Chapter 4.
Thank you for the reviews! A special thanks, again, to the wonderful Kodiak for her prompt and scrupulous beta skills.
Sheppard woke from his deep sleep to find a worried McKay peering anxiously at him from overhead. Blinking furiously to get his vision into focus, Sheppard groaned as he returned to lucidity, and the pain from his wounds flooded his senses, throbbing relentlessly.
"Colonel? Thank God. You've been unconscious for hours, and I was really worried that…"
Sheppard interrupted McKay. "I'm fine," he whispered, knowing that his body wouldn't be able to take much more of the sort of abuse it had already suffered.
McKay snorted and Sheppard saw the anger and concern in the physicist's face.
"You are not fine! Stop being so – macho, all the time. You've lost more blood than I want to think about, though my medical prowess has fortunately stopped the bleeding for the moment," he babbled, and Sheppard knew the psychological stress of witnessing the torture was taking its toll on his friend.
Sheppard grimaced as he tried to sit up, flopping back down onto his sore back as he spectacularly failed.
"Thanks for looking after me," he said simply.
McKay stood, and started to pace. Sheppard saw that the deep bruise on his friend's cheek was more pronounced, and that the scientist had gained a second deep split in his lip, which was swollen and bruised.
McKay was anxiously wringing his hands together, and his words came out in a furious bluster.
"I can't do this anymore, Colonel. I never thought I'd say this – but I'd rather they were hurting me than you. I know what you're going to say. Surely not? Since when did Melodramatic McKay, Recreant Rodney become stoic and brave?" he paused, shaking his head in exasperation. "I'll tell you when. When I got to the point that I couldn't bear to watch sadistic bastards hurt a friend to get information from me."
McKay slumped to the ground, grunting as the pain from his bruised ribs flared.
"Seriously, Sheppard, I can't do this anymore. This is hurting more than anything they could do to me, but I know that won't make any difference to them, will it? They want to hurt you, and there's nothing I can do stop them, is there?" McKay halted his outburst, and looked into Sheppard's pale features. "You said they'd mess with my head, and they have, haven't they? I'm the weakest link and I've broken. They've already won." The physicist lowered his head into his hands, his body language screaming that he'd finally given up. Sheppard noticed McKay's heavy breathing, and shaking body, and understood that the scientist was struggling to control his emotions.
"Rodney?" Sheppard called quietly to his friend. "Listen to me. This is what they want – to break you. Sure, they're enjoying making me yell, but you've got to be strong. We just need to hang in there for a little longer, and the cavalry will be here. You have to believe that," he half-begged.
McKay lifted his head and snorted. "Can't you ever stop being the eternal optimist? They're not coming! Don't you get it? They'd have been here by now if they were."
He stood again, and turned to look down at the prone man on the floor of the cell.
"I'm stopping this right now." He walked over to the cell door. "Guard!" he shouted at the top of his voice.
Sheppard attempted to move again, this time succeeding in manoeuvring himself to his good side and pushing himself up awkwardly to his knees.
"What the hell are you doing, McKay?" he demanded, knowing full well what was happening.
"I'm going to try and bargain with them. Tell them who I am, and get them to negotiate for our release with Elizabeth. We're bound to have something they want," McKay answered.
"Rodney – don't. It won't work. Listen to me. I understand how you feel, but you could put Atlantis at risk, and I'm simply not worth it. Sit back down and wait for the guys to break us out of here. I know this is hard for you to accept, but neither of our lives is as important as the safety of those back on Atlantis. Just think about it, okay?" he pressed, trying to persuade McKay to see reason.
McKay turned back to look at Sheppard, and seeing the colonel's pleading face, sank to his knees.
"Oh my God! What was I thinking? I was going to tell them everything. I'm really screwed up…shit. I'm sorry, really, really sorry," he muttered in a broken and weak voice.
Sheppard shuffled over to McKay.
"Hey, don't worry about it. What they're doing to you is the worst kind of torture, don't you see?" he asked. "Yes, they're hurting me physically, but they're mentally torturing you, and that's far worse, believe me," Sheppard comforted his friend. "What you need to do, is believe help is on its way, and even if things don't work out, well – shit happens."
"Shit happens? Is that all you can say?" McKay asked in astonishment.
Sheppard smiled. "What else is there to say? Life isn't fair sometimes. You just have to accept that and move on."
"I hate you sometimes, really – I do. How can you be so – laid back, and brave about everything?" McKay asked in a voice thick with both emotion and annoyance.
Sheppard snorted. "You think I'm not scared? Well I am, believe me. The difference is I've been trained not to let it show. I don't want to die, and I sure as hell don't want you to either, but sometimes events are out of our control." Sheppard locked on to McKay's eyes with his own. "They'll be here. I know they will. We just need to hang on a little longer," he assured the physicist.
The cell door creaking open startled both men, and the entrance of Cyclops to their cell was just as surprising.
"Gentlemen? Glad to see you're both awake. I want you to understand something. I don't like being lied to, or toyed with." Cyclops took his hand from where it had previously been hidden behind his back, and fingered the weapon Sheppard could now clearly see. His own 9 mil.
"This weapon is yours, isn't it, Colonel Sheppard?" Cyclops grinned in triumph.
Sheppard's face betrayed his shock that Cyclops knew who he really was.
"Hah! Surprised I'm not as stupid as I look?" he sneered.
Sheppard stifled a laugh. "Well not really. That'd be pretty difficult, wouldn't it?"
