Summary – Michael is looking for payback after the events of 'Vengeance' and has his sights set on McKay. Cue more of those bug monster thingies, guns, running around, blood, violence, torture and screaming… Set just after the events of 'Life Line.'
Rating – M for torture
Disclaimer – I don't own anything
Author's Notelet – This was a oneshot, but for ease of reading, I've now split it into three sections. Please don't hurt me (flames are pain) if my medical stuff's incorrect. I have big books now to supplement my Wikipedia musings, but they're still not that clear and I'm not even going to try and pretend I know what I'm talking about. If you're really kind, send me a PM instead. Thanks and enjoy! Now, onto the pain…
Reavengeance
Section 1 - The Sorrow of…
"Are you sure you're ready for this?" John asked Rodney as he sat hunched over his computer in the main science lab.
"Are you questioning my gun skills or do you suddenly think I've become a coward, Sheppard," Rodney spat back.
John held up his hands and spoke carefully, "Of course not!"
John had to admit to himself that Rodney was a mess. Dark circles under his eyes gave away all the sleepless nights he had endured recently and the small cuts from the shattered glass were still visible on his face. Three empty coffee cups were by his computer and his usually highly animated body language was subdued and absent as he sagged down in weariness.
"I just don't want anything happening to you so soon… after…" he trailed off and furrowed his brow.
Rodney sighed sadly and then his head snapped up and he glared at Sheppard as his brain finally engaged, "You don't think I'm going to try something stupid do you? I thought you were my friend! How can you possibly think that?"
John stepped back slightly, "You just look tired, that's all. I don't want to force you to do something you'd rather not so soon after losing two people you were close to."
Rodney screwed up his face and for a moment John thought he was going to start crying, but he quickly recovered his composure, although his voice broke when he said, "Oh, so this is about Carson and Elizabeth? I should've known. Everyone's been walking on eggshells around me for days. In fact you're the first person who's spoken to me today as the others find it easier to ignore me completely."
He furrowed his brow and rubbed his sore looking eyes blearily. When he opened them again they were bloodshot.
John had also been saddened by the loss of his friends, but Rodney seemed to be suffering more than anyone realised. He said, "But it's four in the afternoon! No-one's even said, 'hello' or 'how are you today, Dr McKay?'"
Rodney grimaced and squeaked, "No." He then mumbled to the table, "And I don't need or want your sympathy, Sheppard. I don't deserve it."
John frowned, "It's a dangerous mission, McKay. It's likely that there'll be injuries. It's not a usual recon mission, we already know that we're going to be attacked."
Rodney snarled in anger and snapped, "I know! What if you come across another shield or a locked door? You'll look a bit stupid if I have to come and rescue you anyway." He calmed down slightly before continuing, "You need me on this mission or you could get trapped with them… or worse."
John said quietly, "Michael's hybrids are difficult to kill and I can't guarantee your safety, Rodney. We don't know how big the facility the people on P2Y-948 just told the Alpha site about in their distress call. We made Michael what he is, so whatever he does is also our responsibility
Rodney repeated, "You need me."
John sighed, "I know. Well, if I can't change you mind…"
"You can't."
"…I'll meet you in the armoury in half an hour."
Rodney nodded and went back to staring at his computer with a glazed expression.
John hoped that he had not made a terrible mistake, but McKay was too stubborn for him to talk him out of it. He could ground McKay, but could not really see a justifiable reason to do so. He walked out of the lab and along the corridor and thought that maybe the mission was what Rodney needed to get back to his old self. Reawaken the senses and show that he was still alive himself and he did not have to think about the dead all day on his own in misery.
A few minutes later, Ronon caught up with Sheppard in the corridor just outside the armoury.
"I should be coming with you," he grumbled.
"Well you can't. Keller hasn't signed you off yet and that shoulder doesn't look so good."
"It's fine." Ronon rolled it and ineffectively suppressed a wince.
"There, you see. If that happens when a clawed bug monster's running at you, things will get messy."
Ronon frowned and grunted, "Alright." He then stopped and John paused with him, "Are you still letting McKay go with you?"
