Yeah, still don't own 'em.
Trouble: chapter nine
Cold was crawling through his body, seeping into his skin. It was a welcome relief from the burning heat he had felt minutes before. The pain that had racked his body for so long was slowly subsiding with each breath. He forced himself to continue to take those deep breaths, trying hard not to fall back into the gasping pant. John slowly felt his muscles relaxing, the tension slowly draining from them. He weakly pulled his eyelids open, the pain creeping back to a manageable level. Blinking, Sheppard attempted to clear away the fog. Focusing on the blurry images in front of him, Ronon, McKay, Sara...How did they get here. Their eyes were not on him. Following their gaze, John found Sora. Sora and Lorne. She had him against the wall, her lips to his.
"S-Sora..Leave h-him al'ne." He gasped, attempting to push himself up to a sitting position. The attempt proved unsuccessfully, managing to raise slightly only to fall back to the floor.
"Colonel!" Sora spun around to face him, a bright smile lite her face. "So glad you could join us again." She strutted over to him, releasing the Major from her grasp. A soldier grabbed Lorne, forcing him back down beside Sara.
The woman's thin fingers ran over his bare skinned chest.
"Once you have recovered we will have some more fun." Sora purred. "Hansom Major Lorne may even join us. Would you enjoy that, Sheppard?"
"I-I don't kno-" John said through the pain. Pausing to ride out a more intense wave of pain, Sora waiting patiently above him. "I...I'm normally a sel..selfish person."
"You want me all to yourself then? How sweet." Sora continued the banter as her prisoner's eyes screwed shut as his muscles convulsed, though the spasms were not as intense as they had originally been. "Though you must learn how to share, John. After all, you will all be here for a long while and I may grow bored with just you and lucky for me I now have three more men to enjoy."
"I-I wouldn't c..call Rodney a man.." Rodney frowned, but the urge to smile was strong, as Sheppard's crooked grin appeared. Just a shadow on his lips but McKay had caught. John wasn't dead. He was alive and cracking sarcastic comments. This was the John he knew.
"Hey, I'm just as much of a man as the next half-brained gorilla." Rodney shot back, grinning as Sheppard turned his head to look at them.
"Y-you com'arin' yourself t..to a g-goril'a, 'Kay?" The colonel's ornery smirk was back, still a shadow across his lips but still there.
"Har, har." Rodney was about to continue but he was cut off.
"Enough, McKay." Sora smiled as she eyed her prisoners. "I grow weary of talk. Tell me. Who does Teyla love most? She seemly does not care about the colonel but what of you? Perhaps Ronon here." She toyed with one of his dreads before he pulled away. His act of rebellion earning him a blow to his shoulder with the butt of his pistol. "Or is her taste in intelligence?" Sora continued, running a hand over Rodney's cheek. "Or maybe it's another man in uniform she enjoys so much?" She skipped over Sara and played with Lorne's earlobe. She smiled as she sunk to her knees in front of him. Her lips found his earlobe, nipping at it gently. "Perhaps if I removed these..." She whispered just loud enough for the group to hear. " I may get her attention." Her lips never left his neck as her hand pulled a small, thin knife from her belt. Her lips slowly crept to his lips again while the knife trailed across his skin to his ear. Strong hands dug into his shoulders, holding him in place.
"Sora...no- l-leave 'im al'ne."
Her lips absorbed Lorne's groan as the knife sliced through the skin, not enough to remove anything but just enough to begin to bleed. Horror replaced the grimace on Evan's face as Sora took the bleeding skin into her mouth and lapped up the blood. Rodney paled as he watched. This woman was mad. Absolutely bonkers.
"Sora....let 'im go, Teyla is n-never..gonna give y'o wha...you want. 'Lant's will come- in..in great'r n'mbers and- you won't b-be ...able ta fight." John said, having regained some strength, enough to stumble to his feet and stand with the aid of the wall. "Let- let them...go and....and I'll s-stay. All of 'em, including Sara."
