The Price of Freedom – Part 9
Sirena sensed the brute coming, so she quickly moved to the door and barred Halden from entering John's room. "He still has a fever," she begged. "You cannot take him."
Towering over her and ignoring her words, Halden barked, "Get out of my way old woman! The Master will not tolerate any more of your excuses."
John turned towards her to give her an imploring look and a slight shake of his head. Sirena knew what he meant because she stood no chance against the guard. Reluctantly, she stepped aside and allowed him to enter.
For several days now, Sirena had feed John, tended to his wounds and helped him to gain some strength for the ordeal ahead. And every time Halden had come to check on his progress, Sirena had tried her hardest to delay him as John had been ill with a really high fever. However, today it wasn't bad enough to incapacitate him and although he was still very weak and feverish, he was in better condition than he had been a few days ago.
John sat waiting on the edge of the bed as the callous guard approached him. He was dressed in a simple beige coloured tunic and Sirena had found some sandals for his abused feet. They helped a little but his feet were still sore and blistered, as they had never really had a chance to heal. Although, he still felt drained and sickly, at least he was clean and freshly shaven making him feel slightly more human.
Resistance at this point would be useless, so John quietly stood and allowed Halden to chain him by the wrists and reattach the dreaded slave collar, which they had removed before John had been put in the cage. Halden then attached a chain to the collar before leading him from the room.
John put up no opposition as he stumbled despairingly behind the guard. Nevertheless, he gave Sirena a warm smile to thank her for all she had done.
Sirena turned tear filled eyes towards him and said a silent prayer. She continued to watch as Halden dragged him down the corridor, but the minute they were out of sight, she quietly slipped away from the room.
The spectacle that greeted John as Halden pulled him into an open courtyard reminded him of a scene from a badly made B movie. Decked out in some tasteless and garish clothing, Karakus was sitting awkwardly, like a pompous ass, on top of a creature that looked like a cross between a mule and a carthorse. You could almost see the poor animal buckling under the strain of have to support his enormous weight. The creature's body was adorned with a glittery, highly coloured blanket under the saddle and the bridle was covered in brassy tassels and bells along its length.
Several other animals where leashed behind the master's mount. Some appeared to be carrying provisions and on one, there was a long leather case attached to the saddle that looked suspiciously like it could contain a rifle.
Making up the rear of the cortege was a rickety looking cage, which was fixed to a four-wheeled undercarriage. Two of the horsy creatures were harnessed up front and it was into this contraption that John was pushed and prodded. He entered it with as much dignity and defiance as he could muster because the household slaves had been made to look on. They stood around in silence, some openly gawking while others looked terrified, John didn't know if it was for him or themselves.
Once the cage door was firmly secured, the small convoy started to move off at a slow and plodding pace. The prison carriage swayed like a small boat in rough seas as it began to roll over the uneven and stony ground. The violent motion sent John crashing into the bars, causing pain to shoot through his abused body.
Swallowing down the pain, he went with the motion until he got control over it by intertwining his arms firmly through the bars and desperately grabbing hold for support. From his half-upright position, John wearily looked around, taking note of the fact that there were only two guards accompanying Karakus. Unsurprisingly, one of them was Halden.
A small number of slaves had been forced to walk behind the cortege near his carriage, presumably brought along to serve the master. They refused to make any eye contract with him. John concluded that they were completely loyal and submissive to their master.
The weather was mildly better than it had been on the night he'd been taken from the cage but the heavy rain had left the pathways rutted and muddy. From time to time, the cart's skinny wheels caught in the deeper ruts and the whole contraption swayed dangerously, from side to side making John feel positively green. Being a pilot, he wasn't usually prone to motion sickness, but his poor health and the light fever helped to aggravate the feeling.
He glanced up at the grey overcast sky. It looked ominous with more rain, as dark and miserable as he felt. Things were really looking hopeless, but John found that he couldn't muster up enough energy or anxiety to worry about it. After all, he'd expected to die some days ago. Therefore, in truth, he was living on borrowed time. He had always been optimistic in the past but right now, John was almost willing to give up if only it would end his pain.
