Chapter 10 – The Balancing Act.

'There's no way.' John shook his head determinedly.

'It will protect you.' Teyla insisted.

'It's bad enough that I have to wear this stuff.' John complained. 'Plus it'll mess up my hair.'

Teyla raised an eyebrow and slapped the helmet into his hands. John pouted whilst Tycho watched him, fixing leather bands to his wrists.

'More so than it already is?' Tycho asked, eyeing John's black hair with a comical eye. John scowled. 'Does he always whine so before going into combat?' Tycho asked Teyla wearily.

'He usually wears a t-shirt and combat trousers – and I get sunglasses. Now it's a breastplate, helmet…and a skirt?' He pulled at the material feeling conscious of his legs. 'If Rodney ever saw me in this…'

'Colonel, do not worry.' Teyla assured him. 'I am sure that Rodney would not tease you half as bad as Ronan would.' She grinned and John scowled.

'I am so getting changed before we get out of here.' He muttered, flipping the helmet over in his hands.

'The armour suits you Colonel.' Teyla told him fixing the clasp on her breastplate.

'No – it stinks. Now your armour is a lot better…' He said, eyeing the curved breastplate and skirt. Tycho cleared his throat and John looked up smiling. Teyla ignored him with red hot cheeks burning her mouth into a smile.

'We will receive our weapons before going into battle.' Tycho informed him coldly.

'Oh good – swords.' John said sourly. He sighed. 'I should have paid closer attention to "Gladiator". And they say TV doesn't teach you anything.'

Teyla sat on a haystack and folded her arms. 'I admit that using the sword was difficult at first, but I adapted. I am quite fond of them now.'

Tycho smiled twirling the wooden one in his hand absent-mindedly. 'A great man once told me that a man's sword is part of him. It is a symbol of his fury as a warrior and his strength as a leader. He can wield it for any purpose, but only a great man would wield it to protect the people.' Tycho said confidently, and then his face fell. 'And then the Arena taught me how a man may not have a choice of how to use his sword. How the power to choose what you can do with it is taken from you.'

Teyla smiled weakly and stood. 'There is always a choice in anything we do. The only problem being that we may not like the options.'

John looked between them. 'My Dad always told me to keep my eye on the ball…'He frowned. 'Or was it the prize…it could have been keep my eye on the girl actually, he was a funny guy.' John grinned.

Teyla smiled in return, but Tycho scowled and turned to watch the inmates start to crowd round for their fight. 'They will take us soon. Are you ready?'

John looked down at himself. 'Well, at least I won't have my dignity to slow me down. That pretty much evaporated the moment I slipped this slinky little number on.' He tugged at the skirt again and looked extremely uncomfortable.

Teyla shook her head. 'Colonel, if it is any consolation, you have legs suitable for the outfit. It is a woman's opinion.'

John stared and then smiled widely. 'Why thank you, Teyla.'

'Yes, now let's see if the enemy are slowed by his distractingly attractive legs into getting themselves killed.' Tycho drawled.

John cocked his head. 'He's just jealous his legs aren't as nice as mine.' John whispered to her with a quirky smile. Teyla laughed softly.

The Guards opened the door and brought the crossbows up and aimed. One stepped in with a malicious smile. 'It is time.'

Teyla and Tycho looked at each other while John frowned. '"It is time"? How clichéd can you get? You bad guys need some new material.' He commented.

Tycho leaned toward Teyla. 'Are sarcasm and jokes his only fighting skill?' He asked.

John having heard the comment gave him a side glance. Teyla gave a half smile. 'It is infused with his true fighting skill.'

John smiled proudly at her before leading the way to the door.

Titus stormed through the corridor with his guards and the Altus Domino behind him. He seethed. The earlier fights had done nothing for him, he was too angry to be appeased by a little bit of blood shed.

'I want them found!' He yelled.

The Altus Domino nodded. 'They shall be. They cannot evade our patrols for much longer.'

