A/N: I must thank everyone who is reading and/or reviewing. I am grinning ear to ear.

Chapter 9

Mack Truck Parking

His face throbbed. He grabbed a cloth and put water from the tap in the bathroom on it. Hopefully, just the cold water would help the swelling in his eye. He looked at the way too still form of Sheppard on the bed.

Somehow he finagled Sheppard, the rag doll, on to it. He figured that moving him would illicit some sort of response- it didn't. Not even his facial features gave a clue to pain or lack of it. So he watched and listened with worry poking him in the back on the head.

After checking Sheppard over quickly, he noticed the addition of another port in the other shoulder. He had not noticed that upstairs. Now as he sat on the floor, he hung his head. Was there no end?

He was so not cut out for this. He wished his brilliant thought processes had told him to sabotage the damn chair when he had a chance. Done anything to it so it was inoperable. The only reason they kept using it was to keep Sheppard and him under their thumb. Well Papa Jae's monster thumb. That chair only served to weaken the occupant, soften them up for the final round of questions that would never come.

However, the chair was the only thing feeding Sheppard. McKay had not bargained for food. Water, yes. He looked at a pitcher on the side table. Food, no. Sheppard would have thought of every need. Rodney had just wanted to keep him out of that chair and out of that cell. He had forgotten to think three moves ahead.

So, he sat on the floor, watched Sheppard sleep, vainly nursed his eye and went over his escape plan. Tomorrow he would hopefully finish it and get the Colonel returned to his vocal self. He had a few details to iron out but it was looking good.

The door to the room opened and an older gentleman walked in. "I'm Dr. Hallidy. I've come to check on his shoulder."

With his one good eye, McKay looked at him suspiciously.

"I took care of his shoulder earlier. I told Jae I needed to come back and check it."

"Nice job," retorted Rodney.

The doctor studied McKay. "What happened to your eye?"

"Would you believe the door hit me?" Rodney said to the floor with a humorless chuckle.

The doctor knelt in front of him. "Let me see. I have something that will be better than that old rag." He rummaged around in a bag and pulled out a poultice and pressed it to McKay's eye.

McKay hissed through his teeth and gave his usual litany of, "Ow, ow, ow, ow!"

The doctor handed him a small canister. "Put this salve on after twenty minutes."

Hallidy stood up and walked to the bed. He gently turned Sheppard over onto his back and began checking him over.

"Dr. McKay? What's going on here?"

Where do I even start? McKay thought to himself.

"What do you mean?"

"This man is drugged."

Still holding the poultice to his eye, he clambered over to the bed.

"Have you given him anything?" Hallidy asked.

"No nothing. He's had nothing but…" McKay looked at the pitcher of water by the bed.

He closed his eyes. Once again, old PJ was one step ahead when it concerned Sheppard. They did exactly as asked and gave him water. They just added a little something something to it.

"Couldn't take the chance of us communicating with each other," he whispered to himself. He looked at the doctor dejectedly. "Check the pitcher."

Hallidy walked over to the pitcher and looked at McKay incredulously. "But why would Jae do something…" his voice trailed off as he sniffed the pitcher. Disbelief spread across his face. "You're right. Have you had any?"

"No."

Bama appeared in the doorway.

Hallidy looked at the man. "Bama, where's Jae? I need to talk to him when I'm done here."

Bama nodded and waited.

The doctor finished checking Sheppard over. As he rolled Sheppard back onto his side he saw the back of his head. "What is that?"

Bama came in and motioned the doctor out of the room.

"Wait Bama, I need to finish."

"No."

McKay's head whipped around at the first rumble of a voice to come from the man. His face and head did not appreciate it.

"Alright Bama, I need to see Jae." Hallidy faced McKay. "He's just sleeping. He might feel a little off when he wakes up but from the condition he's in, that's the least of his worries." He started towards the door. "I'll be back to check on you both."

They left and the door locked.

"I doubt that very much," lamented Rodney.

Regardless, a small satisfied smile crept across his face. PJ might be the master player when it comes to Sheppard but he had given him too much latitude in the lab. And Rodney knew how to cover his tracks completely. Once again he sat against the wall and watched Sheppard on the bed. PJ might be one step ahead with Sheppard but he was three steps ahead in the lab. He would get the last laugh.

Rodney went to sleep secure in that knowledge.

