A Little Distress
Farmhouse
Richard Woolsey was scared. Their captors had moved them in a transport from the assembly hall shortly after their leader, Ferish, had knocked Sheppard out. Woolsey thought they were at a farmhouse some distance from Galaz; they had traveled for nearly an hour. The aroma of hay and farm animals seemed to hang in the air reminding him of trips to farm country to visit an uncle when he was a child; even then, he had preferred the city.
One of their captors, Mosston, seemed to be in charge; he was a large man, more muscle than fat with a dark, scraggly beard and unkempt hair. He got out of the front of the transport and began issuing orders. "Fracie, you and Pava take that one away," he was pointing to the still unconscious Sheppard. "I'll take this one inside."
Woolsey was very concerned about Sheppard; the colonel had yet to wake up. Ferish had punched him very brutally in the face, which had knocked him unconscious, and then they had roughly tossed Sheppard into the transport. Woolsey was certain that he would remember the sound Sheppard's head made when it hit the transport's metal bed for the rest of his life.
Mosston grabbed Woolsey's tied hands and pushed him toward the door of the farmhouse. He nearly fell but the big man caught him and laughed, "Can't have you get hurt yet. Ferish wouldn't like it if you hurt yourself; he wants us to hurt you."
Once through the front door, Woolsey found himself in what he thought must be the parlor. These thugs had moved all the furniture against the walls; leaving only a wooden chair in the center of the room, a chair which already had ropes tied to it. Woolsey was shaking but he tried very hard to remain in control; he was fearful of what he suspected was going to happen next. Mosston pulled him over to the chair and forced him to sit and immediately began wrapping the ropes around Woolsey's legs as Pava and Fracie appeared through a doorway. Mosston left Pava to finish tying his legs; he and Fracie left the room.
"Who are you people? What do you want with us?" Woolsey used his most commanding voice but it was lost on Pava; he simply ignored the Atlantis director as he continued to secure him to the chair.
"I demand to know who you are." Woolsey insisted but Pava continued to ignore him. The slightly built rebel with pale skin and hair and watery blue eyes had finished tying his legs to the chair and now had untied his hands and was binding his arms around the chair back.
At that moment, Mosston and Fracie walked back into the room. Woolsey took a deep breath and started asking questions once more.
"Are you in charge here?" looking at Mosston. "I demand to know what you have done with Colonel Sheppard. Where have you taken him?"
Mosston walked up to the chair and stared down at Woolsey; then he hit Woolsey in the jaw. Woolsey's head snapped back, his glasses flew off his face, and blood began to drip from the corner of his mouth, slowly trickling down his chin. He took a tentative breath and then spoke, "I asked you a question, what did you do with Colonel Sheppard?"
Mosston answered with another blow to Woolsey's head which was then followed by hits to his face and upper body by Fracie and Pava. For nearly ten minutes, the three men alternated striking Woolsey in the head and abdomen, pausing for a brief time in between blows; then his arms and legs were untied and he fell in the floor.
Woolsey tried to breath through the pain; his face, right side and right shoulder had suffered most the damage. Someone long ago taught him breathing exercises to deal with pain and he tried to do them but it wasn't helping. Woolsey was certain that they were not hitting him as hard as they could but he wasn't sure if he could take any harsher punishment. He knew one thing; he wasn't going to give up. If Sheppard and the others had taught him anything, it was to never give up.
Lying on the floor, Woolsey started asking questions again, his voice rough and breathy, "I asked you earlier and I will ask you again, what do you want from us, and where is Colonel Sheppard?"
His answer came by boot, as he received a kick in his left side from one of the three men. Woolsey watched as Pava picked up a slender wooden rod and raised it above his head. Pava swung the rod down until it connected with his right leg; he repeated the action over and over striking different parts of his body. After a few minutes had passed, Mosston called a halt to the beating. Woolsey curled up on the floor, trying to relieve the pain from the blows.
"That's enough. I believe our guest has enjoyed our hospitality for an adequate amount of time, for now. Take him to the cellar and keep an eye on the colonel; when he wakes up, I want him brought to me. We need to make certain that the colonel has as much fun as his friend here."
Fracie approached him; the tall, muscular dark skinned man reached down and grabbed his arm and pulled the director to his knees. "Hey, you better give me some help here or I'll leave you here to Mosston's mercy." Woolsey struggled up, his legs felt like rubber, and he was having difficulty breathing. He was embarrassed that he needed to lean on Fracie to walk but he was determine to go wherever they were taking him by walking as much on his own as he could.
Assembly Hall
They had run out of patience. Rodney had begun to pace, Ronon had given up pacing and was lying on a pew. Teyla was staring at the dais; about twenty minutes after she had spoken with Persim, all of the assembly members had left the hall and she wondered why. They were now alone.
