Quick Note: Thank you to all of you who have let me know that you are having fun with this story. I love these corporals and I am glad you do as well. Again, thank you very much. Hope you enjoy the last two chapters.
The site had upload problems this evening, so I am posting the last two chapters about four hours later than I intended. Sorry.
Chapter Seven Retribution
The Cave
"Colonel, are you sure you can make it?" Brenner certainly didn't think so but he knew better than to push too much. He had helped Sheppard stand so he could get dressed and he was pretty wobbly when he first tried. He sat down pretty quickly and leaned against the wall, his breath coming in short, shallow bursts.
"Just need to let the dizziness calm down; then I'll be ok." Sheppard leaned his head back against the rock wall and closed his eyes. Even with the corporals' help, getting dressed had taken a lot out of him. He was nauseated but he thought it was from the earlier shot; he had decided against anymore morphine and had risked taking three ibuprofen capsules. He needed his head clear; he'd get enough of the good stuff once Beckett and Keller got their hands on him.
Rodriguez had gotten Brenner up first and policed the cave; they had burned the MRE containers and gotten everything repacked with the exception of Sheppard's sleeping bag, his clothes, and fresh medical supplies to re-bandage his wounds. They weren't going to let the fire burn down until they had Sheppard ready to leave.
"Colonel, the good thing is that it looks to me like the gunshot didn't hit anything vital. I think if it had nicked the bowel, you might have a fever by now. I'm no doc but I think you got lucky. However, I will defer to Dr. Keller." Ray smiled at him after he had taken a look at the colonel's bandages.
"Knowing Keller and Beckett, smart move, corporal," Sheppard shifted a bit and took a deep breath.
"Sir, I didn't change the bandages since it doesn't look like you've had any addition bleeding, I just added a couple on top of both wounds, more for protection than anything, in case you run into a branch or something. I didn't want to risk reopening either wound by removing those bandages. But you need to be careful out there and not try to move too quickly; let us help. Getting back up that hill to the path is not going to be an easy climb, it's pretty steep. If it's too much for you, we'll build a travois to get you back to the main road." Ray had started to smother the fire as he was talking.
"Rodriguez, have you tried to reach the jumpers?"
"Yes, sir; but the winds were fairly strong this morning, just no where near what they were yesterday and last night. I'll keep trying once we get outside."
"You guys ready?" Sheppard tried to stand up on his own but he didn't get very far. Brenner who was closer grabbed him before he fell back to the ground.
"Hey, colonel, take it easy. Don't try to do this on your own, sir." Brenner got Sheppard on his feet and leaning against the wall.
"Ray, hand me the sleeping bags." Rodriguez looked over at the bags that were lying on the ground next to Brenner's K-Bar.
"Paulie, I thought you got everything packed?"
"I did but Colonel Sheppard doesn't have a coat or a knit cap so I decided to improvise." As he took the bags and knife from Rodriguez, he laughed. "Colonel, you may be setting a new trend."
Brenner had cut open the bottom of the twin sleeping bag system and used duct tape to 'hem' the fabric and he made narrow slits on the sides at approximately hand level using the tape to seal the edges on each of the bags. He unzipped the bags and they helped the colonel step in and get his arms into the side slits.
"Colonel, I taped the side slits in each bag separately since you don't have gloves so that you can still keep your arms and hands warm but you won't feel so confined. Brenner pulled the built in hood over Sheppard's head, pulling the drawstring around his face.
"Sorry, sir; it's probably going to mess up your hair." Brenner grinned. "But I'm thinking you'll at least be warm."
"You have been hanging around Dr. McKay haven't you, corporal."
"Not anymore than I have to, sir."
Rodriguez was checking the fire to make certain it had gone out and laughed, "Sir, some of us don't like hanging around the geeks; they make me nervous."
"I get that. OK, boys, get your gear and let's go." The corporals slipped their backpacks on and with Sheppard leaning on Brenner, they followed Rodriguez down the passage way.
On the way, Rodriguez kicked the rocks down on the booby trap he had placed and Sheppard chuckled. "You two must have watched a lot of MacGyver when you were kids."
"Sure did, sir. It was my favorite show. Now, Pauli, his was Gomer Pyle." Rodriguez chuckled.
"Hey, I loved MacGyver; it was my dad who said I liked Gomer Pyle because I joined the Marines instead of the army like the rest of my family."
They reached the opening and made their way out into the edge of the stream. Rodriguez tried the radio but they still could not make contact with the jumpers.
"Colonel, we should be back at the spot where we found you in about twenty minutes, then I imagine that it will take us about another fifteen or twenty minutes to get to the top of the hill. But you stop us if you get too tired and we will rest for a bit."
