A/N – Thanks for the reviews! I'm a tad burnt out at the moment, but the kind words of encouragement (and prodding) perked me up a bit. Special thanks to angw, deblease, ElisaD263 and Shadows-of-Realm for the poking – is does work! I actually combined chapters 3 and 4, so this one's double the length to make up for the slow update!
Anyway, onto the ouchies…
Chapter 3 – Flesh and Chrome
John managed to recover his senses just as the gate shut down. Running high on adrenaline and fear over what the robot had done to Rodney and Radek, he ignored the wrench of the bruises across his back and the throb in his head as he pushed himself upright and shouted, "Did we get the address?"
Chuck called back to him as he jogged up the stairs and into the Control Room. "No. But there might be a record of it in the log."
Elizabeth looked tense where she stood behind Chuck. John knew it was just her way of hiding her emotions, but the mask slipped a little as she said, "And we've just lost our two top scientists who would know how to find the data in a heartbeat."
John grimaced and tapped his radio, "Lorne, this is Sheppard, report."
To his mild surprise, Carson answered, "The Major is out for the count at present, Colonel. Along with everyone else who was in the brig."
Elizabeth frowned. "What happened?"
"We don't know yet. They're all unconscious, but otherwise unharmed." There was a shout and a quiet crash in the background and Beckett called out, "Ach, the other way round!" He lowered his voice to continue, "We're taking everyone to the infirmary to find out."
Elizabeth replied, "Alright. Keep us updated." She then turned to Sheppard. "We need to check the video feeds."
Sheppard nodded and winced at the headache building in his forehead. "I'll get the rest of McKay's science team working on that and finding a way to extract the address that thing dialled."
Elizabeth nodded.
John ignored his headache as he tapped his radio and called the science labs.
Rodney and Radek were out there somewhere with the robot, and nothing and no-one to protect them. But then, if an entire squad of marines couldn't stop it, what chance did they have?
Radek woke up slowly, wanting to stay unconscious when he realised how much his ankle hurt. The fiery pain spread in burning tendrils right up his lower leg and only got worse the closer he came to breaching the surface of the sleep blanketing him.
The air was chilled and Radek drew his jacket more tightly around himself as he shivered. He pried his eyes open and saw Rodney lying nearby on the hard stone floor. The other scientist was facing him and Radek could see dark bruising along the line of his jaw where the menacing and now green-eyed robot had grabbed him.
"McKay… Rodney… wake up," Radek whispered. He took the opportunity to look around and find out where they had been dumped. The last thing he remembered was standing in the brig trying to hack into the robot and shut it down; clearly without success.
It was a square and small dull-brown concrete room. There were several sealed alcoves against two of the walls facing each other, similar to the ones where he and Rodney had found Unit 318 on Atlantis. There were small control panels by each one, but the casings of the pods were too dirty to see through. There were five on either side of the room; ten in total. There was a blank wall at one end and an open door opposite. There was a dusty smell in the air like the place hadn't been inhabited for years, but it was well lit and sealed from the elements even if Radek instantly knew that they were no longer on Atlantis. He was unsure how they had got there, but he felt the first stirrings of terror in his heart that the robot had somehow managed to escape from Atlantis and had taken them with it.
If the military along with all their guns and rocket launchers had failed, then, as usual, science and brainpower was all that remained. But would be enough in this case?
Radek couldn't see the robot anywhere, but that didn't alleviate his fears, so he gritted his teeth and winced as he shifted himself closer to Rodney and reached out. He gently shook Rodney's shoulder, which produced a pained whimper and a brief flicker of his eyes, but no more.
"Come on… you lazy…"
Rodney said quietly, "If you're going to speak in tongues, you could at least swear a bit."
Radek sighed in relief. He had not even realised he was speaking in Czech and switched back to English, "I will in the future."
Rodney tested his jaw by flexing it up and down a few times. He then moved his hand up to check his teeth were all in place. He winced at the end and then decided better of it, shut his mouth and kept it still.
Radek gave him a small smile as Rodney's eyes finally opened very narrowly and he peered out from under the lashes. Rodney had received a double shock, so it was no wonder he was taking longer to recover.
