Author's Note: Sorry for the delay; I would have had this up earlier, but the website was being stupid. Also, a quick clarification: when Sheppard said that he "loved those two shows", he was referring to CSI and CSI: Miami, not CSI and Gilligan's Island. The Atlantis mission was launched before CSI: New York had made its debut, so that's why I said two shows and not three. And for everyone who wanted it, enjoy teh Shep whumpage. :D
Chapter Six - "R-e-s-c-u-e, Rescue Aid Society"
"Sometimes life gets you, but we go on. Sometimes life gets you; we're still going on. We're not done yet, not going quietly into the night. Not me and my friends. We're not done yet. Don't take it too seriously, it's just life, we'll win in the end." - Superchick, "Not Done Yet"
"They were shot with what?" Elizabeth asked as Carson tried to explain what had happened to Michael and Johnson.
"Some kind ofdart. That's the only thing that could have made the marks in the back of their necks," Carson explained, gently tilting Michael's head to the side so that the three tiny scars near the base of his neck could be seen. "And judging by the fact that they are both still unconscious, it was a very powerful sedative."
"Are they going to be okay?" Elizabeth asked not caring that Carson saw the concern and fear on her face.
"Once they wake up, they should be fine," the Scottish physician answered gently. "But not knowing what kind of drug was used, I can't make any promises."
"And when will they wake up?" she asked, looking at the two men who were resting peacefully.
"I cannae say for sure," he replied, shrugging his shoulders. "Sometime soon, let's hope."
Elizabeth nodded slowly, never taking her eyes off the men. "Let's hope."
It didn't take long for Major Lorne to locate the other Atlanteans. When informed of the situation, Lord Stefan had seen to it that his visitors had been given room and board at the inn at no charge. Lorne quickly explained the plan to the explorers and told them what had happened. When he got to the part about Johnson and Michael, Summer began fighting back tears. First her best friend, now her fiancé. In true military fashion, however, she pulled herself together, focusing on the mission at hand. "My men and I will search the southern and eastern part of the radius," Lorne said to Rodney, who was assuming command of Teyla and Ronon in Sheppard's absence.
"And we'll take, uh, north and west." Rodney nodded anxiously, grabbing his gun. "Got it. No problem. Not like they were kidnapped by huge, hulking men with, y'know, equally sizeable weap--"
"Radio us if you find anything," Lorne interrupted as he and his men stepped outside.
"Will do." When Rodney saw Summer gearing up, he asked, "Are you sure you want to come?"
"What do you mean?" Summer asked apprehensively.
"I just really don't think it's a good idea," Rodney answered, sliding a life signs detector into his vest pocket.
"She's my best friend!" Summer cried, annoyed at Rodney's attempt to control her. "And you're a man short without Colonel Sheppard, anyways."
Realizing that she had a valid point, Rodney backed down. "Alright. But are you prepared for the reality that they might both be dead, Captain?"
Summer nodded somberly and grabbed her P-90 from the table.
"You seriously think that Marshala is going to fall for the sick prisoner routine?" Sheppard asked, doubtful of their plan.
"If you've got a better idea, I'm all ears," Evie responded, rolling over onto her side.
"Can you make it look real?" Sheppard asked, worried about the credibility of Evie's act.
"What, you want tears?" she asked.
"You can do that?"
"If I think of something sad enough."
"Go for it," he told her, impressed.
Evie thought for a moment, then said, "I've got it. We don't make it out of here and McKay inherits my computer."
Sheppard rolled his eyes. "Let's hope this works," he muttered, leaning back against the wall. Evie clutched her stomach and began groaning loudly. When Sheppard saw the tears forming, he began yelling, trying to get Kenno's attention.
After a few seconds, Kenno threw open the door, storming inside. "What the hell is going on?" he asked, annoyed by all the racket. "What happened?" he asked Sheppard when he saw Evie.
"I don't know. She just started moaning and grabbed her side." Sheppard could feel his adrenaline already starting to pump as he ran their planned actions over in his mind.
When Kenno saw the tears trickling down Evie's cheeks, he bent over her, trying to ascertain what was wrong with his prisoner. Suddenly, Evie's knees shot up, connecting hard with the man's groin. When he doubled over, Sheppard kicked the back of Kenno's knees, successfully knocking him to the floor. Retrieving her sock from her pocket, Evie shoved it into her captor's mouth before he had time for anything more than several pained groans; she knew it was still only a matter of time before Namos came rushing in, and so she began searching quickly for Kenno's pistol. "C'mon, c'mon. Where is it?" she muttered to herself.
"Hurry!" Sheppard whispered, glancing towards the door.
"I can't find it!" she cried softly, frantically digging through the man's pockets.
