Rodney stopped next to a small creek, shucked out of the vines, and checked on John. He wasn't sure if Sheppard was merely asleep or unconscious, but based on the fever, he was going with unconscious.

"I need to do something to get that fever down," Rodney said. He looked around for something he could soak in the water and settled for the jacket still under John's head. "Sorry, you need cooling off more than you need to be comfortable at the moment."

He pulled off the emergency blanket and stuffed it under John's feet, then removed the jacket pillow and carefully set John's head back down. John never woke, and Rodney tried not to think of the implications as he dunked the jacket in the water until the material was thoroughly soaked. He squeezed out some of the water, laid the wet jacket across John's chest, and sat down next to the travois.

"Just a short break," he promised himself as he leaned against a tree and closed his eyes.

Rodney figured he'd had maybe an hour or two of sleep at the pub before he'd woken up to find a knife at his throat. Then there was another hour or so inside the tree cave for a grand total of maybe three hours sleep. No wonder he was tired, he realised. Staying up all hours was fine in his lab, where there was a chair and coffee. Trudging through an unknown forest while pulling your best friend home on a makeshift sled was a different sort of beast.

He felt himself starting to drift and jerked himself awake. "None of that," he told himself. "You can sleep once you get home."

He sat up, scrubbed a hand over his face, and rested his palm on John's forehead. "Still too hot," he muttered and set the coat to soak again.

He covered John in the wet coat and tried to ignore his own aches and pains. Blood spotted the gauze wrapped around his leg and arm, and he winced as the weird tingling feeling tickled the back of his skull.

"How hard did I hit that wall?" he wondered, rubbing the back of his head.

He sat for a moment, listening to the sound of birds chirping and the light breeze rustling the leaves of the trees until he started coughing. The coughing set off the throbbing in his arm and leg, and Rodney groped for the canteen near John's feet. He took a few sips, and once he had the fit under control, he picked up the scanner and realigned it to search for life signs.

"I don't think anyone is following us," he said as he fiddled with the device. "The readings are pretty scattered. I think it's just animals. All of them are more than a kilometer away, so we should be safe." He glanced at John, but Sheppard never woke.

He studied the screen for several minutes, reassuring himself the dots really were random and not coming close to them, then switched it back to find the energy reading for the 'gate.

"I think we're still at least six or seven kilometers from the 'gate," Rodney told Sheppard. "Of course, the easiest thing to do would be to find the road and follow that, but since that option is off the table, I think we need to keep going east and pass the village up here. What do you think?" He showed the scanner to John but didn't get any reaction.

"Good. I'm glad we agree," Rodney said.

He removed the jacket and set it back in the water, and checked under the bandage on John's side. "This is definitely getting infected," he muttered as he put the bandage back.

John groaned and shifted.

"John?" Rodney glanced up at John's face and blew out a breath when he saw Sheppard's eyes were open. "John, you with me?"

He ignored the burn in his right arm as he pushed himself up to where John could see him.

"We're on our way back to the 'gate," he said and waited to see if John reacted.

He was rewarded with a slight nod. He held up the canteen and said, "You need to try and drink some of this. Carson is already going to have my head for dragging you through the woods. Let's not add dehydration to his list."

He held John's head up and trickled some water into his mouth. "If I thought you wouldn't choke on them, I'd give you the last of the ibuprofen," Rodney added as he capped the canteen.

John's hand started to reach for the bandage on his side, but Rodney stopped him. "Leave it alone," Rodney admonished. "Trust me, it's not pretty. You don't want to see it." He threw the bandage a guilty look, then reached for the jacket, wrung it out and put it over John again.

John made a face, which Rodney ignored. "It's either my wet jacket or you lose brain cells due to high fever. You really don't have that many to spare, you know." He tried for his usual sarcastic bite, but the comment fell flat, and he looked away. "Next time, you might be better off getting lost in a giant forest with Teyla or Ford. They're both better at this kind of thing than I am."

He felt a slight pressure on his arm, glanced down, and saw John's hand on his arm.

