If I Die
Chapter Fifteen - Deciphering Toasters
The small, tumble-down building was becoming increasingly crowded.
Sheppard and his teammates sat beside McKay, unarmed, their weapons with the leading Hallan. He'd identified himself as Amin, was of a similar age to Sheppard, his skin taut and long black hair swept back into an unruly ponytail. Having handed his weapon to one of his men, Amin now squatted opposite his prisoners, armed only with a knife tucked into his belt. From the scratches and dulled metal it seemed to be for more practical uses than killing, but Sheppard remained wary of its presence, and of the armed men who surrounded the building.
Amin's first comments were not what Sheppard expected. "I believe we have a friend of yours."
He blinked, confused, considering numerous possibilities and dismissing them all. Sensing his confusion, Amin gestured at one of the guards, who turned and left through the door, returning a second later dragging a kicking, bucking figure, head covered in a cloth sack. With care, the guard removed the binding and revealed a young face and wide eyes.
"Devla," Ford said, shocked.
The boy was shaking, unable to raise his gaze to meet Ford's eyes.
"He was hiding in the kitchens when you chose to make your escape," Amin explained. "He followed you some way, then lost you in the forest, which is where my men found him." He glanced at Devla. "We have not hurt him, Major. He may be the son of Antu Marikar but he is a child, and a Silani."
He nodded at the guard, who took the terrified Devla and sat him down against the wall. Devla said nothing, burying his face in his bound hands.
"Your Doctor McKay, he still lives?"
Sheppard returned Amin's stare with a carefully controlled expression. "Yes. No thanks to you, I imagine."
He heard Ford shift beside him, and the mutter of a curse under the Lieutenant's breath.
Amin tilted his head slightly. "It is true. It was one of my men who fired the shot. He was told to kill the doctor where he stood."
Teyla was now bristling, albeit without a word, crouched next to McKay holding the scientist's hand and studying their captors with keen eyes.
"If you touch him," Sheppard warned, and was then cut off.
"I do not think that is necessary." Amin turned his gaze to the unconscious man, offered with apparent remorse: "Unless you wish me to end his suffering -"
"No." Teyla was fierce, her free hand twitching at the spot at which her knife used to hang.
Amin waved a hand. "If that is your choice. It would not be mine, but my men will abide by it."
"And what about us?" Sheppard demanded, angrily. "Are we your hostages? Going to sell us back to Marikar?"
A shake of his head. "Major Sheppard, please understand, we Hallan have no argument with your people."
"You shot our friend," Ford shot back, hotly.
"Because he represents another of the council's follies. Once he is dead, we will allow you to return to the 'gate."
Sheppard felt his jaw drop open a fraction. "You're going to wait here and watch McKay die?"
Amin lowered his head in a slight bow. "Not quite." He glanced at the pedestals behind him. "You have seen these?"
"We've seen them. Not paid them much attention," Sheppard retorted, wondering where this conversation was headed.
"Several years ago, whilst on the run from city troops, two Hallan spent the night here. They saw the columns, saw that they were still powered, but they could not get the machines to respond. Then troops arrived, and they were forced to flee, and until now the Hallan have not been back to this place. But we have remembered, and remained hopeful."
His head lifted, and he looked straight at Sheppard, dark eyes full of passionate emotion. "You have seen the city, Major. You have walked its streets, and seen the life my people lead. They struggle for each mouthful, die from untreated diseases, parents burying their children in graves beneath their homes. That is the life Marikar and the council have chosen for the Silani. No one resists, because they believe the weapon is all that stands between them and oblivion. They suffer whilst every coin is put towards making that machine work. And whilst they wait for the Wraith, the Hallan serve as a surrogate enemy."
"Controlling your people through fear," Teyla said, softly.
"But you have attacked the city," Sheppard objected, unable to stay quiet. "You're terrorists."
Amin flinched, lowering his head. "Yes. We have attacked the city walls, we disrupt the council's mining operations, and we have killed the council guards. But through necessity alone. My people are scared. They will not rise up without an army to lead them, and the Hallan have been exiled for too long to influence their lives."
