Stargate Atlantis Fan Fic: Trust But Verify Part 4/5
Trust But Verify
Part 4
McKay thought he had blacked out for a moment. He opened his eyes to a sight that was both welcome, and horrifying. On the floor before him was the prone figure of the Colonel.
In the dim light the man looked dead. Fear held him back from approaching Sheppard for a moment, but he had to know.
“Colonel,” he called out. “Sheppard!”
No response. He reluctantly crawled over to his friend. McKay felt weak and sore. He reached out to touch the man before him, his hand shaking, afraid of what he would find. He looked down and saw a small puddle of blood under Sheppard’s head and drew back in anguish.
“Oh, no. I’ve killed him,” he whispered.
A faint groan was the most welcome sound McKay had ever heard.
“Sheppard. Sheppard! John!! Are you alright? Stupid question. Of course you’re not alright. Can you hear me?” He shouted at the injured man.
A second, louder groan, and then, “Rodney?”
“Oh, thank God. Sheppard, snap out of it. Have you figured out where we are?”
For the second time in an hour, John Sheppard struggled to consciousness. If it was possible, he felt even worse than before. His head ached and his body was a disconcerting mix of numbness and pain. He shuddered as he remembered how he had ended up on the ground.
“Touch me.”
“Huh?” chuffed McKay.
“Touch me, McKay.”
“Back off, Sheppard. You might be my friend, and we might be stuck here together forever, but I’m not interested in you that way.”
Sheppard looked at the anxious scientist and nearly smiled as he realized how his request might have sounded. Rumors to the contrary, he and Rodney had never…
“Relax, Meredith,” he drawled. I need you to touch me because I think my trip here scrambled my brain. When I woke up from touching that box I could feel pain inside my body, but I’m pretty numb on the outside. We need to know if it happened to you, and if I still have this little problem.”
The scientist tentatively reached out to touch the injured man. “I can feel this, can you?” he asked as he pinched John’s arm?
“No, nothing,” replied Sheppard with a worried frown. “This isn’t good. So, you have normal feeling?”
McKay nodded.
“I don’t. What’s the difference between us? Besides the obvious, I mean.”
“What does that mean?” McKay squawked.
“Well, I am a natural gene-carrier, and you’re not. What did you think I meant?” Despite his pain, and worry about his condition, Sheppard really could not resist teasing the easy target that was his friend.
“Oh, of course.”
Sheppard slowly rolled to his side and pulled himself into a sitting position. “What the hell are you doing here, anyway?” he asked.
McKay looked at his friend, trying to think how he was going to tell him what he had learned from the inscription. And, how Sheppard was going to blow his stack when he heard that they both might not be able to get back.
“I couldn’t very well leave you by yourself, now could I? I figured I was your best shot at getting back home, if there is a way to get home, that is.
”
“That’s the second time you said something about being stuck here. What’s going on, McKay?”
“Can you feel anything Ancient?” asked McKay, trying to delay telling his friend that he was afraid that they were marooned.
“Nope. I've tried, but I don't think there's anything Ancient here. Now, what did you mean about being stuck here?” Sheppard was nothing if not persistent.
“Well, do you remember anything about that box we found?”
“I remember a really painful trip here, oh, and something was written on it that only you and I could see. Did you ever figure out what else was written on that thing?”
McKay looked at his friend. He felt incredibly guilty for pushing him to touch the box without a thorough examination. How many times had he put Sheppard in jeopardy to satisfy his insatiable curiosity? And, how many times had he used the phrase ‘Trust me’ to manipulate Sheppard into doing something that ended with him in trouble?
“The second part of the inscription said that there was no return from the gate. I’m incredibly sorry, John. I don’t think we can get back to Atlantis at all.”
Sheppard put his head in his hands. His head throbbed, and he was disoriented by the lack of feeling. But, he couldn’t think about that now. He needed to put his weakness aside and focus on getting himself, and now Rodney, back to Atlantis.
