It was eerily quiet on board with all the personnel evacuated to Atlantis. Making their way to the bridge, Sheppard took point with McKay in the middle. Finally coming to a halt outside the newly installed doors of the main operations center, he looked to Rodney. "How many inside?" he whispered.

The scientist stared down at the life sign indicator he was holding. It revealed a group of three blips representing his team, along with three more blips in the area before them. Tilting the device, he showed Sheppard and then Adair. Thank goodness the Daedalus wasn't rigged with ancient technology yet so it was unlikely the others were aware of their presence. When the blips on the screen started moving in their direction, the team pulled back into a nearby hallway.

The new titanium doors slid smoothly open but no one exited the room.

"Colonel Sheppard," a male voice emanated from within, "we'd like for you to join us. Dr. McKay, Captain Adair, you too."

"So much for taking them by surprise," murmured Adair under his breath.

"Colonel, don't make me ask again or our guest might find himself in a certain degree of difficulty."

Sheppard glanced at Rodney who was banging the life sigh indicator against the side of his hand. It still only showed three blips inside the room.

"Who?" he mouthed to the scientist.

Rodney's blue eyes suddenly met his and he snapped his fingers. "Hermiod," he whispered. Asgards weren't around when the Ancients built these detectors. The device must not register his presence.

Sheppard and Adair both jerked to look back inside the room. If the saboteurs had the Asgard, there was no telling what kind of knowledge they might try to force from the alien.

"Lift your shirt," Sheppard hissed to McKay.

"What?"

"Your shirt," repeated Sheppard as he freed his pistol from its holster.

The astrophysicist hesitated for only the briefest of seconds before complying. Sheppard tucked his gun into waistband of Rodney's pants, nestling it in the small of his back and then pulling his shirt and jacket over the bulk. "So help me," the scientist snapped under his breath, "if this goes off and shoots me in the …"

"McKay, shut up. They'll automatically check Adair and me, but they might pass on you."

"Oh, that's reassuring."

Sheppard nodded back towards the room. "Think you can give them a little of your irritated scientist routine?"

"Let me get this straight. I'm the one trying to smuggle a gun and you want me to piss them off?" McKay's voice squeaked in disbelief.

Sheppard grinned, patting his friend on the shoulder. "I knew I could count on you."

"Last call, Colonel." The sound of a round being chambered could be heard in the hallway.

Sheppard glanced over to Adair, "No heroics. The second this starts to look like it's heading south, get McKay out."

"Gotcha."

Turning to the scientist, Sheppard raised a brow gave him one of his best asinine grins that was bound to get a reaction. "Ready?"

Rodney nodded nervously, plucking at the bottom hem of his shirt, but remained uncharacteristically quiet.

Crap. "Okay, here we go." Stepping into the open doorway, Sheppard held his hands up in the air. "Don't shoot," he said calmly.

As soon as he passed through the entrance, a waiting figure shoved him painfully against the wall and frisked him, removing the P-90 and sidearm. "Hey, watch the hands there would ya?" he said, realizing it was a woman patting down his inseam.

"Shut up," she hissed, roughly jabbing the cold barrel of her gun into the back of his neck.

"Dr. McKay, if you would be so kind to join us," the voice called out to the remaining members in the hallway.

Having just witnessed the rough reception Sheppard had received, the scientist was rapidly having second thoughts about carrying the concealed weapon.

"You'll do fine, Doc," Adair drawled quietly from behind him. "I'll come in with you so they'll go for me first. Just stay in front of me."

Rodney swallowed and took a deep breath. Holding his hands up, he stepped forward with fake confidence and walked straight onto the bridge with Adair following close behind. The Captain had been correct. No sooner had they breached the doorway, then a figure stepped from behind them and pushed Adair against the wall, leaving McKay standing alone. Looking around the large open room with his best deer in the headlights expression, his gaze came to rest on the man seated in the command chair who was holding a gun to Hermiod's head.

"You were down in engineering," he said recognizing the technician from earlier.

