Thanks so much for the great feed back, I'm delighted you're enjoying the story.

As for Forant, now we know what he'd capable of, what's next in store for John?

THE TIES THAT BIND

CHAPTER 17

He hurt all over.

Each small incision wasn't bad on its own, but the collective ache made him miserable. Restrained hand and foot only increased the agony, but nothing compared to the headache from hell.

John knew Forant had something stronger than Tylenol in his arsenal, but the Ancient chose to withhold the good stuff, probably as payback for speaking his mind. Despite his pain, John wasn't sorry for one single thing he'd said. The only thing he did regret was not killing the sadistic bastard after the first time they'd met.

He winced and swore under his breath as he awkwardly shuffled onto his other side. With hands cuffed behind his back and ankles shackled together by a thick chain, the normally simple motion left him drenched in sweat and completely drained. The metal cuffs, moulded to his wrists and ankles restricting his movement, were similar to the bracelet he'd once worn. Except unlike last time, he couldn't simply think them off. They were a clever device, as once activated a bar of metal shot out from one and attached onto its neighbor, instantly forming a linked chain. It's length determined by the man holding the control, Forant, but in his case it wasn't much, as the Ancient had severely restricted his movement, leaving just a couple of inches between his wrists, and no more than ten between his ankles.

Shit happened in life, something John accepted and understood, but he wondered why the hell it always happened to him? He considered himself a reasonable guy, and was happy to take the rough with the smooth, but for the past few years it seemed all he'd done was lurch from one disaster to another. John knew he was whining like McKay but he was weary of it all, both emotionally and physically exhausted by the constant drama that followed him around like a bad smell.

From his narrow bunk, John could see the dark, scarlet stain on the wall where he'd smashed his fist the last time he was in this room. The cold, dank cell just as he remembered, apart from a couple of home improvements. The décor was still the same, dark ragged stone, and if Forant had installed heating, it didn't reach this far. It did however have bright neon lights which stayed on 24/7, and a force field to prevent him from shuffling to freedom. A real waste of time, complete and utter overkill, as with this level of restraint, and completely exhausted from lack of sleep, he couldn't move more that a few feet without help.

The Ancient hadn't waited for the anesthetic to wear off before carrying out his threat. He'd restrained him, fitted him with a catheter to take away control of his basic functions, and left him with nothing but a surgical gown to wear. It was humiliating treatment designed to punish and control, but John was determined to remain strong. Forant may have stolen his dignity, but he would never break his spirit.

"Time to eat, Sheppard." John realised he must have zoned out for a moment, as Janus was standing there looking down at him with amusement. He was kinda relieved the clone had stopped using his given name, as somehow, it was much more honest.

Janus bent down and grabbed him roughly under the arm, and John yelped as the sharp motion pulled on his sutures. "Did I hurt you, Sheppard? So, sorry…" Janus smirked, and proceeded to haul him the rest of the way to his feet.

John was down but he wasn't out, and he sure as hell wasn't going to let Janus know how much he'd hurt him, so he returned the smirk. "And I thought clones didn't have a sense of humor?"

Janus scowled, and muttered something under his breath as he pulled him out the room, and began dragging him through the uncomfortably familiar corridors.

"What, no comeback?" John asked, enjoying his small act of rebellion right up until Janus let go of his arm and tripped him, making him fall flat on his face.

"Not laughing now are you, Sheppard?" Janus sneered. "Pity, I thought it was funny." The clone then glared at him, before yanking him to his feet.

Blood was dripping into his eyes from a gash on his head, and he could taste its sharp metallic flavor as he rubbed his tongue over his split lip. Already in pain before, now he was in agony. Every part of his body ached, and by the time Janus heaved him to where Forant was waiting, John was so woozy he could hardly focus.

"Good even - What happened to him?" Forant rounded on Janus, his eyes as hard as ice when he took in John's bloody face and ripped knees.

The smile vanished from Janus' face. "He tripped."

"Did he now?" Forant rose from the table, came over and tilted John's chin, examining his face. "Well you'd better be more careful in future," he said, turning an angry face to Janus, "because although my grandson has fallen out of grace, he is still essential to my plans. Do you understand?"

Even if the clone didn't, John certainly did, as he could tell the old guy was pissed by his clipped, icy tone.

"I'm sorry, it won't happen again." Janus' face flushed as he mumbled, but John could tell just how unrepentant he was, by the increased pressure as the clones strong fingers dug painfully into his arms.

Forant let go of his face then nodded to Janus, "Now help him carefully onto the chair, then go and get my bag."

The fog was clearing, leaving behind a throbbing face and stinging knees to join his other aches, and John slowly became aware he was sitting at a table prepared for dinner.