"What?" Rodney retorted when he saw John's impatient glare. Tell me I'm wrong."

John squeezed his arm a little harder, and Rodney blew out a frustrated breath.

"Fine. I'm just as good at this as they are. Happy?"

He glanced back at John and saw Sheppard close his eyes again. Rodney was about to move when he felt a soft pat on his arm. He looked back and saw John watching him. John studied him for a moment, then nodded and closed his eyes again.

Rodney sat for a few more minutes, convincing himself he needed to move. "All right, here we go," he muttered and braced a hand against the tree behind him.

He pushed himself upright and groaned as his leg throbbed in response. Rodney looked around and found a branch he could use as a walking stick which helped a little with the ache. Then, with one last check of John, he picked up the scanner, looped the vines over his shoulders and headed in the direction of the stargate.

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

Aiden led the way back to the village and through the square. A few people stared as they walked into the village, but none of them seemed surprised to see them or tried to stop them.

"That is Rowland's house," Teyla said, nodding her head toward the large house near the edge of the square.

Aiden walked over to the house and pounded on the door. He waited a few seconds, and when there was no answer, he pounded again. He was ready to order Markham to break down the door when it opened, and a small, mousy woman opened the door and peered out at them.

"Can I help you?" she asked with a fearful glance at Aiden and Markham.

Teyla stepped forward and smiled. "We have come to speak to Rowland. We were here yesterday to discuss a trade."

The woman looked Teyla up and down and said, "Yes, I remember you. I will see if the Master has time to see you. Please wait here."

She started to close the door, but Aiden shook his head and blocked the door with his foot. "That's not -" he began to say, but Teyla stopped him.

"We will wait here," she said to the woman, and tugged on Aiden's arm.

The woman nodded to Teyla and closed the door.

"We don't have time for this," Aiden hissed.

"It will be fine, Lieutenant," Teyla replied. "We have a saying, the rabbit will come to the softest trap. It means you will get farther with kindness than aggression."

"You catch more flies with honey," Aiden muttered as he tried to look in the windows.

It was several minutes before the woman came back to the door, opening it wide. "Master Rowland will see you," she said, "but only two of you. Your companions may wait in the front room."

"Markham," Aiden said as they entered, "I'll go with Teyla and talk to Rowland." He made sure Markham's team was set in the waiting room, and as he passed Markham, he whispered, "Three clicks."

Markham nodded.

The mousy woman led Teyla and Aiden down a hallway and into a large room dominated by a large window overlooking the shaded grounds behind the house. An equally large desk that looked like it had been carved from a single piece of wood stood in front of the window.

"Teyla, it is good to see you again," Rowland greeted as he stepped around the desk. "Dreana, please see that our guests in the other room have refreshments."

Dreana bobbed her head as she backed out of the office and closed the door.

Rowland motioned to the two chairs in front of the desk. "Please, sit, sit. Have you reconsidered my offer?"

Teyla sat in one of the offered chairs. Aiden, however, stood against the wall near the door, his expression blank.

Rowland gave him a curious glance, then ignored him in favor of Teyla.

Aiden waited until Rowland focused on Teyla, then scratched his ear, surreptitiously clicking on his radio in the process.

"I am sorry to say, we are not here for trade," Teyla said. "Major Sheppard and another of our group were attacked last night."

Rowland rocked back in his chair with a stunned expression. Ford thought he was doing a pretty good job of looking surprised. "Is Major Sheppard all right?" Rowland asked. "There is a healer -"

Teyla held up her hand. "Luckily, Major Sheppard was able to repel the attacker without injury to himself or our team member."

"That is good news," Rowland replied and sat forward with his hands clasped on the desk. "I will give you any assistance you wish in finding this person who disgraces my village."

Aiden couldn't help the disbelieving snicker that escaped.

Rowland and Teyla both glanced at him. Rowland looked puzzled by the outburst, while Teyla's expression was more disappointed. Aiden, however, had had enough. He stepped forward and glowered at Rowland.

"Nice words," he sneered. "Especially since we think you're the one who sent him."

