Attack of the Atlantean Gizmo
Part 8: Crisis
(Sheppard's POV)
I waited for Lorne to radio me the all clear but as time slipped by I realised glaring at the radio wasn't going to make things speed up. Maybe it had something to do with the radio being an inanimate object, but still things were taking too long for my liking. I mean even if Rodney and Carson were that furious at me you'd think they would have radioed by now to let me know I have no hope. Unless they had abducted Lorne in an attempt to get me to show up - doctors are sneaky people after all. Then again if that were the case they would have radioed me by now with some sort of conditions - besides I'm not giving the Major much credit.
I eyed Elizabeth's office. I'm sure he couldn't whine about my behaviour for that long - then again it is McKay. I peered through my binoculars at the office. I still couldn't see what was happening - talk about irritating.
"Colonel Sheppard!"Major Lorne called over the radio. Finally, it's about time! I've been waiting for ages. I picked up the radio and wondered if the situation had been resolved, but there was urgency in his tone indicating something wasn't right.
"What's wrong Major?" I asked.
"You need to head to Dr Weir's office. Now! No time to explain. She might be in danger. Oh and send a security team down here would ya?"Security team? Danger? - Had I missed something here? Though from the tone of the Major's voice I could tell the situation must be dire. Ah well, action first questions later - typical military situation
"So much for a day off," I muttered into the radio as I got up and sprinted for Dr Weir's office, and called for backup to the labs for an unknown situation. The tactical part in my brain got to work as I took the fastest route to the office wondering if Elizabeth and Rodney would be okay.
(Dr Weir's POV)
Rodney's condition was worsening, that much I could tell. I knelt by his side, hoping the fit or what ever it was would pass. I held his shoulder tightly as wave after wave of the fit shook his frame - The medical team was nowhere in sight and I was truly frightened that if the team didn't get here soon, there would be a chance that I would lose him. I didn't even know what was wrong with him! I couldn't help him - there was nothing I could do. I could only watch and murmur words of comfort which I was sure he couldn't hear.
A few moments later the shaking stilled and for a moment I thought he might be dead. His pulse assured me that wasn't the case but it had given me a huge scare. For a moment it had seemed like Rodney McKay; the sarcastic, sometimes abrasive, genius and head of science team who had saved everyone's collective lives on a number of occasions had been dead. Relief was slowly over taking the panic, the fear and the guilt- the emotions that had for a few moments pushed to the surface and threatened to overwhelm me. I wrung my hands together but remained planted at Rodney's side. I would be there for him; if I could just do that then maybe the guilt of being unable to help him would lessen. I knew I was expecting too much of myself - but if it had been someone else in this situation rather than me, I'm sure they could have dealt with it better.
Did he just stir there? Not sure whether my mind is playing tricks on me or not, I decided to check his pulse again. It's seems stronger... Before I could pull my hand away Rodney grabbed my wrist in a death grip. The surprise coupled with the strength of the grip caused me to intake a sharp breath. I could feel his nails digging into my skin, the grip becoming stronger by the second. Despite my attempts to free myself he held on and I could feel the circulation in my hand worsening. Was Rodney really this strong?
"Rodney..." I said tensely. "Let go, please just let go. You're crushing my wrist." At the sound of my voice his eyes snapped open and he immediately sat up. He seemed confused, if only for a moment, before glancing at my wrist and leering at me. I didn't like the look in his eyes; it was that of a predator looking at its prey - Rodney had never looked at me like that before and I couldn't help but feel a little uneasy.
"Rodney." I said in a more commanding tone, though I felt anything but confident at this moment. "Let go, now." He got to his feet fairly easily for someone who had just been rendered unconscious moments before.
"As you wish." He said in a mocking tone before shoving me harshly forwards as he released my hand. The power behind the shove was enough to have me land on my back on my desk causing many of my reports to flop uselessly to the floor. I was more concerned for my own safety rather than the safety of my reports at the moment, and it became more apparent I was in danger as McKay positioned himself in front of my door. I pushed myself up to my feet, and though a part of me wanted to scream for help, I stood still. McKay would never attack me... What was going on?
"What do you want?" I said having found my voice. Rodney continued to sneer at me as he took a few steps forward. I was running out of options - I needed to stall him. Until someone comes, anyone comes!
"You don't need to know anything except that the torture that you put me and several others through will not go unpunished."
"I don't understand - I can assure you we aren't responsible for whatever happened to you." I said, trying to negotiate not even knowing what had happened. I trust the team though, I'm sure none of them would intentionally harm someone unprovoked.
