Remember, Never to Forget--16

Hawk sensed the change in his 'slave' and wondered what John was thinking. Whatever it was, he knew he would not like it, and wanted to stop the man before he put his plan in motion. He landed the craft and turned away from the console, amazed that John could keep his face neutral in spite of his position. "What are you thinking, John?"

"None of your business!" John snapped impatiently.

"That's where you're wrong, John, everything about you is my business. I own you remember…"

"I told you before…nobody owns me!" John turning a scathing look at the larger man, angered by the somewhat amused look on his face.

"I believe I've already proven that I do in fact own you…you wear my mark in several ways…"

"Not by choice, Hawk…I still have the freedom to think on my own and that's something no one can take away from me!"

"Are you thinking about escape, John?"

"No," John lied easily.

"You're lying…you are so easy to read…"

"You're deluding yourself if you think you know me that well," John told him.

"Is that so? All right, John, here's your chance to escape," Hawn said and released the restraints holding the man in his chair. He placed his weapon on the console, stood up and walked to the panel on the wall that gave him access to the controls of his ship. Out of the corner of his eyes he could see John's face in the dark screen and smiled at the expressions warring for dominance. John's hand snaked closer to the weapon, but his fingers didn't touch it.

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John's mind was a jumble of thoughts as he stared at the weapon and inched his fingers toward it. He resisted the urge to grab it and simply turn and fire because something inside him reminded him it was the oldest trick in the book. The problem was that didn't make any sense to him because there was no memory of any book that could provide this type of scenario.

John took a deep breath and closed his eyes, relaxing as a hauntingly familiar voice flooded his mind with images that were both frightening and serene. He tried to grasp the memories, but they seemed to stay just out of his reach and his anger intensified. His eyes shot open and he grabbed for the weapon without thinking about the consequences. He turned and fired, cursing when there was no flash of light, just the whirring sound of an empty chamber.

"Did you really think I'd give you a loaded weapon, John?" Hawk asked with a bemused smile.

"You bastard!" John spat as something inside him snapped. He rushed forward, lifting the weapon like a club and struck Hawk across the forehead. He didn't stop there and continued to hit the other man until he dropped to his knees. He didn't stop there because he knew his life depended on him keeping the upper hand. He struck the man on the right cheek and saw blood spurt from an open gash, but he'd seen blood before and would not let that deter him from his mission.

John didn't stop until the larger man was down, lying prone on the floor and bleeding from several places on his face. He dropped the weapon and looked around, wide eyed and out of breath. He knew he didn't have long before alarms were sounded, but he had to get Hawk off the ship before he made god his escape. John moved to the panel and hit several buttons until the door slid open. He looked out, relieved to see the hanger bay was empty.

John returned to the unconscious man and began pushing him toward the opening. He knew he didn't have much time and pulling Hawk would be impossible considering his own weakened state. It seemed to take forever until he had Hawk at the door and began maneuvering him until he could push his enemy through the opening. There would be a drop of close to six feet, but John didn't care if Hawk was hurt in the fall…he just needed to be free…needed to escape this life and find his way home.

Home…now there was a word he could cling to and it gave him the strength he needed to push Hawk out of the craft. He quickly turned his attention to the access panel and hit the same sequence of buttons until the door closed. Breathing a sigh of relief, John returned to the console and sat in the pilot's chair. He lifted his right hand, closed his eyes and hoped his instincts were intact. This felt so right and he watched as the lights on the console came to life at his touch.

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Bekha knew his plan was dangerous, but he'd handpicked his men carefully and knew they understood what they were to do. They were watching Suduko's home, waiting for an opportunity to grab one of his guests for Shazzia. Several times the woman had exited the house and stood looking around, but Shazzia had specifically told him she wanted one of the males.

"She would get the High Priestess a fair amount of Shoclaws," Denhere offered from his right.

