Hello friends! Kai and John return along with everyone's favorite wraith, Todd! 

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Happy Reading!

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"I take it the colonel wasn't there?" Elizabeth's voice cut through the weighted silence.

Kai pinched her eyes closed as she realized she had just yelled that she and Sheppard were Bonded to the entire control room. Lifting her chin she turned to face Elizabeth. She refused to allow Elizabeth of all people to see any hesitation or doubt on her face when it came to John.

"No," Kai growled and her gaze lifted to land on Ladon who was standing over Elizabeth's shoulder. "Which means either we were lied to-" she began and then without warning she charged.

Kai grabbed Ladon by the collar of his military uniform and slammed him back against a pillar. The breath wooshed out of his lungs on impact and Kai drew her blade. "-or he held back a few choice locations," she said in a voice all the more terrifying for how calm it was. The black blade pressed tightly against his skin with exactly the right amount of pressure to avoid drawing blood.

"Kai!" Teyla exclaimed jumping forward, but Elizabeth held up her hand to stop her. Elizabeth swung around, her gaze locked on Ladon's face. She couldn't control Kai, but she wasn't about to advertise that to a potential enemy. All she could do was make the best of the situation and make it appear as though Kai's actions were completely sanctioned.

"Your intel was wrong," Elizabeth growled at Ladon, standing just behind Kai. Kai would obviously play bad cop while Elizabeth played good cop.

Ladon held himself very still in the face of Kai's rage. "Well then the only way for me to help is to return to my home world and mobilize my people's military resources."

"You can contact them from here," Elizabeth said sharply.

Ladon's eyes narrowed. "You think I don't know the reason why you are keeping me here?" He challenged.

Elizabeth's eyes narrowed dangerously. "You are a head of state. It was John Sheppard's last order that we do not submit to Kolya's demands, and it is my own countries policy to never yield to terrorists. Those are the reasons you are still here Mr. Radim. Because believe me, if it were simply my choice..." she dragged off meaningfully and Kai flexed the muscles in her hand to accentuate the point.

Ladon leaned back as far away from the knife as he could. "I understand-" he began.

"Good!" Elizabeth interrupted sharply. "Now, we don't have much time and Kai's patience appears to be wearing thin. She is a Mortii and you may know where her Bonded is being tortured. I suggest you work harder to remember another planet or two that might make the list or-"

Kai pressed the blade tighter against Ladon's skin, drawing a thin line of blood.

Ladon yelped in pain. "There's no need for that! I know of one! Just let me dial the gate," he stammered.

Elizabeth flashed a smile. "Of course," she said gesturing towards the stairs.

Kai didn't move at first. She just held her Blade against his neck and let his blood slowing drip onto the black blade. She cocked her head to the side as she watched it. "Do I need to remind you that your life is linked to his?" She asked in a hushed tone, almost conversational.

"Do you want to find him or not?" Ladon snapped though there was a tremble in his voice. Once, he had stupidly believed Ronon was the scariest person on Atlantis.

Very slowly Kai released him. Her grey eyes remained locked on his face as she lowered the Blade and wiped his blood off of his perfectly pressed uniform. An eerie smile lit her eyes as as took a step back out of his space.

Ladon slinked away, putting as much space between him and Kai as possible. He quickly moved up the stairs and punched in the gate address as McKay looked on.

McKay nodded his approval. "It's on the list," he confirmed.

The wormhole activated.

"Let's-" Ronon started to say but Kai was already striding across the event horizon, her Blade still naked in her hand, not bothering to see if anyone was following her.

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Ladon scrubbed away the blood from his neck but didn't make any more commentary about what had just happened. For her part Elizabeth didn't bother to apologize. Time was desperately short. Their only hope was that the planet was correct and the team's very presence would disrupt Kolya's plan.

"Unscheduled off world activation!" Chuck called.

There was no such luck. Elizabeth pinched her eyes shut as she prepared to face Kolya alone this time. She and Ladon walked back over to the viewing screen.

