It was just getting light when Teyla and Ford arrived at the stargate, tired, scratched, and bruised from branches as they tried to avoid anyone else on the trail back to the 'gate. Teyla peered out from behind the trees near the clearing and saw two men standing near the DHD.

"We're going to need a distraction," Ford said as he knelt next to Teyla.

"I may be able to lead them away from here long enough for you to dial the stargate and return to Atlantis," Teyla said, adjusting the strap on her P-90.

Ford was shaking his head before she even finished speaking. "Like Major Sheppard said, you are technically a civilian. It's my job to keep you safe."

"We are teammates, Lieutenant," Teyla replied. "It is our job to keep each other safe. I have far more experience surviving in a forest than you do."

"Doesn't matter. If only one of us can get through, it's going to be you. Sheppard would have my head if I left you here alone."

Teyla studied the clearing again, looking for a way they could both escape through the stargate. Unfortunately, the two men weren't moving around much. As Teyla watched, the men would hover near the DHD, then move closer to the 'gate, staring off into the woods in one direction or the other, then walk back to the DHD. A few minutes later, they would start the pattern over again.

"I think I have an idea," Ford said after they had watched the men for several minutes.

Ford unclipped his backpack, pawing through it until he came up with two squat cylinders. "These are flashbangs," he said, handing the canisters to Teyla as he re-clipped the pack to his tac vest. He adjusted the straps then took the canisters.

"Flashbangs?" Teyla asked.

"They'll create a really loud noise and a bright light," Ford explained. "That should be enough to get those two away from the DHD. Long enough for you to dial, at least."

Ford stood and took a few steps back from the clearing. "Get ready," he said. "When I throw these, we'll have about two seconds before they go off. Cover your ears, and don't look where I throw. Hopefully, it will be enough to get those two away from the clearing. As soon as they leave, head for the DHD and dial. I'll be right behind you."

Teyla nodded as she pulled her GDO from her vest pocket.

"Ready?" Ford glanced back at her. "One."

Teyla moved to the edge of the trees.

"Two," Ford said.

She checked the ground between herself and the DHD, looking for potential hazards. They didn't have time to recover from any falls.

"Three!"

Teyla ducked her head, covered her ears, and waited. She heard the concussive bang and saw a bright light through her eyelids a moment later and glanced at the clearing. The two men were both running toward the area of the woods where the flashbangs had gone off.

"Run!" Ford shouted.

Teyla didn't waste any time. As soon as the men left the clearing, she was up and running for the DHD. She punched in the address for Atlantis even as she heard yelling coming from the trees where Ford's light show had erupted. The wormhole formed, lighting up the clearing, and Teyla winced.

Would the men notice the light and return to the clearing? she wondered as she ran toward the stargate. She stopped near the edge of the event horizon and sent her IDC through for confirmation.

The yelling from the nearby trees changed, and Teyla glanced behind her to see where Ford was.

"Go!" he yelled even as he started to follow her.

As soon as she had confirmation the shield was down, Teyla ran through the event horizon. She skidded to a stop on the other side of the stargate as the Marines lowered their weapons and stepped back. Teyla glanced at the Marines then turned back to the active wormhole.

A few seconds later, Ford scrambled through. "Raise the shield!" Ford yelled with a glance up at the control room.

The shield shimmered into place, and the wormhole disengaged with a snap a few seconds later.

"Lieutenant? Teyla?" Weir called from the balcony. "Where is Major Sheppard and Doctor McKay?"

Teyla looked around for a moment before stepping up the stairs leading to the control area and Weir's office. "Doctor Weir," she said, still breathless from her run to the 'gate. "We have a problem."

"Come to my office," Weir replied.

"What's happened? "Doctor Weir asked once Teyla and Ford were seated.

"There was an ambush in the village," Ford said succinctly. "Major Sheppard sent us to report what happened and get help."

"We are not sure what has become of Major Sheppard or Doctor McKay," Teyla added.

"How was the negotiation going?" Doctor Weir asked.

Teyla shook her head. "It was not going well," she admitted. "Rowland asked for weapons and ammunition, something Major Sheppard was not willing to trade."

"And with good reason," Weir said.

"Yes," Teyla agreed. "Major Sheppard called a recess for the night. We were in rooms provided by a local pub when someone broke into the room where Major Sheppard and Doctor McKay were sleeping and held Doctor McKay at knife-point."

