CHAPTER 8

McKay groaned as he rubbed his hand over his eyes. He had barely gotten any sleep last night, which he was used to. However, he wasn't used to the lack of coffee. Ah, coffee, sweet nectar of life. At that thought a crooked smile crossed his face. As of tomorrow morning, he intended to be enjoying a cup on a balcony on Atlantis.

However, his brief reverie was smashed with thoughts of doubt. He and Caius had spent all of last night working on the finishing touches of their plan, which he hated to admit but wasn't really that solid. After all, he only had two days to come up with something, not to mention that escape plans weren't exactly his specialty. Collapsing back on the bed, he looked up at the stark white ceiling. Doubt assailed him as he mentally recapped everything he thought could go wrong.

After following that rather dreary train of thought for a while, Rodney dragged himself off the bed. He steeled his thoughts, as he slowly got dressed. He couldn't panic, not today. When he was safely back in Atlantis he could rant and rave all he wanted. But for now, it was time to get to work.

He still had some minor adjustments to make on what he hoped would act as a remote control for the collars. If they weren't able to get those off, their escape attempt would be just that, and attempt.

Going to get some breakfast, Rodney stumbled out into the hallways. And had his mind been less occupied, Rodney would never have found himself in the situation that followed.

"Slave!"

At the high-pitched shriek Rodney cringed, which was not the right response. It was only a small jolt, but the surprise of the small shock made him yelp.

"Pay attention." Agrippena stood looking down her nose at him, her finger wavering over the control button for his collar.

Rodney bit down every rude sarcastic retort, and seething glare, instead turning his eyes towards the floor and muttering a barely controlled, "Yes, ma'am?"

"There will be a social event this evening at the estate and I want you there to attend Caius. However, your mouth is something I don't wish to make an appearance. Is this understood?"

Her arrogant and patronizing tone made Rodney's teeth grind. He inwardly fumed at the woman's superior attitude. Frankly, he was surprised that was all she had to say. Agrippena usually regarded him with complete indifference, when she wasn't causing him bodily harm that is. So, Rodney gave a curt nod and a "Yes," before quickly turning to go.

It turned out that his assessment of the situation was premature.

"I don't trust you to hold to that, so you will be wearing a special collar that will also silence your tongue. Report to my husband immediately to get your current one changed."

A deep sense of dread filled Rodney. The collar release control he'd build had been designed with the collar both he and John had received when they were captured. There just wasn't enough time to study the new collar and see if the release was compatible with the makeshift control. Not to mention his apprehension at the prospect of loosing his voice. Still, it wasn't as if he had a lot of choices, or any choices at all.

One thought entered his mind as he walked towards Garai's office.

We're dead men
John languidly leaned against a wall, waiting as they loaded up his armor and weapons. He couldn't help but allow a small smile to touch the corner of his lips as he thought of leaving this place behind forever.

His eyes slowly followed Isis as she walked out from the healer complex, slipping a small package into the folds of her robe. McKay had given her a list of chemicals, that when combined would create a gas to knockout any sort of opposition they might encounter during the escape.

Speaking of his guards, apparently they were done loading equipment and looking for him now. He slowly shoved off the wall and began moving towards the cart, until he was intercepted by Marcus that is.

The broad-shouldered man stood frowning in front of John.

"What's up boss?" John asked jovially, a slight grin on his face.

Marcus' frown deepened, making John's grin wider.

"I have invested a great deal of money in you and your training. I don't know what you're up to, but I will not have any of your antics tonight. If you win for the assembly, your standing, and along with it your value, will increase considerably. I won't have you jeopardize that," Marcus lectured firmly.

"Of course sir," John agreed with another grin. Inside however, he wasn't smiling; a nervous feeling had taken up residence in his gut. Maybe you should have kept a better reign on his emotions.

Marcus looked at John skeptically before giving a sharp nod of his head towards the cart and a curt, "Get in."

Giving the man a sloppy salute, John practically bounced into the waiting cart.

The ride to the senator's estate took less time than John thought it would. Before he knew it he'd been bustled out of a courtyard and into a plain white room with one window and a mattress. He unceremoniously flopped down on the mattress and watched his equipment being placed in the room opposite his.

Now all he had to do was wait for the sun to go down and the party to start.


Staring at the large stone city-gates, Elizabeth felt a sense of awe. It felt as if she was truly traveling back in time to one of the great ancient cities on Earth. She vaguely wondered if this was how the first expedition that went through the gate had felt when they laid eyes on Abydos.

The trip through the city seemed to take no time at all. As they pulled into the estate, she glanced at the team surrounding her. Teyla and Ronon appeared relaxed, but Elizabeth could sense the underlying tension and eagerness there. Major Lorne, as well as Sergeants Stackhouse and Penhall all had guarded expressions and it was easy to tell they were all in a state of heightened alertness. Elizabeth silently wished that she could have brought more people, but this had to be pulled off quickly and quietly and the more people, the more chances that something could go wrong.

