Title: When in Rome
Disclaimer: Not mine, never will be; this is all for fun
Summary: A routine meet and greet goes awry when Sheppard and McKay are captured by slavers. When sold to seperate owners, will they be able to reunite and escape?
Rating: PG-13
A/N: The rating is just to be safe. This is my first fic, so feedback is much appreciated. I don't have a beta, so all mistakes are mine. Constructive criticism is more than welcome, but no flames please...they burn.
CHAPTER 1
"Did I mention how easily I burn?"
Lt Colonel John Sheppard sighed in exasperation. Rodney had been complaining along these same lines for the past half hour and quite frankly it was beginning to grate on his nerves.
"Yes Rodney, several times now."
"Well, it's hardly my fault that my skin is so fair."
Rolling his eyes behind dark sunglasses, John continued his scan of the horizon, once again tuning out the astrophysicist as he went on to expand upon the dangers of long term exposure to UV radiation.
Sand, that's all John had seen since the moment they stepped through the gate. They'd come to this desert in hopes of finding the nomadic traders they were told lived here. But so far all they'd seem to have found was the Pegasus Galaxy's largest sandbox. Unfortunately, there appeared to be a large concentration of a magnetic mineral in the sand that interfered with the life sign detector, making their job that much more difficult. Finding tribes of roaming traders was not a part of his skill set. On the upside, there was an old road leading out from the temple the Stargate was in, which meant that someone had built an established settlement here somewhere.
From the second he had walked out into the pulsating heat, John had hated this place. It reminded him too much of Afghanistan, with the glaring sunlight, blowing sand, and oppressive heat. Needless to say he wanted to finish this little meet and greet as quickly as possible and get off this planet before there were any more reasons to be reminded of that particular hellhole.
As if in response to his black thoughts about the planet, no more than two hours from the gate Teyla had somehow managed to slip and sprain her ankle. He'd had Ronon take her back to the gate while he and McKay continued with the mission.
He was beginning to think that sending back Ronon and keeping McKay with him was a mistake. The man's incessant complaints about the weather were not conducive to helping his mood.
"Colonel, are you even listening to me?"
Sighing, he turned around to explain that, no, he wasn't listening to him; in fact he had stopped listening after the first half hour of complaints.
The words died in his mouth as he saw a figure rapidly emerging from the sand behind McKay a drawn crossbow in its hands.
"Get Down!"
Bringing his P-90 to bear on the figure he watched in horror as the Cross bowman fired on his friend. The warning had come too late; Rodney only had enough time to move so that the bolt ripped into his shoulder, and not the intended target of his heart.
Damn it!
He opened fire. Killing the man easily, he then attempted to rush forward to where McKay was sprawled in the sand, reaching for his radio at the same time. He hadn't moved more than an inch when he felt a sharp pain explode through his skull.
As the dark quickly settled over his eyes he could only think,
I knew I hated this planet.
