Hi Everyone….

I'm sorry that this next chapter took so long. The plan was to write it Wednesday or Thursday of last week, but I was sick for a bunch of days last week and couldn't get it done. If it's any consolation, I blew off my CSI fic to write this (something that I'm sure will land me in trouble!).

Thanks to Marie, Elyse, and ashanome (sorry, I only knew this name) for making me laugh when I felt miserable!

Enjoy!

Emrys

The Weight of an Oath – Part 5

"Why now? Why didn't they try something on our earlier visit?" Ronan grumbled as he paced the small, but well-decorated room. Sitting on the corner of one of the two modest beds, Teyla watched the big man pace. He reminded her of the wild benghra that her father had captured and had tried to domesticate until it had attempted to kill his only daughter. Its ceaseless pacing within the walls of its cage had ended only with her father's killing stroke.

"I believe that they had need to establish trust with us before taking this course of action," Teyla said calmly. "The Netharians are aware that we have strict times within which we have need to contact Atlantis. On our last visit, we only had twelve hours before contact was to be made. On this visit, Atlantis will not be aware of any problem until we do not check in within the next 48 hours. I can only conclude that this is plenty of time for the Netharians to complete whatever task they have planned."

"I guess that makes sense," Ronan conceded unhappily. He stopped pacing for a moment to angrily knock the breakfast tray off of an end table where it had been sitting untouched for several hours. Despite the fact that they were essentially prisoners in this ornate room, they had been treated well. Food had been sent to them for lunch and dinner of the previous day, and breakfast had come only a few hours ago.

But no information about the status of their two missing teammates had been supplied to them, and they were both powerless to further an escape. And since both Ronan and Teyla were proud people who despised the way in which they were being treated, they had rebelled in the only way in which they were capable. Neither of them had had the appetite for the food that had been offered them by the Netharians, so they maintained their strength by eating only the power bars from within their vest pockets. And so the tray that Ronan hurled across the room now sprayed its contents across the bed in which Teyla had lain the night before.

"That was unnecessary," she said, annoyed.

Ronan continued his pacing but had the good grace to look apologetic.

"This makes no sense," he said after a while.

Teyla was about to respond to him when the door unexpectedly opened to emit five of the large guards and a smaller, bespectacled Netharian man.

"Teyla Emmagen, we have need of your services," the smaller man said while taking off his glasses and wiping them with the sleeve of his white jacket.

Ronan's response was to immediately stand in front of Teyla in a protective posture. Teyla, a highly successful and recognized warrior in her own right felt a stab of annoyance at his gesture. Because that really was all that this was. A gesture. There was no way that either of them had a chance of fighting their way through the towering guards, and Ronan's bulk only inhibited her own understanding of the proceedings that were occurring before her.

But apparently Ronan had tired of waiting and attempting to understand, because he suddenly charged the line of guards that stood in front of the door. Sighing in resignation, Teyla joined him in what she perceived was a foolhardy battle. Ronan was, after all, her teammate, and so she was honor bound to aid him in this fight. Yet the guards had appeared well trained to her eye, and she had no doubt of their strength, so it was no surprise to her when both she and Ronan were knocked to the floor with very little effort.

"Please, Ms. Emmagen. We do not wish to harm you, and the life of your friend, Colonel Sheppard depends on what you do next," the short, Netharian man said calmly as he extended his hand to help her up.

Teyla studied the hand in front of her and then shot a commanding look to Ronan. The Satedan returned an arrogant look at her to demonstrate his contentious thoughts but nodded his ascension to her unspoken instructions. For Sheppard, and for her, he would stay his need to react.

She ignored the hand outstretched to her and proudly led the escort out of the room.

888

A short while later, after Teyla was lead, surprisingly and unexpectedly to the Stargate, Rodney found himself being dragged by two of the Netharian goons to another part of the city. He was more than a little frightened for himself and absolutely terrified for Sheppard. His friend had been taken hours ago, and Rodney had heard nothing about how the Wraith feeding went. And although his mind was repulsed by the thought of the Colonel being used as nothing more than fodder, he desperately needed to know what had happened.

He stumbled when he was pushed into a stark, medicinal smelling room, but caught himself before falling. After he had recovered his equilibrium, he found himself the object of interest to both Sandrina and Torca. Sandrina stoically considered him, but Torca appeared upset, fidgety, and far too distracted to pay Rodney much mind.

"Where is Colonel Sheppard?" Rodney directed his angry question at Torca and ignored the other woman. He did not like it that Torca was distraught, because her distress undoubtedly had something to do with the Colonel's condition.

"Colonel Sheppard was brought to this facility to test the Hoffan serum-" Sandrina said, but Rodney interrupted her.

"I know all about it!" he snapped with disgust. "Tell me about the Wraith feeding. That is what you were planning to do, right?"

Sandrina ignored his question and calmly proceeded to describe the events that had occurred.

"Something went wrong during the feeding, Doctor McKay," her placid voice set Rodney's teeth on edge, and he flashed her an angry look.

"Of course something went wrong during the feeding! What could have possibly gone right!" Rodney exclaimed exasperated. "Where is he?"

"He is in the adjoining room," Torca said meekly. Sandrina stared at her with cool anger, but the smaller woman somewhat defiantly indicated a nearby door anyway.

