John tracked the scene from the small porch, eyes on the people rushing past as the crowd moved toward the far end of the street, away from the site of the attack. If Teyla and Rodney were nearby, he'd see them. They'd been separated in the initial panic when the bomb had gone off, and he had watched helplessly as they'd been pushed along with the wave while he'd managed to get himself a few steps above the throng.

Breath sharp, shoulders tense, John pressed his back into the door behind him and, on tiptoe, sought his teammates in the dimness of the lights strung across the street. They'd had such high hopes for this mission; a planet that hadn't seen the Wraith in long enough to have relatively sizeable, established settlements and with them, hope for decent trade. Figured – even though Teyla's people had heard this was a peaceful place, it seemed like things had changed. He wished Ronon was on this mission, but he was back on base, down with some sort of virus. He could use the help.

He saw a dark head moving through the crowd, headed for him – Teyla.

John dashed down the steps and met Teyla at their base. "They took Rodney!" Teyla said sharply, agitation clear in her expression. She looked all right, if a bit disheveled.

Not wasting time, John asked the most important question: "Where?" staring into her eyes, heartbeat mirroring her frantic look. It didn't matter "Who" at the moment; it was far more important to get the man back. The rest, he could figure out later.

"There!" Teyla nearly shouted, pointing to a building across the street, its door open to the dark interior.

"Stay with me," John said in a rush, voice loud enough to be heard over the crowd. He pushed his way past people running down the street, trusting Teyla to stay with him. Eyes on the scene, he was watchful as he approached the door at a run.

He motioned Teyla back as he used his weapon to push the door further open. When no response came from inside, he peered in. He slid through the door, waving Teyla to follow.

As he entered the dark room, he caught a glimpse of someone – a local, male, dark skinned like most he'd seen so far on this planet, dark hair, flash of blue cloth as the man moved through an opening in the far wall. The room in front of John stood empty. It seemed to be some sort of interior courtyard, its ceiling open to the elements in places, letting in what light there was from the outdoors. John ran across the floor, footfalls echoing in the space, breath coming harsh now.

John darted up to the far doorway, then slowed and moved alongside it. He stilled. He could hear movement inside the next room, and voices. Peering around the doorframe, he could just see a small group of people with their backs to him, a good 10 metres away. He edged himself inside, careful not to make a sound, weapon up. He paused, letting his eyes adjust to the darkness. The people didn't look at him. Instead, they were looking down at something on the floor in front of them, something John couldn't quite make out in the low light. John counted at least five people, all locals, a mix of male and female.

John slid further into the room, weapon trained on the people in front of him. He could hear Rodney's voice. Rodney was on the floor, the others gathered around him. Before he could catch what Rodney was saying, he heard something ping beside him. Damn it, his jacket had caught on a nail in the doorframe. That small noise was enough to call attention to him. One of the women in the group turned. Dark eyes met his.

John raised his weapon higher, pointing it at her. "Don't move," he said loudly, hoping Teyla could hear and know to stay outside the room. He stepped closer to the local woman, wanting to see what was going on with Rodney. "What do you want with that man?" he asked, trying to keep her focus on him, giving time for Teyla to step back, get away, contact Atlantis.

The woman raised her hand. From this distance and in the dark, it appeared to be empty, but nevertheless, he heard Rodney behind her say, "Don't." And with that warning, John readied himself to fire his weapon.

He wasn't fast enough. A flash of light, and he felt himself fall.

x-x

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