Sorry about the update delay, but I have been on vacation for three weeks. I hope you all had a great Christmas and are ready for the new year.

Now I'm back at work, and things are busy. To top things off, I spent a day in the emergency department when my husband fainted and spit his head open.

To say that real life has stopped me from writing is an understatement.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the chapter. I hope to update more often in the future.

Chapter 6: Searching for John.

Ronon carefully walked around the tall shed they'd come across on the planet near the space gate. It was isolated, and there didn't seem to be people around. He was still on high alert because, at any moment, things could change. Lorne followed close behind. They'd left Carson back at the cloaked jumper because he wanted to be ready in case of a medical emergency. In the end, Rodney decided to stay with him.

Ronon suspected Rodney remained with Carson because he feared what might happen if they ran into anyone. He knew Rodney was a courageous man, but he wasn't a soldier and not trained to handle the situations in which John's team found themselves.

The jumper landed in a grassy field near some kind of settlement - but not close enough to be seen. People were milling around in a large clearing, and Ronon didn't know whether the inhabitants were Wraith worshippers or friendly, but he was sure there was something in the large sheds on the outskirts that he wanted to see.

It had taken them ten minutes to reach their current location, and they hadn't encountered anyone. Ronon knew that could change at any moment, though.

Lorne approached him and whispered, "What do you think is in the sheds?"

"I don't know, but it smells like the monsters that attacked us on the Nafari homeworld."

Suddenly, he heard a sound and placed his finger on his lips, indicating to Lorne that he should be quiet. Ronon pulled Lorne behind a tree and watched a tall man with old, ragged clothing walk towards one of the sheds.

"Wraith worshipper," Lorne whispered.

"I saw a feeding mark on his chest, so yeah," Ronon muttered as the man passed.

Once the man had opened the shed, Ronon pulled out his gun and stunned him.

"Did you really need to do that?" Lorne asked with a smirk.

"Needed him to open the shed so I can go and look," Ronon replied before grabbing the man he'd stunned and dragging him into the shed.

Ronon could have kicked himself for not being more cautious as he entered the shed. Luckily, no one was inside. He knew he needed to be more careful in the future because a Wraith could be lying in wait.

He dropped the man he'd been dragging on the floor and looked around the large shed. What he saw shocked him. There were large tanks containing a clear gelatinous liquid, and inside were monsters in several stages of development. It was clear the beasts were genetically engineered and grown in these sheds. The only question was, what species did the Wraith use to engineer them? Perhaps he should return to the jumper and get McKay to come and have a look.

Ronon was about to suggest it to Lorne when he heard a noise behind him. He turned around just in time to feel a stunner beam hit his chest." Crap," he muttered right before he lost consciousness.

oOo

Movement and jostling awakened every pain in John's body the next time he became aware, and he wondered what had happened to him this time. Was he in a car? The movement continued, and a sharp pain shot through his left leg, so he let out a loud moan, hoping whoever or whatever was causing the jostling would stop.

The motion stopped, and a face appeared, "Do not worry, we are taking you somewhere safe."

He wanted to reply, but his head was pounding, and the pain in his body left him breathless. Taking deep breaths, he tried to remember what had led to his current predicament. The last thing he remembered was the hive ship he was on being attacked by a rival hive. He vaguely remembered escaping with the wraith queen in her private shuttle, but nothing after that. There were so many questions that needed answering. One, if he escaped with the wraith queen, where was she? Was he a wraith worshiper or a prisoner of the wraith? The latter seemed the likely option because, deep down, he knew he'd never willingly worship the Wraith. However, the pounding in his head and the minute tremors running through his system made him wonder if he was going through withdrawal from something. That led to the final question. Who was he?

Suddenly, the movement stopped again, and for the first time, he realised he was on a stretcher.

The face from before appeared, "We're going to transfer you to a bed and have our healer look at you."

He looked into the bright blue eyes, and she reminded him of someone. It wasn't the long blonde curly hair or the fair skin. It was the blue eyes.

He let out a yelp of pain when two people shifted him to a soft, comfortable bed, and it took him several seconds to realise that someone was talking to him. The pain in his left leg was at an all-time high, and his right leg wasn't feeling much better. His head was still pounding, and he wondered if anyone had bothered to give him some pain meds.

It took him a while, but eventually, he realised someone was talking to him.

"What?" He asked the young woman who was speaking to him.

"My name is Terrelia," the young woman replied.

A tall, dark-haired man with dark brown eyes addressed him next, "My name is Grantly. Don't worry. I will give you something for the pain in a moment, and then I will fix your injuries."

Finally, he found his voice and asked what he'd wanted to ask since he woke up," What happened to me?"

