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New Fic: Legacy of the Last
Title: Legacy of the Last
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
katstale
Rating: PG
Category: Gen
Word Count: 9050
Characters: John & Rodney, with a little Carson and Lorne thrown in
Pairings: None
Challenge: Um, not really a challenge per se, butkarri_kln1671 asked for a Sheplantis story.
Spoilers/Warnings: Spoilers for The Return, Pt. 2 (season 3); much whumping of various characters--especially John. :D
Summary: When random systems on Atlantis begin shutting down for no apparent reason, Rodney and John are cut off from the rest of the city. Then John suffers an attack of unknown origin and collapses and it's up to Rodney to find out what's happening and why--before it's too late for both Sheppard and the city.
Notes: This is unashamedly and unabashedly a Sheplantis story (Sheppard and his gene interacting with the city). If you dislike stories where Atlantis appears almost sentient, then you'll probably want to give this one a pass. :)
For the girls in chat, who never cease to amaze and inspire me. You guys are AWESOME!
"Rodney! What the hell is going on?" John charged into the lab, having to shout to be heard above the blaring alarms.
"I don't know!" The scientist was busily tapping away at the data pad in his hand, alternately checking the screens of several consoles as he went. "Systems are randomly going offline all over the city, but there doesn't seem to be any discernable pattern or cause that I've been able to find. Yet. Now go away and let me work."
"Can I help?" John shouted to be heard over the noise, but the alarms died off just as he spoke and the words hung loudly in the air.
Irritated, McKay didn't even look up as he waved him off. "Unless you've been hiding a scientific doctorate from me all this time, no."
Having dismissed the pilot, the physicist went about trying to solve the mysterious power outage issues.
A persistent thumping finally drew his attention back to Sheppard, leaning against a console and kicking at the base. "Trying to work here," he snapped. "Why don't you go blow something up or, better yet, shoot something?"
Rodney went back to work, but the irritating noise continued, even increased in both intensity and speed. Shooting a death-glare Sheppard's way, he paused. "What are you, five or something? I said stop it!"
The relentless noise continued, prompting McKay to slam his data pad on the console and march over to Sheppard. Grabbing the lieutenant colonel's arm, he attempted to pull him away. "Go! Out! Now!"
To his immense surprise, Sheppard didn't move. He seemed in a trance, leaning heavily on the console with his palms splayed on its surface. Rodney tugged harder, but the officer stayed firmly in place.
"Rodney?" The pilot's voice was strained, but it was the hint of fear in it that began to unnerve the scientist.
"This is not funny. Now is not the time for juvenile practical jokes. So knock it off or I'm calling Elizabeth."
Rodney's mouth hung open as he watched Sheppard struggle to turn his head. "I…can't," he ground out. "Something's…wrong. I don't…know what…she's…" Before he could finish the sentence, his eyes rolled up in his head and a line of blood trailed from his nose. But still, the relentless thumping continued.
With a shaky hand, McKay reached up and tapped his earpiece. "Beckett, I need a medical team to my lab. Now!"
Without warning, Sheppard's body went limp and slid down the waist-high unit to land in a heap at Rodney's feet. McKay knelt and felt for a pulse, relieved to find a strong, if somewhat rapid, beat. He bent over to ascertain whether the pilot's nose was still bleeding, but John's arms were blocking his view. He reached out to move them, but hesitated. They had no idea what had prompted the man's collapse--maybe Beckett wouldn't want him to be moved.
"I'm on ma way now, Rodney. Can ye tell me what's happened?"
Saved from making the decision himself, he tapped his earpiece. "Sheppard's collapsed. He was acting…weird--even for Sheppard. Then his nose started bleeding, his eyes rolled up in his head, and he went down."
"Then I assume he's na conscious? Has his nose stopped bleeding yet?"
McKay rolled his eyes. "Well if he was conscious, he'd be the one talking to you instead of me, now wouldn't he? And I can't tell on the bleeding. His arms are blocking my view. Should I move them out of the way so I can see?"
Rodney frowned when no answer came. "Carson?" On the verge of panic, he tapped the earpiece again. "Beckett, are you there?" When the physician still did not respond, McKay tapped the device again. "Control, this is McKay. What's going on up there?"
Again, his question was met with dead silence. "Can anybody hear me?"
A soft groan from John brought his attention back to the man on the floor. "Sheppard? Now would be a really, really good time to wake up because I have to fix the city and-and I can't do that because I can't leave you until Beckett gets here." Rodney frowned, looking down at the pilot. "Um, can I?"
John groaned again, louder this time, but still did not move. McKay's eyes widened as he caught sight of a red puddle emerging from beneath Sheppard's arms. "Oh come on!"
The scientist looked to the ceiling, complaining to whatever higher being might be--hopefully--listening. "This is so not fair. You could have at least waited until Beckett answered me before taking communications down."
"Ro'ney?"
Sheppard's voice was weak and the word slurred, but it was music to McKay's ears. "Sheppard--oh thank god. Can you sit up?"
"'M not your pet dog." The words lacked the usual bite, but John's voice was stronger and clearer. It was still muffled by his arms, however, which hadn't moved even a fraction.
Rodney frowned at that. "Move your arms. I want to see if your nose has stopped bleeding."
"Why'm I bleeding?"
To the physicist's irritation, the pilot made no effort to move. "I don't know why, but you were--now move your arms so I can check if it's stopped."
"'Kay." At first there was no movement, but then a twitch was followed by another and then another. Slowly the arms came away from his face to reveal a steady stream of red dripping onto the floor.
McKay grimaced at the sight of the blood. "That would be a definite no. Wait here--and do not lose consciousness again. I need to grab the first aid kit."
Sheppard made no further attempt to move. "Wasn't planning...on going anywhere."
Rodney quickly retrieved the medical kit and returned to John's side. The physicist did a rapid visual assessment of the pilot as he pulled out some gauze and opened the package. In addition to the blood flowing freely from his nose, there were dark circles around both eyes--eyes that were firmly closed. Fine tremors ran through the man's extremities and his skin was far too pale for Rodney's liking.
Once the gauze was free of it's wrappings, McKay put it in Sheppard's hand. "Here, pinch your nose with this and try to stop the bleeding. I...open your eyes and look at me. It's creeping me out talking to your eyelids."
