Fic: Seek and You Will Find, part 2
Dec. 23rd, 2005 06:53 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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sga_santaTitle: Seek and You Will Find
Pairing: John/Rodney pre-slash
Rating: PG-13 for some language and themes
Recipient:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
eleanorjane
Spoilers: none specific, but takes place during/after Season 2 (Ronon is part of Sheppard’s team)
Summary: The team is separated while exploring a planet. John and Rodney discover what they are searching for… with a little help from their friends.
A/N: Merry Christmas, eleanorjane. Hope you enjoy the story.
Thanks to crazycatlady for the beta. All remaining mistakes are my own.
Click here for part 1
Seek and You Will Find, part 2
“Colonel Sheppard?”
Sheppard sped up, stopping alongside the scientist.
“There is something running. A program.” Zelenka gestured toward the display screen and the indecipherable streaming data; indecipherable to John Sheppard at least.
“Okaaay. What kind of program? Do you think it has anything with Rodney, and Ronon, being gone?”
“Possibly, Colonel. It will take some time to determine the nature of the program. The data seem different than what I am accustomed to on Atlantis… are more chaotic.”
“Yeah. McKay said something about the database maybe being corrupted. That’s what he was working on when Teyla and I went to contact Atlantis.”
“This will take some time, Colonel. If there is something else you need to do, some other way you can search for McKay, do so. I will be very busy, do not need the distraction.”
“No distractions. Right. I can handle that. You just get to work, and let me know when you have something.”
The two men lapsed into silence except for a few whispers of Czech as Zelenka worked. He connected his datapad to the control console and began shifting his way through the database.
Col. Sheppard patrolled the edge of the room, keeping an eye on both the scientist and the open doorway. Teyla radioed to let him know she and the sergeant had arrived on the outskirts of the village, and would call again after meeting with the people there. Both the aerial and ground SAR teams checked in on the half hour, but they had nothing to report beyond their present locations and the areas already searched with no sign of Rodney or Ronon, or any humans for that matter.
Each time the teams called in Sheppard became more agitated. Teyla reported that the villagers claimed to have no knowledge of the missing Atlanteans, and she was inclined to believe them. She also conveyed the invitation from the village elders for the search team to spend the night in the village and share in the evening meal. Sheppard said he would consider it, and sent her and Tisdale to join in the ground search.
Sheppard continued his circuit around the lab, his thoughts racing around his brain like a Black Hawk’s rotor blades, circling faster and faster. Get a grip. You didn’t expect him to be out there anyway. Yeah, but if something’s happened to Rodney... I just. Don’t think about that. Without realizing it he was gripping his P-90, his knuckles white with the pressure. He remembered how Rodney had looked as he and Teyla left to go back to the gate; his head bowed over the control console, fingers flying as he input instructions on his datapad. Sheppard sometimes felt like if he just looked hard enough he would actually be able to see the neurons firing in Rodney’s brain as he worked on a problem. There was just something about a genius at work – no, not a genius, that genius, Rodney McKay – it drew people to him. Although, maybe it’s not ‘people’ any more than it was ‘a genius’, maybe it’s just me, thought Sheppard.
The third time the leader of the ground team checked in, he told Sheppard night was falling. It was becoming treacherous to cover the mountainous terrain, and in the dark it would be easy to miss signs of the missing men. Forced to admit the man had a point, the colonel called off the search for the night. He ordered them back to the base of the mountain where they would camp for the night. Hannon radioed to say they would continue to search from the air for a bit longer, and the appreciation in Sheppard’s voice was undeniable.
“He wouldn’t! Would he? What am I talking about… of course he would. He’s the mighty McKay; he makes no mistakes.”
Sheppard moved to stand in front of the display next to Zelenka. “You found them?”
“I believe I have found something. I managed to open file… a sort of activity log. It shows the last few commands received from this control.”
“So Rodney did do something? And you know what it was.”
“What – yes. Why – no. In fact… yes, if I am reading this correctly, they are here.”
“Where here? ‘Cause I don’t see ‘em. They’re not invisible, are they?”
“No, no, no. I mean, they are here in mountain... somewhere.”
“Show me.”
*****
“Well, well, well… what do we have here?”
Rodney started at the sound of Sheppard’s voice, dropping the radio in the process. Looking up, he was relieved to see the lanky form of John Sheppard leaning against the wall, arms crossed, head shaking from side to side in fake disappointment.
“I leave you alone for a few minutes, and look what kind of trouble you get yourself into, Rodney.” Shep pushed himself off the wall, and made his way over to his bewildered scientist.
“Colonel? You’re here? How did you get in? The radio, right? You heard me calling?”
“You know… I think I’m going to have to stick close to you. Make sure this sort of thing doesn’t happen again. Yep, very close.” Sheppard circled around behind Rodney, hips brushing against hips, and leaned in, pressing along the length of McKay’s spine.
It took a minute or so for Rodney to grasp what was happening and to convince himself it was real. “Colonel Sheppard?” Rodney grimaced at the tremor in his voice. He had wanted this for so long, believed it would never happen, and now he wanted to make sure. He wasn’t sure he could stand it to be so close to getting what he desired most if it turned out to be fleeting.
“John, Rodney. My name is John.” Turning Rodney in his arms to face him, Sheppard drew him closer. The look in his eyes left no doubt about what he wanted, who he wanted. Reaching up, he traced the contours of the face before him, lingering on the edge of the crooked mouth before leaning in for a kiss.
