A/N: Did someone say 'bring on the insanity?' ;-)
The Puppet Master
Chapter Eight- Nuts
"Finally."
Kavanagh lifted his chin into the air and glared at the latecomer. Drawled: "Good of you to join us, McKay."
Rodney stopped in the doorway, watching his three colleagues with an expression of wary caution. "I was busy."
"God knows why," Kavanagh sniffed. "You should be off-world, shouldn't you?"
"The MALP reported monsoon season. They're picking another planet." His gaze drifted over the cables and tools scattering the floor. "What do you need me for?"
"Not you, McKay. Your gene." Dave Ashcroft, an English chemist with a strong Yorkshire accent the Czech found difficult to understand. He was a broad shouldered, middle aged man with weight around his middle and a thick thatch of black hair. He sat beside a mass of power cables and open floor panels, accompanied by his usual flask of steaming liquid.
McKay's gaze dropped to the drink, his nose wrinkling. "What's that?"
"Tea," the man supplied. "Something the Athosians drink. Not quite the same as a brew back home but it's the closest the Pegasus galaxy has to offer." He gave a wistful sigh. "What I wouldn't give for a box of PG."
"Yes yes," Kavanagh groaned, "We all feel your pain. Can we get on it? We've wasted enough time already."
"Sorry," McKay offered softly. Zelenka looked up sharply at him, concerned. Took in his appearance – dishevelled uniform, flushed cheeks, shadowed eyes and pale skin.
"Rodney –"
"Where do you need me?" McKay continued, ignoring him. He walked across to where Kavanagh stood, looking down on the pit of power cables.
Zelenka drew his gaze away, down to the snake pit. "Dr Kavanagh has recorded fluctuations in the power relay between the east pier and the jumper bay."
"We're losing almost a third of output ," Kavanagh added, stiffly. "I've narrowed the location down to this room."
"Either there's some damage to the live wire, or we're busy powering a section of the city we've never been to." Ashcroft took a gulp of the Athosian tea.
"So," Zelenka put in, simply, gesturing at the mass of cables below them. "We test each one to compare input and output. But it needs someone with the gene to initiate power supply."
"Right." McKay nodded, crossing the room to stand beside a large monitor set into the wall. On its flat surface was displayed a schematic of the room in which they worked, detailing the number of power cables, with a set of graphs running along the left side of the screen to show the amount of power streaming through each one.
Ashcroft set his flask down, then clambered down into the shallow hole beneath the floor and stood amongst the cables. Kavanagh squatted beside him, pointing at the various wires.
"We should try M-57 first."
Temporarily ignoring both men, Zelenka followed Rodney to the display screen. He spoke softly, glancing at Kavanagh to be certain the man wasn't listening.
"Are you alright, McKay?"
Two suspicious eyes glanced at him. "Why?"
"You do not look well."
"I'm fine." McKay turned away from him, looking up at the display screen.
"Your dedication is appreciated, Rodney, but we can manage without you. There are others with the gene –"
"You sent for me," came back the response. "So now you'll turn me away when you don't need me?"
Zelenka stopped, blinking in surprise. "I am concerned –"
"Right. I don't need it."
"If you girls have finished chatting…"
Perched on the edge of a floor panel, Ashcroft gave the two men a grin and gestured at the pit. "We're ready."
Zelenka nodded, and reluctantly turned away from McKay. He dropped down into the hole, almost stumbling over the wires, reaching out to steady himself on the floor. Ashcroft turned away from him to grip the end of a thick, brown cable that stretched the five metre distance from one end to the other. Zelenka gripped the other end, at the point at which the cable buried itself further beneath the floor.
"McKay, I need to you turn the power off just before Ashcroft pulls the plug." Kavanagh glanced from the cables to the display. "I'll monitor the readings."
"We all know what we're doing," Ashcroft pointed out. "This is old hat."
Kavanagh's nostrils flared. "I just thought you could do with the reminder. Ready, McKay?"
"Yes." Rodney turned towards the computer screen.
"On three. One…" Kavanagh counted. "Two.."
"Three," Ashcroft finished, pulling the brown cable from where it plugged into a power inlet. Zelenka looked up at the computer screen and saw the second graph from the top change its output.
"Nothing," Kavanagh said, also watching the screen. "Plug it back in."
Ashcroft did as he was told without sufferance. He was an amiable, good natured man, and was the only one to cope with the arrogance and rudeness of both Kavanagh and McKay without protest.
Though McKay had barely made a sound since coming into the room. Zelenka watched his friend with concern. The physicist had not been the best company recently, snapping at even those close to him and despite disgruntled protests from the entire department, adding weapons training and fitness meetings to the schedules of his fellow scientists. It was an idea that Major Sheppard had decided was long overdue, but Zelenka recognised McKay's agreement as what it was – an attempt to absolve himself of misplaced guilt.
The recent losses had affected the mood of the city, and Zelenka was still struggling to forget his own near death experience.
"We'll try M-19 next." Kavanagh pointed at a bright blue cable, prompting a grumble from Ashcroft.
