Teyla counted eight men roaming through the campsite, setting fire to whatever they didn't outright destroy. It was difficult to make out any details about the men in the darkness. All she could determine from the little light afforded by the torches was they were large, easily as tall as Halling or Sergeant Thompson, and were well-muscled. They appeared to be clad in tight-fitting trousers and vests, but there was no way to determine what material the clothing was made from. There wasn't enough light to make out any facial details, either, although one of them, at least, was bald as the light from the torches reflected off his bare head.

She watched as one of the men overturned the heavy work tables in the other tent, scattering Doctor McKay's tools and various parts from the objects he'd been trying to repair. She watched as the box he'd spent the last day working on slid to the ground, the table missing the edge of the box by inches. She glanced around, looking for Doctor McKay. She feared he would recklessly charge after the man if he knew what had happened to the precious artefacts.

She saw Corporal Ortega run from the tent, pushing Doctor Corrigan in front of him, Doctor McKay following behind and breathed a sigh of relief. At least he won't do anything foolish, she told herself as she ran in the opposite direction from where Ortega was leading the two doctors to safety in the ruins.

She found Sergeant Stephens on the ground near the path leading back to the stargate and hurried over to check him. She grimaced at the amount of blood she saw on his jacket and the dirt under him and was surprised when she knelt down beside him to hear shallow breathing. She reached one hand down for his wrist and placed the other on his head to let him know she was there to help. She barely had time to find the weak pulse beating under her fingers before a pair of strong arms grabbed her from behind, pulled her off her feet, and away from Stephens.

The arm wrapped around her middle trapped one of her arms, forcing her to drop her weapon, but her other was still free and she used it to strike any soft surface she could find. She managed several well-placed kicks before she heard Doctor McKay yell her name. She looked up and saw him running toward her, his weapon raised, at the same time her foot found her captor's knee. She pulled free as the man holding her crumpled to the ground, spitting curses, as she rolled away from him.

Teyla sprang back to her feet, turning in a quick circle to make sure no one else was about to attack and kicked her would-be captor in the jaw as he tried to grab one of her legs. She made a check of the area and turned to face Doctor McKay a few steps away just as another of the invaders came up behind him.

"Doctor McKay! Look out!" she shouted and watched in horror as McKay was hit from behind by a man with shoulder-length blond hair, and fell to the ground, then lay still.

The distraction was enough for another of the men, the bald one she'd noticed before, to grab her as she started to run toward her teammate. This time both of her arms were pinned and she was held in such a way she had no chance to kick her way free.

"Hold still," a voice ordered in her ear. "You will come quiet or we'll kill your friend over there."

"Kirin, what should I do with this one?" the man standing over McKay asked as he kicked him in the side.

She stopped struggling and the man put her down but still kept a bruising grip on her arms.

"That's better," Kirin said and turned to the man standing over Doctor McKay. "Desh, tie him up and bring him along." He glanced up at the night sky and frowned. "This is taking too long. Rasha is going to wonder where we are." He gave a sharp whistle and the rest of his men came running.

Teyla watched as Desh pulled Doctor McKay's arms behind his back and tied his hands with a bit of coarse rope. McKay hadn't moved or said a word at the rough treatment and when Desh pushed him over onto his back, she could see McKay was unconscious.

She started to struggle again as McKay was unceremoniously thrown over Desh's shoulder, but her own hands were swiftly tied in front of her and she was pushed from behind. "Move," Kirin ordered.

She ignored the order as she looked desperately around the campsite. Stackhouse and Stephens were both lying on the ground, blood pooling near them, and not moving. She hoped they were still alive. She did not see Doctor Corrigan or Corporal Ortega anywhere and hoped that meant they were both all right. It did, however, mean no one was going to be able to help them escape.

"Walk," Kirin ordered with an evil grin, "or I'll have Desh kill him." He hooked his thumb over his shoulder at McKay. "I only need one of you alive to give me the information I want."

