Fic: Grains of Sand
Dec. 20th, 2005 09:18 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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sga_santaTitle: Grains of Sand
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
suaine
Pairing: John/Rodney
Summary: Another backwater planet, but below the surface PX7-13F was full of surprises. Starring McKay as Kirk, Smoky the Wraith and John Hero Sheppard.
For: Terri
Grains of Sand
The second week into their mission on PX7-13F Rodney McKay was rendered speechless. For a moment.
"Of course, one wouldn't suspect it from the outside. It's ingenious, really, much like the Genii - I wonder if this sort of technique is common in Pegasus - anyway, it's-"
On the surface, nothing about the planet was special, but there were wonders hiding beneath the pine tree forests, wonders that startled even Rodney McKay into awed silence. Once the team had their fill of aggravating small children (McKay), flirting with the natives (Sheppard), flirting with the natives' weaponry (Ronon), and working out a beneficial trade agreement (Teyla, who tried to keep all three men as far away from anyone influential as possible, for self-preservation), the village elders introduced them to the Repository.
"Would you just shut UP for a minute, McKay? It's beginning to grate on my nerves."
Of the cool things one would dream of finding in a space-goth-vampire-infested galaxy, the Repository was among the top five, easily. An enormous library, filled with information about anything and everything, archived on a cloth-like, stain resistant paper. The library of Alexandria with the scope of the internet, stretching for miles beneath the surface of the planet. All of Atlantis could have fit in the main dome twice over, with room to spare; from there the branches reached tens, maybe hundreds of miles into the darkness of the mountains, giving home to an incredible amount of knowledge.
"Well, excuse me if I get excited about what could possibly be the most important find in human history. Some of this information is millions of years old, still preserved in its original meaning, if not state. Why don't you just go up to the surface with Ronon and shoot something?"
The coolest thing about the Repository, however, was the filing system. To be able to search quickly and accurately within such a huge directory, one needed something equivalent to a supercomputer. The natives had something better: the librarians.
"Oh, now you're just being pissy. What? Am I infringing on your alone time with the space babes? Because I thought charming the vapid native girls was Kirk's job, not Spock's."
The five hundred librarians lived, ate, laughed, and studied in the Repository. They never set foot on the surface, except during their teens when each librarian was required to take a year of cleansing, a spiritual as well as physical journey that allowed each individual to choose between the immeasurable knowledge in the Repository and the simple life on the surface. Very few ever stayed longer than the thirteen months required by their sacred laws.
"Oh please, that's what you think this is about? I'm not some intergalactic slut like other people I could name."
During their apprenticeship the librarians read a lot of books. In their free time they talked to other apprentices about the things they read, building a complex network of references better than Google. No human could ever know the answers to all questions, but the librarians knew exactly who was most likely to know.
"Fine, have it your way. But don't think I'll come to rescue you when the hot librarians kidnap your brain."
When they felt their spirits wane and eyesight dim, the librarians set out on their last journey, a trip to acquire all the new and interesting stories they came across. Sometimes they died within a year of leaving, hardly time enough to travel more than a few times through the gate; sometimes, however, they saw many incredible things that would make the Repository even richer.
"You have to ask Elizabeth for more time. This is amazing, Sheppard. I mean, this could hold all the answers, answers to questions we don't even know how to ask!"
"Rodney," Sheppard said, leaning against one of the shelves like a very sexy book end,"we have to get back to Atlantis in a day or two. We'll send another team here, there'll be research-"
"Yeah, let's leave it to the linguists, because they would know just how much..." John didn't seem to get the picture, so Rodney pointed at a gilded page, "this right here, this equation, that's twenty years ahead of anything we have in theoretical physics. Do you really think Miles would know the difference between that and basic math?"
"You know you can always come back to visit, right? This isn't healthy. You haven't even been eating unless we reminded you. I will not play nurse maid and force feed you."
Rodney huffed. "I don't remember asking you to wear short white dresses. And you know that I would."
Sheppard glared, leaning right into Rodney's personal space. "Okay, name one time when unlimited access to enlightenment ever actually worked for us."
"Well, uhm," Rodney said, "I... Aren't you the one who keeps getting us in trouble with ascended women? Really, you didn't have to be dumb to be so pretty."
They stared at each other for a moment before Sheppard opened his mouth, sputtered and left without another word. Rodney stood over his mountain of manifest knowledge with a look of shock on his face. Sometimes he really needed to think before he let his mouth wander off on its own.
"That sort of came out wrong," he said to the empty space.
All the books stayed silent.
* * *
Rodney spent another day reading until he was sure. The small pieces of evidence began to form a picture in his mind and it wasn't pretty. Still, he needed confirmation.
The librarians listened to his explanation with care and a sad expression, already aware that they were at the limit of their expertise. The one thing they could not help with was the new ideas not yet formed anywhere other than Rodney McKay's brain.
He was browsing through Ancient texts, hoping that something would pop out at him. There was nothing to suggest his worst fears were anything other than phantoms of his paranoid imagination, but the nagging in the back of his mind wouldn't let him rest.
"Do you have any text on your own history?" Rodney said to
The young woman, whose name had to be something that reminded him of sushi and who'd been assigned to respond to his every wish, jumped, nodding eagerly. "Too many for just one of us to know. Do you have any specific areas of interest?"
"I need to know about any contact you had with the Wraith and the earliest records on the Repository: who built it and why, what it was intended for and perhaps any sort of original blueprints."
Ariel took in the information with a thoughtful frown. "This will take some time. Do you wish to return to your quarters and get some rest? I can send someone for you."
Rodney gave the piles of equations, theories and speculations a mournful glance. A quick check of his vital signs alerted him to the fact that he wasn't just bone-deep tired and hungry, he also smelled a little rank. But the nagging wouldn't let go of him. "Just let me check a few of these journals."
Ariel left, undoubtedly to enlist the help of Colonel Sheppard in getting Rodney away from his precious books.
* * *
An hour later, John made his way down the halls to the main dome, practicing arguments that would get through to Rodney in this state. If all else failed he'd asked Ariel for some chocolate pudding.
They almost literally ran into each other at the entrance to the main dome. Rodney looked miserable, tense, tired, and entirely too distracted. At first John wanted to crack a joke but then Rodney's eyes widened with recognition and he drew John aside.
"You," Rodney said with force, "I've been looking for you."
John blinked. "Okay."
"No, no, no!" Rodney emphasized each word with a wave of his hand, the one that wasn't wrapped painfully around John's wrist. "Nothing is okay. We're- there was something. I saw something in a book, the designs were perfect, years ahead of us."
"That's good, though, isn't it? That's what we're here for, advanced technology beyond our wildest dreams."
Rodney looked at him as if John was vaguely crazy. "The Wraith," he said, "it's all here and they know."
* * *
Jegg del Aleon spent most days of his life as an administrative assistant to the high council. The only time he got to show off some of his charisma and skill was when outsiders found their way to the Repository in search of answers. This time, he thought - watching Teyla Emmagan plead with his superiors - his luck was working over time.
"I do not wish to imply you are anything other than hospitable, but Colonel Sheppard may wish to know more of the strategic capabilities of your people."
Teyla had a stunning grip of the concepts she had to invoke for the council to pay attention to her. Even the Eldest listened with an indulgent smile on her cracked old lips. Very few ever elicited any sort of feeling in her, other than disdain.
The Eldest raised a hand and the hall fell silent. "Dear child," she spoke with a voice as old and dry as her skin, "there is no principle as highly regarded as the freedom of knowledge. It is what this place was created for, what it will represent long after the last of us passed on."
Jegg could see the muscles of Teyla's shoulders tense at the nice but entirely meaningless platitudes. Perhaps the council's circular and antiquated ways were beginning to wear her down.
"I appreciate your traditions, councilor, though perhaps I have not made myself clear enough in my previous request. It is our wish to see what defenses you have against the Wraith or other enemies who may wish to harm not just your lives, but the knowledge you protect, and to offer you any additional help we can provide to keep you safe."
"Let me assure you," the Eldest said, "there is no need for your assistance or that of the Descendants. The Ancestors have not left us unguarded."
Teyla bowed her head, apparently admitting defeat in the face of such stubbornness, but Jegg could see the glint in her eyes. She and Ronon would probably need some guarding of their own later - solely for their personal safety, of course.