It didn't matter what he said. They weren't in his dungeon, they were free, and Teyla and her pretty-boy leader were mocking him for it. His dark eyes burned with fury as he turned the corner into the Arena, passing his throne and leaping down the stairs, his arms outstretched. The crowd cheered and Titus soaked up their love for him.

It did not matter. Blood would be spilt. Teyla and Sheppard would die soon. There was no way they could survive this time round, no matter how good they were. They were still human, a weakness that he had played on time and time again. Their love and caring for their own kind. Titus had been rid of it a long time ago. His brother and his nephew had been easy work – and now he was Emperor. It was surprising where you could end up when you pushed the trivial things like selflessness and charity aside.

'Welcome to another night of death!' Titus roared. 'The Star Masters await your appreciation!'

The crowd screamed and the Arena shook with their eagerness. Titus smiled. They were almost as he eager as he was to see them die.

Ronan turned to Athera with venom. 'When?'

'It is too soon. The guard is still too many. If we go now we will be caught…you…you will be caught. 'She sighed. 'Wait until the fight is over, until the Emperor leaves the building.'

'We can move into position now.' Ronan stated. 'And wait to move forward.'

Rodney frowned. 'Hold on, so we'd wait in a position in order to get into position for the infiltration?'

Ronan gritted his teeth and waited for Athera to agree. 'Either that or I go now and alone.'

'Not alone.' Rodney piped up. His false bravery waning slightly. 'I would be there for moral support.'

'We can go now. Monitor the moment that Titus leaves so that we may retrieve them sooner.' One of the men said. Athera closed her eyes and nodded.

'Fine. But I warn you to stay out of sight.' She told them.

Ronan left swiftly, the nine men right behind him. Rodney lingered and smiled weakly at Athera. She crossed over with a tired smile and kissed him on the cheek. 'May the Gods watch over you tonight.' She prayed.

Rodney smiled and breathed deeply, shining slightly before turning and bumping into the door frame. He smiled back in embarrassment and hastily walked through the door.

John felt his stomach spin anxiously and then drop through the floor at the sound of thousands of voices cheering. His mouth went dry as he looked at the large doors with men either side to pull them open. On the other side was the Arena.

John listened to the cheers, the roaring of the people, the commotion just on the other side making the ground vibrate. He frowned.

'Is it always like this?'

Teyla did not look away from the door. 'Yes.'

John saw a determination in her eyes, a coldness. She was focussing on what was on the other side of these doors. He looked to Tycho. His expression was the same. John sighed and slipped the helmet on his head, twirling the sword at his side.

'Actually, I think I could have given "Gladiator" a few pointers.' He muttered.

Suddenly the noise died down and a lone voice spoke, welcoming them to the Arena. John knew it was Titus. He gritted his teeth. 'What would happen if he died?' He asked.

Tycho snapped out of his trance. 'Died?'

'Yeah, died, as in dead. No more Titus.' John said confidently. Tycho thought a moment.

'The bloodline is spent; an Emperor would be elected by the people. But that is foolish to even think. Titus cannot be killed.' Tycho said heatedly.

'Is he human?' John prodded.

'Yes.' Tycho answered incredulously.

'Then he can be killed.' Teyla told him, a look of revenge in her eyes. 'Do you have a plan?'

John shrugged. 'Not so much a plan as a crazy ass want.'

Teyla smiled. It felt good to have him here. She had gotten use to people believing the Arena was unbeatable. John gave her a burning hope that had been slowly going out over the last week.

'I am afraid want cannot get you anything, Sheppard.' Tycho said firmly. 'Kill who we are meant to kill and live to fight the Emperor tomorrow.'

'Is that what you've been doing for all these years? Killing everyone else just so that one day you would be alive to kill the Emperor?' John scolded. 'I don't plan on being here another day let alone a year.' He said forcefully. Tycho's head snapped to scowl at him just as the magnificent doors opened and the crowd cheered.

John raised his eyebrows. 'They've been redecorating since I last saw the place.'

