A/N Thank you once again for the reviews, please keep them coming. I know this story may seem quite slow in developing at the moment but I promise that in the next few chapters things will start to move pretty quickly. Honest!

Chapter 6

Breaking Point

Laying in his usual spot, waiting for his food, he focused on the old tray he had pushed back out into the corridor. The copper coloured bodies of tiny bugs flittered across its surface; the arrival of the guard caused them to open their wings and drift away. A new tray was pushed through and he shoved it back, slopping the stew over the guard's shiny boots, and was rewarded with a curse from the guard. It was barely a murmur under his breath but, to John, it felt like a tiny victory. He'd tried waiting them out but he was beginning to doubt his own sanity and had decided to renew his efforts to get a reaction from the guard.

The guard sighed and pushed the tray back through; again he rejected it, hoping that this time the man would speak to him but, once again, the tray was nudged back through. Infuriated, Sheppard got to his feet and kicked the tray. The bowl rolled off so he kicked that too, the metal rim bruising his bare feet, but that only served to feed his anger; he kept kicking out at the door, then he punched it, screaming at the top of his lungs until his throat felt raw. Taking a step backward, he flung himself shoulder first at the door; he punched and tore at it, repeatedly hurling himself at it. His knuckles were raw and bloody and could feel the dull throb of bruises developing across his skin but he still didn't stop, he couldn't stop.

"Bastard!" He could sense that the guard was still there. "Do something, say something, ANYTHING!" He continued to attack the door, the pain comforting, because at least he could feel something other than the dull emptiness that was consuming him. "C'mon you son of a bitch, talk to me!" He punctuated each word with a kick or punch. Footsteps echoed away from him. "NO!" Panicking, he got down on the floor and looked out into the corridor. "No! Don't leave me. Bastards! BASTARDS!" Suddenly a pair of boots appeared outside the door followed by a second pair slightly behind them, causing him to jump back from the door, scuttling across the floor and pushing himself up against the wall.

"Can we not just kill him?"

A sigh. "If it were up to me we would have been rid of him long before now but we must follow orders." It was the same voice that had told him what had happened to Elizabeth and his team; the same calm, storyteller tones. Stunned into silence, he got to his feet and stood facing the door, his back pressed against the wall, breathing heavily, a sick feeling rising in his stomach, equal parts excitement and dread.

ooOoo

Twenty minutes after Ettiene Lepreux had come through the gate, Elizabeth stood in the infirmary waiting while Carson gave orders to a nurse once he had finished he came over to join her.

"How is he, Carson?"

"In shock, I've given him a sedative. Poor man's been through hell." He looked back to the man now dozing gently on the bed. "He's only been here a couple of months, never been in a hostile situation before." Colonel Caldwell entered the infirmary and walked over to join them.

"We've just brought the MALP back. It's reading no life signs in the immediate vicinity now and the video feed shows at least two bodies in the area surrounding the gate." Elizabeth closed her eyes and let out a long shuddering sigh. In her mind she pictured the faces of the six young men and women who had stepped through the gate just a day before on a routine mission. "With your permission, I'd like to send a team in to retrieve them."

"Yes, of course, Colonel. Just be careful, straight in straight out. They stay close to the gate. I'm not losing anyone else today. I know they want to bring everyone home but if the bodies aren't in the immediate vicinity of the gate, they are not to go looking for them. Not until we know it's safe."

"Don't worry, I'm not going to let them take any risks." He turned to Carson, nodding in the direction of the French scientist. "How is he?"

"He's in severe shock. I'm afraid you won't be able to talk to him again until the morning at the earliest." The soldier turned to Elizabeth.

"Did you manage to get anything out of him at all?"

"A little. He was pretty incoherent but I think I've managed to piece it together. They were ambushed on the outskirts of the village. From what he said, they were vastly outnumbered. Lt. Ripley tried to get the scientists back to the gate but…" She trailed off.

"And we don't think this was the locals?"

"No. We've been trading with them since we first came here, we've always had a good relationship with them."

"Aye, I've been there myself on several occasions, Colonel and they're a peaceful people."

