The alarms that had been blaring suddenly died. The city was in lock of the personel were trapped in the living quarters while in the Gateroom. Sheppard, Weir, a couple of gate techs and marines and Carson who had chosen the worst moment to come visit Weir were being held at gun point by the Genii ,led by yes you've guessed it Kolya.
"What do you want Kolya?" Weir asked while Sheppard took count of the hostiles in gateroom, 30 in total.
"Dr Mckay of course." He drawled looking around as if he was going to pop up in front of him.
"Well you're out of luck because as you can see, he's not here."Sheppard said as he glared at him.
Kolya directed one of his men to activate the city wide comm. "Dr Mckay. If you do not show yourself within 5 minutes, You will be scrubbing Dr Becketts brains off the floor." Kolya threatened as his men pointed there guns at Beckett who gulped but managed a glare.
"You know.." Mckay said as he practically sauntered into the gateroom "this is getting rather old."
"Ah doctor, I'm glad you could join us." Kolya said turning his attention to Mckay.
"Didn't really have much choice. What with your shot first and shot another later policy." Mckay replied stopping just in front of Kolya.
"You know he is right. This is getting old." Sheppard put in.
"So just out of curiosity, what is it you want with me."Mckay asked as if he wanted to know what Kolya wanted for lunch.
Everyone in the room were feeling a little confused at Mckay casual attitude.
"Our scientists are having some trouble with our nuclear bombs and our generators. So we need the smartest man in two galaxies to led his assistence." Kolya said calmly.
"You're not taking the lad anywhere." Carson said
"Over my dead body." Sheppard growled.
"Of course he's not." Mckay said with a slight chuckle "and no dead bodies will be necessary.. well maybe Kolya's."
"Perhaps you need some persuasion."Kolya said and without a second thought he drew his gun out of his holster and shot Weir.
Weir cried out while everyone else yelled and looked at her expecting to see blood but there was none.
"What the hell ?" Sheppard said looking around confused and shocked like everyone else in the room at the bullet hovered in mid air then dropped harmlessly to the floor.
"You really shouldn't have done that." Mckay stated his eyes dark with hatred.
Mckay turned towards the Genii and with a single thought there firearms and knifes were flying out of there hands and holsters and into a pile across the room. He then lifted them into the air before anyone could move.
Sheppard,Carson and Weir rushed over to him.
"How are you doing this?" Weir asked feeling concerned.
"It's just a little extra energy that I noticed was hanging around after the whole near ascension thing." he said with his eyes still on Kolya and his men.
"Your body can't bloody well handle this lad!, we changed your genetic code back."Carson exclaimed.
"Is that true?" Sheppard asked feeling pissed at him for risking himself like this.
"Yes." He snapped dialing the gate to the Genii homeworld with his mind and literally throwing the Genii through it only leaving Kolya before shutting it down "The odds I'll survive are 20% , I've known for a while now that I was probably not going to survive once I did release the energy but you all looked soo relieved that I lied and waited for my chance to make my death have meaning."
"Why the hell did you not say anything?!." Sheppard exclaimed
"We could have helped you !.Drop him now so we can get you to the infirmary."Carson demanded angrily.
"We are not letting you die Rodney." Weir stated determindly
"Nothing you can do about it. Trust me I've already tried everything It's actually kinda freeing, keeping all that energy in was like holding your breath for a really long time " He said as the knives slowly rose from the ground and headed towards Kolya.
"What are you doing?" Kolya asked in his usual commanding voice only his eyes betraying his fear.
When Mckay's only response was to move a knife closer to his throat Weir stepped in and said "Rodney, drop him so we can help you"
"No ,weren't you listening? there is no way to help me, all we can do is let it happen and hope. Of course I'll fight but ...."He trailed off before giving them a small smile" I think a good final act is saving me friends , this city and making him feel just as helpless as he has made us." He didn't need to add just like he made me feel when he tortured me, they all knew.
"How does it feel Kolya?" He asked "to know I could cut you like you cut me or I could simply slit your throat." He dug the knife slightly into Kolya throat and a trickle of blood oozed smiled in satisfaction when he let out a choked cry.
"Maybe I'll just shoot you."He said almost offhandedly as one of the guns rose and he pressed it against Kolyas temple.
"You don't have it in you Dr Mckay." Kolya sneered.
"Oh really" He replied cocking the gun making Kolya wince ever so slightly.
The marines had at some point sheparded the gate techs off into a safe corner arming themselves as they went. Leaving Sheppard, Weir and Carson to try and stop Mckay whose nose was bleeding.
"Rodney! You gotta stop. We are not letting you die" Sheppard yelled as Carson tried to wipe the blood away only to have his hand knocked away by an invisible force.
"Should have.. known you wouldn't listen Sheppard." Mckay said through the teeth he had clenched in concentration." I ..can't yet."
"Why not?" Weir asked not for a second believing Rodney would actually kill him because he was.. well Rodney.
"He's..hiding something." He ground out ,still concentrating on Kolya." and I might ...just kill him if he doesn't give it up ,Elizabeth." he closed his eyes as if to block out any distraction.
