Remember, Never to Forget---33
Shariel knew the three Atlantians were worried about their friend, but until Hawk sent for them there was nothing they could do to help him. She watched as Rodney McKay paced back and forth across the floor and knew the man was angry enough to kill Hawk on sight. The same could be said of Teyla Emmagan and Ronon Dex, and she turned to see Suduko watching them and hoped the big man could talk sense into them when the time came.
"What the hell is taking so long?" McKay spat.
"Rodney, Hawk does not know who we are and therefore we are not a priority to him," Teyla explained.
"Teyla is right," Shariel agreed. "As far as Hawk is concerned we have nothing to do with John Sheppard so he has no reason to come to us."
"Then we should go to him!" Dex said, standing and slamming his fist against the wall as the feeling of helpless rage raced through him.
"That would only get him killed and expose the reason you came here," Suduko told them. "You have no idea what Hawk is like or what he's capable of. Slavers like him don't give a damn about their property as long as they have control. You go attacking him while others of his kind are here and you lose any chance of freeing your friend. Is that what you want?"
"No…but we need…"
"Rodney, it won't be long until the others leave…" Shariel said silencing them when she heard someone outside her door.
"Shariel, I know you are in there so open the door now!"
She motioned for the others to be silent before opening the door and revealing her host. "To what do I owe this pleasant surprise, Hawk?"
"Cut the crap, Shariel…I need your help!"
"Tell me what you need?"
"My slave was badly injured…"
"Is Kudrone helping him?"
"He's doing what he can, but I need to find someone from his world. We both know he's Atlantian, but Kudrone says he also has to find someone's who has the same blood as he does. I have checked with Syngy and Piatra and several others, but so far there is no one. Are any of your slaves…"
"I do not know where my slaves are from, Hawk, but if Kudrone wishes to test them he is more than welcome to," Shariel told him.
"I will be indebted to you, Shariel…"
"Will you release Kudrone?"
"I will think on it, but right now it is important that we find a match for John," Hawk told her. "Come, and bring them along."
Rodney could not believe what was happening. Were they really going to see John? Would either of them be a match to John Sheppard? God, he wished he'd paid more attention to Carson Beckett and his talk of medicine and how it was a science.
"Rodney, we must go," Teyla told him and watched as he tried to shake off whatever he'd been thinking about. She walked beside him as Ronon moved to his right side as if forming a protective barrier for the scientist.
SGASGASGASGASGASGA
God, there was so much pain and he couldn't understand why it hurt so much to breathe. John tried to focus on the hands that touched him, but no matter how hard he tried it seemed pain was his whole world. He tried to move, but cried out as it felt like his chest was torn open.
"Just lay still, John," Kudrone ordered, wishing they were back at Hawk's home where he had better equipment to care for the injured man. Hawk had been gone for nearly an hour now, and it seemed as if John had grown even paler than ever before. There was no doubt in his mind that John would die if he didn't find someone who was a match to him. If Hawk didn't arrive soon it could very well be too late anyway.
"Hurts…God…"
"I know it does, John, but I'm going to give you something to help with that," Kudrone said and injected the medication into the 'slave's' veins. The lines of pain eased within seconds of the injection, but John's eyes remained unfocussed as Kudrone continued to clean his wounds.
"What hap….happened?"
"You were a hero, John, but you were hurt…"
"Where's…Carson?"
"Who?"
"Carson…he's…he's….I don't know," John answered as the dark veil descended over his mind and left him with little or no memory of his life before Shazzia captured him. John turned his head when he heard footsteps and recognized the man who owned him, but it was the shorter one following that caught his attention. 'Rodney,' he thought, but didn't say the name for fear of causing the other man harm.
"Kudrone, Shariel has agreed to let you check her slaves to see if there's a match for John," Hawk explained and looked into the injured slave's eyes. "John, you will not die!"
"May not…have a ch…choice," John whispered.
"You will not die, John!" Hawk ordered and sat on the edge of the bed as Kudrone moved to check the newcomers. "One of these people will be a match for you and you'll get the blood you need. It will not take long, John, and then the transfusion will be done and you'll survive and grow strong."
