Rodney was paying attention this time. So when Ronon raised his closed fist to signal a halt, McKay did exactly that and immediately dropped to a crouch. He also managed to wait for Ronon to speak first, even though it nearly killed him because the Satedan carefully laid Sheppard out on the ground before uttering a single word.
His expression was tense, his tone low but urgent when he finally leaned over to share his intentions with the scientist. "You stay here. I'm gonna scout ahead and make sure the Stargate's clear." He pointed to Rodney's sidearm. "Keep that ready and shoot anyone who comes near here. Anyone besides me or Teyla," he amended wryly. Before Rodney could snap out a snide reply, Dex turned and silently disappeared into the thick brush.
Now alone with the unconscious pilot, Rodney replaced his sidearm in its holster and set about pulling out what medical supplies he had left to tend Sheppard's wounds. He looked around warily, the woods having become unnaturally quiet and still. Somehow, he didn't think that was a very good sign. Shaking off his unease, McKay set about wiping the blood and sweat from his friend's face and neck. A number of the scrapes and abrasions had begun to bleed freely again after their little jaunt through the forest; thankfully most of the bandages on the deeper, larger wounds had stayed in place, which was a good thing as Rodney had nothing left to replace them with.
McKay froze as a loud thud echoed through the woods. It had barely died out when another sounded, and then another and another. Bodies, he thought. Hitting the ground. But whose? He tried to relax and keep to his task, telling himself that it was Ronon disposing of the opposition a man at a time, but somehow he just couldn't make himself believe it.
Somewhere in the middle of his internalized argument, he noticed the change in Sheppard's breathing. His shallow panting had taken on a wheezy, wet, rattling sound and each intake seemed to slow just that tiny bit more than its predecessor. And while Rodney wasn't a medical doctor, he knew enough to know that this was not a good development. Silently, he urged Ronon and Teyla to hurry and finish clearing the way before it was too late.
The snap of a twig nearby sounded unnaturally loud in the woods and had Rodney immediately reaching for his gun. He shot an anxious glance at Sheppard, praying his noisy breathing wouldn't give their position away. He barely had the sidearm halfway free of its holder when he caught sight of a pair of legs clad in tanned leather that had moved into his view. He froze, with only his eyes moving up the long legs to find a familiar faced framed by a mass of wild-looking dreadlocks.
He nearly slumped over in relief, but quickly made his displeasure known. "Would you stop with the heart-attack inducing dramatics already? The old ticker can't take much more of this you know," he warned. "Or do you really want two people to carry to the Stargate?"
Ronon ignored his histrionics and pointed at the half-drawn weapon. "I told you to keep that ready. What if I'd been a Mallarian?" he demanded angrily.
Rodney had his mouth open to reply, but nothing came out as the fact that woods had gone dead-silent sank in. No wheezing. No wet sounding rattling with every intake. No nothing. His eyes went wide as he stared up at Ronon, horrified. "Oh no," he finally stammered. "Oh nonono. Don't you dare do this to me--to us!" snarled Rodney, turning to Sheppard.
He placed his fingers at the pilot's neck, frantically searching for any sign of a beat, as Ronon stood glowering down at him. "McKay," growled the Satedan, his lips twisting into a menacing snarl.
Rodney said nothing, waving Dex off in irritation while he concentrated. At last, his shoulders slumped in relief. "He's not breathing. I got a pulse--barely--but it's there." He lifted his head, his expression tense. "Tell me you've got that Stargate clear and Teyla's standing by ready to dial out, because if we don't get him back to Beckett right now, and by that I mean in the next thirty seconds or less? Sheppard's dead."
The Satedan didn't hesitate. He tossed John over his shoulder like a rag doll and activated the radio even as he was moving toward the Stargate. "Dial it up and tell Beckett to be waiting. Sheppard's not breathing."
McKay didn't need to be told to follow. In the distance, he could hear the chevrons engaging as Teyla dialed. He silently urged his injured friend to fight even as they ran for the Stargate and help. Come on, Sheppard, don't you dare quit on us now.
Then suddenly they were bursting through into the open meadow surrounding the open Stargate. Rodney expected Ronon to head straight to gate and into the wormhole, but instead the Satedan stopped dead in his tracks. Rodney couldn't stop in time and ran right into him again, and again bounced off to stumble and land flat on his backside.
His mouth fell open at the sight before him. At least thirty men had surrounded the dais where the open gate beckoned them. One held a gun to Teyla's head while two more flanked him, pinning her arms behind her. "Oh come on--you've got to be kidding me!" he complained.