The klaxon picked that moment to go off yet again. Rodney immediately looked around and voiced his displeasure. "Oh what now? Can't you see I've already got my hands full here?"
Movement from Sheppard brought his attention immediately back to the situation at hand. John was struggling to sit up and had McKay not grabbed onto his shirt, he would have fallen back to the floor. "Help...me up! Need to...get to the...control chair--'Lantis's in trouble."
"Nooo, really? So what was your first clue--the alarms blaring in your ears or that little...whatever it was that caused the blood to start gushing from your nose? And I told you to keep that gauze on it. I can think of dozens of things I'd like to decorate my lab with, but believe it or not, your blood isn't one of them."
John raised the red-stained material back to pinch his nose with a shaking hand. With his other hand, he reached out to grab McKay's shirt. "No time...to explain--I need...to get to the...chair now!"
Rodney took a quick look around the lab as he came to a decision. On one hand, Sheppard was in no shape to be traipsing around the city. On the other hand, he certainly wasn't having much luck in figuring out why the city had seemingly gone haywire from in here. He grabbed John's hand and placed an arm around his shoulders to help him to his feet. "Fine, I suppose that will at least keep you from bleeding all over my lab."
Once Sheppard was on his feet, the pair set off for the chair room. John was leaning heavily on McKay, struggling to stay on his feet in spite of the support. They'd barely taken two steps down the hallway outside the lab when they were plunged into darkness. "Will you *please* stop doing that?"
"Stop...doing...what?" John's question was breathy, an indication of how difficult a time he was having.
"Not you," snapped McKay. "I was talking to Atl...oh never mind." He shifted, redistributing Sheppard's weight to a more comfortable position as they waited for the emergency lighting to come on. It soon became apparent that the emergency systems were down also. "I don't suppose you have a flashlight on you?"
John snorted. "Mean to...tell me...the great...Rodney McKay...got caught...unprepared?"
"Ha ha, very funny, and so on and so forth. Now will you just answer the question? You can rub it in later if you insist." McKay's irritation was growing by leaps and bounds.
"Bottom pocket...front left...side...of my vest."
As John made to retrieve the light, McKay smacked at his hand. "I'll get it. You keep that gauze on your nose until it stops bleeding."
Once the flashlight was retrieved, the duo set off again. Sheppard tried to keep the material pinched to his nose, but with Rodney having to use one hand for the light, he wasn't able to shoulder as much of John's weight as before. The going became increasing difficult for him as weak muscles protested the exertion. He finally gave up trying to stop his nose from bleeding and reached out for the wall for support. Neither of them could see the bloody hand prints he left behind in the darkness.
They finally arrived in the chair room, only to find it just as dark as the lab and the rest of the territory they'd covered. "Well isn't this just the icing on the cake," complained McKay. "All this way and there's no juice. Perfect."
"Help me...to the chair," insisted the pilot. "There's...still power there."
"Why would there be power there when there isn't any anywhere else? Because unless something has changed in the last five minutes, I'm the only one in here with a PhD--hence the only one qualified to make such determinations. The fact that you're Mr. Super-gene does not make you an expert on technical matters such as this, my friend."
Sheppard shook his head. "Not expert, 'Lantis told me. Before I passed out." John had to catch his breath a moment before continuing. "No time...to explain. You gonna...help me...to the chair...or do I...have to...crawl?"
"Fine! I suppose you're going to have to sit *somewhere* while I figure this out--might as well be in the chair." Grudgingly, McKay half-carried, half-dragged him over to the chair and dropped him heavily into it. When Sheppard leaned back, the chair lit up, just as it had in Antarctica.
Rodney stared open-mouthed as John reclined and brought up a schematic of the city's power grid. "How-how did you do that? It shouldn't...there's no way..." Suddenly, McKay realized what the screen was showing him. "Wait, no. That's not good. Oh, that is so not good." Muttering to himself, he walked over to a console nearby and grabbed a data pad that lay abandoned. As he waited for it to power up, he studied the readout floating in the air above the reclining Sheppard. "We're cut off now. The city has gone into lockdown; no one can get to us down here until we get this fixed."
So intent on the data was he that he didn't even notice that Sheppard had not said anything since he'd sat down. His eyes followed the data scrolling across the projected screen, desperately trying to find the source of the problem. The outages were random, with no apparent rhyme or reason to their pattern. Then without warning, the floating display flickered and vanished. Indignant, he snapped at Sheppard. "What are you doing? Put that back up there--I was trying to follow the sub-routes to the source of the problem!"
When nothing happened, he turned to the man in the chair, annoyed. "Well, what are you waiting for? I told you..." The tirade ended abruptly when he realized that Sheppard's head had lolled to the side and he was again unconscious. "Will you *please* stop doing that?" Nevertheless, Rodney immediately went to check on his friend.
He reached to check John's pulse, noticing that the nose bleed had not abated at all. If anything, it was worse now than it had been in the lab. McKay's own pulse quickened as he found the fluttery beat in Sheppard's neck. Grimacing, he pulled another packet of gauze from the unconscious man's vest and opened it. "You are so going to owe me for this one--you know how I feel about blood." With a look of total distaste, he carefully pushed the gauze up into each side of Sheppard's nose.
His task finished, he stepped back. "You know, now would be a really, really good time to wake up again--we still have to fix the city. Well, I have to fix it, but I need you to show me those readouts again so I can figure out *how* I'm going to accomplish said fixing."
John moaned, which in turn got Rodney's hopes up. "Sheppard?"
The only reply was another soft groan. John was obviously trying to awaken but finding it difficult, so McKay tried again. "Sheppard!"
To his dismay, there was still no response. When he could no longer stand the silence McKay blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "Okay, fine! Schematics issues aside, I really, really, really wish you would wake up. You're scaring me with all the blood and the being unconscious thing, okay?"
"S'rry."
The slurred response was music to Rodney's ears. "Sheppard, you're awake! Ohthankgod!"
"R'ny?" Hazel eyes peered out through mere slits, trying to ascertain what was happening. John's confusion was clear in his tone, further worrying the physicist.
"You okay? Aside from your nose bleeding all over the place, I mean? And the being unconscious a few minutes ago, of course." He was babbling and he knew it, but Rodney couldn't seem to help himself.