As his depression deepened, John felt that he couldn't sit up anymore, so he eased himself down to rest his hot and aching body against the hard wooden floor. Dark thoughts continued to whirl through his head. He had no disillusions about his fate. In the next hour or so, Karakus would do his utmost to get him in his sights and end his suffering. Would his friends and colleagues back in Atlantis even realise what had become of him?
His mind drifted for a few moments but in time, his thoughts turned to Rodney, self-declared genius and good friend. Once again, John wondered if he had made it off this rock yet. He certainly hoped so for Rodney's sake; otherwise, his talents would certainly be wasted living on this god-forsaken planet as a slave.
Thoughts of Rodney, his friends and the continuous motion of the carriage eventually sent him into a fevered doze. He didn't even realise that the journey had ended until Halden forcibly poked him with his rod. Listlessly, John allowed them to pull him from the cage, giving them the impression that he had given up. Maybe this action helped because surprisingly, Halden shoved a canteen filled with fresh water into his hand and ordered him to drink before the master came striding over.
"We will set up camp in our usual place." Karakus told his slaves, and then pointing a stubby finger towards a small sturdy tree, he ordered. "And for the moment you can tie the prey up over there."
Still clutching the canteen, John meekly allowed Halden to drag him over to the indicated spot. After pushing John down, the guard firmly secured his upper arms and body to the tree using some strong rope.
Looking down at him somewhat irritated and angry, Halden kicked John's leg and growled. "What's wrong with you?" When John refrained from answering, he grabbed a handful of his unruly hair. "I am warning you, slave. If you do not put up some kind of fight, I will cause you more pain until you do."
John looked at him as if he wasn't interested and he still didn't say a word. Halden made to let go of his hair but not before giving him a taste of what he meant by twisting the strands so hard that a clump fell out. John gritted his teeth against the throbbing pain, stubbornly refusing to cry out.
Maybe, it was Halden's action, but suddenly John found his depression lifting and his will to fight return. He wouldn't let this poor excuse of a human live to torment anyone ever again. If this was the day he was to die, then John intended to take Halden with him and if he had the strength and some good fortune, Karakus too.
Although he was still feeling like crap, John knew that he would need a good surge of adrenaline to see him through. Therefore, he let a large amount of anger and frustration take the place of his lethargy when he thought of all the things he would lose if he gave up now. If he was to die, at least his friends should be proud of him, if they were ever to find out what happened. He needed to leave a mark and he reckoned killing Halden and Karakus wouldn't be a bad one.
With renewed interest, John began to survey his surroundings more closely. The slaves had set-up some kind of canopy, presumably to keep their master dry in case of rain. Placed under the canopy was a large wooden chair and next to it stood a table that had been laid out with bowls of fruit, sweets and pastries. The whole camp was set-up on top of what looked like a rocky ridge, but from his present position, John couldn't see what lay beyond. He could only guess that it could be a cliff or steep decline. The ridge was surrounded by some dense looking woods and John vaguely wondered how they intended to keep him from escaping.
A sudden chilling thought caused him to shiver. Maybe their idea of hunting was to stand him at the edge of the ridge and use him as target practice. He wouldn't put that past Karakus or Halden, and if that was the case, then his best bet was to try to escape before that could happen.
John continued to watch and observe for at least another hour while Karakus rested and gorged himself by continuously stuffing his mouth full. John was too pent-up to feel any real hunger, and the sight of Karakus and his piggish behaviour was making him feel positively nauseous.
-SGA-
Rodney couldn't help keeping a smirk from his face as Teyla helped to re-apply his old man disguise. The result may not be quite as good as Sati's work but it would suffice, as Rodney did not intend to stick around long enough for the slavers to question the slight change in his appearance, if they even noticed.
Teyla, dressed and ready for combat, applied the last bit of makeup. "I hope that is something like the original look, Dr. McKay?"
Rodney waved his hand. "It will do. Come on, they must be waiting for us by now."