Sheppard nodded and they began to walk down the edge of the stream. The water was moving against them but not as rapidly as it had the night before and they made decent time. Brenner was supporting the colonel because he was taller than Rodriguez, which made it easier for Sheppard to lean on him and they were able to keep up a decent pace despite the colonel's injury.
The snow was blowing in the air from the moderate winds that rustled the tree branches. It took them just over twenty minutes to get back to the spot where they found Sheppard.
"Sir, this is where we found you," Brenner informed Sheppard.
"I left that cloak you must have grabbed and I snagged it on this branch," Rodriguez pointed to a now broken branch. "I used it to wipe the blood off of you and then left it here, hoping that if they came looking for you these guys would think you had been washed down stream. However, the branch is broken and the cloak is lying over there. It would be covered with snow if this had happened last night. Someone was here this morning." Rodriguez pulled up his P-90.
Brenner pulled out his sidearm and handed it to the colonel. "You might need this, sir."
Rodriguez looked at Sheppard, "If you are OK, sir; we'll keep going, only a few minutes to the tree line that leads up the hill to the path opening." Sheppard motioned for him to go on and they headed for the covered way up to the fortress.
The Path
The climb up the hill had been difficult for Sheppard and Brenner. The colonel was in pain, Brenner could see it in his face, but he wouldn't stop. When they reached the path, Brenner grabbed the colonel's arm and he pointed to the ground.
"Sir, you need to rest and we need to check your wounds, that climb was brutal and I don't want you to start bleeding again." When Sheppard didn't argue with him, he knew that the colonel was hurting. He leaned his C.O. against a tree and grabbed an emergency blanket from his pack; spreading the silver blanket on the ground, he eased the colonel down.
Kneeling down next to Sheppard, Brenner grabbed his canteen, "Here, sir, take a small sip." As he held the canteen out, he got Rodriguez's attention.
"Ray, the colonel needs to rest and we need to check his wounds. That climb was a real struggle for him. Why don't you do that and while he's resting, I'm going to go check on Sgt. Johnston. I'm worried about him. He's not far from here; I can be there and back in fifteen minutes."
"Go, I'll take care of the colonel."
Beston
"Rodney, calm down; we are going to be leaving shortly. Captain Waters will be finished with Woolsey and Teldy in a moment."
"We could be in the air while he's doing that."
"Rodney, give the man a break."
Captain Waters and Sgt Peters were in the cockpit of the jumper. Lt. Salem had brought his jumper from the gate and was on the ground next to them.
"OK…doctors', we're ready to go. The plan is that if we haven't made contact with Atlantis in two hours, the cavalry is coming."
Captain Waters lifted the jumper off the ground and headed toward the fortress with Lt. Salem on his six. Finally, Rodney was satisfied.
The Path
Rodriguez was worried, he knew that Sheppard had lost a lot of blood initially and he was extremely fatigued at the moment but at least, it didn't appear that his wounds were bleeding again. He wondered if he should try to get the colonel to eat a power bar but he was really worried about having him eat if he did have a nicked intestine. He really wished Dr. Beckett were with them; then this wouldn't be on his shoulders. This man was too important to leave his care to a lowly corporal.
"Are you warm enough, Colonel Sheppard?"
"Yeah, just tired," his eyes were closed.
"Hey, you need to keep your hands inside the bag," as he tucked Sheppard's hands inside the bag. He vowed to never go anywhere without an extra set of gloves again. "Colonel, Brenner has gone to check on Sgt. Johnston and he should be back shortly. Maybe we should get you under cover, so that we can scout out the fortress."
"No, going with you; just need to rest for a few minutes. Try the radio again."
"Yes, sir," Rodriguez tried again but static was all they could hear. He was getting frustrated but he kept trying every couple of minutes. He looked at his watch; Brenner had been gone just over sixteen minutes. He should be returning shortly and Ray hoped with news that Johnston was OK.
It was another few minutes before Ray heard someone coming; he saw Brenner emerged from the path toward the little grove of trees and bushes where they were taking cover. Brenner gave him thumbs up and he breathed a little easier once he knew Johnston was alright. He had turned to tell the colonel when the crackle of the radio startled them.
"Colonel Sheppard, this is Waters, come in, please. Colonel, this is Captain Waters, please answer."
Rodriguez grabbed the radio and wanted to shout to the heavens but he remained calm, "Captain Waters, Corporal Rodriguez here. We're glad to hear you, sir. I'm with Colonel Sheppard and Corporal Brenner. Sir, the colonel has been shot but is stable; the rest of the team is being held in the fortress by Dever and his gang. Also, Sgt. Johnston has a broken leg and a stab wound but he is stable as well and is hidden along the path."
