Disclaimer – whenever, whatever…
Crash and burn…
Prang Part II
The mood in the mess hall was mixed as everyone watched Rodney's progress on the screen. The scientists cheered and shot scathing, superior looks at the marines whenever Rodney went past another target. Most of the marines were dumbfounded that McKay was such a good flyer. They had only ever heard stories about the erratic flight path he often took and his nervousness whenever he was forced to fly.
The scientists at the back of the room, including Zelenka and Kavanagh, carefully chose the camera angles and quickly switched away from Rodney whenever he looked scared. As it was, most of the time they used the cameras on the targets to show his progress. Kavanagh was frantically typing away on one of the laptops with a sheen of sweat on his face. Zelenka noticed.
"What are you doing? Looks like you're going to lose bet, hmm?"
Kavanagh scowled as he carried on typing.
Teyla, Ronon and Beckett were smiling as they watched their friend clear the water and turn the Jumper over the mainland. Beckett had forgotten his own fear for a moment, as he was astounded at Rodney's sudden improvement. Carson thought that McKay had made them all believe he was no good at flying, because he always vehemently complained whenever he was forced to. He was pleasantly surprised with everyone else in the room.
The camera switched to Rodney as his tongue curled out of the corner of his mouth unconsciously in concentration. They watched as he leaned into each turn on the slalom. Some of the marines laughed until the scientists yelled at them to shut up.
The image flickered slightly as Rodney completed his last turn. Teyla and Ronon shared a look and shrugged as they turned back to watch.
The marines where still making a lot of noise at Rodney's expense when the Jumper began visibly shaking as he tilted the nose skywards to begin 'the loop.'
The smiles fell a little when the image cut out for a few seconds.
Weir was standing at the back and asked Zelenka, "What's wrong?"
He replied, "I don't know. Video feed just cut out suddenly."
He pressed a button and the main screen changed to an external view of one of the cameras on a target in the loop.
The smiles and laughter instantly vanished as they watched Rodney's Jumper diving towards the ground. Out of control and with no power.
"Oh no," Teyla said with her eyes open wide. She put her hands over her mouth.
There was a collective intake of breath when the drive pod lights came back on once more and Rodney managed to sweep the craft up in time not fly into the ground.
They kept watching in horror as an explosion tore through one of the drive pods and the Jumper lost its battle with gravity once again. It crashed into several trees in a massive fireball. Then they could no longer see it at all as nothing but flames and burning embers rose around the crash site.
"Rodney…" Teyla gasped.
Weir stood still with her mouth open for a moment then quickly gathered her thoughts together. She called through the stunned silence.
"I want a rescue team and a med team ready to go in the Jumper bay in a couple of minutes."
Everyone in the mess hall was still silently watching the screen as the camera showed smoke and flames licking up from the site where Rodney's Jumper had disappeared a moment ago.
Weir turned to Zelenka and said quietly, "Shut it off please."
He was still staring at the images in shock. He shook his head, pushed his glasses up and turned off the main screen.
This seemed the awaken everyone out of their trances and people began mobilising and co-ordinating their efforts.
She clicked her radio, "Weir to Sheppard."
"Go ahead Doctor."
"I want two Jumpers equipped for a rescue mission ready to depart as soon as the other teams are ready."
"I know. I saw what happened. I'm already in pre-flight preparations. I've called another marine pilot to fly the other one."
His voice was stoic and cold, completely unreadable. Obviously he was too shocked to fully comprehend what had happened yet.
Carson was talking to his medical team who had been allowed to leave the infirmary to watch the time trial. "I need you to go to the infirmary and grab a triage kit, based on the fire it looks like we'll be dealing with burns, so bring extra plasma and sterile bandages."
The force of the explosion in the Jumper blasted Rodney forward. He cried out as he felt the searing heat across his back just before the bulkhead door closed.
He was then pushed back into the seat by G-force as the Jumper accelerated down and out of control, he knew there would be no chance of salvation this time.
The crushing sensation was short-lived and quickly replaced when the Jumper impacted the ground nose first. Rodney was rapidly and brutally thrown forward again. As the Jumper came to an abrupt halt his lower torso slammed into the control panel. He threw up his arms instinctively across his face to protect his head as the rest of his body curled up around the panel.