"Not to mention the fact that they don't have weaponry anywhere near this advanced." As the words left her lips Elizabeth realised she had heard them spoken only a day before. Elizabeth sighed inwardly; she had been so caught up in what had happened and dealing with Dr Lepreux that she had not made the possible connection between this attack and the one on McKay's team. The Colonel voiced her fear.

"That's two teams attacked by an unknown military force in the space of two days, it's too much of a coincidence for my liking."

"What about Edison's team?" The two leaders looked sharply at the doctor and he continued, nervously. "Well, as far as I'm aware, we haven't discovered who the people who attacked Edison's team last week were. At the time we just assumed they were unfriendly locals. But Sergeant Granger was shot in the leg and not many races we've come across are well enough advanced to have developed guns."

"Damn it." Caldwell snorted. "Do you still have the bullet you took out of Granger?"

"Yes, of course."

"A shot came through the gate just before Doctor Lepreux." The Colonel nodded toward the man in the bed. "We'll compare the two see if we're looking at he same kind of weapons."

"Good idea. In the mean time, how many teams do we have off world?" Elizabeth asked

"Four."

"Recall them as soon as possible, and suspend all non-essential gate activity until we get a better idea of what the hell is going on. I'd rather err on the side of caution." She turned back to the Scotsman. "Carson, let us know as soon as we can speak to Dr Lepreux in the morning."

"Will do." He nodded and returned to his work. Elizabeth turned and began to walk back to her office and Caldwell fell into step beside her.

"If all these attacks are related, then they are acts of war."

"I'm all too aware of that, Colonel."

ooOoo

The door swung back with a screech; the light was brighter than he had expected and he screwed his eyes up as he looked at the two silhouetted figures in the doorway. One of them stepped forward into the cell; his companion shot a look of caution toward him but he ignored it, confident that he was in no danger. John had to admit that there was no way he could take on this guy in his current state, he was perhaps a little shorter than him but athletic in build, his light brown hair was cropped short. In this light, his eyes looked almost black and they betrayed no emotion besides a small amount of annoyance. Turning his head slightly to one side, he examined the damage Sheppard had done to himself during his assault on the door.

"Who are you?"

"You may call me Iestyn."

He looked at the uniforms the two men were wearing. "You're not Genii?" A curious look passed over the man who called himself Iestyn's face.

"No. Why would you think we were?"

"Let's just say they don't like me very much. So, who are you?"

"Our name would mean nothing to you if I told you."

Sheppard tried to remember what had happened. "We were with the Guennec…"

"We are not the Guennec, and I will answer no more of your questions." His tone was dismissive and irritable. "Do not worry, Colonel you shall not be left to such solitude again, your little tantrum is a timely one." As he took a step closer he wrinkled his nose in distaste "My men will take you to wash. That's for my benefit, not yours. If I am forced to spend time in your company, I'd rather you didn't smell like a dead rodent." The commander gave him one last disdainful look before walking away. When the guard, who had since been joined by another, entered the cell, John held out his hands defensively but ultimately in vain; he was in no fit state to fight. One of the guards grabbed his arm, twisting it around and forcing him face first into the wall. His hands were bound and he was hauled backwards toward the door, wincing at the light.

ooOoo

The tests on the bullets had proved conclusive; they were looking at the same people who had shot Granger. Suddenly a group of unfriendly natives had become something altogether more sinister. Three attacks on off world parties, one of them resulting in the loss of six lives. Even friendly worlds were no longer safe for them, not that there was anywhere that could truly be described as safe in the Pegasus Galaxy

Two of the teams off world had returned unharmed, a third was due to make contact in half an hour, the fourth an hour after that. Time seemed to be passing so slowly; sitting at her desk she used her pen to push the chain of her Grandfather's watch into patterns. She kept telling herself that the fact that they had heard nothing from either of them before the scheduled time was a good omen, that the old adage was right, no news was good news. Yet a hundred other scenarios had played through her mind. As Elizabeth sat alone in her office, she closed her eyes and was surprised to find herself offering up a silent prayer.

ooOoo

He woke up abruptly, gasping for breath, his muscles jerking with uncontrollable spasms; he was lying once again on the floor of his cell. They had taken him to a shower block, the high-pressure, icy water and caustic soap leaving his skin feeling raw. He'd examined the bruises on his body and watched as the water, coloured rust with blood and dirt, pooled in the gutter at his feet. Then they had returned him to his cell, still damp and shivering, newly shaved and his hair cropped close to his head. Looking around he could see the guard he had spoken to, Iestyn, standing over him, a weapon like the one the young boy had used to capture him hung in his hand. As his stomach tightened and he retched, Sheppard rolled over, gulping back air.

