Author's Note: I do have to put a warning on this one, just in case. There is some pretty nasty stuff near the end. May not agree with weak stomachs. Also some very emotional stuff. Consider this your warning.

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Part 5 – The Tragedy

When Sheppard regained consciousness, it took him a moment to remember where he was. There were none of the familiar beeps and chatter of the Atlantis infirmary. The air was dusty and stale, like nothing had breathed it for ages. He pried open his eyes expecting a bright, overhead light but found nothing. Not entirely nothing: there was faint blue seeping into the darkness above him. He could hear the sound of soil and pebbles falling nearby and dust it stirred up around him made him cough.

Then it all came back to him: securing the climbing line, the quake, catching Ronon and falling. The memory of the crack and the white pain in his arm and shoulder were enough to make him moan and he hadn't even tried moving yet. He looked around for his P90 but didn't see it. He felt for the small flashlight he always kept in his Tac Vest and hoped it wasn't broken. He found it, pulled it out and turned it on as he took in his surroundings.

Apart from the dark and dampness it looked very much like a corridor in Atlantis. It made sense if this was a cityship like Atlantis. His first priority was to find Ronon. He aimed the light along the floor looking for his friend but found nothing. He widened the search area but still nothing. Getting worried he started to pull himself into a sitting position and called, "Ronon?"

But the sound was barely more then a whisper as he instantly winced at the pain the movement caused him. Then he saw a small light, not unlike his own, coming toward him. "Easy, you're hurt and you've been out for a couple minutes."

"Ronon, are you alright?" Sheppard asked looking the man over as he raised a hand to shield his eyes from the light.

Ronon got down on his haunches with Sheppard's missing weapon lying against his right knee. "Thanks to you. You broke my fall. I found your gun and used the flashlight on it to try to find a path to where McKay is."

Sheppard grimaced again but managed a full sitting position without disturbing his shoulder too much. "And did you find one?"

"Not yet. I described our location to McKay and he is looking it up in the city maps." Ronon sat down in front of Sheppard and wiped the dust from his face as he gave a small cough.

Sheppard nodded. "So the Jumper and Teyla and McKay all know we're not dead."

Ronon smiled. "They knew anyway. Beckett saw our life signs on the Jumper's HUD."

Ronon looked at the arm Sheppard cradled. "That's my fault. You shouldn't have grabbed for me."

Sheppard looked up at his friend. "Are you kidding? If I hadn't, you'd be the one sitting here with broken bones or worse."

Ronon looked up at the hole they'd fallen through. It had grown with the added rock that had collapsed in this second quake. "Well, on the bright side. We should be able to get McKay, his friend and the drones out of here through that hole now."

The other man followed his gaze and sized up the hole. "Yeah, it really got bigger in that last one. Well that's one problem solved."

Then the silence of the room was broken by McKay's excited voice. "I've got it! I know where you are on the map now, Ronon. Is Sheppard awake yet? Are you sure he's ok? That must have been a nasty fall you two had. And I didn't like the sound of his scream. It can't be good that he's still unconscious. Beckett, how far away are you guys? Sheppard might need you."

Sheppard smiled at the famous McKay rambling. He seemed incapable of saying just one thing. His speech mirrored his busy mind as he blurted out multiple thoughts. It was one of the things Sheppard found amusing about his friend.

"Yes, I'm awake, and, yes, I'm ok, Rodney, sort of." Sheppard winced as he answered.

Hearing Sheppard's voice allowed McKay to finally relax a little, which relieved some of the pressure on his body. McKay's hands on the tablet rested and he let his head hang in relief, taking a deep breath, before he murmured. "Oh, thank god. What do you mean 'sort of'?"

Sheppard frowned and shrugged with his other shoulder. Ronon tapped his radio and reported. "He seems to have a dislocated shoulder and a small break in his lower arm."

McKay continued. "Breaking with tradition are we, Colonel? Isn't the gossip in the city that you're indestructible?"

Now Sheppard laughed as he cradled his hurt arm. "I wish I was sometimes."

Beckett took this break in conversation to jump in. "Colonel, Beckett here. Is it a normal break or are ye bleeding?"

