Silent Sacrifice – Chapter 26
John and Kolya came out of the wormhole at the same speed they had entered, the momentum of the Genii's attack slamming John's back into the stone platform hard enough to fill his vision with dark spots. The colonel pulled loose from his attacker and rolled away, tumbling down stone steps into the grass. Pain exploded in his ribcage, stealing his breath away. John forced his eyes open as he pushed himself up on one elbow, panting for air and trying to find where Kolya went. Instead, he saw a 9mm on the ground approximately six feet in front of him.
John crawled forward a couple of feet before lunging for the gun. He was stopped a few inches short of his goal when Kolya's booted foot came down hard on his right hand. He grunted as Kolya ground his weight into the colonel's hand while bending over to pick up the gun.
"Looks like I'm back in control, Sheppard." Kolya backed up, relieving the pressure on John's hand. John lay gasping for a moment as the pain suddenly intensified, the opposite of what he had expected.
"Get up, Sheppard. We're getting out of here."
John managed to pull himself to a sitting position, cradling his injured hand next to his chest as he glared at Kolya. His head was spinning and his vision periodically grayed out, but he was trying not let Kolya know how weak he felt. "And what if I don't?"
Kolya quickly strode over to Sheppard and placed the gun next to his forehead. "Then you are of no use to me, and when you are of no use to me, you are dead."
John shifted his eyes up to meet Kolya's without moving his head. "Well, since you put it like that . . . "
Kolya backed away from Sheppard and smiled. "I thought you might see it my way." The smile slowly shifted into the grim expression of someone with little time or patience. "Now, get up or I'll shoot you where you sit."
John rolled over to his knees and pushed himself up with his left hand, keeping his right hand next to his body. He staggered for a moment, trying to get his balance while waiting for the dizziness to settle. His ribs were still screaming, but it was now a contest between them, his head, and his hand as to who was protesting the loudest.
Kolya moved in behind John and pushed him forward. "Walk. We've got to get away from the gate before your friends come."
John silently hoped they came soon, because he wasn't feeling very good about his present situation. Sometimes, being him really sucked. Actually, the last few weeks had sucked big time. How had he gone from stranded and starving on a barren planet to almost getting sent back to Earth to being Kolya's prisoner? Sometimes he wondered if someone was trying to tell him something . . . like maybe he had the worst luck ever and should just give up.
"How did you get into the gateroom?" John asked out of curiosity as much as to distract himself.
Kolya made a sound like a strangled laugh. "Far too easily, Colonel Sheppard. As I said, you have become weak. We simply set a trap for your men, although I had hoped it would be your team that we lured in. Once we overtook them, we simply sent their code to get Atlantis to lower the shield. Perhaps you should reconsider your security protocols, but I guess that will be left to your replacement."
"How did you even know Atlantis is still standing?"
Kolya smirked at that. "I may not be in good standing with the Genii people, but I still have connections that keep me informed. You would be surprised what I know. Stop talking and walk faster," said Kolya harshly, shoving him forward.
John stumbled and fell, automatically putting his hands out to catch himself. When his right hand slammed into the hard dirt, he literally saw stars. He was oblivious to everything but fiery pain radiating through his hand for several moments before Kolya nudged him firmly in the side with his boot.
"Sheppard, get up now or I'll shoot you."
The coldness of Kolya's voice let John knew the man meant what he said. John shook his head, trying to clear it as he fought to get to his knees. He felt something tickle his hand and picked it up off the ground, trying to dislodge whatever was crawling him. He definitely didn't have good luck with the bugs in this galaxy. Looking down, he saw what appeared to be a line of ants marching across the ground. They all carried little pieces of leaves, cut to a size that still looked impossible for them to lift. As Kolya encouraged him by smacking him roughly across the shoulder blades with the gun, John stood up, watching the alien ants take the leaves from the edge of the forest out into the dry, open area. They must have a nest out there somewhere.
"Get moving Sheppard. I'm not telling you again."
John began walking forward, thinking about the ants as he tried to remember the documentaries he'd seen about ants back on Earth. He remembered their strength and determination in carrying out what seemed to be impossible feats. He almost laughed as he thought about the times Rodney had badgered and cajoled him, telling him he had no brains, but enough stubbornness to bulldoze his way through just about anything. Carson had told him on numerous occasions that his defiant bullheadedness had probably been what saved him. He clenched his fist, the one on his good hand, and decided that he wasn't done with Kolya. He may have crappy luck, but as long as he buckled down and plowed through, he always seemed to land on his feet . . . well, eventually. Kolya may have the upper hand right now, but he'd watch for the opportunity to turn the tables. John Sheppard would not be giving up today.
oOo
"Dr. Weir, are you all right?"