"Our kind doesn't play god Dr Weir. I think your kind should learn its place." Before I could even begin to think about what the being meant by that statement he continued to stalk towards me. I'm not a fighter; I know that much, but if the being inside McKay's body thought I was just going to let him harm me - he must surely be mistaken.
I maintained my distance from him; matching any step forward he made with a step backwards. I didn't know his capabilities but I didn't want to test them unless I had to. Suddenly he lashed out with a fist aimed at my face and I hurried backwards out of the way. A few other punches came my way but I refused to let myself be hit by them. The being inhabiting McKay's body knew combat, it showed in his speed and technique. All I was doing was buying time - my office was too confined for me to dodge forever and the hope of anyone coming had completely evaporated. Another punch came my way and as I moved to dodge it as I had done previously, his leg hooked around the back of my ankle and pulled, making me to tumble to the ground.
Before I could react, his foot came down on my lower ribcage, hard.
The impact caused me to cry out in pain though I was trying my best not to show weakness. The pain was unbelievable and the resolve I had to fight this was waning. My hands grabbed at his leg, clutching, pushing, using all the force I could muster to move his foot off of me. I couldn't escape though; he had me pinned beneath his foot and with each moment he was increasing the pressure and only showing mild discomfort at my attempts to get free. As the pain built in my chest, my breathing came out in short strained gasps. I could barely breathe and my head was spinning. My grip was loosening as my energy seemed to fade away. I didn't think I could take much more of this...
My eyes watered from the agony and the sadistic grin plastered over McKay's face began to melt as my vision blurred. My lungs burned from the lack of oxygen, my head was pounding to an intense rhythm... this was it, it seemed. Out of all the dangers I'd been faced with since I came to Atlantis, death by the wraith seemed most likely - not this. Not by a friend who probably had no control over his actions.
Just as I thought I was going to pass out, the pain over my chest lessened considerably though the continuous throbbing was there. Almost instantly afterwards I heard a crash and some sort of struggle. Knowing that someone had finally come to my aid I got shakily to my knees. Any movement of my ribs was met with a sharp striking pain but I knew I couldn't stay here. It wasn't safe. In the short time that it took me to get to an upright position I could hear the struggle lessening. I spared a glance to see what was happening and my eyes were met with the sight of John Sheppard pinning the being in McKay's body; John's hands gripping the collar of McKay's shirt tightly.
(Sheppard's POV)
"What the hell is wrong with you?" I yelled full force at McKay. I had run in to the sight of him hurting Elizabeth - I had no idea what was going on but one thing is certain. I am very pissed off.
"What do you mean what's wrong with me? Elizabeth has been taken over by an alien consciousness! She was trying to kill me!" He yelled straight back.
"You could have killed HER! Why didn't you just call security? The only damn reason I'm here is because Lorne radioed me saying there was a problem - Problem? That's the biggest damn understatement I've heard in a while!" I screamed at him.
"How exactly would he know what's going on?" McKay countered angrily. I glanced over to Elizabeth who was leaning on her desk while breathing in an erratic manner. It'd probably take her a while to get her bearings; meanwhile I had to find out the truth myself.
"I sure as hell don't know but coming here to find you crushing Elizabeth's ribs points to the fact that you're part of the problem!" I snapped. Okay, I'm confused, angry - and I still don't know what's going on.
"As usual Colonel you're just jumping to conclusions. You trust Major Lorne over me?" McKay asked incredulously.
"In this situation - Yeah, yeah I do." I said sounding more confident than I felt. McKay looked hurt for a moment - what if it really was him?
"Yeah? Well you're making a mistake. He radioed you, right? Well why don't you radio him back and ask him what's going on?" McKay said smugly having recovered from before. I glared at him for a moment before reaching for my radio and switching it on.
"Major Lorne?" There was only silence. "Major Lorne respond, damn it!" I hollered. There must've been a situation on his end - why else would he know what was happening here? I gave up trying to connect with him and turned my angry gaze to McKay once more. "What did you do?"
"ME? In case you haven't noticed, I'm right here Sheppard. Didn't it occur to you that maybe he was trying to get you away from the labs?" McKay shot back.
"Oh? And why would Lorne do that?" McKay hesitated for a moment.
"How - how should I know? It was just a suggestion..." Aha! I was being bullshitted. McKay really is bad bluffer. I chose this moment to interrupt him.
"Besides - that still doesn't explain why you attacked Elizabeth." I said warningly.
"We've been over this! There's an alien consciousness in her head!" McKay said exasperatedly.
