Murmurs Chapter Two Found and Lost
Title: Murmurs
Author: stella_pegasi
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Rating: PG-13
Character/Pairing: John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Teyla Emmagan, Ronon Dex, Evan Lorne, Anne Teldy, Original Characters
Spoilers: Post-Season Five
Warnings: Language
Het/Slash/Gen: Gen
Word count: ~25,000 Five Chapters
Disclaimer: I do not own them, I would have treated them better.
Summary:
Two members of the Atlantis Expedition are exhibiting bizarre behavior. When one of them is gravely injured, Atlantis is the only hope for rescue.
MURMURS
By stella_pegasi
Chapter Two Found and Lost
Sergeant Powers’ message to Atlantis created a flurry of activity. Major Lorne had assembled search teams, who were loading gear into the jumpers. As Richard Woolsey walked into the bay heading for the jumper to speak to him, Lorne was already running his checklist.
Dodging an EMT, who was stuffing more medical supplies into the overhead bins, Woolsey joined Lorne in the cockpit. “You were ready to go, major.”
Lorne looked up from the pad he was holding as Woolsey sat down, “Yes, sir, just waiting for Dr. Beckett. I was reviewing the information about the planet’s terrain from the last mission report. It’s already dark there; they have about the same day/night cycle we do." He shrugged, "McKay could be anywhere in those fields. We'll use the heat sensors, should be able to locate him pretty quick. Besides, I wouldn’t be surprised that Colonel Sheppard hasn’t already found him.”
“Sheppard; I thought Sheppard went off-world with Teyla and Ronon?”
“No, sir; I’m pretty certain he’s with McKay.”
“Sergeant Powers reported that McKay had been acting erratically all day. I’m surprised that the colonel hadn’t cut the mission short and returned earlier.”
Before Lorne could reply, they heard Dr. Beckett’s Scottish brogue drifting through the bay. Woolsey stood up, “I’ll leave you to your rescue, major.”
Woolsey had just stepped off the stairs into the control room, as Lorne lowered the first jumper into the gate room. Flight control cleared the ship, now dubbed Rescue One, and Lorne shot through the gate, followed rapidly by two other jumpers.
Sighing, Woolsey headed for his office, hoping that Lorne would return soon with Dr. McKay.
~~oooOooo~~
Sheppard awakened with a start, adrenaline pumping through his body, flooding his senses. Immediately alert, he unconsciously reached out for her, wondering where he was.
“You are in the star drive auxiliary control room, colonel.”
He had slumped over while sleeping, and he slowly rose upright. He was sore from lying on the hard surface, “I fell asleep.”
“You were extremely exhausted and quite stressed. I hope that you are feeling better now, colonel.” She waited expectantly; hoping his mind was clearer. She feared it was not. She could still sense the chaos and confusion clouding his thinking.
Sheppard leaned against the wall, drawing in a deep breath. “I was certain it was here. I must find it. It's got to be in the northeast section; I need to go back there.” He struggled to rise to his feet.
“The length of your sleep period was inadequate, colonel. You are exhausted, you must rest.”
“No time, I have to find the key.”
“Colonel, what is this key that you are searching for. If you will tell me what you are looking for, perhaps I already know where it is.”
Sheppard became agitated, “No, I can’t tell you.” His voice was rising. “I told you, they will kill everyone if I tell. Don’t ask me again.” He rushed from the room, heading toward one of the long intersecting corridors that ran throughout Atlantis.
~~oooOooo~~
The sky was clear, and a small moon was beginning to rise as Lorne exited the stargate. He banked sharply to the right to clear the way for the jumpers following. Tapping on his COM, he called for his CO. “Colonel Sheppard, this is Lorne, any sign of Dr. McKay?”
“Major, this is Isaacs; Colonel Sheppard isn’t with us, sir. I believe he went to Evona with Teyla and Ronon. As for Dr. McKay, we haven’t found him yet. Danzig thought she had found him, but it turned out to be a deer-like animal. It got spooked and ran, so I don’t believe they pose a threat.”
“Roger that, captain; I have Dr. Beckett and the med team on board with me. Waters and Salem are landing to deploy ground search teams. Then the jumpers will conduct a grid search for Dr. McKay’s energy signal.”
“Captain, Dr. Beckett here; can you tell me a bit more about Dr. McKay’s behavior today? Sergeant Powers said he had been acting strangely.”
“The ag docs, who accompanied him, complained to me that he was acting very weird, short-tempered and irritable, more than usual. He became really agitated when the locals brought us lunch. Then just as quickly, he didn’t seem to realize he’d even had an outburst. Later in the afternoon, I went to see if he wanted to leave. He all but threw me out of the lab. Once the sun started to set, I went back to insist that we return to Atlantis. The lab was completely dark; I couldn’t see him. I had just turned on my light when he bolted past me; taking the transporter before I could get to him. By the time I got back to the ground floor, he had headed out into the fields. He was yelling that ‘they’ were here and were after him.”
“Did he say who was after him?” Lorne asked.
“No, sir; he didn’t.”
“Did you see any unusual activity or strangers around?”
No, sir; this is a quiet planet with really nice people, sir. The only strange thing around here today was Dr. McKay.”
Beckett answered, “Thank you, laddie; be sure that everyone knows to be easy with him.”
“Don’t worry, doctor; we’ll take care of him, once we find him.”
Beckett leaned back in the copilot’s seat. “Major, you look troubled. I am certain we will find Dr. McKay.”
Lorne glanced over at him, “I’m certain we’ll find Dr. McKay, too. It’s Colonel Sheppard, who has me worried.”
Beckett was stunned, “Why?”
“I’m positive that he told me he was coming on this mission with Dr. McKay; now I find out, he went to Evona. Not like him not to tell me if he has a change of plans. The colonel’s pretty laid back, but he never disregards safety protocols.”
“Well, I wouldn’t be too worried; he must have changed his mind at the last moment. I’m sure he’s fine.”
Lorne sighed deeply, “Yep; you are probably right. Let’s not spend time worrying about the colonel, for the moment; we need to find Dr. McKay.”
