AN: Dragonflysoul, here you go (and this is like faster than we've been in a while)! And, never let it not be said that we are not an equal opportunity whumper...

And now…part 15

Rodney had been in this situation before, and the memories weren't pleasant. Like torture ever was. The fact that he was once again strapped to a chair, and staring up at Kolya, it all had a certain amount of Déjà vu. Of course, back then he'd had a lot more reason to cooperate, knife work notwithstanding. Elizabeth's life, keeping Sheppard's presence unknown – a lot of reasons, and what he'd given Kolya hadn't helped…much. The plan to save the city…what was a plan to save a city anyway in the grand scheme of things?

But now, as his head snapped back from another vicious blow, he knew there wasn't any Sheppard skulking about trying to rescue him because Sheppard was currently in his own big big incredibly large pile of crap, and a lot more than one life hung in the balance. The Eradian people, for one, because their presence wasn't widely known, nor did they want it to be. Granted, their illusion was good, but if Kolya knew it existed, he wouldn't leave them in peace. The bonding and pregnancy related to the ATA gene. Wouldn't Kolya just love to find out there was a planet where the gene occurred, albeit in weaker strains?

And then there was Lily and what she meant to Sheppard…and to him.

Rodney tried to utter a disdainful snort, but it came out more like an irritated snivel. "Come on," he poked. "You can do better than that. I've been here before, remember?" And when he said here, he meant here as in 'torture the weak link, you fucking bastard', here. After he said it, he kind of surprised himself. Didn't think he had it in him.

Kolya's smile was lazy, playful even. No…more like predatory. Suddenly, Rodney wondered what the hell he was doing. "No no no, I don't mean better as in hurt the scientist worse, because you need me intact, you know, for building tracking devices and other complicated things…so damaging the scientist is bad. Bad bad bad." He looked quizzically at Kolya, "Did I mention bad?"

"I think you might have, Doctor McKay, and I need you, that much is true," agreed Kolya. He leaned in painfully close, blowing the three foot rule of personal space out of the water and making Rodney sweat more. "But what I plan to do won't leave you permanently damaged."

"I see," Rodney tried not to stutter. "Just so we're on the same page here, my definition of 'permanent damage' is anything that takes more than a day to recover from." He laughed nervously and titled his head since he couldn't use his hands. "Brain cells, you know. They never grow back."

Kolya pulled away, and the amused smile remained. Oh, boy, did Rodney wish it hadn't. "Then tell me what I want to know. Who is Lily, and what is she to Colonel Sheppard and…" those eyes bored into McKay, and the smile slipped into satisfied speculation, "…you?"

If Rodney could've thought up a believable lie, he would've, but all the ones he'd tried had only earned him a bloody nose, bruised kidney (and he knew he'd be peeing blood tonight), and more blows that had rung his ears into temporary tinnitus. Feeling reckless, because god knew he had nothing to lose, and nothing to give, Rodney's lips curved into his best imitation of a snarl, which all in all, he figured came out pretty weak consider how terrified he was right at that moment. "Wouldn't you like to know," he needled. Maybe if he could get Kolya to slip by pissing him off, he'd hit him just that little bit harder than he intended, and Rodney could slide into unconsciousness, thereby not giving away any secrets.

The blow that came knocked him backwards, and he fell still restrained to the chair. The impact with the ground was incredibly painful, and for a moment, his eyesight grayed. Groaning from the agony in his back and head, Rodney wondered just how many brain cells he'd already lost, because doing something so ridiculously stupid as taunting the guy with all the advantages and lots of anger issues, was something for the mentally incompetent.

He watched as black military boots moved in to view, and then Kolya's face dropped in front of his, sideways since he was still on the ground. The mouth was twisted into a crooked smile. "Yes, Doctor McKay, I would like to know. And before you leave this room, I will." The face pulled back. "Get him up, and tell Doctor Sharon I want some of the prototype, now."

And now the only thing going through Rodney's mind was just how screwed he was.

