
Beckett grimaced at the mercenary saying, but Teyla inclined her head, agreeing with McKay. "Then…shoot first," she said, smiling, before following the Marines in the direction the LSD was indicating for Sheppard's location.
Beckett was staring at McKay. "Shoot first?" he asked irritably.
McKay started off in the direction of the Hoffan's water supply. There was a plant within the city, which worked well for their plan. They were going to 'do unto others'. "It's a basic premise of survival," he said. "Besides, you know they would."
Beckett did know that. He wondered how that was supposed to make him feel better.
"Colonel, I do not know what you hope to accomplish by this continued refusal to cooperate. It's a simple question; did you empty the contents of the vial into the water supply?" The man was now sitting on the edge of the desk, but in the front, so he was only an arm's length from Sheppard.
Sheppard's refusal was written all over his face. He didn't have to say anything.
The man tapped the pencil that was in his hand against his thigh. Sheppard watched him carefully, though one eye was now swollen, and made it hard to see. The man had been unpredictable. He'd swung at Sheppard without reason, while other times, even when Sheppard had provoked him; he'd left him alone.
"Do you know why I have not told you my name?" asked the man abruptly.
Sheppard sensed a dangerous change, an undercurrent that cried out a warning. He shook his head. "No," he answered.
"Because the act of using a name makes you human," the man answered. "You aren't a human, Colonel. You are an animal; a trained animal that has a purpose, and once that purpose is complete, we don't need you anymore."
"Then kill me now," replied Sheppard coldly. "Because I won't cooperate." He wasn't going to let this guy use mind games. He hadn't been afraid of dying in a long time. Sheppard saw that he'd surprised the man, but the surprise was quickly covered, and replaced with a soft, slow smile.
The man set the pencil down, and he did so very carefully, taking twice as long as the task required, steadying it from rolling off the table. He stood up, and he looked at Sheppard as if they were old war buddies swapping stories from the good 'ole days.
"No," he said. "My government has…other plans…for you." The man headed towards the door, and Sheppard didn't know if he'd given up on the interrogation, or if he was trying to throw him off balance again.
Before he could figure out which one, the door was slammed open, and Teyla with a group of soldiers spilled in. The Marines were on the man, and had him to the ground and cuffed before Sheppard could blink. Marines could be ignorant Jarheads, but damn if they weren't good to have by your side when the shit hit the fan.
Teyla rushed to Sheppard, and started trying to figure out how to release his arms from the restraints. "Are you okay?" she asked.
"No," he said, and looked down at his body. "I'm strapped to a chair, Teyla."
Her hands stilled on the buckles, and she looked at him, really looked at him. She saw the bloodied lip, swollen eye, and the growing bruise on his forehead. She swallowed. "I am sorry…"
"Never mind," he grunted. "Just…get me out of this chair."
As he stood, he flexed his muscles, trying to ease the stiffness. He walked over and looked at the man on the ground. "Funny thing about animals," he said casually, reaching across to the Marine, and taking the pistol from the soldier's hand. "They tend to kill things that threaten them." He leveled it at the man, who was staring at Sheppard, and trying hard not to show his fear. He was failing.
Sheppard cocked the weapon, and took aim, squeezing the trigger. At the last second, he altered his trajectory, and the bullet screamed above the man's head, and embedded into the wall behind. Sheppard flipped the pistol, and now holding the barrel, he handed it back to the Marine. "Lucky for you, I'm not an animal," he said grimly, and walked away.
Sheppard was quiet on the walk back to the gate. His mind had been piecing together the parts of the puzzle. He'd been set-up, bait for a trap…but what was the trap? They'd known the programming would take him back to Hoff; what the Hoffans had meant to accomplish by that was clearly nothing. It'd been a caveat to the Genii, a way of paying them back for their help. Payment rendered for services; one human life. He supposed that was a small price to pay for a race that was content to sacrifice half of their own people in the fight against the Wraith.