Tears sprung back to Sara's eyes as she heard his words. The shackles still encircling his wrists, melted where Ronon's gun had severed their connection with the ceiling, acting as a harsh reminder of what he was volunteering to return to if he could save his friends. Not just his friends, but her, a girl he had met only a few days ago.
"Sheppard, have you gone insane?" Rodney hissed. Ronon and Lorne both glaring at him in disapproval.
"And why, John Sheppard, would I agree to that? I have all of you at the moment and I see very little chance of that changing any time soon. So, convince me why I should agree to your deal." She countered, having stood to face him.
John swallowed and looked to the floor as to build up his courage but it was to swallow his pride. "Because.... I'll do- do wh'tever you say.... I'll be a good l'ttle prison'r and n't-cause any trouble..." He replied. "Bes'des...I'm kinda the- the one ta...blame for yur....dad's death. I-I told Teyla ta...stick with him." His small speech left John short for breath, sagging against the wall and panting against the pain racking his body.
The pain only seemed to grow and his hopes dropped as Sora cackled in his face.
"A feeble attempt, Sheppard, but an attempt non the less and I honor your willing sacrifice. Sara may go free, though she has nothing to go back to. Sateda now a barren land scourged by the wraith."
John's eyes grew cold as the woman in front of him mocked Sara. She was the only reason Atlantis had found him and she didn't deserve to be held prisoner any longer. His temper was about to blow when he saw Lorne holding something in his palm, hidden just behind his leg. A flash-bang. Sheppard had no idea how the Major had managed to first: handle the grenade and second: hide it from Sora and the guards. The man was a magician, able to sneak anything anywhere. He didn't know how many times he had been caught by Weir and now Carter sneaking in a game-boy to meetings. Lorne had never been caught. Understanding what Evan was planning, John attempted to give him a distraction.
"Lookin'..at yur ugly f-face evr'yday, I'm s..sure she can handle- few wraith." John mumbled, making sure he was loud enough for her to hear him.
"Oh, growing a little bolder now, are we, Sheppard. No longer willing to sacrifice yourself for a stranger since your friends can't be saved. How very unheroic."
Sensing a stand-off the guard's attention was drawn to Sora and Sheppard and away from the others. Though Ronon did not see the small grenade, he quickly sense that something was gone happen, looking to Sheppard for an explanation. The Colonel was seeming to blink a bit more than usual all the while goading Sora on with his words. Though many would not have seen it when they first met Ronon. He truly had a sharp mind and he quickly remembered the grenade John had called a flash-bang. He had taken special interest in them when he had first joined Atlantis having never seen anything quite like it before. McKay and Sara were both oblivious to the whole plan, wrapped up in the conversation instead. There was no way to warn them before hand.
"TAKE COVER!" Lorne yelled as he pulled the pin and tossed the grenade in the middle of the room. Genii and captives, alike, stumbled in all directions, clutching their eyes and ears in pain. Chaos reining for a few precious moments. Moments was all Lorne and Ronon needed, jumping into action even with their bound hands. Twisting his legs, Lorne managed to knock the legs out of the nearest guard out from under him. Ronon had jumped to his own feet, skillfully taking down each soldier, one by one. John had attempted to leap to his own feet but, though he had been aware of the flashbang before hand, the drug still running in his system had increased the effects of the explosion on his body. His eyes burned and his ears were filled with a loud roar. Forcing his eyes open, he watched a shadowy figure sneak out the door and disappear. Sora was escaping. He once again pushed himself on his elbows and was set on pursuing the woman that had caused so much of his pain but a moan caught his ear. It wasn't a moan from McKay, though the man was doing his fair share, no, this moan was from the small woman curled in the fetal position. Stumbling over as Ronon and Lorne dispensed of the last soldier, John pulled the woman into his arms, hoping to bestow a little of the comfort she had given in the past few days.
"Shh, Your free now." He whispered as she buried her face in his shoulder, John biting his lip against the pain it caused, knowing that it would pass in time. His back screamed at him and he could not straighten his back to it's full extent.
