Sheppard shifted slightly as the crash of metal and glass ended and slowly opened his eyes. He was on his stomach, Rodney tucked under him, lying on his side. Sheppard kicked at something metal trapping his feet and did a quick mental check; he figured other than some cuts and bruises, he was relatively okay. He looked down at Rodney and was relieved to see his eyes were open.
"Are we alive?" Rodney asked and tried to look around in the dim light.
Sheppard chuckled. "It looks that way. What happened?"
"Torsion stress," Rodney explained and tried to move and groaned. "It's starting to pull this section of the city apart. Are you hurt?" he asked and Sheppard felt Rodney patting at the arm in front of his face.
Sheppard shook his head. "Just bruises, I think."
"What about," Rodney tried to look behind him but when he couldn't, he just pointed to his own neck.
Sheppard brushed a hand across the bandage on his neck but didn't feel any wetness. "I think it's fine," he said.
Rodney nodded at that then paused. "You aren't nearly as light as you think you are, Sheppard." And Sheppard felt Rodney trying to move out from under him. "Get off," he ordered and groaned again as he tried to shift onto his back.
"You're welcome," Sheppard retorted but slowly rolled off Rodney and sat on the floor next to him. He glanced around and found one of the flashlights against the wall. He picked it up and looked back toward the doorway only to find a haphazard stack of metal beams, twisted sheets of more metal, and broken glass blocking where the entryway used to be less than a foot away from where they lay on the floor.
He heard Rodney gasp slightly. "That was way too close," he muttered and looked up at Sheppard.
"Yeah, I noticed." He keyed the radio and said, "This is Sheppard, can anyone read me?"
The radio only replied with static. He fiddled with the unit for a moment and tried again. "This is Major Sheppard, is anyone receiving me?"
"It's not going to work," Rodney said bluntly still trying to roll onto his back. "Something's not right," he mumbled and groaned as the stack of beams in front of them shifted. "I can't move my leg," he added and Sheppard heard the note of panic overriding the pain in his voice.
Sheppard flashed the light back over Rodney and grimaced. "It looks like your leg is caught between a couple of these beams," he reported and stood to get a closer look. He felt something running down his arm and glanced at it long enough to see a sizable cut on his forearm. For the moment he ignored it as he played the flashlight over the pile of debris.
"What?" Rodney asked shrilly and started to jerk his leg trying to pull it free. "Ow! Ow! Ow!," he whimpered and tried to reach down his leg then froze as the room around them groaned again.
"Hold still," Sheppard admonished once the noise stopped and grabbed the exploring hand to keep it away from the trapped leg. "If it's broken, you're gonna make it worse."
"My leg is stuck under a collapsed wall," Rodney pointed out harshly. "I kinda need that leg."
Sheppard knelt down and ran the light over the girder and Rodney's leg, looking for a way to free him before he did something truly foolish.
"Just let me see what happened." He saw the leg was trapped just below the knee, but it didn't seem to be impaled by anything, so it was just a matter of lifting the right section so Rodney could wiggle himself out. "Okay," Sheppard said and stood. He set the flashlight on the floor with the beam of light pointed at the debris. "I'm going to try and shift some of this," he said. "When I tell you to, try to pull your leg out."
He quickly studied the fall of metal which resembled the world's largest game of pick up sticks, worked out the angles in his head, then picked the space between two beams next to Rodney's leg that would give him enough leverage to lift the girder trapping the limb. "On three. Ready?"
Rodney nodded. "Just do it already," he ground out.
Sheppard found another length of beam he could use as a lever and turned back to Rodney. "Okay. One." He shoved his lever in the space he'd chosen and set his feet.
"Two." He took a deep breath and hoped the whole pile wouldn't come crashing down.
"Three!" He put his weight into pushing down on his lever so the pile of metal rose slightly. He could only move the beam trapping the leg a few inches, but it was enough for Rodney to pull his leg free with a cry of pain.
Sheppard carefully let the beam settle back into its previous position then focused on Rodney who was curled in a ball at his feet, whimpering and trying to breathe through the pain.
Sheppard dropped to his knees and shined the light on the bloody pant leg just below Rodney's knee. He gently pushed Rodney's hands away and said, "Let me see it."
He got Rodney's pack off, set it aside, and rolled him carefully onto his back. Sheppard grimaced, took out his knife, and slit the trouser leg from hem to knee. "Oh that has got to hurt," he said sympathetically as he saw the bruising around Rodney's knee and down his calf. The skin was torn and bleeding and the knee itself was already swollen. He gently felt along the bone as Rodney balled his hands into fists. Sheppard felt him twitch a few time as his fingers touched one of the bruises but he reached Rodney's ankle and didn't feel any odd bumps. "Can you move your foot at all?" he asked.
Rodney closed his eyes and Sheppard saw his foot twitch even as he whimpered again.
"Well, the good news is I don't think anything is broken. But you're not going to be running any marathons any time soon."
Rodney snorted. "Like that was ever likely," he groused and lay quietly for a moment. "How bad is it?"
Sheppard smiled at him trying to distract him from the pain. "You have a lot of bruises and your knee looks swollen. You also lost a fair amount of skin."
Rodney scrunched his eyes closed and Sheppard could only imagine how much pain he was in. "I need to find the console in this room," he said hoarsely a few seconds later and he tried to sit up.
Sheppard shook his head. "What did I just say?" he asked but wrapped an arm around Rodney's back and helped him move.
Rodney slowly sat up and leant against the wall. He glanced at the bruises and the blood on his leg highlighted by the flashlight and swallowed, then looked over at Sheppard. "Hey, you're bleeding," he said and pointed to the blood still oozing from the cut on his arm.