Jegg had his own ways, knew more of the secrets behind the Repository than any of the librarians and keepers could ever dream of, because he saw beyond the books, he saw the tunnels and the walls, the passages and pathways, knowledge that needed no words to exist. And he was in charge of the keepers, a silly bunch of young men and women who enjoyed nothing more than gossip, all of which he was privy to.
After the council adjourned for another pointless meeting, Jegg waved Ronon and Teyla over to him, giving them the sort of smile that promised mischief.
"I can help you," he said, checking to see if any of the personal council guard were in listening distance. It wouldn't do to let the council know too soon. Secrets were a sin, delayed truths a matter of convenience.
Ronon gave him a piercing glare. "Why would you do that?"
Jegg shrugged. "The council is old and tired, they trust the machines left to us by the Ancestors more than they trust their own minds. I think you can protect us from the Wraith better than old prayers."
Teyla looked at Jegg askance, as if she was trying to figure out how he was planning to use them. Jegg felt naked under her eyes, it wasn't entirely uncomfortable. "The Humans prefer not to get involved in the politics of other planets. I can not speak for them in this."
Ronon snorted, which made Jegg wonder how often they actually managed not to get involved. "I just want my people to be safe. Such archaic matters are often beneath the council's consideration. A few years ago a handful of librarians starved to death in the tunnels, because they had forgotten to sleep or eat."
Teyla and Ronon shared a look that could have encompassed an entire conversation. Then Teyla nodded. "I believe we can at least talk to Colonel Sheppard."
* * *
"Whoa," Sheppard said, "slow down there, buddy."
Rodney took a deep breath and used the time to glare at Sheppard. "How about we sit down and have a coffee before I tell you how we're all going to die a miserable and painful death."
"That would work for me. Now, what's this about the Wraith?"
Rodney swallowed. "We have two-" he held up two fingers, then shook his head, "no, three problems. First of all, there are extremely accurate instructions for building efficient intergalactic drives for vessels as big as the hive ships, and using a minimum of resources."
Sheppard let that sink in, making Rodney twitch. Then he opened his mouth, undoubtedly to say something stupid. Rodney held up his hand. "Don't! Just listen, there's more. After I found out about the drives I looked at some of the other Ancient texts and there was a piece of information even more worrying."
"Okay, what would that be," Sheppard said, possibly expecting a three-headed sea monster.
Rodney paused, for breath as well as effect. "A number of eight-symbol gate address, one of them Earth's."
Sheppard's face changed from vaguely amused to serious without so much as a twitch. His soldier mode was too close to the surface on his best days, not that this one was anywhere close. It gave Rodney goose bumps. "That's not good, not good at all."
Rodney frowned. "That's the understatement of the year, Colonel. I have reason to believe the Wraith have been here before, using the information for their advancement. Think about genetic experiments they've done on Teyla's ancestors, or their improbable grasp of Ancient technology."
"Any other bad news I need to know about?"
Rodney twitched. "Well, the life sign detectors aren't working properly, much like the radios, but it's possible the Wraith are here right now."
Sheppard ground his teeth, the only outward sign of the tension inside of him. "I think it's time we talked to our gracious hosts."
* * *
The Wraith had no use for art and abstract concepts; they dreamed too many dreams when the keeper stood watch over a hundred thousand sleepers. Nothing made from a single lifetime of human minds could ever come close to that which they experienced in their billion shared moments.
Still, the queen was intrigued by this thing the humans had built. A network of minds, unconnected, but somehow linked.
The queen was fascinated and so they went. There was no arguing with her will.
"Find it," the Wraith said to his soldiers, "Don't stop until you have the answers."
Maybe the queen liked her abstract little bubble, but he had more pressing business. His soldiers needed to be fed, their race had to survive. There was only one place that had enough prey for all of them - and he was going to find the way there.
* * *
When the screeching ships descended on their world, the council initiated the immediate shut down of all paths between the Repository and the surface, effectively cutting off any way for the people to escape the Wraith, or even hide from them.
"They will accept their fate for the greater good," the Eldest said, before she disappeared.
There was no one left to argue the point.
* * *
The tunnels were crawling with Wraith. Sheppard led the way, but many of the passages he'd been shown earlier were now either in enemy hands or blocked.
"Great, even I couldn't get us any more lost."
Sheppard reminded himself that killing Rodney could wait until they were out of immediate danger, when their tunnel suddenly ended. Turning around, he found that he was missing one genius scientist, but had three Wraith tailing him in the distance, coming closer every second. Then a hand on his elbow pulled him sideways into the wall - and right through the hologram.
He checked his life sign detector and grinned. The Wraith had stopped, waiting at the entrance of their tunnel for new orders.
* * *
Rodney turned the cup in his hand, not quite believing what he saw. He glared at Sheppard and took a sip. MRE rations wouldn't be his choice for a last meal.
"You know, when I said we should have coffee before saving the world that was supposed to be sarcasm."
Sheppard made an exaggerated gesture of surprise, slapping his hand on his forehead. "Oh no, I feel so stupid now. Thank you, for making that clear."
Rodney kept glaring. "Very funny."
Grinning, Sheppard grabbed half of a power bar and stuffed it into his mouth. "I just figured we'd need your brain in perfect condition, hence the food."
"I'm so glad I have you worrying about my personal health."
"It's purely egoistic, Rodney, I'm pretty used to the body I have, it would be a pity to have the Wraith suck it dry."
"Knowing you, it'd disintegrate in a pointless but oversized explosion before a Wraith even came close enough to see how utterly wrong your plan was."
Silence fell between them. Rodney itched to say something else, the thing he had no words for that had been brewing between them for the longest time. But the moment passed and Sheppard began to clean up with military efficiency, the casual manner dropping away like an old curtain.
Watching Sheppard work was hypnotic, even if they might die at the hands of the Wraith any minute. If he had to go, at least he had good-looking company.
"We should probably check in with Teyla and Ronon," said Colonel Sheppard, all soldier now.
Rodney sighed. "You know we can't call them, right? It'd be hard to find them in this maze, even if we had radio contact."
Sheppard looked up from checking his assorted weaponry and grinned. "How do you feel about going on a little walk, McKay?"
* * *
Ronon followed a little rat down its hole. Not smart, said his animal brain, could be a trap, could be dangerous. The rest of him was nervous, tense with a premonition of something going wrong. Something always went wrong, there was some kind of rule about it - Sheppard had told him all about it with McKay looking huffy somewhere in a corner.
"Murphy," Ronon said out loud. Teyla cast a questioning glance his way. Ronon shrugged, "something Sheppard told me about." He didn't mention his suspicions; Teyla probably sensed it as well. Still, Jegg could be useful.
"Really," Ronon said, "it's nothing."
Teyla inclined her head, letting the comment pass. She would wait until he was ready or he found some concrete evidence that there was shifty business going on.
"We're here," said the rat.
Now, this- This was shifty business all right. Ronon stared up at the huge structure, embedded in the walls of the large cave, glittering in the light from hundreds of lamps around the periphery.
"What is it?"
The rat flinched. Ronon bit down on the reflex of shaking the truth out of him like coins.
"It's the great machine. It protects us and gives us all we need. If your Colonel is looking for defenses, this is his answer."
The moment was ominous enough, but then Teyla sighed, a hand pressed to her temple. He didn't need to ask, knew by the look on her face. In unison they said "Wraith!" and took off running, back through the tunnel labyrinth to find the rest of their team.
* * *
"I really hope you're not planning on heroically sacrificing yourself, because I would really like to talk to you about that thing. Later, or some day. You know, whenever."
John blinked. Rodney had a way of throwing out unconnected thoughts at inappropriate times, but this was a new high even for him. "What thing?"
Rodney rolled his eyes. He gestured between them like he was trying to saw a log. "There's all this stuff between us. You keep looking at me. And I just want you to know, even though I'm not- you know- I would. With you. If you wanted."
That came so far out of left field it must have been in another galaxy. But then, they were in another galaxy. "McKay, are you hitting on me while we're hiding from a couple of hungry Wraith?"
Rodney glared. "You can't be that stupid."
"So that would be a yes."
Another glare. Getting caught by the Wraith was beginning to look like a feasible alternative. Also, very much a possibility since Rodney had completely diverted his thoughts from their immediate situation to other, much more pleasant thoughts. Or unpleasant, depending on what part of that whole complication John decided to concentrate on.
"I'm not hitting on you - you - you self-involved space slut person."
John had to stifle a grin. "You're terrified, aren't you?"