He had to do his job. Sheppard had a great deal of faith in Rodney’s abilities, but knew sometimes his scientific passion overrode his good sense. John saw it as his job to reign in that passion and channel it to do the most good. What he had to do now was his job as team leader. He had to focus McKay so he could find a way to get them both home. He refused to believe that they were on a one-way journey.
“So, McKay. You’re going to just lie back and die here? And, let me die alongside you?" Sheppard paused for dramatic effect. Guilt and jealousy. That was the guilt.
"Besides, I know that Atlantis will be doing everything they can to get us back. Do you really want to live with Zelenka boasting that he saved the day, not you?” That was the jealousy.
McKay just looked at him and sighed. “What would you suggest I do?”
Hmmm. That usually worked. Sheppard knew it was time to pull out the big gun. Flattery and a deadline.
“Do what you do best, Rodney. Think our way out of this, find a solution, and I don’t want to rush you or anything, but I think I may be on the clock, so to speak.” Sheppard’s voice got softer and raspier as he seemed to run out of breath finishing his sentence.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Well, I can’t feel my body, but I was feeling the pain. Now, even that’s fading and it’s getting harder for me to breath. I have a feeling this may get worse soon…” Sheppard panted and McKay could hear the effort that it was taking his friend.
“What can I do, John?” whispered the concerned McKay.
“Find us a way home, Rodney. Please.” Sheppard felt his eyes close and for the third time today he surrendered to unconsciousness.
*****SGA*****The formerly undiscovered room on Atlantis has crowded with anxious people. Teyla had reported back to Mr. Woolsey that half of her team had disappeared into a mysterious Ancient box. Sooner than she might have anticipated, Major Lorne, Sheppard’s second in command arrived with a team of scientists, led by Dr. Zelenka, and two linguists. Lorne had loaded up a jumper and found a landing place fairly near to the problem. He also brought along a medical team, including Dr. Beckett, who insisted on coming when he heard who was in trouble.
Beckett could be heard mumbling something about ‘ijiots in sic trooble’ the entire flight. The major thought that if, no when they got their missing people back, he didn’t want to be in their shoes. Dr. Beckett was the kindest man he knew, but his retaliatory needles were legendary.
Since Dr. Zelenka was not a gene carrier, he had to have the inscription on the mysterious object translated to him.
“It says something about an opening to power, or a way to power but that this is not the way back,” one of the language specialists reported.
“Are you sure?” Teyla asked. The two linguists conferred and both confirmed the translation.
“That is not what McKay thought. He said that the box said there was NO way back. That is not the same thing,” growled Ronon impatiently. He had to stop himself from just blasting the box to get his two teammates back.
Zelenka looked thoughtful. “Perhaps there is another opening or gateway somewhere else on Atlantis, but where would we look? And, if there’s another way back, why haven’t Rodney and the Colonel returned?” He turned to the Major. “Would you start a search on this level, please Major? We have to start somewhere, and this is the most logical place to begin.”
“I’ll go with him,” growled Ronon.
“And, I shall wait here with all the doctors,” Teyla added, nodding to Drs. Zelenka, Peterson and Beckett, “in case Dr. McKay and Colonel Sheppard return here on their own,” And, she settled down to wait, outwardly serene as always, but inwardly fearing that this time her two teammates might be lost to them for good.
Zelenka and his team began to examine the box in great detail. To him, it looked like a featureless object, almost coffin-like in shape. He shuddered at that thought. He was very fond of the Colonel, and despite their constant bickering, he truly thought of Rodney as a good friend and valued colleague.
He mentally went over the facts as he knew them. They were in a room in a hidden part of the city. There was a box in the room that had writing that could only be read by a gene carrier. The writing seemed to suggest that the box was a portal of some type, and it had transported two of his friends, but to where and for what purpose? He had to hope that they had been transported. The LSD clearly indicated that no one was alive in the box. The alternative was too horrible to contemplate.
Perhaps they should try to open the box. Force it open, if necessary. He thought to himself, “It’s like Shroedinger’s box. If we don’t open the box, we’ll never know for sure whether Sheppard and McKay are alive. It we do open it, we may know for sure, and I don’t think any of us will like the answer.”
