Part 10 - Re-education II
Atlantis, the present day.
"You should have killed that bastard when you had the chance, Sheppard." The leaders of Atlantis were shocked to hear the hatred in Rodney's voice.
Elizabeth laid her hand on McKay's arm. "Are you OK to talk about this?" she asked concern in her voice.
"I'm as ready as I'll ever be," he replied. He sat down at the conference table and, eyes fixed on the table in front of him, he started to tell them what had happened.
The Genii home world – four months ago.
McKay swallowed and, praying that his voice would not shake, replied, "Well, em, I hope you won't be offended if I say I had hoped I would never see you again." He kept his panic under control by hanging onto Sora's promise of another chance. Kolya smiled a predator's smile and then stepped back into the shadows. McKay could hear his footsteps as he walked slowly around behind him.
Kolya came to a stop behind McKay and reached out his hand to rest it on McKay's shoulder. He leant forward to speak softly into McKay's ear, "Cowen asked me to speak with you, Dr McKay. He is concerned that you do not clearly understand the nature of your agreement with him." Keeping his hand on McKay's shoulder Kolya moved around out to stand in front of him, "which is strange for such an intelligent man. Cowen's disappointed in you, Dr McKay." Kolya bent forward to look directly into McKay's eyes. McKay tried not shrink away from him but couldn't hide his involuntary recoil. "Do you have anything to say for yourself, Dr McKay? Cowen does not like to be disappointed and, believe me, you have disappointed him."
"Well I guess he can join the club then," McKay muttered sarcastically trying to hide his fear in bravado. "There's a whole line up of people I've disappointed. My parents for…"
McKay didn't see the blow coming but it hit him with enough force to knock him clean off the stool. He lay on the floor gasping, waiting for the next. However, Kolya raised his hand indicating that the young soldier who had hit McKay should step back. He nodded to the guards who hauled McKay up off the floor and roughly shoved him back down onto the stool where he sat, a trickle of blood running from the corner of his mouth.
"You need to listen to me carefully Dr McKay as we won't continue being reasonable for ever. We rescued you, we have given you a home, we are inviting you to become one of us."
McKay interrupted, "Wait, are you telling me that I should be grateful," he shut up abruptly, flinching as the soldier raised his arm to strike again. Again Kolya raised his hand in a gesture of restraint. He waited for a few moments and then continued.
"Yes. We expect you to be grateful and to repay us in expression of that gratitude. Dr McKay, you must accept that you are Genii now and have a duty towards the common good," Kolya paused and looked down at McKay.
McKay shook his head. "No," he said, "I'm not Genii." He raised his head and met Kolya's eyes. "I'm Canadian……." Kolya gestured and the soldier struck again. This time there was no restraining hand until he had landed four or five additional blows as McKay lay sprawled on the floor. At a signal from Kolya the soldier stepped back.
"Pick him up," Kolya nodded to the guards.
He waited until McKay's agonised gasps eased and he was sure he could hear him. "You have to forget the past – you can't go back there. Your friends abandoned you, Dr McKay. We are your friends now. We regard you as family." Hands gripping either side of McKay's face, Kolya forced him to meet his eyes. "You are a child of the Genii and I'm going treat you like one until you learn how to behave, Dr McKay. You are a disobedient, ungrateful child who will be punished. Do you understand?" Kolya spoke quietly, his face mere centimetres from McKay's. "Do you understand?"
McKay was in agony, physical and mental and in fear for his life. The soldier had landed only four blows but each had been well placed and his newly healed injuries protested at the maltreatment they were receiving. "I'm not Genii," he gasped. "I'm Canadian." He nearly fell as Kolya let go of him. He didn't see the soldier step forward but felt every blow that rained down on him. He existed in a world of white pain – each blow was carefully aimed and he was powerless to evade them. He screamed. The blows stopped and McKay was picked up off the floor and deposited back onto the stool. He could hardly breathe. He felt a hand grab his hair and force his head back.
