Part 3
Rodney used the sleeve of his jacket to wipe down his face. He wasn't sure whether it was the toil of the work that made him sweat or just the stressful, terrifying situation. Over the last years he'd been faced with certain death more often than he could count, it was hardly a new experience, but he found that it felt different every time. He guessed some things one could never get used to. Not that he wanted to get used to it. Seriously, who would want to reach that point where you stopped being afraid?
He stole a couple of glances at his surroundings. Most of the Genii soldiers had retreated to another room, but a couple stayed behind and kept him under close observation, their guns in their hands. He sighed and glanced towards the jail doors. It was several hours since Jennifer had talked her way into Zelenka's cell, and Rodney had clearly heard the groans of pain that had come from the room shortly after. He shuddered at the memory.
"Keep working!" one of the soldiers barked, and Rodney reluctantly obliged. He had to look busy, or they'd know that he was trying to drag out the process.
Because he was, of course. He knew very well that as soon as he had finished the repairs he would become obsolete to these people, and so would Jennifer and Radek. And so he worked as slowly as he possibly could.
But, if he were to be completely honest with himself, then he would have to admit that it wasn't just his own doing that the procedure was taking so long. The Ancient device puzzled him. He wasn't quite sure what it was, and so far he hadn't been able to drag much useful information from it.
He tapped away at his laptop keyboard and stifled another sigh over the incomprehensible readings. Maybe they would have made more sense if his heart were in it, he thought. He hoped so. No matter the circumstances, Rodney didn't like running into walls. After all he considered himself one of the smartest men in the universe (and so did other people), and he hated it whenever something or someone proved him wrong.
Yes, he decided. In other circumstances this would have been a cakewalk. But right now his mind was preoccupied with other tasks. Mainly finding a way out of this sticky situation. Even though he was a pessimist by nature, he had made impossible escapes from dangerous situations before, and even he would have to conclude that there was usually some way out. He just needed to find it.
The security outside the cells was minimal. That much was clear. But there was probably a reason for that. The Genii obviously had great faith in the locking mechanisms on the doors, and even if they did manage to break free of the cells, there would be guards stationed between this hall and the facility's exit. Unless there was another way out…
Rodney yawned and his eyelids were starting to become really heavy. He had no idea what time it was. He had his wristwatch of course, but that was set to Atlantis-time and would not apply to this planet's solar cycle. His stomach growled, revealing the fact that he had not eaten in several hours.
He glanced at the guard closest to him. "I need to rest," he said. "Unless you can provide me with some really strong coffee."
"Keep working," the man growled.
"Seriously, I'm going to pass out," Rodney pushed on. "And then I won't get any work done."
"I said, keep working!" the man shouted, and then slammed the butt of his rifle into Rodney's stomach.
For a few moments all Rodney saw were stars. His knees buckled a little and he fought to draw in air. He blinked several times, slowly managing to clear his vision and straighten his body again.
"Keep working," the Genii soldier repeated once more.
"What's going on in here?" a voice rang out, and Rodney and the soldier both turned to see where it came from. The leader of the group and the man previously named Tavro entered the hall.
"He refused to work," the guard replied.
"I… I only asked for a little rest," Rodney gasped.
"Be quiet!" the soldier shouted and lifted the rifle again, making Rodney flinch and step backwards.
"Hold it!" the leader said, and the soldier lowered his weapon and turned to look at his commander. "It's late at night," the leader continued. "We shall grant him rest."
"Fermin," the man called Tavro protested, but his commander only sent him a warning look.
"A rested man works better," Fermin, as he obviously was called, said. "Even slaves must sometimes sleep."
"Yes, Chief," Tavro said, but seemed a little reluctant.
Fermin nodded to the soldier, and he grabbed Rodney by the arm and took him to the cell Jennifer had previously occupied.
"You know, I could really use some food," Rodney said as he was pushed into the little room. "If I don't eat I'll become hypoglycemic…"
"Don't push your luck," the soldier hissed and slammed the door shut, leaving Rodney alone in the dark.
