~ 23 ~

Teyla squats next to Ronon and shares the binoculars with him. They are a good distance from the mine but can still see clearly through the trees. "I count eleven," she says. They have been watching for several hours now.

Ronon grumbles. "Thirteen. Plus more inside we have yet to see. None matches the description of Kolya."

"He has rebuilt his strike force." She glances at Ronon. "Perhaps he intends to come after Atlantis again."

Ronon lowers the long range glasses. "He won't get the chance."

Teyla turns to him. "You intend to kill him."

Ronon looks her in the eyes. "I do."

Teyla nods. "We must return to Atlantis with the information about the mine. Col. Sheppard can better plan the rescue. There may even be some data from the scans to help us."

"I'm staying."

She places a hand on his shoulder. "You can do nothing alone, Ronon. Except perhaps put her into more danger."

He nods. "I'll watch and listen." He looks to her again. "Only."

Teyla wants to agree with him, but precaution is the better way to go. "If the Stargate is being monitored, they will know I came with you only to leave alone. You will be sought."

Ronon hangs his head and the massive hair hides his face. "If I stay, she'll know. She'll fight." He lifts his eyes to meet hers. "She must know I've come."

"I'm certain she does, Ronon." Though deep down, Teyla is not even certain Jax is still alive. She refuses to dash his hopes, however. His or Col. Sheppard's. Jax is very important to them and she is a friend to Teyla. But she has been badly wounded as they witnessed much blood near the Stargate and DHD. And Kolya is not a man to be taken lightly. She knows this from Sora's stories.

Suddenly Ronon pulls her down into the brush. A moment later she can hear the crunch of growth under heavy footfalls nearby. Two of Kolya's men have come out into the forest to relieve themselves. "He took the female prisoner to his bed."

Ronon stiffens next to Teyla and she's afraid he might attack. She grips his forearm as a warning not to move and give away their location.

"You sound Jealous," the second man says.

"Not at all. When he tires of her, he'll give her to the rest of us."

Teyla can feel Ronon's rage boiling to the surface. She tightens her hold on his arm to the point of digging her nails into his skin. His fists are clenched and there is a low rumble coming from his chest.

"If she survives. Girsh appears concerned."

Ronon's breath catches and Teyla leans close to whisper in his ear. "She is alive…that is what matters."

Elizabeth has never been so worried about the team.

Two days have gone by since Jax was taken. Two days of trying to make some sense of the scans the jumper took. Two days of watching both John and Ronon nearly tear everyone's head off the minute someone spoke to either of them.

She doesn't know Ronon well enough to know if his rage is a usual occurrence. But she does know John. He's on a razor's edge and can fall over any minute. She's tried talking to him, but he's stoic and silent. It's his eyes that she's afraid of, however. There's something missing from them, something…human…missing. If the plan fails, if they don't retrieve Jax—or should they make it to her too late—Elizabeth is worried neither man will recover.

Rodney hasn't been much better. He's supposed to be resting, but refuses to do so. The only thing keeping Carson from drugging the scientist is because he's willing to stay in the infirmary while he works. Both John and Ronon have taken up residence in there as well, at least for several hours at a time.

None of them is sleeping, not even Teyla. When she and Ronon returned from the planet, they had information about Kolya's hideout and the town; including the fact that the people there do not care for Kolya's authority and would prefer he leave with his men and never return. But Ronon and Teyla held something back. They know Jax is still alive because they heard some of Kolya's men talking about her. After they mentioned this, they exchanged a strained look that silenced both of them from further discussion.

Teyla has come to speak with Elizabeth a few times in the last two days, though usually about the mission or trivial things, probably to keep her mind busy. But there is a dark cloud over the Athosian woman's features, as if she's about to lose her stomach at any moment. And for someone as disciplined as Teyla, it's not a look Elizabeth can get used to seeing on the other woman.

Elizabeth wonders if Ronon told John the information, however, because the look in the Colonel's eyes came on the same night after Teyla and Ronon returned. Whatever has caused this change in her second in command, she prays it can be reversed. She also wonders why they haven't trusted her to hear the news. She gets the strangest feeling they are protecting her from it.

