Oh my God, you people are blood-thirsty! O.o I think I like it…
Varda – you're an evil, evil woman for giving my muse ideas – and of course I'm gonna hurt our favourite huggable physicist! This is me we're talking about, after all. It's what I do. :P
VampCaro – that would be a very cool thing to do! Got any ideas? Maybe we should try writing it together…
Se-chan – thank you for the kind words! I always love how positive your feedback is.
azure-lupis – you rock. 'Nuff said, my dear.
To everyone else who reviewed, many, many thanks as always for the support and encouragement. It really means a lot to me.
Anyways, to appease your Rodney whump/tortured!Rodney needs, I proudly present the next fix… er… I mean chapter. (Calm down, you lot. I'll not be held responsible for anyone dying from a squee overload.) Sorry it took a while, but it turned out to be a really tough one to write!
Oh, and remember that warning about torture I mentioned last time? Well, it most definitely applies here.
Sorry, McKay, but you bleed so well…
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Chapter 10: Video Nasty
The fist struck him so hard that Rodney was certain that he would end up a brain damaged vegetable. As his double fiddled with the camera and its tripod, the other John had decided to make a start with his side of things.
"Just a little warm-up, doc," he had said conversationally, before proceeding to beat the scientist to within an inch of his life.
It had gotten to the point where Rodney couldn't even feel the individual blows anymore. His entire body throbbed so much that there wasn't a single place that wasn't hurting. Throughout the ordeal, he had tried to concentrate on what his twin was doing, but it had proved to be easier said than done. He couldn't see anything out of his left eye and what little vision he had in the right was blurred around the edges.
From what he could gather, the alternate McKay had connected a device to his laptop; it appeared to be Goa'uld in design but without seeing it up close, Rodney couldn't tell for sure. All he did know was that his copy had been working on a macro for the last forty minutes, presumably to connect the device to the Gate.
The other McKay finished typing and looked up, giving a loud wolf whistle.
Other-Sheppard's head spun round mid punch. "What?" he barked, angry at having been disturbed.
Unlike two days ago, McKay's copy didn't appear cowed by his team-mate's aggression. "Show time, John," he replied. "Remember what we agreed? Rodney has to be breathing when we broadcast." He chuckled, the sound sending shivers down Rodney's spine. "Of course, afterwards is a whole 'nother matter."
The alternate John laughed. "Are you ready to dial?"
Rodney frowned, wondering if he'd heard that right. The Gate wasn't in the cave: it was well over a mile away…
Then it struck him. They were going to remote dial.
"Ready when you are, Sheppard." Seeing a nod from his team-mate, the other McKay typed in a command on the laptop before walking over to Rodney. He stuck a hand in one of the Canadian's pockets, grinning as he retrieved his prize – Rodney's GDO. "We're broadcasting live," he whispered, "and this way, we'll be sure to get an audience."
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"Incoming wormhole!"
At Chuck's shout, John and Elizabeth ran from her office, coming to an abrupt halt right behind the Canadian technician's chair. He flinched as the Air Force man gripped the back of his seat.
"What's the address?" John asked, leaning so far over Chuck's shoulder that he was practically perched on the man's lap.
"I, uh, I don't know, sir," the technician replied. "There's something blocking the signal. It's like whoever's dialling is… cloaking their location somehow." He looked up, bewildered. "I've never seen anything like it."
"IDC?" Elizabeth asked. It had been almost four hours since Rodney had been taken and the level of worry for her Chief Scientist was verging on hysterical. The knowledge that she had allowed John's double to waltz off through the Gate did nothing to ease the snakes that had taken up residence in her gut, despite everyone's insistence that she had no way of knowing.
I should have done, she thought grimly. I should have realised…
"Nothing yet… Oh no, wait!" Chuck corrected himself, tapping on the computer screen in front of him. "It's Dr McKay's code."
"Lower the shield!" Sheppard barked, already halfway down the stairs. Although he wasn't naïve enough to believe that Rodney had been released, he couldn't contain the tiny flicker of hope that ignited at the back of his mind. McKay was a genius after all, and it was entirely possible that he had either convinced their doppelgangers to free him or somehow escaped…
But as soon as he heard the voice that emanated from the radio channel, his heart sank.
"Afternoon, Atlantis," Sheppard's double greeted casually. "Hope you're all behaving yourselves."
John trotted back up the steps to the control room, his hands unconsciously clenching into fists.
"Colonel Sheppard," Elizabeth greeted coolly.
"Dr Weir," came the reply. "We think we have something of yours. Are you missing a stray, perhaps? Brown hair, blue eyes, terrible ego problems, answers to the name 'Rodney'?"
"Quit the mind games," John snapped, his temper and frustration finally erupting. "I don't know what the fuck you're playing at, but it ends right now. D'you hear me?"
"Always so headstrong. Must be an inter-dimensional flaw in you Sheppards." That was the other McKay. "And really, Colonel, that's awful language to be using on a public radio frequency. Didn't your mother teach you any manners?"
