A/N: Sorry for the delay, but a lot of things is happening to me in RL. Thanks for the reviews, I wasn't able to answer them all, but I really appreciate the feedback.

WHIP NO MORE

By ErikaHK

Chapter 3

The square was suddenly quiet, the whacking sound gone. John resisted bravely the impulse of screaming for the torture to his team to stop. When it finally happened he felt a brief sense of relief. The pain he endured went far deeper than just the physical torment. He watched the members of his own team being tortured just for the cheer of the sadistic man. John was confident that Freyr knew that all effort he made into extracting information would result in silence. He recognized the nature of a trained soldier, and a trained torturer. Freyr was none. He just had a natural talent. If one could call inflicting pain and enjoying it a talent.

How long could they endure it? When he accepted the terms of that man he assumed he would keep his word. Take him and release the others. But he assumed wrong. He didn't see the glimpse of insanity on the man's eye like he does now. Any other bad person would just be gone with it and execute useless prisoners, but not Freyr. He was the kind of person that would just keep insisting on the matter and ask the same question time after time, with unnatural patience and calmness, even knowing it was a useless effort.

He let himself be dragged away back to his cell without any resistance, still keeping a resolute expression over the pain of his body. He knew that Freyr's pleased smile came from the inner feeling John was carrying and he wanted to mask it from his face. But he couldn't hide it from himself, and knew that it gave satisfaction to the torturer. Neither could he ignore it, or what it meant. It was the difference between Freyr and John. John could feel guilt. And Freyr liked that.

He sat on the warm floor of the wooden cabin and supported his head on the wall. He kept his back from touching it and exhaled loudly, eyes closed. He was tired and his aching body demanded rest, yet he could find none. His mind drifted around the past day and the day that would follow, on Ronon, Teyla and Rodney, on Atlantis, back at Freyr, eventually shifting to his burning back for a short period of time before resuming to the wanderings.

Why was him always the one to need rescue? The one to step out of the stargate directly into unfriendly territory, into traps, and kidnappers? He should be the one saving others and not the one in need of help. Of course he knew that came with the territory, he was a military man, a leader, and in charge of an operation on the most unfriendly galaxy of the damn universe, but it would be nice to go to a nice and warm planet for a change. Where they could find real allies that wouldn't stab them on their backs at the first sight of it. Sometimes very literally. When it wasn't a knife, it would be bullets, or in this case a whip. The infirmary became almost like his second home. His team was close to a permanent residence on recovery.

He led people into war and his mistakes usually cost lives. He led his men into it and there was always a price to pay. A price he paid during the nights, both waken and asleep. How many where there? He still knew their names and faces. His optimistic nature made him think every time that next one would be better and he held on to this. Hope. It was all he had some times.

And there it was. Grieving and feeling sorry wouldn't take his team anywhere. He put the objective leader figure and detached from those feelings like he was trained to do. He needed a plan. Negotiating was beyond any possibility. He needed a way out, past the guards and back to the gate. He needed to take his team into safety. At the moment he could rely only on Rodney. Hope that the scientist made it back through the 'gate and called Lorne to come. That was as good as a plan B. Plan A was wait for the first opportunity to grab something to be used as a weapon and sneak out killing a few guards on the way. Patience, John. Just be patient.

…

Ronon was sitting on his own cell slump and avoiding any lingering thoughts on his throbbing back. Everything his mind focused was the past and present. He wanted revenge now more than ever. Not only for those people Freyr betrayed, but for Sheppard and Teyla too.

He knew Freyr better than his team mates did and still he fell into the trap of overconfidence again. There were many things Ronon could do, and he also knew his limitations; they were few, but he acknowledged them. It was rare an occasion when he made the overconfidence mistake and it usually had disastrous consequences. The difference between the past and present was that now he wasn't alone. He had friends. Friends that were also in the hands of the same sick man.

Back then, he had been captured by Freyr in an unplanned action of his mercenaries and Ronon thought he had everything under control, but he had been wrong, Freyr had many under his lead and even being strong, Ronon was only one. Somehow they had found out what he was. Ronon always did his best to keep low and without a reputation, but the man had connections and a plan. He had used Ronon's tracking device to attract the wraith to a world which only sin had been denying the proposition of the arm dealers. They couldn't afford the price they offered for a protection against the creatures and Freyr wouldn't accept that. Since then, Freyr never again was denied by a world and Ronon swore revenge. Where is the honor of a man that does that kind of thing just for money? He tried to keep tabs on Freyr after that, but he ended up losing track of his men and never found him again. Until now.

As much as he tried to forget everything from his past it always came back. There were many things he ashamed himself from the days when he was a runner, and usually he lived with it. But sometimes the past caught up with the present and he had to deal with it all over again. Go through the same thoughts and memories before it could be laid back. Like when he was captured and sent back to his home planet. Back then his friends had come to his aid and he paid them back by putting then into this. But he would make it up for that. He owned them his life. They had freed him from the life of a runner not once, but twice and all they expected in return was his loyalty. And they had it.

He needed to get past the present situation. He was locked in a cell adjacent to his friends. The solution to his dilemma was simple. He had to break through, free them and finish his business with Freyr. He just needed to figure out how to get the first part done.

Freyr was bound to make a mistake sooner or later. The man was far from being perfect. When the time comes Ronon will be there to take his chance and fix the situation once and for all.

…

Inside her cell, Teyla went over the expression on John's face. It was present for only a brief moment, but she saw it. She wanted to tell him that it wasn't his fault and that he shouldn't blame himself, but all she could give him was a look and hope that it would mean something to him.

