Fleischman looked like he was on vacation, not a rescue mission. His delighted eyes scanned the panels like a child eyeing the window of a candy store. Teyla, who was considerate, compassionate and understanding, leaned over in frustration. "Should we not make haste?"
"Hm? Oh, yeah, yeah, sure. Sorry, I just got caught up in all this." He gestured to the controls and grinned at her. When she didn't return the grin, he sobered and returned to his readings.
"I knew we should've got Baker," Ford grumbled.
"Hey, I'm a better pilot than Baker. Come on, Aiden, you know that."
"That's Lieutenant to you, Sergeant, now will you get this thing descending without all the chatter?"
Fleischman, a noncommissioned officer with more time in service than Ford, leveled an angry glare at his companion and muttered, "Yes sir," before laying in the coordinates that Ford handed him. He suddenly looked his age.
Teyla sat back, her troubled eyes drifting about the sub. She was not sure why they were back under water. The chances of her friends surviving were slim indeed, and yet she had the feeling that they were. She knew there was a city beneath the water, and she knew they were in it. It was a single beam of hope in her heart, one that almost flared as recognition of a latent power, as though to say, 'see? You have this gift of intuition, use it'. It had served her well in the past, adding to her skill as a diplomat and trader.
Major Sheppard had mentioned something once of a sixth sense, and accused her of having it. The concept took some explaining, and yet she still did not grasp it. It seemed that the minute observations that were common to her people were lost to the people of Earth. What they referred to as a sixth sense, she found perfectly normal, and so did her clan. It cause much confusion for some time, and at one point when she found a young woman with tiny wires protruding from a cap on her head, she drew the line.
Yes, there were a few differences, but as Beckett had pointed out, it was merely a genetic code that evolved from a life as warrior hunters, whereas apparently the human race on earth had grown more lazy and complacent, thus losing much of the survival skills that should be second nature to them, not sixth. So she had taken it upon herself to teach those around her how to hone their own skills and find the latent power within them. That was how she'd come to know the overly-enthusiastic Fleischman, who thought that the sessions would eventually come down to an ability to float his nemesis, whoever that may be, over the rail and onto the hard floor below, while pouring a cup of coffee in the next room.
It took some explaining to convince him that not only was this not possible, but it probably required some discussion with Dr. Heightmeyer. He declined the visit, and his fighting skills improved immensely. However, he continued to lack focus. Even now, as he adjusted the coordinates, she could see his attention wander. "Must we review our exercises on proper concentration?" she asked.
He snapped to, and the sub straightened. Ford barked at him. "I thought you could steer this thing, man!"
"I'm sorry! It's just. . .this is so cool and all, I always wanted to be on a sub. Besides, there isn't much to do while we head for the city, might as well enjoy myself. With all respect to the mission, of course."
Ford leaned over. "You do realize that's our friends down there," he said slowly and pointedly, "we aren't rescuing a kitten from a damn tree."
Fleischman nodded. "Yes, sir, I do." He said little more, but his attention continued to spiral around the sub.
Ford started another comment, then caught Teyla's eye. Don't, her expression plainly said, and she was probably right. From the looks of it, her plans were to give him a good what for the next time they met on the fighting mat.
Aiden swore to himself to make note of that particular appointment, and keep it.
>
John ran. He had no idea how many levels down he was, but each time he entered a new one he rushed to the area underneath the room where McKay had fallen. It wasn't rational, not totally, but it was the only thing he could think of. Maybe he was there. Maybe he'd just been sucked down a few levels by an angry city. Maybe this was a lesson, and they just needed to screw everything and get the hell outta dodge. And it was 'they', not just he, because there was no way he was leaving his friend behind.
Friend. When the hell did he start thinking of Rodney McKay as a friend? He was annoying, self-centered, egotistical, rude. . .and brilliant. He deserved every bit of self-importance he thrust upon himself. But it wasn't just that. They managed to hang out. They bantered. They fought, but it passed quickly. Hell, he was Sheppard, and McKay, was McKay, and there was nothing to be done about it, so they put up with it. The basis of their developing relationship had surprised him.
They understood one another.
