A/N: Yeah, so I realize it's been forever since I updated this story, but I really am still working on it; I promise!
"No! We're staying right here!" Rodney spread his arms across the control panel, looking for all the world like a child hoarding his toys.
"Look at how far away that is, McKay," John waved toward the sketchy map of the planet that the Jumper had constructed using its sensors, "The closest uninhabited area large enough to be a field is over a mile away from Teyla and Ronon."
Rodney tried to reason with him, "I understand that; but you're injured and I barely know how to hold a gun, let alone take out any resistance we might come across."
"They won't reach her in time!" Sheppard exclaimed, anxiety forcing the hairs on the back of his neck away from his skin.
"In time for what?! You've got to stop with all this cryptic Edgar Cayce psychobabble!" Rodney's voice had gone up an octave.
John sighed heavily, "McKay, you have got to trust me."
Rodney narrowed his eyes, "Why? Because I have to tell you, you're not inspiring a lot of that particular quality right now."
"Because even though I'm hurt, I could still bash you over the head and take control if I wanted to," John's smile was without a trace of humor, "And because you're my friend."
"Oh yeah? Well friends don't let friends fly Puddlejumpers into possible combat situations when two days before they were bleeding in the infirmary," Rodney shot back quickly; but one look at the Colonel had him vacating his seat. "On the other hand, you're right about your badge of excellence in barbarian tactics."
John moved to the now empty pilot's chair, "Thanks McKay."
Rodney waved him off, "Hey, you're the one threatening violence here; I just want to make sure I'm conscious so I can fly off and leave when you get yourself captured."
John rolled his eyes as the Jumper lifted into the air, "Thanks for the vote of confidence."
SGASGASGASGASGASGASGASGASGASGA
As she stumbled out of the cart, Elizabeth used her right arm to shield her eyes from the harsh glare of not one, but two suns. The bright light felt like hundreds of tiny daggers lancing through her skull.
"Hey y'all, lookie who came back!" The prisoners' ringleader announced with a sneer.
She felt another wave of nausea pass over her, but she swallowed hard and somehow managed to keep from vomiting.
"She don't look too happy to see us," the man chortled loudly and the other workers joined in.
"Nobody is to lay a hand on Dr. Weir, understand?" Tamesis barked out. When angry mutterings started coming from those assembled he continued, "Because this lovely lady here is going to be doing everyone's share of the work."
A ragged cheer erupted from the prisoners, and Mr. Instigator took the chunk of rock he'd just split off and hurled it at Elizabeth's feet.
"Get a move on," Tamesis pushed her forward and she promptly tripped over the large boulder that had been placed in her way.
How she managed to right herself she would never know, but somehow she kept from falling flat on her face. A woman with ratty auburn hair shoved one of the hoe-shaped objects used to cleave stone at her hands and Elizabeth grabbed hold with her good one.
She dragged the tool to her usual workplace and half-heartedly swung it at a large rock. It wasn't easy to do with one arm, especially when her ribs were likely cracked, and the instrument bounced off the stone and flew out of her hand. She was just starting to bend down to get it when a foot caught her in the back and she tumbled into the rock bed. Though slightly more malleable, the coarse stone was a bit like granite and the tiny crystal shards scraped into her knees as she landed.
The prison guard loomed over her, "Make a real effort."
Elizabeth got slowly to her feet, sweating in exertion. The hoe-tool was shoved at her again and she took her place in front of the rock slab.
"Swing now!" Something whistled through the air and Elizabeth screamed and felt her knees buckle as fire blossomed between her shoulder blades.
Tamesis had brought his whip.
She couldn't help the tears that squeezed out of her eyes, but she swung that tool with all her might.
It felt like she'd been beaten all over again.
Elizabeth's knees buckled and she crumpled to the ground once more; she didn't even bother to try to stop herself. Her body simply couldn't take it anymore and she knew it. No one could say she hadn't tried.
She closed her eyes and waited for the inevitable blows to fall…but they didn't.
She must have blacked out for a moment because the next time she opened her eyes, it was to see something she had scarcely wished to hope for…an honest to goodness Puddlejumper setting down less than fifty yards ahead of her.
When the back hatch opened however, she realized she must still be unconscious and dreaming it all up because it was Rodney who came barreling out in full military gear with a P-90 aimed at Tamesis. It was such a ridiculous sight she knew it couldn't really be happening.
"Get away from her!" Elizabeth was impressed; her dream world was able to capture the nervous panic in McKay's voice; it was exactly how he would have sounded in a situation like this.
Tamesis backed away from her slowly. "You'll never get out of here alive," he snarled, "We'll shoot you right out of the sky."
"Oh yes, your gun turrets." Now Elizabeth knew she had to be dreaming because that sounded exactly like…
"I don't think they'll really be a problem." Oh yeah, that was John piloting the Jumper, and there was no way they'd let him out of the infirmary so none of this could be real.
"Then you would be wrong," the burly prison guard sneered, "Our guns are powerful enough to take out a puny little ship like yours."
"Oh, we're well aware of that," John's derisive snort was amplified through the intercom, "but we've got a man in your control chair who's just itching to blast them to pieces."
Almost as if on command, a loud explosion sounded in the distance, and a ball of fire erupted toward the sky.
Tamesis and the rest of the workers stared wide-eyed at the fiery conflagration.
"You just took out our only means of defense!" The guard's eyes hardened in anger.
"Actually, we only destroyed one," McKay spoke for the first time since his dramatic exit from the Jumper, "I was able to estimate the expected range of your weapons and found that destroying one opens up a safe zone for us to fly to the 'gate."
Elizabeth saw Tamesis' mouth tighten and his hands curl into fists.
"My arrogant friend is right," John chimed in, "And Major Lorne will be staying in the chair to make sure no one tries anything funny while we escape…or in case McKay's estimations are wrong."
Rodney turned his head to glare at John and in that moment, the enraged guard lunged at Elizabeth.
Knowing instinctively that she wouldn't be able to move out of the way fast enough, Elizabeth curled herself into as small a ball as possible, ignoring the grating pain in her chest. A split second later, Tamesis collapsed less than a foot in front of her, a smoking hole in his back.
Running along the cart path at the edge of the quarry were Ronon and Teyla. Ronon had his gun aimed at the now lifeless prison guard, and Teyla was sweeping her P-90 across the group of prisoners.
Elizabeth slowly relaxed her body, thankful for the near perfect timing of her team, relieved that the situation had ended as well as it had, and most of all, grateful that it had all been real.