Sheppard glanced at the cut again. "It'll be fine," he said absently and pulled some antiseptic wipes from a vest pocket. He cleaned up the blood, found where something, probably glass, had sliced the back of his forearm and wrapped a bandage around it.
McKay looked around the room before turning back to Sheppard. "I still need to get the stabilizers fixed," he pointed out and stubbornly started to move. "I can't do that sitting on the floor."
He tried to push off the floor to stand but Sheppard grabbed hold of his arm."Give me a few minutes to clean you up at least and stop the bleeding." He didn't think Rodney should be moving, but one look at his determined, if pale, face and he realised he'd never win that battle. He started unzipping pockets on his vest looking for more wipes.
"We don't have -" Rodney said impatiently and tried to move his legs. Sheppard saw him go white and grasped hold of Rodney's arms in case he started to topple.
"Rodney, you won't be able to fix anything if you faint from blood loss," Sheppard said once his color improved.
"Pass out," McKay replied. "And I'm not bleeding that bad."
"Maybe not," Sheppard agreed, "but you still need to let me clean you up a bit." Sheppard went through his vest pockets again and only found one more antiseptic wipe. He glanced up at Rodney then dug out one of the bottles of water from his backpack and one of the bandages from his vest pocket.
Sheppard tried to be as gentle as he could as he used the wet bandage to try and clean out the bloody scrapes and cuts but he heard Rodney hiss in pain and jerk his leg when he hit a few tender areas. Most of the cuts were thankfully shallow if long, but the knee itself looked like someone had stuck a tiny orange under the skin. Finally, he used his last antiseptic wipe to try and sterilise the cuts, wrapped them the best he could, and sat back.
"We don't have any ice for the swelling and bruises," he said and looked up at Rodney's still too pale face and noticed he was shivering as he handed him the other bottle of water and some ibuprofen. He hoped it was just the cool temperature in the room and not shock.
"Just get me up," Rodney said after he'd downed the pills with a swallow of water. He flinched and stared at the stack of beams as they shifted slightly then glanced up at Sheppard and continued, "There must be a console around here somewhere. I need to find it and see what the problem is."
Sheppard watched Rodney look around the dim room, his eyes skirting the blocked doorway and he saw him swallow again then deliberately look away.
"More light wouldn't hurt, either," he added as an afterthought and held out a hand for Sheppard to pull him to his feet.
Once up, Rodney managed all of two steps before his leg collapsed under him.
Sheppard grabbed him before he could fall and pulled Rodney's arm over his shoulder. "Of all the stubborn ..." he muttered as he handed Rodney the flashlight.
Rodney swept the flashlight around with his free hand until it lit up a console at the far end of the room near the wall. "I need to get over there," Rodney said, determinedly hopping on one leg to keep his weight off the damaged knee.
"All right. Take it slow." He grasped Rodney around the waist and they made their careful way across the room to the control console. Sheppard noted a chair in front of the console and deposited Rodney on it. He could see one or two tiles on the console were dimly lit, but most were dark.
"I need my pack," Rodney said absently as he started to look at the various tiles and crystals by the light from the flashlight. Sheppard retrieved the pack and stood back as he dug out the custom computer and cables. "I don't suppose," he muttered then closed his eyes and touched one corner of the console.
Sheppard saw his eyes pop open and then light up with self-satisfied delight as the console obediently lit up brightly as it came online with the recognition of McKay's ATA gene.
"Finally, something is going right," Rodney said and plugged the computer into the console.
Sheppard watched as he read the information on the computer screen then reset several crystals on the console. Suddenly, the room was flooded with light and they both covered their eyes as the room went from a dim glow to standard daytime lighting.
Once Sheppard could see, he noticed the room they were in was about the same size as the control center in the gateroom, they were even on an elevated balcony overlooking what appeared to be several different pieces of heavy machinery on the floor below. The biggest surprise, however, was the view. They were underwater.
"Never thought I'd see that again," Sheppard said and pointed out the nearest window.
Rodney glanced up at the window beside him then back down at the console in front of him. "Where did you think the stabilizer system would be?" he asked sarcastically.
Sheppard ignored the tone. "It's kinda pretty when you stop to think about it."
He turned around as Rodney snorted. "Right up until the glass breaks and we drown."
"Well, we're here to fix things so that won't happen, aren't we," Sheppard replied in kind.
Sheppard walked back over to the console and found Rodney resetting more tiles.
"Try the radio now," Rodney ordered as he slotted another tile back into place.
Sheppard tapped his earbud. "This is Sheppard, can anyone read me?"
A few seconds later he heard "Major Sheppard? This is Teyla. Are you all right? What of Doctor McKay?"
Sheppard grinned and looked over at Rodney busily checking and resetting more of the large tiles on the console. "We read you, Teyla. Rodney and I are both here, a bit banged up, but we're fine."
"Speak for yourself," Rodney muttered and went back to studying the console and the computer.
Sheppard took a few steps away from the console. "We made it to a maintenance room and Rodney is working on figuring out what happened to the stabilizer system."
"Lieutenant Ford and I are trying to make our way to your location, Major, but we are running into difficulties."
He could hear the strain in her voice and a loud thump in the background and imagined they were having a hard time getting through the corridor. He wondered just how much debris blocked their way out and marvelled that Rodney hadn't realised just how trapped they might be in the maintenance room.