Their transport rolled steadily into the courtyard, where several other dignitaries were arriving. The soldiers were silently mapping and analyzing the layout and security. Seeing the large slaves guarding the entrances and exits gave Elizabeth pause, but a reassuring smile from Major Lorne helped to assuage some of her nerves. Politics could be very "cloak-and-dagger" but it usually didn't involve having your life on the line.

A butler of sorts greeted them, leading them down an enormous hallway to an inner courtyard and dinning hall. Elizabeth could have gasped at the extravagance displayed there. Huge gold-inlaid pillars separated the frescoed dining hall from what looked to be a lush garden. Swallowing her admiration for the architecture she stepped forward to where their escort was announcing them as "The 'Lantian ambassador and her escorts."

Plastering on her best smile Elizabeth ventured into the room. It was time to prove her worth as one of the best diplomats in two galaxies.


"We should wait until the feast has been going on for a while."

Rodney frowned at Caius before scratching out a retort on a piece of slate. The two were in Caius' room, arguing about exactly what course of action to take. Granted, Caius was doing all of the talking, but Rodney was making sure he was heard anyway.

Caius sighed in resignation as he read the comment, "Yes, I know we'll be cutting it close, but the longer we wait, the less chance there will be of someone interfering. They'll all be too drunk to care."

Throwing up his hands in concession, Rodney spun around on his chair to make a small adjustment to a device that had been left on the table. His movements were a bit more aggressive than normal, and Caius could feel the anxiety and anger radiating from the man.

Rodney barely acknowledged Caius as the boy left to go "make an appearance" at the gathering downstairs. In the now silent room, Rodney reached a shaking hand up to touch the heavy collar encircling his neck. Suddenly he picked up a hammer, hurling it at the wall. He wanted to scream, rant and rave so badly, but every attempt to speak caused him physical pain. Talking was the only outlet Rodney had to panic and nerves, and these bastards had taken that option away from him. Logically he knew it was only temporary, but his emotions currently weren't listening to logic and as a result they were spiraling quickly out of control.

Snatching the collar control device out from its hiding place, Rodney resisted the urge to use it now on himself and shoved into a makeshift pocket. Rodney stalked out of the room, and by the time he had reached the dining hall he'd managed to regain some semblance of composure. He slipped quietly through the slave entrance into the loud, crowded and very drunk room. He felt another small wave of panic as he thought of trying to find Caius or Isis in this mess. Pushing down is instinct to flee the room he ventured into the mass of humanity.

Fortunately he didn't have to go far before he caught sight of Isis, who was surrounded by several men. Despite her occupied state she caught his gaze almost immediately and nodded almost imperceptibly towards Rodney.

Keeping to the wall, Rodney moved back towards the door, relieved that he had managed to avoid any confrontations so far. However, just as he was leaving he thought he saw someone familiar out of the corner of his eye. Moving quickly he exited the room, anyone familiar in this crowd was unlikely to be friendly. Not to mention that the timing of their escape was critical, and there was no time to lollygag.

Lollygag? What kind of word is lollygag? Rodney grimaced as he walked towards the slave quarters. He must be cracking; his inner voice sounded far too much like Sheppard.


Elizabeth almost choked on her drink when she saw Rodney McKay slip out of the room. Quickly, she shot a subtle glance over towards Ronon and Lorne, who were nearest that entrance. It was easy to see that Ronon was chomping at the bit to go after his missing teammate, but at a slight shake of her head and a restraining grip by Lorne he settled down slightly. Still, she didn't know how much longer he would hold.

Carefully she diverted her full attention back to her conversation with the senator.

The man was dangerous, of that much she was sure. While almost everyone around them was quickly falling into a drunken orgy, the senator was behaving as if the continuous cups of wine he was consuming were just water.

She turned her gaze on the slighter figure standing next to the senator. "Caius, I hear you have a tutor from a different planet."

The boy shifted nervously, as his father looked down imposingly at him. "Yes, that's right. We're the only family with such a privilege. My father has the connections to get anything."

"Which is precisely why this trade agreement will be so prosperous. Wouldn't you agree Doctor Weir?" Garai's appearance suddenly became much more amicable as he turned towards Elizabeth. But before she could give the appropriate placating response, another voice interrupted.

"Pardon me Senator, but may I request a word."

Elizabeth was surprised to see that the voice belonged to a young girl, a slave if that really was a slave collar around her neck. She was even more shocked to see the way the senator responded; there wasn't a trace of displeasure in the man's figure.

"I thought perhaps the guests might wish to see the performance before they are too…out of sorts." The girl spoke with the utmost respect, but Elizabeth could hear the subtle tones that hinted of manipulation.

Strangely Garai didn't dismiss the slave out of hand, instead agreeing with her. "Certainly, perhaps you could go make sure the gladiators are ready."

