Sora stood behind the cage, and watched the ring flash blue. Her dry lips parted as she watched Sheppard cross through, pushing the first of the crates in front of him. More men followed, and she eyed every new face hungrily, anxious for a glimpse of Teyla. McKay she spotted quickly, doing his best to hide behind the tall warrior with the Wraith bones around his neck. More men poured through the ring, unarmed, pushing heavy crates in front of them, but still no Teyla Emmagen. Sora scowled. Teyla must come; she would never allow her team to go into danger without her. She bit her lip. There were rumors Teyla had given birth some time ago. Could fear for her child's future keep her away from her duties to Atlantis? If there were truth to the whispers, she'd have to arrange an accident for the little one.

Thirty men in total stood before her as the ring shut down, and her vision turned crimson with fury. She was vaguely aware of the pain as her nails bit into her palms.

"Where is she?" she called to Sheppard. Her tone was clipped and frosty. Her men would recognize just how close she was to killing someone. "Where is Teyla Emmagen?"

"Given your history, I thought it best that she stay behind," Sheppard replied. "You understand, of course."

Sora gritted her teeth, unable to argue. There would be time later for Teyla, and her child. She had Sheppard and McKay, and the supplies. That would suffice for today.

"We brought what you wanted," Sheppard continued. "Now release Dr. Keller and Technition Banks."

"Given your history with my people, I thought it best to keep them. They'll be put to good use once you're dead," she smiled. "You understand, of course."

"Oh, of course," Sheppard replied sarcastically. "Problem is-" He raised a single finger, and six spacecraft- puddle jumpers, Atlantis called them- appeared at the top of the ravine, directly over her men. "-We don't plan on getting dead."

As she gaped in shock, the crates burst open, revealing heavily armed soldiers within. Teyla rose from Sheppard's crate and he pulled a gun from the holster at her waist.

"It is over, Sora," the hated Athosian said gently. "Give the order for your soldiers to stand down, and release your prisoners. This does not have to end in bloodshed."

"I will accept nothing less!" Sora shouted. "Fire!"

A few of the former Genii soldiers managed to get off shots before the puddle jumpers opened fire. Sora felt a scream crawling up her throat as she watched her men die by the dozens. The Atlantean soldiers fired from above and below, and she ducked behind the cage for cover. Men fell from the top of the ravine, screaming until they hit the floor with sickening thuds. The air above her turned pink with blood mist, and she bit her fist in horror. The sounds of heavy gunfire seemed to go on forever, as the concussion from the ship missiles shook her bones. Bullets screamed over her head, and she gripped her own gun tightly.

Finally the fighting ended, and she stood. Blood ran down the sides of the ravine, and bodies littered the ground, broken and twisted from the long fall. Of the sixty men she had brought on this mission, not one had survived.

"You lost," Sheppard said, stepping over the body of a man she had known since childhood. "By now your base has been destroyed. See, we sent a team there too, just in case. It's over. Let Jen and Amelia go."

Sora's mind reeled. Can it be true? she thought. Could they have found us? So many dead...

The tall, long-haired warrior strode up to her, his eyes blazing with rage. Sora's hand began to shake, but she raised her pistol anyway. He ignored the gun, and kept his eyes locked on hers until he reached the cage. He ripped the cloth from the cage, then shouted in fury.

"They're not here!" he yelled back to Sheppard. He reached over the cage and grabbed her shirt, still mindless of her weapon. "Where the hell are they?!"

Sora pulled away from him and stumbled back a few steps. Her rosebud mouth stretched into an insane grin, and she raised her weapon again.

"Sora, please!" Teyla pleaded. "Don't!"

Sora pressed the gun to the soft underside of her jaw and pulled the trigger.

Ronon stared at fallen Genii for a long moment, then wiped her blood from his face. He turned back to his stricken team. He was only half aware of McKay falling to his knees as he walked slowly back to the Atlanteans.

"She's dead," he said dully. Teyla bowed her head in sorrow. Sheppard nodded thoughtfully.

"That does present a problem," he said. "Let's head over to her planet. We'll either find them there, or some clue as to where she stashed them. Do not go to pieces now, Chewie. They need you." He touched his earpiece. "Alright, people, let's head out!"

oooOOOooo

On a snow-covered planet several hundred light-years away, twenty former Genii soldiers approached a tall metallic building. The leader knelt beside the tracks in the snow and pulled his pistol from his belt.

"They're in here. No survivors. Go."