"I'm sorry about that, John. Janus sometimes gets a little…zealous. How are you feeling?" Forant asked, checking his vitals while he talked.

John didn't want to give Forant the satisfaction of knowing how much pain he was in, but he wasn't going to lie either. "How do ya think?"

Forant's face clouded over, and his expression became unfathomable. "Sore, I would imagine, but your wounds will be fully healed by tomorrow, and even your head should feel better by then. The damage caused by the fall is relatively minor, but given the knock to your head I'll give you something stronger for the pain once you've had something to eat." Fornant replied as if he were reciting a grocery list, without a trace of compassion, or regret.

Shortly after Janus' return, Forant made quick work of patching him up, then his chair was pushed in close against the table. John's stomach was growling, and there was an assortment of hot dishes on display, all of which made his mouth water, but Forant hadn't released his hands, so he was forced to watch while the two men started to eat their fill. After a few minutes of being ignored, it didn't take long for John to realise what the next part of Forant's heartless plan was.

"What would you like, John?" Forant suddenly asked, as he lifted a clean plate preparing to fill it. "There's steak, eggs – I believe you like them scrambled?" John wondered how he knew that, as Forant went to lift a spoonful, "or if you'd prefer, there's pepperoni pizza. But personally, I think you need more than junk food to keep up your strength."

"What I'd like…is to help myself." John caught his gaze and their eyes locked in complete understanding.

Forant dropped the spoon and the sound as it hit the side of the metal bowl, reverberated around the cavernous room. "Well that's not going to happen, John. In case I didn't make myself clear yesterday, you will remain restrained at all times until you are prepared to submit to my will. In the meantime if you don't accept food from my hand, the only thing you'll be offered are liquid nutrients." Forant waited for a moment, but when John gave him a dirty look, he placed a bag of brown liquid with a straw in front of him, then resumed his seat. He then loaded up his fork, looked over and gave him a grim smile. "Enjoy your meal."

The brown goo was sickly sweet, and stuck to the roof of his mouth. It tasted disgusting, but John choked it down while keeping his face expressionless, his eyes averted, refusing to give Forant the satisfaction he craved.

John hated him – loathed the bastard with every fibre of his being. He knew he was screwed as even if Atlantis had figured out Forant had taken him, there was no hope of rescue as they wouldn't know where, or when he was. This far underground, hidden in a myriad of tunnels, escape would be problematic at best, but restrained, even the slim hope he could thwart Forant's plans, by taking his own life, was denied him. All he had left was his anger to keep him focused. He just hoped it would be enough to stop Forant from breaking him.

"Not hungry, John?" Forant asked, wearing a smug expression. "If you keep this up, I can see I'll have to insert a feeding tube."

John ignored the threat, and glared at both Janus then Forant in turn. "What the hell do you expect? My head is splitting and I feel nauseous – Frankenstein here has given me a concussion. So…no, I don't really feel like eating much!"

It was only partly a lie, as his head was thumping and he did feel slightly dizzy, but it wasn't a concussion. John had had enough of those in his life to know his nausea on this occasion was solely due to the glop, that had sunk like a stone to the pit of his stomach. However his distraction did the trick, as Forant was up on his feet, looking concerned.

"Let me have another look." Forant mumbled as he shone the penlight into his eyes. John flinched. "Your pupils don't look dilated, but it could be the pain causing the nausea. Janus…" He turned to the clone, "Take John down to the lab and make him comfortable. I'll be following behind."

John saw Janus give Forant a sharp look, before pushing away his half eaten meal, and coming to help him out the chair and slowly down the corridor. He really did feel like crap by now as his shaking legs made each step arduous, and it was only Janus' strong grip that was keeping him on his feet. The world was spinning, and John started to wonder if he'd got the concussion thing wrong, as he felt fit to drop by the time they got to the lab. For a brief moment he tasted freedom when his hands fell by his side. Not for long though, as Janus dumped him on the table then quickly replaced one set of restrains for another, as John felt his wrists and ankles bound to the table.

Soon afterwards Forant appeared, and without acknowledging his presence, carried out a few more tests. John felt like a lab rat as the Ancient wandered round him, prodding, sticking him with needles, and taking yet more blood. Normally it would have bothered him, but right now he didn't feel well, and all John wanted was for the fucking vampire to finish, and leave him to suffer in peace.

The Ancient disappeared for a few moments, and John was beginning to wonder what was coming next, when he felt the sting of a needle in the crook of his arm. For once though his fears were unfounded, and he could have cried with relief as the pain gradually started to ease.

"Feeling better now?" Forant asked, and he was, so John reluctantly nodded in response. Whatever was in that shot was doing the business, and even with the oppressive restraints, he felt himself start to drift...

