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Chapter 6

Dr. Zelenka sat in the darkness, listening to Sheppard's light snoring. Even though the Colonel had insisted that Zelenka wake him if he fell asleep, the scientist couldn't bring himself to do it. Sheppard had been so exhausted that he could barely stand after moving all that metal. The doorway had almost been cleared. Just a few more pieces and they could continue their search for a way out.

Zelenka decided it was his turn to work. After all, he'd had a two hour break while Sheppard moved what looked like a ton of debris. Surely he could move the remainder and then he could wake the Colonel. He cautiously maneuvered to a standing position, careful not to put any weight on his grossly swollen ankle, and hobbled over to the doorway. He was only able to grab the piece of twisted metal with one hand since the other was clinging to the metal pole. He tugged at the debris several times with no result, leaving him panting, sweating, and frustrated. Giving it one last yank, the chunk of metal finally broke free. Smiling in satisfaction, Zelenka slowly made his way to Sheppard's garbage pile, dragging the metal behind him.

Because he was only working with one hand and barely able to drag the material away, it took Zelenka thirty minutes to move three pieces of metal. He wiped the sweat from his brow and realized his shirt was clinging to him. No wonder Sheppard had been drenched after two hours. He worked for several minutes trying to dislodge another piece, but it seemed as if the rest of the metal was so intertwined that it would only move as one piece - one very heavy piece. Zelenka decided to try one more time. He put both hands on the metal, balancing on one foot as he pulled with all his might. The metal shifted loudly, dropping down on one side and throwing Zelenka off balance. He hit the floor hard, his injured foot impacting the floor with a thud.

"Ahhhhhh!" He lay back on the floor, his eyes watering from the sudden burst of pain as he clutched his leg.

"Dr. Z...what happened?" He opened his eyes to see Sheppard's worried face hovering over him. It was a couple of minutes before he was able to speak.

"Fell...and...hit foot."

Sheppard looked around. "What were you doing...Dr. Z...were you moving metal?"

The Colonel looked back down at Zelenka, who only nodded.

Sheppard sighed heavily. "I told you to stay put and I also told you to wake me up. Huh! And Dr. Beckett thinks I'm a bad patient."

"Just trying...to help." Zelenka tried to smile, but it came out more of a grimace.

"Dr. Z...Dr. Z...what am I going to do with you? Think you can stand on your good leg if I help you?"

Zelenka nodded. He really had no idea if he could stand or not, but he was willing to try. Sheppard helped him up and supported him until he got him next to the wall. He and Zelenka both sat back down. They sat in silence for several minutes, until Sheppard finally spoke.

"Nice job, Dr. Z. Looks like you made some serious progress on the doorway. I think I'll see if I can finish clearing it out so we can get out of here. You stay put...for real this time."

Zelenka merely nodded. Sheppard picked up the P90 to turn on the light. Nothing happened. He smacked the light several times, but still nothing happened. "Guess we go in the dark...must have burned up the batteries." Sheppard once again used the wall to help him stand up, moving somewhat more slowly than he had been earlier. When he got a few feet away, Zelenka couldn't see him very well, but he could hear the scraping and thumping of Sheppard relocating the remains of the metal debris. He reappeared a few minutes later.

"All done. You ready to get out of here?" Sheppard extended his hand to Zelenka to help the scientist up.

Zelenka accepted the outstretched hand as he replied. "Oh yes. I am very ready to get out of here." Once Zelenka was standing, Sheppard handed him his metal walking stick. He then scooped up his vest and put it on, but didn't fasten it since he was still hot and sweaty.

"Okay, hop-a-long, let's go."

Zelenka snorted. "You are one to talk."

An hour later, they had progressed but a short distance down the corridor and had checked out six rooms. The going was painfully slow because both men were tired, hurting, and limping down a debris-littered hallway in the dark. Zelenka could not stand to let his foot touch the floor, so his hobbling had become severe. Sheppard would sit him in the hallway, check out a couple of rooms, and then move him farther down the corridor. Since he couldn't see more than a few feet in front of him, Sheppard actually had to walk the perimeter of each room to be sure he didn't miss any possible exits.

Sheppard came out of the sixth room and held his hand out to Zelenka. "Ready for a move, Dr. Z?"

Zelenka sighed He was so tired that he didn't want to move. He could not even imagine how tired Sheppard must be. "How do you do this?" he asked the Colonel as he got to his feet.

"Do what?"

"This...keep going when you are exhausted and in pain.? How do you keep going?"

Sheppard considered it for a moment. "Training partly...experience partly...you just learn to keep going. Sometimes it's the difference between life and death." Zelenka thought he saw sadness in the Colonel's eyes. Maybe it was just the darkness.