“John.” Rodney’s lips parted, seemingly of their own volition, and he felt a large, warm hand grip his shoulder.
“McKay. McKay! It’s not real.” The grip on his shoulder tightened, shaking him slightly, and then more forcefully.
Abruptly, Rodney became aware that the man before him was not Lt. Col. John Sheppard but Ronon Dex, and that he was about to get a slap in the face, not a kiss. “What? What are you doing? Let go of me!”
Ronon backed off as he answered, “What you were seeing, it wasn’t real.”
“Obviously it wasn’t real. No one would confuse you wi-“ McKay stopped, taking in his current state for the first time. His very fair skin blossomed into fiery red, and he tried to shift discreetly. He flashed back to that oral report in Dr. Miller’s BritLit class, when all he could focus on was the cute blonde in the front row. He hadn’t wanted to step out from behind the lectern then, and he wished for one now.
Rodney struggled to regain his composure. “You didn’t see…? I mean… ummm… how did you know?”
“You were trying to get Sheppard on the radio, then I saw… something I wanted to see. Something that I knew wasn’t real, couldn’t be. Next thing I knew, it was gone, and you were saying Sheppard’s name. It looked like you saw something you wanted too.”
“Yeah… about that. You can’t tell anyone about that. I mean… not anyone. Especially not Colonel Sheppard.”
“Why not? You like him. You should tell him.”
“I can’t tell him, and neither can you. It’s complicated.”
The look on Ronon’s face said clearer than words that this was another of those strange Earth rules that would probably make no sense to him. “Complicated?”
“Yes, complicated. Not easy. What? Too many syllables for you?”
“I know what complicated means. How is it complicated?”
“Well first of all, there’s the fact that our beloved leader is straight.” Ronon’s confused expression reminded him that idioms don’t always carry over well, and he rephrased it. “He likes women. That’s a pretty big problem, ‘cause I’m not one.
“Then there’s the fact that he’s military.”
“I was military.”
“Okay… so?”
“I don’t see why that would make things ‘complicated’.”
“Hmm… well the colonel is United States military, and that makes it a problem. They have a policy, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and some of those guys get pretty hard core about it. Basically, they don’t want anyone in their army – or air force, or whatever – who exhibits deviant behavior. Kind of funny, given that they’re all about shooting people and blowing stuff up… but I digress.
“Deviant behavior, right. They, the US military, believe same-sex relationships are deviant. So, simply put, they aren’t allowed to ask personnel if they are homosexuals, and they don’t want to know about it if you are. It can cause big problems for everyone involved. So you see, you can’t say anything. If the Marines found out how I felt, they would… it would be bad. Let’s leave it at that.”
“That’s stupid. On Sateda, we didn’t have any stupid rules like that. If you want to be with someone, what business is it to anybody else?”
The discussion went on for a long time. Rodney trying to explain a policy he didn’t agree with to someone who couldn’t understand why it would have been instituted in the first place. Ronon kept asking questions the scientist could not answer; questions no one could answer logically. Eventually they had to agree that whatever they thought of the policy, it existed, and therefore ruled their actions to an extent.
“So you won’t tell anybody? You promise?”
Ronon paused for a minute weighing his options. “No. You have my word.”
*****
Sheppard lifted his gaze from the screen before him, and turned to Zelenka. “So you’re telling me this whole room is a transporter?”
Radek nodded; with the longish hair strewn wildly around his head and glasses perched at the end of his nose, he reminded Sheppard of a bobble-head doll, but in a good way. “Yes. This seems to be control room, primary lab, something like that. There are many disconnected rooms that were used as laboratories scattered throughout mountain. Would only take few scientists here to oversee experiments in any of the labs here.”
“And Ronon and Rodney are in one of those labs.” Sheppard was torn. Part of him wanted to relax now that he knew where Rodney was… well Zelenka knew anyway. The other part of him knew how difficult it could be to get Rodney out of his lab in Atlantis; a brand new Ancient laboratory with who knows what kinds of unfamiliar tech. It could take an act of God to pull Rodney away from that. Not to mention all the things that could go wrong if Rodney’s artificial ATA gene activated something better left alone.
“I believe so. But I am surprised. I would have thought McKay would go to room with ZPM first.”
“Wait a minute,” Sheppard counted each point off on his fingers, “You know which lab the ZPM is in. You know where Rodney went when he activated the transporter. And you’re telling me they’re not the same place.”
“Correct. ZPM is here,” Zelenka pulled up the schematic Rodney had hoped to find before getting trapped, pointing as he spoke. “We are here, and Rodney and Ronon should be here.”
“So what are you waiting for? Get them back, let’s grab the ZPM, and get out of here.”
“I am not sure that is good idea, Colonel. Program is still running. Interrupting could be dangerous… particularly if it disrupts one of McKay’s experiments. And I have found no way to communicate with those in other labs from here, so I can not ask him.”
“Any idea what the program is, or how long it will take? I- We really need to find out they’re ok and get them back.”
“I know, I know. Am working as fast as I can, Colonel.”
“But you know he’s all right? That they’re alive, and it’s just a matter of time before the program ends and we all go home, right?”
“Let me…” Zelenka pushed a few more buttons and skimmed the data that appeared. The smile that spread across his face was enough of an answer for Sheppard, who smiled in return. “Yes, they are alive. I had not calibrated biometric sensors, but they are now online. See, just there.”
The colonel kept his eyes glued to the twin signals on the display that indicated his missing teammates were alive, and reached for his radio. “Lieutenant, this is Sheppard. Head back to the mountain. Zelenka’s found them.”