"Yes, she would, but the High Priestess is not interested in her. Her orders are specific, Denhere…we are to grab one of the males," Bekha told him.

"Couldn't we take her for ourselves…it has been a long time since I've been in the company of a creature so beautiful?"

"Perhaps another time," Bekha said. "I don't want to risk the High Priestess' anger. Remember what she did to Packel when he displeased her?"

"I do…perhaps I spoke to soon," Denhere said.

"Yes, you did, but it will remain between us. Keep your eyes and ears open…Suduko is no fool and will be on the alert if he senses danger."

"She is rather beautiful isn't she?"

"Yes…you can think about her while you sleep and perhaps those dreams will give you some satisfaction," Bekha said, grinning at the lewd face of his friend. He returned his attention to the house as Suduko and two men joined the woman. They spoke for several minutes before making their way toward Suduko's craft.

"We should stop them from leaving if we are to take one of them," Denhere said softly.

"No…there's one more. It looks like he is staying behind and with Suduko out of the way it will be much easier to take him. Don't do anything without my signal," Bekha warned, watching the house for signs of the last man.

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The craft reacted to him much the same way as the Puddle Jumpers…Puddle Jumpers? John frowned at the familiar name, but for the life of him he couldn't remember what they were or if they were real. "Just get moving, John!"

The craft seemed to be powering up, and John breathed a sigh of relief, but it was short lived as the lights on the console diminished and everything went black. "No…no…no…" it became a mantra as he tried to reactivate the console, but nothing happened. The darkness remained until he heard the soft whoosh signaling that the door was opening. The excitement of escape disappeared with the hope that had been building as he turned to see the bloodied figure standing in the doorway.

"You will be punished, John!"

"Go to hell!" John snarled as he tried to rework the systems, but nothing seemed to work.

"Did you honestly think it would be that easy?" Hawk asked, eyes dangerously dark as he stared at his 'slave'. "Come with me, John!"

"No!" John spat, hitting his fists on the darkened console.

"Do not make it worse than it already is, John," Hawk warned and stepped further inside.

"Stay away from me!"

"You do not give orders here and it is time you learned that!" Hawk reached out and touched the back of John's neck, using just enough pressure to force John out of the chair. He smiled at the way his 'slave' fought him, but grew weary of the man's continued insolence and anger. It was time to prove to John that he belonged to him and could do whatever he felt like to him. "I will make you bend that stiff neck of yours and if you continue to fight me it just might snap…"

"Better to be dead than a slave!" John said, gasping for air as Hawk continued to put pressure on his neck. He began to lose feeling in his extremities and his lungs burned with the need for oxygen.

"Death is not an option for you, John," Hawk said keeping just enough pressure to make sure John lingered close to unconsciousness. He turned the man to face him, smiling as he saw the eyes so full of rage. "You are a stubborn man, John, but that will not help you here. You will be punished as soon as I off load the others and make sure they are secured. You will accompany me until I have finished, but be warned, punishment will be harder if you continue to fight me."

John felt the man release him and dropped to his hands and knees, sucking in lungful after lungful of air before being pulled to his feet. His hands were pulled behind him and metal bands were wrapped around his wrists. A thin, three foot metal pole was produced by Hawk and John stared at the sharp tips. He stared into his enemies eyes, gasping as the tip was pressed against the flesh of his right forearm.

"This will be uncomfortable, but it is necessary to let others know I will not allow my property to take liberties they have not earned," Hawk warned and pushed the metal rod through John's skin.

John tried not to cry out as the rod pierced his flesh and was slowly driven through his arm. He tried to pull away, but whatever Hawk had done to him left him without the strength to fight. He could feel the man's large hands on his inner arms as the metal implement was pushed all the way through and he felt the tip pressing up against the inner part of his left arm. He felt the darkness creeping along the edge of his vision, but did not black out as he felt blood dripping from his arms.