"Yes," John ran a hand through his hair, "Against my better judgement."
"He'll get himself killed out there. He's way off at the moment. Spends all day moping around."
"I know. I'm hoping this will snap him out of it." John looked up at the taller man and said, "If he gets hurt it'll be my fault, so I'll just have to make sure he doesn't."
Ronon grunted an affirmative and then muttered, "Be careful."
John nodded and then Ronon spun around and stalked off up the corridor away from him. He sighed and shook his head. It was unusual for Ronon to have turned down a mission like that without a fight; he must have been more seriously injured than he was showing. But then a shard of glass in the chest was hardly a minor injury and John knew he would want to go on the mission even if he was turned down.
Half an hour later, John was sitting in the pilot's chair of the Jumper with Rodney loyally by his side in the co-pilot's seat. They were geared up to the teeth, with enough ordinance to start a war. John had insisted on full combat gear, including helmets, and Rodney was nervously fiddling with the zip on his tac vest. He usually wore a less protective science vest with the clips at the front, but John had forced him to wear a military one.
Teyla sat behind them and the rear compartment was filled with marines. None of them had dared to sit in the seat Ronon should have been occupying in the cockpit and Teyla looked at it sadly before her gaze returned to Rodney's curled back.
John spun around after his visual inspection and powered up the engines. He turned back to Rodney and asked, "You okay?"
Rodney glared back at him and his hand fell away from the zip and took hold of the P90 clipped to his vest, "Yes."
His voice was tight, but John nodded back at him and said, "Good. It'll be too late to change your mind in a few seconds."
Rodney remained silent as the Jumper was pulled down into the control room by the autopilot and he watched the HUD as Major Lorne and his squad followed in another Jumper behind. The Jumper suddenly lurched forwards and entered the active stargate.
John parked the Jumper close to the village which was several miles from the gate. He said, "Okay, people. You know the drill from the mission briefing. Teyla, McKay and I will check in and make nice with the locals. Follow us and keep your eyes open."
A chorus of eager, "Yes, sirs!" echoed back at him and he walked through the ranks and left the rear hatch with McKay between himself and Teyla.
He turned back and thought that Rodney looked even more awful in the daylight as the sun shone down on them and hid the horror that they were about to encounter. Faint dark bruises ran around his eyes and his mouth was turned down in a perpetual grimace. The helmet hid his short hair and the chin strap looked like it was way too tight as it cut under his jaw.
John allowed Teyla to take point and the marines brought up the rear with Lorne's team also following closely behind and studying the sparse trees and farmhouses for signs of danger. He slowed until he was in step with McKay and reached across to loosen the strap. Rodney did not protest or knock his hand away, but he sighed heavily and winced.
"Better?" John asked when he was done. He really missed the scathing comebacks and the lack of response was downright unsettling.
McKay nodded and smiled, but it soon turned into an expression too close to pain for John's liking. Sheppard patted him on the back and said, "Buck up, McKay! It's a lovely day for shooting monsters. The sun's shining down, it's nice and warm. We've got enough marines with us to take out a whole nest of giant bugs!"
John watched for any kind of reaction and Rodney's mouth twitched up a little and then fell back down. Sheppard was beginning to get despondent himself, like his friend's depressed mood was contagious and he had been infected.
John grabbed Rodney's upper arm and moved in close so that he could speak to the scientist unheard by the others, "Listen, McKay, do you want to go back? Because you seriously don't look like you want to be here. I can ask one of the marines to take you back to the Jumper and you can sit this one out."
Rodney did react to that one. He shook himself free from the Colonel's grip and frowned as he snapped, "I'm fine! What do you think you're doing?"
Sheppard moved to grab him again and shushed him as the marines were now watching and listening with great interest. Rodney seemed to realise too and spoke more quietly, "I'm just tired. I'll stay with you, kill a few monsters, unlock some doors and power down the shields and then when we get back to Atlantis I'll get some sleep." He paused and looked at John intensely, "Deal?"
John nodded and breathed, "Deal."
