Chapter Six
"Crap, crap, crap," Rodney said as he ducked below the console again, determined to disable that damned security system. The burn on his left forefinger felt like he was dipping it in fire, but he didn't bother to stop and look at it. He didn't have that kind of time to spare.
Ronon was off somewhere trying to line up a better angle on one of the remaining laser cannons. That left Rodney alone to work – he had to check on Sheppard, Teyla and the girl one way or another. Damn, his blood pressure certainly didn't need to deal with this kind of stress!
Rodney paused for a moment. There was something very strange about the innards of this console – there were redundancies and layers of bypasses that left his brain spinning, redundancies that went far beyond the Ancient norm. It was almost as if there were multiple security systems layered on top of each other, but were also independent of each other. It was enough to give a brilliant astrophysicist one hell of a headache.
He began to mutter aloud. "Once again, it's up to me to swoop in like Superman and save the day. All without lunch. So much for Shiska stew – who knows if I'll ever eat again! Trapped down here like we are, breakfast may have been my last meal. Crap, why didn't I eat something more substantial than Wheaties? What kind of breakfast is that anyway? The breakfast of champions, my ass!"
He stopped when he suddenly saw his way into the heart of the monster. Maybe there was a way he could yet be a champion. He didn't pause as he reconfigured the crystal alignment and closed his eyes, making a silent prayer to the powers that be.
"Ronon, throw something into the air and see what happens!" he shouted.
"What do you think I've been doing for the last half hour?" Ronon's voice sounded distant.
Where the hell had he taken off to?
"Just do it!"
Ronon tossed something into the air and Rodney peeked out from under the console to follow its trajectory. Nothing happened – literally nothing, because the object fell to the floor unscathed.
"Do it again," Rodney said, his voice strangely hushed by excitement.
Ronon obeyed, silently this time.
"Yes!" Rodney said with relish.
He started scooting out, preparing to leave the safety of the computer console, then fidgeted nervously and asked, "Do it a third time, just to be safe."
After the third object Ronon threw next clattered to the floor intact, Ronon surprised Rodney by appearing beside him. He patted Rodney on the leg and said, "You did it!"
"Oh, thank God," Rodney said with a sigh, rubbing a grimy hand over his face, then he scooted out from under the console.
He gritted his teeth together as he tried to ignore the flare of pain caused by his movement, but he didn't waste time dwelling on his discomfort – they had to find out how Teyla and Sheppard were doing.
Ronon was way ahead of him as he called, "Sheppard? Teyla?"
There was no answer. The kid wasn't even crying anymore. The silence was unnerving. Ronon met Rodney's wide-eyed gaze and paused long enough to give Rodney a hand up. Once Rodney had his crutch under his arm, he waved Ronon away. "Go, go, go – see how they're doing!"
Ronon jogged the short distance down the aisle and threw open the cabinet doors, then froze for a terribly long moment. Rodney tried to read the situation from Ronon's stoic expression, but all he could discern was things had just gone from bad to worse.
Ronon frowned, then swallowed, and moved forward. By the time Rodney arrived, Ronon was checking for the pulse and respiration on all three of the victims in the cabinet.
"How are they?" Rodney asked in a hushed voice.
"Alive," Ronon replied, his tone telling Rodney little more than nothing.
As Rodney watched, Ronon started to move the unconscious bodies. Rodney didn't know Ronon was even capable of such gentleness when he picked up Ashina and carefully laid her on the floor beside the cabinet – as if she was made of the most fragile porcelain. Rodney's heart was in his throat as he stared at her. Damn, she was tiny, like a doll – and just as unmoving.
He held his breath as Ronon checked her pulse and breathing again. Ronon stopped and leaned closer, picking up the fabric of Ashina's shirt and fingered a hole that should not have been there. He lifted the hem up to reveal an angry red wound just below her left rib cage.
"Ah, geez," Rodney said as he saw the wound.
Ronon rolled Ashina gently onto her side and frowned. "Looks like it went straight through. The good news is I don't think it hit anything vital."
Rodney stammered, turning to Ronon in confusion. "But – but there's no blood."
Ronon didn't look up as he continued to work. "Because lasers cauterize as they burn through."
Rodney blinked and nodded several times. "Oh, right, right, yes, of course, they do. I knew that. What's wrong with me?"
