The Eye…

Chapter 5 – How I Died

Rodney awoke to the sound of raised voices. He was completely wrapped up and weighed down by heavy blankets, but he still felt cold and shivered as he kept his eyes shut.

"Nae! If you hurt him while he's in this weakened state, you could kill him. I won't let you take him and do what you've done to the other man!"

A calm and deep male voice replied, "Now, now, Dr Beckett. If he dies, it will only be your fault for not healing him properly."

Rodney felt like the iced water was still flowing around his body and freezing him right to the core at the sound of that voice. Carson was still alive in this reality, but the other man proved that he was definitely not home yet.

"Kolya…" Rodney whispered and wished he had not, as the argument suddenly stopped and he heard booted feet clomping across the floor towards him.

"Ah, Dr McKay, I see you are finally awake. I have many questions for you and require your help."

The speech was perfectly even and belied the violence used on Rodney in the past to extract the information the Genii wanted from the scientist. He closed his eyes more tightly and sunk beneath the covers to try and get away. He wished for unconsciousness to claim him, but it did not.

Kolya said, "Get him up and take him to the main Control Room."

There were more approaching footsteps and before Rodney could steel himself, he felt cold as the covers were pulled back and strong hands grabbed his arms. The sensation had fully returned and he could feel the pain from the fingers as they brutally dug into his biceps and tugged him upright.

Rodney opened his eyes and blinked in the bright lights of the infirmary. Kolya was standing right in front of Rodney and glaring at him. Carson stood behind Kolya and was twisting his hands together nervously. Rodney frowned in concern at the state of his friend. The doctor had much messier and longer hair and several days of stubble. Carson's eyes were darting around the room in panic and suddenly they locked with Rodney's.

McKay physically staggered at the depths of sad hopelessness he saw on his friend's face. The hands holding him upright increased their pressure on his arms as he moved and he gritted his teeth.

Kolya narrowed his eyes and then spoke to Rodney, "We have been watching that device all the time we have been here, waiting to see whether it would activate and reveal its secrets to us. So, Dr McKay, my first question is this; where did you come from?"

Rodney looked down at his feet and winced. He was wearing a uniform rather than infirmary scrubs, but the material was not providing enough heat after his recent bout of hypothermia. He shivered violently and closed his eyes.

He felt a weight over his shoulders and opened his eyes in fear to see what it was. Kolya had allowed Carson to wrap a blanket around Rodney's trembling form. He reached up one of his shaking hands and tugged the blanket down over his chest and held the edges together tightly.

"Come now, Dr McKay, there will be plenty of time for you to answer all my questions later."

The soldiers shoved Rodney out of the infirmary while another remained behind and blocked Carson from leaving. The doctor called out desperately after Rodney, "Please, don't hurt him!"

Kolya paused and turned around. He glanced impassively at Rodney briefly before he looked at Carson, "As long as he cooperates, we will not have to use any methods of persuasion."

Rodney did not like the sound of that, but he was not strong enough to protest or fight back as he was shoved along the corridor and into a transporter. He tugged the blanket more firmly down over his shoulders and trembled, but it was not just the cold that was making him shake anymore.

Merciless hands on Rodney's back forced him to walk up the steps in the Gate Room. Soldiers kept their guns trained on him all the time, even though he was no threat to them. It was only serving to increase the downward spiral of misery and fear he was experiencing.

Strong hands on his shoulders pushed him down into a seat next to one of the Ancient control panels. Rodney held onto the blanket and drew it up where it had slipped off one of his shoulders.

Kolya nodded at one of his soldiers and the man grabbed the blanket and wrenched it from Rodney's weak grasp and tossed it aside. McKay furrowed his brow and hugged his arms around his chest as he started to shiver again.

Kolya gripped the armrests of Rodney's chair and moved his face in closely to the scientist's. McKay flinched backwards as the Genii invaded his personal space unpleasantly, but there was nowhere for him to go. Instead, all that he could do was look away.

Kolya smiled at him nastily and said, "We have been trying to access the systems you locked out after the storm for several years now. No-one has been able to assist us. I am curious as to exactly where you came from, but I will settle for now at having access to the entire city."

