Chapter 12
"There can be no friendship without confidence; and no confidence, without integrity"
After a long silent journey back to the settlement, Carson took the reigns flying the cloaked jumper. McKay, for the last hour had been engrossed with the necessary calculations in the hopes of neutralising the electromagnetic field. His hopes were, that it would work, he didn't even want to speculate about the 'what ifs' right now. He had to concentrate on getting the equations and then rescuing Sheppard from whatever hellhole he'd managed to get himself into this time. Knowing his friend as he did, he knew that this time, more so than any other was going to take nothing but a minor miracle to get him back in one piece.
"Rodney," Carson called out, shaking him out of his determined efforts; they'd finally arrived. The compound seemed to be guarded by only a handful of Genii, which meant they were either securing the 'gate or were hidden within the dwellings. And if the latter were the case, then it meant the team would have no idea just how many they would be up against.
"Carson, manoeuvre over to the larger buildings 100 metres to your right. I want to scan it for any anomalous readings." Doing what was requested, he watched as Carson engaged the controls once more placing the jumper into position. "Just hold it steady while I recalibrate the sensors."
"Here?"
"Yes." Within a heartbeat he shook his head, "No, no, no, no."
Still hesitant when it came to any alien technology, a slight panicked feeling washed over him, "What did I do? You told me to keep the bloody thing steady."
Waving his hand he dismissed him off hand, "Relax Carson, you're doing fine."
"What is it?" Teyla asked concerned.
Frowning, he tried to insert the correct algorithms without success, "It's just taking me a few minutes to jam the field."
Never one to mince his words, Ronon told him blatantly, "If you don't do it, Sheppard is screwed."
"Thank you for the pep talk, but for your information I am well aware of what the stakes are, and I don't need reminding. " Turning away, he could feel eyes boring into the back of his head as his nimble fingers expertly input the equations; impatiently they awaited a response.
The team could do nothing, but sit and watch the flurry of activity going on beneath them. Noting the Genii guards walking from one side of the compound to the other, Carson activated the HUD to get a clearer idea of how many they would be dealing with, given there own small numbers; it was staggering. The tan display unit suddenly came to life and there before them was the blue dot, representing their friend within the largest structure. McKay, lifted his head smiling with satisfaction, he had no doubts that he wouldn't be able to do it, well not many. With a look of 'how could you ever doubt me.'
Atlantis's chief medical officer smiled as the subcutaneous transmitter lit up the HUD. Anxiety of how they were going to get him out of the guarded structure rushed to his mind. "What now?" From the readouts there appeared to be numerous soldiers within his vicinity, and it was going to take some creative thinking to get past them all.
Ronon announced with a twinkle in his eye, "Now we get Sheppard. I have an idea. Doc. I need you to land this thing where it's not going to be noticed, but not too far from the encampment." He didn't need to spell out the words; everyone was thinking the same thing.
Blinking his eyes, he felt as if a truck had hit him. Feeling a presence nearby he tried to lift his body, but ended up just making the pounding in his head worse. Tentatively, he raised his hand to his face and felt the now all too familiar lines of aging. The only positive thing about it was the fact that he was still alive, and hoped he wasn't the only one. The gentle shuffling of feet confirmed the fact, as he saw out of the corner of his eye his companion moving towards him. Making an effort to sit up, he struggled initially; his face grimacing with pain that the feeding had caused. "I told you, you could do it," the croakiness in his voice alarmed him slightly.
"I am sorry." Refusing to look in his direction, the Wraith felt remorse at his actions. It didn't matter that he had his friend's blessing to do what was necessary, he felt repulsed for the first time at feeding on another. Now that the young soldier was awake he could clearly make out the repercussions of his actions, and it disturbed him greatly.
"You did what you I asked you to do, so stop apologising. Did it work?"
"Yes. Thanks to you."
Sheppard didn't know if it was possible for a Wraith to feel self-pity; he'd never given it a second thought of whether the Wraith had the ability to feel emotions or compassion. Now though it seemed as if he was learning a lot about the Wraith. "Don't be getting all sappy on me, we did what we had to. Now all that's left is to take the guards by surprise and get the hell out of here."