OoO

Ava Sharon stared at Sheppard, drugged and sleeping, and looking very vulnerable on the gurney. She didn't bear the man any ill will. If things had been different, maybe she even would've gotten on well with the man. It was hard to say, because things were different, and her position was all that kept her family alive. It wasn't something she'd jeopardize for a test subject.

When the Genii had invaded her home world, she'd resisted, like everyone else. They wanted technology, scientists, anything from her planet that would aid their people. It hadn't mattered that her people would've been willing to share, and to work together. The Genii had the larger brute force, and they'd used it.

She'd been a member of the Technological Core, and one of the first things the Genii did, was secure the families of the Core members. If you didn't cooperate, your family members were executed.

Dougas Trevor, the head of their Core, had refused. They'd watched as his wife, and three children, along with mother, father and his wife's mother and father, were lined up. He'd been given one chance to recant. One. Dougas had looked at the Genii commando leader, one Acastus Kolya, and spat on the ground at his feet. Dougas said he'd rather die, than help a race of people like the Genii grow more dangerous and advanced.

Kolya hadn't even seemed regretful. He'd spun around to face his soldiers, all with guns out and raised, and ordered his men to fire. The family members didn't even have time to plead, their bodies just curved around the impact, and crumpled. Ironically, the cries had come from the other scientists, and maybe part of it was because of what that meant for all of them. No choices. Then Kolya had turned back to face Dougas, and with no more care than one would squash an insect, he pulled one of those lethal guns from the holster around his waist, stuck it in Dougas's belly, and said as he fired, "I can't stand a coward that would let his family die for him."

Dougas had died, just like the others. That's when Sharon had decided then and there that she would work for anyone if it saved her family. Someday, maybe, she'd be ashamed, but that day hadn't come yet.

The prototype, the drug she'd been working years on, was finally nearing completion. Sheppard was her first trial, and while the results were not all that she'd hoped for, there was progress. The drug was aimed at the subconscious state, during REM sleep, and when the subject was the most suggestible…or pliable, she mused.

The interrogator would whisper what they wanted to know, and the individual would talk. To them, it was a dream, and the subject would be fortunate if they even remembered. So far, Sheppard hadn't. The only problem she was having was that Sheppard was either blocking information, or the drug wasn't as potent as they needed. When he was asked about the codes to get through the shield, he told them Atlantis was destroyed. A lie they all knew for what it was. When asked about their home world, Sheppard had prattled on about a sport called surfing.

Despite her forced loyalty to the Genii, he was intriguing her. The simulations she'd ran suggested it wasn't the drug at fault, but something in Sheppard's brain chemistry allowing him to work around the effects. In each answer, there were truths.

And then there were the unexpected side-effects. Fever, headaches, and she couldn't account for them because he was the first human trial. For all Sharon knew, it might be a virus and not the drug at all. Sighing, she moved to a bench and withdrew an instrument to take another round of vitals on the colonel. His recent erratic behavior had been alarming.

The opening door drew her attention away from the gurney. "Yes?" she asked, coolly. She didn't like the soldiers coming unescorted into her lab.

"Commander Kolya ordered us to get some of the prototype for use on the other one."

"It needs to be administered in the proper setting." Frowning, she moved to the cabinet where she kept the vials of the drug. "If he wants to use it on McKay, then he must bring him here."

"He wants it, now."

Sharon stared at the man. He was just another Genii soldier, impeccable at following orders, and not good for much else. "I'm not giving it to you. I have to take a baseline reading, log vitals, and track reactions. It's dangerous and it must be done in a laboratory setting. You tell him I said to bring McKay here," she insisted.

The man wanted to continue to argue his orders, but this wasn't in his realm of anticipated responses and Sharon knew he didn't want to make a misstep that earned him displeasure on any side of the coin. She watched as he considered that regardless of what he did, he was bound to face some kind of recrimination. If he forced the issue and took the vial, what if McKay died and this scientist blamed him for not delivering her warning?

Sharon knew she'd won even before the soldier nodded curtly and left. And once again, she was left considering the figure on the bed… "What are you hiding, John Sheppard," she whispered.

