Author's Notes:- Thanks to Stonedtoad for betaing.
Hope you enjoy.
Next part is in production.
John dropped to the ground on the balcony his whole body numb, he'd failed them. Pulling his knees up to his chest John let his head drop onto his uninjured arm trying to forget the weight of the body he'd pulled through the Stargate.
Oh God he'd gotten her killed, John gasped trying to pull air into his lungs as they burned.
It felt like a dream, the moment they stepped through and Carson announced she was gone Rodney's face went white, as though every drop of blood had drained from his body, he staggered whispering something that John couldn't quite hear as Elizabeth and Zelenka caught him moving him away from the Gateroom. John turned to see the Doctor holding Rose as she cried with Jack at their side grief in his eyes.
Then one of the medical staff was moving him to the infirmary, he vaguely remembered getting his wrist put in a cast before he staggered out and ended up here. As he sat listening to the sea he thought about the past few days, it had occurred to him only when they'd been caught just outside the ship what Jeannie's behaviour over the past few days had been about. Rodney, when he was afraid whined and talked before falling into deep depressive silences but Jeannie bounced. She'd been hyper throughout their entire journey, from climbing the tree to her gymnastics display he was sure she hadn't stopped moving. And when she hadn't been moving she'd been reminiscing.
We all need help sometimes John, he could hear her whisper to him that night in the cave and he suddenly understood what she was saying. She hadn't been offering help to him, she'd been asking for his in the typical McKay roundabout way. All she'd wanted was to be comforted from her fear during the night and he'd brushed her off.
No, he corrected himself, he hadn't been brushing her off he'd been protecting his friendship with her brother. If he'd given into the feelings that were growing for her John knew it would turn out bad.
"Rodney," he sighed needing to know how his friend was, needing to help him.
x
John nervously approached the door not knowing what he could even begin to say to his friend but he felt he had to say something to Rodney. With a thought he opened the door not even realising it had been closed.
"Hey," he murmured nervously as he slowly stepped inside Rodney's room.
Rodney was sitting dejectedly on the end of his bed, his blue eyes dull with pain, "Go away John."
John stood in the doorway not able to move, "I'm sorry."
Anger flared in Rodney's eyes, "Sorry? You should be. This was your fault…you…you…you brought her to that planet. You put her in danger. What the hell was she doing there? Why?"
John's eyes unconsciously darted to the bedside table where Rodney's cell phone sat next to the picture of the twins, it was a move Rodney didn't miss and his anger grew.
"How dare you," Rodney yelled his blue eyes flashing, "You had no right to even be in here never mind touching anything in here."
"Rodney…" John started.
"Get out," Rodney yelled again turning he found a book sitting on the bed hurled it at John who barely managed to dodge.
The Doctor gently rubbed Rose's back as she cried for her friend, her tears were soaking through his shirt but he didn't care. His mind was spinning over and over the moments just after they'd stepped through the Gate.
In his mind's eyes he could see Jeannie lying dead on the ground, John's look of shock and Rose holding onto him in grief but the clearest thing in his mind was Rodney's voice.
She can't be dead; he had whispered in shock, I can still feel her.
The Doctor looked over at Jack and motioned him to take Rose before he gently passed the grieving young woman over to the other man.
"Take her to get some tea or something to calm her down," he told Jack.
"Where are you going?" Jack looked confused.
The Doctor grimaced, "I need to investigate a few things," he headed out of the Gateroom murmuring under his breath, "And then go after the Master."
x
Carson looked up surprised as the Doctor entered the morgue.
"Where is she?"
Carson motioned to the bed at his side, "Here."
The Doctor stared at the bed before turning to Carson, "I'd like a few moments alone."
"Of course," Carson nodded, "Take your time."
As soon as the other man had left the room the Doctor moved the sheet back revealing Jeannie's still cold face. He stared down on her sadly, a single tear escaping his eyes.
"You know from the moment I met you," the Doctor started, "I knew you were suited to come travelling with me. Every piece of information I gave you questioned, every place we went you demanded answers to why that place," he walked round the bed, "I was also the one to make you work on your gift because I knew how helpful it could be. But it was such a gift, a gift you share with your brother," he mused at this last thought.
He spun and flew out of the morgue; he needed to see Rodney now.
x
"I'd be careful," Sheppard sighed as he leaned against the wall holding a copy of War and Peace, "He tossed this at my head."
The Doctor shook his head slightly, "I need to talk to him anyway. You stay here."