Teyla smiled slightly at his impatience, but she knew that most of it arose from his concern for John. Resting a hand on his arm, she reassured him. "We will find the Colonel. Of that, I am sure."
Rodney started to move off before he answered her. "Yes, yes, but I'll be happier when this whole ordeal is over and I can get back to my work. Do you know that I haven't done any research for over seven weeks now? It's going to take me months to catch-up. I just hope Sheppard will be grateful."
Teyla sighed as she moved alongside him. "I am sure he will be. However, we need to get him back first."
Rodney nodded gravely. He was nervous and extremely worried about that. "Yes, we do," he simply replied.
A few minutes later, they entered the jumper bay, which was currently a hive of actively. Major Lorne, who was leading the rescue mission, along with six marines, Dr. Beckett and naturally John's team, was overseeing the last minute preparations as the Marines settled into the rear compartment of Jumper Five.
Ronon was already up front, as Teyla and Rodney joined him. He had to stifle a snigger when he saw McKay. Rodney shot a dirty look his way before settling into the co-pilot's seat. Although, he wouldn't be going the whole way to Tandara in the jumper, he needed to set the gate co-ordinates for their first port of call.
A few minutes later, Lorne and Carson joined them indicating that, the mission could get underway. The jumper quickly began its descent into the gateroom and Rodney dialled-up the address for Lucia.
From her position overlooking the Stargate, Elizabeth wished them good luck over the radio before turning to her companion.
"I'm sure they will find him." Steven Caldwell said quietly. "I am only sorry that the Daedalus isn't here to help with the search."
Elizabeth simply nodded. This was more like the Caldwell that she had come to know and trust over the last six months or so, not the overbearing military officer that he had presented himself to be, for whatever reason, these last few weeks.
The Colonel watched her reaction closely and surprised her again when he said. "Sheppard's a good man and he's done a great job here."
She smiled slightly. "Yes, he certainly has." Caldwell returned her smile but said nothing more, so she left it at that.
-SGA-
John watched Karakus lick his sticky fingers and belch so loudly that it echoed across the rocky ridge. That was the last straw for his stomach. Feeling positively queasy, John leaned awkwardly to one side to retch several times until the feeling began to pass off. Emptying his stomach had finally relieved the awful nausea he'd felt since arriving on the plateau.
He still had the canteen clutched tightly in his right hand, and although it was difficult, he managed to pour some water onto his left palm and bring it to his lips to wash out his mouth.
While John had been busy vomiting, Karakus had finally finished eating and was now standing examining the weapon that he had taken out of the leather case. John didn't become aware that things were about to change until Halden's shadow loomed over him.
Kicking John's sandaled feet, Halden sneered, "Time to die, slave!" before bending down to remove John's footwear. "And you certainly will not need these," he announced as he threw the sandals as far as he could. They landed in a thorny bush.
For a second or two, John's despondency returned. How could he fight back with bare feet that were still sore and painful? Then he thought, No, he wasn't going to let this little setback deter him from his goal. And although it was hard, he told himself, Buck-up John, you have a task to do.
Halden quickly untied him and once John was free of the tree, the guard pulled him up and dragged him nearer to the camp. It had started to drizzle and losing his balance, John slipped on some wet stones. Halden growled angrily. "Watch your footing, slave."
"You know, I have a name. It's John Sheppard."
Without stopping, Halden shouted over his shoulder. "That does not interest me in the slightest, slave!The only thing that is important is seeing the Master put some pellets between your eyes!"
Those words made John realise that the weapon Karakus was playing with was in fact a shotgun of some kind, meaning that things just become far worse. If Karakus decided to use it now, John wouldn't stand a chance.
So when Halden ordered him to stop, John made his opinion known. "You know, this is not very sporting. If Karakus shots me here, where's the fun in that?"
Halden snorted. "Do not worry. The Master is not that lazy. I am to take you to Teekie grazing land not far from here and attach you to pole using a long rope. When the Master eventually arrives, you are free to run around as much as you can to avoid his shots. But believe me, sooner or later, he will get you. Oh and if you think you can escape, these lands are surrounded by a very well protected, high stone wall."
