Thanks for all the Reviews – they have been much appreciated. There are a couple of very minor spoilers for "Inferno" and "Allies" but they aren't very detailed. Enjoy!

oOoOo

Carson and Rodney's progress towards the Stargate was very slow and laboured. Carson had managed to find two long sticks that could be used as crutches. This helped them both, as Rodney could move on his own, and Carson didn't have to bear his weight, risking more damage to his ribs.

It was frustrating all the same. They wanted to get to the Stargate before any more disasters disguised as experiments were met upon them. But they both knew if they tried to move any faster, they could risk injuring themselves further.

"I need to rest," Rodney said, gasping for breath. His hands were sore now with gripping his makeshift crutches. And the rest of his body ached as he compensated for his broken leg.

"Okay," Carson said, gasping as well. Although he was finding it easier not having to support Rodney, each step was still agony. And his hands stung from the rope burns.

The two men slumped to the ground and rested for a moment.

"Carson," Rodney said, turning to his friend with an anxious look on his face. "We're going to die, aren't we?"

"What makes you think that?" Carson said soothingly.

"Just the small matter that whatever we do, these evil bastards seem to be determined to put another lethal obstacle in our way," Rodney replied.

"But they haven't got us yet, and we're not that far from the 'Gate," Carson said, trying to be reasonable.

"I just feel they have something else planned for us," Rodney said, looking round to see if he could see any advancing threat. "It must be something about this Galaxy," Rodney continued. "Since I've been here my life has been on the line 326 times."

Carson tried to hide his smile. Only Rodney would keep a tally. "And of those 326 times, have you died yet?" Carson asked gently.

"Of course not," Rodney said sharply. "Or I'd hardly be here would I?"

"Exactly," Carson said, keeping his tone level. "Because you're too bloody stubborn to kill off."

Suddenly Carson noticed something. "Rodney," he said, trying to keep his voice as even as possible. "I think you should move, and come towards me."

"What!" Rodney said, his voice rising in panic. He looked around him, but couldn't see what Carson was concerned about. Still, he trusted him enough to scoot over beside him.

"I think there might be a trap door, or something in the ground," Carson said, once Rodney was on a safe patch of ground. "It seemed to move slightly when you shifted your weight."

Rodney looked at Carson, fear showing in his eyes. "If I'd fallen down there, I could be dead as we speak."

"But you didn't fall, Rodney," Carson said, putting his hand on his friend's shoulder. "Now maybe we better get to the Stargate before they do anything else to us."

With that, the two weary doctors got to their feet and started to trudge towards the 'Gate. Now they knew what to look for, they were able to avoid the traps. The people who were setting the traps might be imaginative in some ways – they did after all create a man-eating goat – but they hadn't shown much imagination in setting the traps. They all had the same clump of bracken on them, and since there wasn't much of that around, they tended to show up rather easily.

"I've spotted more than you now," Rodney said, his usual competitive edge showing up.

"Aye, Rodney," Carson said wearily. He found he was getting more breathless now. With the pain in his ribs, he was struggling to take deep breaths and it made walking more of an effort.

"Oh, come on Carson," Rodney said. "I bet you never won any games as a child."

"But at least I was picked for the teams," Carson muttered under this breath.

Eventually, they made it to the 'Gate. Carson couldn't remember when the sight of that large circle had given him more pleasure. Rodney hobbled over to the DHD and started to tap in the address for Atlantis.

"That's strange," he said.

Carson who had been sitting on a rock just beside the DHD looked up.

"What's strange?" he asked.

"It's not responding," Rodney answered. "I'll try again."

He tried again, and still it didn't work.

"I suppose that's par for the course in this planet," Carson said. "Do you think that's why no-one from Atlantis has been back to get us?"

"Very possibly," Rodney said, as he manoeuvred himself into position so he could check the internal workings of the DHD. "They may have put some kind of inhibitor into the DHD so that it won't accept any addresses."

"Can you fix it? Carson asked.

"Of course I can," Rodney responded sharply. "Who do you think I am, Radek?"