"The Wraith shuttle you were in crashed on this planet." Grantly replied, "What do you remember?"

"I can't remember who I am, but I do know I'm not a Wraith worshipper," he thought for a moment before continuing, "You're not Wraith worshippers, are you?"

"No sir, we are not. We were prisoners of the Wraith who managed to steal a dart and escape. Unfortunately, the dart crashed on this planet, and we haven't been able to escape." Tarrelia informed him.

Some of his memories were beginning to return, but he still didn't know his name, "Is there a ring of the ancestors on this planet? Wait, did you say you stole a dart? Can you fly one of those things?"

Tarrelia smiled at him, her bright blue eyes twinkling, "Our brother Changley can fly one. In fact, he can fly just about anything."

The fact that Changley could fly a dart made him think of a friend. He was sure her name was Teyla. She had some Wraith DNA and could pilot a cruiser. He also remembered piloting a Wraith dart in the past.

Thinking of Teyla brought up many different feelings, and he soon realised he loved her. That thought led him to remember his name.

"Hello, my name is John Sheppard and the Wraith captured me."

"We will talk later, John, but now you must sleep so I can heal your injuries," Grantly replied.

His head was about to explode, and his legs were screaming in agony by this point, so he was relieved when Grantly injected something into his arm. He still had no idea who these people were or what medical expertise they had, and he knew he should probably be more worried. There were still so many questions that needed answering, the main one being, what happened to the Wraith? His eyelids were closing, and the darkness crept in on him, so he didn't care. Right before he lost consciousness, he heard the familiar hum of ancient technology.

oOo

"Something's gone wrong," Rodney ranted while pacing the length of the jumper. "Ronon should be back by now. And what happens if the people in that settlement find us? They'll probably feed us to the Wraith."

By this time, Rodney's face was red, so Carson wished he would stop pacing and sit down.

"They only left an hour ago, you daft bugger and the jumper is cloaked, so the Wraith would have a hard time finding us. How about you sit down and have something to eat?"

Finally, Rodney stopped pacing and looked at him, "I could eat. Have you got any chocolate power bars?"

He was relieved when Rodney sat down, and he could toss the scientist a couple of power bars.

Carson sat down next to Rodney and sighed. He was just as worried about Ronon and Lorne as Rodney was, but he wasn't about to worry the scientist any further.

When they'd landed, Carson had scanned for John's subcutaneous transmitter, and they hadn't found anything. That meant John was not on the planet, someone had removed his transmitter, or he was…well that thought wasn't worth considering.

"What if the people have captured Ronon and Lorne? I'm sure the people on this planet are Wraith worshippers." Rodney asked, interrupting his thoughts.

Carson took a deep breath. He didn't want to shout at his friend, but Rodney's fears were ridiculous, and even if he was right, there was nothing they could do about it.

"Look, Rodney, Lorne and Ronon can look after themselves."

You're right, Carson, but what should we do until they return?"

"We re-check my medical supplies and ensure the jumper is operating at one hundred percent. Because I have a strong feeling that Colonel Sheppard will require a doctor when we find him, and I'm positive I will need to get him to my infirmary as soon as possible."

I guess you're right, Carson. But before I do anything else, I need to eat."

"Aye, lad, me too."

Once they had eaten their power bars, Carson stood up. He knew he'd just finished checking his medical supplies, but he needed to be doing something to take his mind off his friends.

oOo

Teyla stared at the gate, willing it to activate. She was sitting in the control room with her leg elevated as per the doctor's instructions, and she refused to move. Torren was being looked after by Amelia overnight.

Two hours ago, Ronon contacted her to tell her the Wraith Cruiser near the space gate had been destroyed. He also informed her and Woolsey that they were taking the jumper to a nearby planet to search for survivors.

She knew John was a survivor, and if there was any way he could have escaped the hive ship, he would have. But he was severely injured the last time she saw him and possibly weak from blood loss. She shuddered at the thought of what may have happened to him if the Queen had interrogated him. There was also a possibility that the Queen had fed on him and returned his life, healing his arm in the process. She tried to shut that thought out of her mind because the last thing John needed to deal with was enzyme withdrawal.

Wherever John was, she hoped he was watching over Rollo for Jallell's sake. For the last few hours, Jallell had become distant and depressed. Not that she blamed the child, because as far as she could tell, Rollo was the only family Jallell had left. She was relieved that Trixie was with the child because the dog seemed to offer Jallell comfort and never left the girl's side.

Amelia's voice interrupted her contemplations, and she wondered why she was in the control room.

"Teyla, it's time to leave."

"Where are the children?" She asked, feeling panicked.

