T bordering M and a lot darker than my usual fare…

Chapter 3 – Unbreakable

Rodney walked down the corridor with Dr Evans and Dr Silvestro behind him. He could almost feel their vacant eyes boring into his back as he proceeded.

If he faltered or tried to stop, he would feel a hand pushing his back, right where the bruise was and it made him hiss and continue.

He had no idea where he was being led, but he knew he had to get away.

Do not try anything or it will be more than a hand you feel in your back next time.

Rodney decided enough was enough and as both his captors were walking behind him he would be able to run in an attempt to get away from them.

He ran as fast as his damaged muscles would allow and turned his head to look back after he rounded a corner. He saw that he was not being followed and decided that the Gate Room would be the safest place to go.

When Rodney turned his head round to look where he was going, he saw a marine in front of him and he could not stop in time to avoid the outstretched fist which hammered him in the chest as he ran into it.

Rodney coughed as the blow took his breath away and he fell over to slide along the floor for several metres. He curled up on the ground and struggled to breathe as it felt like all his ribs had just been broken and his lungs were not co-operating.

He looked up and watched the marine walk away as Evans and Silvestro walked around the corner and came over to him.

Evans crouched down and drew out the knife. He held it threateningly over Rodney, who had only just been able to start breathing again as he lay on the floor.

"We told you not to try anything! When will you learn that we are in control and there is nothing we will not do to complete our mission."

Rodney closed his eyes and waited for the knife to be plunged into him. He was more than a little confused when he felt rough hands grabbing him and pulling him up to his feet.

"Keep moving. We're going to the Jumper Bay," Silvestro said.

She suddenly noticed the headset still behind Rodney's ear, reached forwards and grabbed it. She then dropped the tiny device on the floor and Rodney winced as she used her heel to stamp and crush it into the floor.

She still had the roll of duct tape in her hand and Rodney eyed it nervously before he was spun around and shoved onwards.

By the time he entered the transporter, Rodney knew it was now too late to do anything. Not that there was anything he could have done anyway. He felt utterly defeated and alone. Evans grabbed his arms again and twisted them up behind his back so that he could not try and press the map of Atlantis and take them anywhere other than the Jumper Bay.

Silvestro pushed past them and touched the wall display and seconds later they were standing at the edge of the hanger surrounded by Jumpers.

Evans let go of Rodney's arms and pushed him in between the shoulder blades. The impact caught him off balance and Rodney fell forwards and landed with a soft, "Oomph," on the floor outside the transporter.

He rolled over onto his back and grimaced as he stared up at the ceiling. That's more bruises to add to the list, he thought sadly. His view was soon obscured by the vacant expressions of his tormentors as they leaned over him and then pulled him upright once more.

They held onto both of his arms tightly so that Rodney could not wriggle free to get away from them. He was manhandled into the rear compartment of a Jumper and shoved forwards brutally until he was in the cockpit. There he was turned and forced to sit down.

Silvestro and Evans walked away from him a short distance, Rodney was unsure why. Probably to discuss the best way to torture and coerce me to carry out their evil scheme. He saw his chance and reached forwards to tap the comm.

"Sh-Sheppard?" He muttered quietly.

"Go ahead McKay."

Rodney winced at how loud and obvious the communication was, as Sheppard's voice echoed and filled the cockpit.

"John… I… I…" Rodney turned and saw Silvestro had torn a strip of the tape and Evans now had the knife ready in his hand. McKay stood up in the cockpit and tried to put himself in a fighting stance, like he had been shown in training, in a desperate effort to block what was about to happen.

"Rodney? What is it?"

Knowing he was about to be defeated and figuring he had nothing to lose, Rodney quickly said, "I'm in the Jumper Bay."

Suddenly Evans lurched forwards and before Rodney could move out of the way or defend himself, Evans stabbed the knife up to the hilt into the side of his left thigh.

He cried out as his legs collapsed under him and he fell down.

Silvestro stepped over him and deactivated the comm. She then crouched down and stuck the tape over his mouth so that he had difficulty in getting enough air as he breathed loudly through his nose.

Fly the ship and fire the drones into the Gate Room. If you shoot accurately enough to destroy all the control panels and kill everyone maybe you will live to see another day.