"What information do you think we have?" she asked, her expression blank. She would not give these men the satisfaction of seeing her either afraid or concerned for Doctor McKay. She knew such emotions could easily be used against her.

Kirin shook his head. "No need to play dumb with me. We know you can use the Portal and we know where you came from. We've been watching those people at the ruins for days now and were all set to take what we could and leave this planet when one of those men," he glanced back at the bodies lying on the ground, "used the Portal and said he wanted someone from Atlantis to meet him."

Teyla glared up at Kirin but said nothing.

Kirin gave her a shove as they starting walking out of the campsite. "He wanted an Atlantean to come to this planet and the two of you showed up minutes later." Kirin pulled Teyla around to face him. "Rasha wants to know the symbols for the city and one of you," Kirin looked from her to McKay, "will tell him. The lost city of the Ancestors," he added, his expression full of greed, "the haul we'll take will be enough to set all of us up for life."

Teyla paled in spite of her rigid control. The stories were true, she realised. There were marauders interested in only theft and killing and now they wanted the 'gate address for Atlantis. She and Doctor McKay were in serious trouble. These men could take them off-planet before anyone knew the raid on the camp had occurred. There would be no way for Major Sheppard to find them then.

She swallowed as she was pushed forward again, not toward the stargate as she expected, but toward the mountains. As long as they remained on the planet, she told herself, the odds were in their favor that Major Sheppard would find them.

Did they have a ship hidden nearby? she wondered. Where was this Rasha waiting for them? She tried to look casual as she looked for some evidence of a ship. No, they wanted the symbols for the stargate, she reminded herself. That meant they had to have a hiding place somewhere near enough to keep watch on the ruins but far enough away that Sergeant Stackhouse hadn't found it.

They were well away from the campsite, in the wooded area between the ruins and the mountains when Teyla heard Doctor McKay groan before he started to weakly struggle against the man carrying him.

"D'n," he mumbled and tried to squirm out of the hold. "Gon'a b'sck."

Teyla turned in time to see Desh grimace in distaste and all but drop McKay who groaned again as he landed hard on his right shoulder and started to vomit. Teyla managed to jerk herself free of Kirin's hold and knelt next to McKay, tugging him away from the mess on the ground once he was done heaving.

"J'n?" he whispered as he coughed and tried to sit up.

"No, Doctor McKay," Teyla told him gently. "John is not here."

"T'yla?" He squinted over at her and frowned when he tried to move his arms.

She smiled slightly. "Yes," she replied as Kirin jerked her to her feet.

"Enough of that," Kirin growled as he pulled her away. "Desh, get him up. If he's awake, he can walk."

Desh pulled McKay to his feet and Teyla could see he wasn't really aware of what was going on around him as he stared owlishly first at Teyla then at the men surrounding them.

"Wha's go'n on?" he mumbled as Desh tried to push him along only to grab him when McKay started to fall.

"Move!" Kirin ordered and pushed Teyla from behind.

Teyla heard McKay grunt in pain behind her and she turned to see Desh pulling him along by his right arm. He looked up to see her watching him and she could see he was still dazed, unsure of what was happening around him.

Teyla focused on the ground around her and did her best to leave some sort of trail for Sheppard to follow. She had no doubt the Major would be looking for them as soon as they failed to check-in, she just wondered if he had returned to Atlantis yet to know they were missing.

The forest seemed endless. There was little light other than a torch Kirin carried in one hand as he tugged Teyla along beside him with the other. She knew they'd been walking for more than an hour since Doctor McKay regained consciousness and the trees showed no sign of coming to an end.

She heard McKay stumble again, then Desh growl impatiently as he wrenched McKay upright. Teyla glanced back when she heard McKay hiss in pain as his arm was jerked, and watched as he surreptitiously broke off a branch from a nearby bush with his foot. He gave her a fleeting look as he seemingly tripped again and she smiled to herself knowing she was not the only one leaving clues for John to find.