After his order was confirmed, he contacted Teyla and the Marines who had been conducting the search from the ground to give them the good news. They reported they were about ten minutes from the RV, and would see him then.
Fifteen minutes later, Col. Sheppard was explaining Dr. Zelenka’s discovery to the rest of the team. “So we know where they are, and that they’re alive, but we can’t get them or even talk with them yet.”
One of the medics spoke up. “Do we know anything about their medical status? Are they injured?”
“We don’t know. Zelenka doesn’t think there is any reason to believe they have been injured or are in any specific danger where they are, but the truth is we just don’t know.” Sheppard hated to even think about Rodney being injured and unable to get help. He took a half step back down the corridor, wanting to check the bio-sensor again to reassure himself the signal was still there, but stopped so he could finish giving orders.
“Hannon, take the jumper up high enough to dial the gate and contact Weir. I know she’ll want to know what’s going on. Tell her –“
“Colonel Sheppard! It has stopped! Colonel! Come, quickly!” Zelenka’s shout echoed in the long, straight corridor and in Sheppard’s head as he ran toward the control room and the man calling him.
“What? What happened?” Sheppard ran into the room, fear and joy warring on his expressive face as the man hoped for the best, and the warrior prepared for the worse. The others were close on his heels.
“The program… it has stopped running. It is… what is word… idling. Program is idling.”
“So you can beam them out now?”
“Is not beaming technology, Colonel. Ancient transporter is different. But yes, I believe I can. Assuming command sequence is correct.”
“Go ahead. Beam ‘em up, Scotty.” The cocky grin spreading across Sheppard’s countenance and the eyebrow waggle teased the scientist, making him ignore the deliberate ‘beam’.”
Radek pushed a series of buttons on the console, taking the time to make sure he followed the order correctly. As he released the seventh button, a wash of soft, white light filled the room.
*****
“Well, well, well… what do we have here?”
The light levels had returned to normal revealing the missing members of Sheppard’s team.
Rodney started at the sound of Sheppard’s voice, then muttered to himself, “It’snotrealit’snotrealit's-“
“McKay,” Ronon poked Rodney in the arm, “It’s real this time. If you’re seeing Sheppard, Teyla, a bunch of Marines, and ummm… him.”
“Zelenka. His name’s Zelenka…. That’s going to leave a bruise, you know. Why’d you have to poke me so hard?”
A mischievous glint flashed in the former Runner’s eye. “Fun.”
“So I take it everybody’s okay, then?”
“Starving.” Rodney tore into a Power Bar, and continued speaking around the large mouthful, “We were rationing. I thought I’d never eat again.”
“Rationing? You were only gone a few hours! You mean you didn’t eat in all that time?”
“He ate. Some.”
“As Ronon here pointed out, we were trapped, with no idea how long it would take me to find a way out. If we ran out of food before I succeeded, my blood sugar could have dropped dangerously low, and then we never would have gotten out. We were just lucky I managed to solve the problem before things became desperate!”
Zelenka raised his index finger. “Ah, ah. You were lucky I solved problem before it became desperate.”
“You… what did you do?”
“I saved the brilliant McKay from his mistake… again. Is biggest job here in Pegasus Galaxy. I should win Nobel for my efforts. I transported your zadnice back from dream room, and found ZPM. You got trapped.”
“What do you mean ‘transported’? You… you found the ZedPM? Where is it? Let me see!” Rodney scanned the room looking for the rare power source. “Where is it?”
Sheppard moved between the two scientists, standing directly in front of Rodney. “We thought we should get you back first, Rodney. We planned to get the ZPM next. We can do that now, right Dr. Z?”
“I am afraid not, Colonel. There is still much here we do not understand. I fear if we disconnect the ZPM, we will no longer be able to use the transporter function.”
“So? We lose transporter function in a place where we won’t be, and get a ZedPM for Atlantis. Sounds like a good deal to me. Let’s go, Zelenka.” Rodney examined the display trying to discern the right set of commands to get to the room his friend and colleague had indicated held the power source.
“McKay,” the warning in Sheppard’s tone was unmistakable, but that seldom stopped Rodney, and it didn’t now. “Rodney. I think what Dr. Zelenka is saying is that if we take the ZPM, we won’t be able to get back here. From what he told me earlier, the labs are only connected by the transporter. So it’s not like we can walk back.”
“But that makes no sense. The Ancient systems are ‘incredibly redundant’ as Radek here keeps saying. Why would they build a set of labs that you can’t walk to?”
“Maybe for security reasons. Keep people, or other things, from traveling between the labs without someone knowing about it. Who knows? Listen, you’ll think about, figure out a way to keep enough power to work the transporter and then we can come back for the ZPM when you do. It’s not a problem. You’re safe for now, and we should just all head back to Atlantis. I bet Elizabeth is getting frantic by now waiting for news.”
*****
They had been back on Atlantis for three days now, and John Sheppard was beginning to worry. He had hardly seen Rodney since their return, the debriefing and staff meetings the only exceptions. It seemed every time they were in a room together, Rodney suddenly remembered an experiment or repair that needed his immediate and undivided attention.
He decided that the direct approach would fail: best case scenario, Rodney would continue the give him the silent treatment; worse case, Rodney would opt to change his tactics, meaning Sheppard would receive the full dose of McKay’s wrath, whatever was causing it. Subterfuge then, to find out what had Rodney so upset without bearding the lion, and John knew just what to do.
