I'd like to thank you all for your reviews and encouragement. We're getting near the end of the story now, though there is still a wee bit more suffering in store for our poor Dr Beckett. Enjoy!
OoOoO
Carson was out the door, and it had closed behind him, before any of the others had a chance to react.
"Not again!" John said, resignation tingeing his voice.
"It's not like Carson's bad at his job," Rodney said. "It's just that used to good at it. But don't any of you tell him that I said that," Rodney added hurriedly.
OoOoO
Carson was still unsteady on his feet as he ran along the corridors towards the laboratory. In his mind, he was replaying images of Perna, Ellia and Michael. Would the memory of Ria now be added to the pain his job had brought him since he came to the Pegasus Galaxy? He only tried to help people, to find solutions to the problems they faced. But somehow, in this Galaxy, the solutions themselves seemed to become part of the problem.
The sight that greeted him when he reached the laboratory did nothing to alleviate his fears. On a makeshift bed, made from one of the old benches, Ria lay, pale yet agitated. Restraints had been placed around her wrists, across her legs, and round her waist. Although she wasn't fully conscious, she was still fighting against the restraints. Sweat was running off her body, and her eyes were screwed shut in pain.
"You bloody idiots!" Carson said, not trying to hide his anger. "Just what do you think you are doing? I told you it wasn't ready to be tested on humans. But no, you knew better, didn't you?"
The men who were standing closest to Ria, and therefore closest Carson, moved back a pace. His anger was so tangible, it was almost physical.
Still muttering to himself, Carson started to check Ria over. He checked her pulse, her breathing and her blood pressure. All were at dangerous levels. He then checked the IV they were using to administer the gene therapy. The only thing that had saved Ria so far was that they had administered it slowly. Even so, the dosage they had given her was dangerously high, and was pushing her body beyond all safe limits.
"I trust you won't lose the patient," Patra said from the door, his voice infuriatingly patronising.
Carson paused a moment in his examination, and turned on the man. Even Patra took a step back when he saw the fury on the doctor's face.
"Don't you dare interrupt me again," Carson said, his voice full of barely hidden anger. "You, and your stupid arrogance, caused this. So stay out of my way, and let me do my job."
Patra regarded the other man with surprise. He had thought the doctor was a timid man, a gentle man, not the fighter he saw before him. Deciding, after a moment's thought, that discretion was the better part of valour, he held up his hands in a signal of surrender, and then turned and left the room. The other men who had entered with Patra also left, leaving Carson with Ria, and two guards.
OoOoO
The first sign they had that something was happening was a distant echo of a gentle thud. John and Ronon glanced at each other. They had both been in too many gunfights not to recognise that sound.
"What was that?" Rodney asked, suddenly awakening from his semi-slumber.
"Well," John replied. "I'm hoping it's the cavalry. If not, we could be in even more trouble than we are now."
"That is gun fire?" Teyla asked hesitantly.
"It sure sounds like it," Ronon confirmed.
"The problem is," Rodney added. "Who's winning? Is it the good guys, or the bad guys?"
"And," John added. "Just who are the good guys?"
The sounds started to get closer. The team stood in silence, as a gun battle seemed to rage just outside their prison. They were all on their feet, ready to defend themselves, or even to run, if that seemed the best option. Part of the problem was that there was no obvious door to guard. The gap seemed to appear randomly.
The tension in the room was palpable. You could almost reach out and touch it. Adrenaline was rushing through their veins, making them react to every sound.
When an entrance way suddenly appeared in their prison, it appeared in the only wall which had remained complete up until that point. A man appeared in the entrance way, fully armed, and ready for combat. When he saw the prisoners inside, his eyes momentarily became distant, almost as if he was talking to somebody else.
"Are you Dr Weir's people?" he asked.
Teyla and Ronon exchanged a hopeful glance.
"Yes," Rodney confirmed, before John had a chance to advise caution.
The man's eyes went distant again. "Please come with me," he ordered. "I can take you to safety."
John and Ronon both hesitated for a moment, unsure if this was a trap, or a genuine chance of freedom. Rodney had followed the man out the door, but then hastily jumped back in again, as a sound of gunfire came ever closer.
"The corridors aren't safe as yet," the man said, stating the obvious.
"He sounds like Ronon," Rodney said, earning himself a clear from the big man.
The guard turned to look at them, checking how many of them there were.
"Will you allow me to teleport you?" he asked, almost politely. "It's the safest way to get you to a secure location quickly."
"Can you take us to Dr Weir?" John asked.
"That's exactly where I was planning to take you," the man replied.
"Then that's fine by me," John replied. The others nodded their agreement too.
Within a moment, the prison vanished, to be replaced by a bright, and ornate room. Standing in the middle of the room, were Dr Weir and Colonel Caldwell.
Elizabeth rush forward to greet them.
"Are you okay?" she asked, her eyes searching for any obvious signs of injury.
"We're fine," John replied.
"Well, speak for yourself," Rodney interrupted. "It's such a long time since I've eaten anything, I nearly went into hypoglycaemic shock."
"Well," Elizabeth said soothingly. "I'm glad we got to you in time."
She looked around, suddenly realising that someone was missing.
"Where's Carson?" she asked.
Before anyone could answer, the air was filled with a horrifying scream, that made them all turn towards the door. The scream was followed by an equally horrifying silence.