Suddenly, Sheppard felt the cold metal of a gun barrel pressed against the back of his neck. "Looking for this?" Namos asked, grinning smugly. Evie glanced up at Namos, her hands still in Kenno's jacket, the expression on her face similar to that of a deer caught in the headlights. Namos smacked Sheppard's head with the butt of the gun, the metal connecting with the Colonel's skull with a loud crack. The blow knocked John to the floor, and he groaned as intense feelings of pain and dizziness began battling inside his head.
Keeping his gun trained on Evie, Namos asked his superior, "So, what are we going to do with these two would-be heroes?"
Kenno, who had just extracted the sock from his throat, slowly stood to his feet, wincing slightly. "Kill them," he answered simply. When Namos aimed his gun at Sheppard, Kenno immediately waved him off. "No, you idiot! We're not going to kill them quickly!"
"Oh," Namos whispered, then he nodded. He uncocked his weapon, but kept it trained on the Colonel's head.
"Are you certain this is right?" Teyla asked, surveying the rows of empty buildings with obvious skepticism.
Summer nodded. "Major Lorne said Dr. Zelenka calculated the signal radius, saying it came from somewhere within this area. We already searched the forest, and this abandoned settlement is right at the edge of the one-mile radius."
"We'll check the closest buildings first," Rodney said, pulling his life signs detector from his vest. The device began beeping frantically, then the screen pixilated and the apparatus shut down completely. "Oh, no…" Rodney began smacking the gadget. "No, no, no, no, no!" He walked over to Summer and unceremoniously yanked her device from her vest. It met the same fate as his. "I don't understand," he said, staring at the two dead life signs detectors in his hands. "He must be jamming them somehow. We're gonna have to search blind."
"Then let us not waste any time," Teyla said, drawing her weapon. The other three did the same as they quickly approached the nearest structure. Standing to the side of the door, weapon ready to fire, Teyla tried the doorknob. Locked. "It was worth a try," Rodney commented. "Ronon?" he commented, stepping aside with a mock-gracious sweep of his hand. Ronon nodded and forced the door open with one swift kick. The four of them rushed inside, eyes quickly searching for the two hostages. To their dismay, the building appeared to be deserted.
Several cries of "clear" later, they met up at the front of the building. With a frustrated sigh and a growing fear lurking in his eyes, Rodney said, "Let's try the next one, then."
As they strode quickly over to the next structure, something on the ground caught Summer's eye. "Hold up, guys," she said, bending down to examine the shiny object that had grabbed her attention. Picking up the small metal object, she brushed off the dirt. It was a high school ring. She held it up to the sunlight, trying to read the name that was etched on the inside of the band. Evangeline M Brooks. "This is Evie's ring!" she exclaimed.
"Then they've got to be around here somewhere," Ronon said, cocking his weapon and heading quickly for the door of the next house.
"Knife." Namos pulled the knife from its sheath at his waist and handed it to Kenno. Looking over at Evie, Kenno ordered, "Make sure that the Princess doesn't interfere." Namos nodded and changed the aim of his weapon from Sheppard to Evie. "In case you haven't noticed, Colonel," he said, pointing the knife at him, "I seem to have a bit of a sadistic streak." He walked slowly around behind his prisoner. "I'm so going to enjoy watching you die." In one swift motion, he slashed Sheppard's shoulder with the knife. John steeled himself and managed to keep his reaction down to just a grimace.
Unsatisfied, Kenno cut him again, deeper than before. This time, Sheppard grunted in pain. Kenno grinned viciously and then placed the knife blade under the Colonel's throat, pressing the tip into the other man's flesh just enough to puncture the skin. Sheppard winced as he felt the blood slowly trickle down his neck. Kenno dragged the blade across Sheppard's throat, not deep enough to do any damage, but with enough pressure to graze the skin. Tears threatening to spill, Evie tried to crawl towards Sheppard, but was quickly stopped by a wave from Namos's gun.
"This is the third building we've tried," Ronon commented in frustration as he surveyed the dark, empty tavern.
"The…facilities are all clear," Teyla said, exiting the restrooms in disgust. When the town had been abandoned, the citizens had obviously left in a hurry, not bothering to clean anything up; there was even some rotting food on the counters in the kitchen of the establishment.
"You know, Zelenka probably miscalculated. I should go back and run the numbers myself," Rodney commented for the thousandth time.
"For the last time, Dr. McKay, no," Summer answered curtly. "Seriously, when was the last time Zelenka miscalculated? But surely their captors were smart enough to radio us from a distance away from wherever they were holding Brooks and Sheppard. If that's the case, they could be in any of these buildings. Or even in another area entirely."