Ronon didn't answer him. Rodney glanced down and saw Ashina's doll lying face down several feet away. Teyla must have dropped it in the madness of the moment. Thinking Ashina would want her doll when she woke up, he limped over, bent down and picked it up. He rubbed at the goose egg on his forehead that protested the movement with the back of the hand that held the doll.
Ronon straightened and looked up at him, clearly disturbed. Rodney wasn't sure if it was concern for the injured, or frustration from their current situation, then Rodney sighed, deciding it was probably a mixture of both.
Rodney limped toward him and asked, "What about Sheppard and Teyla?"
Ronon started to move toward Sheppard, but stopped when Teyla began to stir. She moaned softly, then gasped in pain. Ronon put a hand to her shoulder and said, "Try not to move too much. Where are you hit?"
Teyla opened her eyes, confusion slowing her reaction time.
"Rodney? Ronon?" she whispered, then her breath hitched and her hand went to her thigh.
Ronon's tone was soft as he moved her hand away and looked at her wound, pulling his knife to cut open her pants leg. "You were hit by laser fire. Looks like it got you good."
He lifted her leg carefully to examine both sides of her thigh, making Teyla grimace, then he set her leg back down and placed his hand on her shoulder. "You'll be fine. Bet it hurts like hell, though. Just stay still while I check Sheppard."
She shook her head. "No, Ashina, I had her in my arms – "
Ronon used the hand against her shoulder to keep her down and gestured with his head to the spot beside Teyla. "The girl's right here."
"What has happened to her?" Teyla asked, her voice trembling, as she reached forward to touch Ashina's forehead.
"She was hit, just like you and Sheppard."
Teyla's eyes widened as she took note of John slumped beside her. "How are they?" she asked in a rush.
Ronon turned to Sheppard and rolled him onto his left side as he looked at the scorched material of Sheppard's BDUs. He glanced back and forth before returning Sheppard to his prone position.
"Looks like the shot he took didn't penetrate all the way through like yours and Ashina's. Still, it looks like it hit him pretty hard, probably combined with everything else he's been through since the fall." He glanced up at Rodney. "We need Keller."
Rodney rolled his eyes. "Well, that ain't happening any time soon. Not unless someone – "
"McKay," Ronon warned as he helped Teyla adjust her position. "Just get on the radio."
Rodney glanced back at the console where Sheppard's radio lay undisturbed. "Right. Hey, the radio interference should be subsiding by now – "
Just then, Radek's voice spilled out into the large expanse over the radio. "Rodney? Colonel Sheppard, please respond!"
Rodney moved back to the console as quickly as he could with his makeshift crutch and bad knee, but it seemed like it took him an eternity to get there. He set Ashina's doll on the console and relayed the events, then asked for Jennifer.
"Dr. Keller is on her way."
"Good." Rodney's gaze darted over the console. Very few monitors were still functioning after he had fried the system, but there was something he saw on one screen that was very disturbing. "No, no, no, do not do this to me!"
Zelenka asked, "What is it?"
"Seriously! I mean it! How much worse can this situation possibly get?" Rodney asked, then there was a faraway sound of machinery moving – heavy, dangerous machinery.
Radek was talking, asking him a question, but Rodney just ignored him. He blinked and looked around them, because he had a very bad feeling – right before the entrance to the facility slammed shut with a heavy metal door that looked so embedded into the floor it was never going to be moved again.
Rodney's mouth gaped open for a moment, then he stuck his hands out from his sides and shouted, "What the hell is this place?"
oOoOoOoOo
"Good job, Ronon," Jennifer Keller said. "You make a great field medic."
Ronon grunted, then Teyla nodded in agreement as she said, "Yes, he does, Jennifer. The IVs Ronon started will undoubtedly benefit both John and Ashina." She smiled at him. "Ronon, you may have missed your true calling."
Ronon rubbed the back of his hand across his mouth and shook his head as he stared down at the IV liquid dripping into the back of Sheppard's left hand, then over at Ashina's. "Give me something I can blast or fight. I'm next to useless right now."
Jennifer said, "Come on, Ronon, we all know they will recover much faster because of what you just did and I now have a better sense of their medical conditions due to your examinations. Don't discount your usefulness here."