John breathed through his nose as he gritted his teeth and waited for this to end, but it wasn't to be that easy as Hawk grabbed both his arms and forced them together. He felt something wrapped around his elbows, making it impossible to move without causing damage to his arms.

"Now, John, this should teach you not to fight me because believe me this is only minor compared to some of the things I can and will do should you continue to fight me!" Hawk warned and pulled the gasping man to his feet. "If you pull too hard you will succeed in tearing the flesh of your forearms and will need surgery to repair the damage. I have no wish to put you through this, but you give me no choice!"

John breathed through the nauseating pain as Hawk pushed him toward the open doorway. It was awkward and he was forced to turn sideways in order to step out onto the ramp and walk unsteadily down. There were others there to meet them and he could feel them watching him as Hawk hook a leather strap to the collar around his neck. He stood where he was as the other slaves and cargo were offloaded and was soon marched through Hawk's compound. The others were locked in their quarters before Hawk led him toward his private rooms. Once inside he was propelled through the door and over to the bed. A blanket was spread out at the foot of the bed and Hawk forced him to sit down before securing his wrists to metal loops at the base of the bed.

"This is where you will sleep, John," Hawk said and tossed a blanket over him before leaving the room.

John shifted slightly, crying out as the movement pulled against the metal rod and sent shockwaves of pain through his body. He closed his eyes and sank toward sleep even as he heard Hawk coming back into the room. He knew there was nothing he could do for now and allowed the darkness to claim him.

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Kierra watched as the lone man strode across the yard toward the tree line that covered the outer portion of her brother's property. She felt sorry for him, and wished there was some way to ease the guilt that marred his features. Suduko was a good man and would do everything in his power to help them find their missing friend. She thought about the days when he'd been missing and how hard it was to deal with her own loss, but he'd escaped Shazzia's clutches and risen above her abuse. He now carried as much weight as the high priestess, probably more when you considered his allies were friends and very loyal. Shazzia had bought her allies and more often than not they did not have the same loyalty as the ones who'd earned their place amongst friends.

Kierra turned to find her husband watching her and smiled before closing the door and allowing him to wrap her in his arms.

"You are worried?"

"A little, Bendor," Kierra answered. "I hope Suduko is able to do this without suffering as he did while a slave to Shazzia."

"Your brother is stronger than ever, Kierra, he knows what he is up against and he will not allow himself to be trapped in her clutches again."

"I know…I just hate seeing him in danger."

"He will not allow Shazzia to trap him again…not when he has so many people who care about him," Bendor said.

"I guess…we should get started on the evening meal," Kierra told him and headed toward the kitchen, unaware of the danger her guest was in.

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Rodney listened to the sounds from the surrounding forest and longed to hear the familiar lap of the ocean waves against Atlantis. He longed for the day when he could stand on the highest platform and watch John Sheppard hit golf balls into the water. He missed the quiet times when they shared stories, but most of all he missed the sniping that had become a routine where their friendship was concerned.

Suduko, Ronan, Teyla, and Lorne had gone to meet with several people who might be able to shed some light on John's whereabouts, but he'd bowed out because of another sleepless night. He knew he could not sit idly by while Suduko spoke with his friends and thought it would be in their best interests if he stayed here and waited for their return.

A sound to his left made McKay jump and he turned to see a small animal moving in the underbrush. It looked like small deer, much like the ones he'd seen as a child, and his curiosity got the better of him. He pushed aside the brush and walked into the cooler shadows created by the trees. He spotted the small creature in a clearing with two others and smiled as he watched them bound away. Taking a deep breath of the cooler air, Rodney turned back the way he'd come, but felt something strike him in the right shoulder. He had time to wonder whether there were large insects on this planet and reached over his shoulder as his vision blurred.

Rodney dropped to his knees as the sound of footsteps reached his ears, and cursed himself for being so stupid. He felt consciousness leaving him as someone picked him up and threw him over his shoulder. 'Oh, God,' he thought as the blackness drew him down.

TBC