Sorry for the delay! The story wasn't telling me where exactly it was going, so I had to play with it for a while before I posted. Anyway, hope you enjoy the next chapter! And thanks for the reviews!


Elizabeth blinked furiously, trying to clear the momentary blindness that assaulted her eyes when she emerged on the other side of the stargate into harsh sunlight. Her eyes were just beginning to adjust to the change when she was suddenly hurled roughly to the ground. She barely threw out an arm in time to stop herself from crashing face-first into the dirt.

As she lay there allowing her heartbeat and breathing to slowly return to normal, she started to notice other changes in the environment. There was some vegetation in the area, but not much. What little there was had the appearance of something fighting a battle with the environment that it was barely winning, and Elizabeth could see why. It was hot here.

Judging by the shadows and the position of this world's sun in the sky, Elizabeth figured it must be late afternoon, and she was already sweating in her lightweight jacket and pants. She considered taking off her jacket, but quickly reconsidered. Half-remembered school lessons and a lecture last month from Rodney McKay on the mortal perils of an alien planet floated through her brain, reminding her that harsh environments tended to oscillate between both extremes; she might need her jacket once the sun went down. Rodney, not to mention John, would never forgive her if she froze to death tonight just because she was a little uncomfortable right now.

Elizabeth's train of thought was suddenly broken by an order barked out by the largest of the thugs.

"Stay on your knees and put out your hands." He spoke harshly, but there was also an odd undercurrent of boredom in his voice, like he had participated in this same procedure many times before, and it had now become routine.

Deciding that for right now it would be better to do as she was told, Elizabeth raised her arms in front of her. Immediately, one of the kidnappers came forward with a length of rope. He stooped in front of her and began to bind her hands together. She put up no fight, hoping that he would take that as a sign that she need not be restrained too tightly. She watched him while he worked the rather complicated-looking knot; he was smaller than the others and had a slightly apprehensive air about him. It was obvious he hadn't done this as many times as his leader.

When he finally finished, Elizabeth's hands were bound tightly in front of her with the rest of the rope stretching out toward her captor who held it tightly in his right hand. She shifted her wrists slightly and found she could barely move them; apparently, the new guy had chosen not to take any risks on her. She tried to catch the man's eye, but he studiously avoided her gaze, focusing instead on the leader of the gang.

When all the captives were bound securely and his henchmen appeared ready to go, the leader stepped forward and looked at the six women in front of him. His stare lingered on Elizabeth, taking in her strange clothing and her dignified manner before he began to speak, addressing them all.

He wasted no time in getting to the point. "This world is Incala, and you are now slaves." Elizabeth drew a sharp breath and one of the girls to her left began to cry. Unmoved, the leader continued his blunt explanation of the situation.

"It is in your best interests to forget about your past lives, your families, your world. This is your home now, and you should accept that. The sooner you do, the easier this will be for you."

He seemed about to continue, but stopped when he heard a loud sob from the girl on Elizabeth's left. Without saying a word, he walked up to her, raised his right arm, and backhanded her across the face. Anger stormed through Elizabeth's features, but she held her tongue for fear of further retribution toward the girl. For her part, the gesture seemed to have shocked the young woman into silence. A single tear snaked down her cheek, but she didn't make another sound.

He's done this so many times and to so many women that he probably doesn't even see us as human anymore, she though to herself angrily.

Elizabeth fixed the boss with her coldest Dr.Weir glare, but it didn't seem to faze him. If he took any notice of it at all, he seemed to display only mild amusement. This only heightened her frustration and indignation.

The leader held Elizabeth's stare for several seconds as if waiting for her to speak or make a move, but she wouldn't give him the satisfaction of punishing her. She simply glared. She'd taken part in enough tense negotiations to know the power silence could wield. She trusted in that knowledge, just as she trusted in the power of words. This was one of her strengths; controlling a situation without physical force was her forte.

He didn't seem impressed. He looked her up and down, then gave a small smile that sent disgusted shivers down Elizabeth's spine. He caught her eye once more before he turned on his heel and began barking orders to his men and their captives once again.

"Get up." Elizabeth looked for the source of the voice and found it belonged to the thug still holding the end of the rope attached to her wrists. When she didn't move for several seconds, he looked around nervously, then gave a tug on the rope. It caught Elizabeth off balance, and she almost fell.

"Get up!" he repeated, with more urgency this time. She stood up slowly, brushing the dirt from her knees as best she could.

When she had straightened completely, she looked up and caught the young man's eye. He looked away and turned toward a horse standing a few paces away. He tied the rope to the saddle and mounted. He looked back at her once before nudging the horse into motion and leading her after the others, through the barren valley toward the hills in the distance.

Elizabeth took a deep breath and looked back at the silent stargate.

Please hurry, John.