Lt. Isaacs had gone outside to confer with Major Lorne but he had returned to wait with the colonel's team. "Ma'am, Major Lorne is running out of patience and feels that we need to insist that we be allowed to speak to Colonel Sheppard. It will soon be three hours since they went to the governor's office; the major wants to go at three hours."
"I agree, lieutenant; this has gone on for far too long." Teyla stood up, her resolve evident on her face.
Rodney stopped pacing, "Do you think that's wise? I mean, we know that this situation is tricky because of what the IOA wants us to do. Maybe it's taking time to work this out?"
"McKay, I say we go." Ronon was standing, hand on his blaster.
"Well, you would, wouldn't you? Just blast your way in there and save the day; well, that might not be the best thing to do."
Teyla, as always the mediator, intervened, "Rodney, Ronon, I believe that the major is right; we must find out what is happening. We already suspect that the colonel and Mr. Woolsey may be in danger. I fear we have not acted quickly enough."
She turned to Lt. Isaacs, "Lieutenant, please inform Major Lorne that at three hours, we will go to the governors office and check on our people. If he hasn't heard from us within thirty minutes from that time, further action is at his discretion."
"Understood, ma'am," Isaacs left the hall to update the major.
Governor's Office
Once they decided a course of action, they only had a short time to wait. Teyla sent Isaacs and Ronon to see if they could locate one of the assembly members but they were unable to find anyone. At the three hour mark, Lt. Isaacs informed the major by COM that they were heading upstairs to the office.
Isaacs went up the stairs first with Teyla and Rodney behind him and Ronon watching their backs. As they entered the hallway, they saw two Tegeran guards outside a door.
"That must be the office, let's go." Teyla took the lead.
They approached the guards cautiously but both guards smiled and greeted Teyla.
"Good day, we would like to speak to either Colonel Sheppard or Mr. Woolsey; they are meeting with the governor." Teyla requested.
"Just a moment, ma'am, let me check before I let you enter." One of the guards opened the door and went inside the office.
After just a few seconds, he came back into the hallway. "Certainly, ma'am, you and your companions can go right in."
As the guard opened the door, Teyla heard Rodney whisper, "Well, that was easy."
They entered the office and quickly realized that things were never easy; there was no Colonel Sheppard or Mr. Woolsey or governor. Teyla recognized the gray haired man sitting behind the desk immediately. He had been one of Kolya's henchmen; she remembered him from the planet where the colonel had killed Kolya.
The two 'Tegeran' guards in the hallway overpowered Isaacs and relieved him of his weapons. Ronon made a move toward them, his gun raised when Ferish spoke.
"Go ahead and try but I assure you, your man will be dead before you get a shot off."
One guard was holding a Genii pistol against Isaacs' head and Ronon knew the man behind the desk wasn't kidding. Reluctantly, he dropped his gun; he was enraged but a look from Teyla calmed him down for the moment.
"Well, I see that the colonel's big bodyguard listens well. You just saved that man's life, for now at least." He turned to the four guards in the room, "Please take their weapons."
As the guards complied, Ferish turned his attention back to the Atlantians. "Where are my manners, please sit." He laughed as none of his captives moved. "Well, have it your way. I recognize you, Teyla Emmagan and of course, the great Dr. McKay. And I remember your large friend from the day that your colonel killed Kolya. I am Ferish Bernin; I was Kolya's second in command."
Rodney demanded, "Where are Colonel Sheppard and Mr. Woolsey? What have you done with them?"
"Oh, I assure you they are quite safe and secure; maybe not exactly healthy, I suspect they have some bruises or broken bones by now." Ferish leaned back in the governor's chair and waited for Rodney to react.
However, it was Ronon who spoke, his voice deep and menacing, "You kill them and you are a dead man."
"Brave words; it will be interesting to see if you can carry them out. For I fully intend on killing them. The colonel will pay for his crime but only after he has suffered for all of the Genii deaths he is responsible for and that could take some time." He paused, "As for your Mr. Woolsey, he's just a victim of being in the wrong place at the wrong time; he will have to pay for the humiliation Dr. Weir gave my commander. It is a shame that Dr. Weir is no longer with us though; I escorted her to meet with the Genii leaders when she came for the nuclear bombs. Really liked blindfolding her; she was quite the tasty little morsel. I would have loved to have her around to play with for awhile before I killed her as well."
Ronon utter a low growl and lunged at Ferish. A guard reacted quickly and hit Ronon in the head with the butt of his gun; the Satedan dropped to the floor unconscious. Teyla started to go to him when one of the guards grabbed her.