Rodney groaned. "Great."
"We can not give up on them," Teyla said, walking towards the entrance of the pub. "We must keep searching." Spurred on by Teyla's undaunted perseverance, the other three quickly followed her to the next building.
As Namos watched Kenno continue to torment the Colonel with his knife, his radio suddenly started beeping. He answered the call quickly, never taking his weapon off Evie. "This is Varkin… Great… No, thank you, Dr. Weir." He ended the conversation with a grin. "Deal's closed."
Kenno smiled. "See? Your world loves their precious Colonel Sheppard enough to pay a king's ransom just to have you back. Well, I'm sorry, but they are going to be sorely disappointed." He gave Sheppard a final nick on his cheek before trading weapons with Namos.
"Any last wishes?" Kenno asked, aiming his weapon at Sheppard.
"Yeah," Sheppard answered defiantly. "Actually, I do have one." He looked over at Evie, who was watching him worriedly, her lower lip trembling. He slowly managed to scoot over to her. Then he enveloped all her senses in a passionate kiss. Evie whimpered softly as his tongue gently parted her lips. She raised her hands, lifting the chain over his head, and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling his bruised body closer to hers.
Kenno rolled his eyes as he watched his hostages embrace. "Alright. Come on," he growled impatiently. Evie and John paid no attention to him, however. "That's enough, dammit!" Angrily, he fired his pistol, shooting a bullet into the Colonel's arm. Sheppard let out a loud groan of pain and fell against Evie, agonizing pain searing through his entire arm.
"John!" Evie managed to lower him somewhat gently to the ground. She bit her tongue to keep from shouting curses at Kenno. She pressed her hands against the wound, trying to stop the bleeding, and Sheppard jerked violently with an anguished cry. "Sorry," she whispered as she angrily blinked back the tears that threatened to blur her vision.
"Oh, stop your whimpering," Kenno sneered. With a well-placed kick, he sent Evie sprawling onto the floor. "He won't be suffering too much longer." He grinned wickedly as he trained his gun on the Colonel. "What do you think, Namos? Should I put a couple more holes in him before I finish him off?"
"I think he should have to watch you blow away his lady friend first," Namos replied, leering at Evie.
"That's good, Namos." Kenno smiled devilishly, his eyes glinting. "You like that idea, Colonel?" he asked, kicking Sheppard's wounded arm. Sheppard clenched his teeth, but couldn't completely stifle his pained groan. He looked fretfully at Evie and saw the fear he felt reflected in her eyes.
Kenno turned to Evie and aimed the gun at her abdomen, deciding that a bullet to her head would be too quick a death.
Suddenly, there was a loud splintering sound as the door was kicked open. Rodney and Ronon burst into the room, followed quickly by Teyla and Summer, all four training their weapons on Kenno. "Drop your weapon!" Ronon commanded. Evie sighed shakily as relief flooded her fatigued body. Even though he realized he was horribly outnumbered, Kenno looked like he just might shoot Sheppard anyway. "You shoot, I shoot," Ronon warned.
Glaring vengefully at the Colonel, Kenno reluctantly dropped his gun, the weapon landing on the floor with an echoing clatter.
Spotting the knife in Namos's hand, Teyla aimed her gun at his head. "You, as well," she ordered. Being more of a coward than Kenno, Namos quickly released his blade. Teyla quickly grabbed both weapons, securing them at her hip.
"Ronon," Rodney said, never taking his eyes off the two kidnappers, "will you escort these two gentlemen outside? And be nice."
Ronon nodded and holstered his weapon. Grabbing each man by the back of his collar, he dragged them roughly out of the building.
As soon as the criminals were out of the room, Rodney, Teyla, and Summer lowered their weapons and rushed over to their battered and bruised companions. Evie was already by Sheppard's side, checking his wound worriedly. "We've got to get Carson in here now!" she urged, seeing how much blood Sheppard had already lost.
"Ronon," Rodney spoke into his mic. "Get Beckett sent here, stat. And radio Lorne that we found them. Summer, we need the keys for these cuffs." Summer ran quickly outside and appeared only half a minute later with the keys in her hand. She quickly set to work unlocking the restraints around Evie's hands and feet as Teyla gave Sheppard a small amount of water from her canteen.
As soon as Evie was free of her bonds, she moved behind Sheppard and gently lifted his head into her lap. His blood loss was substantial enough that he was beginning to lose consciousness. "John," Evie said softly, "Carson's on his way, but you gotta hold on, alright?" She gently stroked the side of his face as Summer began removing the Colonel's chains. Sheppard was fighting to keep his eyes open. "We're safe now, John. Just stay with me. Stay with me…"