"I don't buy that. She's been in her office for the most part of today - unlike you. Youwere working on those gadgets today, weren't you?" I accused. McKay was deathly silent. Okay - now things were beginning to clear up.
"...It's - it's not McKay..." Elizabeth managed to gasp out. I turned to look at her quizzically. I'd have thought she would have left by now - she's in a bad state.
Just as I was about to tell her to get to the infirmary something connected with the side of my face: McKay's fist. The disorientation from getting a whack to the head gave McKay the advantage. He exploited by twisting his arm around my neck and pulling me down; reversing our position and pinning me to the ground. Hissing from the sudden contact with the solid metal floor, I did the only thing I could do while McKay had me pinned; I cracked my head against his. Hurt - like - hell. Although his grip only lessened for a minute it was enough time for me to bring my knee up into his stomach and shove him off. McKay only seemed mildly phased by the blow but I didn't wait to see if he'd recover before I got to my feet. McKay followed soon after. Damn this was going to be tougher than I thought - It was going to take a lot to bring this guy down - but at the same time I'd be injuring McKay. I don't like this at all!
We spent the next few moments circling one another, waiting for each other to make the first move. Time was on my side after all. Eventually he gave in and sent a kick my way; I evaded like Teyla had taught me in one of our training sessions. I didn't like to admit it, but that sparring thing might be useful for this kind of situation. The fight got more and more intense by the second as we continued in a frantic effort to finish the fight as soon as possible. Whatever was controlling McKay was adapting and I found myself taking a few hits. I fought as best as I could in the scrap and after a short time I realised this fight wouldn't end well for both sides.
Just as I slammed McKay up against the wall, a loud voice bellowed through the room.
"STOP!" It sounded like Ronon yelling; finally some backup! McKay didn't stop however, and used a sweep to unbalance my left leg while shoving me forwards. I stumbled but quickly recovered and gave McKay a good punch to the face. Just as I was about to follow up with a finishing kick something hit me in the back. My entire body was shaken with a jolt of pain, then went numb, as I topped uselessly to the floor - and judging by the thud I heard before consciousness left me, McKay had met a similar fate.
(Teyla's POV)
I caught up with the medical team fairly quickly and though my ankle with aching ruthlessly, I continued on with them. The 'bad feeling', as the people from earth called an inexplicable sensation that something was not what it seemed, was enough to force myself to continue on. A little further into the journey a female nurse spoke up.
"Miss Emmagan, you really should be resting your ankle. I'm guessing that it may be only sprained but still - we can take care of this-" The woman was small in stature and had blonde, short, cropped hair; which was common among the doctors in Atlantis for its practicality. She had been sending me glances earlier - No doubt worried about my condition; normally I would not object but I was suspicious about the situation and I doubt I could have rested not knowing what was going on.
"No." I said a little harsher than I intended but she had immediately stopped talking. She seemed shy - unsure of herself, but I reminded myself to reassure her that I was not ignoring the doctor's advice I had gotten. "I am fine. I will rest once this is over - but at the moment, Carson, a good friend, is in need of help. Are you sure you have no information on what has happened to him?" I hated to be overly insistent but as long as this bad feeling plagued my senses I would not be calm.
"None at all; the Major's alert was brief. All we know is that Dr Beckett is the one who needs medical attention." She said in a formal manner. I was surprised by this sudden change in tone. The fact that she was serious about her work was shown in the way she spoke. All this uncertainty about Carson was making me feel apprehensive though.
"Have you tried to contact the Major again?" I asked.
"We did a few moments ago but we got no reply..." She said hesitantly with concern in her voice. That was worrying - I was sensing danger, and him being unable to reply would suggest that something had happened to the Major. If so, then I could no longer dismiss the feeling I had as just concern.
"Do you think they could have been attacked?" I finally asked, having been silent for a few moments.
"We don't know that for sure. Who would have? Perhaps if Dr Beckett's condition is transferable..." The blonde nurse rambled. It was clear that she was just as unnerved by the situation as I was. She must have been one of the new personnel that had come from earth judging by her anxiety. I focused more on reaching the labs and ignoring the pain that had risen up my ankle to my leg.
As the group made more progress towards the laboratories I noticed the transporter. That would get us closer to the labs no doubt but when we started to move away from it, I was confused.
"Couldn't we use the transporter?"
"I'm afraid not - there's too many of us and too much equipment." The lead doctor said.
"What if a few of the group went ahead? Then they could report their findings." I suggested. The man seemed to contemplate it for a moment.
"Alright, go and take Miss Marilena with you."
"Thank you." I said while taking off towards the transporter. Once I reached it, I turned around to find the nurse who had previously spoken to me was the one that had been sent.