They didn't have to like everything. Sometimes they didn't even like each other. But there was a mutual, unspoken agreement between them, that they had each other's backs in a pinch, which was a pretty stable foundation to build trust upon. And as it turned out, they did have a few things in common, mostly dry humor. And. . .when it came down to it, McKay was damned reliable. He'd proven his worth time and time again, and in doing so reluctantly proven that there was a heart somewhere beneath that swollen head of his. Not that Sheppard dwelled on such things, it was just as well for a man to just do his job and not worry about the intricacies of friendship. . .except that they were so far from home. Things were uncertain enough, since this particular galaxy played by a different set of rules. It was only fair that he did the same.
Dammit, Rodney, you egotistical piece of crap. Where the hell are you?
He'd checked his hand made map several times. Each level he descended, he came closer to the location of the mysterious crystal that would supposedly solve their problems; except the new information he had discovered caused some doubts. "And," he said aloud, eyeing the walls, "since you decided to eat my friend, you'll get no cooperation from me, understand? I could care less if you rise, and remember, I'm the only one who can do that. Right? You hear me?" He pounded his fist on a side panel and the door opened before him. "Yep. Big surprise there."
He closed the door without entering and slid to the floor, arms propped on his knees. Slowly he allowed Rodney's last moments to play out in his mind, his body being sucked into the vortex, the pure terror underneath the determination on his face. His anger grew, and so did a sudden realization, a thought so outrageous and possible that he launched to his feet and ran into the room, slapping his hand onto the console to operate it. "You son of a bitch," he muttered, remembering the form the vortex had taken. Yes, the vortex, the event horizon.
It was tiny, he doubted it operated as a stargate, but more like a transporter device from one part of the station to the other. "That's it, isn't it? He managed to operate a fucking temporal elevator." He keyed a few graphs, and located the energy reading that signaled the vortex in the room where he had lost Rodney, and found a like signal several seconds later, eight levels below. There was also a reading nearby that could only be the crystal. A long awaited smile found his face. "Gotcha." And as he studied the screen, he found an unexpected bonus.
That was when he felt the first tremor.
>
"I brought you something." Carson held up a small dixie cup.
Elizabeth stared. She didn't even know they had dixie cups. "What is it?"
"Something to help you rest."
"Carson, I have people down in a sub, I can't. . ."
"You can for a few hours, Elizabeth, and I'm not taking no for an answer. This won't knock you out or anything, I wouldn't do that to you. But it will help you to relax, and if you should doze, well, that's no bad thing, is it? When you wake, you'll be fully awake, not drugged."
She took the cup and the water offered. "You promise?"
"Are you sayin' you don't trust me?"
She gave him a sideways glance and swallowed the pills. "This has to do with my checkup, doesn't it?"
"Aye, it does. Your blood pressure is running a bit high. Not unusual under the circumstances, it is a wonder people in the Stargate program don't drop over from heart attacks in the halls."
"It's a stressful job. But I've always been a bit prone to it, in fact it nearly prevented me from going through the gate."
"That doesn't surprise me. But there are many here not in perfect health. I suppose, as bad as it sounds, it depends on who is more expendable as to who comes and who stays."
"Besides, you may find a remedy for high blood pressure and I can be your test subject!" She widened her eyes in humor.
Carson laughed. "I wouldn't hold my breath. But you rest now. I'm sure you will be notified when the submarine approaches the appropriate depth, and I'll make certain you are in the gate room. How's that, then?"
"Words to sleep on. Thanks, Carson."
"Anytime, dear." He smiled and walked out.
Elizabeth sighed and stretched out on the couch in the room. She closed her eyes and breathed deeply.
It would do for now.
>
His ass was sore. His body felt separated, but at least his head was still intact. Rodney rolled, groaning to wake the dead, and lay quietly on his side for several seconds before daring to open his eyes. And when he did, he stared up at the crystal before him.
Well, hello.
It wasn't as big as he'd hoped, or glamorous, or even pretty. It was a grey, skinny, chipped piece of clear rock. He pushed himself to his feet and walked slowly to it, analyzing it visually before touching it, wondering if he'd been brought down here to activate the crystal himself. He'd tried his radio several times, to no avail. But of course, why the hell should it work now? Sheppard only thought he was dead, god, he was probably in some corner mourning. Rodney needed him to get his ass down there. He was standing right before the crystal, and cupped his hands around it. With only a slight hesitation, he lifted.
Nothing happened.
Well – shit.
Rolling his eyes, he replaced the rock and sighed. "Major! Get you trigger-happy, rooster-headed sorry ass down here! I need you, now!" Yelling did nothing but hurt. He winced and worked a finger in his ear canal, spotting another set of consoles. Only these looked different.
