Now from the other POV…
Chapter 2 – The Heart of Darkness
Rodney walked into the Ancient building and headed straight over to a console. He trotted eagerly to start with, but his feet slid on the pebbles beneath them so he decided to slow down rather than fall over. He glanced at the collapsed wall in fear, but reasoned that it may have been like that for ten thousand years and another few hours hopefully would not cause it to cave in any further.
He hated how dry and irritated his throat was from the lungful of dust he inhaled a few minutes ago. He had already drunk nearly half a bottle of water while he waited for the all clear from Ronon and Sheppard, but he was still struggling not to cough as he stepped inside the dusty room.
Plugging his tablet into the most likely looking console, he typed away and studied the data. He quickly found the basic systems and said, "Ah yes, here we go."
The lights came on and Rodney continued to tap on the screen for a few moments. He suddenly spotted the source of the energy reading and found it strange that it seemed to be coming from directly underneath the console he was using.
He thought it odd that the Ancients, in their wisdom, had not concealed it in a better location. The ZPM room on Atlantis was huge and well shielded, but to bury one in a console seemed strange to him.
He decided to go straight into the system and use the console directly.
Rodney pressed a couple of the panels and shivered as he felt an unusual sensation flowing up his arms and collecting in the centre of his chest.
He drew in a noisy breath as he stopped hitting the panels and lifted his hands up. The icy feeling which was pooling at his core continued to increase. He was just about to say something, perhaps that he was no feeling very well, when the cold turned to pain as something burrowed into him and gathered around his heart.
He cried out and put his hand over the source of the hurt. The next thing he knew the room spun around in an unsteady fashion and then tipped as he fell down.
The agony in his chest increased as he lay there and he wondered whether he was having a heart attack. It seemed to consume his whole being and tremors of pain spread out from the focal point and ran down his arms and legs.
He increased the pressure with his hand on the left side of his chest and wished the touch could soothe away the agony beneath or just make it stop.
"Are you alright McKay?" He heard Ronon ask dimly from high above him.
Just as the pain had started, it suddenly vanished. Rodney was still filled with the memory of it and he was puzzled as to what had just happened. He was about to answer when he heard a terrifying sound in his head.
Say you tripped.
The voice was a low and unemotional monotone. He could not tell whether it was male or female.
Rodney stuttered, "What?"
Sheppard spoke in concern, "He said are you alright? Rodney?"
Say you tripped or we will kill you.
Another squeeze of his heart made Rodney gasp and close his eyes again. The sensation left him once more and he gazed up at Sheppard. He tried not to shudder as he lay there and he had no desire to die, so he obeyed the voice.
"Uh… yes… yes I'm fine. I…I just tripped." His voice was more hesitant than he expected and he braced himself for the killing blow. When it did not come he thought he must have succeeded in placating the thing that had spoken to him.
Make no sign that you can hear us or we will make the last moments of your life very unpleasant for you.
Rodney finally released the grip over his heart and let Sheppard help him to stand. He drew in a couple of deep breaths and leaned on the console so that he did not fall over again.
Make an excuse to leave the planet and head back to Atlantis. We will be watching.
Rodney thought that whatever was in him may be contagious or would pass out of him if he were to be touched, as it had emanated from the control panel. When he looked up Sheppard and Ronon were still staring at him.
Sheppard asked, "Are you sure you're alright. We could head back and ask Beckett to check you over."
"I'm fine, Colonel. How many times do you have to be told?" The stress at having to lie to his friend in order to stay alive annoyed Rodney more than he could ever admit. It made his words came out more harshly than he had intended and it hurt him more deeply because he was speaking to someone who was showing genuine concern for his welfare.
Ronon asked, "Did you find a ZPM?"
Rodney's mind worked as fast as he could make it to come up with a suitable lie to tell his team mates so that they could get out of there. Maybe he could get Carson to scan him and find out what was going on. A tiny flicker of hope began to spread through his mind from the thoughts about Dr Beckett and being safely in the hands of people who could help him.
Before he could speak he felt a hand on his shoulder and realised that Sheppard was touching him.
He cried, "No!"
Rodney just hoped that his theory about transferring the being was incorrect, if not then it was too late for John as well.
Sheppard looked hurt at the outburst and asked, "What?"
