(Posting this early for Jen, because I promised. And Anna because she begged shamelessly. And, yeah, H, there are more than 18 chapters...)
THE ELEDGIAS
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE
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For a moment, neither Teyla nor Beckett moved, and then Teyla covered her eyes and slid down to sit on the ground. Beckett stood and walked dazedly over to her, kneeling down to touch her arm. She took her hands from her face, meeting his kind gaze blearily, her eyes filled with liquid. Beckett bit his lip--he had never seen her cry, and knew that it was only her weakened condition that was allowing her to do so now. Without a thought, he drew her close, allowing her to press her face into his shoulder, and scrunched his face up as his own eyes stared to well. Teyla never made a sound, she just let him hold her, her shoulders shuddering.
A sudden clatter from the corridor turned their heads towards the doorway, just in time to see Ronon burst into the room, weapons at the ready. He stood panting, gun searching the shadows, until he saw the two of them sitting by the console. Seeing the tears running down both their faces, he slowly lowered the gun and stepped a little more forward. His lips parted slightly when he saw the bullet ridden android and, beyond it, Doctor McKay.
He suddenly deflated, his gun falling to his side. Useless.
A moment later, Colonel Sheppard, Major Lorne, Sergeant Greene, Corporal Recillos and Corporal Johnson appeared, jogging into the room, guns out and ready.
Sheppard pushed his way to the middle of the room, ignoring Ronon and doing his own inspection of the room's shadows. The big man, meanwhile, was simply staring off to the side, almost into space, as if no longer with them.
The colonel smiled at Teyla and Beckett when he finally allowed himself to see them. "You're all right?" he gasped, sucking in some air. "We heard the gunshots…." He tilted his head and shifted a little to the side, to see the destroyed android. Puzzlement creased his face for a moment, and he looked at Teyla.
"You're you, right?"
She seemed momentarily perturbed by the question, but nodded.
"Yes."
"It's her, Colonel," Beckett affirmed, and Sheppard gave a relieved smile.
"You okay?" he asked Teyla. She closed her eyes.
"I will be fine," she answered, which was as honest as she felt she could be at that moment.
Becket snorted, "She's not well, though. We need to get her home."
"Not a problem," Sheppard agreed. "So where's…."
It was then he saw Rodney. He stood there for a moment, not really registering.
Beckett stood up, and helped Teyla up as well. She fell back against the console, still very disoriented and pale, wiping at her tear-stained face as she regained her composure. He steadied her, practically holding her up, then looked to Sheppard.
The colonel was still staring at the body, as if expecting it to move. But he wasn't stupid. If Rodney could be moved, could be helped, Beckett would be helping him. But he wasn't.
"Colonel," Beckett called softly. "It...it happened fast...if that helps."
Sheppard's eyes finally shifted, meeting Beckett's now bloodshot blue ones. The hazel eyes seemed devoid of all expression, cold. Beckett had to look away, unable to bear the wretched way those eyes made him feel. A moment later, the doctor turned to look at Ronon and Lorne. Ronon was still staring off into the darkness, towards the doorways on the far side of the room, unblinking. He seemed unwilling to look at anyone at the moment. Lorne, on the other hand, was watching his colonel with a furrowed brow, obviously concerned, as were the three marines behind him.
Sheppard suddenly frowned deeply, angrily, and he shook himself violently. Emitting an air of rage that seemed unnatural from the normally easygoing man, he growled out an order to Lorne to get everyone out of here...because he was going back outside. And before anyone could say anything, Sheppard was gone.
Teyla looked curiously at Beckett, not understanding the reaction. Carson didn't explain it, though he guessed what had brought it on. Instead, he took her by the arm, asking her softly if she felt ready to get out of here. She hesitated, looking towards Rodney.
"We've got him," Sergeant Greene assured her solemnly, the medic heading over to the body with Corporal Johnson. Corporal Recillos moved over and got in under Teyla's arm on the side opposite Beckett, taking some of her weight. A moment later, the three of them headed slowly and steadily out of the room. With the medic's help, Johnson got McKay's body over his shoulder, shifting a bit, then he and Greene followed the two women and Beckett.
Lorne sighed, and moved to collect McKay's equipment on the floor. When he was nearly done, he turned to Ronon.
The former Runner hadn't moved, still staring vaguely into the dark entrance on the other side of the chamber.
"Ronon?" Lorne called softly. "Time to go, I think."
The Runner turned, his expression odd.