Sheppard looked at his arm but there was no blood on it. Just the gash on his forehead where he had hit a rock when he landed. "No, it's not but my head is. Little cut there, nothing to worry about."

Beckett snorted. "I'll take that to mean it's a large gash that likely needs stitches and is bleeding a great deal."

McKay snarked. "Very likely, Carson, you know him."

"Hey! I'm right here, people." Sheppard protested.

"Aye, ah do Rodney. Like ah know ye and why ye aren't complainin' up a mighty storm." Beckett said.

McKay was about to answer when a loud grinding sound was heard. "What was that?" He sounded confused as he looked around. Then a low whisper, "Oh, no."

Beckett and Sheppard both froze as they listened. Beckett asked, "Rodney? What's the matter?"

Then Sheppard heard a loud crack followed by a rumble coming from a distance to his right. "Sounds like something is collapsing. There may be another cave-in in the control room." Then Sheppard's blood ran cold as he heard a scream in the distance which wasn't coming from his radio. "Oh, God."

Beckett, unable to hear the sounds, asked. "What? What is it, Colonel?"

"A scream." Sheppard said as he listened intently.

"Was it Rodney?" Teyla asked from the surface.

"I couldn't tell." Sheppard answered. He looked up as Ronon started towards the door. "Ronon, no! McKay said the corridors are dangerous. We have to wait until the tremors are over."

Zelenka jumped in. "Yes. If Rodney was correct and you are near drone storage you are somewhat protected. But the halls between two rooms are not so. You must wait until shaking stops."

Ronon slapped his radio. "McKay or the villager could be dead if we wait."

"You won't do them any good if you die too, Ronon," Beckett reminded him.

Sheppard raised his voice to interrupt the chatter. "Just everyone shut up for a few seconds so I can hear what's going on down here…. Rodney, can you hear me?"

As ordered, everyone shut up and listened. When no reply came, Sheppard grew more concerned for his friend. "Cone on, Rodney."

After the shaking stopped Ronon took off in the direction of the scream. Unfortunately he was stopped by a wall of rubble. "It's blocked. I can't get to them. Not without a lot of help."

Sheppard tried again. "Rodney? Rodney, answer me. Rodney?"

In the Control Room

Hearing his name, McKay pushed himself back toward awareness and tried to figure out what had just happened. The room was full of dust and a few small fires had started in the equipment panels. There was even more debris around him now. He coughed as he tried to clear the dust and rocks off his tablet. It was dark but he touched a button and it flickered back to life. "Oh good."

Rodney groped for the flashlight that had rolled nearly beyond his grasp but managed to snag it. It was still on and caused a creepy silhouette effect against some large objects close to him and the dust around them. Then he remembered. He looked over in time to see a large section of wall beginning to crumble and a console mounted to it pull away. As it's lights flickered and died as he said "Oh, no."

The console and monitor were suddenly in pieces on the floor in front of him and then the wall collapsed. The rock shattered into several large, jagged chunks that littered the floor between him and the forward wall. He looked at where the wall used to be, hoping for an opening into the generator room or the corridor outside. All he saw was another support wall with a few holes in it, but nothing big enough to climb through.

The one good thing about the recent collapse was that it hadn't added to his injuries. It has, however, increased dust in the air making it harder to breathe. After assessing his own body he turned to his companion. "Baldric? Are you ok? Looks like one of the back walls came down on us. Big mess, but I'm ok. What about you? Baldric?"

McKay waited for a few beats but got no answer. He assumed the man had been knocked out and hadn't regained consciousness yet. So he decided to check his radio. Touching the switch he asked, "Sheppard? Ronon? Teyla? Beckett? Anyone?"

To his surprise they all answered at the same time with a resounding, "Rodney!"

McKay grimaced at the loud voices in his ear. "Thank you! I really needed to be temporarily deafened right now."

Sheppard looked up and smiled at Ronon as he reentered the room. "Sorry, Rodney, but you had us a little worried there. The rumbling and all."

McKay coughed again. "Yes, one of the walls in here collapsed. Some of the equipment was smashed. Bit of a light show and lots of noise. I must have been hit by something because I was out for a few seconds but I'm fine now."