John closed his eyes, but remained conscious as he felt rather than saw Rodney close by. What was it about this man that made him think of a friend….closer than friend…a brother…one who could help him? How could one man stand against Hawk? How could he win against someone with so much power, yet John knew deep down that Rodney would do just that if the need arose. He felt himself drifting on the wave of warmth stemming from whatever medication Kudrone gave him, but it was nothing compared to the warmth of friendship he felt at the closeness of Rodney McKay.
Rodney heard the clicks and beeps of whatever instrument Kudrone was using to test him, but his eyes kept straying to the unconscious man across the room. He felt the small prick of a needle, but it didn't really faze him as he searched the pale face for signs of life. He wanted so badly to grab the bastard seated on the bed and tear him apart, but right now it was too dangerous with Hawk's people and his colleagues still in the chambers.
Rodney rubbed his arm when Kudrone removed the needle and felt someone watching him. He sucked air deep into his lungs when he realized Hawk's hard eyes were seeing right through him and forced himself to lower his own eyes. He breathed through clenched teeth and hoped he hadn't given anything away.
"Kudrone, when will you know if one of them is a match?" Hawk asked softly, his eyes fixed on the man rubbing his arm.
"It should not take long, Hawk, I just need to run the sample through several diagnostic tests and if one of them is a close enough match we can do a transfusion immediately," Kudrone answered. He could feel Shariel nearby and wanted to take her in his arms, but for now a man's life depended on him giving his full attention to the injured 'slave'.
Hawk nodded in understanding and returned his attention to the man standing with Kudrone. What was it about him that made Hawk think he was a predator, one who would gladly take John from him? Did this man have any ties to John, or was he just a slave as Shariel had said. He turned to see the slaver watching Kudrone and wondered if she were trying to deceive him. It did not matter, for now he needed her help because he did not want this particular slave to die…it would be like losing a part of himself.
Kudrone took a small sample of blood from each of Shariel's slaves and tested them several times before turning to Hawk. "I need to access the computer."
"Do it," Hawk ordered and waited for Kudrone to complete his tests.
"Hawk, we need to talk when Kudrone is finished."
"Not now, Shariel, I will see you when I am sure Kudrone has done his job," Hawk told her as Kudrone turned away from the computer. "Well?"
"There is a match…"
"Which one?" Hawk asked.
"That one," Hawk said and pointed to Rodney McKay. "He has the Ancient Gene, but it is nowhere as strong as John's and I will need to run it through a cleansing process to make sure John does not have a bad reaction to it."
"How long will that take?" Hawk asked.
"I can set it up so that the machine cleanses the blood after it leaves him and before it enters John," Kudrone explained.
'Like Dialyses," McKay thought, amazed that he hadn't realized he and John Sheppard had the same blood type. 'Wait until he finds out he's got my blood running through his veins.'
"Rodney, we are going to set up a bed next to John's and then we'll place some equipment between the beds. Once you are hooked up you will not be allowed to sit up or move around much until the process is complete," Kudrone explained.
"What if I don't want to do this?" McKay asked and prayed Ronon and Teyla would understand what he was doing. He didn't want Hawk to see how anxious he was to help a man he was not supposed to know. One look at Teyla and Ronon told him they understood exactly what he was doing.
"Rodney, you will do as Kudrone orders or I will have you punished and strapped to the bed until the process is complete," Shariel warned, her eyes dark as she stared at the male 'slave'.
"But…"
"You heard your owner, Rodney, now sit down and be quiet!" Kudrone ordered.
Rodney continued to complain as he sat down on a chair near the bed, but to those who knew him they knew it was all for show. He would have done anything to help John Sheppard; including giving up his blood...all of it if that's what it took. He watched as several pieces of equipment were pushed up to John's bed, but had no idea what they were for and wished he'd paid more attention to Carson Beckett's medical explanations.
Hawk moved to stand with Shariel and watched as Kudrone expertly set up the equipment he'd be using. "How did you come by these new slaves, Shariel?"
"I told you where I found Teyla…"
"Yes, you did, but what of the other two?"
"I bought them from a traveling slaver who needed to make room for several new slaves he acquired. They are very good specimens don't you think?"