McKay could tell it was a struggle for him, but Sheppard managed to force his eyes open. "'Lantis," he slurred. "'Lantis's in trouble."
"Yes, yes, we've already been over that. You were showing me a schematic of the city's power grid before you passed out. Remember? Can you get that back up again? I almost had something before it went down."
John didn't answer, but his face contorted in concentration. The requested schematic appeared, though faintly at first. Rodney wasted no time in following the diagram to the new addition. Unfortunately, it did not lead him to the source of the problem as he'd hoped.
"Damn it! That's not it. Can you magnify the sub-route to the secondary..."
Before he could even finish his request, the image shimmered and zoomed in to the area Rodney needed to see. "Oh, yes, thank you. Good, that's good." He resisted the urge to check on Sheppard and forced himself to concentrate on the schematic, knowing that every second counted in the race to save both him and the city.
McKay frowned at the display floating before him. "Hello, where did you come from?" Rodney tapped at his data pad, trying to keep watching the projection at the same time he pulled up information on his screen. He didn't know how long Sheppard would be able to keep it active and he couldn't afford to waste a single moment.
"Can you show me..." Again, before he could even finish his query, the projection shifted to the information the scientist needed. "I'm not even going to ask how you know what I want even before I tell you."
His only answer was a whimper from the man in the chair.
Rodney had never felt so torn in his life. On one hand, Sheppard was clearly suffering and in trouble--but he was also Rodney's only hope of figuring out what what causing the power outages and had sent the city into lockdown. "Just, just try to hang in there, okay? I'm working as fast as I can."
It did not surprise him that John didn't answer him. He pushed his concern to the back of his mind and continued to track the information before him. When the holographic image dimmed, his heart skipped a beat. "Nononono! You have to hold on for just a little longer--I'm almost there."
"T-t-try'n." The terse reply was slurred through gritted teeth. "Hrry."
Rodney swallowed a gigantic lump in his throat. "I am, I promise you I am. I'm almost there. I need to see the..." Rodney shook his head as John had again seemingly read his mind and provided the information he needed.
Sheppard again whimpered in pain, the projection dimming another notch. Before McKay could call out to him, the image shifted. "Good, this is good. Now if you can just give me one more minute..."
John didn't answer, but the projection again shifted. Rodney barely had time to digest the information before it changed yet again. He struggled to keep up with what the pilot was showing him, but several moments later he had his answer. "Oh for the love of...you can let go now. I know what's wrong and how to fix it."
With a final cry of pain, the projection winked out and John's head flopped to the side. Rodney wasted no time in flying to his side and checking for a pulse, holding his breath until he found the faint beat fluttering beneath his fingers. The blood was now fairly gushing from the pilot's nose and Rodney took a moment to carefully replace the gauze in each nostril.
Leaving the man to rest, Rodney quickly retrieved the necessary cables and tapped into the chair's control mechanism. He then set to work typing a program into the data pad, finishing as quickly as possible. When the last character was finally typed in, he looked regretfully at the still-unconscious pilot and tentatively reached out to tap Sheppard's cheek. "Hey, you need to wake up now. I need your help--Atlantis needs your help."
Though John didn't answer, the lights surrounding the chair brightened and dimmed several times in quick succession. Rodney's heart pounded in his chest as he prayed that the power would hold here. "Please-please-please don't go out on me now! We are *so* close."
Another series of fluctuations in the chair finally produced a groan from the pilot. His eyes opened slowly, stopping halfway as John drifted back to consciousness with a whimper. "Hrrts."
Helpless to aid him, there was only one answer Rodney could give. "I know. And I'm sorry. But listen to me; I know what's wrong with the city, but I can't fix it without your help. You hear me? I need your help--and so does Atlantis."
Sheppard whimpered again, louder this time, and managed to nod his head a fraction in agreement. McKay figured that speaking was most likely beyond him now. "Good, that's good. Can you bring up that last screen again?"
Another barely perceptible nod was quickly followed by the requested grid. "Good, that's good, now I need you to override this sequence here, here, and here. Can you do that?"
John didn't answer, but his hands immediately began to manipulate the gel-like pads at the end of each arm. His face contorted in pain and the whimpers grew in intensity as he worked. Sweat poured from his forehead, running down his face to mix with the blood from his nose.
Rodney kept a careful eye on his friend as he made the necessary changes. "Good, and now that one, yes--oh, and by the way, try not to pass out when you're done; we have a few more reconfigurations and overrides to get through before I can start bringing things back online again."
Again, Sheppard didn't answer, but his whimpers escalated to a series of gasps and groans, each one more painful sounding than the last. Rodney swallowed hard, nowhere near as immune to his friend's pain as he was pretending to be. "Okay, now when you have the connections made to the primary power core here, you'll need to reroute the secondary system to connect here, here, here, and...here."
McKay nodded in approval as John struggled to make the requested changes and adjustments needed to bring the city back to normal operations, offering as much support and encouragement as possible while still keeping a close eye on what was happening with the city. Inwardly, the scientist was becoming increasingly concerned about the pilot. His gasping and groaning was growing in both volume and intensity the longer Sheppard worked. Blood was flowing freely from the man's nose, the gauze unable to keep it at bay. His movements were increasingly sluggish also, giving a clear picture of how hard John was fighting to stay with the task.
At last, and much to Rodney's immense relief, Sheppard initiated the last of the required changes. "That's it! You did it! Okay, you take it easy now while I finish uploading the final program and...there. We. Go. Now one more reroute here..." So intent was he on his own finishing touches, McKay didn't notice that the gasps and groans had stopped.
Within seconds, light filled the room as system after system came back on line. "Yes! We did it! We saved the city--thanks to you and your super-gene..." His elation died along with the words on his lips as he turned and got a good look at the man in the chair. Sheppard's head had again lolled to the side, the front of him covered in blood. But more worrisome than that was the complete and utter stillness of the pilot. Not even his chest was moving...
It was then that Rodney realized that his friend was no longer breathing. Ditching the data pad as fast as humanly possible, he literally flew to John's side and sought a pulse. Finding none, he adjusted the position of his fingers and tried again. Still, there was nothing, not even a slight flutter beneath his fingertips. "Oh nonononono--you can't do this to me now! Not when we've come so far!" Reaching for his earpiece, he tapped it, praying harder than he ever remembered praying in his whole life that Beckett would now be on the other end. "McKay to Beckett! You need to get the chair room now--Sheppard's not breathing and I can't find a pulse. I repeat, Sheppard is no longer breathing."