Over the next forty-five minutes, they spotted several of the deer-like creatures before Lieutenant Salem finally picked up a larger heat signal. To the east, the terrain became hilly and rocky with a narrow, shallow tributary leading to the river, which was about two miles further south. They almost missed the signal.
“How did he get so far away, major? Didn’t the lieutenant say that he’s nearly four miles from the outpost? I mean; this is Rodney, we’re talking about. I know he’s in better shape now than he used to be, but covering four miles in about forty-five minutes in the dark doesn’t seem possible for him.”
“I don’t know, doc. I guess he’s spooked about something. I’ll admit he’s running pretty hard; especially, considering it’s hard to see where he’s going.”
Lorne turned his jumper toward the east, landing alongside Salem’s jumper. They were next to the boundary of large cultivated field bordered by the rocky terrain. He and Beckett were just coming off the ramp, when Salem rushed up.
“Major, Dr. McKay is hiding under a rock outcropping along the bank. Major Waters is trying to talk to him, but he’s not answering. He is moving around a bit though, so he is conscious.”
“Come on, doc; I have a feeling you are about to do some negotiating.”
The men trailed Salem down the road a few hundred feet, and then down a modest embankment. Lorne observed that a few of the SO’s had crossed the tributary, surrounding the rock outcropping. They were flanking the area so that Dr. McKay couldn’t escape them. The shelf of rock lay horizontally along the bank, a few feet above the water. In the glow from the flashlights, and the pale moonlight, Lorne could see McKay’s lower left leg emerging from under the flat rock.
Once they were along the edge of the stream, Lorne nodded to Beckett, “Go ahead, doc; talk to him.”
Beckett took a deep breath before he spoke. “Rodney, it's Carson; I know you’re hiding in those rocks. It’s OK; I’m here with Major Lorne. We’ve come to take ya back to Atlantis.”
There was no response. After a few minutes, Carson repeated his message and this time, a tenuous voice replied.
“C-Carson…is that you?” McKay sounded frightened; his voice thin and raspy. His breathing was coming in short, shallow gasps.
“Yeah, Rodney, it’s me. Come on out now, let’s get you home.”
“I can’t go home; they're waiting for me. They’re everywhere, can’t you see them? I have to hide.”
“Rodney, there no one here or on Atlantis that is going to harm you. You’re safe with us. Come on, now; come on out.”
No, no, no…I can’t; they’ll kill me. Go away, leave me here; I’ll be safe here. You’re the ones in danger.” The pitch in McKay’s voice was becoming higher and the tremor more pronounced.
“Rodney, Major Lorne, and his teams are here. They’re not gonna let anyone hurt you.”
“No, he can’t protect me, no one can. They want me; they’ll kill everyone just to get to me. I’ve got to get away.”
Lorne asked quietly, “Doc; he’s sounding totally out of control. McKay’s armed; I’m afraid he’ll hurt himself or someone else while he’s so agitated. I had the guys bring a couple of Wraith stunners. Using a stunner might be the best way to get him out of this safely.”
Beckett looked at Lorne, “Major; I don’t like it, but I like it better than the alternative. First, let me get closer and talk to him. I might be able to get him to come with me.” Beckett started to step into the shallow headwater, but Lorne grabbed his arm.
“Doc, you shouldn’t go in there; let me.”
Beckett chortled, “Well, there you go, major, channeling Colonel Sheppard, and getting all protective. Lad, I have been crossing rivers in the Highlands of Scotland all my life.” He stepped off the bank into knee-deep water. “This little stream is no where near as deep or swift or cold, as what I crossed as a wee one. I’ll be fine.”
Reluctantly, Lorne nodded and Beckett stepped down into the water, which rose to his knees at first, then to his waist, by the time he reached the midpoint. The doctor stumbled once or twice but righted himself quickly. Lorne held his breath, although he appeared to be resisting the urge to jump in and help.
When Beckett reached the rocky shelf where McKay was hiding, he pulled a small flashlight from his vest. Bending down, he was careful not to shine the light directly on McKay and startle him.
“Rodney, come on out. I promise, neither, I nor Major Lorne and his men are going to let anything happen to you. You need to trust us, and tell us who is after you.”
“No, no, no…Carson…go away. You’re just going to get everyone killed. I said go away.” Rodney was becoming extremely agitated, his voice rough and angry.
“I’m not going away; come on out here and let’s go home. You’re soaking wet; we need to get you back to Atlantis.”
“No, no…they will kill me. Leave me alone.”
Hysteria was building in McKay, and Beckett instinctively reached into the crevasse to comfort him. McKay screamed and rolled out of the narrow opening, falling into the stream. Beckett lunged for him and both went under the water. Two of the SO’s standing close, jumped into the tributary and pulled both men above the surface. McKay became combative with the Marines, who reacted only by gripping the scientist tightly. As Beckett waded over to try to calm him down, Rodney slumped, unconscious.
Lorne had also jumped into the water. Grasping Beckett by the arm, he coaxed the doctor out of the stream. “Come on, doc. The guys will get McKay on the bank, then we take him to Atlantis.”
~~oooOooo~~
Sheppard was breathing hard, his muscles trembling from exertion and fatigue. He had been moving as quickly as he could back to the northeast section. Atlantis was twenty point two square miles in size, almost as large as Manhattan, and he had covered about five miles, since he left the stardrive engine room. The first two miles had been easy; the last three miles had been tedious. He had crawled over debris, still covered in slime. He had slipped several times, and fallen down twice. The second fall came when he tripped over a toppled water purifier, and ripped his left forearm open. He found an open place to sit and dropped to the deck. Pulling out a pressure bandage from his TAC vest, he wrapped it snuggly around the bleeding wound. The exertion and lack of sleep were causing him to feel faint. Rested against the cold wall, he had an overwhelming desire to sleep.
“Colonel, you are injured. You should contact the others. You require medical attention.” Although Atlantis could not read his thoughts, she could sense his emotion, and she immediately comprehended she had angered him.
“Stop it, I told you no. I can’t go back there; I have to find the key. You have to understand; they will die if I involve them. Now leave me alone, I have to keep moving.” Sheppard struggled to his feet, swaying as he did. Although he was dizzy and weak, he continued down the corridor.