Rodney tried to reply, but the tape over his mouth made it impossible. He could not even cry out as he was pulled upright by both Evans and Silvestro and forced into the pilot's chair again. He furrowed his brow and tried not to move as Evans reached around him and grabbed the hilt of the knife still protruding from his leg.

Rodney wondered whether he was going to twist it and started to shake in fear and pain as the malevolent being controlling the other scientist kept his hand on the hilt. The tremors only made it worse for him as they made the knife shift in his leg.

He reached his shaking hands down and wrapped them around Evans' wrist as tightly as possible to try and prevent him from turning the knife. Instead, Evans pulled the knife out of him and he tilted his head back and would have screamed had he been able. The only sound Rodney could make was muffled by the tape and his nasal breathing increased in volume.

Before he could recover he felt his hands being grabbed and taped securely onto the control sticks of the Jumper and his feet brought back to be taped against the chair. He found that he was unable to move at all except to turn his head, look out of the window and tilt the controls.

He furrowed his brow and closed his eyes as he felt blood draining out of the knife wound in his leg. He hoped it had not cut an artery or he would be dead very soon.

Their work completed, Evans sat next to him and brandished the blood-tinted blade so that Rodney could see it from the corner of his eye and Silvestro sat behind him.

Fly the ship or die.

Rodney wished he could speak to try and get himself out of the dangerous situation he was in. He knew now that the Replicators controlling his colleagues were merciless, deadly and unafraid to carry out their plan with whatever actions it took. He thought that they would take their time to kill him if he did not obey, so he flew the Jumper to buy more time until he could figure out what to do.

Rodney set the Jumper to hover close to the Gate Room and realised that his time was up. He could not free his hands or feet to protect himself and he would never fire a drone at the control room. He brought up the HUD using his mental control and saw that there were twenty life signs showing in the Gate Room and Control Room which his captors wanted him to end at the same time as destroying the rooms.

He shook his head and leaned back in the seat, steeling himself for what the reaction of the Replicators was going to be.

Evans leant closer to him and said, "Fire the drones!"

Rodney thought, No I won't do it! You can threaten and hurt me or even kill me and I still won't do it!

So be it, the voice in Rodney's head announced at the same time as Evans drew the knife back and plunged it into the side of his chest. With his hands still tied in front of him and his arms lifted up, he presented an easy target for his captor.

Rodney closed his eyes as blood flowed up into his throat and choked him. It filled his mouth, but with his lips firmly taped together, there was nowhere for it to go, so he coughed and it was forced out of his nose in a gory spray over the controls.

He felt himself weakening as the knife stayed in-between his ribs and he found it hard to breathe through the blood.

Fire the drone and we will end it.

Rodney swayed in his seat and was just about to pass out; when Silvestro reached forwards and tore the tape from over his mouth.

Rodney gagged and spat out the blood which made him wince and shudder in disgust.

"No. I'm not going to do it!" Rodney gasped with his eyes screwed tightly closed as more blood dribbled from his mouth.

Evans left the knife embedded in his chest and leant forwards again to get closer to the distressed man, "You are braver than we thought. You seem to have a disregard for your own well-being and life, but how strong will you be to resist if we kill another?"

Rodney looked at him in terror and screamed as Evans retrieved the knife from his chest with a savage twist of his hand.

Evans then spun in his chair, got up and stood behind Dr Silvestro, who was still under the influence of the Replicator control and just sat staring blankly at Rodney even as Evans brought the blood-stained knife up to her throat.

Rodney muttered, "Don't kill her. If you want to kill someone, then kill me!"

Fire the drones and we will not have to.

Rodney wrenched against the restraints trying desperately to free himself and stop what was about to happen. The pulling motion hurt too much for him to continue and made him whimper in pain as his crimson blood flowed out of his leg and chest and pooled on the floor under him.

He turned away and grimaced as he closed his eyes when he heard a body slump down onto the floor behind him.

He brought up the HUD again as Evans sat back down in the seat next to him with the knife still in his hand. Rodney eyed it nervously and returned his gaze to the sensor readout.

