Fourteen
After that, they silently advance to Laura's position, taking out three more groups of Hybrids and not a Genii in sight, and after what seems like an eternity to him, they finally reach the trap door Keller told them leads to the cells. When they arrive, Sheppard and his team minus Meyers are standing a few feet away from it. Of course. As far away from the explosion as possible, but still near enough to get inside as fast as possible when Meyers is done.
When the team sees them, he could swear to see Ronon wipe his hand over his face to hide the quick look of relief that just crossed his face. It makes him thank God again that he is not part of something this complicated. Most of the time his own "thing" is complicated enough for him.
He walks over to Sheppard. "Sir?"
Sheppard knows exactly what he wants to know, and the look on his CO's face does not bode well. "Dr. Keller was right. There is a bomb on the door. The Sergeant has been on it for the last ten minutes." Sheppard takes a deep breath. "We need Cadman, but she's… not exactly in the shape to help."
He doesn't want to, but he knows he just has to ask. "How bad is it?"
"She's half-conscious, but… it's not pretty, Major. Lots of bruises in her face, wound on her thigh… she was cradling her right hand like something was the matter with it, but… she wouldn't let anyone near her." Alright… at least she's still alive and even responsive. That's all he's asked for. He takes a deep breath and nods.
In this moment, Meyers' voice sounds through Sheppard's radio. "Sir… hate to say it, but this job is too big for me. Might look easy, but he's built in a few fail saves I can't see from my position. I need Lieutenant Cadman, but she's a little… uncooperative."
Uncooperative? He looks at Sheppard with his eyebrow raised. Sheppard takes a moment to think, then he has obviously reached a decision. "I'll send someone down, Sergeant."
Then Sheppard nods at him. "I have this feeling that there's something I should better leave to you. Go, Major." Without another word, he heeds the order and climbs down the ladder. When he arrives at the cell, Meyers doesn't look a bit surprised. Yeah, well, who else would Sheppard send down, huh?
"What's happening, Sergeant?", he asks and Meyers crouches down again, worry and helplessness on his face.
"See for yourself, sir." With that, he reaches out to touch Laura's shoulder through the bars, but immediately she shakes him off.
"Don't touch me.", she says and her voice is raspy, but there's a surprising amount of steel behind it. He looks at Meyers, and the Sergeant seems to have the exact same thoughts in his head.
"Cave fiasco flashback?" Meyers nods.
"'Fraid so, sir." With a sigh, he hands Meyers his P90 and his Beretta. Laura might be half-delirious and behind bars, but she's still a highly trained soldier, and she has exceptional reflexes. Better not take any chances now.
"I'll take care of it." With that, he crouches down where Laura is sitting with her back to the bars. Very tentatively, he reaches out to her.
"Laura…" As predicted, she shakes him off, quite violently.
"Go away. Don't touch me." Alright. That was to be expected.
"It's just me, Laura. Stop fighting. It's over. They can't harm you anymore." Hopefully, the sound of his voice is enough to make her realize she doesn't have to fight anymore.
"I said go away." Mh. Obviously not. Very cautiously, he reaches out to lightly touch her shoulder again.
"Laura…"
"GO AWAY!" Immediately, she half turns around and swats at him with her left hand quite forceful, considering her current state.
Fine. This calls for the big guns. "Okay, that's it. Lieutenant, this is an order. You stop fighting me right now!" He didn't want to do this, like he hadn't wanted to pull rank and order her to let Carson touch her back in that cave, but just like then it's the only option left to get through her thick skull.
For a moment, it's very silent, but then she says very quietly and a little disbelieving: "…Evan?"
He breathes a sigh of relief and inches a little closer to her, already aching to take her into his arms. "God, yes. Everything's okay now, Laura."
"About time, farm boy.", she replies with that raspy voice and even manages to bring a disapproving undertone.
And for some reason, that's finally his undoing. Without any regard to the Sergeant watching them, he leans his forehead against the bars, as close as he can get to her. His hand reaches out through the bars and, as not to hurt her even more by accidentally hitting one of her bruises, very carefully cups her cheek. His own voice is husky, when he speaks up again. "I know. I'm sorry, Buttercup. For everything."
For a moment, she closes her eyes, and he really hopes she understood what he just said. But as she opens her eyes again, she's back to business. "You shouldn't be here."
He gives her a half-smile. "I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be. And now show that Sergeant over there who's top dog in the C4-business."
