"When is it going to wake up, Mer?"
"When it's ready, Jeannie."
"Is it getting better?"
"I hope so."
At first light, Rodney gathered fresh water and scrounged for some food. Swallowing a couple of bites, he left the rest with John, who was sleeping peacefully for the moment, and searched for Reznor. Unable to find the little man, McKay turned to the task at hand. After several hours of back-breaking and decidedly unscientific labor, he finally uncovered the entrance to the suspected control room. Doing his best to channel Ronon, he shoved open the door and squeezed inside.
"Yes!" Familiar consoles lined the walls. Checking a few, he determined that they were as dead as everything else he'd found. He stood in the center of the room, considering his options. He could either keep working or get Sheppard and drag him over here. His mind was a jumbled mess, thoughts racing like rats in a burning building. He needed sleep, and he needed food; and he wasn't going to get either. He had left John alone for hours though so he headed back to the room.
He found Sheppard still sleeping, but some of the water and most of the food were gone. Rodney shook the pilot's shoulders, carefully at first then harder when he got no response. Nothing he did was any use. The fever still raged, and the wound was starting to weep. McKay wrapped his arms around the colonel's upper body and began dragging him to the control room. He settled his team leader in a corner and hurried to get the rags and the water bucket which he refilled on his way back.
Using the same method as before, he got a little water down John's throat and drank some himself. Knowing that if he sat down he'd fall asleep, he paced the room, trying to reconstruct in his mind the layout of Atlantis' power conduits. His inability to concentrate frustrated him, and, cursing his hypoglycemia, he ducked outside to look for something to eat. He wandered around for an hour before he ran into Reznor.
"Dr. McKay, I've been looking for you all day. Where have you been?"
"Just doing some exploring."
"How is your friend?"
"About the same. I'm just trying to find something to eat."
The little man grinned at him in delight. "You're in luck. Creshat finished his work today in the laborer section and was paid with fresh vegetables. Come and share."
Rodney felt like crying. "Thank you, Reznor. I can't stay, but would it be all right if I took some for me and my friend?"
"Of course. This way."
McKay followed the Kaloan to a small building where the most fantastic smell emanated, causing his mouth to water uncontrollably. Once inside, he found a large gathering enjoying a feast in comparison to their normal meals. He gathered as many vegetables as his two hands could hold and turned to thank the man for his kindness. He hadn't noticed the room growing silent.
Hateful stares glared back at him. Reznor gaped at him in dismay. "You are an Ancestor?"
This was so not good. Rodney struggled to control his fear, wishing he was anywhere else at the moment. But his life and Sheppard's depended on him and this small bit of food.
"No, I'm not an Ancestor. I was convicted falsely."
"You lie!" spat a woman in the back. "I was there. I saw the detector light up in your presence."
"And you're here why?" McKay slowly inched his way toward the open door.
A large man growled, "It makes no difference why she is here. There is no greater crime than the one your people committed."
"I am not an Ancestor. I didn't do anything." Feeling a moment of Sheppard inspiration, Rodney kicked the leg of the table holding the food, toppling it, and ran for his life.
By the time the Kaloans recovered and pursued, he had dodged through two other buildings and lost them in the darkness. Thankfully no one knew the location of the control room. He flew inside, dumping the food, and hurried back outside, sweeping his tracks and strewing some debris in front of the door. Ronon would be proud. Going inside, he closed the door behind him, groaning at the complete darkness. He groped on the floor until he found the food and then crawled to John's side. Food, water and shelter – the three basic necessities. He ate half of the vegetables and drank some water. He tried to wake the pilot again.
"Wake up, Colonel, please. You need to eat something."
Sheppard stirred and moaned. "McKay?"
"Yes, of course it's me. Who were you expecting?"
"I was hoping you were that cute red-headed doctor."
"Donnelly?"
"Mmmm. Think so."
"Yeah, she'd be nice about now. To be honest, anyone would be nice right now."
"Why is it so dark?"
"I found the control room."
"Did that actually answer my question?"
"You eat, and I'll explain it all." Rodney reached until he found a shoulder and handed off a vegetable.
"I'm not hungry."
"We've been through this."
