Carousel (part 12)

Elizabeth was pacing. She really wanted to hit something to vent her frustration but the control room was so crowded that she might just end up decking an innocent bystander in the process. It had been over three hours since Ford and his team found Dr. Beckett and Dr. Zelenka at the workstation. There had been no sign of the others. It was if they had vanished into thin air. Beckett was able to fill them in up to a point and now at least they were positive that Kolrin was the single culprit behind the attacks on the science team. But for what reason she still didn't know.

Glancing over to the physician, she nodded. He also was worried, especially about Rodney. It was now over thirty hours since the initial attack and they both knew the scientist must be having difficulties. The curt nod back affirmed that they were thinking the same thing.

A large burst of static erupted over the communication systems, causing everyone to jump.

"This is Sheppard. Come in Atlantis."

Instantly Elizabeth activated her headpiece, "Major, where are you? Is Dr. McKay with you?"

"McKay's here and I really can't tell you at the moment where we are."

"Why not?"

"We haven't completed what we started, yet."

"Elizabeth?" Rodney called over the system.

"Rodney, it's good to hear your voice."

"Like wise. Is Peter awake yet?"

"Yes."

"Tell him he was correct about Sublevel 4. He will be able to tell you where we are."

"Sublevel 4? What are you doing down there?" Snapping her fingers at some engineer she didn't know, she pointed to his laptop and mouthed 'Sublevel 4'.

"Um, we're not there anymore," Sheppard, informed her.

"Should I send reinforcements?"

"Probably take too long to get here. We'll contact you again when we're finished."

"Major, wait. Carson needs to speak to Rodney."

"I'm here." Once again, the scientist's tired voice filled the room.

Beckett stood next to Weir. "How are you doing, lad? Last time I saw you, you were a bit out of it."

"I'm alright."

The short answer troubled the doctor. "Have you been able to eat anything else since the fruit?"

"I had a power bar awhile ago. Look, uh, we have to go. McKay out."

The control room remained silent for a brief moment before everyone began talking at once. Knowing that their teammates were safe eased the tension remarkably.

Weir had tired of all the waiting and was relieved that now she now had some sort of action to take. "Carson, we need to have a talk with Peter. Lt. Ford, I want you to put a security team together and be ready to go when I tell you." Turning quickly on her heels, she accompanied Beckett back to the infirmary.

Once out in the hall, away from the surrounding audience, she stopped the doctor. "So, how did they sound to you?"

Carson shook his head slowly, "Elizabeth, I can't really make a medical judgment by how they sound. Although, based on what we already know, I'm surprised Rodney is still walking."

SG: A

The small submersible slid smoothly through the inky darkness of the deep water as they descended down towards the bottom of Atlantis. The two men had discovered through trial and error how to turn on the outer lights, which now cast an eerie glow over the outer hull of the station.

Sheppard's eyes searched diligently for any kind of a hatch as they passed the smooth bulkhead. "This is going to be like finding a needle in a haystack."

When McKay didn't reply, he glanced over to the physicist, only to find him leaning back in his seat with his eyes closed. "Rodney? Hey, McKay, you awake?"

Rodney didn't stir. He was sound asleep.

"Yeah, I thought so," the major said quietly. "You got us this far, I think I can find one little door." The large view window lit up as the schematics of Atlantis appeared. 'Yes. Thank you ATA gene!'

He discovered that he was looking at the outside view and judging by the rapidly downward scroll and small blip away from the diagram, he was able to pinpoint their position. Several blocks lit up on the screen and then disappeared as the small craft continued on its journey.

"I wonder," he said to himself while steering towards Atlantis. One of the blocks began to glow stronger and then the schematics shifted scale so that only that section was illuminated. Pulling the ship back, the scale readjusted to its prior position.

"Okay, I think I'm getting the hang of this. Wish you were awake, McKay, to see this." Studying the scale, he maneuvered the small craft towards one of the blocks. Again the scale shifted and now finding himself mere meters away from the station, he discovered that the hull of Atlantis glowed in the same spot as the image on the view screen. "This is too cool. Now what?"

Bringing the small ship along side, he felt it pulled slowly next to Atlantis until a gentle thump stopped its motion. The lights on the schematics again changed so that now the small craft appeared as part of the main ship. It showed that they were now encompassed inside Atlantis's main shielding.

Sheppard walked back to the door, praying that he was correct, and palmed the panel. With a small 'whoosh' it slid back, revealing the submerged side of Atlantis. Reaching out to touch the hull, he was surprised that it was neither cold nor wet. He slowly ran his hands over the structure before locating another access panel. Looking back over his shoulder to Rodney's sleeping form, he decided not to wake the scientist until he was certain they were in the right area. Palming the outer panel, he stood back and waited. Nothing happened. Pressing his hand again firmly against the surface, he waited. Still nothing.

