Chapter 10
Carson knew he was a dead man the second he passed over the railing, flailing helplessly head over heels towards the deep churning ocean below. With no time to call for help, his last sight of Rodney was of his friend sliding bonelessly to balcony floor. The exterior lights of Atlantis flashing by him at a frightening speed, he tightly clenched his eyes, had one final thought of home and his family, and waited for the inevitable splash. Instead, a blinding pain slammed into his shoulder and he twisted at an odd angle, feeling himself slam into something else before miraculously catching hold of a piece of structure in his armpit. Wrapping his left arm around the dark object, he held on for dear life, waiting for his racing heart to slow so that he could call for help with a voice stronger than a breathless whisper.
Finally daring to open his eyes, he first looked up to see the tall spires of Atlantis lit up above him, then cautiously glanced down towards the dark water. He could hear it splashing against the enormous station but couldn't make out how much farther he would have fallen. Sending a silent 'thank you' to the heavens, he carefully reached his right arm over the section of Atlantis that he was clinging to and patted his chest pocket, feeling his earpiece still tucked inside. With painstaking slowness, his shoulder protesting in agony at being moved, he was able to adjust it safely into his ear, activating the small piece of equipment.
"Major Sheppard," Beckett paged, praying for reception, "this is an emergency. Please respond."
"Beckett?" Sheppard replied immediately. "What's wrong? I thought you were on your..,"
"Major," the Scot interrupted, "I'm in a bit of trouble and need your help right now."
"I'm on my way, doc. Just tell me where you are."
"I fell off a balcony near the crew quarters and am hanging by my fingertips above the bloody water."
"How far did you fall?"
That's what Carson liked about Sheppard. Not 'how did you' or 'why?' "I don't know!" he cried out in exasperation, his arm and shoulder throbbing painfully.
"Okay, hang on a little longer, I'm on my way. I'm gonna leave the channel open while I call for more help. If you need me, give me a shout, okay?"
"Aye. Just please hurry."
Within moments, more of Atlantis' exterior lights came on and for the first time Carson became fully aware of just how close he'd come to hitting the water. He appeared to be dangling from some sort of weather sensing apparatus, a good fifteen meters above the ocean. Trying hard not to look down again, he did his best to shift his grip and gain a firmer hold, only to feel himself slip slightly as the cold condensation on the metal structure made his palms wet.
"Major, please hurry," Carson called out.
"We're coming, doc. You should be able to see a jumper right about now." As if on cue, the search light from the small vessel lit up his predicament, and Beckett could hear the voice of Markham describing the situation to the major.
"Doc?"
"Aye?"
"I'm right above you and I'm on my way down. You're doing good and it'll be just a little longer. Okay?"
Carson nodded, closing his eyes and using his remaining strength to maintain his precarious position. He heard the major call out 'heads up' when a pair of ropes were released from above, but found himself too tired to look. And it was only the zipper sound of someone descending on the nylon cable that gave him his first sense of relief that maybe this was going to turn out alright.
A moment later there was a slight jarring to the equipment he was clinging to and Carson cautiously opened his tightly clenched eyes to find one smiling Major Sheppard. "Am I happy to see you," the Scot gasped in relief.
"Hey, doc, how are you doing?" Taking in his friend's appearance, he shook his head as he slipped a safety harness around Beckett's waist and legs. When he reached over the physician's shoulder and grabbed the second rope, he bumped Carson's injured shoulder, causing the man to cry out in pain. Sheppard stopped instantly and waited while his friend got his ragged breathing back under control. "How bad are you hurt?"
Carson blew out a small breath, the moisture misting in the cool night air. "Hit my shoulder on the way down. I don't know how badly."
"Okay, we'll take it nice and slow as we go down, alright? Let me do all the work." The physician gave a small nod. "On the count of three, I want you to let go. There's an emergency lifeboat below waiting for us, so all we've got to do is take it nice and slow."
Carson gave another small nod and John grinned, hiding his concern. "One. Two. Three." The ropes pulled taut above them as the two men slowly began their descent. "You and McKay sure know how to keep me busy," the major quipped, trying to take Carson's mind off what they were doing. Unfortunately the reaction he got wasn't what he'd hoped.
Beckett reached out and grabbed Sheppard's life vest with his good hand, his face filled with worry. "Did you find him?"
"Who? McKay?"
"He was on the balcony."
"There was no one there, when I got there." A look of confusion clouded Sheppard's face, "He didn't toss you over, did he?"
"No." The Scot glanced back up from where he'd originally gone over, "Lokii did."
"The ambassador?" Before he got the chance to question Beckett further, there was a loud creak of tearing metal from above, then the large piece of equipment that Carson had been hanging on to earlier tore loose from Atlantis, plummeting rapidly towards the dangling men and water. Sheppard instantly grabbed the Scot by his belt, trying to shield his friend from further injury. And, Carson, sensing extreme imminent danger, threw his arms around the major's neck out of sheer reflex and desperately hung on.