He waited, holding his own breath, for a response. None came. "Damn it!" Knowing he had to start CPR immediately, Rodney dragged John out of the chair and laid him next to it on the floor. After getting his friend into the required position, he started mouth-to-mouth and chest compressions. Desperate, he tried the comm again, though never stopping the life-saving maneuvers. "Beckett this is McKay--Sheppard's down and he's not breathing. Get your ass to the chair room now!"
Again, there was no response from the Scot. Rodney half-swallowed a sob and quickly immersed himself in a seemingly unending cycle of potential life-saving measures. Clear airway. Breathe. Compressions. Check for pulse. Clear airway. Breathe. Compressions. Check for pulse. Clear airway. Breathe. Compressions. Check for pulse.
He had no idea how long he'd been at it when he felt John's ribs snap under his hand. Exhausted, on edge, and now fighting to keep from being sick over what he'd done, he activated the comm again. "Damn it, Beckett, I need you in the chair room right now! Sheppard's...he's not...he's..."
"I'm here, Rodney. Ye can step back and let us take over now."
McKay immediately rose to his feet, rounding on the physician. "Why didn't you answer your comm?"
"Communications and sensors are still down, Rodney. I didn't answer ye because I didna hear ye call." Even as Beckett answered him, he was dropping to his knees beside John and assessing his condition.
"Oh." McKay watched one of the female medics accompanying the doctor place an ambu-bag over Sheppard's mouth and begin forcing air into the pilot's lungs. He frowned, realizing that no one had been informed of their destination with communications down. "How did you know we were here?"
Carson shared a knowing look with the woman operating the bag as he answered. "Oh, let's just say we had no trouble following the trail ye left and leave it at that." He then nodded toward Rodney, indicating to one of the team that he wanted her to tend to him.
For his part, Rodney didn't resist as he was pulled to his feet and away from the unconscious Sheppard. "Is, um, is he going to be okay?" His eyes had never left his friend as the medical team worked on him and he was startled when a pad of gauze was extended to him. He tried to push it away, but his hand was shaking too badly for any chance of success. When she again firmly pushed it toward him, he snapped. "Get that out of my way."
Carson quickly set him straight, though keeping his main focus on the officer in front of him. "Let the lass do her job, Rodney. Yer nose is bleeding and yer goin' inta shock. As for the colonel, ye need ta stay back and let us work--we're doin' everything humanly possible. Do ya have any idea what might have triggered this? It's affected all the ATA gene carriers to some degree, but none so bad as Colonel Sheppard."
McKay started to shake his head but stopped dead, his eyes going wide. "Oh no. Nononono, it can't be." Ignoring the medic trying to start an in IV in his arm, he pulled away and scrambled over to the discarded data pad.
"Rodney! What are ye doing--yer in no condition to be working with sensitive equipment." Carson nodded to the woman who'd been attempting to treat the physicist to follow the stubborn scientist.
McKay didn't miss a beat, urgently tapping the screen. "Maybe not--but if I'm right about what's happening--and I'm almost positive that I am--if I don't keep going and stop this, every single person in Atlantis with the ATA gene is in serious trouble."
"Bloody hell! Are ye certain?"
"Did I not just say that I was? Now if you'll kindly stop asking me pointless questions, I'm trying to work here." Rodney ignored the woman hovering nearby and concentrated on his work. He did his best to block out the sounds of the medical team only a few feet away.
"Charging!"
"Clear!"
Though he was trying to ignore it, the noise of the defibrillator discharging and sending a jolt of electricity straight to John's heart made Rodney jump--badly. He
continued to tap away at the screen before him, pointedly refusing to look over where the desperate battle to save Sheppard was being waged.
"Still no pulse! Charging to 360!"
He continued to try to blot out the noise, losing himself in the numbers and schematics on his screen while the throbbing behind his eyes intensified. He even managed not to flinch at the second discharge of the defibrillator.
"Doctor McKay?" The female medic earned herself a death-glare with the interruption, but she nevertheless pushed on. "Your nose is bleeding. A lot, I mean."
Rodney frowned, pausing long enough to reach up and check for himself, ready to blast her for pulling his attention away from his work. His eyes widened when his fingers came away liberally coated in red. "Oh crap!"
As he turned to her with terror in his eyes, she was already moving toward him. "Here, if you'll allow me we can try to stem the bleeding with this." He didn't resist as she moved in and packed the white bandaging into each of his nostrils.
"Thank you," he said. The nurse smiled and nodded, moving back out of his way to allow him to work. Again the sounds of the fight to save his friend filtered through his mind.
"...cc's epinephrine here--we're losing him people, and that's just na acceptable."
Rodney swallowed hard, blocking out the sound of Beckett's voice as he concentrated on finding the source of whatever was affecting both he and Sheppard. Relentlessly, he chased down lead after lead, followed path after path, until finally he found the answer he sought. "Oh no. Oh this is bad. This is very bad." Leaping to his feet, he called to the doctor. "Carson! I need you in the chair now!"
The Scot didn't miss a beat in refusing. "I canna leave the colonel right now, Rodney. We've managed to get his heart goin' again, but it's na a sure thing by a long shot."
McKay's eyes flashed angrily. "I don't think you quite grasp the gravity of the situation, so allow me to explain in terms even you can understand. Either you park your butt in that chair right now, or by this time tomorrow, there won't be a single ATA gene carrier left alive on Atlantis. Period."
Beckett froze, staring at the scientist with his mouth wide. "Oh bloody hell! Isn't there some other way ye can stop whatever it is that's happening? Colonel Sheppard needs me, Rodney. Or do ye want to risk losing him?"
"Of course I don't want to lose him! If there were another way--any other way--I'd be glad to take it. But there's not, so it's either take the risk possibly losing him now or definitely losing him within the next 24 hours. So you tell me, Mr. Answer-man, do we risk possibly losing one man or doom us all?"