Atlantis monitored his progress, well aware that he was not as cognitive of his surroundings as he needed to be. There was considerable the debris in the area, and she was beginning to fear for his safety.
~~oooOooo~~
The infirmary was quiet; the only sound was soft chirping of the monitors attached to Dr. McKay. Richard Woolsey walked in expecting to see McKay’s teammates hovering around his bed. However, there was only a lone nurse checking his IV lines.
The nurse, Lieutenant Gracie Menard, smiled as he walked up, “Mr. Woolsey.”
“Lieutenant, how’s he doing?”
Gracie glanced down at Dr. McKay before she replied, “He hasn’t regained consciousness yet. I imagine Dr. Keller would prefer to bring you up to date. I’ll let her know you’re here.”
Woolsey felt uncomfortable standing next to McKay’s bed. He wasn’t very good at the bedside manner thing. Colonel Sheppard once told him the only person with a worst bedside manner than his was Dr. Weir. At least, he was in good company. Fortunately, he had a short wait as Dr. Keller joined him.
“Yet again, another gathering in the infirmary; seems a bit lonely though,” Keller commented.
"Yes, there are a few people missing. Amelia contacted Evona, but the teams were out of range. Teyla said they would likely have to travel to another village, and communication could be limited. We can’t send a jumper to contact them, because the gate sits in a grove of huge trees. They should be back in about an hour or two. We’ll just have to be patient.”
“Patience is something we are trying to develop around here as well. To be honest, we don’t know what is wrong with Rodney. The scan shows that his limbic system is lit up with activity.”
“Limbic system, what is that?”
“Well, the middle area of the brain is called the limbic system. Many people think it’s an obsolete term, but my neuro prof liked the term and used it. The middle brain controls our emotional responses and cravings. The amygdala is located in the middle brain. It’s where fear emanates from, where our fight-or-flight responses originate. But it’s more complicated than that, other structures in Rodney’s brain are highly stimulated. It’s like he’s dreaming, trying to be creative, and trying to solve complex problems all at once.”
Woolsey laughed, then immediately apologized. “I’m sorry, doctor; I don’t think this is humorous, but isn’t that Dr. McKay all the time?”
It was Keller’s turn to smile, “Yeah. Let’s just say that his normal activity has been intensified. He’s asleep and dreaming quite a bit, yet his higher brain is active. The higher brain, the area that generates language, logic and critical thinking, is usually off-line, if you will, during the dream stage. Rodney’s is active, and that shouldn’t be. Studies show that we do make critical, logical choices during dreams. We just don’t know a lot that mechanism yet. The activity in Rodney’s brain is not normal, not even for Rodney.”
“Is he in danger, doctor?”
Keller took a deep breath, not answering right away, “I don’t know; I don’t even know what is causing this, yet. We’re running tox screens, but this is Pegasus. We don’t know what natural chemical compounds could be out there, much less anything man-made.”
“Have either of the scientists or the Marine squad on the mission show any symptoms?”
She shook her head, “No, not yet, at least. I requested that Dr. Gray, the new environmental astrobiologist, along with Dr. Parrish, collect air, water, and plant samples to see if they can find anything that might have caused this. We’ve done scans and taken blood samples from Captain Isaacs and his team, as well as the two agronomists that were on the planet. They seem fine and the post-mission check of the rescue team didn’t show anything out of the ordinary. I’m having all of them check in periodically to monitor any changes."
“Is there any history of an illness with these symptoms on the planet?”
“Not that we are aware of, but before Dr. Beckett went to get cleaned-up, he sent his clinic team to the closest village to check out the residents. They haven’t returned yet.”
With a last look at the sleeping Dr. McKay, Woolsey told Keller, “Keep me informed, doctor.” He left the infirmary to confer with Major Lorne.
~~oooOooo~~
Ansel Brunet was the engineering tech monitoring the operations console on the evening shift. The day shift tech, Eva Mason, had informed him about the faint, intermittent energy readings that had been appearing all day. He had been on duty for about two hours when a minute spike appeared on his console screen.
“Amelia, I’ve got another one of those weird readings Eva told me to watch for.”
“Where’s this one?” Amelia was the evening gate tech and control room supervisor.
“In quadrant NE738, really faint, but it was on the same frequency as the others.”
“Chuck said to send any errant readings to Dr. Zelenka. He’s plotting them to see if there’s any pattern.”
Ansel nodded and forwarded the location to Zelenka.
~~oooOooo~~
The walls of the long corridor undulated before him, as dizziness overtook him once more. Sheppard reached out to steady himself against a doorframe. He had descended another two levels, once again on the lowest level of Atlantis. The temperature had fallen from the higher decks, but he was so exhausted that he no longer felt the cold. The dampness had seeped into his clothes, providing no insulation from the chill. His chest heaved from the effort of breathing in the stagnant air.
Once again, the colonel was dealing with negotiating piles of debris. He was attempting to step around the fragments of several collapsed wall panels when he was struck with another wave of dizziness. Misjudging his footing, Sheppard caught the toe of his boot on a piece of rubble. He tumbled, rolling a couple of times before slamming against an overturned bench.
Sheppard lay motionless on the cold, damp floor, dazed and weary, without any perception of the passage of time. Pain coursed throughout his body, jarred from slamming into the hard bench. Finally, he strained to move, but simply lacked the strength.
However, he knew he had to keep going. He pushed away from the floor with his left arm, collapsing once more from the blinding, searing pain in his shoulder and back. Gasping for breath, he waited for the excruciating pain to diminish. When he finally gathered the nerve to attempt to stand, he used his right arm for leverage, and managed to get to his feet. He leaned against the corridor wall for a moment until the dizziness passed. When he felt able to move, he headed down the corridor. His destination was still a long way away.
Atlantis followed.
~~oooOooo~~
“Let me out of here; you don’t understand. They are going to kill us all. I have to get away from here.”
“Rodney, calm down; you’re safe.” Carson Beckett was helping a nurse and an EMT restrain McKay. He had awakened just as Carson entered the infirmary, and was almost out of bed before Carson and the nurse reached him.
“No, no, no... You have to let me go. They're going to kill me.”
