A/N - A nice quick update this time. And as always thank you very much to those of you who took the time to leave feedback. Just a quick warning for violent imagery in this chapter. I hope you enjoy.

Chapter 9

Powerless

Sora had changed little since Elizabeth had last seen her. She had stayed on Atlantis until the truce with the Genii after the Wraith attack on the city and they had heard nothing from her since. Now they stood here in the dark, beside the cloaked jumper. Elizabeth glared her.

"We came here in good faith. I thought that our two peoples had finally put our differences behind us.

Sora didn't answer, she merely paced agitatedly. "Where is Colonel Sheppard?"

"What?" Elizabeth furrowed her brow in confusion. "What does the Colonel have to do with anything?"

"I had assumed you would be bringing him with you." Sora gritted her teeth and looked at Rodney. "Well, you'll have to do."

Rodney's voice raised a pitch in panic. "Do for what?"

"We need a jumper pilot."

"But…but I can't even fly in a straight line."

The Genii woman sneered at him. "Like I said, we were hoping for Colonel Sheppard."

One of the men grabbed Rodney's arm roughly and dragged him toward the ship. "Open it." He looked toward Elizabeth; as he did so Elizabeth felt a gun pushed against the back of her head and she could see the sudden bolt of fear in Rodney's eyes, not for himself but for her. Reluctantly, he did as he was told. Once the hatch had descended, he was pushed inside.

Sora walked closer to Elizabeth. "I have no argument with Atlantis and Doctor McKay will come to no harm by my hand. Now be quiet and listen, there's little time. The Genii are pulling themselves apart. Ladon's leadership has been found wanting and the people are looking for guidance elsewhere. Kolya has…"

"Wait, Kolya? We were told he was dead."

"Not dead, just in hiding. After the coup he began to gather people to his cause. There is a race called the Irith, they were part of the old alliance of worlds. But for centuries they have isolated themselves from the rest of the galaxy, few know of their existence at all. They are a devoutly religious people, worshipping the Ancients like gods. Kolya has filled their minds with lies and propaganda; he wants Atlantis, and now he has an army to help him."

"They're the ones who've been attacking our teams?"

"Yes. And right now they are holding two of your men hostage; part of our plan is to get them back for you." Three bodies hadn't been recovered from the attack on Ripley's team.

"Do you know who?"

"A soldier and a scientist. I'm sorry but that is all I know."

"Why are you doing this?"

"If there is one thing I learned from my time with you, it's that we need to stop fighting each other and work together to defeat the Wraith. I am tired of watching my people die senselessly. Our intention is to infiltrate the Irithian city; we have evidence that Kolya is plotting against them. We will secure the release of your men and send them and Doctor McKay back through the gate."

"With the jumper?" Elizabeth already knew the answer to her question.

Sora held her gaze. "Our scientists believe our own gene therapy is close to completion. What is one little space ship compared to all the wonders of Atlantis? Goodbye, Doctor Weir, and good luck." Sora turned and climbed into the back of the jumper, followed by three more of her men. The door closed and Elizabeth could do nothing but watch as the ship took off and headed toward the gate. Two men remained guarding her until the jumper was out of sight and then they too disappeared into the dark.

Elizabeth's lungs burnt as she ran back toward the town; she cursed her lack of fitness and swore she would put in some gym hours when she had the chance. She stumbled in the dark but, as she sped through the outskirts of the town, she could see three familiar figures in the faint light emanating from the houses, Ronon's unmistakable silhouette in the lead. She called out and he came running forward to meet her.

"Are you alright? Where's McKay?"

"I'm fine…but they've taken Rodney," she panted.

"Sora?"

"Yeah. We've got to get back to Atlantis but they've taken the jumper." She saw the muscles in Ronon's jaw working; a sound almost like a growl escaped him.

"I'm sorry, Doctor Weir. This is my fault. I shouldn't have abandoned you."

"You were set up, Ronon, but we can talk about that later; we have to get back to Atlantis as soon as we can." The thought of the long walk wasn't a pleasant one but she had no choice. Ronon offered an arm for support and she took it gladly and, with Teyla holding up a still weak Frischmann, they began their slow journey back to the gate.

ooOoo

This time he didn't resist when they came for him. He didn't want to risk further injury to his already broken fingers and fighting was futile anyway; he would just have to take what ever they dished out and hope he could shut out the pain. The whole of his hand was swollen and had turned an alarming shade of purple. As they bound his wrists behind his back, the pain made him retch but there was no food left in his stomach to bring up so he just choked back the acid rising in his throat. Iestyn wasn't with the guards, instead he found himself at the mercy of the priest Braen. Did that mean Iestyn had been discovered returning the device to the temple? Or was that all a ruse after all? More than anything he wanted to believe in the man, in what he had said. He knew he would never go home, that whatever course they were on he was powerless to stop it, but he felt an overwhelming need to have someone on his side, even if it couldn't change anything.

The drug felt different this time as it slid through his veins; it felt heavier, weighing his body down, making his tongue feel swollen. Braen watched him a satisfied look on his face as he sunk further into the depths of the drug; his mind slowing down, clouding until he felt like he was floating far away.