When they arrived at the gate, the two Hoffans were still sitting, tied up, and looking worn out from trying to escape. Teyla had made sure that wasn't going to happen. Speaking of Teyla, Sheppard watched her motion the Marines to check out the Jumper and make sure everything was as it should be.
He was still watching the Marines when he saw the Genii soldiers appear from around the back of the Jumper. One of the front Genii soldiers fired, and a Marine dropped. Before Sheppard could holler to hold their fire, Koyla stepped out, and pointing the wicked looking pistol that Sheppard had come to hate, told the other soldiers and Teyla to drop their weapons, or he was a dead man. Koyla's gun was aimed at his head, and though it was a farther shot than the other soldiers, Sheppard had no doubt that Koyla wouldn't miss.
"Stand down!" he shouted, wincing as the movement pulled on his facial injuries.
The Marines hesitated, but Koyla's finger tightening on the trigger convinced them of his deadly intent. They lowered their weapons reluctantly.
"Smart choice," said Koyla. He walked steadily towards Sheppard. "We meet again, Colonel Sheppard."
Sheppard fought down the urge to punch Koyla in the face. The second he moved, he'd be shot, though he doubted Koyla would try to kill him, regardless of what he wanted everyone to believe. That'd be too quick to turn back the tide of the water they had accrued under their bridge. "Couldn't stay under your rock for long," observed Sheppard. "Nice little trick you planned with the Hoffans. What did you promise them?" he asked aggressively. "A six foot sleeper sofa in the ground? After they helped you, of course."
Koyla simply smiled. "Chancellor, you can come out now," he called over his shoulder, before turning back to watch Sheppard. The way he said it, Sheppard knew there wasn't any respect between Koyla and the Chancellor. That just goes to show that you can have something in common with even your worst enemy. Not that Koyla was the worst…but he was coming pretty damn close.
Chancellor Druhin stepped into the clearing. There must have been a pack of them hiding behind the Jumper. An ambush. They'd expected a rescue; counted on it, even.
"You've got what you came for," Druhin addressed Koyla. "I believe that completes the terms of our agreement."
Sheppard thought for a moment that Teyla was going to shoot Druhin, despite the risk it'd pose. He watched her glaring daggers at the Chancellor with barely suppressed rage. But instead, she sneered and said, "Did the Chancellor tell you the truth about this vaccine, or did he give you the same lies he's told everyone else, including his own people."
Koyla's eyes narrowed. Chancellor Druhin backhanded Teyla across the mouth, startling both her and Sheppard. He hadn't thought the old man had it in him.
Before Druhin could speak, Koyla asked, "What truth would that be?" and though he pretended amusement, Sheppard saw through his act. Koyla was a deadly opponent, and crossing him would get you nothing but grief. It was kind of comforting to know that Druhin was about to experience that.
"The vaccine has a fifty percent mortality rate," Sheppard answered for Teyla, who was busy wiping the blood away from her mouth.
Koyla was definitely interested.
"He's lying," blustered Druhin. "We fixed that!"
"No, you didn't."
All eyes swiveled to the right of the Jumper. Doctor Beckett was standing deathly still, and he had his nine mil pointed straight at Druhin, and McKay was beside him, his own pistol drilled onto Koyla.
Sheppard grinned. "Looks like we've got ourselves a Mexican standoff," he said.
"Doctor McKay," greeted Koyla. "Now all we need is Doctor Weir and it'll be just like old times."
The sound of the Stargate engaging signaled a change in the status of the situation. Everyone in the way quickly moved, weapons adjusting as the bodies changed positions. Koyla still had a bead on Sheppard, Beckett on Druhin, and McKay on Koyla. The Genii soldiers had the three remaining Marines pegged. It was a powder keg with a short fuse, and the gate might be the lighter.
The event horizon exploded out, and settled back just as quickly into the undulating blue puddle. Not long after it'd settled, Colonel Caldwell and Doctor Weir appeared, and behind them, came a team of Marines…Sheppard lost count after twenty because he wanted to enjoy the look on Koyla's face…and Druhin's.
