Warning: Language.
Addendum to disclaimer: SG-1 is also not mine. Nuts.
Chapter 8
Reunions
Elizabeth retraced her steps back to her nice cozy little cell. She did not want to leave Rodney, but it was not her choice to make. Neanderthal escorted her back forcefully and convincingly.
Rodney broke. She knew he would, but she was not angry or disappointed. He put up one hell of a fight. They got him with the classroom scenario. The temptation to set a student straight was just too great. The address was imbedded in an equation. He tried to play his own version of a shell game, but the Wraith were not stupid and they deciphered it. With the next round of questions, he broke immediately and gave them everything he knew.
She could not even tell him how proud and grateful she was before they took him away.
He was incoherent from the session, but she was afraid it might be more. As her stomach rumbled and her tongue felt like 150 grit, she knew it was uncomfortable for her, for him…
She gave Carson and the corporal a sideways glance as she passed. Teyla waited silently in the cell for her to completely enter and the guards to leave. When they did, Elizabeth exhaled.
"Where is…?" Teyla started.
Elizabeth held up a hand. "We're on Ixion and in a Hive ship," she said for the benefit of both cells. "Remember the chair John was put in to?"
Teyla nodded and a quiet affirmation came from Carson.
"Rodney just spent three hours in it."
"Sweet Jesus!" Carson exclaimed.
Teyla said nothing, but her facial expression smoldered. Elizabeth knew right then, if Teyla got the chance, the Wraith would pay.
Teyla finally spoke, "There is more is there not, Dr. Weir?"
"Yes. They know where Earth is and have an approximate route. He also told them of Earth's defensive measures." She exhaled loudly. "They know about the single spaceship that protects Earth…"
Exhortations came from the other cell. Teyla cast her eyes to the floor full of regret.
Standing at the front of her cell with her back to the door, Elizabeth continued, "They broke him. He tried and he fought them the best he could. In the end, he gave them everything on it: name of captain, armaments, speed and maneuverability, shielding…They have everything they need on the Prometheus."
Teyla's head snapped up and she gave a satisfied smirk. A glimmer of pride for her teammate resided there as well.
"Oh Eliz…" Carson paused for a good three count. "He gave them the Prometheus? Rodney you…"
"Carson, there's one more question. How long can Rodney go before…?"
"Oh bloody hell! In all the chaos…Damn me for…He should be already well within a reaction."
"I was afraid of that." She paused. "I know the effect of the chair on Col. Sheppard was extreme, but Rodney seemed very confused and extremely weak." She paused again. "Carson, the next time I suggest all the senior staff go on an outing…smack me in the back of the head."
"I'll give you a prescription for it to be administered by the closest staff member available."
She realized she had not heard from the other occupant of the cell. "Cpl. Cavanaugh, how are you doing?"
"I'm all right ma'am."
"Carson?"
"Nothing wrong, but a few bumps and bruises," stated Carson.
Next painful subject…
"Anything about John?"
"No," said Carson as Teyla shook her head.
Elizabeth turned to face the closest wall and leaned her head against it. Yep, just a bit of a cluster fuck. Hopefully, Caldwell was not getting too fond of minding the store. If things did not change for the better soon, it might be all his, gremlins and all.
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He disconnected his early courtesy call. He knew the foolish mortals did not believe him. They did not believe he could handle this operation. He could hear it in that pompous ass of a colonel's tone. This was not a mission to prove about the enzyme. Surely, they had to see that. This time, he had semi-reliable help. That help was the only reason he could make the collect call to Atlantis.
His original mission here was to procure technology. He had met a guy through a guy who knew a guy who knew another guy and so on… It was the Pegasus Galaxy version of a chain letter.
The technology was extremely desirable, a portable shield generator. All it needed was a ZPM. He had considered the Kill-a-Kid world, but he kept that one as a last resort. He might be looking out of number one, but they were just kids after all. What he did have was the knowledge of a group of religious zealots with a ZPM buried in the backyard.
He had a few people in his new and improved unit who could be most persuasive. It was crunch time and being polite was so very outdated. A weak link in the Brotherhood was exploited and firmly persuaded. Bingo, the ZPM was theirs.
These people thought he just wanted payment. What he had been planning was to steal the generator to further his cause. That went out with the bathwater after all the introductions and a gate address was given. They stepped foot onto this little slice of heaven right into an outgoing Wraith party. Oddly, the Wraith had taken up residence on the planet. It was not the expected cull and go operation. The Wraith were here for the long haul. That peaked his interest immediately along with the pictures the lead Wraith was carrying. The family album reacquainted him with those he left behind on Atlantis. Also, the planet provided a steady supply of enzyme.