She did not have much chance to worry about how Doctor McKay was doing with his own breadcrumbs as Kirin hustled them faster and faster through the trees. He kept glancing up at the sky whenever the branches left enough of an opening and she wondered why he was in such a hurry to get them wherever they were going. As far as she knew, the planet was deserted, hence why the expedition didn't have a larger security force at the camp, so what was Kirin so worried about?

It was still dark when they finally left the woods, although a false dawn offered enough light for Teyla to see a series of low foothills in front of them and taller mountains in the near distance. Kirin started up the path with what sounded to Teyla like a huff of relief as he pulled her along beside him.

The sun was starting to rise when they rounded another bend in the path and Teyla stopped short when she saw what looked like a long, low structure built into a crevasse in the mountain in front of her. The building looked like it had been carved from the mountain itself, with several long narrow windows cut at irregular intervals. Sections of the building looked to be two-stories high, while more of the narrow slits indicated there were also rooms below ground. Even more amazing than the building, was the number of people she saw milling around. She counted at least ten men, in and around the building. Added to the seven Kirin had with him …

For a moment, Teyla felt her determination waver. There was no way she and Doctor McKay would be able to escape with so many people watching the pass back down the mountain. Likewise, Major Sheppard would need a significant strike force if he hoped to successfully attack the fortress.

She saw Doctor McKay from the corner of her eye as he stumbled to a halt beside her. His eyes hardened and he pressed his lips together as he looked around the building. He must have felt her watching him as he turned to look over at her. She could see his eyes were dull from pain as well as the same sense of hopelessness she felt.

Kirin pushed Teyla toward one of the other men in the group and said, "You and Desh take these two to one of the lower rooms. Make sure the door is secure and they can't escape." He looked up at the sky again then added, "I'll go report to Rasha and let him know we have the two Atlanteans for him to question."

Teyla was a bit surprised to hear the note of fear in his voice. Just who was this Rasha? she wondered.

The man nodded and took Teyla's arm in a bruising grip and started to pull her toward a small opening in the building. Doctor McKay stumbled along behind her. She was suddenly reminded he had been sick in the forest, losing most of what he'd been able to eat at dinner. Add to that the blow to the head he'd received and the night-long hike to get to the building, and she feared his faltering gait was no longer a ruse.

The building was riddled with hallways and try as she might, Teyla soon lost count of the twists and turns they made before she was pushed down a set of steep steps. McKay stumbled down behind her and she saw a narrow doorway at the end of another short hallway.

The man holding her arm pulled open a thick wooden door then pushed her inside and against the far wall. He stood back enough for Desh to dump Doctor McKay on the ground at her feet before both men backed out of the room and shut the wooden door. She heard something heavy pushed up against the door and then footsteps as the two men walked away.

"Doctor McKay, are you all right?" she asked as she knelt down beside him and started working at the piece of rope binding her hands with her teeth.

He nodded faintly but made no effort to sit up. Now that she was close enough, she could see the minute tremors running through his body. His eyes were closed and the narrow openings high in the wall near the ceiling let in enough light for her to see McKay looked pale.

Once she had her hands free, she glanced around the room, making sure no one was watching them before she pulled a small knife from her boot. The knife had been a gift from her father when she was a girl. He had traded several small bowls for the knife and spent days cleaning and honing it back to razor sharpness then fashioned a new handle from the antler of a hart. She had acquired other weapons since then, but the knife was special, and she smiled slightly at the memory of her father presenting it to her.

She quickly cut the rope around McKay's wrists and gently brought his arms around in front of him as she rolled him onto his back. He groaned as she moved his right arm and Teyla pressed a hand lightly to his shoulder, feeling the heat coming from the joint.

"J'n?" Rodney whispered as he cracked his eyes open. "h'rts."

"I apologise, Doctor McKay," Teyla said softly as she felt along his head and found a lump behind his ear where Desh had hit him.

"T'yla? Whr's J'n," McKay slurred as he tried to look around and moaned when he tried to sit up.