"We had a few of those difficulties ourselves," Sheppard said and glanced from the pile of beams to Rodney's bloody pant leg sticking out from the side of the console. He knew he should probably elevate Rodney's knee, but didn't see anything he could use for the job. He also realised the room was noticeably warmer and Rodney had stopped shivering.
"Major, Doctor Weir would like to talk to you," Ford cut in.
"Major? Rodney?" Weir's voice came over the radio, sounding slightly hollow. "Doctor Zelenka just informed me of a power surge on the east platform, can I assume that was you?"
"Of course it was us," Rodney interrupted impatiently. "And we're fine by the way, thanks for asking. Where is Zelemka? I need to know what he's found out about the malfunction."
Sheppard could almost hear the eye-roll Weir must have made at that sort of reception, but a few seconds later, yet another voice joined the conversation.
"Doctor McKay?" Zelenka said. "I am here. Do you have updated diagnostics?"
"Do I have … Does this mean you still don't have any ideas on what happened?" Rodney frowned up at the ceiling. "What have you been doing up there while I've been getting my legs crushed?"
Several voices tried to speak at once over the radio and Sheppard winced at the noise.
Finally, Weir's voice won out, "Rodney, how badly are you injured?"
McKay ignored her and spoke to Zelenka, "Zelemka, what have you found out?"
"There are too many variables," Zelenka explained as the other voices died out to vague mutters. "Doctor Kavanagh suggests something damaged the system when the city rose to the surface of the ocean. Rodney, how badly -"
"That just confirms he's an idiot," Rodney said shortly as he ignored the implied question and winced as he jarred his leg. "If that were the case, we would have sunk months ago as the stabilizer tore itself to pieces."
"I agree," Zelenka said. "This is something recent."
"How does it work?" Sheppard asked suddenly and looked over at Rodney who just gave him a harassed look. "This stabilizer system, how does it work?"
"Zelemka, hang on, I need to give the Major a basic lesson in physics."
Sheppard rolled his eyes as he moved to stand next to Rodney.
"I thought I explained this already," Rodney groused as he tried to stretch his knee.
"You're gonna make it worse you keep doing that," Sheppard said but changed the subject when Rodney just glared at him. "You explained what the stabilizers do. I'm asking how do they actually work?"
Rodney stared at him for a few seconds then called up a schematic on his computer. "The fins are controlled by what is, in essence, a laser," he explained with rare patience. "The laser is focused on a surface, something like a mirror, that's on the fin. As the fin is moved by the surrounding water, the laser measures that deflection and the computer," he pointed at the Ancient console, "tells the fin how to compensate for the change in movement. Simple."
"Okay," Sheppard said and he leant over the back of Rodney's chair as he studied the schematic for a moment. "What's that?" he asked and pointed to one of the many tubes in the drawing.
"A vacuum line. The laser has to be in a vacuum … to get … an accurate …" Rodney stopped talking and Sheppard noticed a faraway look on his face. He glanced back up at Sheppard for an instant, snapped his fingers, and tapped his radio. "Zelemka, check the integrity of the vacuum lines for the east platform," he ordered.
There was a pause before Zelenka replied, "We are not getting any reliable data, which could mean -"
"It means the system's sprung a leak," Rodney interrupted excitedly. "We can't get data and neither can the stabilizer because the laser is being diffused by seawater in the system."
"Yes, yes, yes. That makes sense." Zelenka paused. "How do we fix it?"
Rodney sat back in the chair and Sheppard watched as his momentary elation was replaced with frustration. "I have no idea." He looked up at the ceiling again. "And we may be running out of time." The room creaked and groaned in agreement.
~*~*~*~ SGA ~*~*~*~
"We need to get to that maintenance room," Ford said as the radio conversation stopped. "It sounds like they're gonna need our help."
"Agreed," Teyla replied and looked down the corridor they were following. "How much further do you think it is to where they are?"
Ford shrugged. "Major Sheppard, come in," he called over the radio.
"Sheppard here. What's the news, Lieutenant?"
"Well, sir, Teyla and I are trying to reach you but we aren't sure how far away we are. Can you give me an approximate distance from the transporter to your location?"
"Hard to say, we did a lot of stopping and backtracking," Sheppard replied. "I'd say we're at least several hundred feet down the right-hand corridor from the transporter. I can tell you the corridor and part of the maintenance room itself collapsed -"
"On us!" Ford heard McKay yell over Sheppard's radio.
"You have your own radio, Rodney. You don't need to yell over mine."
"Tell Ford to hurry up. I have an idea, but we're gonna need a few things," McKay yelled over Sheppard's frequency again.
"Did you get that, Lieutenant?" Sheppard asked and Teyla could hear the exasperation in his voice.
Ford grinned. "Yes, sir."
"As I was saying …" Teyla heard him pause and she could imagine him glaring at Doctor McKay. "... the corridor and part of the maintenance room itself collapsed so that should be a fairly large debris fall. You find that, we're most likely behind it."
"Got it, sir. We'll get there as fast as we can. Ford out."
Teyla smiled. "It sounds like they are both well," she remarked as they moved down the hall. She heard the ceiling groan slightly and paused to look up at it warily.
It took them another fifteen minutes and one last clearing of rubble to reach what they thought was the maintenance room. Ford looked at the pile of debris and whistled.
"Major Sheppard, come in," Teyla called as she stared at the criss-cross of beams and twisted metal.
"Sheppard here," he responded.
"Major, we think we are right outside the maintenance room but there is a lot of debris."
"Hang on," Ford said to her and keyed his own radio. "Major, I'm shining my barrel light through the pile the best I can. Can you see it?"
"Yep, I see it. Just a second," Sheppard said over the radio.
