TITLE: What is Needed Most part 7
AUTHOR: sablecain
DISCLAIMER: see part 1
AN: Thank you so much for all the encouraging reviews!
8888888888888888888888888888888888
Part 7
Cowen meandered slowly around the sunlit room, thankful the guards had finally moved outside. He knew that Ballard would be finding a way to check in soon and didn't want any of the Atlantians around to overhear any radio communication. Confidently, Cowen took his radio receiver out of an ornately carved cupboard and was rewarded almost immediately by the static covered voice of Ballard, identifying himself.
"Report," Cowen said simply, keeping his eyes on the door.
"Sheppard and his party set down in the eastern clearing, third hilltop. The ships came out of hiding in order to land and enabled us to get a lock on their location. According to my scouts, Sheppard left the ships under minimal guard, though they're invisible again so we're not certain. The rest of his force went into the forest."
"Follow him," Cowen ordered. "I believe the Major has found CommanderKolya for us." He paced to the window and stared out at the almost harvest ready fields. "If he makes a move on Kolya, I want you following him in. Bring Kolya back to me, as well as McKay and Sheppard."
"And the rest of the Atlantis team?" Ballard questioned.
"I really don't care what you do with them."
There was a pause. "Won't they fight for Sheppard and McKay?"
Cowen frowned. "Possibly. But the way Sheppard's intent on apprehending Kolya…we should be able to catch them when they're most distracted. They'll have to return to Atlantis to regroup and by the time they return…it'll be too late." He sighed contentedly as Ballard signed off. He knew his Commander had more questions, but they could wait. If the Atlantians sent more forces back for Sheppard and McKay, he'd simply tell them the two were already dead. True, he might have to relocate on another world but it would be worth it. Then, McKay would build any weaponry the Genii needed to defend themselves against any threat…and having Major Sheppard along would be the perfect motivation to keep the Doctor working.
Cowen slipped the radio back into the cupboard, closing the door with satisfaction. It was a perfect plan. Sheppard would do the hard work…removing Kolya's threat and the Genii would reap the benefits of McKay's knowledge. Perfect.
888888888888888888888888888888
"Oh God. Oh God," Rodney moaned, pressing his face into the ground, tasting dirt and trying to command his arms and legs to cooperate with his efforts to push himself up…but nothing was working. He couldn't concentrate on anything but the pain searing his body.
"That was stupid, McKay." He heard Kolya moving beside him but there was no warning before strong hands grabbed him and flipped him onto his back. He cried out, writhing as agony jolted through him. He wanted to escape it, to push it away, to scratch it out of him. His hands moved toward his side but Kolya caught his wrists and held him. "Be still. Help is on the way."
"You shot me," Rodney gasped the words, his voice hoarse and raw as he squinted up at the commander, trying to focus. "You son of a bitch." He tried to pull away but Kolya's grip tightened.
"I didn't shoot you." Kolya shook his head. "Your guard did."
"Same thing." Rodney grimaced, biting his already abused lip.
Kolya looked at him with genuine concern. "What were you thinking anyway, coming at me that way?" He released McKay's hands and tried to check the wound. Rodney hissed as the material of his shirt was pulled across the injury. "Is that thing even worth it? I mean, you said it yourself…it's nothing more than an…." He stopped talking suddenly and Rodney sensed him move away.
McKay strained to watch him, to look where he was going.
Kolya was staring at the blinking screen, realization dawning. He looked back down at McKay, his expression turning from concern to rage. He grabbed the scanner and ripped it violently away from the control panel, connections popping, the screen going dead in his hands. Kolya held the device up, making sure Rodney could see it was no longer functioning. "You didn't want me to look to closely at this." He waved it in front of McKay's pain ridden face.
Rodney reached for the scanner, flailing aimlessly as Kolya pulled it back out of his reach and hurled it across the cavern into the shadows. "It was a signal wasn't it?" He crouched beside Rodney, waving off the medic who'd just arrived. "Did you really think it'd work?" heasked.
Rodney licked his lips. "No. No. It's not."
Kolya lashed out, slamming his fist into the torn flesh just above McKay's hip.
Rodney screamed, his fingers clawed into the dirt, his heels kicked, trying to gain purchase to push himself away from the torture.
"Did you think I wouldn't figure it out?" Kolya snarled, keeping the pressure constant.
Rodney's voice died, his cries turning to harsh desperate gasps as he squirmed and twisted trying to free himself.
"I had so much in store for you."
McKay could barely hear Kolya over the roaring in his head. "No," he begged. "Please." The pain, it went beyond overwhelming…it was consuming him.
"Oh yes, Doctor. I put faith in you and you in turn, betrayed that trust." The fist twisted.
Tears filled Rodney's eyes. Waves of nausea washed over him and he swallowed compulsively, somehow commanding himself not to throw up. Breathe, he reminded himself. Breathe. He tried to lash out at Kolya but his fist bounced clumsily against Kolya's forearm.
Kolya actually chuckled. "You think you have all the answers, don't you McKay? Those brains of yours always working on something new?" Suddenly the skewering pressure was gone but the throbbing torture continued in its absence. "Who did you think would find your signal?" Kolya kept talking. His words fading, and then growing louder again.
Rodney shivered. He felt so cold and yet…his body burned, the fire spreading up and down the length of his body.
"Did you think Sheppard would come for you?"
Sheppard. "Major," McKay whispered. He needed Sheppard. John would help him. John would crack a joke, blame him for getting himself shot then assure him that everything was going to be okay. He'd help. He'd kill Kolya.
"Major Sheppard isn't coming for you," Kolya's voice was low and sinister.
John? No, he'd come. Rodney wanted to protest, to tell Kolya differently but all he could do was grunt.
"Did you honestly believe that John Sheppard would leave Atlantis undefended to come back just for you? They don't even know for certain what world you're on."
"Commander?" Another unfamiliar voice cut in. "He needs care."
"Shut up and get away from him," Kolya answered.
"Acastus."
"NO!" Kolya roared. "He. Gets. Nothing."
'He's going to let me die.' The thought came instantly as Rodney shook. He struggled to move his arms again. He had to do something, try and stop the bleeding. He could feel it, seeping out of him, turning the dirt beneath his fingers to a ghastly muddy mix.
"That's right." McKay could feel the commander's hot breath on his face. "You get nothing. After all you're efforts, all your work. No one's coming for you," Kolya whispered nastily. "You might be a genius, but you aren't the only intelligent man on Atlantis and certainly not the most enjoyable to work with, I'm sure. Why would they come for you?"
"Team," Rodney managed to grit the words out between clenched teeth. "My team."
"Your team?" Kolya scoffed. "You're only on Sheppard's team for your brains and those, dear Rodney, are replaceable. You might be good at figuring out ancient technology but how often do you really contribute? When I raided Atlantis, you're the one who readily revealed the plans to save the city. You gave up your precious power source by spilling too much information to the Daganians. Oh yeah, I heard all about that."
"No, no,I didn't mean to, I…" Rodney stuttered.
"Yeah, yeah." Kolya stood, towering above him. "What else have you done wrong? What other missions have you messed up for Sheppard? Whatever your intent, McKay, you are not an asset to anyone…especially the Major. You screw things up. You couldn't even fix this one simple device or even keep your desperate signal hidden from me for long. Hell, you even got yourself shot. Face it, McKay. I'm doing Sheppard a favor just by taking you out of the picture."
Rodney gazed through watery eyes up at Kolya, blood running into his eyes from the previous cut. He shook his head, denying the words that pounded into his mind. Kolya merely smiled maliciously…and kicked him.
Hell exploded through Rodney and dragged him, screaming, into the dark.