He fell in behind McKay and glanced around the scenery. As they neared the village where the distress call came from, the fields gave way to many more buildings clustered together with fairly high quality paths between them. There was no-one around and the silence was only broken by the quiet hissing and chirruping of birds and insects and the whisper of gently swaying corn in the fields behind them.
John found it unsettling and his grip on the P90 clipped to his vest tightened. He saw the muscles in Rodney's back ahead of him stiffen as he tensed up too.
They reached a large square with a dry fountain in the middle. The statue was of a strange four winged bird in flight and it appeared to regard the large number of people invading its square in contempt as its empty eye sockets peered back at them. John found it creepy, but it was probably just the deserted buildings and streets making his brain connect the two like that.
One of the marines joked, "Maybe they only come out at night?"
Several of the others laughed, but their nervousness was not lost on John.
Rodney said, "Oh, we're not alone."
John spun around and was pleased to see that Rodney had his portable hand scanner out and was studying the tiny screen in concentration. He looked up and addressed them all, "I'm detecting several life signs, other than ourselves that is, underground. There appears to be a network of tunnels under the streets, possibly a sewerage system. Access points can be found in four locations at each corner of the town."
John went over and called Lorne and two others to them. McKay held the screen out so that they could all see it and John directed each team of five to take one access point and destroy all the monsters and any evidence of Michael's experiments in their designated areas. They also had orders to search for and rescue any villagers they came across. That was if there were any left to be saved. John made sure there was a gene carrier with a life signs detector on each team.
John finished with his own team, "Teyla, McKay, Perez, Martins, you're with me. McKay, any sign of the centre of this facility or any power readings?"
Rodney shook his head, "No, but if anyone finds any computers, I'd like to know, so that I can access them for useful data pertaining the whereabouts and current activities of our friend, Michael."
John was glad that the sudden activity seemed to have temporarily snapped McKay out of his sadness. But he could see the terror clearly etched into Rodney's features, even underneath the helmet and when his eyes were down turned to the scanner.
The other team leaders were organising their troops and walking away. Martins and Perez were talking in what they probably thought were quiet voices, but they seemed to want the others to overhear. Rodney's head twitched, but he did not look up from his scanner as they approached.
"I hate escort missions," Perez said. "This civilian will get us all killed and then walk away smelling of roses. It's just a bug hunt, what the hell's he doing here anyway?"
Martins nodded in agreement and John rounded on them and called, "Less of that, soldier! You'll protect McKay with your own life or so help me if he gets injured, I'll send you to the brig when we get back and you'll be the first one on the Daedalus with a one way ticket back to Earth!"
"Yes, sir." Perez said, but did not really sound like he meant it.
Rodney remained silent and the muscles in his face tensed where he was clenching his teeth. It was unlike him to remain silent when he was being talked about so openly and it had John worried for his friend and the mission in general. There was no time for him to have such doubts and he took out his own scanner and led the way to their designated access point.
John lifted up the manhole cover with Perez. Teyla and Martins flicked on their P90 lights and shone them down as soon as it was clear.
"There's nothing there," McKay said as he waited behind them and kept his eyes on the scanner.
"You of all people know it could be shielded," John shot back at him and scowled at Rodney's disinterested tone and lack of drive.
John did not have time to coddle the scientist so he double checked the entrance to the tunnels and climbed down the ladder. While the others followed him, he took a good look around his new environment.
The first thing he noticed was the smell and he was not the only one.
"Ugh, that's disgusting!" McKay said as he clomped down the ladder and landed with a graceless splosh in the shallow water at the bottom. "Smells like something died down here."
John was not going to disagree with that assessment. He glanced at his team in the gloom. The only illumination was coming from the circle of light shining down from the access point and the P90 flashlights. The tunnel was wide enough for two people to walk side by side and completely round like an old pipeline. The walls looked like they were originally brown brickwork, but a layer of greenish sludge now covered them. John wondered whether that was what was causing the stench, but he knew it could have been anything from the liquid under his feet to something they had yet to encounter.
Rodney had pulled a tissue out of his pocket and was holding it over his nose and mouth. It looked like his eyes were watering at how unpleasant it was. He was still holding his scanner in his other hand and pointed one way down the tunnel and his voice was muffled as he said, "That way."