"Now, see here!" Rowland growled as he jumped to his feet.

"Major Sheppard wasn't going to give you what you wanted," Aiden retorted with a belligerent jut of his chin. "So you, what, decided to kidnap one of us and force him to give in?"

"You accuse me of false trading and kidnapping in my own house?" Rowland fumed. "Get out. Both of you."

Teyla stood and placed herself between Aiden and Rowland with her hands raised. "Rowland, please forgive Lieutenant Ford." She glared at Aiden. "He is merely upset with what has happened to our two teammates."

Aiden glared first at Rowland and then Teyla but took a step back.

Teyla nodded and turned to Rowland. "If you are not involved, then you may be able to help us figure out who is."

"Why should I do anything to assist you?" Rowland asked with a resentful glare at Aiden.

Teyla glanced at Aiden, then lowered her hands. "Major Sheppard and Doctor McKay did not meet us as planned," she said to Rowland, and Aiden heard the unlying concern in her tone. "We cannot reach them with our radios, and we believe one or both of them may be injured. If you did not sanction this attack, you might know who did. Please. We need your help finding them."

Rowland glared at Aiden a few moments longer, then resumed his seat behind the desk.

"What did you want to know?" he growled.

Teyla gave Aiden a pointed look before she, too, sat in her chair.

Aiden crossed his arms over his chest and walked over to one of the windows on the other side of the room. He peered out at the village square and tried to get his impatience under control while Teyla spoke to Rowland.

"Why did you ask Major Sheppard for weapons and ammunition?" Teyla asked. Ford recognised her patient tone as the same one she used when McKay was particularly annoying.

Rowland's chair creaked, and Aiden glanced over his shoulder.

Rowland stood behind the desk. He glanced at Teyla, then up at Aiden and blew out a breath. "The Wraith," he admitted in a near whisper.

"I'm sorry?" Aiden said, turning away from the window. "Did you say the Wraith?"

"Yes!" Rowland shouted, then took a deep breath and clenched his hands into fists. "They are coming," he said in a lower tone. "We know they are. We have no way to defend ourselves against them. Don't you see?" he asked with a pleading glance at Aiden. "Your weapons would give us a fighting chance."

"Our weapons may be more advanced than yours," Teyla said gently, "but they are still of little use against the Wraith. Even if Major Sheppard had agreed to such terms, the weapons would not save your people."

"Then we are truly forsaken," Rowland replied sadly and sank back into his chair. "We have escaped the cullings for three generations, but we cannot hope to slip their notice for much longer."

"Can you think of anyone who would want to stop such a trade?" Teyla asked. "Someone who thought we would agree to your terms?"

Rowland shook his head. "Everyone in my village knows what is at stake," he replied. "No one here would jeopardise our chance for survival."

"What about the other villages," Aiden asked. "Any of your neighbors holding a grudge?"

Rowland stood from his chair and paced back and forth. "He wouldn't," he muttered under his breath.

Aiden and Teyla exchanged confused looks. "Who?" Teyla asked.

"Why would he, though?" Rowland continued to mutter, ignoring Teyla's question.

"Who?" Aiden asked and stepped into Rowland's path. "What aren't you telling us?"

Rowland glanced from Aiden to Teyla. "You said a man came into your rooms last night. Did either of you see him?"

"Yeah, I did," Aiden replied. "Big guy, very strong. Had a sort of craggy face."

Rowland pinched his lip and nodded. "That would be Whelan. He's Terris' right-hand man."

"Who's Terris?" Aiden asked.

"He is Master of the village near the water." Rowland pointed out the window to the large body of water in the distance. "While there is a slim chance my people could escape into the mountains, Terris' people would never make it before they were culled. He is even more desperate for weapons than I am."

"Major Sheppard and Doctor McKay are missing," Teyla said again. "Is it possible Terris could have them?"

Rowland nodded. "I'm afraid it is very possible."

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

"Do you remember the nature lesson Teyla tried to give us a couple of months ago?" Rodney asked as he pulled the travois through the woods.