Teyla saw Doctor Weir clench her hands into fists on the desk. "Major Sheppard and Rodney were all right?" she asked.

Teyla nodded. "Major Sheppard was able to convince the man to leave."

Weir narrowed her eyes. "Convinced him how?"

"The man was threatening Doctor McKay," Teyla replied. "Major Sheppard shot him."

Ford looked as if he were about to say something but changed his mind.

"I see," Weir said with a grimace.

"He was wounded only," Teyla said in Sheppard's defence.

"Was this man sent by Rowland?" Weir asked. "There have been instances on Earth of men holding people or ships hostage for ransom."

"Such things have happened here as well," Teyla said. "But we have no way of knowing if Rowland sent this man or not."

"Stackhouse's report mentions several villages within a few days' walk of the stargate, ma'am," Ford added. "It could be someone from one of those villages wanted to trade, or they were afraid of what Rowland would trade for. We need to take a tactical team back to the village, ma'am. We need to find Major Sheppard and find out what's really going on on the planet."

Teyla frowned at Ford's exclusion of Doctor McKay. His continued animosity toward Doctor McKay was foreign to her. Why is he so sure Doctor McKay was at fault during the Genii invasion? she wondered. Why was he so willing to believe McKay was untrustworthy?

"It may be better to make contact with Major Sheppard and simply return to Atlantis," Weir said, and Teyla pulled her attention back to the conversation at hand. "I know the seed is important, too," she added to Teyla, "but these people may not be worthy of our trust. I will not support a terrorist action against my people."

"It may not be that easy, ma'am," Ford said, and Teyla noticed the anger and frustration in his posture. "If they've been captured …"

Weir twined her fingers together on her desk and studied her hands for several moments. "All right, you can take a team and go back. Just to find Major Sheppard and Doctor McKay. Nothing else." Weir stood and tapped her earpiece. "Sergeant Markham, please come in," she said over the open channel.

"Markham here, ma'am."

"I know your team just got back, Sergeant, but there seems to be a problem on P9X-664. Lieutenant Ford is requesting assistance."

"Do we know the extent of the problem, ma'am?" Markham asked.

Weir turned to Ford and nodded.

Ford tapped his radio and said, "Standard search and rescue, Sergeant. There was a problem in Rowland's village."

"I assume Major Sheppard stayed on the planet, sir? Do we know his status?" Markham asked.

"Unknown at this time," Ford said shortly. "Last time we saw him, he was still free, but that may have changed."

There was a pause over the radio. "Understood, sir. We'll be ready to go in five."

Ford stood from his chair. "I'll meet you in the armoury, Sergeant. We can work out a strategy."

"Sounds good, sir. Markham out."

Ford turned back to Doctor Weir.

"Go," she said. "Bring back our people."

"Yes, ma'am," Ford replied and left the office.

Doctor Weir started to open her computer but looked up as Teyla shifted uncomfortably in her chair.

"Doctor Weir?" Teyla said hesitantly. "May I speak to you for a moment on another matter?"

"Is there something else going on on the planet?" Doctor Weir asked as she closed the computer again.

"In a manner of speaking," Teyla replied and stopped. She wasn't sure how to bring up her concern about Lieutenant Ford's attitude regarding Doctor McKay.

"Teyla? What is it?"

Teyla stared at the bowl on the end of Doctor Weir's desk. She looked up at Weir and said, "There have been several… rumors circulating in Atlantis about what happened during the storm."

Weir leant back in her chair. "Rodney is not the easiest person to like most days, and it seems there are more than a few people willing to believe the worst regarding his actions, or what they perceive were his actions, during the attempted coup."

"Lieutenant Ford … is not taking the fact Major Sheppard stayed behind in the village with only Doctor McKay for backup very well. I am afraid he has taken these rumors to heart and does not trust Doctor McKay at the moment."

Doctor Weir sighed and looked down at her hands. "Does Major Sheppard know about your concerns?"

"We have not spoken directly, but I suspect he discussed the issue with Lieutenant Ford when we visited the mainland a few days ago." Teyla sat forward in her chair. "I can, perhaps, understand why those who do not know Doctor McKay well would assume the worst about him, but Lieutenant Ford is a teammate. He has worked with Doctor McKay for months. He knows they are chaguo ndugu. I thought he understood that Doctor McKay would not willingly endanger Major Sheppard, or Atlantis for that matter. I do not understand how he can so easily throw that knowledge away."

"Chaguo ndugu?" Weir asked.

