A/N - Here we are again. To those of you who have been kind enough to leave reviews my thanks. I hope you enjoy this chapter.

Chapter 10

Geniuses Rush In

Rodney felt utterly miserable; the Genii uniform he now wore was scratchy and clearly designed for someone both taller and thinner than himself. The fabric pulled tight across his chest, restricting his breathing and making him feel claustrophobic. Sora and her little gang of rebels busied themselves in preparation around him, their expressions earnest. Much to Rodney's dismay, he'd discovered that only himself, Sora and one other Genii, a tall youth called Peran, would be going; they would rendezvous with a man they had on the inside once through the gate.

He settled himself into the pilot's seat, taking in deep breaths to calm himself. They hadn't been impressed with his piloting skills on the way here but what had they expected? Flying a jumper at the best of times required concentration but, when terrified, it took on a whole new level of complexity. The plan was to fly through the gate quickly and cloak as soon as they were out the other side; then it was a case of parking up somewhere discreet and slipping into the city. Of course the jumper would be spotted by the guards at the gate but they would be looking for Atlanteans not four Genii soldiers. That was the plan. Rodney thought the plan sucked.

Concentrating hard, he took off, manoeuvring the ship around and heading for the gate. He could feel the anxiety radiating off of his companions, something that only served to amplify his own apprehension. Sora sat beside him quietly, looking ahead. As the gate came into view she dialed the address. The event horizon shimmered into existence and they sailed through it into dawn light. Guards were stationed around the stargate and, before he could engage the cloak, they started firing off shots at the jumper. Once invisible, he made a sharp turn to the left, leaving the trajectory they had been observed following, trying to remember all the things Sheppard had taught him.

The planet was mountainous and the gate sat in the foothills of a snow topped mountain range. Sora pointed out a spot to land cradled inbetween rocks and trees. It was an awkward manoeuvre and he received some dirty looks from the two Genii as the ship rocked back and forth but, after a couple of abortive attempts, he managed to set the jumper down in one piece. There was a collective sigh of relief.

"Do you have a life signs scanner, Doctor?"

He pointed to a rucksack at the back of the jumper. "In there." Peran chucked the bag at him and he caught it clumsily. "Any life signs close by?"

He pulled out the handheld device and activated it. "In the woods, about a hundred yards away. One single lifeform big enough to be human."

Sora seemed to relax slightly. "That should be Narim. Come on."

They left the safe confines of the jumper and headed into the woods, Rodney looking back wistfully at the spot where the concealed ship sat. They had only been walking for a few moments when a dark, stocky Genii appeared in front of them. He greeted Sora and Peran with a relieved smile.

"We should move quickly. Your arrival has heightened security; they have called reinforcements in to guard the entrance but that could work to our advantage, with any luck we should be able to just walk into the city unquestioned."

"With any luck?" Rodney hissed as he threw his hands up in the air. "Fantastic! This plan just gets suckier by the minute." Sora grimaced at him and nodded to her men to keep moving. Another ten minutes walking took them within sight of a group of Irithian soldiers who gripped their weapons tightly, the crackle of radios serving to reinforce the tension in the air. They guarded what appeared to be a temple. At first glance the structure appeared to be Ancient but, as they drew closer, Rodney realised it was nothing but a crude copy of the Ancient architecture, embellished with statues of figures in epic poses on either side of the entrance.

True to his word, Narim lead them straight toward the soldiers at the temple; all McKay could do was follow. A couple of the Irithians turned sharply at their approach, drawing the attention of another guard who bore the unmistakable air of an officer; he stepped forward and greeted them.

"Narim, what were you doing in the woods?"

"We circled round from the gate looking for the Atlanteans, Sir. We found nothing. Have there been any further sightings?"

"No." The Irithian officer glanced nervously at the sky before returning his gaze to them, regarding Rodney, Sora and Peran. After a brief moment, during which the scientist held his breath, the officer seemed to lose interest. "Are you heading back to the gate?"

"No Sir, we have orders to join General Kolya inside." Once again the officer paused for a second before nodding to the guards at the entrance of the temple. The guards parted and their small group traipsed past into the temple. Inside more statues lined the walls, Greek style gods and heroes. At the back was an Altar and behind it a screen was pulled back revealing a most unlikely addition to the classical temple; a huge, rusted metal door. As they approached Narim pulled out a piece of paper and handed it over to one of the guards who inspected it and handed it back. The massive door was pulled back and they stepped inside. They passed through a second guard room on the inside; once out the other side Rodney stepped up beside Sora.

"Kolya?" Rodney hissed through gritted teeth. "Kolya's here?"

"Of course he is."

"But he'll recognise me."

"We have no intention of letting him see you."

"Well that's not very…" But Rodney's words dissolved in his mouth as he got his first proper look at the Irithian city.