“Who is going to kill you? Who’s after you?” Carson asked Rodney, as he mouthed to an approaching nurse to get Keller.
Rodney was struggling with them one moment, then fell limply against the mattress. He stared at Beckett, a confused expression on his face. “Carson, w-what’s happening?
“You’ve been a bit agitated, Rodney. Can ya tell me why?”
Rodney's expression was one of confusion, panic. He stared at Carson, then Jennifer as she rushed to his bedside. His eyes darting between them, Rodney weakly said, “I don’t know.”
Jennifer smiled, as she adjusted the oxygen cannula at his nose. “It's good to see you’re awake. How are you feeling?” Rodney didn’t reply; he was gazing blankly over her shoulder. She asked again, “Rodney, how are you feeling?”
His eyes widened, as a look of sheer panic crossed his face. “No, no, no…they’re here. They’re here. They will kill all of you.” He lunged to his left toward Carson, who grabbed him. The EMT, who was on the other side, reached across and pulled Rodney back onto the bed. As Carson was trying to reason with the agitated man, he heard Keller order 4mg of Ativan. Within seconds, a nurse hurried up and injected the sedative into an IV port, and Rodney soon calmed.
Carson took a deep breath, “Jennifer; he’s delusional. Have you found any possible cause?”
"Not yet, but a lot of the tests aren’t back yet?”
“I talked to Tim Hayes; he just returned with the clinic team. They took histories and blood samples, said the population was quite cooperative. There was no indication that any of the indigenous people have suffered any symptoms akin to Rodney’s.”
Jennifer dropped her head into her hands, rubbing her temples before she replied. “Maybe this is something Rodney was exposed to somewhere else? We’ll have to wait for the rest of his team to return, and see how they are doing. Meanwhile, I’m going to keep a sitter with Rodney. I don’t want to restrain him, but if it becomes necessary…”
“Maybe we should ask Major Lorne to post a couple of Marine’s in here. Rodney might feel calmer when he wakes up with some Marine’s nearby.”
Jennifer agreed, “I know I’d feel better with them nearby, for Rodney's protection. At least, until we figure out what’s going on?”
Carson put his arm around her, “Come on, lass. Let’s go see if any results are back on those tests.”
~~oooOooo~~
Richard Woolsey absently threw the wrapper from his sandwich toward the trashcan, not even caring if he missed. He had just returned to his office from the infirmary and found the sandwich; Amelia’s efforts no doubt. There was no change in McKay’s condition. For now, Keller and Beckett concurred that until they understood more about what was happening to him, they were keeping McKay sedated.
Just as he took a bite from his sandwich, the gate activated. He dropped the sandwich and ran to Amelia’s station.
“Who is it?”
The IDC popped on the screen, “It’s Captain Stackhouse’s IDC, sir.”
“Good, glad to have Colonel Sheppard back.”
Woolsey ran down the stairs and was nearly at the gate when the first Marine exited. Behind them, Teyla and Ronon emerged, then Stackhouse and the other two members of his team. Teyla was the first to notice the perplexed look on Woolsey’s face.
“Mr. Woolsey, you do not normally meet us in the gate room, is everything alright?”
“Colonel Sheppard, I thought he was with you.”
“No, the colonel accompanied Dr. McKay on his mission.”
Woolsey sucked in a deep breath, “No; he didn’t.”
Ronon growled, “Where’s Sheppard?” He had taken a step closer to Woolsey, and Teyla held out her arm to stop him.
“I don’t know.”
Teyla’s left eyebrow rose, as she replied, “You do not know?”
“You need to come with me; Dr. McKay is in the infirmary. He has been exhibiting very erratic behavior today. He ran away from Captain Isaacs’ team, and we had to mount a rescue mission. He’s under sedation, and I know that Keller and Beckett will want to check you both out. We’ll explain everything there.”
As they headed for the infirmary, Woolsey tapped his COM, “Major Lorne, please join me in the infirmary. We have a situation. Colonel Sheppard is missing.”
~~oooOooo~~
“John, your heart rate is abnormally high, and you are exhausted. You must rest.”
"If you keep talking to me, they’ll find you. I can’t protect you. Leave…me…alone.”
Sheppard began to run. He had only traversed a few yards before he fell once more, screaming as his left shoulder slammed into the deck. He rolled over onto his stomach, the strap of his rucksack digging the injured shoulder. His breaths were shallow, ragged; tears caused by the pain, streaming down his face.
“Colonel, colonel, you must rest. You need help, contact someone.”
With the increase in pain, his confusion had intensified. He could hear the voice murmuring in his head, but he no longer understood that the thoughts belonged to Atlantis. The ones who wanted to kill him had found him; he was convinced of it. He began to panic. He struggled to stand, pushing against any objects that would support his weight, not noticing as sharp metal cut into his hands and arms. Once on his feet, he leaned against the wall. He heard the voice again, faint, taunting. He had to hide.
Using only the pale illumination from the flashlight mounted on his P-90, Sheppard headed further down the hallway, until he found a door that was partially open. It was too narrow for him to slip through wearing the rucksack, so he slipped it from his shoulders. He tried unsuccessfully to keep from crying out in pain as the pack slid off his left shoulder. He was afraid they could hear him, so he had to hurry. He had to hide.
He threw the rucksack through the opening, and then turned sideways to slip through the narrow crack. Clearing the doorway, he felt the metal deck beneath him give slightly. The deck began to creak, groaning as the metal strained from his weight. Before he could slide back through the opening, the platform he was standing on fell out from under him. He reached frantically for something to grab onto but there was only air. Within seconds, he had fallen approximately fifteen feet into a large pit.
An elevated deck covered the bottom of the pit, and large segments of the metal deck were missing, exposing the metal braces that supported the decking. Sheppard landed on one of the broken sections of the floor. His head struck the hard deck, knocking him unconscious. He was still, impaled by one of the braces. The narrow, metal support protruded from his right side, mid-torso; rivulets of bright red blood trailing from the edges of the metal.
Atlantis felt what she could only presume was helplessness. Who would hear her when the only Atlantian she could truly communicate with was unconscious and gravely wounded? How could she save him?
