A/N: Yeah, it's a biggon....and for all those looking for doctor owies, here ya go! Enjoy!
Day One
Chapter Six
Five hours and counting. Dr. Weir had timed it herself, she hadn't even left the gate control room yet to look at clock. She just knew. Hours without contact from anyone who went to that sector, hours not knowing if Dr. Beckett and McKay were still alive and hours since Sheppard departed to bring them back.
She had Grodin send out a call every half hour with no success, now Elizabeth prepared to send yet another rescue team to find the first. How did things get so out of control?
She stood by a small table that was set up in the control room, listening to Captain Marsden reiterate his plan of taking eight armed men with him, making a sweep of the sector for any sign of Sheppard and his men then returning within a hour with or without the missing people. At least they would have contact upon return, and hopefully, Marsden and his men could shed a little light on what was going on there.
All the while Dr. Weir listened, she wished she could simply go down there herself. But if Sheppard of all people, was now missing, and no one left to leave in charge in case she didn't come back either, there was little choice in the matter. What should have taken four men to accomplish was now taking nine more, even the four in the beginning where just an extra precaution, it could have honestly taken two. Weir had just a bad feeling about it all, something in the pit of her stomach that told her to make Sheppard take more.
"My team is almost ready below doctor, and we can head out as soon as you give the go-ahead." Marsden said finally as he rose from leaning over a printed map of the sector in question, adjusting his black cap over his graying hair.
"I still don't like the idea of sending anymore men into that sector without reliable radio contact. I've already lost six members of my team today Captain, and your asking me to prepare to lose more."
Marsden glanced down at the blueprints for the sector, then turning his eyes back up to Elizabeth. She could tell from his expression of disapproval that he either also thought the plan was a bit too hole ridden for comfort, or that this was all her fault in the first place and she needed to face the facts.
"Elizabeth---" He began, trying to sound comforting. "John's become a good friend of mine, he's put his life on the line for all of us too many times then he should have. We're more then ready to do the same."
"I understand that Captain." Weir began with a knowing smile, thinking on how thoughtless Sheppard was sometimes when it came down to his own life compared to someone else's. Though soon her smile faded as she grew grave once more. "But since the Major is one of those people missing, this simple thing has become a lot more complicated then I think any of us had at first thought. And I know John would have laid everything down for the survival of our team, in fact, he did, but that doesn't mean I'm comfortable with expending anymore lives."
"We'll get them back Dr. Weir." Marsden began.
"Yes, that's what Major Sheppard said too. You have your go ahead Captain, be back in the hour." Elizabeth turned her back to him, she couldn't rightly tell if she was angry on account of the Major not being back as he had promised or the fact that this situation was quickly unraveling from her grasp.
As she made her way over to Grodin and as Marsden was about to leave, Weir asked the gate technician if there had been any sign yet from Sheppard or the two doctors. Grodin simply replied with a headshake, ready to make another call-out to the Major when the intercom hissed suddenly. The sound in fact stopped the Captain as he was halfway out the door, hearing after it, a most familiar voice.
"Ah, Houston this is Sheppard, hope you haven't forgotten about us."
Weir nearly pushed the intercom button herself when she stopped, her heart thudding into her stomach as she tried to retain her immense relief. Elizabeth nodded for Grodin to click back to the Major as she spoke.
"John, good to hear from you. We've been pretty worried."
"Yeah I bet you have." Was that a slight smile Weir heard in his voice? She shook it off sticking to the situation at hand. Meanwhile Grodin typed a few commands into the city's tracing system, bring up several red blips onto the layout map. All seeming to be grouped in one general location right in the middle of the sector.
"We have your position Major, what's your status?" Weir asked as Grodin pointed to the blips on the screen, speaking quietly to her. "I'm only seeing five out of six of them."
"Well a funny thing happened on the way to the sector." Replied John, trying to sound lighthearted. Elizabeth sometimes hated the fact that he took things so lightly at times, yet was amazed at how quickly he could turn serious, as John did now. "We've located the docs, I've got them by me right now except they're trapped inside what McKay says is a generator room, some alien technological marvel that's screwing up the machinery round here."