OoO

Ronon had been trained in a military that didn't tolerate mistakes. He'd learned fast and early, that you either did, or you died. The younger you were, the more leniencies you got, but at a certain point, you were expected to know your stuff. That stuff included tracking.

His years spent as a Runner had only served to hone his skills, to a level that these Genii couldn't hope to anticipate. Because of that, it was almost child's play to find the trail that led to an underground bunker. A large box on the door was keeping him out. Too bad for the box.

"It's locked," the marine stated.

Ronon shrugged, and pulled out his gun. He fired, and when the smoke cleared, only a hole remained. "Not anymore," he said, pushing it open. Being quiet wasn't an issue, because they'd already spent over a day monitoring the only entrance he'd found. No one had come or gone in that time, and he had a suspicion that no one would.

Staying would've been stupid, and though these Genii weren't that smart, he didn't make the mistake that they were totally incompetent. The marine, Sergeant Dodd, pulled a flash light and switched it on, directing the beam of light into the dark hall. Ronon glanced over his shoulder at the man, annoyed. Dodd was scrunched up so close that he almost touched Ronon's back. After the look, Dodd grimaced sheepishly, and took a step back.

"Stay back," Ronon ordered gruffly. He didn't know if there'd be any traps, and the last thing he wanted was this young soldier's death on his hands. The Satedan knew he wasn't a hundred percent, yet, and this was also the first time that he'd been placed in charge of a mission. The two facts combined to add more caution that he probably would've used.

Dodd nodded, the flashlight moving with his body. "This is me, staying back," he said nervously.

Dodd had only been out twice. Once was a science escort that had ended in a swarm of insects chasing them back through the gate, and this made trip number two. Everyone else was tied up in other missions. Lorne had been stuck on Atlantis filling in for Sheppard. Ronon sighed to himself. He should've fought harder to go alone, more than he had. If something didn't kill Dodd, he just might. Especially if the Sergeant got that close again.

Ronon glanced back, and Dodd lifted his hands, as if saying 'I'm back, I'm back', and if Ronon did a very McKay'ish eye roll, well, who could blame him? It definitely was not because the scientist's mannerisms were rubbing off. Period. He turned forward again, waiting not so patiently for the flashlight to be pointed back where it should, before taking a careful step inside.

The building smelled like weapons. Metal, and burnt ozone. He narrowed his eyes, searching for tripwires and cameras. From what he'd been told, the Genii weren't as advanced as even his own people, but they were getting there. And they apparently were inclined to use subterfuge and hidden traps at any chance they could. The team Lorne had sent after the Genii spy Alicia had given up had left a nice surprise. Either the spy had died in the explosion or he'd escaped, but either way, it'd been another frustratingly closed door. And a reminder to be very careful.

As they moved deeper, another solid metal door presented itself. Ronon blasted it, too. It opened to stairs and he had to fight off the claustrophobic feeling as he started down. Walls on both sides, and only darkness behind and in front. Dodd was closer now, and this time, Ronon didn't mind.

The bottom wasn't far, and there was a light switch on the wall. Dodd reached for it, but Ronon's hand gripped the Sergeant's wrist. He raised a finger to his mouth, and pulled the multi-use tool from his belt. Selecting the screwdriver that would fit close enough, he unscrewed the metal plate that held the switch, and when he pulled it carefully out, it revealed a wire running into the wall that ended in a timer. So, they had set up traps. Not that he'd expected anything less.

"Don't touch anything," Ronon warned.

Dodd swallowed, and nodded.

They pressed on, Dodd taking the time to light the walls, floor, and ceiling incrementally as they progressed. If there was anything else there, Ronon couldn't see it.

The corridor ended and opened into a room. The door was already ajar, and motioning at Dodd to direct the beam inward, he quickly surveyed for anything suspicious. His sweep came up negative, so he stepped in, and found two cells. Simple bars, nothing fancy about them. The door into one was open and unlocked, and Ronon could see scuffle marks in the dust.

This building had gone unused for a while before they'd brought McKay here. Judging from the marks, he was pretty sure Sheppard had been kept at least for a while also, before they'd abandoned it again.