Sheppard's eyes focused on the spotless wall. His head was full of lead cotton- really heavy and fuzzy. He tried to move but failed. That was not the only thing he failed at...He was a bigger anchor and now he was as weak as a kitten and just as fierce. But he did know that McKay had a plan. Wink, wink.

This was not his cell sweet cell; he missed his little spot. How weird is that? He attempted to roll over again and succeeded. Geez, Rodney had been living the life. He had furniture in his home away from home and a bathroom.

Thirsty, so thirsty. He went to grab for the pitcher that the guy had left last night. It was gone. He exhaled- dehydration was setting in- his tongue felt two inches thick. He also felt loopy. Blood loss, maybe. No, well yes, but no. It was more the feeling he got from the good stuff in Beckett's magical medicine cabinet.

When did they slip him something? All he has was the water…

Shit.

Rodney? He could see a blanket on the floor where he had slept. Damn. He was here and they came for him before Sheppard woke up. Together yet separated.

Great.

Sheppard started with his morning checklist of two. Take a leak and lie on the bed. The first was a big production for little return. He stumbled, weaved and hung on to the wall for dear life. All for nothing, even he knew that wasn't good. He looked at the tap water. Should he risk it being contaminated? He could not feel too much worse. He took a small drink and spat it back out. It tasted awful. He sighed and looked back towards the bed. Then he realized he had to make the six step return trip. He did it and collapsed. Well, his list was now painfully complete.

Apples. Boring apples. What he wouldn't give for boring, green delicious apples.

"I'll let Lorne have that one. He deserves an assignment to hone his leadership skills."

Weir nodded in agreement. "He'll appreciate it I think Colonel. Remember John, the plues are important too."

"Oh I know; it'll be a nice breather. We can take our time and enjoy a little Mau hospitality." He gave what he hoped was a convincing devil may care grin. "Anyway, I'll convince Rodney to study the physics of apple picking."

She returned his smile.

He continued, "Just have back up ready for Major Lorne in case the Daedalus' intel was a little off. I recommend Sgt. Brooks' and Sgt. Dunn's teams. If worse comes to worse, they can croon the Wraith away."

She grimaced, "Yes, I'm sure they haven't heard that before." She pursed her lips before speaking again, "How is Rodney? No problems?"

Sheppard broke eye contact, "He's good. I don't anticipate any problems."

She eyed him guardedly, "Well good…That's all for right now. I'll let you inform your teammate of the manual labor he's been volunteered for."

"Oh he'll love it," proclaimed Sheppard confidently.

They both stood up.

"I'm sure. Good luck."

Hands interrupted him, always with the manhandling. He was hauled up from the bed. Brando greeted him.

Yeah, Rodney's enjoying this as much as I am right now.

"You're lookin' a might better there Colonel."

Sheppard curled a lip at him.

"I want to see if any of my other trinkets work."

Happy, happy, joy, joy. Food? Water? No Drugs? Hello?

They started walking him down the hall to a set of stairs and into the lab. He did not see Rodney as he was led through it. His buddy Bose held his hand, so to speak, and guided him the other way from the chair into another little room. It contained shelves and doodads galore. Their gear was there without their weapons of course. They sat him down in an ordinary armed chair. Major relief there, he did not mind admitting.

"I would actually like to see this device in action," declared Papa Jae.

Sheppard was handed a life signs detector.

"Since it's something you and Dr. McKay carried on you."

Well, I could tell you all about it ass-munch but I can't talk. Frustrating.

He grasped it in his hand and pointed to each blip and their corresponding person in the room with the other hand.

"So it shows where a person is in proximity to the device?" Papa Jae confirmed. "How can I use it?"

Sheppard's eyebrows receded to his hairline and he shook his head. He handed the device, with a little encouragement, to a reluctant assistant. It went dark. He smirked and gave a can't-help-ya-there-buddy shrug of the shoulders.

The assistant looked at the useless piece of technology in her hand and offered up some information, "He told me earlier that you have to have the right grandparents. It's a code or something."

"Like Teka. He could interact with parts of the lab that others couldn't." Papa Jae seemed to let his thoughts drift for a moment.

The assistant still holding the life signs detector prodded him back to the present with a question. "Isn't this a lab of the Ancestors? I thought Teka was part of them."

"You've caught me in a small lie. The Labyrinth was created by the Wraith to study the Ancestors or interrogate them," he explained very lightly. "Apparently Teka had a little Wraith blood in him somehow."