"No, this is a walk in the park. I always enjoy a little Wraith with my incredibly dangerous information and hippie librarians."
"Ah, thought so."
"Okay, so hypothetically, if I were hitting on you, would you be likely to punch me in the face?"
John grinned. "Maybe, if you were also stealing my last chocolate bar."
Rodney smiled; a thing of beauty, if only because it was rather a rare occurrence these days. John wondered when it had started to make him feel warm and fuzzy and pink inside. "Okay. That's good. Great. I'm still not hitting on you."
John smiled back, patting McKay on the back a little more slowly than usual. "Okay, that's good."
"Good," Rodney agreed, looking somewhat distracted.
"Are you pondering what I'm pondering, Pinky?"
Rodney blinked, his mouth working without sound. John really liked making him speechless. "I think so, but I'm not sure Elizabeth would appreciate the stains."
Laughing, John patted Rodney's shoulder. "Let's go kill some Wraith."
Then, "Hey, why am I Pinky?"
* * *
On board the Daedalus, Hermiod frowned at a scanner read-out. He opened a communication's channel to Atlantis.
A minute later, Novak hiccupped.
Three minutes after that, Caldwell set a course for Atlantis-1's current location.
* * *
The only thing John hated more than bugs were the Wraith elite. The soldiers were no big deal, a lot of brawn, little brain, but a healthy instinct. They were like smart predatory animals, big mountain cats or sharks. The lords and ladies just pissed him off with their Goth attire and an arrogant streak bigger than Rodney's. At least Rodney had a reason to be so sure of himself, the Wraith elite just talked big because they didn't know any other way to talk.
"C'mon, Smoky, is that all you've got?"
The grey-robed Wraith had him by the throat, so his bravado was a little choked, but Rodney and his P-90 had to be standing somewhere behind that corner, waiting for a good shot. Maybe. If Rodney hadn't been eaten by the other two Wraith prancing around these tunnels like big, ugly fairies.
"You're a brave one, aren't you? Makes it all the sweeter."
John forced air into his lungs, suppressing a cough. "You should really do something about that carcass in your mouth, it's gonna give you tooth rot."
The Wraith grimaced, a word on his ugly lips that never quite came, drowned out by the rapport of a P-90. The hold on his throat loosened and he dropped like a stone, the Wraith landing half on top of him.
"What, I'm not even getting a thank you?"
"Wraith goo, McKay. Wraith. Goo. In my hair."
"I, too, am happy that you're not dead. Now get up, we have to find Teyla and Ronon."
They ran. Rodney was wheezing, but he didn't complain, which just set John's teeth on edge. A quiet Rodney with a gun was an indicator for being completely fucked. Around a bend and down a hall, their surroundings didn't change at all and it occurred to John that was following Rodney into a maze without a map.
"Do you even know where we are?"
Rodney's glare seemed a lot more intense than usual, which, despite being in a seriously fucked up situation, made John think of other ways to make Rodney concentrate on him so hard. Hard being the operative word.
"Sorry," Rodney said with as much sarcasm he could muster under the circumstances, "I wasn't aware I was your tour guide."
"Well, it could be kind of useful to not just run around like two headless chicken."
"It could also kind of useful if you'd just shut up."
John grinned. "Hit a nerve?"
Before Rodney could say anything scathing in return "Xena: Warrior Princess" came around the corner.
* * *
Ariel shouldered her weapon as she recognized the two figures as McKay and Sheppard. It really wouldn't do to vaporize them. They might even be helpful against the Wraith currently attacking Repository personnel. She'd come across more than one mutilated body on her way to the armory, where she'd changed into clothes only vaguely more appropriate to fighting than their customary flowing silk robes.
"Colonel Sheppard, Doctor McKay, are you hurt?"
Sheppard looked a little dazed, but McKay seemed to recognize her if the way he checked out her very form-fitting attire was any indication. No one got this excited about people who were, by all indication, going to de-molecularize them.
Sheppard caught himself first. "So, not really helpless, huh?"
McKay still wasn't talking, but Ariel had no time for juvenile fantasies. "Let's go, we need to reach the great machine before the Wraith do. If they gain control of it, I don't know what would happen."
"Have you seen Teyla and Ronon anywhere? If you're going to fight a losing battle, those are the people you want to have by your side."
"I saw Jegg down that way, so I suppose they could be around here somewhere. But there is nothing we can do for them right now, we need to hurry."
That was McKay's cue to look up and speak, his voice full of curiosity. "Great machine?"
* * *
They'd made it as far as the second intersection when they heard a scream from behind them. Jegg had yelled at them to stay, talking fast about counter measures and defensive shields, but neither had been willing to give up on their friends just then. Now it seemed like a bad move.
"We should go back," Teyla said.
"He's probably dead already."
They both knew it, but the situation had changed. The Wraith were already attacking and the cave with the machine offered something that this tunnel didn't have: an easily defensible position.
"What about Colonel Sheppard and Dr. McKay?"
That was the crux of it. Ronon sighed. "Sheppard can take care of himself, and McKay is smart enough to stay out of the line of fire until they send reinforcement."
Teyla raised a brow, unsure. "What makes you think they'll come?"
Ronon grinned. "We missed our check-in with Dr. Weir."
"True," Teyla said, a smile playing around her lips, "we can perhaps expect the Daedalus itself if I know Dr. Weir at all."
They headed back to the cave with a little more hope.
* * *
Rodney followed the Xena-impersonating librarian with a mixture of doubt and amazement. Xena-impersonating librarian - if it wasn't for the Wraith this could be straight out of his fantasies. Not that John - Sheppard, dammit - was usually this over-dressed in those very special, not all that straight fantasies. But his military kink was deeply seated; something Rodney would never admit outside of Heightmeyer's office.
None of which was in any way related to their current life-or-death situation. Really, he should be concentrating on their imminent painful death, not the way Sheppard's ass looked nice and tight when he was running for his life.
"McKay, are you staring at my ass?"
Rodney blinked, "What? No! Hey! You can't know that! You-"
"I was guessing. You were awfully quiet back there, which either means you're hurt or really busy thinking about something."
"And you assumed I was thinking about sex. With you. How very Kirk of you."
"Maybe you should be thinking about blow-jobs, the ones you'll never get if you get yourself killed by daydreaming."
Rodney swallowed. "Blow-jobs? I wasn't aware blow-jobs had entered the equation."
"They did."
"When?" Rodney refused to acknowledge the hysteric little hitch in his voice.
John grinned like a shark, all tooth and danger. "The moment I shot you in the leg, now could we get going before we end up as dinner for our favorite space vampires?"
"Right," Rodney said, grabbing his P90 tighter. "Blow-jobs."
* * *
On their way to the Great Machine they ran into more Wraith patrols the closer they got. They dodged and fought, but by the time they arrived, Ariel's arms were hurting from the unusual weight of the weapon and her spirits were dim. In the large cave a small battle raged between two Wraith and the rest of the outsiders. When they fell, Ariel was about ready to join them on the blood-soaked ground.
"Teyla, Ronon, what's your status?"
The woman stood up straighter, smiling at Sheppard with a hint of indulgence. "We had seven attacks so far. They come in groups of three or four, soldiers only. We have been able to hold them back without much trouble."
Now the big guy relaxed too, dropping the muzzle of his gun an inch or two. Ariel allowed herself to breathe. She turned to Sheppard, not quite sure if the big one wasn't going to shoot her in the back.
"I need to check a few systems, get a handle on our resources."
"You can do that from here?" Rodney sounded more curious and excited than she'd expected under fire. Perhaps he wasn't quite the wimp she'd pegged him as.
"I'm not sure if I can, but someone like Jegg could probably use the machine to control the defensive system left on the planet by the Ancestors."
Ronon pointed at a figure curled up by the wall. "He's a bit unconscious right now."
Sheppard nodded and McKay already had his scanner and mobile computer out, typing away and making soft cooing noises. Apparently he liked what he saw, maybe with his help she could remember how to engage the emergency protocol. She hadn't paid much attention during the few lessons with the machine. No one ever thought they would have to use it. The Wraith had never attacked them before; there was no reason other than-
"It's you," she yelled, surprised by her own outburst. "You must have done something to turn them against us. You are the reason these monsters are killing my people!"
Suddenly she couldn't stand the thought of McKay touching the machine. What if he let the Wraith deeper into the tunnels? What if he wanted to destroy all they had built, his thirst and love for knowledge a mere facade for some nefarious purpose?