Even while she resisted the pain being inflicted she watched him and knew she was not the only one suffering. She knew that his pain was much greater than hers and that he would take physical torture any time instead of that kind of agony. As a leader herself she knew how it felt. She remembered the times when the wraith came to her world and she had the duty to protect her people and take them to safety but couldn't help everyone. She would see them being taken and know what they would suffer before dying. She would also see the pain on the eyes of their loved ones, pain that she knew so personally, and there was nothing she could do but grieve. That is the burden of a leader. While a mother grieves for one son, she grieved for all the sons, all the daughters, mothers and fathers of her people.

She knows that little can be done or said to one that grieves as a leader. John would have to deal with this on his own terms, but she wanted him to know that she was there and she understood. That she also shared the responsibility of being captured and she felt responsible to have him captured because of her. He was trying to save them, and she didn't expect any less from a man like him, but she also had pride. If she hadn't gone after Ronon they wouldn't be here now and John wouldn't be suffering his burden because of her mistake.

Teyla had also watched Ronon and the anger on his eyes when he faced the man called Freyr. They must have encountered each other in the past and something horrible happened. Considering Ronon's past it couldn't be good and she could understand, even without knowing what happened between them, why he needed revenge and what torment he endured when he lowered his weapon at the threat against his friends.

She also knew that he was blaming himself for getting them so deep into the forest, and for lying to them. He could have shared his problem with the rest of the team and she would certainly support him, but he chose to act alone despite all that he learned over the past year. That was the amount of hatred Ronon had for that man. Ronon probably thought that he couldn't risk having them trying to convince him out and didn't want to get them involved on his own personal issues with Freyr.

After facing Freyr herself, she couldn't blame Ronon for wanting the man dead. He is a cruel man that takes pleasure in causing pain to others and certainly doesn't deserve to live. She hoped Ronon would have his chance to do this. Soon.

Teyla suddenly remembered that she didn't get to see Rodney. He wasn't tortured at the stake like the others. She was pleased for this, because he would suffer a lot more than the warrior members of the team. She wondered why. Freyr wouldn't hesitate in using the scientist against John and the only way Rodney would be left out was if he wasn't captured in the first place. A glimpse of optimism began to form inside her. If he escaped they could hope Atlantis would send rescue sooner than the delay period.

…

It wasn't difficult to find the stargate from the big old tree. Now that he was closer he could follow one single direction without any turns; that Rodney remembered. Why Ronon had to follow such an irregular path on the forest? He probably just followed some invisible trail and after Rodney got the word to Atlantis it would be hell to find the camp again. Or maybe not. If he got to the tree again he would just have to follow the path of destruction he left behind when fleeing. He just hoped it wouldn't be seen by the arm dealers. If they left the camp, they would surely notice, follow it and find him gone. Then Sheppard, Ronon and Teyla would pay the price for that mistake.

He hated this position. He didn't mind saving the galaxy using his ingenious brain, but saving his friends using his pathetic survival and tracking skills made him feel miserable. They would die because of it. He hated more the fact that he warned them not to go there. He always had a very strong self-preservation feeling and at that moment it was screaming DON'T GO. But, as usual, he was shoved away as a coward. Actually, more like a crying baby. Or both. He didn't care, he was just not heard and now they were all paying for it. He had to flee, and they had to endure torture.

He never thought about the responsibility a person that escaped carries. That was the feeling eating him now. The responsibility to run away and get help. It was felt step by step. The closer he got, the greater the sensation of accomplishment, and smaller of guilt. Guilt of being free, but still not able to get away because of his incompetence while the rest of the team suffered more every minute he was lost.

But he isn't lost now. Or he hoped so. He still didn't have the sensation of familiarity from the trees and he doubted he ever would. All he had was his hand sensor to follow, and he trusted it. He modified it to pick up the energy of the DHD so he would have something to indicate when he was close. And just now it started to blink happily. At last he would be gone from this nightmare and would only be back accompanied by an army of marines.

Rodney saw the DHD standing bright under a beam of sun light on the hazy afternoon coming through the top of the trees and the stargate right in front of it. He approached it ready to dial home when he heard loud voices coming from behind. He turned startled and saw a few bodies walking steadily towards him and getting closer. He immediately ducked behind the DHD and looked down at the weapon he carried. He didn't see how many they were, but was sure he didn't stand a chance.

The sensor indicated five people getting closer on a steady pace. He looked around for a better hiding spot and found that anywhere else would fit, he just had to get there unnoticed, which was a problem. The ground was covered in dry branches and leaves, brushes surrounded the place and he would have to jump over them. Finally he decided to step backwards cautiously to the 'gate and hide behind the stone platform sustaining the device.

He moved as slow as humanly possible and turned to face the direction he was heading glancing at the screen on his hands to follow the approach of the group. He made an effort to control the accelerated breathing, but wasn't very successful. At every faint sound of a snapped branch beneath his feet he cringed and closed his eyes simply hearing the roaring sound of his heart, transforming the loud conversation coming closer into a blur of undefined voices. He tried to move faster but every time the dry crack was heard he halted his step cursing inside his mind.

He reached the side of the gate and proceeded keeping close of the stony step squeezing into a tiny space clean of noisy obstacles. His heart pulsed faster as he got closer to his target location and the dealers got closer to him.

Almost there.

After a couple more steps he was shrunk behind the 'gate platform, waiting.

Please go away soon.

But they didn't. They lingered and took their time to dial making nasty jokes that broke the sequence of symbols in a burst of laughter. After several agonizing minutes of amusement they resumed the dialing. The stargate kawooshed in a bright blue light that brought an odd illumination to the forest. One of them broke through the conversation ordering for two men to stay behind and only follow after several minutes for safety.

At hearing that Rodney's blood froze and his eyes showed the dread of having to stay down and quiet for several minutes yet.

The three leading men went through the 'gate that deactivated soon after leaving the other two talking casually over the DHD.

…

TBC…