~~Tbc in Part 2
Author:
katstale Rating: PG
Category: Gen
Word Count: 9050
Characters: John & Rodney, with a little Carson and Lorne thrown in
Pairings: None
Challenge: Um, not really a challenge per se, but
karri_kln1671 asked for a Sheplantis story. Spoilers/Warnings: Spoilers for The Return, Pt. 2 (season 3); much whumping of various characters--especially John. :D
Summary: When random systems on Atlantis begin shutting down for no apparent reason, Rodney and John are cut off from the rest of the city. Then John suffers an attack of unknown origin and collapses and it's up to Rodney to find out what's happening and why--before it's too late for both Sheppard and the city.
Notes: This is unashamedly and unabashedly a Sheplantis story (Sheppard and his gene interacting with the city). If you dislike stories where Atlantis appears almost sentient, then you'll probably want to give this one a pass. :)
For the girls in chat, who never cease to amaze and inspire me. You guys are AWESOME!
Legacy of The Last
"Rodney! What the hell is going on?" John charged into the lab, having to shout to be heard above the blaring alarms.
"I don't know!" The scientist was busily tapping away at the data pad in his hand, alternately checking the screens of several consoles as he went. "Systems are randomly going offline all over the city, but there doesn't seem to be any discernable pattern or cause that I've been able to find. Yet. Now go away and let me work."
"Can I help?" John shouted to be heard over the noise, but the alarms died off just as he spoke and the words hung loudly in the air.
Irritated, McKay didn't even look up as he waved him off. "Unless you've been hiding a scientific doctorate from me all this time, no."
Having dismissed the pilot, the physicist went about trying to solve the mysterious power outage issues.
A persistent thumping finally drew his attention back to Sheppard, leaning against a console and kicking at the base. "Trying to work here," he snapped. "Why don't you go blow something up or, better yet, shoot something?"
Rodney went back to work, but the irritating noise continued, even increased in both intensity and speed. Shooting a death-glare Sheppard's way, he paused. "What are you, five or something? I said stop it!"
The relentless noise continued, prompting McKay to slam his data pad on the console and march over to Sheppard. Grabbing the lieutenant colonel's arm, he attempted to pull him away. "Go! Out! Now!"
To his immense surprise, Sheppard didn't move. He seemed in a trance, leaning heavily on the console with his palms splayed on its surface. Rodney tugged harder, but the officer stayed firmly in place.
"Rodney?" The pilot's voice was strained, but it was the hint of fear in it that began to unnerve the scientist.
"This is not funny. Now is not the time for juvenile practical jokes. So knock it off or I'm calling Elizabeth."
Rodney's mouth hung open as he watched Sheppard struggle to turn his head. "I…can't," he ground out. "Something's…wrong. I don't…know what…she's…" Before he could finish the sentence, his eyes rolled up in his head and a line of blood trailed from his nose. But still, the relentless thumping continued.
With a shaky hand, McKay reached up and tapped his earpiece. "Beckett, I need a medical team to my lab. Now!"
Without warning, Sheppard's body went limp and slid down the waist-high unit to land in a heap at Rodney's feet. McKay knelt and felt for a pulse, relieved to find a strong, if somewhat rapid, beat. He bent over to ascertain whether the pilot's nose was still bleeding, but John's arms were blocking his view. He reached out to move them, but hesitated. They had no idea what had prompted the man's collapse--maybe Beckett wouldn't want him to be moved.
"I'm on ma way now, Rodney. Can ye tell me what's happened?"
Saved from making the decision himself, he tapped his earpiece. "Sheppard's collapsed. He was acting…weird--even for Sheppard. Then his nose started bleeding, his eyes rolled up in his head, and he went down."
"Then I assume he's na conscious? Has his nose stopped bleeding yet?"
McKay rolled his eyes. "Well if he was conscious, he'd be the one talking to you instead of me, now wouldn't he? And I can't tell on the bleeding. His arms are blocking my view. Should I move them out of the way so I can see?"
Rodney frowned when no answer came. "Carson?" On the verge of panic, he tapped the earpiece again. "Beckett, are you there?" When the physician still did not respond, McKay tapped the device again. "Control, this is McKay. What's going on up there?"
Again, his question was met with dead silence. "Can anybody hear me?"
A soft groan from John brought his attention back to the man on the floor. "Sheppard? Now would be a really, really good time to wake up because I have to fix the city and-and I can't do that because I can't leave you until Beckett gets here." Rodney frowned, looking down at the pilot. "Um, can I?"
John groaned again, louder this time, but still did not move. McKay's eyes widened as he caught sight of a red puddle emerging from beneath Sheppard's arms. "Oh come on!"
The scientist looked to the ceiling, complaining to whatever higher being might be--hopefully--listening. "This is so not fair. You could have at least waited until Beckett answered me before taking communications down."
"Ro'ney?"
Sheppard's voice was weak and the word slurred, but it was music to McKay's ears. "Sheppard--oh thank god. Can you sit up?"
"'M not your pet dog." The words lacked the usual bite, but John's voice was stronger and clearer. It was still muffled by his arms, however, which hadn't moved even a fraction.
Rodney frowned at that. "Move your arms. I want to see if your nose has stopped bleeding."
"Why'm I bleeding?"
To the physicist's irritation, the pilot made no effort to move. "I don't know why, but you were--now move your arms so I can check if it's stopped."
"'Kay." At first there was no movement, but then a twitch was followed by another and then another. Slowly the arms came away from his face to reveal a steady stream of red dripping onto the floor.
McKay grimaced at the sight of the blood. "That would be a definite no. Wait here--and do not lose consciousness again. I need to grab the first aid kit."
Sheppard made no further attempt to move. "Wasn't planning...on going anywhere."
Rodney quickly retrieved the medical kit and returned to John's side. The physicist did a rapid visual assessment of the pilot as he pulled out some gauze and opened the package. In addition to the blood flowing freely from his nose, there were dark circles around both eyes--eyes that were firmly closed. Fine tremors ran through the man's extremities and his skin was far too pale for Rodney's liking.
Once the gauze was free of it's wrappings, McKay put it in Sheppard's hand. "Here, pinch your nose with this and try to stop the bleeding. I...open your eyes and look at me. It's creeping me out talking to your eyelids."
The klaxon picked that moment to go off yet again. Rodney immediately looked around and voiced his displeasure. "Oh what now? Can't you see I've already got my hands full here?"