Rodney glared up at him, "Let me guess; you killed me?" He then looked down and mumbled, "Go me, for locking out all the systems before I died."

Kolya backhanded him across the jaw and Rodney cried out weakly as he rubbed his smarting face. He turned his head to the side and spat blood out onto the floor where he had bitten through his lip.

The Genii straightened up and looked confused for a moment before his neutral expression returned. "You are correct in your assumption, Dr McKay. You will therefore know that I have no qualms about killing you again. However, if you do not assist us, things will become most unpleasant for you. I believe a little persuasion may very well be necessary and not just for old times' sake."

Rodney grimaced and looked around at all the soldiers looming over him. They still had their guns raised and that was enough of an incentive for him at the moment. He spun around in his chair and clicked a few keys of the laptop in front of him. The Genii had obviously left all of the original equipment the expedition had brought with them in the hope that someone would be able to use it.

The first thing Rodney did was bring up the base records. He had to find out what had happened in this reality and whether there was anyone left on Atlantis other than Carson and himself along with more Genii soldiers than he would ever be able to fight his way past.

He glanced up over the top of the screen nervously after a few minutes and noted the locations of all the soldiers. Kolya was talking quietly to one of his men and the others seemed to be ignoring Rodney to watch.

Rodney easily broke through the code in place to access the minimal amount of data he required. He then tried to find out the exact moment in his personal history when the timeline had diverged. There were no records after the storm when the Genii had been forced to leave Atlantis before it hit in his reality. Instead he discovered that the Genii stayed and as he would probably have done in his own reality, his alternate self had battled to save the city even facing down the barrel of a gun.

Rodney saw that his other self had managed to raise the shield in time just before he had locked down all the systems with codes. Rodney thought that the Genii had probably killed him after the city was safe and he had not had enough time to make the codes more difficult to crack. As it was at that moment, the lockdown was easy to break through. Rodney refused to let the Genii of this reality claim the full potential of the city, just as he would never give in to them in his own reality.

He frowned in concentration as he added an even more complex layer of code over the other one and scrambled the systems until he could barely keep track of the lines of text himself. He smiled savagely at his handiwork and asked loudly, "So, what happened to Elizabeth, Ford, Teyla and the rest of the expedition? And how have you been avoiding the Wraith all these years?"

Kolya walked back over to Rodney. McKay quickly switched the screen on the laptop to something different and folded his arms over his chest defensively. He looked at Kolya as innocently as possible, but the Genii seemed to be able to see right through him straight away. He indicated one of his soldiers and said, "Check what he just did."

Kolya then looked down at Rodney and spoke coldly, "They are all gone, Dr McKay. The Genii control Atlantis, just as we deserve. We only kept those with the gene alive and got Dr Beckett to kindly inoculate all of my men with the ATA gene vaccination."

Rodney's mouth dropped open as he looked in shock at Kolya, "So… you…?"

Kolya nodded and smiled, "Oh yes, it worked on me and I have the power to control the systems now, just as you can. But we only have access to the ships you call 'Puddle Jumpers,' the stargate and the transporters. We would like to have more systems online so that we can complete our plan."

Rodney curled his lip up into a snarl and winced as it split open again and blood dribbled down his chin. He said angrily, "What's this plan of yours then? Hmm, galactic domination, perhaps?"

Kolya flexed his fist in annoyance, but his face still remained stoic, "No, our plan is to use this city to destroy the Wraith once and for all. They do not bother us and have never come to Atlantis while we have been taking care of the city."

Rodney frowned in confusion as he absently dabbed at his cut lip with the sleeve of his jacket. He then folded his arms over his chest again and said patronisingly, "Oh, please! How stupid do you think I am? I bet having this city has made you the leader of the Genii." Rodney glanced around at the soldiers watching him and addressed them, "But the mighty Kolya still doesn't have full control even after nearly four years. I bet all your companions are itching to usurp you and get the power themselves."

Kolya sneered dangerously at him, but kept his peace. There was still no emotion in his voice as he said, "You are correct in both respects, Dr McKay. I am indeed the leader of the Genii and there are many traitors among my people."

Rodney's face brightened and he felt hope building in his heart. It was quickly destroyed during Kolya's next sentence. "You will find none of them here. Only my most trusted men are allowed to accompany me away from the Genii homeworld."