But instead of the expected grin or the snort, he only gets something that sounds suspiciously like half a sob. "Not with this." She holds up her left hand and he can see what she means. It's trembling violently, and the way she just said it tells him that she has already tried her magic on the bomb. In her current state of mind, her failure must weigh her down pretty heavily.
Before he can answer something, Meyers carefully clears his throat. "Beg pardon, ma'am, but… what about I lend you my hands and everything you taught me and you do the rest?"
He knows he could just order her to go with the suggestion, because they're on the clock, but he also knows she'd never forgive him if he pulled rank on her now. And anyway, she's smart enough to go with that without orders. Right? But for being smart enough… she sure takes her time. "Only if the Major leaves the room."
No. No fucking way. He will not leave them alone here. Not after everything. He will not leave the woman he loves alone to die here. And he will not leave a man who's married and who's a damn good soldier as well and who's here because he allowed him to come with them. "Out of question. Get going."
"Evan…"
"Sir…"
"No." And that's his final word. He knows it's probably stupid, and both Laura and Meyers are right. But he has this feeling that Laura isn't her usual confident self and might need some back-up, even if she'd never admit it. And the terrible thought of being up there, leaving her alone, when she might…
"With all due respect, sir… if something happens…" He takes a deep breath and looks at Meyers, digging out the look that his sister likes to call – without a hint of sarcasm – "The Lorne Look Of Steel" and that actually shuts the Sergeant up.
"Something will happen if the Lieutenant and you don't get to work now. And it will not be nice. Did I make myself clear?" The Sergeant swallows.
"Crystal, sir." With that, Meyers turns towards the bomb at the lock and hands him the flash light. He's about to make a not really nice comment about certainly not being Major Limelight, but then he realizes that from this point on Laura and Meyers are running the show, and he's just here for the moral support and the unskilled labor.
The Sergeant picks up his knife again and with a shuddering and raspy voice, Laura starts telling him about the wires she can see from the inside. It occurs to him that he's never seen her doing this before. He's seen her placing charges, blowing up whole buildings, figure out detonating mechanisms, testing chemical modifications… all the stuff that goes with her sometimes rather explosive personality. But he never actually saw her do this part of her job, where a steady hand and absolute concentration are the most important things.
Over time the intervals Laura needs to collect herself and think the next steps over are growing longer and longer, and then she simply says: "I can't. I'm sorry, but… I can't… I just…" She leans her head against the bars, breathing heavily and he can see that she won't make it much longer. It hurts seeing her this way, because this is as closest to giving up he has ever seen her. And giving up and Laura… that usually doesn't go together in one sentence.
He puts his hand on her shoulder and squeezes it very lightly. Very low, so that it's really just Laura who hears him, he says: "I know you're hurting and I know you're sick and I know you think you can't pull this off, but you can. You have to."
She shakes her head. "It's all so messed up, and I can't even think straight."
This just isn't the woman he knows. But usually, the woman he knows isn't full of drugs, hasn't a fever raging through her body and isn't wounded. So maybe… she just needs someone helping her get through that fog in her head. He takes her hand and squeezes it. "Laura, listen: You're a fucking Marine, which means you think you're fucking invincible. Now show me that you live up to those highflying claims."
He's said it loud enough for Meyers to hear on purpose, and the Sergeant gets his clue. Smirking, he says: "I don't know about you, ma'am, but I have the feeling that the Major doesn't pay the necessary respect to the Corps and its officers. I think he deserves someone proving him wrong." Yeah, you can always depend on the Marines' loyalty to their Corps. Doesn't change the fact, though, that the Sergeant is treating a dangerously fine line here.
"Watch it, Sergeant.", he growls, and for some reason that seems to be the final incentive to mobilize Laura's last resources.
"It's the green wire." Meyers picks up his knife, places it under the wire… and hesitates.
"You sure, ma'am?" She shakes her head.
"No. But someone had to make a decision." Her voice is now nearly inaudible. It feels like she's slipping away further every minute, and out of reflex he grips her hand tighter. She returns his pressure only very, very lightly, but at least she does return it.
Meyers looks at him, questioningly. "Sir?" Hey, when did he turn into the explosives expert?
Okay. Yes. He is the senior officer here, and it's his job to make that one last final call whether to trust Laura's judgment or hand the responsibility over to Meyers. After a moment of consideration he accepts that both of them will probably hate him for what he has to say now, but he does it anyway: "It's your decision, Sergeant."