He dropped the weapons to the floor causing Kolya to breathe a sigh of relief only start clawing at his throat and gasp for air as he was choked by Mckay.
"Rodney!" Carson cried.
"Crap." was all Mckay said as he suddenly spun around throwing Kolya into a wall across the room who landed with a sickening thud that knocked him out.
Sheppard managed to ask "What?" Just before there wall nearest the stargate exploded. When he didn't feel the blast he lowered his arm and looked around again to find Carson and Elizabeth doing the same thing.
"Zelenka is going to have a real mess to clean up." Mckay said with a soft chuckle as he contain the fireball, his nose streaming blood now.
"Can't you just you know ,move it." Sheppard said with a vague towards the giant windows behind the stargate.
"I...can' run out..of..energy. All I..can do is..hold it...until it dies out." Mckay gasped out as his ears started to bleed.
"Rodney..lad just let it go, it's not that big now." Carson said as he put a steadying hand under Mckays elbow.
"Can't...too close..t' stargate."Mckay whispered "small boom...will make..big boom. Gotta..have..no boom"
Sheppard couldn't help but grin " Very nicely put Rodney."
"You know....if I die...and if there..is..an afterlife." He said quietly as the fireball got smaller still"..I'm actually probably.....going to...miss you all...weird."
"What's equally weird is that" Sheppard paused for a second "We will all probably miss you too."
"Really?!?" Mckay whispered shocked.
"Aye lad." Carson said quietly giving him a small sad smile.
Weir just nodded with tears in her eyes.
"Know....don't...like..goodbyes...so...letters..in....my..room..instead." Mckay whispered as the fireball died out completely and he fell to the floor. He heard someone telling him to hold on just as the darkness claimed him.
Awareness came back to him slowly then..
"Wake up sleepy head." He heard someone call in an annoying sing-song voice that made him groan.
"Rodney lad can you open yer eyes for me?." That had to be Carson, he always wanted him to open his eyes when he didn't want to. Well he wasn't going to this time.
He managed to croak out a raspy "No."
"Rodney please open your eyes." That was Teyla always so polite and nice but still ...
"No."He rasped again
"Mckay! " a voice boomed in a way that could only be Ronon "Open your eyes!" He demanded.
"Keep it down Conan." he heard him growl in a way that was never good ."and opened his eyes, only to be nearly blinded by a light.
"Good man." Carson said cheerily.
"Bastard." He muttered even as Carson put the light away and helped him drink.
"How long?" he asked he took in the scene around him. Ronon was stood at he end of his bed, Teyla and Sheppard were sat either side of him and Carson was stood next to the head of the bed writing on a chart.
"5 days." Sheppard supplied
Carson added"We weren't sure how to really help you at first and thought we were going to lose you until you started.."
"Healing myself." Mckay interrupted not the least surprised.
"You knew it was a possiblity?" Carson asked feeling a little annoyed that Mckay hadn't told them.
"Yes. Don't you remember the 20% chance that I would live? Where did you think it came from?." Mckay rolled his eyes" I theorized that I would have enough energy left over to heal myself but wasn't completely sure I could do it. Didn't want to get anyone's hopes up."
The others nodded before Teyla asked "How are you feeling?"
"Actually I feel great. I'm no longer slowly dying from surpressed energy that feels like you are holding your breath and I could to choke Kolya and throw him across the room which a lot of people have always wanted to do." Mckay said smiling.
They chuckled before growing serious.
"Now it's time to face the music lad." Carson told him as he put down the chart.
"How could you not tell us Rodney?" Teyla asked
"We are you team. Your friends. How could you keep something this big from all of us?."Sheppard asked looking at him with a little betrayal in his eyes.
"Honestly. Because there was nothing any of you could do. You would have jsut beaten yourselves up over it and I thought it would be easier if I didn't tell anyone." Mckay said not looking any of them in the eye.
"You should always tell us something this serious." Sheppard stated leaving no room for arguement while the others nodded their agreement and Ronon grunted.
"Oh don't worry I will." Mckay assured them.
"You will?."
"It maybe completely selfish of me but I would tell you if god forbid something like this did happened again. I would tell you because I couldn't do it again slowly dying basically alone, waiting for a time to use the energy."
"It's not selfish." Carson told him firmly
"Would we be hurt if you did not tell us." Teyla said placing a hand on his arm.
"Nobody should die alone." Ronon grunted.
"Weird thing is Mckay. We actually wanna be there for you and would do anything to save you even if you are a pain in the ass." Sheppard grinned
"What's weirder is that I would do the same for any of you even though I know I would be back to trying to save you asses five minutes later because you can't keep it out of trouble."
They chuckled.
"Alright, he needs rest." Carson said shooing them out.
"I have a prisoner to see to anyway. Elizabeth is down there now trying to stop Stackhouse from selling tickets to personel who want a shot at him. Sheppard said as they got up " Oh and Mckay if you ever do anything that crazy ever again, I will shoot you."