Part 7 - Confrontation
The present - Atlantis conference room
McKay reported to the Atlantis conference room at 10.00 the next morning ready to give the next chapter of his report.
"How are you feeling Rodney?" asked Elizabeth as he walked in. She was pleased to see that he looked better, the colour of his skin had improved and the tension in his jaw seemed to have relaxed to some extent.
"I was great until Carson started hooking me up to his voodoo equipment. The only thing he didn't do is sacrifice a white cockerel – the man's a witch doctor, I'm telling you." Elizabeth smiled. This was more the McKay she knew.
"Hey, how much is it worth for me NOT to repeat that?" Sheppard joked as he sat down at the conference table.
"Oh, I've got dirt on you too Colonel so you just think twice before you mess with someone with IQ double your own OK?" McKay sparred back instantly. He was feeling better, he had slept properly for the first time in months and was back where he belonged. He could feel the doubts and insecurities he'd developed during the time with the Genii slipping away. Almost.
He grabbed himself a coffee and plonked himself down in a chair and leant back enjoying the sensations of home.
"Are you ready to tell us more now Rodney?" Elizabeth's question brought him back down to earth with a thump. He sat up and some of the air of confidence left him as he considered how to re-start telling his story.
"First things first. Sora's requesting asylum with us. She can't go back." Rodney looked at Elizabeth, his expression a combination of defiance and guilt.
"Well, we can talk about that. Why does she need asylum?" she asked.
"Because she helped me escape. She can't go back." McKay answered.
"Can we trust her Rodney?" Elizabeth's voice was quite and calm as always. She was not prepared for the effect her words had on McKay. He closed his eyes, his shoulders drooped and his head sunk into his hands. Concerned Elizabeth put a hand on McKay's shoulder. "Rodney?"
He sat up and started to speak gesticulating wildly. "I'm not the right person to answer that question. I trust her but if I look at this intellectually I know I shouldn't because I've been affected by this whole thing. I trust her because of how I feel about her but I know that those feelings didn't develop naturally. I can't expect you to trust her just because I say so – you'll have to make your own judgement – speak to her yourself." He felt as if he was betraying Sora and he groaned quietly to himself and buried his face in his hands. Abruptly he looked up, "If I'm honest Elizabeth, I don't know if I should trust her but I do – she saved my life, more than once and she has kept me sane. Jesus, they messed with my head so much that I didn't want to come back at one stage, you know that? They had me hating you all for what you did…. Sora brought me back from that, she kept me sane. And what's messing with my head even more is that I don't know whether what I feel for her is genuine or whether it's some bizarre psychological effect of what has happened. I know that they wanted me to feel that way. They did everything they could to make it happen. I even," he stopped abruptly. "Up to the very moment she stepped in front of that bullet for me I was still doubting her and now I hate myself for it…….. You're not following this are you?" he asked suddenly noticing the lack of comprehension on their faces.
"Why don't you start where we left off?" Sheppard suggested.
The Genii homeworld - five months ago
"McKay what are you doing?" Sora ran to catch up with him as he limped towards Cowen's complex.
"The man is mad. I need to go and talk some sense into that megalomaniac, Cowen," he replied.
"This is not the right way to do it. You'll need to make an appointment – you can't just barge in," Sora grabbed his arm and tried to get him to turn to face her.
"I've tried that and you know I've tried it. Now I'm doing it my way." McKay shook off her arm and carried on down the corridor. It had been a week since he had left the hospital and two days since he started working with Genii scientists. He had convinced himself that all he needed to do was to bide his time and an opportunity would present itself for him to escape. So far he had been accompanied by a guard where-ever he went, he was locked into his quarters at night and he was as weak as a kitten. Added to that he usually had Sora with him indoctrinating him with Genii doublethink so he hadn't had even the faintest whisper of an opportunity. So he had instead decided to wait and had filled his time by concentrating on the data he was given. He had already come to the conclusion that the priorities he was given to work on were wrong. The Genii were being killed by their own hand and although he could have stood back and let them do it, he found he couldn't. He'd seen a member of his own team die of radiation poisoning and he would do anything to stop it happening to anyone else, even the Genii.