"I know which one you mean, Kavanagh."
The past few days had been the worst. Zelenka thought of the assurances he had given Dr Weir, and wondered whether he had been right. The truth was that McKay was increasingly distracted, making obvious mistakes and forgetting the most basic of knowledge.
He glanced surreptitiously at the scientist. McKay was staring at the computer screen with no recognition in his eyes, the fingers of his left hand tugging jerkily at a bandage that wrapped his right.
Lack of sleep, Zelenka assured himself. McKay overworked himself, and it was taking its toll. Perhaps he would speak to him. Encourage the man to delegate, that his colleagues were not the imbeciles he so frequently accused them of being.
"Dr Zelenka?"
He looked up to find Ashcroft looking at him, the older man's hands gripped around M-19.
"I am ready," he assured him, taking up position next to the second cable.
"Let's get on with it." Kavanagh looked down into the pit. "One, two, three –"
Ashcroft pulled on the blue cable hard, freeing it from its socket. Zelenka saw a flash of bright sparks and heard the Yorkshireman cry out in pain and drop the cable. The wire writhed like it was alive, pulsating with energy.
Kavanagh was yelling. "Dammit – McKay, the power –"
The sparks suddenly died away, the cable's movements ceasing. Quickly clambering over it Zelenka reached the fallen Ashcroft, gently turning the man onto his side to see his uniform smoulder, bright red skin revealed through holes in the cloth on his shoulder and arm. There was the distinct smell of burnt flesh, and smoke rose from the man's right hand.
Ashcroft clutched the wounded limb to his chest, face white as a sheet, muttering a soft curse over and over, his eyes screwed shut.
"God damn it." Kavanagh was beside McKay, his face flushed with fury. "You were supposed to switch off the power! A child could do it!"
McKay seemed unresponsive, staring at the injured Ashcroft with unblinking eyes.
"Gone deaf suddenly? You could have killed us!"
"Me." Ashcroft's voice was little more than a soft rasp, but it still held the power to interrupt Kavanagh's rant. "You weren't anywhere near it, Kavanagh. And it was an accident."
"Rodney?" Zelenka looked up across the room to his friend.
McKay shifted his feet, seeming to come out of his trance. He looked on Ashcroft with an expression of dismay, then up at Kavanagh. "I didn't – I – you weren't –"
"Don't blame this on me." Kavanagh's face pulled into a sneer. "You're a liability, McKay, and I'll make sure the whole department knows it."
"Kavanagh." Zelenka spoke firmly. He had a grip on Ashcroft's unharmed shoulder and could feel the man shaking. "We need to get David to the infirmary."
"And who's going to clear up this mess? McKay can take him. He can explain this to Weir whilst he's there."
He gave an exasperated sigh. "Rodney –"
McKay was shaking his head, taking several steps away from Kavanagh towards the door. "Sorry. Sorry. I didn't mean – I j-just, I didn't see –"
Starting to feel frightened, Zelenka repeated: "Rodney –"
"What the hell's going on?"
Four pairs of eyes turned to see Major Sheppard standing in the doorway to the room, a look of shock on his face. He took in Kavanagh's rage, McKay's horror and Ashcroft's position of pain before his gaze finally rested on Zelenka. "What happened?"
He repeated Ashcroft's words: "An accident."
"McKay almost killed him," Kavanagh spat.
"An accident." Rodney shook his head, continuing to move towards the door.
"David is injured," Zelenka said, trying to sound calm.
"I'm fine."
"No, you are not. We must have Carson look at you." He looked up again at Kavanagh. "Help me."
"An a-accident." McKay was stuttering now, the colour draining from his face, swaying slightly. "L-like before. A-always like b-before."
Sheppard was walking towards Rodney, taking slow, cautious steps. "Calm down, McKay."
"He's nuts," Kavanagh growled, prompting Zelenka and Sheppard to chorus a sharp:
"Shut up, Kavanagh!"
The man gave another sneer, but sealed his lips thinly, dropping to his knees beside the pit to help Zelenka lift Ashcroft to his feet.
"Come," Zelenka said softly, in the Yorkshireman's ear. "Beckett will make sure you are scar free."
"Shame," Ashcroft managed, his face pinched tight with pain, "the girls always like a war hero."
"See?" Sheppard was still taking slow step after slow step towards McKay, his hands held stiffly by his side. "We'll get this sorted out."
McKay's arms were now hugging his chest, as he rocked gently on his feet. He spoke to the floor, seemingly unaware of Sheppard's approach. "Did a b-bad thing. And they'll p-punish you. L-lock you up and h-hide you away and f-forget and –"
Without warning, his head shot up and he yelled, his voice cracking on the final word: "I won't go back!" Then he bolted, lashing out with one hand to push Sheppard backwards and running out into the corridor. Zelenka almost rose to follow but Sheppard was ahead of him, chasing after the scientist.
Beside him, Kavanagh was lifting the trembling Ashcroft to his feet. "Nuts," he repeated to his audience, with a smug expression. "I knew it."