As they made their way to the next doorway, Sheppard noticed the air was getting much cooler. "You feel that, Dr. Z?"

"Yes, Colonel. It seems cooler. Maybe we are near a way out."

"I hope so," said Sheppard as he stepped up the next doorway. "Ohhhhh, just great."

"What?" asked Zelenka, joining Sheppard.

"Water." said Sheppard. There was a step down into the room and about three inches of water covered the low-lying floor. "Guess I'm getting my feet wet." Sheppard headed out across the room. Zelekna didn't know why, but he decided to stand in the entrance and watch Sheppard make his way across the room.

Sheppard was about halfway across the room and almost out of sight when the floor gave way. He felt the floor shift just before he plummeted down into the icy water, stoppping suddenly when the bottom of his ribcage rammed into the broken edge of the floor. At about the same time, his forearms smacked solid ground, sending a spray of water into his face. Dazed and the breath knocked out of him, Sheppard fought to remain conscious. He struggled to suck in enough air, feeling as though someone had punched him in the chest and then proceeded to sit on him.

As soon as Zelenka saw Sheppard go through the floor, he tried to hurry across the wet floor to the Colonel's aid. He was still several feet from Sheppard when he slipped. The next thing he knew, he was flat on his back in the water with the wind knocked out of him and sharp pains shooting up into his leg from his ankle.

While Zelenka was trying to catch his breath, Sheppard was finally coming out of his daze and beginning to assess his situation. He was still hurting, but he found he could breathe again. The hole that had opened up was barely wide enough to fit through, so unless more flooring gave way, he was in little danger of going down further. The problem seemed to be that the jagged opening was so narrow that the sharp edges were poking and scraping his midsection, catching and tearing his shirt while scraping the flesh underneath.

When Sheppard tried to hoist himself up and out of the water, the mangled flooring would catch on his belt, clothing, or holster, pulling him back down. He struggled for several minutes, but only got more frustrated and exhausted. He realized his lower body was going numb from the icy water and he was beginning to shiver. He started looking around for Zelenka, knowing he was going to have to have help to get out of this.

"Doc...tor...Z?" he called through chattering teeth.

He worked for several minutes to get turned around enough that he could look back. He saw Zelenka lying on his back several feet away. "Dr. Z?" He yelled frantically. "Dr. Z...you've...gotta...get up."

As Zelenka finally began to stir and struggle to a sitting position, Sheppard continued to encourage him. "Come on Dr. Zelenka. You can... do it. You've gotta... get up and ...out of the water."

Zelenka stared at Sheppard a moment before the Colonel's predicament settled in his mind. "Colonel Sheppard...are you all right?"

Sheppard looked relieved. "Yes...I just...need...help getting out. I keep...getting hung up." His teeth were really starting to chatter now and he was going numb from the waist down. He thought he felt something brush against his leg.

"Dr. Z...I don't mean to...rush you...but I think...there's something in the water."

Zelenka's eyes widened. "Something in the water?"

"Yeah...I can barely feel my legs...so I could be wrong...but...I think it's something...big."

Zelenka quickly pulled himself over to Sheppard. "What can I do?"

"I keep getting hung up on the edge somehow. When I try to get out, just see where I'm hung up and...unhang me."

Zelenka nodded. Sheppard tried to pull himself forward and out of the water again. When his waist tried to clear the hole, he felt the familiar tug of being stuck. "Dr. Z...I'm hung up again."

"I see it," said Zelenka. A narrow shard of flooring had slid under Sheppard's belt, effectively stopping his progress. Zelenka tried in vain to work it loose. "I can't get it."

Sheppard, his energy failing, let himself slide back into the water. They tried twice more with the same results. Zelenka noticed that each effort to leave the water seemed to be harder and harder for Sheppard. He was shivering violently and could barely speak through his chattering teeth.

Zelenka, sitting in the water, was also getting cold. His hands were getting numb, making him fumble more each time he tried to free Sheppard from the jagged flooring.

"Wait," Sheppard said. He started trying to fold the sharp edges of the flooring down and under, making a smoother surface on which to slide past. Seeing what he was doing, Zelenka began the same process on the other side of the hole. It took several minutes since both men were shaking and their fingers were numb from the cold water.

"Okay...Dr...Z...pull...me...out."

Dr. Zelenka sat facing Sheppard and they grabbed each other's forearms. Zelenka pulled on Sheppard as the Colonel tried to haul himself out of the water. About the time Sheppard's waist cleared the edge of the hole and both men thought they were home free, Sheppard was yanked violently back down into the water.

Zelenka looked at Sheppard in surprise and confusion to see fear in the pilot's eyes for the first time. "Oh...crap! Something...has my leg. PULL...Dr. Z...Get me out of here!"

TBC