Elizabeth looks up from her spot on her office sofa as Rodney clicks to a new section of data on the monitor and points to the screen with his left hand. His right arm remains in the sling and he's still wearing the red infirmary scrubs since he just came from there about ten minutes ago. John, Ronon and Teyla stand on the sidelines at the back of her office carefully following Rodney's detailed description.

"It's basically a maze inside there," Rodney says. "From what Teyla discovered in town, the mine was depleted hundreds of years ago, maybe more. Kolya's probably using the upper levels only—for living quarters." Rodney grins. "So, I know something he, more than likely, doesn't know." Everyone waits, looking at him expectantly. "There's a back entrance to the mine."

John stands up straighter, his arms dropping to his sides and he peers at the screen with more interest. "Show me."

The four of them discuss the possibility of getting inside through the lower levels of the mine and then out the front to a waiting jumper. It's a risky plan considering they will have to climb through the mine shaft…a really, really old mine shaft. Elizabeth's skeptical. "Colonel, when was the last time you went rock climbing?"

His brows shoot up and he wobbles his head. "In a previous life, maybe."

"You think you can handle a two or three story climb like this?"

"Ronon or I can take the lead, Dr. Weir," Teyla says with utter confidence. "We have much climbing experience out here."

"I can pull myself up a rope, Elizabeth," he says with a sharp tinge in his tone. "I'm not McKay."

Rodney sneers. "Thanks for that."

John nods, but doesn't take his hardened eyes off Elizabeth. "You're welcome." His jaw muscles work overtime as he returns to clenching his teeth, his recent favorite pass-time.

Elizabeth nods but there's a knot tightening in her gut, telling her this is wrong. Kolya has to be waiting for a rescue team to strike otherwise he would have already killed Jax and left her body for them to find. He wants them to come. He wants to grab someone of importance. How can she, in good conscience, send out their team, short one man and another team of six simply to save the life of someone who is most likely already dead?

As if sensing her ambiguity on the subject, Ronon moves to Elizabeth's side, his arms crossed over his massive chest and he stares down at her with that impenetrable gaze of his. "She's alive, Dr. Weir," he says. His face reddens considerably when he adds in a low, guttural voice: "The soldiers expect her to be… passed around…before Kolya kills her."

Elizabeth's eyes widen in horror. She catches Teyla's gaze, her face full of disgust. Elizabeth feels her stomach roil at the news. This is what they've been keeping from me. No wonder they've been behaving so…she takes a deep breath and it shudders through her body. John's eyes latch onto Elizabeth's again. She can practically taste the rage seething inside him. After another deep breath, she nods. "Go."

"Jumper three, ready for launch," John says trying to keep the heat out of his voice. He hasn't been able to get what Ronon told him out of his head. It's worse than his skin crawling, it feels like he's on fire and every pore is screaming in pain.

What if it's already started? Ronon kept something from him, some other information that has the other man ready to tear arms off. He can guess what else they learned and the thought of it makes him want to vomit. If Kolya's willing to…then he'll be the first.

John grips the controls so hard his knuckles turn white. He knows to Jax—to any woman—it would be worse than death. He may even make it to her only to have her beg him to end it. To end the life he's so desperate to save.

No, that's not going to happen.

His head hurts because he's been grinding his teeth for so many hours just waiting for the right time to put the plan into motion. It's a risky attack, how he and Major Lorne chose to coordinate the assault. The fact that it took several more hours to put into action hasn't helped his stress either. Ronon and Teyla sit behind him, filled with tension. It's radiating off of all of them.

John glances at Sgt. Stackhouse, coming along for the ride…in Ford's old seat. As usual, Stackhouse is ready for action, but this one he's going to have to sit out and he knows it. It's odd seeing someone other than Rodney taking up that post. The three of them with Teyla…that's how it was supposed to be…but now only he and Teyla remain.

For now. Rodney will be back in shape in no time.

But not Ford.

John knows he's dwelling on the memory of his lost friend because he doesn't want to deal with what's coming in the next few hours. He's knows the plan is solid. It'll work. What he doesn't know is what he'll find. What will be left of Jax? If she is alive…how much of her will want to be? Will he be able to help her once she comes home? Will their strange bond keep him by her side, able to care for her?

"You have a go, jumper three," Elizabeth says over the com, breaking his dark thoughts. "Be safe," she adds softly, as usual.