"Oh," Rodney sighed sadly and turned to look at the data again.

Kolya asked the man sitting next to Rodney who had been checking over the code, "Well?"

"I'm sorry, sir, he's made it more difficult for us to crack it and locked us out of the stargate! We were close to getting through the original code, but it's impossible now!"

Rodney braced himself for the comeback, but he could not shield himself from physical abuse in the weakened state he was in and against the heavily armed and highly trained soldiers surrounding him.

Kolya nodded at two soldiers standing behind McKay and they pulled him up to his feet. They shoved him forwards until Rodney was standing in front of Kolya. He gritted his teeth and shook in fear as the Genii commander bunched his hand into a fist.

Rodney tried to move away, but firm hands pressing into his back stopped him. Kolya punched Rodney in the stomach as hard as he could and as he fell, Kolya brought his knee up and drove it into Rodney's groin.

Rodney cried out and landed heavily. He scrunched his face up in pain and curled into a foetal position. He whimpered as he clasped his hands between his legs to protect himself from further assault.

Kolya looked down at him coldly and said, "You disappoint me, Dr McKay. I would have thought an intelligent man such as yourself would have found it easy to break through the code. I do not really have any intention to harm you, but if you do not assist us then you must realise that I do not have any choice."

Rodney moaned in agony as he continued to clutch himself and rock slightly on the floor.

Kolya sighed and said, "Put him with the other one until he has had some more time to consider his options."

Rodney felt himself being pulled upright and he limped and leant right over as they shoved him down the steps. He had only just been able to narrowly open his watering eyes to see where he was going, but the pain clouding his mind made any coherent thinking impossible.

He vaguely watched through the blurry haze as he went on another transporter trip. He was then marched along a corridor, but walking was now so painful for him he could hardly suck in enough air through his gritted teeth to remain vertical. He was shoved through a door and collapsed onto the floor in the darkened room as the hands released him. The door shut behind him and he curled up into a tight ball and screwed his eyes closed.

Rodney could not recall when he had lost consciousness, but he was glad he had, as the pain from his assault had now diminished into a dull ache. He groaned and muttered, "I'm never going to have any children now!"

He was still lying on his side and slowly uncurled himself and rested a hand on his middle as he stretched out and the bruise from the punch to his stomach became more painful. He grimaced and grumbled, "The internal bleeding will probably kill me before I get the chance to try anyway."

Rodney jumped in shock and flinched when a quiet voice whispered, "So much redness. It was like the setting sun over the mountains."

"Hello? Who's there?" Rodney asked in panic as he rolled onto his back and rested his arms over his sore midsection. He turned his head each way and looked around the room, but there were many dark shadows and he could not see anyone else.

"The knife and the sound! Oh, that sound was like a gunshot and I can still hear it now!"

The voice was getting louder and more worked up. Rodney felt a similar fear gripping his own heart which had begun to pound in fright. What were the Genii doing, locking him up in a room with some crazy person?

"I tried, oh, I tried to stop them. I'm so sorry! There was too much blood and I just couldn't end the flow no matter how much ran over my hands where I pressed all my weight against that terrible… but what are you doing here now? A ghost?"

Rodney widened his eyes in realisation as he noticed something familiar about the voice. He whispered, "John?"

"Rodney?"

McKay rolled over and furrowed his brow as he slowly crawled along the floor towards the place where he had heard the voice emanating from.

"No, you're dead! I, uh, I…" There was a frantic scratching and scrabbling sound and Rodney moved even closer to the noise. He could not see anything in the shadows ahead of him, no matter how widely he opened his eyes to let in more light.

He steeled himself and remained on his hands and knees as he approached the darkness. When he reached the edge, a hand suddenly came at him from the shadows and grabbed his throat.

He was shocked at the incredible strength of the other man when he took hold of Rodney's upper arm and flipped him over. There was a dull thud as Rodney's back connected with the floor and all his breath left him. The hand around his throat tightened and crushed his windpipe down. He felt a huge pressure on his bruised stomach as a knee leant against his solar plexus and made his gasping breaths almost impossible and his vision was tinted with white spots around the edges.