Movement from Sheppard brought his attention immediately back to the situation at hand. John was struggling to sit up and had McKay not grabbed onto his shirt, he would have fallen back to the floor. "Help...me up! Need to...get to the...control chair--'Lantis's in trouble."
"Nooo, really? So what was your first clue--the alarms blaring in your ears or that little...whatever it was that caused the blood to start gushing from your nose? And I told you to keep that gauze on it. I can think of dozens of things I'd like to decorate my lab with, but believe it or not, your blood isn't one of them."
John raised the red-stained material back to pinch his nose with a shaking hand. With his other hand, he reached out to grab McKay's shirt. "No time...to explain--I need...to get to the...chair now!"
Rodney took a quick look around the lab as he came to a decision. On one hand, Sheppard was in no shape to be traipsing around the city. On the other hand, he certainly wasn't having much luck in figuring out why the city had seemingly gone haywire from in here. He grabbed John's hand and placed an arm around his shoulders to help him to his feet. "Fine, I suppose that will at least keep you from bleeding all over my lab."
Once Sheppard was on his feet, the pair set off for the chair room. John was leaning heavily on McKay, struggling to stay on his feet in spite of the support. They'd barely taken two steps down the hallway outside the lab when they were plunged into darkness. "Will you *please* stop doing that?"
"Stop...doing...what?" John's question was breathy, an indication of how difficult a time he was having.
"Not you," snapped McKay. "I was talking to Atl...oh never mind." He shifted, redistributing Sheppard's weight to a more comfortable position as they waited for the emergency lighting to come on. It soon became apparent that the emergency systems were down also. "I don't suppose you have a flashlight on you?"
John snorted. "Mean to...tell me...the great...Rodney McKay...got caught...unprepared?"
"Ha ha, very funny, and so on and so forth. Now will you just answer the question? You can rub it in later if you insist." McKay's irritation was growing by leaps and bounds.
"Bottom pocket...front left...side...of my vest."
As John made to retrieve the light, McKay smacked at his hand. "I'll get it. You keep that gauze on your nose until it stops bleeding."
Once the flashlight was retrieved, the duo set off again. Sheppard tried to keep the material pinched to his nose, but with Rodney having to use one hand for the light, he wasn't able to shoulder as much of John's weight as before. The going became increasing difficult for him as weak muscles protested the exertion. He finally gave up trying to stop his nose from bleeding and reached out for the wall for support. Neither of them could see the bloody hand prints he left behind in the darkness.
They finally arrived in the chair room, only to find it just as dark as the lab and the rest of the territory they'd covered. "Well isn't this just the icing on the cake," complained McKay. "All this way and there's no juice. Perfect."
"Help me...to the chair," insisted the pilot. "There's...still power there."
"Why would there be power there when there isn't any anywhere else? Because unless something has changed in the last five minutes, I'm the only one in here with a PhD--hence the only one qualified to make such determinations. The fact that you're Mr. Super-gene does not make you an expert on technical matters such as this, my friend."
Sheppard shook his head. "Not expert, 'Lantis told me. Before I passed out." John had to catch his breath a moment before continuing. "No time...to explain. You gonna...help me...to the chair...or do I...have to...crawl?"
"Fine! I suppose you're going to have to sit *somewhere* while I figure this out--might as well be in the chair." Grudgingly, McKay half-carried, half-dragged him over to the chair and dropped him heavily into it. When Sheppard leaned back, the chair lit up, just as it had in Antarctica.
Rodney stared open-mouthed as John reclined and brought up a schematic of the city's power grid. "How-how did you do that? It shouldn't...there's no way..." Suddenly, McKay realized what the screen was showing him. "Wait, no. That's not good. Oh, that is so not good." Muttering to himself, he walked over to a console nearby and grabbed a data pad that lay abandoned. As he waited for it to power up, he studied the readout floating in the air above the reclining Sheppard. "We're cut off now. The city has gone into lockdown; no one can get to us down here until we get this fixed."
So intent on the data was he that he didn't even notice that Sheppard had not said anything since he'd sat down. His eyes followed the data scrolling across the projected screen, desperately trying to find the source of the problem. The outages were random, with no apparent rhyme or reason to their pattern. Then without warning, the floating display flickered and vanished. Indignant, he snapped at Sheppard. "What are you doing? Put that back up there--I was trying to follow the sub-routes to the source of the problem!"
When nothing happened, he turned to the man in the chair, annoyed. "Well, what are you waiting for? I told you..." The tirade ended abruptly when he realized that Sheppard's head had lolled to the side and he was again unconscious. "Will you *please* stop doing that?" Nevertheless, Rodney immediately went to check on his friend.
He reached to check John's pulse, noticing that the nose bleed had not abated at all. If anything, it was worse now than it had been in the lab. McKay's own pulse quickened as he found the fluttery beat in Sheppard's neck. Grimacing, he pulled another packet of gauze from the unconscious man's vest and opened it. "You are so going to owe me for this one--you know how I feel about blood." With a look of total distaste, he carefully pushed the gauze up into each side of Sheppard's nose.
His task finished, he stepped back. "You know, now would be a really, really good time to wake up again--we still have to fix the city. Well, I have to fix it, but I need you to show me those readouts again so I can figure out *how* I'm going to accomplish said fixing."
John moaned, which in turn got Rodney's hopes up. "Sheppard?"
The only reply was another soft groan. John was obviously trying to awaken but finding it difficult, so McKay tried again. "Sheppard!"
To his dismay, there was still no response. When he could no longer stand the silence McKay blurted out the first thing that came to mind. "Okay, fine! Schematics issues aside, I really, really, really wish you would wake up. You're scaring me with all the blood and the being unconscious thing, okay?"
"S'rry."
The slurred response was music to Rodney's ears. "Sheppard, you're awake! Ohthankgod!"
"R'ny?" Hazel eyes peered out through mere slits, trying to ascertain what was happening. John's confusion was clear in his tone, further worrying the physicist.
"You okay? Aside from your nose bleeding all over the place, I mean? And the being unconscious a few minutes ago, of course." He was babbling and he knew it, but Rodney couldn't seem to help himself.
McKay could tell it was a struggle for him, but Sheppard managed to force his eyes open. "'Lantis," he slurred. "'Lantis's in trouble."