A few seconds later Teyla heard Sheppard's normal voice near her. "Hey, guys," he said. "Nice of you to join us."
Teyla bent slightly and peered through the tangle of beams. After a few seconds she spotted Sheppard's face looking back at her. "It is good to see you, Major," she said and waved.
"Is that them," she heard McKay call from further in the room. "It's about time."
Teyla heard something move inside the room.
Sheppard turned away from Teyla and said, "Rodney, stay there. That leg isn't going to hold."
There was a crash and a yelp of pain from the other side of the rubble pile and Sheppard disappeared.
"Are you all right?" Sheppard said in a worried tone.
Teyla squinted through the hole where Sheppard's face used to be and watched as the Major knelt next to McKay who was lying on the floor holding his leg.
"Do I look all right," McKay ground out and she could hear the pain in his voice. "That really, really hurt."
"I told you not to move," Sheppard said and carefully helped him sit up.
"Really? I'm in excruciating pain and you're giving me the I told you so's? Thanks a lot, Sheppard."
Sheppard said nothing he just checked the bandage wrapped around McKay's leg. "Come on, I'll help you back into the chair," Sheppard said and pulled McKay to his feet and together they got Rodney back to a chair in front of a console. "Do you have that list ready?" he asked once McKay was settled.
Rodney took a couple of deep breaths then nodded and pointed to a scrap of paper on the console. "Tell Ford to get that to Zelemka and he needs to hurry. There's only a few hours before we hit that deadline if we're lucky. I don't know if I can deal with another last-second save."
Teyla frowned at that comment but before she could say anything, Sheppard was back pushing the list through a gap in the debris.
"Sheppard, stop!" McKay yelled and Sheppard jerked his arm back.
"What's wrong now?" Sheppard demanded and glanced behind him.
"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" McKay ranted and even though Teyla couldn't see him at the moment, she was sure he was glaring at the Major.
"Don't stick your arm through there, are you insane?" McKay continued. "What would you have done if the weight shifted? Are you trying to give me a heart attack? Find something to attach the note to and push it through that way."
"Okay, okay, calm down. I'll find something," Sheppard said and Teyla heard him moving around behind the rubble.
A few seconds later, a piece of paper wrapped around a piece of metal poked through a hole between a pair of beams crisscrossed over the entryway. Teyla took the paper and read it quickly.
"Rodney says give that to Zelenka and tell him we're running out of time," Sheppard said. He glanced behind him and lowered his voice. "And tell Beckett he's going to have a patient when we get out of here."
"Major?" Teyla asked, worry clear in her voice.
"His leg was caught in this." Sheppard waved his hand at the pile of beams. "I don't think it's broken but Beckett will need to check it to be sure."
"I will let him know," Teyla said and turned to leave.
She was a few feet up the hall when she heard Sheppard say, "Okay, Ford, let's see what we can do about this mess."
Teyla hurried back up the corridor, the trip much faster now that she knew where she was going and the debris was out of the way. "Doctor Weir, this is Teyla," she said into her radio as she ran.
"Go ahead, Teyla."
"We found Major Sheppard and Doctor McKay in the maintenance room, however, they are currently trapped by a debris fall." She entered the transporter and a moment later she raced up the corridor to the control room. "Doctor McKay has an idea but needs some supplies. I will be at your office momentarily."
"Thank you, Teyla. We'll be waiting."
Teyla signed off the radio and for a fleeting moment wondered who the 'we' was waiting for her.
She stopped just outside the control room to catch her breath, then walked across the bridge to Doctor Weir's office. Weir was standing waiting for her and waved her in. She saw Doctor Zelenka and Sergeant Bates already there.
"You said Rodney has an idea?" Weir asked as Teyla moved to the desk.
"Yes," Teyla reported and she was happy to hear her voice was calm. "Though he did not say what the idea is, merely that I was to give this to you," she said as she handed the list to Doctor Zelenka.
Zelenka read through the short list quickly and nodded. "Yes, yes, I think I see what he wants to do, but it could be very dangerous. I will need to talk to Doctor Beckett."
"Carson?" Weir said confused. "Why Carson?"
Zelenka looked over the top of his glasses at her. "Because he has the items Rodney needs," he said simply.
"I want to know exactly what you think this plan entails, Doctor Zelenka," Weir said then keyed her radio. "Doctor Beckett, please come in."
"Aye, here, Doctor Weir. Have you heard from Rodney and Major Sheppard at all?"
"In a manner of speaking. Can you please come to my office."
"Certainly."
A few minutes later Doctor Beckett entered the office and Teyla could see the worry in his eyes. "Where are they, then?" he asked as he looked around.
"Major Sheppard and Doctor McKay are trapped in one of the maintenance rooms under the eastern arm of the city, Doctor Beckett," Teyla said.
"Are they all right?"
Teyla shook her head. "Major Sheppard said Doctor McKay has injured his leg. They were caught in the debris when the room they are in sustained damage."
Beckett made a face and reached for his radio.
"However, that's not why I called you here, Carson," Weir said before Beckett could summon a medical team.
Teyla watched as Doctor Beckett's face went from concerned to angry. "Not why you called me here?" he said and Teyla noticed how his accent became more pronounced. "Why would I be here if it weren't because Rodney managed to get himself into yet another scrape?"
Weir stayed calm in the face of Beckett's outrage. "Because Rodney needs your help to solve a bigger problem, Carson."
"What sort of bigger problem would that be, then?" Beckett asked his arms crossed and his face still rigid.
"Doctor Zelenka?" Weir said and the engineer stepped forward.
