Chapter 38: Well that doesn't make any sense
Just as Lieutenant Parker had predicted, the following few weeks were filled with off world missions to return people and supplies back where they belonged. Most of them were routine, with very few complications. There were a couple that required some additional work, like our return mission to M7G-677.
"I don't see why Radek can't go," Rodney was still complaining to John as we walked down the corridor mere minutes before we were due to gate out. Rodney had been roped into coming with my team to help them reconnect their ZPM because of the problems Radek had when he'd removed it.
"It's your turn McKay," John grinned over at me as Rodney made an impatient sound. "Besides, you already assigned Zelenka to help Lieutenant Pierce's team and they gate out later today."
"I'm sure the kids will be too happy being home to bug you much Rodney," I quipped, smiling when he rolled his eyes impatiently.
"Fine, but this better not take too long," Rodney gave in less than gracefully. "I've been trying to track the Wraith ships based on the last readings we had before we left the Replicator planet."
"With almost nothing to go on," John reminded him.
We arrived in the Gateroom before Rodney could say anything to defend himself. The gate was already active and the last of the kids who'd been staying on the mainland was about to step through.
"Sir," Major Lorne greeted us. "Doctor McKay, Sabina. You ready to head out?"
"No time like the present," Rodney replied, glancing across at me expectantly.
"See you in five hours," I told John casually, leaning up to quickly kiss his cheek.
"I'll save you a seat in the Mess for dinner," John replied, running a hand down my pony tail before motioning for me to get moving.
Glancing back with a quick grin and a wave I stepped through the wormhole.
We were greeted on the other side of the wormhole by Keras, still Eldest of his village. Rodney was keen to get straight to the ZPM and Major Lorne motioned for me to accompany him. The rest of the team proceeded into the village to help with the resupply and reorganisation of everyone back to their homes.
Rodney and I were silent as we walked through the trees to the ancient shield device. Once there Rodney carefully opened the special transport case and knelt on the floor to remove the ZPM.
"How much longer do you think the ZPM will last?" I asked curiously, moving to stand close behind Rodney so I could watch him insert the power supply into its socket.
"It's close to depleted but they should still get at least another three months, maybe longer," Rodney replied distractedly. Leaning up slightly he placed both hands on the top of the ZPM and pushed down firmly.
There was a faint clicking sound, followed by an ominous grinding sound.
"What – ." Before I could complete my question the top of the ancient device sprang open, releasing a number of objects that hurtled out at force like some sick version of a Jack in the Box. I only had time to register that something wasn't right before I felt the impact of a sharp object cutting into my shoulder, followed closely by another impact to my chest. I didn't register the journey to the ground so it seemed as though I was standing one second and stretched out looking up at the sky the next.
"Well that doesn't make any sense," Rodney dragged himself up from the device, looking keenly down at his hand held unit with a frown.
"Rod ... ney," I tried to get his attention but my voice came out much weaker than I was expecting.
"I can't believe this!" Rodney exclaimed, looking now at the top of the shield device. "Those Replicator bastards actually booby trapped this, just on the off chance the people came back!" Shaking his head, he turned to get my reaction. It was almost comical the way he looked at standing height, frowned when he didn't see me there, looking down and doing a very visible double take when he realised I'd been hit.
"Oh my God, Sabina!" Rodney dropped down beside me, scrambling in his vest for his bandages.
I could see enough of myself to know I had two thin metal stakes sticking out of me, not something he was gonna treat with a couple of bandaids.
"Get Major Lorne," I ground out, hoping he'd remember that Evan had field medic training.
"Right .... right," Rodney nodded weakly, taking out his radio as his eyes darted from my face down to my wounds and back up again. "Major Lorne this is McKay, over."
"Doctor McKay," Lorne replied. "Is there a problem?"
"You could say that," Rodney replied nervously. "The Replicators stopped in to booby trap the shield device before they left. When I inserted the ZPM it released a number of really sharp projectile weapons."
"Can you still get the shield operational?" Lorne asked, assuming that was the reason Rodney was contacting him.
"Probably," Rodney replied, "but I've got a bigger issue right now. Sabina was standing right in front of the device when it went off. She was hit ... she, ah, she wants your help."
"I'll be there in a few minutes," Lorne promised.
"He'll be here soon," Rodney looked down at me awkwardly. "I'm not sure we can wait that long though – you're losing a lot of blood here. I need to –."
"Do it," I interrupted, gasping painfully as he immediately pressed a bandage to my chest wound while carefully avoiding jostling the spike sticking out. Getting that settled Rodney did the same with the shoulder wound.
"Trust you to be standing right there," Rodney complained. "John is so gonna blame me for this one."
"Couldn't ... have known," I told him with a smile that was more a grimace than anything else. "Why?"
"Why would the Replicators booby trap the shield?" Rodney looked down, waiting for my nod before answering. "Because they worked out we were moving people around to avoid them. They knew we'd be forced to put people back eventually so they set it up to still get rid of some of their intended targets. This is a little personal though, wouldn't take out more than a few people even if we had a whole crowd gathered here."