She launched herself at the scientist with a desperate yell.
* * *
Ronon never had much patience for the things one could learn from books. He enjoyed knowledge when it was given by a teacher, experienced instead of regurgitated. The librarian looked a little crazy around the gills when she turned toward Rodney, so Ronon figured all those words were finally catching up with her. That sort of information overload could do insane things to otherwise normal people.
He jumped before anyone could stop him and knocked her over the head with his gun. It was a sure hit, no extra damage, but she was out cold for however long this was going to last. He would take care of that.
"Can you figure out the system?" Sheppard asked McKay.
The scientist shrugged, possibly in a state of shock. "Not that I don't appreciate your faith in my abilities, but I'm not omnipotent. It doesn't look like any Ancient technology we've encountered before."
Ronon watched as McKay and Sheppard bickered, then he walked over to Teyla and sighed. "We should probably watch for any Wraith patrol that might come this way."
"I agree," she said.
* * *
When the Daedalus arrived at its destination, a hive ship and two cruisers were already there. Their retreat carried them back behind the second moon of the planet, close enough to send and receive signals to and from the surface. Just about close enough to use their beaming technology for a rescue mission.
"Give me a way to find Sheppard and his team down there," Caldwell said to Novak.
Novak hiccupped twice, which Caldwell took as agreement.
* * *
John leaned against the wall, which was all he could do for the moment. Rodney kept waving him off when he tried to look over his shoulder at the complicated, blinking circuitry that gave him such a rush of familiarity. It felt like familiar, like the itch at the back of his mind he'd gotten as a child, from faintly recognizing people on the bus.
"I think I have found the com-interface, just let me-" Sparks appeared from where Rodney had his face in a mess of wires. "And don't even think about groping me, Colonel. People might be watching."
To be honest, neither Teyla nor Ronon seemed to care much about their teammates' love lives, or the possibility of them making out between Ancient gadgets and Wraith corpses. Not that John was in any way interested in making out anywhere near freshly dead Wraith.
"Ah," said Rodney, which could mean either he'd found a way to get communications up and running or the Ancients had a schematic of a Dalek on their micro-circuits. John was going with the former, just to be contrary.
"Are you getting a signal?"
A crackling in his ear was the answer. "Colonel Sheppard, please come in. This is the Daedalus. Colonel Sheppard please-"
John tapped his earpiece. "Sheppard here, what's been taking you people so long?"
Over the headset: "Very funny, Colonel." Caldwell's voice. "We thought we would stop by the gas station to pick up some pastries. I hope you like Danish and pretzels."
Rodney snickered and John kicked him in the ass. Softly. Not nearly enough for him to topple over into the cables and crystals and microchips he'd been playing with, but John had a lively imagination.
"Sir," John said, "do you detect any human life signs on the surface?"
Background sounds, a flurry of activity on the ship, orders barked and requests answered, then a silence that told Sheppard everything he needed to know. "Sir?"
Caldwell coughed slightly. "Maybe fifty on the surface, but it's crawling with Wraith. Hard to make a distinction. Just six within the deeper structures, all around your position, but there is too much interference to say how many are still left down there."
John took a deep breath. How many of five hundred had escaped the Wraith? "Sir, are there any nuclear warheads on board?"
* * *
Rodney looked from Ariel and Jegg's unconscious bodies over to John as he rigged the bomb. The machine had a core of modified naquadah, something that looked suspiciously like stable naquadriah - a material that would emit a powerful but continuous flow of energy, creating a slow-burning nuclear fire that would consume the entire planet.
It hurt to think about, so Rodney concentrated on his fingers. He did his job and Sheppard would do his and they'd both come out of this alive. With a little luck he hadn't imagined any of the dirty talk and he'd at least get some action out of this. Okay, so he was pretty tired of action, so maybe they could just cuddle tonight. But then, the Colonel might not be a cuddler or only wanted sex-
"Rodney, I can see what you're thinking," John said. He sounded as haggard and tired as he looked, and Rodney had no idea how to fix it.
"Oh, so you're a telepath now?"
John laughed; a hollow little sound. "I don't have to read your mind to know what's going on in your head. This is all you ever wanted, all the knowledge in the world at your fingertips and I'm asking you to burn it to the ground."
Rodney huffed, returning his burning eyes - from exhaustion, okay? - to the task. "Don't be silly, Colonel. There won't be any ground left after this thing goes off."
If there was a most inconvenient moment for Ariel to wake up it was this one. She moaned like a porn star, but the glare she sent his way could cut glass. "What are you doing?"
Rodney glanced from his work to Sheppard, asking just this once not to be the one who spoke the inevitable truth.
John smiled with his hand on Rodney's shoulder like a shared life line. "It's a bomb. We're going to take care of the Wraith."
Ariel's eyes widened as she took in their defeated little group, the parts of her great machine all scattered over the floor like trash, the ugly little canister of death pulsing there like a lethal infection.
"No," she said, her voice trembled with lost control, "You can't. Please, for the love of the sacred scrolls and all that you hold dear, please do not do this."
Rodney was paralyzed by the panic in her voice. She was at the end of everything, and no Sam Gamgee was there to hold her hand. John seemed to sense Rodney's morbid turn of thought and stepped in.
"Colonel Caldwell, please beam out Teyla, Ronon and the two civilians. They might need some medical attention."
They disappeared in an instant. The silence carried their guilt like a dead child. "You know, she's right."
John never moved his hand, but his eyes looked far into the distance, some place Rodney couldn't follow. "Maybe, but the Wraith took that decision away from us. Now we have to do what's necessary to survive."
"Right," Rodney said. He felt silly trying to be the one to tell Hero Sheppard how to do the right thing, when all he ever did was hiding from the consequences. He liked his own skin too much, too scared of not existing at all, too scared of death by fire or Wraith.
"Done," Rodney said, patting the bomb carefully, like a sick dog that couldn't take anything but the lightest touch. He closed his eyes to keep himself from shedding crocodile tears. When he opened them again, Sheppard's hand was still on his shoulder but their surroundings had changed. The bridge of the Daedalus looked foreign now, not like something safe and warm at all.
He should probably be grateful that John was still there, even as the light of a tiny nova turned the dark sky white.
* * *
John found Rodney on one of the balconies, staring out at the sea like it had all the answers they'd lost on PX7-13F.
"What's a pretty girl like you doing in a place like this?"
Rodney snorted, but didn't turn around. John would need more than a movie quote to fix the damage here. Perhaps he'd chosen the wrong movie.
"I have the eyes of my father," he said, putting all the earnestness he could muster into his voice.
Rodney sighed, leaning against him like it was the most normal thing in the world - and really, it felt more normal than anything in this galaxy, perhaps anything in the universe. "Don't make me laugh while I'm wallowing. It really messes up the mood."
John laughed. "Okay, I'll remember that."
"Don't," Rodney said, covering John's hand with his own, "I appreciate the effort."
"You know, we'll find all our answers eventually, at least the ones that count."
"I know, but-"
John tugged at Rodney's hand and turned them so that he was embracing Rodney from behind, both facing the endless ocean. "No buts. People can get lost in a place like the Repository, spending their whole lives trying to find a reason while the real life passes them by. Maybe it's better this way."
"You really think that, huh?" Rodney wouldn't agree with him on this one, but that was okay. The pressure on his hand told John all he needed to know about the important things.
"I really think that."
Rodney snorted, but pressed his whole body closer, like he was trying to burrow right beneath John's skin. It didn't feel nearly as scary as it should have.
When John kissed Rodney for the first time he smelt the sea, and later when he tasted the semen spread all over Rodney's stomach it tasted of unshed tears, but looking up all John could see was a fond smile. Some things just didn't need any words, so he smiled back.
The End
Author:
suainePairing: John/Rodney
Summary: Another backwater planet, but below the surface PX7-13F was full of surprises. Starring McKay as Kirk, Smoky the Wraith and John Hero Sheppard.
For: Terri
Grains of Sand
The second week into their mission on PX7-13F Rodney McKay was rendered speechless. For a moment.
"Of course, one wouldn't suspect it from the outside. It's ingenious, really, much like the Genii - I wonder if this sort of technique is common in Pegasus - anyway, it's-"
On the surface, nothing about the planet was special, but there were wonders hiding beneath the pine tree forests, wonders that startled even Rodney McKay into awed silence. Once the team had their fill of aggravating small children (McKay), flirting with the natives (Sheppard), flirting with the natives' weaponry (Ronon), and working out a beneficial trade agreement (Teyla, who tried to keep all three men as far away from anyone influential as possible, for self-preservation), the village elders introduced them to the Repository.