Touching the door the muffled sound telling him to go to hell came from the other side, the Doctor frowned pulling out his sonic screwdriver, working the door controls walking straight in as it opened.
"Get out," Rodney snapped as the door slid shut.
"Can't do that," the Doctor told him, "I need to talk to you."
Rodney just dropped to sit on the end of the bed, "I just want to be alone. So please go away."
"You said you could still feel her," the Doctor said, "Can you?"
Rodney scrubbed his hands over his face, "It must be like when you lose a limb, it still feels like it's there."
"Jeannie once said to me that when you were hurt she felt it," the Doctor told him, "And when she was in that car crash you knew instantly."
Rodney dropped his head into his hands, "Jeannie was better at it than I was."
The Doctor laughed, "That's rubbish. She just had a lot more practice than you," the Doctor crossed his arms, "Listen to me. When we first met you said that you could tell the real Jeannie if there were two of them."
"I could…"
"Then this is your chance," the Doctor's voice was filled with intensity, "Trust in yourself."
Rodney stared up at the Time Lord as realisation sunk into his mind, "Jeannie!"
x
John was shocked as Rodney came flying out of the room followed swiftly by the Doctor both men running along the corridors. Confused John followed on wanting to know what was going on, worried about his friend.
Rodney entered the morgue at top speed scaring the poor attendant who jumped back in shock, only able to watch as Rodney threw back the sheet. John flinched when Jeannie's face appeared on gurney.
"Son of a bitch," Rodney breathed turning to the Doctor, "It's not her."
"What?" John choked looking down at the woman lying there, "But she…"
The Doctor closed his eyes in relief before looking up at the two men standing there, "Are we going to rescue her then or what?"
"We can't," John frowned, "The moment the Jumper goes anywhere near that ship it'll be forced down again."
"Who said we're going by Jumper?" the Doctor scoffed, "Follow me; I have a better way to go."
Rodney and John stared at each other in confusion before following the Doctor as he marched through the corridors. As they reached the TARDIS the Doctor motioned them in, "Come on, we don't have all day. Jeannie's in danger and I for one want to make sure she survives."
Jeannie forced her eyes open to find herself once more in the cell; the last thing she remembered was something warm passing across her body. Placing her hand onto her chest she found nothing wrong so she decided to try and sit up. Not the best thing to do she discovered quickly as a wave of dizziness hit her making her groan. She took a few deep breaths looking around the cell relieved mostly that she was alone. Then again they could always be in other cells, her fuzzy brain churned out.
Her head was too sore her thoughts too unfocussed for her to be able to concentrate enough to make sure Rodney was alright. She just hoped that he'd made it back to Atlantis and was with the Doctor planning a way to get her out of here.
"Get up," a voice intruded into her hopes making her turn to where several guards stood.
Jeannie didn't move but as soon as the guns were pointed at her she pushed herself to her feet swallowing in fear. She just had to make sure they didn't shoot her before her rescue party arrived.
The guard forced her along a corridor and Jeannie felt a shiver slide along her spine, she knew who was on the other side of the door. Panic started to invade her thoughts.
Before she had any chance to compose herself they were in what appeared to be a throne room, and sitting on the throne was the megalomaniac who had kidnapped her brother.
"Well," Jeannie's mouth started without consulting her brain, "You really look like shit."
x
The Master smiled his sickly yellow teeth appearing from behind cracked lips, "My dear Miss McKay, a pleasure to see you again."
Jeannie didn't say a word, her throat felt restricted as her stomach rolled. From the moment she'd first encountered him the Master, Jeannie feared him. He oozed malevolence and as she told the Doctor basically he creeped her out.
"Lost for words?" the Master laughed, the laugh changing to a deep racking cough within seconds.
"Don't have anything to say to you," Jeannie stated coldly.
"Ah," the Master mused, "As feisty as before. I was amazed you both survived our last encounter."
"The Doctor is full of surprises," Jeannie replied hoping the longer she kept him talking the less likely it was he'd have her killed before her rescue party could arrive.
He laughed again, "He was in no condition to repair the TARDIS so you could escape my dear Miss McKay, but you…yes you were. A human with the knowledge of a Time Lord, only the Doctor would be so stupid as to allow such a thing."
"I don't know what you're talking about," Jeannie stated, "But I know the Doctor will come for me."
That laugh came again making Jeannie shiver, "I would not place my trust in the Doctor or your friends, they believe you're dead."
Jeannie snorted, "Don't count on it."
The Master waved over one of his guards, "Take her to the control room. Watch her every second."