"Major Sheppard is not here," Teyla said softly, trying to hide her worry at his obvious confusion. "You need to be still. Try to rest. I am sure John is looking for us. We must be patient until he can find us."

He frowned and shook his head and winced. "J'ns mad … mad. I do'n lik Ch'ya. D'n tr'st 'er." He looked around, his eyes slightly glazed as he tried to sit up.

"Doctor McKay, you need to be still. You are injured," Teyla told him.

McKay stubbornly kept moving until he was half-sat, half slouched against the wall. "Whr are we?" he asked as she stood and prowled around the room looking for anything else they could use as a weapon or a means to escape the room.

"We have been brought to a structure built into the side of one of the mountains. Do you remember what happened at the campsite?" she asked as she sat down next to him. He looked around the room, then studied her face for a moment before he slowly nodded.

"Lef' trail for Shep'rd," he told her in a conspiratorial whisper, then frowned. "Som'ting's n't ri't," he mumbled and patted at his chest. "Ne'd t'eat som'ting."

"Try to rest," she said again as she stilled his searching hands. "John will be here soon."

He nodded once and muttered something she couldn't understand before his eyes drifted shut.

She had no idea how she could help McKay while they were trapped in the room. It was obvious his confusion was the result of more than just the blow to his head. Now she understood why John always carried a few energy bars with him and asked that she and Lieutenant Ford did the same. She kicked herself for not grabbing her tac-vest when she left the tent.

Teyla sighed and rested her head against the wall, watching the beams of sunlight as they travelled down the opposite wall as McKay snored softly beside her.

She wondered if John was back in the city and if he knew what had happened to them yet. She knew their next check-in was scheduled for that morning and hoped Atlantis would be sending help soon, not only for herself and Doctor McKay, but for those they'd left behind in the ruins. She remembered Sergeants Stackhouse and Stephens lying on the ground, bleeding, and hoped any help Doctor Weir sent would not be too late for the two men.

Teyla estimated it was late morning when she woke from a light doze to noises nearby. She heard footsteps outside their room and the heavy object blocking the door moved away. She hid her little knife back in her boot and glanced over at Doctor McKay, his movements sluggish and uncoordinated, as he tried to sit up.

The door opened and Kirin stood in the doorway. Teyla watched as he entered far enough into the room to allow another man carrying a makeshift tray with two plates and a leather flagon to squeeze in the room behind him. It took her a moment to realise Kirin was limping and he had bruises on his face. Had there been some sort of fight amongst the marauders? she wondered. Had Rasha beaten him because they were late returning from the camp?

"You managed to free yourselves, I see," Kirin said never moving more than a few paces away from the door. He pulled a snub-nosed weapon from under his shirt and pointed it first at Teyla then McKay. "Saves me the trouble of having to do it, but don't try anything."

Teyla stayed where she was, one eye on the crude weapon as the other man inched into the room and stood against the wall next to the door.

Kirin pointed at the floor near the door and the man with him set down the food and the flagon. "Eat," Kirin said as he backed out of the room with the other man. "Rasha will send for you soon."

Teyla waited until she heard the door blocked again before she went over and picked up the tray. "Doctor McKay? You said you needed to eat something," she said as she sat down beside him and handed him one of the plates with some sort of greenish mashed vegetable and a chunk of dark bread.

She took the other plate and dipped the bread into the vegetable puree. The bread was hard to chew and the vegetable mash had little flavor but she ate it knowing she would need to keep up her strength.

McKay watched her for a few seconds before he stuck a finger in the crushed vegetables and sniffed it before putting it in his mouth. He made a face but scooped up a bit more of the pasty vegetable with his piece of bread. Within minutes both plates were clean.

"Do'n think it was poisoned d'you?" McKay mumbled a few minutes later as Teyla passed him the flagon of water.

She was relieved to hear his speech wasn't as slurred and he looked more alert after finishing the food.

"No," she replied. "These men require something from us."

"Oh?" He gave her a puzzled look.

