Chapter 9

If ever there was a day that Rodney wished to return to his life of obscurity back on Earth, it was today. Sure, for a time there, being trapped in the middle of Russia, working on their gate project left a lot to be desired, but everyone also left him alone. Same with Antarctica; again, he was at the top of the food chain so to speak when he first started there, but not a soul dared to bother him. Of course, nobody took a scientific step without his approval first either. But then, that's when he first met Beckett, and the Scot had latched onto him like a long lost member of the clan.

Well, maybe latched was too strong of a word, but for some odd reason, Carson had gone out of his way to include him in trivial things such as a simple as a cup of coffee in the morning. No one had ever really taken the time before, with Rodney, to extend friendship, and the two gradually found themselves forming a familiar routine of sarcastic jibes and banter that made the remainder of the expedition crew wonder if the Scot had lost his mind, or if the Canadian truly was the heartless bastard they'd initially believed. A brief smile touched his tired face at the memories.

Opening his eyes, he tipped his head back to lean against the wall of the small transport elevator he'd been sitting in for over half an hour, his left hand absently tracing the scars on his right arm. And now there was Sheppard. Never in a million years, could Rodney have imagined himself befriending a member of the military, for that was the image of his father…military all the way. The man never had patience for his science geek son who showed no interest in following in his commanding footsteps. How many times had Rodney heard the harsh words or felt the strong backhand against the top of his head when he'd disappointed the old man yet again?

Countries are forged on the backs of strong men. Rodney hated those words and hearing them repeated almost verbatim from the ambassador earlier in the day had resurfaced another long forgotten memory. "Damnit,"the scientist hissed, taking a deep breath in an attempt to control the sudden pounding tightness in his chest, "notagain."

He needed to get out. Hiding in a closet might have worked when he was little but the overwhelming need for air was pushing him to leave the security of the enclosed space. With a quick glance to his watch, he noticed the time, and that meant he'd find a good portion of Atlantis' hallways abandoned for the night. What he found when he opened the door took him by surprise. "Carson?"

The Scot looked up from his seated position on the floor, an open file in one hand and a pen in the other. "Well, it's about bloody time, lad. I was starting to think you fell asleep in there."

"What are you doing?" Rodney demanded, attempting to cover up his embarrassment at being found.

Closing the folder, Carson tucked it in a bag at his side before stretching his arms and legs, accepting McKay's hand up. When the Scot merely shrugged, Rodney eyed him closely. "You were following me, weren't you?"

"I was on my way back from the labs and I saw you step in there," he said, gesturing to the open lift.

"And you were sitting out here because…?" Rodney prompted, folding his arms impatiently, unhappy that the doctor found it necessary to spy on him.

"I was waiting for you," the Scot stated matter-of-factly.

"I could have been on my way to half of Atlantis!"

Carson shrugged again and pulled his bag over his shoulder while starting to make his way down the hallway. "Did you hear about Sergeant Bates falling off the scaffolding in the jumper bay this evening?"

"No. I've been busy. I don't have time to keep track of everyone."

"Aye." Carson stopped and looked back at Rodney, "Are you coming? I want to get a bite to eat before they shut down the kitchen." When the scientist began to follow without saying a word, he hid his smile, "From what I heard, Dr. Kavanagh and the sergeant were having a rather heated discussion about the storage space on board being prioritized for weapons. The good doctor wanted to remove them so that he could transport some experiment on the next mission."

"Oh, wouldn't the Major have loved that?" Rodney snapped.

This time the physician grinned and nodded, continuing with his distracting story, "Apparently Bates must have felt the same way, and when Dr. Kavanagh called him something to the effect of being a stupid jarhead and attempted to shove him out of his way, things got a wee bit ugly."

Rodney rolled his hand to get Beckett to move the story along.

"The darn fool Kavanagh lost his footing and grabbed Bates by the shirt before he fell off the scaffolding. Being a good soldier, Bates dragged him up again. Unfortunately, the sergeant wasn't ready for Kavanagh to shove him once he got his feet back under him, and the scientist tipped him over the railing."

"How far did he fall? Is he hurt?"

"Two, three meters at the most. And, although he wrenched his knee when he landed, he was evidently well enough to make a go after Dr. Kavanagh."

"I would have liked to have seen that," Rodney smirked. Bates always struck him as the no nonsense type and he could only imagine what he might do if someone really ticked the man off.