"Repeat corporal, did you say the colonel's been shot?"
Before Rodriguez could answer, Dr. Beckett's voice came from the radio. "Son, tell me where the colonel's been shot and the extent of Sgt. Johnston's injuries."
"Doctor, the colonel was hit in the back about four inches above his waist on the right; the bullet exited just below his waist on his right side. He lost a lot of blood but we applied the clotting pads and pressure bandages and found shelter to get him out of the weather last night. He hasn't been bleeding from the wounds and I don't think that he has any internal bleeding but he is in a lot of pain. As for Sgt. Johnston, he was stabbed by one of Dever's men because he overheard what they were up to. The stab wound was superficial but did bleed a bit; his leg was broken by being hit with the butt of one of those long guns. We splinted his leg, dressed his wounds; got him in a sleeping bag, loaded him up with warmers, food, water and ammunition. Brenner just came back from checking on him and he is alright."
"Excellent, corporal; you and Cpl. Brenner have done well."
The captain came back on, "Corporal, do you know anything about the rest of the team other than they are being held in the fortress? We are picking up several life signs toward the front of the building but no idea who they are."
"No, sir; only that they are being held there but I don't know where."
Sheppard motioned for the radio, "Captain, I think they are on the north side of the building and are being held together. Where are you?"
"Colonel, we are hovering right above the path where it ends at the fortress; we have three life signs right underneath us. I imagine that would be you guys. Colonel, I am going to leave the jumper cloaked and put it down with the ramp toward you. Corporals, get ready to bring the colonel on board."
"Yes, sir."
Brenner and Rodriguez helped the colonel to his feet. Waters landed the jumper about twenty feet from them and as the ramp descended they headed directly for the cloaked ship; hidden from anyone who might be watching from the fortress.
The Meeting Room
Lorne was pacing; he had gotten some sleep and felt much better but he was really frustrated. Their guards had left during the night and they had not seen any of them since; Lorne was convinced that something was up. They had attempted to get the double doors open without any success; the doors were simply too heavy and they finally gave up. The only good thing was that the wind had died down and it wasn't quite as cold as it had been.
"Major Lorne, are you alright?" Teyla had been checking on Isaacs who had been hit harder than Lorne and was still groggy.
Yeah, I'm fine just frustrated. How's Nate?" Lorne pointed to Captain Isaacs.
"I believe that he has a concussion but how badly he is hurt I do not know. He is dizzy, has a headache, and is nauseated."
"Thanks for keeping an eye on him for me, Teyla."
Teyla started to reply when they heard a loud voice calling to them from the doorway. "Major Lorne, are you in there?"
Lorne looked at Teyla, "That's Lt. Salem." Running toward the door, "It's us, Salem; get us out of here!"
"Stand back, sir. We are going to blow the door."
Lorne motioned for everyone to move away from the heavy wooden double doors. A minute later, a small explosion knocked one side of the door down and Salem, Peters, Brenner and Rodriguez burst through the opening.
"Come, on; let's get out of here." Salem yelled.
"Salem, are there any of Dever's men around?" Lorne asked as he took the weapon Salem was holding out to him.
"No, sir, sensors only showed your group in this location. The raiders are gone."
Ronon and Teyla were at Lorne's side, "What about Sheppard?" Ronon asked.
"The colonel is aboard one of the jumpers, sir. He's been wounded but seems stable."
"Where is he?"
Salem pointed toward the west, "The jumpers are parked on the west side of the fortress." Ronon moved past Lorne at a dead run, Teyla right behind him.
When they reached the jumpers, they were uncloaked and both ramps were closed. Teyla ran to the front of one of the jumpers, it was empty. "It's the other one." Ronon went to the front of that jumper and got Captain Waters attention. The ramp began to lower and Teyla was the first on board.
Beckett turned to her, "Teyla, are you alright?"
"Yes, how is Colonel Sheppard."
"I'm fine, Teyla." Beckett stepped away and revealed Sheppard sitting on the jumper bench, McKay next to him. "Everyone OK?"
"Captain Isaacs has a possible concussion and Major Lorne was struck with a gun as well, he has a cut on his head but I think he is fine; everyone else is just cold." Teyla looked over at Beckett who murmured he would be back and left the jumper to check on the two injured men.
Ronon sat down across from Sheppard, "So what happened?"
"Dever had me in a cell on the south side. I had a chat with him and he told me what he was really up to. When his men took me back to the cell, I sort of eliminated them," he gave Ronon a lopsided grin, "by using the knife I had hidden in my boot and made it out the south door; just about got away with it but somebody shot me in the back."