And the tremor hit.
Rodney hurried to the console. A few were working, the typical, standard, useless systems that had activated when the city first detected their presence. He ran his fingers along the pads, keying up what information he could access, and found a set of symbols. They changed as he watched, keeping a steady rhythm.
Frowning, he leaned over the screen, studying the flickering images as another tremor hit. "Okay," he muttered, "this doesn't look good." He ran over to the crystal, picking it up carelessly, tossing it in his hand. "Crap! Busted." He slammed it back onto the stand and flung out his arms, addressing the galaxy in general. "Of course! Why the hell not! I mean, this place has only been here a thousand years or more, everything else is working, why the hell won't a piece a fucking carbon that's supposed to outlast civilization fucking work? Is that too much to ask? HUH?"
Another tremor sent him back to the console, where he once again puzzled over the screen. A glance over his shoulder showed the dais on which the crystal sat was lit. "Wait a minute." He straightened, recognizing the next tremor. He'd felt its kind before, and his eyes flew to the ceiling. "You're trying to raise the city!"
Datanunana appeared beside him, making him spin. "It is so."
"Well, stop it! You're tearing it apart, can't you feel that?" He pointed. "Your crystal is busted, it won't wake anybody, it won't activate anything. You don't have the energy needed to raise this place to the surface!"
"Atlantis rose."
"Yes, but. . ." he cast about for an explanation, "look, there is something different about this place. If this crystal worked, yes, the city would rise. . .somehow. Maybe we had a crystal that did work, and was activated when the failsafe kicked in. I don't know, I guess we have to go look for a crystal now. . .what I'm saying is, your city is broken. It won't rise, not like this." His face fell at the pain in her expression. "I'm sorry."
"It will try to rise. It senses you near the crystal, it is ready."
"Can it not sense that the crystal won't work?"
"Can you repair it?"
"Repair a crystal? No!" His face brightened. "But I may be able to bypass it." He hurried to the console and ducked underneath.
"The city will rise," Datanunana said, "or it will tear apart trying. And if that is so, all is lost."
Rodney swallowed. "Yeah, right, I got that." He resumed his work, feeling her leave. His sigh was deep, but lifted as a voice was heard behind him. "Rodney?"
Rodney peeked from underneath the console. "Major! 'Bout time, stick your hand on that thing, will you?"
"Well, I'm so glad to see you're safe," he muttered and did as he was told, mainly because there was another tremor, this one not so faint, and he wanted the hell out of there.
"I'm glad to be safe, thank you." Rodney winced and pulled out a crystal, looked at it, then shook his head and replaced it.
Sheppard raised his eyebrows in resignation, and noticed the dais in the center of the room. "That's it?"
"Yep."
"Doesn't look good."
"No, it doesn't, now will you shut up and let me try to fix it before we both drown in here?" He hesitated as he heard her voice, subtly, in his head, and gave it a firm shake.
John didn't miss a thing. "You okay?"
"I'm fine." There was a slight zap. "Dammit! I'm positive this equipment is not supposed to do that!"
"Rodney, I don't think this thing can be repaired. Look, I found something when I was looking for you, I'm going to go check it out. Think it may be a way out of here."
"Major, I'm working on our way out of here!"
"Rodney, you're playing with our way out of here, now stay in this room, okay?" He pointed a finger at the prone scientist in silent warning, and backed away. And Datanunana's voice replaced his.
"Can it be repaired?"
"Highly unlikely."
"Then. . .we die."
Rodney jumped, bumping his head on the underside of the console. He crawled out. "I said highly unlikely, not damned near impossible." He took the crystals he withdrew to the dais.
Datanunana looked sad. "It is a shame," she said quietly, "I never meant to hurt them."
"Who?"
"Your people."
Rodney stopped his work. "What are you talking about?"
"If this city is destroyed, it will release all of the reserve energies into the waters."
"And this will what, kill the fish?" He returned to his work, but his brain was working. A massive release of energy, and considering the kind of energy that would be released one had to consider not only shockwaves but water displacement. . ."A tsunami?"
"It is inevitable."
"Our shield won't. . ." he shook his head, "there's no way to warn them."
"I do not know if it would destroy the entire city."
"Look," Rodney examined the area supporting the crystal, "if there is all this reserve energy, why can't the city rise by itself?"
"The release code is imprinted. It must be genetically activated."