"Oh, very fair." John muttered. If he was to survive, he needed to overcome Halden before he attached him to the pole. He only hoped that the other guard wouldn't tag along.
Then a few minutes after thinking that and much to John's despair, the other guard suddenly appeared behind him cradling one of the wicked looking blade weapons that he'd seen his escort guards carrying just before the auction. The guard moved around him and spun the weapon playfully as if to intimidate. Every now and again, he thrust the thing towards John, sometimes coming quite close. John was beginning to think that it would take a miracle to save him now.
However, Halden shouted at the guard to stop messing around and then he left the man to watch John while he marched over to his boss and conferred with him at length. Occasionally, the two would glance towards their victim, and although John couldn't catch what was being said, he was sure it wasn't nice.
Maybe his best bet was to lure them into thinking that he was feeble. It wasn't far from the truth as his fever still burnt and his stomach began to rebel again, but that was more likely caused by nerves. When they turned to him again, John swayed and stumbled to the side as if overcome by a dizzy spell, but they took no notice.
So John swayed again and used the opportunity to manoeuvre just a little closer towards the camp thus giving him a better view of what lay beyond the rocky ridge. His first thoughts had been correct, as it did appear to be a drop off. Although just how high the cliff really was, John couldn't hazard a guess. He tried moving again, but the other guard growled at him angrily and pointed his weapon, so John gave the pretence at being extremely fatigued and promptly sat down.
Halden saw it and wasted no time in marching over to John and giving him hefty kick in the side. "Who told you to sit down, slave?!" he shouted.
John wanted to say, I did, but he settled for giving the brute of doleful look, hoping that his face portrayed how weak he wanted them to believe him to be.
It must have made some impression because Halden's next words went straight to the point. "You need not worry as your wretched life is nearly at an end. Karakus the Great will begin the hunt when you are secured and then he will put you out of your misery soon enough." He bent down closer to John and advised. "If you want it to go quicker, then just stand still and let the Master take aim." With those words, he yanked John to his feet using the collar chain. John had to swallow hard against the choking feeling when Halden began to drag him away. Fortunately, due to his overconfidence or just plain stupidly, Halden ordered the other guard to stay with Karakus.
A narrow pathway had been driven between the grazing land and the camp, which made the going just a little bit easier. Nevertheless, John's feet began to suffer badly as he stumbled behind Halden. Pain continually shot up his legs now but he suppressed it by pushing it to the back of his mind. He had far more pressing matters to worry about than his cut and bleeding feet. And although the trek was taking far longer than John would have liked, he had been very thankful that the other guard had stayed behind because at least it gave him a fighting chance.
In due course, Halden called a halt in what looked like a pleasant meadow surrounded by a thick band of trees and brushes. John had really wanted to deal with Halden along the pathway but the opportunity just hadn't arisen. Now surveying in the grassy meadow with its tall gently swaying grasses and colourful flowers, he began to wonder if it ever would. The meadow looked like an ideal place for a picnic not a place to kill or die.
Not far off a herd of animals, which John presumed were the Teekie, were grazing on the rich pasture completely unaware of the drama that was about to unfold. They looked a little like gazelles with gold stripy bodies and flicking tails.
In the middle of the meadow stood a metal pole about three metres in height to which a long rope was attached. Obviously, John wasn't the only victim of the master's need to hunt without having to move his fat ass very far. Maybe, his idea of hunting was to have someone catch a Teekie and attach it to the pole while he got it in his sights. Then again, maybe John wasn't the first human Karakus had killed in such a cowardly fashion.
As Halden began to drag him nearer to the pole, John knew he had to act now or not at all. So slipping into fight mode and with a healthy dose of optimism, he suddenly lowered his head and charged Halden, butting him firmly in the back.
Taken by surprise, the guard lost his balance and tumbled to the ground. Unfortunately, he didn't let go of the chain and the tension pulled John off balance. Without warning, he fell down to land awkwardly across Halden's back.
