Chapter 9 – The Frozen Sea
"I cannot authorise such a mission, Colonel," Mr Woolsey said flatly.
John had gathered together Ronon, Teyla and Radek to back him up. They all sat around the Briefing Room table. Radek had just finished outlining the plan to the others using the display screen. The small spark of hope that had been shining in his eyes had now vanished.
Zelenka visibly deflated in front of the people in the room. He walked around the table and sunk down into his chair with a heavy sigh.
Teyla turned her attention to Woolsey, "Even for Rodney?"
"I'm afraid not. It would use too much power, which would be better used defending all of us and Earth from the Wraith."
John felt the back of his neck prickle at Woolsey's cold words. It was almost like he was implying that Rodney was not worth it. John knew that Woolsey had to be objective in his decisions and he also knew that, if he were in Woolsey's position, he probably would have come to the same conclusion. However, this was all about McKay and getting him back and not some impossible and unnecessary mission.
Radek was typing on his tablet and frowning. He spoke without looking up, "The kind of power we are talking about is enough to have a shield around the city for a couple of hours in deep space or while under attack."
Woolsey nodded at Radek and then turned to John as if looking for confirmation that they needed the shield more than anything or indeed anyone else.
Ronon was glaring at Woolsey like he was about to jump up and throttle him. John tried not to think about what he would or would not do if Ronon gave in to his instincts.
John met Woolsey's eyes and said quietly, "An extra couple of hours of shielding won't save us."
Ronon nodded in agreement, "We need McKay."
Woolsey sighed and clasped his hands on the table diplomatically. "You are all using your emotions to cloud your judgement. You know I cannot authorise the use of the ZPM in this way. One man is not enough justification for me and it certainly won't be for the IOA."
"I believe Rodney McKay is worth more than one man," Teyla announced. "He has saved many lives. It would be a great loss, not only for Atlantis, but for the whole of the Pegasus Galaxy if we do not at least try and bring him back."
John glanced at her and they back at Woolsey, "Rodney's the only one who has consistently turned our harebrained and half-assed plans into something that worked. What are we going to do the next time the Wraith show up or we only have seconds left before we're all killed?"
Woolsey sighed. "These are only hypothetical future scenarios of which you speak. How do we know that no-one else," he waved a hand across at Radek, "Dr Zelenka for instance, would not be able to cope?
Zelenka shrunk even further down into his chair, like he did not really want to get involved. He knew that he had to say something to defend himself and so he mumbled, "We really need him back. I do not mind running the department from day to day, but McKay is the only one who can do certain things. We are struggling without him and if there was a sudden crisis it would all fall apart."
John smiled at Radek and the scientist quickly looked away. John knew he was bending the truth slightly to appeal to Woolsey, but he was grateful for it if it would help persuade the man.
Woolsey narrowed his eyes between the two of them, but he did not say anything.
John could see that he still needed some convincing, so he laid all his cards on the table. "Well, I'll admit I am more personally entangled in this plan than I would've liked. Just for the sake of a few more minutes of shields we could have McKay back. He could give us a solution that would mean we never needed to use the shields in the first place. He's saved all of our lives over and over and I owe him one. Hell, the whole of Atlantis owes him one." John locked his intense expression on Woolsey's face and said very finally, "And so do you."
Mr Woolsey looked around the room at Rodney's teammates and friends gazing back at him, awaiting his decision. He glanced down at his hands for a moment while he thought. "Although I condemn this plan and it's against my better judgement, I think that you would probably go ahead without my blessing anyway."
John smirked and Ronon shifted back in his seat as his body relaxed a little from where he had been ready to spring across the room and attack the expedition leader.
"I'm aware that I'm not only the leader of a group of civilians and soldiers, but I also preside over a community. I need to consider the impact of my decisions not only on the city as a structure and a source of power and knowledge we could use for our defence, but also on the people who live and work here."
Woolsey leant forwards in his seat so that he was a little hunched over the table to be closer to the people in the room as he spoke. "I don't see that I have any other choice than to give you the go ahead."
John nearly whooped in joy, but he thought better of it and just exchanged a grin with Radek, Teyla and Ronon. Woolsey was looking down at his hands and frowning. His head snapped up and he asked, "When will you be ready?"
Radek waved a hand at the screen of his laptop, "I do not know. If I may use the resources of the whole science department, possibly this afternoon."
"We'll need to be ready to go off-world straight away." John looked at Radek and continued, "I want both you and Dr Keller to come with us. Call us when you're ready."
Zelenka nodded and closed his laptop before he left the room ahead of the others.
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Rodney walked aimlessly along the corridor. He had found that after a while, if he really concentrated, he could phase himself through the doors in his path. He had already wandered the silent halls of Atlantis many times since he had become trapped out of time.
His expression glazed over as he placed one foot down and then the next and the next as he had done before many times, seemingly forever.
Since he had lost his ammo clip in the corridor and phased out for the final time, he had not seen any sign of Solian or Rorkan. He was glad about the latter, but would have liked some kind of company in his loneliness and boredom. Even Solian would have been better than the solitary and hollow echo of his footsteps and breathing.