Weir nodded to herself taking in the information as it came. "And is everyone alright? Peter drew up a readout of the sector your currently in, there's only five life-readings, what's going on?"
"Ford and I are fine, so are Beckett and McKay. Bouds has seen better days and I sent Estin back to you guys with a few requests, he'll give you the full lowdown when he gets there, oh and tell him to send a gurney too."
"Major, I need to know what's going on if I'm to send another team in there to help you out. Do you have everything under control?"
"If by control you mean I've got a grasp on the situation and have a good feeling about it all, then---no. I'm about as good feeling as a purple-nurple . More to the point we've got a bit of a critter problem Weir, and I'd give my right arm for a big ol' can of Raid."
"Please explain." Elizabeth narrowed her eyes at the control room, wondering just what the Major meant by 'a critter problem'.
"Wish I could, but I'm going to have to get that generator up and running again soon, Estin will explain why when he gets there, just, do what he says."
"Dr. Weir." Came Captain Marsden suddenly, pointing to the gate room below. Weir hadn't noticed but Estin had in fact just arrived, he was stopped by the awaiting soldiers below and was now making his way in a frantic pace up the stairs nearly bursting into the control room. Marsden caught a hold of the Lieutenant there as the lad looked around obviously exhausted to him and then to Weir, he sucked at the air trying to stop his lungs from burning.
"Ma'am---" Estin began trying to calm himself down enough to talk in full sentences. "Major Sheppard ordered me----to bring him a blowtorch, hand-ram, and reinforcements."
Weir listened to the young Lieutenant with a frown, wondering just how 'trapped' Beckett and McKay were. "One moment Lieutenant." She said quickly, inviting him to come closer. Estin did in fact, Marsen following him as both men came to stand near where Grodin sat at the control console.
Elizabeth reached over and hit the radio button, ready to question Sheppard. "Major I've got Estin here with us now, why do you need a blow torch?"
But no response came and after a moment Weir called back again. "Major? Please respond, how serious is your situation?"
"He must have told Dr. McKay to turn the generator back on." Estin spoke up, his voice more controlled as he had caught his breath. "It's the only way to keep them out of the corridors Ma'am."
"Estin, what is this generator, is Bouds seriously injured, and who's, them?"
"One thing at a time Dr. Weir." Marsden commented respectfully, trying to get some reason out of the anxious solider. "Tommy what's this all about them, has the base been compromised?"
"In a matter of speaking yes, I—I don't know what happened to Bouds, the Major ordered me to come back here with his request for supplies, I left him alone." Estin began attempting to explain all this as quickly as possible so he could get back to the sector and help Sheppard get everyone back. Though he was a bit at ease knowing that Ford had shown back up, but he now also worried about the condition about his buddy Bouds. He turned his attention to Marsden then, swallowing hard. "They're, creatures, I haven't seen them yet myself but they attacked Dr. Beckett and McKay while they were in the generator room."
"Are they alright?" Weir asked quickly.
"As far as I know they are, but that might not last that long Ma'am, permission to bring back requested supplies to Major Sheppard?" Estin was trying to keep a brief as possible just like the Major had told him to.
"Bring what you have to Estin, Marsden and his men will accompany you, Major Sheppard also said he needed a gurney along with those other supplies." Elizabeth could do nothing but agree, with her hands tied there it was up to John to work from inside the city, and whatever he needed, he would get.
"A gurney? Alright, thank you Ma'am." Estin agreed looking as if he was about to run back off when the Captain stopped him.
"Go and tell Private Derrick what you need and he'll take care of it." Marsden ordered, Estin nodded and took off once more out of the control room and down the stairs. The Captain turned to Dr. Weir then, about to head out himself.
"Captain, It's up to you now, as soon as you reach Major Sheppard, have him shut down this, generator, and contact the main base. Good luck, and please, take care."
Marsden left soon after that, calling out to his team and gathering them round before the group set out, two of them towing heavy green canvas bags. One had the blowtorch, the other a tank of extra fuel at Estin's request. In a few minutes a stretcher along with two members from Beckett's medial team came down, joining the out going rescue team.
