Rodney's body protested dearly, but he chose to ignore it. He was feeling angry, angry at the whole ordeal the Genii had caused. He was on his way down to have a serious talk with someone who used to care about them, which this same person lacked very much at this very moment.
McKay's mind wandered, he wanted to help so badly, even though he had no idea if having a conversation with Sheppard, at his present state, would do much good. Rodney stopped at the door, popping his head inside. He saw the major pacing back and forth inside the small cell.
Rodney took a quick moment to have a better look at Sheppard. He was wearing white hospital scrubs and while the hair was still messed up, it wasn't as before. And from Rodney's point of view, the beard didn't suit John at all.
Ford had been talking to Sgt. Stackhouse, when he noticed Rodney walking in. The young Lieutenant threw the scientist a large smile, "Dr. McKay... Good to see you! How are you feeling?"
Rodney glanced back at Ford, "I'm fine, thank you. Carson just released me. I thought I'd come down here and give it a try."
Rodney didn't need to explain to Ford what he meant by it. As the Lieutenant knew well enough he was going to have a little chit-chat with the man now known as Ignatius. "Has he said anything after Dr. Weir left?"
Ford turned grim, "No, but he has become more agitated, though."
Rodney moved closer to the cell and immediately Ignatius stopped his pacing.
"Feeling well?" Ignatius asked with a smirk on his face.
Rodney stared back, his face showing no emotions at all, "Fine... not thanks to you."
A heavy silence hung in the air as the two kept staring at each other, trying hard to make the other look away or break the stare in any other way. Finally Ignatius broke the stare and walked towards his cot. "Came to pay respects and try to convert me?"
"No, I came to call you a coward."
Ignatius seemed to freeze on the spot, showing his back to Rodney, "I am not a coward."
Rodney stayed still, his body tense, "After what you said to Dr. Weir, I can call you a coward. In fact, I don't know who is more a coward, you or your dear Commander Kolya," Rodney gave him a thoughtful look, one that certainly didn't miss its effect.
Ignatius turned around, his face filled with anger, "Don't you dare say his name!"
"I can say it, and I can curse it. I curse the moment he knew of our existence,"
Ignatius was clearly trying to keep his anger controlled and decided to keep quiet, allowing Rodney to continue, "But that's not why I am here."
Ignatius relaxed a bit but kept staring, "Then to what do I owe your presence?"
"I came to talk to John."
Ignatius laughed derisively, "Bad luck... you just missed him."
Rodney tried to ignore the attitude Ignatius was giving him and continued, "I know he's here somewhere. I don't really care if he doesn't answer me. Just wanna talk."
Ignatius relaxed completely now and laid down on his cot, "Knock yourself out."
Rodney started pacing, circling the cell, "First of all... I'm sorry, Sheppard. I'm sorry we left you behind," Rodney stole a glance at Ignatius, who was clearly ignoring him. So he continued, "Secondly, we will not allow you to harm anyone."
"There are things you cannot control." Ignatius cut Rodney off.
Rodney ignored the comment and continued, "Thirdly, if we are not successful in removing this coward persona you seem to be now..." Ignatius got up so fast, which gave it the impression he had just burned his bottom, and presented Rodney with a murderous glare while the scientist calmly continued, "...We won't allow him to go free. And finally, if we ever grab that bastard Kolya, I swear to you I will personally fulfill your end of the deal."
Ignatius frowned, "Deal? What deal?"
"I will kill him, Sheppard. If is not me, I know a few people who won't mind doing this for you... I promise." Rodney noticed how Ignatius suddenly went from furiously calm to extremely strange.
Ignatius walked towards Rodney, causing him to back away a little from where he was standing near the bars. "What deal! Whose deal!"
Standing at a relatively safe distance Rodney frowned, "I thought you didn't want us to tell you who you're supposed to be. The things you have done. But in my humble opinion I don't think it'll be bad for you to know... to remember."
Ignatius' behavior changed once again. He looked agitated almost desperate, "What? Know what?"