"I can hear...something," he began, not hiding the confusion on his face. Then, suddenly, his head titled and his eyes widened. A grin suddenly blossomed on his face and the big man took off running into the darkness.
"Ronon!" Lorne shouted, confused. "Wait! Get back here!"
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Sheppard strode through the empty halls, a hundred boiling, angry thoughts roiling through his head. No one thought solidified long enough to be coherent, but they all had the exact same sentiment--
FUCK!
He was furious with McKay for coming here alone. Furious with himself for not listening to him back in Atlantis. Furious with that thing for killing Rodney. Furious with himself for not being fast enough to stop it. Furious with the Ancients for creating the thing in the first place. Furious with himself for not taking more care the first day they were here. Furious with himself for letting his fear of others thinking McKay was going crazy to support the man. Furious for not guessing earlier what was happening. Furious with himself for McKay's...for McKay's...
Death.
He gasped out his frustration, staring up at the ceiling as he moved, barely even seeing the walls anymore.
Why hadn't he listened to him!
Instead, he almost forced the scientist into this course of action, of coming out here alone to save Teyla. And now he was dead.
The smartest man in Atlantis, their best hope of defeating the Wraith, and he'd killed him! As if he'd done the deed himself.
But McKay's idea, it had...well, it had just seemed so absurd. How could he have known?
But, Christ, why hadn't he even given McKay a chance? Why hadn't tried to give him the benefit of the doubt? Or an opportunity to prove himself? The one man who could pull rabbits out of a hat on a regular basis, who could work out a machine's purpose and master it within five minutes, the man who was so rarely wrong...why hadn't he listened!
And now it was too late.
He gripped his hurt arm so tightly inside the sling, it was starting to go numb. Unbidden, the sight of Rodney's arms lying listlessly by his sides hit him, the normally animated hands still and lifeless. His stomach lurched. He fell against a wall, sliding against it until he came to an open doorway...and threw up inside it.
In his imagination, he felt someone trying to soothe his grief, pressing a hand to his shoulder, but when he looked up, he was still alone in the gray, half-lit, empty corridor, staring down another gray, half-lit empty corridor.
Wiping a shaking hand across his mouth, he took in a few harsh breaths, waiting for the burning in his esophagus to subside a little. Shaking his head, he started moving again. As he turned a corner, he pulled the small flask of water out of his pocket and drank a little, spitting out the taste of his own bile into a convenient dead plant. Feeling calmer, he walked through another doorway and turned another corner, walking almost blindly.
And stopped when he realized how dark it was in here. The lights should have been brighter—Rodney had obviously turned all the lights on full when he'd traveled through the corridors leading to Teyla's chamber (which was how they'd found him and the others so easily), but the lights around him were only partially on.
He looked up, puzzled, aware that, somewhere along the way, he must have taken a wrong turn. A small part of him wondered a little at that—knowing that the route was not that convoluted to get back to the entrance—and it made the feeling of being watched grow. It was almost as if he had been encouraged to come here.
He stood in another oval room, much like the one near the entrance that they'd passed through to get in, and it contained more powered-down androids. Creepy, powered-down androids. The room was darkened, the lights on low, power humming softly in the background. He swallowed unhappily, looking at them all. How many of those things were down here?
He hoped this was it. Just this room and the other. He'd had enough of androids for one lifetime.
Still, it made him think that he was probably not that far from the other "android" room—it might even be right next door.
With a frown, he pulled up his scanner, on which the blueprint of the eledgias was, and scrolled for the dots that would show him where the others were—who, presumably, hadn't gotten lost. He saw three dots immediately only a few halls away, and guessed by how slowly they were moving to be Beckett, Teyla and whomever else was helping the Athosian. With a sigh, he turned and started to retreat back through the door he entered this room by, to get back to them.
Then he stopped again.
He wasn't sure why, but something felt like it was asking him to wait. Nothing whispered in his ear or spoke inside his mind telling him to do so, no order was given or otherwise voiced. He just felt something like a hand press gently against his chest, willing him to stop. It wasn't strong or even effective. Walking forward would be simple. But…he stopped.
The same feeling had him lifting his head and turning around, taking more careful stock of the room he was in. It was almost as if someone had said, pay attention and see what you are missing.
As he noticed before, it was another oval room, like the other one, and it contained recesses. Five faceless, sleeping androids occupied them.
Wait…five. There were six recesses.
Just as in the first room…one was missing.
"Oh my God," he whispered, his eyes widening. And that was when the earthquake hit.
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TBC...Get it?