I still own nothing. MGM does. Thanks to DaniWilder for looking this over for me, and my apologies for forgetting to give you the credit you deserve...I can be forgetful sometimes.


When the MALP had gone through the gate five hours earlier, the cameras had immediately sent back video of the DHD resting in what appeared to be a grassy field. A quick three hundred and sixty degree pan of the camera had showed them nothing of significance, except to clarify that the gate and DHD had been in the middle of a very big, grassy field. With a zoom here and a zoom there, the high res camera had sent back crystal clear images of a farmhouse, or what appeared to be Pegasus' version of a farmhouse, as well as a building that looked suspiciously like a barn.

Sheppard had watched it all with detached interest, and had been about to interrupt Lorne and tell him and his team to gear up for a standard recon when the camera found an odd looking building just about the same time as the MALP's sensors began to go haywire. It had been right about then that Rodney started blathering excitedly about energy readings and having to go and check it out.

Before he knew it, he was adjusting his sunglasses just before stepping though the gate. He and his team had materialized in a mid-afternoon heat that had them all sweating bullets within a few moments. They hadn't even had a chance to start walking in the direction of the promising energy reading before the welcoming committee had appeared on the path leading into the field- forty or fifty of them, dressed in clothes that appeared to be what a typical farmer would wear. It hadn't been until they'd gotten very close that Sheppard could discern advanced looking energy weapons in their hands, which had added an all too familiar sense of foreboding to their agrarian attire.

The people of the planet had taken exception to something, and despite Ronon's menacing posture, Teyla's attempts at diplomacy and his laying on the charm, they'd been taken prisoners with only the word, "Trespassing," being uttered as a rudimentary explanation. He had been tempted to force the issue, but the people looked edgy enough to open fire with the slightest resistance.

So it was that they had been disarmed, then marched single file for nearly a klick from the gate. They'd been taken to the odd looking building the MALP saw and which was situated on the outskirts of what looked to be a sizable village. The building's construction, both the design and the materials used to build it, made it stand starkly out of place among the other buildings they had seen and could see as they were prodded inside. Built out of some sort of concrete the white, windowless building was one level unless it had underground levels.

John had memorized the route as they had been taken to their cells so that when, and there had been no doubt in his mind that it was 'when' and not 'if', they made their escape, he'd be able to lead them back out. He'd tensed when their captors roughly pushed Teyla into a room and closed the door, then had to give Ronon a look to tell him to take it easy when the same was done to him. Rodney had walked into his cell on his own, though he could hear his friend muttering angrily as the door closed. A moment after Rodney disappeared, he'd been shoved inside his own room.

It wasn't really terrible as prison cells went; it certainly had not been the worst he'd had the pleasure of occupying. It was roomy enough, with a toilet in one corner and a comfortable looking cot along one wall. There was no window, which didn't surprise him as he hadn't seen any on the building at all, but he did get a bit of a shock when he turned around to try and figure out how to leave his cage: the door lock was technologically far beyond anything that he'd seen on the planet so far.

He'd picked at the lock for an hour before admitting to himself that it was far beyond his technical expertise. It had been about then that he'd parked his ass on the cot and resigned himself to waiting. He didn't have to wait long. In fact, he'd been so caught off guard by how quickly and suddenly the door opened that he never even had the chance to jump up off the cot, let alone try to jump whoever was coming in.

Just as well, he thought with some confused amusement, for standing in the doorway was none other than Rodney.

"Just don't sit there like you're actually enjoying the five star accommodations," snapped Rodney with a scowl.

John never even had the opportunity to respond before his friend disappeared back out into the hall. He took a second to try to process what had happened, then abandoned the effort and bolted for the door.

He found Rodney hunched over some sort of computer resting on a table across from his room, typing furiously at the device and muttering harshly as he did so.

"Rodney," whispered John as he glanced around, looking for any guards that may be about to shoot them or otherwise sound the alarm that would quash any chance for escape. He kept looking about but once again called to Rodney. "Rodney!"

"What?!?!" demanded Rodney roughly without looking up from the computer.

Step one- get the team out.