"You and me both. But from what I heard, the major somehow intercepted the altercation before it got too out of hand." Carson stood to the side of the door to the mess hall, allowing Rodney to pass in before him. "The sergeant is on crutches for the next couple of weeks, but should be fine. And neither hide nor hair has been seen of Kavanagh all evening, from what I hear."

Rodney chuckled, the beginnings of another attack completely forgotten. With dinner trays loaded, they made their way over to an empty table, propped their feet up on unused chairs, and relaxed while they ate.

It was while the scientist began to eat his second piece of cake that Carson dared to broach the subject of the ambassador. "I hear you had a wee bit of a run in of yourself, today?"

Rodney stopped eating, put his fork back down on his almost empty tray, and pushed it away. "If you ask me, it won't be soon enough for Lokii and his band of merry men to leave."

Carson leaned forward, his elbows resting on the table. "Why's that?"

"I don't want to talk about it." Standing up, McKay brusquely shoved his chair into the table with a clatter and headed for the door. He wasn't surprised to find the doctor again at his side.

"Care to go for another walk?"

"I want to be left alone."

"I don't think that's the best idea."

Stopping in the deserted hallway, Rodney spun around to face Beckett, "Why the hell not! I've been alone for 20 years, what's different now?"

"Because now you don't have to be," Carson answered simply, refusing to back down. "Come now, we don't want to keep the major waiting."

He was so tired and his weary brain slipped. Shifting on his feet, he looked longingly down the hallway towards his quarters and groaned, "What are you talking about?"

Carson carefully studied the man standing before him. He recognized the pinched lines around the scientist's eyes indicating a headache, the slumped shoulders of exhaustion. With any luck, the Canadian would be asleep not long after they got together with Sheppard. "A game of cards between friends, possibly a little alcohol, and some company to keep the ghosts at bay until the ambassador leaves."

"Carson, I'm a grown man…"

"Enough, Doctor. Either you come with me now or I have you spend the night in the infirmary." When it looked like the scientist was about to protest, Carson folded his own arms over his chest and scowled. "Before you decide to argue with me, you should be thankful the major insisted that I give you a choice."

Dead silence permeated the hallway with the stalemate between the two men, neither willing to tip first in defeat, until Rodney growled in acceptance. "Where're we going?"

"The major's favorite viewing room."

"Oh, please. Don't tell me he's going to make us watch that lame football disc of his again. I'll be asleep in minutes."

Carson allowed himself a tight grin as they made their way past the crew quarter, "Exactly."

SG: A

"I told you to stay in the room!"

The two doctors stopped and glanced briefly at one another before picking up their pace. Trying to pinpoint from which direction the muffled, angry voice was coming, they came to a halt outside the doors of one of the exterior balconies that overlooked the ocean.

"This disrespect will not be tolerated. When we return to home, I will put an end to this night time wandering permanently!" Ambassador Lokii's furious voice emanated from the opposite side of the door.

Without even thinking, Carson's hand hit the panel to activate the door while Rodney took up the position to confront the angry man. When nothing happened, even after a second and third try, the Scot stood back as McKay pulled off the cover and quickly adjusted several crystals, activating the override controls. With one smooth snap, the lock disengaged and the entranceway opened.

Lokii spun around, his expression murderous as he held Bengi by the front of his sleeping garments, shaking his son like a rag doll, "Get out!"

"Put the boy down," Carson instructed, carefully edging towards the pair while Rodney slipped behind the ambassador.

Eyes filled with fury and hatred, along with something else, fixed themselves on the doctor. Dropping his son, Lokii roared and rushed Carson like a crazed beast, lifting the physician by his jacket and slamming him painfully into the outer wall of Atlantis.

Rodney instantly threw his arm around Lokii's neck, trying to cut off the man's air supply so that he would let go of Beckett.

This only infuriated the man more. With his deadly grip maintained on Carson, he spun around and slammed his back towards the wall, effectively pinning the Canadian. Lokii pressed with superhuman strength, crushing Rodney until the scientist's grip failed when he could no longer draw a breath. McKay collapsed silently to the floor.

Carson knew he was in serious trouble when he could no longer see his friend, and catching a glimpse of Lokii's face in the darkness revealed only madness. Reaching out to grasp the ambassador's arm, he was surprised when the crazed man lifted him and tossed him as easily as he had his son. Next thing the physician knew, he was sailing off the balcony, out over the open water.

TBC