The guard growled, anxious to shake John off him but the colonel seized the opportunity to slip his wrist chain around the brute's neck and pulled with all his might. However, Halden was strong and in far better condition than John. Grabbing the chain, he managed to slide his fingers under it and pull it away from his neck before tossing John over his head.
Winded, John landed on his side not far from the pole. Something suddenly caught his eye in the long grass. It glinted in the light and while Halden was busy righting himself, John eased a little closer to the object. What he saw made his heart beat even faster as it appeared to be a very large wicked looking metal trap, the spring-loaded type. Whether it had been planted there to snare him or a long forgotten trap to kill a Teekie was uncertain, but John knew that if he had fallen a metre or so to the left it would have got him. He didn't have time to consider further as Halden viciously grabbed his neck chain and attempted to pull him through the grass towards the rope.
With a growing urgency, John quickly made note of the position of the trap before springing to his feet to attack Halden with his wrist chain. The guard howled and cried out in pain as John firmly struck him in the legs, but the brute remained steadfast.
Running purely on adrenaline and with nothing else to lose, John lowered his head and launched himself, this time butting the guard firmly in the stomach. Halden bellowed loudly as he lost his balance and toppled backwards like a felled tree. Suddenly, his yell was cut short by a sickening twang and John knew exactly where the guard had landed.
Sheppard scarcely dared to look. He lay winded, panting hard in an attempt to catch his breath but sooner or later he knew that he had to check and see if Halden was incapacitated or not. So holding his chain at the ready, he cautiously crawled towards the prone man, not getting too close in case he was playing possum.
Then through the long grass, John could see that the trap had indeed been sprung. He caught sight of fresh blood glistening in the sun, so feeling more confident he dragged himself a little closer. The sight that greeted him made his stomach turn. Halden had fallen onto the trap and the thing had snapped shut around his left shoulder and neck.
Feeling pretty convinced that the man was dead. John painfully crawled to his side and carefully leaned forward. Halden's staring eyes were open wide and blood still jetting out from under one of the trap's large metal teeth. John guessed that the jugular vein might have been hit.
Confident that the guard was dead, John shuffled closer in order to search the body. He was just about to examine Halden's tunic when a hand suddenly shot out to grab his neck chain and John was forcibly yanked backwards to land near brute's head. Halden's blood spurted all over John's tunic as he desperately struggled to regain his balance but Halden wouldn't let go. The guard was attempting to speak but all that came out was a gurgling sound.
It was making John feel positively ill but he took the time to mutter. "I bet you left this trap here? Forgot about it, did you?"
Halden didn't react as John made one last desperate bid to free his chain by digging in his heels and yanking hard with both hands. Without warning, he abruptly fell backwards to land with a teeth-jarring jolt when Halden's fingers suddenly went slack.
Winded but grateful to be free, John glanced at the gruesome sight. He was now absolutely certain that Halden was dead and he felt no remorse at all as he painfully crawled back towards the corpse. He really needed to find a weapon and if possible, the keys to free his collar and chains.
Disappointingly, as he searched, he only came up with a dagger. It was better than having nothing. So giving up the gruesome task, as he couldn't waste anymore time, John rose unsteadily. Once his dizziness and equilibrium had settled down to something more normal, he took a deep breath and pushing the pain aside, he lurched across the meadow towards the path leading back to Karakus's encampment.
He could have tried hiding out but that really wasn't an option because he was pretty certain that Karakus wouldn't rest until he was found. Then there was the fact that John didn't know how far the woods extended before they reached the wall. He wondered if Halden had been bluffing about that, as building a wall around such a large area seemed like a huge and expensive undertaking. One the other hand, if there was no barrier what was stopping the slaves from escaping, at least those who were allowed to work beyond the fortress. John also recalled that Halden had mentioned something about the wall being well protected. That could mean a number of things from guards to some kind of animal, like dogs for example.
Not having any desire to find out, John started out along the pathway. Although fighting Halden had left him totally exhausted, he was still determined to take out Karakus, if only to help Sirena and Seth.
tbc