Rodney was impressed. And it took a lot to impress a genius. The city was vast. They walked along a wide balcony overhanging a vast natural chasm; unlike the dank tunnels of the Genii, here were wide, well lit walkways. Looking over the balcony made him woozy with vertigo, but he found himself unable to look away, awestruck by the sheer scale of the city. On the other side of the chasm he could see what appeared to be a residential area, homes cut into the mountain, painted courtyards standing in for gardens; he could see a group of children playing with a ball. What he had expected was something akin to the Genii complex; dark, uninviting and basic. He hadn't expected this living, vibrant city.

If the Irithians and Genii had been allies centuries, millennia in the past then maybe the tales of this city, this engineering work of art, had been the basis for the underground world of the Genii. But the Genii complex was a shadow of this place. The more he looked, the more he felt as though he was looking at something out of fiction.

The four of them walked in silence through the city, Rodney having to stop himself from staring. This side of the city seemed to be almost entirely populated by military and again they were a little more alert than the average soldier on guard duty. No one was getting in or out of this city without permission, which wasn't a comforting thought.

"So what now?" he asked Sora.

"We head for the council chambers. Once there we will present the evidence of Kolya's duplicity to the high priests."

"That may be easier said than done." Narim spoke quietly. "The number of Kolya's men in the city has been doubled in the past day. Kolya and Braen are planning something; I think they intend to overthrow the council. There are as many Genii guarding the council as there are Irithian guards. It will be difficult for us to gain access. I suggest we avoid the direct route to the council chambers."

Narim led them through corridors into a part of the city that had a utilitarian air far removed from the grandeur Rodney had seen nearer the entrance. Once they reached a large open room which served as a meeting place for five different corridors he stopped. Directing Rodney and Peran to a small, half hidden alcove, he told them to wait while he and Sora went on ahead.

"We shall be back shortly. Watch in that direction." he pointed to where a wide walkway joined the room. "If you spot any trouble come after us." Both he and Sora were gone before Rodney could ask what exactly they thought constituted trouble.

ooOoo

Waking up was painful. The shadow over his left eye and the throbbing in his head suggested that the rifle butt had left him with one hell of a black eye. With his vision impaired, he sensed rather than saw the movement in the room; he knew who it was.

"I am sorry. Benedict is not a soldier; it was wrong to do what we did."

"Why McCormack?" His words came out slurred and almost inaudible but in the quiet cell the commander understood. "Why not me?"

"Kolya and Braen are enjoying your suffering too much." Iestyn looked at the floor. "But accidents happen, all it would take is for a beating to go too far and you could bleed to death in your cell. You would only have to say. I hope it never comes to that." John closed his eyes; he knew what Iestyn was offering and was appalled at himself for feeling such relief in knowing there would be an end.

"I'm so tired."

"I know. But we're not there yet." Iestyn scuffed his boot on the floor. "When you were taken it was just you. The others were left unharmed."

"They're still alive?" He breathed the words out, scared to believe them. Nothing made sense anymore. "Alive." He repeated the word as if it was strange to him. Anger flared in him and, rolling over, he looked up at Iestyn's impassive face. "You bastard!" John's voice was cold and steadier than it had been in sometime.

"It was my job to break you. I'm good at my job."

"You wanted me to trust you." John screwed his face up in disgust. "I did trust you." With effort he sat up and, using the wall, he got himself to his feet. It was difficult to look intimidating when you could barely stand but he drew himself up to his full height and took a step forward, anger filling his gut. Iestyn studied his face and smiled.

"I knew there was fire in you yet."

ooOoo

Rodney and Peran had only been standing there for a few minutes, but it had felt like an hour. Two guards had walked past and had cast suspicious glances their way; he'd nodded at them and attempted something like a smile though he suspected it looked more like a grimace. For a moment he thought they were going to question him but it seemed that, now he was this, far people just assumed they were supposed to be here. He wondered what was taking Sora and Narim so long; he had half expected to be in the middle of a run for your life type scenario by now instead of standing around twiddling his thumbs. Peran had not said a word in the time they had been here, his eyes had remained trained on the walkway and the room, watching every movement like a hawk. Rodney couldn't help feeling that the young Genii looked more suspect than even he did right now.

An abrupt voice close by him made him start. Out of the corner of his eye he could see a man, wearing the uniform Rodney now recognised as that of an Irithian officer, standing talking to a stocky fair-haired guard. The officer looked tired; he rubbed his forehead as if trying to ease a headache. Rodney could sympathise, he wasn't having a good day himself.

"Where is Benedict now?" McKay's head snapped up at the familiar name.

"He is being prepared. If we had taken him instead of Sheppard in the first place it would have saved us a great deal of trouble."

Sheppard. The name hit McKay like a gut punch, knocking the breath out of his lungs. He strained to hear the rest of the conversation over the pounding in his head.

"You are right. I would have done things this way from the start; the Patriarchs have let the Genii make all the decisions. You saw Kolya with him. It wasn't a military decision to take him, it was personal vengeance. But what is done is done. Take some food and water down to Sheppard; I doubt he will be able to eat it but take it anyway." Rodney hugged the wall but the commander stormed past.

