Disclaimer – I don't own it, you all know I don't own it…
Re-Entry
The Jumper wobbled on an unsteady course through the airless vacuum. It cut a wavy path above the planet looming underneath. Swirling white clouds were dotted above the deep ocean far far below. The endless blue expanse covered the entire visible portion of the planet.
Resting on the ocean, invisible at this altitude, was the city of Atlantis.
Rodney tutted at his piloting ineptitude and gripped the controls more tightly. The Jumper responded by lurching sharply to the right.
"Damn it!" He muttered under his breath, fighting to keep the ship on course.
He was alone in the Jumper. The rest of his team were in a military training exercise and he had not been invited. Sheppard had told him that his mission was far more important.
He had been tasked to deploy some proximity space mines in orbit around Atlantis. The next time the Wraith showed up, the mines would be remotely activated and detonated. The mines would be powered down and undetectable until they were activated. By then it would be too late for the Wraith to avoid them.
This was Rodney's first trip and he had five mines secured in the rear compartment. He had a total of twenty mines to deploy. This was going to be a long day. One of his science teams, led by Dr Kavanagh had been working on the triggering mechanism for the last couple of weeks.
Rodney could not stand the man, so had kept well clear until the work was completed. Dr Weir had tried to persuade Kavanagh to accompany McKay in the deployment, but Kavanagh had dug in his heels and refused to go. He had vehemently muttered something about intolerable working conditions and creative differences. Rodney was the only one left who had the gene to fly the jumper.
Rodney reached his destination after a slight detour as he circled around the site a couple of times. He tapped his radio, "McKay to Control Room. I'm in position and will now proceed to begin mine deployment."
Dr Weir answered, "Acknowledged. We're monitoring your progress. We wondered if you were alright?"
Rodney sighed, "You all know that I'm a excellent pilot."
He imagined Weir's face as she tried to suppress her laughter. She was good though and did not let her amusement show through, "Be careful Rodney."
"Okay. McKay out."
He shut down the radio and set the Jumper to hover. Stars looked down at him through the windshield. He got up and went into the rear compartment with his tablet in hand.
The mines were ominous and fairly large. It had been a tight squeeze to fit them inside. Rodney had also insisted on a space suit, which was safely tucked away behind one of the spare chairs in the cockpit.
He moved to plug his tablet into the first mine and check it's connection to Atlantis. They had not yet been tested in space at this distance, however they had activated perfectly on the base.
Before he could attach the lead, the mine began bleeping and a red light flashed on the top.
Rodney opened his eyes widely in panic. Kavanagh seemed to have left the triggering mechanism online.
Rodney watched, frozen to the spot as the base of the mine crumpled in heat. Suddenly a stream of fire and debris shot out of the bottom of the mine. It streamed across the floor rapidly and hit Rodney in the legs. He cried out and collapsed, as his legs could no longer support him.
He rolled over and crawled into the cockpit. He staggered to his knees next to the pilot's console and quickly shut the bulkhead door. The heat disappeared for a moment. He was gasping and sobbing in pain as he pressed another button to open the rear hatch and jettison the mines.
He heard a reassuring whoosh and several clangs as the mines flew out the back of the Jumper.
He closed the hatch, re-pressurised the rear compartment and opened the bulkhead door.
He slumped down onto the floor and leant back against the DHD panel and closed his eyes. He tapped his radio as he panted through the agony. He did not dare look down at the damage just done to his legs.
"McKay to Control Room," his voice was shaking and weak.
Weir sounded concerned, "We read you Rodney. What happened? We just watched as you jettisoned all the mines at once."
"I… had… to," Rodney winced and began shaking violently against the pain.
"Are you alright?"
"No," Rodney huffed and tried in vain to control his shuddering, "One of the mines activated in the Jumper. I was standing too close, it shot out debris and fire into my legs. I can't move."
"Okay, stay put. I'm going to send another Jumper to assist. I'll call Colonel Sheppard and Dr Beckett."