Weir watched as they left, feeling that same feeling she did when John first set out nearly five hours ago, she was reminded then of the time. She hadn't thought about it in a while and now she had an urge to check the clock. Elizabeth looked at the screen with the sector layout showing, the five little red blips pulsing on and off. She wondered briefly, which one was the Major.
"Remind me that when, and if we get out of this, to deck McKay, really, really hard." Sheppard said grimly drawing up his gun as he made his rounds about the area, which he had been doing every ten minutes or so to make sure everything was clear. So far, so good.
Ford sat on the ground with his back propped up against the wall that wasn't really a wall, more of a sealed up entryway into the room behind him. He had been watching over Bouds, still unconscious and bloody patches that kept growing bigger as time passed. If they didn't get out of this mess soon, Aiden feared his fellow Lieutenant would bleed to death. "I don't think this was all Dr. McKay's fault." He said finally looking up to John as he passed by, checking the left most hallway.
Sheppard turned back quickly. "I know that." He rubbed a sleeved arm over his eyes, not liking this increase of heat every time the generator was put back on, but at least now he could see. "But I need someone to blame, might as well be Rodney."
"That's not very nice Major." Ford smiled slightly.
Sheppard shrugged moving back towards where Bouds and Ford sat. "Well, neither is McKay."
There came three large thuds from behind Aiden, he craned his head upward looking at the wall before he remembered what they had all agreed on. "That's three, they're gonna shut the gen down again."
John shook his head. "No, two was 'I'm shutting the generator down', three was a confirmation that we were still out here." He winced trying to remember if that was in fact right or not in terms of the dumb knocking code they had made up to communicate when the generator was up and running and the radios were out.
"No sir, that was one knock. Two meant Dr. Beckett was asking about Boud's condition, which you had to answer with four knocks for 'not good' and five 'for ok'." Aiden corrected the Major, finding any code system that included five sets of knocks to be too cumbersome, but it was Sheppard's idea in the first place. And now the Lieutenant was coming to realize that John couldn't remember his own code. Not to blame him though, it was confusing.
"I'm telling you." Sheppard shot back, trying to prove he was right after all. "That two meant---"
Suddenly all the lights in the sector suddenly went out leaving John standing in the dark. Ford felt around his rifle, clicking on the overhead light as he shined it towards Sheppard.
"See, told you it was three." Aiden mused.
"Next time, we shoot flares." Sheppard smiled wryly, knowing that old look of 'I told ya so' on Aiden's face as he pulled the radio from his side and decided to make contact with Beckett since the coms were no functional.
"Please tell me you almost have it." He said over the walkie-talkie, waiting for a response.
The radio buzzed. "Yes I've almost got it! You know this is a very serious configuration I'm doing here. This kind of rewiring, especially with Anchient technology can't be rushed!" Sheppard was warmly disappointed to hear McKay's angry voice coming from the other end of the radio.
"Ah, McKay, we were just talking about you." John replied, winking at Ford, who laughed lightly then turned his attentions back to Bouds when he moaned softly.
"You were?" Rodney sounded oddly intrigued before he continued with more important matters. "Anyway---I think I found the reason this door won't open."
"Well what's wrong with it?"
"It's tech geek stuff as you would say, you wouldn't understand." Sheppard could tell Rodney had that superior smirk of his when he said that.
"On, enlighten me." John frowned, unamused. He then heard Rodney click back, sounding like he was taking a deep breath. The Major rolled his eyes, knowing that the only thing that could follow a inhale like that from Rodney, was a longwinded explanation.
"It seems that a few of the activation crystals have been smashed beyond their use within the door's sensor block. Now if I can reconfigure a few of the parts from the area tracker and blast it with a strong enough power output, namely the generator----that should in a sense, reenergize the crystals and give enough of a burst to make the door functional."
"All in one shot huh? Santa would be proud." John remarked with a half-sided grin.
"Major." McKay snapped, not favoring John's humor at the moment.
"Sorry---so after that you should be able to get the door out of the way?"
"Yes, that' s if it works. Which it will" McKay added, ego elevated, though perhaps he was just trying to convince himself as well. "But I'll only have one chance at it. In actuality if the crystals were to receive a sizeable shock like that, they would pretty much burn themselves out and trying again wouldn't be possible."