He saw two other Jumpers approaching just before the comm activated, "Colonel Sheppard to Jumper Ten."

If you reply, things will get even worse for you.

Rodney ground his teeth together in agony and wondered whether things could possibly get much worse for him at the moment.

Evans reached down and grabbed the roll of duct tape which had fallen onto the floor from Silvestro's limp hand. He held it ready and Rodney was only a tiny bit glad when he was not gagged again. He did not think he had the strength left to continue breathing for much longer anyway, let alone only through his nose.

Shoot them down or they will destroy us.

Evans brought the tip of the gore soaked blade in close to Rodney's side. He flinched away from the knife, but it caused more agony to course through him and he gave a soft yelp just before he gritted his teeth.

He trusted to the flying skills of the pilots in the other Jumpers and fired the drones to prevent himself from being stabbed again. He really did not think he would survive another knife wound as he could already feel himself rapidly weakening.

"Lorne break right!"

"Acknowledged."

Rodney made the drones follow the other Jumpers as best he could, but his tired mind soon lost track of them and he eventually saw them disappear off the HUD completely as his strength faltered and he lost control.

"Lorne?"

"I know Sir, it happened to me too. It just stopped, I don't understand it."

"Nor do I Major. Converge on Jumper Ten."

"Understood."

Rodney turned his head to look at Evans, who still held the blade dangerously close to McKay's right side. His expression was as vacant as ever.

Rodney looked away and mumbled through the blood tainting his lips, "I don't care what you do to me, I won't kill twenty people and destroy the Gate Room."

He was still looking out of the window when Evans sunk the knife into his side and made Rodney squirm to get away as he cried out weakly.

McKay slumped over the control panel and wished there was some way he could get his hands free to stop the blood leaking from him. Evans pulled the knife out, but Rodney was now too weak to move or make any sound.

Evans reached forwards and got his free hand underneath Rodney's chest. He levered the gravely injured scientist up and back into his chair.

He held the knife in front of Rodney's narrowed eyes and let the blood drip off into the man's lap. "Fire the drones."

Rodney mused that maybe he could fire it and pretend it was going to hit the Gate Room, then turn it around to hit an unoccupied building. He hoped that in that time Sheppard would have thought of a way out of the situation, because Rodney was drawing a blank and the blood loss and pain where not aiding his thought processes very well.

He was too weak to realise that there had not been a voice speaking into his head for a while and it did not notice his plan, even though it had been able to read his mind before.

He fired the drone and it streaked out towards the Tower.

He cursed Sheppard as he knew it was him who manoeuvred his craft into the path of the drone before Rodney could correct the course. There was a large explosion which made Rodney close his eyes so that the bright light did not damage them.

"Colonel?"

"I'm fine, but I don't think I'll be doing that again in a hurry."

Rodney sighed in relief and winced as fresh tremors of pain ran through him from the bleeding wounds in his leg, chest and side.

"One more shot and you can end it," Evans said.

"That's where y-y-you're wrong," Rodney stammered, "I w-w-won't d-d-do it."

Every word was forced out in agony and Rodney finally closed his eyes for the last time as he fell forwards unconscious. He was still taped to the controls and chair so he was unable to slip onto the deck.

Dr Evans suddenly dropped the knife and duct tape and looked bleary eyed around the cockpit at Rodney bound and bleeding slumped over the controls and Dr Silvestro, who was clearly dead, on the floor behind him. He muttered, "Rodney? What the hell's going on? How did I get here?"

Suddenly an explosion rocked the Jumper and Evans was thrown from his seat as the craft lost power and the inertial dampeners went offline. Rodney had not bothered to raise the shields. He hit his head on the deck and lost consciousness.

The Jumper spun down as the engines failed, but was soon stopped in its descent by the grapple hooked onto the hull.

The craft swung rapidly and impacted into a building. Rodney was only saved from being broken by the fact that he was still secured in his seat, but Evans and Silvestro were flung savagely and in a bone-breaking manor as they were tossed around inside the Jumper.

The movement only ceased when the battered Jumper was laid to rest on the pier.

TBC

A/N – in case you're curious, this was going to be a gratuitous torture tag for Progeny, but something weird happened while I was mapping it…