The Wraith were seemingly so busy with their plans they had not even noticed the missing members of their Hive. Since they were so preoccupied, he changed his mission to find out what those plans were.
Ford dismissed his lookout flunkey to return to the hideout and then he slunk his way back to the large house. The house looked Deep South plantation, out of place in this galaxy. The previous owners reminded him of Gone with the Wind characters. Lia and Osy were sweet, little, damaged things. They had a porcelain quality to them and yet they were still functioning with their minor chips.
Bitterness helped.
So did a need for revenge.
Their Papa murdered in front of them along with Aggie, their oldest sister. The Queen Bean performed the act with the knowledge that it would break their spirit. She underestimated them. They pledged their loyalty and unwavering faith to the Queen, but behind her back they subverted the works. Problems would arise with the building of the additions to the Hive. The computer in the lab had to be wiped twice due to a mysterious crash. They were excellent wrenches in the machine.
However, the Wraith were nothing if not persistent and clever. Each obstacle was met and overcome. That's where he came in. They had the access and he had the explosives. Once he gathered more intel, he would bring Atlantis up to speed. Only then would they come in and help. This was still his mission.
His training let him move like a shadow through the shadows. As he approached the house, the front door opened and Dr. Weir stumbled out into the lovely spring-time air. To his utter shock, she was just in a bra and pants. It was distracting. Woman needed a hamburger. Recovering from that, he noticed the lack of McKay.
He had to be honest. He never liked McKay. Tolerated, accepted, respected and trusted McKay. Liking…not so much. Whatever Sheppard saw and allowed in the friendship department, he never understood. Too late now, he really did not care anyway. The doctor was useful. And, Ford needed that useful, obnoxious pain in the ass.
But to follow Weir or not to follow?
Not to follow. First, find McKay. The Wraith wanted the scientist and Weir was safe for the immediate future. McKay was a part of his fantastic and well thought out plan for stopping the Wraith. He needed him more.
Ford melted into the scenery as he worked his way to the back of the house. The lovely Berje sisters had shown him a secret entrance to the underground complex near the kitchen. He slunk along the walls of the corridors staying in the surveillance blind spots until he reached a side entrance to the main lab.
He continued his ghost-like ways as he moved noiselessly down the cell block. He smiled to himself, like a wraith in the shadows. As he grew closer to an occupied cell, he heard a voice. A sweet, damaged, sorrowful voice floated down the corridor.
"…because of you, Papa and Aggie are gone. Because of you, my world dies. I should kill you now."
"But we wouldn't want that now would we?" Ford asked as he reminded himself he could not trust the sisters as far as he could throw them. Revenge was not reserved just for the Wraith.
"No, not yet I suppose," Lia replied coldly sitting on the chest of the quivering mound of flesh in the cell.
Ford slipped into the cell and took a good look at McKay. "How long has he been like this?"
"Since they brought him in here. I'm supposed to clean him up. I want him to wake up and feel the humiliation."
Ford moved closer and put a finger to McKay's neck. He felt the clamminess of his skin and the shaking of his body. "Ah shit Doc, you really are hypoglycemic. Do you know when he ate last?"
"He hasn't."
"Shit!" Now Ford's well crafted and perfectly plausible plan might unravel. "Lia, no matter what, we need him. He can protect and help your people and mine." Aiden knelt on the floor by the shivering and quaking mass of naked flesh. McKay appeared semi-conscious. "Go find some of that fruit juice from dinner and something to cover him up with. What'd they do?"
The cold and sweet smile returned as she stood up to leave the cell. "He had a turn in the chair."
"The chair! Shit, shit, shit, shit. Don't do this to me Doc! I need you," insisted Ford.
"Don't we all," Lia said quietly as her voice trailed after her down the hall.
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The super sweet juice touched his lips and the effects were almost immediate. Just one problem, he hurt like he had never hurt before. He also felt like the grass under a steaming pile of dung- compressed, hot and covered in stinking filth.
"Holy fuck!" McKay exclaimed to an audience of two very blurry blobs. He blinked several times and tried to roll off his very tender and stinging back. "What…who…where?"
"Let me help you, Doc."
"Ford?" Rodney blinked again and again as a hand helped him to turn onto his side. "No, no you can't be Ford. I must be in a hallucination or in a coma or in hell."
"Nice to see you too, Doc," a flash of white from a smile followed the greeting. "Lia here's going to help you get dressed."
"Who's Liaaohcrap."
Ixion.
"I see you haven't forgotten me Dr. McKay. Papa was very unhappy after your last stay with us. But, he and Aggie protected your people to the end; even though you betrayed him…us." The room definitely got colder when she spoke.
As his vision cleared, the brown, lifeless eyes glared at him. "If it were up to me, you'd be dead. But Aiden needs you for something."