"It looks to be another video feed," Chuck said.

"Patch it through and open a channel," Elizabeth instructed gravely.

"Doctor Weir, as promised," Kolya greeted.

"Where's Sheppard?" Elizabeth demanded.

"I'm pleased to see you are wasting no time so neither shall I." the camera panned to show Sheppard tied down to the chair with the Wraith standing over him. Kolya's men unclipped the sleeve and freed the wraith's feeding hand.

"Will you turn Ladon Radim over to me in exchange for Colonel Sheppard?" Kolya asked.

Elizabeth tightened her jaw as she stared at where Sheppard hung in his ropes. He looked so tired. There were lines around his eyes that hadn't been there before and grey threaded his hair. His eyes however were hard and defiant as ever. It was only that which gave Elizabeth the strength to hold her ground.

"Doctor Weir," Kolya said to catch her attention.

Elizabeth licked her lips and met Kolya's gaze. "No," she said firmly.

Kolya nodded. "I can only conclude you doubt my sincerity." Kolya said. His eyes  turned and nodded to the wraith. The wraith hesitated for a moment, meeting Sheppard's gaze, then his jaw hardened and he slammed his feeding hand into Sheppard's chest.

Sheppard's whole body slammed backwards into the chair as all of his muscles contracted.

"Enough," Kolya instructed and the wraith was wrenched back. Kolya turned back to the camera. "Three hours," he said firmly.

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"He's not here," Kai said and she turned back to the control panel. "Dial Atlantis," she told McKay.

"I just did," McKay said with a frown. He pressed the sequence again, firmer this time, but nothing happened.

"What?" Teyla asked. "What could be stopping the signal."

"Another call," McKay said, his voice hollow. He lifted his gaze to meet Kai's in slow horror. It could only mean one thing.

"Dial it back!" Kai snapped, desperation choking her.

"I am! I am!" McKay promised his fingers flying over the controls once more. "But we won't be able to connect until their call ends."

Kai's heart thundered in her chest as she realized John could be dying right now, right this second, and she wouldn't know. She pushed against the empty hollow feeling in her chest, trying to force the connection, but nothing happened. Her chest tightened, but there was nothing to relieve the pressure. It felt like she was drowning, but just wouldn't die. She looked up at the stars and cursed loud and long in Mortii. Somewhere out there, they were torturing John and she couldn't find him.

Emotions she couldn't name or control flooded her. She leaned her palms against the back of the control panel as McKay dialed over and over again. He was almost as frantic as she was to find his friend. The teams urgency was the only thing keeping her sane. They all knew they were running out of time.

It felt like hours, but only ten minutes passes before the gate finally connected. As soon as the wormhole opened, Kai rushed through. She pulled up as soon as she stepped into the control room. Elizabeth stood before them, her face graver that she had ever seen it.

"John-" Kai barely managed to whisper his name. The look on Elizabeth's face made something in her chest constrict. Her heart pounded in her ears. He couldn't be gone. Not like this.

Elizabeth sniffed, but composed herself. "Colonel Sheppard is still alive," she promised.

Kai closed her eyes. She was almost dizzy with relief.

"But," Elizabeth said, pulling Kai's attention back to her. "We have only another three hours to find him. I don't think he'll survive another feeding. He was-"Elizabeth drew off and pressed her lips together as she somehow paled even further.

"He was what?" Kai demanded severely, taking a step toward Elizabeth. Elizabeth just shook her head and turned away. Beckett stepped up and laid a reassuring hand on Elizabeth's shoulder.

Kai realized in that moment that unless she was going to threaten Elizabeth once more she wasn't going to get the information she needed. Elizabeth was too shaken up. As leader she couldn't afford to show it. It was rare for her to accept any kind of reassurance, let alone from Carson in front of everyone.

Taking pity on her, Kai turned to Chuck. "Play back the transmission please," she said in a low voice.

Elizabeth's chin jerked up sharply in surprise, but she didn't say anything. 