Elizabeth turned to see Ronon and Teyla approaching her. Although she could hear the sound of a remnant scuffle or two, the battle was basically over, thanks to the soldiers from the Daedalus.
"I'm fine, I think. We need to get some people together to go after John."
Teyla and Ronon looked around the room. "Where is he?" asked Ronon.
"The gate was open and Kolya knocked him through. We need to get that gate address and get a rescue team going before Kolya kills him."
The two warriors exchanged a worried look and nodded. "We'll get a team rounded up and you get the gate address."
Elizabeth took one last look around the gate room. People were down everywhere, with soldiers standing guard over the Genii and releasing Atlantis personnel from their bonds. Dr. Beckett and his medical teams were making the rounds, treating some and sending others on to the infirmary. Thank goodness the Daedalus had been within range to help.
"I'm on it, Elizabeth," announced Rodney as he raced into the room and sat down at the console. By the time she reached him, he was smiling grimly. "I have it. Give me a minute to get my gear."
"Rodney," said Elizabeth. "Ronon and Teyla are putting a team together. You don't have to go . . . it's Kolya." She couldn't miss the fear in his eyes at the thought of facing Kolya again.
"You're wrong, I do have to go. He's got Sheppard . . . He brought me back, Elizabeth. Now I have to help bring him back."
"What about your back?"
"My back's fine. I can do this." He didn't wait for her answer, turning instead and heading out to get his gear.
Elizabeth turned and stood on the balcony above the gate room, watching the personnel work efficiently to get the room cleared and everyone where they needed to be. She wrapped her arms around her middle and shivered. "Just hang on, John. We're coming for you," she whispered.
oOo
Lorne led the way through the gate, followed by Ronon, Teyla, McKay, and a dozen soldiers. They immediately spotted the signs of a scuffle at the base of the stone steps. Ronon kneeled and examined the area, then moved a few feet off and kneeled again. "They went this way and Sheppard's in front, meaning Kolya is probably armed."
McKay frowned and looked at the tracks in the dirt. "How can you tell that?"
Ronon looked around at him, his face neutral. "I recognize Sheppard's shoe prints. Kolya's boots overlay Sheppard's prints, meaning Sheppard is in front, which he would not do unless he was being forced. Besides, if Sheppard was in control, they would have merely dialed the gate and come back to Atlantis."
"Oh . . . right." Rodney was trying not to look as impressed as he was. "I could have figured that out . . . eventually."
Lorne rolled his eyes and urged his men forward. "Look, we need to move. Kolya's not exactly stable and he's hell bent on killing the colonel. The minute he gets tired of him or thinks he doesn't need him, he'll shoot him. And the colonel took quite a beating, so he may not be moving as fast as Kolya wants him to."
They all nodded grimly and moved in the direction the footprints led. Ronon was limping slightly, but refused to let it slow him down. Lorne silently hoped bringing a still recovering McKay and Ronon had been the smart thing to do.
oOo
John tripped on the loose rocks and stumbled forward, barely regaining his balance before he fell again. They had finally reached a small plateau near the top of the hill they had been climbing. John's head was swimming and his legs felt like rubber. The panting from the exertion had caused the pain in his ribs to escalate until every breath was pure misery. He would have to do something soon or he was dead. He lowered himself onto the top of a large rock, sweat rolling down his face and back, sticking his shirt to his thin torso. He looked up to see Kolya staring at him and smiling, barely out of breath.
"You really have become weak. It's such a shame. I was so looking forward to the battle." He walked around John, sighing in disgust at the pale, thin form before him. "You aren't even a challenge any more, Sheppard. How the mighty have fallen."
John looked up at Kolya, who had stopped to stand directly in front of him. "On Earth we say that prides goes before a fall. I think you need a lesson on having too much pride." John shot his leg out and swept Kolya off his feet, sending the gun clattering away. Kolya immediately grabbed John's ankle and pulled him down to the ground. John yelped as they rolled and his injured hand was caught underneath Kolya.
John brought his good hand up and struck Kolya on the side of the head several times. As Kolya rolled away from him, John pulled his hand free and tried to ignore the spots dancing in his vision from the intense pain. He lunged at Kolya, not wanting the man to get away from him and in control of the gun again. They rolled over several times, punching and kicking in blind fury, each determined to come out on top. Kolya finally pushed John away, causing him to roll several feet down an incline to perch at the edge of the cliff. John clung to the rocks as he lay on his right side, knowing that if he rolled onto his back, he'd meet nothing but open air. He looked up the steep, rocky incline to see Kolya come over the top, laughing as his damp hair flopped over onto his forehead.
"Now you die, Sheppard. Right now."
John was desperately trying to figure out what to do when he shifted his left hand and clutched at the ground, closing his fist around some loose dirt. He took a deep breath and watched Kolya get closer, bending over and bringing the gun up to shoot him.