Ronon sighed and rolled back from his kneeling position onto the balls of his feet. "You need to be here doing this, Jennifer, not me."
"If only I could, Ronon," Jennifer answered and he believed her. Even with all the danger they'd faced, he knew she would endure it if it meant she could be of more help to her patients.
When Jennifer spoke next, her words were rushed. "Oops, Dr. Zelenka wants to talk to Rodney and there isn't anything more you need from me at the moment. I'll check back with you in an hour, but call me if you have any questions, okay?"
Ronon nodded as Jennifer ended her part of the transmission, and Radek began talking to McKay. The things they were talking about was all gibberish to him and he tuned out their conversation almost immediately. He glanced over at Teyla and noticed Teyla tapping her headset to turn it off, too. Apparently, she wasn't any more interested in listening to McKay and Zelenka argue than he was, though their bickering still echoed over McKay's open radio as he worked at the main computer console several feet away.
Ronon scratched at the back of his neck in frustration. He was a warrior and not much of a healer, despite almost being married to one on Sateda. Sure, he knew how to tend to injuries out of necessity, but that was field medicine – patch 'em up enough to get moving again. And offering comfort wasn't his strong suit.
He sat on the floor between Sheppard and Teyla. Even though, the temperature of the room was now quite comfortable, Ronon had still tucked in the edge of the blanket he'd thrown over Sheppard to help keep him warm. He glanced across at Teyla as she cradled Ashina in her arms with the blanket over the girl doing double duty by providing warmth for both of them.
They sat in silence for a long moment, then he caught Teyla staring at Sheppard as she rubbed Ashina's shoulder, guilt evident in her every move.
"It wasn't your fault," Ronon said finally, putting a hand out to brush his fingers over the child's pale forehead.
"I told her I would keep her safe. I told her mother the same thing. I failed them both, as I did John," she said. Her lower lip trembled as she spoke and she blinked a few times to ward off the tears threatening to slip down her cheeks, then she straightened her shoulders. "I will not fail them again."
Ronon leaned forward to catch Teyla's eye, and then when he had it, he held on with everything he had. "Don't be so hard on yourself. We'll be out of here soon. Trust Jennifer to get Ashina back up and running around again in no time flat."
Teyla shook her head. "Ashina should have awakened by now. She may have more severe injuries than we initially suspected."
Ronon leaned back against the bank of computers behind them. "Sheppard's still out, too. Jennifer said this was to be expected after everything they've been through. Now, stop fretting so much. How's the leg?"
Teyla's expression flashed angry for a moment as if she didn't want to think about herself, then she shrugged slightly. "It is manageable," she said finally.
Ronon shook his head and got to his knees as he reached into the medical kit. He came back with some analgesics, antibiotics and water. "Here. Take these and don't argue with me about it."
She glared at him and he merely pointed to her hand resting on Ashina's arm. It was trembling. She pulled her hand away, pursing her lips, then shook her head, still in denial. When she looked back up at him, her gaze held that familiar resolve and calm that was so Teyla.
Her words were carefully spoken, "I need to do something more to help – perhaps assist Rodney in some way."
Ronon nodded. "I was thinking the same thing. Unfortunately, it's up to McKay and the guys from Atlantis to figure a way to get us out. This is all way beyond our ability to help much. And I've been over this place three times and still can't see any other way out, so all we can do at the moment is sit and wait."
Pouring on the charm, he winked at her, then reached out with the tablets and water again. "Here, take these."
She extended a hand – not to take the medication, but to touch his arm just below where the laser had scored a two-inch seam in the upper part of his left arm. "That looks painful."
Ronon looked down at her hand resting on his arm and shook his head. "Not really."
She gave him that look only Teyla could pull off... the one that always made him feel like he was five years old and in serious trouble. Her gaze remained steadfast.
After an uncomfortable length of time, he conceded, "Okay, it hurts some, but I'll be fine. It's nothing like the wounds you guys have."
Teyla didn't give up. "And your shoulder?"
Ronon looked up toward the ceiling and sighed. Teyla wouldn't stop until she had made him acknowledge the pain that he felt. She said it was to keep him human. To him, it was pointless. It just showcased his weaknesses – and that was the way he looked at them – weaknesses that kept him from fully helping his friends when they needed him the most.