He wasn't sure John was even awake, but he needed to do something to take his mind off Sheppard's fever, how quickly an infection could kill John if he didn't get him home soon, and his own aches and pains. He'd stopped coughing, thankfully, but there was still the odd tingling feeling at the back of his head along with the headache. His arm and leg burned with every step or jerk of the vines, and Rodney had the sneaking suspicion John wasn't the only one in need of antibiotics.

"She showed us all of those different plants that were safe to eat and which ones were poisonous." He glanced back at the travois and saw John's eyes were closed. "I gotta say, I don't think any of it sank in. I can see all sorts of things in these woods, but I wouldn't know a good berry from a bad one if they held up signs."

Several low bushes grew near the trees he passed, their berries a tantalising ripe red. Rodney wasn't sure if they were the Pegasus galaxy version of a raspberry or something that would kill him as soon as he touched it. He didn't feel inclined to experiment and left the berries alone.

The travois caught on another root and jerked Rodney to a halt. He groaned as the sudden stop jerked his shoulders, then backed up, tugged the chunk of bark over the root, and kept walking.

"I wonder if Teyla and Ford made it back to Atlantis," Rodney mused a few minutes later. "Would Elizabeth send someone back to look for us if this Terris person poses a threat? They would try to look for us, wouldn't they?"

He looked around the endless trees hoping to see some Atlantis black in amongst the green. "Well, they'd want to find you at least." He glanced over his shoulder at John. "I'm not sure anyone would miss me very much at the moment. Even if I am the smartest person around and the only one who can keep Atlantis running properly."

Rodney trudged on in silence for several minutes until the travois caught on something again. He worked them free and glanced down at his arm as it throbbed. "I really did try not to say anything about the plan," he said once they were moving again. "But he … Kolya, I mean. See using his name. Kolya just stared at me with those flat eyes, no emotion one way or the other." He hesitated then added, "He just kept cut, umm, cutting my arm."

Rodney swallowed hard. "He-he said he'd start …" He paused and took a deep breath as the memories flooded back. "He said he'd start cutting off fingers if I didn't, umm, if I didn't tell him what he wanted to know."

He shivered even though the day was warm. "There was no one there to stop him," he muttered. "Elizabeth was gone. You were gone. It was just me and Kolya and one of Kolya's soldiers holding me down while …" Rodney swallowed again. "I really need my fingers, you know," he whispered. "If I can't type or fix things, what good am I to anyone?"

He stuffed the stick under his arm and rubbed at his eyes. "Good thing you're asleep, can't see me fall apart here." Rodney took a deep breath and stared at the trees. "I keep dreaming about it. I guess you kinda knew that." He glanced back at John. "How long does it take for the dreams to stop? It would be really great if you could teach me to put the bad stuff in a box, just this once."

A branch snapped off to his left, making Rodney jump. He quickly changed the scanner back to check for life signs. There was something out there, he realised as he saw a pair of blips on the screen. "Let it be a deer," he muttered. "A nice Pegasus galaxy deer. Nothing that wants to eat us, or shoot us, or kidnap us." He changed direction just to be safe, and a few minutes later, the tiny dot fell off the screen as it moved out of range.

"Speaking of being the base pariah," Rodney said a few minutes later, "did I ever tell you how Colonel Carter and I met? I was brought to the SGC to help when Teal'c - did you meet Teal'c before we left? - was stuck in the 'gate buffer."

Rodney shook his head. "She was so angry with me because I kept telling her Teal'c was dead, and there was nothing she could do about it. She yelled and argued and came up with crazy plans that had no chance of working. And when I told her they wouldn't work, that just made her more mad. She would have done anything to save her friend, and I just didn't get it."

He looked over his shoulder at John. "Now I get it."

John didn't so much as twitch at the admission.

Rodney adjusted the vines digging into his shoulders and kept talking as he walked. He told John about the latest reports from the science teams. He spent several minutes describing Kavanaugh's latest blunder. He talked about all of the work they would need to do to repair the damage from the storm and even mentioned an idea he had to make the mess hall lines move faster. He knew John was probably too out of it to hear what Rodney was saying, but talking helped keep the rising panic at bay.