"It hurts, does it not? It has many different settings, it is a useful tool." His body continued to shudder. "You are lucky you have not eaten recently, prisoners have been known to choke upon their own vomit. It would be unfortunate if that should happen to you, we have much to talk about." Iestyn crossed the floor and peered down at him. "I have no real wish to hurt you more, though I will not hesitate to do so if you insist on being uncooperative. So, let us have an agreeable conversation, you and I. Tell me about Atlantis."

"Screw…you!" He had to force the words out.

"I do not know what that means, but I can guess." With a sigh the commander pulled the trigger again and another spasm of pain pierced through John's body; he screamed out until his throat felt like it would bleed. "Your intentions are honourable, but futile." Iestyn squatted down on the floor next to him, resting his hands on his knees, looking completely relaxed. He continued, speaking like a teacher to a child, "The longer you continue this stubbornness, the more you will suffer; if you will only help us then I can make your final days more comfortable. All you are doing is delaying the inevitable."

Struggling to control his own body, he didn't notice the priest enter the cell at first until Iestyn stood, his relaxed bearing immediately replaced by restrained hostility. "Patriarch Braen, I am surprised to see you here. I thought that I had been entrusted with this prisoner."

"I have little faith in your methods, Iestyn. So far they have proved fruitless."

"So have yours." The room fell silent, the only noise Sheppard's breathing and quiet whimpering as he fought for control of his own body.

"If you ever speak to me with such insolence again, you will gain first hand knowledge of just how effective my methods can be, Commander." The words were spoken quietly but with menace.

Twisting onto his side, he could see the newcomer watching him but he also noticed, behind him, Iestyn's jaw clench and his fingers twitch against the trigger of the weapon; there was clearly no love lost between these two. The Priest loomed over Sheppard and he got his first look at the man. The face matched the voice. He was stocky, his hair peppered grey and pudgy features sat in a ruddy face. As the man's booted foot connected with his stomach, John let out a cry and rolled over on to his back. The man kicked again, and he curled as tightly as he could into a ball, holding his hands over his head.

"What is your identification code?" It was the voice of someone who was used to being obeyed. Sheppard's body still twitched from the last hit from the weapon, each movement sending new pain through his body. Hands clasped hold of him, rolling him on to his back, pulling his arms away from their protective stance, and a second pair of hands, one of them scarred along the palm, pinned his shoulders to the floor while the priest placed a knee in his chest, restricting his already laboured breathing. Grabbing Sheppard's neck, the Patriarch" forced his head back and looked him in his eyes. "Tell us!"

"Won't do…you any…good." He coughed the words out and the weight on his chest increased as the man leaned in closer.

"TELL ME!"

"Been gone…too…long" And it was the truth; no way would Caldwell accept his IDC after all this time, protocol meant returning to the alpha site, where verification of who he was could be radioed through by the marines on duty there. Elizabeth would have opened the shield, she wouldn't risk killing him, wouldn't risk killing anyone, she wasn't built that way, but Caldwell was a military man through and through and would do the right thing, make the hard choices.

"He is telling the truth," Iestyn spoke up. "Consider it, in a similar situation we would do the same. They will not lower the shield for him, we will have to work on one of the others." Others? There were others? His heart beat even faster in his chest until it felt as though it would explode and blood rushed to his head. The man looked down at him in disgust before slamming Sheppard's head back into the cold stone floor. He felt a warm rush of blood in his hair. "It would be better to just kill him now, he is of no use to us." Iestyn reasoned.

"No. You know that there is an agreement, our friends would not be pleased if we let him die too soon." The pain in his head was searing, and his vision blurred, dark shapes floating in front of his eyes, slowly he closed them and let relief wash over him as once again he drifted into nothingness.