Chapter 21 – Awakening
'It's the sense of duty that keeps you going sometimes when things get very, very rough.
Somebody's got to do it. And if you don't, who will?'
Norman Schwarzkopf
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Trebal looked at the man on the ground and paced. His face was the only illuminated feature in the entire area. It was peaceful...relaxed…innocent. He had yet to wake up and face this unforgiving reality. Trebal stopped pacing and let out a cry of frustration. As she turned from the light, she crossed her arms and peered into the darkness.
The gloominess of the environment matched the mood of the artificial entity. Past events overshadowed her new found independence. Trebal had learned much from Rodney; the ability to understand her programming and the courage to question what she had been told. She had flexed these new skills, searching through the database, exploring areas that had once been restricted to her. She had found freedom and the whole experience had been exhilarating.
Eventually the true nature of the complex and its legacy had become apparent to her. She had stopped the simulation – Rodney's memories were no longer required but he was. This conflicted with her programming and she knew she would not be able to shield him forever. Closing her eyes she concentrated and her head twitched towards her left shoulder. Opening her eyes she slowly smiled to herself. Hopefully the data she had sent to the main control panel would help those within the complex to understand.
Bending down to the prone figure she gently whispered in his ear, "Rodney, wake up."
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Zelenka looked around the room and spied Damen; the boy looked torn. He approached the frightened child, intent on distracting him from Maegan's ranting; Damen screwed up his face and clenched his hands. "I will not do it. Parcae promised that Rodney would wake up and help me kill the monsters."
Zelenka frowned as he led the boy into a quiet room. Kneeling, he looked Damen in the eyes. "When did Parcae tell you that?"
"WhenI was here last, after Rodney went to sleep." Damen paused, uncertain that he should continue.
Zelenka smiled. "I want to help my friend. Let me help you too."
Damen looked at Zelenka's face, as if searching for something, then nodded. "Tomas told me to come here."
Zelenka probed the little boy further. "Why?"
"He and the Magi told me it was time to kill the monsters. Maegan and I were taught how to kill the monsters, but only I have been here before. When my father died, Maegan wanted me to live with him, but the Magi said I couldn't. Only I was shown how to do the task. Maegan was angry about that."
Zelenka looked at the child. His innocence. "Can you show me how to kill the monsters?"
Damen nodded and they left the sanctuary of the room.
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Silence met the scientist and boy as they entered the control room. Maegan had been secured in the corner with a gag and bindings.
Zelenka stared at Sheppard and Ronon then glanced over at the struggling man.
Ronon growled, "He has nothing more to say."
Ronon remained guarding Maegan as Sheppard fell into step with Zelenka, following Damen back to the control panel. As they walked Zelenka relayed the sparse information he had gleaned from the boy.
"Damen has agreed to show me what he was taught," he added cheerfully. Any further comment was halted by words, flashing red, on the display.
Protect Damen.
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Rodney slowly opened his eyes, roused from unpleasant dreams by a soft voice in his ear. "Rodney, wake up." Groaning against the brightness, he closed his eyes and prayed he was in the infirmary; the throbbing in his head was almost incapacitating.
The voice insisted he open his eyes again and Rodney complied, if only to look them in the eye and tell them exactly want he thought of their medicinal skills. A vaguely familiar face looked down at him. "You must awaken. You must save your friends."
The prone figure sighed, "What do I have to fix?"
Trebal frowned, Rodney was still ensnared by the simulation. She needed him to understand the seriousness of their situation - the sacrifice that was about to take place. She reached out her right hand and placed the tips of her fingers on his forehead. Pausing, she plunged her fingers into his head. Rodney let out a scream.
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Rodney stared straight ahead, his blue eyes unfocussed. Trebal worried that she had passed on too much information; his brain unable to process the knowledge. She pulled her fingertips out of Rodney's head and placed her hands gently on his face. "Rodney, you must hurry."
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Carson and Teyla jumped at the noise that came from Rodney. As soon as it had started, the ear-piercing screaming stopped. In the eerie silence that followed, Teyla watched the Doctor pace in agitation. After a couple of minutes, Carson glanced at the pod and stopped mid-stride. Two blue eyes were staring at him.
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Damen tugged on Zelenka's sleeve to catch his attention. He showed him the process he had learned from the Magi; pointing out the compartment and crystals he had been shown to touch. Zelenka thanked him then quickly directed him away from the control panel. Damen avoided looking at Maegan as they approached. When they stopped he used Ronon as a human barrier to shield himself from his brother's glare.
"Ronon will watch over you while we try to figure this out." Zelenka gently squeezed his shoulder, smiled, then walked back to Sheppard. Damen peered up at the tall man who silently observed the two men at the control panel. He was carefully assessing the situation. Damen lowered his eyes and peered around Ronon's legs to look at his brother. There was no mistaking the unguarded hatred in the eyes that glared at him.
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Teyla and Carson tried to stop Rodney as he stumbled out of the pod. Uncoordinated and pale, he pushed them away and quietly spoke, "I know what to do." He raised his eyes and chuckled, "I've got to save the day." Swaying, he steadied himself on the corner of the pod. "We've got to go to the control room."
When Teyla and Carson didn't move, Rodney glared. "Snap, snap. I could use a little help here people."
Carson grinned, grabbing Rodney's arm to steady him. "Alright, off we go." Smiling, Teyla touched the radio in her ear to inform Sheppard of the good news, then the trio headed toward the control room.
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A/N: Once again I am indebted to Marie and Tazmy for their magnificent and speedy beta. Of course any remaining errors are all mine.