"Who is this Master guy?" John demanded as they watched the Doctor manipulate the controls.
"He was a fellow Time Lord," the Doctor replied, "I'd hoped he'd died after our last encounter."
"What do you mean was?" Rodney jumped in, his hands constantly rubbing against each other.
The Doctor rolled hi eyes, "Alright, the basic story. He was a Time Lord, he used up all his regenerations, he stole some bodies but even that didn't stop him being destroyed finally by the Daleks," ignoring their confused looks the Doctor turned back to the controls, "He somehow managed to escape becoming little more than a snake-like sentient creature that invaded new bodies. He tried to steal mine, I stopped him. He somehow escaped from the TARDIS and continued on."
"And he knows Jeannie?" John noted leaning against the wall.
"We encountered him a few weeks after I first met Jeannie," the Doctor continued, "Somehow he can't move bodies again, he needs to get to whatever planet gave him the ability in the first place. His TARDIS appears to be damaged which means he's stuck until it's fixed and if I'm right he's not fit enough to do it himself."
"That's why he wanted me," Rodney frowned, "Allina would have mentioned I knew Ancient technology and could fix anything."
"A fact you told her," John reminded him.
Rodney ignored him, "So why grab Jeannie, why not me again?"
"I was incapacitated," the Doctor explained, "There was no way I could get the TARDIS out of there, Jeannie did it."
"So she knows how to control it," John frowned.
The Doctor shook his head, "He doesn't believe that, he believes Jeannie knows how to fix the TARDIS without any other technology."
"Does she?"
The Doctor shook his head, "The TARDIS didn't need to be repaired. It was a ruse we used to explain our presence."
Panic filled Rodney's eyes, "If he finds this out…"
"Then Jeannie's as good as dead," the Doctor finished grimly.
x
The three men stood around the controls for the TARDIS.
"The moment we go out there, his guards will be all over us," John reminded them, "I don't want to hurt anyone. They're not thinking straight."
"That'll be such a comfort when they kill my sister," Rodney snapped.
"We need to find someway to free them," the Doctor mused, he chewed his lip for a second turning to Rodney, "You said Jeannie's panic when the Jumper crashed brought you out of it?"
"Yeah, so we're going to send them all telepathic messages," Rodney snapped, his fear coming through.
"In a manner of speaking," the Doctor returned to the console and started hitting buttons and turning dials, "This will send out a signal that should disrupt the Master's control."
"Should?" John grimaced wishing he'd brought some sort of weapon with him but there'd been no time to get one.
"It's the only idea we have at the moment," the Doctor replied, before he hit the console with his fist, "Temperamental old thing."
"Is it ready?" Rodney demanded.
"It's building a charge so to speak," the Doctor told them, "But we should go now. We don't know how long Jeannie will be able to fool the Master."
Rodney started out the door but was stopped as John caught him by the shoulder, he turned back confused.
"Just wait," John told him, "Will that telepathic thing have any effect on us?"
The Doctor shrugged, "I know I'll be fine. I'm not sure how it will affect you both."
"Shouldn't we at least wait," John reasoned, "If it incapacitates us then you're down to one on one and I doubt this guy plays fair."
The Doctor mulled this over for a second, "You've got a point."
"I don't care," Rodney yelled, "I am going now and if you two want to come then fine, but I am not staying here any longer discussing it."
John grabbed him holding him back, "We have to wait."
"So Jeannie can be killed?" Rodney snarled, "Not a chance in hell."
"I don't like this either McKay," John's voice rose to match Rodney's, "But we have to do the smart thing," he softened his voice, "I care about her too. So does the Doctor but we need to make sure we can save her. If that thing scrambles our brains we've no chance of helping her."
"She's afraid," Rodney whispered, "And I can't help her from here."
The Doctor moved to him, "I think you can."
"How?"
"Focus on her," the Doctor told him, "Just think solely of her, not how she's feeling, not how you're feeling just her. Let her know we're here."
"I don't know how," Rodney's voice was filled with annoyance.
"Try."
"I am."
"Try harder," the Doctor snapped back, "She can do it, you can too. You just have to put a little effort into it and stop feeling sorry for yourself."
Rodney's eyes flashed with anger but he for once didn't say anything just closing his eyes and trying to find his sister.
"She's afraid," he murmured, "But…she…she knows we'll come," he opened his eyes in shock before smiling widely, "I did it."
John grinned, "Good boy. Can we go now?"
The Doctor glanced at the console and nodded, "Let's go."