He heard a loud crunch and then chewing. The astrophysicist took a few minutes to catch John up on the day's activities, pausing occasionally to listen for munching sounds.
"So they know who we are but not where we are."
"Right. The only problem is this room has no windows. I'll have to open the door tomorrow to let light in so I can reroute the power."
"OK. Tomorrow then." Sheppard's words were beginning to slur.
"Hey, drink some water first."
"'Kay."
Rodney held the scoop as John took a sip.
"McKay? Thanks for everything."
"You're going to owe me dessert for a month for this."
"Done."
Rodney listened as his friend's breathing evened out in sleep and then slumped to the floor himself, unconscious before his head touched the ground.
A clattering sound jerked McKay back to reality. He could feel the water seeping into his clothing as he realized he'd left the bucket next to John who was beginning to thrash in his sleep. Rodney reached out, grabbing an arm and sliding his hand up until he felt the rapid pulse in Sheppard's neck. He was burning with fever. McKay hopped up and dragged the pilot until he was lying in the spilt water, hoping it would cool him.
He set the now empty bucket upright and located a rag, dipping it in a puddle and placing it on John's forehead. Sheppard's breath hitched, and he cried out incoherently. Rodney began to panic at the noise, fearful they would be discovered, and frantically cast about for an idea on what to do.
"Colonel," he hissed, "you have to be quiet or they'll hear us."
The soldier yelled and lashed out, barely missing McKay's head.
"This just can't be happening. Not now. I just need a few more hours until it is light to get us out of here. You have to be still and quiet. Please."
Sheppard tossed and groaned loudly in response.
Realizing the futility of the conversation, Rodney pulled the colonel upright and slipped between the man's back and the wall. He hugged Sheppard to his chest, pinning his arms to his side.
"Please, John. God, please be quiet."
To McKay's amazement, at the touch and the sound of his name the military commander drew in a ragged breath and stopped struggling. He drifted off in a fitful but silent sleep. Rodney leaned his head against the wall, wishing this nightmare would end soon.
A couple of hours crawled by, and the scientist finally eased Sheppard down to the ground and stood, trying to get the feeling back in his legs and to cool off. John's temperature was very high; they were out of water; and Rodney couldn't risk getting caught outside. He peeked through the slit in the door, disappointed to find it was still night. He lay down in front of the door and prayed for daylight.
OoOoOoOoO
"Meredith!"
McKay jolted awake, heart pounding as his sister's scream rang in his ears. The sliver of sunlight through the door slit caught his attention, and he bolted upright. Dammit! He'd fallen asleep. How many hours of daylight had he wasted? He eased the door open and peeked out, sighing in relief at the dawn sky. He pushed the door open further, cautiously examining the landscape. Nothing was moving.
He confirmed Sheppard was still breathing and then started pulling off console panels. He worked quickly, tracing the power conduits until he found the set that was shattered. He removed crystals from what he assumed was the biometric sensor array and reconfigured the circuits. He held his breath as he snapped the last crystal in place and nearly fainted when the consoles lit up like a Christmas tree. He turned on the lights in the room and quickly shut the door.
Rodney ran a few diagnostic programs to make sure he wouldn't blow himself up and then went directly to shield control. He keyed the command to disable the shield and blinked in surprise when it actually worked. Hustling to the door, he pushed it open and quickly removed the debris from the immediate area.
He walked to where John lay, dismayed as the bright lights highlighted his friend's condition. The bruises were beginning to turn yellow but still stood in stark contrast to his sunken eyes and the red splotches that signified the high fever. McKay knelt and carefully shook on shoulder.
"Colonel? It's time to go."
Sheppard mumbled and pulled away from the contact.
"Wake up. I've got the shield down. We need to go now."
Weary eyelids slid open. "Really?"
"Yes, really. You didn't think I could get the shield down?"
"Knew you could. You can do anything."
"Now I know you're delusional. Get up."
"I don't think I can. You go and bring back help."
"Not a chance in hell of me leaving you here so shut up."
"McKay-"
"Nope. I'm in charge since you're sick."
"I'll never be that sick."
"Good, then get your ass up and let's go."
Rodney helped John sit up. After a moment the pilot nodded and slung an arm around McKay's shoulders. The scientist groaned as he wrapped an arm around Sheppard's back and stood, bearing almost all of the man's weight.
