Part 7
It took Rodney a fraction of a second to regain control of his situation. Surrounded by scientists, and watching the retreating backs of Lorne and Dex, he turned to Radek, "Find anything, let me know. I'll be…"
"…in the infirmary. Yes, yes, I know. Go, I take care of this."
With an absent wave of the smaller man's hand, he'd clearly been dismissed, and he hurried to catch up to the others. They in return, must have known he was about to join them, and widened the gap between them as they walked, making room for McKay.
"So you got nothing off the casings?" Ronon asked, his pace slowed to a more comfortable pace he knew scientist could handle.
"We did find a smudged print, but," Rodney shook his head in disgust, "criminalistics was not one of my chosen courses during my academic training. Zelenka and I discussed re-calibrating one of the imaging systems the Ancients used to map their circuits to create better definition to the smudge, possibly highlighting any pattern or ridge detail. Again, though, neither of us is familiar with the process of identification."
They turned and took the stairs to the upper level with Ronon in the lead. "I thought you were a genius," he jibed. "Can't believe you admit to not knowing everything. Wait 'til I tell Sheppard."
Rodney stopped on the midway landing, his mouth agape before the explosion of exasperated air burst from his chest, while the other two continued their climb upwards. "Yes, run to the colonel with your news." His hands on his hips, he momentarily looked back towards his lab before scrunching his face and following the pair. "Perhaps next time you need me to save your dreadlocks, I'll…" He paused when the lights at the top of the stairwell flickered briefly. "That shouldn't happen," he muttered in an attempt to push his way between Lorne and Dex.
The other two men were instantly on alert. "What's going on?" the Major asked quietly, his gaze shifting up and down the empty corridor. The two posted guards from earlier were missing. He stopped moving when Ronon held up his hand, his own attention firmly affixed on the scientist.
"McKay?"
Rodney's head was tipped sideways as he listened to the familiar hum of the city, his eyes momentarily staring at the ceiling. When the corridor suddenly became cloaked in darkness, the smell of stale air wafted past them.
"McKay?" Ronon repeated with more emphasis.
"Ventilation system just reversed." He reached out and made contact with the wall to get his bearings. "Smelled like the infirmary for a moment."
"Colonel Sheppard." Lorne's voice in the darkness stated what all three of them were thinking.
A firm grip wrapped around Rodney's arm and he found himself tugged to stand behind whom he figured to be was Ronon. Staying close without walking into his nearly invisible protector, he followed him quickly towards Carson's lair.
Lorne's voice echoed from nearby in the darkness as he called over his comm for Security but Rodney paid little attention. His own earpiece in place, he shouted for Beckett.
SG: A
With the last batch of tests finished, and nothing more for him to do, Carson pulled an extra chair from his office and took up a spot next to Teyla. "Can I interest you in a cup of coffee or tea, lass? It's not fresh, but it's guaranteed to keep you awake in the middle of the night. And, I doubt Col. Sheppard will wake any time soon."
She smiled, but declined the offer. "I have become accustomed to waiting through the night for my team mates."
"Aye, that we both have." Leaning back against his seat, he stretched his legs out straight, clasped his hands across his chest, and let his eyes drift shut.
"You do not need to stay and keep me company," Teyla said quietly.
A hint of a teasing smile touched the corner of the physician's face, his eyes still closed. "You need me to leave you alone with him?" He didn't expect that sharp smack to his arm. Surprised, he glanced to where she was sitting and tried to look innocent. "What did I say to deserve that?"
"We are just friends." When he smiled at her, she noticed the twinkle in his eyes and realized she'd played right into his hands. "You are worse than a nosy older brother."
Carson tucked his chin to his chest and let his eyes close once more, a soft chuckle shaking his shoulders. "Atlantis is a small place with a very large rumor mill. You wouldn't believe some of the stories I've heard from my nurses."
"I am afraid to ask what those might be." She was amazed at how easy and comfortable it was to sit and speak with Carson. His sense of humor was so rarely seen due to all of the urgent matters that created a constant barrage, inundating him on a daily basis. She found herself slouching in her seat, an imitation of his posture of relaxation. "I did hear one about you, if you are interested."
One blue eye lazily opened, a spark of curiosity aimed her way. "There's one about me?"
It was Teyla's turn to raise a teasing brow, happy to be on the other side of the conversation. "Actually, there is more than one."
Pulling himself to sit up straight, Carson grinned devilishly and gave her his full attention. "Do tell."
SG: A
The two guards stationed outside of the infirmary could hear the murmur of voices and occasional quiet laughter. They both stood back against either side of the entrance way and relaxed slightly, their tension and concern over their commander eased greatly by the sounds from within.
When two consecutive bolts of energy surged from further down the corridor, neither man had a chance to escape before being enveloped and then dropping silently to the floor.