Carson glanced from Elizabeth's face to Kai's before he stepped forward. "Kai dear I don't think-" Carson started to say.

"No!" Kai snapped, cutting him off. "I need to see it," she told him. "I need to see him."

Carson's face softened in pity and Kai hated it. She didn't want to be pitied. She wanted to wrap herself in rage so she could function. If she let herself stop for even a second she wasn't sure if she would be able to continue.

Understanding, Elizabeth turned to Chuck and nodded. There would be no changing Kai's mind on this. No controlling her. And to be honest Elizabeth didn't feel like it was her place to deny Kai. Elizabeth's claim as John's superior suddenly seemed incredibly insignificant compared to the Bond that she now knew existed between them. Who was she to him, compared to Kai?

Solemnly, Chuck played back the transmission.

Kai stepped up to the screen. Although she the control room was full of people, it felt as though she were alone. Kolya's face filled the screen at the beginning and she found herself holding her breath until he stepped aside to show John. She stared into John's defiant hazel eyes and was relieved to see he didn't look defeated. Instead he glared at Kolya, anger snapping away with a look that promised retribution.

Then the wraith appeared. The soldiers unlocked the heavy metal casing covering the wraith's feeding hand. The wraith let out a snarl and slammed his palm against John's chest. Kai sucked in a breath as John's whole body tensed. His hands closed into fists as he squeezed his eyes shut as he fought to ride out the pain.

Kolya ordered the Wraith to stop and he was wrenched back. John hung in the ropes, without the strength left to even lift his head. Kolya turned hard eyes back to the camera. "You have three hours," he warned menacingly, then he stormed out of frame, leaving the final image of John sagged forward weakly against the ropes.

Kai stepped closer to the screen and reached out. She glided her fingers along the image of John's face. There were deep lines now marring his skin and grey threaded through the unruly black spikes.

"He won't survive another feeding," she whispered and she closed her eyes to fight against the tears burning in the backs of her eyes.

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The guards dragged Sheppard into the cell. By the time they got there he still didn't have the strength to stand. They hauled him inside and dropped him unceremoniously in the middle of the concrete floor.

Refusing to allow them to see any more weakness than necessary, John waited for the door to slam behind them. He let out a groan and dragged himself across the cell. He collapsed back against the back wall breathing hard.

"Where are your friends?" the Wraith mocked from his cell.

John scowled but he didn't have the energy to do anything more. Pain like he had never felt was still radiating through his weakening body. He wasn't sure how he was going to make it through another feeding in only three hours. Not when he already felt this weak.

"They'll be here," he said with a confidence he didn't feel. Not that he doubted them, but it was hard to feel confident when every cell in his body was screaming.

"You still believe that?" the wraith asked in disbelief.

John snorted. The wraith must not take loyalty very seriously. "Yeah, I do. They just need more time," John tried to think of what evidence would lead his team here, and how long it would take McKay to figure out his location. There wasn't much to go on.

"No one has ever left this place alive," the wraith told him and John had a moment to wonder exactly how many prisoners the wraith had slowly eaten alive for Kolya. How long he had been down here.

"Yeah well, I'm going to," John growled shoving himself up to sitting position. His head swam but he pushed past the pain. He needed to get up and get moving if he was going to get out of here.

The wraith snorted at him and shook his head. "Kolya will kill you before your friends have a chance to reach these cells."

John hesitated. He had been blindfolded when they brought him in so he hadn't gotten a good look at the security. Kai, Ronon, and McKay should be able to get past any security, it was just a matter of time. "Yeah well, they haven't met Kai," he said confidently, then he hesitated and frowned. "...well they have, but it didn't end well for them last time either."

"And yet Kolya still lives," the wraith observed. "It appears this Kai has failed to eliminate the threat to his people in the past to our detriment."

"Believe me, if I had let her, Kai would have taken them out. Instead, she focused on saving our people," John said, unable to keep the lightness, even just talking about Kai made him feel. Both times he and Kai had faced Kolya in the past John had been the one to make the call on how it turned out. Maybe if he had just let Kai take Kolya out he wouldn't be in this mess.