An hour later, Rodney noticed he had to stare at the scanner constantly to remember where they were going, and his hands were shaking. He found another small creek and slipped out of the vines, rubbing his aching shoulders as he carefully set the travois down near the edge of the water, and checked John.

"The fever doesn't feel any higher," he said to John. "But it's not any better either." He pulled off the damp jacket and dunked it in the creek.

Rodney sat down beside the travois, reached for his tac-vest, and pulled their last power bar out of one of the pockets. He stuffed the vest back under John's foot and opened the bar.

"I'd offer you half, but I think you still have the half from breakfast in your pocket," he said to the unconscious, he could finally admit to himself John was not merely sleeping, Sheppard.

He ate the energy bar and washed it down with a swallow of water. "Almost empty," he muttered as he shook the canteen. He set the canteen back in the travois, checked the scanner, and frowned.

"We're too far to the south," he muttered to himself. According to the scanner, they were still three kilometers from the 'gate in a straight line. "But you can't go in a straight line, so it's more like four or five." He scrubbed a hand over his face. "Lovely."

He sat for a few more minutes, working up the energy to move, then blew out a breath and pulled the jacket out of the creek. He squeezed out the wet coat and put it back over John, took up his place pulling, and continued his monologue as he hiked.

"Did I tell you one of the scientists may have found an Ancient defensive satellite?" Rodney asked. "Gall found mention of it in the Ancient database and dug up some schematics for it. If he can get some proof it's actually still out there, Elizabeth thinks it might be worth the fifteen-hour flight out to the Lagrange point to see if it still works."

Rodney wiped the sweat out of his eyes with the back of his arm then tugged his sweaty shirt away from his skin. It had to be past noon, and even with the shade provided by the towering trees, it was still hot.

"If you came with us, it might be a good time for another flying lesson. What do you think?" Rodney glanced back at John and sighed.

"This is just so wrong," he muttered. "You do realise everyone is going to blame me for this, don't you? We'll get home, and everyone will just assume it was something I did that got you hurt. Ford certainly will."

He stumbled and nearly fell before catching himself with his makeshift walking stick. "Sorry," he mumbled at John as the travois almost tipped over. Rodney made sure John was still all right and started out again. The trees weren't as close together, and Rodney raised a hand, shielding his eyes from the sun.

"I can never tell about people," Rodney said as he dodged around several large rocks in his path. "How can you tell when someone actually wants you around or if they just want something from you? I've always assumed it was that last one. I know what people think of me. There's never been a shortage of people telling me exactly what they think my so-called flaws are. I can't help it if they can't keep up, but for some reason, it must be my fault."

Rodney shook his head and sighed.

"Where was I?" he asked a moment later. "Oh, yeah, people. While I can count the people I think of as friends on two hands and still have fingers left over, I really thought Ford was one of the ones I could count. But maybe I was wrong. Maybe we're more colleagues? Work associates? What does that mean for the team?

"Listen to me, would you? Before coming here, I never cared what people thought of me. Just ask Carter. Now, I'm not only worried about what Ford really thinks of me but how that will affect our team. Our team? The team? Your team, I guess," he finished with a painful shrug.

A new sound caught his ear, and Rodney looked up from the scanner. The trees were definitely thinning, and Rodney noticed the ground was softer. He walked out of the trees a moment later and found their path blocked by a river. Not the creeks he'd seen in the woods or even the stream by the village with the wooden bridge, but a broad, fast-moving river.

"Okay. This could be a problem," Rodney muttered as he watched the water tumble and foam in front of him.

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

Aiden and Teyla exchange a glance at Rowland's statement that someone else may have taken Sheppard and McKay.

"We need to know for sure," Aiden said, and Teyla nodded.

Aiden glanced at Rowland, then tapped his radio, "Markham, you've been listening?"

"Yes, sir," Markham replied.