The man just stared back, waiting until his team was finished with the officers. Once zip cuffs were snugged tightly on Sheppard and Adair's wrists and they were shoved to their knees, his gaze shifted back to the scientist. "Dr. McKay, I was hoping you would be joining us."

Rodney's arms folded over his chest in an attempt at controlling his rapidly pounding heart. "Why?"

"We are in need of your services to repair the ship." Seeing a look of resistance cross the scientist's face, the man stepped down from the chair and gripped Hermiod by the back of the neck, pushing the fragile alien to its knees. "I can snap his neck with a twist of my wrist, Dr. McKay. Is that something you want to be responsible for?"

The Asgard's dark expressionless eyes looked to meet Rodney's. "Do not feel accountable for my well being, Doctor McKay," it said quietly.

When the scientist didn't move, the leader nodded to the woman standing behind Sheppard. Without so much as a blink, she pointed her gun at the colonel's shoulder and pulled the trigger.

oOo

Sheppard watched the scene play out before him and knew in his gut that the intruders would eventually do something rash to force McKay to cooperate. So when he sensed 'Dr. Smith' move behind him, he tried to prepare himself for what was about to happen.

A searing pain ripped through his upper body and he fell forward to land on his face. With his hands still secured behind him, he tried to curl into a protective ball, while gasping in short breaths to hold the impending darkness at bay. Muffled voices were shouting and he could see feet moving in front of him but nothing made sense. Refusing to let Rodney go through this alone, he struggled to push the pain far enough aside and stay conscious.

"You shot him!" Rodney shouted in disbelief, his eyes glued on the blood stain that was rapidly soaking though the shoulder of Sheppard's shirt. Taking a step forward, he didn't seem to notice the gun moving in his direction.

"McKay," Adair said, trying to catch the scientist's attention and get the man's mind back on track.

The woman with the gun moved and aimed her weapon at the colonel's head, freezing Rodney in his steps.

"I heard you were a doctor!" he spat viciously, and then turned to face the leader still holding Hermiod by the neck. "Fine, I'll do it. I'll fix whatever you want. Just let them go."

A cold smile crossed the man's face as he nodded. "I knew you only needed a little incentive to join us." Looking to the woman he nodded again, "Stand down."

Without question, she stepped back.

Rodney licked his lips, his hands twitching at his sides. "I need to…," he said with a voice more solid than he felt while gesturing across the floor. Not waiting for their approval, he cautiously moved over to Sheppard and stiffly dropped to his knees.

"McKay?" the wounded man groaned.

"Just hold on," he answered, lifting up the neck of Sheppard's shirt in an attempt to see how bad the damage might be. When his friend bit back a stifled groan at being touched, the scientist stopped and glared back at the leader. "He needs medical attention."

"When you finish repairing the bridge controls, we'll see about taking care of the colonel."

"He'll bleed to death before I finish."

Adair cleared his throat and McKay turned to stare at him. "There's an emergency first aid kit on the wall," the captain informed before dryly continuing. "Hopefully they've had a chance to restock it since the last explosion."

Receiving a nod, Smith retrieved the kit and rifled through its contents before passing it to McKay.

He in turn glared at her as he ripped open several packages of pressure bandages. "I thought it was against the Hippocratic Oath to injure another human being."

"Who ever said I took the oath?" Her emotionless reply sent chills down his spine.

Sheppard groaned again and tried to move away when Rodney packed the entry wound in an attempt to stop the bleeding.

"Sorry," the scientist whispered. "You know me and blood. Never understood how anyone would willingly decide on a career that surrounded themselves in the stuff." Finished with bandaging Sheppard's shoulder, he looked over to the leader. "Can I free his hands so I can roll him over? I need to check for an exit wound."

The man yawned, his lazy façade clearly an act. With a glance to Smith, he sat back down and watched her release the captive's wrists allowing McKay to continue his ministrations.

Rodney had been right in his assumption, and there was an ugly exit wound. With his hands shaking, he finished bandaging the front of the shoulder the best he could, but blood continued to color the white gauze.

