Part Five
Six months ago – The Genii home-world
As Sora left the infirmary she paused and turned to look at McKay lying on the bed, his face turned to the wall. She knew what she had to do and she hated it but she knew it was the only way to save his life.
She walked quickly though the underground corridors of the Genii to get to Cowen's complex. She knocked and was let in by an armed guard who led her through the reception area to Cowen's office. As she entered she could see Cowen working at his desk and wondered when she started doubting the philosophy of the Genii - the end justifies the means.
Was it when she had witnessed Kolya kill two of the Lanteans in cold blood? They had been kind, compassionate, foolish men who had been duped into coming to the aid of counterfeit refugees and who were then victim to the hidden killer. He might as well have shot them in the back for all the honour he had shown that day.
Or was it before then when she faced up to the fact that her father; her adored and adoring father; had killed an innocent victim of the Wraith rather than trying to save them? He had paid for that action with his life an event which had sparked Sora's killing rage and had driven her to join the strike force training programme. If the truth were to be told she did not know when the doubt first entered her mind, all she knew was that her world was no longer the black and white that she had known – shades of grey were now creeping in and her uncertainty was tearing her apart. She now understood that her rage - the blind fury of revenge for her father's death - was a symptom of that uncertainty and her grief for her lost faith.
"I have lost my faith," she whispered to herself as she stood watching the man with the power of life and death over her and everyone else on the Genii home-world.
As she watched she thought back to the time she had spent with the Lanteans. She remembered protesting against the killing of the guards, of speaking out in support of keeping Dr Weir alive when McKay had stepped between her and Kolya's gun, of the respect with which the Lanteans had treated her and the dignity they had allowed her when she was their prisoner. She remembered the thanks that had been given to her for her help in the dark days of the siege by the Wraith. She had made her peace with Teyla and had laid her father's and her mother's ghosts to rest.
Her return to the Genii had not been easy – she had been exchanged for the A bomb prototypes that the Lanteans had needed for their last desperate strike at the Wraith and that the Genii wanted to test. On her return she had been questioned for hours to gather intelligence about Atlantis and had answered as best she could but the doubt in her mind grew as she contrasted the behaviour of the Genii with that she had seen from the Lanteans. However, hiding her growing doubt and turmoil had been paramount to her survival and somehow she had done it. The façade had nearly cracked when she had learned that the Lanteans had used the Genii bombs to destroy Atlantis in order to protect their home-world. Her relief when the first intelligence reports of survivors began to surface had been overwhelming.
Cowen looked up; a halo of light from his desk lamp surrounded him and she blinked trying to read the expression on his face against the glare. "Ah Sora! You've come to report. Come in and sit down." He waved towards the chair in front of his desk.
"If you don't mind, Sir I would prefer to stand," she knew that Cowen enjoyed being treated with respect and it did not hurt to pander to his ego.
"As you wish." Cowen stood up and walked around the desk, leant against it and gestured for her to start. "Well come on then," he urged, "how are you progressing with Dr McKay? How is he?"
"I have maintained my programme of visits and conversations and I believe that Dr McKay will co-operate with us. However, it will not be an easy process and I will need to dedicate a great deal of time to this project. As you know he is intelligent, intuitive and analytical. He will see through all but the most subtle attempts at manipulation. He does however have a weak spot – his belief that his people abandoned him. If I work on this, if I use this angle, I believe that I will be able to achieve a partial integration although I am not sure we should ever fully trust him." Sora's voice was clear and measured, not betraying a hint of her hidden agenda.
Cowen smiled broadly and gave a small hiss of pleasure. "Excellent, excellent," he said, an almost gleeful expression on his face as he rubbed his hands together. "And how is he physically?"
She frowned. "He is still very weak, suffering from headaches and is easily fatigued. However, Dr Fellit is pleased with his progress. He thinks Dr McKay will be recovered enough to leave the hospital in about two week's time, maybe less. There will be a programme of physiotherapy but Dr Fellit believes that he should make a full recovery in time."
"Well done Sora. I am pleased with you. Without your quick thinking and action this opportunity would have been lost to us." Cowen beamed at Sora with a smile that did not quite reach his eyes. His expression changed in an instant and the smile became the tight lipped frown she knew so well. "However, are you sure that you can keep up with this? There are implications to your role in this." Cowen studied Sora's face intently. He knew how much her father's death had affected her. She had become more withdrawn and silent but he knew that her belief in the Genii's destiny had never waived.
"I am ready for this task, Sir and I want to do it. I meant what I said to you when I asked for this assignment – I will do anything to advance our cause and I believe that McKay could be a key part in restoring us to what we used to be." She stood tall looking straight ahead. Her soldier's stance at odds with the tumbling curls of titian blond hair that fell mid way down her back. She stared directly into Cowen's eyes. "I can do this," she stated quietly. She could see some hint of doubt of her abilities in Cowen's eyes. "I know I am young, Sir but I have had a baptism of fire. I am the right person to do this and you know it. I don't think that anyone else would have been able to get the results I already have." She hoped that her desperation was not coming through in her voice. What she tried to convey was her zeal and commitment, not her personal stake.
Cowen raised his hands to signal his acquiescence. "Alright, alright. We proceed as you have planned. I would suggest we arrange quarters close to the main science block and a programme of work starting with the weapons project. What do you think will act as a motivator for McKay?" he asked.
"Intellectual stimulation, teaching, privacy in his own time. Being right. Being able to win an argument with you."
"Good – I concur. Let's give it to him."
The present - Atlantis infirmary
"Rodney?" Sora woke up and opened her eyes. The first thing she saw was McKay asleep sprawled in a chair next to her bed. "Rodney?" she said again concern for him in her voice. She started as she heard someone else step up to her bed.
Carson was standing there and laid a hand on her wrist and then spoke softly, "Don't you worry about him lassie. He's just sleeping. I'll wake him up if you like?"
She shook her head. "Let him sleep," she said. "Where are we?" she asked.
"Atlantis Alpha Site, the new one," Carson said.
Sora smiled and relaxed against the pillows. They had made it.