John threw the dirt directly into Kolya's face, blinding him immediately. As Kolya clawed at his face, he lost his footing, sending a shower of stones across Sheppard. Just as John ducked his head into his shoulder for protection, he saw Kolya go over the edge.
He had no idea how long he lay there, panting and trying to remain conscious. He knew if he relaxed too much, he'd roll over and join Kolya, something he had absolutely no desire to do. He finally decided he'd better get himself off the ledge before exhaustion pulled him under.
The climb up proved difficult. He only had one good hand, but he had to use the injured limb to anchor himself so he wouldn't fall, which was painful, at best. He tried not to notice the swelling and discoloration, signs that the hand might be broken. He really hated Kolya, even if the man was dead. He stopped to rest when he was near the top, trying to relax against the rocks in such a way as to catch his breath without flying off the side. His left hand was extended upward, hanging onto one of the few secure rocks, when he felt pressure around his wrist. He jerked, trying to pull away as he frantically looked up, expecting to somehow see Kolya.
"Hey, Colonel, looks like you could use a hand."
With his heart thumping in his chest so hard he was pretty sure the people above could hear it, he sighed with relief. "Major Lorne, fancy seeing you here."
Ronon popped up next to Lorne and reached out for his other wrist before Sheppard had time to react. He yelped when the former runner firmly grabbed his right hand and wrist, fighting his darkening vision and rising nausea. He faded out for a few minutes, and when his head cleared, he was lying on the flat area where he and Kolya had stopped.
"Atlantis?" he asked.
"Atlantis is safe," said Ronon as Teyla opened her canteen. Ronon lifted his head so he could drink a few sips. "Thanks," he murmured.
"What about Kolya," asked Rodney. Sheppard noticed him sitting on the same rock he sat on earlier.
"Over the side," said John, his voice getting stronger. He could see Lorne a few feet away, talking on his radio. John squirmed around, trying to sit up without using his right hand.
"What happened to your hand?" asked Teyla.
"Ouch, that hurts," said Rodney, seeing Sheppard's swollen hand for the first time.
"Kolya stepped on it. He's a lot heavier that he looks . . . er, looked."
Rodney frowned and tilted his head. "How did you take down Kolya with a mangled hand while hanging off the side of a cliff?"
John grinned proudly. "I threw dirt in his face. And to think, my mom used to tell me I was wasting my time watching all those westerns."
Rodney looked incredulous. "You mean that actually works?"
"And very nicely, I might add," said Sheppard.
"What's a western?" asked Teyla.
"We'll explain later. Right now, I'd really like to get back to Atlantis. I'm thinking a very hot shower, a large handful of Tylenol, and a soft bed sound pretty good." John accepted Ronon's arm as he pulled himself to his feet, wincing at the pain in his ribs. He pulled his right arm in close, offering protection for his hand as well as his side.
"I've got some men bringing a litter up, Colonel Sheppard," said Lorne as he walked back over to the team. "We'll be giving you a ride home."
John shook his head, but stopped when it stirred the headache and dizziness back up. "I don't want to ride . . . I can walk." He was aware of Ronon and Rodney flanking him as he stepped toward Lorne. He made it three faltering steps before his legs gave way and world tilted wildly to the left. He felt hands supporting him and lowering him to the ground.
"On second thought . . . maybe I will take that ride," he said softly, feeling like his muscles had turned to jello.
He heard Ronon's voice as his surroundings faded away. "Rest, Sheppard. We've got your back."
oOo
Elizabeth stood nervously in the gate room with Carson and a medical team, anxiously watching the event horizon.
"He'll be fine, Elizabeth. They said he didn't seem to be seriously injured," said Carson, trying to be comforting.
"Please, Carson, how many times has he not appeared to be seriously injured? I'll reserve judgment until I see him for myself."
The puddle shimmered and four marines came through carrying an unconscious Sheppard on a litter. They transferred the colonel to the waiting gurney where Carson spent a few seconds making sure he was still alive and breathing before heading for the infirmary.
Elizabeth stood with the rest of the team as they watched Sheppard be wheeled away. "What happened?" she asked. "Where's Kolya?"
"The colonel has apparently taken care of Kolya for good," said Rodney, smiling smugly. "As near as I can tell, he threw dirt in Kolya's face, causing him to fall off a cliff. It seems our colonel liked to watch westerns as a child. And here I thought he got his battle skills from the military."
Elizabeth felt a smile tugging at her mouth, in spite of the worry she felt. "I guess we can learn things from all kinds of different experiences."
"It would appear that Kolya has damaged the colonel's right hand. He will not be happy to be taken off duty again."
Rodney snapped his fingers. "That's right, this was his first day back on duty, wasn't it? That didn't last long." Rodney suddenly looked distressed, glancing around at Lorne. "Who got it?"