Rodney replied quietly, "Mmm okay."
He was unsure how they were going to rescue him. The Daedalus was weeks away in the Milky Way Galaxy and Jumpers could not dock together as the hatches opened outwards.
Weir's voice came again over the radio, "Talk to us Rodney. How badly are you hurt?"
"I don't know yet. I can't look." Rodney was beginning to feel light-headed and cold, "Blood loss," he thought as his heart fluttered in his chest trying to pump a reduced amount of blood around his body.
"Rodney, get to the med kit and patch yourself up. It will be several minutes before the other Jumper is with you."
"Okay." Rodney gritted his teeth and opened his eyes.
A particularly gory sight met him; his lower legs were burned and raw. There was a piece of shrapnel protruding from his right shin. Blood was leaking from the wound and pooling onto the deck below.
"Oh! Ow ow ow!" He said through clenched teeth as the pain increased.
Weir had obviously called Carson and he now spoke on the radio, "How bad is it Rodney?"
"Um… pretty bad. They're really burnt."
"We're en route to you now. I need you to get to the med kit and then I'll tell you what to do."
"Okay okay."
Rodney thought for a moment, considering the most jar free way he could get to the rear of the Jumper. He spun sideways and rolled onto his back facing the front of the Jumper. He then carefully used his arms to pull himself along the floor backwards. He cried out several times as the movement caused fresh agonies to jolt up his legs.
By the time he reached the back of the Jumper he was panting as though he had just been chased by the Wraith. He lay back and looked at the ceiling for a moment.
Carson asked, "How're you doing lad?"
Rodney recovered from his trance at the sound of his friend's voice, "It hurts. I think I may be about to pass out."
"Less of that, son. I want you to grab the med kit and I'll talk you through what to do."
Suddenly a loud alarm began broadcasting from the Jumper cockpit. Rodney pushed himself upright to see the control panel. Without the HUD, he was unable to figure out what was going on.
He spoke into his radio, "Something's happening. There's an alarm going off. Oh no!"
Several large explosions close at hand suddenly went off. Each one impacted against the side of the Jumper. It began to spin out of control. The last explosion was larger than the rest and Rodney covered his head as the control crystal tray above him blew out in a shower of sparks.
The Jumper became silent and the lights went out as it lost power.
Rodney reached up and tapped his radio, "McKay to Atlantis?"
He received nothing but static in reply. Without power, the radio had just become a normal Earth one, with a severely limited range.
"McKay to Carson?"
Rodney was surprised to hear Sheppard's voice in reply, "We're here Rodney. We just watched the mines explode and your Jumper is now turning erratically out of control."
"My legs hurt."
Carson said, "Aye, I know Rodney. I want you to grab the med kit and wrap them up."
Rodney gritted his teeth and reached up to grab the medical kit from under the rear compartment bench. He unzipped it and pulled out some pressure bandages.
"You told us they were burned. So don't use the pressure bandages. There should be some special burn ones in the med kit. Just roll them around your legs loosely to protect them."
Rodney tossed the pressure bandages aside and rummaged around in the med kit, triumphantly pulling out some different bandages after a minute. He wrapped one around his left leg over his clothes. He then moved onto the right leg and he wrapped another one around, carefully avoiding the imbedded metal.
When he finished he spoke into the radio, "My right leg has a piece of metal in it. It's really bleeding."
Carson sounded shocked, "Okay, grab a small thin pressure bandage and wrap it around the metal. Don't whatever you do attempt to pull it out."
"Like I'd be that stupid." Rodney gasped as he did as Carson had instructed.
"Okay now what?"
Sheppard spoke again, "Now we get you out of there. Uh oh!"
"What now?" Asked Rodney. He had sunk back down to lie on the floor of the Jumper with his eyes closed.
"Your Jumper is spinning down in a rapidly decaying orbit." Sheppard sounded worried.
It did not do anything to calm Rodney's already shredded nerves, "If I can restore power, everything will be alright."