She was still waiting for him to say something, so he said, "Okay, so it feels like it's been dislocated and put back into place, okay? Look, Teyla, I've been through stuff like this before and I always bounce back. I know I'll be okay. I'm more worried about the rest of you."
Determination steeled itself in her gaze as she replied, "Place your worry where it is due, because I shall be fine as well, but I will feel better after these two have been properly taken care of in the infirmary in Atlantis."
Ronon nodded and felt his expression tighten as he glanced at Sheppard and the girl, then he shook his head. "You know, you're always on my case to accept my weaknesses. Maybe you should follow some of your own advice?" he said, locking onto her gaze. "Come on, just take this stuff, so I can shut up about it."
She smiled and closed her eyes. Finally, she looked up at him and nodded. A moment later, she had swallowed the tablets. He put his hand out to her forehead and brushed her bangs away as he said softly, "You're still too pale to suit me."
"I will be fine," she said with a sigh, then she glanced over to Rodney when he barked at Zelenka over his radio. "Rodney sounds especially distressed. Has he taken anything yet?"
Ronon's gaze slid over to McKay and he shook his head. "I tried earlier, and he nearly bit my head off. Said he had too much to do to fool with things like that."
Teyla's eyes widened at his comment. "He is worse off than I thought."
Ronon nodded. "I know... I'll try again in a minute."
When he glanced back, he saw Teyla eyeing Ashina and Sheppard with worry. "I do not like it that they still have not roused. John did not move in the slightest when you examined his hip injury."
Ronon nodded, then glanced down at Sheppard, remembering the extent of Sheppard's injuries, at least what he could tell by sight alone. When he'd pulled off Sheppard's tac vest with Teyla's assistance, they glimpsed bruises darkening all over him under his shirt, especially an ugly assortment coloring the entire left side of his rib cage, some areas more deeply than others. There could be internal injuries, too, but he doubted it.
And he wasn't too concerned about the laser injury to Sheppard's hip, either. It would definitely cause him pain when he tried to walk, and would probably affect his gait, but like Ronon's own laser injury, it wasn't life-threatening.
Ronon checked Sheppard's pulse again, relieved to find it had returned to the normal range, slow and steady. Ronon had taken everyone's vital signs – well, except McKay and he refused to cooperate. Knowing how determined McKay was to get them free, Ronon didn't push it. He figured he'd give McKay a little more time, then he'd make the man rest, one way or another.
McKay cursed loudly as he talked to Zelenka, his voice continuing to rise, drawing Ronon's attention. "This operating system is a joke! It's almost impossible to navigate... wait, there's something."
Then McKay shook his head. "No, it's just another data anomaly. It's almost like the database has been deliberately scrambled. Honestly, we might as well not have an operating system at all! It's going to take a very long time to get this all sorted out. Tell me you've made some progress on your end."
Across the distance separating them from McKay and the console he was working on, Radek's voice sounded grim. "No, not really. We have eliminated things that don't work, as in using a cutting torch and explosives. Considering how we lost most of the upper canopy, along with the more extensive lattice work, shortly after you went inside, we are hesitant to use anything like C4 charges, for fear of burying the entrance to the facility completely.
"You know, I cannot believe how lucky you were to have gone inside the facility when you did. A few more minutes out in the cavern and some or all of you could be dead now."
"Yes, Radek, I was just saying a moment ago to Colonel Sheppard about how lucky he was – but, wait, he couldn't hear me, because he's unconscious!"
"I understand your point, Rodney, really I do," Radek said quietly. He paused, then added, "But I had an idea. I started thinking of the heavy-duty boring drills we have at Atlantis. They might help and I thought perhaps we could – "
McKay closed his eyes and rubbed at his forehead. "This is no time for daydreaming, Radek! Yes, there's an assortment of drilling equipment at Atlantis, but, no, there's nothing that can handle the density of the bedrock here."
"Yes, I agree, so I thought – "
Rodney picked up his scanner, scrolling through the data it as he talked, "Just leave the thinking to me, okay? Instead of dawdling outside the door to this facility, your time might be better spent doing a data search back at Atlantis. Maybe you can find some reference to this facility that would help – "
There was a forced calmness in Zelenka's voice. "Rodney, I already have people on it."