Beckett listened and frowned. He didn't like the fact that McKay had lost consciousness even for the few seconds between their communications. He was injured enough with the bleeding and debris on his legs. He didn't need a serious head wound to go along with it.

Sheppard asked again as he shakily got to his feet with Ronon's help. "Rodney, you said you knew where we were. Give us directions to get to you and that generator room."

Rodney pulled the tablet closer to himself and pulled up the city map of the area he'd found before. "Right, I'm on it. I'm just looking to see if there have been any more collapses that will get in your way."

"Well, we do have some good news. The hole Ronon and I fell through has enlarged to a good size. We can get the Jumper to lower some lines and a couple gurneys to lift all of us out. Then they can come back for the drones." Sheppard reported.

Major Lorne answered. "Yes sir. That is good news. We'll start setting up the winch and getting ready to pull you out, sir. Doc?"

"Aye, ah'm on it. Wright, help me with this, love." Beckett and his nurse pulled the needed medical supplies out of the storage wracks as Lorne's men and the Marines set up the portable winch and lines.

McKay's voice was heard again. "Ok. Looks like the way I found originally is blocked now. But there is another route. It's a little more round-about, but you'll get to the generator room first. Head right out your door to the end of that corridor. Then go left at the T and you'll come to a transporter. Pull the middle crystal from the door controls and take it to the next door that you'll find mid-corridor. According to this read-out, that door's crystal is blown. Replace it and you should be able to get through. That corridor will lead you straight to the generator room next to me. Like I said before, these passages are old and dangerous. Be careful and watch out for damaged equipment that might explode or something."

Sheppard and Ronon were already moving. "We know the drill, Rodney. This is not our first rescue mission."

"Hmm, just make sure it's not 'our' last one." McKay shot back.

Beckett stopped for a moment and stood. "Colonel, ye're plannin' to run through dusty halls with a dislocated shoulder a broken arm? Have you at least immobilized it to avoid further injury?"

"Yes, Doc, I have. And Ronon put the shoulder back place already and he made me a sort of sling." Sheppard said running his hand over the fabric of the sling as he moved.

"Ah." Beckett was concerned, but he could do nothing at the moment. "Well done Ronon, lad."

Zelenka broke in. "Gentlemen, I hate to interrupt, but we are down now to six and a half minutes until the quake. Tremors will be starting very soon. You must hurry."

Rodney pulled up the timer he had started on his own computer and confirmed that. "Crap, he's right."

"Okay. We're set up here," Beckett said as he did another once-over of the equipment and the rescue gear the Marines had set up.

Major Lorne reported. "Colonel, we'll be over your original location in about two minutes. We'll open the hatch and lower the lines at your order."

"Thank you, Major." Sheppard answered.

Beckett then remember Rodney's companion. "Rodney, how is yer friend down there?"

McKay didn't look up as he was tracking the progress of Sheppard and Ronon. "He was knocked out in the collapse and hasn't come to yet."

Beckett nodded. "Well, when he does, ask him to describe his injuries to ye."

Sheppard remembered the scream. "Yeah, something must have landed on him from the sound of that scream he gave. Can you reach him to check on him, Rodney?"

That caught McKay's attention. "Scream? What scream?"

"Just after you said 'oh, no' Ronon and I heard a loud scream from your direction. I couldn't tell if it was you or him, but I'm guessing now that it was him. Whatever happened it must have really hurt." Sheppard grimaced at the memory.

"Carson, is it safe to nudge his leg to wake him up? He did say he had them uncovered and I saw him move his right one." McKay asked.

Beckett considered for a moment. "If he was already moving them, yes it should be ok. But if he moans, stop."

"Of course. Baldric? It's Rodney, can you hear me?" McKay picked up a long blunt piece of debris and nudged the other man's leg. When he got no response, he picked up the flashlight and pointed it toward the man. The light flashed off the floor and reflected on a few panel pieces a little higher up. Rodney raised the light in that direction and he went pale as a sheet and choked in horror. "Oh God!"

Everyone was waiting. Teyla asked softly, not sure she wanted to know the answer. "Rodney? What is it?"