Sheppard leaned forward, just enough to speak softly only to Koyla, but not enough to induce him into pulling the trigger prematurely. "This is what we call checkmate on my world," he said, and despite the cost of the pain, he couldn't keep the smirk off his face. "Chalk another one up for the 'do-gooders'," he said. He was the only one who'd understand that reference, but it still felt good to say it.
Colonel Caldwell approached Koyla, and without so much as a by your leave, he took the weapon from Koyla's hand. He turned to address the Genii and Hoffans who were standing around, uncertain of what to do now.
"My name is Colonel Caldwell," he said loudly. He tossed Koyla's weapon at the Genii's feet. "It has recently come to our attention that the people of Hoff collaborated with the Genii to spread a lethal virus across the galaxy."
"I am here to tell you that you failed," he snarled, and let his anger loose. "Make no mistake, we are not your pawns to use in the game of war against the Wraith. If you ever use our people again, I will not hesitate to order a reign of complete and utter devastation upon your worlds."
Caldwell stopped, and he directed attention towards Doctor Beckett. "I believe you have something important to add, Doctor," he said.
Sheppard wasn't sure he'd ever seen Beckett look so cold. "Right," Beckett began. "As we speak, the antidote to the virus is spreading throughout your water supply. Not only did we prevent the release of the toxin in our own system, but also, using that sample, we devised a cure. You will never terrorize anyone else with this biological terror," he promised.
McKay waved his pistol in Druhin's direction. "Oh, by the way, don't bother trying to stop it," said McKay. "I've changed your water system while we were at it. It's stuck in a self-clean cycle that lasts…" McKay looked at his watch, "…about thirteen more hours. What do you think, Carson, should it be well dispersed in that amount of time?"
Beckett smiled. "I think so, Rodney. You know," he said, turning his attention on McKay, "You really are quite brilliant."
"Why, thank you," McKay said with matching exaggeration to Beckett. "You're not so bad yourself."
Caldwell's look silenced both men. "Because we have a common enemy, and because I'm in a generous mood, I'm giving you the opportunity to walk away," Caldwell said magnanimously. He looked pointedly at Druhin. "There's a saying on my world; all's well that ends well. In light of the fact that we turned off your little project from ever working again, we'll call it even. You have the chance to stand back, and we'll leave. Nobody has to die. Try anything, and I assure you, the ground will drink far more Hoff and Genii blood, than any of our own," he promised, and he gestured for Teyla to move into the Jumper and begin the dialing sequence.
The Genii soldiers and the Hoffans gave up their weapons, and were herded back, away from the Jumper and the gate. Two Marines kept their P-90's leveled at the group, while the other soldiers returned through the gate to Atlantis. Teyla, Beckett and McKay were in the Jumper, which left the two Marines, Sheppard and Caldwell still standing outside, with Weir hovering at the edge of the hatch.
Sheppard began moving towards the rear of the vehicle. The plan was for everyone but the two Marines to enter the Jumper, which would then fix the weapons on the Genii and Hoffans, allowing the remaining men to backtrack through the gate. Once they were through, the Jumper would follow.
"Till next time, Colonel Sheppard," called Koyla.
Sheppard stopped. He turned, and looked Koyla in the face. "Next time only one of us is walking away," he promised.
Koyla nodded. He was smiling, but it was a smile that wasn't a happy one, merely content with the status quo. The day would come when they'd have it out, and what it was between them would end, because one of them wouldn't live to see the next day. "Agreed."
Caldwell had watched the interaction. As Sheppard disappeared into the Jumper, he grabbed a Genii pistol from the ground, and strode to Koyla's side, pressing the muzzle against his temple. "Stay away from Sheppard," he ordered. "You kill him, and I promise, I'll finish it, and you'll wish you'd never been born." Koyla hadn't flinched. Caldwell fought against the impulse to pull the trigger and be done with it, but the conversation about Sheppard in the same position came back to him. He dropped the gun, disgusted, and walked to the rear of the Jumper, surprised to see Weir watching him.
As they walked into the Jumper, they missed Koyla's words, "Too late, Colonel."