Author: stella_pegasi
Fandom: Stargate Atlantis
Rating: PG-13
Character/Pairing: John Sheppard, Rodney McKay, Teyla Emmagan, Ronon Dex, Evan Lorne, Anne Teldy, Original Characters
Spoilers: Post-Season Five
Warnings: Language
Het/Slash/Gen: Gen
Word count: ~25,000 Five Chapters
Disclaimer: I do not own them, I would have treated them better.
Summary:
Two members of the Atlantis Expedition are exhibiting bizarre behavior. When one of them is gravely injured, Atlantis is the only hope for rescue.
MURMURS
By stella_pegasi
Chapter Two Found and Lost
Sergeant Powers’ message to Atlantis created a flurry of activity. Major Lorne had assembled search teams, who were loading gear into the jumpers. As Richard Woolsey walked into the bay heading for the jumper to speak to him, Lorne was already running his checklist.
Dodging an EMT, who was stuffing more medical supplies into the overhead bins, Woolsey joined Lorne in the cockpit. “You were ready to go, major.”
Lorne looked up from the pad he was holding as Woolsey sat down, “Yes, sir, just waiting for Dr. Beckett. I was reviewing the information about the planet’s terrain from the last mission report. It’s already dark there; they have about the same day/night cycle we do." He shrugged, "McKay could be anywhere in those fields. We'll use the heat sensors, should be able to locate him pretty quick. Besides, I wouldn’t be surprised that Colonel Sheppard hasn’t already found him.”
“Sheppard; I thought Sheppard went off-world with Teyla and Ronon?”
“No, sir; I’m pretty certain he’s with McKay.”
“Sergeant Powers reported that McKay had been acting erratically all day. I’m surprised that the colonel hadn’t cut the mission short and returned earlier.”
Before Lorne could reply, they heard Dr. Beckett’s Scottish brogue drifting through the bay. Woolsey stood up, “I’ll leave you to your rescue, major.”
Woolsey had just stepped off the stairs into the control room, as Lorne lowered the first jumper into the gate room. Flight control cleared the ship, now dubbed Rescue One, and Lorne shot through the gate, followed rapidly by two other jumpers.
Sighing, Woolsey headed for his office, hoping that Lorne would return soon with Dr. McKay.
~~oooOooo~~
Sheppard awakened with a start, adrenaline pumping through his body, flooding his senses. Immediately alert, he unconsciously reached out for her, wondering where he was.
“You are in the star drive auxiliary control room, colonel.”
He had slumped over while sleeping, and he slowly rose upright. He was sore from lying on the hard surface, “I fell asleep.”
“You were extremely exhausted and quite stressed. I hope that you are feeling better now, colonel.” She waited expectantly; hoping his mind was clearer. She feared it was not. She could still sense the chaos and confusion clouding his thinking.
Sheppard leaned against the wall, drawing in a deep breath. “I was certain it was here. I must find it. It's got to be in the northeast section; I need to go back there.” He struggled to rise to his feet.
“The length of your sleep period was inadequate, colonel. You are exhausted, you must rest.”
“No time, I have to find the key.”
“Colonel, what is this key that you are searching for. If you will tell me what you are looking for, perhaps I already know where it is.”
Sheppard became agitated, “No, I can’t tell you.” His voice was rising. “I told you, they will kill everyone if I tell. Don’t ask me again.” He rushed from the room, heading toward one of the long intersecting corridors that ran throughout Atlantis.
~~oooOooo~~
The sky was clear, and a small moon was beginning to rise as Lorne exited the stargate. He banked sharply to the right to clear the way for the jumpers following. Tapping on his COM, he called for his CO. “Colonel Sheppard, this is Lorne, any sign of Dr. McKay?”
“Major, this is Isaacs; Colonel Sheppard isn’t with us, sir. I believe he went to Evona with Teyla and Ronon. As for Dr. McKay, we haven’t found him yet. Danzig thought she had found him, but it turned out to be a deer-like animal. It got spooked and ran, so I don’t believe they pose a threat.”
“Roger that, captain; I have Dr. Beckett and the med team on board with me. Waters and Salem are landing to deploy ground search teams. Then the jumpers will conduct a grid search for Dr. McKay’s energy signal.”
“Captain, Dr. Beckett here; can you tell me a bit more about Dr. McKay’s behavior today? Sergeant Powers said he had been acting strangely.”
“The ag docs, who accompanied him, complained to me that he was acting very weird, short-tempered and irritable, more than usual. He became really agitated when the locals brought us lunch. Then just as quickly, he didn’t seem to realize he’d even had an outburst. Later in the afternoon, I went to see if he wanted to leave. He all but threw me out of the lab. Once the sun started to set, I went back to insist that we return to Atlantis. The lab was completely dark; I couldn’t see him. I had just turned on my light when he bolted past me; taking the transporter before I could get to him. By the time I got back to the ground floor, he had headed out into the fields. He was yelling that ‘they’ were here and were after him.”
“Did he say who was after him?” Lorne asked.
“No, sir; he didn’t.”
“Did you see any unusual activity or strangers around?”
No, sir; this is a quiet planet with really nice people, sir. The only strange thing around here today was Dr. McKay.”
Beckett answered, “Thank you, laddie; be sure that everyone knows to be easy with him.”
“Don’t worry, doctor; we’ll take care of him, once we find him.”
Beckett leaned back in the copilot’s seat. “Major, you look troubled. I am certain we will find Dr. McKay.”
Lorne glanced over at him, “I’m certain we’ll find Dr. McKay, too. It’s Colonel Sheppard, who has me worried.”
Beckett was stunned, “Why?”
“I’m positive that he told me he was coming on this mission with Dr. McKay; now I find out, he went to Evona. Not like him not to tell me if he has a change of plans. The colonel’s pretty laid back, but he never disregards safety protocols.”
“Well, I wouldn’t be too worried; he must have changed his mind at the last moment. I’m sure he’s fine.”
Lorne sighed deeply, “Yep; you are probably right. Let’s not spend time worrying about the colonel, for the moment; we need to find Dr. McKay.”