"They wish to know how to find Atlantis," she told him. "We cannot give them such information."

Rodney glanced at the door before he swallowed hard and nodded.

~*~*~*~ SGA ~*~*~*~

Based on the information from Stackhouse, John knew the men who had raided the campsite and kidnapped Rodney and Teyla were heading north. The ground near the ruins was packed dirt, no chance of finding any footprints or other traces. The ground under the trees in the nearby woods should be softer, he told himself, and held better odds of finding prints.

They reached the trees in the early afternoon and John noted a wide swath of a path cut through the forested area. These raiders didn't seem very concerned about hiding their trail, something John planned to make them regret. Most of the prints were obscured, and as a result, it was hard to tell how many people were in the group. He did pick out a few smaller prints that had to be Teyla, and someone else left a heavier imprint on his left side, clearly from carrying something heavy. Like an unconscious scientist, John told himself grimly.

Interestingly, he didn't find any prints going off in another direction, either with his people or setting up a possible ambush for anyone who tried to follow the group. Did these raiders really believe no one would be coming after them? he wondered. Yet another sign they were either supremely confident or complete idiots, he thought and could hear Rodney's voice in his head telling him, of course, they were idiots. He smiled slightly at the thought and led the way as they followed the now obvious trail.

They'd been following the path for ten minutes or so when a bitter smell hit him and he found where someone in the group had been sick. He held up a hand to stop Ford and Thompson as he skirted around the mostly dry puddle, studying the ground intently. He didn't find any more of the lop-sided prints leading away from the damp ground. Hopefully, that meant McKay was awake and able to walk on his own, he told himself.

He motioned the others forward again as he considered the other implication of Rodney being sick. He realised their window for finding McKay and Teyla might be even smaller than he thought if McKay was possibly going on twelve hours already without any real food. Carson had explained to him there were no hard and fast timelines with hypoglycaemia. In general, as long as Rodney ate something on a regular schedule, he would be fine. Things such as stress or strenuous exertion could change how often he needed food, however.

Like being kidnapped and dragged through a forest, John thought with a frown and walked a little faster.

"Sir?" Ford asked quietly once they were moving again.

"McKay is injured," John replied, his voice hard.

"You can feel something now?" Ford asked with a quick glance in Thompson's direction.

John shook his head. "Stackhouse said he'd been hit from behind, so he's most likely concussed." John jerked his head back at the mostly dry puddle. "Someone was sick a few hours ago." He wasn't sure if Ford would put the other pieces together or not, but it didn't matter. Bottom line was they needed to find their people.

Ford walked along in silence for a few minutes, then asked, "Why take them though? I don't get it. Whoever kidnapped them left all of the supplies, even the Ancient stuff. Why take Doctor McKay and Teyla and leave the rest?"

"They have something these raiders want," Thompson said from where he walked behind them. "Only thing that makes sense."

John nodded. "The question is what. What do McKay and Teyla know that Stackhouse and the others wouldn't?"

No one had an answer to that and they walked on in silence. The path through the trees stayed fairly straight, no tracks moving off in another direction or doubling back. John shook his head again at the arrogance before he had another thought. These people had a very specific destination in mind, he realised as he searched the forest for some hint of a cave or other potential hideout. Did they come by ship or through the 'gate? he wondered.

If there was a silver lining to all of this, it was that the kidnappers hadn't headed for the stargate. He just hoped that meant they weren't heading for a ship. If they had managed to get back to the 'gate or leave the planet, the chances of ever finding Rodney or Teyla dropped to near zero.

They hiked for another thirty minutes or so before John started to find other signs along their trail other than the footprints. Every dozen feet or so, he found bushes with broken branches. He also found more and more instances of the small footprints he'd assigned to Teyla in clear patches of ground. He smiled grimly as he pointed them out to Ford and Thompson.

"They're both leaving breadcrumbs," he said as he fingered one of the broken branches.

Ford nodded. "They knew we'd come looking for them once the team missed their check-in."