Rodney fully opened his eyes and glanced around the room just as Radek had done a moment ago. "Where are we? Have you seen ol' green eyes?"
"I do not know. Our radios are gone and he took my scanner."
"It may have different coloured eyes now, but it still creeps me out," Rodney said with a shudder. He then used the arm Radek hadn't just shaken to check his pockets. He pulled out a couple of power bars and an epi-pen for his allergies, but shook his head. "Nope, I've got nothing useful either. Damn thing even took the painkillers Carson gave me."
"The robot, you mean?"
Rodney glared back at Radek like he'd grown a second head and said hotly, "No, the magical pixies."
"It is alright, Rodney, you can calm down."
Rodney closed his eyes and asked, "Where is it?"
"I do not know."
Rodney sighed sadly as he rolled over onto his back and then held his breath as his whole body tensed up. He lightly rested a hand on his stomach as he lay there; right over the burn the robot had inflicted on him.
"What is wrong?" Radek asked in concern while Rodney slowly released a long breath and then sucked in another noisy one with his eyes closed like he was in pain.
"It feels like someone dislocated my shoulder and shoved it back in while I was asleep. Not to mention the fractured jaw and burn from before."
Radek signed and tried to move his leg. He stifled the cry as best he could, but was evidently not too successful, because when he opened his eyes again, Rodney was crouching down next to him. The other man one-handedly examined the offending limb with his other arm held tightly across his chest and his mouth hanging open.
He glared at Radek and kept his jaw as still as possible as he said almost incoherently, "One 'fish' or 'fly goes in' comment and I'll send you to clean out the water filters if we ever get home."
Radek furrowed his brow, "I would not do that to you, Rodney. You spend too much time around Colonel Sheppard."
Rodney looked taken aback, but soon recovered his composure and frowned down at Radek's leg. "Your ankle looks like how my shoulder feels. Can you move it?"
Radek tried again and ended up whimpering. He kept his eyes shut for a lot longer than before, and when he next looked down, Rodney had removed his jacket and was trying to wrap it around a small metal bar he had found from somewhere as a makeshift splint, but only using one hand, he wasn't having a lot of luck.
Radek reached out for it and Rodney shook his head.
Radek insisted, "I have two working hands, hmm?"
Rodney relented with a sigh and allowed Radek to take the jacket and the bar. He checked the metal and finding it sufficiently sharp he used it to make a hole in the jacket and tear it in half.
Rodney cried, "Stop, stop! What're you doing?!"
Radek kept one half and handed the other to Rodney. "One for my leg, one for your arm."
Rodney's angry face fell comically into one of slight indignation and then confusion. He said quietly, "Oh, um, okay."
Together, they soon had Radek's lower leg wrapped and splinted. It felt much better now that he couldn't accidentally move it. He made Rodney sit down with his back to him while Radek remained sitting on the floor. He checked Rodney's shoulder first which was fairly easy as he was just in his short-sleeved shirt. There was lots of bruising and Radek frowned in concern at the large handprint shape which was visible in one section of the unhealthy looking skin. He imagined his leg probably looked the same. He securely strapped Rodney's injured arm up in the sling with the remains of the jacket. As he tied the sleeve around Rodney's neck, he caught a glimpse of the red flash of Canadian flag still stubbornly clinging on in a way not unlike the owner of the jacket.
Rodney stood up after Radek finished and said quietly, "Stay here. I'm going to check out where we are."
Radek frowned at Rodney who was so wide-eyed and fearful. His expression radiated pain and fear; breaking through his surface and showing so clearly on his face that there was no doubt at all as to how he was feeling.
Radek said softly, "You do not have to be brave for me, Rodney."
"What?!"
"I mean… be careful."
Rodney's indignation melted away and he said, "Thanks. You too."
"I am merely lying here doing nothing, but I will try."
Rodney gave him a small smile, before he winced and allowed his mouth to hang open again, "Ow! Not such a good idea…" he mumbled with still lips.
Radek watched as Rodney tentatively walked over to the open door leading out into a concrete corridor beyond. He got right up to the exit and then jumped backwards in fright as the monstrous robot, Unit 318, swung around the corner and barred his path.