John took point with Teyla and McKay was in the centre of the group with the other two marines behind him. The sound of their feet sloshing through the stagnant water echoed around the tunnel despite their efforts to make as little noise as possible.
Teyla drew alongside Sheppard and cast a quick look behind before she spoke quietly, "Are you sure Rodney should have come? He appears distracted."
John was glad the water masked her voice as well as it did, especially as Rodney was right behind them. If McKay had heard, he chose ignore the comment just as he had not spoken when the marines talked about him earlier.
John nodded, "Of course. He'll be fine. Just keep an eye on him."
Teyla pursed her lips, but did not say anything else as she fell back and allowed John to go first.
Rodney said, "There's another tunnel coming up on the right."
John held up his hand and they all backed up to the curved wall just before the junction. He listened for a few moments, but all he could hear was Rodney puffing into the tissue still crudely held up over his face.
John pointed at Teyla and one of the marines and then at the other side of the new tunnel. He counted down with his fingers and then left cover and crouched down as he angled his P90 into the new tunnel. He felt the others moving behind him and once he was certain it was clear he glanced across at Teyla and Martins next to him and Perez behind him. McKay was still hiding in the tunnel they had come from and sighed heavily as he rolled his eyes.
"There's nothing there," he said again in annoyance.
John could not help it as his voice rose, "We don't know that for certain, McKay."
Rodney merely sighed and frowned in anger. He lowered the tissue away for a moment, sniffed and shuddered, before he placed it over his face again with a wince.
John shook his head and walked stealthily along the new tunnel. Rodney spoke without bothering to keep his voice down, "About ten more metres."
John frowned and held the trigger of his P90 ready. The smell was getting worse and now he wished he could relinquish the hold on his gun to cover his face like Rodney, but he could not take that risk.
The tunnel suddenly opened out into a wider section with a metal panel on one side. He looked down at the floor and had difficulty keeping the contents of his stomach down when he realised they had come across the source of the smell.
One of the others was less lucky and he heard a retching sound behind him, he turned around and saw that it was Rodney. His face was a pale green colour and he was now at the back of the group, leaning over holding his middle and wiping his mouth with the tissue. Teyla was with him and she furrowed her brow sadly, first at McKay and then at the bodies in the tunnel.
Once the nausea had passed a little, John took a closer look at the bodies. They had been dumped just like the ones they had discovered at Michael's other facility. But these people had been dead for many days, possibly even weeks. The distress call had come from a man claiming to be from the settlement and had been relayed via the Alpha Site. The man had insisted on going back through the gate. But where was he now and exactly who had sent him?
Things did not seem to be adding up in John's mind. He tapped his radio, "Sheppard to all teams." He frowned when there was no reply, "Sheppard to Lorne?" Still nothing.
Teyla activated her own headset, "Major Lorne, please respond." She shook her head.
John said quietly, "Do you ever get that feeling you've been had?"
McKay straightened up and tucked the messy tissue into a small plastic bag and stuffed it in his tac vest. His eyes were wide and his mouth kept twitching as though he was trying not to vomit again. His voice shook when he said, "What do you mean?"
His question was answered when there was an unpleasant clacking and splashing sound from the tunnel they had just walked along. It also came from the other side of the room where there was another tunnel leading onwards. Rodney glanced down at his scanner again with frightened eyes, "The life sign…"
The metal panel on the side of the area where they were suddenly opened and John came face to face with another of Michael's monster bugs. The P90 lights flashed over it in the darkness and John squeezed the trigger. McKay yelped behind him, but he did not have time to check what was happening.
"We're trapped on all sides, sir," one of the marines shouted.
The monster John was concentrating his fire on took almost a whole clip of bullets before it fell twitching to the ground. John quickly reloaded and spun around.
His mouth fell open when he saw what the rest of his squad were doing. Teyla was with Martins as they valiantly held off the monsters coming from the side they had yet to walk along.