He and Ronon were about a quarter of the way through their morning run when Sheppard put his plan into action. He chose the spot carefully, far enough from the main traffic areas to maintain some privacy, but not so far along their trail that he would be struggling to keep up with the larger man.
“We haven’t really talked about what happened on P3B-172.”
“I thought that’s what the debriefing was for.”
“Well, yeah, but sometimes more goes on that what gets mentioned at the conference table. I just wondered if there was something more you could tell me than what I can read in the mission report.”
“Nope.”
“Look, I know you and Rodney don’t spend a whole lot of time together outside of missions, and a few hours is more time than most people can stand to spend with him on one of his good days. I just thought that maybe there was something I should know.”
Ronon stopped, turning to look at the man behind him. He shrugged, then without a word, resumed his previous pace. Disappointed, Sheppard followed his friend before trying a new tack.
“So you and McKay are all right, then?”
“Dr. Beckett cleared us.” The pace Ronon set picked up a little speed, although Sheppard could not decide whether that was anything other than the competitiveness they so often shared on these runs.
“That’s not what I meant. I wanted to make sure you two were still getting along well enough to work together when we’re off-world.” Suddenly this wasn’t seeming as easy as Sheppard had thought it would be. Maybe the direct approach wasn’t such a bad idea after all.
“I’m not going to kill him, if that’s what you mean.”
“Ronon, stop. I want to talk about this.”
The two men had been crossing one of the many catwalks over the city, and now they stood leaning against the railing. Sheppard passed a water bottle over after taking a sip himself.
“I didn’t think you would, but always good to know. It’s not like I haven’t contemplated it more than once myself. What about McKay, does he have any reason – in his mind – to be complaining more about you than usual?”
“You’d have to ask him. I don’t think so.”
A pained look crossed Sheppard’s face. “Oh great. He’s getting along fine with Teyla. It’s status quo for the two of you. That means it’s just me he’s pissed at. Of course, I have no idea why, but as he’s not talking to me, and you can’t or won’t tell me what happened while the two of you were trapped in that lab, I guess I’m not going to find out.”
“Did he say he was pissed?”
Sheppard was pretty good at reading his team. He had to be if he was going to be a good leader. He’d found this to be especially true when dealing with Ronon, who rarely spoke if he could convey his message without it. It was obvious Ronon telling him more than his mere words suggested. The only question was what?
“He won’t stay in the same room with me. He isn’t talking… not that that’s all bad, but still. You know, I think he’s eating MRE’s in his room rather than risk running into me in the mess hall. He’s definitely something, and pissed tops my list of choices.”
“And it bothers you.”
It wasn’t exactly a question, more like a gentle nudge, but Sheppard still didn’t know what the other man was getting at.
“Yeah, it bothers me. He’s… he’s part of my team. It’s my job to take care of him, of all of you. I can’t do that if I don’t know what’s wrong! Besides, he’s taking it out on the science team; they’re all walking on pins and needles around here, and that’s not good for anybody. I saw Simpson leave the lab in tears the yesterday from all his bullying.”
Sheppard ran his hand through his hair mussing it even more than usual, so it mirrored his mood. Ronon wondered if it might be a physical barometer for his leader’s mental and emotional state. He had yet to see the man with his hair neatly combed like so many of the Earthlings wore theirs, but then, few of them had the responsibilities of the colonel. Sheppard could mask his expression most of the time, putting on and discarding faces to suit his needs; maybe the hair was the key to understanding the man beneath the mask.
Another mask slid into place, the one that said, “I’m not saying this is an order, but it’s an order. The one reserved for Marines just of the Daedelus for the first time. The one designed to show them that while things appeared to be a little more laid back in the Pegasus Galaxy, there was still a chain of command, and life would be a whole lot simpler if everyone did things Lt. Col. Sheppard’s way.
“Look, all of this started when we got back from 172. I need to know what happened. There was nothing in his report that would tell me what upset him, and I need to know. I’m not sure we can go off-world unless I know we can trust each other.”
“I didn’t see what he saw.”
“What he saw? Right, the hallucinations, visions, whatever they were. According to your reports you both had them, right? Zelenka said that made sense from what he read in the Ancient logs.”
“We both saw things, but we didn’t share them. Other than that, I can’t tell you anything about why McKay’d be upset.”
*****
“We have been over this a dozen times, McKay,” Dr. Zelenka looked more frazzled than usual when arguing with the Chief Science Advisor, if that was possible. “I need to know exactly what happened while you were in dream room on P3B-172 if I am to reconstruct the code properly.”
“And I’m telling you we don’t need that code. Think! I was there. There was no scientific, military, or cultural purpose for that room… nothing redeeming anyway. Leave it and move on to something more useful!” Rodney turned back to the laptop in front of him, staring unseeing at results from a previous experiment. His mind was back in the lab, replaying the illusion for the millionth time – give or take a few hundred.
Rodney had been on a rampage in the labs ever since his return from P3B-172, so most of the scientists had decided to make themselves busy elsewhere. Those working in the labs found it was time for a coffee break, a meal, or that they had a question for someone that could not wait when they heard McKay and Zelenka warming up for another argument. The threat to innocent bystanders was just too high these days.
“There was problem with database. You know this, saw it for yourself. In order to determine what data go where, I must know what can be eliminated as part of the program running while you were trapped. Only way to do that is for you to tell me.”
“Doesn’t that mean you need to talk to Ronon too? Talk to him first.”