Sheppard watched him through half lidded eyes. "Doin' good," he slurred. Seeing the scientist frown, he tried to smile. "Don't worry, I've had worse."

Rodney stared at him, his face becoming unreadable as fierce determination set in. "Hold on a little longer and then you'll be a guest of Carson's, begging for a reprieve in no time."

"Don't…don't do anything stupid," his friend warned, biting back a groan before closing his eyes.

"When have I ever done anything stupid?"

The indignation in the scientist's voice made a brief smile flicker over the officer's face, but it slipped when he finally succumbed to unconsciousness.

The room grew deathly quiet while Rodney covered Sheppard with an emergency blanket and then sat back on his heels. Wiping his blood-covered hands on his pants; he stood up and faced the leader, "Where do you want me to start?"

For the next hour he scurried between panels, convincing the intruders to allow Hermiod to assist him. When they began repairs on the wiring of the main components to naquadah generator, he stopped and pulled himself out from beneath the panel where he'd been working. Looking exhausted and disheveled, he leaned heavily against a control board. "I need Captain Adair's help."

The trio had gathered in the rear of the room and were in the middle of having a quiet but heated discussion, accompanied with much hand waving and finger stabbing. Interrupted by McKay's request, the leader scowled and glanced to the silent captain now seated on the floor next to Sheppard.

"I think you're fine, doctor. Get back to work."

"Think again," the tired man snapped. "Do you honestly believe two people can rebuild this? It took teams of specialists years to put this ship together. We," he pointed to Hermiod and himself, "have got the main systems back online, restabilized the thrusters, and have life support back to ninety-five percent. We cannot reactivate the naquadah drive with just two people."

Adair's gaze continued to watch the scientist closely. He'd noticed the way the man was beginning to stumble and occasionally drop the tool he'd been using. When he glanced to the Asgard, the small grey alien also appeared to be focusing intently on McKay. Whatever the scientist was up to, it had better happen soon. And he had a feeling the good doctor was about to go all in with the cards he had.

The leader studied his hostages closely. He'd watched as the bridge systems and panels came back online one at a time. Deciding that the scientist was being truthful, he turned to the man that had been guarding the Texan. "Cut him loose. He tries anything, make sure he doesn't last long enough to need any of the doctor's fine repair work."

Rising slowly on stiff legs that had been sitting too long on the hard floor, Adair flexed his freed hands, restoring circulation to his fingers as he made his way over to McKay and Hermiod. "Tell me what to do."

"Wait!" the woman ordered, turning to face the leader. "This is a mistake. How do we know they won't sabotage the ship?"

The leader's expression turned as cold as ice. "I'm in charge and made the decision. Are you questioning me?"

She rubbed her face on her shoulder and then glanced back at the waiting group. "I don't trust them."

"Then do your job and keep an eye on them," he growled. When she turned to walk away, he raised his weapon. "Smith."

She stopped but didn't turn around.

"Question my orders again and we won't be having any more discussions--ever. Understood?"

Adair could almost feel the tension rise in the room. The woman was definitely dangerous and they would have to be careful. When she shrugged and continued across the room, he stepped closer to McKay. "You alright?" he asked quietly.

"I'm fine." He paused to look over at Sheppard's still form and then took a deep breath. "Let's get to work."

"Okay then, where do you want me?"

"I need you and Hermiod to bring the ship's main computer online while I calibrate the engines." Licking his lips, he faced the lead captor, "I need you to deactivate the shields…" Holding up his hand, he stopped the man before he could protest, "Let me finish. I need you to deactivate the shields for two seconds maximum. Powering up the ship with the shields activated causes a drain to the drive that can be overridden, but it takes a second or two."

Adair knew the scientist was bluffing. Taking his seat at the main console, he turned and smiled reassuringly, "Just like starting Daddy's old John Deere. You need to slip the choke to get the engine to kick."

Rodney swallowed the tight feeling in his gut. With his fingers flying over his keyboard, he nodded to himself and then directed the others. "On my mark. Three. Two. One!"

