Work Text:
After It's Done
by Pixie Child
glitery_insane_ pixie_child@yahoo.ca
http://pixie.submystic.com
"All right. We'll cloak, and come back for you after it's done" McKay's voice cracks and Peter knows a line of bullshit when he hears it. Not to mention Rodney can't lie to save his life. And they all know the doctor is lying; to himself, the young pilot and the man still on the satellite.
So he enables the delusion and stands back. "After it's done, then." He forces himself to repeat the words, proud that he sounds more sure of himself then McKay did. Not sure that he's going to survive this, but sure that this _will_ be done.
His nerves on edge, muscles tight and a cool dread building in his chest, Peter throws himself into figuring out the last variables in the system and powers it down. Then he waits. He waits for the Wraith ships, waits to power back up, waits to blow the bastards out of the sky. But he doesn't try to convince himself that he's waiting to go home to Atlantis when it's all over.
Peter knows he's going to die today, but he'll go out right. He'll be sure that he takes out as many of these devils as he can before he goes down.
The moment the ships come out of hyperspace, Peter's moving. But apparently just in case he somehow became a complete incompetent since they last spoke, McKay's voice comes over the comm.
"If you've not already powered up, now would be a good time."
And even though he wants to hit the condescending man, Peter still takes comfort in the familiarity of it. It calms him slightly. He refocuses and continues to work.
"We should be weapons hot in sixty seconds," he says when he's done. He holds his breath and waits.
Those sixty seconds feel like an eternity.
Finally, he can activate the controls. "Switching over from manual to automatic firing mode."
He targets the first ship and fires, taking no small amount of satisfaction as the ship is cut in half before it explodes. It's a brilliant sight and he takes a fraction of a second to take it in before targeting the next. Then the first panel sparks and an alarm begins to sound. He slaps the consol and yells when his hand is burned for the effort.
"We have a problem," he says into the comms. That's putting it lightly, but he feels remarkably composed, given his situation.
"What? What problem?" Dr. McKay, however, is anything but. Peter works frantically as he relays his situation to the other man.
"It looks like the circuit we re-routed has overloaded." He doesn't know how they missed that before. "The weapon can't fire again. I'm trying to find another pathway." Even as he says it, he's seeing that there isn't one.
Damn it all! They only managed to take out one bloody ship, and the other two are certain to take the satellite out before they can even begin to think of a way to fix the problem. Not only is he going to die out here but he hasn't even improved the odds enough. Not really. But at least McKay and Miller can tell Atlantis to begin evacuation.
"We're heading back in to pick you up." Peter wants to smack the man again. Of all the times to be heroic! He could kill McKay if he wasn't busy trying to save him.
"Stay exactly where you are!"
"Look, we're cloaked. They won't see us." Rodney's desperation is palatable. Peter is oddly touched by it, but still determined. He knew from the moment they couldn't dock that he was going to die today. But he'll be damned if he lets them go with him. He can't believe he's arguing to die alone.
"There's no time, just get the hell out for here!" He never thought he'd have to say it.
Surprisingly, doing so makes him feel a little better. As though it's somehow under his control.
He finally looks up and accepts there's nothing more he can do. In giving his life, he's given Atlantis a chance to go on. That is all anyone from their expedition can ask for. He pictures Dr. McKay in the Puddle Jumper, watching on the view screen and Elizabeth in the command center when Rodney relays what happens.
"I'm sorry."
He knew he was going to die. His only regret is that he couldn't do more.
end