"Would you just shut UP for a minute, McKay? It's beginning to grate on my nerves."
Of the cool things one would dream of finding in a space-goth-vampire-infested galaxy, the Repository was among the top five, easily. An enormous library, filled with information about anything and everything, archived on a cloth-like, stain resistant paper. The library of Alexandria with the scope of the internet, stretching for miles beneath the surface of the planet. All of Atlantis could have fit in the main dome twice over, with room to spare; from there the branches reached tens, maybe hundreds of miles into the darkness of the mountains, giving home to an incredible amount of knowledge.
"Well, excuse me if I get excited about what could possibly be the most important find in human history. Some of this information is millions of years old, still preserved in its original meaning, if not state. Why don't you just go up to the surface with Ronon and shoot something?"
The coolest thing about the Repository, however, was the filing system. To be able to search quickly and accurately within such a huge directory, one needed something equivalent to a supercomputer. The natives had something better: the librarians.
"Oh, now you're just being pissy. What? Am I infringing on your alone time with the space babes? Because I thought charming the vapid native girls was Kirk's job, not Spock's."
The five hundred librarians lived, ate, laughed, and studied in the Repository. They never set foot on the surface, except during their teens when each librarian was required to take a year of cleansing, a spiritual as well as physical journey that allowed each individual to choose between the immeasurable knowledge in the Repository and the simple life on the surface. Very few ever stayed longer than the thirteen months required by their sacred laws.
"Oh please, that's what you think this is about? I'm not some intergalactic slut like other people I could name."
During their apprenticeship the librarians read a lot of books. In their free time they talked to other apprentices about the things they read, building a complex network of references better than Google. No human could ever know the answers to all questions, but the librarians knew exactly who was most likely to know.
"Fine, have it your way. But don't think I'll come to rescue you when the hot librarians kidnap your brain."
When they felt their spirits wane and eyesight dim, the librarians set out on their last journey, a trip to acquire all the new and interesting stories they came across. Sometimes they died within a year of leaving, hardly time enough to travel more than a few times through the gate; sometimes, however, they saw many incredible things that would make the Repository even richer.
"You have to ask Elizabeth for more time. This is amazing, Sheppard. I mean, this could hold all the answers, answers to questions we don't even know how to ask!"
"Rodney," Sheppard said, leaning against one of the shelves like a very sexy book end,"we have to get back to Atlantis in a day or two. We'll send another team here, there'll be research-"
"Yeah, let's leave it to the linguists, because they would know just how much..." John didn't seem to get the picture, so Rodney pointed at a gilded page, "this right here, this equation, that's twenty years ahead of anything we have in theoretical physics. Do you really think Miles would know the difference between that and basic math?"
"You know you can always come back to visit, right? This isn't healthy. You haven't even been eating unless we reminded you. I will not play nurse maid and force feed you."
Rodney huffed. "I don't remember asking you to wear short white dresses. And you know that I would."
Sheppard glared, leaning right into Rodney's personal space. "Okay, name one time when unlimited access to enlightenment ever actually worked for us."
"Well, uhm," Rodney said, "I... Aren't you the one who keeps getting us in trouble with ascended women? Really, you didn't have to be dumb to be so pretty."
They stared at each other for a moment before Sheppard opened his mouth, sputtered and left without another word. Rodney stood over his mountain of manifest knowledge with a look of shock on his face. Sometimes he really needed to think before he let his mouth wander off on its own.
"That sort of came out wrong," he said to the empty space.
All the books stayed silent.
* * *
Rodney spent another day reading until he was sure. The small pieces of evidence began to form a picture in his mind and it wasn't pretty. Still, he needed confirmation.
The librarians listened to his explanation with care and a sad expression, already aware that they were at the limit of their expertise. The one thing they could not help with was the new ideas not yet formed anywhere other than Rodney McKay's brain.
He was browsing through Ancient texts, hoping that something would pop out at him. There was nothing to suggest his worst fears were anything other than phantoms of his paranoid imagination, but the nagging in the back of his mind wouldn't let him rest.
"Do you have any text on your own history?" Rodney said to
The young woman, whose name had to be something that reminded him of sushi and who'd been assigned to respond to his every wish, jumped, nodding eagerly. "Too many for just one of us to know. Do you have any specific areas of interest?"
"I need to know about any contact you had with the Wraith and the earliest records on the Repository: who built it and why, what it was intended for and perhaps any sort of original blueprints."
Ariel took in the information with a thoughtful frown. "This will take some time. Do you wish to return to your quarters and get some rest? I can send someone for you."
Rodney gave the piles of equations, theories and speculations a mournful glance. A quick check of his vital signs alerted him to the fact that he wasn't just bone-deep tired and hungry, he also smelled a little rank. But the nagging wouldn't let go of him. "Just let me check a few of these journals."
Ariel left, undoubtedly to enlist the help of Colonel Sheppard in getting Rodney away from his precious books.
* * *
An hour later, John made his way down the halls to the main dome, practicing arguments that would get through to Rodney in this state. If all else failed he'd asked Ariel for some chocolate pudding.
They almost literally ran into each other at the entrance to the main dome. Rodney looked miserable, tense, tired, and entirely too distracted. At first John wanted to crack a joke but then Rodney's eyes widened with recognition and he drew John aside.
"You," Rodney said with force, "I've been looking for you."
John blinked. "Okay."
"No, no, no!" Rodney emphasized each word with a wave of his hand, the one that wasn't wrapped painfully around John's wrist. "Nothing is okay. We're- there was something. I saw something in a book, the designs were perfect, years ahead of us."
"That's good, though, isn't it? That's what we're here for, advanced technology beyond our wildest dreams."
Rodney looked at him as if John was vaguely crazy. "The Wraith," he said, "it's all here and they know."
* * *
Jegg del Aleon spent most days of his life as an administrative assistant to the high council. The only time he got to show off some of his charisma and skill was when outsiders found their way to the Repository in search of answers. This time, he thought - watching Teyla Emmagan plead with his superiors - his luck was working over time.
"I do not wish to imply you are anything other than hospitable, but Colonel Sheppard may wish to know more of the strategic capabilities of your people."
Teyla had a stunning grip of the concepts she had to invoke for the council to pay attention to her. Even the Eldest listened with an indulgent smile on her cracked old lips. Very few ever elicited any sort of feeling in her, other than disdain.
The Eldest raised a hand and the hall fell silent. "Dear child," she spoke with a voice as old and dry as her skin, "there is no principle as highly regarded as the freedom of knowledge. It is what this place was created for, what it will represent long after the last of us passed on."
Jegg could see the muscles of Teyla's shoulders tense at the nice but entirely meaningless platitudes. Perhaps the council's circular and antiquated ways were beginning to wear her down.
"I appreciate your traditions, councilor, though perhaps I have not made myself clear enough in my previous request. It is our wish to see what defenses you have against the Wraith or other enemies who may wish to harm not just your lives, but the knowledge you protect, and to offer you any additional help we can provide to keep you safe."
"Let me assure you," the Eldest said, "there is no need for your assistance or that of the Descendants. The Ancestors have not left us unguarded."
Teyla bowed her head, apparently admitting defeat in the face of such stubbornness, but Jegg could see the glint in her eyes. She and Ronon would probably need some guarding of their own later - solely for their personal safety, of course.
Jegg had his own ways, knew more of the secrets behind the Repository than any of the librarians and keepers could ever dream of, because he saw beyond the books, he saw the tunnels and the walls, the passages and pathways, knowledge that needed no words to exist. And he was in charge of the keepers, a silly bunch of young men and women who enjoyed nothing more than gossip, all of which he was privy to.
After the council adjourned for another pointless meeting, Jegg waved Ronon and Teyla over to him, giving them the sort of smile that promised mischief.
"I can help you," he said, checking to see if any of the personal council guard were in listening distance. It wouldn't do to let the council know too soon. Secrets were a sin, delayed truths a matter of convenience.
Ronon gave him a piercing glare. "Why would you do that?"
Jegg shrugged. "The council is old and tired, they trust the machines left to us by the Ancestors more than they trust their own minds. I think you can protect us from the Wraith better than old prayers."