Rodney steeled himself. This was more than a simple repair. It was about survival. If he did not do this he was going to die. He sat up and grabbed the corner of the bench in the rear of the Jumper. He screamed as he pulled himself upright and stood on his left leg.
He panted heavily and reached up to the ceiling crystal tray. It was completely fried. Most of the crystals were broken or blackened and useless. There was no way to fix it without any spare crystals. Some of the relays seemed to be still working, but there was no way he could rearrange the crystals and get the engines back.
He sat down on the bench, "I'm sorry John. It's too badly damaged. We need another option." He snapped his fingers and stood up again, "I have a space suit. I could put it on, open the rear hatch and drift over to you."
Rodney hopped to the cockpit and picked up the suit and frowned, "It's no good John, the suit was burnt and damaged by the fire, it's completely useless."
Sheppard spoke over the radio once more, "We have two space suits over here. I could suit up and bring the spare one over to you."
Rodney brightened up at this. Maybe he was not going to die today after all, "Okay I'll just seal off the rear compartment and open the hatch."
He hopped over to the emergency door controls and pulled the levers. Nothing happened. His face fell in frustration and tears began welling up in his eyes.
"That's no good either. There's no power or maybe it's damaged. I can't close the middle bulkhead."
Rodney sat down in one of the chairs, defeated. He wiped a hand across his face brushing away the tears.
Sheppard's calm voice came over the radio, "I wasn't sure about that idea anyway Rodney. Your Jumper is close to entering the atmosphere. There's no guarantee we could get to you in time and not burn up."
Rodney just let out a sigh and watched in front of him as the windshield showed a dizzying and disorientating display. He saw alternating views of the planet and the stars rushing by as the Jumper rolled end over end.
A moment later, Sheppard spoke again on the radio, "Zelenka just suggested we use the grapple to try and pull you up into a stable orbit."
Sheppard monitored the HUD in concentration. Rodney's Jumper was just about the breach the upper atmosphere. There was so little time.
Zelenka had told him to hurry and that he would need to match to the spin of the other Jumper or the grapple would just break.
Carson was watching, his face torn by anxiety.
Sheppard began rolling the Jumper, grateful for inertial dampeners. After a few minutes the sky and horizon were rolling across the windshield, while relatively Rodney's Jumper remained stationary.
Just as Sheppard was lining up to fire the grapple, they entered the upper atmosphere. He watched as the metal of the other Jumper glowed orange and white flames surrounded it. They were coming in far too fast.
He quickly finished moving the Jumper and checked the HUD. He pressed a control and the grapple shot out in front and impacted to the side of the other Jumper's rear hatch.
He very gently nudged the controls, so as not to dislodge the cable or damage the other Jumper. The HUD showed that it was working. The descent speed of Rodney's Jumper slowed down and it even stopped spinning so violently.
Zelenka's voice came over the radio, "It is not enough. There will not be enough time to stop the other Jumper before it hits ground."
Sheppard looked down, "Well I'm fresh out of ideas, what are we going to do?"
Rodney had heard him and his weak voice came over the radio, "You said you had a couple of space suits? I think I may have a solution."
The Jumper's circled around each other in a bizarre dance as they fell through the sky. Tethered together by a tenuous cable.
Sheppard was in the back of his Jumper hastily stuffing himself into a space suit. Carson had reluctantly taken over the controls and Sheppard had told him not to move or deviate from the current course by even a millimetre. They were currently in the radio black out zone.
Sheppard finished securing his helmet when the radio crackled to life.
"Okay Rodney, are you ready? I'm coming across to you know."
"Okay. Did I tell you this idea is absolutely crazy?"
"You may have mentioned it once or twice, but you thought of it so I don't know why you're complaining."
Sheppard had spun the Jumper through 180 degrees so that the cable was now underneath the rear hatch.
He tied a harness around the suit and attached a couple of ropes. One was secured in the back of the jumper and another one hung loosely by his side. He had roped the other space suit onto his back and staggered slightly under the weight.