Ford beamed a toothy smile back at him. "Yeah, we've got work to do and another Hive to destroy."
Then the session in the chair returned with a vengeance. The cherry, he had led the Wraith right to Earth. His nightmares and reality crashed together like cymbals in an orchestra. He swallowed. "Ford, they have a star drive."
Ford nodded, "I thought they were working awfully hard on the engines. All that scaffolding and workers kinda clued me in, but I got some C-4 Doc and access to their computers." He looked over at Lia and winked. She remained impassive.
"And a destination," Rodney added in a low raspy voice.
"As soon as she said you were in that chair, I didn't think you would be able to keep your mouth shut," ridiculed Ford.
Rodney glared indignantly and spat, "You sit in the Iron Maiden and keep your brains from frying you little bastard."
"Now, now. No need to resort to name callin' Doc. Just statin' the obvious. Well, I'll leave you two alone," Ford stood up. "My time is almost up. Lia disabled the surveillance in here for a little while so we could get reacquainted. He's all yours, just remember, no killing." He shook his finger at her.
"You're kidding right?" Rodney asked nervously keeping one crusty eye on Lia. "You're leaving me alone with her?"
"For now Aiden," was all she said ignoring the complaining mound of flesh on the floor. She brought a bucket and cloth over to Rodney. "I have some of Daddy's old clothes for you to wear, not that you deserve them."
Rodney pulled the blanket up to his chest and wanted to laugh. This chick was not touching him. Plus, Papa Jae had been a good eight inches taller and 80 pounds heavier. Impulse control not being his best trait, he went ahead and laughed.
Lia was on his chest with her hand around his neck and a knife held to it before the last twitter of his unfortunately timed indiscretion ceased.
"You have no right to laugh. Papa Jae, my father, was a great man! You have the right to die when Aiden's done with you." She removed her knee and the knife.
"No, Papa Jae was a cruel and sadistic bastard." Lia let the eight inch blade shine what little light entered the cell in his eyes. "But…he was only trying to help out his people and protect…you," Rodney amended uneasily.
She acknowledged his hasty complement. "Get ready, this is going to hurt." She stepped over him to view his back and started to scrub his wounds vigorously. Painfully.
"Watch it! Christ, what are you using, a Brillo pad?" Rodney asked between clenched teeth and yelps.
She pressed harder.
"See you later Doc!" Ford yelled from down the corridor while laughing at those yelps.
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Caldwell stood in between the beds of the bleary-eyed pair in the infirmary.
"Is there anything else you can add? Anything at all? Something that seemed insignificant at the time that might help?"
Dex's eyes darted around searching his memory.
Lorne answered first, "I don't remember anything after leaving Yarben. I tackled the colonel according to Ronon here." He hitched his thumb in the direction of the other bed.
Caldwell nodded.
"They played it right. Never saw this Te'Jon until the wagon. And, he doesn't ever want to see me again, but I'd like to see him,"growled Ronon. "The family friends must have been relaying information or just in the wrong place at the wrong time." Ronon's hands began the rhythmic opening and closing. Caldwell could feel the intense anger radiating off the young man.
"There was nothing during our stay," added Lorne quietly, also mulling over events. "Nothing outwardly suspicious."
Caldwell looked at nothing in particular on the other side of the room. He waited to give them the next piece of news, especially since Ronon was not Ford's biggest fan.
"Ford's called us and he's seen them, at least Dr. Weir and Dr. McKay." Both men sat up a little in their respective beds. "We just don't know where. Apparently, it's his mission or jurisdiction to rescue them, to share intel when he wants and to make our lives generally difficult."
Lorne flopped as gingerly as possible back onto his bed. Ronon gave a menacing scowl as he did the same.
"All we can do now, is wait. He's suppose to call back and give us more. We just don't know when."
"I'm going," said Ronon with conviction.
Caldwell smiled knowingly. "If Dr. Biro says yes and if you can take orders and if you don't try to place a lip-lock on anyone else, then you're on the team. We'll definitely need your expertise. Just no…"
"John Wayne heroics," scoffed Ronon while giving the colonel a dark glare.
"Exactly," replied Caldwell surprised at the reference. "Where'd...?" He asked as he ignored the much deserved look. It dawned on him.
"Sheppard," all three said in unison.
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A/N: The author is humbled by the response this story has generated. The reviews…keep those coming by the way, please…and the beloved counter…don't go anywhere ever again glorious counter…make her as giddy as if she was drinking a whole pint of Guinness on the other side of the pond. Nectar of the gods, pause for a moment of silence.
The bunnies are now fat, dumb and happy. They have nibbled on carrots, cake and some parsley they found in the back of the fridge. They wiggle their little noses in thanks!