Over the next forty-five minutes, they spotted several of the deer-like creatures before Lieutenant Salem finally picked up a larger heat signal. To the east, the terrain became hilly and rocky with a narrow, shallow tributary leading to the river, which was about two miles further south. They almost missed the signal.
“How did he get so far away, major? Didn’t the lieutenant say that he’s nearly four miles from the outpost? I mean; this is Rodney, we’re talking about. I know he’s in better shape now than he used to be, but covering four miles in about forty-five minutes in the dark doesn’t seem possible for him.”
“I don’t know, doc. I guess he’s spooked about something. I’ll admit he’s running pretty hard; especially, considering it’s hard to see where he’s going.”
Lorne turned his jumper toward the east, landing alongside Salem’s jumper. They were next to the boundary of large cultivated field bordered by the rocky terrain. He and Beckett were just coming off the ramp, when Salem rushed up.
“Major, Dr. McKay is hiding under a rock outcropping along the bank. Major Waters is trying to talk to him, but he’s not answering. He is moving around a bit though, so he is conscious.”
“Come on, doc; I have a feeling you are about to do some negotiating.”
The men trailed Salem down the road a few hundred feet, and then down a modest embankment. Lorne observed that a few of the SO’s had crossed the tributary, surrounding the rock outcropping. They were flanking the area so that Dr. McKay couldn’t escape them. The shelf of rock lay horizontally along the bank, a few feet above the water. In the glow from the flashlights, and the pale moonlight, Lorne could see McKay’s lower left leg emerging from under the flat rock.
Once they were along the edge of the stream, Lorne nodded to Beckett, “Go ahead, doc; talk to him.”
Beckett took a deep breath before he spoke. “Rodney, it's Carson; I know you’re hiding in those rocks. It’s OK; I’m here with Major Lorne. We’ve come to take ya back to Atlantis.”
There was no response. After a few minutes, Carson repeated his message and this time, a tenuous voice replied.
“C-Carson…is that you?” McKay sounded frightened; his voice thin and raspy. His breathing was coming in short, shallow gasps.
“Yeah, Rodney, it’s me. Come on out now, let’s get you home.”
“I can’t go home; they're waiting for me. They’re everywhere, can’t you see them? I have to hide.”
“Rodney, there no one here or on Atlantis that is going to harm you. You’re safe with us. Come on, now; come on out.”
No, no, no…I can’t; they’ll kill me. Go away, leave me here; I’ll be safe here. You’re the ones in danger.” The pitch in McKay’s voice was becoming higher and the tremor more pronounced.
“Rodney, Major Lorne, and his teams are here. They’re not gonna let anyone hurt you.”
“No, he can’t protect me, no one can. They want me; they’ll kill everyone just to get to me. I’ve got to get away.”
Lorne asked quietly, “Doc; he’s sounding totally out of control. McKay’s armed; I’m afraid he’ll hurt himself or someone else while he’s so agitated. I had the guys bring a couple of Wraith stunners. Using a stunner might be the best way to get him out of this safely.”
Beckett looked at Lorne, “Major; I don’t like it, but I like it better than the alternative. First, let me get closer and talk to him. I might be able to get him to come with me.” Beckett started to step into the shallow headwater, but Lorne grabbed his arm.
“Doc, you shouldn’t go in there; let me.”
Beckett chortled, “Well, there you go, major, channeling Colonel Sheppard, and getting all protective. Lad, I have been crossing rivers in the Highlands of Scotland all my life.” He stepped off the bank into knee-deep water. “This little stream is no where near as deep or swift or cold, as what I crossed as a wee one. I’ll be fine.”
Reluctantly, Lorne nodded and Beckett stepped down into the water, which rose to his knees at first, then to his waist, by the time he reached the midpoint. The doctor stumbled once or twice but righted himself quickly. Lorne held his breath, although he appeared to be resisting the urge to jump in and help.
When Beckett reached the rocky shelf where McKay was hiding, he pulled a small flashlight from his vest. Bending down, he was careful not to shine the light directly on McKay and startle him.
“Rodney, come on out. I promise, neither, I nor Major Lorne and his men are going to let anything happen to you. You need to trust us, and tell us who is after you.”
“No, no, no…Carson…go away. You’re just going to get everyone killed. I said go away.” Rodney was becoming extremely agitated, his voice rough and angry.
“I’m not going away; come on out here and let’s go home. You’re soaking wet; we need to get you back to Atlantis.”
“No, no…they will kill me. Leave me alone.”
Hysteria was building in McKay, and Beckett instinctively reached into the crevasse to comfort him. McKay screamed and rolled out of the narrow opening, falling into the stream. Beckett lunged for him and both went under the water. Two of the SO’s standing close, jumped into the tributary and pulled both men above the surface. McKay became combative with the Marines, who reacted only by gripping the scientist tightly. As Beckett waded over to try to calm him down, Rodney slumped, unconscious.
Lorne had also jumped into the water. Grasping Beckett by the arm, he coaxed the doctor out of the stream. “Come on, doc. The guys will get McKay on the bank, then we take him to Atlantis.”
~~oooOooo~~
Sheppard was breathing hard, his muscles trembling from exertion and fatigue. He had been moving as quickly as he could back to the northeast section. Atlantis was twenty point two square miles in size, almost as large as Manhattan, and he had covered about five miles, since he left the stardrive engine room. The first two miles had been easy; the last three miles had been tedious. He had crawled over debris, still covered in slime. He had slipped several times, and fallen down twice. The second fall came when he tripped over a toppled water purifier, and ripped his left forearm open. He found an open place to sit and dropped to the deck. Pulling out a pressure bandage from his TAC vest, he wrapped it snuggly around the bleeding wound. The exertion and lack of sleep were causing him to feel faint. Rested against the cold wall, he had an overwhelming desire to sleep.
“Colonel, you are injured. You should contact the others. You require medical attention.” Although Atlantis could not read his thoughts, she could sense his emotion, and she immediately comprehended she had angered him.
“Stop it, I told you no. I can’t go back there; I have to find the key. You have to understand; they will die if I involve them. Now leave me alone, I have to keep moving.” Sheppard struggled to his feet, swaying as he did. Although he was dizzy and weak, he continued down the corridor.