"Doctor McKay has a possible solution to our stabilizer issue but we need some medical stores," Zelenka said and handed over Rodney's scrap of paper.
"One twenty-two gauge needle, portable oxygen, valve stems, tubing, waterproof tape," Beckett mumbled and looked up as he read the list.
"I think we have waterproof tape down in one of the labs," Zelenka said straight-faced and Bates snickered.
"What does he want this for?" Beckett asked and Teyla could see he looked a bit bewildered.
"Good question," Weir said and looked at Zelenka.
"Oh, yes, well," Zelenka said. "Doctor McKay wanted me to run diagnostics on vacuum system for the stabilizers. We could not get clean data and Rodney and I think the system has been contaminated with seawater."
"Where does the oxygen come in?" Weir asked.
"I think Rodney's plan is to flush the system using the oxygen. That will allow laser to receive correct data again."
"You said this could be dangerous," Teyla prompted.
"Yes. It will depend on where the leak is and how much of the oxygen McKay will need to use to flush the system."
"Oxygen is an oxidizer, lass," Beckett said and at Teyla's puzzled look, he continued. "If any of the machinery were to spark, the concentrated amount of oxygen would let any sort of fire start quicker and burn hotter."
Zelenka nodded. "Yes. There is also the concern of the machinery itself and how easily Rodney will be able to access the parts of the system he needs to in order to access the vacuum lines. Not to mention …" He hesitated and looked at Teyla.
"Yes, Doctor?" she asked, seeing the worry in his eyes.
"Doctor McKay and Major Sheppard are right on top of the stabilizers. If the system goes critical while they are trying to fix it." He stopped again, pushed up his glasses, and glanced at Weir. "The room they are in would be the first to flood," he finally said. "We would never be able to get them out in time."
"Doctor Zelenka, do you see any other way to fix the stabilizers?" Weir asked into the silence from the engineer's dire prediction.
Zelenka shook his head. "If Rodney is right and the vacuum lines are contaminated, this is the fastest way to correct it."
"Speed may be of the essence, Doctor Weir," Teyla added. "The ceiling and walls are already damaged and Doctor McKay thinks it may be getting worse."
Weir looked around at the people in her office. "All right. Let's get this list put together and get everything back down to the east pier. Sergeant Bates, you will accompany Teyla back through the damaged sections."
"Yes, ma'am," Bates said.
"I'm going with you," Beckett declared.
"Carson -"
"We know Rodney is hurt, Elizabeth. It wouldn't surprise me if Major Sheppard is injured as well and just keeping mum. Which by the way I only released him from the infirmary this morning with orders to take things slow. I'm going." Beckett looked Weir in the eye. "Besides, if you want my medical supplies, you get me, too."
"All right, go," Weir said. "And be careful," she added as Beckett led the way back to the infirmary for the supplies McKay wanted.
~*~*~*~ SGA ~*~*~*~
Rodney paged through the stabilizer schematics on his computer looking for the best way to access the vacuum system. It was a welcome distraction from the ache in his leg, the creaking of the ceiling and walls around him, as well as the clunking and banging as Sheppard and Ford tried to shift the debris blocking their exit. He glanced back at the work around the door and tried not to think about being trapped.
"So what do you think?" Sheppard asked a few minutes later and Rodney jumped.
"Remind me to tie a bell around your neck," he grumbled and Sheppard grinned.
"Here," Sheppard said and held out a power bar. "You need to eat something."
Rodney took the offered energy bar and nodded his thanks, opened the bar, and took a bite. "What do I think about what?" he asked after he swallowed.
"You said you wanted to flush the vacuum tube using oxygen gas," Sheppard said as he ate his own power bar. "And you've been staring at the schematics for the past twenty minutes, so what do you think? Will it work?"
Rodney sighed and finished the power bar. He looked over the console again and finally met Sheppard's eyes. "Look, I'm not saying it's a good idea, I'm just saying that it could, potentially, be a … not-totally-terrible one."
"Uh, thanks?" Sheppard replied, confused. "How not-totally-terrible is this idea of yours?"
"Assuming Carson has what I need, and assuming we can get it in here …"
"Ford and I have made a pretty sizable hole. Not enough to fit a person through but he should be able to get the tank and other stuff to fit." Rodney started to say something and Sheppard held up a hand "I know, he won't use his arms. There's some short piping on his side of the fall he can use to push the stuff through."
Rodney nodded, rubbed at his leg, and tried to hide how much it hurt.
"I told Teyla to have Carson standing by to take a look at you once this is fixed and we're out of here," Sheppard said and Rodney had to smile.
"Thank you," he said simply and stuffed the crumpled energy bar wrapper in a pocket.
"You're welcome?" Sheppard replied. "What are you thanking me for?"
"I just told you this idea was thin at best, but you just assume it's going to work."
"Your plans have a habit of working out in the end," Sheppard said with a smile and rested a hand on Rodney's shoulder. "So, what exactly is this idea?"
Rodney turned back to the computer. "The vacuum lines are here," he said and pointed to an area of the schematic. "In order to reach them, I'll need to remove these two cover pieces and reach between this actuator arm and the wall of the machine. Then it's just a matter of connecting the oxygen and not blowing anything up."
"There's one big flaw in that plan that I can see," Sheppard said after a moment's pause.
"One?" Rodney snorted. "Try about seven."
Sheppard waved that away. "No, the biggest flaw is the part where you're doing the work."
Rodney stared at him, mouth agape. "You just told me the door wasn't going to be cleared in time for anyone else to get in here," he said. "That means no Zelemka or, god forbid, Kavanagh is going to come in here and do the work for me. Just who do you suggest?"