McKay swallowed hard a few times and followed the light up Baldric body. A large sharp piece of the metal console had splintered off and impaled Baldric in the chest. It had still had glass in it which had fallen and embedded itself into the skin of his face and upper body. He must not have died immediately because there was a lot of blood pooled around Baldric.

McKay started shaking uncontrollably. "It… must have happened… when I was out." The light showed Baldric's face and his open eyes. They were turned in Rodney's direction as if he had been pleading with McKay to help him when he died. McKay froze. Then he started whispering. "I didn't know. I swear I didn't know. I'm sorry. Oh, god, I'm sorry for bringing you down here. I should never have made you come."

Beckett could tell by the sound of his voice that McKay was about to panic. "Rodney, listen to me. There was nothing ye could have done to help him. This wasn't yer fault." He turned his mic off and looked at Lorne. "Can ye make this thing go faster."

Sheppard jumped in. "Rodney, Carson is right. You couldn't have helped him. You're trapped too. He knew that. He didn't blame you, Rodney."

McKay just shook his head not believing any of them. He turned the flashlight around to check his surroundings again. The large chunks of wall near him seemed to be coming closer to him. He could almost hear the grating sound of them moving. The room seemed to be getting smaller. He couldn't breathe. Then the light flashed over the blood on the floor. It was coming towards him too. It was about to soak him. He felt like he was going to drown in it. "No, no, no, no. It's coming toward me. It's all moving. I can't breathe. The room is collapsing. Noooo! I'm scared. I don't want to die. I don't want to die!"

Beckett clicked his radio back on. "Colonel, it sounds like he's havin' a panic attack. His claustrophobia and the trauma of what just happened are probably too much for him. You have to get to him before he hurts himself further."

"We're at the transporter now." There was silence for a few seconds then Sheppard continued. "We have the crystal; we're heading to the closed door."

Teyla asked. "Dr. Beckett? What can we say to help calm him down until Colonel Sheppard and Ronon reach him?"

"Ah'm afraid not much gets through a panic attack. Hopefully he'll work himself up and pass out. Even if he did, his current physical condition has me concerned. Ah need ta see him, as soon as possible." Beckett sounded more worried than they had heard him in a long time. More than anything that worried the others.

Major Lorne checked the HUD to confirm his location. "Colonel Sheppard, this is Lorne. We're at the location of the sinkhole. I'm awaiting your orders."

Sheppard looked at his watch as the first of the small tremors leading to the big one started to shake the ruins. "Damn, it's starting. Zelenka are you going to be able to talk us through deactivating this generator? And will it stop the quake now that we're so close?"

Zelenka was already working on his laptop. "Yes, to both questions. I have linked to Rodney's tablet and have access to the city's systems. When you deactivate the generator, I will have the Major send a pulse out from the Jumper to stabilize the area. Please hurry, Colonel, we are now down to four minutes until the quake and structural readings down there are becoming critical."

Everyone could tell Zelenka was not only worried about the time remaining before the quake but also about helping to get McKay and the rest of them all out safely.

End Part 5

As promised, here is the next part without much waiting. Much love goes to ashanome who put a rush on this beta after the response on the list. Thanks to the reviewers again.

Kam, you were my first review on part 4 you must be on alert. Yes, Rodney must talk.

Silverthreads, yes it's back.

Krys, hehe does happy snooy dance too, whump is the thing we love. Me thinks you are alert too. LOL

Kiara, well not an hour but close enough, hope you survived.

Rebekah78, well now you got a version.

Terri, that's for your enthusiasm to repost and your review.

Sablecain, thanks and love to see yours when it's done, remember my offer. 

Ellex, glad you enjoyed the reread and yes tension and excitement is what I'm going for.

Melifoo, glad you found it again, and you're get the rest soon.

Nebbyjen, thanks for your review and help with Jumperbay.

And in answer to fischergirl from way back in part 1, yes I did 2 Atlantis city videos (one to Josh Groban, and one to JLo) about a year ago. They are on Illman's streamload page for viewing. I'm planning a new city vid now with the shots from Progeny and Common Ground.

Sorry to say it may be a few days until the next one. Family visiting, messing me PC time up. But I'll try.

Laheara