Teyla felt her face flush. "I am not sure …" She looked up at Weir. When she only saw concern in Weir's expression, she continued, "The phrase is from the old language of my people," she explained. "It means 'brother by choice'. I told Major Sheppard months ago he and Doctor McKay shared such a bond. I thought he would have mentioned it to you as well."

Weir smiled. "It sounds like as good a phrase as any to explain their relationship," she replied.

"Lieutenant Ford and I spoke about this as well," Teyla continued. "I thought he understood what chaguo ndugu implied. His willingness to believe Doctor McKay would forsake Major Sheppard makes me wonder if that is indeed not the case at all."

Doctor Weir gave her a sad smile. "Sometimes it's much easier to believe the worst in somebody rather than consider how much that person can change. Lieutenant Ford will need to figure things out for himself." Weir straightened in her chair. "And if he doesn't," she added, "I'm sure Major Sheppard will offer to help him."

"Ford to Weir," Teyla heard over the radio. "We're ready to go, ma'am."

"Acknowledged," Weir replied. "Teyla will be right there." She walked Teyla back out to the control room. "Bring them all home, Teyla."

Teyla bowed her head. "I will do so, Doctor Weir."

~*~*~*~ SGA ~*~*~*~

Rodney had noticed the long strips of bark, many as long as he was tall, littering the forest floor on their walk to the village the day before. His plan was to make a travois out of the bark and use lengths of the vines hanging from the trees as rope. That way, he could drag Sheppard behind him and hopefully get John back to Atlantis quickly.

"And we need to get back quickly," he said to himself as he wandered through the trees. "An infection could kill him as fast as any bullet."

He trudged through the forest, picking up and discarding pieces of bark when he decided they were too short, too long, or too narrow for his needs. He stopped and leant against a tree, trying not to give in to the urge to sit down and go to sleep. He was exhausted. His leg and arm ached, and he had a nagging headache.

"You need to get John back to Carson," he ordered himself. "Get Sheppard back to Atlantis, and you can have the bed next to him."

He pushed himself off the tree and took a few steps before he remembered Teyla and Ford might still need rescuing. Fine, he told himself, you can beg Carson to take you in after everyone was back in Atlantis.

It took longer than Rodney hoped to find a length of bark long enough and wide enough with a slight concave curve for Sheppard to lie on.

"Finally," he muttered to himself and wiped the line of sweat from his forehead. "Now, you just need to get back to Sheppard, convince him this is a good idea, and get back to the 'gate."

He'd been walking for several long minutes with his head down, dragging the hunk of bark behind him before he realised he had no idea which tree they had used as a hiding place.

"Lovely," he said. "How many times do I have to tell people I don't do nature?"

He squinted in the morning light and turned in a slow circle, looking for some sort of landmark before he remembered he hadn't really paid that much attention to his surroundings when he left the tree cave.

"Besides, it's a forest. Every tree looks like every other tree," he berated himself.

He was about to start yelling for John when he snapped his fingers several times and pulled the Ancient life signs detector out of his vest pocket.

"You need to eat something," he told himself as he adjusted the scanner. "You aren't thinking straight."

He quickly tuned the scanner to search for life readings and held up the scanner as he turned in a circle. Once he eliminated what he assumed were fish in a nearby stream and some woodland creatures he wasn't sure he wanted to meet, Rodney found a lone life reading and headed for it.

Twenty minutes later, Rodney was back at their tree, exhausted, hungry, and ready to go home as he dropped the hunk of bark and the vines he'd found next to the tree. He moved the branches away from the entrance, slowly crawled inside the tree cave, and froze when he saw Sheppard half sitting, half lying against the wall of the tree cave, glaring at him with his Beretta pointed squarely at Rodney's chest.

"That's a good way to get yourself shot, McKay," John said as he wearily dropped the gun. "Next time, announce yourself, or you're liable to end up with an extra hole or two."

Rodney swallowed and tried to get his heart rate back under control. "How was I supposed to know you'd even be awake?" he asked as he sank to the ground beside John.

"Where did you go, anyway?" John asked. He tried to sit up but ended up back in his slumped position. "A note that says 'Back soon. Do not leave.' isn't very informative."

"I went to get a few things to make the rest of this trip a little more bearable for you," Rodney replied. He dug his last power bar out of his pocket and broke it in two, giving John the other half.

John only took a few small bites before he wrapped up the rest of the energy bar and stuffed it in one of his vest pockets.