Sheppard frowned. "Come on, McKay, you're a smart guy. I'm sure you'll figure it out."
"You? No." Rodney shook his head. "This is my stupid idea -"
"Rodney, you can't stand, much less get down those stairs and tear apart machinery," Sheppard said patiently. "This isn't that different from bleeding a brake line on a car, just walk me through it."
Rodney sat and fiddled with one of the tiles from the console.
"Hey," Sheppard said softly, "I trust you, understand? It'll work."
"Major?" Teyla called from the doorway. "We are back with the supplies Doctor McKay requested."
"We?" Rodney looked up at Sheppard. "Did she say 'we'?" He turned to the door. "Teyla, you need to leave the stuff with Ford and take whoever the 'we' is and get back to the control tower."
"Rodney?" Sheppard said, drawing out the name. "What's going on?"
"One of the seven things," he answered. "I'm serious. Whoever's out there tell them to drop the supplies off with Ford and clear out. Once Ford feeds you the tank and other things, he needs to leave as well."
"All right, spill. What's the part of this plan you're not telling me?"
Rodney sighed. "Haven't you been listening?"
Sheppard looked puzzled. "Of course. I heard everything you said about how to fix the stabilizer."
Rodney shook his head. "For once I'm not talking about listening to me." He waved a hand around the room. "I mean the creaking, groaning, and other sounds of our imminent demise."
Sheppard glanced at his watch. "I thought you said we had twelve hours. It's been barely four."
"I said eight to twelve and apparently I was wrong. Don't get used to it." Rodney glanced at the ceiling as another low groan came from the supports. "If we don't get this fixed in the next hour, the system is going to go critical and this room is going to be the first casualty."
"What about the rest of Atlantis?" Sheppard asked.
"If the stabilizer shreds itself, that will solve the problem for the rest of the city; it won't be counter-rotating since it will be gone and the torsion stresses will stop."
"But this whole arm of the city will be either flooded or sheared off?"
"That's about right. Now, do you understand why they need to leave? The only reason you're staying is because there's no way I can get you out."
Sheppard stared at him for a long moment and Rodney looked over at the computer to escape the scrutiny. "I'm sorry," Rodney said softly.
"For what, exactly."
"For not thinking of a better plan or a way for you to get out with everyone else," he admitted.
He felt Sheppard's hand on his arm and glanced back. "We will talk about this later," Sheppard promised. "After we're both out of here."
~*~*~*~ SGA ~*~*~*~
Sheppard headed for the blocked doorway to deliver McKay's ultimatum.
"Teyla?" he called once he reached the debris pile.
"We're here, Major," she replied. "Why does Doctor McKay wish us to leave? Lieutenant Ford and Sergeant Bates have a plan for removing the rest of the debris that is trapping you. We could work on that while you both work to fix the stabilizer."
"He knows," Zelenka said quietly from behind Teyla. "He knows this arm will flood if the stabilizer goes critical."
"Hang on a minute," Beckett interrupted. "I thought there was still plenty of time."
"We don't have time for a coffee klatch," Rodney yelled from the console. "Zelemka, give the stuff to Ford and explain the realities of life on your way back to the control tower."
Ford, Teyla, and Beckett all looked ready to protest his demand, even Bates looked surprised. Zelenka just sighed and seemed a little sad.
"Ford, find something to start pushing the supplies through to me," Sheppard ordered before anyone could say anything. "Then all of you need to get to a safe distance."
"But Major -" Carson started to say.
"No buts, Doc," Sheppard said. "If this goes sideways, Rodney is right, you guys need to be clear of this area." He smiled. "However, when we have this all sorted, I'll radio you and once we're out of here you can read him whatever riot act you like."
"You'd better, Major. There are a few choice things I plan to say to both of you." Beckett stepped back from the small hole as Ford bent down and showed Sheppard the backpack ready to go.
Sheppard reached for the backpack tied to the pole Ford fed through the widened hole in the rubble. Once the tank had followed, Sheppard nodded to the huddle in the corridor. "Go on," he said with a smile. "We'll be right behind you."
He watched as Teyla, Ford, and the others walked back up the hall, then turned and headed back to the console.
"Finally," Rodney muttered and took the backpack. "I say we're on a short clock and everyone wants to sit down and chat." He pulled out the syringe, tubing, tape, and the rest of his requested items.
"If you want to be useful, you can go down and start removing the housing covers on the mechanism in the corner." He vaguely waved at a grey lump near the lower windows, pulled a pair of needle nose pliers and a screwdriver from the set of tools next to him, and handed the rest to Sheppard.
Sheppard nodded and headed for the stairs behind the control console.
"Just take off the housing covers," Rodney reminded. "The actuator arm is going to be moving in there. I'm going to have to work with the system up here to keep it out of your way while you work inside the machinery."
Sheppard headed down the stairs and over to the housing Rodney had indicated on the schematics. He heard the room creaking again as he reached the lower floor and glanced up as he heard telltale cracking. He saw Rodney doing the same thing and he stared down wide-eyed as they both realised the glass from the window near Rodney's console had cracked.
He found the right piece of machinery without any trouble and studied the housing in front of him. It wasn't as elegant as other pieces of Ancient technology found in the city; it looked almost Earth-like in its bulkiness. The housing came up to his chest and was a dull grey. As he looked it over, he noted the arm Rodney had mentioned sticking out from one side presumably attached to the shaft that descended into the floor and worked the fins. It had a bulbous piece in the center sticking out the top of the two housing covers he needed to remove. The problem was he didn't see anything like a screw holding the housing to the frame of the structure.