Cylops studied the colonel, who was still kneeling, and making a decision, walked over to him and put the gun to Sheppard's head.
"It would be so easy to kill you, Sheppard, and such a pleasure," he sighed. "But, I can't do that. What would Dr. Weir say if I killed my prime hostage?" he asked, as he lowered the gun.
McKay interrupted Cyclops. "Weir knows we're here?"
"Yes, Dr. McKay. We are currently, how did she put it, ah, in negotiations for your safe return to her. She contacted us several hours ago, and was keen to offer generous supplies in return for you and Sheppard." Cyclops paused, frowning at McKay. "Though she was very surprised to learn we had captured Han Solo and Luke Skywalker, she actually laughed for some reason. Of course, she wants you both back unharmed. I had to inform her that Colonel Sheppard had already been – regrettably injured, so that means I can still inflict some more pain, doesn't it?" Cyclops grinned evilly at Sheppard, and taking the safety off the gun, aimed it at Sheppard again.
"What the hell are you doing? You just said you were in negotiations for our safe return. He can't take much more of your abuse, and if you kill him, Dr. Weir won't negotiate for my return. She doesn't even like me," McKay lied, hoping to stop the brutal man from injuring Sheppard further.
Cyclops laughed loudly, a deep laugh that echoed around the cell. "You not pretty enough for her, McKay?" he mocked. "Don't worry, I don't intend to kill him, I'm…"
Cyclops was interrupted by a large blast rocking the cell. Recovering himself quickly, he snorted, and aimed the gun at Sheppard's chest, cocking his finger, ready to fire.
"Looks like Dr. Weir didn't want to negotiate after all. Pity, I was looking forward to having some more fun. Goodbye, Sheppard," Cyclops laughed.
McKay made his move immediately, and tackled theCyclops to the floor, the 9 mil in the goon's hand firing, as they both fell backwards to the floor.
McKay struggled with every ounce of courage and strength he had, his fists pummelling Cyclops' face relentlessly.
The next thing McKay was aware of, Ronon was hauling him to his feet, flinging him aside and over to relative safety, as the tall man aimed his weapon at the bloody-faced Cyclops on the floor.
Looking around the cell, McKay saw two unconscious, possibly dead guards in the doorway, and Lorne and Teyla kneeling down by Sheppard, who was now lying on the floor of the cell.
"You came. I didn't think you would. Sheppard never gave up. He knew you wouldn't leave us here. Thank God!" McKay babbled in relief. "Sheppard? They're here. You were right. So, that makes one time you got it right. Still, who's counting?" he joked, his body suddenly shaking as the implications of his act of bravery hit him.
On hearing no reply, he edged towards the colonel, and immediately stopped dead in his tracks. Teyla was pressing a field dressing saturated in blood into Sheppard's left thigh, and talking urgently to Lorne.
"Sheppard?" McKay asked, suddenly feeling faint as he realised the bullet from the 9 mil must have hit the colonel.
Lorne approached McKay, reaching out to touch his arm. "Listen, Doc. We need to get the colonel back to the 'jumper now. Can you walk?" he asked calmly.
"Yes, yes. Oh God, I helped shoot him, didn't I? I didn't mean to. He was aiming for his chest. He would've killed him…I didn't know what else to do. Is he going to die? Oh no, I killed Sheppard…" McKay ranted, as shock set in.
"It wasn't your fault. He's not dead, but he will be soon if we don't get him back. Dr. Beckett is waiting in the 'jumper. We really need to go." Lorne turned to Ronon. "Ronon, carry the colonel. He's not going to make it on his own two feet," he informed the Satedan.
Ronon sneered, and without thinking, turned the control switch on his gun, and fired point blank at the one-eyed man on the floor beneath him. "Guess you won't be injuring anyone else," he muttered, before striding over to the colonel and lifting him up and over his left shoulder. "Let's go," he grunted at Lorne.
"Teyla? Can you help Dr.McKay?" She nodded in affirmation, before taking McKay's arm and leading him out of the cell. Lorne watched as Ronon effortlessly carried his team leader, and then took their six.
They ran slowly along the corridor, any Torellian they met on the way being quickly and efficiently dispatched, and were soon in daylight.
McKay shielded his eyes from the bright sunlight, and stumbling, was helped by Teyla to remain on his feet.
Lorne clicked his radio twice. "'Jumper One, uncloak. We're here," he called into his headset. The cloak immediately was shut down and the 'jumper appeared.
The team ran into the back, to an anxiously waiting Beckett and nurse.
Once everyone was safely on board, Lorne ran to the front and sat in the pilot's seat, immediately starting the pre-flight procedure.
"Hang on everyone, I'm getting us out of here as fast as I can," he warned those inside the ship. "Stackhouse? Dial the 'gate," he ordered. "Doc, how's the colonel?"
Beckett tutted. "A bloody mess, Major," he said before continuing to tend to his patient.
McKay sat on one of the seats in the rear of the 'jumper and stared at the scene being played out in front of him.
Sheppard was lying on the floor, a large pool of blood puddling around his left leg. Beckett had already inserted an IV and placed an oxygen mask over Sheppard's pale, sweaty face. The nurse was applying pressure to the bleeding wound, but not succeeding in quelling the flow of blood.
As McKay watched the pool of blood spread out under Sheppard, he bit his bottom lip, and almost inaudibly muttered, "God, don't die Sheppard, not after everything we've been through. I'll never forgive myself if you do."
Tbc.