McKay climbed to his feet, moving up next to Ronon. The Satedan had already found Lazzon, the Mallarian leader, and had his blaster aimed directly at the man's head. From what Rodney could see, it had been set to kill. Before he could speak up, Dex beat him to it. "We don't want no trouble here. Just let us take our friend home and no one else needs to get hurt," offered the Satedan. Rodney couldn't help but think it sounded far more like a warning than a proposal though.
Lazzon apparently agreed. "Do not threaten me, offworlder. I have you outnumbered ten-to-one. I hold your lovely companion here, as well. You are in no position to be making demands, much less threats."
Ronon's aim never wavered. "Oh that wasn't a threat," insisted the Satedan. "That was a fact." His eyes burned with intensity as he stared down his opponent. "And when I tell you that anyone touches a hair on her head and you die, that's not a threat either. That's a promise."
Rodney didn't think it possible, but Ronon's expression turned even more menacing. "But when I tell you that if my friend here, who got hurt flying your airplane, dies, then you die? Now that's a threat--and a promise."
"He crashed the plane; he deserves whatever happens to him! We were assured that he could successfully fly this plane, yet its remains are now scattered and burning all over Mischa's Meadow. Perhaps this is his punishment for lying to us!" accused Lazzon.
Rodney stepped forward before Ronon could stop him. "Um, excuse me, but that would be my fault, not his. I'm the one who caused the crash. I, um, did something--something purely unintentional, I assure you. So if you're going to blame someone, blame me. If you need someone to punish, punish me. Just, please, let him get Sheppard back to...our home. I'll stay here and accept whatever punishment you see fit to mete out."
"Rodney, no!" Teyla shook her head, daring her captors to try to stop her. "John would not want this."
"McKay," growled Ronon. "Get in back of me and shut up." The Satedan was succinct and to the point, holding nothing back.
Lazzon frowned. "How do I know this is the truth?"
Rodney rolled his eyes. "I don't suppose you'd accept a very sincere 'because I said so'?" He didn't even give the Mallarian time to respond. "Look, what does it matter anyway? You want someone to hold responsible and I'm telling you that person is me, whether you want to accept it or not. So let the others go and I'll stay and submit to whatever consequences you deem appropriate."
The Mallarian stared at him, assessing the truth of his words. Finally, he nodded to a big ugly brute on his left. Before anyone could react, Big Ugly raised an odd-looking sort of crossbow-type thing and loosed a long, thin reed-like dart in Rodney's direction.
McKay looked down as the projectile hit home, burying itself in his chest. His eyes went wide as he stared down in shock. The next thing he knew, Teyla was beside him demanding that he tell her how he felt. "Fine," he told her. I feel fine." He looked up, noting the departing Mallarians. "Hey, where's everybody going?"
Lazzon stopped for a moment, looking at him with sadness and regret. "You have proclaimed your guilt in this matter and sentence has been passed. I'm sorry, Doctor McKay. I wish things had turned out differently." And then he left, the others following down the road back to the city.
Rodney watched them go for a moment. Then suddenly his eyes widened and turned to look for Ronon. The Satedan--along with Sheppard--were nowhere in sight. "Where's Sheppard? We have to get him back to Atlantis NOW!"
Teyla placed her arm around him and pulled him over toward the still-open wormhole. "Ronon has already taken him through to Doctor Beckett. Come, we should follow before the Stargate shuts down."
He nodded, allowing her to lead him to the stairs. "That was weird, them just letting us all go like that."
She patted his back gently. "Yes, quite it was quite strange."
Rodney had forgotten all about the dart in his chest until he looked down to climb the stairs. "Oh. I suppose this is probably why." He turned to face her then, grabbing hold of both her arms, his eyes wide and wild. "You don't think it has citrus on it, do you? I mean, how could they possibly know about that?"
Teyla smiled at him. "I am quite certain that there is no citrus on it, Rodney. Are you feeling ill? Is that why you ask?"
"What? Oh, right. No, no I feel just fine. A little winded from all that running and confused by them letting us all go, but otherwise okay." He turned and took the first stair, but stopped and almost immediately grabbed her arms again. "Why did you ask me that? Do I not look okay? I'm not like, turning weird colors or anything, am I?"
She rolled her eyes, shaking her head at him. "No, Rodney, you look fine. I was merely inquiring as to your health, that is all." She pulled him up the final few stairs and headed toward the shimmering puddle of the Stargate. "We should hurry and see what news Carson has of John."
"Right. Sheppard. Messy hair, a little taller than me, alien-babe-magnet, has the uber-strength magic gene." Rodney kept mumbling nonsense right up until they reached the wormhole.
Teyla paused a moment, taking in his unfocused eyes. He was also now sweating furiously, his face growing redder by the minute, and fine tremors had begun to run throughout his entire body. Alarmed, she stepped into the glowing wormhole, anxiously pulling him with her.