"McKay, at least let me come with you," Sora grabbed his arm again.
"Well since you are responsible for my political education I graciously give you my permission." McKay had quickly discovered that to highlight his "involuntary" entrance into the Genii integration programme and to accuse Sora of political indoctrination was a red flag to a bull. She had freely admitted that he was her job and that she was responsible for his integration into Genii society but she denied all the charges of propaganda and indoctrination that he threw at her. He enjoyed yanking her chain and somehow he got the impression she quite enjoyed it too. He was troubled by how much pleasure he took in her company and choose not to think about it too much.
He reached the entrance of Cowen's complex and was stopped short in his tracks by the armed guards that stood outside. "Get out of my way," he ordered them fixing them with a superior look. The guards gaped at him. "Are you deaf?" he asked. "I said out of the way." The guards looked over McKay's shoulder at Sora. She gave them the briefest of nods and they stood aside to let them in.
"Why are you ignoring my recommendations?" McKay launched straight in.
"Dr McKay, I thought I was clear with you. We want you to build us weapons and defence systems. Not develop a health and safety code for our workers." Cowen carried on writing, not looking up. "Will you please get back to your job?"
McKay shifted uneasily and then, carefully settling his good arm against his broken one in the sling to mimic a pose of defiant folded arms, said "No."
"What do you mean? No?"
"Are you seriously telling me that you don't know what 'no' means?" McKay replied facetiously. "Look, you have to listen to me. I will work on your weapons programme but first of all I need to stop the damage you are doing to your people."
Cowen grimaced. "If you've come to talk to me about damaging levels of radiation again then I don't want to hear it Dr McKay. My Chief Scientist has already reassured me that the levels we are exposed to are acceptable."
"Well, maybe acceptable if you're OK with your offspring having a few too many limbs and the odd extra nostril, but not acceptable to anyone who wants to keep their DNA intact to pass on to the next generation. Will you listen to me – he is wrong." McKay emphasised his point by slapping his hand down on the table. "Christ Almighty, you kidnap me and keep me prisoner here for my knowledge and now you're not listening to what I'm telling you. Listen to me, your people will die if you don't do something about the levels of radiation down here. All of your brightest and best scientists are being exposed to radiation levels that will sooner or later kill or incapacitate them. I can fix that if you let me."
Cowen was staring at McKay's hand on the table in front of him. McKay slowly withdrew it. "And the shielding I can build will hide your reactors from Wraith scanners," he concluded. McKay was hoping that this fact would be enough to make Cowen accede to his request.
"If we detect the Wraith we just power down." Cowen's expression was neutral however, his interest was sparked.
"Now yes, but not in a couple of years time. There is so much radiation building up here that pretty soon even shutting down the reactors won't make much difference. The Wraith will be able to detect the residual. And can you guarantee to detect the Wraith coming every time?"
"Why should I believe you?"
"Oh, I don't know. Maybe you should listen because I am a genius? Or maybe because I live here and I don't want to die from either radiation poisoning OR from a Wraith culling."
Cowen leant back on his chair and gave McKay a considered stare. This might just be the argument to let him win he said to himself. "How long would it take you to do this?"
"Didn't you read the plan I sent you? Why do I bother? Three weeks to design the programme and train the right people, after that I will just need to supervise – maybe an hour or so every couple of days. Let me use Evert and it might go even quicker."
Cowen smiled. "Alright, I will indulge you Dr McKay. Do it – you will have the help you need."
The present – Atlantis conference room
McKay paused. He thought back to the almost euphoric feeling he had when Cowen had agreed to let him work on the shielding. The feeling had lasted until he had seen the almost undetectable triumphant look exchanged between Cowen and Sora and then he had realised it was all a set up – another manipulation. He had worked mechanically for the rest of the day and then retired to his quarters where he had lain on his bed staring at the ceiling indulging in the darkest depression he could muster.
"After the shielding was fixed I convinced them to let me look at their air systems although they wanted me to look at deep space tracking…. It was then I got the idea of how I would get away."
Please, please, please leave a review... I crave them. Don't make me beg even more... It is not becoming... This is my first ever fan fic so I am looking for constructive criticism. Thank you.