"And you can't activate this code yourself?"
"The city will not recognize it."
"Okay, that's odd." Another tremor knocked him to his feet. He looked up to see her staring down at him.
"I would hate to lose you, Rodney McKay."
"Well. . .you haven't lost me yet." He blinked, and she was gone. His gaze towards the spot she vacated was his only warning to avoid the large chunk of ceiling that crashed down. And yet another close call sent his mind into overload.
The saying, 'the best way to overcome a fear is by confronting it', was a sentiment that Rodney not only disagreed with, but dismissed as complete and utter bullshit. He had faced death many times before. He wasn't any less afraid. It seemed the only way to overcome the fear of dying, was to actually die. He wasn't even sure why it was such an issue now. Maybe it was the sheer number of close calls he'd had lately. That wasn't natural. But then what was natural in this bizarre, fucked up universe where images from your worst dreams had a tendency to walk right up to your face? Could be worse. He could be in one of those web things the Wraith enjoyed, having the life slowly sucked from him as his flesh decomposed, wrapped in oh-so-inedible cotton candy confection. Sweet rot. What a way to go.
Was it death itself he feared, or was it just that particular death? Hell, according to elder Weir, he had died already. Drowned. Sure, he was trying to save others at the time, but that wasn't the point. The point was, somewhere, in some alternate time line, he was dead already. And that theory was confusing in itself, because of the different times lines that parallel each other, which had been seen by stargate personnel, not to mention the whole elder Weir affair.
So, he actually died in a time line, but he was alive in this one. Now, if one could travel back and forth in time, then one could come up with one's self in another time, therefore theoretically he couldn't die, right? At some point in time, somewhere, he was alive. Right? Hell, he was an astrophysicist and he still couldn't make sense of it. It set up a mental block in him, contemplating his own demise. There were things, matters of life (and death) that just should not occur, and his final breath was one of them.
God, his hands were shaking.
He pulled out one crystal and examined it before quickly replacing it into the odd slot. Pulled out the next, and found it was dull, like a dim bulb. He pocketed it and popped open a panel where a spare should be. . .right there. That was it. The crystal slid into place, and Rodney slapped his hand on the console, waiting for his unique energy print to activate the system.
But nothing happened.
Funny thing about death. Seems a person can completely loath it, consumed with terror upon the mere thought of demise, until faced with it head on. Then a sort of calm acceptance takes hold of the body and mind, a cool breeze in the heat of adrenaline. Rodney stood there and just stared at the cause of his own demise. He'd messed up. At least it would be his final mistake, there would be no more.
"The crystal no longer works." Rodney snapped at John as the major entered the room. "There's no point in trying."
But Sheppard waved it away. "Look, I found a way out of here. Some kind of stacked donut-thing."
Rodney's eyes widened. "Rings? You found a ring platform?" He turned back to his work. "Huh. Thought that was the one thing the Goa'uld actually thought up themselves."
"What? No, never mind. Point is, we can leave." The station shook. "In fact, I think we should go right now."
"No, wait, just hang on. There has to be a way to save the city."
John bit back his impatience. "I know you think this is an interesting problem to solve, but. . ."
"Problem? Is that all this is to you, Major! There are beings down here that will die, not to mention the immense power that we might be able to tap! I thought our purpose to go down in the sub in the first place was discovery, well, we discovered, an now you want to haul ass!"
John was puzzled by the reaction. Normally Rodney would be at the escape route waiting for him before he could give directions. "Rodney, there is no way to make this city rise! Maybe when we get back to Atlantis. . ."
"It'll be too late." Rodney had crossed the room and was tapping the console. "This place will tear itself apart trying to rise."
"How do you know?"
Rodney gave a long-suffering sigh and straightened. "She told me."
"Who?"
"Her." Rodney casually pointed then leaned over his readouts. John turned.
And saw her.
He actually saw her. She wasn't a myth, a vision, a figment of a desperate imagination. She was there; in fiery, sensual glory. "Rodney. . ."
"Mm?"
"Sorry."
"Yeah, yeah." His attention was elsewhere.
She walked to John, eyeing him with curiosity. "You hold on to him, so dear," she said, "it is a shame, really, but touching."
His eyes narrowed in distrust. "What are you taking about?"
"He holds the key. Yet you'll fight to prevent him from using it."