Teyla stared at the four tall stone structures in the centre of the Arena, they were each the height of four men and as thick as an old tree trunk. They seemed fairly small from where they stood, but John knew that distance could be deceiving. On either side of them was a tiger-like beast desperately chewing on its chain and battling with handlers who were hidden somewhere under the arena, holding the chains with waning strength. The tigers were a bright orange with talons, sharp teeth and small black eyes, and a roar that made the sand tremble under their feet. In front of the tigers and the stone structures were three small figures. John frowned.

The three walked in and squinted into the distance. John shook his head. 'I don't get the game, we kill those guys and the tigers…and then we do a balancing act on the statues?'

'You seem puzzled, Star Master!' Titus called. John gave him a tired look and twirled his sword with an arrogant air. If the Emperor wanted to be annoying, then John would gladly return the favour.

'Puzzled – no. Bored – more accurate.' He said loudly.

Titus smiled thinly. 'Approach, you shall see the purpose soon enough.' He called slyly.

'That does not sound good.' John muttered to Teyla.

She gritted her teeth. 'It never is.'

The three approached the three figures standing in front of the statues, the tigers wrestling viciously with their bonds. The three were men of identical height and width – they were mini-giants, and John could have sworn he had seen all of them on WWE. They were brothers – triplets. They wore only a grey skirt with grey boots and a large menacing helmet. They stood in the same stance, a single sword dug into the ground in front of them, both hands on the hilt.

'Three of them, and three of us.' Teyla commented.

'And the angry tigers.' John added.

Tycho frowned. 'There is more.' He said curiously. Teyla glanced at him and saw him squint. She turned back to the scene in front and her eyes widened. John paused before hurrying forward with an urgency.

'Sorry, sir.' A voice croaked.

Lorne could barely lift his head from the beating he had received earlier, and now he was strapped to one of the massive stone statues, the rest of his team strapped to the other three. They all looked the worse for wear, stripped down to their trousers, filthy and bleeding.

'Lorne.' John stated disbelievingly. 'What are you doing here?'

Major Lorne looked up tiredly and his tongue gently moistened his lips for him to answer. 'When you didn't come back after the first twenty four hours, Weir sent us in to look for you.' He looked up at the throne. 'His cronies found us first.'

'That was days ago.' John commented.

Lorne smiled weakly. They had been here days, locked up and tortured. John's grip tightened on his sword and he glared up at Titus.

'You shouldn't have done this, Titus.' He said menacingly.

The Emperor smiled widely. 'How could I not? The opportunity was far too delicious to ignore.' He rubbed his hands together. 'But to the game, shall we?'

Teyla strode forward. 'This is not a game, Titus. Will you still treat it as such when I have my sword in your gut?'

Titus laughed and Tycho turned to Sheppard.

'You know these?' He asked.

John nodded. 'Yes. They're a part of my team.' Tycho nodded.

Titus glared down at them and raised his hands. 'Before you are your friends. Their straps are tied to a mechanism at the back devised by my own Altus Domino for my entertainment.' He smiled back at the man who bowed graciously. 'When I give the order, four of my archers will fire arrows to activate the mechanisms. The tigers will be released and your men slowly lowered toward their hungry grasp.' He smiled. 'The three who stand before you are the Brothers of Ipthia – they will stop you from reaching your friends before they are torn asunder.'

John gave Teyla an angry look of urgency but her expression was one of loathing, focused utterly on Titus. John glanced up to the third level of the Arena and saw four archers with their arrows prepped. He looked down at Lorne and his men – good men who had fought by him and saved lives, including his on many an occasion. He couldn't let this happen. He couldn't let them die in this way. Titus's eyes darkened as he leaned on the balcony.

'You will not escape this time, Teyla. Death is certain for you now. These Brothers have never been defeated, and those tigers have not been fed for days – their anger outstrips your own.' He said maliciously. 'And your concern, your weakness for helping others will cause you to feel a desperation to save your team mates. You will make a mistake, and when you do, I will savour it.'