Rodney held up his free hand as the robot advanced on him. Radek felt his heart rate increase as terror and apprehension flooded his system. He shifted himself upright, and ignoring the pain in his leg as best he could, he shimmied back into the far wall and leant against it.
Rodney was still stepping backwards from the robot. The machine stared down at him and lifted its arms up. It dashed forwards just as Rodney's back hit the wall next to Radek, grabbed the sling and tore it off over his head and dropped it on the floor. Rodney didn't quite manage to stifle his yelp, and he shouted angrily to mask the fear that Radek could almost see and feel radiating in waves off the other man at such close proximity. "What are you doing? What do you want?"
The robot grabbed Rodney's upper arms and he tensed up and whimpered. It shook him lightly and Rodney squeaked more loudly.
The robot's icy and emotionless voice spoke in the same heartless and terrifying monotone as it said, "You will fix the others and reactivate every Unit here."
Rodney gabbled, "If you want to create a perfect galaxy, then you do realise that you're going to have to eradicate everything weaker than yourself."
The robot stopped and waited for him to continue.
Rodney was spurred on by the pause and he spoke faster and faster. "However, your slight variation on the clichéd galactic domination theme is completely flawed. It's more like extermination. Because if I'm not perfect..." he grinned bravely despite the metal vices curled around each of his arms, "…then who is?"
Radek rolled his eyes; trust McKay to be so arrogant even at a time like this and in the face of such danger. Maybe he was trying to outwit it, or reason with it, but Radek was unsure if anything they could say would ever work.
Rodney shot the robot a smug but pained smile and said, "Besides, who will rule over this 'perfect' universe you want?"
Radek looked on in horror and helplessness as the robot replied by tightening its crushing grip. Rodney's entire body went rigid, before he started to shake violently. He stammered breathlessly, "And what if I refuse to help you… you, psycho-robo?"
The robot's eyes flashed from green to red and stayed that way as he said, "You will fix the others or, one by one, I will break every bone in your weak and soft body, and then cut you up into tiny pieces."
Rodney's eyes widened to such an extent that Radek could see the whites all round the irises. Radek was fairly sure he was looking the same way as he felt the deep seated and primal fear of pain and death stir within him too.
The robot abruptly let Rodney go, but before he could fall down or roll out of the way, it suddenly started to hit him over and over again in quick succession with its fists. The metal moved at lightning speed which Radek would never have guessed it would've been able to achieve considering its weight and size. Rodney jolted under each hit to his torso, but despite the blur of the robot's arms, it did not seem to be hitting him very hard.
It was still horrifying to watch and Radek cried, "Please, stop! You're killing him!" They were words edged with such panic that it surprised him and he couldn't even recognise his own voice. But his desperate plea made no difference. He tried to stand up, to shield Rodney if he could from the ongoing assault, but his leg screamed at him more loudly than the whistle of the rapid punches and he sunk down to the floor in a heap, which made him no good for anyone and certainly not Rodney.
When the robot finally finished after what seemed like hundreds of impacts and time immeasurable, Rodney was canting to one side and panting, with his eyes screwed tightly closed and his mouth open. He bent double at the waist and moved his arms up to shakily wrap them around himself.
The robot continued to glare at him impassively and then said, "You will reactivate the others."
Radek frowned and asked, "Why do you not do it yourself?"
Unit 318 moved its head round and tilted it down until those cold, blank eyes met Radek's. He trembled and prayed that the thing wasn't about to hurt him or take it out on Rodney again, who was still breathing heavily and losing his battle with gravity bit by bit as he leant back against the wall, Rodney slowly slithered down a short way before righting himself again.
The robot said, "Because I cannot. My creators did not program me with the coding required to know how to fix myself or the other Units."
Unit 318 looked up at Rodney again and Radek released the breath he had not realised he was holding. Radek was relieved that he was no longer the centre of its attention, but felt a painful twinge of guilt in his heart when it once again affixed Rodney with its eyes. Radek felt the urge to stand up and protect his colleague and friend, but his leg twinged when he tested it and he fell back down with a jolt and a pained grunt.
Unit 318 stared at Rodney and he stared right back as best he could through his watery eyes and pain filled and weary expression. The Unit said, "But you can. You fixed me and you can fix all the others."