Rodney's quick thinking came into play as he spun his yarn, "I mean, no, I didn't find a ZPM. There is a large power source coming from below the surface though. I think it would be better if I take the data back to Atlantis for further study and bring a larger science team back at a later date."
Although truthfully, Rodney doubted there was anything in the lab at all.
Luckily for Rodney, Sheppard seemed to buy it and said, "Sounds good. Let's head back."
The walk back to the Jumper was tortuous for Rodney. He wondered at every moment whether he was going to feel another crush in his chest which would hurt as much as it had done in the Ancient building. The memory of the pain still fresh in his mind did not help to alleviate his fears, but just to intensify them as he tried to think about something else.
Rodney considered typing something on his tablet to show Sheppard or perhaps telling him what had happened.
He opened his mouth to speak, but was cut off.
Do not say a word.
The return of the voice was punctuated with a small amount of pressure in Rodney's chest, which made his heart seem to skip a beat as his breathing hitched.
So you can hear what I'm thinking too?
Yes, we can hear everything and we see right through you Dr McKay.
What's your name? What shall I call you?
We have no name.
How about Heart Attack Harry?
That is very silly Dr McKay.
Just Harry then, or perhaps Harpy would be more fitting, as you seem to have your claws embedded in me?
You are a truly irritating man Dr McKay and some of us are beginning to think that it would be better just to kill you now rather than have to endure. Even if it means our plan will not succeed.
As the voice continued to drone on, the pressing grip around Rodney's heart increased and his breath caught again.
No no no! Don't kill me! And what 'plan?'
The circle of pain loosened but did not diminish. Sheppard had rushed over to Rodney's side when he heard the difficulty he had breathing.
The scientist gave him as brave a smile as he could muster, but found that he could not speak as it hurt him to have to lie to his friend in order to stay alive.
You will see Dr McKay, if you can hold your tongue for long enough.
Rodney did not think that he had any other choice so he followed the others into the Jumper and sat down with a sigh.
He held onto the seat tightly and grimaced, grateful for any kind of outlet for his agony when the pain in his chest returned, just to remind him that it was still there.
He even managed to fob off his team when they asked him what the problem was. He winced when he realised that the whole team had now touched him and if the being was contagious they were all now infected. He prayed that it was not.
Carson stood next to Rodney as he sat on the edge of one of the beds in the infirmary for his post mission medical check.
McKay looked up and asked, "Did you find anything?" His voice had a slight pleading quality to it, which unnerved Carson no end.
He sighed before he spoke, "I want you to take it easy for the rest of the day Rodney. You're blood pressure and heart rate are too high for my liking, but not at dangerous levels. Otherwise there's nothing wrong with you."
Rodney's face fell and he looked down at his feet as he mumbled, "Can I have a full scan?"
"That's not standard procedure Rodney."
"I know but… uh… humour me ok?"
He will not find anything.
Rodney flinched at the return of the voice and Carson shook his head as he sighed.
Rodney was not going to give up so easily so he kept pressing, "What about a blood test then?"
Carson frowned, "Well that is strange for you. Volunteering for needles, I think there must be something wrong."
Again, we already know he will not find anything.
Carson walked away and spoke to a nurse, who came over to Rodney. He hastily rolled up his sleeve and she found a vein.
Rodney tried not to wince as she punctured his skin with the needle and drew blood from the inside of his elbow.
That is very cowardly Dr McKay, such a massive reaction to so small a hurt. You really are weak aren't you? Perhaps we will need to try something else to persuade you.
Persuade me? Rodney thought in panic.
Before the voice could answer, he saw Sheppard coming over to him. He did not feel up to a confrontation with the Colonel over his health at the moment, so he shoved his sleeve back down, grabbed his tablet from the corner of the bed and walked out of the infirmary.
When he reached the corridor, he ran as fast as he could.
Rodney went down to his lab so that he could attempt to lose himself in some work and avoid thoughts of pain and death, which constantly assailed him as he ran.
He stopped a short distance away from the door and doubled over to get his breath back. When he was sufficiently recovered he breezed into the lab as nonchalantly as he could.
He gazed around the room and saw that there were two other members of his science team typing on laptops, a man and a woman. They tipped their heads to him as he entered the room and went back to what they were working on.
Rodney relaxed a little at the familiar surroundings. He knew that he would just have to wait for the results of his blood test and then everything would be alright.