McKay sighed deeply, slamming his scanner on the computer's console. "Then don't waste time talking to me about it – that won't get us free! So, now, I guess I'm back to cleaning up this database and I can't do that with you distracting me. Where's Lorne?"
"Merchant Mita and his people found something – "
McKay went still. "What?"
"They did not go into detail with me... Major Lorne went with them."
McKay threw a hand into the air. "Great, what are we supposed to do while Lorne goes off on a sightseeing tour? Get out our knitting needles and knit a freaking afghan? This is unbelievable!"
Zelenka's voice was infinitely patient. "Apparently, Major Lorne thought it important enough to check it out himself. Just calm yourself, Rodney. Remember your blood pressure. Perhaps you should take a break – get something to eat – "
McKay erupted into a perfect picture of frustration. "Did I say there were seriously injured people down here? How can I possibly take a break knowing that?"
Teyla placed a hand on Ronon's arm. "Go, talk to him. Make him rest."
Ronon nodded. "I'll try, but I'm not sure of anything short of stunning him will get him to stop. Not while Sheppard and Ashina look as bad as they do."
"And just how bad is that?" Sheppard murmured, bringing a hand to his right hip as he rolled onto his left side and hissed.
Ronon grinned and patted him on the forearm. "Not as bad as you looked a second ago. Just watch your IV line, I worked hard to get it in place." Ronon took a deep breath, knowing relief had to be painted across his expression. "How are you doing?"
"Ugh, let me get back to you on that," Sheppard said as he opened his eyes and blinked a few times, staring dully at the plastic tubing running into his left arm. He caught sight of Teyla and Ashina, then he tried to sit up suddenly as if to go to them.
Ronon put a hand on his arm and said, "Whoa, Sheppard, don't move so fast."
Sheppard rolled back onto his back and his head reared up, but he didn't try to move again. Instead, he glanced over at Teyla and asked, "What's the matter?"
Ronon saw something in Sheppard's expression... confusion or mired thoughts maybe. He still seemed to be pretty fuzzy and it was taking him longer than Ronon liked to see for him to start sounding like himself again. Before Ronon could reply to his question, Sheppard's breath hitched and his gaze darted around, as if his memory was clearing.
Ronon could almost see the events replaying on Sheppard's pale, bruised face, then Sheppard pointed a finger at Teyla. "The lasers. You took a hit."
Teyla nodded. "Yes, but do not worry about me," she said softly.
This time, Ronon didn't hold Sheppard back when he began to sit up, but he needed assistance, so Ronon helped Sheppard up enough to lean his back against the bank of computers behind them, even though Sheppard kept a clenched fist tightly pressed against his hip and ribs as he hissed through the discomfort of moving.
"How is she – the girl, Ashina – how is she?" Sheppard asked in a worried rush, his breathing rapid and raspy, his gaze darting from Ashina to Teyla, then Ronon, and back to Ashina again.
"She is a strong child – " Teyla started.
Sheppard shook his head, still breathing heavily. He was obviously trying to control his emotions, along with his respiration. He blinked and looked around, self-recrimination infusing his body's movements with barely restrained energy. "I – I thought I had found a secure position – "
He swallowed hard as he continued to stare at Ashina. "She – she was so scared and upset. I – I couldn't calm her down, then – "
Ronon felt for Sheppard. The man's expression revealed much more emotion than he usually displayed. The gaping wound now apparent in Sheppard's spirit seemed far worse than anything Sheppard had suffered physically. Teyla's earlier words repeated in Ronon's head. I have failed them... only now it was Sheppard saying them.
Sheppard's gaze stopped when he saw Ashina's doll lying beside Ashina. Sheppard pointed to it. "Ashina said that doll would protect her from bad things. Guess that didn't include lasers or fumbled-fingered lieutenant colonels."
Teyla started speaking, choosing to ignore Sheppard's self-recriminations, "Ronon has been on the radio with Dr. Keller, monitoring Ashina's condition. She is responding well to the additional fluids, as you are."
She paused, trying to catch Sheppard's eye. "It does not appear that the laser hit any vital organs. She will recover."
Sheppard closed his eyes, his breath still ragged as he took a moment to gather himself. Then it happened. Ronon could see the change the moment Sheppard shifted into commander mode, and the powerful feelings that had been so evident were pushed away to some unknown place deep inside.
