Amelia winced as she hit the bars of the cage with her shoulder. The rope around her wrists bit painfully into her flesh, and she could feel the tips of her fingers already beginning to lose feeling. Beside her, Keller struggled with her bonds.
"No point trying to get loose," their guard advised. "There's nowhere for you to run to, and Sora will kill one of you if you try." He slammed the gate door shut, and padlocked it. "Don't mind the dirt. You won't be around long."
"What do you think he meant by that?" Keller asked shakily, as the guard sauntered away.
"I'm not sure, but I didn't like the smirk he was wearing as he said it." Amelia looked around, searching for a weak point in their prison. The metal bars of the cage were spotted with rust, but still sound, and far too narrow for them to squeeze through. The padlock could only be opened with a combination code. There was no way to pick it, even if they could get their hands free. But they were at the far edge of the camp, and if they could make a break for it, they could lose their captors in the woods. Amelia scooted closer to the doctor.
"Can you reach the knots on my wrists?" she whispered. Keller shifted so her hands were touching Amelia's.
"I think so," she whispered back. "Do you see a way out?"
"Not really," Amelia replied. "But they have to let us out sometime, and we have more options if our hands aren't tied behind our backs."
"I have a scalpel in my inner jacket pocket," Keller offered.
"I have a feeling the guards would notice me nuzzling your chest," Amelia said dryly. "It's just rope. We can unknot it, eventually."
As Keller worked at the knots, Amelia studied the camp. There were more soldiers than she had first thought, close to a hundred in all. Tents were arranged in groups of four, each entrance facing a different direction. A line of cook pots simmered over fire pits constructed down the center of the camp. Amelia's stomach growled, reminding her how long it had been since breakfast. Anticipating the usual feast with her Athosian friends, she had eaten lightly, and now her stomach was threatening to gnaw its way through her spine. The smell of the Genii's cookfire made her mouth water, and she wondered if they would feed them. Judging from the way Sora looked at them, Amelia doubted it.
She spotted the redhead striding toward them, and warned Keller with a hiss. Sora looked pleased with herself, a cold smile on her lips.
"Enjoying my hospitality?" she taunted. She tossed her bright curls, and ran a gloved hand down one of the bars, dislodging flakes of rust. "I know it's not what you're used to, being from Atlantis, but since it's your people's fault that we're out here in the middle of nowhere, I'm sure you can make do."
Sora looked at the blank faces of her two captives and frowned. "Do you not know what your people have done to me?" she demanded. "What they have taken from me?"
Amelia glanced at Keller, who shook her head. Sora slammed her hand against the bars.
"They took everything from me!" she yelled. "Teyla Emmagen left my father to die on a Wraith ship. They stole from us, supplies that we needed to fight the Wraith, forcing us to go to Atlantis, where John Sheppard killed over sixty Genii. Sixty! All dead at his hands! My fiancé was one of those men, killed trying to cross through the ring." She squeezed her eyes shut, and clenched her fists at her side. "My commander, Acustus Kolya, escaped, but I was left behind, and traded back to my people as a good-will gesture." She spat the words out, shaking now with fury. "I had to suffer the humiliation of being sent back as a prisoner, a failure. My unit had been decimated, my commander, the man I admired most, was disgraced. I was demoted from my position in Chief Cowan's elite guard, to that of a basic soldier. Only Cowan's respect for my father kept me out of the testing facilities." Her dark eyes softened, and her lips lifted in a smile. "Kolya kept me in his confidence, me and Ladon Radim. He planned to overthrow Cowan's weak regime, to take his rightful place as the leader of our people, to lead us to new glories, and victory over the Wraith." Her face crumpled. "We were betrayed. Ladon stole what was Kolya's, and we were forced into hiding, us and those soldiers who supported us. In the end, it didn't matter. Kolya was murdered by John Sheppard and his team only months later."