He sat down in a spare chair on the opposite side of the table to the other two people. Their names eluded him completely for a moment, which was not surprising as he was always too wrapped up in his latest project to actually get to know his staff. He thought they had been part of the recent batch to arrive from the Daedalus a few days ago. He sifted through his thoughts and the names Dr Evans and Dr Silvestro surfaced.
He pulled the laptop over and started to upload the data from the mission from his tablet.
While he waited for the process to finish he thought about the rest of his team and hoped they had not been infected through the contact they had made with him.
Suddenly the female scientist, Dr Silvestro, looked up, "Oh but we do not just spread through contact Dr McKay," she said in a scary and even monotone.
Rodney's heart pounded against his ribs in panic.
The man, Dr Evans, also lifted his gaze from the computer and stopped typing, "What the hell? What…" he twitched a little and his eyes rolled before he spoke again, "There is nowhere you can go now where you will be safe from us."
"What's the matter, lost your nerve?" Rodney said fearfully, "What happened to all the heart attack inducing pain you were inflicting on me?"
We are no longer able to damage you directly, so we needed to gain control over others to enact our mission.
The scientists gazed vacantly back at Rodney as he listened to the voice in his head.
He spoke out loud anyway, "You seem to be able to control them, so why not me?"
Silvestro started, "You have the Ancient gene which…"
Evans continued the sentence and Rodney's eyes skipped between them in fright, "…makes it impossible for us to control you directly. It is…"
The voice continued in Rodney's head.
…blocking our attempts somehow. But we need someone with the gene for the success of our mission.
Rodney had had enough of the vacant gazes from the two scientists facing him and he pushed himself out of the chair. If he was in danger he would need something to defend himself. He knew he would not be able to go to Sheppard, Ronon and Teyla with his problem as they may have been compromised.
He thought about Sheppard for a moment, another gene carrier would be able to resist the influence and he felt relief that he had thought of the way out of the situation. He walked out of the lab and headed down the corridor.
He will be dead before you reach him if you say anything. We now control people all over the city. Nothing you do can stop us.
Rodney halted in his tracks and grimaced. He still needed some form of protection so he turned around and headed to his quarters. He wondered whether the beings were bluffing, he sincerely hoped they were, but could not take that risk.
Rodney grabbed the gun he kept hidden in his desk, strapped the belt around his waist and secured it to his leg with the other clips. He kept it there in case they were attacked in the night and he was asleep in his quarters.
He felt a little calmer with the reassuring weight of the weapon against his thigh.
He walked into the bathroom and looked at himself in the mirror. He knew he was pale, but the face he saw was quite unlike what he was used to seeing gazing back at him when he studied his reflection, even after an all nighter.
He lifted up his shirt and examined his chest for signs of damage caused by the pain he had felt. His skin was as pale as his face and he frowned when he saw no marks. He ran his hand over his chest and could not feel anything unusual either. He let his shirt drop back down and took one last look at himself and grimaced before he walked away and out of his quarters.
As he walked along the corridor, Rodney kept his head down and did not look at anyone as they walked past. He half expected to be assaulted at any moment by a possessed member of the expedition.
He decided to go back to the science lab and hoped that Sheppard would eventually come to see him on his own.
When he reached the lab, Rodney's heart sank when he saw the two scientists were still there. There was no courteous nod to him this time, but they did look up as he entered. Their empty eyes filled Rodney with fear and he sat down at the laptop again to analyse the data which was now uploaded.
The more Rodney read, the lower his heart sank. He saw frighteningly familiar codes sequences and he desperately tried to find another explanation, because he knew that it would not just be him in trouble if it were true. The more he studied the data, the more his fears were confirmed. In hindsight, he wished that he had spent more time looking at the data back on the planet, then he would never have touched the panel.
After a few hours of reviewing the data, he finished the analysis and muttered under his breath, "Replicators. We're so screwed."
Replicators? We can see in your mind that you call the Asurans the Replicators. How very astute of you to figure out who we are.
Rodney looked over at the two scientists who had started to watch him as he reached the conclusion of his findings.
Evans spoke, "We may as well tell you our intentions as there is nothing you can do about it anyway now."
"That would be nice." Rodney said sarcastically and folded his arms over his chest protectively as he leaned back in his seat.
Silvestro started, "We knew of your existence after you found our planet."