John dropped the branch and stood. "So let's go get them," he said. "We know they were alive as of a few hours ago. Let's hope that's still the case."

It took another two hours of steady walking before they left the forest behind at the bottom of a series of foothills leading toward the mountains. Once they were out of the trees, the trail petered out on the hard rocky ground and it took some time to find what might have been the correct route up into the hills.

"Stay here," John ordered Ford and Thompson. "I'll take a quick look around." He made a circle of the area nearest the path looking for any signs the men had changed direction or tried to lead one or both of their captives away from the rest. He came back to where Ford and Thompson waited and looked at the path leading into the foothills again.

He started up the path and signalled Ford and Thompson to follow him. "It looks like they had to go this way," he said in a low voice.

They hadn't been hiking for very long before John started to feel an itch at the back of his skull. He rubbed the back of his head and grimaced.

"Sir?" Ford asked quietly, checking that Thompson was a few feet behind them.

"The good news is I can confirm Rodney at least is still on the planet and we're heading in the right direction," John growled with a glance around them.

Ford studied him for a moment then nodded, his own expression flat. "Do you know how badly he's hurt?"

John shook his head. "Enough that the link is responding to it," John replied. "Other than that …" He let the sentence hang.

"We know they're still alive at least," Ford said, and John could tell he was trying to see the positive.

John nodded in agreement as he rubbed his head again and led the way farther up into the hills.

The sun was starting to set over the plains to their left, John figured they had a couple of hours left before it was dark and tracking would be impossible. He led the way around a bend in the path and saw a long low structure built into the mountain in front of them. He ducked back down before anyone near the building could see him and froze when he heard the distinct sound of a weapon cocking near his right ear.

~*~*~*~ SGA ~*~*~*~

Rodney sat against the stone wall of their prison and made himself a silent promise he would never leave Atlantis without Sheppard again. All he'd wanted was a little time to sort out his head after everything that had happened with Sheppard and Chaya. Was that really so much to ask, he wondered as he tried to ignore his shaking hands.

Apparently, the answer was yes, he thought with a sigh as he crossed his arms over his chest and hid his twitching hands from view. The mashed vegetables and bread had helped a little with the hypoglycaemic reaction, his mind was clearer if nothing else, but he knew it wouldn't last for long.

It was supposed to be a simple equation. Take a couple of days to sort out the whole Chaya mess in his head with the added bonus of an Ancient site on a planet that was supposed to be safe. Instead, he'd been kidnapped and his captors wanted to know the 'gate address for the city. What else could possibly go wrong, he wondered as he watched Teyla prowl the room for the tenth time.

He sat thinking about the problem as the sun tracked down the wall in front of them as the day dragged into the afternoon. Later he'd probably blame the concussion or possibly the hypoglycaemia for the reckless plan he started to formulate. If these pirates wanted a 'gate address, he'd give them a 'gate address, he decided. And he had just the right place in mind.

The trick would be getting them to believe it was the address for Atlantis. He made a face when he realised the only way his plan was going to work was going to involve a lot of pain. He told himself it would be worth the price if it meant he and Teyla would both still be alive when, if? he couldn't help himself from wondering, Sheppard decided to make a daring rescue.

He just hoped these pirates didn't play with knives.

"Doctor McKay? Are you all right?" Teyla asked as she sat down beside him.

"Of course, I'm all right," he replied and hoped she didn't see through the lie. "More to the point, I think I have an idea of how we can get out of here."

She gave him a skeptical look. "What do you propose we do?"

Rodney snorted. "It's not a 'we' sort of plan," he said before he could stop himself.

"I do not understand."

He turned to her and started to explain his idea but stopped when he heard something heavy moved away from the door and a few moments later a large balding man walked into the room with another man, younger but if anything, even bigger, behind him.

Teyla was on her feet before the door even opened, her body held in what Rodney recognised as a fighting stance, her right arm raised near her chin, her left held low ready to block any attack to her body. He wasn't nearly as graceful as he slowly pulled himself up using the wall for support as the room spun slightly.

