Chapter 7: I Need a Hero

He was hot, and uncomfortable, and something heavy was pressed against him. Blinking hard, he took in his surroundings and was startled to see a pair of slacks and a shirt hanging off the back of the seats in front of him. With a quick glance towards himself to see if that was his clothes, he recognized the bundled figure in his arms and the entire events of what happened came rushing back. "Oh, it wasn't a bloody dream." Shifting so that he could lay Sheppard's sleeping form carefully on the floor, Carson rolled up Rodney's jacket and placed it as a pillow beneath the major's head.

"McKay?" he called quietly, not seeing the scientist anywhere in the small vessel.

"Here," came the muffled reply and Carson bent over the front seat only to see Rodney scrunched into a tight ball on his back, half hidden by the console he was working under. Taking in several empty power bar wrappers and a half finished bottle of water, it was clear the scientist had been working for quite some time.

"Why didn't you wake me, lad? I could've helped you."

Rodney shifted, stretching one leg and then the other, before tucking himself even farther inside the console. "I'm almost finished," the scientist mumbled distractedly before a muffled curse and the sound of something snapping emanated from the enclosed space.

"Rodney?"

"Hand me the small blue crystal that's on the copilot seat," came the curt reply.

Carson glanced down to the seat and was thankful there was only one blue crystal in the small pile. He carefully passed it over, hesitating only a moment when he spied several scratches and dried blood on Rodney's hand. "What happened?"

The noise under the console stopped and McKay poked his head out, curiously eyeing up the doctor. "What do you mean, what happened?"

"Your hand, McKay. What happened to it?"

"Oh." Rodney disappeared back underneath the console, "I had to change a splintered crystal." There was a click and then several panels lit up on the guidance systems. Clambering back out, he sat on his knees and adjusted one panel before looking up at Beckett. "I've been able to hot wire, so to speak, the main systems to give us enough energy to make it back to Atlantis."

Carson looked confused, "I don't understand. How did things get so bad? I thought you only cut two wires to make the shield go down."

Rodney gazed at the back panel a moment, before pulling himself up to look over the seat and check on the Major. "That caused a pretty powerful surge, inadvertently cracking some of the crystals. You must remember, these are thousands of years old and some are extremely fragile. Too strong of a current pops them like an overloaded filament in a light bulb."

Carefully picking up the remaining crystals, the doctor sat in the copilot seat, eying up the scientist. Rodney looked tired and his shirt was wet with sweat from the overly heated compartment. "So, we're all set to go?"

Taking the opposite seat, McKay held out his hand and took the delicate items from Beckett. "I've repaired the ship, if that's what you are asking. But we still have a problem."

"Now, what?" Sheppard's quiet gravelly voice asked from behind the seats.

The two men jumped up from their seats and stepped back beside the major, surprised to see their friend's eyes open.

"How are you feelin', lad?" Carson asked as he kicked back into doctor mode, checking John's temp and pulse.

"Like a ton of bricks fell on me." He closed his eyes, enjoying the warmth of Carson's hand on his forehead. "What happened?"

"The shields failed for a moment and flooded the cargo area. By the time Rodney was able to get them back down, you had already had too long of an exposure to the cold water." Carson didn't miss the look of discomfort from the major. "Headache?"

"Yeah."

"I wish I had somethin' to give you," the doctor began to say but stopped when Rodney handed him a small first aid kit. "When did you find this?"

"When I was looking for the replacement crystals. Some idiot tucked it in the toolbox."

While Carson rummaged through their meager supplies, John gazed up at the bedraggled scientist. "You look like hell, McKay."

"Thank you. I haven't slept in over twenty hours, spending the last few fixing the sub while you two slept." Rodney stood up and began to pace, talking with his hands flying. "Do you have any idea what it's like trying to put this thing back together while laying on your back in this sauna?"

The major's attention briefly turned back to Carson as he accepted the held out painkillers. When he tipped the water bottle, he realized something looked wrong, and turned the bottle slowly from one side and then to the other. "We're not level."

Rodney stopped pacing, shooting Sheppard an annoyed look. "That's what I've been trying to tell both of you. Take a look out front." Seeing the Major shift to get up, McKay snapped, "Not you. Carson."

Beckett tipped his head and raised his brow before doing what Rodney suggested. Making his way over to the view screen, he glanced out into the murky depths only to see darkness. "Are the lights on?" he asked, silently praying the answer was 'no'. Seeing McKay nod, he took a deep breath. "What's wrong now?"

Rodney stepped over to the controls, changing the overlay view screens, and stopping at one that showed a dot covered by a large mass. "As near as I can figure, Momma's laying on the ship. Or, maybe around it. Or, I don't know, but she's what's tipping us."

While the two doctors were busy looking out the window, Sheppard had slowly pulled himself to his feet and made his way beside them. Blankets wrapped tightly about, he sank into one of the seats. "Can we zap her like we did to the smaller ones?"

"I don't think that would be a wise idea. We have no idea what she is capable of and if we only angered her, shemight try toslap us like a puck across the sea floor."

Silence filled the small cabin as each man mentally pictured the possibilities.

Carson was first to break the stillness, "So, what do we do?"

Seeing McKay shrug, Sheppard knew they were in trouble. "Give me my pants," he ordered Beckett. "I think better when I'm dressed." Once back in his uniform, he wearily reached out and touched the controls, skimming through various screens. McKay was right, they didn't have a lot of options at the moment. "Did you try changing the shield frequencies?"

Rodney rolled his eyes. "Of course. I tried all possible combinations."

"What if we gave her back the cart?" Carson suggested.

"I already thought of that, also." Chewing on his lip, Rodney made his way back to the internal shield and looked at his small vehicle. "What does it have that would make her release us and keep that?"

Again silence filled the compartment until Sheppard came up with what he thought was a brilliant idea. "The fuel tank."

Rodney spun around and faced the Major, a look of utter disbelief and then dawning crossed his face. "It holds two liters and was nearly full when you took your little side trip. If we…"

John grinned as he continued the train of thought , "You know women and alcohol…"

"Oh, that should work."

Carson couldn't believe what was going on between the two other men. It was frightening to see them actually completing each other's sentences. "What?"

Two sets of eyes pinned him and he shifted back a step. Something inside him warned that he should be afraid.

John merely grinned lopsidedly, "You're going to get her drunk."

TBC

A/N A bit short, I know. More to come tomorrow. Take care and Happy New Year.