Meyers gives him a look that says something like "Yeah, right, put the weight of the world on the NCO's shoulders, why don't you.", but turns back to the IED. He raises the knife again… and puts it against the blue wire. Oh. In the moment, Meyers finally severs the wire, he forces himself to keep his eyes open and turn to Laura, because if he has to go…
And then it's over. The wire is cut, the detonator stops blinking and the Sergeant saved the day. Just like that. He is so relieved that he actually allows himself sagging against the bars, back to back with Laura. After a few seconds of processing that the only thing standing between death and surviving this was just a trace of doubt and probably a gut feeling on the Sergeant's side, he says: "Good work, Sergeant."
While removing the C4 from the door, Meyers grins, probably to cover up his own relief and excitement: "You owe me a beer now, sir." He owes him his life, and Laura's, but he has this feeling that Meyers is the kind of guy who doesn't like to make about a fuss about things like this.
So he simply replies: "Agreed, Sergeant."
After the C4 is gone, Meyers uses his knife to pick the lock. When he's done, he simply steps aside and pushes the door open. The Sergeant even has the decency to step into the background and inform Sheppard that the situation is under control, while he practically rushes into the cell.
Not wasting any time or words, he simply gets down beside Laura and engulfs her in a tight hug. He doesn't even realize how the room fills with the rest of the rescue team. The only thing on his mind is now the barely conscious woman in his arms, and hearing her whisper: "Good call, Evan. Sorry… sorry for disappointing you." God, she didn't, but suddenly his throat is too raw to speak and so he just has to press a kiss to her cheek, if not to her lips, which is when he realizes how hot her skin is. Horrified, he turns back to the room, searching for Keller and finding her kneeling directly beside him.
"Whoa, Doc, she's burning up."
Keller, being a professional and saying nothing about what she just witnessed, simply nods and says: "Told you the two grazes have become inflamed."
It's this moment Sheppard decides taking charge again – he'll probably be forever thankful to his CO for not interrupting his reunion with Laura – and gives out his orders. "Alright, Meyers, help the Doc with emergency treatment, Ronon, you take Cadman when they're done, Major, take point with your team, Teyla and I cover our six. Move it, people."
Keller and Meyers get to work on Laura, while he has moved to hold her and calm her down with a few well-placed discrete touches. He sneaks a glance towards Simmons and McPherson who have arrived only a week ago and aren't quite familiar with the story between Laura and him – they probably know about the nature of their relationship and might have heard bits and pieces about how it happened, but they didn't know him before that, and now he's afraid of what they might think about him. He doesn't want to, but he knows he somehow has to talk about this subject with the two of them, if he wants them to respect him.
After only a few minutes, the two medics are done with Laura, and reluctantly he moves away to let Ronon take her up, while Teyla gives him back his weapons she has found on the floor outside the cell. It's his clue to signal Simmons and Meyers to be the first pair and then pairs himself with McPherson to form the second point. Behind him, the rest get moving. After the first corner, Meyers turns around, a look on his face saying that he just had an idea he deems noteworthy. "What is it, Sergeant?"
"They've totally mined the complex and the resistance was comparatively low, sir. That says that they were prepared to lose it anyway. I guess there's nothing worth mentioning here anymore. I was thinking… we should give them their explosion and make them believe they actually got us. All I need are two or three packs of C4 placed strategically." He looks back at Sheppard and the Colonel nods.
"Do it, Sergeant. Good thinking." The momentarily gleaming in Meyers' eyes says "What would you do without us Sergeants, huh?" and then he places the first pack of C4 and a remote detonator on the wall. And then they finally set off for Atlantis. But secretly he vows to hunt these guys down, and if it's the last thing he ever does. Teyla may get the shot at Michael when they catch him, but he wants to reserve the prerogative to shoot this Genii.
A/N: Ye-es, finally a rescue! So... how many of you did hold their breath until the bomb was disabled? :D And btw, it's nearly 3 a.m. over here and I had a very interesting discussion with my sister going on while proofreading this, so please everyone bear with any typos or weird grammar :S Oh, and something else: This chapter actually is Asugar's fault ;) Okay... honestly: I had something else written, but I wasn't really satisfied with (i.e. I absolutely hated it) and it was Asugar's comment about wanting to see the actual disabling that finally sparked the right idea how to change the chapter. Thank you very much for that.