He glanced around, taking in these new surroundings, but there weren't much to look at. There was literally nothing in the room.
"Rodney?"
He looked around to pinpoint where Jennifer's voice came from, and finally spotted the little crack in the wall. He crouched down next to it. "Jennifer?"
"Are you alright?" she asked.
He rubbed his stomach. "I'll live."
"What's happening?"
"Well, apparently they're granting me a night's sleep."
"How decent of them," she remarked in a sarcastic voice.
He silently watched the crack for a few moments, wishing he could see her. "How is Zelenka?" he asked.
She paused. Long enough for him to know something was seriously wrong. "Not good," she eventually replied. "It's a bad fracture, Rodney. The blood circulation has been compromised."
"So, he's gonna lose it?"
Again she paused. "He might. But that's not the worst."
Of course that could not be the worst. He should have known. The law of Murphy apparently never seized to apply in this galaxy. "No?" was he all he said.
"I believe he's bleeding. Internally."
"What does that mean?" he asked, even though he already knew the answer.
"He needs surgery," Jennifer answered. "Soon. Or he'll die."
With a sigh Rodney sat back on his butt and leaned his back against the wall. "Crap," he said.
"What are we gonna do?" Her voice sounded tiny and scared, and that protective man he'd never known he was before he met her, came to the surface once again.
"I'll get us out," he said. "I promise."
"How?"
He had no idea how, of course, and before he could come up with some insignificant answer, he heard the lock in his door turn and the door was opened. One of the Genii soldier threw a blanket inside and then put down a bowl of food on the floor. "Courtesy of Fermin," he said, and his voice clearly gave away that he didn't approve of this act of compassion from his superior. Rodney didn't reply; he only glared at the man as he left him and closed the door once more.
"We've been given water and food," Jennifer declared from the other cell.
"Yes, so have I," Rodney said and went over to have a closer look at it. Even Genii military rations couldn't destroy his appetite at this point, and he picked it up and sat down by the wall with it. "You should eat," he told Jennifer.
"Yes," came her short reply.
It didn't take him long to finish the 'meal', and then he draped the blanket around him as his cell gradually grew colder. He sat there by the crack in the wall, wondering why Jennifer wasn't talking. Then it dawned on him that he wasn't talking either, and he tried to come up with something to say. It shouldn't be so hard, he thought to himself. There was actually a lot he wanted to tell her. He wanted to tell her that he loved her. He wanted to apologize for the way he had behaved towards her. He wanted to beg and crawl, as Radek had put it.
But somehow he didn't. For some reason he did not speak. He opened his mouth several times, but every time he closed it again, and he didn't really know why. You fool, he thought to himself. This is the chance you've got. Tomorrow it might be too late. Talk to her, you moron. But still he said nothing.
He could hear the shuffle of her moving around in the room, and a few low whimpers that probably came from Zelenka. Sometimes he heard them talk, but not to him, and their words were too muffled for him to make out. He had no idea how many hours went by. He just sat there, and sometimes he felt as if he could sense her on the other side of the wall, mentally reaching out to him as he did to her.
He dosed off after a while and got a few hours of sleep, before his cell door was opened and he was called out to continue his work. But during the night he at least had had the time to come up with an idea and a next course of action.
"I need more power," he told the Genii as matter-of-factly as he could. "I need to hook my computer up to yours, or else I won't be able to start this thing." Tavro glared at him, but Rodney ignored him, looking to Fermin instead. "Sir?" he said.
"Very well," Fermin said.
"Chief, I must protest!" Tavro exclaimed.
"I'm in charge here, Tavro," the leader coolly replied, and put an efficient end to the discussion.
Rodney hurriedly grabbed the cables and hooked his laptop to the Genii computer that was situated by the wall opposite of the jail cells, hoping the contents of its files would include the information he needed.
Jennifer hadn't slept much. She'd spent most of the night tending to Radek who had been in and out of consciousness. He was in great pain. She knew this, even though she saw he was trying to hide it from her. "I'm sorry," she'd said several times. "I don't have any pain killers."