"I'll keep that in mind." Replied the Major, more then ready to end this conversation, though, McKay seemed to think otherwise.
"Major?" Rodney called back sounding as if his ballooning ego was deflated.
"Yeah McKay?" John sighed, wondering what complaint the physicist had now.
"I can, do it."
"I'm sure you can." Quipped Sheppard flatly.
"You don't sound so sure." McKay interjected, was John just hearing things or did Rodney sound, hurt? He shook it off as his own imagination, clicking back with an authority he couldn't help but lace with a joke to save the physicist from feeling that he was incapable of pulling this off.
"That's just the looming death talking, now get that door open, and don't blow us all up doing it."
"You really think he can do it?" Ford spoke up after a long stretch of minutes, as he hoped within, McKay was working fast.
John stood there in the middle of the corridor, without reply, seeming as if he was thinking, when in reality he was listening. "What? Blow us----all---up?" John asked brokenly, still glancing about the hall as he began to walk across the open area, heading towards the left hallway once more. "With Rodney, anything's possible." He replied softly, shining his light down the hall. Was that chucking he heard?
"No I meant---" Ford began but was silenced by the Major, who raised a hand in his direction then nodded towards the corridor in front of him. Quickly, Aiden got to his feet, and went over to stand next to his commanding officer, both men gazing down the blacken hall. Sheppard moved his light down the corridor's floor until he hit blackness, and not just shadow, this was a moving blackness that John all too soon realized was not just one of the nasty little creatures, but many. In fact, a few dozen.
The creatures seemed to keep at bay, just before the edge of the ring of light. Ford turned his own light down the hall as well, catching some more of the things trying to creep up the hall.
"Yeah, that's what I thought." Sheppard said to himself as spoke to Aiden quickly. "Get Bouds ready incase we have to make a hasty retreat."
Ford sprang to Bouds hearing beyond him in the right corridor hissing and growling. Drawing his gun up, Aiden flashed his light into the hall, catching creatures lurking just a few feet away from where Bouds sat.
"Ah sir?!" Ford shouted, watching as the creatures slunk back, afraid of the light. "They're coming this way too."
Sheppard hearing this grabbed at his radio, ready to take aim and pick off whatever came at him down the hall, though the lights seemed to keep the things in check for the most part, but for how long? "McKay! You better get that generator back on line now!"
"What's the matter?" McKay sent back, sounding greatly annoyed for the interruption. "I've almost got everything hooked up, I can't turn the generator on yet, it's too soon."
"I don't care if it is or not!" Yelled Sheppard, backing up slowly into the open area near the enclosed room. "We're surrounded out here McKay, now turn the damn thing on!"
"Just give me a few more minutes!"
"OH! Who's asking for time now Rodney?! And in a few minutes we're gonna be critter food, you really want that on your conscious?"
"Damn it, just, hang on!" McKay snapped back.
"You come out here and hang on McKay!" Came John's heated voice from the other end of the walkie-talkie Rodney had dropped at his side.
Beckett stood ready, wishing the physicist would hurry up. He had been given the lovely job of prying the door open when it was moveable. So, Carson waited with a thick metal sliver jammed into the small gap that McKay had made before when he sent a charge to the fried crystals.
"MCKAY! Do it NOW!" Snarled Sheppard, making McKay wince, his fingers deeply embedded into the door sensor as he made room inside. He clipped open wire ends that were connected to a long broken cable that the physicist had found jutting out of one caved in walls, to the dark crystals within. This cable ran across the room where it was spliced and hooked up to the generator. Looking his work over Rodney jumped to his feet, feeling as if he wouldn't stop moving forward and perhaps keel over, his hunger starting to effect his brain, making him sluggish and most likely impairing his better judgment. Of all the times to have a hypoglycemic fit.
Quickly McKay made his way behind the generator and to the two wires he was using to turn the great machine on and off with. Licking his lips, he glanced up to the doctor who waited patiently, makeshift crowbar in hand.
"When I say push, I want you to put your back into it. The door's going to need a sufficient force to get it open."
Beckett simply nodded, letting out a long breath.