A bright light filled the bridge as the Asgard beaming technology snatched Sheppard, Adair, and Hermiod away.

The three saboteurs spun around on the near empty bridge, spying only McKay left standing at his terminal. With guns raised, they fired simultaneously as he hit one last key before dropping to the floor.

A tremendous burst of light lit up the bridge as a powerful explosion rocked the Daedalus-- then there was only silence.

oOo

Adair propped Sheppard on his feet as both men watched the Asgard work the controls on the nearby console of the Daedalus's engineering room. A moment later, the familiar flash of light appeared on the opposite side of the room and Rodney's crumpled figure materialized, lying still on the floor. Smoke drifted lazily off his clothing and the acrid smell of burned clothing and melted plastic wafted through the air.

Before anyone had the chance to reach him, Rodney slowly rolled over and grunted, shifted a second with his hand to his back, and then clumsily tossed the gun away. "See," he slurred when Adair dropped to his knees beside him, "I didn't shoot myself in the ass." And then he passed out.

It was a miracle Sheppard actually made it as he staggered over to the scientist's other side. Worriedly looking for signs of blood or injury and not finding any, he was barely able to stay on his own two feet and swayed precariously close to tipping over.

"Hermiod?" Adair started to say.

"Activating now, Captain." Seconds later the Asgard was alone in the room, the humans having been sent to the Atlantis infirmary.

oOo

The sound of someone's painful repeated coughing penetrated Beckett's healing sleep. The other noises in the infirmary he had subconsciously ignored, but something about the deep wracking aspect of this cough filtered through his blissful slumber and demanded his attention. With his instincts kicked into gear, his eyes snapped opened, searching for the source of the sound. Tracing it to the corner of the infirmary, he saw several of his staff members working diligently around a pair of unfamiliar gurneys. The rough bark continued and he couldn't help but be drawn to it. As he slid cautiously out of bed, he paused as the world tilted and then steadied and waited for the shifting icy floor beneath his bare feet to solidify. When he was sure he wasn't going to embarrass himself by falling flat on his face, he made his way cautiously to the knot of people.

"What's going on?" he asked one of the nurses at the back of the group.

She turned and frowned, giving his white scrubs a significant glance, clearly questioning the advisability of his having risen from bed--though she wisely resisted verbalizing it. Sighing in resignation instead, she stepped back, revealing both Teyla and Radek, oxygen masks being held over their flushed faces as they each drew in ragged breaths.

"What happened?" he demanded as he immediately assumed command of the situation and shouldered his way through the rest of the medical personnel. They automatically stepped aside.

"Coolant leak," said Henderson, the Daedalus physician. He listened to Zelenka's chest a moment longer, then removed stethoscope from his ears, slinging it around his neck and wincing as it brushed the stitches on his neck. Henderson had only recently been released from the infirmary himself after undergoing treatment for the injuries he received while on board the Daedalus. "They both got a pretty hefty dose, I'm afraid."

Beckett leaned down and adjusted the nearest gurney so that Teyla sat a little more upright. She cracked open her reddened eyes at the movement and a look of recognition crossed her face when she saw who was assisting her. Trying to speak brought on another coughing fit though. Carson gave her shoulder a comforting squeeze with his left hand as he waved his right in a 'gimme' motion at the medic who obediently handed over his stethoscope to the physician. He was about to give the Athosian a cursory exam when Henderson suddenly ordered for Radek to be rolled onto his side.

The Czech scientist began to heave pitifully as his body tried unsuccessfully to rid itself of the vile chemicals he'd breathed in during his brief exposure to the coolant. The dry hacking cough from earlier was now mixed with gasps and choking noises as his stomach rebelled and what little he'd had for breakfast ended up on the infirmary floor.

Henderson gripped Zelenka's shoulders and held the shaking man until the spasms stopped, leaving the scientist red-faced and gasping. Carefully easing him back on the gurney, he scowled as he took in Radek's flushed complexion and continued raspy breathing. "Carson…" he began worriedly when it became clear Zelenka's breathing was only getting more labored.