The motion was so severe and jarring that he was mercifully knocked out before the pain was able to reach his brain.
The Jumper stayed upright for a moment and then fell onto its roof and rocked from side-to-side as it settled. All around the trees were on fire and the inferno began to spread. Rodney limply fell from his position wrapped around the console and came to rest on the Jumper's ceiling, which had now become the floor. There he lay sprawled out, bleeding and oblivious to the world.
Sheppard flew the Jumper swiftly over the ocean towards the mainland. He had asked Zelenka to come along too. He had an idea forming in his mind and may need the scientist's help to pull it off. He made the medical and rescue teams cram into the other Jumper with all their gear.
Sheppard had his face set with a look of grim determination. Zelenka idly watched out of the windscreen, unsure exactly what to do or say.
Neither of them spoke for the whole trip. They did not want to voice the concern they had. How could anyone survive a crash like that?
They saw the smoke from the raging fires before they even saw the land. Sheppard sped toward the billowing black plume and circled around high in the air above it.
"See anything, Radek?" Sheppard brought up the HUD and was met by an image of thermal currents and heat patterns of the firestorm below.
"The fire is masking everything. If we put it out maybe I can see where Jumper crashed. But I'm not sure." Zelenka's voice shook and he looked sad and shocked as he studied the readings. His friend was down there in the middle of all that.
"Colonel, I…" he began.
"No, don't say anything. Not yet. Let's get this fire out first."
Sheppard radioed the other Jumper and told them to land in a safe area within a large clearing comprised of rocks and stones, so that the fire could not spread to them.
He watched as the rescue team came out from the back of the Jumper in full fire fighting gear, oxygen tanks and masks. There was no water anywhere nearby to put out the fire and their extinguishers looked pitiful and woefully inadequate in the face of such a large conflagration.
"Sheppard to Jumper Four,"
"Go ahead Colonel," Beckett replied from the relative safety of the other Jumper's cockpit.
"Stay put for now. I have an idea.
"Ok Colonel, you'd better hurry though; the fire's growing all the time."
Sheppard turned to Zelenka, "Radek, we know from Rodney's trip down into the watery depths last year that the bulkhead door is watertight. And the Ancient systems are pretty hardy."
"Oh Colonel, you can't be thinking…"
"Yes, yes I am. We must hurry though. It took us a long time to get mobilised and fly over here."
Sheppard flew the Jumper over the sea and under the surface. "If this doesn't work, then the other Jumper will have to try on their own," he thought.
He shut the bulkhead door and turned to Zelenka, "Ok, do it."
"I warn you Colonel. I had to turn off many safety protocols."
"Just try, for Rodney's sake."
"Alright…"
He pushed up his glasses and typed a few commands into his tablet.
The rear door opened and they both heard a loud splashing sound, as the rear compartment was deliberately flooded. There was a quiet yet reassuring bang as the rear hatch closed again.
"Ok, I'm taking us up."
Sheppard throught the Jumper felt a little sluggish now that it had all the extra weight in the back. However, it still flew and that was the main thing.
He guided the Jumper over the top of the fire and after discussing tactics with the rescue team over the radio, he opened the rear hatch and let the water drain out onto the ground. Smoke and steam rose from the area as the fire stuttered out briefly.
After ten precious minutes and five trips to douse the flames, they were beginning to dissipate. Zelenka cried out in surprise and smiled.
"I… Colonel… I'm detecting a life sign in the middle of the fire we just put out. It's very faint, but there's no mistaking it."
Sheppard's eyes widened, "Wow Rodney. If anyone was going to survive in the middle of that, it would just have to be you." Trust McKay to stubbornly cling onto life even in the midst of that howling inferno. He grinned as he dropped another compartment-full of water over the area with the life sign.
The rescue team had been watching Sheppard's progress on the HUD of the other Jumper and they gave the all clear to move in and help Rodney after the sixth trip. Sheppard kept running sorties back and forth from the sea to put out the last of the fires and make sure they did not start again.