Evans said, "So we created a nanovirus programmed with the powerful AI of several Asurans. We attached it to a false power reading we knew you would be drawn to."
Rodney looked down as the voice continued in his mind.
The trap was sprung and you fell in as predictably as we had hoped. This city must be destroyed.
"You want to destroy Atlantis? But there's nothing you can do. We don't have a ZPM to overload."
Evans said in the even and disconcerting monotonous drone, "We realise that now, but it does not mean we cannot inflict as much damage as possible."
Rodney was about to speak when his radio activated, "Sheppard to McKay."
If you say anything he is as good as dead and so are you.
Rodney's chest constricted in panic and made it hard to breathe, "Go ahead."
Evans and Silvestro both got up out of their chairs and came over to hover malevolently behind Rodney.
"Where are you?"
Rodney deactivated his radio and turned in his seat to face the scientists looking down at him vacantly. He held his hands up in surrender, "I have to answer him! He probably knows where I am anyway. There's nothing I can do!"
The Replicators did not answer and Sheppard's voice came over his radio again, "McKay?"
There was still no monotone voice to offer guidance over what he should or should not do so he said, "I'm in the lab."
He instantly regretted it though, as Evans reached forwards and tore the headset from his ear. She turned it off and tossed it onto the desk.
Rodney stood up to try and square up with the scientists who were now threatening him. He wondered exactly how much control the nanovirus had over them and what they were going to do now that he had disobeyed their instructions.
You should not have done that Dr McKay.
Evans and Silvestro advanced on him and Rodney backed up. They were blocking his path to the door so there was no escape for him when Evans grabbed his shoulders and pushed him with a strength Rodney did not believe was natural.
He fell over and slid along the floor at an alarming speed. His movement was suddenly stopped and he grunted in pain when his back slammed into the leg of a desk.
Silvestro and Evans kept walking over to him and Silvestro crouched down and hauled him to his feet.
Rodney tried to shake off the grip and winced as his bruised back wrenched. He considered kicking out, but knew that there were still people underneath the nanovirus control and he could not do it.
Silvestro went behind Rodney and grabbed his hands. She pulled them back against his struggling and pinned them behind him so that Rodney could not move.
Evans brought his fist back and drove a savage punch into Rodney's stomach, making him cough and close his eyes as he tried to double over.
Silvestro still held him in a death grip and he could not even free his arms to protect himself.
He kept his eyes firmly glued shut and muttered, "Sh-Sheppard." He furrowed his brow and coughed again.
You are right. He is coming. Sit at your desk and act like there is nothing wrong.
Silvestro released Rodney's arms and he swayed as he clamped them across his midsection and bent over at the waist to get his breath back.
He looked up at Evans who was still looming over him, "If you try anything…" He reached behind his back and drew out a sharp knife.
Rodney's eyes widened as the light in the lab glinted off the blade and into his face.
He nodded and winced as he walked over to his seat and sat down. He picked up his headset and placed it behind his ear just as Sheppard walked in.
Rodney's conversation with Sheppard was forced and uncomfortable. He was not helped by the tingling sensation in his belly where he had just been hit, which occasionally burst into pain and made him wince involuntarily. He could also feel sore bruises across his back protesting whenever he turned.
He begrudged the loss of the gun as Sheppard took it from him, but he knew he never would have had the nerve to use it against any of his colleagues, no matter how badly they threatened or hurt him.
He did not like the way the two scientists pretended to work and then stopped typing to listen as Rodney came closer to revealing the truth to Sheppard. He so desperately wanted to tell John what was going on, but he knew his own life would be forfeit along with many others if he said anything.
When Sheppard walked away, Rodney sat back down in his chair and tried to think of a way out of the situation he was in. He drew a complete blank and decided it would be better just to see how things played out. He considered running from the lab and hiding, but that would only prove how cowardly he was, so he stayed put.
That is very wise Dr McKay. After all, you know there is nowhere you can go where you are safe from us. You are also about to find out what our revised plan is.
Evans and Silvestro got up from their chairs on the other side of the lab and walked menacingly over to Rodney. Silvestro stopped at a cabinet and grabbed a roll of duct tape before she continued. Their blank stares filled him with dread and he stood up to face them head-on.
As they drew up level with him, Evans grabbed the knife again and pointed the tip of the blade at Rodney. He said, "Move," and once again concealed the knife as McKay did what he was told.
TBC