"Seeing as you will not tell us what we want to know, we must resort to other means; it is only fair that you should bear witness." Taking hold of Sheppard's jaw in his hand, his finger nails digging into the sides of his face, the priest looked him dead in the eye. "Soon each and every one of your people will be hunted down and executed and we shall see a new era in our galaxy."

Through swimming vision, he watched Braen's face. This was a man who thrived on power; torture and murder were just an added bonus, another way that he could play God. This man would have no problem in sacrificing the lives of others for his own ends. Sheppard thought of Caldwell; did he know what he was facing? Elizabeth would not have been equipped to deal with this, he could only hope that Caldwell would be able to make the difficult decisions that he would face in the days to come.

Thinking back, he remembered the sound of the Genii strike force thudding against the shield. He'd only spoken of it in his report to Elizabeth and during the debriefing back on Earth, relating the events of the attempted invasion in cold military terms. He'd never told anyone but he was still haunted by those dull thuds, each one a life, a soldier just following orders.

Slowly his eyes closed. Part of him wanted to fight for consciousness but the nothingness of sleep was tempting, he let himself fall into it, wrapped in darkness, only to be awakened by a sharp pain across his face. Snapping his eyes open, he saw Braen standing in front of him, his nostrils slightly flared in anger. He backhanded Sheppard around the face once more.

"You will want to stay awake for this." Turning, he walked out of the room. "Bring him!"

They pulled him from the cell and, one either side of him, hauled him down the corridor, his legs dragging along the floor behind him. It was as though his muscles had turned to water, he barely had the strength to lift his head. The room he was taken to was as bare as his cell but considerably bigger and brighter. He was forced to his knees. His head lolled back and he felt himself begin to fall to one side; a boot to his ribs felt more like a knife blade and he straightened up, willing himself to stay upright. Forcing his head up, he stared through blurred, floating vision as two other prisoners knelt in front of him. The effort it took him to concentrate on them left him exhausted. As he struggled to bring the two figures into focus he realised through the stupefying effect of the drug that they were familiar to him. He furrowed his brow, trying to make the connection; the name McCormack came to him and he felt his heart sink. They had said there were others.

It was as if the marine took a moment to register who he was; he guessed he looked a very different man to the one who had left Atlantis - how long ago? It felt like a lifetime. Shock flashed in McCormack's eyes but he recovered himself quickly.

"It's good to see you, Sir." One of the guards, the one with the scarred hand, booted the marine in the side.

"You were not given permission to speak."

Sheppard took in the room as best he could. Iestyn was still absent and that worried him. Braen stood watching the proceedings from the back wall, his expression almost one of delight; whatever was going to happen here, he was looking forward to it, the anticipation practically radiated off him. The other prisoner, the one who John's uncooperative brain couldn't find a name for, whimpered in distress; he was breathing deeply, trying not to give in to the shuddering sobs that overcame him every few seconds. John wanted to say something, to try to comfort them, but his throat was numb and his tongue felt swollen in his mouth. A hand touched the top of his head and tipped it back and he found himself looking up into a smiling face, another face he recognized. His mind provided a name for this one without hesitation; Kolya.

"Colonel, you really don't look like your old self. I almost feel sad seeing you look so pathetic, so weak and defenceless. Broken." Kolya savoured each word; he smiled at the Patriarch before turning his attention to the other two prisoners. "Now, which one of you is going to tell us what we want to know?"

McCormack was the one to speak. "Not going to happen."

"Are you sure about that?" The sergeant held his gaze defiantly.

"I had a feeling you would say that." Kolya nodded and Sheppard saw the Patriarch's fingers go to his ears as the gun was pulled from its holster. The report echoed in the small room making his head ring. Warm blood hit his face as the bullet impacted against the sergeant's head and McCormack's body slumped to the floor, a gaping hole in his skull. The nameless scientist threw up, the pool of vomit mixing with the blood on the floor. When the guard placed the pistol against the scientist's head, his retching and sobbing became almost unbearable to listen to.

"Please. Please." He begged them, his voice thick with tears, as Kolya crouched down beside him.

"I'm not enjoying this but I will do whatever is necessary. You've seen that. " He took the man's head in his hands and forced him to look at the corpse of the soldier, before moving him to focus on Sheppard. "He's been here for months, months of torture and pain. Look at him, just a shadow of his former self, his mind as broken as his body. Is this really how you want to spend the rest of your pitiful life?"

"No." His sobs quietened, his voice little more than a whisper. "I'll…I'll tell you."

"No." Sheppard surprised himself by speaking. "No." The word was heavily slurred, but he could see the doctor understood. The scientist looked torn; he didn't want to betray anyone, but he didn't want to die either. Sheppard tried to hold his gaze, tried to give him strength through the connection, but Kolya moved quickly, standing up and taking one of the guard's rifles, bringing the butt of it down on Sheppard's head. A hot needle of pain shot through his head but he clung on for a few seconds more, holding eye contact with the scientist. "No."