Ferish got up and came from behind the desk to Teyla; he ran his hand down her cheek. "What I have heard about this great team from Atlantis is obviously true. You certainly do stand up for each other. It is also true, little one, that you are very beautiful; quite the tasty little morsel yourself." He continued sliding his hand along her throat and onto her chest. "If I have time, we just might become better acquainted since Dr. Weir isn't available. I just might save killing you for last."
"You keep your hands off of her!" Rodney made a move toward Ferish but a guard restrained him.
"Ah, the gallant gentleman, Dr. McKay; be careful doctor, I have no quarrel with you. However, if you give me trouble, things could change. Kolya only wanted you for that brain of yours; perhaps that is all I will take with me when I leave." He watched as Rodney paled at his words.
Turning to one of the guards, Ferish told him, "Take them to the detention center and I want them kept in the same cell." With a sinister smile, he looked at Rodney and Teyla, "If they are all together they will know when one of them is taken away for a sample of our hospitality and when we bring our guest back a little worse for wear, they can console each other." Turning back to the guards, "Post guards on them; I don't trust them, even locked in a cell."
Two of the guards lifted Ronon off the floor and began to drag him away. The other guards pushed Teyla, Rodney and Isaacs from the room. Teyla looked back as she was pushed through the door; Ferish had a very self-satisfied look on his face. At that moment, Teyla became very afraid for Sheppard and Woolsey.
Cellar
Richard Woolsey was hurting and he was cold; he was leaning against a stone wall in the cellar of the farmhouse. Fracie had dumped him there after helping him down the stairs. The only consolation to the wicked environment was that he now knew where they were keeping Sheppard. The colonel was laying a couple of feet away from him on the cellar floor, still unconscious but breathing fairly evenly.
He was concerned that the colonel was in shock and he crawled around the cellar looking for something to cover Sheppard with to keep him warm. The large roughly woven sacks, most likely used for grain storage, he found should provide some warmth; he dragged a stack of them over to the colonel. He placed a couple of the sacks under Sheppard's head and then used the rest to cover him, sliding some under him as best he could to keep the colonel off the cold floor. He found a crate that he used to elevate Sheppard's feet and then waited, hoping the colonel would wake up.
Woolsey tried to sleep but the muscle spasms from the beating he took were so painful that he couldn't relax. He leaned his head back and tried to make sense of what was happening to them but then he realized that this kind of violence never made sense. He looked over at his second in command; this man took so much abuse for Atlantis and yet he never complained, never walked away from whatever faced them.
The naysayers in the IOA and Air Force who did not want Sheppard to be given military command of Atlantis had almost won until Dr. Elizabeth Weir had made it plain to General Landry that she would not tolerate anyone but Sheppard in that role. He had been one of the naysayers; he also knew that his own 'by the book' mentality clouded his judgment. Even though he had read the mission reports that documented over and over Sheppard's bravery and ingenuity in the face of danger; he had chosen to focus on the then major's lack of respect for the chain of command.
How foolish he had been for believing that this man was not up to the job of command of the military on Atlantis. At this point, he wasn't certain that anyone else could have been as successful in Atlantis as Sheppard had proven to be. That the 'black mark' on Sheppard's record would never allow him to gain the respect of the men and women under his command had been repeated and repeated among the brass as a reason to keep Sheppard from the Atlantis military leadership position.
Woolsey never bothered to find out what that black mark was until he assumed command of the Atlantis base. Now that he knew what had happened he scoffed at the foolishness of the charge. He had seen the colonel in action and realized the brass had it wrong; they should have known that when the colonel disobeyed an order, it was usually because the order was wrong. Not that he would ever allow the colonel to know he felt that way. As for the respect of Sheppard's command, Woolsey knew there wasn't a single man or woman on Atlantis, military or scientist, who would not do everything they could to protect this man as he would protect them.
A rescue mission would be launched, perhaps one was already underway; they did not leave anyone behind. Keeping the injured colonel alive until they were rescued now fell to him and he knew that the people on Atlantis would expect him to do just that.
Woolsey wasn't certain how much time had passed; he had dozed a bit but he came alert when he heard a moan from the still form lying next to him. He crawled across the short space between them.
"Colonel, colonel, can you hear me?" He gently shook the colonel's shoulder.
"Woolsey…is…that you?" Sheppard's voice was weak and raspy but he was awake; Woolsey thought that was at least something.
'Yes, colonel, it's me. I know this is a foolish question but how are you feeling?"
Sheppard raised his head but when the waves of dizziness hit him, he thought better of it.
"Like I…took on Ronon…a…few times too many." He breathed out and tried to take a lung full of oxygen in but didn't quite get a full breath.