"I found a stream while I was out," Rodney said, trying to sound upbeat while making no comment on John not eating. "If you have any purification tablets, we can fill the water bottles before we leave for the 'gate."

John clumsily went through his pockets and handed Rodney another power bar and a few purification tablets. "All I've got," he said in a murmur and slumped toward the ground.

Because he was defending himself against you, Rodney berated himself. He watched John close his eyes and scrubbed a hand over his chin. "We should be ready to go in about thirty minutes. I just need to borrow your knife," Rodney said as he pocketed the tablets and the power bar.

John handed over the knife without opening his eyes or saying a word, and Rodney frowned.

He reached out a hand and felt the heat radiating off John even before he touched Sheppard's forehead. His frown deepened when John didn't immediately shake off the touch. Rodney knew John was not one who allowed fussing, even though Sheppard could dish it out in spades when someone else, usually Rodney, was hurt. The fact John was allowing the attention now had Rodney more than a little scared. He knew it meant John was getting worse, which meant he needed to move faster.

He patted John's arm, crawled out of the tree, and got to work.

Rodney knelt over the chunk of bark and did some mental math before he started boring a hole near one end of the wooden slab. He had to widen the hole a few times before the vine fit through, but the second hole was easier, and soon he had the vines looped through the holes and tied off as a harness to his satisfaction.

He wrapped the loops of vine over his shoulders and checked the angle of the travois before he set it down and went back into the cave to get John. "Come on, your ride is waiting outside," he said and tapped John's arm.

"What?" John mumbled as he startled awake.

"We're going home, John," Rodney explained gently, "just as quickly as I can get us there. Which means you get to ride."

"Teyla. Ford," John said, and Rodney saw a spark of stubbornness in John's eyes even as he started to fade again.

"I'll find them," Rodney promised. "I can only solve one problem at a time, remember? First problem is getting you to Beckett."

"Don't leave people behind, McKay," John muttered with as much glare as he could manage.

"No one said anything about leaving them, but I can't find them by myself, either."

John didn't answer, and Rodney took that as acceptance as he helped Sheppard to stand and slowly climb out of the tree cave. He carefully laid Sheppard on the travois, then went back for his jacket, John's tac-vest, and the emergency blanket.

He used his jacket as a pillow again, stripped off his own tac-vest, knowing it would just get in the way of the vines, and put both vests by John's feet, then covered him with the blanket. Satisfied he had John as comfortable as he could make him, Rodney picked up the loops of vine, slipped them up his arms onto his shoulders, and started to pull.

It wasn't as easy as he'd hoped, the travois caught on branches or roots sticking up, which yanked the vines looped around Rodney's shoulders, but they were making better time than the previous night.

Rodney kept the Ancient scanner in one hand as he walked, tuned to the largest power source he could find, which had to be the stargate. "Ten kilometers," he said to himself with a tired sigh. Such a hike would be a trial even with a full night's sleep and an actual breakfast.

He found the stream, thankfully in roughly the same direction he had to go, filled the water bottles, and used the last of the purification tablets. He managed to get John to drink a little of the water before he drifted off again, took a few sips himself, and capped the canteen.

"Gotta make it last," he told himself and set the canteen near John's feet.

He checked Sheppard one more time, shouldered the loops of vine, checked his route with the scanner, and started for home.

~*~*~*~ SGA ~*~*~*~

Aiden came through the 'gate, weapon at the ready. Markham and his team were already spread out in the clearing, focused on the surrounding forest, watching for potential threats. Teyla followed him a moment later, her weapon raised and ready, but no one was waiting for them.

"Not the welcome I was expecting," Aiden muttered as they moved away from the 'gate.

"Agreed," Teyla replied as she looked around. "Where are the two men who were watching the stargate when we first arrived?"

"Good question," Aiden said as he surveyed the clearing.

"Perhaps, knowing that we had escaped, they returned to the village looking for Major Sheppard and Doctor McKay."

Aiden grimaced. "Not a bad theory," he agreed and waved his hand at the surrounding trees.

"Perimeter search, Sergeant," Aiden told Markham. "Let's make sure there aren't any surprises waiting for us."

"Yes, sir," Markham acknowledged. "Jeffries, Sanchez, take the flanks. Davis," he pointed to the section of woods behind the 'gate. "I've got the path."

"Yes, Sergeant," the three men replied in unison and spread out, each taking a section of the nearby forest.