Rowland gave him a startled look, but Aiden ignored him. He turned toward the window and lowered his voice. "Take your team and scout the village by the water. Let me know if you find any sign Major Sheppard has been there."

"On it," Markham replied.

Aiden turned to Teyla. "We should still look around here. If this Terris took them before they could leave the village, Sheppard might have left a clue who it was or where they were taken."

Rowland stood from his desk. "I'd like to help," he said. "I fear you have a rather poor impression of my village. We're good people, really." He glanced from Ford to Teyla. "Good people," he said again, "who are afraid."

Aiden turned to him. "We can cover the village," he told Rowland in a dismissive tone. He caught Teyla's look and remembered their conversation earlier and grudgingly added, "If we need to search the forest, we'll probably need some help."

Rowland relaxed as he nodded. "There are several men and women who know the forest well. I will alert them to be ready if you require assistance."

Teyla smiled at him. "Thank you, Rowland. We will let you know."

Aiden led the way out of the house and back into the village square.

"Where should we start?" Teyla asked, looking at the surrounding buildings.

"We'll start at the pub and see if we can retrace their movements," Ford said.

Freyan was behind the bar when they entered. She greeted them with a smile but said nothing as they went down the hallway to the rooms they'd used the night before. Ford entered the room with the two beds and went to the window.

The blood on the window sill was even more apparent in the daylight. Aiden touched the dried blood with a finger, opened the window, and glanced at the ground below. "Sheppard definitely hit the guy," he reported. "Looks like he ran back into the square." He closed the window and looked around the rest of the room.

"We now know why at least one of them did not respond to our radio calls," Teyla said, picking up an earpiece. "It was on this side of the table," she pointed to the side closer to the window. "I assume it is Doctor McKay's."

Aiden nodded. "Major Sheppard would have taken the bed closer to the door," he agreed.

Teyla put the receiver in her vest pocket. "There does not appear to be anything else here." She led the way out of the room and back into the snug. "Freyan, have you seen Major Sheppard or Doctor McKay today?" Teyla asked.

Freya put down the glass she was cleaning and shook her head. "Keldan thought they had gone back to see Rowland."

"So no one has been in here asking about any of us?" Aiden pressed.

"No one," Freya replied. She glanced at Teyla. "Is everything all right? Keldan mentioned there was a fuss during the night."

Teyla glanced at Aiden, who grimaced and shrugged.

"Major Sheppard and Doctor McKay appear to be missing," Teyla said to Freyan.

"And you think someone in the village is responsible?" Freyan asked.

"We are not sure what has happened," Teyla replied.

"If there is anything we can do to help," Freya offered.

"Thank you," Teyla replied. "We will let you know."

Aiden waited until Teyla met him near the door then led the way outside and around the side of the pub to the alley. Teyla brushed her fingers over the pockmarks in the wall and studied the square. "I believe you were correct, Lieutenant." She walked over to the fountain and knelt next to the bloodstain.

"Considering the size of the holes in the wall of the pub, I'd say McKay was only grazed," Aiden said, studying the dried blood on the fountain. "Major Sheppard may have tried to get them back to the 'gate."

"If that is true, they should have made it back to Atlantis by now," Teyla said.

"Yeah," Aiden agreed. "Which leaves someone stopping them."

Teyla pursed her lips and studied the rest of the square. "There is more damage to the wall there," Teyla said, pointing to one of the buildings.

"If we can find where they were captured, we might find a clue as to who took them." Aiden crossed the square and stood at the mouth of the alley. "More blood," he said to Teyla. "It's a good bet they went this way."

Aiden saw more pockmarks in the alley walls as they walked, and several minutes later, they came out into a street with a blacksmith on one side and a huge pile of still-smoking rubble on the other. A few villagers sifted through the debris, putting out hot spots.

"I guess we know what blew up now," Aiden said. He walked over to the ruined building and kicked over a burnt-out barrel.

"This was not a distraction," Teyla said as she looked around.

"No, it wasn't. I just hope they aren't somewhere under all of that."