“I did,” Zelenka smiled like a cat offered cream as he relished the anticipation of McKay’s response to what he would say next. “Believe me, given choice between warrior with huge muscles who could kill me with one hand tied behind his back, or you -- biggest mouth in two galaxies -- I chose him. Was only intelligent choice. He claimed to be like small boy in Sixth Sense, he-“
“Don’t tell me! I still haven’t seen the whole thing.”
“So, now tell me. What did you experience?”
“Porn! Alright? I saw porn! That’s right, the Ancients were a bunch of sex crazed, hormonal, gate-building aliens. They made a whole room in the middle of their labs just so they could look at porn in the off hours.”
“Porn? Interesting, but not enough. I need to know specifics, please.” Radek wondered if he were up to the challenge he had set for himself. Rodney McKay was a very stubborn man, and yet the plan would not work if he would not even admit his feelings for the sake of science, let alone for love. Tricking a genius like Rodney into revealing the nature of his visions in the dream room would not be easy.
“That’s sick, Radek. Really sick. And I am not going to submit to any more of your stupid questions just so you can get your jollies!”
“According to database and Mr. Dex’ experiences, room was not just for porn. Therefore if you saw porn, must be a reason why. I need more data to formulate viable hypothesis.”
“I have work to do. Important work. I’m not just going to stand around here and let you tell me something I already know.”
“Tell you. Yes, good idea. I tell you what you saw. What kind of ‘porn’ you saw. Maybe that will help. The room shows those in it their deepest desires. If you had bothered to unscramble more of the log before pushing buttons willy-nilly, you would have known that. You saw Col. Sheppard. Maybe felt him too? Now you do not speak to him, run from room when he comes in. You are like teenage girl, or angry wife. You are angry at yourself, so do not speak to one who would make it better.” Radek, while several inches shorter than McKay, seemed to grow in stature as he spoke, then turned away, confident that his shots had hit home. When the explosion sounded, he knew he was right.
“WHAT??!!!” I did no such thing! Have you been in the moonshine again? I swear if I find a still in one of the labs, I’m going to confiscate it, and have Sheppard give it to his Marines!”
“Ah, you are speaking to him again? Perhaps I should build still just to allow you to do so. Should not be difficult. I build nuclear weapons, distillation device should be easy. Then you’ll talk to Col. Sheppard and all will be right in the world… for a few seconds, until you say all the wrong things, or don’t say the right thing. Then it will all go ka-plooie.” Zelenka mimed an explosion with his hands in emphasis, smiling all the time. He had worked with Rodney McKay long enough to know the right way to manipulate him into doing something, at least more often than not.
“Everybody knows your intelligence is no near rival of my own, but still, if you’re so smart what is this mysterious ‘right thing’ you think I should be saying to Col. Sheppard? Not that I’m planning to talk to him any time soon, but if I did?”
“Some genius you are. Tell him how you feel. It is obvious to me, but he’s just as blind as you are. Funny… I thought pilots needed to have good eyesight and some intelligence, and I know it is the job of scientists to observe. And you do not see. Is shameful. Shameful, Rodney. Perhaps you should borrow my glasses, but then again, how would I see mistakes in your work if you had my glasses?” Zelenka removed his wire-rims and held them out for a moment before returning them to his face.
“Very funny. You’re a regular comedian. Let me guess, your diploma was written in invisible ink, right? It’s a fake. ‘Tell him’? You sound like Ronon now. ‘You shou-“
“So Ronon knows. Hm. He did not mention to me when we spoke. Perhaps I should speak with him again. Maybe he knows way to make people talk. I hear ripping off arms can be effective incentive for many people. No. Is no good. When he rips off your arm I will have to do more work. All the work. A leg maybe….”
Zelenka obviously didn’t care if Rodney heard the rest of his empty threats, his voice trailing off as he moved into and down the hallway.
“Yeah, yeah. Talk all you want. He won’t tell you anything, ‘cause there’s nothing to tell.” But deep inside Rodney was scared. If only he knew whether he was more frightened of Sheppard finding out how he felt, or of him never knowing.
*****
“McKay.”
Rodney glanced up at the sound of the gravely rumble that was Ronon’s voice. The man stood, filling the doorway.
“I need your help.”
Calculating probabilities quickly, Rodney decided Zelenka had been quiet too long. It looked like the back-stabbing Czech had found a way to recruit the Runner after all. But the first step to avoiding a trap is to know it exists, and I do. So, now the trick is to spring it without getting caught in it. Better go see what they have planned. I can always outwit them later, once I know what they’re up to. Confident in his own abilities, Rodney played along.
“What kind of help? You broke something, right? And now you expect me to fix it. Just like all the military around here.”
Ronon interrupted what he knew from experience was likely to be a long tirade of the military versus science variety. “The laptop Dr. Weir gave me to find out more about Earth stopped working. The screen went blue, and it said I killed it.”
“You ‘killed it’. I don’t think…,” thinking about what Ronon had said, and remembering that he wasn’t used to Earth computers, Rodney realized what had probably happened. “Wait. Did it say, ‘Fatal Exception Error’ by any chance?”
“Yeah. That’s it. So I need you to fix it.”
“Well hand it over, and I’ll take a look at it. When I get a chance. I have better things to do than play Tech Support. Better yet, have somebody else fix it.”
“It’s in my quarters. Come on. You spend too much time cooped up in here anyway.”
And there’s the bait. Get me to come to his quarters, and... and what? Let’s see how far they’re willing to go to get me there. “It’s a laptop. You can bring it to me.”