Teyla looked at Jegg askance, as if she was trying to figure out how he was planning to use them. Jegg felt naked under her eyes, it wasn't entirely uncomfortable. "The Humans prefer not to get involved in the politics of other planets. I can not speak for them in this."
Ronon snorted, which made Jegg wonder how often they actually managed not to get involved. "I just want my people to be safe. Such archaic matters are often beneath the council's consideration. A few years ago a handful of librarians starved to death in the tunnels, because they had forgotten to sleep or eat."
Teyla and Ronon shared a look that could have encompassed an entire conversation. Then Teyla nodded. "I believe we can at least talk to Colonel Sheppard."
* * *
"Whoa," Sheppard said, "slow down there, buddy."
Rodney took a deep breath and used the time to glare at Sheppard. "How about we sit down and have a coffee before I tell you how we're all going to die a miserable and painful death."
"That would work for me. Now, what's this about the Wraith?"
Rodney swallowed. "We have two-" he held up two fingers, then shook his head, "no, three problems. First of all, there are extremely accurate instructions for building efficient intergalactic drives for vessels as big as the hive ships, and using a minimum of resources."
Sheppard let that sink in, making Rodney twitch. Then he opened his mouth, undoubtedly to say something stupid. Rodney held up his hand. "Don't! Just listen, there's more. After I found out about the drives I looked at some of the other Ancient texts and there was a piece of information even more worrying."
"Okay, what would that be," Sheppard said, possibly expecting a three-headed sea monster.
Rodney paused, for breath as well as effect. "A number of eight-symbol gate address, one of them Earth's."
Sheppard's face changed from vaguely amused to serious without so much as a twitch. His soldier mode was too close to the surface on his best days, not that this one was anywhere close. It gave Rodney goose bumps. "That's not good, not good at all."
Rodney frowned. "That's the understatement of the year, Colonel. I have reason to believe the Wraith have been here before, using the information for their advancement. Think about genetic experiments they've done on Teyla's ancestors, or their improbable grasp of Ancient technology."
"Any other bad news I need to know about?"
Rodney twitched. "Well, the life sign detectors aren't working properly, much like the radios, but it's possible the Wraith are here right now."
Sheppard ground his teeth, the only outward sign of the tension inside of him. "I think it's time we talked to our gracious hosts."
* * *
The Wraith had no use for art and abstract concepts; they dreamed too many dreams when the keeper stood watch over a hundred thousand sleepers. Nothing made from a single lifetime of human minds could ever come close to that which they experienced in their billion shared moments.
Still, the queen was intrigued by this thing the humans had built. A network of minds, unconnected, but somehow linked.
The queen was fascinated and so they went. There was no arguing with her will.
"Find it," the Wraith said to his soldiers, "Don't stop until you have the answers."
Maybe the queen liked her abstract little bubble, but he had more pressing business. His soldiers needed to be fed, their race had to survive. There was only one place that had enough prey for all of them - and he was going to find the way there.
* * *
When the screeching ships descended on their world, the council initiated the immediate shut down of all paths between the Repository and the surface, effectively cutting off any way for the people to escape the Wraith, or even hide from them.
"They will accept their fate for the greater good," the Eldest said, before she disappeared.
There was no one left to argue the point.
* * *
The tunnels were crawling with Wraith. Sheppard led the way, but many of the passages he'd been shown earlier were now either in enemy hands or blocked.
"Great, even I couldn't get us any more lost."
Sheppard reminded himself that killing Rodney could wait until they were out of immediate danger, when their tunnel suddenly ended. Turning around, he found that he was missing one genius scientist, but had three Wraith tailing him in the distance, coming closer every second. Then a hand on his elbow pulled him sideways into the wall - and right through the hologram.
He checked his life sign detector and grinned. The Wraith had stopped, waiting at the entrance of their tunnel for new orders.
* * *
Rodney turned the cup in his hand, not quite believing what he saw. He glared at Sheppard and took a sip. MRE rations wouldn't be his choice for a last meal.
"You know, when I said we should have coffee before saving the world that was supposed to be sarcasm."
Sheppard made an exaggerated gesture of surprise, slapping his hand on his forehead. "Oh no, I feel so stupid now. Thank you, for making that clear."
Rodney kept glaring. "Very funny."
Grinning, Sheppard grabbed half of a power bar and stuffed it into his mouth. "I just figured we'd need your brain in perfect condition, hence the food."
"I'm so glad I have you worrying about my personal health."
"It's purely egoistic, Rodney, I'm pretty used to the body I have, it would be a pity to have the Wraith suck it dry."
"Knowing you, it'd disintegrate in a pointless but oversized explosion before a Wraith even came close enough to see how utterly wrong your plan was."
Silence fell between them. Rodney itched to say something else, the thing he had no words for that had been brewing between them for the longest time. But the moment passed and Sheppard began to clean up with military efficiency, the casual manner dropping away like an old curtain.
Watching Sheppard work was hypnotic, even if they might die at the hands of the Wraith any minute. If he had to go, at least he had good-looking company.
"We should probably check in with Teyla and Ronon," said Colonel Sheppard, all soldier now.
Rodney sighed. "You know we can't call them, right? It'd be hard to find them in this maze, even if we had radio contact."
Sheppard looked up from checking his assorted weaponry and grinned. "How do you feel about going on a little walk, McKay?"
* * *
Ronon followed a little rat down its hole. Not smart, said his animal brain, could be a trap, could be dangerous. The rest of him was nervous, tense with a premonition of something going wrong. Something always went wrong, there was some kind of rule about it - Sheppard had told him all about it with McKay looking huffy somewhere in a corner.
"Murphy," Ronon said out loud. Teyla cast a questioning glance his way. Ronon shrugged, "something Sheppard told me about." He didn't mention his suspicions; Teyla probably sensed it as well. Still, Jegg could be useful.
"Really," Ronon said, "it's nothing."
Teyla inclined her head, letting the comment pass. She would wait until he was ready or he found some concrete evidence that there was shifty business going on.
"We're here," said the rat.
Now, this- This was shifty business all right. Ronon stared up at the huge structure, embedded in the walls of the large cave, glittering in the light from hundreds of lamps around the periphery.
"What is it?"
The rat flinched. Ronon bit down on the reflex of shaking the truth out of him like coins.
"It's the great machine. It protects us and gives us all we need. If your Colonel is looking for defenses, this is his answer."
The moment was ominous enough, but then Teyla sighed, a hand pressed to her temple. He didn't need to ask, knew by the look on her face. In unison they said "Wraith!" and took off running, back through the tunnel labyrinth to find the rest of their team.
* * *
"I really hope you're not planning on heroically sacrificing yourself, because I would really like to talk to you about that thing. Later, or some day. You know, whenever."
John blinked. Rodney had a way of throwing out unconnected thoughts at inappropriate times, but this was a new high even for him. "What thing?"
Rodney rolled his eyes. He gestured between them like he was trying to saw a log. "There's all this stuff between us. You keep looking at me. And I just want you to know, even though I'm not- you know- I would. With you. If you wanted."
That came so far out of left field it must have been in another galaxy. But then, they were in another galaxy. "McKay, are you hitting on me while we're hiding from a couple of hungry Wraith?"
Rodney glared. "You can't be that stupid."
"So that would be a yes."
Another glare. Getting caught by the Wraith was beginning to look like a feasible alternative. Also, very much a possibility since Rodney had completely diverted his thoughts from their immediate situation to other, much more pleasant thoughts. Or unpleasant, depending on what part of that whole complication John decided to concentrate on.
"I'm not hitting on you - you - you self-involved space slut person."
John had to stifle a grin. "You're terrified, aren't you?"
"No, this is a walk in the park. I always enjoy a little Wraith with my incredibly dangerous information and hippie librarians."
"Ah, thought so."
"Okay, so hypothetically, if I were hitting on you, would you be likely to punch me in the face?"
John grinned. "Maybe, if you were also stealing my last chocolate bar."
Rodney smiled; a thing of beauty, if only because it was rather a rare occurrence these days. John wondered when it had started to make him feel warm and fuzzy and pink inside. "Okay. That's good. Great. I'm still not hitting on you."
John smiled back, patting McKay on the back a little more slowly than usual. "Okay, that's good."
"Good," Rodney agreed, looking somewhat distracted.
"Are you pondering what I'm pondering, Pinky?"
Rodney blinked, his mouth working without sound. John really liked making him speechless. "I think so, but I'm not sure Elizabeth would appreciate the stains."
Laughing, John patted Rodney's shoulder. "Let's go kill some Wraith."
