(Just when you thought it was safe to go back into the eledgias...)
THE ELEDGIAS
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: PRIDE GOETH...
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Rodney was working furiously now—aware of just how little time he had. He no longer felt afraid; his silliness from earlier, thinking this place was haunted after coming face to face with his mirror image, was long gone, replaced by the excitement of working and masterfully (if he thought so himself) circumventing the eldgias's technology. He'd already located the main AI, shutting that down first, but locating the lesser AI's, like the one controlling the android, was not as easy.
"Okay, okay, where the hell are you," he muttered, shutting down or redirecting system after system using the consoles and control panels inside the room where he'd found Teyla, trying to locate the one that was currently keeping her unconscious on the table and that…thing…running around in her place. He'd ripped the panels from the walls, exposing the crystals and attaching equipment to them. His laptop beeped away on the floor, several wires leading from it to the console in front of him like an infection, while only wire one was connected to the datapad in his hand. It was showing him information at an incredibly fast rate.
"Come on, I know you're in here somewhere…." he muttered, fingers flying across the datapad screen requesting different databases. There were hundred of thousands of files and folders inside the eledgias' computer, hundreds of thousands of stored names for every Ancient that had ever died here, but he was only trying to locate the one—the routine connecting the android to Teyla. It was like trying to find a needle in a haystack. If he could just guess what the file's name might be….
He smiled suddenly, triumphantly, as a file called "Teyla Emmagen" came up in translated Ancient. How stupid could he be? Rapidly keying in some commands, he looked over at Teyla. The white light bathing her still form faded and died soundlessly, and McKay put the touch pad down, running over to stand over her.
"Teyla?" he called, resting a hand lightly on her arm. "Teyla, can you hear me?"
Her brow furrowed and she turned her head slightly; one leg shifted and her right hand twitched where it rested atop the P90. Gently, he unclipped the weapon and put it to one side on another table, then reached to grab the hand. It grabbed back, curling around his.
"Oh, thank God," he whispered, letting loose a heavy exhale, pleased beyond relief. He shook the hand a bit. "Teyla," he ordered, not so much kind as impatient, "wake up. You need to wake up."
Reluctantly, the eyelids cracked, fluttering a bit, to reveal a pair of very tired brown eyes. Teyla squinted upwards at the ceiling for a moment, then her eyes shifted over to look at McKay. Her brow furrowed even more, confused.
"Rodney?" she said softly, her voice barely above a croaked whisper. In return, he grinned cockily, unable to help himself. He had done it!
"Hey," he said, tightening the grip on her hand for a moment to assure her this was real. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he abruptly let it go and bounced away. "Wait, wait, hang on, hang on..."
Teyla's hand lifted to reach after him, as if missing the warmth, then fell back to her stomach. She squinted up at the unfamiliar ceiling again before turning back towards Rodney as he came back, holding up a canteen.
"Water," he said proudly, uncapping it and holding it out to her. She stared at it a moment, then reached out to take it with a shaking hand, pushing herself up on an elbow to take a long sip. When she put the canteen down, she sighed heavily and fell back on the pillow, resting a hand on her forehead, her face losing some of its color.
"Where...?" she swallowed, her voice still obviously hurting from disuse, "What…What happened?" She tried to open her still half-lidded eyes more fully, fighting their dryness, her hand massaging her forehead. "How did I get here? I was just…."
He shook his head. "Don't worry about it. I mean, if you must know, you're in a room in the eledgias," he grinned again, "but that's not important. What's important is that I'm going to get you out of here. I've come to rescue you." He swelled a little, clearly pleased with himself.
"A room in where?" she croaked out, frowning at him. Then the hand to her forehead dropped to cover her eyes, and she groaned, her faded skin color turned a little more green. "Why is it so cold? And my head is spinning," she muttered, her voice wavering. "I do not feel well."
The hand he rested on her other arm gave a reassuring squeeze, "Don't worry. Carson'll check you out, make sure you're fine, which I'm sure you are. Just a bit sickly, I'd imagine. The whole process is meant to be a bit draining, but you're young and healthy so I'm sure you'll be fine. Just lay still for now, okay? I have to turn your android off now, before it does any more damage." He flashed a smirk at her one more time, ignoring the grimace on her face as she caught the smug look, then quickly moved away from her back to his computer pad. Without thinking, he grabbed the P90 on the way and put on the floor next to his pack, so as not to forget it. She tilted her head to follow him, opening her mouth as if to ask another question, but groaned instead at the motion, covering her eyes with her hand again, as if the light were too bright for her.
