Chapter 14

Rodney's life for his taking one tablet. To the physician, the choice was not that hard, and he held out his hand to receive the small round white pill. Carson had missed seeing from which bottle the drug addicted man had gotten it, but knew that area of shelving held the majority of heart medications, and so he was almost certain that if he took any substance from there, he would end up in some serious trouble. Desperate, and his injuries throbbing from the abuse, he glanced up at the menacing individual staring back at him, before slowly lifting the tablet towards his mouth and depositing it on his tongue.

Lokii's gaze never left the Scot's face. When the doctor didn't appear to swallow, he stepped forward and shoved Beckett by his wounded shoulder backwards, knocking him into another set of shelves. "Swallow it," he growled.

But the damage had already been done. The sheer force of the blow had caused an automatic reflex in Carson when he gasped raggedly in pain, the pill making its way down on its own. Bent at the waist and leaning for support against the now empty shelf, he closed his eyes and waited to feel the effects that he knew would come.

Within minutes, he recognized the tripping of his heart as it raced irregularly within the confines of his chest. 'Digitonin' his mind suggested, and he knew a single dose could cause toxic levels in some individuals. Apparently he was one of those unfortunate souls. Sliding sideways to the floor, he began to pant heavily, fighting back the overwhelming dizziness that threatened to consume him.

Hearing Lokii move about in front of him, he peeled one eye open to see what the man was about to do and was startled to find the ambassador scowling at him, directly in front of his face.

"Maybe I should give you something else to take," the sick individual gloated, opening another bottle and emptying the contents into his bloodstained palm. Waving a small blue pill in Carson's face, he abruptly shoved it forward only to bark out in hoarse laughter when the Scot turned away. "Now, Dr. Beckett, there must be something in here that can help you," he chided, climbing back up on his feet. Staggering to another shelf, he opened a bottle and found tablets that looked similar to those he had brought to Atlantis. Shooting a suspicious glare down at the weakened man on the floor, he dropped back to one knee, and grabbed Carson's face, turning him to meet his own angry gaze. "What is this?" he demanded.

Carson blinked slowly and tried to focus but the small pill appeared miles away. Knowing that it didn't matter what he said, he told the man what he wanted to hear. "Stimulant," he gasped.

Lokii roared in satisfaction at finally finding what he wanted. Taking several pills, he dry swallowed them quickly before shoving the remainder of the bottle in his pocket. The rush of euphoria that enveloped him caused his own weakness to dissipate, and he returned to the infirmary.He grabbed the crumpled scientist by the shirt and dragged him back inside the dispensary; then dropping him unceremoniously to the floor beside the physician, before slamming the security door shut.

Suddenly, his eyes began to shift quickly around the room, catching shadows in his peripheral vision. Not able to see what was hiding behind him, he grabbed the shard of glass and clenched it in his fist, not noticing the blood that began to run freely down his wrist and arm. He heard laughter emanating from behind him and he spun once more, only to find the two doctors still lying on the floor. Reaching down, he grabbed Beckett and pressed the glass against the Scot's throat. "Stop it!" he screamed at the unconscious man. "Stop laughing at me!"

It was the scientist still crumpled on the floor that the agitated yelling awoke and McKay's eyes cracked warily open to find himself trapped within the confines of his earlier nightmare. Lokii would kill Beckett for sure this time, if he didn't find a way to stop the crazed man. Pushing himself up with remnants of strength long ago depleted, he grabbed one of the shelving units and pulled, causing it to come crashing down on top of all three men.

SG: A

Sheppard, Ford, and Zelenka were rounding the corner to the infirmary floor from the nearby stairwell when they were met by a woman rushing in their direction. Instantly recognizing the nurse, the major reached out and grabbed her, pulling her back towards the safety of stairs. "Take it easy," he said, gently pushing her down to sit on a step.

"The ambassador," she started to say, pointing in the direction from which she'd just come, while trying to get her breathing under control.