Rodney spoke softly, a sign of how badly hurt he was, but Radek was surprised that he could even speak at all. His voice cracked and broke and he had to take long pauses just to breathe, "If you can… d-defeat a squad of marines. Then you're… too dangerous. I certainly don't think… I really want to be activating… any more of you."
Rodney sighed and shook his head as he hung it down and shut his eyes as though waiting for the fatal blow to fall.
Radek felt a burning pride within him that Rodney could be so defiant in the face of such a terrifying and unstoppable foe. He had never seen it firsthand. Sure, there had been times on Atlantis where Rodney had been called upon to save them all from some threat or other facing the whole city. But this was different. This was right there in front of you, gut twisting terror; where the threat was physical and to him personally.
He imagined that Rodney had been through things similar to this on his offworld missions, because he had had his fair share of injuries. But he had always been with his team and when he came back he did the best he could to hide the extent of his suffering from Sheppard, Teyla and Ronon. But Radek was the one who always ended up silently observing Rodney when he went back to work; always far too soon and against the advice of Carson. Radek was the one who saw all the winces and grimaces, the hands Rodney curled against himself wherever he was hurting. Radek would feel so badly that he often took pity on his ailing friend to fetch him food or coffee without Rodney even asking and then ignoring the complaints he threw against Radek (even as he accepted the help anyway) to hide the vulnerability and weakness that his pride would never let him admit.
But this was the first time he had seen the true extent of Rodney's bravery while offworld.
The robot saw nothing of it though and its face didn't move as it leant forwards and grabbed the front of Rodney's left thigh with its right hand, so that the fingers were curled against his inner leg. Rodney struggled to try and break the grip, so the robot placed its other hand on his chest and shoved him back against the wall and held him there.
Rodney's face went red and his eyes slid shut. Radek involuntarily called out again in a breaking voice, "What… what are you…?" And then the reason for Rodney's desperate and futile fight and his bright red face became clear. His chest was compressed and still under the hand, having no room to expand due to the pressure pinning him against the concrete wall, and Radek shouted, "He can't breathe. Stop! You must stop now!"
Rodney flinched and tensed up and Radek saw an orange glow as foul smelling smoke rose away from the hand it held pressed against Rodney's leg. Rodney opened his mouth in a silent 'o' and then the robot let go and he fell to the floor. He convulsed, and now that he had air again, he was finally able to fully voice his complaint, so he threw his head back and screamed. Radek flinched and grimaced at the pitch and volume that Rodney was capable of achieving. It was no whine or whimper, but a full on, animalistic howl of agony. His eyes rolled back as the tremors wracking his body eased off and then he became still and his mouth hung open slackly in unconsciousness.
The robot stood there, looking down at the two men who lay on the floor. It kept its gaze on Rodney, almost like Radek didn't exist. But then, it had been Rodney who had pressed the fateful sequence of keys which had finally activated the robot. Radek was grateful that he was not being scrutinised so unpleasantly, but the only attention Rodney needed right now was of the medical variety and not from his tormentor.
The robot suddenly spun away from them and plodded along the floor before it stopped near the door. It did not block the exit, but turned to face into the room and then remained completely still where it stood. Radek assumed it thought its work was done and that Rodney had been sufficiently persuaded to now do everything it asked.
Radek shifted himself over to be close enough to Rodney to try and use his limited first aid skills to find out how badly he was hurt. He winced and cringed in sympathy at the state of Rodney's bare arms where he lay spread out and unconscious on the floor. The skin was covered in bruises in the shape of handprints of varying shades of purple, black and even some patches of skin looked green.
Radek didn't really want to look at the rest, but he knew he had to in order to find out how badly Rodney was injured. Radek slowly lifted Rodney's shirt up to check over the rest of his still form. He found that much of McKay's body was now covered in Technicolor bruising. Not being a medical doctor though, he could not test for serious internal bleeding. But most of the injuries caused by the punches looked superficial, although added together; he knew that Rodney was going to be incredibly achy and sore when he woke up.