"Come and say that to my face, you piece of…"
"Enough!" Weir snapped. "John, I know you're angry, but this isn't helping," she hissed at her Commanding Military Officer.
"You should listen to the pretty lady, buddy," John's copy drawled lazily.
"Where is our Dr McKay?" Elizabeth asked, trying to keep her voice as neutral as possible.
"Oh, he's… hanging in there." There was a thump, followed by a muted groan.
"What do you want?"
"We have a proposition for you," McKay's twin replied. "But these things are so impersonal over the radio, don't you think?"
"Alright then," John answered. "What are you suggesting?"
"Get Zelenka to stream the following link to the conference room and you'll see," the other McKay said. "We'll give you ten minutes to set everything up before we call you back."
"Wait!" Elizabeth called. "We want to talk to Rodney."
"In ten minutes." There was a brief pause. "Oh, and if you're not ready by then, things will get very messy."
With a whoosh the Gate shut down, leaving a group of speechless, shell-shocked people wondering what the hell had just hit them.
Elizabeth was the first to snap out of her reverie. "Get Radek up here now," she said to Chuck, who nodded and tapped his earpiece. As he spoke to the Czech, she turned to John. "Tell Teyla, Ronon and Carson to meet us in the conference room," she told him. "And let them know that it might not be pleasant."
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The group that gathered in the conference room was a sombre one. No one knew what to expect, other than the fact that Elizabeth's warning would doubtless be proved correct.
Zelenka had managed to transfer the video feed to the display screen in a matter of seconds, and was trying to hack the 'cloak' blocking the Gate address from their systems. Judging from the frustrated grunts and curses in Czech, the engineer was having no luck.
"Leave it for now, Z," John said, shutting the lid of the keyboard when it looked as though Radek was two seconds away from taking an axe to the machine. "Let's just see what they want then worry about the details later, okay?"
"My apologies, Colonel," Zelenka replied, fidgeting nervously. He shifted about in his chair restlessly, unable to settle and wondering how the others managed to remain so calm. "I am… how would you say… distracted. I cannot concentrate." His voice dropped down to a hoarse whisper as his fingers drummed out a nervous, uneven rhythm on the table. "And I am worried for Rodney. The others are… I do not wish to alarm anyone, but… They are not sane."
John nodded sympathetically, trying to push aside his own fears. The group needed him to be Lt Col John Sheppard, Military Commander of Atlantis. Rodney would need him to be focused and calm, not on the brink of going apoplectic with the rage slowly building up inside of him. So he took a couple of deep breaths, trying to clear his mind as he set his jaw. There would be time to go into meltdown later, when his geek was safely back in the city. "Yeah, doc," he said, "I know."
"We are all concerned for Dr McKay," Teyla added, resting a hand over Radek's to stop the fretful movements. "But we will do everything in our power to find him and bring him home." Next to her, Ronon nodded in agreement.
"What about your doubles?" the Czech asked in a small voice.
"I think that you'll have to wait your turn, lad," Carson replied. "I've a feeling that there's a long line of people who want to have a wee talk with them first."
"Play nice, doc," Ronon said, trying to hide a smirk.
"Carson!" Elizabeth admonished. "You took an oath!"
Beckett just smiled serenely, making everyone else shudder.
Before anyone else could say any more, the Gate alarm sounded and seconds later, the screen in the conference room fizzled into life. The picture was grainy, but Zelenka typed in a few commands to enhance the resolution and they were rewarded when the alternate McKay's face slowly faded into view.
"Dr McKay," Elizabeth said, straightening in her seat.
"Ah, you managed it then?" he asked, grinning slightly. "This is a much more civilised way to communicate, don't you think? Tell Zelenka it's a job well done." He paused for a moment, his face contorting into a twisted parody of concern. And how is dear Radek? Not feeling too rough around the edges, I hope?"
The engineer trembled in his chair.
"Leave him alone," John growled.
"Ah, Colonel, still in that dreadful mood of yours, I see."
"Bite me."
"We want to see Rodney," Elizabeth cut in quickly, trying to diffuse the situation. "It's been ten minutes."
"So it has," McKay's double agreed amicably. "I don't see the harm." He stepped away from the camera, allowing it to zoom in on the far wall.
The group gave an audible gasp when they saw their missing scientist.
Rodney was a mess. He'd already been beaten so badly that the left side of his face was black, blue and every other shade in between, and his eye was swollen shut. The other had a worryingly glassy look about it, the pupil so dilated that only a tiny sliver of his normally blue iris was visible. He hung limply from his bonds, his left wrist distended and at an unnatural angle.
"Rodney," Elizabeth breathed, unable to hide the quiver in her voice.
As if he heard her, Rodney managed to lift his head in the direction of the camera and gave them a brave but pained smile. "'Liz'beth?" he croaked. "That… you?"
"Yeah, buddy, we're all here," John said in an unusually calm and controlled voice.
