Chapter 5 - Teamwork
Ronon, Teyla and Phillips dashed forwards as soon as the smoke began to clear to perform their assigned tasks.
There was a jagged hole about two feet across, which Ronon began to enlarge by the simple expedient of hitting all round the edges with a sturdy chair.
Teyla and Phillips placed their jackets over the sharp edges and Ronon took one of the desks in two hands, leant out over the drop and let it fall into the room with a crash. He took another, smaller one and let that go and then was over the sill, leaping down into the room below.
Sheppard had been ready and had pushed one P90 into the gap at the base of the door when it had begun to close and another at the top. He saw Ronon's efforts to make the escape hole larger and watched as the desks were dropped through.
He also noticed something else happening in the room; some kind of projectiles were shooting periodically out from the walls.
"Ronon, be careful!" he called.
As Ronon clambered his way down the stair something swished past his face, so narrowly missing him that he felt the wind of its passing. Better be quick! he thought.
He ran across to Sheppard, who had kept Williams safely in the corridor, scooped her up and said to Sheppard, "Can you make this?"
"Yes, just go!" Sheppard replied.
They ran across the room, Ronon shielding Williams as well as he could.
Sheppard felt something strike the back of his tac vest, but it didn't penetrate.
They scrambled up the stair of desks, Sheppard struggling to keep his balance with the use of one arm. Ronon had passed Williams through to Rodney and Dr Keller and was reaching back to give Sheppard a hand when he felt as if something had drilled a hole in his left calf. He carried on regardless, helping Sheppard through the hole first and then diving through headfirst himself.
They were safe, for the moment, but Rodney said, "Right, let's not rest on our laurels, I don't trust this place. Everyone out! Now!"
He was right to hurry them. Sheppard heard a familiar humming sound building and shouted a warning: "Go, if you don't want to get fried!"
Ronon once more took Williams and Rodney made sure Sheppard kept up. Their progress was slowed by the desks and benches jamming the doors open, but they all made it, through the viewing gallery, across the landing and out through the lab, even while the electricity was building up and beginning to arc out into the room.
Ronon carefully placed Williams on the floor in the corridor outside, Martinez placing her folded up jacket under her head. She was beginning to stir groggily and Jennifer knelt down to check her over.
"Pull the desk out, Ronon, let the door shut," said Rodney.
Ronon gave the desk a firm tug and the door eagerly slammed closed.
"Lock that one out of the dialling programme!" said Sheppard, painfully, cradling his arm.
"You got that right," agreed Ronon, as Teyla passed him a pressure bandage from her vest and helped him tie it round his calf.
Sheppard sat down and leant against a wall. Jennifer sat next to him and from her bag took out a sling, carefully fastening it round his injured arm. Sheppard's eyes were drifting closed in exhaustion.
They heard the sound of running boots approaching and round the corner came Major Lorne, his team and some medics, all led by Colonel Carter.
Carter smiled when she saw them, but looked concerned at their injuries. She waved the medical teams over and Dr Keller immediately began briefing them on Sheppard's and William's conditions and directing them in carefully placing her charges on gurneys.
"You got through the doors, then?" Rodney asked Sam.
"Yeah, they were tough," she said, "but, you know, there's not much a determined team of engineers can't do with some high-speed drills and plenty of C4. Is there anything in there worth studying?"
"No. I think we should leave it locked up," Rodney said angrily. He had hated seeing his friend and Private Williams go through such a brutal series of tests.
"Sounds like you took control in there, Rodney," said Sam. "You got your team out"
"Oh, well, yes, I did my best," he said with false modesty. "But it was a team effort," he conceded.
"Come on," she said. "We'll stop by the mess hall before we debrief.
Rodney immediately perked up. "Hmm... macaroni cheese today, I believe!"
The party made their way through the now mangled security doors, medics first, Sheppard and Williams on the gurneys, Williams flanked by her concerned team-mates, Ronon resolutely limping along behind.
Rodney looked at the people ahead of him and felt glad that he hadn't panicked (much) or lost his nerve. They had worked together to rescue their team-mates and had all got out more-or-less in one piece. A proud moment for Dr Rodney McKay he thought.
Shanice woke up feeling better. She knew she'd been awake one or twice before, but it was all very hazy.
She opened her eyes to see Colonel Sheppard sitting in a chair by her bed. He looked pale and uncomfortable and his right arm was in a sling, bound close to his chest.
"Colonel Sheppard, sir," she croaked.
He reached awkwardly, left-handed, for a cup of water with a straw and put it to her lips.
"Thank you," she said, feeling the cool water going down her throat.
"I just wanted to see how you were," he said, sounding faintly embarrassed.
"I'm OK, I think," she said and continued, equally embarrassed, "that is, erm... I wanted to apologize."
"What for?" he said, his brow crinkling in confusion.
"Oh, well I was pretty useless yesterday." She cleared her throat, awkwardly, "I didn't really do anything."
"You did what you could," Sheppard said firmly. "You kept your head, you kept going, hey, you even kept your sense of humour until you got knocked out! You did good, Private!"
"I still felt pretty useless..." she said, unconvinced.
"Listen," he said, leaning forward, "sometimes you're the one doing the planning and the thinking and the action, sometimes you're just the one enduring whatever gets thrown at you. It's about being part of a team. Sometimes you have to rely on your team to get you out of a situation. And for what it's worth, I'd be happy to have you on my team, here or off-world. And Phillips and Martinez. You all did a good job."
He sat back, even more embarrassed at his long speech and, if he was honest ready to go and find a bed to lie on himself. The pain-killers and muscle-relaxants Keller had given him when she'd discharged him that morning were doing no good in his pocket.
"Thank you, sir," she said, blushing at the praise. She looked intently at his face and uncomfortable posture. "Erm... should you be here, sir? Did Dr Keller say you could get up?"
"She did this morning!" said Jennifer, marching up with her hands on her hips. "But you should be in your room resting!"
"I just wanted to check on Private Williams," he muttered, sheepishly.
"Consider her checked, Colonel! Now, out, before I get out a nice gown for you and keep you here!"
Sheppard stood carefully, nodded at Williams with his quirky grin, and left the infirmary as swiftly as he could.
Jennifer smiled at Shanice as she checked her blood pressure and temperature. "So," she said, "what's your verdict on your first mission?"
Shanice thought about her ordeal. "Well," she said thoughtfully, "at the time it was scary. And uncomfortable, even painful." She paused. "But working with Colonel Sheppard, and his team and thinking about getting to know my team that well? And all the planets there are out there for us to explore, let alone the rest of Atlantis?" She beamed: "I think I have the best job in two galaxies!"