The Ancient grabbed a seat, and waited until John's breathing became steady and his eyes closed, before he bent down to whisper in his ear. "Sleep well John and regain your strength. Tomorrow is going to be a very busy day…"

ooooOoooo

A genius like him should've been able to solve any problem, but Rodney felt like a high school drop out compared to the intellect of Brantum Forant.

The sad, disappointing and humiliating truth was, if it hadn't been for the sign John left behind, he would still have been completely clueless. He didn't like someone running rings around him, and it had only happened once before, aged eight, when Jamie McClelland beat him in the science fair. To this day, Rodney believed the snot nosed weasel had cheated, beating him out the park by presenting an impressive papier-mâché volcano with real flames. The guy's dad had been an engineer, so no big surprised who'd really built it, still, it only made Rodney all the more determined to win next time. Which he had, and every year afterwards until he eventually left home for University.

Rodney didn't need to look at the star studded sky to know it was late, but although he was exhausted, he was way too hyper to sleep. Back in his quarters were pills that would send him to oblivion, but he needed to remain focused, besides, work was the only thing keeping him sane. He knew Carson was only looking out for him, but he couldn't rest, and didn't want to, not with Sheppard still missing. Rodney felt like a failure for not being able to find him, the only comforting thought - John wasn't dead. How was he so sure? Two reasons. The first, many weeks had passed since his friends abduction and they still hadn't found a body. The second, Rodney knew Forant had captured John for a reason.

He was relieved Sheppard was alive, they all were, but as they now knew it was Forant behind the abduction, it raised some interesting questions. If Forant had intended keeping John as his unwilling companion, Rodney reckoned the Ancient would have left a corpse to cover his tracks. The fact he hadn't, meant only one thing - he intended John to reappear at some stage. Forant was planning something, and he was pretty sure it concerned Atlantis, but what? Like everything else these days, Rodney was completely in the dark.

The lab was deserted at this time of night, and as he refilled his cup Rodney felt his eyes unwillingly drawn to the locked cabinet at the end of the room. With a shaking hand he put down the coffee pot with such force it spilled over, scalding his hand in the process. He muttered an obscenity as he placed his burnt digits under the cold tap, but still he couldn't look away. In the weeks after they'd left Tynos he'd run tests on the bracelet. Yet he'd discovered nothing new, apart from his suspicion that the device was attuned to Sheppard's DNA. However, he hadn't been able to look at it since.

Almost as if it was calling to him, he went over, retrieved the key and opened Pandora's Box. With a pair of forceps he held it up to the light…

"I didn't really think jewelry was your style, Rodney" A familiar voice quipped from the doorway.

Rodney jumped with surprise and the damn thing fell, clanking on the floor. For a moment he could only watch helpless as it spun towards Dave, then with horror, he saw the older Sheppard about to pick it up.

"Don't touch it!" Rodney shouted with such force, Dave backed off looking stunned.

In the blink of an eye, Dave's expression had changed from one of amusement, to confusion and hurt. "What the hell is that?"

"Nothing -" Rodney said, as he reached down, retrieved it, then locked it back in the cabinet. When he turned round and saw Dave looking suspicious, Rodney knew he would need to give some explanation. "Okay, it's a something, but it's a really dangerous something. I'm sorry for yelling at you, Dave, but I just didn't want you getting hurt, that's all."

"What does it do?" Dave asked, and Rodney inwardly groaned as it was clear he was just like his brother. He just wouldn't let things lie.

"Let's just say, it's been responsible for the death of two men." Rodney told him. It was only partially a lie, as Marcen would have died from its effects, if he hadn't taken a bullet first.

The atmosphere was uncomfortable for a moment, as both men looked everywhere, except at each other. Then Dave spoke. "Anyway, I just came to see if you wanted to get a bite to eat." He said, sounding a little sheepish. "Ronon is working out in the gym and Teyla has just managed to get Torren down."

"So…I'm your last resort am I?" Rodney drew him a hurt look.

Dave started to splutter and his face went scarlet. "No - hell, no! I didn't mean it like that. It's just, well, I like hanging out with you guys, you're like family. Besides, I haven't spoken to you in days." The usually confident man sounded slightly uncertain, as his voice trailed away.

Rodney knew he'd been a bit harsh, but also accepted he probably was Dave's last choice. Which if he was honest, was his fault, not Dave's, as he'd been so busy, he'd barely made time for John's brother since the guy returned to Atlantis. It was time to rectify that. "Well in which case, let's go…but you're buying."

ooooOoooo

TBC

Things are really not looking good for John, and what does Forant have planned next? That answer will be in the next chapter.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed this one, and please review.