Lorne just sighed. "Zelenka . . . again."
"How does he do that?" Rodney shook his head.
Elizabeth narrowed her eyes and looked at Teyla. "Dare I ask what they are talking about?"
Teyla sighed loudly as if annoyed. "I believe they are referring to the pool on how long the colonel would be on duty before he ended up back in the infirmary."
Elizabeth looked amazed. "And someone actually bet it would be one day?"
"Well," said Rodney. "They were right, weren't they? I was way off, I said a week."
"Rodney!"
Rodney just shrugged his shoulders. "It's all in good fun. Sheppard had a bet on ten days, but I'm not sure what he was thinking."
Elizabeth closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. "I've come across the universe to another galaxy with a bunch of lunatics."
oOo
Elizabeth and Colonel Caldwell joined Sheppard's team in the waiting area of the infirmary. The Genii soldiers who hadn't been killed or seriously injured had been placed in the brig for now. The gate room had been cleared and all wounded personnel had been tended to. Several infirmary beds were occupied, but fortunately, most were not serious. Elizabeth had been briefing Caldwell on the events since his arrival and they had both been checking to be sure everyone was accounted for.
"Any word on John, yet?" asked Elizabeth as she came up along side of Teyla.
"Not yet," replied Rodney, pacing nervously across one side of the area. "I didn't think he was hurt that bad, but maybe I was wrong. Shouldn't Carson have him evaluated and settled by now if he's really okay? Oh, God, we should have gotten to him faster and – "
"Rodney, it'll be okay. You're going to give yourself a heart attack doing that." Elizabeth took Rodney by the arm and led him to a chair, pulling him into it as she sat in the adjacent one. "Now calm down before I get someone out here to sedate you."
Just as Rodney started to calm his breathing down, he shot up and rushed forward toward Carson. "He's okay, right? It would be so unfair if he wasn't after all this."
Carson smiled and nodded. "He's fine. He won't be happy, but he'll recover. He's re-injured two of his ribs, and just as they were healing nicely. He's also gotten himself a concussion, some cuts and bruises, and his right hand has is severely bruised. With the extent of the tissue damage, I'm not sure why it's not broken. There's no sign of internal bleeding or skull fracture, though, and he's coherent, so I believe he'll be fine."
"Does that mean he's awake, doctor?" asked Caldwell.
"Aye, he's awake, but he's quite exhausted. You can see him for a few minutes, but then he needs to rest. We'll be having to wake him every two hours, so he needs to sleep while he can."
"We won't stay long," promised Elizabeth.
As the group surged past, Carson regretted not limiting the number of visitors, even if it was for only a few minutes. But when he tried to figure out who he would have made stay behind, he decided maybe this was best. He'd just have to make sure they didn't stay long.
Sheppard blinked slowly several times to get his eyes open. He heard people moving up alongside his bed and he really wanted to wake up enough to talk to them, but it was difficult. Between the injuries, the exhaustion, and the pain medication, he felt sluggish and foggy.
"John?"
Elizabeth's face came into focus. "Hey. Made it back in one piece . . . more or less."
A crooked grin broke out slowly across Elizabeth's face. "Yes, you did. And I understand you even fought Kolya off using old movie tactics."
Caldwell frowned and looked around the room, trying to figure out if he was the only one who didn't know what she was talking about. He was strangely comforted by the fact that Ronon and Teyla looked just as confused as he felt.
John tried to move his tongue around to elicit some moisture in his mouth, but to no avail. "Rodney squealed?"
"Hey, I thought it was cool," Rodney defended. "I was bragging on your resourcefulness."
John snorted. "That'll be the day." He swallowed, willing his eyes to stay open. "How many casualties?"
"Only one dead on our end and several injured. You're actually the most seriously hurt and we have four others that have to stay in the infirmary. We got lucky this time."
John nodded almost imperceptibly, regretting the death of the young soldier. He had meant it when he said the marine was murdered.
John moved his head slightly until he located Caldwell. "Thanks . . . saved our asses today."
Caldwell stepped up a little closer to the bed. "I'm just glad we could help. That was a good plan, Colonel, for everyone but you it seems."
John smiled. "I'll heal . . . as long as Atlantis is safe and everyone's okay."
"It is and they are," replied Caldwell. "You're people did good, Sheppard. And Dr. Weir informs me that you will be staying in Atlantis for the foreseeable future."
John struggled to read the man's expression, but he was beginning to lose the battle to stay awake. "That's the plan . . . sir . . . with your . . . permission." He was vaguely aware that his words were beginning to slur together, but it didn't seem important. He just needed to know he was home for good. He knew his eyes had closed and sound was just beginning to fade when he thought he heard Caldwell one last time.
"I think you've earned it Sheppard. Get some rest."
"Yessssirrr."
TBC