There was a reverberating knocking and a hissing sound. The hissing remained constant, but the knocking was intermittent.
There was also a hideous metallic taste and a sense of all-enveloping numbness.
As the sounds became louder, the numbness began to fade into a smarting sensation.
Then, as pain began to blossom across his entire body, Rodney's brain began to associate sounds and sensations with what they were.
He kept his eyes closed and turned his head to the side as he spat out a massive mouthful of blood. He cringed at the taste and then winced as his neck protested at the movement. He took in a harsh gasp of breath and fought down the urge to retch. It did not feel as though any part of him was not screaming out in agony.
The hissing sound stopped and a much louder bang and slight scraping sound assaulted Rodney's ears. Memories of fire and the inevitability of a hideous death played through his mind.
"But hissing?" He thought, "Fire makes more of a crackling sound. Am I still alive anyway?"
He could take the suspense no longer and forced his eyes open.
He was met by a strange view. The Jumper cockpit was on the ceiling, the chairs were fortunately nailed firmly to the floor, so did not fall on him as he gazed up at them.
He blinked as the hissing started again and he localised the source of the sound. He shifted a little to turn towards the bulkhead door. As he moved a bright and encircling pain tore through his pelvis and he groaned and closed his eyes with his brow furrowed. He thought he had felt something slicing him inside as he moved.
He opened his eyes again after a minute and looked at the door. The hissing continued and he could now make out an orange light moving down one side of the door. It was moving to connect with the final corner of a large black square marked out on his side of the door.
He thought he heard someone speaking and recognized the familiar accent. He sighed.
"Carson, is that you?" His voice sounded reedy and weak; barely audible even in his own ears.
"Rodney? Try not to move, we're getting you out of here."
He gritted his teeth and muttered, "Could have told me that a minute ago. Oh.. ow… that really hurts."
There was a deep pain inside his lower abdomen, which throbbed and bit with every heartbeat. He could feel his rapid pulse hammering in his neck as his heart struggled to continue beating. Soon the agony began to diminish once more and Rodney panicked as he knew this was a very bad sign. He closed his eyes and exhaled a small puff of air.
His tenuous grip to consciousness then faded away entirely. The last thing he was aware of was a very loud scraping noise and a ringing bang as something landed on the deck.
Dr Beckett and his team stood impatiently around as the rescue team doused the rear compartment of the Jumper with their extinguishers. Once it was cool and safe enough to enter they moved towards the bulkhead sealing off the cockpit. They grabbed their gear and began burning a hole through the door to gain access.
Beckett looked at his scanner and noted that Rodney was still alive, though barely. He also seemed to be right at the front of the Jumper, so that made it safe for the rescue crew to cut away the door.
He went over with them and banged on the side of the door with his fist and called through, "Rodney? Can you hear me?"
There was no reply.
He kept banging on the door until one of the rescue crew pushed him out of the way.
"Hey!" he said indignantly, "If he can hear us…"
He heard a soft voice coming through the door as the rescue team glared at him.
He pried away the pushing hands and leant close to the door, "Rodney? Try not to move, we're getting you out of here."
He thought he heard a mumbled reply, but the hissing of the cutting tools blocked it out. He moved out of the way as they attached handles to the door. He instead turned to the scanner again and was shocked to see the life sign was getting dimmer.
With a loud scraping sound of metal protesting against metal, the rescue team pulled the new door they had made away and the med team could finally get to work.
Beckett ducked down to avoid hitting his head on the chairs, which had become the new ceiling and went over to where Rodney lay unconscious.
He quickly checked pulse and breathing, both were there but very weak. He frowned as he noted burns on the backs of Rodney's arms, legs and head.
He could not easily see any other external injuries, but Rodney's fair skin was cold to touch and he still seemed to be gradually slipping away.
He organised his team to cut away Rodney's clothes and he studied the man's pale form. He saw dark bruises across his forearms, legs, chest and torso. Apart from the bruising there did not seem to be anything visible causing Rodney's condition to deteriorate. Carson would need to get him on the scanner to see where the problem was.