JT stared in awe at the unfamiliar weapon Pope had managed to smuggle to Atlantis and then gave to him to dispatch the guards. Creeping quietly down the hall, he broke the silence with his slight shuffle and drag as he dragged one and then the other of the two unconscious men back into a darkened room.
A quick glance to his watch to see how much time he had left, he scratched an itch on his nose as he contemplated what was about to happen. Knowing it was going to be soon, and not wanting to be caught nearby, he casually wandered away towards the Mess Hall with his work bag draped over his shoulder.
SG: A
Steam drifted slowly off his coffee and Carson set his cup back down on the bed table between them. "Ronon? Great big fellow with long hair?"
Teyla nodded, breaking off another piece of cookie and dipping it in her drink. "I have heard this from several of the women." She ate the softened portion before it could drop back into the hot liquid. "There is one thing that they say that I do not understand, perhaps you could help."
"Certainly." He chose another small shortbread cookie and popped it in his mouth.
"Why do they talk about the size of his feet?"
Carson accidentally inhaled a portion of his snack and it got stuck in the back of his throat, causing him to cough harshly and for his eyes water. Waving a hand towards the sink and barking out 'water' between coughs; he grabbed the cup she hurried to bring to him and swallowed several large gulps before the red color in his face began to fade. "Sorry," he choked out, wiping tears from his face.
Teyla took the empty cup from his hand and set it on the tray. "Are you certain you are all right?"
He nodded, clearing his throat, "Went down the wrong pipe."
Not entirely convinced, she pushed the small tray back and brought her chair closer. Glancing over to Sheppard before she sat, she discovered that he hadn't stirred during Beckett's incident. "Can I get you anything else?" she asked once she sat back down.
He shook his head 'no', while still clearing his throat. He silently prayed she wouldn't bring the question back up and for a second was actually grateful when the lights flickered briefly.
She frowned and turned to him, "I have never seen that happen in the infirmary before."
Carson eyed the ceiling and waited but it didn't happen again. "Perhaps someone was working on the system. You know how Rodney and his gang feel about continually running tests."
They both settled back in their chairs, listening to the quiet and waiting to see if anything else was about to happen. When the room was suddenly enveloped in complete darkness, and the back-up lights did not engage, Carson scrambled across the room for his office. Banging into several objects along the way while cursing test running scientists, he successfully retrieved a pair of flashlights he kept in a drawer for just such emergencies. "Here you go, lass," he said, handing one to Teyla as he shone his down briefly on the sleeping colonel and then around the room.
Teyla popped in her earpiece, "This is Teyla, come in." She heard nothing and called a second time, still not receiving a response. "Carson?"
He tapped his own comm several times and called out, also, to only receive silence. "I don't like this," he said as he watched her walk over to the doorway and stop when it didn't open. He was quickly at her side and using their combined strength, they tried to pry doors open to no avail.
Realizing that it wasn't about to budge, Teyla stood back and rubbed her arms while Carson tore off the control panel cover and pointed his flashlight at the darkened crystals. "Is it getting cooler in here?"
He stopped what he was doing and watched her a second before walking to the center of the room and listening. "Oh bloody hell!" he cursed as he ransacked a wall unit and pulled supplies and equipment free. He thrust several blankets at her and a small portable oxygen canister before filling his arms and going back to Sheppard's bedside.
"Carson, what is going on?" she asked as he spread several more layers over his patient and then cupped an oxygen mask over Sheppard's face.
Somewhere deep in his sub-consciousness, the colonel must have sensed an emergency and began to stir, his hand lifted to push the mask off his face.
"Leave it there," Carson ordered, his own grip held it firmly while Teyla took the stirring hand in hers. He caught her gaze and nodded in approval. "The infirmary has gone into Decontamination Protocol," he explained, setting up his own mask over his face. "For some reason, Atlantis thinks there is a need to empty the room of possible airborne contaminants."
"What do we do?"
"We need to try and stay warm because it's going to get very cold in here. The atmosphere is being siphoned out, so keep your mask on. Hopefully we'll have enough until they can rescue us."
An abrupt banging began on the outside of the door and he hurried over, hearing the muffled calls from the other side. "We're in here!" he shouted, giving the door several good kicks.
SG: A
Rodney stood to the side listening to Ronon and Lorne attempt to pry the doors apart with their fingers as he removed the control panel and stared inside at the darkened crystals. "I need a flashlight and my laptop!" he yelled over his earpiece to Radek on the other end. "Don't forget the relays!" he snapped after the other scientist had replied.
"McKay, how long can they stay in there?" Ronon grunted, his muscles straining as he pulled without success.
Rodney mentally did the math and frowned. "I don't know how much oxygen Carson has in there, but if Atlantis has gone into lockdown and is decontaminating the room, then we have thirty minutes maximum before it becomes a vacuum in there."
TBC