"You knew about us."
"We have spies. Some who work in Marikar's halls, sympathizers on the streets who are able to pass information to us." He looked across at Sheppard. "Yes, we knew of you. We knew of your Doctor McKay, and his skill as a scientist."
"So you tried to kill him." A cold, harsh tone. "To shut him up."
"You must understand Major, we feared what Marikar would do once he had confirmation of his beliefs. Had you publicly confirmed the council's lies, all of our support amongst our people would be lost. Our cause would be over."
"The Wraith are real," Ford said, fiercely.
Amin turned his gaze to the younger man, barely blinking. "So I believe. But the weapon is not."
"That's not true."
Devla, listening to the conversation, lifted his head to glare at Amin. "I've seen it," he shot back. "It's real, and our scientists grow closer to finishing it and protecting our planet."
Amin sighed. "If you have seen the weapon, then you know that to be false. We have scientists of our own, Devla, those who have defected from the city. But I imagine your father has not told you of their existence."
"Well you screwed up," Sheppard said. "McKay is your only chance for deciding one way or the other whether that damn thing works and you blew it!"
"Not necessarily." And unfolding his legs, Amin rose, gesturing at McKay. "He will find a way to access these machines, and he will show us."
Sheppard rose too, ignoring the shifting of weapons belonging to the guards around him. "No."
"Get him up," Amin said, simply.
"No." He took a step forward, saw from the corner of his eye Ford and Teyla move to surround McKay. "You know he's injured. Dammit, your people tried to kill him! If you think –"
"Major Sheppard –"
"He cannot help you," Teyla spoke up, her voice tight. "He is hurt, unconscious –"
"Then you will wake him."
"No –"
"Major," Amin said, smoothly. "If you do not get McKay to his feet, then my men will." And a clatter of weapons punctuated his threat.
Sheppard stared at Amin for a moment, then turned, his shoulders knotting. "Lieutenant."
Ford shot a dark look at Amin, then bent over McKay, undoing the stretcher bindings carefully. Sheppard knelt beside them and reached out to tap Rodney's face sharply, hating himself.
"Rodney. Hey, McKay."
He received a mumble and a twitch in response. Tapped him again, harder, insistent. "McKay. Wake up."
Two blue eyes opened slowly, bleary and dilated. "M' sleeping."
He winced. "I know. But your brains are needed, McKay."
"Get him up," Amin repeated, stood over Sheppard's shoulder.
Rodney's gaze turned slowly to the Hallan leader, blinking in confusion. "Who are you?"
"My name is Amin, Doctor McKay. I am with the Hallan."
"Oh." He looked slightly dazed, frowning. "You shot me?"
"One of my men." Hallan ducked his head. "We knew you were helping Marikar's council, Doctor. We could not allow that. But now I wish you to look at a machine."
"Huh. Everyone always wants me to look at something."
"Well you're the biggest genius in the galaxy, what do you expect?" Sheppard glanced at Amin, then back at his friend. Said, softly, "You okay to get up?"
"Peachy." McKay shifted as if to sit up, Ford and Sheppard moving quickly to take his weight, an arm slipping under each shoulder. Awkwardly they rose, Rodney stifling a cry as his wound tugged beneath its bandages. Teyla stood beside them, one hand pressed lightly to McKay's chest, guiding the three as they took several shambling steps towards the nearest console. Amin followed them, the group coming to stand around a pedestal.
"Hey. A computer!" McKay blinked, turned his head to accuse Sheppard: "You didn't tell me there was a computer."
"Skipped my mind," he excused.
"It is a relic of my ancestors," Amin said, solemnly. "But it will not obey our commands."
"Huh." McKay stretched one hand out to its surface. Just as it had with Teyla, the console emitted a brief burst of brilliant light before fading to a lulling glow. The image of the rotating globe had returned and, just as it had with Teyla, it bleeped stubbornly when McKay tried to use any of the control dials.