The sheared end of the antenna sliced through Carson's line, barely missing both men, before it tumbled past them less than a second later. But they were still not out of danger when it became entangled in the Scot's line, spinning the pair haphazardly through the air. Instantly its momentum shifted as it came to a jarring halt, its added weight nearly ripping Beckett out of Sheppard's grasp.
Holding on for all he was worth, the major tried to maintain his grip, his muscles screaming in protest at the strain of the weight being pulled against him. "Cut the rope!" he yelled down to the waiting crew in the life boat.
He spotted a figure immediately dive overboard and began swimming in their direction as they dangled now only a few meters over the water, the antenna swaying just above the churning surface. "You doing okay, doc?" he asked Carson when the man latched tighter onto his life vest. "Because, I don't usually swing this way, if you catch my drift."
Carson gave a small snort of exasperation before shaking his head 'no', and then gasped when the weight on the opposite end of the rope pulled at him painfully. He could feel his tenuous grip slipping, his tired muscles refusing to maintain their hold. Looking up into Sheppard's face, he tried to convey that he was sorry when he finally could hold on no longer. Pulled out of the major's hold by the weight of the fallen object, he hit the water with a resounding splash before being dragged under.
Less than half a second later, a strong arm grabbed him beneath the arms and began to tow him back towards the surface; while a second individual quickly sliced through the rope tangled at his feet. Breaching the water, the Scot sagged in his rescuers arms, unable to notice it was Lieutenant Ford holding him up. Sheppard popped up from the depths a moment later, his face filled with concern as he called the rescue boat closer.
Two more pairs of arms reached over the sides of the rubber boat and gently lifted Becket into safety before extending a hand to Sheppard and then Ford. With all members of Atlantis extracted from the cold, dark ocean, they made their way back to the pier, while the jumper kept them in the spotlight.
It was Elizabeth who first met them, standing rigid with her arms folded, her face a mask of worry. Behind her, a medical team waited while they tied up to the pier, before Carson was lifted from the boat and placed on a gurney. He'd lost consciousness soon after Ford had pulled him from the water and was now being rushed to his own medical facility.
Sheppard was next out of the boat. Others waiting nearby instantly wrapped him in blankets, asking dozens of questions, but he searched for one face and didn't recognize it in the small crowd. When he heard his name being called and soft hands pressing against his face, he frowned. "Where's Rodney?" he heard his voice ask even though he couldn't remember speaking.
"We haven't been able to find him," Elizabeth answered, patiently pulling him towards the doorway. "Maybe he's asleep."
"No, Beckett said he was on the balcony when Lokii threw him off."
That stopped Weir in her tracks. "Ambassador Lokii threw Carson off the balcony?"
Sheppard nodded, his teeth beginning to chatter from the cold.
"What else did he say happened?"
"He didn't. That's about the time we decided to go for a nighttime swim." A medic pressed a steaming cup of coffee into his cold hands and he held it tightly, allowing some of residual heat to permeate his fingers before lifting the beverage to his lips. It was strong and hot, burning a path the entire way down his throat, warming him from the inside out. His befuddled brain returning to normal after the intense adrenalin rush, he shrugged off the now wet blanket and made his way to the nearest transport lift.
"Major, where are you going?" Weir asked as she grasped his arm, trying to steer him back towards the medical team.
"My quarters. I need to get some dry clothes and my gear."
"Major. John, you need to go to the infirmary and get checked out by a doctor."
He stopped to stare down at her, his eyes looking darker than normal. "I have to find Rodney," he said matter of factly.
"Major, I have every available team out looking for them as we speak. Now I must insist that you come with me back to the infirmary. Once you're examined and they say it's okay for you to leave, you can join the search."
He shook his head and pulled away, "Sorry, no can do. I need to find McKay first before…"
"Before what? What's going on that you aren't telling me?" she demanded, her worry turning into anger.
"I can't explain right now. You're just going to have to trust me." Stepping into the lift, he turned back to face her, "Keep me updated on Beckett." With that, the doors closed, leaving him alone in the small chamber as it sped upwards towards the crew level.
He knew he had to find Rodney before the scientist did something he'd regret for the rest of his life. Sheppard could only imagine what had gone through McKay's mind when he saw Carson thrown off the balcony by a man that resembled his abusive father. And now the fact that he was missing, along with Lokii, gave the major a very bad feeling.
Entering his quarters, he quickly stripped out of his wet clothing and pulled on a dry uniform. His gear still loaded in the utility vest and small backpack, he strapped his sidearm to his thigh, grabbed an extra clip, and headed back out to the corridor. Hoping he wasn't too late, he started to run.
TBC