He stuffed the tools down the front of his vest and walked around the whole thing once looking for some way to get it open. Then he remembered the door panels he'd seen Rodney pry open around the city. Looking closer at the edges he finally found a piece with a seam and he pulled off the cover to find two latches underneath. Moving to the opposite end, he found another little panel and disconnected the latches he found under that one as well. Then he carefully removed the housing cover itself. He repeated the process for the other side and once he had the covers off, just stared at the inner workings of the system.
Okay, this might be a little different from bleeding a brake line, after all, he grimaced. While the schematic was nice clean lines, the actual stabilizer itself was less so. He could follow some of the tubes and lines snaking out of the dome in the middle, others were a complete mystery.
The room creaked again and shuddered slightly and Sheppard noticed cracks in the windows near him as well.
"Sheppard?" Rodney called and he could hear a note of rising panic. "Do you have those covers off yet."
"Yeah," Sheppard answered. "What do I do next?"
"First you come back up here and get the oxygen tank," Rodney said and Sheppard saw him leaning over the console to look down at him.
"Rodney, sit down," Sheppard ordered as he headed back up the stairs. "Beckett already plans to give you a piece of his mind for making him leave," he added as he stopped next to the console. "You mess up that leg even more and he won't let you out of the infirmary for a week."
Rodney sat back in the chair with a grunt and Sheppard noted the thin sheen of sweat on his face.
"Take this," Rodney said as he handed over the tank and a roll of waterproof tape. At the end of the tubing opposite the tank valve was another smaller valve and a makeshift holder for the small injection needle at the end of a narrower piece of tubing, all of it was heavily wrapped in the waterproof tape.
"When I tell you to, you need to gently insert the needle into the vacuum line."
Sheppard glanced down at the spaghetti bowl of tubes and wires.
Rodney must have read his mind as he added, "The vacuum line will be a clear, narrow line running from behind the actuator arm, probably along the stabilizer shaft."
"Got it," Sheppard said.
"Once you get the needle in, tape it down and open the valve for the tank then slowly open the smaller one. The second valve is acting like a pressure regulator. We don't want to blow the lines, but there is a balance we need to find so the oxygen flushes the water without damaging the rest of the system. Use the waterproof tape to hold the needle in place once you're done."
The room shuddered again and the window near Rodney's head cracked further.
"We might want to hurry this along," he said and looked up at Sheppard.
Sheppard could read the combination of fear and worry on his face. He met Rodney's eyes, nodded and tried to give him a reassuring smile before he turned back to the stairs, the tank under one arm.
Sheppard went back to the uncovered piece of the stabilizer system, set the tank down and looked into the mass of wires and tubes. He followed the actuator arm and found the small, clear tube that had to be the vacuum line. The arm was currently blocking his access to the line.
"The actuator is in the way," he called up to Rodney. "I can't reach the vacuum tube."
The room groaned again and Sheppard saw a sheet of water start to run down one of the windows in front of him.
"Give me a second to realign it," Rodney said. "Wait for my signal, otherwise it could take your hand off."
He waited and watched the water flow down the window faster as the crack widened in the window. And then the actuator arm slowly moved.
"What are you doing?" Sheppard asked as the arm slowly cleared the area he needed to access.
"Manually moving the fins," Rodney replied. "The good news is they are now rotating with the rest of the city, the bad news is without the laser it won't last so work fast."
The actuator moved a little bit more, then Rodney yelled, "It should be clear now. Insert the needle."
Sheppard moved the oxygen tank until it was right beside the clear tube and wedged it in place between the stabilizer and the solid wall. He glanced at the arm and selected a section of the vacuum line away from the play of its movement so the arm wouldn't break off the needle. He slowly inserted the needle along the tube and taped it down as the actuator fought whatever Rodney was doing to hold it away from his hands.
"Okay, the needle is in place and taped down," he told Rodney and moved his hands out of range of the arm as it snapped back to its previous position over the line. He quickly replaced the housing covers and turned back to the oxygen tank. He opened the main valve then slowly started to turn the smaller valve.
"How's that?" he asked.
The walls shuddered again and more water poured in from the crack in the window in front of him.
"Not nearly enough. Open it some more."
Sheppard turned the small valve until it was almost fully open. Before he could confirm with Rodney the oxygen was working, the window next to Rodney's console blew out sending him to the floor in a torrent of water.
"Rodney!" Sheppard shouted and made for the stairs. He fought up the stairs against the flow of water pouring in from the broken window and found Rodney trying to sit up, a red welt already forming where his head had hit something on the way down.
Rodney looked up at him, his eyes slightly glazed, then at the water coming in. "I guess we weren't quick enough," he said sadly as Sheppard knelt beside him.
"None of that," Sheppard said gruffly as he checked the welt. "We have a few minutes before the water reaches this level, we can still get out." Sheppard stood and reached down to pull Rodney up as well. "Grab your computer and let's get out of here."
Rodney shook his head but let Sheppard pull him to his feet. Once upright he wavered for a moment, balanced against the console and rubbed at the welt above his eye. Sheppard watched him visibly shake off the dizziness, then he grabbed the computer, stuffed it back in his pack, and powered down the Ancient console to its previous low setting. The lighting in the room returned to the dimness of when they'd arrived and Sheppard thought it made the water flooding into the downstairs area seem louder.
There was another, muffled bang as the window downstairs broke as well, and the water started rising faster.
"Come on," Sheppard said and pulled Rodney's arm over his shoulder. "Time to go."
"Past time if you ask me," he replied and grabbed up his pack in his free hand.