The walls around him still rippled as if they should suddenly collapse and flow down into nothing, but Rodney was used to it now.
He never felt tired or hungry and he had seen many labs which he had not yet visited in the real world, as he had come to call it in his head.
"Round about now would be a good time for a rescue, Zelenka. Hell, a week ago would've been better. I've already been trapped in this place for quite long enough, thank you very much."
Rodney sighed sadly and placed his hand against the sealed door he had just reached. He closed his eyes and screwed up his face in concentration.
He willed himself to focus all of his thoughts to the band around his neck and muttered, "Phase out… don't think about getting stuck in the door when this thing tosses me back into the real world…" he shuddered and lifted his other hand so that he was effectively pushing against the door as hard as he could.
"The night should be lovely at the moment. Stare at the stars, like yesterday… and the day before… and every day before that…"
He shivered and frowned and kept his eyes closed. He suddenly felt himself slide through the door and was nearly overcome by the horrible sensation of passing through a solid object, which should have been completely impossible.
Rodney knew he had been successful, because the light which had been pressing on his eyelids suddenly vanished into darkness. He lowered his arms and snapped his eyes widely open to gaze out across the pier he had reached. He walked across the surface and out into the night.
He rolled his eyes at the same sorry sight which had always greeted him from every pier he had now visited in turn.
At first he had been amazed by the effect that the timeless place had had on the sea and had sat gazing at the static waves for what had felt like hours on end, but had possibly been days.
He had long ago given up on using his watch and had taken it off and placed it in his tac vest. He did not want the constant reminder that he was trapped here out of time and of exactly how long he had been alone.
Rodney did not give the sea a second glance when he reached the very edge of the pier. Unchanging waves were crashing against the side of the metal and splashing their white spray up into the air. The water itself was like ice, frozen in an eternal display of mist like a photograph. The endless frozen sea stretched out to the horizon. It was illuminated by the moons which ever hung in the sky in exactly the same place and phase forever more. The unmoving water glittered and shone in the reflected moonlight.
There was a lack of wind and the usual salty tang of the water in the air was also missing. The whole scene was eerily silent, further solidifying its likeness to a snapshot of a single moment in history.
Rodney sighed and sat down. He hung his legs over the edge of the pier and looked down sadly. He sucked in a shaky breath and furrowed his brow.
He thought back to Janus' lab and all the things which had happened since the fateful moment he had picked up the device. He muttered to himself under his breath, "Maybe it killed me? Perhaps I'm dead and I really am in hell. That would sort of make sense, because I can't imagine anything worse than being trapped on my own in a place where I can't do anything."
He frowned and closed his eyes.
After a long time, Rodney used his hands to move himself backwards, so that he no longer had his legs hanging over the edge of the pier. He hugged his arms tightly around his chest as he lay back so that he could look at the sky.
"Small mercy…" he mumbled as he looked up at into the clear sky at the stars. They were etched in the same constellations and positions as they had been to Rodney ever since he had gone out of phase.
He traced the lines he had drawn between the points of lights with his eyes. He chuckled quietly and said, "That one is the ZedPM." He pointed his finger up at the sky and moved it in the form of a rectangle. He then paused for a moment before wiggling his finger in a large circle interspersed with further lines across it, "I call that one 'The Beach Ball.'"
He lowered his hand and placed it over his chest. He shook his head and grimaced, "Oh, my! I really am going crazy aren't I?"
He widened his eyes in horror and wrapped his arms around his ribcage so tightly that he could hardly breathe. He soon relaxed and closed his eyes in an effort to get some rest and clear his mind.
After a few minutes he started to hear a noise. It was steady and rhythmic and got louder every second. It sounded like approaching footsteps.
Rodney jumped up and looked around warily to try and find the location of whoever was coming towards him.
He fingered the hilt of his knife and decided to draw it anyway. He did not really want another run in with Rorkan now, as his mood was so low. He knew he did not really have a chance against the lunatic normally and certainly not now that his strength and survival instincts were almost non-existent.
The speed and quality of the sound suddenly altered and Rodney spun around silently on the spot. His eyes scanned the dark buildings around him and the surface of the pier, but he still could not see anyone nearby.
He gripped his knife more tightly as his hand began to shake. He was anticipating the feeling of a spike being suddenly stabbed into him when he was caught unawares.
"Dr Rodney McKay?"
He nearly jumped out of his skin and released an exasperated sigh. "Solian!"
The other person trapped out of time with McKay was climbing up onto the top of the pier. He had just gone up the ladder leading up from the sea on the side of the pier.
Rodney rolled his eyes and put the knife away while he asked, "Where the hell did you come from? Nearly gave me a heart attack…"
"Went over the sea to the mainland."
Rodney staggered backwards in shock, "You can do that?"
Solian answered, "Yes. When time is stopped it is easy."
Rodney released a small incredulous puff of air. He kicked himself that he had not thought to do something like it himself. "How long does it take?"
"Forever, Dr Rodney McKay." Solian replied with a grim, but good humoured smile.
"Uh, call me Rodney."
Solian nodded and then turned to look out across the water, as the waves remained stuck in the same position. He lifted his head and closed his eyes as he took a deep breath.