"Rasha wants to talk to you," the bald man said with a twisted smile. "He wants to know the symbols for the Ancestor's city."

"I want to send Kavanagh back to Earth," Rodney retorted with all of the arrogance he could muster. "Don't think either one of us is going to get what they want."

He saw Teyla give him a startled look from the corner of his eye but refused to look at her. He couldn't be distracted. If this foolhardy plan was going to work, he had to be the one Rasha talked to about the symbols for Atlantis.

The younger man stalked over to Rodney and grabbed him by the arm. "I told you he wasn't worth the effort, Kirin. Let me deal with him while you take the woman to Rasha."

Rodney scowled and looked from the bald man, Kirin, to the one still holding his arm. "You think she knows anything?" he said snidely. "She's a woman. You think I'd tell her anything important like 'gate symbols. You're dumber than I thought." He winced as the young man jerked his arm again and still refused to look at Teyla.

Kirin stepped forward and grabbed Rodney's chin. He forced Rodney to meet his eyes and he made sure to not blink as he made his expression as dismissive as possible.

Kirin studied him for a moment longer then let go. "Bring him, Desh," Kirin ordered and stepped back to the door. "We can always torture the woman if he doesn't tell Rasha what he wants to know."

Desh pulled Rodney out of the room and Rodney had a glimpse of Teyla's face, her expression a mixture of anger and worry, before the door was pushed shut and what looked like a low wooden chest was shoved in front of the door.

Rodney did his best to try and memorise the route they took through the building, but the dim light from the setting sun along with the loopy feeling brought on by low blood sugar meant he didn't remember much after the first few twists and turns. Desh led him up a set of stone steps then down another hall before he was pushed into another room.

The ceiling was low, with wooden support beams running the length of the ceiling. Torches lined the walls and gave the room a reddish light. The only piece of furniture was a wooden chair in the middle of the room. A corner of his mind noted the construction didn't match the Ancient ruins Corrigan had shown him and he idly wondered who these people were and what had happened to them that their structures were now occupied by pirates.

A man, wearing what looked like leather pants, a shirt that might have been white at one time, and a dark leather vest paced the room. His hair was tied back in a knot at the back of his head giving Rodney a good look at the scar across one cheek as well as another along his neck near his collarbone. Rodney started to have second thoughts about his perfect plan when he saw the man and the large knife he wore at his belt.

The man looked up at the three of them with a glare as they entered the room.

"Here is the man from the Ancestor's city, Rasha," Kirin said diffidently.

Rasha looked Rodney up and down with a sneer, pulled the knife from the loop at his belt, and used it to point toward the chair.

Desh pulled Rodney across the room and sat him in the chair. He stood behind the chair with his hands holding Rodney's shoulders in a painful grip. Kirin stayed near the door, alternating watching the room and the hall outside.

Rodney sat in the chair trying to hide how afraid he was and reminded himself if he didn't get this right, Kirin would go get Teyla and do who knew what to her. He glared at the leather-clad man in front of him and tried to make his own expression as arrogant and condescending as possible.

"You are from the Ancestor's city," Rasha said, his voice low and gravelly as he tapped Rodney's cheek with the flat of the knife.

Rodney scowled and said nothing.

Rasha stopped his constant pacing and faced the chair. "You will answer," he ordered as he sheathed the knife.

Rodney jutted out his chin. "Or what?" he retorted.

In a flash, Rasha was in front of him and gave Rodney a backhanded slap across the face.

Rodney tasted the blood from his bleeding lip and told himself once again, this was their best option for staying alive and saving Atlantis.

"You will tell me the symbols to make the Portal work and send my men to your city," Rasha said as he took a step back from the chair.

"Not very likely," Rodney replied and felt his swelling lip with his fingers. He noticed, almost as an afterthought, his hand was noticeably shaking and tried to ignore the tell-tale sign as he glared up at the man standing in front of him.