Carson just shook his head. Sometimes he envied Rodney his confidence. Other times he pitied him. On this occasion, he was just hoped Rodney's confidence was justified.

After several minutes of tinkering around, Rodney suddenly let out an exclamation, and jumped back from the DHD holding his finger.

"What have you done, Rodney?" Carson asked. "Not another broken finger nail?"

"No, thank you very much for your concern," Rodney said. "I got an electric shock off the DHD."

"Is that possible?" Carson asked.

"Well, if it wasn't before, it certainly is now!" Rodney said. "The empirical evidence is here before you." He held up the offending finger, and on the end of it, was a pink patch of skin. "But I think I might just have managed to unlock the DHD."

"Why didn't you say that before?" Carson asked.

"Your concern for your fellow man is overwhelming," Rodney said sarcastically. "Here I am with a third degree burn, and all you care about is getting home."

Carson just looked at him. Then he noticed something behind Rodney, that hadn't been there before.

"What?" said Rodney, noticing Carson's eyes straying behind him.

"I think we have company, Rodney," Carson said, a look of fear in his eyes.

Rodney scrambled round, so he was facing the same way as Carson. He saw a tall, very thin man wearing a very elaborate robe.

"Welcome," he said. "I am the Observer. I have come to take you to meet the Lord Deviser."

"But we don't want to meet any Lord Deviser-or-what-ever-he's-called," Rodney said. "We just want to make our way home."

"I'm afraid that won't be possible," the Observer said.

With those words, the world around them vanished into a mist and they found themselves in a strange, dark room. In front of them was another man, very similar to the last, except his robes were even more elaborate and his hair was pure white.

"Welcome," he said. "I am the Lord Deviser."

Rodney and Carson exchanged worried glances. After all that had happened to them on this planet, they weren't sure what was going to happen next.

"You are the first people who have ever made it back to the Ring," the Lord Deviser.

"Oh, great," Rodney said, his sarcasm returning. "Do we get a prize?"

"Rodney," Carson admonished. "You must forgive my friend," he said to the Lord Deviser. "He can sometimes say inappropriate things when he is nervous."

"I say inappropriate things!" Rodney exclaimed. "You're the one who talked to the Wraith Queen about flashing!"

"Your prize is that you get to live," the Lord Deviser said.

"That sounds promising," Carson said.

"And you also get to contribute to our gene pool," the Lord Deviser continued. "We wish you to breed."

"To breed!" Rodney squawked, covering a certain part of his anatomy very quickly. Carson almost laughed. "Do you realise that my genes are very high quality, and they can't be mixed with just anyone. My DNA is superior stuff, I don't want it mixed with any inferior gene pool."

"Do not worry, Sir," the Lord Deviser said, a smile which didn't quite reach his eyes on his face. "There will be no diluting of your genes in our method of breeding."

With that, the Lord Deviser turned round to a table behind him. "However, before we can begin the breeding process, we must fix the parts of you that are damaged."

When he turned round, he had a device similar to a Goa'uld healing device in his hand. Rodney and Carson exchanged anxious glances.

"If his eyes start doing that strange glowy thing, I'm out of here," Rodney whispered to Carson.

"Aye," Carson replied. "And I'll be right behind you."

Smiling, and seemingly unaware of their remarks, the Lord Deviser ran the device over Rodney's leg. He felt a strange tingling sensation and then the pain was gone. He turned to Carson, with a look of amazement on his face.

The Lord Deviser turned to Carson, and ran the device over him, from head to toe. As it reached his ribs, Carson gasped as a brief pain stabbed his side. It was quickly followed by the ability to take deep breaths again. He turned to Rodney with a big smile on his face.

"Now, Sirs," the Lord Deviser said. "I must leave you for a while, to prepare for the breeding ceremony. I will then return and advise you of your role in this."

After he left, Rodney turned to Carson a perplexed look on his face.

"The breeding ceremony!" he said. "What the hell is that?"

"I don't know," Carson said, looking anxious. "But I get the feeling that it might not be as pleasurable as it is on Earth."