Blue eyes scanned the dark room frantically searching for a way out, but there seemed to be no escape from the darkness. He had been stuck in here for at least four days and he had found no escape route at all.
The thick, black walls that encased him in his tiny prison seemed to be coming closer and closer towards him, they seemed to want to squash him inside his tiny room. He closed his eyes praying that when he opened them the walls would have stopped moving, but when he opened them again they still seemed to press in upon him.
"Wide open fields. Wide open fields!" Rodney repeated closing his eyes once again, and imagining a nice green field in the country. He sighed happily as his imagination took back to a time when there had been no city to save and no enemies to contend with.
"Get him" the cold voice brought him out of this happier memory and back into harsh reality, he opened his eyes blearily and saw two massive figures come towards him. He felt them lift him to his feet and practically drag him out of the room, he tried to slow them down by trying to jerk his arm out of their grips, he received a hard jab in the ribs and he ceased his struggling.
As Rodney came into the corridor outside his small cell he had to close his eyes once again, this time because of the increase of light. He tried to lift a hand to cover his eyes but the two goons were holding his arms to tightly for him to even lift a finger.
He opened his eyes more slowly this time and soon he was able to see where they were going, he tried to show the goons on either side of him that he could now walk unaided but they seemed intent on dragging him unceremoniously forward.
"You know it wouldn't kill you to at least try to be nice to the smartest guy here" he said, trying to get some of his usual snappiness back in order to possibly startle his captures. When no answer came he decided to ask questions instead, these would no doubt get a response.
"Who are you?" he asked, the obvious question to start with but he needed to know who they were and how he had gotten here, cause he didn't remember a thing.
The man in front of him let out a cold laugh, it was a laugh that could chill the blood and still the heart. He did not turn to see McKay's face which was lucky because Rodney's face was suddenly covered by a look of intense fear.
"I believe you already know of us Doctor McKay, but you have not seen us before, and you shall be the first and the last of your people to do so."
Rodney's mouth fell open; he was speechless which had to be a first since coming to this galaxy. His question hadn't been answered in the way he would have preferred but at least it had been answered in some form, this 'riddle' set his mind racing, drawing up possible explanations and conclusions about these people.
'So we've heard of these people but never met them, well that rules out the Genii and Wraith. I just hope that these people aren't worse then both of them. How can they be worse then the Wraith? No they most probably need help and as I'm the most distinguished scientist they've found they've decided to ask for my help. But I don't remember them asking.' His thoughts were interrupted by the man in front of him leading them into a room off the long corridor they had been travelling down. Finally he managed to wrench his arms free of the vice like grips of the goons,
' If the Major was here he'd be calling them some stupid names like Laurel and Hardy.' Rodney smiled as he thought about what John and the rest of his teammates would be doing to try and rescue him.
The leader stopped short inside the new room, looking around at the many people working in the room. The leader's sudden lapse in concentration gave Rodney the chance to take a good look at this room, he stared amazed at the equipment that would put even Atlantis to shame. There were tubes running the length of the room with bubbles slowly rising in them, the 'scientists' were bending over long tables which each held a various assortment of instruments or vials.
Just as Rodney was about to take a step forward the leader seemed to snap back to reality and clicked his fingers imperiously at the two goons who promptly grabbed Rodney's arms again and dragged him after the leader towards a new room.
As Rodney crossed the threshold of this new room he couldn't help but let out a low whistle, the room had tubes running along the walls and ceiling each with a different light, it had several ornate wooden tables in the middle of the room and on each table there was a selection of different crystal vials each containing some of the bubbling concoction from the other room. The lights from the tubes were bouncing off the crystal bottles and sending rainbow patterns across the walls.
As Rodney tried to take in the immense beauty of the room one of the goons pushed him down hard and viciously, his knees hit the floor hard and he gritted his teeth so as not to let out a whimper of pain.
"You should really learn how to treat and invaluable hostage." Rodney muttered angrily as he rubbed one of his knees.
"And you Doctor McKay should really learn how to keep your mouth shut" Rodney looked up startled, he saw a woman walking slowly towards him. She wore what Rodney supposed was the normal uniform for these people, a brown shirt, brown trousers and black boots.
'Too similar to the Genii for my liking' Rodney thought as he watched the woman stop at a table and pick up a small vial and examine it before setting it back down and turning to look at him.
He could see her features now; she had dark brown hair, which fell gracefully onto her shoulders, her dark green eyes stared straight into his blue ones before she started to speak once more.
"You are here to help us Doctor McKay," she said as she turned to sit on one of the many tables in the room.
"Funny. I don't remember agreeing to help you" he tried to sound brave and confident but his voice broke, just like it had with Kolya a couple of months ago. The woman let out a small snigger at his words.
"Very amusing. I see we shall have to teach you some respect." She nodded at one of the men behind Rodney who promptly raised a weapon and hit Rodney in the chest. Rodney crumpled, clutching his chest as a sharp pain coursed through his body, he couldn't see beyond the blinding pain.
"If you continue to show disrespect to me or anyone else I shall be forced to let my guards do far worse to you then just hitting you." She smiled widely at this as though daring him to say something, but he remained quiet nursing his bruised side and his slightly bruised ego.
"That's better" as she said this she picked up one of the small bottles on the table, and held it out for Rodney to see.
"Now. We know that you and your people have inhabited the city of the ancestors. We also know that your people were struck by a plague not long ago." She looked at Rodney expectantly, but he said nothing.
"How did you people survive it?" she asked, looking down at the small vial her fingers hovering over the small cork that held the substance in.
"Well we um…. We're just extremely lucky people" Rodney replied trying to sound jovial as he raised himself to his knees again. He felt a pressure on his shoulder as whatever the goons had used to hit him came to rest on it threateningly.
"Do not play games with my Doctor McKay." The woman stated menacingly, " How did you and your people survive the plague?" the pressure increased on his shoulder but he kept his mouth shut, his mind working furiously.
Suddenly a sharp pain erupted from his right side again, he fell forwards cradling his right side again, he felt the sting in his eyes as they began to fill with tears at the pain.
"Doctor McKay, how did you and your people survive?" the woman repeated patiently, looking at the small vial still clutched in her hand.
"We used an EMP." Rodney said quickly hoping that they would not understand, he gritted his teeth waiting for another blow to his side but when none came he looked around.
"Thank-you Doctor McKay. In the morning you shall help our scientists understand about this EMP." The woman put the vial down and stood up nodding at the two goons who immediately lifted him.
"Why do I have to help them? Who are you?" Rodney cried after her, feeling himself being dragged backwards by the two goons.
"Why, we are the descendants of the creators of the plague that revenged your fair city. You shall help them make a virus that will destroy all people on Atlantis, human or Ancient." With that she left the room, Rodney stared after her in disbelief.
"Bring him" the cold voice of the man who had led them here brought him back to earth, and he was once more dragged unceremoniously back down the corridor and into his small cell.
"You should rest, tomorrow you shall have to work hard." The man said before he slammed the door closed leaving Rodney quite alone.