Keeping low to the ground, he moved slowly in, trying to get an idea of how many people had been here. At least five from what he could see. The patterns and marks indicated that Sheppard and McKay hadn't left on their own two feet. That bothered him, until he caught sight of the discarded darts by the bed. They'd been knocked out, then, not anything worse. "Dodd," Ronon rumbled. "Get these in a bag to take back for the doc."

While Dodd took care of that, Ronon left the cell, and found a small alcove where something that looked a lot like a computer was stuck in the wall, above a desk.

"What is it?" Dodd asked, causing Ronon to jump, because for once, the training he was putting in on these earthmen was actually reflected in their actions. He hadn't heard the marine approach from behind.

"I dunno, but it looks an awful lot like those things your people use. Not as pretty." Ronon peered closer, taking his knife and trying to pry into a thin line on the wall.

"Computer?" Dodd knelt down and got the flashlight up under the desk part. "I see – oh, shit!" There was a loud bang.

"What?" rumbled Ronon, already feeling the sinking in his gut.

Dodd quickly reached for the knife. "Quick, give it!"

Ronon dropped it, handle first, into the Sergeant's grasp. A few grunts, a yelp, and Dodd scooted out, holding a bulky box. "I set off a timer, let's go!"

The marine was already up the steps by the time Ronon reacted. And if Ronon blamed his healing status, no one would dare say other wise. He sprinted after the Sergeant, promising that Dodd's next training session would entail a lot of sweating, and throws. Lots of bone-jarring throws.

"How much time?" Ronon grunted, as they crested the stairs.

Dodd shouted over his shoulder, "A minute, but it took me about twenty seconds to get that part off, so it's just about to -"

And even as the door they'd used to enter the complex came into sight, a massive rush of air pushed them forcefully out, and by forceful he meant off the feet and flying. Ronon had the vague impression of metal, heat and then nothing.

OoO

Elizabeth sat on the floor in the control center, playing patty cake with Lily, and if this was something she'd never thought she'd be doing, it was all in the name of sacrifice, right? The things you do for friends…

It wasn't that she didn't like kids, it was just that she'd given up on ever having any, and if by proxy she suddenly found herself in a very parental role, then she could do this. Of course, it was easy to say when Lily was smiling at her, and trying sloppily to hit her hands. It wasn't so easy when night came, and Lily cried for those two men she needed more than anyone else. One in particular.

Carson suspected the bond hadn't entirely faded, and either Lily was miserable because of Sheppard's absence, or she was miserable because of Sheppard's physical condition. Neither of which were reason to celebrate, but the one was more ominous than the other, and god, she hoped it wasn't that.

The gurgling drew her away from the morbid thoughts. "And you just like that, don't you!" Elizabeth cooed, as she patted Lily's pudgy hand, eliciting a full-throated giggle from the baby.

She'd filled out, and had started crawling more. She took more work to keep up with, and all Elizabeth could think about was how much John would've loved to see his daughter becoming such an active personality.

"Da…" Lily bubbled. "Da…da…ba ba."

Elizabeth's hand froze. "Lily?" Did she just say Dada?

The little girl stared happily at Elizabeth and said again, "Da da ba ba."

"Oh, no," she groaned. "You would decide now to say dada…do you know what your dada's will do to me when they find out you didn't wait for them?" Elizabeth chided. Of course, she didn't mean it. For all she knew, it could just be more elaborate baby babble…but it did sound very clear and very purposeful, and Lily was nearing seven months. She'd have to check, because goodness knows, she'd had enough to deal with let alone tracking the exact age of the baby, but Elizabeth did know she was over six months.

"Doctor Weir, unknown gate activation!" the tech called, just as her mind had processed the noise of the gate engaging.

"IDC?" she asked, climbing to her feet, trying not to show how sore sitting had made her legs. There was something to be said for youth and sitting Indian style.

"Coming in now…" the gate tech called, staring at his screen. "It's Ronon, Ma'am!"

"Lower the shield!" she ordered, knowing even as she did so it was a redundant order. She'd have the head of any tech that didn't lower it when a legitimate IDC came through.