"Go ahead," agreed Beckett. Leaving Teyla for the moment, he moved over to take position at the head of Radek's gurney, lowering it into a flat position. The scientist began to panic as each breath became harder and harder. "Easy Radek," Carson soothed, gently holding down the struggling man's shoulders. "We're going to sedate you and put a tube in your throat to help you breath until the swelling goes down." On that cue, a nurse injected the scientist with the sedative and Zelenka's struggles weakened, then ceased entirely. His eyes closed and the pained lines of his face smoothed out, though his body still struggled to take in oxygen.

Henderson started to hand him the scope but Carson shook his head, motioning the young man to take his position. "I'll watch," he said, knowing his own hands were shaking too much to risk doing the procedure himself. He knew medics on board the Daedalus were well qualified, having worked with them himself on their return trip from Earth. This one didn't let him down, quickly and efficiently intubating the scientist despite his swollen throat. Beckett listened to Radek's chest a moment, then gave Henderson a nod of confirmation indicating the scientist was now able to breathe satisfactorily.

Turning his attention back to his other patient, Beckett was relieved to see Teyla did not seem to be having the same intense reaction as Radek though he was still concerned by her amount of exposure. After discussing various treatment options with the Daedalus physician, he allowed the two to be wheeled out of his sight and back toward the intensive care area where they would be closely monitored. Henderson followed the gurney, calling for scrubs and a basin of water so that the chemical contaminant could be sponged off their patients as quickly as possible.

Allowing himself a weary moment to lean back against an empty bed, Beckett reviewed the mess left in the wake of the latest incident. When a hand gently gripped his arm, he opened his eyes, not even realizing he had closed them, to find a nurse at his side.

"Doctor, you need to get back in bed."

He glanced worriedly toward direction of the intensive care section then around the rest of the infirmary.

"I've already called Dr. Kelley," she said as she began to steer him across the room to his vacated spot from earlier.

As he sat on the edge of the bed and willed his hands to stop shaking, she assisted in helping him exchange his now soiled scrub top for a clean one. He let her, stubbornly accepting the fact that he had already overspent what little energy he had possessed, forcibly brought home by the pounding of his head. It didn't stop him from hating having to just sit on the sidelines while everyone else worked around him, though. Between Kelley--his trusted second in command, Henderson, and the rest of his staff, he knew his overburdened infirmary would be in good hands until he had recovered some of his strength. In fact, Kelley was even now walking into the infirmary, looking amazingly fresh after his short a nap and fairly bursting with youthful vigor. Beckett allowed himself the luxury of detesting the man for a full two minutes. His nurse had already left to intercept the young doctor with an armful of charts and an earful of news about their latest arrivals. She also glanced pointedly in Carson's direction.

After thanking her, Kelley approached him determinedly.

Carson braced himself for a lecture but the younger man merely slid the pile of charts haphazardly onto the mattress and took a seat beside him on the bed, flipping through the charts he had piled between them. "Busy afternoon," he remarked casually.

"Aye," agreed Beckett, letting his guard down a bit.

Reviewing the charts thoroughly, Kelley asked him a few questions about Radek and Teyla's treatment. Beckett answered as fully as he could, deferring to Henderson's expertise regarding treatment when it came to the chemical component of the coolant.

The young doctor made a few notes in the files while eyeing his boss surreptitiously, not missing the exhaustion or the pained creases around his eyes. "Pushing yourself will only delay your recovery and create more work for your staff," he said, balancing the completed charts on his lap.

"I know, I know," agreed Beckett, waving him off. He held no illusions that he would be of any help in his current condition.

As the younger doctor started making rounds, Beckett leaned back against the raised head of his bed and swung his legs up with a tired groan. It did feel good to just be able to lay there with his feet up. His infirmary was in good hands, he told himself firmly as he closed his eyes. Besides, what else could go wrong?

As if on cue, a brilliant flash of light brightened the infirmary and Beckett sat bolt upright in surprise. "Bloody hell!" he exclaimed as three men suddenly appeared in the middle of the room, the smells of ozone and blood instantly filling the air.