Then, "Hey, why am I Pinky?"
* * *
On board the Daedalus, Hermiod frowned at a scanner read-out. He opened a communication's channel to Atlantis.
A minute later, Novak hiccupped.
Three minutes after that, Caldwell set a course for Atlantis-1's current location.
* * *
The only thing John hated more than bugs were the Wraith elite. The soldiers were no big deal, a lot of brawn, little brain, but a healthy instinct. They were like smart predatory animals, big mountain cats or sharks. The lords and ladies just pissed him off with their Goth attire and an arrogant streak bigger than Rodney's. At least Rodney had a reason to be so sure of himself, the Wraith elite just talked big because they didn't know any other way to talk.
"C'mon, Smoky, is that all you've got?"
The grey-robed Wraith had him by the throat, so his bravado was a little choked, but Rodney and his P-90 had to be standing somewhere behind that corner, waiting for a good shot. Maybe. If Rodney hadn't been eaten by the other two Wraith prancing around these tunnels like big, ugly fairies.
"You're a brave one, aren't you? Makes it all the sweeter."
John forced air into his lungs, suppressing a cough. "You should really do something about that carcass in your mouth, it's gonna give you tooth rot."
The Wraith grimaced, a word on his ugly lips that never quite came, drowned out by the rapport of a P-90. The hold on his throat loosened and he dropped like a stone, the Wraith landing half on top of him.
"What, I'm not even getting a thank you?"
"Wraith goo, McKay. Wraith. Goo. In my hair."
"I, too, am happy that you're not dead. Now get up, we have to find Teyla and Ronon."
They ran. Rodney was wheezing, but he didn't complain, which just set John's teeth on edge. A quiet Rodney with a gun was an indicator for being completely fucked. Around a bend and down a hall, their surroundings didn't change at all and it occurred to John that was following Rodney into a maze without a map.
"Do you even know where we are?"
Rodney's glare seemed a lot more intense than usual, which, despite being in a seriously fucked up situation, made John think of other ways to make Rodney concentrate on him so hard. Hard being the operative word.
"Sorry," Rodney said with as much sarcasm he could muster under the circumstances, "I wasn't aware I was your tour guide."
"Well, it could be kind of useful to not just run around like two headless chicken."
"It could also kind of useful if you'd just shut up."
John grinned. "Hit a nerve?"
Before Rodney could say anything scathing in return "Xena: Warrior Princess" came around the corner.
* * *
Ariel shouldered her weapon as she recognized the two figures as McKay and Sheppard. It really wouldn't do to vaporize them. They might even be helpful against the Wraith currently attacking Repository personnel. She'd come across more than one mutilated body on her way to the armory, where she'd changed into clothes only vaguely more appropriate to fighting than their customary flowing silk robes.
"Colonel Sheppard, Doctor McKay, are you hurt?"
Sheppard looked a little dazed, but McKay seemed to recognize her if the way he checked out her very form-fitting attire was any indication. No one got this excited about people who were, by all indication, going to de-molecularize them.
Sheppard caught himself first. "So, not really helpless, huh?"
McKay still wasn't talking, but Ariel had no time for juvenile fantasies. "Let's go, we need to reach the great machine before the Wraith do. If they gain control of it, I don't know what would happen."
"Have you seen Teyla and Ronon anywhere? If you're going to fight a losing battle, those are the people you want to have by your side."
"I saw Jegg down that way, so I suppose they could be around here somewhere. But there is nothing we can do for them right now, we need to hurry."
That was McKay's cue to look up and speak, his voice full of curiosity. "Great machine?"
* * *
They'd made it as far as the second intersection when they heard a scream from behind them. Jegg had yelled at them to stay, talking fast about counter measures and defensive shields, but neither had been willing to give up on their friends just then. Now it seemed like a bad move.
"We should go back," Teyla said.
"He's probably dead already."
They both knew it, but the situation had changed. The Wraith were already attacking and the cave with the machine offered something that this tunnel didn't have: an easily defensible position.
"What about Colonel Sheppard and Dr. McKay?"
That was the crux of it. Ronon sighed. "Sheppard can take care of himself, and McKay is smart enough to stay out of the line of fire until they send reinforcement."
Teyla raised a brow, unsure. "What makes you think they'll come?"
Ronon grinned. "We missed our check-in with Dr. Weir."
"True," Teyla said, a smile playing around her lips, "we can perhaps expect the Daedalus itself if I know Dr. Weir at all."
They headed back to the cave with a little more hope.
* * *
Rodney followed the Xena-impersonating librarian with a mixture of doubt and amazement. Xena-impersonating librarian - if it wasn't for the Wraith this could be straight out of his fantasies. Not that John - Sheppard, dammit - was usually this over-dressed in those very special, not all that straight fantasies. But his military kink was deeply seated; something Rodney would never admit outside of Heightmeyer's office.
None of which was in any way related to their current life-or-death situation. Really, he should be concentrating on their imminent painful death, not the way Sheppard's ass looked nice and tight when he was running for his life.
"McKay, are you staring at my ass?"
Rodney blinked, "What? No! Hey! You can't know that! You-"
"I was guessing. You were awfully quiet back there, which either means you're hurt or really busy thinking about something."
"And you assumed I was thinking about sex. With you. How very Kirk of you."
"Maybe you should be thinking about blow-jobs, the ones you'll never get if you get yourself killed by daydreaming."
Rodney swallowed. "Blow-jobs? I wasn't aware blow-jobs had entered the equation."
"They did."
"When?" Rodney refused to acknowledge the hysteric little hitch in his voice.
John grinned like a shark, all tooth and danger. "The moment I shot you in the leg, now could we get going before we end up as dinner for our favorite space vampires?"
"Right," Rodney said, grabbing his P90 tighter. "Blow-jobs."
* * *
On their way to the Great Machine they ran into more Wraith patrols the closer they got. They dodged and fought, but by the time they arrived, Ariel's arms were hurting from the unusual weight of the weapon and her spirits were dim. In the large cave a small battle raged between two Wraith and the rest of the outsiders. When they fell, Ariel was about ready to join them on the blood-soaked ground.
"Teyla, Ronon, what's your status?"
The woman stood up straighter, smiling at Sheppard with a hint of indulgence. "We had seven attacks so far. They come in groups of three or four, soldiers only. We have been able to hold them back without much trouble."
Now the big guy relaxed too, dropping the muzzle of his gun an inch or two. Ariel allowed herself to breathe. She turned to Sheppard, not quite sure if the big one wasn't going to shoot her in the back.
"I need to check a few systems, get a handle on our resources."
"You can do that from here?" Rodney sounded more curious and excited than she'd expected under fire. Perhaps he wasn't quite the wimp she'd pegged him as.
"I'm not sure if I can, but someone like Jegg could probably use the machine to control the defensive system left on the planet by the Ancestors."
Ronon pointed at a figure curled up by the wall. "He's a bit unconscious right now."
Sheppard nodded and McKay already had his scanner and mobile computer out, typing away and making soft cooing noises. Apparently he liked what he saw, maybe with his help she could remember how to engage the emergency protocol. She hadn't paid much attention during the few lessons with the machine. No one ever thought they would have to use it. The Wraith had never attacked them before; there was no reason other than-
"It's you," she yelled, surprised by her own outburst. "You must have done something to turn them against us. You are the reason these monsters are killing my people!"
Suddenly she couldn't stand the thought of McKay touching the machine. What if he let the Wraith deeper into the tunnels? What if he wanted to destroy all they had built, his thirst and love for knowledge a mere facade for some nefarious purpose?
She launched herself at the scientist with a desperate yell.
* * *
Ronon never had much patience for the things one could learn from books. He enjoyed knowledge when it was given by a teacher, experienced instead of regurgitated. The librarian looked a little crazy around the gills when she turned toward Rodney, so Ronon figured all those words were finally catching up with her. That sort of information overload could do insane things to otherwise normal people.
He jumped before anyone could stop him and knocked her over the head with his gun. It was a sure hit, no extra damage, but she was out cold for however long this was going to last. He would take care of that.
"Can you figure out the system?" Sheppard asked McKay.
The scientist shrugged, possibly in a state of shock. "Not that I don't appreciate your faith in my abilities, but I'm not omnipotent. It doesn't look like any Ancient technology we've encountered before."
Ronon watched as McKay and Sheppard bickered, then he walked over to Teyla and sighed. "We should probably watch for any Wraith patrol that might come this way."
