McKay struggled to get to his feet, and became more and more concerned when the gasping suddenly stopped.

"John?" He called out, using a knocked-over table to push himself up. His knee screamed in protest and he tried to ignore it as best he could, as he took his first few tentative steps forward towards, what he hoped was, where his injured friend laid.

"Rodney is you?"

The Canadian easily recognized the accented voice of his fellow scientist. "Radek?"

He looked around whilst trying to make his way over to John and spotted the Czech walking gingerly over to him, with a large gash above his right eye, was bleeding freely. Luckily the engineer seemed otherwise unharmed.

"Give me a hand, I think John's hurt pretty bad." Zelenka quickly went over to his friend and grabbed his good arm.

"Where is he?" Radek asked, looking McKay over.

"I'm not sure, but he must be close, I was just talking to him." As he spoke, Rodney's knee gave way, and it was only with the help of Radek that he remained standing.

"I help you look for him." The two civilians made their way quickly, but clumsily, through the damaged lab and over to where Rodney guessed the missing pilot lay.

As they rounded a large piece of material they found John, lying on the ground unconscious. His laboured breathing worried both scientists as they looked upon their friend.

"Here, let get you sitting" Radek said in his stilted English, as he gently eased Rodney to the floor.

From his place on the floor, McKay could do nothing but watch worriedly as Zelenka looked Sheppard over for injury.

"How is he?" he practically whispered his question due to his concern, and propped himself up on his good arm to see.

"His pulse is strong, but his breathing is most worrying." As he spoke, he looked over at the anxious face of the astrophysicist and asked "you have your radio? Mine broke in blast."

Rodney didn't have to respond to the question, because at that moment a familiar and much welcomed, female voice blared in his ear.

"Rodney this is Dr. Weir, do you read me?"

Despite his relief at hearing the voice that would be swiftly followed by help for him and his current room-mates, Rodney still winced at the sudden noise and nodded to an equally relieved Radek.

"I hear you Elizabeth."

"Thank God, are you alright? Is anyone else in there with you?

"As a matter of fact I've got Zelenka and Sheppard right here."

"Hold on, Beckett wants to talk to you"

Carson's voice was heard within seconds as he came onto the line.

"Rodney?"

"Carson"

"Are ye hurt lad?

"Yeah, but I'm more worried about the Colonel. I heard him gasping for air earlier as if he couldn't breathe, then he stopped, and now he's unconscious."

"Did he hit his head?"

"I don't know… I think so, maybe, but I can't be sure." Rodney's lack of medical knowledge was showing, and he quickly began to feel inadequate, and unsure of himself.

"He did come in for a cold… this could be bad." Carson said to himself, oblivious to the fact that he was talking out loud.

"Did you try and rouse him?"

"Umm… Not yet. We'd only just found him when Elizabeth came on the radio, but I was talking to him just now, before Radek found me. But, we were talking, that's a good thing, right? He seemed ok until he started coughing… though he did say that his head and ribs hurt, and…" Rodney babbled as he became more and more fretful about Sheppard's state of health.

Carson, who was used to Rodney's reactions to life-and-death situations, addressed the other conscious expedition member.

"Radek, do ye think ye can get him to wake up?"

"I will try." He replied, and gently, but firmly shook the Colonel repeatedly.

"Colonel Sheppard, can you hear me?" He loudly asked the unconscious man, and with each time Sheppard remained unaware to one of the Czech's questions, Radek's voice rose in pitch.

"Wha'?" John finally opened his eyes a little and looked at Radek with a somewhat confused expression on his face.

"Doctor Z?" he rasped.

"Yes Colonel, it me." Radek looked over at Rodney to make sure that the other man had heard the pilot, and to make sure that he had calmed down.

"Where's McKay?" John rasped again, though this time his voice was stronger.

"I'm right hear Sheppard." Rodney replied, all trace of his earlier fear at his friend's state now gone, "and Carson's wondering how you feel"

John didn't respond for a moment and his eyes took on a slightly distant expression, as if he was checking himself over mentally.

"Chest hurts and I've got a hell of a headache."

Rodney quickly relayed the message to the physician.

"Was he struck by anything in the chest?"

Once again Rodney relayed Carson's question to John.

"Sure as hell felt like it."

"I think I might have answer to that." Radek piped in, speaking for the first time since John woke for the second time.

"That device let out some sort of shock wave, at least four, one must have got you hard in chest."

"Well now that we know the cause." Rodney started sounding irritated, "any idea what might be wrong with him, Carson?"

"Ether cracked or broken ribs,the cold could make it quite painful, my worst fear is that it could possibly turn into pneumonia.

"Pneumonia." Rodney gasped, which earned him mixed looks from his companions, as they were unable to follow the conversation between the two men.

"Now lad, let's not jump to conclusions. Rodney, if we get you out of there in time it could be prevented."

Rodney had forgotten, until that moment, about how Atlantis reacted to explosions. We're trapped in here! Dread struck Rodney hard as he realised that with Radek and himself inside, it was most likely that someone like Kavanaugh was working to get them out. Kavanaugh Rodney sighed internally, that man has the mind of a... well, actually there was no creature known to man that Rodney could compare him to.

"Rodney?" McKay jumped, and Radek looked over at him concerned, as he had been eerily quiet, and was now very jumpy.

"Huh? Oh, I'm still here, Carson."

"I said 'what about you and Radek?'"

Rodney looked at his shoulder. "Well, I'm pretty sure that my shoulder's dislocated, my knee's banged up, and my head feels like someone's repeatedly hitting me with a hammer."

"Well, you'll have to find some way of keeping you from moving your shoulder about too much, and stay off the knee as best you can. Now what about Doctor Zelenka?

"Radek, anything besides your head hurt?"

"No Rodney, besides that I am unharmed."

"Carson, just tell who ever is trying to get us out to hurry his ass up." Rodney muttered and Carson chuckled at the typical Rodney McKay reaction.

"Inform me immediately if anyone of you feels worse, especially the Colonel"

"Yes, yes, of course." McKay assured.

"Alright, Beckett out. Oh and Rodney...hang in there."

"We'll try." Rodney muttered.