John felt a knot tighten in his gut. "Okay, I don't know what you're trying to say, but I don't like how it's sounding." The floor rocked, and she vanished. Rodney was still bent over the controls, his face tight in concentration. "We have to go. Now."
"Gimme another minute."
"Now, Rodney!
"Major, if this station is going, the least I can do is download what info I can!" He pulled out a small crystal disk he carried in his vest pocket, and inserted it into the console. "This will record the data found in this terminal, which we should be able to access at Atlantis, provided the disk isn't damaged. . .I found it four rooms ago, but I don't know if. . ."
"McKay, we don't have time for this. . ."
"And neither do they!" Rodney snapped, and she appeared again, right beside him, right as he glanced up anxiously at the trembling ceiling.
"There is another way," she whispered into his ear. "You know this. You can save him, and yourself, and the city. You know what to do." Rodney paled slightly, but his expression showed that he actually had been considering her offer; it wasn't a shock to him.
John noticed the expression, and he didn't like it one bit. "Rodney. . ."
"There's another way," he said quietly.
"Okay – so tell me!"
The blue gaze that met his held more terrified seriousness than Sheppard had ever seen. "I – I can't believe I'm saying this, but I've been thinking about it, and I don't mean just run-of-the-mill passing thought here, I've really been. . ."
"Rodney!"
"I can ascend." There. He said it. Datanunana stood at his shoulder.
"What?" He laughed. Sheppard actually laughed. "Be serious!"
"If I ascend, I can save the city, and these people, and prevent the inevitable destruction caused by the tsunami that will hit Atlantis once this place destroys itself, if I don't save it!"
Sheppard stared. "Wait, you. . .you really are serious, aren't you?"
"Major. . ."
"You put this idea in his head, didn't you?" He pointed at Datanunana, who merely watched. "This is all your doing! I can't believe you'd use him like this!"
"Major!"
"Using you, Rodney! That's all this is! Ascension? What the hell would a person like you do with ascension?"
"You just don't get it, do you?" Rodney snapped. "Yes, I have the chance to ascend. I can be like them. Now, if I can do what I do here, imagine what I can accomplish up there." His eyes raised to the unstable ceiling before falling back to his work.
John stared, incredulous. "That has got to be the most self-centered. . .I mean. . .how selfish can you get?"
"How is it self-centered to want to share my gifts with the rest of the universe?"
"Listen to yourself!" John could only shake his head. "You're unbelievable. This is crazy."
"What is?"
"Your fucking egotistical idea!"
"Oh, you're just jealous she didn't ask you," Rodney muttered.
John's brows raised, and he took a step closer. "You're actually considering this! You're . . .god, Rodney!"
Rodney smirked. "I've been complimented for my talents many times, but never by being referred to as 'god'. Chalk one up for the answer-man."
"Get real."
"When am I not real?"
"There are times. . .look, are you really considering ascension?" His eyes were intense, and Rodney knew he wasn't getting out of this easily.
"She seems to think it's the right thing to do."
"She? SHE? That Danahanahana bitch?" His eyes found hers, and he gave a mock bow. "Sorry," he muttered sarcastically. Then the next tremor had him on his knees, and a crack formed in the wall. A spray of water jetted in. "Rodney, we really don't have time for this!"
But Rodney's voice was flat. "Major, go to the rings."
"I'll be damned!"
"It's the only way! Look, I can guarantee your safety out of here, and I can save the city, plus. . ."
Sheppard was in his face. No way in hell was he going to allow this. "Plus what? What happens after that, huh? In case you missed the meeting, you have to die to ascend, Rodney! What if you just die?"
But Rodney was shaking his head. Dantanunana stood just behind his shoulder, her small presence seeming overly large and grotesque as she blackly watched the conversation. Rodney didn't notice her intense expression. "Nonono, it'll be fine, you'll see. Not a problem." He gave a small smile, meant to be reassuring but falling short, and returned to the console, giving up as it went dark.
Sheppard followed the scientist, ignoring the presence of the Ancient, and snapped Rodney around to face him. "What if these people aren't worth saving, huh?" he hissed. "We don't know the truth here. I can't believe the people of Atlantis would leave this city down here unless there was a damn good reason. We don't have time to find that reason, and we don't have time for this discussion, now come on!"
But Rodney pushed him away. "Major, just listen! It isn't that. I've had time to consider this, not much granted, but the argument. . .I mean, think of what I'll be able to do! Think of the knowledge, I'll gain! I'll know everything I need to know!"