The last thing he checked was the inside of Rodney's upper leg. The material of his trousers was burnt and melted into his flesh, which was reddened and black in places. He couldn't pull it away without causing more damage, so he left it in place. There were four very nasty looking burns on the sensitive skin there and they had now made the prospect of running out of this place impossible for Rodney too. It was unlikely he would even be able to walk again for quite some time, at least not without it causing him a lot of pain.
His skin was cool to touch, despite the sheen of sweat, when Radek patted the side of his face to try and rouse him. Rodney was also shivering violently which must've hurt like hell with the mottled bruises all over him. So Radek stripped off his own jacket, gasping slightly as the chilled air hit him, and wrapped it around Rodney's upper body.
They needed either more heat or some blankets if they were to survive, and it seemed that the robot either didn't know or realise. But then he knew that although it clearly didn't care for their wellbeing, it could at least prevent them from dying from hypothermia if it needed their help. Goosebumps rose on Radek's arms and he was glad that he opted to wear the long sleeved shirt, unlike Rodney whose arms were bare and swollen where the robot had crushed them.
He heard a small groan and Rodney twitched and parted his legs to keep the pressure away from the burns. Radek looked up at him and saw Rodney's eyelids flicker and then close in the midst of his face. His skin shone with perspiration and his shirt was becoming equally soaked with it along with the bloody plasma from the burns leaking into the trouser material.
"Rodney?" Radek asked tentatively as he moved up and placed his hand on Rodney's forehead briefly and then pulled it away in embarrassment at the contact.
His answer was a tiny moan and whimper. Rodney trembled violently and kept his face scrunched up tightly as he struggled to breathe evenly. His injuries must be horrendously painful and were clearly still causing him considerable distress.
"Oh, Rodney, what did it do to you?"
He winced and mumbled, "Did you get the plate of the bus that hit me?"
"It had a '3-1-8' in it," Radek said in a grim voice with his brow deeply furrowed.
"Oh," Rodney uttered with a crestfallen sigh. He then grimaced, with his eyes still closed, "P-pummelled by m-metal bars…"
His bloodshot eyes suddenly snapped open and he shot Radek an intense look which in any other situation would have had him stepping backwards to avoid the stream of shouting and curses about to follow. But Rodney merely said, "I c-c-can't stop it. The robot won."
Radek saw some of his own fear mirrored in Rodney's terrified face, but the lines of pain quickly overshadowed the fear and Radek felt the need to comfort Rodney. But he wasn't quite sure exactly how to do it without giving the wrong impression. McKay was his boss after all, but despite the rank and disagreements they often had, Rodney was still a human being and clearly in need of some form of physical contact to let him know that he wasn't alone. Radek settled on laying his hand on Rodney's forehead, which was about the only part of him not shaded with bruising and where Radek knew his touch wouldn't cause any further harm or pain.
Rodney glanced up at the hand and then looked at Radek again. His lips trembled as he said, "You should go. Get back to the gate while I keep the robot busy. T-tell them to bring that rocket launcher. B-but a nuke would probably be better to blow this whole place to dust."
Radek frowned and said firmly, "No."
"But…"
"I said, no. We stop it together and then we both leave together. You will not die and neither will I."
Rodney looked up at him with a strange expression. Was it gratitude? Had he actually meant what he said or just hoped that he could trust Radek to refuse such a request, but felt the need to make it anyway?
Rodney shifted slightly and closed his eyes as he held his breath. He released the air in a whimper at a newly re-awakened pain somewhere in his damaged body, and the moment between them abruptly vanished.
Rodney was in too much pain to offer any more coherent sentences after that and Radek turned to the statuesque robot and said, "Water. I need water and cloth to clean him up or he will get an infection," and die.
The robot remained still and ignored his request.
Radek asked again, more forcefully, "We need heat and water and food or we will die and not be able to fix your friends."
The robot could have been a model, because all it did was stand there and keep its glowing eyes fixed on the opposite wall.
Radek sighed and retrieved the sling that the robot had torn from Rodney's arm. He used it to loosely bind up Rodney's thigh. He could at least get the open wounds covered, but Rodney needed help, and quickly, if he stood a chance of surviving the ordeal.
Radek quickly altered his thoughts as he glanced back at the menacing evil red eyed robot again, and decided that actually, they both really needed a rescue right about now.
TBC