When he was finished, he spoke, "Okay Carson. Let's do this."
The middle bulkhead in Sheppard's Jumper closed and the rear hatch opened.
Sheppard was blasted by the sudden gust of wind, which howled into the rear compartment. Only the ropes saved him. He looked out of the door and saw a truly terrifying sight.
In front of him was a thin cable between his Jumper and Rodney's. Behind Rodney's Jumper the sea stretched out as far as he could see. It was impossible to tell how high up they were, but he knew they did not have very long.
He closed his eyes and reached out of the rear hatch. He attached a metal clip onto the cable and undid the clip keeping him attached to his Jumper. For Rodney's sake he had to do this.
When his rope was secure, he reached out his hands and grabbed hold of the cable. Then he eased himself out of the Jumper. His stomach rolled and protested at the sudden G-Forces as he was thrown about by the spin. He kept hold of the rope and moved slowly across.
When he was halfway he spoke, "Are you ready Rodney? You remember what you need to do."
Rodney's voice came over in a harsh whisper, "I'm ready Colonel. All roped up and secure."
"Okay. Do it!"
The rear hatch of Rodney's Jumper opened as he pulled the manual release. Sheppard saw his terror and pain filled eyes for a second before he too was thrown backwards by in rush of air. He had an oxygen mask on his face, but he closed his eyes against the sudden cold.
Sheppard only had a few seconds before he lost his friend to hypothermia. He quickly slid the rest of the distance and stepped into Rodney's Jumper. He unclipped his harness and closed the rear hatch.
He shuffled over to Rodney who wasn't moving and undid the ropes securing the spare space suit.
Sheppard could see his friend's chest rising and falling. He was still alive.
Sheppard quickly, but carefully put Rodney inside the spare space suit.
A combination of the sudden warmth and air in the space suit woke Rodney up. He grimaced and looked at Sheppard.
"Come on buddy, let's get out of here."
The return trip to the other Jumper was slow, and Sheppard feared that they were not going to make it. All that he could see was the ocean getting larger every second as he pushed Rodney along in front of him on the rope.
He was so relieved when they both collapsed in a heap of tangled limbs in the back of the Jumper.
Sheppard spoke into his radio, "We're aboard Carson. Close the hatch and release the grapple."
"Bloody hell Colonel, give a man a heart attack! You were gone such a long time I was contemplating leaving you."
The hatch slammed shut behind and Sheppard heard a twang below as the grapple rope was cut.
Sheppard pulled off his helmet and gloves and removed Rodney's helmet.
Rodney was looking up at him in amusement and wonder, "Colonel, you're completely crazy. I think you'll need to be sectioned by Heightmeyer when we get back."
Sheppard smiled, "You're welcome Rodney."
Sheppard caught up with Rodney the next day in the mess hall. Rodney had been released from the infirmary and was hopping around on crutches with his legs swathed in bandages.
Rodney just looked at him with spark of admiration in his twinkling eyes.
"Hi Rodney. How're the legs."
"Oh they're fine John."
"Glad to hear it."
"Dr Weir is very disappointed in Kavanagh. Not only did we lose five of the mines, but we also lost another Jumper."
"Not to mention we nearly lost you."
Rodney grimaced and looked away, "I know, but I knew you'd get me out of that spinning death dive somehow."
"It was your idea."
"I know but you pulled it off."
"Dr Weir said I didn't have to go and finish the rest of the mine deployment. She forced Kavanagh to go up there with one of the marine pilots."
Sheppard laughed, "That way if he gets it wrong again, it'll be all his fault when he needs a rescue!"
Rodney smiled. He knew Sheppard would carry out such a dangerous feat of bravery for anyone, even Kavanagh.
EDIT - Thanks Silverthreads for pointing out a glaring OOC moment for Sheppard. My bad.
A/N - This story is partly inspired by Star Trek Voyager's orbital skydiving and an idea that struck me at the beginning of Season 5's 'Ghost in the Machine.'
Thanks for reading! Please let me know what you think ;)