Atlantis monitored his progress, well aware that he was not as cognitive of his surroundings as he needed to be. There was considerable the debris in the area, and she was beginning to fear for his safety.
~~oooOooo~~
The infirmary was quiet; the only sound was soft chirping of the monitors attached to Dr. McKay. Richard Woolsey walked in expecting to see McKay’s teammates hovering around his bed. However, there was only a lone nurse checking his IV lines.
The nurse, Lieutenant Gracie Menard, smiled as he walked up, “Mr. Woolsey.”
“Lieutenant, how’s he doing?”
Gracie glanced down at Dr. McKay before she replied, “He hasn’t regained consciousness yet. I imagine Dr. Keller would prefer to bring you up to date. I’ll let her know you’re here.”
Woolsey felt uncomfortable standing next to McKay’s bed. He wasn’t very good at the bedside manner thing. Colonel Sheppard once told him the only person with a worst bedside manner than his was Dr. Weir. At least, he was in good company. Fortunately, he had a short wait as Dr. Keller joined him.
“Yet again, another gathering in the infirmary; seems a bit lonely though,” Keller commented.
"Yes, there are a few people missing. Amelia contacted Evona, but the teams were out of range. Teyla said they would likely have to travel to another village, and communication could be limited. We can’t send a jumper to contact them, because the gate sits in a grove of huge trees. They should be back in about an hour or two. We’ll just have to be patient.”
“Patience is something we are trying to develop around here as well. To be honest, we don’t know what is wrong with Rodney. The scan shows that his limbic system is lit up with activity.”
“Limbic system, what is that?”
“Well, the middle area of the brain is called the limbic system. Many people think it’s an obsolete term, but my neuro prof liked the term and used it. The middle brain controls our emotional responses and cravings. The amygdala is located in the middle brain. It’s where fear emanates from, where our fight-or-flight responses originate. But it’s more complicated than that, other structures in Rodney’s brain are highly stimulated. It’s like he’s dreaming, trying to be creative, and trying to solve complex problems all at once.”
Woolsey laughed, then immediately apologized. “I’m sorry, doctor; I don’t think this is humorous, but isn’t that Dr. McKay all the time?”
It was Keller’s turn to smile, “Yeah. Let’s just say that his normal activity has been intensified. He’s asleep and dreaming quite a bit, yet his higher brain is active. The higher brain, the area that generates language, logic and critical thinking, is usually off-line, if you will, during the dream stage. Rodney’s is active, and that shouldn’t be. Studies show that we do make critical, logical choices during dreams. We just don’t know a lot that mechanism yet. The activity in Rodney’s brain is not normal, not even for Rodney.”
“Is he in danger, doctor?”
Keller took a deep breath, not answering right away, “I don’t know; I don’t even know what is causing this, yet. We’re running tox screens, but this is Pegasus. We don’t know what natural chemical compounds could be out there, much less anything man-made.”
“Have either of the scientists or the Marine squad on the mission show any symptoms?”
She shook her head, “No, not yet, at least. I requested that Dr. Gray, the new environmental astrobiologist, along with Dr. Parrish, collect air, water, and plant samples to see if they can find anything that might have caused this. We’ve done scans and taken blood samples from Captain Isaacs and his team, as well as the two agronomists that were on the planet. They seem fine and the post-mission check of the rescue team didn’t show anything out of the ordinary. I’m having all of them check in periodically to monitor any changes."
“Is there any history of an illness with these symptoms on the planet?”
“Not that we are aware of, but before Dr. Beckett went to get cleaned-up, he sent his clinic team to the closest village to check out the residents. They haven’t returned yet.”
With a last look at the sleeping Dr. McKay, Woolsey told Keller, “Keep me informed, doctor.” He left the infirmary to confer with Major Lorne.
~~oooOooo~~
Ansel Brunet was the engineering tech monitoring the operations console on the evening shift. The day shift tech, Eva Mason, had informed him about the faint, intermittent energy readings that had been appearing all day. He had been on duty for about two hours when a minute spike appeared on his console screen.
“Amelia, I’ve got another one of those weird readings Eva told me to watch for.”
“Where’s this one?” Amelia was the evening gate tech and control room supervisor.
“In quadrant NE738, really faint, but it was on the same frequency as the others.”
“Chuck said to send any errant readings to Dr. Zelenka. He’s plotting them to see if there’s any pattern.”
Ansel nodded and forwarded the location to Zelenka.
~~oooOooo~~
The walls of the long corridor undulated before him, as dizziness overtook him once more. Sheppard reached out to steady himself against a doorframe. He had descended another two levels, once again on the lowest level of Atlantis. The temperature had fallen from the higher decks, but he was so exhausted that he no longer felt the cold. The dampness had seeped into his clothes, providing no insulation from the chill. His chest heaved from the effort of breathing in the stagnant air.
Once again, the colonel was dealing with negotiating piles of debris. He was attempting to step around the fragments of several collapsed wall panels when he was struck with another wave of dizziness. Misjudging his footing, Sheppard caught the toe of his boot on a piece of rubble. He tumbled, rolling a couple of times before slamming against an overturned bench.
Sheppard lay motionless on the cold, damp floor, dazed and weary, without any perception of the passage of time. Pain coursed throughout his body, jarred from slamming into the hard bench. Finally, he strained to move, but simply lacked the strength.
However, he knew he had to keep going. He pushed away from the floor with his left arm, collapsing once more from the blinding, searing pain in his shoulder and back. Gasping for breath, he waited for the excruciating pain to diminish. When he finally gathered the nerve to attempt to stand, he used his right arm for leverage, and managed to get to his feet. He leaned against the corridor wall for a moment until the dizziness passed. When he felt able to move, he headed down the corridor. His destination was still a long way away.
Atlantis followed.
~~oooOooo~~
“Let me out of here; you don’t understand. They are going to kill us all. I have to get away from here.”
“Rodney, calm down; you’re safe.” Carson Beckett was helping a nurse and an EMT restrain McKay. He had awakened just as Carson entered the infirmary, and was almost out of bed before Carson and the nurse reached him.
“No, no, no... You have to let me go. They're going to kill me.”