The Wraith looked doubtful, one thing he did know, was that when feeding took place, the life-force from the host was depleted severely, "As simple as that?"
"Well, we're alive aren't we? And I can still walk…I hope," he said tentatively; checking his limbs to make sure they were working. Apart from being achy, and a slight tingling sensation from the feeding, he felt relief at the familiar sensation returning to his fingers and toes. "So the plan is, we create a diversion, incapacitate Kolya and then evade all of Kolya's men and head for the surface." Smiling wistfully at the challenge ahead, he had no doubts that this wasn't going to be as easy as he made out. For one thing, Kolya would be expecting them to try and escape or some kind of surprise attack; particularly given what happened the last time. So, for it being easy? Not a chance in hell. But he'd rather die trying than wait to see what the Genii commander had in store for them.
"I admire your strength of resolve, Sheppard. But it may take more than that if we are to succeed. As I said to you before, the Wraith are now fully aware of the inhabitants of this planet. They were already making plans to conquer this world. Although they are my kind, I do not have the influence to provide you with the protection you will surely need."
Sheppard mulled over the serious threat. Given that they could now potentially be dealing with two enemies, the chances of their surviving were sinking fast. He bowed his head in reflective silence at the enormity of the task ahead of them. "How long?"
"I do not know. Time is not on our side, that I am sure of. I suggest that you reserve your strength, for you will need it if we are to succeed."
John nodded in comprehension. It was a strange comfort to hear his ally tell him that he was prepared to stick it out, even if that meant going against his own kind. For now though he was mentally and physically exhausted. The pain from his reopened head wound throbbed mercilessly from the abuse he received early, thankfully the gunshot wound to his thigh had been fairly minor, and the through-and-through bullet seemed to have avoided any major structures. At the moment his only concern was the possibility of infection. Tentatively he felt the area; thankfully it wasn't warm to the touch, which would indicate an infection. He felt a small amount of relief for that small mercy. Rubbing his eyes tiredly, he was fully aware that they were only going to have one chance at this, and they had to make it work. His eyelids dropped heavily as the recent trauma inflicted on his body took hold. Closing his eyes, he thought about what would happen if the Wraith did come. Between the two of them, they wouldn't stand a chance. If this had taught him anything, it was that there was no way in hell he could let Kolya escape a second time.
Flanked in single file between the buildings, the team watched clandestinely at the soldiers surrounding the entrances to the man made structures. From what they were able to assess with the life signs detector, the majority of Kolya's men appeared to be taking shelter within the buildings, which gave them the element of surprise. Trying to be as covert as possible, McKay's nerves started to get the better of him and clumsily he fell forward knocking into the former runner. Angry eyes bore into him as he tried to regain his footing, he ignored them; it wasn't as if he did it on purpose. Besides, they should all know by now that he wasn't exactly the stealthiest person on the team. He forced a whisper from his lips; "You know it would be really helpful if you let us in on this plan of yours!"
"See those Genii over there? You're going to create a little diversion," Ronon advised him with a straight face. McKay looked on horrified, deeming it the stupidest plan he'd ever heard.
Never one to keep his opinions to himself, he confronted him, his wavering voice shot up an octave, the disbelief reflecting in his words, "Are you nuts? What if they shoot at me?"
Looking directly at the chief scientist, he gave nothing away in his expressions, "That could be a problem, but there's nothing like taking one for the team."
"I sure hope your kidding," McKay studied the runners face for a long time to see if he was serious. It was the most annoying thing about the Satedan, and the main reason he'd never play poker with him; primarily because he could never tell if he was joking or not. His continuous blank look was making him nervous, "Can't we flip a coin?" Seeing the doubtfulness etched on the Satedan, he changed tack, "No? What about, Carson? Why does it have to be me?"
"Because, if things go horribly wrong and you do end up getting shot, at the least the doc will be there to patch you up."
"Please tell me you're kidding?" Looking to the rest of the team for support, he became decidedly jittery, "He is joking, right?"