"I agree," she said.
* * *
When the Daedalus arrived at its destination, a hive ship and two cruisers were already there. Their retreat carried them back behind the second moon of the planet, close enough to send and receive signals to and from the surface. Just about close enough to use their beaming technology for a rescue mission.
"Give me a way to find Sheppard and his team down there," Caldwell said to Novak.
Novak hiccupped twice, which Caldwell took as agreement.
* * *
John leaned against the wall, which was all he could do for the moment. Rodney kept waving him off when he tried to look over his shoulder at the complicated, blinking circuitry that gave him such a rush of familiarity. It felt like familiar, like the itch at the back of his mind he'd gotten as a child, from faintly recognizing people on the bus.
"I think I have found the com-interface, just let me-" Sparks appeared from where Rodney had his face in a mess of wires. "And don't even think about groping me, Colonel. People might be watching."
To be honest, neither Teyla nor Ronon seemed to care much about their teammates' love lives, or the possibility of them making out between Ancient gadgets and Wraith corpses. Not that John was in any way interested in making out anywhere near freshly dead Wraith.
"Ah," said Rodney, which could mean either he'd found a way to get communications up and running or the Ancients had a schematic of a Dalek on their micro-circuits. John was going with the former, just to be contrary.
"Are you getting a signal?"
A crackling in his ear was the answer. "Colonel Sheppard, please come in. This is the Daedalus. Colonel Sheppard please-"
John tapped his earpiece. "Sheppard here, what's been taking you people so long?"
Over the headset: "Very funny, Colonel." Caldwell's voice. "We thought we would stop by the gas station to pick up some pastries. I hope you like Danish and pretzels."
Rodney snickered and John kicked him in the ass. Softly. Not nearly enough for him to topple over into the cables and crystals and microchips he'd been playing with, but John had a lively imagination.
"Sir," John said, "do you detect any human life signs on the surface?"
Background sounds, a flurry of activity on the ship, orders barked and requests answered, then a silence that told Sheppard everything he needed to know. "Sir?"
Caldwell coughed slightly. "Maybe fifty on the surface, but it's crawling with Wraith. Hard to make a distinction. Just six within the deeper structures, all around your position, but there is too much interference to say how many are still left down there."
John took a deep breath. How many of five hundred had escaped the Wraith? "Sir, are there any nuclear warheads on board?"
* * *
Rodney looked from Ariel and Jegg's unconscious bodies over to John as he rigged the bomb. The machine had a core of modified naquadah, something that looked suspiciously like stable naquadriah - a material that would emit a powerful but continuous flow of energy, creating a slow-burning nuclear fire that would consume the entire planet.
It hurt to think about, so Rodney concentrated on his fingers. He did his job and Sheppard would do his and they'd both come out of this alive. With a little luck he hadn't imagined any of the dirty talk and he'd at least get some action out of this. Okay, so he was pretty tired of action, so maybe they could just cuddle tonight. But then, the Colonel might not be a cuddler or only wanted sex-
"Rodney, I can see what you're thinking," John said. He sounded as haggard and tired as he looked, and Rodney had no idea how to fix it.
"Oh, so you're a telepath now?"
John laughed; a hollow little sound. "I don't have to read your mind to know what's going on in your head. This is all you ever wanted, all the knowledge in the world at your fingertips and I'm asking you to burn it to the ground."
Rodney huffed, returning his burning eyes - from exhaustion, okay? - to the task. "Don't be silly, Colonel. There won't be any ground left after this thing goes off."
If there was a most inconvenient moment for Ariel to wake up it was this one. She moaned like a porn star, but the glare she sent his way could cut glass. "What are you doing?"
Rodney glanced from his work to Sheppard, asking just this once not to be the one who spoke the inevitable truth.
John smiled with his hand on Rodney's shoulder like a shared life line. "It's a bomb. We're going to take care of the Wraith."
Ariel's eyes widened as she took in their defeated little group, the parts of her great machine all scattered over the floor like trash, the ugly little canister of death pulsing there like a lethal infection.
"No," she said, her voice trembled with lost control, "You can't. Please, for the love of the sacred scrolls and all that you hold dear, please do not do this."
Rodney was paralyzed by the panic in her voice. She was at the end of everything, and no Sam Gamgee was there to hold her hand. John seemed to sense Rodney's morbid turn of thought and stepped in.
"Colonel Caldwell, please beam out Teyla, Ronon and the two civilians. They might need some medical attention."
They disappeared in an instant. The silence carried their guilt like a dead child. "You know, she's right."
John never moved his hand, but his eyes looked far into the distance, some place Rodney couldn't follow. "Maybe, but the Wraith took that decision away from us. Now we have to do what's necessary to survive."
"Right," Rodney said. He felt silly trying to be the one to tell Hero Sheppard how to do the right thing, when all he ever did was hiding from the consequences. He liked his own skin too much, too scared of not existing at all, too scared of death by fire or Wraith.
"Done," Rodney said, patting the bomb carefully, like a sick dog that couldn't take anything but the lightest touch. He closed his eyes to keep himself from shedding crocodile tears. When he opened them again, Sheppard's hand was still on his shoulder but their surroundings had changed. The bridge of the Daedalus looked foreign now, not like something safe and warm at all.
He should probably be grateful that John was still there, even as the light of a tiny nova turned the dark sky white.
* * *
John found Rodney on one of the balconies, staring out at the sea like it had all the answers they'd lost on PX7-13F.
"What's a pretty girl like you doing in a place like this?"
Rodney snorted, but didn't turn around. John would need more than a movie quote to fix the damage here. Perhaps he'd chosen the wrong movie.
"I have the eyes of my father," he said, putting all the earnestness he could muster into his voice.
Rodney sighed, leaning against him like it was the most normal thing in the world - and really, it felt more normal than anything in this galaxy, perhaps anything in the universe. "Don't make me laugh while I'm wallowing. It really messes up the mood."
John laughed. "Okay, I'll remember that."
"Don't," Rodney said, covering John's hand with his own, "I appreciate the effort."
"You know, we'll find all our answers eventually, at least the ones that count."
"I know, but-"
John tugged at Rodney's hand and turned them so that he was embracing Rodney from behind, both facing the endless ocean. "No buts. People can get lost in a place like the Repository, spending their whole lives trying to find a reason while the real life passes them by. Maybe it's better this way."
"You really think that, huh?" Rodney wouldn't agree with him on this one, but that was okay. The pressure on his hand told John all he needed to know about the important things.
"I really think that."
Rodney snorted, but pressed his whole body closer, like he was trying to burrow right beneath John's skin. It didn't feel nearly as scary as it should have.
When John kissed Rodney for the first time he smelt the sea, and later when he tasted the semen spread all over Rodney's stomach it tasted of unshed tears, but looking up all John could see was a fond smile. Some things just didn't need any words, so he smiled back.
The End
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Date: 2005-12-21 08:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-21 11:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-22 03:29 am (UTC)Nice !
Date: 2005-12-23 05:19 pm (UTC)And very much in character: Rodney's just so ... well, just Rodney. And John is cool, yet can switch his military personality on when necessary. And no angsty , weepy Rodney or John, despite the Wraith - thanks so much for that.
Jo
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Date: 2005-12-23 08:45 pm (UTC)That having said, the snark, however, works extremely well and I was giggling like mad on several occasions. The chemistry was also well done and everyone was very in character - the reviewer above put it quite nicely : "And no angsty , weepy Rodney or John, despite the Wraith - thanks so much for that." I whole-heartedly agree with that. And I absolutely love your sense of humor.
Also, the Repository is one cool idea but I appreciated it getting blown up in the end.
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Date: 2005-12-25 12:54 pm (UTC)Great story!
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Date: 2006-01-02 04:59 am (UTC)If Rodney hadn't been eaten by the other two Wraith prancing around these tunnels like big, ugly fairies.
That made me laugh especially hard.
Teyla and Ronon were great, Caldwell was his usual self, and even the guest-starring aliens had enough personality that I felt bad during the battle. The little touches add so much depth. It's the best of McShep and genfic together, and I enjoyed reading it.
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Date: 2006-01-03 01:29 am (UTC)Terri
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Date: 2006-01-04 02:58 pm (UTC)It had a melancholy, true to life (or as true as you can get in sci-fi lol) feel, but hopeful at the end. Thank you for sharing *g*
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Date: 2007-10-27 03:43 am (UTC)