"Not your fault," he would answer every time, but his voice had gotten fainter and more slurred during the night.
It was morning now, or so she thought because Rodney had been taken from his cell, but she doubted that Zelenka would survive another day. She did not voice these concerns out loud though. Just like he tried to hide the pain from her, she tried to hide the seriousness of the situation from him, but she feared her attempt was just as futile as his. The knowing look he sent her now and then clearly stated that he knew he was in a bad shape.
"You want something to eat?" she asked him. She had tried to offer him some the night before, but he had refused.
He shook his head. "No, thank you."
She sighed, but didn't pursuit the matter. "Have some water, at least." She held the flask to his lips and he swallowed a couple of mouthfuls. She smiled reassuringly, but she knew very well that smile didn't reach her eyes. And the smile she got in return, told her he'd seen it.
She rested her hand on his forehead for a minute. His skin was becoming damp and diaphoretic, and she fought hard to keep that deep frown that took form inside her away from her face. There was no doubt he was bleeding – his pale features and the purple bruise that kept growing on his arm was evidence enough – and he would go into shock soon unless he'd get help.
"How are you holding up?" she asked. She knew it was a stupid question, but she felt she had to ask it nonetheless.
"I'm tired," he whispered.
"I know. But try to stay awake, okay?"
"I'll try," he promised.
"I thought about what you said last night," she said, trying to strike up a conversation. "About love and pride and all."
He grimaced. "Yes?"
"Do you ever regret you let her go?"
He paused as he seemingly pondered on the question. "I used to. Sometimes. But not anymore."
"But you never remarried."
"No, I didn't."
"Why not?"
He smiled tiredly. "Well, to remarry you need first find someone. And I guess I never met anyone who… There have been lovers, of course, and girlfriends – despite popular belief, I am not a hermit. But marriage? Well…" His eyes lost focus for a minute, as if his thoughts drifted. "The thought has never crossed my mind. At least not before…" He abruptly stopped talking.
She smiled and looked curiously at him. "You've met someone?"
He actually blushed a little. "No," he replied curtly, and then paused a little before he added, "I haven't met her."
Her smiled broadened. "But someone's caught your interest?"
"I…"
He looked uncomfortable, but she wasn't going to let him off the hook now. "Someone on Atlantis?" she asked eagerly.
"Where else?" he muttered, but then he shook his head. "Oh, listen to me, confiding in you like this. You don't even like me."
Her smile disappeared and she stared at him, uncertain whether she'd actually heard what she thought she'd heard. "What?" she exclaimed. "What d'you mean, I don't like you?" He looked away, but she forced him to meet her gaze again. "Radek, do you think I don't like you?"
"Well, I… Never mind."
"No!" She shook her head. "No, I will mind. I don't want you to believe I dislike you. It's just that… I don't know you. You see, I tend to be shy around people I don't know, and I guess that might sometimes come across as hostility."
"Okay."
"So we're cool?"
"I guess."
She exhaled, trying to shake the sense of tension that had fallen between them. "So, who is she? Someone I know?"
"I won't tell."
"Are you sure? If it's someone I know, I could put in a good word for you."
He actually smiled now and a teasing gleam appeared in his eye. "But you don't know me."
This time she was the one who blushed. "Oops, busted," she said with a little, nervous laugh. "But I'd say I know you well enough to conclude that you're a decent guy."
"Thank you."
She looked earnestly at him. "But I'd like to know you better, Radek. I should. We've worked together for a long time now. And you're obviously an important person in Rodney's life." He snorted. "Oh, come on," she said. "I know he'll deny it, but at least you shouldn't. I believe you know better."
He tried to move his injured arm a little and seemed to regret it a second later, as his whole body contracted and he gasped. "Lay still," she said, and carefully rested a hand on his shoulder while he rode out the pain.