"Lieutenant," Teyla said and pointed to a narrow alley between the blacksmith and woodshop. "More blood." She walked across the street and knelt next to the red stain on the wall.

Aiden followed her, scouting the rest of the alley and found two backpacks tucked under some scraps of wood against the wall of the woodshop. He picked up the packs, not liking where his mind went that the packs were left behind.

Teyla touched a damp spot on the ground, then held up her fingers. Aiden saw a hint of red. "It is almost dry," she said, "but there is a fair amount. Doctor McKay may be more seriously injured than we thought."

"That might explain why the packs were left behind," Aiden said. "If Major Sheppard had to try and carry McKay, the packs would have been too much."

Teyla dusted off her hands and stood. She started down the alley to the next street but stopped when Aiden heard Markham over the radio.

"Markham to Ford."

"Ford here," he replied.

"We're at the other village, sir. There's no sign Major Sheppard or Doctor McKay were here."

Aiden grimaced. "Find Terris. I want to talk to him," he growled.

"Yes, sir," Markham acknowledged, and Aiden heard the radio click off.

"Come on," Aiden said to Teyla. "We're going to have a chat with Terris." He shouldered the two packs and led the way out of the alley and back up the street to the village square.

It took them an hour to backtrack back through Rowland's village and find the road to the lake or sea in the distance.

"Markham to Ford," Markham called over the radio as Aiden and Teyla jogged down the road leading to the water.

Aiden held up his hand and stopped. "Ford here."

"We've searched most of the village, sir. We think Terris might be hiding in some warehouses near the water."

"Understood," Aiden replied. "We're almost to the village. Scout the area for any sign of him. We'll meet you in a few minutes."

"Copy that. Markham out."

Come on," Aiden said to Teyla. "Sounds like Markham's team may have found something."

Aiden and Teyla were nearing the water when Ford heard a loud gunshot followed by the sharp report from several P-90s. They ran the remaining distance to the warehouses and found cover behind a shed.

"Markham!" Aiden called over the radio. "What's your status?"

"Taking fire, sir, Davis was hit. Single shooter. Large building right next to the wharf."

"There!" Teyla said, and Aiden caught a glimpse of the gun aimed out one of the windows of the three-story building.

"Got him," Aiden said to Teyla, then added to Markham, "We see him, Sergeant. We're going to go around to the water side. Let's see if we can't get him in a bit of crossfire."

"Understood, sir. We'll lay down cover and wait for your signal."

Aiden motioned Teyla to circle around the building as several P-90s started firing at the building. They worked their way around to where Aiden thought they had the best chance of catching the shooter unawares and found cover behind several barrels and crates.

"In position," Aiden said over the radio.

"We're ready, sir," Markham replied.

Aiden saw the barrel of the gun, followed by the craggy face he remembered from the attack in Sheppard's room. "Now!" he shouted into the radio even as Teyla opened fire next to him.

There was one last shot fired from the window, then silence once the P-90s stopped firing as well.

"Visual?" Aiden asked over the radio.

"Nothing, sir," Markham replied. "I think we got him, but he fell back into the building."

"Two-man teams for the search, Sergeant."

"Yes, sir. Jeffries needs to stay with Davis, sir."

"How bad is he?"

"He's conscious, but he needs to get back to Atlantis," Markham replied.

"All right, we'll clear the building, then you can take your team and head back to the 'gate."

"Yes, sir," Markham said.

Aiden and Teyla met Markham and Sanchez outside the building a few moments later. "We'll take the upper floor," Aiden said, pointing to himself and Teyla. "You two look for any signs of Terris."

"Yes, sir," Markham replied and led the way inside the building.

Aiden and Teyla found the body not far from the third-floor window. Aiden kicked away the shotgun and shone his barrel light on the face of the deadman.

"Looks like the guy who held McKay at knifepoint," he confirmed and glanced around the rest of the empty room. "Any sign of Terris?"

Teyla shook her head and walked over to the far side of the room, her P-90 at the ready.