Rodney eyed Ignatius suspiciously, but answered the question dutifully, "Our last encounter with the Genii, you made a deal with Kolya that the next time he played nasty you were going to kill him. I'd say that this qualifies as a nasty move."
As a bullet to the head, Rodney's last comment sparked something inside Ignatius. Something he couldn't explain, he remembered his dream in which Kolya called him John Sheppard. And he had talked about a deal ... a deal with Kolya. He shook his head, "No, it cannot be... I am Ignatius of the Genii, my people are the Genii!"
Seeing Ignatius' reaction, Rodney continued knowing he was making the other one doubt himself now more than ever, "What? You remember?"
Rodney stared at the man inside the cell; Ignatius' face was filled with confusion. Rodney could also see a glimmer of hope in the confused man's face, "You know! You can see it in your mind! I bet you are beginning to question..."
Ignatius cut him off with a soft but desperate, "Shut up!"
Rodney cheered inwardly. He had won his first battle and was pleased to see his opponent failing in his attempt to remain untouched by what he was saying. "You do! You are questioning yourself!"
Ignatius started pacing frantically back and forth, "Leave me! LEAVE!" His plea was more desperate than he had intended to, but Rodney didn't feel like leaving or giving up just yet. He knew Ignatius was letting his guard and about time too, "Tell me John, how it felt to shoot Kolya?"
Ignatius lost it. 'Shoot Kolya? The man is insane!' He looked up, straight in Rodney's eyes, and screamed, "Shut up and go away! Just go away!"
But Rodney kept pushing, "Why did you let them, Sheppard? Why did you allow this to happen?" Rodney knew that this wasn't John's fault, but he had seen something in the eyes of the man that called himself, Ignatius. Recognition? Confusion? He didn't know but he knew he could use it to lure John's conscious to the surface.
In an act of rage or maybe helplessness, Ignatius started hitting the cell's shield, "Fuck you! Go away! Leave me alone!"
Rodney closed the distance he had stepped back when Ignatius had first started to advance in his direction, and replied equally as angry, "Don't want me here? Then you should have aimed a little better," Then he saw how Ignatius raged and screamed in anger, "I am from the Genii, my name is Ignatius of the Genii!"
Rodney tried to remain calm, "You can scream all you like, but that show will never convince me that you are not John Sheppard!"
Ignatius covered his ears, like he was a child would when it hears something it doesn't like. In his mind Ignatius started to see images, memories, dreams, people, and places all at once. Voices too, but the voices were mixed with the constant reminder that he was of the Genii. For once he felt as if he was really going crazy. For a moment he saw all the people that had him in the cell, not like his captors but like his friends.
Friends... from a distant dream he had long ago. He needed to get out; he needed that man outside the cell to leave. He needed to think. But at the same time, Ignatius felt a knock in the back of his mind, which was trying to remind him that his subconscious was screaming for something. Like an animal fighting his way out of a cage.
Rodney had stayed completely still as he was watching Major Sheppard fighting with himself.
Ignatius stumbled, as he tried to get a grip of himself. He was aiming for his cot but instead he fell to the floor. There he pulled his knees to his chest, covered his ears with his hands and started rocking back and forth. He wanted it all to go away, he wanted everyone to disappear. He knew that somehow what he had just heard was not real. It couldn't be real because he was of the Genii.
Rodney stared at Sheppard; he really wanted to know if there was some hope for his friend.
Yes... friend. Maybe not at the beginning, but after all they went through, Rodney was confident in considering Major Sheppard a friend. And if tormenting his brainwashed mind was the way to get him back, Rodney could stay there the rest of the day.
But he felt his body protest, if Carson knew that he had been doing a lot of stuff he wasn't supposed to, there would be hell to pay. Deciding he wouldn't want to tell Carson why exactly he had crashed again, he decided for the best to give it a rest for now and find his comfy quarters to take some rest.
But the moment he turned to leave he could hear a faint, yet familiar whisper directed at him, "Rodney?"