McKay and Perez were further away. John did not have a chance to think about how good Rodney had become at handling his P90 when a monster broke through their bullets and stuck its claw into Perez. McKay shouted out in surprise and John's eyes widened when he saw the sharp appendage punch right through Perez and come out of his back.
Rodney continued to fire, but John could not get a clear shot at the monsters assailing the civilian. He ran over as fast as he could, but he was far too late.
The monster who just killed Perez yanked its claw free with a sickening crunch and swiped at McKay. The limb caught Rodney square in the chest and smacked him into the wall. McKay did not have a chance to cry out as he lost all his breath and stopped firing. John was glad he was wearing the helmet as his head connected with the wall.
Rodney fell forwards onto all fours and John now had the clear shot he needed. He filled the blood covered monster with holes until it too fell over. He ran at McKay to try and save him, but another three monsters scuttled from the entrance. John shot at them and was deeply confused as two ran straight past Rodney and came at him. McKay was still on the floor with his hands in the filthy liquid.
He moved one hand over his chest and his other gripped the P90 which still hung down from where it was clipped to his vest after he had been hit. John could not see any blood in the gloom, but there was a glint on Rodney's vest. He thought it might just have been the water splashed on him, or a buckle or zip. He shouted, "Get up, McKay! There's another one!"
That got Rodney's attention and he snapped his head up just in time to see the third creature as it bore down on him. He shot it a few times, but it slashed at him and he fell backwards to avoid the raking claw where he had been crouching down. He landed on his back with a splash and the monster took the opportunity to bring its claw down and stab him.
Rodney's agonised scream made the hairs on the back of John's neck stand up as it filled the tunnels and even pierced through the sounds of P90 bullets slamming into bony exoskeleton for a moment. John dispatched one of the monsters coming after him, but he was still too busy with the second one to be able to help McKay. He fought with it desperately, but it did not fall. He had a fleeting glimpse of Rodney being dragged away quickly with the claw driven right through his forearm.
Rodney was struggling with the creature and shouting. He even managed to tilt his P90 up towards his captor, but the barrel clicked uselessly as his clip was empty. With only his left hand free, he could not reach his sidearm nor did he have a chance to reload his P90 before he vanished from the edge of the torchlight coming from John's gun. His shouts faded and then disappeared along with the man himself.
John finished another clip just after the monster attacking him stopped and fell. He kept an eye on the empty corridor and checked over his shoulder as there was still sustained fire coming from Teyla and Martins. The shooting suddenly stopped and the silence closed in heavily on John with echoes of the deafening sound bouncing around his head unpleasantly.
He went over to Perez and grabbed the dead marine's tags and pocketed them before he went over to what was left of his team.
Teyla's eyes widened when she spun around and discovered that John was the only one left where there had been three. John said, "McKay's been taken, Perez is dead." He turned around and faced the direction where the monster had dragged Rodney away and said, "Follow me, we're going to get him back."
He was just about to start moving, when a small, but firm hand grabbed his arm and stopped him.
He shouted, "What? We have to go now or we'll lose him. One of the monsters got him and who knows where he is now? It probably took him away to its nest where it could carry on doing whatever these things do to their victims."
The pressure increased and he spun around to find Teyla looking back at him with her expression worried, but imperious, "I believe it would be better if we find the others and get help."
John could see her logic, but he wanted to get McKay back and he did not think that even a whole swarm of man sized, clawed freaks could stop him now. He inhaled a deep breath of foul air and controlled himself, "You're right."
He pressed his radio, "Sheppard to Lorne."
"This is Lorne. What's going on, sir? We lost radio contact and we've been hearing gunfire in the tunnels."
John felt a small weight of relief settle over him that the radios were working again, but Rodney was still missing and hurt. He said, "Regroup at the fountain. This mission's gone south and has now turned into a search and rescue."
"Sir?"
"Send a team of two back to the Jumper. Tell them to get there as fast as possible and ask them to fly it to the gate and call for help. We'll need a medical team and another squad of marines."
"Yes, sir!" Lorne replied straight away.
John glanced back at Teyla and she gave him a tight nod of approval before finally releasing her hold around his arm.