A/N: Okay….Time for Liz to show what she's made of.

Kolya laughed.

Rodney flinched and Elizabeth shrank back towards the wall. Kolya turned to look at her, and stated quite calmly. "Oh yes, by all means, Doctor Weir, feel free to leave. It's a 2-day walk to the gate, the villagers don't know you, and you told me yourself you do not have the gene necessary to fly your ships. But please, feel free to leave. I will track you and retrieve you as soon as I'm…finished with Doctor McKay. It would make this even more satisfying."

Elizabeth seemed to stop breathing for a moment, and then looked up to stare at Kolya. The look of almost…glee in his eyes sparked a fire in her stomach that quickly flared. How dare he? He is actually enjoying seeing our fear. Her eyes hardened as she stood up, lifting her chin.

She wiped her eyes to remove the last traces of tears and straightened her shoulders. When she spoke, it was with conviction. Her disgust at him for his actions and herself for cowering bled together and strengthened her resolve. "I will not run. Or hide. Or even leave. I will stop you. We will stop you." She looked at Rodney and nodded decisively, the fire in her eyes clearly visible.

Rodney didn't so much smile as smirk. The pain in his leg was intense, but his relief at seeing Elizabeth take control and make the smile slip off Kolya's face was enough to eclipse the pain. He turned to Elizabeth and grinned, putting more effort into it. Against his better judgment, but unable to keep his mouth shut, he muttered quietly to Kolya, "Ohhh…now you're in trouble. Usually, it's me."

Kolya roared in anger, spinning back to Rodney to deliver a stunning blow to the chest that left him gasping for breath. Rodney heard the crack, and felt the corresponding stinging pain. He knew at least one rib was severely cracked, if not broken.

Elizabeth winced. But she knew she was getting to Kolya and couldn't back down now. Saying a silent apology to Rodney, she advanced on Kolya. She was tired of cowering. Of simpering and being afraid. She did not intend to die today, but if she couldn't avoid it, it would not be while sobbing in a corner.

As she got a bit closer, she looked Kolya straight in the eye, holding his gaze as she said, "You didn't answer my question before. What did you do to the rest of my team?"

Elizabeth wasn't sure if it was surprise or a small measure of respect that entered his eyes. Amazingly, he answered her. "They are merely drugged. They will remain asleep for about six hours, and paralyzed for about six more. Enough time for me to dispatch the two of you, and get some rest before taking care of them. Don't worry, Doctor Weir, I'll have plenty of time for you. I am in no hurry."

He sneered but then stopped at the lack of response. In frustration, he turned and delivered another blow across Rodney's head, which caused Elizabeth to flinch and snap out a "NO!" as she surged closer.

Without a pause, he spun and backhanded her across the face, giving her a cut to match the one on the other side of her face. It sent her reeling backwards, but she caught her balance and stood back upright quickly. She glared, then calmly wiped at the blood running down her chin.

Kolya smiled coldly. "So…I have found your weakness. You care too much for this man. Every time I do anything to harm him, your anger grows. Perhaps you'd rather take his place?" He smoothly stepped back into command of the situation.

Or so he thought. Elizabeth glared, though inside she whispered another silent comment to Rodney, hoping he understood what she was about to say and do. She laughed. At Kolya's raised eyebrow, she explained. "He's merely a member of my team. A man under my command. Surely you understand the role of a leader. Protect those under your rule." She turned deliberately and stepped a couple steps away, mainly to not have to see Rodney's hurt expression, but to also lead Kolya out of range of Rodney.

She paused in her pacing, as if in sudden thought. "Oh, that's right. I forgot. You don't HAVE a team any longer, do you?" At the flair in his eyes, she knew she's hit a sore spot. She also knew she was on thin ice. The man was dangerous on a good day. But all she could think of was buying time and keeping him from Rodney.

Besides, it wasn't all a lie. Rodney was a member of her team. He just also happened to be one of, if not the best friend she had. But Kolya didn't need to know that, or it would be that much harder to protect Rodney. She risked a quick glance over Kolya's shoulder, catching Rodney's eye. The hurt was gone from his eyes. She sighed in quiet relief that he'd understood. She pressed on.

