Carousel (part 13)
Rodney stripped off his jacket and pulled his shirt over his head. Balling the fabric into a type of dressing, he pressed firmly against the Major's shoulder wound, eliciting an unconscious groan from his friend. "Sorry," he whispered. "This probably isn't the best time to tell you this, but I'm not real good with blood."
Sheppard didn't respond, but then the scientist didn't expect him to.
"Can you imagine what Carson would say if he could see us now? We're a mess. Well, actually I think you'd take priority at the moment." Rodney continued talking as he adjusted his friend onto his back. He'd been able to get them to relative safety underneath one of the stairwells that led to the top of a water tank. "I think we'll be okay for the moment. If Kolrin wants to find us, he'll have to show himself first." Pausing, he listened to the major's breathing and then felt his wrist. As near as he could figure, the bullet had hit Sheppard's scapula. Wincing in sympathy phantom pain, he knew it had to hurt like a son of a bitch. His numb brain tried to process velocity and momentum to calculate if the impact had been strong enough to break the bone.
"So, I guess this makes him down to three bullets now, huh?" Glancing quickly out from their hiding spot, he didn't see the young Athosian. "What do you think our chances are that Weir sent Ford down here to find us?" He shook his head as he tugged his jacket back on, but stopped when he felt the bump in his pocket from the personal shield. Slipping the small Ancient device out, he looked at it, debating what to do next.
"Don't do it," Sheppard gasped from behind him.
Rodney spun around to find the major watching him through heavily lidded eyes. "It's our only option."
John tried to shift his position so that he could see the scientist better, only to be stopped by a wave of agony flooding his body. Groaning, he gritted his teeth as he fell back panting on the floor.
"Please, stay still Major or you'll start the bleeding again. You don't have any idea how long I had to sit there before it would finally stop the first time."
"Sorry...to inconvenience you."
"That's not it. You start bleeding again and you'll go into shock, if you haven't already. I'm not Beckett; I don't know what to do."
John silently studied the disheveled pale figure at his side. "You're doing fine." Nodding to the shield, he looked up to meet the other man's eyes, "You can't use that."
"We don't have a lot of other options at the moment." Dropping it back in his pocket, Rodney sat down wearily beside his friend and reached again to confirm the steady pulse.
The major waited silently through the scientist's ministrations. When Rodney's hand rested hesitantly on his brow, his eyes closed unconsciously against the coolness of the touch. He was in trouble but didn't want to give the other man more reason to worry. His shoulder and arm ached unmercifully and he felt a bit lightheaded. It didn't take a genius to know that it had to be from blood loss.
"Major Sheppard. John, you need to wake up," Rodney's voice encouraged from far away.
"Wha' hapn'd?" he slurred, trying to drag his eyes open. He discovered that he'd been moved and was resting with his head propped against McKay's leg. The warmth emanating from the doctor spread over his cold aching shoulder and across his chest. Slowly opening his eyes, he recognized Rodney's arm securely holding him.
"You passed out…again."
"Oh." He knew that should be bad, but he wasn't sure why.
"You're showing classic signs of going into shock," Rodney informed him as he gently moved the major off his leg. "I need to get you to Beckett."
Sheppard nodded as he closed his eyes, trying to stop the irritating tickle forming in his chest. Coughing abruptly, he cried out as the dormant pain flared once again throughout his body. "Oh, God!" Hands instantly wrapped under him and in one swift move propped him up against a firm chest, holding him until the spasm passed. Gasping for breath, he allowed himself to relax minutely as the pain receded back to the dull throb, trusting Rodney to watch over them.
"Can you walk?"
The quiet question hung in the air as he considered his options. "Leave me and go get help."
Rodney's angry snort startled him to look at the other man. "What?'
"How do you suppose I do that? Would you leave me behind, Major?"
"That's an order, McKay. Kolrin needs to be stopped and you are the only one who can go get help."
"You can order me until the cows come home, or whatever beast inhabits this water logged planet, but I'm not going anywhere without you."
"McKay," Sheppard growled.
Rodney eyed him with contempt before a look of resolve passed over his face. Reaching into his pocket, he removed the small device again and placed it on his chest. The green glow activated as soon as it made contact.
"Rodney," Sheppard started, only to be cut off.
"It's done, Major. My decision." The scientist stood abruptly and stepped out from underneath the stairwell. "Kolrin!" he shouted, "I'm tired of this game and I don't appreciate you hurting my friends. If you have something to say to me, then say it. This stupid game you're playing is wasting my time."