The med team efficiently and quickly bound up the worst of the burns and inserted IV lines into both of his arms. He did not seem to be having any trouble breathing, so they laid an oxygen mask over his face. Carson checked his back and neck alignment and gave the all clear for the med team to gently, keeping movement to a minimum, lay him on a backboard and then transfer him to a stretcher. They put his neck in a brace and covered him with a blanket strapping him securely on the stretcher.
Carson guided them outside holding the IV bags above his head as he went. The rescue team were standing by with their extinguishers ready, just in case any fire reignited.
Beckett sighed in relief when he saw that Colonel Sheppard had landed his Jumper very close to the crash site. It looked like he had crushed several burnt and spindly trees to make a new clearing. The other Jumper was a good walk away and time was fast running out for Rodney.
The team went into the rear compartment, ignoring the damp walls and dripping ceiling as they monitored Rodney. Sheppard slammed the rear hatch closed and flew them back to Atlantis at top speed.
Carson was shocked and very worried when they finally got Rodney under the scanner. He was clinging to life by his fingertips and his blood pressure had become dangerously low. He noted that a majority of the visible bruises and burns were superficial, but the worst injury, which was causing all the problems, was a pelvic fracture. As Rodney had shifted, it had cut into some of his organs like a knife and he had very serious internal bleeding.
Carson sighed as he set to work performing surgery to repair the damage.
It was many hours before he was satisfied that the damage was repaired and he moved Rodney into the intensive care unit. He quickly spoke to the rest of Rodney's team and gave them the low-down on his condition. He then told them to come back later as it would be a while before Rodney was strong enough to have visitors.
It was several days before Rodney woke up. Carson had put him on a ventilator for the first day to make sure he kept breathing.
Sheppard sat next to him, as he had done for many hours each day. Teyla, Ronon, Weir and Zelenka had also come to visit.
Sheppard saw Rodney's eyes crack open slightly and then close again. There was no fooling him though.
"You know you wrote off that Jumper, Rodney?"
McKay groaned and opened his eyes fully to look at him.
Sheppard continued, "Apart from the cockpit, it's completely burnt out. I doubt whether we'll be able to salvage anything useful."
Rodney smiled weakly, his face was still pale and he grimaced as he felt a faint trace of drug-repressed pain through his hips.
"I'm sure Radek will find something," he mumbled.
Sheppard gave Rodney a conspirational look and raised his eyebrows, "Oh that reminds me; I caught Dr Kavanagh in a heated debate with Dr Zelenka the other day. Just after we brought you back actually. I thought it was due to the rescue, tensions were running pretty high, but now I'm not so sure..."
Rodney blinked slowly and looked a little annoyed when Sheppard stopped, "What is it John?"
"I heard that Zelenka and Kavanagh had a bet on you."
Rodney did not look too surprised but his face fell a little.
"Zelenka seemed to be accusing Kavanagh of doing something to the Jumper so that he could win his bet. Radek thinks that Kavanagh rigged the engines somehow. It may not have been his intention to destroy one of them, but you know how he is."
Rodney gave him a knowing and exasperated look. The inept scientist was frequently making mistakes that took McKay and the rest of his team hours to fix.
Sheppard spoke again, "Maybe he only wanted to slow the Jumper down or make it lose control slightly so that you would be forced to give up."
"He should know that I don't give up on anything once I set my mind to it."
"Yes, well I certainly know about that," Sheppard smiled again.
"Is there any evidence for his accusation?"
"Unfortunately not. Zelenka says he has been working on a way to reconstruct the Jumper logs and operating system, but the crystals were too badly melted and warped to retain any data."
"When I get out of here, I'll have a look too." Rodney started to fall asleep again.
Sheppard leaned over, "You just concentrate on getting better first, and don't go and tell Zelenka or Weir about this until we have some proof."
"That's fine Colonel," Rodney said sleepily, "I'm sure I'll be able to find something…"
A/N – A race of some type was one of the first ideas I had, but it's taken a very long time to form it into a story (and I kept getting interrupted by other plotlines)
Everything I know about medicine, I learnt from Wikipedia… (I have basic first aid training but that's it!)
Please let me know what you think! x Varda x