"Alright---" McKay whispered, hearing from over by the sensor Sheppard shouting at him, then suddenly from beyond the room, both men heard a hail of gun fire. His fingers trembled, sweat trickled down the back of his neck making it itch and sting something terrible. Slowly he checked over the connections to the generator as he lowered his fingers, taking up the one of the two wires, the other stuck into place by his now dried out gum, he held the connecting wire in his left hand, inches apart to the point that they sparked. "Can a man have two Hail-Marys in his lifetime?" Rodney said under his breath, swallowing hard.
"PUSH!" He yelled to Carson as he touched the two wires together, causing the generator to spark violently to life. The door sensor lit up like a Disney light parade and exploded sending a wave of electricity back up the cable, something McKay hadn't foreseen, most likely from his brain working so poorly because of his low blood sugar. Either way that bolt surged right up through the generator and into Rodney's waiting hand.
Beckett grunted, finding the door slid easier then he had thought it would, he was busy getting it completely to the side to notice the charge leap back up the cable. It was when the door finally stopped moving, revealing the wall right behind it to Carson's complete lack of surprise, because he was expecting to see it, that he heard a staggered cry coming from behind him.
Carson turned to see McKay jerk a few more times before the generator burst with sparks and shut down. As the darkness took the room, the last thing the doctor saw was Rodney's knees buckle from underneath him as he fell down somewhere behind the machine.
For what Sheppard considered 'damn good timing' Estin had returned with a tow of armed men behind him. Just in time to see the lights shutter on and then back off again. John had laid out some cover fire, as the creatures seemed to abandon their contempt for his flashlight and come at them instead.
Captain Marsden, confused on what exactly was going on, ordered three men to a side, take point at each corridor and suppress the attack. John backed himself up against the wall, spraying bullets at anything that moved when he found Marsden standing along side of him, loading his rifle.
"Good to see you Frank. Took you guys long enough." John took a glance as the two medical technicians rushed to where Ford was hovered over Bouds, protecting the fallen man. They looked him over, decided he could be moved and carried the Lieutenant to the gurney, securing him. Ford seeing that his job was done, stepped up to the right wall of the left corridor and aimed, tagging a few creatures himself.
"Hell of a time getting here John, you're way up shit's creek you know that?" Marsden added with a flat sort of humor as he picked off any oncoming creatures as they tried leaping up the hallway.
Sheppard retorted. "We can discuss benefits of location later Frank. Did you get the torch?"
"Right here Major." Called Estin, who was explaining to the two soldiers carrying the equipment where exactly they should start cutting. They quickly set to work amongst the firing guns and howls and screeches of the creatures down the two halls. One private took up the blowtorch, sparking a flame on it as he took to the wall, concentrating on the upper half of it where Estin said Beckett informed them the door was not blocked. Since the square they planed to cut out wasn't all that large, it would take half the time.
"Ford, take up a point on the right hall, tell me what you see." Sheppard called to the Lieutenant. Aiden complied, moving out as he peeked round the corner of the right corridor, standing over a squatted solider, shooting creature after creature. "They're pulling back sir!" Shouted Ford over the decreasing gunfire on his side.
Sheppard gave him a nod that heard him, noticing that the creatures were backing away on his side as well, retreating into the darkness where their flashlights wouldn't reach. John ordered them all to cease fire.
Captain Marsden drew up his rifle as the last of the things sunk into the shadows, and all became far too quiet for comfort. "I think we gave them a good scare ay Major?" Mused the Captain as he told two more sets of troops to take watch at the halls, he in turn moved back into the main area of the master corridor.
Sheppard followed behind him as there came a sudden commotion at his side. "John?! John!" the Major recognized the brogue belonging to Dr. Beckett quick enough to radio back to him, wondering what was going on. "Did you manage to get the door open doc?"
"Yes." Came Carson again, John could swear the man sounded breathless and unnerved, before he could question it, Beckett came back with. "Major, Dr. McKay, he----the generator backfired on him, I think he got quite a shock from it."
"Well, is he alright?" Sheppard asked with a grim expression.
"I don't know, it's his hand John, he cooked it up pretty good. It took me way too long to even find him in here, he's breathing but I haven't been able to wake him yet."