She glanced down, and it took a second for it to dawn on her. The baby! "Lily?" she shouted, panicked. "Where'd she go?"

The tech's eyes widened and he stood, looking around. "The gate!"

Elizabeth felt herself grow cold as she started running down the stairs. Lily was crawling clumsily towards the gate. At that moment, Ronon came through, bloody and covered in dust, dragging an unconscious Dodd.

He stopped, and stared at Lily, his face registering surprise. Ronon eased Dodd to the floor. He heard Elizabeth shouting for a med team, and then she was next to him.

"She must've climbed down the stairs when I wasn't looking!" Elizabeth said, her voice shaking. "She could've broken her neck!" After taking a steadying breath, she asked, "What happened? Dodd?"

But Lily was all bubbles and content, and smiled towards the gate. "Da…da."

Ronon's face grew troubled as he lifted the baby, trying not to get her dirty. "We're working on it, kid," he said. She smiled more, and latched on to one of his braids. He tried unsuccessfully to pull her hand free. "Dodd's going to live. I think I blocked most of the blast with my body."

"Did you find anything?" Elizabeth asked, startled by his last sentence. She was recovering from Lily's escapade, and mentally noting that the little girl would not be allowed in the gateroom again, unless someone could give her constant attention. And now Ronon was talking about blasts, and blocking bodies, when all she'd sent him on was a simple recon mission.

He held Lily out for her to take, and winced as the baby persistently held on to his hair. Elizabeth smiled despite the gravity of the situation, amused over his predicament, but she helped ease the baby's fist open, and settled Lily against her hip.

Slipping the box out of his duster, he held it out to her. "They were definitely there, looks like they were darted with something before they were moved to another location. Got those, too. Anyway, Dodd pulled this from some computer before it set off a self-destruct."

The medical team rushed in, and swarmed on Dodd, before Beckett looked at Ronon. "Bloody hell, what've you done now? You've only been out of my care a short while and already you're eager to be back."

"Relax, Doc. I was only knocked out for a little while…" Ronon frowned in concentration. "I think."

Elizabeth took the box, and the bag containing the darts. "I'll have Zelenka look at this, and Carson," she held the bag out.

Beckett grimaced, took the bag, and started tugging on Ronon's arm. "Come on, you bloody ox, I know it hurts more than you're letting on."

Ronon looked at the doctor grumpily. "Ox?" but he let himself be led away.

Sighing, Elizabeth tapped her head set, and tried to keep Lily from playing with the metal box. "Doctor Zelenka, come to the control room, please. I've got something for you to look at." She tapped it off, and started up the steps, trying not to think again how easily the baby could've been seriously hurt on her way down those same steps.

Lily had probably scooted backwards on her belly, like they'd seen her do the few times she'd been around small steps, one or two, usually leading from one room to a lower room. But this wasn't a small step, and Elizabeth never would've forgiven herself if it had ended any differently.

"Dadadadada," babbled the baby.

Elizabeth wearily nodded. "Dada," she repeated for Lily. Maybe it was a good time to hand over the babysitting to Teyla…

OoO

When Sheppard woke, he felt sick. And not queasy sick, but sick as in fever, and tired to the bone, sick. He became aware of things in small packets of information. First, he was in their cell, and he had a vague memory of attacking the guards, or the bars…Rodney?

Moaning from the effort, he pushed himself up, and glanced around. His eyes quickly locked onto the other cot, and the still figure in it. Rodney!

"McKay," he hissed, stumbling to his feet. The figure didn't move.

Closing his eyes against the vertigo, he paused, and then forced his feet to take him forward. He meant to drop somewhat controlled to the floor, but John actually fell to his knees. Biting his lip against the pain in his kneecaps, he looked at McKay. Christ. Rodney's face was swollen, bruised, and dried flecks of blood trailed from his nose to his chin. He was a disaster, and John could only imagine what hidden hurts were there.

Frowning, he lifted a trembling hand to the physicist's hair, and felt over and around, searching for any large knots. He found a couple, and then moved down to feel Rodney's chest for broken ribs, and then his arms for broken bones. When he was doing that, he found the needle site in the crook of his elbow. "Oh, damn," he whispered softly.