"Do you really think I'd put your life in danger, McKay?" Not that he didn't enjoy putting the fear of God into McKay on occasions; but he was curiously interested on knowing the answer.
Nervous energy tore through his body. Babbling like a brook, his tone held an air of anxiety, "Well, no, but can I just tell you how bad a plan this is? I don't deal well with torture, or certain death. And given the reputation with the Genii, anything is possible. What if they question me? Did I ever tell you how terrible I am at lying? My eye twitches, and I start…"
"McKay!" Ronon admonished through clenched teeth, his patience exhausted, "Nothing will happen to you as long as you do what I tell you, so stop panicking and start listening."
"Okay, but answer me this, Conan. How the hell are they going to believe that I'm injured? I mean look at me; I'm the perfect picture of health." Rolling his eyes at the incredulous looks his team were giving him, continued his protest on how bad a plan this actually was. "They're never going to fall for it."
Deadpan, Ronon finished, "I could always punch you in the face, make it look more believable?"
"That's not exactly what I had in mind," McKay told him acerbically while his team watched on impatiently as he struggled to make up his mind. Then, with all seriousness in his voice he advised him, "Okay. But for the record, if I die, I'm coming back to haunt you."
Ronon's mouth twitched in humour, but he said nothing. If he'd learned anything about McKay was that for all his complaining, he always seemed to find a way out of most problems, and he didn't believe for one second that he would fail them this time. Advising them of his idea, everyone on the team knew what they had to do, and although McKay still had reservations about the whole plan, he knew that this was the only logical way to get past the guards without alerting the whole of the Genii to their presence. With one last glance behind him he shuffled his feet as if feigning injury; his usual jovial features now held an air of anxiety, partly out of playing the part, but also because of inbuilt fear of being found out.
As the adrenaline worked its way through his body, he felt his legs turning to jelly as he rounded the corner. Taking in a deep shaky breath his came into view of the Genii and let out a meek cry for help, before spectacularly crumbling to a heap on the stony gravel beneath him. Tiny shards of pebbles dug into his ribs and torso and he tried not to shift his body against the uncomfortable sensations that they were creating. If this was to work, he had to make it look realistic as possible, and just hoped by doing so that his team would be there to back him up.
He knew he had trust issues; it had been that way ever since he was young. As a kid he always had trouble making friends. Over time as he secluded himself more frequently, most of the other children stayed away, and in doing so, he did the only thing he could; study. Becoming quite apt at the sciences, he found a love for something, which would never shy away from him, never ridicule him for being different. The more the kids teased and bullied him, the more he applied himself to his studies, thereby building a wall around himself and his emotions. Before too long he'd shied away from his peers so much that he'd lost all the social graces, and niceties and eventually became the total opposite of his sister. The two of them were as different as night and day.
Jeanie had always been a brilliant physicist; at least equal to him. But she had somehow managed to find the perfect balance between being smart and popular and he envied her for it. As his jealousy of her grew, so did their distance, until just recently that is. After a quirk of fate Jeanie had come to Atlantis and they'd been able to repair some of the damage he'd caused to their relationship, but not until there'd been some subtle intervention from Sheppard; and he'd never forget that second chance to start things over with her. He just hoped that he'd get the chance to repay his friend, and maybe today was that day. Working at the SGC and being here in the Pegasus galaxy, he'd learned a lot about trust and friendship. Slowly the walls started to crumble, and he'd learned to trust people other than himself; although he doubted that he'd ever fully be a team player; too many years of being dependant on oneself put paid to that. However, like Ronon, they'd persevered with him, even with his lack of social skills. As a result, he'd learned to depend on them with his life, and now he was putting that trust to the test.
A piercing scream woke him from his exhaustive state, and for a brief moment he thought that the pitiful pleading was coming from him; it wouldn't be the first time. Sitting up suddenly, the shrill noises coming from somewhere deep within the cavernous enclaves sent a shiver down his spine; he shuddered at the thought of what Kolya and his men were up to. Uncertainty as to whether the commander was trying to replicate his previous methods on other people rocked him to the core. Given his current circumstances he knew there was little he could do, but it didn't negate from the fact that it had to be stopped – Kolya had to be stopped. When he finally spoke, he controlled his voice; belaying any fear that he felt, "What the hell is he doing to them?"