“Who is going to kill you? Who’s after you?” Carson asked Rodney, as he mouthed to an approaching nurse to get Keller.
Rodney was struggling with them one moment, then fell limply against the mattress. He stared at Beckett, a confused expression on his face. “Carson, w-what’s happening?
“You’ve been a bit agitated, Rodney. Can ya tell me why?”
Rodney's expression was one of confusion, panic. He stared at Carson, then Jennifer as she rushed to his bedside. His eyes darting between them, Rodney weakly said, “I don’t know.”
Jennifer smiled, as she adjusted the oxygen cannula at his nose. “It's good to see you’re awake. How are you feeling?” Rodney didn’t reply; he was gazing blankly over her shoulder. She asked again, “Rodney, how are you feeling?”
His eyes widened, as a look of sheer panic crossed his face. “No, no, no…they’re here. They’re here. They will kill all of you.” He lunged to his left toward Carson, who grabbed him. The EMT, who was on the other side, reached across and pulled Rodney back onto the bed. As Carson was trying to reason with the agitated man, he heard Keller order 4mg of Ativan. Within seconds, a nurse hurried up and injected the sedative into an IV port, and Rodney soon calmed.
Carson took a deep breath, “Jennifer; he’s delusional. Have you found any possible cause?”
"Not yet, but a lot of the tests aren’t back yet?”
“I talked to Tim Hayes; he just returned with the clinic team. They took histories and blood samples, said the population was quite cooperative. There was no indication that any of the indigenous people have suffered any symptoms akin to Rodney’s.”
Jennifer dropped her head into her hands, rubbing her temples before she replied. “Maybe this is something Rodney was exposed to somewhere else? We’ll have to wait for the rest of his team to return, and see how they are doing. Meanwhile, I’m going to keep a sitter with Rodney. I don’t want to restrain him, but if it becomes necessary…”
“Maybe we should ask Major Lorne to post a couple of Marine’s in here. Rodney might feel calmer when he wakes up with some Marine’s nearby.”
Jennifer agreed, “I know I’d feel better with them nearby, for Rodney's protection. At least, until we figure out what’s going on?”
Carson put his arm around her, “Come on, lass. Let’s go see if any results are back on those tests.”
~~oooOooo~~
Richard Woolsey absently threw the wrapper from his sandwich toward the trashcan, not even caring if he missed. He had just returned to his office from the infirmary and found the sandwich; Amelia’s efforts no doubt. There was no change in McKay’s condition. For now, Keller and Beckett concurred that until they understood more about what was happening to him, they were keeping McKay sedated.
Just as he took a bite from his sandwich, the gate activated. He dropped the sandwich and ran to Amelia’s station.
“Who is it?”
The IDC popped on the screen, “It’s Captain Stackhouse’s IDC, sir.”
“Good, glad to have Colonel Sheppard back.”
Woolsey ran down the stairs and was nearly at the gate when the first Marine exited. Behind them, Teyla and Ronon emerged, then Stackhouse and the other two members of his team. Teyla was the first to notice the perplexed look on Woolsey’s face.
“Mr. Woolsey, you do not normally meet us in the gate room, is everything alright?”
“Colonel Sheppard, I thought he was with you.”
“No, the colonel accompanied Dr. McKay on his mission.”
Woolsey sucked in a deep breath, “No; he didn’t.”
Ronon growled, “Where’s Sheppard?” He had taken a step closer to Woolsey, and Teyla held out her arm to stop him.
“I don’t know.”
Teyla’s left eyebrow rose, as she replied, “You do not know?”
“You need to come with me; Dr. McKay is in the infirmary. He has been exhibiting very erratic behavior today. He ran away from Captain Isaacs’ team, and we had to mount a rescue mission. He’s under sedation, and I know that Keller and Beckett will want to check you both out. We’ll explain everything there.”
As they headed for the infirmary, Woolsey tapped his COM, “Major Lorne, please join me in the infirmary. We have a situation. Colonel Sheppard is missing.”
~~oooOooo~~
“John, your heart rate is abnormally high, and you are exhausted. You must rest.”
"If you keep talking to me, they’ll find you. I can’t protect you. Leave…me…alone.”
Sheppard began to run. He had only traversed a few yards before he fell once more, screaming as his left shoulder slammed into the deck. He rolled over onto his stomach, the strap of his rucksack digging the injured shoulder. His breaths were shallow, ragged; tears caused by the pain, streaming down his face.
“Colonel, colonel, you must rest. You need help, contact someone.”
With the increase in pain, his confusion had intensified. He could hear the voice murmuring in his head, but he no longer understood that the thoughts belonged to Atlantis. The ones who wanted to kill him had found him; he was convinced of it. He began to panic. He struggled to stand, pushing against any objects that would support his weight, not noticing as sharp metal cut into his hands and arms. Once on his feet, he leaned against the wall. He heard the voice again, faint, taunting. He had to hide.
Using only the pale illumination from the flashlight mounted on his P-90, Sheppard headed further down the hallway, until he found a door that was partially open. It was too narrow for him to slip through wearing the rucksack, so he slipped it from his shoulders. He tried unsuccessfully to keep from crying out in pain as the pack slid off his left shoulder. He was afraid they could hear him, so he had to hurry. He had to hide.
He threw the rucksack through the opening, and then turned sideways to slip through the narrow crack. Clearing the doorway, he felt the metal deck beneath him give slightly. The deck began to creak, groaning as the metal strained from his weight. Before he could slide back through the opening, the platform he was standing on fell out from under him. He reached frantically for something to grab onto but there was only air. Within seconds, he had fallen approximately fifteen feet into a large pit.
An elevated deck covered the bottom of the pit, and large segments of the metal deck were missing, exposing the metal braces that supported the decking. Sheppard landed on one of the broken sections of the floor. His head struck the hard deck, knocking him unconscious. He was still, impaled by one of the braces. The narrow, metal support protruded from his right side, mid-torso; rivulets of bright red blood trailing from the edges of the metal.
Atlantis felt what she could only presume was helplessness. Who would hear her when the only Atlantian she could truly communicate with was unconscious and gravely wounded? How could she save him?