John doesn't respond with a flip answer this time, he simply commands the jumper into the wormhole. They emerge on planet PXT-705 and he instantly cloaks the ship. The gate is most likely monitored so even if no one caught the jumper before it cloaked, they know that the ring activated and that someone came through.

John pilots the jumper to the back entrance of the mine where he, Ronon and Teyla grab their gear and head out. Once they are free and clear, Stackhouse takes the jumper to the pre-arranged destination on the other side, closer to the main entrance.

~ 23.5 ~

Girsh soothes her face and neck with a cool cloth. The serum he constructed has been working on defeating her pain, but not the illness that has taken root in her body. But she is a fighter; he has witnessed that much in the time they've spent together. Though, the illness-induced dementia is weakening her defenses rapidly.

The Commander is mad if he believes she will survive this mental torment. But Girsh realized as Kolya made the suggestion it would be the only way to ensure she is no longer physically abused. It may even prevent the madman from killing her at all. Though Girsh finds it difficult to believe she will live much longer in any event. He is not as skilled a healer as his father before him. He can aid in pain and some sewing, but deeper problems as he's seen with the shoulder wound, those are beyond his knowledge.

At the very least, he can keep her comfortable until the time comes. He already has a plan in mind to settle her into the darkness for good, should the need arise. Kolya will accept the inevitable, he will have no choice. However, Girsh suspects the man has grown attached to the young woman, in spite of his efforts to free himself from such sentimentality. He's become strangely protective over the last few days. He even pummeled his own men after overhearing two of them talking with a third about their plans for the young woman…as a group.

Each of those men required Girsh's sewing skills a few hours later…but no pain compounds as Kolya instructed.

"Ronon…" she murmurs in her troubled, hallucinated, drug-sleep. It is the first word she's spoken in many hours and it draws Kolya from the edge of the room where he's been standing statue-still for much of the day.

A crackle over the Commander's communication device jars both men. "Commander, that ship has returned once more."

Kolya's eyes darken and his mouth sets in a harsh line. He depresses the button on his device. "Track it."

"Impossible, Commander. It vanished after it came through. However, it was heading toward the ruins."

Girsh watches as Kolya begins pacing the room. His shoulders are tight and his spine stiff as wood. His back is to Girsh but suddenly his head snaps around and his eyes lock onto the woman. This is the first time Girsh has seen anger in the Commander's eyes in many days as he looks upon her: his prize. He strides over to the bed, yanks Girsh away and sits on the edge.

Girsh is astounded by the gentleness in the man's hand as it caresses the woman's face. Obviously the anger is not directed at her this time. "They're coming for you, my darling."

Her head wobbles on the pillow and her rapid breathing increases. "No," she sighs. "No more."

Kolya leans over and whispers into her ear, though Girsh is close enough to hear every terrible word. "They want to hurt you again."

She whimpers in her delirium. "…don't let them…please…"

The man presses his lips to her forehead before looking down upon her still bruised face. "I will protect you…Mylea."

For the first time since they started the conditioning, she finally reacts to the name. She is smiling. Girsh's heart races. He did not believe it would be possible, not in such a short amount of time. Though they have been at this for many days now, and she was not well to begin with. Perhaps he underestimated his own abilities. Or, more likely, overestimated her will to fight the effects of the compounds.

Not that it matters. The look on Kolya's face is all he needs to see. The man has fallen into his own form of dementia…as if he believes the story he's been telling the woman. The fantasy he made may soon be cemented in his own mind as fact. This could become a more serious problem than Girsh foresaw. For when her body does fail to heal, Kolya will be angry and will seek to blame him.

Quite unexpectedly, the woman's eyes open. She blinks several times before focusing on Kolya's face still hovering above hers. "Daddy?" she asks in that gravelly whisper that seems to have become her permanent voice. Girsh suspects it is a result of Kolya's vicious strangulation.

"Yes, my darling," Kolya says, stroking her hair. "I am with you."

With a fluidity Girsh can only explain away because of the pain serum, the young woman launches herself upward, wrapping her arms around the Commander's neck and hugging him close. Her body shakes with the effort. Kolya's arms carefully encircle her, one hand supporting the back of her head. He presses his lips to her hair then rests her against his shoulder. Girsh can see tears shimmering in the madman's eyes.