Sheppard looked over at him. "What's our situation?" Though his voice still sounded a little shaky, it was without the previous surge of emotion.
Ronon responded like a good soldier and said, "McKay disabled the security system."
Sheppard smiled, his eyes full of hope and pride. "I knew he could do it."
Ronon took a deep breath and looked down at the floor. He didn't want to see that hope squelched. He glanced at Teyla, then over at McKay – anything to keep from looking at Sheppard. He could feel Sheppard's gaze boring into his skull, then came Sheppard's question, his voice low and expectant. "Wait, let me guess, there's bad news with the good?"
Ronon nodded. "Right after the security system went out, that heavy metal door over there slid into place, blocking all access from that point."
Sheppard's gaze shifted in the direction of the door, then his head went back to rest against the computer bank behind him. "So we're stuck?"
"It would appear to be the case," Teyla said.
"Wonderful."
Sheppard started to get up, looking surprised when his limbs failed to cooperate.
"What do you need?" Ronon asked, placing a hand on Sheppard's good shoulder to keep him in place.
"I need to get up." Sheppard kept pressing forward, but Ronon blocked his route.
"John, please," Teyla said, reaching out with a hand as if to stop him from a distance. "Remember your IV."
Sheppard's voice held a warning in its tone as he said, "I need to be up to reconnoiter the premises – to see what we have to work with here. Make sure we have food and shelter. You know, all those things that need to be done to ensure survival?"
"But you will not be able to walk with your hip injury," Teyla pleaded.
Ronon still blocked his path and said, "I've already done all those things, Sheppard. More than once. You've been unconscious for quite a while. Give yourself a chance to recover."
He reached into one of the duffel bags, pulling out a bottle of water and a power bar to give to him. "Lucky for us, Lorne stuck this box of power bars into the duffel bag to tide us over until they could get us out, so we've got food, along with water."
"Give that man a medal," Sheppard said honestly, then waved Ronon's offer away, "but I'm not really hungry right now."
Everyone stopped when they heard Major Lorne's voice come over the radio. "Excuse me, Dr. McKay, but has Colonel Sheppard regained consciousness yet?"
Still working at the computer console, Rodney shook his head, not even looking back at where they were resting twenty feet away and said, "No, Lorne, he hasn't – "
Sheppard raised his voice and shouted, "I am now. What's going on, Lorne?"
McKay's head whipped around, relief appearing in the form of a big smile as Lorne continued, "Just updating our situation, sir. I've got some of Mita's people, along with some of our teams, scouring the surrounding territory in hopes of finding another way in. It seems Mita's people have some old stories passed down over the generations about a hole in the ground that wasn't natural – I know it's weak, but we've got the manpower and the desire to help, so they are seeing if they can narrow down the location."
"Oh, give me a break," McKay muttered, pinching the bridge between his eyebrows.
Ronon noticed while everyone had been concentrating on the conversation, Sheppard had reached down and pulled out his IV. Cursing under his breath, Ronon reached into the med kit for a bandage. After he applied it, he met Sheppard's determined gaze and let out a long breath.
Ronon recognized that glint in Sheppard's eye. Sheppard was hellbent on getting up and no one was going to keep him down. Still not happy with the situation, Ronon helped Sheppard to his feet anyway, knowing the man wouldn't relax until he'd done a perimeter sweep himself. Ronon heard Teyla exhale sharply and didn't dare look in her direction, knowing she was probably staring daggers through the both of them.
Sheppard listed to one side in his stance as he fought to keep his balance. It took everything Ronon had not to put out a hand to help steady him. Instead, he saw something that Sheppard could use as a walking stick and gave it to him. The walking stick did its job and Sheppard looked like he had a good chance of staying upright, at least for a few minutes.
"Keep us updated, Lorne," Sheppard said breathlessly. "We'll keep working at our end. Sheppard out."
He turned to Ronon. "Let's go. McKay, keep working on the computer," he said quietly.
Ronon glanced at Teyla and McKay and felt their chiding gaze. He knew Sheppard shouldn't be up, but if the roles had been reversed, he knew nothing would keep him down either. He nodded at Sheppard and started off. One thing was for sure. Ronon felt a lot better with Sheppard back in charge of things again.
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