He narrowed his eyes at the figure pinning him to the floor and wheezed, "John, please stop, it's me!"

Sheppard's face was hidden behind his messy, long hair and beard, but it was unmistakably him. Instead of releasing McKay he drove his knee in more savagely and Rodney could no longer breathe at all.

John muttered, "You're just another trick or a hallucination from the Genii. But I won't, I can't break the code! You know that. This man was the only one who could do it!"

Rodney's eyes had just closed when suddenly the crushing weight was removed and left only pain in its wake. He still could not breathe though and struggled weakly.

John tapped his face and said, "That's it! If it's really you I can help you get rid of them!"

Rodney coughed and rolled over onto his side and hugged his middle as he sucked in wheezing breaths and the pain continued to ramp up as he returned to full awareness. He gasped, "What the hell did you do that for? The Genii have really driven you crazy, haven't they?"

Rodney wondered how much torture John had had to endure for four years at the hands of the Genii to make him like he currently was. He rolled onto his back again as John sat down on the floor next to him and stared at his face. Rodney felt uncomfortable under the probing gaze as John's eyes were wide with wonder and madness.

Rodney closed his eyes and clutched his bruised belly as the pain continued to encircle him. He asked, "So, how did I die here? Was it Kolya?"

John nodded and whispered, "The knife, he waited until the city would not be destroyed and them stabbed you in the chest."

Rodney winced and moved his other hand up and laid it over his heart. John continued with grim wonder etched over his face as he looked down at Rodney, "It cracked your sternum… like a…" He waved his hands about blindly as though searching the air for the right word as it eluded him. "Like a…"

"Gunshot? Yes, I heard that bit, thanks."

They sat in pensive silence for a few minutes until the door to the room opened and light flooded in. Rodney did not turn towards the sound of the person coming over to him. He felt the floor vibrating under him as he remained stretched out flat on his back and tensed up in fear.

He closed his eyes and waited to be manhandled out of the room for another session with Kolya and his goons.

He felt a gentler touch as a hand rested on his forehead and a quiet sigh nearby. The hand moved down to his wrist and pressed against the vein to take his pulse. He whispered, "Carson?"

"Aye, what did they do to you? I told them not to, but they never listen. They didn't listen to me about John and now look at him. I don't want you to suffer and die inside like he has."

Rodney said sadly, "I had a close encounter with Kolya's fist and knee. Crazy John over there made his handiwork even better with his own knee a moment ago."

"Where are you hurt?"

Rodney patted his stomach and flinched. He was too embarrassed about the other dull throbbing pain still hurting him to mention it to Carson and knew he would rather endure that one on his own.

Carson slipped his arm under Rodney's back and helped him to sit up. He unzipped the bag he had brought with him and passed some painkillers and a bottle of water to the scientist. Rodney took them gratefully and crossed his legs and grimaced as he remained upright.

Carson kept his hand on Rodney's back as he drew a computer tablet out of the bag. He asked loudly, "So, how did you get here? Do you know how the device works?"

Rodney frowned in confusion, John had already moved back into the shadows and the scratching sound could be heard again as he clawed the wall.

Carson tilted the screen towards Rodney so that he could read it.

They're listening. I want to help you get out of here, but you need to play along.

Rodney's eyes widened and he took the tablet from Carson as he spoke and typed at the same time, "I came from another reality. I still don't know how the device works or whether it can even be controlled. I'm trying to get back to my own reality, but haven't yet had a moment to study any data from the device. Every reality so far hasn't given me a moment to rest other than in numb unconsciousness from some trauma or another."

He passed the tablet back to Carson and he read the text. I need a gun and a radio. Can John help us too?

Carson nodded and reached into his bag. He had already come equipped with what Rodney had asked for. The darkness of the room would prevent any video feed from being able to see what was going on, but Carson indicated for them to move into the shadows near John anyway to increase the concealment.

Carson passed him a Genii gun, but he had managed to procure some original Earth radios from somewhere. Rodney put the radio headset behind his ear and checked the gun had its safety on before he tucked it into his trousers against the small of his back.

Carson did the same and went over to John. Rodney heard a small struggle, but soon John was sitting next to him and holding the gun in his hand and gazing at it in fascination. He waved it around and Rodney grabbed John's wrist when the barrel swayed over and pointed at his chest. He whispered, "Keep that thing away from me!"