They were almost to the debris around the door when Sheppard saw one side of the pile start to shift, then fall in at them. He skipped back balancing Rodney against him and wondered if a window in the corridor had broken as well and more water was about to pour into the room.
Instead, he saw Ford with Bates next to him, pry bars in hand, waving him out to the hallway.
"Major, you gotta hurry, sir," Ford said in obvious relief as he handed off his pry bar to the Sergeant.
"Ford?" Sheppard asked confused, as he looked through the newly created opening.
"The bulkhead that way," Ford pointed in the direction opposite the corridor with the transporter, "is already closed but Doctor Zelenka said this area was starting to flood. If we don't leave now we'll be trapped when he has to close the other one."
By now Sheppard was at the door with Rodney still gamely hopping next to him, looking exhausted. The narrow passage wasn't wide enough for both of them so Sheppard maneuvered Rodney through the hole first to Ford. Ford took the backpack from him and gently pulled Rodney through the remaining debris blocking the doorway.
Once Rodney was out, Sheppard followed and Ford reached back through to grab his arm and pulled him out as well. The water was up to their level now and gently sloshed around their feet as Rodney sagged against the far wall.
"How far to clear the bulkhead, Lieutenant?" Sheppard asked as he resettled Rodney's arm over his shoulder.
Ford kept the backpack and led the way back up the corridor. Bates brought up the rear carrying the pry bars and other tools they'd used to break up the debris around the door. "It's about fifty feet, Major, in the next corridor. We lost one or more of the repeaters through here though so there's no way to let Doctor Zelenka know when we're clear. Teyla is waiting at the transporter and will let him know when she can see us."
"Or when the water gets too high?" Sheppard glanced over at Ford.
"Or when the water gets too high, yes sir," Ford confirmed.
"Bates," Sheppard called as the water was now above their ankles. "Go tell Teyla we're on our way." Hopefully, that would buy them a little extra time if she knew they were out of the room.
"Yes, sir," Bates confirmed and squirmed past Ford.
The water was rising faster as they turned the corner from the maintenance corridor and Rodney moved more slowly as a result. Sheppard readjusted his hold on him as Rodney leant more and more on him as the weight of the water pulled at his injured leg and sapped what energy he still had.
The water was over their knees when they cleared the bulkhead and turned the corner for the transporter where Teyla anxiously waited. Sheppard saw her key her radio and say something to someone on the other end and a few seconds later the barrier slammed closed a few feet behind them. Sheppard let out the breath he didn't realise he was holding as the water stopped rising. They were still a hundred feet or so from the transporter and Sheppard half carried Rodney the rest of the distance. Once they were all inside, there was still a standing pool of water in the transporter with them and Rodney had enough energy to make a face at Sheppard before he closed his eyes and leant against the wall.
The transporter opened on the corridor leading back to the control room with a near silent whoosh and the water that had transported with them sloshed out onto the waiting welcoming committee of Weir, Beckett, Zelenka, and a medical team. Sheppard grinned slightly as he watched them dance out of the way.
Ford helped Sheppard get Rodney out of the transporter and over to the waiting gurney; he was asleep on his feet. As they helped Beckett get him situated, Sheppard said, "I'm going to assume his plan worked?" He took a towel Weir held out to him and dried off his face and hair. He and Rodney were both soaked, Ford, Teyla, and Bates only slightly less so.
"Yes," Zelenka replied. "The oxygen flushed the seawater out of the system and the laser is tracking again. There is an engineering crew suiting up now to fix the leak permanently."
Sheppard nodded and followed the gurney to the infirmary, Teyla and Ford in tow. "Better get another one ready to go fix the windows down there," Sheppard said.
"Already in the works, Major," Weir assured him. "And Doctor Zelenka thinks he can rig up a pumping system to clear the water down there once it is watertight again." She stopped at the door to the infirmary. "Once Carson clears you, get cleaned up and we'll meet in my office."
"We will see you later, Major," Teyla said. "I need to let Halling and the others know the crisis is past."
Sheppard nodded and allowed himself to be led to the bed next to Rodney where he was groggily complaining about being wet.
"He gonna be okay, Doc?" he asked as Beckett examined Rodney's knee.
"I think so, Major," he started to say before Rodney interrupted.
"Did anyone bother to ask if my plan worked, or are we all just waiting for the inevitable?" he asked and tried to sit up.
Beckett pushed him back down.
"Yes, Rodney, the plan worked. Zelenka has a team going out now to fix the leak and check on the damage to the east pier."
"Good … that's good," he slurred and Sheppard noticed the syringe in Beckett's hand at the same time Rodney's eyes closed.
"I'm going to need to drain that knee, Major he'll be much happier not feeling it," Beckett explained.
"But he's going to be fine?"
"Oh, aye, I'll do a scan just to be sure, but I don't think he did any serious damage to the bone or ligaments. He can spend the night here, and I'll release him in the morning."
"Good," Sheppard said and started for the infirmary door.
"Just where do you think you're going, then, Major?" Beckett asked as he stood in Sheppard's path.
"Elizabeth wants to meet about what happened," Sheppard said and tried to dodge around Beckett.
"Yes, well, you can do that after I take a look at that arm." Beckett steered him back to the bed. "Did ya think I wouldn't notice, Major?" He removed the hasty dressing on the arm as well as the one on Sheppard's neck. "And I'd like to know exactly how you think running around getting yourself half drowned is taking it easy."
Sheppard didn't even try to answer that one, he just sat, rather meekly, and let Beckett fuss. He was fine, Rodney was fine, and Atlantis was safe. He couldn't ask for much more.
