(you have got to be impressed with the speed of my posting! Blame a very pushy friend of mine, whom I keep begging to post more of Stuck, but he keeps making me post first--men are such pains!)
THE ELEDGIAS
CHAPTER NINETEEN: AND THE WALLS COME CRUMBLING DOWN (thank you John Cougar Mellencamp)
————————————————————————————
It only took seconds for Sheppard to reach the hallway where Beckett, Teyla and Corporal Recillos were staggering, falling sideways into the walls as everything began to shake with an intensity that made the first earthquake feel like it had just been the warm-up. The hallways lights flickered and crackled, as if surges of energy were pumping through the conduits supplying them.
"Colonel!" Corporal Recillos called when she spotted him, getting her arm under Teyla again, who was hanging so low in their arms she was barely standing. Beckett looked up in shock as well, surprised to see him still here.
"Colonel?" he echoed, pulling Teyla up higher on his shoulder as well, "What are you still doing here? I thought you—"
"Sir! We need to get out!" Recillos shouted, grunting as the three of them were once more rocked sideways by a powerful tremor. Sheppard staggered as well, falling into the opposite wall. "It's coming down!" Recillos added.
Biting back the "no, shit!" to Recillos' statement, he nodded, "I'm aware, Corporal! Get them out of here—I'm going back for the others."
"Going back? Sir, no!" Recillos tried, "They're right behind us, surely…."
"No time to explain, Recillos! Just go."
"Colonel?" Beckett shook his head, looking confused. "What…?"
"The walls are coming down, Doc! Just go! Now! That's an order!"
Carson's face darkened, "Ye cannae…"
"Get Teyla over your shoulder, Doc, and get her out. Now! Recillos, make sure they get out. I won't tell you again!"
"Yes, sir!" the woman spun around, pulling up Teyla and, even though Sheppard had told Beckett to do it, got her shoulder under the Athosian and hefted the woman over her shoulder. Teyla said nothing—she had obviously passed out. The colonel arched an eyebrow, impressed, then nodded as the wiry corporal took off at a steady, determined jog down the shaking corridor. Beckett sent one last worried glance at Sheppard, then took off after her.
A huge chunk of ceiling took that moment to come down, nearly braining the colonel as he fell back out of its way. He fell into the side of the hallway, and let out a yelp of agony as he hit his bad shoulder. Gripping the arm tightly through his sling, face twisted in a grimace of pain, he turned and started stumbling down the hall in the opposite direction—deeper into the eledgias.
"Sir!" the huge Corporal Johnson called, suddenly appearing like a ghost before him as he came from around a corner, McKay's body over his shoulder. Greene was right behind him, shaking dust from his blond hair and sporting a cut on his forehead. Johnson had stumbled to a stop, looking stunned at the colonel's appearance. "Sir, there's an earthquake!" he shouted.
"You're going the wrong way, sir!" Greene yelled helpfully.
Why do they keep stating the obvious? Sheppard thought dazedly.
"I know," he yelled, trying to be heard over the din, "Drop him and go, both of you. I'm heading back for the others!"
"Drop…? No, sir, I won't!" Johnson stated back, tripping sideways as the floor did a nice imitation of an ocean wave. His brow was knotted, annoyed and he held on a little more tightly to the burden on his shoulder. Greene stared wide-eyed at the insubordination, pressed up against the wall behind Johnson which he had fallen against. "And you're coming with us, sir," Johnson argued.
Sheppard had to smile at that. To be honest, that sort of insubordination sounded awfully familiar. He shook his head.
"That's not McKay, Corporal!" he yelled, a particularly loud tremor nearly drowning him out. "Put it down and get out. And I'm not telling you, I'm ordering you!"
Johnson's eyes widened, looking at Sheppard like he was crazy.
So that's what it feels like, the colonel thought inanely.
"Sir!" Sergeant Greene stepped to the fore, the medic's trained eyes also clearly questioning Sheppard's sanity. "I know you're distraught and in pain, sir, but you need to come with us now! We need to…."
"I said, that's an ORDER, Sergeant!" Sheppard shouted, glaring at both of them, and Greene stepped back, pressing a hand to the wall to keep himself upright as the floor trembled viciously again. Sheppard staggered a bit in the opposite direction, but still facing them both. "Right now, you two need to be topside in case the entrance becomes blocked! I need you to tell them…."
Greene suddenly let out a yelp and twisted to look at the wall he was leaning against, just in time to see the entire wall explode.
——————————————————————————————
Up near the entrance, the loud boom turned Recillos and Beckett around as they were about to climb the stairs, staring nervously behind them down the shaking hall. Beckett made to head back inside, but then strong arms were around him pulling him out as the marines stationed at the entrance materialized to help them escape the crumbling eledgias. In moments, they were all three up the slick stairs and breathing in the cold night air. Dazedly, Beckett heard the soft tones of Halling as the tall man took Teyla from Corporal Recillos, the marine not complaining as the burden was lifted from her aching shoulder and back. Beckett was about to follow Teyla when the gruff tone of Sergeant Sanchez called his attention back to the now exhausted female corporal by his side, asking Recillos where the others were.
Unable to answer, Corporal Recillos looked to Beckett, the worry in her eyes clear.
Carson swallowed, looking to the burly sergeant, "They're coming." I hope, he added silently to himself as the ground continued to undulate beneath their feet.
He'd already lost one close friend today—he didn't know if he could handle losing any more.
———————————————————————————
The shaking continued unabated as Sheppard crawled out from the rubble, his entire side screaming in pain. He felt like someone had cut his left arm off. Johnson was stirring opposite him, shaking off the same rubble, but Greene wasn't moving at all. McKay's body was completely covered in rock and Atlantian metal—it had actually done Johnson a favor by shielding him from the brunt of the wall. Greene wasn't so lucky.
"Greene!" Sheppard coughed, crawling over to the unconscious medic and pressing his good hand against Greene's neck. Heartbeat. Thank God. He looked again to the big corporal on the other side who looked like he was fighting to remain conscious. "Johnson!"
The corporal shook his head, then looked up, his face covered in rock dust. He blinked blearily at the colonel, uncertain.
"Johnson, you need to get the sergeant out of here. I've got McKay, okay? But you have to go now!"
The corporal blinked some more, then nodded. With effort, the large black marine got to his feet, staggering with the never-ending shaking of the floors, and reached for Greene. In a moment, with Sheppard's help, he had the blond medic over his shoulder and was headed down the corridor, dodging fallen rocks and jagged metal fragments as he did so.
On his feet now as well, Sheppard turned and half fell, half ran down the corridor back to the main room. It was then that he realized neither Ronon nor Lorne had appeared in the hallway yet. His fear suddenly grew three-fold.
————————————————————————————
TBC...