"Not ... target," I suggested, wincing as Rodney leant in to increase the pressure he was applying. "Ow!"
"Sorry," Rodney apologised miserably. "You don't think these people were the target?"
"They knew ... we'd come to fix ... the shield," I reminded him. "They just wanted ... to cripple us ... by getting rid ... of you."
"You think I was the target?" Rodney looked at me incredulously. "And you got hit instead ... I am so dead if that's true when John finds out."
"My job to protect you," I said, starting to feel woozy, like everything was moving even though I was still. "Dizzy."
"Oh God, oh God ... where's Lorne?" Rodney's voice was panicky as he grabbed his radio again. "Where are you Major?" he demanded.
"Right here," Major Lorne ran up to the device, taking in the situation with a single glance. "How are you doing Sabina?" he asked, dropping to his knees beside me.
"I have two metal ... spikes sticking out of me," I pointed out grimly. "How do you think ... I'm doing?"
"Are you cold? Feeling faint?" Evan persisted, checking each wound by carefully lifting Rodney's bandages.
"Dizzy," I admitted. "Really, really hurts."
"I know," Evan squeezed my hand reassuringly. "You'll be all right."
"Want John," I looked at Evan pleadingly, knowing that was just one step up from being a baby asking for my Mommy. It was possibly pathetic but at that point I really didn't care ... I was woozy and in pain and scared and I knew having John with me would make all of that easier to handle.
"We'll get you home soon," Evan promised, getting a blanket from his pack and tucking it around me. Standing up he walked over to where Rodney was hovering. "Sounds like we don't have to worry about shock at this stage," Evan told him, "but we need to get Sabina to the Gate as soon as possible. She's already lost a worrying amount of blood."
"I can ... hear you," I complained, drawing Evan's attention back to me.
"Listen," he began reluctantly. "You know we can't risk removing these spikes so I'm gonna pack each wound as tight as I can and then we'll stretcher you out of here."
"That sounds like ... it's gonna hurt," I mock complained. "Maybe you should ... call for Doctor Keller ... before ... you move me."
"We could do it like that," Evan agreed, "but we're an hour away from the Gate which makes it a two hour turn around. I'm not sure we've got that kind of time without getting the bleeding under control."
"Okay," I agreed reluctantly, tensing myself in preparation for the pain.
Evan had me pale and shaking before he judged the wounds sufficiently packed to allow transport. He and Rodney rigged up a field stretcher from logs and some of the things in their packs and they somehow managed to get me on it without causing excessive amounts of pain.
"Let's head to the Gate," Evan announced confidently, motioning for Rodney to pick up his end and start walking.
I think I spaced out a bit here and there as they walked me through that forest on their makeshift stretcher. It felt like the pain wasn't as bad as when I'd first been hit ... surely that couldn't be a good thing.
"We're here," Major Lorne drew my attention to him with those quiet words. "Parker, dial the gate," Evan ordered as he and Rodney carefully lowered me to the ground.
Lieutenant Parker darted a quick glance my way before rapidly dialling the correct sequence. The DHD seemed to light up as usual but the same ominous grinding noise began as soon as the last symbol was dialled.
"Everybody down!" Rodney yelled suddenly, dropping to the ground beside me and attempting to use himself to provide cover for me. Rather than lethal metal spikes this time the DHD spat out a arc of hot sparks before exploding in a loud assault of sound. Rodney waited for the dust to settle before slowly sitting up. "Oh God," he muttered sickly, eyes fixed on the spot where the DHD sat.
"I'm guessing ... you can't fix that," I quipped weakly, my eyes glued to the same spot where instead of the DHD there was now an electronic stump topped with twisted components still leaking smoke.
"Atlantis will dial in when we don't return on time," Major Lorne reminded us confidently. "We should be able to communicate even with the DHD destroyed. They'll send someone to pick us up."
"What about Sabina?" Rodney demanded.
"We can keep her comfortable until then," Lorne said easily.
"But you said before that we didn't have time for Jennifer to make the two hour round trip," Rodney protested to Lorne urgently.
"That was when I thought we had other options," Lorne returned pointedly, his expression exasperated that Rodney wasn't getting it. Obviously my medical situation was less than ideal but Evan was still trying to reassure me that I'd be fine until help arrived.
"It's okay ... Rodney," I spoke up from my position on the ground. "Do we have ... shelter nearby?" I added, feeling exposed and uncomfortable just lying on the ground near the Stargate.
"I'll go scout out a good spot," Lorne proposed, turning towards the forest. "Parker, you're with me. I trust you can look after Sabina until we get back?" Evan looked at Rodney until he nodded his assent, he and Parker then disappearing into the trees.
"They booby trapped ... the DHD too?" I asked Rodney once we were alone, watching him pace impatiently in front of the decimated device.
"And then some," Rodney returned miserably. "We'll have to find another DHD to replace this one because there is no way I can fix it."
"If shield device ... didn't kill you, this ... was the next best ... thing?" I asked.
"Who knows what the Replicators real motivation was," Rodney said impatiently.
"They were ... right to ... target ... you," I pointed out.