"There were no messages left near the DHD," Teyla reported. She paused, and Aiden saw her pensive expression.

"What's wrong?"

Teyla shook her head and stepped away from the DHD. "If Rowland is not the person behind the attack on Major Sheppard and Doctor McKay, it may be difficult to find them."

Aiden stopped next to the DHD, his gaze never leaving the woods. "Yeah, I thought of that, too." He blew out a breath and made another survey of the clearing. "Let's try the easy thing first," he added and tapped his radio three times, the team's signal to check-in silently.

He exchanged a worried glance with Teyla when there was no response. "That's not good," Aiden said. "There's no reason for Major Sheppard to have his radio turned off. He knew we'd be coming back with reinforcements."

Teyla tapped her earpiece. "Major Sheppard, this is Teyla," she said. After a few seconds, she tried again, "Doctor McKay, please respond." She looked up at Aiden and added, "No answer, from either of them," she reported.

Aiden shook his head and looked around. "Something happened while we were gone."

"We could go to the pub," Teyla suggested. "Talk to Freyan and Kelden. Major Sheppard did not believe they were involved in the attack on Doctor McKay. They may be able to help."

"We'll go back to the village," Aiden agreed, "but we'll scout around first. See if we can find the Major or at least get some intel on what happened to him."

"Them," Teyla corrected, but Aiden chose to ignore her. He was sure if something had happened to Major Sheppard, it was because of McKay.

Markham's team walked out of the woods and joined Aiden and Teyla near the DHD. "Perimeter is all clear, sir."

Aiden acknowledged the report with a nod. "We're heading back to the village. Quietly, Sergeant," Aiden added with a stern glance at each of them in turn. "No reason to alert anyone we're still here. Once we get there, we observe and gather intel. We need to know if Major Sheppard or McKay have been taken, and if so, where they're being held."

"Yes, sir," Markham replied. "Jeffries, Sanchez, take point. I've got our six."

It was late morning when Aiden and the others reached the edge of the forest near the village. Everything looked much the same as it did the previous day when they'd arrived, the only difference being the apparent damage to the central fountain and the walls of the pub. Both were pockmarked with several large holes from some sort of weapon.

Aiden and Teyla exchanged a worried look. "What happened after we left?" Teyla whispered.

Aiden shook his head. "All right, two-man teams," he ordered. "Circle the village and see what you can find out. Meet back here in thirty."

"Yes, sir," Markham replied. "Davis, with me."

Markham and Davis went to the left, Jeffries and Sanchez went right.

Aiden took out a set of field glasses and scanned the village for any indication of where Sheppard or McKay might be. He focused on the fountain for a moment, trying to piece together what might have happened from the damage he could see and found a smear of red near the base.

"Looks like one of them was hit," Aiden said as he handed the binoculars to Teyla. "Blood on the fountain."

Teyla gave him a startled look and peered through the binoculars.

"I'd guess Major Sheppard was trying to get into the area over there," Aiden pointed toward a series of low roofs, "where they could hide. McKay was probably hit when they hid behind the fountain for cover."

"You are assuming Doctor McKay is the one who is injured," Teyla said with a frown.

"He doesn't run as fast as Sheppard," Aiden pointed out. "Chances are higher he's the one who got hit."

Teyla studied Aiden's face for a moment, then nodded. "If Doctor McKay is injured, how does that affect any strategy Major Sheppard would have for their safety?"

"Hard to say without knowing how badly McKay is hurt. If it's really bad, Sheppard will look for a place to hide that's defensible until we can find him. If it wasn't too serious, he could get McKay patched up well enough they could still try to get back to the 'gate."

Teyla handed back the binoculars, and Aiden went back to watching the villagers. A thin trail of smoke columned into the air in the same direction Aiden suspected Sheppard had followed, but other than a few of the villagers huddled near the fountain, pointing at the smoke and talking in turns, there didn't seem to be any panic in the village. The market shops were open, people wandered from stall to stall. The only indication anything had happened overnight was the damage to the fountain and the smoke.

Aiden panned the binoculars over the rest of the square but didn't see anything to indicate Rowland or one of the other villagers was holding Sheppard against his will.

Twenty minutes later, Markham and Jeffries' teams returned.

"Everything seems normal, sir," Jeffries reported.

"We found the same, sir," Markham added. "And there's no sign of Major Sheppard or Doctor McKay."

Aiden nodded. "All right, let's go talk to Rowland and see if he knows what's going on."