“Did I mention I’ve got a couple of those meatloaf MRE's you like so much? They’re in my room too. Come fix my computer and we’ll talk about the food.”
They were teammates. Ronon had seen how McKay was when it came to food. Any food. They were alike in that. It was probably the best, and most likely, bribe he could use on the ever-hungry scientist.
“With the chocolate cake?” Rodney knew it was a trap, and now he knew the Ronon and Zelenka were serious about it. Ronon sharing food when he didn’t need to, highly unlikely, and the warrior liked the chocolate cake as much as McKay. At the man’s nod, Rodney rose from his chair and followed Ronon to his room.
*****
“Ah, Colonel. So glad to run into you.” Too bad I had to search half the city to do so. “I have message for you. Ronon said for you to meet him at his room instead of the gym tonight. He wishes you to have talk before training.”
“Okaaay… Did he say why?” John Sheppard thought he could smell a rat. Maybe two. Why else would Ronon send a message through Zelenka of all people when he could just use the comms? Still… maybe Ronon had decided to continue their conversation from the other day. Was he finally willing to talk about what had upset Rodney so?
“He told me nothing else. Just that you were to meet at his room.”
Sheppard turned around, heading for Ronon’s quarters. He stepped lightly, hurried even; eager to hear what the usually silent man had to say.
“If it is all right, I will walk with you for a way. I am headed in that direction myself. Something about a broken laptop. I promised to help with it.”
Zelenka smiled to himself at Sheppard’s nod of agreement, and moved into step with him.
They walked silently for a time. Occasionally nodding in greeting to those they met in the halls. Both men looked happier than would be expected for someone just going about his business, but any happiness was welcome in Atlantis, and those who saw them smiled in return. Sheppard slowed as he reached Ronon’s room, while Zelenka kept going around the corner.
A strange sight greeted him as he entered the room. There was a table set in the middle of the stark space. On it were two plates with… yep, looked like MRE meatloaf to Sheppard. A pitcher of water and a jug of Athosian wine sat near two mugs. Candles lit the room, spaced so as to provide sufficient light while maintaining a certain unmistakable ambiance.
Oh, this could be really bad, thought John, Ronon’s a great guy. I’m glad he’s at my side and on my team, but how do I tell him that’s all I’m interested in from him? I guess that’s what all the questions about ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ were all about the other day. No wonder he didn’t like it. Oh boy...
It wasn’t long before Sheppard could hear Ronon’s voice as he came down the hall. Determined to get this over with as quickly as possible, John moved to meet him at the door. It was hard to tell who was more surprised to see the other as John and Rodney saw each other across the threshold.
Zelenka was headed back around the corner from where he had hidden, and as soon as Ronon pushed his leader and his scientist into the room, the Czech tapped the door closed and disconnected the circuit to the control. Both men knew it wouldn’t hold the two for long; John Sheppard was Atlantis’ favorite son able to bend the city to his slightest whim, and Rodney, well Rodney knew more about the technology which ran the Ancient city than any man. Still the co-conspirators hoped the act of throwing the two men together would be enough for them to find what the others had seen with no trouble.
*****
“I can’t believe those two! And I fell for it! I should have known they would… Is that meatloaf?” Gluttony won out over wrath, and Rodney stepped over to the table. “Well, he said he had two meatloaf dinners; I guess he didn’t lie about that. But if they think locking me in here with food, and you, is going to make a difference, they are shit out of luck.”
“Make a difference with what, Rodney?” As soon as he had seen McKay with Ronon, Sheppard began to hope he had been wrong in his assumptions of why he had been brought to the other man’s quarters. When he saw Zelenka, he knew he had been wrong. And when he found himself locked, however temporarily, in a room with Rodney McKay, a candlelight dinner set before them, he thanked whatever god, or fate, or luck… or friends, had conspired to arrange this concurrence of events.
Looking fondly at the man already sitting at the table, fork halfway to his mouth, Sheppard sat in the chair opposite.
“We need to talk.”
fin
A/N 2: I hope you liked this. It turned out to be more difficult to write Rodney than I expected, and my internal narrator decided to take a long Christmas holiday, so it’s more dialogue heavy than I would like. Still it was a lot of fun to do, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed the challenge of writing it. Many blessings!
Pairing: John/Rodney pre-slash
Rating: PG-13 for some language and themes
Recipient:
eleanorjaneSpoilers: none specific, but takes place during/after Season 2 (Ronon is part of Sheppard’s team)
Summary: The team is separated while exploring a planet. John and Rodney discover what they are searching for… with a little help from their friends.
A/N: Merry Christmas, eleanorjane. Hope you enjoy the story.
Thanks to crazycatlady for the beta. All remaining mistakes are my own.
Click here for part 1
Seek and You Will Find, part 2
“Colonel Sheppard?”
Sheppard sped up, stopping alongside the scientist.
“There is something running. A program.” Zelenka gestured toward the display screen and the indecipherable streaming data; indecipherable to John Sheppard at least.
“Okaaay. What kind of program? Do you think it has anything with Rodney, and Ronon, being gone?”
“Possibly, Colonel. It will take some time to determine the nature of the program. The data seem different than what I am accustomed to on Atlantis… are more chaotic.”
“Yeah. McKay said something about the database maybe being corrupted. That’s what he was working on when Teyla and I went to contact Atlantis.”
“This will take some time, Colonel. If there is something else you need to do, some other way you can search for McKay, do so. I will be very busy, do not need the distraction.”