"Don't worry, Teyla, they're with Jennifer in her quarters, but Dr Keller did tell me she wanted you to get some rest, or she'd sedate you and keep you in the infirmary."

She knew the doctor was right and needed her rest, but even if she went to bed, she knew she wouldn't sleep tonight.

"I guess you're right, but I am sure I will not sleep."

Amelia smiled, "Jennifer said that if you need something to help you sleep, swing by the infirmary, and Dr Cole will give you something to help you sleep."

Perhaps she would try sleeping without aid first, and if she couldn't, she would head to the infirmary for help.

Standing the best she could with a broken ankle, she smiled at Amelia, "Goodnight, Amelia."

"Goodnight Teyla."

She hobbled out of the control room towards her quarters, knowing there was no way she would sleep tonight.

oOo

A soft voice brought Ronon to awareness, and it wasn't a woman. It was more like a child. The voice spoke again, and Ronon knew there was only one way to find out what was going on, so with a great effort, he managed to open his eyes. Only to find he was in a small metal cage and he barely had room to move. A child was staring at him from outside the bars, and he looked worried.

The boy had dark brown eyes and brown hair and looked about ten Earth years. His clothes were ragged, dirty and torn, and his face looked tear-stained. It took Ronon a while to remember where he was and to realise the child was talking to him.

"What did you say?" Ronon asked the child.

"Are you alright, Mister?"

"Where am I, and where's my friend?" He asked, realising for the first time Lorne wasn't in the cage with him.

"He's in a cage on the other side of the settlement. The last time I checked, he was still unconscious. I don't know where we are, but Athena brought me here when someone attacked the ship we were on."

Athena might have been a wraith worshipper since they were on a worshipper plant. Although, Ronon wondered if the kid was a wraith worshipper. Perhaps the kid had seen John on the hive ship, and he knew where he was now.

Ronon knew he needed to find a way to escape and help Lorne, so perhaps he needed to trust the child to help him.

"What's your name, kid?"

"My name is Rollo. What's yours?"

He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Rollo was Jallell's brother and last seen with John, so there was a good chance his friend was nearby.

"My name is Ronon. I'm a friend of John's. Do you know where he is?"

"I don't know," Rollo said with sadness. "The last time I saw him was in the queen's chamber. I asked Athena to help me find him before we escaped, but she wouldn't listen and dragged me to a small ship." The boy took a deep breath before continuing, "I think she works for the Wraith and doesn't want to help anyone who isn't loyal to them. I think they're expecting the Wraith to return for them, and when they do, you and your friend will be sacrificed to them."

That was all he needed to know. The last thing he needed was to be a sacrifice for the Wraith, "I think you're right, Rollo. Now, can you help me get out of here so I can go and find my friends?"

Rollo paused in front of the cage, and Ronon felt uncomfortable at his stare, "How do you know I was with John?"

A smile spread across Ronon's face as he answered," Jallell told us, and she and Trixie are safe and waiting for you on Atlantis."

"You mean the city of the ancestors."

"Yes, that's where I'm from. So if you help me escape, I can take you there, and you can see Jallell and Trixie again."

A voice from across the large grass clearing interrupted their conversation, "Rollo, it's time for dinner."

'I've got to go. Make sure you take me with you when you leave." Rollo said before handing him a small metal object and his gun.

He watched as Rollo ran to catch up with the woman, and he wondered how much of her life she had spent with the Wraith. The woman was small and old, and even though he couldn't see her chest, he was sure there would be a feeding mark on it.

Looking around the grassy clearing, he tried to get his bearings. To the left of him were the sheds he and Lorne had been exploring, and to the right, there were many tents and small structures surrounding a small lake. People of all ages milled around the buildings and lake, and he wondered how many were Wraith worshippers. Over near the large sheds, there appeared to be more cages, so there was a good chance that's where Lorne would be. Now, all he needed to do was look around and try to find Lorne. Then, he hoped he would be able to find John.

He looked in his hand and was happy to see the small metal object that Rollo had given him was a key. He quickly opened the rusty lock and looked around at his surroundings to make sure no one was around because the last thing he needed was to get captured again.

Maybe the people were all eating dinner because there appeared to be no one around as he quietly walked across the clearing towards the other cages. He was surprised at how easy it was, and when he arrived, Lorne appeared to be asleep. No one was in the other cages, so at least he only had to rescue Lorne.

A sound behind him caught his attention, and he quickly turned around with his gun raised. He immediately lowered it when he saw Rollo standing behind him with his hands in the air.

"Don't sneak up on me like that, or I might shoot you," Ronon said as gently as possible. The last thing he wanted to do was scare the child.

"I'd be careful if I were you," Lorne replied from the cage.

Ronon smiled at Lorne before addressing Rollo, "Why aren't you having dinner with Athena?"

