PTOTECTIVE INSTINCTS part 8

A/N So sorry for the delay in posting this chapter, blame RL. The next part may be a while too...

Carson stood, facing the gun, drawn up to his full height. He looked squarely at Sheppard, and said in a low voice, "This isn'ae your fault lad, so if you ever wake up, don't beat yersel' up over it." Something flickered in Sheppard's eyes, and Carson felt a sudden irrational fleeting hope. It died as the Major settled the weapon more comfortably into his shoulder. Sighing, Carson closed his eyes, making peace with himself.

The sudden report as the gun fired took him by surprise, and he jumped, startled, but was even more surprised to find himself still on his feet, and apparently still in one piece. He opened his eyes, jaw dropping as he took in the scene before him.

On the floor in front of him lay Cowen, definitely dead, but still twitching, blood pooling beneath the body. Feeling as if he was in a dream, he looked up to find Sheppard had Kolya securely held, the P90 pointing at his head.

"Carson? You OK?" Sheppard flicked him a glance.

Beckett nodded, speechless, still feeling in the dream state.

"Good. Go up there," he pointed with his gun, "And get every one free."

To the Genii in general he said, "Drop your weapons, and kick them over here. I will shoot anyone who tries anything."

The soldiers looked to Kolya, who after the briefest hesitation, accompanied by Sheppard grinding the gun further into his temple, briefly nodded his assent. The sound of metal hitting the floor had never been more welcoming. Carson hurried to the upper balcony, retrieved the keys and hastily set about freeing Elizabeth, Rodney and the rest. Rodney sat down hard once his were off, breathing furiously.

"I, thought-" he said, "I thought he was really going to shoot you."

"Aye," replied Beckett, "I thought he was too." And sat down beside his friend, legs suddenly unable to support him, arms wrapped round his aching ribs.

Once The Atlanteans were free, they set about disarming the remaining Genii and herding them together in front of the Gate. Sheppard still held a weapon on Kolya, but could feel himself weakening, and knew this had to be over soon. Unfortunately, Kolya could feel the Major's diminishing strength too, and was merely biding his time, waiting for the right opportunity.

Sheppard had woken in the infirmary, and had been aware of his body moving under control other then his. He was unable to exert any influence over it at all, and had watched, detached as his hands had removed the various pieces of medical equipment, IV, catheter etc, and had silenced the cardiac monitor before its alarm could wake the sleeping medic. Still as a passenger in his own body, he had only been able to sit by, figuratively, and watch as one by one he'd woken Elizabeth, Rodney, Zelenka, etc, and had taken each to the control room, handcuffing them and making it impossible for them to get free or warn the rest of Atlantis what was going on. Knowing that whoever was controlling him was using his own knowledge against his friends and colleagues had at first made Sheppard resentful, then downright angry. Being …forced somehow to go after Beckett, then beat on him, even as he was resisting with every fibre of his being had all added fuel to the fire growing within him.

It was as the anger grew that he sensed the controlling forces weakening, and had determinedly carried on fuelling that anger. It hadn't been hard. All he'd had to do was think back over the previous few days, the torture, the humiliations and degradations they'd performed on him. Add to that the forced surgery, Carson, and now this…the anger had blown up to huge proportions. It still wasn't enough. He was still unable to break the control, and had watched, horrified as he allowed the Genii to just walk in and take over. He was unable to stop Kolya gloating over him, had been unable to prevent the beating the man had given him in front of the whole command crew.

But it was when he'd been ordered to shoot Carson that something within him had finally managed to overcome the control. It was the last straw, and he wondered how Kolya would feel when he told him as he was most assuredly going to that he himself had been the instrument of his own undoing. Seeing the normally affable medic standing before him, seemingly unafraid when Sheppard knew the man had to be quaking in his boots; that had been when he felt the shackles slip, but the supreme moment came when he heard Beckett forgiving him for something he was unable to prevent. Suddenly he was master of his own destiny again, and he wasted no time in putting it to good use. He somehow had to make up for all he had done, and right now, that meant getting Atlantis back into their own hands.

It had felt very satisfying to shoot Cowan, but he wanted to savour Kolya's death. He wanted the man to feel the despair that yet again his mission to take over Atlantis had failed would bring. Unfortunately the adrenalin surge that had enabled him to shake off the control, was also wearing off, and he was beginning to feel each and every injury, feel them beginning to slow him down.

Beckett saw it too. "Ah, crap," he said, and stood, wobbling, in preparation to go down and help the Major.

"What? What?" asked Rodney in that rapid fire way of his.

"The Major's just about dead on his feet," replied Beckett hurriedly. "He's not going to be able to hold out much longer, and he needs help." He scurried down the stairs towards Sheppard, calling out for Ford and Bates as he did so. Ford quickly took in what was happening, and, scooping up some of the Genii's discarded weaponry headed after Carson, tossing a gun in Bates' direction as he did so. Rodney and Elizabeth, waiting only to gather some of their own weapons, weapons they were more familiar with, hurried after them, Elizabeth taking a few more moments to disengage the locks on all the doors, and putting out a city-wide call for armed security to the Gateroom.

Kolya sensed his moment, and stumbled, catching Sheppard off guard. The Genii commander twisted, and grasped at Sheppard then removed the P90 from him as easily as taking candy from a baby . He shoved the Major at Beckett's rapidly advancing form, causing John to virtually fall into Beckett's oncoming body. They stumbled, locked together, but miraculously didn't fall. Then Sheppard saw Kolya raise his gun, pointing it at the two men.

"Goodbye, Major," gloated Kolya, pulling the trigger.

Sheppard tried desperately to twist and push the Doctor out of harms way, but the shot came too quickly, and they hit the floor in a tangle of arms and legs, and a welter of blood. They lay ominously still…

TBC

Thanks for all the feedback, folks, it really makes my day.