"Hold on a minute. I need to get my balance."
"Feel free to take all the time you need, Colonel. I have no place I really need to be today."
"You are a true joy to be around, you know that?"
"What I am is sleep deprived and starving. Are you ready?"
"Yeah. Let's go."
They hobbled carefully to the door, and, seeing no one in the vicinity, slowly made their way to the edge of the city. Rodney leaned John against a nearby building and picked up a large rock, tossing it as hard as he could to where the shield should be. The sight of the stone sailing uninhibited through the air brought a tired smile to his face. He turned to find Sheppard grinning back at him.
"Well done, McKay."
"Let's get the hell out of here."
Rodney helped the pilot through the rubble and the rotting bodies and into freedom. A large field stretched as far as they could see.
"Do you know where the stargate is?"
"I have no idea, Colonel. However, if our people are here looking for us, our subcutaneous transmitters should be registering now that the shield is down. We just need to hide until they find us."
John looked wearily at the flat plain. "Hide where?"
"That's your specialty. Mine was the shield."
Noise from the city wafted on the wind as the prisoners began to discover the missing shield. The two Lantians moved into the tall prairie grass, hurrying as quickly as they could. Half an hour later, John's good leg gave out, and he collapsed, pulling Rodney down with him. Sheppard screamed as McKay landed heavily on the broken leg. The scientist scrambled up.
"Colonel! I'm so sorry. You OK?"
The pilot clenched his jaw and moaned in response.
"We need to get you back up and keep moving."
John looked at him with a defeated expression. "Can't. You need… to go."
"Not going to happen."
"Please, McKay. I can't make it, but you can."
"No."
"Rodney-"
"No! We don't leave our people behind, remember?"
McKay wrapped his arms around Sheppard's chest and began dragging him through the field. The pilot slid into unconsciousness at the continual jarring of his injured leg, and Rodney kept walking. He spotted a tree line in the distance and angled toward it. He was halfway there when shouting reached his ears. He looked up to find three men running his direction.
"Wraithmakers!"
"Oh, crap, Colonel. We're in serious trouble here."
Rodney moved as quickly as he could, but he was going backward dragging dead weight, and the men were rapidly gaining on him. McKay stumbled over a rock and fell to the ground. As he stared at Sheppard, a memory rose unbidden.
"Meredith!" Jeannie screamed hysterically. "Help me!"
He ran out the backdoor to find his sister on her knees, sobbing as she held the mangled body of the kitten.
He, Meredith Rodney McKay, had failed that day. He had turned his back for five minutes, and some wild animal had killed his kitten. It was the first cat he'd ever owned, and he'd never quite forgiven himself for failing to protect the small life that had been defenseless and completely dependent on him. He might not be able to save Sheppard, but he would die trying.
He crawled to the pilot's side and began to unwrap the splint. Pulling one of the tree limbs free, he stood, staggering at the sudden gusts of wind swirling around him. He hefted his weapon like a baseball bat and glared at the approaching men. They stumbled to a halt, staring, until they were suddenly enveloped in red energy blasts.
Rodney whirled around fiercely enough that even Ronon paused. McKay gaped at the big Satedan who stood with Teyla and a team of Marines.
"Are you real?"
Dex grinned at him. "Yeah, McKay. You can drop the log now."
The limb slipped from numb fingers as the scientist sagged in relief. "Oh, thank God." He scrubbed his hands over his face until he remembered his responsibility. "I've got to get Sheppard home."
He bent to pick up the pilot's shoulders when he felt Ronon's hand on his back. "I've got him, Rodney."
"No, you don't understand. I have to help-"
Teyla stepped in front of him, placing her hands on his face. "You have. Now it's our turn." She guided him to the jumper that had uncloaked and helped him sit as Ronon carried John in and placed him on a bench in the rear compartment.
McKay could feel unconsciousness approaching, and he turned to Teyla. "Tell Cars-" Damn. "-Keller that he has broken ribs and a compound fracture of his left leg."
"I will tell her, Dr. McKay." Teyla placed her arm around his shoulders. "You will both be fine."
Rodney closed his eyes and let the darkness claim him, secure in the knowledge that they were safe and on their way home.
tbc