Author's Notes:- Thanks to Stonedtoad for betaing.
I'm working on Part 6.
Enjoy.
*********************************************
"Lieutenant Ford," Captain Castlemain called, "We've found it. We've got a door. It was hidden well but it looks like it's been used recently."
"We're on our way," Ford told him nodding to Teyla they started running hoping their friends were safe.
They reached the hidden doorway and Teyla stepped forward checking it, "Have you opened it yet?"
"We were waiting until there were more of us," Castlemain told her, "Are we ready?"
Ford nodded and with him and Teyla in the lead they started through the door.
-
"You think killing one of us is going to make the rest behave?" Sheppard laughed, Rodney couldn't help but notice the rasp coming from his chest.
"Then your only choice is to come with us without a fight," Cowen told him, "Or I will kill your friends here Major. Starting with the woman."
Sheppard didn't miss the anger that flashed in both Pretenders eyes at the threat to Parker but to Cowen's surprise Sheppard merely grinned at him.
"Before you start threatening my people," Sheppard told the Genii leader, "I'd look behind you."
"Hi there," Ford grinned aiming his P90 at Cowen.
"You have good timing Lieutenant," Sheppard told him, "I suggest you stick them in one of the cells then we can get out of here."
"Aye sir," Ford turned to Castlemain motioning for them to lock up the Genii while he and Teyla moved to help Rodney and Sheppard, "Time to get out of here sir."
*********************************************
Elizabeth held her breath as the Gate dialled hoping that this was good news because she wasn't sure she could lose either of those two men despite the trouble they seemed to find and cause.
"It's Lieutenant Ford's signal," Grodin told her.
"Lieutenant?" Elizabeth called over the radio hopefully.
"We have them," Ford reported, "Have Dr Beckett get to the Gateroom as fast as possible."
"He'll be there," Elizabeth promised nodding to Grodin who called to their Doctor as she headed down to greet their lost sheep.
When she reached the bottom of the stairs the event horizon rippled and Sheppard, Rodney and Dr Starr came through the latter two carrying the Major whose leg was bandaged tightly. Captain Parker, Ford, Teyla and the rest of the teams followed on.
"What have we got then?" Carson asked as he entered the room moving to where Sheppard was now sitting.
"Broken leg," Rodney told him.
"Who splinted it?" Carson queried absently as he started to check Sheppard.
"Captain Parker," Rodney answered quickly, "She's had some field training apparently," his eyes met Sheppard hoping he wouldn't say anything to contradict him.
"Well it was good work," Carson told them, "Alright people let's get him down to the infirmary. Rodney, Starr, Parker I want you all there too."
As the medical team wheeled the Major away the Pretenders and Parker headed down to the infirmary.
-
Sheppard opened his eyes not surprised to find Rodney sitting watching him.
"How do you feel?" Rodney asked softly.
"Not too bad," Sheppard grinned slightly vacant, "Morphine, love the stuff."
Rodney gave a tight smile, "Thank you, for not giving away my secret."
"Don't thank me yet," Sheppard told him seriously, "I want the full story before I decide what to do."
"It's a long one," Rodney replied sadly, "And not one I want to tell here where someone may overhear."
"As soon as Beckett releases me we're having that talk," Sheppard decided.
Rodney grimaced, "I wouldn't miss it."
-
"How is he?" Jarod asked when Rodney entered the room.
"Doped up," Rodney replied, "And wanting to know everything."
"Are you going to tell him?" Parker asked from her seat, "Do you trust him enough to tell him?"
Rodney flopped down onto the bed, "I don't know."
Parker rolled her eyes at Jarod who frowned back at her.
"How are you feeling?" Jarod asked changing the subject.
"Fine," Rodney replied shortly.
Parker moved to sit at Rodney's side, "Why don't we believe you?"
"Rodney," Jarod took the other side, "You were comatose for a long time and we can't even tell the doctor so we can make sure you're alright."
Rodney stared silently at the ceiling, he was afraid talking about it would send him back to the dark place he'd been in for several hours.
"What happened?" Parker pushed.
"You of all people don't want to know," Rodney sighed closing his eyes before looking up at her, "Trust me Parker."
Parker's eyes widened, "You do know who killed my mother."
"I led them to her," Rodney whispered sitting up so he could look into her eyes, "She smiled when she saw me and gave me a quick hug before telling me she had to go find you. I offered to find you for her but she suddenly pushed me to one side and told me I had to hide. Then I heard the shot and I felt her fear and I...I..." he trailed off tears in his eyes.
"You hid as she told you to," Jarod placed one hand on Rodney's back and his other on Parker's shoulder trying to soothe his friends.
Parker's eyes were filled with tears, "Who was it?"