Part 4
McKay thought he had blacked out for a moment. He opened his eyes to a sight that was both welcome, and horrifying. On the floor before him was the prone figure of the Colonel.
In the dim light the man looked dead. Fear held him back from approaching Sheppard for a moment, but he had to know.
“Colonel,” he called out. “Sheppard!”
No response. He reluctantly crawled over to his friend. McKay felt weak and sore. He reached out to touch the man before him, his hand shaking, afraid of what he would find. He looked down and saw a small puddle of blood under Sheppard’s head and drew back in anguish.
“Oh, no. I’ve killed him,” he whispered.
A faint groan was the most welcome sound McKay had ever heard.
“Sheppard. Sheppard! John!! Are you alright? Stupid question. Of course you’re not alright. Can you hear me?” He shouted at the injured man.
A second, louder groan, and then, “Rodney?”
“Oh, thank God. Sheppard, snap out of it. Have you figured out where we are?”
For the second time in an hour, John Sheppard struggled to consciousness. If it was possible, he felt even worse than before. His head ached and his body was a disconcerting mix of numbness and pain. He shuddered as he remembered how he had ended up on the ground.
“Touch me.”
“Huh?” chuffed McKay.
“Touch me, McKay.”
“Back off, Sheppard. You might be my friend, and we might be stuck here together forever, but I’m not interested in you that way.”
Sheppard looked at the anxious scientist and nearly smiled as he realized how his request might have sounded. Rumors to the contrary, he and Rodney had never…
“Relax, Meredith,” he drawled. I need you to touch me because I think my trip here scrambled my brain. When I woke up from touching that box I could feel pain inside my body, but I’m pretty numb on the outside. We need to know if it happened to you, and if I still have this little problem.”
The scientist tentatively reached out to touch the injured man. “I can feel this, can you?” he asked as he pinched John’s arm?
“No, nothing,” replied Sheppard with a worried frown. “This isn’t good. So, you have normal feeling?”
McKay nodded.
“I don’t. What’s the difference between us? Besides the obvious, I mean.”
“What does that mean?” McKay squawked.
“Well, I am a natural gene-carrier, and you’re not. What did you think I meant?” Despite his pain, and worry about his condition, Sheppard really could not resist teasing the easy target that was his friend.
“Oh, of course.”
Sheppard slowly rolled to his side and pulled himself into a sitting position. “What the hell are you doing here, anyway?” he asked.
McKay looked at his friend, trying to think how he was going to tell him what he had learned from the inscription. And, how Sheppard was going to blow his stack when he heard that they both might not be able to get back.
“I couldn’t very well leave you by yourself, now could I? I figured I was your best shot at getting back home, if there is a way to get home, that is.
”
“That’s the second time you said something about being stuck here. What’s going on, McKay?”
“Can you feel anything Ancient?” asked McKay, trying to delay telling his friend that he was afraid that they were marooned.
“Nope. I've tried, but I don't think there's anything Ancient here. Now, what did you mean about being stuck here?” Sheppard was nothing if not persistent.
“Well, do you remember anything about that box we found?”
“I remember a really painful trip here, oh, and something was written on it that only you and I could see. Did you ever figure out what else was written on that thing?”
McKay looked at his friend. He felt incredibly guilty for pushing him to touch the box without a thorough examination. How many times had he put Sheppard in jeopardy to satisfy his insatiable curiosity? And, how many times had he used the phrase ‘Trust me’ to manipulate Sheppard into doing something that ended with him in trouble?
“The second part of the inscription said that there was no return from the gate. I’m incredibly sorry, John. I don’t think we can get back to Atlantis at all.”
Sheppard put his head in his hands. His head throbbed, and he was disoriented by the lack of feeling. But, he couldn’t think about that now. He needed to put his weakness aside and focus on getting himself, and now Rodney, back to Atlantis.
He had to do his job. Sheppard had a great deal of faith in Rodney’s abilities, but knew sometimes his scientific passion overrode his good sense. John saw it as his job to reign in that passion and channel it to do the most good. What he had to do now was his job as team leader. He had to focus McKay so he could find a way to get them both home. He refused to believe that they were on a one-way journey.