Sora wiped hot tears from her face and pulled a bulky camera off of her belt. She held it up, and Amelia blinked away stars as the bright flash blinded her. The camera made a loud internal whir, and a clear sheet rolled out of the top. Sora waved it in the air for a moment, then held it up for Amelia and Keller to see.
"This photograph of you alive and well will be sent to Sheppard," she said. "He won't be able to resist coming for you at the place I designate, the hero that he is, and where he goes, his team follows. The big man, Ronon will be killed immediately. He means nothing to us. Dr. McKay will be of use to us in our lab. He has the knowledge we need to complete our weapons. The others will be executed for thier crimes. Teyla included. Her, I will kill with my own hands."
"And us?" Keller asked quietly. Amelia could feel her trembling where their bodies touched. Sora shrugged dismissively.
"Behave yourselves, and I will let you live," she said. "You will work off your people's debt to me here in my camp. Consider yourselves fortunate I am a generous woman."
"I think we're better off taking our chances in the woods," Amelia remarked, watching Sora's retreating back. "That is one unstable woman."
"Are you sure?" Keller asked. "You heard her. If we stay here. John and Ronon will eventually find us. If we try to escape, she'll just kill us."
"You saw what she did to Kelly," Amelia replied. She shuddered at the memory of Kelly's body in her arms, and she could smell the nurse's blood still soaked into her shirt. "Somehow I don't think we'd survive for very long. Besides, it sounds like she's planning an ambush. Even for Colonel Sheppard, that sounds risky."
"We have to warn John," Keller said, attacking Amelia's bonds with a new urgency. "God, Rodney and Ronon will be frantic!"
Ronon, Amelia thought desperately. I can't let him get killed because of me. We need to find a way back to Atlantis on our own.
oooOOOooo
Todd pulled up the scout ship's planetary database and growled. He was farther away from Wraith territory than he remembered, and his ship was too large to fit through the gates. Even with the ship's hyperdive, it would take some time to reach his former allies among his people.
There is no rush, he thought. Why not simply enjoy the journey?
He searched the database for nearby cullable planets, but came up empty. Another perusal came up with a map of planets suitable for human habitation. Todd knew 'dead' planets usually weren't. Humans often searched out planets culled to extinction, certain the Wraith would never bother returning. He'd have to get closer, and scan the planet to know for sure. It was an inconvenience, but he needed supplies. He chose the closest, and set his coordinates.
Several hours later, he landed the small ship in a clearing, not far from where his scan showed a human settlement. There were not many humans, but enough to warrant caution, and he kept his footsteps light as he ghosted through the trees. A careless human walking alone toward the settlement was swiftly stunned, and Todd reached down to hoist him up, then drew back in surprise.
Genii! His mind went white with rage, and he fought the urge to roar in fury. The humans who had held him captive for years, treated worse than an animal, starved time and again. They would die, every last Genii on this tiny planet. Todd had many ambitions in life. The eventual eradication of the Genii was one of them.
Todd stunned the unconscious Genii again for good measure, and crept toward the camp. Firelight showed through the thick foliage of the forest, and he pressed himself deep into the shadows. The camp was small, the tents placed close together. Todd could easily decimate the entire settlement with a few well-aimed missiles. He would pick off a few lone humans first- it would be a shame to waste the nourishment and the rest he would eradicate. He growled softly in pleasurable anticipation.
An odd contraption caught his eye, and he crept closer. A cage, a few body-lengths long, and half as high, with two human captives contained within. One of the captives turned her head, and he froze.
Amelia! What was she doing here? Todd's mind raced. A trap, perhaps? But, no. It makes no sense. Not for me, at least.
Todd inched forward, senses alert for any watchers. Firelight fell on the other captive, and his lip lifted in a sneer. His distaste for the little doctor gave him pause, and he considered leaving them. His missiles would give them a quicker death than the Genii surely would. Yet, the thought of leaving Amelia bothered him. Few beings had ever shown him any kindness without wanting something in return. His claws touched the chocolate bars in his pocket, and he remembered the mischievous gleam in her eyes as she handed him a small square, her delighted laughter when he sighed with pleasure as the tiny treat melted on his tongue. An hour they had spent sitting together, and not once had she shown fear. Naive, yes, but he had found it somewhat endearing.