Rodney stared at her, "Please, don't ask me that."
"Please Rodney," she squeezed his hand, "I need to know."
Rodney closed his eyes as he replayed the scene over in his head, "Raines."
"That scum sucking, wheezing bastard," Parker yelled as her tears streaked along her cheeks, "I knew it."
"I'm sorry," Rodney whispered.
Jarod moved and wrapped them both in his arms feeling Parker cry on his shoulder as Rodney cried on hers.
*********************************************
He paced furious at how it hadn't worked. All three should have been killed but he hadn't counted on the tunnels under the ruins. The near loss of Sheppard had also been too high profile; he'd have to stop any subsequent attempts to remove them for the moment. He didn't want to be exposed and without any way to contact his boss he was on his own.
-
"Alright Major Sheppard," Carson said as he stood with his arms folded across his chest, "You will do absolutely everything I told you to, you will take all your medication and I may sign you off for active duty sooner rather than later."
"Of course," Sheppard gave him a grin.
"I mean it Major," Carson frowned at him before sighing as Rodney entered the infirmary, "And you are not to lead him into any trouble either."
"Me?" Rodney looked offended, "What did I do?"
"Do you want me to find the list?" Carson asked, "Or are you two leaving?"
"We're leaving," Sheppard grabbed his crutches manoeuvring himself to head out looking back making sure Rodney grabbed the meds.
The two men walked in silence through the corridors making their way to Sheppard's quarters where Rodney knew he was going to have to tell him the story and that frightened him more than he could say.
"Dump those over there," Sheppard motioned before collapsing onto his bed, "Okay, spill."
"What?" Rodney tried to avoid the conversation.
"McKay, either you tell me or I will tell Weir you're not who you say you are," Sheppard threatened.
"That's blackmail," Rodney glared at him.
"It's your choice," Sheppard replied, "So make it."
Rodney sighed and pulled his chair over, "Fine."
-
"When I was five," Rodney started nervously interlacing his fingers, "My parents discovered I was gifted. They were contacted by an organisation called The Centre which told them they could teach me how to use my gift."
"Isn't that a good thing?" Sheppard asked.
"The Centre weren't exactly a benign group," Rodney grimaced, "At first my parents refused then they were offered money for me. A lot of money," he dropped his eyes to the floor as he thought about it, "I watched from behind the couch as my mother and father sold me."
"Sold you?"
"Can I finish?" Rodney snapped before grimacing, "Sorry Major, I just don't like talking about this."
Sheppard nodded remaining silent as Rodney took several deep breaths before continuing his story.
"The Centre worked on my abilities making me perform 'simulations' that they then used to hurt people, steal from people and all sorts of other things," Rodney stared at the ground angrily, "I must have been there several years before I met Jarod and Parker. Jarod was another Pretender who they wanted me to work with, he was...is incredibly brilliant much better at simulations than I ever was. We became friends quickly and through him I met Parker. She's the daughter of the man who's basically in charge of the Centre."
"And you're her friend why?" Sheppard demanded confused.
"As a child she was just as much a prisoner as we were," Rodney explained his voice remaining soft, "When she was at the Centre during the school holidays the three of us would get into all sorts of scrapes," he gave a soft laugh, "She was usually the ringleader with me and Jarod following on behind her."
"How did you get here?" Sheppard interrupted Rodney's trip down memory lane.
"Jarod realised that what we were doing for them was hurting people," Rodney explained, "And he decided he wanted out. He persuaded me to come along too. When we managed to escape we split up as it would be harder for them to track us that way."
"What about Parker?"
"She was brought in by the Centre to track Jarod down," Rodney smiled again; "He spends most of his time annoying her as she chases him across the country. I on the other hand stayed under the radar until someone here found out who I was and managed to get a message back to the Centre, she came here after me."
"Hold it," Sheppard stared at him in amazement, "She's the one after both of you and you've been buddying around with her?"
"It's not like that," Rodney shrugged, "It's hard to explain to an outsider Major but Parker is as much a part of us as we are of her. I can't explain it in words," he shook his head moving back to the subject, "Anyway once we'd escaped Jarod and I arranged to meet up earlier this year just to make sure the other was alright. Since I didn't come Jarod traced me here."
Sheppard stared at Rodney as he tried to process everything he'd been told.
"What's your real name?" he asked after a few moments silence.
"Rodney McKay," Rodney replied with a shrug.
"You used your real name?" Sheppard asked as the other two had.
"Would you believe anyone would be so stupid?" Rodney asked with a grin.
Sheppard narrowed his eyes suspiciously, "Alright, how did you end up here and no glib comments about the same way I did."