"Could be a password," Sheppard suggested helpfully.
McKay rolled his eyes. "Now why didn't I think of that." He was absorbed in the picture, wound temporarily forgotten, curiosity smoothing the deeper creases in his face. Several more pushes at the console dials yielded no result, and after a moment he drew his hand back, gesturing at a spot on the pedestal just beneath its mushroom-shaped top. "I need to get into that."
"Gonna do a bit of hotwiring?" Sheppard grinned.
"Something like that."
Slowly, Ford and Sheppard lowered McKay so he was half-kneeling. The scientist grimaced, took a moment to control himself before opening his eyes and reaching out to the pedestal. The surface was made up of a series of metal panels and it was one of these that McKay now removed, levering away easily with his fingers. Amin, seeing what they were doing, took an alarmed step forward.
"Major Sheppard –"
"Relax, he's not going to break it." Sheppard nudged the scientist very gently with his shoulder. "Are you, McKay?"
"Hmm?" Rodney was busy picking apart the wires within the column, following their path with his fingers. "No. Don't be stupid, I know what I'm doing." As he spoke, he tugged on a green wire and prompted a shower of golden sparks.
Sheppard was overly aware of the guns drawn around them, and his own P90 tucked out of sight behind a guard. "Rodney…"
"That should do it." Another grimace. "Get me up."
As ordered, Ford and Sheppard pulled McKay to his feet. His right hand stretched out to the console a second time, but now upon his touch the globe changed, disappeared, replaced by an image of something resembling a flow chart.
"What is it?"
McKay frowned, fingers operating the small controls to bring up screen after screen of images. "Not sure. Some sort of OS, pretty basic. It's a library of something."
"A library of what?" Amin pressed.
"Knowledge. There's all sorts in here. Instructions for building those jeep thingies you use to get around in. Some diagrams."
"What else?" One of the guards, stepping forward impatiently.
"Give me a chance," McKay snapped at him, irritably. The hand stretched out to the controls started to tremble with effort.
With his free hand, Ford reached out to gently push the scientist's own back down to his side. "I've got it," he said, softly, touching the controls. "Just tell me what to press."
McKay hesitated, then nodded, leaning closer to the screen. "The picture on the right. Below that. There." He directed Ford's hand to search the computer's documents, bringing up image after image on the console screen as his eyes grew wider and wider.
Across from them, Amin shifted impatiently and even Devla was now on his feet, stood behind the guards who clustered nervously around McKay.
Sheppard looked away from the images and down to McKay's wound, watching bright red blood seep across the darker stains. He flinched, lifted his head and grunted: "Well? You're kind of heavy, McKay."
"Another minute." The scientist's body was shaking with effort, his face drained of all color, his hands clenched into tight fists.
"This is causing him further harm," Teyla said, looking up at Amin pleadingly.
The Hallan shook his head. "The doctor asked for another minute."
"There." McKay sounded triumphant. "Notes on the weapon."
Devla started, face breaking out into eager surprise. "It can tell you how to fix it? How to make it as powerful as it once was?"
"I don't know." Another quick nod and Ford's hands danced across the controls. "It looks like this place was a testing centre. They'd fire the weapon from the valley floor and then watch from up here, and record the results."
"Then the weapon did work?" Amin asked, leaning closer.
"No – I – I'm not sure. Wait…" McKay frowned, his breathing hitching. "Notes on the launch. Diagrams of the weapon. The power this thing must have used, I don't know where – but then, look at the shielding – similar to a generator, but the stabilizers –"
"Rodney," Sheppard warned, sensing a ramble. "There's no Zelenka around to translate, remember?"
"I know what they were trying to do. Ruhal was nowhere close, he'd only scratched the surface. It would have taken him months to realize –"
"McKay –"
"The weapon works as a basic nuclear warhead," the scientist explained, his voice pinched with pain. "Two substances are mixed to produce a powerful reaction, which is then channeled into a directed explosion. One of the effects is to completely disintegrate anything in a certain radius."