The door swished open when Rodney moved to it. The two guards and both scientists followed him into the room, but he barely registered their presence. All he could focus on was the writhing figure of Sheppard on a bed much like the ones they had in the Atlantis infirmary.

John was panting and sweating profusely, obviously in pain. Rodney hurried to his side and hoped that the man wasn't too far gone so as to be beyond his attentions.

"Sheppard?"

"McKay. I guess things didn't….go well."

"That's what they keep telling me," Rodney said sarcastically. Relieved by Sheppard's level of consciousness, he allowed himself to turn his attention away from the Colonel's struggling form and eye the two women angrily. "What's wrong with him?"

"We do not know. According to the Hoffan records, this did not happen when you tested the serum on the Wraith previously. We were hoping that you could elucidate," Sandrina's words spoke only of her scientific need and nothing of compassion.

"How the hell am I supposed to know! It's your serum!" Rodney exclaimed, his patience wearing thin.

"I thought as much," Sandrina responded tranquilly to his outburst and then sighed heavily. "I suppose, Torca, that you were correct in sending Ms. Emmagen to Atlantis and through her requesting that Doctor Beckett attend us here."

"Wait a minute. Teyla's okay? Beckett's coming here?" Rodney was confused. But then Sheppard suddenly groaned in pain, and he felt the last vestiges of his fortitude begin to crack. Seemingly of their own accord, his hands tightened, and he imagined the satisfaction he would feel if he were only able to use his fists to mar Sandrina's beautiful face. He resisted the uncharacteristic urge, but barely.

"Both of your companions are fine, Doctor McKay. We require Doctor Beckett's presence because he alone has a complete understanding of both the patient and the serum. We are confident that with your physician's aid we will be able to determine what has developed. Additionally, it may be possible to completely resurrect this experiment if Doctor Beckett is able to counteract the unexpected effects of the feeding that have placed your Colonel in such a dire situation," Sandrina explained without a hint of contriteness in her voice.

Rodney suddenly understood what it meant to see red when angered. He sputtered ineffectually, but none of the Netharians took note.

"We will leave you with him until Doctor Beckett arrives," Sandrina said.

Rodney felt as if he were in a bizarre episode of the Twilight Zone as the Netharians left him alone with Colonel Sheppard.

888

With speech interrupted by stabs of systemic pain, John explained the Netharian Oath to Rodney. It had taken some time for him to remember the conversation he had held with Sandrina before he had been brought to Rodney's gaudy prison room. He supposed that his memory loss had had something to do with the overdose of sedative that Rodney told him he had received. Nevertheless, he remembered the Oath, and its existence was a tactical consideration of which Rodney and the others needed to be aware.

So he explained everything to McKay despite the pain and weakness that relentlessly assailed him.

"God, they're worse than insane," Rodney said once Sheppard had finished. "They're fanatics."

John breathed out a shaky, laugh as his hands clenched and unclenched with the tidal swelling of pain.

"It's so rare…that we agree…on any..thing, McKay," he said, shakily.

"I guess wonders never do cease," Rodney said flatly and silently wondered where the hell Beckett was.

Sheppard laughed shortly, but then curled into himself as another wave of agony crested.

"So what happened to you anyway?" Rodney asked, hurriedly. Sheppard did not look good, and he supposed that his only course of action at the moment was to distract the man from his pain.

"Dunno," John said shortly. "The Wraith…went for me,…I fell…over, woke…up here. No idea." He breathed heavily and seemed to consider something very carefully before talking again. "How old…do…I look?" he asked after his eye contact slipped away from Rodney.

"What! Those bastards didn't tell you?" Rodney was furious at the level of inconsiderateness that was being forced upon Sheppard.

"Haven't told me…damn thing," John replied weakly through a tightly clenched jaw.

"There's no need to worry, John," McKay said kindly. The rare use of his first name caused Sheppard to return eye contact. "The serum must have worked. Well, at least against the Wraith. You haven't aged at all."

John made a strangled sound deep in his throat, and it took him a long time before he was able to smile up at Rodney.

He tried to say something typically brash, but the pain was too much and instead he just closed his eyes to ride it out.

888

When Beckett entered the room looking hurried and strained, Rodney breathed an audible sigh of relief. Although he would never admit it out loud, it was a comfort to have Carson with them. Despite his self-acclaimed genius status, Rodney was not well versed in the field of medicine and did not completely trust the guess that he had made regarding Sheppard's condition. He tended to leave such things to the voodoo doctors of Carson's field, an act that allowed him to expend his genius within the proper circle of true science.

The sin of his brilliant pride; however, could not help but make a silent diagnosis that he thought was worthy of even Carson's talents.

Beckett took one look at Sheppard and cursed viciously. He turned to someone behind him, Rodney determined it was Sandrina by the tall, lithe figure she made, and he spat angry words at her.

"What kind of medicine do you practice here!" the doctor exclaimed, ferociously. "Don't you people know enough to take a history of the patient before attempting to treat him?"

The reason for Beckett's intense reaction hit Rodney hard then, and he realized now that his diagnosis was amateur at best, and that he wasn't the genius he had always thought he was after all.

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Mwa Ha Ha