Tycho, Teyla and John stared up at him. John cocked his head, looking at the other two.

'Does he usually talk this much?' He asked.

Tycho turned to him. 'He is usually succinct in his plots of death and chaos.'

Teyla shrugged. 'He must make exceptions to entertain his newest guests.'

'How thoughtful, really, you didn't have to.' John said sarcastically, and the Emperor stared back.

There was a moments silence as the audience watched their mocking him, waited for his response. Titus stood stiffly and breathed through his nose. 'Aresedys will have you and my anger will be appeased.' He nodded to the archers above and they strung their arrows.

John shook his head. 'We made him angry…some people just need to relax more, you know?'

Teyla smiled widely as they turned to face the brothers, each pulling their swords from the ground and bringing them up to an attack position, one at a time.

'Well that was rehearsed.' John said bitterly.

Four arrows were fired and they thudded into the back of the stone statues where John couldn't see. The tigers were released and charged forward, leaping up the statues and trying desperately to pounce on the men just out of their reach. The Brothers surged forward.

'Okay, so, one for each of us, and when we're done, we kill the tigers.' John stated simply. 'How about I take that one, you take that one and you take him?' He said sarcastically. Each of them had a clear opponent advancing and they were in every way, identical.

Teyla nodded. 'It is a plan.'

'Tell me, as team leader does he form your plans a lot?' Tycho asked, ducking the first swing. 'How are you still alive?'

They engaged their enemies with John scowling humorously. Tycho immediately began jabbing and swiping, his opponent deflecting and then suddenly forcing his sword forward with incredible speed and strength. Tycho stumbled, but was experienced enough to not let that be his killing blow.

Teyla ducked and dodged backwards as her enemy growled his way toward her, frustrated at her successful evasion. Their swords had yet to touch. Teyla waited for her moment, a moment where he swiped hard and left his side exposed. She ducked under and slammed the hilt of her sword into his helmet; the warrior yelled and viciously swung his sword around, the other hand on his ringing head. Teyla grinned as she dodged.

John meanwhile had not exactly engaged his opponent in battle, they were circling one and other while he threw random comments at him.

'You know, if you guys had been girls, and those tigers big pussycats, I could have sworn that I'd had this dream.' He grinned. His opponent growled and lunged forward. John sidestepped and rolled to his feet. 'No sense of humour. But then I guess you've had to wear a skirt a lot longer than I have.' The man roared and stepped forward, brandishing his blade with fury, John dodged and deflected until the mans speed finally caught up with him, leaving him open to be back handed viciously.

Titus clapped his hands in appreciation. Their defiance was made all the more sweet by their inevitable demise. He grinned, turning to the Altus Domino watching the fight with knowing eyes.

'This is what makes me great.' Titus Breathed to him. 'The glory of the Arena.'

The Domino bowed. 'That and Aresedys' blessing, my lord.'

Titus laughed. 'Faithful though you are, Kyros, you need not pretend like my slaves that it is the God of War who gives me my power. It is the power I possess…to order a death, to order a hundred, a thousand…' He leant forward and laid his chin on his fist. 'Or only three.'

Tycho dodged backward and felt something brush at his side. Teyla looked up at him suddenly and her eyes widened. Tycho ducked and Teyla surged forward, swiping his opponent before ducking from her own and having Tycho come up to deliver a solid punch under his chin that sent his sprawling.

They looked at each other with warm smiles before separating once more to deal with their enemy. John saw this out the corner of his eye and scowled, suddenly ducking and falling to the ground as the massive man in front of him jabbed the blade at him. He advanced as John scrambled back, dragging his sword with him. The enemy smiled and spun his sword over his head before preparing it to slam into the ground and impale him.

John immediately kicked him in his crotch and grabbed a handful of sand, thrusting into his eyes as he doubled over in pain. John stood and kneed him in the head.

'Shouldn't count your chickens.' He said with a tired grin, then deflected a quick and angry jab aimed at his midsection. 'Less talk.' John reprimanded himself.