"Right? How?" Rodney looked at me with a puzzled frown.
"Was your ... idea that ... wiped them ... out," I reminded him. "Wouldn't have ... done that with ... out you."
"I guess," Rodney shifted uncomfortably. "Lucky for us we didn't come back here before now."
"How far away ... is the nearest Gate?" I shifted to ease the ache in my shoulder, moaning as the movement pulled on my shoulder painfully.
"Can you just not move?" Rodney requested sickly.
"How far?" I asked again, ignoring Rodney's request as I tried to find a spot that was less painful.
"Doesn't really matter," Rodney replied. "Sheppard will send through Doctor Keller to tend to you before he'll allow them to move you anywhere."
"He'll be grumpy ... about the mess ... you got me into," I wanted to think about when John would arrive but at the same time I didn't because with the destruction of the DHD I knew that was gonna be a lot further away than it had been five minutes ago.
"I got you in?" Rodney retorted. "I didn't tell you to stand right in front of the device!"
"Didn't pick up ... it was booby trapped ... either," I reminded him in amusement.
"So I'm having a bad day!" Rodney complained. "So – "
"I've found a spot," Evan reported as he strode back into the clearing. "McKay, help me carry Sabina."
The two men lifted me as before and began walking, Evan taking the forward position and Rodney the rear. A few minutes later the trees began thinning and the incline steepened. Another few minutes and Major Lorne was leading the way into a small cave not far from the base of a large hill formation. Lieutenant Parker had been standing at the entrance but Lorne sent him back to the Gate to await contact from Atlantis. Lieutenant Brown was still in the village meaning our team was now split three ways, a fact I knew wouldn't be sitting well with the Major.
"Is this it?" Rodney looked at the small and enclosed space in dismay.
"It's not the Hilton but it'll do," Evan returned, spreading a blanket on the stone floor before helping me up gently from the stretcher and from there into a lying down position. "How are you doing?" he squatted down beside me, keenly observing my expression.
"I'd much prefer it ... if I wasn't a Replicator ... pin cushion ... but I guess I'm doing ... okay," I returned in the same horribly choppy and breathless voice I'd been using since I'd been hit. The voice that made it impossible to pretend things weren't as serious as they were. "How long ... until we can expect ... Atlantis to call in?"
"Still three hours," Evan looked at his watch before glancing back at me regretfully. "Do you need any pain killers?"
"Don't want any," I carefully avoided commenting on how much pain I was actually in.
"That's not what I asked," Evan said firmly. "You know the drill – on a scale of one to ten, where are you sitting right now?"
"Know that's a ... stupid test ... right?" I complained. Lorne just looked at me, waiting patiently for an answer. "Maybe six."
"Really?" Rodney looked at me sceptically. "Because that looks really painful."
"Is," I agreed with a grimace. "All ... relative. Compared to Walker's ... drug this is ... mild."
"Walker's drug?" Evan asked curiously.
"The guy who kidnapped Sabina back on Earth," Rodney returned thoughtlessly, glancing across at Lorne casually until he registered Evan's less than impressed expression. "Wait – she didn't tell you about that?"
"No she didn't," Evan returned grimly. "All we were told was that Colonel Sheppard needed some specialised help to explain why the rest of his team went to join him. When your team got back we were pretty much straight into preparing for Colonel Carter's arrival."
"Long ... not very interesting ... story," I excused myself.
"I've got time right now and I'm sure there's more to it than you're letting on," Evan insisted, looking at me expectantly.
"Fine!" I grumbled. "Rodney ... can tell you most ... of it."
Filling Major Lorne in on the full sequence of events back on Earth took a while. True to my word I let Rodney do the talking ... my dizziness hadn't improved and my shoulder ached right down to the bone. As for my chest ... well I hardly wanted to consider that, struggling to ignore the fact that my breathing was getting more and more shallow and now gurgled faintly in an ominous 'I've probably done something to a lung' kind of way.
"So Walker injected you with his own home made Wraith DNA extracting drug?" Evan asked when the story was nearing its end.
"Yeah," I agreed weakly. "Felt like blood ... on fire. Couldn't get outside ... own skin for ... relief. No ... unconsciousness ... either."
"And that would be your ten," Evan concluded.
"Don't ... know," I returned. "Maybe ... something out there ... hurts worse ... hope never ... find out what." Evan nodded, looking down at me with a bland expression that just made me feel guilty. "Should have ... told you."
"Yes you should have," Evan agreed. "What if we ran into a situation off world that set off bad reminders for you? I need to know about things that affect my ability to look after you during our missions."
"Sorry," I shifted uncomfortably, stifling the urge to cry out at the pain.
"I'm giving you some of the morphine," Evan announced abruptly, not missing my reaction to even that slight movement.
"Save ... it," I pleaded when he made a move towards his pack. "Only have ... couple of doses. Might need them ... could get bad ... if have to wait ... longer ... for John."
"Okay," Evan agreed reluctantly, "but you tell me if things get any worse."
Nodding gratefully, I closed my eyes and let myself drift.
Author's Note:
Next Up? Fortunate Journey Season 4 Chapter 39