John smirked at him guiltily and tucked it into his trousers just as McKay had done.

Rodney tapped on the screen again and then spun it around to show Carson. You don't have to do this! They'll probably kill you!

Carson sighed sadly and took the computer. He typed, Quite frankly, I don't really care any more. We've been here alone for years now. We'll never get back to Earth, but your arrival has changed all that. John's not been well enough to help me for a very long time.

Rodney turned to him as another idea occurred to him, "How many Genii are on Atlantis at the moment?"

Carson glanced down at his hands and thought for a moment, "They usually have at least ten here at all times. Right now I'm not sure."

Rodney typed, The gate's disabled. We can take them. When they're all gone, I'll reboot the systems and you might be able to dial Earth and go home.

Carson smiled at him grimly and nodded, "Okay, let's go."

John stood in front of Rodney and Carson with his gun out ready. He banged on the door and Carson called out, "I'm ready to leave now!"

The Genii guards opened the door and John shot both of them before they had any chance to defend themselves. Rodney turned away so that he did not see the event and then looked back up and followed the others out of his prison cell.

John seemed to have become more lucid now that he had a gun and a purpose. He set his face in an intense expression of furious vengeance as he stalked up the corridor ahead of the two civilians and into the nearest transporter.

Rodney held the gun in his shaking hands and tapped the map of Atlantis. The door in front of them closed and opened a moment later to reveal a different corridor. John stepped out, but Rodney held him back and said, "I'll lead the way. Follow me."

John pursed his lips in frustration, but let McKay go first anyway. Another Genii soldier was wandering backwards and forwards across the entrance to the lab. Rodney peered around the corner and held up one finger and pointed frantically around the wall he was pressed up against.

John rolled his eyes and stepped out of cover. He squeezed off a single shot and a heavy thump echoed down the corridor towards the three men.

Carson raised his eyebrows, "I take it that's where we need to go?"

Rodney nodded, "Yes, Colonel Crackpot has obviously found his calling again."

John sighed and said, "Ass."

Carson smiled and Rodney frowned angrily. They then proceeded into the lab warily.

Rodney snapped his fingers at Carson, "Tablet."

Carson dropped his rucksack on the floor and passed the computer to the impatient scientist. Rodney tucked the gun back into his trousers and pulled his shirt down over it to conceal it. He then plugged the tablet into the control panel as John and Carson kept watch over him.

He sighed and rubbed his forehead in exasperation as no useful data was forthcoming. He was puzzled as to why the device was not fully active all the time as the lab was powered up.

Suddenly three gunshots rang out and made Rodney's teeth rattle, they were so loud in the small room. He spun around and watched as two more soldiers crumpled to the floor, but the third one was still alive and clicked his radio and said quickly, "Backup to the arch room!"

John pulled the trigger again and the man fell down, but the damage was already done. Carson turned to McKay and said in panic, "You need to work faster, Rodney. I don't want to shoot anyone and John won't be able to hold them all off alone."

Rodney gritted his teeth as pain flared through his midsection again where he had twisted around too quickly. He typed on the tablet and frowned in annoyance, "This is ridiculous!" He shook the computer in fury and muttered angrily, "None of this makes any sense! By these readings the device is already operational, why are none of us being pulled through? Unless… the lockouts! Somehow they're blocking it! Just a few more minutes and I'll break through them for this lab only."

Rodney continued to work as Carson and John took up strategic positions at the edges of the room. Rodney was still far too exposed as he stood out in the open and Carson called out to him, "I'd move if I were you, Rodney. Those lunatics will probably be here soon."

McKay grimaced and left the tablet on the control panel. He had seen what he needed to do to unlock the system and allow his passage onto the next reality. He decided to stay for a few minutes and see whether he could help Carson and John free Atlantis from the Genii and get home first. They were not his own friends, but he felt he owed it to them as they were probably the only survivors of the fated expedition in this reality and they had both helped him.

Before he found cover, several more gunshots reverberated around the room. None of the bullets found him as he dashed the last few metres to the edge of the room and took up position behind John. He drew his gun out and fired blindly at the door.