Standing with his arms folded over his chest covering the shield, Rodney could feel his heart pounding like a freight train as a fresh and most likely final wave of adrenaline washed over him. He could also feel Sheppard's eyes boring into his back. The officer was more than a little pissed but that was just too bad.
"Dr. McKay." The Athosian walked silently from behind another unit, pointing the gun at the scientist. In his other hand he carried a half-eaten power bar. "Hungry? Or maybe you would like a drink of water?" Glancing about at the storage tanks he raised the weapon.
Rodney didn't move, trying to look unimpressed. "You've got to be kidding me. You lure me down here to shoot the tanks? I thought you wanted to be a scientist?"
Kolrin turned the gun back on Rodney. "I hate you."
"Well, golly gee whiz, kiddo, that's the best you've got? I hate you? Oh, okay, I'm sorry you hooked up with that loser Kavanaugh." Disdain and sarcasm dripped from his words.
"McKay," Sheppard hissed in warning from beneath the stairs.
Rodney waved a hand in the air. "You're not exactly on my Christmas list either, Collin."
The gun wavered as the young man seethed, "Kolrin."
That garnered a shrug of boredom. "What do you want?"
"Respect."
Rodney turned and walked away from the stairwell, drawing the young man away from Sheppard. "Respect is earned, not given. You're wasting my time."
The gun fired and Rodney flinched as he felt the bullet whistle past him. 'Two' he mentally counted.
"Stop or I will shoot you." Kolrin's voice was cold and deadly.
McKay paused and zipped his jacket higher to cover up the personal shield before turning to face Kavanaugh's protege, then made his way back across the room. "You've lost your world and home because we woke the Wraith. For that, I'm sorry. You think you've lost your future. Again, I'm sorry. If there was a way for me to right those situations, don't you think I would? I'm a scientist. I don't destroy. No scientist would do so willingly. Neither do I purposely harm others. "
Advancing even closer towards the shaking young man, he held out both hands in a placating gesture, "No scientist would." Now only a couple of meters away, he stopped. "What are you?"
Kolrin stood shaking so badly that he had to hold the gun with both hands. "Stop."
"What do you want?" Rodney repeated softly.
"You woke the Wraith." When the physicist looked puzzled, he continued. "They killed almost everyone in my village. My friends are gone because of you, Dr. McKay. I decided that you must be shown what it feel like to have your friends harmed, possibly understand what it means to suffer."
Heavy silence filled the room before he continued with tears running down his face. "Dr. Kavanagh said he understood. He is the only one who can stop the Wraith. He told me so."
Rodney had to bite his lip from replying that the pony-tailed worthless wonder also taught the boy how to build weapons and hurt people. "I repeat, what do you want from me?"
"I want you to die so that he can have the respect he deserves." The coldness in the statement frightened Rodney.
A wave of fatigue passed over the doctor and he found himself standing with his eyes closed. Taking a deep breath, he looked up, "What did you do to Atlantis?"
"I initiated the shut down to the stabilizers. It is easy to restore. When Dr. Kavanaugh recognizes the problem, he will reactivate them and save the city."
"And get respect," Rodney finished.
"Yes." All expression left Kolrin's face as he leveled the gun back at McKay's chest, before he pulled the trigger.
The resounding explosion of the gun was deafening as the bullet slammed into Rodney's chest, and he let it knock him to the floor. Even with the shield's protection, the impact needed to be made believable so he lay still, not daring to move.
'One' his mind informed him. One bullet left. He waited for Kolrin to get closer. Soon this would all be over. If he could just keep the looming darkness at bay a little longer.
Kolrin's foot nudged his side, trying to turn him over. Using his final reserve of energy, he grabbed Kolrin's leg and pulled the young man to the floor beside him.
The Athosian was a fighter, though, and was prepared for Rodney's attack. He flipped the scientist over, seething in anger at being tricked. Pinning him with a knee to his chest, he ripped Rodney's jacket open and revealed the shield. "No!" he screamed like an enraged animal.
Rodney attempted to reach for the gun but was unable to make his arms cooperate. Watching the insane youth glare at him and then to where the Major was hiding, he knew what was about to happen. This was his last chance to stop him before he killed Sheppard. "Take it," he whispered.
Kolrin looked down at him for a brief moment, staring at the shield. All rational thought was gone leaving only pure insanity. Without realizing what he did, he reached for the device.
Rodney grabbed Kolrin's arm, pulling him closer until the gun was snug between them…and then it fired. The final discharge was muffled between their two bodies before both men collapsed apart.
One was dead and the other not far behind.