"I guess I can be a little prejudiced myself," he said once he was able to speak again. "I just expect people not to like me. I know they find me weird. People always have. When I was a child, I never socialized much. I suppose I never learned how to behave around others."
She smiled knowingly, wondering if he knew how familiar this story was to her. "You were a prodigy," she stated.
"Yes. I was twelve when they came and took me away."
"They?" she said. "Away?"
"Representatives of the Party," he explained. "They sent me to a school for so-called gifted children in Prague, miles away from home."
"And you were only twelve? How awful!" She stared at him, finding this new piece of information quite shocking. Growing up she had been a prodigy too, always felt like a freak and out of place, but at least she'd been allowed to be with her father.
"It was how it was done," he said, and it wasn't clear to her whether he defended that system or just stated that that was the way it was. "I was told I was to use my talents to serve the Party and the People, and the Party provided for my family in return."
"Did you get to see them?" she asked.
"I visited them every summer," he said. "Listen, it wasn't that bad. I was happy in Prague. There were other children like me there. For the first time in my life I felt like I belonged somewhere. That my talents and my work were appreciated. At home I only felt, yes, weird."
"At least I can relate to that," she said.
His eyes got that dreamy far-off look again. "The first week I was in Prague, I snuck out and wandered around on my own a little. I ended up on Charles' Bridge crossing the river Vltava." She nodded, showing that she was paying attention. "You know that stupid game where you throw a wooden stick in the water and then run across the bridge to see it come out on the other side?"
She smiled. "Yes."
"I did that. And every time since when I crossed that bridge. I still do it whenever I go home." He paused and closed his eyes. "It's so silly."
"I don't think so," she said with a smile, and meant it. She pulled the blanket the Genii had given them the night before all the way up to his chin. "You need to stay warm," she said, and then gently patted him on his cheek a couple of times. "And stay awake."
He mumbled a little, but obediently opened his eyes. She made him drink some more water and checked his pulse and color of the fingers on the injured arm. Both things made her frown. His glassy, feverish gaze followed her and she knew he must have seen it. But he didn't say anything.
She was about to strike up the conversation again, when she heard the door in the next cell open and Rodney's irritated voice as he apparently was pushed in. She hurried across the little room and crouched down by the crack in the wall. "Rodney, what's going on?"
"I told them I had to, you know, go," he answered from the other side of the wall. "I need to speak to you."
"Yes?"
He lowered his voice. "I've found a way out."
"Really?"
"Yes. I managed to hack into their system. The locks on these jail doors are remotely controlled. I believe I am able to override them from my work station."
"Okay?"
"Listen carefully to me now. They will soon come to collect me again."
"I'm listening."
"When I see an opportunity I will create a distraction and then override the locking mechanism to open your door. As soon as you hear it open, I need you to take Radek and run for the door at the far end of the hall outside."
"But…"
"Listen! I found the layout of this facility in the computer base. That door will take you to the auxiliary exit. I will give you directions now, you must memorize them." Quickly he described the route to her. "Will you remember that?"
"I will. But what about you?"
He was silent for a moment or two. "I will have to stay behind," he said.
"We won't leave you here!" she exclaimed.
"Jen, we have no choice. I know Radek's getting weaker all the time. You need to do this while he can still walk." He paused and then added, "He can still walk, right?"
"I believe so." Her voice was suddenly thick with emotion. "Rodney, when they discover that we're gone, they will kill you."
Again he was quiet for a few seconds. "Yes," he said rather stiffly and overly controlled. "They most likely will."
"Rodney…" She put the palm of her hand on the icy cold wall that separated them, wanting so much to touch him.
"Jennifer, you must do it, you hear me?" he pleaded with her. "Please get out of here. If not for your sake, then do it for Radek. He doesn't deserve to be here."
She swallowed hard and blinked back a few tears. "Okay," she managed to say.
"Good. Be ready."
She heard the door on the other side open and the voice of a Genii soldier gruffly calling Rodney out. And as she heard him leave, she suddenly realized there was something important she had forgot to tell him.
"I love you," she whispered.
