Part 5 of 10

Thanks again for the reviews, they're very encouraging.

Holding the scanner out before him, John tried to ignore the way the hallway seemed to sway and lurch around him. He didn't need anyone noticing that he wasn't really as okay as he'd originally thought.

He caught a glimpse of Ronon studying him closely and knew that he wasn't pulling off the act. His head was killing him and his vision blurred every few minutes, which was confusing as hell since he was already seeing double. Ignoring the Satedan's raised eyebrow, John refocused on the path.

Thankfully, the clutter and stacks of crates and furniture had finally cleared, but there were still no signs of life other than their own on the detector,and the further they went, the more confused John was getting as to where they were in relation to Atlantis' layout. Toss in the slight tremors still rumbling every few minutes, and Sheppard's need to find Rodney and get the hell back to Atlantis just kept intensifying.

Behind him, he heard Beckett quickly reassure Teyla that he was, indeed, all right,but nobody missed the strain in the Doctor's voice as he tried to cover his pain.

Should have sent him back, John thought.

"We might need him," Ronon's low answer surprised Sheppard. He stopped and blinked up at the larger man.

"I said that out loud?"

"Yup." Ronon grinned, but John didn't miss the concern in Dex's large brown eyes. "Which way?" Ronon directed the beam of his small flash light down one hall and then another. Their tunnel had come to a sudden split.

John rubbed his forehead and looked down each direction. He didn't know.

"Colonel?" Teyla's light touch on his arm turned him toward her. "What does the life signs detector show?"

"Nothing." He could hear his own frustration tighten his voice. They needed to find Rodney.

He held the detector up again, the screen still showing only four lines. Swinging it toward the other direction he held his breath. Please, he begged inwardly. I don't know which way to go.

The screen flickered once and then...responded to him like it was meant to.

"There." Ronon had been looking over his shoulder, watching the screen, but was now barreling down the hall to the right.

John stared first at Ronon's back and then at the two extra life signs blinking at him on the small screen. Relief flooded through him, overwhelming everything else, erasing his confusion and his pain. Rodney was still alive. He began to run after Ronon.

Rodney didn't know how long he'd been unconscious again. Time seemed to have stopped...or even sped up for all he knew. Maybe it'd only been a few moments since this had all started. Maybe...it'd been hours, or days.

"Not days, you idiot," hetried to mumble, but his throat ached from thirst and no sound came out. Without water, days would mean he was dead. Maybe...maybe he was? God, wouldn't that be hell? Stuck here for eternity? He'd never thought much about 'eternity' per say, but damn, he didn't want 'this' to be it.

Something was wrong. The sense came over him along with his own mind yelling "Duh, of course something's wrong." He pushed his self directed sarcasm aside and tried to focus. Man, he was tired. He just wanted to go to sleep, to let the darkness take him away...again. But there was something he was supposed to be doing. It was important wasn't it? He forced himself to remember.

Stay warm. Stay breathing. Stay alive. That was it. It all sounded so simple and yet...the darkness was easier. It didn't hurt so much there.

Sighing, McKay tried to squeeze Ergo's foot, to focus on anything other than the pull of the dark, but he came upwith only a handful of air.

"No." Rodney panicked. His hand flailed helplessly around, searching for Ergo's foot. Where did it go? What was happening? It had just been there, hadn't it? He knew it—it wasn't like he could move his arm anywhere else. He couldn't be alone here. No! He just couldn't be alone.

He reached, choking as the forced movement shifted him beneath the pile of rubble. He gasped, tears filling his eyes again at the resurgence of sharp pain. They mixed with the dust and suddenly his eyes were on fire. He couldn't open them. He couldn't move to wipe them clear, he couldn't find Ergo. All that was left was the darkness.

"I'm sorry," he whispered the words to Ergo, for getting him killed. To Sam, for not being able to meet her challenge to stay alive. To Sheppard, for not being strong enough to wait for him...

"Rodney!" Suddenly warm, strong fingers wrapped around his hand and squeezed tightly. "McKay? Can you hear me?"

Rodney knew he was dreaming now. He had to be. He was still pinned to the ground, his eyes burning, his body aching...there was no way Sheppard could be here now—but--the grip on his hand felt so real.

"Come on, buddy. Talk to me. We're gonna have you out of there as soon as we can. McKay!" The grip changed, sliding to his wrist and for a moment, Rodney panicked all over again.

"Don't let go!" he tried to scream, but his voice wouldn't work. Instead he grasped onto Sheppard's wrist in return.

"There you are." He could hear the relief in John's voice. "He squeezed my wrist." Sheppard's voice was suddenly muffled as he reported back to someone.

That's when it dawned on Rodney. They were really here. Sheppard had found him. He wasn't dreaming. He wasn't alone. He'd have smiled if it didn't take so much energy, or hurt so much. Instead he let himself focus on the only thing that mattered to him right now, his grip on John's arm.

John about shouted with relief when McKay's hand had tightened around his wrist. It'd taken them longer to push through the caved in hallway and clear the mess off of McKay's guide than they'd hoped. The guide, only semi-conscious, had a definite head injury and his one leg had been caught in the debris but other than that, had been spared any serious injury. The bulk of the cave in-- it'd landed on Rodney. Only the life signs detector kept them reassured that McKay was still alive under that mass of rubble. It was too dark even with flashlights to see him in the ruins and it wasn't until they pulled the guide completely out free, that John had seen Rodney's hand and grabbed it.

Behind him, Carson was now wrapping up the guide's leg as Teyla and Ronon studied the pile of debris with their lights.

"Look," Ronon pointed to an area John couldn't see from his position. "Something's gotta be holding that beam there, up and off of McKay. Otherwise he'd be..." Ronon's voice faded and they all got the picture clearly. It was amazing McKay was still alive and they had to get him out of there...now.

John patted Rodney's hand and tried to pull away so he could stand and help but Rodney's fingers immediately tightened—painfully.

"Ow! McKay. You got to let me go so I can help get you out of there," he explained, but McKay wasn't hearing him, or listening.

"McKay." John tried to keep his frustration out of his voice as he squatted in the dark and debated whether or not he should pry McKay's grip loose. Then, Teyla was beside him. Without a word, she slid her hand under John's and grasped Rodney's wrist. At her touch, McKay responded and loosened enough for John to pull away as Teyla took his place.

"I am here, Rodney," she spoke with a gentleness and softness that reassured Sheppard as much as it was meant for McKay. "You are not alone any longer."

Sheppard nodded his thanks and stood to help Ronon. "Where do we start?" heasked, seeing the Satedan obviously already had a plan in mind.