After coming out of the transporter I knew the labs were close by. As soon as I took a step out of the transporter however I involuntarily shivered. It felt as if I had been hit with a cold wave of salt water, and the uneasy feeling in my stomach had increased greatly.
"What's wrong?" Marilena asked, not hiding the fear from her voice.
"I do not know - it's almost as if I sensed - No... It is nothing." I sounded as confused as I felt. Things would clear up once we reached the labs.
"If you're sure... How is your ankle?" She asked.
"I would be lying if I said it did not hurt - but the sooner we find out what has happened, the sooner I will be able to rest it." I said honestly. She nodded in understanding before following me as I rushed to the labs.
Once we reached lab 5 my worst fears were confirmed as my eyes took in the sight of both Dr Zelenka and Major Lorne unconscious on the floor. Marilena immediately went to check the pulse of the Major; I moved to check Zelenka's. His pulse was relatively stable and I was unable to find any signs of wounds on his body. I moved over to where the blonde nurse knelt and looked down at the Major. He was breathing, unconscious like Zelenka, but across his body there were bruises, small wounds - his nose also looked to be broken. I glanced over to Marilena who was examining Lorne's injuries.
"He - he was attacked." She stammered while pointing to a swollen part on the Major's face that had turned a pale shade of purple. "That bruise looks like it was caused by a fist."
"Are you sure?" She nodded rapidly in response. I placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. Though something caught my eye - there was a small piece of technology in Lorne's grasp. As the nurse moved to touch it, I gripped her arm preventing her from doing so.
"It would be unwise to touch something that might be the reason to their unconsciousness." I let go of her arm, got up and glanced around the lab for a few moments. My brow furrowed as I realised something that I had missed as I saw Lorne and Zelenka.
"-Where's Carson?"
"He was supposed to be here!" Marilena said with her voice rising in pitch.
"He's not here - Contact the medical team and tell them what you know." I commanded as I walked towards the door.
"Where - where are you going?"
"To find Dr Beckett."
I left the lab and glanced around, searching inwards for a guide to where he was. My instincts were telling me he was near. I heard the rush of footsteps and spun around into a defensive position. At the sight of a security team I relaxed. Though I was at a loss as to who sent the men, I was relieved. This would make the task of finding Dr Beckett easier. The leader of the team motioned for them to lower their weapons.
"Lieutenant Reed." The leader offered in a way of introduction. "What's happened here?"
"I came here with the medical team, though they could not use the transporter. Dr Zelenka and Major Lorne were found unconscious in the lab. A Miss Marilena is seeing to them now, though Dr Zelenka only appears to be unconscious, Major Lorne's wounds suggest that he was attacked. A strange device was found at the scene, it could explain why they were unconscious-" I clarified.
"But it wouldn't explain the Major's injuries?"
"No. Dr Beckett is also missing. Excuse me for asking - but who sent you? I wasn't aware that a security team was sent out-"
"Colonel Sheppard Ma'am. So from what you're telling me it looks like we have a hostile on the loose?" Ah, Colonel Sheppard - I thought he had today off...
"Yes - I was about to hunt for the culprit myself... Perhaps we should split up? We'll be able to locate the person faster."
"Alright men, you heard her. Split up and search the immediate area for both Dr Beckett and the person responsible for the attack." Reed ordered. Immediately the team sprang out in multiple directions into the shadows, while the medical team hurried onto the scene. Thinking that I had rested my ankle enough I sprinted off in the direction my intuition was screaming at me to go.
With each step I took my heart sped up, my skin tingled, my stomach felt more restless - these sensations were familiar to me; too familiar. I was more alert than I had ever been, hunting down this attacker while not knowing Carson's fate. I rushed up stairs, higher and higher up this pier until I could go no higher. At the top I found myself feeling dizzy, my ankle was throbbing mercilessly and my legs felt exhausted but I opened the door to the outside regardless. A sharp cold wind greeted me as I took my first few steps out and my eyes trained on the figure nearby. The figure which had turned around upon my entry - it was Dr Beckett. But the feeling that had led me to this point was yelling at me that it wasn't him. That it was something that until this point I had believed was impossible. But in my heart I knew it was true - He sneered at me and took a few steps forward and I immediately got into a defensive position once more.
"What have you done to Carson, wraith?" I yelled over the cold gale as I glared into the face of a creature who was not Carson Beckett.
A/N: I know, whumpage... cliffhangers... I'm an evil little author. I'll probably update in 7 weeks from now. Got exams and all but who knows I might fit another part in