Chapter 6: Momma Said There Would be Days like This

John lay shivering so hard his teeth rattled. He couldn't remember ever being so cold. When the water was sucked out of the room he lay gasping like a fish trying to catch his breath before he was finally able to move his arms and push the small cart away from his side. Vaguely hearing Rodney and Carson calling to him, he rolled his head over in their direction, casting a brief smile before closing his eyes.

"Hurry, Rodney. I need to get in there, lad," Carson encouraged, pressing against the shield.

Biting back a retort, the scientist continued tapping in frustration for close to three minutes before dropping his laptop to the floor and pulling out his pocket knife. Popping a small panel off the wall beside the door frame he pulled out two wires and cut them before he hesitantly twisted them together, sending off a sharp flash and small shower of sparks. The indoor shield flickered and then was gone.

The physician was instantly at Sheppard's side while Rodney attempted to secure the cart from sliding back into the Major. Once he was finished, he stripped off his jacket and handed it to Carson. "How is he?"

Carson finished running his hands over the major's chest and arms from where he had been pinned. "Nothin' feels broken." Patting Sheppard's cheeks, he tried to get the shivering man's attention. "Come on now, Major, time to open your eyes." Not getting any response, the physician turned to Rodney. "Help me get him out of these wet clothes. We need to get him warm and dry."

Together they removed the soaked uniform and used their dry jackets to rub some warmth into the major.

Carson glanced up to Rodney, before looking around the sub, "Is there any type of emergency kit in here?"

McKay covered Sheppard with his jacket before standing up, "I'm not sure what or even if they've stocked it yet. Give me a minute." Pulling open hatches, he located sealed emergency blankets and ripped several open, draping them over his friend. Turning to open another hatch, he lost his balance and fell when the small sub violently lurched again. Hearing Beckett's startled cry from behind him, he turned quickly to find the physician tipped sideways against the rear hatch with Sheppard cradled in his arms. "Are you all right?"

The physician's eyes were huge when he nodded. "What was that?"

"I don't know but I'm going to find out." Making his way to the front, Rodney carefully settled into the command seat and reached for the controls. Praying his genetically manufactured ATA gene would activate the sensors, he breathed a sigh of relief when schematics began flashing in front of him on the view screen.

Bringing the exterior lights back online, he peered outside but was unable to make out much do to the sediment being stirred up from whatever was shaking the ship. "We are so screwed," he mumbled under his breath, returning his attention to the schematics.

It was when the screens abruptly stopped, displaying several life forms outside of the ship, that Rodney felt his first real twinge of panic constrict his chest. Whatever was out there was huge. Studying the forms closer, he jumped when the display shifted, revealing the shape of a large octopus type creature along with all pertinent information. Quickly scanning through the data, he realized they were in serous trouble.

"Rodney," Beckett called from the back.

Gripping the wall, he carefully made his way back through the now tipped sideways sub, coming to a stop beside his friends. "How's he doing?"

Carson sighed as he held the limp Major in his arms. "Not to well. I'm pretty sure his initial exposure to the cold along with being trapped briefly underwater this time has his system knocked out of kilter. He's hypothermic, his body core needs to get warm and that's why he's shivering so hard. We need to get him back to Atlantis now."

Rodney ran his hands over his short hair, "That might be a problem."

"Why? What's wrong?"

"The octopus thingies that we zapped so that we could get the cart; turns out they are juveniles."

Beckett's jaw dropped as comprehension filled his face. "We landed on the beastie's momma didn't we?"

Rodney nodded. "And she isn't very happy. Remember how the smaller ones liked the cart?" Not waiting for a reply, he continued, "Well, it appears that she has taken a fancy to the sub."

"Ah, good lord." Clearly disgusted and full of worry, the doctor shook his head. "Can't the two of you ever do somethin' that's simple? Next time I am confining you to quarters."

A glimpse of a smirk passed over McKay's features before he sighed heavily, "I do have some good news."

Carson eyed him warily, "What's that?"

"The shield is still holding. No matter how upset Momma might get, she can't hurt the ship."

"No, but she can shake us like loose beans in a can, can't she?" Beckett stopped himself from saying anything else when he realized that Rodney was actually trying to be optimistic. "So, what do we do now?"

"I need to repair the ship and conserve our energy. I was thinking that we might move the Major to the front and reactivate the shield so that we only maintained life support in the forward section. That way, we could also keep the smaller area warmer."

"Why do you need to repair the ship? I thought you just said she couldn't hurt us."

Sighing again, Rodney shifted to sit beside his friends. "When I cut the power to the shield, I short circuited a few systems. We aren't going anywhere until I can get them up and running again."

Glancing worriedly down at Sheppard's bundled figure, Carson scowled, "How long do you think it's gonna take?"

McKay shook his head, "I don't know."

SG:A

The two men awkwardly carried the major to the front section, settling him carefully on the floor. Sheppard's condition hadn't changed. He remained unconscious and the few brief moments when awareness seemed to surface, he only stared listlessly at them.

Watching Carson take up the position once again of holding the weakened man, Rodney suddenly felt very ineffectual. Rising quickly to his feet, he made his way back to the cargo section and salvaged any items they might need before he turned the internal shield back on. Once reactivated, they wouldn't be able to reenter without shorting out more systems. The saltwater flooding the compartment must have damaged some system he wasn't aware of.

It was when he had to step around the small cart that an idea struck him. "What about alcohol?" he called out.

"What's that?" Beckett replied.

Rodney poked his head up front. "Alcohol. The fuel in the cart is alcohol. I doubt it got diluted. Can we give some to the major to warm him up?"

Carson shook his head, "No, lad, you don't give that to someone who is hypothermic."

"Why not? Isn't Hot Toddies the thing when people get cold?"

"That's an old, misinformed wives tale. Actually it would have the reverse effect."

"Oh. Well, it was just an idea." Rodney returned to the small cargo bay for one last check. There was nothing left that he could use. Cautiously unwinding the wires he'd rigged earlier, he returned them to their original positions before making his way to the control seat. Hooking in his laptop he got to work.

It didn't take him long to get the shield functioning once again and soon he had the small forward area quite toasty. Easing around in his seat, he checked on Beckett and Sheppard, surprised to discover that the physician had fallen asleep with the major propped against his chest, also asleep.

With a quick glance to his watch, he noticed that he still had a little over twelve hours left on his leave. Hopefully, somewhere in that time, he also would be able to rest. Pulling out a power bar, he unwrapped it, took a healthy bite, and got back to work.

TBC

A/N Better?