"Yes, yes, we've already been over that. You were showing me a schematic of the city's power grid before you passed out. Remember? Can you get that back up again? I almost had something before it went down."
John didn't answer, but his face contorted in concentration. The requested schematic appeared, though faintly at first. Rodney wasted no time in following the diagram to the new addition. Unfortunately, it did not lead him to the source of the problem as he'd hoped.
"Damn it! That's not it. Can you magnify the sub-route to the secondary..."
Before he could even finish his request, the image shimmered and zoomed in to the area Rodney needed to see. "Oh, yes, thank you. Good, that's good." He resisted the urge to check on Sheppard and forced himself to concentrate on the schematic, knowing that every second counted in the race to save both him and the city.
McKay frowned at the display floating before him. "Hello, where did you come from?" Rodney tapped at his data pad, trying to keep watching the projection at the same time he pulled up information on his screen. He didn't know how long Sheppard would be able to keep it active and he couldn't afford to waste a single moment.
"Can you show me..." Again, before he could even finish his query, the projection shifted to the information the scientist needed. "I'm not even going to ask how you know what I want even before I tell you."
His only answer was a whimper from the man in the chair.
Rodney had never felt so torn in his life. On one hand, Sheppard was clearly suffering and in trouble--but he was also Rodney's only hope of figuring out what what causing the power outages and had sent the city into lockdown. "Just, just try to hang in there, okay? I'm working as fast as I can."
It did not surprise him that John didn't answer him. He pushed his concern to the back of his mind and continued to track the information before him. When the holographic image dimmed, his heart skipped a beat. "Nononono! You have to hold on for just a little longer--I'm almost there."
"T-t-try'n." The terse reply was slurred through gritted teeth. "Hrry."
Rodney swallowed a gigantic lump in his throat. "I am, I promise you I am. I'm almost there. I need to see the..." Rodney shook his head as John had again seemingly read his mind and provided the information he needed.
Sheppard again whimpered in pain, the projection dimming another notch. Before McKay could call out to him, the image shifted. "Good, this is good. Now if you can just give me one more minute..."
John didn't answer, but the projection again shifted. Rodney barely had time to digest the information before it changed yet again. He struggled to keep up with what the pilot was showing him, but several moments later he had his answer. "Oh for the love of...you can let go now. I know what's wrong and how to fix it."
With a final cry of pain, the projection winked out and John's head flopped to the side. Rodney wasted no time in flying to his side and checking for a pulse, holding his breath until he found the faint beat fluttering beneath his fingers. The blood was now fairly gushing from the pilot's nose and Rodney took a moment to carefully replace the gauze in each nostril.
Leaving the man to rest, Rodney quickly retrieved the necessary cables and tapped into the chair's control mechanism. He then set to work typing a program into the data pad, finishing as quickly as possible. When the last character was finally typed in, he looked regretfully at the still-unconscious pilot and tentatively reached out to tap Sheppard's cheek. "Hey, you need to wake up now. I need your help--Atlantis needs your help."
Though John didn't answer, the lights surrounding the chair brightened and dimmed several times in quick succession. Rodney's heart pounded in his chest as he prayed that the power would hold here. "Please-please-please don't go out on me now! We are *so* close."
Another series of fluctuations in the chair finally produced a groan from the pilot. His eyes opened slowly, stopping halfway as John drifted back to consciousness with a whimper. "Hrrts."
Helpless to aid him, there was only one answer Rodney could give. "I know. And I'm sorry. But listen to me; I know what's wrong with the city, but I can't fix it without your help. You hear me? I need your help--and so does Atlantis."
Sheppard whimpered again, louder this time, and managed to nod his head a fraction in agreement. McKay figured that speaking was most likely beyond him now. "Good, that's good. Can you bring up that last screen again?"
Another barely perceptible nod was quickly followed by the requested grid. "Good, that's good, now I need you to override this sequence here, here, and here. Can you do that?"
John didn't answer, but his hands immediately began to manipulate the gel-like pads at the end of each arm. His face contorted in pain and the whimpers grew in intensity as he worked. Sweat poured from his forehead, running down his face to mix with the blood from his nose.
Rodney kept a careful eye on his friend as he made the necessary changes. "Good, and now that one, yes--oh, and by the way, try not to pass out when you're done; we have a few more reconfigurations and overrides to get through before I can start bringing things back online again."
Again, Sheppard didn't answer, but his whimpers escalated to a series of gasps and groans, each one more painful sounding than the last. Rodney swallowed hard, nowhere near as immune to his friend's pain as he was pretending to be. "Okay, now when you have the connections made to the primary power core here, you'll need to reroute the secondary system to connect here, here, here, and...here."
McKay nodded in approval as John struggled to make the requested changes and adjustments needed to bring the city back to normal operations, offering as much support and encouragement as possible while still keeping a close eye on what was happening with the city. Inwardly, the scientist was becoming increasingly concerned about the pilot. His gasping and groaning was growing in both volume and intensity the longer Sheppard worked. Blood was flowing freely from the man's nose, the gauze unable to keep it at bay. His movements were increasingly sluggish also, giving a clear picture of how hard John was fighting to stay with the task.
At last, and much to Rodney's immense relief, Sheppard initiated the last of the required changes. "That's it! You did it! Okay, you take it easy now while I finish uploading the final program and...there. We. Go. Now one more reroute here..." So intent was he on his own finishing touches, McKay didn't notice that the gasps and groans had stopped.
Within seconds, light filled the room as system after system came back on line. "Yes! We did it! We saved the city--thanks to you and your super-gene..." His elation died along with the words on his lips as he turned and got a good look at the man in the chair. Sheppard's head had again lolled to the side, the front of him covered in blood. But more worrisome than that was the complete and utter stillness of the pilot. Not even his chest was moving...
It was then that Rodney realized that his friend was no longer breathing. Ditching the data pad as fast as humanly possible, he literally flew to John's side and sought a pulse. Finding none, he adjusted the position of his fingers and tried again. Still, there was nothing, not even a slight flutter beneath his fingertips. "Oh nonononono--you can't do this to me now! Not when we've come so far!" Reaching for his earpiece, he tapped it, praying harder than he ever remembered praying in his whole life that Beckett would now be on the other end. "McKay to Beckett! You need to get the chair room now--Sheppard's not breathing and I can't find a pulse. I repeat, Sheppard is no longer breathing."