“So, McKay. You’re going to just lie back and die here? And, let me die alongside you?" Sheppard paused for dramatic effect. Guilt and jealousy. That was the guilt.
"Besides, I know that Atlantis will be doing everything they can to get us back. Do you really want to live with Zelenka boasting that he saved the day, not you?” That was the jealousy.
McKay just looked at him and sighed. “What would you suggest I do?”
Hmmm. That usually worked. Sheppard knew it was time to pull out the big gun. Flattery and a deadline.
“Do what you do best, Rodney. Think our way out of this, find a solution, and I don’t want to rush you or anything, but I think I may be on the clock, so to speak.” Sheppard’s voice got softer and raspier as he seemed to run out of breath finishing his sentence.
“What do you mean by that?”
“Well, I can’t feel my body, but I was feeling the pain. Now, even that’s fading and it’s getting harder for me to breath. I have a feeling this may get worse soon…” Sheppard panted and McKay could hear the effort that it was taking his friend.
“What can I do, John?” whispered the concerned McKay.
“Find us a way home, Rodney. Please.” Sheppard felt his eyes close and for the third time today he surrendered to unconsciousness.
*****SGA*****The formerly undiscovered room on Atlantis has crowded with anxious people. Teyla had reported back to Mr. Woolsey that half of her team had disappeared into a mysterious Ancient box. Sooner than she might have anticipated, Major Lorne, Sheppard’s second in command arrived with a team of scientists, led by Dr. Zelenka, and two linguists. Lorne had loaded up a jumper and found a landing place fairly near to the problem. He also brought along a medical team, including Dr. Beckett, who insisted on coming when he heard who was in trouble.
Beckett could be heard mumbling something about ‘ijiots in sic trooble’ the entire flight. The major thought that if, no when they got their missing people back, he didn’t want to be in their shoes. Dr. Beckett was the kindest man he knew, but his retaliatory needles were legendary.
Since Dr. Zelenka was not a gene carrier, he had to have the inscription on the mysterious object translated to him.
“It says something about an opening to power, or a way to power but that this is not the way back,” one of the language specialists reported.
“Are you sure?” Teyla asked. The two linguists conferred and both confirmed the translation.
“That is not what McKay thought. He said that the box said there was NO way back. That is not the same thing,” growled Ronon impatiently. He had to stop himself from just blasting the box to get his two teammates back.
Zelenka looked thoughtful. “Perhaps there is another opening or gateway somewhere else on Atlantis, but where would we look? And, if there’s another way back, why haven’t Rodney and the Colonel returned?” He turned to the Major. “Would you start a search on this level, please Major? We have to start somewhere, and this is the most logical place to begin.”
“I’ll go with him,” growled Ronon.
“And, I shall wait here with all the doctors,” Teyla added, nodding to Drs. Zelenka, Peterson and Beckett, “in case Dr. McKay and Colonel Sheppard return here on their own,” And, she settled down to wait, outwardly serene as always, but inwardly fearing that this time her two teammates might be lost to them for good.
Zelenka and his team began to examine the box in great detail. To him, it looked like a featureless object, almost coffin-like in shape. He shuddered at that thought. He was very fond of the Colonel, and despite their constant bickering, he truly thought of Rodney as a good friend and valued colleague.
He mentally went over the facts as he knew them. They were in a room in a hidden part of the city. There was a box in the room that had writing that could only be read by a gene carrier. The writing seemed to suggest that the box was a portal of some type, and it had transported two of his friends, but to where and for what purpose? He had to hope that they had been transported. The LSD clearly indicated that no one was alive in the box. The alternative was too horrible to contemplate.
Perhaps they should try to open the box. Force it open, if necessary. He thought to himself, “It’s like Shroedinger’s box. If we don’t open the box, we’ll never know for sure whether Sheppard and McKay are alive. It we do open it, we may know for sure, and I don’t think any of us will like the answer.”