The Wraith looked on pensive, "I do not know. Before our last encounter I was locked away like an animal, and tortured for many years; the fate of others was not my concern."
I don't care if these are Genii or not, they're still people, and I can't stand by and do nothing. Nobody deserves this. "Next time Kolya comes to read us a bedtime story, it's all or nothing. Agreed?" Frustrations at being helpless built up inside him like a volcano waiting to erupt.
Rattling the chains to prove his point the Wraith voiced his concerns. "We are chained to a wall, it is unlikely that Kolya would allow us any freedom."
"Okay, that part of the plan is a bit sketchy, I'll give you that. But, if we put our minds to it, I'm sure we'll come up with something. I'm not giving up just yet. Agreed?" He emphasized his last point; they both had to be in agreement.
"Agreed." The Wraith nodded in compliance. And for the first time since their capture, Sheppard heard strength in his gruff voice; at least one thing had gone right today - he had managed to save a life.
Distracted by the noises coming from their vicinity they watched as shadows bounced of the stonewalls, and the familiar sounds of footsteps echoing along the concrete floor halted their conversation in its prime. The Wraith looked across to Sheppard, concern at his friends well being reflected in his eyes. He knew one thing was a certainty, whatever was to come, there was no way Sheppard would be able to survive another session.
Rebelliously, the Wraith came to a standing position as if protecting his comrade, Sheppard in an effort to stand beside his friend as a final act of defiance, but his limbs refused to hold his weight. The Wraith seeing him struggle offered a helping hand so that the two men could stand together, Sheppard grasped his wrist, clutching it as if it was his lifeline and brought himself to a standing position. Although his limbs protested with the concerted effort he watched suspiciously as the guard approached their holding cell. As their eyes honed in on the figure coming into view, they realised it wasn't the guard; it was the lab technician that had injected Sheppard earlier. The prisoners looked on with mistrust. So far the guards had always come with the technicians, but this time it was different.
The tall fawn haired man held an air of fear as he approached the holding cell taking in Sheppard's aged appearance, and gasping slightly at the sight before him. The man he'd been forced to inject was now nothing but a shadow of his former self, as age lines graced his previously youthful face; gray thinning hair had taken the place of his previous color. Watching them warily, the man's eyes shifted from the entrance to them as if fearing being caught talking to them.
Seeing the strangeness in the young man's actions, Sheppard walked closer to the bars only managing to move a few feet, but it was enough to see the depth of fear portrayed in the trembling man. His hostility towards the man was evident, "If you think you're going to get more samples, forget it."
"I came to see…"
Sheppard cut him off mid sentence. "What? Your handiwork?" contempt for the man that helped Kolya dripped from his lips.
"No," the man looked appalled, he shook his head vehemently, "It's not like that at all."
Sheppard crossed his arms in defiance, refusing to let the man see how frail he had become. "Oh really? You could've fooled me. So, your helping Kolya is all an act is it?"
"I've come to help you," the technician told him in earnest.
"I think you've 'helped' enough, don't you?"
"No, you don't understand. I'm a doctor…"
"Well let me tell you something, doc, your bedside manner leaves a lot to be desired. You hear those people screaming before? They may be your people, and…"
He tried to put his point forward, but to no avail. He knew this wasn't going to be easy, he anticipated as much after he left the prisoner the last time. But, after witnessing Kolya's act and hearing the torturous cries of his own people begging for mercy took him over the edge, he couldn't stand by any longer. "They are my people and the reason I'm here."
"So, not content with just a handful of your own people being tortured and killed," Sheppard was just beginning to gather momentum, "You thought, 'what they hell', let's just add a few more casualties to the list. I mean what are a couple more dead bodies, when you've killed so many? Right Doc?"