Rodney chewed his lower lip for a while, "When I escaped the Centre I knew I needed to blend in. At first I was a teacher, a cop, I was even a yoga instructor for a while," he gave a half smile before frowning as Sheppard grimaced at him, "It was by pure accident I ended up working as an astrophysicist. I was at the University about to take the job of a computer technician when I sort of fell into it. So I created my background for them to check never realising that I would be recruited for the Stargate program. Once I was, there was no going back."
Rodney shrugged waiting for Sheppard's next question. Sheppard stared at him for a while processing everything he'd been told.
"This is absolutely nuts," Sheppard yelled, "You have absolutely no right to be putting our lives in danger by pretending you know things you don't."
"I do have all the knowledge," Rodney replied calmly all trace of sarcasm gone from him, "I just don't have the formal qualifications. Major I understand that this is a shock but you can't tell anyone."
Sheppard looked at him in utter confusion, "Give me one good reason why I shouldn't?"
"Because someone is trying to kill us," Rodney replied, "And they almost killed you too."
Sheppard stared at the man in front of him, a man he'd trusted with his life not that long ago who he now discovered was not the person he had claimed to be, "I'll think about it."
-
"What did he say?" Parker demanded the moment Rodney entered his lab where his friends were waiting for him.
"He'd think about not telling Elizabeth I'm a fraud," Rodney sighed dropping onto a seat, absently he picked up one of the artefacts he'd been studying.
"Then we have to make sure he decides not to turn us all in," Parker told him.
"And how would we do that Parker?" Jarod asked sarcastically.
Parker turned on him glaring at him angrily.
"He won't turn us in," Rodney said softly interrupting them.
"What?" they asked in unison.
"I know him" Rodney told them, "I trust him. He won't turn us in and I'm sure he'll help us find whoever's after us."
Parker looked at Jarod before turning back to Rodney, "Are you nuts?"
"It's very possible Parker," Rodney snapped back, "But I have been here for over a year and I have had to trust him with my life several times over that period so yes I trust him now."
"This affects our lives too," Jarod reminded Rodney before Parker started an argument with him; turning on each other just now was not the best idea.
"I know," Rodney yelled before sighing, "I know but Sheppard's a good guy and won't turn us in."
"Foretell that did you?" Parker asked sarcastically.
Rodney laughed, "No, but I was a psychiatrist for a few weeks."
*********************************************
"Alright people," Elizabeth called them to order.
Rodney sat uncomfortably waiting to find out if Sheppard would betray his confidence. Parker sat on his left while Jarod on his right both as tense as he was knowing their fate lay in the hands of the man sitting stone faced beside Elizabeth.
"Rodney," Elizabeth invited him to start.
"We were exploring the ruins," Rodney began his eyes never wavering from the leader of Atlantis as he continued his report he turned to where Sheppard was sitting his eyes fixed firmly on him.
"Major," Elizabeth asked the moment Rodney finished, "Do you have anything to add?"
Rodney found he was holding his breath as Sheppard leaned forward his eyes fixed firmly onto the two Pretenders and Parker.
"Nope, Rodney seems to have covered it all," he shrugged, before adding, "Except that it was more than meets the eye to why the planet chose then to try and kill us."
"Really?" Elizabeth asked.
"The Genii were there Elizabeth," Sheppard continued ignoring the looks he was being given by Rodney, Jarod and Parker, "I don't know what it is but I'll bet there is more than we saw."
Elizabeth frowned, "We'll have to be more careful when we're out there. Is there anything else?"
Everyone waited but as no one said anything else Elizabeth nodded, "Alright. Dismissed."
She left the room quickly to deal with her never-ending trials of command followed by the rest of the teams leaving only Sheppard, Rodney, Jarod and Parker sitting.
"Thank you," Rodney said sincerely.
"I'm not sure if I did the right thing," Sheppard told them, "But I've learned to trust you McKay. I won't tell Elizabeth about you three on one condition."
"And what exactly would that be?" Parker asked dangerously.
"You let me help find out who did this," he told them, "I'm on crutches thanks to that son of a bitch and I don't like people who go after a member of my team."
Rodney shared a glance with the other two before they turned back to him, "Agreed."
Sheppard nodded before smiling slightly, "Now give me a hand out of this damn chair so I can go get something to eat."
Rodney helped his friend up handing him his crutches, "Thank you John."
"You kinda grew on me McKay," Sheppard replied taking the crutches, "Let's go eat."
-
He watched as they left the briefing room relieved that Sheppard appeared to have no knowledge of who the other three truly were. He was sure that the Major would have instantly betrayed that knowledge to Weir to keep the city safe.
His last plan to remove them had been flawed but his next would not have that problem. He would wait allow them to believe themselves safe then he would strike removing them from the world as Mr Raines had ordered.
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