Ronon interjected, "Dever, he's the one who shot you; he told us you were dead."
"Dever, I should have known. After I was hit, I rolled down the hill into the stream and would be dead if it weren't for Brenner and Rodriguez; they found me. We spent the night in a nice, warm cave and then climbed up the hill back here. That's when the jumpers showed up." Sheppard leaned back and closed his eyes.
"It is good to know that Brenner and Rodriguez are alright; colonel, do you know anything about Sgt. Johnston?" Teyla asked.
McKay answered, "He has a broken leg which the corporals fixed up and they left him on the path."
"Left him? Where is he, I'll go get him." Ronon was already on his feet; the big sergeant was one of Ronon's favorites.
Sheppard smiled, "Calm down, Chewie; the sergeant is fine. Brenner checked on him when we first got up here. They gave him first aid and got him into the sleeping bags. Captain Waters is going to send some Marines to get him now that you guys are safe."
McKay looked at Sheppard, his friend was pale and in pain. He thought some good news would help, "Sheppard, you were right about the basement at the Harben house. We found Losa and her daughter there."
Sheppard's head snapped around toward Rodney, the concern evident on his face. "Dever told me he left them there; he said they would be dead before anyone found them."
"They are alive, John; but they wouldn't have been if you hadn't had us stay there to check that basement out. We got them to the inn and they are with family now. Dr. Beckett said medically they were fine, once they got warm."
Sheppard emitted a deep sigh, "Good news, I was really afraid they were dead."
Teyla knelt in front of the colonel, "Again, John, you did not allow that to happen."
Captain Waters had left the jumper when Teyla and Ronon boarded and he returned with news that Marines had been sent to recover Sgt. Johnston and he would be transported back to Atlantis on the other jumper.
"No, captain, no one is returning to Atlantis yet. Dever and his men have not been gone long from here and you say you didn't see any life signs heading back the way we came?
"No, sir, just what we now know was Sgt. Johnston; we weren't certain if that life sign was one of us or one of them."
"Captain, have Salem do a recon down that path that leads east from here. Lorne said that it ended in the middle of a field, didn't go all the way to a road. I have a feeling that Dever's headed that way. They probably went to get the rest of the stuff they looted. There's a road past that point somewhere. Salem needs to follow it to find where they are and how much time we have before they can reach the gate."
"Yes, sir." Captain Waters tapped his COM, "Major Lorne and Lt. Salem; please meet me behind my jumper. I have orders from Colonel Sheppard." As Waters left the jumper, he raised the ramp to keep the cold out.
McKay stood up, "What the hell do you think you're doing? You need to get back to Atlantis; damn it, you got shot in the back."
"Rodney, I am not going anywhere until we take care of Dever. He is not going to get away with this."
Rodney was about to say something else but Teyla shook her head. "Rodney, the colonel is right. We cannot go through the gate; Dever's may have people watching. If Dever's thinks we are still here locked in the fortress and that John is dead, he will let his guard down and will not expect us. Besides, Dr. Beckett said that the colonel is stable. He needs treatment and rest but right now, he is OK."
As they waited for Salem to report, Sheppard answered their questions about the events since he was captured. However, only after Teyla made him lie down on the bench. Dr. Beckett had started an IV to help increase the colonel's blood pressure after the blood he had lost. Teyla was giving him small sips of water, as well.
"These two young Marines have done well, colonel. We are most thankful that they realized something was going on." Teyla was arranging a blanket over Sheppard. "They were also quite resourceful in keeping you warm. The use of the sleeping bags as a coat was ingenious."
"Yeah, I wouldn't be here if it weren't for them and neither would Johnston."
Rodney told them about the men that they had captured at the gate and all of the artifacts they had recovered. As he finished, Lorne, Waters, and Salem entered the jumper from their reconnaissance mission.
"Major, lieutenant, good to see you." Sheppard sat up to Teyla's protest.
"You, too sir," Lorne answered as Salem nodded to his C.O. Lorne continued, "You were right, colonel. We found six life signs just coming off the path and another eight in what might be a barn behind a house that sits on that other road. We took a quick trip along that road and found that it intersects with the road that runs in front of the Harben house. Looks like the quickest way back to the gate from where they are. After that, we flew back over the area where we first found them. The life signs were traveling along the road: Salem took the jumper lower for a closer look and it appears that they have a wagon being pulled by some horse like things. Sir, I think it will take at least two hours to get to the gate from where they are since the storm has died down.
"Have you recovered Johnston?" Lorne nodded yes and Sheppard continues. "Ok, I have an idea we need to discuss; let's get everyone loaded up and major, Brenner and Rodriguez are to ride with me."