"And where's the fun in that? Huh?" Sheppard yelled. "Where's the scientific discovery in having it handed to you? The Rodney McKay I know would much rather gloat about finding the answers himself! That's what you live for!" His word hit home, and for a moment Rodney's face cleared. "There are other ways, Rodney!" He fixed him with a desperate stare, then popped the burning question, the one that had nagged at him in the back of his mind, ever since Rodney first mentioned Dantanunana, "Why you, Rodney? If I have the gene she wants, why did she come to you?"
His answer was immediate. "Because she knew I'd appreciate the knowledge."
But John grabbed his arms, and forced his words into Rodney's heart. "Because she knows you'd ascend, Rodney. Because you're so afraid of dying and becoming nothing, that you'd rather give up what you have for that chance."
"You know that's not true! Besides, you'd do it in a heartbeat!"
Would he? Sheppard wondered. If faced with the choice, would he die, or glow? But this wasn't proper, this wasn't a fair trial. "When my time comes, maybe. But not now, not like this." He squeezed Rodney's arms tightly. "You're not dead, you're not dying. This place is killing itself and taking us with it. If this city rises, there's no telling what we would unleash. Look, the info I have may be sketchy, but there's plenty of room for doubt. We already have one threat hovering over the city, do you really want to risk another?" Rodney looked at the city falling apart around them, the walls peeling inwards in skinned layers. "She could get us out if she wanted, Rodney. She sent Teyla and Ford back. What makes you think raising the city is safe? What makes you think anything is safe, including you?" His last sentence came out in a desperate whisper, and he saw Rodney's resolve waver.
Dantanunana reappeared at Rodney's shoulder. "You would abandon my people," she accused hotly. "You would throw away all hope, and the chance of a lifetime. You may not get this opportunity again, Rodney McKay. I will not offer it."
There was something in her voice that caught Rodney's attention, and Sheppard saw the light go off in that wonderfully arrogant mind of his. Her voice had the sound of a threat. Threats were never good, they did nothing more than imply pure self-interest.
Sheppard's eyes bore into his, holding his gaze, not allowing him to let go, or even falter. Rodney met that gaze, challenging it to make him change his mind, even as the doubt crept in. They stared at each other for several moments before Rodney slowly turned to Datanunana. He felt Sheppard at his back. "He's right," Rodney said softly. "You could have gotten us out of here. You have us here for a reason, and I don't think it's the crystal." He squinted at her, much the way an artist will squint clarity into the painting he's analyzing. "You said you were a projection of one who was asleep. But I haven't seen any chambers, any storage facilities, anything in the schematics that shows any living quarters for those who were here. Only labs." He saw her stiffen, and saw a flash of rage in the bottomless depth of her gaze. "Who the hell are you?"
"You would do better to. . ."
His hands flew to his head. "No, enough talk, I'm tired of the talk!" He looked up, his expression wild with a sudden instinctive realization that he had tapped into something he wasn't prepared for. "Show me!"
Dantanunana slowly backed away, a dark anger continuing to grow underneath her calm countenance. Rodney felt John shift behind him in warning, which came too late as a thin arm lashed out, flinging the major against the far wall. Rodney spun and watched in horror as John folded into a lump on the floor, but was prevented from running to him by the horrific sight that defiantly blocked his path. His mouth worked, wanting to scream out, but his throat constricted in revulsion. The best he could manage was a squeak, "Oh. . .oh god. . ."
She was a mass of black, writhing, sinuous limbs, all reaching out for him, grasping for him. The room chilled as the form clicked and chattered like brittle bones, revealing dozens upon dozens of incomplete bodies, all lumped into a living grave. The air turned putrid and rank.
Rodney frantically backed around the console and slammed into the wall behind him. A panel slid open, and something tilted to the side and fell heavily against his cheek. He smelled it before he really saw it; a black, rotted, disfigured body that dropped to the floor as he yelled out and backed away. Another panel opened, and he tripped over the body which had fallen out right behind him. He suddenly wanted nothing more than to cry like a petrified child. The creature closed in. Rodney gasped back his terror and crawled over to Sheppard, who was slowly pushing himself to his knees, blissfully unaware of the nightmare bearing down on them.