Back over by the console, McKay's fingers flew once more across the pad, locating the system that controlled the android. It would still be functioning, pretending to be Teyla, even though it was no longer connected to her. Finally finding it—it was one of the last major systems to be shut down—he turned on his radio for the first time, intending to warn Atlantis about what he was going to do, so they wouldn't freak out. Plus, of course, they would know it was he who saved the day, which was a very nice bonus.
Only static answered him. Of course it would, idiot; you're underground. Backing up the screen, he looked for the command codes for the communications system here, assuming he could use it to broadcast to Atlantis. They were bound to be connected.
He had just found the right screen, resulting in yet another pleased grin, his already filled to bursting ego busting up another notch, when something out of the corner of his eye made him look up towards the darkened entranceway to his right.
He froze, the grin disappearing instantly from his face.
"Oh no," he whispered. Behind him, Teyla lifted the hand from her eyes, and turned her head to look at him. She knew that tone too well.
Two figures were walking down the half-lit corridor towards Rodney, one stilted, the other smooth. McKay held his breath as he recognized both...and the metallic sheen of a gun being pointed at the skull of the taller of the two.
Carson.
Roughly, the android pushed Beckett into the room. Then, before he could get too far, it viciously pulled him back, gripping his arm in a bruising grip and pressing the 9MM against his neck deep enough to leave a mark. Disturbingly, it still maintained Teyla's appearance, despite no longer being connected to her. Trying not to think too much about it, McKay focused on the physician, not missing the fear evident in his friend's eyes.
"Carson?"
"Rodney," Beckett greeted back, the name trembled out. "Appears I may have been wrong Teyla, eh?" A weak smile briefly touched his lips.
"Yeah, well," McKay smiled back, just as weakly, "live and learn, right?"
"Lord, I hope so," the physician replied, closing his eyes.
"Put the computer pad down, Doctor McKay," the android ordered brusquely, pressing Carson's neck at a sharper angle with the barrel of the gun. "Now."
McKay remained immobile, his fingers still poised over the blinking data pad, "The pad? Why?"
"I am not a fool," the android repeated. "You've managed to shut down the main AI. I assume, then, that you are able to do the same to me. So put it down. Now. If you do not, I will kill Doctor Beckett."
But McKay didn't move.
Beckett squeaked as the android pressed even harder, the metal bruising the bone of his jaw. "I am not making an idle threat, Doctor McKay," it hissed.
"I...I know you're not," McKay said quickly. "But, see...there's a, a small problem."
The android frowned, "What kind of problem?"
"Well, uh," Rodney swallowed, "mostly…that I don't trust you."
"Rodney," Beckett entreated, his voice strained. Over behind McKay, Teyla was gamely trying to push herself upright off the bed, so she could see what was happening.
"You do not believe that I will kill Doctor Beckett?" the android asked Rodney.
"No," McKay said, his voice shaking slightly, "I know you'll kill him. I just don't trust you not to kill him if I put this datapad down."
The android stared at him a second longer, then gave a single nod in understanding. "I see."
"Fact is," McKay's hand trembled where it hovered over the pad, which still showed the screen for the communications code, "I could turn you off right now."
Beckett's eyes widened at the obvious lie, but he didn't say anything.
"But," the android countered sweetly, "not before I pull this trigger."
McKay's eyes squinted a little bit, then he shrugged, "Probably true."
The android never blinked, never took its eyes off of McKay. Beckett's adam's apple did a dance in his throat, staring wide eyed at his friend. Teyla was sitting now, leaning a little forward, her eyes trained on the back of McKay's head.
"How about," McKay suggested, "You let Carson go, let him join Teyla behind me, and then I'll put the computer pad down?"
The android's lips quirked into a smile, and it gave a single head shake, "I am afraid, Doctor McKay, that I do not trust you either."
McKay grimaced a little. "Ah," he said simply. The android tilted its head in a very Teyla like way at that. Rodney blinked at it, then glanced down, then looked up again. Beckett could almost hear the wheels turning inside his head, the chess strategist trying to look ahead, see all the possible outcomes, figure out how to win the game. God, he hoped McKay was good at chess.
"We have limited time, Doctor McKay," the android suddenly warned. "You need to make a decision." And it made a show of pushing off the safety on the 9MM with its thumb. McKay flinched at the noise. Beckett just closed his eyes again.
"Look, look, how about a…a trade," McKay stuttered out. "You move closer, with Carson. When you reach this console, you let Carson go to stand over by Teyla and turn the gun on me….then I'll hand you the data pad and you hand me the gun."
The android's eyes narrowed, "I do not understand that condition. If I hand you the gun, you can use it on me."
"Then drop the cartridge out of the gun before you hand it over."
The android watched him for a moment, then nodded. "Fine."
"Fine," Rodney echoed in agreement.