"She," the wraith said raising an eyebrow. "This Kai...she is your's?" the wraith asked.

John's jaw tightened he didn't like the idea of the wraith talking about her. It felt too much like a threat. "How well do you know the layout of this place?" John asked, trying to change the subject.

The wraith sighed wearily. "Well enough to know what they would be up against," the wraith said. Then he lifted his eyes to meet Sheppard's. He had seen through John's attempt the change the subject and felt the need to goad him about Kai. "It doesn't matter how good of a soldier your woman is..."

"Kai isn't a soldier," John said. "She's a warrior," his eyes flashed, and seeing straight through the wraith he felt the need to push back. "Or don't you have female wraith warriors?" He pushed.

The wraith chuckles as though he were enjoying the banter. Maybe he was. He had likely been down here a long time alone. "No, we don't," he said. "We have Queens. But only the greatest survive and prove themselves strong enough to earn the title of Queen."

John made a noise in his throat as though he were unimpressed.  "Could one of your queens get us out of here?"

"Oh easily, their telepathic abilities could press visions upon the simple human minds and force them into releasing us," the wraith explained.

John grunted. It was good to gather as much information as possible. His people knew so little about the Queens of the hives, but he needed to focus on getting out of here. "Doesn't seem so special if they aren't warriors too. I thought all wraith could do that. Can't you?" He challenged.

The wraith made a noise low in his throat like a growl. "In the past, yes, I could. But now, I am too weak," he said defeatedly.

John forced himself to stand, grunting as he did so. He gripped the bars to steady himself. "So we'll have to escape the old fashioned way," he said.

"We?" The wraith asked with a frown of confusion.

"What? Do you think they are going to let you do once I'm dead?"  John panted, his muscles were trembling with the effort of holding himself up.

"No," the wraith said looking away.

"Then what have you got to lose?" John challenged.

The wraith jerked his chin up to meet John's gaze. "My life," he snapped.

"Oh yeah, you got a great one down here," John responded sarcastically.

The wraith snarled and bared his teeth. John could see he had pushed to far and too hard. He quickly tried to start backtracking. "Listen, it makes sense. We have a common goal."

"My life is far longer than your's my time will come. There is no escape for you," the wraith growled and he retreated into the dark corner of his cell and refused to speak again.

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A little less than three hours later Kolya's soldiers returned. Unable to come up with a plan he could execute alone John spent the time resting. He could feel the drain the feedings had taken on his body. If he was going to make it through another round he was going to need all the strength he could muster.

The soldiers banged against the bars of his cell with their guns. John pushed himself to his feet as they unlocked the door. He stepped through, watching the men carefully there were three on the wraith but just two with him. There had been three the first time they came to get him, which means they were assuming he was weaker. They weren't wrong, but it was a window he could possibly exploit.

"Move," the solider in front of him commanded.

John could take out two soldiers. If he could trust the wraith to side with him he might even risk it now, before he was fed in again. His eyes met the wraiths, but no emotion showed in his eerie green eyes.

The soldier in front of him slammed his fist into John's stomach. John folded in half, gasping for breath. "I said, 'move'," he snarled into John's ear.

John coughed as he fought to get his wind back. "Sorry, didn't hear you the first time," he quipped and the soldiers shoved him out into the hall.

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Kai paced for three hours straight. They were out of places to search. McKay was occupying himself studying the list of gate addresses he pulled from the control panel where Sheppard had been taken, but they all knew it was useless. There were just too many possibilities.

With nothing to do, the powerless feeling clenching her chest was unbearable. What she wanted to do was beat the truth out of Ladon, but the slimy rat seemed to know what she was thinking and made it a point of keeping a fair distance between them. Kai took a small amount of pleasure to note he was also avoiding Ronon.

The call came in a Kai lifted her head as Kolya's face appeared on the screen in front of them. His body was blocking the room behind him so she couldn't see John.