Rasha nodded to Desh who grabbed Rodney's right hand in a tight hold.

"You forget we've been watching you at the ruins. Watching you try to fix the Ancestor's relics." Rasha stepped closer to Rodney and whispered in his ear, "You will tell me the symbols for the city," he said in a low growl. "Or Desh will break your fingers. How well will you be able to repair the Ancestor's devices then?"

Rodney's eyes widened when he felt Desh grab his wrist in one hand and his index finger in the other. He turned to try and break the grip on his hand as Kirin left his post by the door and grabbed his other arm.

Rodney felt the pressure on his finger increase as Desh pulled the finger farther and farther back.

"The symbols for the city," Rasha demanded.

Rodney squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. The pressure grew and he bit his bloody lip to keep from whimpering.

He felt a hand clap onto his jaw and opened his eyes in surprise to find Rasha, his face inches away from Rodney's, staring at him. "The symbols," he said, the grip on his jaw as tight as the hold on his arms.

Rodney shook his head and glared back as best he could.

Rasha let go of his face, and with a swift nod, walked away from the chair. The pressure increased until Rodney felt a wet pop and cried out in pain as Desh let go of his hand. Kirin let go of his other arm and Rodney tried to curl his abused hand against his chest as best he could. "Think of Teyla," he told himself over and over as he tried to breathe through the pain in his hand.

He looked up and saw the room waver slightly as his vision blurred. His head pounded, his shoulder ached, and now his hand was a new agony, but he told himself he needed to hold out just a little bit longer if he wanted his plan to work.

Rodney worked to get his breathing back under control as he tried to sit straight in the chair.

Rasha grinned wickedly. "You think you can withstand me?" he said, his voice now a low purr. "Do you have any idea the number of people who have tried over the years? None have lasted very long."

Rodney's vision blurred, and for a moment, he thought it was Kolya standing in front of him and shuddered. He could see the flash of the knife as Kolya stabbed him in the arm and asked what the plan was to save Atlantis.

Focus, he ordered to himself. It's not Kolya. This was to save Atlantis, to protect Teyla. He'd known going in there would be pain, he just hadn't expected how much broken fingers would hurt. Rodney swallowed and pulled himself up in the chair. He felt Desh grab his hand once again as Kirin pinned his left arm. Rasha closed in, the evil smile still on his face.

"The symbols for the Ancestor's city," he growled.

Rodney met his glare, pinched his lips shut, and shook his head. Now would be a good time, Sheppard, he thought to himself as he felt Desh start to bend his second finger back. This time he didn't bother to hide how much it hurt.

He was barely conscious when Kirin and Desh dragged him back to the room where Teyla waited. He heard the heavy chest pulled away from the door and the gasp of shock from Teyla as he was dumped on the floor inside the room.

"Pathetic," Kirin sneered from somewhere above him. "Thought you could defy Rasha?" Rodney grunted slightly when a boot connected with his back as he tried to curl into a ball.

He held his breath and with what mental awareness he still had, willed Teyla to remain calm.

He hadn't had time to tell her what he was up to, and he sincerely hoped she wouldn't spoil everything by trying to take on Kirin and Desh by herself. He heard her take a step toward the two men and heard himself whimper, in frustration that she might ruin everything, as much as from pain.

He felt a gentle hand on his back letting him know Teyla was beside him at the same time he heard the heavier tread of Kirin and Desh leave the room and a few moments later the chest moved back into place.

"Doctor McKay," he heard her say and he felt her carefully roll him over onto his back.

He cracked an eye open when he heard a soft hiss and he looked down at his mangled hand with a slight frown. For some reason, the hand wasn't hurting as much as he thought it should and knew that was probably a bad sign. He turned his head slightly and waited until the room stopped spinning and he could see Teyla sitting beside him, her face a mask of worry.

"Do'n w'ry," he mumbled with a tiny smile, "Evy'ting wen t'pln." he slurred as he closed his eyes.