He waited, holding his own breath, for a response. None came. "Damn it!" Knowing he had to start CPR immediately, Rodney dragged John out of the chair and laid him next to it on the floor. After getting his friend into the required position, he started mouth-to-mouth and chest compressions. Desperate, he tried the comm again, though never stopping the life-saving maneuvers. "Beckett this is McKay--Sheppard's down and he's not breathing. Get your ass to the chair room now!"
Again, there was no response from the Scot. Rodney half-swallowed a sob and quickly immersed himself in a seemingly unending cycle of potential life-saving measures. Clear airway. Breathe. Compressions. Check for pulse. Clear airway. Breathe. Compressions. Check for pulse. Clear airway. Breathe. Compressions. Check for pulse.
He had no idea how long he'd been at it when he felt John's ribs snap under his hand. Exhausted, on edge, and now fighting to keep from being sick over what he'd done, he activated the comm again. "Damn it, Beckett, I need you in the chair room right now! Sheppard's...he's not...he's..."
"I'm here, Rodney. Ye can step back and let us take over now."
McKay immediately rose to his feet, rounding on the physician. "Why didn't you answer your comm?"
"Communications and sensors are still down, Rodney. I didn't answer ye because I didna hear ye call." Even as Beckett answered him, he was dropping to his knees beside John and assessing his condition.
"Oh." McKay watched one of the female medics accompanying the doctor place an ambu-bag over Sheppard's mouth and begin forcing air into the pilot's lungs. He frowned, realizing that no one had been informed of their destination with communications down. "How did you know we were here?"
Carson shared a knowing look with the woman operating the bag as he answered. "Oh, let's just say we had no trouble following the trail ye left and leave it at that." He then nodded toward Rodney, indicating to one of the team that he wanted her to tend to him.
For his part, Rodney didn't resist as he was pulled to his feet and away from the unconscious Sheppard. "Is, um, is he going to be okay?" His eyes had never left his friend as the medical team worked on him and he was startled when a pad of gauze was extended to him. He tried to push it away, but his hand was shaking too badly for any chance of success. When she again firmly pushed it toward him, he snapped. "Get that out of my way."
Carson quickly set him straight, though keeping his main focus on the officer in front of him. "Let the lass do her job, Rodney. Yer nose is bleeding and yer goin' inta shock. As for the colonel, ye need ta stay back and let us work--we're doin' everything humanly possible. Do ya have any idea what might have triggered this? It's affected all the ATA gene carriers to some degree, but none so bad as Colonel Sheppard."
McKay started to shake his head but stopped dead, his eyes going wide. "Oh no. Nononono, it can't be." Ignoring the medic trying to start an in IV in his arm, he pulled away and scrambled over to the discarded data pad.
"Rodney! What are ye doing--yer in no condition to be working with sensitive equipment." Carson nodded to the woman who'd been attempting to treat the physicist to follow the stubborn scientist.
McKay didn't miss a beat, urgently tapping the screen. "Maybe not--but if I'm right about what's happening--and I'm almost positive that I am--if I don't keep going and stop this, every single person in Atlantis with the ATA gene is in serious trouble."
"Bloody hell! Are ye certain?"
"Did I not just say that I was? Now if you'll kindly stop asking me pointless questions, I'm trying to work here." Rodney ignored the woman hovering nearby and concentrated on his work. He did his best to block out the sounds of the medical team only a few feet away.
"Charging!"
"Clear!"
Though he was trying to ignore it, the noise of the defibrillator discharging and sending a jolt of electricity straight to John's heart made Rodney jump--badly. He
continued to tap away at the screen before him, pointedly refusing to look over where the desperate battle to save Sheppard was being waged.
"Still no pulse! Charging to 360!"
He continued to try to blot out the noise, losing himself in the numbers and schematics on his screen while the throbbing behind his eyes intensified. He even managed not to flinch at the second discharge of the defibrillator.
"Doctor McKay?" The female medic earned herself a death-glare with the interruption, but she nevertheless pushed on. "Your nose is bleeding. A lot, I mean."
Rodney frowned, pausing long enough to reach up and check for himself, ready to blast her for pulling his attention away from his work. His eyes widened when his fingers came away liberally coated in red. "Oh crap!"
As he turned to her with terror in his eyes, she was already moving toward him. "Here, if you'll allow me we can try to stem the bleeding with this." He didn't resist as she moved in and packed the white bandaging into each of his nostrils.
"Thank you," he said. The nurse smiled and nodded, moving back out of his way to allow him to work. Again the sounds of the fight to save his friend filtered through his mind.
"...cc's epinephrine here--we're losing him people, and that's just na acceptable."
Rodney swallowed hard, blocking out the sound of Beckett's voice as he concentrated on finding the source of whatever was affecting both he and Sheppard. Relentlessly, he chased down lead after lead, followed path after path, until finally he found the answer he sought. "Oh no. Oh this is bad. This is very bad." Leaping to his feet, he called to the doctor. "Carson! I need you in the chair now!"
The Scot didn't miss a beat in refusing. "I canna leave the colonel right now, Rodney. We've managed to get his heart goin' again, but it's na a sure thing by a long shot."
McKay's eyes flashed angrily. "I don't think you quite grasp the gravity of the situation, so allow me to explain in terms even you can understand. Either you park your butt in that chair right now, or by this time tomorrow, there won't be a single ATA gene carrier left alive on Atlantis. Period."
Beckett froze, staring at the scientist with his mouth wide. "Oh bloody hell! Isn't there some other way ye can stop whatever it is that's happening? Colonel Sheppard needs me, Rodney. Or do ye want to risk losing him?"
"Of course I don't want to lose him! If there were another way--any other way--I'd be glad to take it. But there's not, so it's either take the risk possibly losing him now or definitely losing him within the next 24 hours. So you tell me, Mr. Answer-man, do we risk possibly losing one man or doom us all?"
~~Tbc in Part 2
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whumpyserious, so it felt really good to finally manage toland the poor boy in the infirmarywrite something with a real plot. ;)no subject
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And my apologies for not answering this sooner. I would have sworn I was all caught up on comments here, but I guess I missed this one. I'm SO sorry! :(