The soldiers were hiding out of range behind the wall and waiting while they kept the three Lanteans under siege. A gun appeared in the doorway and fired a few more shots into the room. The bullets harmlessly embedded themselves in walls and the ceiling, but Rodney panicked and shot the last of his bullets futilely towards the door. His gun clicked empty and a deeper fear clutched his heart.

John turned to him and shook his head. Carson still had not fired a single shot and his face was ashen as he kept his gun pointed at the ground.

Another gunshot rang out in the room and John tensed up just before he pitched over sideways.

Rodney's eyes widened and he held onto John's shoulders as he fell down. Blood pooled on the floor around him and Rodney saw that he would probably never get up again. He had been shot in the head and his eyes were already closed as his last breath passed out of his slightly parted lips in a sigh. Rodney glanced over at Carson and begged, "Do something!"

Carson shook his head and whispered, "I'm really sorry, Rodney. I didn't have a choice. They made me do it."

McKay let go of John's unmoving frame and laid him gently on the floor as he watched Carson lift the gun up and aim it at him with a grimace. John's gun had flown out of his hand and was now too far away for Rodney to reach. He stood up straight, lifted his hands up in surrender and asked in a high pitched voice, "What's going on? Carson…?"

Beckett frowned at him as he revealed the depths of his betrayal to the man he had once called his best friend in the other reality, "They only tortured John because he refused to help them. I couldn't even endure the threat of torture so I agreed to go along with their plans. They'd already killed or put the rest of the expedition offworld so I didn't see the harm in it really. I even convinced myself that I could one day get Atlantis back from them and make my way home again."

Rodney's hands shook and his heart beat quickly against his ribcage in shock. Carson turned towards the door and called out, "It's clear!"

Five Genii soldiers entered the room and went over to stand behind Carson on the opposite side of the room to Rodney as he kept his hands up. They all trained their weapons on him and he widened his eyes and furrowed his brow in fright.

Kolya walked into the room next. His slow and deliberate footsteps infuriated Rodney, but he did not dare to move or shout as he did not want a bullet to find him. He knew they would not hesitate to shoot him now if he moved even an inch.

Rodney locked eyes with Carson and tried to convey a pleading look for help to his friend as he kept the gun unwaveringly aimed at Rodney's chest. He thought he saw Carson's eyes change for a moment in understanding, but he was not sure because the next moment the look was gone and replaced by grim determination.

Rodney looked down at John's still form at his feet and opened his mouth to speak. He could only lift and lower his jaw, but no sounds were made in his vocal chords as he tried to say something, anything, to convey his sudden shock and grief.

Kolya stopped pacing and spun around to face him. He said evenly, "So, you admit that you can get this device working again fairly easily, Dr McKay. The only thing I have left to work with is you now." Kolya gestured down at John on the floor and said, "You were not a very good friend to him were you? You let him die to save yourself."

Rodney felt a rising tide of anger building in his chest and overwhelming him.

Kolya smiled at his taunt and continued, "I know you are probably not really in the mood for helping us now, so I believe it would be better if we escorted you back to your cell to think things over."

Kolya glanced back at the soldiers who stood around Carson. Rodney noticed that Carson was looking at the ground with a frown and had shifted backwards so that none of the soldiers were behind him anymore.

When Kolya turned to face Rodney again he said conspiratorially, "You know, my men are tired of dragging you around the city, Dr McKay. They complain that you are very heavy and difficult to move. They are reluctant to carry you all the way back to your cell, so I think it is about time you lost some of that weight. It may also help focus your mind on the task at hand too."

Rodney lowered his arms down by his sides, but it had no effect on the Genii. He kept his eyes on Kolya as the Genii commander came over to him and stood far too close for comfort. Rodney glared at him, but his look could do nothing to alter the slightly amused and mad expression he received in return.

Rodney did not see Kolya's fist move this time as he was brutally punched in the stomach again.

Carson cried, "No!" from the other side of the room as Rodney staggered backwards under the force of the blow.

It felt different from before though, the punch seemed to have more bite than was possible for a blunt impact. He looked down and moved his shaking hands away from his abdomen and held them out in front of himself so that he could see them. He saw they were covered in blood and released a soft, "Oh," in shock.