Sheppard rolled his eyes. A tiny white lie hunh? Nice way to put it Marlon. Good thing the eyeballs overlooked Teyla.

"What happened to Teka?"

"I had to find out how he could do these things. Tests were run and he…"

"Didn't quit did he?" She looked at him with big, round, nervous eyes.

"No, this is too important. Our survival depends on this lab and these devices. Col. Sheppard does have the Ancestors' bloodline running through him. That is why he can interact with these devices. But they are of no use to me if I can't use them without his help. The chair is even a failure. Dr. McKay is studying our last hope." He looked at Bose. "Return him to Dr. McKay's room."

Sheppard was not about to volunteer any information on systems and doodads that just needed to be initialized by his little gene and then could be used by anyone. Well physically, he couldn't.

Back in the room, he lay on the bed; and he lay on the bed; and he lay on the bed. He was sick. Hunger, dehydration, and physical abuse were taking their toll. So he lay on the bed and hovered in a daze. Time had no meaning.

"Wow sounds like fun Colonel! Can't think of anything I'd like better than communing with nature or indigenous people or indigenous bugs or indigenous wildlife or …"

"You're going McKay. You may think you've made up for the trust thing, but I'll let you know when I've said when," countered Sheppard with as much egotism as he could inject into each and every word.

McKay looked angry, hurt, embarrassed and saddened. "I have important work here, but…" his voice kept getting lower, "I think I can fit in a trip to a grove."

"Orchard."

"What?"

"The plues or apple-like thingies are in an orchard. A nice boring trip to an orchard. A perfect time to work on that trust issue." Amongst other things, Sheppard thought.

Hope flared in McKay's eyes.

And Sheppard gave his devil may care grin and walked out.

"Long way to go McKay!" Sheppard yelled back down the hall as he left. He could not resist that last stinging barb.

He did not see McKay's reaction.

McKay had definitely earned that trust back with any interest incurred. His faith in the scientist had never wavered. It just took a fun little excursion to the inner circle of hell to figure that out.

He was a single minded, self-centered idiot sometimes.

The door opened and Brando came in with a bowl of soup or broth or a liquidy something or other. Bose followed and lightly smacked him on the face to get his full attention.

Then just so he knew who was in charge, they poured a vial of something in the bowl right in front of him.

"Col. Sheppard, time to eat," said Marlon reaffirming his control over him.

Brando gave the bowl to Bose. Others entered and held him down. His adrenaline must have spiked, he fought as hard as that aforementioned kitten. The bowl was placed to his lips and the contents dribbled onto them. Some made its way into his mouth. He spit it back at Bose. With soup dripping down his nose, Bose did not seem too happy.

Whatever was in it, made his lips tingle and go numb.

They got serious. Marlon grabbed his nose and pressed on Sheppard's injured shoulder with his other hand. Stars exploded into supernovas before his eyes making them water. His mouth opened and the contents were poured into it. He gagged and coughed as a hand was placed over his mouth to keep the soup from propelling back onto Bose.

What is this, the Blood of Kali?

He swallowed. His damaged brain went on a tangent. Golly gee, hope Short Round (Rodney) doesn't have to burn the dickens outta me to wake me up. My day already sucks as it is.

The contents hit his very empty stomach. His very empty stomach said catch and, for the third time in two days, Bose wore his meal. There was a bit of satisfaction in that.

Bose did not seem to appreciate it as much and glowered at him. He was about to force the rest of the soup down when Sheppard started feeling an overwhelming itch all over his face and neck and numbness around his mouth. He would not have to ask Rodney what an allergic reaction felt like, because he was pretty sure this was it.

It seemed his lungs were feeling neglected because they started to not work quite right. He panicked. His gaze went around the room and fell on Brando. He actually looked concerned.

Damn Rodney, sorry about making light of this.

"Col. Sheppard?" Brando loomed in his view.

As he struggled to breath and fought the hands still holding him, he silently snickered. Now you have taken me out of the equation moron. Sad thing was; he would have told them what was wrong and how to fix it, because Rodney had a plan for escape. Rodney also had those epinephrine pens. There was absolutely nothing he could do to let them know.

"Bose I have Dr. Hallidy staying here. Go get him. Room 3"

The drug was taking effect and it parked a Mack on his chest. He never even saw the doctor come into the room.

A/N: Excuse me...excuse me...could you please move your semi? My character is underneath.