The girl responded with a simple bow, turning to go.

"I'll go too father." The nervous tones of Garai's son broke through the older man's pleasant demeanor, and the senator turned a frown on the boy, merely gesturing after the slave girl.

Elizabeth watched as the boy practically ran out of the room, but a good amount of tension seemed to leave his face before he got there.

"I hope you are looking forward to the performance tonight Doctor Weir. The two gladiators I have procured are considered to be the best in the city at the moment." Though the comment was meant to be light and conversational, Elizabeth noted the way the senator's gaze seemed to shift towards the exit his son had left through.

Something was definitely wrong, and all Elizabeth could do was hope it didn't have something to do with Sheppard and McKay. But when were those two not at the center of trouble.

Taking a long sip of her wine, Elizabeth responded nonchalantly, "Yes, tonight's performance should certainly be interesting."


The two thumps from the doorway jolted John awake from where he was dozing on the mattress. Swiftly and quietly he crossed the five-foot span to the door. Peeking his head around the frame he was greeted to the sight of his two guards slumped on the floor and Isis making a small bottle and rag disappear into her robes.

"It's about time!" John stated, stepping fully into the hallway. "The sun's been down for a while now in case you didn't notice."

"I noticed. We need to keep moving." Isis turned to face him a worried look covering her face.

"Right just let me get my equipment."

He crossed the hallway to the room where his fighting equipment had been placed. He figured that there wouldn't be another opportunity to get any other weapons, so he figured the time he'd need to suit up was worth it. As he finished strapping his swords across his back he turned to Isis, who was nervously watching the hallway, and asked a question that'd been bugging him since he first saw Isis standing over the two large men in the hallway.

"How'd you take care of my 'escort' anyway?"

"Hmm? They're men." She sent him a slightly quizzical look before turning back to scrutinizing the way out.

Fully geared up he moved to join her. "And where's McKay and that kid? It's time to go."

At that moment the two other members of their party came barreling around the corner, causing John to involuntarily reach for his swords.

Relaxing slightly, John could feel an internal weight being lifted as he saw McKay's face. Inside, John hadn't really believed that McKay was okay, but seeing him here looking irritated as hell, John couldn't help the smile that was forming on his face.

"Well McKay, what do you say we hightail it out of here?"

John felt the feeling of unease returning as Rodney didn't say a word, but merely gestured as if to say, "Well, lead on then."

The boy, Caius if John remembered correctly, spoke up before John could ask any questions.

"My mother had a specialty collar placed on him. He is unable to speak, and any attempt to use his vocal cords will cause extreme pain."

John felt bile rising in his throat as he stared at his friend and teammate, who was stubbornly refusing to meet his eyes.

Caius continued, "However, that is currently unimportant."

"Unimportant!" John hissed finally giving the boy his full attention, along with a heavy glare.

However, Caius merely straightened his shoulders and met John's glare with one of his own, "Yes, unimportant. What is important is that we get out of this house as soon as possible. I believe my father suspects something. It won't be long before he sends someone to find where I have gone. So, if we want to be caught we can stay here talking, or…" He ended with a gesture very similar to what McKay had used only moments before.

"Lead the way then," John said, his eyes glancing over to McKay's tense form. John could tell the man was bursting at the seams to say something, anything probably. Giving Rodney a quick pat on the shoulders, John turned and followed Caius as he moved towards the escape tunnels.


Rodney should have known things were going too smoothly when they reached the tunnel entrance without incident. The pitying looks he was getting from Shepard were bad enough, but the eerie quiet that followed them through the house was far more grating. So when he heard the familiar voice of Senator Garai behind them he wasn't too surprised.

"I thought I told you to never disobey me again slave. And accompanied by two more slaves and my own son…I don't think that I can let you live this time."

Rodney sent the pompous, bulbous, loathsome Senator the most withering gaze he could muster. Even as he watched the man pull out the control device to the collars, his glare didn't let up. He only stopped when the pain started.

It was unlike anything he'd experienced before. The fire seemed to shoot straight through his every nerve ending, and as he tried to scream, he thought he could feel his throat being ripped to shreds. Rapidly all rational thought was gone, and all that was left was the pain. Soon, there wasn't even that.


A/N: I'd like to start off with a big apology, as well as some groveling, for how long it's taken me to get this chapter up. That being said, I promise that I will finish this fic, its just taking longer than I'd like. Blame the CSM Physics Dept. They seem to think that there are an infinite number of hours in the day. However, summer is coming up, and hopefully the end of this story...we are approaching the finish line believe it or not.

So, groveling out of the way, I hope everyone enjoyed this installment. I know I'm evil, leaving our favorite physicist on the edge, but I just couldn't resist the whumpage. Reviews will make him feel ever so much better I'm sure ;)

Let me know what you think, and hugs for all reviewers: past, present, and possible future.