"He still has years ahead of him Doctor Weir, my offer stands," Kolya said by way of greeting.

Elizabeth lifted her chin. "So does my answer."

"Then you are effectively ending his life," Kolya said stepping back to reveal John strapped to the chair with the wraith standing over him. "No one is strong enough to survive a third feeding."

"I'm not gonna go there," Weir responded coolly, but there was a slight waver in her voice.

"Is Ladon there?" Kolya called louder. 

"I am," Ladon confirmed.

"I can't help but wonder what you have told them so they'd choose you over one of their own."

Ladon cleared his throat. "That I betrayed you. That I took for myself what you believe to be yours."

"The truth?" Kolya asked sounding impressed. "I must say, I'm surprised."

Ladon glanced at Elizabeth and then spoke. "If you release him, you may return to our people with my promise of amnesty." His words surprised everyone. He had not shown any indication that he cared one way or another if Sheppard was released.

Kolya scoffed. "Please Aidan, I've trained you better than that. There are things that cannot be undone," he said coldly, then he lifted his chin as though he were addressing the whole room. "Is the Mortii there? I believe it is rather fond of the Colonel. Surely it has a opinion on this."

Behind Kolya the Wraith turned towards the screen in interest. John's head snapped up and he began struggling against the bindings. He tried to shout something but one of the soldiers back handed him.

"I'm here," Kai responded.

"I'm surprised I have not heard you speak up before this," Kolya said unkindly. "I thought your kind were known for their loyalty to their masters. Perhaps I mistaken, perhaps your master is not Colonel Sheppard, but Doctor Weir." 

Kai ground her teeth. "I am not a slave," she snapped. "My loyalty is earned, not bought," Kai snarled. "I think for myself."

Kolya chuckled, please he had managed to get a rise out of the normally stoic Mortii. "I'm glad to hear that. So hear this, if you kill Ladon Radim right now I will send Colonel Sheppard through the gate without a single additional grey hair. But if you do not I don't think he will survive another feeding. No man could."

Everyone in the control room went very still. Elizabeth turned worried eyes towards Kai, while Ronon shifted his weight. He was the closest to Kai, and really the only one who could stop her if she decided to attack Ladon. Of course he wasn't sure that he would. Ladon's death was well worth Sheppard's life. 

"Kai don't!" John yelled around the gag in his mouth and was hit again.

"Well?" Kolya prompted. "I'm not a patient man."

Kai closed her eyes and closed her hands into fists as her body shook with indecision. She snapped her eyes open and leveled her dangerous gaze on Ladon. It would be so easy. She could throw one of her knives from this distance and it would all be over. She closed her eyes and shuddered as she forced her muscles to lock down. "You'll be a dead man if you do this," Kai snarled. "I will dedicate myself to hunting you down. Nothing will stop me," she promised dangerously, but tears trickled down her cheeks and this time she couldn't stop them.  

Kolya chuckled. "Well, you can't blame me for trying. You leave me no option, I'm afraid."  

"That's not true," Elizabeth quickly interjected, glancing worriedly towards Kai. "You can end this."

"Strange Doctor," Kolya said. "I was just about to say the same thing."

Kolya turned to the Wraith. "Take your fill," he ordered.

Kai let out a shout of moved forward towards the screen. 

The wraith slammed his palm against John's chest. John's whole body bucked against the chair. The wraith roared in glee.

"KOLYA!" Kai screamed. 

Kolya turned back to the camera, a sly smile on his face. Ronon closed a hand on Kai's shoulder to steady her. She crumpled back into him. 

The wraith pulled his hand away from John. Kolya whirled on him. "Who told you to stop?" He demanded.

"He is near death, shall I finish him?" The wraith asked.

Kolya stared at the wraith as though one of the walls had just started speaking to him. Without acknowledging the wraith's question Kolya turned to his men. "Get it out of here," he ordered. Then he turned back to the camera. "Now it's two hours. And Kai," he called. "My offer still stands. This will be your only chance to save him."

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I hope you enjoyed the update!