The major felt himself being pulled to his feet, and the horrific sight that suddenly appeared before him cleared his mind in a way that no adrenaline shot could. "What the hell is that?" He plastered himself back against the wall with Rodney clutching his arm to keep him standing. The wall behind them slid open, and more bodies fell out, this time several packed into one compartment. They collapsed underneath the weight. John felt his stomach revolt as he pushed at the stiff, crusty body off of him, staring into a dead, glazed eye as he did so. He heard Rodney's panic and saw him pulling his legs from a decayed corpse that lay across them. Yet another body tumbled out, a much larger one, landing across John before he could move. Everywhere the walls were opening and expelling their dead citizens.
Rodney crawled over like a scared baby, and with extreme effort and desperate grunting, shoved the corpse from John's chest, helping the major to his feet before they were buried again. The thing before them was watching, and spoke.
"You see what your precious Atlanteans did to us," it said, with a voice like chattering insects. "This was the result of the ascension for those that could not leave behind their burden. This is the price we pay for their success!"
"They left you here? Just like this?" Rodney asked. He was doubled to the side, his fear buckling his knees. John wrapped an arm around his waist.
"We are ready to leave now. Raise the city."
Sheppard's brows crawled to his hairline. "You've got to be kidding me!" It was the wrong answer. The thing reared up like a black spider on the attack, and lunged
John shoved Rodney to the ground and dove, feeling a tearing pain as hard bone grazed his back. Another tremor stopped the creature in its tracks, and John took the brief opportunity to grab Rodney and usher him through the door. "Rings!" he shouted in a gasp, and this time Rodney was in full agreement. They fled down the corridor, hearing the creature bellowing behind them, running in a living nightmare as the station crashed in around them, decaying bodies falling on them from the walls, and as the thing gained ground. John found the room which housed the rings, and pounded his hand on the wall console. The door closed quickly behind them. "Get this thing working!" He pressed his hand to the imprint to activate it, and Rodney set to work on the coordinates. He tapped the controls desperately, his face reflecting the panic John felt.
"I'm locked out, nothing's working!"
"No, of course not! Dammit! I don't believe this!" John allowed himself to slump for a moment, then jumped as static burst in his ear. "What the. . ."
"Major Sheppard!" The voice was a angel from heaven. "This is Teyla, can you hear me?"
"Teyla?" He pressed the radio close to his ear. "Are you shitting me?"
"Major, are you injured?"
"No, I. . .where the hell are you?"
"Your people have discovered yet another submarine. We are still quite some distance from where we last. . ."
But John cut her short. "Teyla, listen to me, this is important! Take the sub back up to Atlantis! We're getting out of here, but this city may rise to the surface, and Dr. Weir has to be prepared! I repeat, return to the station, do you copy?" There was a crackle, then a faint confirmation, possibly from Ford. Sheppard nodded as McKay burst out, "I got it I got it I got it. . .shit!"
"What?"
"I had it."
"Rodney. . ." The large door suddenly dented dead center with the impact of an atomic fist. Both men stopped, glanced at each other, then continued the process of pulling the rings. With an odd whine they descended halfway from the ceiling.
Sheppard stared up at them. "McKay, never thought I'd say this, but I love you. How do these things work?"
"Get inside," he pointed to a circle on the floor, "and don't touch anything!" McKay was fumbling with a few more controls. His hands flew to his ears as a death tone pealed amongst the decayed bodies and echoed through the room. Sheppard doubled over, the wails piercing his senses.
"Rodney!"
"I'm on it. . .go!"
The door dented again. Both men jumped into the circle as the creature burst through. It launched itself at the rings, creating an image of a monster being sliced in parallel bars as the rings fell, then whisked them away. And Rodney knew, in that final bellow, that a voice spoke, "I will have you, Rodney McKay! I will have you!"
Or maybe it was his imagination.
The next thing he knew, he was sore as hell and covered in heavy boxes. He grunted and tried to shift, but it took more effort than he cared for, so he just lay still for a moment, at least until the fear that they hadn't left the underground city took chilly hold of him. The fear prompted him to push with all his might against the stock that had toppled as the rings burst through the warehouse. To his left he heard a moan and a cough, and saw a hand stretching through the debris. He grasped it, and together they uncovered each other and stood painfully. "Weir's gonna be pissed," John commented lightly.
"I just hope we managed to unpack all our equipment, what the hell is all this? Is this even ours?" Rodney tried to match John's tone, but his voice shook. He caught John's stare as they each gathered their bearings, then once again, all hell broke loose, this time in the form of drawn guns, bright lights, and Atlantis personnel.