Atlantis

Ronon strode through the gate and bounded up the steps into the control room, not even stopping to acknowledge anyone.

Rodney and Teyla just stared at him as he consulted with one of the technicians. They knew he had only memorized half of the address so he was in a hurry to have the Atlantian personnel check against known addresses in the database.

Rodney though knew that that wasn't all that was going through the Satedans mind, he was sure there was guilt mixed in their as well. Nobody blamed Ronon for what had transpired back on the planet but he probably blamed himself for not following after Sheppard fast enough.

Teams had been put together to search all of the possible planets that Kolya had taken Sheppard and Weir to. In the control room Ronon frowned, knowing they were doing all that was possible but also knowing that it wasn't being done fast enough. Kolya's attack had been personal, very personal.

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John was dragged into a large room and pushed into a metal seat. His hands and feet were restrained and it became difficult for him to move anywhere. So far he hadn't seen Elizabeth but he was so sure she had been right behind him. This situation was beginning to frustrate the hell out of him, everything that had happened had been premeditated. If there was one thing he hated it was being out maneuvered. He would have felt a lot better about the situation if Elizabeth hadn't been involved at all.

John closed his eyes and thought about what he would do if anything ever happened to her. When Kolya tried to take over Atlantis, he had only known Elizabeth for just over six months. He admitted to himself that he went crazy when he thought she was dead, but in that situation he was free. In this one he wasn't.

He heard footsteps growing louder, approaching the room he was in. The door swung open and Elizabeth was pushed inside, followed closely by three guards and Kolya. His stomach balled up and he just wanted to let his anger out but he knew that was exactly what Kolya wanted.

Kolya was still somewhat of a mystery to him, he hadn't actually asked for anything yet but John knew he would get to that on his own time.

Two chains hung from the ceiling in the middle of the room and John watched as Elizabeth was slowly propelled towards them. Two guards lifted her arms up and he watched silently as she struggled against them. All he wanted to do was rip them apart for even daring to touch her but he held his tongue fearing reprisal, not against him but against Elizabeth. Having finally chained her arms up, John watched as she sort of hung from the ceiling with only her feet dragging.

Kolya moved into the room and stepped in front of Elizabeth, her eyes shone with her defiance and John knew that he would be lapping all of this up. He turned slowly to face John, moving to stand directly next to Elizabeth.

"Colonel, revenge is not all I want of you."

"Now why did I get the impression that it was?" John questioned.

"Revenge is foremost in my mind but the Genii need more from you!"

"What has Dr Weir got to do with this?" John asked trying to keep Elizabeth at a distance.

"I will use her to get to you!" Kolya leered.

"She's not as important to me as you think she is!" John bit out.

Elizabeth had been watching the interaction between the two men silently, taking every little detail in. As soon as John said that last sentence, she felt her heart begin to beat more rapidly. It hurt. She knew he didn't mean it that he was just saying it to throw off Kolya but what if he did mean it just a little. Elizabeth knew she had been pushing him away, trying to cut him off without any thought as to how he might feel about it.

"Do not try that with me Sheppard. If there is one thing in this galaxy that can bring you to your knees…it is her!" Kolya spat out will pointing to Elizabeth.

"What else do the Genii…uh require of me?" John questioned.

"Experiments! We need someone with the gene! Information about Atlantis's layout and security." Kolya answered back smoothly.

"Why me?"

"Apart from repaying you for our last few encounters, we have determined you to be the one most proficient at using the gene. If we are to perfect our own gene therapy we need your co-operation!"

"I…won't… help… you…" John gritted out, slowly punctuating each word so the message got home.

"Oh but you will, it's not just yourself you have to be worried about but Elizzzabeth also," Kolya purred her name.

John shivered at the way he said her name and felt like striking him down. Elizabeth who up until this point had remained silent spoke.

"No, John. Nothing." she ordered him.

Kolya moved in closer to Elizabeth until she could feel his breath on her face. She shuddered as his hand up to stroke her face; pulling her head away, she tried to escape only to have Kolya jerk it back.

"I don't wish to hurt her Colonel but unless you give me what I want…I won't be held accountable for my actions." Kolya gave the ultimatum with no regret.

John thought for a moment about giving him what he wanted but knew that they probably wouldn't be released. That he would be putting everyone in Atlantis in danger for nothing. He glanced over to Elizabeth and saw the defiance still shining in her eyes, she was strong and he knew he had to be strong too. Shaking his head he stared up at their captors.