Rodney couldn't believe his ears. His friend was alive; alive and somewhere close by. The second man, small and stocky, stepped down a corridor. Rodney looked at Peran then after the retreating figure of the guard. It only took him a moment's hesitation before he was heading after the short, stocky figure of the Irithian. Peran grabbed his arm.

"Where are you going?"

"To find my friend." He snapped round, fixing the Genii with a defiant glare, and Peran flinched backward in surprise. "Don't even try and stop me," he hissed. There was a look of uncertainty in the Genii's eyes and Rodney used that moment to shrug him off. "You concentrate on what you came here to do; maybe that way we might all stand a chance of getting out of here alive." Turning back to the retreating figure of the guard, he hurried after him.

The guard headed down a narrow corridor and then started descending down a long staircase. Things were decidedly dingier here, the walls slightly damp and the lighting duller; this was clearly an older part of the city and had been neglected for some years. He stopped as the guard entered a side room and returned carrying a plate and cup, before carrying on down another staircase. This was stupid; he knew that. He was alone in a hostile city with no way out if things went wrong but he wasn't going to leave Sheppard behind, not again. Besides, if there was one person who could help him get out of this ridiculous situation it was the Colonel. The two of them had a history of surviving the impossible, you could almost call it a talent.

Rodney followed the Irithian down another corridor and short flight of stairs, at the bottom of which the corridor turned off to the right. He peered around the corner as the guard approached a large steel door, nodding into a guard room off to one side. A second man stepped out and began unbolting the heavy door. McKay tiptoed slowly downward, trying to get as close as he could. Suddenly alarm bells rang out and he froze, panic spreading through his bones as the guards turned and looked right at him. There was a moment of eye contact and then they were barreling down the corridor toward him.

Rodney turned to run, but felt a hand grab his shoulder spinning him back around. Screwing up his face he prepared himself for the worst - instead he found a tray of food and a cup of water roughly shoved into his hands. His mouth fell open.

"Leave this to us Genii, you guard the prisoner." And, with that, the two Irithians ran up the stairs. Rodney stood there stunned, unable to believe his luck. He gave himself a mental kick for wasting precious time. Hurrying down the corridor, he peered in through the door to the guard room, the Irithian's stupidity confirmed when he found it empty. Standing the plate and cup down, he drew back the last bolt on the cell block door and, pulling it half way back, squeezed through. He was faced with eight doors, four on either side. He stepped nervously along the corridor, listening for any signs of life. Taking a deep calming breath, he called out softly.

"Sheppard?" Nothing. He risked raising his voice a little more. "Sheppard?" He walked a little further down the block. "Sheppard, you here?" Hearing movement in the cell next to him, he took a step closer. "Sheppard, is that you?"

A bloodied hand shot out through the slot in the bottom of the door, seizing hold of Rodney's ankle with an iron grip. Screaming, struggling to break free, he lost his balance and fell, landing heavily on his backside. Still he desperately tried to wriggle free but the hand stayed attached to his ankle. Panicking he drew up his other leg, aiming his boot at the hand, bracing himself to bring his foot down with as much force as possible.

That's when he noticed the black sweatband and at the last second he forced his leg wide and the heavy boot just glanced the side of the hand, knocking its grip loose but not enough for it to let go. He stopped struggling and stared at the arm sticking out from under the door, a smile spreading across his face; he only knew of one person in the Pegasus Galaxy who wore a wristband like that. "Sheppard?"

"You scream like a girl, McKay." The voice was hoarse, little more than a whisper and even more slurred than Sheppard's usual lazy drawl; if it wasn't for the insult he'd have doubted who it belonged to. The scientist found himself giggling uncontrollably with a mixture of adrenalin and relief. "Open the God damned door." He felt the grip slowly release.

"Yes, yes of course, the door, hang on." Scrambling to his feet, trying to compose himself, he took hold of the large bolt and braced himself to draw it across. He couldn't get it to budge so he turned around to push it from the other direction. He was now facing the entrance to the cell block and at the doorway stood four armed guards pointing their weapons straight at him. "Oh crap!" He raised his hands in surrender just as Kolya walked into view.

"Doctor McKay! How lovely to see you again."

ooOoo

John felt as if his heart stopped at the sound of Kolya's voice. Footsteps tramped down the corridor and he watched as booted feet surrounded McKay and dragged him away. Rolling over, he lay on his back and stared into the blackness of the cell. Numb. There was no other word for it. Now he just wanted a swift end to it all. He lay there for several minutes, the hollow feeling inside threatening to consume him, before the latches on his cell door were pulled back. The dull glow of the electric lighting fell across him as the door was opened and he looked up into Iestyn's face, the commander's expression one of tired resignation. Opening his hand, Iestyn showed him the syringe.

"Is it time?"

Iestyn nodded. "Yes."

"I'm ready."