"And if it would protect a member of my team, then yes, I would take his place in an instant." At her firm declaration, Kolya looked her up and down slowly, then again. She forcefully controlled the shiver that tried to break free. The look in his eye was enough to terrify her, and she called up every bit of reserves she had to stand tall.

Kolya smiled. "Your attitude is unacceptable. Perhaps I'll leave him tied up for a while longer and show you how a woman is supposed to behave. If you have no formal fight training, your only use is to warm a man's bed and produce strong children. It is obvious you are not a fighter; this we have already established." He took another step towards her, and looked down at her with a nausea-inducing leer. "Tell me, Doctor Weir, how are you at warming a man's bed?"

"NO!" Rodney pulled painfully against his bonds. "Don't you dare lay a hand on her, you bastard!" The fury in his voice was unmistakable. But so was the terror. Elizabeth's face had gone white, and she swallowed hard, biting back the bile that rose in her throat in response to the implied threat.

Kolya laughed and reached a hand up to run down her bruised cheek. She slapped it away, but faster than a blink, he snatched her hand in the air, holding it away from him. "Now now, my dear Doctor. No hitting. This can be as friendly and pleasant, or as nasty and painful as you desire. Your choice will be evident by your response."

He looked over his shoulder at Rodney, whose eyes were open wide, his breathing erratic. "Do not worry, Doctor McKay. If you prefer, we can go outside so you don't have to watch. I have a feeling she will not go willingly, so you will at least get to hear her screams. You can spend the last hour of your life mulling over the fact that you failed to save her."

Rodney lunged forward again. "NO!"

Kolya laughed. "No? You prefer we remain here? Well, I didn't know you enjoyed that sort of thing, but I'll consider it a last request. Doctor Weir? If you'd be so…kind as to come a bit closer? I don't relish wasting my energy chasing you around and we've already established that you will not run away, as it will mean a more drawn out and painful end to Doctor McKay's life."

Elizabeth shuddered again. In her mind, rape was the ultimate humiliation a woman could bear, and the thought of Rodney having to watch was even worse. Even now, he looked on the verge of throwing up.

She turned her head to glare at Kolya. "Damn you. Why are you doing this? If you're going to kill me, then just do it! Enough of your stupid games! What are you hoping for? Do you want me to beg? Plead with you for my life? If that is what you want, then fine. I'm not that proud. I will ask you for my life. For my team's lives. But know this….I will NOT sit idly by and let you kill my team. Nor will I willingly come to you."

She raised an eyebrow at him and gave a small smile, the best she could muster. "Besides…from the look on his face, I have a feeling if you tried to force me, Rodney would find a way to chew through those ropes if he had to. Your life would be as forfeit as you claim ours our."

Kolya snarled at the look of utter hatred on Rodney's face, and then looked back at Elizabeth, seeing a look of determination that made him pause, before he smiled. "Well then…I better take care of him before I educate you, shouldn't I?"

He stepped toward Rodney again, drawing his knife from his pocket again. "So…tell me Doctor McKay. Will a nice slow, deep cut across your ankle shut you up as you slowly bleed to death, or should I just go for removing your heart directly?"

At Rodney's silence, he stepped further forward and in a swift, hard slice, cut through Rodney's shirt, laying the shirt and vest to the sides and leaving his chest bare. He turned to Elizabeth and spoke deliberately. "This is your fault, Doctor Weir. Remember that."

Rodney squirmed, trying to get away from the knife hovering over his chest and kicked out. Kolya trapped Rodney's leg between his own and slowly dragged the knife down the center of his chest. A thin line of blood began to well up and Rodney cried out, before biting his lip until he tasted blood to silence his own screams.

Elizabeth swallowed hard, and looked away. Kolya would kill Rodney if she didn't stop him. Of that, she was certain. She knew she had to do something. But could she do it? She paused for a moment, and then made up her mind. She didn't have a choice.

Kolya completed the cut and moved back up to begin a second deeper cut, when he froze at a familiar sound. A sharp click echoed through the room. He turned slowly from Rodney, bringing the knife down slowly at the sight before him.

Elizabeth stood about ten feet behind him, Rodney's gun cocked and held firmly in a two-handed grip, pointing it directly at the center of Kolya's chest.