"The big one looks like he could be a fighter," Hawk offered. "The other one looks weak."
"Rodney is smart, Hawk, I believe he is as smart as Kudrone and I am hoping he can help unlock some Ancient Technology we discovered," Shariel explained.
"Perhaps we should allow Kudrone and Rodney to work together and see what answers they come up with," Hawk suggested.
"We could simply trade…I give you Rodney and you give me Kudrone."
"Not a chance," Hawk told her.
"It was worth a try," Shariel said as Kudrone began hooking Rodney up to the equipment.
"Rodney, we'll be taking a couple of pints…"
"Is that safe? I mean when I gave blood before they only took a pint," McKay said, not wanting Hawk to know exactly how much he knew about the procedure, although the truth was it wasn't very much.
"It is safe, Rodney," Kudrone assured him and taped the needle in place before turning on the pumping system and watching the readouts before repeating the procedure with the unconscious slave. It took nearly fifteen minutes to have Rodney's blood running through the system and into John's arm.
"Is it working?" Hawk asked.
"I won't know for some time, Hawk. John's readings are extremely low and it will take time for Rodney's blood to go through the cleansing process…"
"How long?"
"A couple of hours…maybe longer," Kudrone answered as Hawk sat on the edge of the bed. Kudrone could not quite grasp what it was about John that made Hawk react so strangely to him. Could Hawk have feelings for John? Was that it?
McKay lay back and watched through hooded eyes as his blood slowly entered John Sheppard's body and hoped it was enough to give the man…his friend a fighting chance. The Colonel had been through so much, hell of it was Rodney didn't have the slightest idea of what had happened to him since that fateful day when he'd finally obeyed an order and thought he'd killed the one man who seemed to understand him.
Teyla and Ronon could do nothing but watch and anxiously wait the outcome of the transfusion. The fact that McKay was a match was a blessing, but there was something about the way Hawk was watching John Sheppard that didn't feel right.
"We need to get Sheppard out of here," Ronon told her.
"I agree, Ronon, but there is not much we can do until the storms end. Major Lorne and Major Wallace will act as soon as the other ships leave," Emmagan said and grew quiet when Shariel shook her head and motioned for them to be quiet. They stood back and watched what was happening, hoping the storms would end soon and that Lorne and Wallace could come to their rescue.
SGASGASGASGASGASGA
Evan Lorne looked at the readings and knew the solar storm was losing some of its ferocity. It would not be long before they'd be able to maneuver the Puddle Jumpers into position. Once that happened they would wait for the signal from Shariel that it was time to attack.
"Evan, are you seeing this?"
"I see it, Hank," Lorne answered the call from Wallace.
"It looks like the storm is losing some of its force," Wallace said.
"If Shariel is correct then the other slavers should be leaving as soon as the storms end," Lorne observed.
"I just hope she's correct in her estimates of how many slavers there are."
"I know, but no matter what happens we need to get our people out of there," Lorne told him.
"That's our top priority…and we can do it as long as Shariel gave us the correct information."
"I don't think she'd steer us wrong…not when she has someone she cares about in there."
"I just wish we had some way of finding out if McKay and the others are all right," Wallace told him.
"Just be ready when the time comes and we'll get them all out of there in one piece…"
"Including Colonel Sheppard," Wallace vowed.
"Including Colonel Sheppard," Lorne vowed as the other man grew silent. One way or the other they would get their friends out of this mess and he hoped they'd have reason to contact Atlantis with good news.
SGASGASGASGASGASGA
Hawk knew Shariel had taken her slaves, except for the man called Rodney, back to her quarters with the promise that he would speak with her about Kudrone once the crisis was past. John still looked pale, too pale, but Kudrone had told him the numbers were getting better.
The slave named Rodney seemed to be sleeping and Kudrone had told him that was normal and that he would be tired once disconnected from the transfusion equipment. He'd told Shariel she could have anything she needed to build Rodney's strength back up.
Hawk leaned forward as a soft whisper of air escaped John's throat and watched as the eyes moved beneath near translucent lids. "John, look at me."
"What…what happened?"