"John…" Rodney whispered, trying to push himself more upright. "You… okay?"
"I'm fine, Answer Man," the Air Force man replied, shaking his head. All the pain that the Canadian must have been in and McKay was worried about him?
I am going to kill them. There won't even be enough left to send back through that damn mirror by the time I'm finished with them…
"As touching as this little reunion is, I think we should get down to business," the other Sheppard said.
"Don't… give them anything," Rodney cut in. "No matter what… they do… don't…" He broke off with a cry of pain as John's double hit him hard in the stomach.
"Stop!" Weir yelled.
The alternate John held his hands up with an innocent look.
"What do you want?" Teyla asked, motioning for Ronon to sit down; he'd leapt to his feet at Rodney's cry.
"Sanctuary and immunity in this dimension," McKay's double replied. "Otherwise Rodney is officially dead."
"You know we can't do that," Elizabeth said sadly.
In the cave, the bys' twins stared at one another. "You can," the other Sheppard insisted. "If you really want to."
"Maybe they just need an incentive," his team-mate said, tilting is head to the side as he looked at their hostage. "Why don't you give them a taste of your talents, John? Just to prove that we aren't screwing around?"
"With pleasure." Sheppard's copy moved across to the far side of the cave, returning with a long, slender pouch. He unrolled it carefully, taking out a thin bladed knife. "Do you like them, doc?" he asked, tilting it this way and that so the blade glinted ominously in the light. "I had them made especially for me. They're as smooth as a hot knife through butter going in, but the fun really starts when I pull 'em back out." He leaned in close to whisper in Rodney's ear, "And feel free to scream all you want, buddy. Let your friends know how much it hurts."
The Atlanteans watched in horror as John's double plunged the knife deep into Rodney's hip, just above the bone. Remarkably, the only sound from the scientists was a quiet whimper, but John could see his friend shaking and knew how much the effort of keeping quiet was costing him. They continued to watch as the man then began to slowly rotate the weapon, wincing at the wet coughs it produced from McKay. The alternate Sheppard then pulled the knife out.
This time, Rodney did scream. As his torturer held the weapon up close to the camera, the gang saw why; as the knife had been rotated, it had spat out tiny barbs which had pulled out chunks of flesh along the way.
"You fucking bastards!" the Colonel shouted, thumping the table.
Unfortunately for Rodney, John's outburst only served to egg his twin on. With a chuckle, he moved back to his victim and repeated the entire process on the physicist's thigh.
"You really do have a filthy mouth," McKay's copy said as Rodney's cries died away. "I'm surprised no one's cut out your tongue yet."
Unable to watch any more, the girls looked away.
"Please stop this," Carson pleaded, wondering how much more pain his friend could stand.
"Once you agree to our terms," the alternate McKay said. "You can put an end to this right now if you want."
"No," Elizabeth said. "We do not negotiate with terrorists."
"Funny, that was what he said," the other John replied as he replaced the now blood soaked blade back into his pouch. He pulled out another device, keeping it close to his body and Rodney finally broke.
"Please, p-please d-don't do this," he begged, trembling.
"Sorry, doc," John's copy said in a tone that suggested he was anything but apologetic, "but your friends won't co-operate."
"Rodney?" Sheppard said, alarmed at his friend's reaction. "What is it? What's he got?"
"Oh my God," Carson breathed.
"Doc?" asked Ronon.
"Carson, what is it?" asked Elizabeth. "What's he holding?"
Rodney was shaking violently, trying to pull away from the ropes holding him in place as the alternate John advanced on him. The man moved behind the Canadian and thrust the stick into the small of his back.
In the conference room, the team paled as they saw the orange light emanating from Rodney's eyes and mouth, flinching at the scream of agony.
"What is that?" Teyla asked.
"A Goa'uld pain stick," Beckett replied, his face pale.
"Enough!" Weir cried, unable to see her friend suffer.
"Do you agree to our terms?" McKay's double asked.
She shook her head mutely.
Sheppard's double struck Rodney with the pain stick twice more before the scientist went limp. "You'll find us at the following address," he said, holding up a piece of paper. "Colonel Sheppard is to come alone and unarmed in a supply-loaded jumper. If you try and sneak anyone else through with you, or smuggle any kind of weaponry on board, we'll kill your friend."
"You've got one hour," McKay's copy said as the feed shut down.
"What do we do?" asked Ronon, breaking the shocked silence. "If we don't give 'em what they want, the little man's dead."
"And he's just as dead once they've got the supplies they need," John shot back.
"Well, what do you suggest?" asked Elizabeth. "We don't have much time."
"We need to be creative," Carson said.
"What d'you mean, doc?"
"We must think like Rodney," Zelenka replied, catching onto Beckett's idea. "We must be cunning, no?"
For the first time that afternoon, John smiled. "What did you have in mind, Z?"
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Ha, ha! Go on, gang, go get them! Reviews are always appreciated – and if you're all good, I may even hurt Rodney some more!