Beckett looked pained, not understanding. Rodney met the bright blue eyes with his own, clearly begging the physician to trust him. Then it didn't matter, because the android was pushing the physician forward.
It didn't take long for them to reach the console, and then the android practically threw Carson towards where Teyla was sitting up on a stone table, the Athosian looking around a little drunkenly. She looked at him puzzled, and then rubbed at her eyes with her right hand. Carson grasped her wrist habitually, stopping her.
And Rodney found himself looking down the barrel of a 9MM, which was now pointed point blank at the spot between his eyes.
His right hand stayed poised over the data pad.
The 9MM dropped to stomach height suddenly, and the android's left hand took hold of the data pad.
The cartridge dropped out of the gun, to land with a loud clatter on the floor, and Rodney lifted his right hand away from the data pad and grasped the gun.
The android pulled the data pad from his left hand at the same time that Rodney took hold of the gun, which he quickly turned around to point at its stomach.
The android looked down at the datapad it now held, then up at Rodney, the smile on its face cold.
"You are a fool," it said, backing away from him a couple of steps. The smile on its face grew as it gripped both sides of the datapad in its hands and, with a satisfying crack, broke the delicate machinery in half. "All three of you will now be trapped down here."
"Well," McKay said weakly, holding the gun up and pointing it at the android's head, "Then I guess it doesn't matter if I shoot you."
The android frowned. "What? What are you talking about? It has no bullets."
Rodney smiled dryly, "Not quite."
And he fired, the single bullet lodged in the chamber from the automatic weapon exploding down the barrel. It impacted the android's skull point blank, taking half of the face with it.
The robot screamed like an air raid siren and struck out blindly, slamming an arm into McKay's outstretched one, sending the now empty gun flying from his fingers. Before McKay could react, it rushed forward into the scientist, sending him flying backwards nearly ten feet into a wall. Landing in a crumpled heap on the granite floor, McKay shakily tried to push himself up, twisting in the direction of his pack, where the P90 was. But the android was too fast. It leapt across the floor to straddle McKay, wrenching the dazed man up by his shirt, then threw him back over the console and into another wall as if he were no more than a ragdoll.
"Rodney!" Carson shouted, already moving in the direction where Rodney had disappeared, only to shut up as the android suddenly turned its malformed face in his direction. He backed up a step as the android lurched forward, sirens still screaming inside the robot.
It suddenly ran towards him, and he quickly darted to get behind the table Teyla was on…but he needn't have bothered.
As soon as the robot reached Teyla, the Athosian struck out with both feet, shoving it harshly sideways into another table. Teyla jumped off the table and ran towards where Rodney had been, reaching down to scoop up the dropped cartridge from the 9MM. The android, recovered, took off after her, following Teyla almost right on her heels as the Athosian swung around the console and dove to the floor for the gun Rodney had dropped. She spared no glance for the unconscious scientist lying a foot away as she spun around on the floor on her rear, inserted the cartridge, and started firing.
The android reacted like a puppet shivering on its strings, unable to move forward as Teyla drilled every bullet in the 9MM's chamber into its metal body. Teyla got steadily back to her feet as she fired, the migraine still pounding in her head, the nausea still roiling in her stomach, but not about to let anything stop her from killing this thing which had worn her face.
The android fell to the ground, and Teyla stepped over it, still firing.
Finally, the gun clicked on an empty chamber.
She clicked the trigger a few more times for good measure, then lowered the weapon.
The siren noise the android had been making died.
And then there was only silence.
Teyla spit on the android in contempt. She was learning bad habits from the marines.
Carson, breathing shakily, came around the side of the console and looked down at the mess of flesh, metal and wires on the ground. His eyes narrowed a little, then looked up at Teyla.
She was pale and sweating, and, as he watched, swayed a little on her feet.
Without sparing another thought for the android, he was by her side, leaning her against the console and telling her to breathe deeply.
A second later, she was throwing up in front of the console.
At the moment, Beckett could do nothing except rest a comforting hand on her back, telling her it would be all right. When she seemed like she wouldn't topple over, he left her to check on Rodney, who still hadn't moved. The scientist lay in a crumpled heap on his side, clearly out cold.
Carson knelt by his friend, to try and shake him awake, then stopped. With an almost tentative hand, he rested a hand on the man's head, then moved it to his neck. A moment later, he lowered his head, expelling a slow, sad sigh.
"Doctor Beckett?" Teyla called, looking worriedly at Carson, a question in her eyes.
Beckett didn't move for a moment, eyes shut tight, then turned on his knee to look at her over his shoulder.
"He must've broken his neck when he fell," he stated softly. "He's dead."
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TBC...Yup.