Fine, then, he thought. Release the Atlanteans, then kill the others. He thought longingly about the stunned guard he had left in the bushes. It was fortunate he was not yet hungered. He doubted the women would take well to him stocking up his larder while they were with him.
He approached the cage silently, keeping low to the ground. The latch was simple, but the lock would have to be blasted off. That meant they would have to be quick once it was gone. The ropes would be a problem. He could see the doctor working at Amelia's bonds, but they were too well tied. Her slim fingers were white from lack of circulation; much longer, and she'd be in danger of losing them. He pulled a curved knife from his sleeve, and crawled to the cage, keeping the women between himself and the camp.
"Amelia," he hissed. "No, do not turn around!"
"Todd?" she whispered, incredulous. "What are you doing here?" Beside her, Keller fought not to look behind them.
"My sensors picked up life signs from this planet," he explained. "I came to... investigate. Now, give me your hands, quickly."
Todd sawed through the thick rope binding Amelia's wrists, then began work on Keller's. Amelia rubbed her hands together, wincing as circulation returned. She couldn't believe their luck.
"Am I hallucinating?" she asked. Behind her, Todd raised a hairless brow.
"Are you in the habit of hallucinating attractive Wraith commanders during stressful situations, Amelia?"
"Of course not!"
"Then, I am indeed real," he said. "Now, listen to me, both of you. In a moment, I will shoot the lock off this cage. We will need to move fast. My ship is not far. Stay close to me, and do not get separated. I do not know about you two, but the Genii will shoot me without a second thought. Are you ready?"
"Wait," Keller said. "Where are you taking us?" Her voice held more than a trace of suspicion, and he suppressed a sigh. Keeping the doctor alive would require much patience on his part.
"I am taking you to the nearest gate," he said, as if to a youngling. "I have no desire to return to Atlantis at the moment, and the quickest way home for you is through one. Are you done asking questions, Dr. Keller?"
"Yes," she said stiffly. He chuckled.
"Good, then let us proceed."
Todd pulled his energy gun out of it's holster, and shattered the lock with a shot. Amelia and Keller darted out of the cage, as Genii soldiers began to shout.
"Hurry!" he snapped. He grabbed Amelia's wrist and pulled her into the woods, Jennifer following close behind. Branches whipped across their faces as they flew through the forest, tearing out strands of hair and opening small cuts on bruised flesh. Amelia tripped over a protruding root, almost falling before Todd hauled her back up with a Wraithish curse. Keller looked back to see Sora darting through the trees, slowly catching up to them. The small woman was quick, and nimble enough to dodge the worst of the natural obstacles.
"Faster!" Keller yelled. "Sora's right behind us!"
Todd scanned the terrain before them. He needed to lose the one behind them, cause some bit of confusion. A patch of darker foliage caught his eye, and he reached back and grabbed Keller with his other hand. He pulled the two humans tight against him, and threw himself to the side. They fell through the thick wall of vegetation and hit the ground, rolling deeper into the brush. Todd kept his arms around the women, doing his best to cushion them from the worst of the impact. If only my old commanders could see me now, he thought wryly. They came to a stop against the base of a large tree, and lay still, trying to slow ragged breathing. Todd looked up to see a slender figure silhouetted against the moonlight, and he tightened his hold in warning. The female Genii turned slowly, searching for them. The radio at her waist crackled with static, and she brought it up to her mouth.
"What is it?" she snarled.
"We found a Wraith ship north of the camp," replied the voice on the other end.
"That's where they'll be headed," she said. "I want a full unit on that ship. Kill anything that gets near it. Including the two Atlanteans. They've proven too difficult to deal with. We'll manage without them now."
"Well," Todd said, once her footsteps had faded into the woods. "It seems we're in need of a new plan."