John was silent for a moment, damn he didn't really mean that comment about McKay blowing them all up, for it to even happen to one of them was bad enough. "Ok doctor, well he's in better hands with you in there then he is out here. We've had an attack on this location but we managed to drive the little bastards off. I'm not too sure how long that's gonna last."
"Alright, but John please hurry. I think I can hear them cutting through the door now---"
Glancing behind him, the Major saw the soldier at the wall had cut a ten inch line already. By his guess, it would take another hour or so for them to get the square cut out. "Yeah, we'll be through soon enough, just hold tight doc."
Clicking off Sheppard called over to the man cutting the wall, sounding more unnerved then he wanted to. "Hey, see if you can put a rush on that alright?"
"Metal is metal John, it will take as long as it's gonna." Marsden commented seeing the Major's anxious expression. Ford caught Sheppard's gaze, following it to the wall, with a now longer red burning line in it.
"Yeah, too long." Sheppard replied lowly, watching the burning line. It seemed he was trapped between a rock and a hard place now. For a brief moment, he felt McKay should have been there, even if it was with some asinine comment, the Major knew that the physicist would know what to do. "Damn it." John whispered a curse before he walked back to the right hand corridor, taking his own point.
Beckett, in the pitch blackness of the generator room had managed to make his way across it, nearly stumbling over Rodney's fallen body as he took hold of him. Then dragging the physicist round the other side of the machine had collapsed back himself, pulling McKay's shoulders up onto his lap so the man's head rested propped up against Carson's chest.
The doctor quickly checked his pulse, found it faint, but steady. McKay's breath was shallow but constant. If only he could see the extent of the wounds to the man's hand. Beckett wondered then how many volts had gone through McKay, and whether or not he would last out the hour waiting for the hole to be cut in the wall. That was when he had contacted Sheppard, now, he waited in silence.
Well, time did pass, Beckett rested himself up against the collapsed ceiling much like he had before, when he felt Rodney's weight shift on top of him, the physicist's head lulling to one side as he mumbled weakly.
"Don't---don't say that mom----I didn't mean to blow up the toaster, it just cooked so-----slow." Suddenly McKay jerked away, trying to sit himself up when he felt someone drag him back down. Was that Beckett's cologne he smelled?
"Carson?" Rodney asked softly as he tried to remember what happened.
"Aye, easy there, you got jolt from that damn generator of yours."
"Oh god, my hand?!" McKay began grow alarmed upon feeling the slow and increasingly painful burning sensation in his left hand.
"Shhh." Beckett hushed him, trying to get the man to relax. "You'll be fine, at least you're awake, just try to keep calm."
"But my hand!" Rodney interjected. "I---I can't see anything, did we get the door open, where's Sheppard?, what's---what's going on?!"
Beckett tried to hold McKay down, begging for the chance to just get a little light in the room, just so he could asses the man's wounds, how could he help him if he was essentially blind as well. If he couldn't help him physically, Carson decided he'd work with mentally for now. "It's alright Rodney, everything's fine. The generator is shut off is all, and Sheppard has a man cutting through the wall right now, you did well, you got us out of here. Just try and relax."
"But---the---things---" McKay's voice became deep and slurred as the doctor felt him slack off his struggles, falling back into him.
"Rodney?" Beckett grew tense, shaking the physicist gently. "Rodney?! Wake up. You can't go to sleep, I need to you stay awake." But he said this to no avail, McKay remained motionless. Quickly, Carson checked his pulse. Was it weaker then it was before? No, it was just him panicking, that's all. It would be fine, they would get out of here so Carson could see, and it would all be fine.
Beckett repeated that to himself over and over, holding Rodney up to him as turned his head back, watching the red fiery line spread across the blackened wall, inch by inch, now it banked into a corner and started to head downwards. Just a few more minutes, Carson thought to himself, just a few more minutes and it would all be over, and every thing would be fine.
"It'll be fine." He said to himself, his voice sounding so small.
A/N: Oh no….oh dear oh dear. Seems like things have gone from bad to worse. Sorry for the cliffhanger, I couldn't help it. And btw….have you ever noticed how these cliffhangers work like those so not convenient commercial breaks during the show? Moohoohahah…..