“No distractions. Right. I can handle that. You just get to work, and let me know when you have something.”
The two men lapsed into silence except for a few whispers of Czech as Zelenka worked. He connected his datapad to the control console and began shifting his way through the database.
Col. Sheppard patrolled the edge of the room, keeping an eye on both the scientist and the open doorway. Teyla radioed to let him know she and the sergeant had arrived on the outskirts of the village, and would call again after meeting with the people there. Both the aerial and ground SAR teams checked in on the half hour, but they had nothing to report beyond their present locations and the areas already searched with no sign of Rodney or Ronon, or any humans for that matter.
Each time the teams called in Sheppard became more agitated. Teyla reported that the villagers claimed to have no knowledge of the missing Atlanteans, and she was inclined to believe them. She also conveyed the invitation from the village elders for the search team to spend the night in the village and share in the evening meal. Sheppard said he would consider it, and sent her and Tisdale to join in the ground search.
Sheppard continued his circuit around the lab, his thoughts racing around his brain like a Black Hawk’s rotor blades, circling faster and faster. Get a grip. You didn’t expect him to be out there anyway. Yeah, but if something’s happened to Rodney... I just. Don’t think about that. Without realizing it he was gripping his P-90, his knuckles white with the pressure. He remembered how Rodney had looked as he and Teyla left to go back to the gate; his head bowed over the control console, fingers flying as he input instructions on his datapad. Sheppard sometimes felt like if he just looked hard enough he would actually be able to see the neurons firing in Rodney’s brain as he worked on a problem. There was just something about a genius at work – no, not a genius, that genius, Rodney McKay – it drew people to him. Although, maybe it’s not ‘people’ any more than it was ‘a genius’, maybe it’s just me, thought Sheppard.
The third time the leader of the ground team checked in, he told Sheppard night was falling. It was becoming treacherous to cover the mountainous terrain, and in the dark it would be easy to miss signs of the missing men. Forced to admit the man had a point, the colonel called off the search for the night. He ordered them back to the base of the mountain where they would camp for the night. Hannon radioed to say they would continue to search from the air for a bit longer, and the appreciation in Sheppard’s voice was undeniable.
“He wouldn’t! Would he? What am I talking about… of course he would. He’s the mighty McKay; he makes no mistakes.”
Sheppard moved to stand in front of the display next to Zelenka. “You found them?”
“I believe I have found something. I managed to open file… a sort of activity log. It shows the last few commands received from this control.”
“So Rodney did do something? And you know what it was.”
“What – yes. Why – no. In fact… yes, if I am reading this correctly, they are here.”
“Where here? ‘Cause I don’t see ‘em. They’re not invisible, are they?”
“No, no, no. I mean, they are here in mountain... somewhere.”
“Show me.”
*****
“Well, well, well… what do we have here?”
Rodney started at the sound of Sheppard’s voice, dropping the radio in the process. Looking up, he was relieved to see the lanky form of John Sheppard leaning against the wall, arms crossed, head shaking from side to side in fake disappointment.
“I leave you alone for a few minutes, and look what kind of trouble you get yourself into, Rodney.” Shep pushed himself off the wall, and made his way over to his bewildered scientist.
“Colonel? You’re here? How did you get in? The radio, right? You heard me calling?”
“You know… I think I’m going to have to stick close to you. Make sure this sort of thing doesn’t happen again. Yep, very close.” Sheppard circled around behind Rodney, hips brushing against hips, and leaned in, pressing along the length of McKay’s spine.
It took a minute or so for Rodney to grasp what was happening and to convince himself it was real. “Colonel Sheppard?” Rodney grimaced at the tremor in his voice. He had wanted this for so long, believed it would never happen, and now he wanted to make sure. He wasn’t sure he could stand it to be so close to getting what he desired most if it turned out to be fleeting.
“John, Rodney. My name is John.” Turning Rodney in his arms to face him, Sheppard drew him closer. The look in his eyes left no doubt about what he wanted, who he wanted. Reaching up, he traced the contours of the face before him, lingering on the edge of the crooked mouth before leaning in for a kiss.
“John.” Rodney’s lips parted, seemingly of their own volition, and he felt a large, warm hand grip his shoulder.
“McKay. McKay! It’s not real.” The grip on his shoulder tightened, shaking him slightly, and then more forcefully.
Abruptly, Rodney became aware that the man before him was not Lt. Col. John Sheppard but Ronon Dex, and that he was about to get a slap in the face, not a kiss. “What? What are you doing? Let go of me!”
Ronon backed off as he answered, “What you were seeing, it wasn’t real.”
“Obviously it wasn’t real. No one would confuse you wi-“ McKay stopped, taking in his current state for the first time. His very fair skin blossomed into fiery red, and he tried to shift discreetly. He flashed back to that oral report in Dr. Miller’s BritLit class, when all he could focus on was the cute blonde in the front row. He hadn’t wanted to step out from behind the lectern then, and he wished for one now.
Rodney struggled to regain his composure. “You didn’t see…? I mean… ummm… how did you know?”
“You were trying to get Sheppard on the radio, then I saw… something I wanted to see. Something that I knew wasn’t real, couldn’t be. Next thing I knew, it was gone, and you were saying Sheppard’s name. It looked like you saw something you wanted too.”
“Yeah… about that. You can’t tell anyone about that. I mean… not anyone. Especially not Colonel Sheppard.”
“Why not? You like him. You should tell him.”
“I can’t tell him, and neither can you. It’s complicated.”