"Sir, we should get out of here." Lorne interrupted, using the knife they had found on one of the guard's to cut Sara's bonds. Looking up, Ronon, Lorne, and McKay (for once in his life deciding not to complain, though his eyes still stung and his ears were still ringing) were all standing over them. Surprisingly. Sara was the one to stand to her feet at Evan's words, wiping the tears from her eyes.
"All right, let's go." She said. A smirk crossed Ronon's face. She was a true Satedan. Strong and not one to give up easily.
"Well, someone's gotta help me up then." Sheppard reminded them, holding his hand up for someone to take. Rodney and Sara soon had John's arms across their shoulders and the group was cautiously walking through the halls, looking for a way out. Adrenaline pumped through John's veins, keeping the pain at bay.
They were just a hallway away from the exit. Soon to be home free. How John wanted to get there and take some of Keller's happy juice and sink into his bed. The group froze when soft voices echoed from the corridor in front of them.
"Lorne," The colonel whispered, motioning for him to peer around the corner.
"Don't worry, sir. I stationed Yoshino and his team at the exit." Evan smirked before he spoke into his radio. "Lt. Yoshino, we've got the colonel and are near you now."
"Glad to hear it, sir." Was the reply. "And I think we've got a welcome surprise for you as well."
Curious, the group rounded the corner to come face to face with a fuming Sora. Lorne and Ronon reacted immediately, raising their stolen guns to the woman's chest. John stiffened but then noticed her hands were tied and she was on her knees.
"Caught her trying to sneak out. She walked right into us." A marine walked up and saluted nonchalantly. Sheppard recognized him as one of the newbies shipped in last month. He seemed to be adjusting very well. "Glad to see you in one piece, sir." He said, turning to John.
"Yeah, nice work." John replied, wanting nothing more than to get out of this slime pool. "Now let's get outta here, Lieutenant."
"Yes, sir." Lt. Yoshino smirked and motioned his men to pack up. Sora shot her most piercing and hateful glare towards John as a soldier pulled her to her feet. Her bitterness was apparent on her face but she held her tongue, fearful she would soon get the treatment she had given Sheppard back.
John sighed and leaned heavier onto Rodney, relieved to be finally able to lower his guard a little further, though he wouldn't be able to completely relax until they were all safe on Atlantis.
Lorne had cloaked the jumper within 30 feet of the entrance so John did not have to walk very far, a fact of which he was very grateful.
"Here's fine, Rodney." John moaned as McKay lowered him to the bench. "Sit down, Sara."
Sara sunk down to sit next to John, hand placed gently on his shoulder. Sora was well guarded in the second puddle jumper. Knowing the danger had passed and he was home free, exhaustion soon sent him to lay carefully on his side, his vision graying before he succumbed to the darkness.
"We've got a good hour till the 'gate so everyone get comfy." Lt Yoshino informed them from the cockpit.
Ronon smirked slightly as Sara began to hum to herself and run her fingers through John's ebony hair, who's head she had placed in her lap. Tears where leaking silently down her cheeks. The shock of the past few days coming to a head in the stillness of the ride. The emotions were over whelming. Suddenly, Sara felt the compelling need to distract herself, to find something, anything to silence her emotions.
"R..Ronon isn't it?" She stuttered in a whisper at the man sitting in front of her continued to fidget on the bench, his eyes seeing nothing but the man sleeping in her lap.
The large man gave a curt nod.
"J..John said your Satedan." Again she was answered with a small nod. "He told me of its destruction."
Ronon again nodded, but this time spoke in his low voice. "They fought till the end. Never giving up hope." With those words they both fell silent for the rest of the trip, interrupted only by John's groans and Sara lung racking coughs. By the end of the journey, the medic was hovering over the both of them.
A.N.- their was little button once that always dreamed of talking people's reviews, that lucky button grew up and is waiting for you. Please make his dreams come true. :)