"All right, think," he said aloud, standing and staring at the surface. Frustrated, he gave it a hard kick. Nothing. Resigned and frustrated, he made his way over to Rodney and shook him. "Wakey, wakey, McKay. Nap times over and I need your help."

Getting no response, he firmly shook the doctor again. "McKay, wake up!" he shouted.

"Go 'way," Rodney slurred without moving.

"Come on. Get up! I need you to get me inside Atlantis."

The scientist swatted blindly at Sheppard's annoying hands. "Five more minutes."

"Sorry, no can do." Tugging Rodney forward on his chair, he patted the reddened man's cheeks. "Come on, McKay, we have to go. Remember the bad guy with homemade bombs threatening to sink Atlantis?"

Rodney nodded as he leaned forward on his seat and rubbed his face. He knew he had to move but he wasn't sure if his body was willing to cooperate. A low gurgle from his stomach informed him of how long it had been since he had last eaten or had something to drink. Breathing deeply, he held out his hand. "Pull me up."

Sheppard gripped the shaking arm and tugged him to his feet. Only to see him collapse towards the floor. "Whoa, whoa, whoa, I got you. Take it slow."

Rodney stood still leaning heavily against the major. His legs felt like noodles and his head felt like he'd been gassed at the dentist. This was not good. Swallowing several times, he took a deep breath and steadied himself before opening his eyes.

The major's piercing dark eyes were staring right at him. "We're almost done, Rodney," he encouraged.

"Where are we?"

A grin broke across Sheppard's face, "Would you believe we're parked alongside Atlantis?"

"Huh?"

"While you were dozing, I figured out how to get us next to the station and now we're attached to the hull…somehow. I can't get the door open though, and that's why I had to wake you."

Rodney blinked a few times as he tried to get his brain wrapped around what he was being told. Focusing on the view screen, he took in the schematics and then turned to stare at the exterior of Atlantis. "Help me over to the door."

He stared at the dark metallic texture that filled the entrance way before slowly reaching out to touch it. Turing to look back out the front window, he had to reassure himself that they were still deep below the water's surface. His scientific brain began processing when he placed his palm against the access panel.

Both men stood back as the sound of air being released filled the small vessel. Then, the door, which hadn't been opened in thousands of years, smoothly slid free.

SG: A

"Major," Rodney stopped to lean against the wall. "The stabilizers are located in the engineering bay."

"So, we're close?"

"Around the corner."

"Okay. Let me go first, just in case Kolrin has any surprises waiting for us." Working his way slowly down the hall, he turned the corner and disappeared from Rodney's sight only to reappear moments later and signal the scientist to follow.

They made their way into a huge bay that was at least half a mile long, containing a dozen or more water storage tanks two stories high. In the center of the room stood a large converter that branched out to each tank , powering the system to flush the seawater through a filtration plant, desalinating the water, and then to storage. The smaller tanks were then located centrally throughout the bay to stabilize the station.

Sheppard stood with his mouth open, staring at all of the equipment. "Where do we begin? It could take years to search all of this."

The scientist ignored him as he walked through the plant, studying the systems. Turning to face the Major, he took a deep breath and sat down on one of the stairs that led to the top of one of the tanks. "I'm ready to get off this ride."

"What?

"I went to a park once and got stuck on one of the rides. They couldn't shut it off and I kept going around and around." McKay paused, banging his head lightly against the tank, "This day is like that ride. I'm stuck here in the middle waiting for that little bastard to stop the ride."

John made his way over to the exhausted scientist and sat down beside him. "McKay, you and your team are the best Atlantis has to offer and there will always be some rookie out there trying to knock you off the podium. No matter what this kid tries, in the end, you're still better."

Rodney eyed the major, "Thank you."

"You're welcome." Sheppard smiled his cocky self assured smile, "If you tell anyone I told you that, I'll deny it."

"I wouldn't expect anything else."

John stood and offered his hand, "Come on, let me help you up. You know, you really look like…"

Rodney chuckled, grasping the hand, "Don't say it. You know I have a litany of insults waiting-" He never got to finish what he was going to say.

From nowhere a shot rang out, hitting Sheppard in the back before he had the chance to move. The momentum of the bullet pitched him forward into Rodney's arms and the scientist quickly lowered the injured man to the floor. Cautiously glancing about, he quickly pulled Sheppard behind the safety of the tank, leaving a streak of blood along the floor.