"You…ok?" He asked Woolsey.
Woosley took a quick glance up the narrow stairs to the first floor. When he spoke, he realize he didn't sound much better than Sheppard, "I'm alright. Listen to me, colonel, they are waiting for you to wake up before they take you upstairs for a little chat. You need to continue to act like you are unconscious."
"Oh…a date with a baseball bat, huh?" Sheppard tried to laugh but coughed instead.
"Yes, colonel, something like that. It would be better if you didn't have to go through that with your current injuries."
"Yeah…I can agree with you on that."
"Just rest, colonel, and play dea…play unconscious."
"I like the…second one better…Woolsey. Did you get…a baseball bat of…your own?"
"Yes, colonel, autographed and everything."
"Welcome, to…the Pegasus galaxy, Mr. Woolsey." With that last comment, Sheppard drifted off to sleep.
Detention
Teyla was pacing; she decided that perhaps Ronon and Rodney were on to something, pacing was helping keep her anger at bay.
Ronon had awakened about fifteen minutes before, already sporting a puffy, black eye and a pretty bad headache. He had watched her for a bit and then decided to say something, "Teyla, you told me to stop pacing, so stop pacing."
"No, it helps," but she sat down on the bench beside him anyway. "We should have gone after John and Mr. Woolsey sooner. We should have certainly not allowed them to go that office unaccompanied." She leaned back against the cell wall and closed her eyes willing herself to calm down.
Rodney was standing at the metal bars that enclosed them in the cell. He could just see the guards that Ferish had posted to watch them standing down further down the corridor. The detention center was part of the Assembly Hall; Rodney had noticed signs that pointed to various government offices as they had been led to the cell. He continued to look out into the corridor as he asked no one in particular, "What do you think Lorne is doing? Maybe he got word to Captain Waters so that we can get some help from Atlantis?"
Isaacs, who was leaning against the back wall of the cell, replied, "Dr. McKay, I tapped my COM three times just after they took my weapon; that was the signal the colonel devised for us to inform each other if things went sour. I can only hope the major received it and got out of the area before these people got to them."
"You know, I guess the colonel couldn't get a signal off to us quickly enough when Ferish caught them. If we had known from the beginning they wouldn't have had such a head start." Isaacs looked down at the floor, dejected that they hadn't gotten to the colonel and Woolsey's aid quicker.
Teyla felt for the lieutenant, she was feeling the same way herself. "We have to assume that Lorne and the others may have been caught and could already be here in the detention hall. We have to figure out a way to get out of here because we may have more people in jeopardy than we realize." As she spoke, Ronon got up and walked over to the bars where Rodney was standing.
"So, McKay, how do we get out of here?" Rodney looked up at his tall companion and shook his head.
"I've got nothing; I can't see a way out." Rodney walked over to one of the benches in the large cell and plopped down, dejected. "We need Sheppard."
Teyla moved over to where Rodney was sitting, "Rodney, we do not have Colonel Sheppard; we must get out of this on our own. Many times you have been the one to find a way for us to escape; I have faith that you can do that again."
Rodney leaned back against the wall, "Just let me think."
Farmhouse
Woolsey was somewhere between sleep and awareness; he thought he could hear footsteps and he struggled to wake up completely. He checked on the colonel who seemed to still be asleep. Feigning his own sleep, he waited to see who was coming while he wondered what was next.
Mosston and Pava came entered the cellar and walked directly to the colonel. Mosston spoke, "Well, look here; looks like the little guy's been playing nursemaid. Well, he's going get some practice after we get done with this one."
Mosston pulled the sacks off of the colonel and checked to see if he was awake, "He's still out; come on, help me pick him up. We'll shoot him up with stimulants and get him awake; Ferish wants these guys to remember every punch up until their last. Besides, Ferish could arrive at anytime and he won't be happy if pretty boy here isn't marked up."
Woolsey could hear the men grunt as the picked the colonel up and Pava complained, "For a skinny looking guy, he weighs a ton, must be all muscle."
They were about to approach the stairs when Woolsey decided he had to do something, "Hey, where are you bastards taking him?"
Mosston turned, "You need to shut up or I'll give you a little taste of what we're going to do you next time."
"Why are doing this, what have we ever done to you?" Woolsey was struggling to get up.
Mosston walked over to him, "To be honest, I don't really have any idea who you are, but when Ferish tells us to make you hurt, we do it."
Woolsey was almost on his feet when Mosston backhanded him, catching him across the temple and knocking him to the floor. Mosston rejoined Pava and they continued up the stairs struggling with Sheppard. Woolsey tried to get up but he didn't have the strength; he dropped his head back to the floor, fear for what they were going to do to Sheppard consuming his thoughts.