So much for trying to keep their attention on him, and get them to leave Rodney alone. Sighing, John struggled back to his feet and over to the pail where the water was kept. The real kicker was that the Genii had running water. They just didn't warrant that luxury.

He dragged the pail towards the bed, trying to ignore the spillage of precious water. Ripping some of the cloth from his shirt, John dipped it into the pail, and started wiping Rodney's face clean. "Sure didn't improve your looks, any," he joked to himself, needing to hear something, even if it was only his own voice. And deep inside, he tried to not feel what seeing Rodney like this did to him. He'd hoped it wouldn't get to this.

"If I said things looked bad…" John bit back a strangled chuckle, because that was probably the understatement of the year. He eased Rodney's shirt up and hissed involuntarily as the deep bruises revealed just how 'worked over' McKay had gotten. Needing to find humor, because if he didn't laugh, god knows, he'd probably cry, he joked, "Good thing I didn't love you for your body."

John's memories were mostly intact at this point, and he knew that he did love Rodney. Just as he also knew he'd never admitted it before, and if it weren't for the circumstances, and the fact that McKay was unconscious, he probably wouldn't have admitted it now. Something like that…it just didn't come easy.

But, above all else, he felt a need to talk to Rodney. To make himself believe that McKay was still alive, and that he'd be okay…they'd be okay. Right now, that was kind of hard, because he hadn't felt this bad in a long time, and judging from the condition of McKay's body, Rodney wasn't any better. It was a kindness that he was unconscious.

Try as he might, John didn't see a way out of this. And he didn't want to spend the rest of their lives, however long or short that might be, living like this. Rescue. It was their only hope, but how long could they hold on to that hope?

When he was finished wiping Rodney's wounds, John dropped onto his butt, his back against McKay's cot. "I know I'm usually the optimist, Rodney, but I'm not sure I can be this time. It's looking pretty grim, and maybe I should've told you before how I felt, but there never was a good time." It was easier, saying all those things that you could never get the courage up to say at any other time, when the one that needed to hear it, wasn't aware of what you were saying.

John stretched his legs straight, trying to ignore the ache. His entire body ached, and he knew it was from the fever. He closed his eyes, and tried to ignore the hollowness in his gut. "Come to think of it, I don't suppose there ever would be a good time to admit you've fallen in love with your best friend. You know. Aside from the whole 'being gay' thing," he continued to talk out loud. It was kind of freeing, almost felt like a weight was being lifted. Hell, the rate things were going, it wasn't like the world wouldn't find out. He didn't know how much longer he was going to be able to hold on against whatever they were doing to him. If he even was still holding on. He sighed, "Anyway, maybe it's not so much gay, as just finding the right person in you. Jesus, how pitiful is that. The right person is a guy that thinks he's smarter than 99.9 percent of the general population."

"If you're going for general population, try 100 percent," croaked McKay.

Sheppard's eyes shot open, and he jerked around to find Rodney staring up at the ceiling. "How -"

"Long enough to know I'm not gonna get my ass kicked too bad for faking the marriage thing," Rodney's mouth twisted into a sardonic smile. He coughed, and then choked on stuff deep in his chest, forcing John to quickly help him sit up. He scooped a cup of water, and held it to McKay's lips.

Rodney sipped gratefully, and pulled back, waving Sheppard off. "Good…that's good."

"I'm still gonna kick your ass," John threatened good-naturedly. "I've made sure to set aside an appointment for when we get back." Surprisingly, he didn't feel embarrassed, or angry, or anything, except a small seed of pleasure. Which was just really weird considering their situation.

John was so damn tired, though, and he let the cup fall to the ground, before dropping next to Rodney on the cot. Did he mention how screwed they were?

Rodney let his head rest against the metal wall. "What are we going to do?" he asked, and all the teasing was gone, leaving only the stark realization of their situation.

"I don't know," admitted John quietly. "Hang on. It's all we can do." And if they did get rescued, he and Rodney were going to have a very long talk.

The end…of part 15