"Look at me, McKay," Kolya tightened his grip and shook McKay's head. "Look at me," he commanded. McKay opened his eyes and tried to focus on the man in front of him. "Now listen to me, Dr McKay, you are Genii. You belong to us. All you need to do is to say who and what you are and this stops. Do you understand me?" Kolya shook McKay's head again. "Do you understand?" he repeated. "If you continue with this childish defiance, then your punishment continues…" He let go of him and McKay fell forwards to the floor. He wanted this to stop. He remembered Sora's words, "All you have to do is to do as they ask." As much as he wanted this to stop, he couldn't bring himself to do that. If he took that step and said he was Genii could he ever come back?
"I'm Canadian," he whispered.
This time Kolya did not stop the soldier when McKay screamed. He let him scream and scream and scream.
He was sitting on the stool again, supported by the guards. He was aware of cold water dripping down his face.
"Why are you doing this to yourself Dr McKay?" Kolya asked in a quiet whisper. "All you have to do is to say your name and that you are one of us. That's all and then, all of this, it stops."
McKay opened his eyes to meet his gaze. "I'm Canadian", he whispered.
Kolya shook his head and stepped back. The soldier stepped forward again, this time he had a knife in his hand. "Why can't you say this one simple thing now and accept who you are?" Kolya asked a perplexed expression on his face.
McKay was staring fixedly at the knife remembering how it felt when the knife inched its way through his flesh. The soldier stepped closer and McKay flinched, trying to lean away at far as possible but was held firmly. It was such a little thing but he couldn't say it, he wouldn't. He held desperately to the thought that he friends hadn't abandoned him, that they would come. He couldn't say it, the betrayal would be too much.
The soldier gently rested the knife against McKay's face and then slowly ran the point down his cheek and neck, barely brushing the skin. McKay struggles were futile as he tried to evade the knife as the pressure grew and it slowly cut into the skin of his chest and turned prying the skin away from the flesh beneath.
He came back to himself lying in a pool of cold water. He could barely remember why he was there… Everything hurt but the gashes across his chest were a sharper pain. Strong hands picked him up and held him upright. Someone was forcing him to look up.
"Dr McKay, all you need to do is to say who you are and that are Genii. Don't you understand that we won't stop until you do? You are one of us, we value you but you have to let go of who you were and accept who you are."
He couldn't remember how long this cycle had been going on. He had lost all sense of time and reality. He was either here having pain inflicted upon his or he was back in his cell being forced to kneel with his hands on his head until they came for him again. The only respite was unconsciousness but even that did not last – they always woke him up with cold water or slaps to the face or electric shocks and then it would start again and all the time they were asking him the same question over and over again, telling him the same things, over and over again.
"Your friends abandoned you, they left you to die."
"We want you Dr McKay, but you have abused our trust in you. But we will forgive you."
"You are one of us, Dr McKay and we will help you redeem yourself."
"Just say that you are Genii and this all stops…"
"Why are you doing this to yourself?"
The words were becoming seductive. He shook his head trying to focus on who and what he was.
"Don't make us do this Dr McKay," Kolya was frowning. "Just say it."
McKay shook his head again, more forcefully this time. Kolya closed his eyes and turned away shaking his head. He looked over to the soldiers standing in the shadows.
"Break his legs," he ordered.
Atlantis – the present day.
"I don't know how long my re-education lasted but I know why it ended." McKay was still staring at the table. He looked up and met Elizabeth's troubled eyes with the most haunted expression she had ever seen.
"They broke me, Elizabeth, I did what they wanted. I said it."
Four months ago – the Genii home world.
McKay was sobbing; the pain in his left leg was unbearable. He was lying on the floor clutching at his thigh, tears and blood mingling together on his face.
"Will you say it now Dr McKay?" Kolya crouched down by the figure on the floor. McKay ignored him and concentrated instead on breathing in and out. Kolya stood up and nodded to the soldiers signalling that they should continue.
McKay suddenly remembered the look in Sora's eyes and her words echoed in his ears again. "All you have to do is to do as they ask. Please promise me that you will otherwise it will be bad for you and they will get their way in the end. Promise me you will do that?" As the guards grabbed him the broken bones in his leg grated against one another. He realised they wouldn't stop until he was crippled. In a flash he realised that it was time and that he had reached his limit.
"Stop, please stop," he begged, "I'll say it. I'm Genii, just stop, please."
"Say your name and what you are," Kolya's voice was cold and implacable.
"I'm Rodney McKay. I'm Genii. Now please stop….." and they did.