"Go to hell!" he bit out in disobedience, eyes seeking out Elizabeth's as if to receive approval for his action. Her eyes met his and he knew that she was with him; she agreed that he couldn't give over Atlantis's secrets, she didn't want to be traded for them.

"Have it your way!" Kolya spat out menacingly moving in closer to Elizabeth.

"Lets see how long it takes before you break."

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Meanwhile On Atlantis

Ronon strode back through the gate leaving the rest of the team behind. Rodney watched him go and knew that he was feeling what they all felt…disappointment. This latest planet was the umpteenth one on a list that matched the symbols Ronon had provided. On everyone of these "missions" to find the two missing members they had met disappointment at every corner. Some gate address wouldn't lock so they were ruled off the list, ones that opened into space or inhospitable locations were also ruled out. Even with these addresses taken off the list, it still left a couple of dozen potential destinations.

Rodney sighed and looked at Teyla who was still standing beside him.

"You need to talk to him, get him to slow down," Rodney told her.

Teyla nodded, "I will try!" and made her way towards the control room.

Rodney shook his head, every time they came back from a planet Ronon would dial another one up straight away. They had already visited five planets in a row and they needed a break. Rodney watched the exchange between Ronon and Teyla and knew that it wouldn't be pleasant. He watched Ronon stalk away and Teyla nodded to him. They would get that break, even if it was only for a moment.

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Elizabeth screamed in pain, as she was shocked again. Kolya had been shocking her on and off with something similar to a pain stick for the past hour and a half, each time getting progressively longer.

Elizabeth had avoided eye contact with John because she knew that he would blame himself for what was happening to her. John sat in silence watching with hooded eyes as Kolya tortured her. He hadn't been that subdued in the beginning she reflected.

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Hour and a half earlier

"You will tell me what I want to know," Kolya demanded. "And if you don't it won't matter anyway because I will derive pleasure from seeing you hurt Sheppard."

John shook his head, "Go to hell!"

"Bring it in," Kolya commanded one of his men.

John watched as the soldier brought into the room a case. He opened it for his leader and Kolya removed a metallic cylindrical stick.

Turning to Elizabeth he whispered in her ear, "I hope for your sake he gives in, but I hope for mine he resists." With that he jabbed he in the stomach with the stick. Elizabeth let out a guttural cry and her eyes caught John struggling against his restraints.

"I swear I am going to kill you!" John screamed at Kolya. This seemed to be what Kolya was looking for as he pulled the stick away from her. Elizabeth was panting hard and she winced in pain.

"You can stop this Colonel,"

"Only you can save her from this. If you refuse, this is only the beginning."

Once he said that he rammed the stick back into Elizabeth's side. She screamed out in agony which only caused John to threaten Kolya more. John had soon realized that the more he yelled and threatened, the more satisfaction Kolya was receiving. Once coming to the realization John had kept his mouth shut not wanting to give Kolya the satisfaction of knowing how much it was hurting him.

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Present

Elizabeth was breathing heavy and her body hurt like crazy, she had never before felt so much pain. She had to keep strong, if only to keep John strong. She knew that if she gave any indication of wanting him to give in that he would do it for her...probably only her. That was half of her problem, she knew John fought to keep her safe not only for her position as Atlantis' leader but also as something more. She needed to tell him, take back all the things she had said to keep him at a distance, the things that had ultimately hurt him. Would she get that chance? Just as she was thinking this, she heard Kolya speak for the first time since telling John that he could stop this. Kolya had continued to shock her, hoping to get John's defenses to crumble but had been unsuccessful in this first attempt.

"Enough for now." the gravely voice boomed.

"I hope this gives you something to think about Sheppard! There are nastier things than this for her in the future. Take them back to their cells but first give them some time together. A last tryst perhaps?" Kolya leered.

The soldiers' unhooked Elizabeth's chains and she fell to the floor, not having enough energy to stand. John couldn't reach her because of his restraints and had to wait until one of Kolya's men unhooked him. As soon as he was free, he was by her side gently lifting her off the floor. Kolya watched in amusement but let Sheppard carry her out of the room.

Elizabeth was still conscious, barely. She could feel every muscle in her body protesting against being used. "John?" she questioned quietly.

"Yeah." he acknowledged.

"Thank you," she paused, "for everything."

He remained silent for the rest of the walk back to his cell. Once inside he placed Elizabeth on the ground as there was no bed, cot or anything. Kolya stepped inside.

"You have 10 minutes; make the most of it because I cannot guarantee you any longer. I will leave you unhooked for this duration as you have no hope of escaping from here." Kolya said before leaving.

John sighed as he looked down at the woman in front of him.

Only ten minutes.