Aiden heard several voices, turned toward the door, and saw Markham leading another man into the room. The man took one look at the body on the floor and turned away, his hand over his mouth.

"Sergeant?" Aiden questioned with a glance at the man standing against the far wall.

"Terris, sir," Markham replied with a sour expression. "He swears he had nothing to do with shooting at us. Says it was all Whelan's idea."

"That's right," Terris said from his corner of the room. "He went too far." He glanced at the body for an instant, and Aiden thought he might be sick.

Aiden huffed out a sigh. "All right, Sergeant. We'll take it from here. Get Davis back to Atlantis. Tell Doctor Weir what's happened."

"What about the search, sir?"

"I'm hoping Terris here will be able to help with that," Aiden replied with a glance at Terris. "If he can, we'll be right behind you, hopefully with Major Sheppard and McKay."

"Yes, sir." Markham turned to Sanchez standing next to Terris. "Come on, let's get Davis back to the 'gate."

"All right," Aiden said to Terris once Markham and Sanchez were gone, "let's hear it."

"I'll tell you everything, just please, can we not stay here?" Terris whined as he tried to not look at Whelan's body.

Aiden motioned him out the door. "Don't try anything," he warned as they stepped back out into the late afternoon sunshine.

Villagers milled around the area, glancing at the building and whispering to each other. Probably drawn by the noise, Aiden thought.

"Everything is fine, now," Terris said to the crowd. "There's no danger. Go about your day."

The villagers glanced at Terris and then the building. "We heard gunfire," someone said from the back of the group.

"It's all taken care of now," Terris said, and Aiden thought he looked more than a little flustered.

The group wavered for a moment then broke up as the men and women shuffled away from the water.

"Come with me," Terris said to Aiden once the villagers left. He led them back through the village to a pub. "Brax," he greeted as he walked into the pub.

The room was mostly empty except for a few men and women seated at tables near the front of the room.

The man behind the bar looked up from polishing mugs. "Terris."

"My friends and I need a quiet place to talk."

"The back is empty, sir," Brax said with a jerk of his chin toward an arched doorway. "Will you be wanting anything?"

Terris glanced at Aiden, who shook his head. "Not right now, Brax, thank you," Terris said and motioned Aiden and Teyla toward the back room.

Brax gave him a shrug and went back to polishing.

Terris led the way into the back room and sat at the long table. "Please," he said and motioned to the chairs.

Aiden and Teyla sat on either side of him, and Aiden glared at Terris. "So talk," he ordered.

Terris knotted his hands together on the table and said, "I admit I was the one that suggested to Whelan we try to kidnap one of your party," he said. He glanced at Aiden and sat forward in his chair. "But you have to understand, we are desperate." He looked imploringly at Aiden, then Teyla. "If Rowland managed a trade for weapons, we would have no chance of making a similar trade. I had to do something."

"You could have come to us," Teyla suggested. "As we have already explained to Rowland, such a trade would never happen, and even if it had, our weapons have little effect on the Wraith."

Terris hung his head. "I tried to stop Whelan once he was unsuccessful, but he's never been the most stable. I think something just snapped when he was unable to kidnap your man. He started shooting at your people last night and then today …" He looked off toward the water.

"So, you don't know where our missing people are?" Aiden asked, trying hard to keep the disappointment out of his voice.

Terris shook his head. "I thought they would go back to the Ancestor's circle. We went there to try and plead our case, but we never saw anyone. Just a loud noise and a bright light in the woods."

Aiden stood from the table. "This was a waste of time," he said to Teyla, with a glare at Terris. "We need to get back to Atlantis and get search teams together."

Terris followed them as far as the door to the backroom. "I never meant for any of this to happen," he said softly. "What are we going to do?"

Aiden started to say something but stopped when Teyla laid a hand on his arm. He grunted, shook his head, and walked out of the pub.

"How long will it take for search teams to come back?" Teyla asked as they walked back to the 'gate as the sun set behind them.

"Assuming Markham has already told Doctor Weir what's going on, hopefully not that long," Aiden replied. "I just hope we're not too late," he finished in a whisper.