Suddenly Tycho slammed into his back and the two turned to look at each other before facing their opponent, ready to fight.

'That was graceful.' John said testily.

'Merely checking your progress.' Tycho responded, grunting as he sent a swing at his opponent.

'Well, I'm in one piece.' John said uncertainly, eyeing a gash on Tycho's leg.

Tycho slammed his fist into the enemies head and turned. 'I am also in one piece.'

John grinned. 'That's nice. Now duck.'

Tycho frowned and then the command snapped in his head and he fell to the ground, narrowly missing the blade swiping for his neck. John immediately crossed over and flipped the sword, spinning and hitting him in the head with the hilt. He went down hard and Tycho raised an eyebrow at John before rolling under his arm and thrusting the sword up at John's opponent and slicing his chest.

John nodded. 'Switch. Nice.'

They continued fighting their new partners. Teyla smiled slightly, noting their team work, and then focusing on the angry face in front of her. Teyla had managed to pull the helmet off his head and break his nose with it. The crowd had cheered loudly.

Now, with blood gushing down his face, he raised his sword for the kill. There was a time when Teyla would have reasoned with him, but no longer. It wasn't necessarily about what she had been through, but what they had been through. This man had been trained in Arena's like this, his occupation was to kill and survive all for the Emperor's pleasure. He wouldn't listen to reason because he didn't understand it. He had never been shown mercy before, and now he would show none.

Teyla fought with him, her ferocity a power in itself. Their swords flashed in the light of the fire, their fists and kicks a blur to the roaring audience. Teyla heard one of Lorne's team behind her yell in fear as their bonds lowered them to the leaping tigers.

She fought harder.

Teyla spun her torso back and immediately came round to slice the mans hip. He grunted in pain and twirled to deliver a back hand. Teyla flipped back to avoid it and launched into a roundhouse kick as he advanced. Her leg came down and her sword came round to catch the side of his face. The man yelled in pain and fell to one knee. Teyla kicked his face and without a moment's hesitation, drove the blade into his chest.

The man breathed in, eyes wide as he stared up at her. The Arena erupted in cheers and Titus moved forward in his chair. John and Tycho paused. Tycho smiled and continued on, but John snarled his frustration, hit his opponent viciously and strode forward a few paces to Teyla.

Teyla laid a boot on his shoulder and pulled the sword out, spraying her face and the ground behind her with blood and gore. John stared in disbelief.

Teyla breathed heavily and watched the corpse fall to the ground, playing with the sword at her side as the Arena cheered her name. Her eyes flickered and stared at John. She surged forward and John knew instantly that turning his back on his enemy had not been the best call. He ducked with little idea of what was coming from behind.

Teyla spun her sword and threw it with great precision. John heard a thunk and looked up. The tall, broad man with a massive helmet paused with his sword over head. Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth and he fell forward, Teyla's sword lodged firmly in his chest. John rolled out of the way, staring at the corpse for a moment, an then turning to Teyla with his expression grim.

John stood and turned his attention to his team whose legs were getting dangerously close to the reaching claws of the animals. Suddenly a shout turned his head to Tycho.

He was on the ground, raising himself on all fours and shaking his head, his opponent walking forward and twirling his sword with a successful smile. Teyla looked at John.

'I will help him. Get to Lorne.' She said hurriedly. John nodded and turned to his guys, sword in hand and no idea of how to take on two tigers. He frowned. One tiger…

John spun and saw the second tiger swipe at Teyla's back as she headed for Tycho. Three large gashes crossed her back as she tumbled to the ground and John felt his heart jump into his mouth as he hurtled over. Tycho who had heard the commotion managed to push his enemy back and turned to see Teyla on her front, curled into a ball while an outraged tiger slashed at her with its claws.

John rushed to her side and immediately swiped the blade down its back. The tiger growled in pain and quickly spun, throwing a paw in the air as John dodged back.

Tycho scrambled over to the bleeding form of Teyla.