"One of the men was arguing with her. Some of the men wanted to use me as a sacrifice for the Wraith, but Athena was trying to protect me. So while they were arguing, I escaped."

"Okay, stay close to Lorne and me while we go and search for Sheppard," Ronon suggested, unlocking the bolt of Lorne's cage.

Rollo looked at Ronon thoughtfully, "I don't think John's here."

Lorne stepped out of the cage and stood beside Rollo," why would you say that?"

"Because I've been listening to conversations all day. Apparently, the Queen's shuttle never landed on this planet."

Ronon was beginning to worry. He knew Sheppard was a survivor, but he also knew one day his luck would run out and hoped today wasn't that day, "So, have you seen any Wraith since you've been on the planet?"

" There's the two that piloted the ship. I assume the rest of the Wraith died in the explosion that destroyed their ship."

"Rollo," Ronon began, "how many Wraith do you think are on this planet?"

"I don't know exactly, but I think three or four. I did hear one of the Wraith say the dark-haired human left with the Queen."

"Perhaps their ship was thrown off course, and it landed on the other planet in this system," Lorne suggested.

Ronon looked across the clearing and saw people coming their way, "If Sheppard isn't here, we should destroy the sheds and monsters and get off this planet as soon as possible."

"I couldn't agree more," Lorne said as he grabbed Rollo's hand and ran towards the sheds.

Ronon took off behind Lorne and Rollo and shouted in his ear, "How much C4 do you have, Lorne?"

"A whole bunch, so as soon as we get to the Sheds, I'll help you lay charges. Rollo, make sure you stay with Ronon or me at all times. Once we've set the explosives, we will return to our craft and leave this planet." Lorne stopped and looked at Rollo before continuing, "Do you understand?"

Ronon stopped beside them.

When Rollo nodded, Ronon started to run again. The people in the clearing were coming their way and were clearly looking for them.

It took him another three minutes to reach the sheds, and Lorne wasn't far behind. He hoped Lorne had enough C4 to blow the monsters sky-high because he never wanted to see the creatures again.

Ten minutes later, they'd laid the explosives, and Ronon was retreating from the sheds. The Wraith Worshippers were still looking for them, but they didn't want to come near the sheds, for some reason.

Once they were far enough away, Ronon whispered to Rollo, "Once Lorne and I press the trigger, there will be loud explosions. I need you to hold Lorne's hand and run. Do you understand?"

When Rollo nodded, he looked at Lorne and nodded his permission to set off the charges.

It didn't take long for the first explosion, and the people in the clearing started to run around and panic.

"Let's go?" He shouted above the noise as more explosions filled the air.

A few minutes later, they approached the jumper.

oOo

Rodney spent most of the last hour checking and re-checking the systems on the Puddle jumper, and he was sure that everything was functioning at one hundred percent.

He turned to Carson, who'd just sat down, and smiled, "So, Carson, how are your medical supplies looking?"

"The same as the last two times I checked them. Everything is in order."

"I hope Ronon and Lorne hurry up," Rodney grumbled, "because this place is giving me the creeps."

"Aye, Rodney, I know what you mean."

By this time, Rodney was becoming worried, and he needed to be doing something more than checking systems, "They've been gone over four hours. Don't you think it's time we went to look for them?"

Before either of them could speak, they heard a loud noise followed by the jumper shaking.

"Do you think Ronon's blowing things up?" Carson asked.

"Conan loves blowing things up as much as Sheppard and Lorne, so yeah, I think it's Ronon," Rodney replied with a huge grin.

They heard another explosion in the distance, followed by a banging on the back hatch.

"Who's there?" Rodney asked suspiciously.

"It's Ronon and Lorne. Let us in so we can get off this planet before the locals feed us to the Wraith."

Rodney quickly opened the back hatch and was surprised to see a young boy holding Lorne's hand as they entered.

"Before you ask any questions, this is Rollo. I'll tell you the rest when we're in orbit," Ronon growled as he entered.

Rodney immediately went to the pilot's seat and lifted the jumper off the ground. As he flew over the settlement, he could see large fires surrounding it, and people were running and screaming. A few Wraith were trying to put the fires out but weren't succeeding.

"What's going on? Where's Sheppard?" Carson asked, and Rodney was relieved Carson had asked the question because that's what he wanted to know.

"He's not on the planet. We're hoping he's on the other planet in the system." Lorne answered.

Rodney wanted to remind them that the other planet was small and probably a moon for the planet they'd just left, but that was the least of their problems. The biggest problem was that they still hadn't found John Sheppard.

TBC…

Thank you to everyone who has reviewed and commented so far. I really appreciate your support.