Reasoning with the man just wasn't working, and given that sound travelled along the corridor, he couldn't risk being discovered with them; he had to take a chance. Opening up the jail cell, he left it open to avoid the clattering of the metal. He moved nearer towards them, and lowering his voice he told them honestly, "Look, you have every right to be angry with me. If I were in your shoes I'd probably feel the same way. But, I didn't know, I swear to you." Sheppard looked on with incredulity, a look of suspicion tore between the colonel and the doctor, but the Doctor was determined that he was going to have his say. "I meant what I said before, about helping you. I had no idea what Kolya's plans were, and I'm sorry for the pain I caused you. What I'm trying to say, if you'll let me, is that I can help you leave this place. But we have to leave now."
"How do I know that this isn't one of Kolya's little mind games?"
"You don't!" The response was succinct, and heartfelt, his hands clenching an unclenching with nervous energy. "I know you don't trust me after what happened…"
"You're damn right I don't."
"Look, Kolya will be back before too long, and nothing will stop him from getting what he desires. Make no mistake colonel, I'm not here for you or the creature that stands beside you." John bit back the urge to tell him the Wraith wasn't some creature; now wasn't the time. As he spoke screams of pain and terror ripped through the caverns, and he shut off his mind to the pain and suffering going on around him. "Hear that? They are the reason I'm here. Without you, there may be a chance that he'll stop experimenting. You have unique properties within your blood, which means that, Kolya needs you and your DNA. Without it, he's flying blind…so to speak."
"If that's the case, then what about the samples you already took from me?"
"I've destroyed them. I can't allow this to continue under any premise."
Aged, bloodied and battered, Lieutenant Colonel John Sheppard, who had literally been to hell and back, firmly stood his ground. He hadn't come all this way for it to fall by the wayside. Gauging the man's features, he honestly wasn't sure whether the doctor could be trusted. Ultimately though, even if the man just gave them a fighting chance and released them from their bindings, it would be worth it. They really had nothing to lose by trusting him, "I'm not leaving without finishing what I started."
The Doctor shook his head, not quite understanding why they weren't in a hurry to get out of their confines. His patience was waning, "Which is?"
"Kill Kolya."
The doctor paced, shaking his head, it was suicide. "You can't be serious? Do you have any idea of what you'd be up against?"
And your point is? "Yes."
"It's one thing to help you escape, but it's something else entirely to assist you in tracking down my commanding officer. I won't do it." He was adamant on that point.
"I never asked you to. This is between Kolya and us. All I'm asking is for you to show us the way, nothing more."
"He's with the other prisoners." His tone was heavy as the weight if the weight of his decisions to help them fell heavily on his shoulders. He knew he was doing the right thing, but this could have been avoided earlier, if he had faced up to his responsibilities as a human being. "Bear in mind though, that there are guards patrolling the corridors. You'll need your weapons."
"Don't suppose you have them on you?" Sheppard knew it was a long shot, but he had to ask.
"No."
Didn't think so. So, no weapon, guards patrolling, Kolya waiting to kill them. Just your average day at the office. Piece of cake. Who was he kidding?
"There is something else I need to tell you." The man shifted his gaze to the ground. Racked with guilt at what he'd been forced to do, he knew he had to at least try and make amends with the young soldier.
"I don't know if you've noticed or not, but now is not exactly the time for us to sit down and have a little chat."
"It's important."
"I doubt it's as important as stopping, Kolya." Sheppard told him as he went to push past him. He faltered slightly, his limbs protesting with every movement, but he refused to succumb for his bodies need to rest.
The technician grabbed hold of his forearm, steadying him at first. He caught a look of disdain from the man, but continued to restrain him from leaving the cell until he'd told him. "You're going to die." The words came out hurriedly, and it stopped the soldier in his tracks. "That injection I gave you…"
"You're telling me this now?" Shock at the sudden revelation caught him off guard. Irrespective of what the man had just said, he had no intentions of dying, not until he finished what he started.
End of Part XII
AN: Thanks everyone for your reviews :o) I'm so sorry that it's taken so long to post this next chapter… Am I forgiven?