"Is there anyone else in there?" Sheppard asked.

"Dr. Beckett was sleeping on the back bed and Dr. McKay was with the ambassador."

He looked up to Ford and Zelenka, meeting their grim looks with one of his own. "You said 'was'. Where were they when you left?"

"Dr. McKay had collapsed and was lying on the floor in front of him," her emphasis clear on whom she was referring. "Dr. Beckett made a deal that if I was let free, he would open the dispensary."

"Oh, dear lord," Zelenka said quietly.

"How was Beckett when you left?"

She shook her head. "He was hurting from the accident and had been given Percocet to ease the pain."

"How bad was he hurt, ma'am?" Ford questioned, not having heard the report earlier.

"He has torn shoulder muscles, bruised his lower back, and sprained his left knee." Glancing at each of the three men, she continued, "He should have been in bed but he was worried about Dr. McKay."

"What's wrong with Rodney?"

She looked to meet the major's worried question. "I'm not certain, but he was pretty bloody and incoherent. He thought Dr. Beckett was a ghost."

Radek dropped to sit on a step near the woman, his head falling into his hands before looking back up to Sheppard, "What do we do?"

Tapping his ear piece while double checking the clip of his hand gun, he paged the control room. "This is Sheppard. We have a hostage situation in the infirmary. Ambassador Lokii has taken Dr. Beckett and Dr. McKay. I need a full security detail and med team to meet me at the southwest corridor of the medical wing."

"Affirmative, Major," Teyla's voice responded. "We shall join you in approximately three minutes."

Sheppard took another quick glance down the empty hallway, checking to see if any activity could be seen from their position. Certain that it was all clear, he gestured for Ford to follow him before ducking back towards the infirmary, and he wasn't surprised to see Zelenka right there also.

Silently the trio came to a stop outside the closed doors, meeting up with Teyla's team, and listened for any voices from within. All they heard was dead silence. Taking up positions on either side of the door, the major counted out three on his fingers, before palming the door controls, and rushing the room. For Sheppard's team, it was deja vous all over again. The infirmary was a mess with strewn bedding and splotches of smeared blood located on the floor, but not a soul to be found.

Doing a quick search, they discovered the sealed dispensary door with a bloody handprint on the outside wall near the control panel. Pills of various shapes and sizes littered the floor. Leaning with his ear pressed against the door, Sheppard tried to listen and hear if there was anyone still inside. A tap to his shoulder brought his attention back to the Czech who was holding out a life sign indicator. Three blips showed in the area closed off before them.

Sheppard gestured for the groups to return to the main infirmary room.

"Okay," he said quietly, "they're all in there. The door is locked with a security key code, and I'm willing to bet that if we go busting in there, Lokii will become even more dangerous. We have no idea what his state might be and if he has taken any more drugs."

"Doc," he said, turning to Zelenka, "there's a back way in here through the dispensary. I know Beckett used it the other day. Any idea where it is?"

"I need a computer," Radek replied.

"Ford, go secure the one out of Beckett's office."

Moments later, the Czech scientist pulled up the schematics of the room and displayed them on the small screen. "Here," he said, pointing to a small enclosure. "It is through shower room."

"I'll have to remember that as a future escape route," the major quipped, trying to loosen the tension in the room. "There's got to be another key code panel. Think you can override it?"

"Do you really need to ask?" Grabbing the laptop, Radek followed Sheppard back through the shower room with Ford and Teyla right behind him. Attaching a small hook up to the door's key pad once he removed the cover, he began typing in a series of algorithms to find the correct key combination. It took a minute tops for the numerical display to light up on the portable computer. "Ready, major."

Sheppard stepped up to the door, his gun in hand, ready for the code to be punched, when a terrible crash and outcry erupted from inside the sealed room. "Now!" he ordered, deciding that they couldn't wait any longer.

Typing in the sequence, the panel lights turned off and the door slid smoothly open.

TBC