"You were hurt," Hawk explained and understood his slave would be confused about how he'd be injured, but his memory would return eventually.
"Who…who's he?" John managed and motioned to the figure in the other bed.
"He is one of Shariel's slaves. His name is Rodney…"
"Rodney?" John whispered the name and closed his eyes tiredly. "Is he…was he hurt too?"
"No, he helped save your life. You lost a lot of blood and Kudrone said you needed a transfusion. Rodney was the only one who matched you," Hawk explained.
"I owe him…"
"No, you owe his owner for allowing him to donate blood to you," Hawk told him.
"He's a slave too?" John asked sympathetically.
"Yes, he is, but that is of no concern to you, John. You must rest and regain your strength," Hawk explained as Kudrone moved to unhook the equipment and check both his patients. "Give him something to help him sleep, Kudrone."
"I will, Hawk, but I want to make sure he's strong enough to handle the medication," Kudrone explained.
"I don't ne….need anything," John tried, but one look at Hawk told him the man didn't believe a word he was saying. It wasn't long before Kudrone injected something into his arm and his eyelids grew heavy once more.
"Kudrone, will he be all right now?"
"I don't know, Hawk, it will take time and we should not move him for a while, yet I'd rather we were home where I have more equipment than I have here," Kudrone explained.
"We will stay here until you say it is safe to move him," Hawk said and motioned to the other slave. "Have him returned to Shariel's quarters."
"He should stay here until…"
"I want him out of here, Kudrone!" Hawk snapped and knew his orders would be obeyed as Kudrone gently shook the other man until his eyes opened.
"Huh…what?" McKay griped.
"It is time you returned to your mistress," Kudrone explained.
"My what?" McKay asked in confusion.
"Your mistress…your owner," Kudrone offered.
"How is he?" McKay asked and motioned toward Sheppard.
"He is of no concern to you, Slave," Hawk warned. "Go with Kudrone."
Rodney knew there was no choice and forced himself to stand up and move away from John Sheppard. It was one of the hardest things he'd ever done in his life, but to do otherwise would only get him killed. Right now he had to think of Sheppard and what was best for him. He made it to the open door, but had to grab the wall as a wave of dizziness washed over him.
"Lean on me, Rodney," Kudrone ordered when he noticed how pale the man had grown.
"Doesn't he understand how hard it is to give blood? I need something with sugar…something…"
"I'll have something sent to Shariel's quarters," Kudrone told him and led the way out of Hawk's chambers.
"He looks so damn pale," McKay whispered.
"He is weak and should be allowed to rest, but Hawk will not allow us to coddle him. He will have him up as soon as he thinks John is strong enough," Kudrone told him.
"Can't you do something to stop him?"
"I wish I could, but I am as helpless as you are. Do as Shariel tells you to and maybe we will all get out of this in one piece."
"I hope you're right, Kudrone because I am not leaving without John," McKay vowed once they reached the door to Shariel's quarters. He held onto the wall and waited for Kudrone to open, not all that surprised when Ronon reached out to grab him as his legs gave out.
"Put him on the bed, Ronon," Teyla ordered and pulled back the blankets.
"I'm okay…"
"No, You're not, but you will be if you do as I say and rest," Kudrone ordered and turned to Shariel. "I will arrange to have food and drink brought to you…make sure he eats and drinks plenty of fluids and don't let him get out of that bed for at least 24 hours."
"I will, Kudrone…are you all right?"
"No, I'm not…I hate being here…I want to hold you, but he won't let that happen. Do what you can to help these people get John away from Hawk before it is too late…before he kills him," Kudrone warned.
"We will get you both out of here…just do what he says until the others have left," Shariel told him.
"I will do what I can…but John is weak and it would be unwise to move him for several days."
"We may not have a choice," Shariel said, reluctantly releasing her hold on Kudrone. "Be careful."
"You too," Kudrone told her before leaving the room and leaning against the outer wall. He wanted so badly to be free of Hawk, to spend his life wrapped in Shariel's comforting arms, but he knew in his heart that Hawk would never release him. With a silent cry for help he moved back to Hawk's quarters and the task of caring for John while Hawk stood watch over them both.
TBC