"We need to get..."

"Ronon and Teyla are scouting down the hall," interrupted Rodney as he continued working at the computer.

Step two- find our weapons.

"Good. We need to find..."

Rodney's left hand stopped its work and pointed to a drawer embedded in the wall to his left. "In there." He focused on his task again but said, "Ronon already has his toys and Teyla got her P-90."

John rushed over to the drawer, noted the fact that the lock was the same type that adorned the door of his room and that it had been disabled, and then pulled it open. He retrieved his P-90, made sure it was good to go and then reached for his 9mm. It was as he slid the weapon into its holster that he noticed two natives sprawled out on the floor behind Rodney.

Step three- figure out what the hell is going on.

He swiftly moved back into the hallway, and after a quick glance around to make sure they hadn't been discovered said, "Have you been able..."

Rodney stopped typing and walked quickly around the table to join Sheppard in the hallway. "They're sort of like the Genii only they have better toys," he explained as he took his 9mm from the holster on his hip. "I've got their database downloaded so we can figure it all out later, you know, when we're not on the lam."

Step four- get the hell out of Dodge.

"Alright, we need to..."

"This way," Rodney cut in as he brushed past him.

John rushed to catch up to Rodney. "Are you sure..."

"The way they brought us in was the long way," said Rodney as they turned the corner to find Ronon and Teyla waiting for them by a large door, three guards lying in various positions on the floor near them.

He nodded to them both as Rodney started to work on the lock. They all raised their weapons when they heard the lock click and saw Rodney straighten up.

"Let's go," said Rodney as he opened the door.

Sheppard followed Rodney, and was followed in turn by Teyla with Ronon bringing up the rear. They stealthily made their way along the side of the building until Rodney reached the corner closest to the path that would take them to the Stargate. The scientist crouched down and peered carefully around the corner.

He turned back and whispered, "Two guards."

Sheppard moved to make past Rodney to check out the situation first hand and then devise a silent method of neutralizing the guards when Rodney pushed him back.

He was about to ask Rodney what he was doing when the scientist looked to his watch and then whispered, "Wait for it."

Right on cue the alarms started blaring, shattering the peace and quiet that had been prevalent in the humid air. Rodney looked around the corner again and then said as he quickly rose and started running towards the field. "Now!"

Sheppard spared a quick glance to Ronon and Teyla before running after Rodney.

Despite the heat and the fact that Rodney generally complained about having to walk fifty feet let alone run a klick, he ran the kilometer without stopping and without saying a word.

When they reached the field, Rodney made for the DHD and began dialing as he, Ronon and Teyla took up defensive positions and waited for the dialing sequence to finish. The gate had just whooshed to life when the first native came into view, followed closely by another and then several more.

"Time to go!" announced Sheppard as he turned to the silver event horizon. He waited until the others went through before running into the wormhole himself. An instant later he found himself in the climate controlled environment of the gate room, instantly causing his sweat soaked shirt to become clammy and cling to him in a most uncomfortable fashion.

Rodney went over to collapse onto the bottom stair leading up to the control room and John ambled over to where Ronon and Teyla stood watching the scientist.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand and then gave each of his friends an appraising look. "So which one of you got the drop on the guards back there?" he asked curiously, and his curiosity deepened when Ronon and Teyla looked at each other, then back to him, and then turned in scary unison towards Rodney.

It took Sheppard a moment to get up to speed with what they were saying. His eyebrows rose and his voice was low when he asked, "Rodney?"

He followed their gazes to look at Rodney, who had his eyes closed and was trying to catch his breath. He was still trying to figure it out when Teyla provided the crucial missing piece to the puzzle.

"Yes, John, it was Rodney." She gave him a smile when he looked to her, and when she spoke her voice was soft but full of meaning and pride. "Tomorrow is Teylanna's first birthday."

The light that went on above his head could have probably lit up the entire city.

"Of course," he said quietly. He gave his friend a knowing smile just as Jennifer rushed into the gate room and headed straight for her husband. He casually waved away the orderlies and nurse that came to check on them and whispered, "All he needed was some real motivation."