"Then it works?" Devla demanded.
Amin: "Doctor McKay –"
"No." McKay gave a soft sigh, slumping slightly between the two men. "I get what its designers were trying to do, and it's a fine idea, but it's fiction. The physics just don't add up. Switch this thing on and it will pull itself apart before you've even pulled the trigger."
"No." The boy darted forward, crossing the floor to stand on the other side of the console, glaring hatefully at McKay. "You're wrong."
The scientist gurgled in what Sheppard guessed was a laugh. "Oh, sure. I'm lying, right? The weapon is a brilliant invention. The cure to what ails you. But why would I lie?" His voice rose in pitch, desperate, frustrated. "I love the irony, don't you? One side locks us up and the other shoots me because I tried to fix a weapon that was always going to be broken!" His weight dropped against Sheppard and Ford, causing both men to stagger.
"Woah, easy," Sheppard warned, resting his space hand on McKay's chest. He shared in the man's anger but restrained himself, aware of the guns bristling around them. He looked across at Amin, struggling to keep his voice level. "Please."
"Set him down," Amin allowed. "That is all we need."
Carefully, Sheppard and Ford took McKay back to his blood-slicked corner, lowering him back to the floor, the stretcher now in pieces. "Teyla."
She was there in a second, armed with fresh bandages and what remained of the painkillers.
Devla was still angry, taking several determined steps towards McKay. "You're a fool."
"Hey, woah!" Sheppard rose, stepping into Devla's path. "Now look," he continued, his voice hard, hands clenched, "I realize you'd like to believe in your father, but he's wrong. My friend over there is by a long way the brightest guy I've ever met, so if he says it won't work, then it won't work."
"As Doctor McKay pointed out, he has no reason to lie," Amin said, softly.
"Except to escape from you!" Devla shot back. "If he were right our scientists would have discovered this long ago."
"In case you hadn't noticed, that lab of yours is full of just about every piece of crap your people could dig up," Sheppard snapped. "They wouldn't know a nuke from a toaster."
"Major," Teyla broke in, meaningfully. She knelt by McKay, one hand gripping his wrist. Rodney's chest rose and fell in short, broken movements, his skin near translucent and slick with sweat.
Sheppard tore his gaze away with difficulty, studied the floor. For a moment the only sound in the room was that of the scientist's struggled breaths.
He snapped his head up suddenly, took a step into Amin's personal space, confronting the Hallan leader. "You've got what you want. Now let us go."
Amin returned his gaze coolly for a moment, then stepped back. "I cannot do that. It will be impossible for you to return to the Circle without being captured by the council's forces."
"Then help us," Sheppard ground out.
"Major –"
"You owe us."
The Hallan dropped his gaze, inclined his head slightly. "Yes. I believe I do. But one favor is not enough for me to risk the lives of my men. The Circle is heavily guarded, and if we reveal our position we will lose this building, and all it contains." He lifted his head, pushed his shoulders back, addressing his followers. "We will hold here, until word spreads to the City. Our people will see the government's folly, realize all that has been lost in the name of a false cause. We have finally found all that we have been hoping for, the proof that will destroy Marikar's council and return our people to glory."
His men shifted, backs straightening, noses tilting up in pride.
"And what about us?" Sheppard persisted.
Amin turned, and looked genuinely apologetic. "I am sorry, Major Sheppard, but until our forces have strengthened you must remain with us. It is my hope that we will be able to stage a rebellion in a matter of weeks, perhaps less –"
Angrily: "Not good enough –"
"- and once we are able to take the Great Circle we will escort you through it to your home."
"By then –" Sheppard paused, lowering his voice, taking another step towards Amin. "By then McKay will be dead."
Amin's gaze drifted, lingering on the bloody corner in which McKay lay, unconscious, one hand clasped loosely in Teyla's. Said, without his eyes leaving the scene, "I am sorry, Major, and I hope you will forgive me. But there is no other way."