Rodney was studying the man next to him intently. Solian seemed to be less mad than he had been when Rodney had first met him. McKay thought perhaps he was serving to ground Solian and bring a little of his former self out of the shell he had created in his solitude.
He gestured with a hand at the sea and asked, "So, what does one do for fun around here?"
"Fun? What, apart from walking over the water to the mainland?"
Rodney laughed a little, the sound and sensation of the act felt unfamiliar and were almost alien to him. It had been such a long time since he had felt or released any kind of happy emotion.
"Seems a bit far away to me. Maybe when I get really bored I'll consider it. I mean, it's just so interesting staying on Atlantis, wandering around empty corridors and walking through doors like I don't exist anymore."
Solian opened his eyes and frowned at Rodney. "Better than Rorkan."
"Do you have any idea where our fellow timeless captive is?"
Solian shook his head, "I cannot sense him. He may be over the ocean or manipulating time to remain hidden."
"What's his problem anyway?" Rodney asked off hand.
Solian stiffened up, but did not speak.
They stood side by side staring out across the still water for a long time. Rodney felt the boredom creeping up on him again and anger began to boil in his chest. He was annoyed that the others had abandoned him to an eternity with only two people for company. One who was totally insane and interested only in terrorising and killing, the other relatively sane, but not exactly the best company for the rest of time.
He released a heavy breath and gritted his teeth.
Solian turned to him and asked, "What is wrong, Rodney?"
McKay suddenly felt a pain spreading out across his forehead and he gasped.
"Rodney!"
Solian held McKay's shoulders as he sunk down onto the ground, clutching his head and shivering. He managed to grunt out a few words in between his rapid breaths, "Something's wrong… stand back… I think… I'm… shifting again…"
Solian's eyes widened and he let go of Rodney like he had been burnt. The stricken man fell back the rest of the way and landed heavily on the pier. He rolled over and pressed his face to the cool metal and clamped his hands against his head as hard as he could. He desperately tried to dull the roaring agony of the headache as he was completely immobilized by the pain.
The darkness abruptly turned to light through Rodney's eyelids and the headache began to recede.
He was still panting and shaking when he felt something gently pressing against his chest. He used the touch as a guide and comfort while he rode out the last of the tremors and began to uncurl himself slightly as the pain diminished. The pressure moved up to his shoulder and squeezed his upper arm, before it stilled and just rested against him.
He tried to call out to whoever was holding him to tell them to leave him alone or they would get trapped out of time as well. He could hear quiet voices speaking to him, but he could not make out any of the words. He felt a light pressure around his arm again.
He kept his eyes tightly closed even when he felt something placed over his face which puffed air against his lips and into his nose. He soon found it easier to breathe and the pain of the headache was numbed even further to something more manageable.
He felt himself being lifted upright to stand and his arm was pulled up and laid out across something strong but still slightly yielding.
Rodney steeled himself and narrowly opened his eyes to find out what was going on.
He turned his face to the side and saw what he thought was probably just a hallucination caused by his rapidly failing sanity. For John Sheppard was standing next to him, and was supporting him while he was being guided over to a nearby transporter.
He smiled back at McKay and Rodney could not help grinning a little foolishly at the crazy angles the Colonel's hair was achieving at that moment and how much he now realised he had missed his friend.
Rodney looked around to his other side and his heart clenched painfully when he saw Jennifer Keller next to him, flanked by a couple of people from her medical team who were carrying a lot of gear.
She asked him, "So, how have you been, Rodney?"
"Not so good, but now I think I may be able to recover eventually."
His voice was muffled by the mask he was still wearing. Jennifer gave him a lopsided smile and reached up to remove it. She let her hand linger a little longer than was absolutely necessary over the back of his head as she drew the securing strap away and returned the mask to the bag she was carrying.
Jennifer gazed at him in happiness and her eyes were bright as they locked with his confused but also deeply relieved blue ones.
Sheppard was beginning to sag under the weight of Rodney's arm in a highly exaggerated manner. He held onto McKay's hand as it was draped across his shoulders so that he was pulling Rodney down slightly.
McKay tore his eyes from Jennifer and glared at him as he was nearly unbalanced and tipped over.
Rodney sighed heavily and finally took John's hint. He removed his arm from the Colonel's shoulders and John instantly and nonchalantly straightened up. He raised his eyebrows at McKay and gave him a knowing glare.
Rodney stuttered, "How… how did you?"
"Radek found a way." John replied, "But we need to gate offworld as soon as possible to the address Janus left behind."
As they all walked over to the transporter, Rodney suddenly stopped.
"Come on, McKay. You're draining all the power out of the ZPM while we're dallying around here."
"Draining power!?" Rodney repeated back in a shocked voice.
John laughed, "I know! Talk about high maintenance! Woolsey's given us four hours and then we shut it down."
"Four hours?"
Rodney started moving again and John answered his question just as they reached the transporter, "Four hours to find a way to remove that device and then… if we can't do it…"
Rodney furrowed his brow and grimaced, "I'll be thrown out of phase again and remain stuck there for the rest of time…"
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TBC