Kolya approached him again and Rodney looked up and saw that the Genii had a red tinted and dripping knife in his hand. He suddenly realised that the punch had actually been a stabbing blade. Rodney continued to stagger backwards until he hit the wall and leant heavily against it, breathing hard.

Kolya lifted the knife up and it flashed silently as it sliced through the air and plunged into Rodney's chest.

Carson was looking at the scene in horror and the second time Kolya stabbed Rodney was enough to push him over the edge. He suddenly switched his allegiance in guilt and moved his gun away from pointing at Rodney. He quickly shot the men around him at point blank range.

Kolya pulled the knife out of Rodney's chest and he collapsed onto the floor and writhed in agony. He desperately pressed one hand against his side and the other over his chest, but blood continued to soak through his clothes as it flowed out of him into a pool on the floor.

Kolya turned around at the sound of the gunshots behind him and unholstered his own weapon as he calmly waited for Carson to finish.

Rodney opened his eyes to find out why he had not been knifed again. The glint of metal on the floor nearby caught his eye and he saw John's gun from earlier. He moved his trembling hand away from his chest and heaved himself along the floor as he continued to bleed and weaken.

Kolya was too preoccupied with Carson's antics to notice that Rodney had now got the gun in his hand and was struggling to lift it up to aim at the commander.

Carson was shaking in fear over what he had just done and staring down at the men around him he had killed. All the colour had drained out of his face and he dropped the gun out of his limp hand and it clattered onto the floor.

Kolya levelled his gun at Carson and fired a single shot after all the soldiers were lying dead around the physician's feet. The bullet struck Carson in the forehead and he fell backwards and did not get up again.

Rodney dug deeply into his reserves of strength to remain conscious and pulled the trigger. He shot Kolya in the back and the man staggered for a moment, but did not fall. Rodney gritted his teeth as blood flowed out of his mouth and he coughed harshly. He kept on firing bullets into the Genii in grim satisfaction even when the commander finally fell down and lay still. He continued to pull the trigger of his gun, but he had emptied the entire clip and it just kept clicking uselessly.

Rodney choked as more blood gushed up his throat and pressed his hand down more firmly against his side. Everyone on Atlantis in this reality was now dead and he would find no help here anymore. He needed to get through the archway or he would die. He was losing blood frighteningly quickly from the knife wounds, but he had no time to drag himself over to Carson's rucksack and get some bandages. He knew that any movement would likely cause him so much pain he would black out, but he had to get to the tablet and activate the archway with what little time he had left if he stood even a fraction of a chance at surviving.

He looked across the room at the gulf separating him from reaching the control panel and grimaced. It may as well have been a marathon to him it seemed so great a distance as he lay on the floor in agony and fear as he bled out.

He forced himself up onto all fours and clutched his side as he spat blood and weakly crawled across the floor.

He fell down before he reached the console and lay on his front and panted through the pain. He looked up at the console high above him and imagined the distance was like trying to climb a massive mountain without enough air to sustain him. He pushed the image aside and tried to visualise it as just another step forwards rather than the impossible task he had seen. He needed to act quickly as his body was shutting down on him and he could feel his heart fluttering rapidly in his chest as his blood pressure plummeted.

He grasped the edges of the panel and left gory trails of sticky red blood as he heaved himself upright and leant over the console. He swayed and picked up the tablet he had left there. His eyes closed and he felt a brief falling sensation.

He could no longer feel anything as he blearily typed away on the tablet clutched in his hands where he had landed on the floor. He lifted the lockouts around the lab. His weak grasp on the tablet failed as he was dragged backwards with a small cry.

The ice enveloped him briefly as he rolled through the portal and entered another reality.

Rodney lifted his incredibly heavy arm up and tapped his radio. He no longer cared who was in the new reality or who he called down. He only wanted to live and he knew he was now very close to death. He had no desire to die alone and unnoticed. He choked again and then raggedly whispered, "McKay to anyone… help me!"

His arm then flopped down by his side again and he blacked out.

TBC

A/N – voyfan7 and I had the same idea about this one! Also some of the whump in this chapter harks back to a challenge/conversation I had with RodneyIsGodney a little while ago about ways I hadn't hurt Rodney yet…