The look on Ronon’s face said clearer than words that this was another of those strange Earth rules that would probably make no sense to him. “Complicated?”
“Yes, complicated. Not easy. What? Too many syllables for you?”
“I know what complicated means. How is it complicated?”
“Well first of all, there’s the fact that our beloved leader is straight.” Ronon’s confused expression reminded him that idioms don’t always carry over well, and he rephrased it. “He likes women. That’s a pretty big problem, ‘cause I’m not one.
“Then there’s the fact that he’s military.”
“I was military.”
“Okay… so?”
“I don’t see why that would make things ‘complicated’.”
“Hmm… well the colonel is United States military, and that makes it a problem. They have a policy, “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” and some of those guys get pretty hard core about it. Basically, they don’t want anyone in their army – or air force, or whatever – who exhibits deviant behavior. Kind of funny, given that they’re all about shooting people and blowing stuff up… but I digress.
“Deviant behavior, right. They, the US military, believe same-sex relationships are deviant. So, simply put, they aren’t allowed to ask personnel if they are homosexuals, and they don’t want to know about it if you are. It can cause big problems for everyone involved. So you see, you can’t say anything. If the Marines found out how I felt, they would… it would be bad. Let’s leave it at that.”
“That’s stupid. On Sateda, we didn’t have any stupid rules like that. If you want to be with someone, what business is it to anybody else?”
The discussion went on for a long time. Rodney trying to explain a policy he didn’t agree with to someone who couldn’t understand why it would have been instituted in the first place. Ronon kept asking questions the scientist could not answer; questions no one could answer logically. Eventually they had to agree that whatever they thought of the policy, it existed, and therefore ruled their actions to an extent.
“So you won’t tell anybody? You promise?”
Ronon paused for a minute weighing his options. “No. You have my word.”
*****
Sheppard lifted his gaze from the screen before him, and turned to Zelenka. “So you’re telling me this whole room is a transporter?”
Radek nodded; with the longish hair strewn wildly around his head and glasses perched at the end of his nose, he reminded Sheppard of a bobble-head doll, but in a good way. “Yes. This seems to be control room, primary lab, something like that. There are many disconnected rooms that were used as laboratories scattered throughout mountain. Would only take few scientists here to oversee experiments in any of the labs here.”
“And Ronon and Rodney are in one of those labs.” Sheppard was torn. Part of him wanted to relax now that he knew where Rodney was… well Zelenka knew anyway. The other part of him knew how difficult it could be to get Rodney out of his lab in Atlantis; a brand new Ancient laboratory with who knows what kinds of unfamiliar tech. It could take an act of God to pull Rodney away from that. Not to mention all the things that could go wrong if Rodney’s artificial ATA gene activated something better left alone.
“I believe so. But I am surprised. I would have thought McKay would go to room with ZPM first.”
“Wait a minute,” Sheppard counted each point off on his fingers, “You know which lab the ZPM is in. You know where Rodney went when he activated the transporter. And you’re telling me they’re not the same place.”
“Correct. ZPM is here,” Zelenka pulled up the schematic Rodney had hoped to find before getting trapped, pointing as he spoke. “We are here, and Rodney and Ronon should be here.”
“So what are you waiting for? Get them back, let’s grab the ZPM, and get out of here.”
“I am not sure that is good idea, Colonel. Program is still running. Interrupting could be dangerous… particularly if it disrupts one of McKay’s experiments. And I have found no way to communicate with those in other labs from here, so I can not ask him.”
“Any idea what the program is, or how long it will take? I- We really need to find out they’re ok and get them back.”
“I know, I know. Am working as fast as I can, Colonel.”
“But you know he’s all right? That they’re alive, and it’s just a matter of time before the program ends and we all go home, right?”
“Let me…” Zelenka pushed a few more buttons and skimmed the data that appeared. The smile that spread across his face was enough of an answer for Sheppard, who smiled in return. “Yes, they are alive. I had not calibrated biometric sensors, but they are now online. See, just there.”
The colonel kept his eyes glued to the twin signals on the display that indicated his missing teammates were alive, and reached for his radio. “Lieutenant, this is Sheppard. Head back to the mountain. Zelenka’s found them.”
After his order was confirmed, he contacted Teyla and the Marines who had been conducting the search from the ground to give them the good news. They reported they were about ten minutes from the RV, and would see him then.
Fifteen minutes later, Col. Sheppard was explaining Dr. Zelenka’s discovery to the rest of the team. “So we know where they are, and that they’re alive, but we can’t get them or even talk with them yet.”
One of the medics spoke up. “Do we know anything about their medical status? Are they injured?”
“We don’t know. Zelenka doesn’t think there is any reason to believe they have been injured or are in any specific danger where they are, but the truth is we just don’t know.” Sheppard hated to even think about Rodney being injured and unable to get help. He took a half step back down the corridor, wanting to check the bio-sensor again to reassure himself the signal was still there, but stopped so he could finish giving orders.
“Hannon, take the jumper up high enough to dial the gate and contact Weir. I know she’ll want to know what’s going on. Tell her –“
“Colonel Sheppard! It has stopped! Colonel! Come, quickly!” Zelenka’s shout echoed in the long, straight corridor and in Sheppard’s head as he ran toward the control room and the man calling him.
“What? What happened?” Sheppard ran into the room, fear and joy warring on his expressive face as the man hoped for the best, and the warrior prepared for the worse. The others were close on his heels.
“The program… it has stopped running. It is… what is word… idling. Program is idling.”
“So you can beam them out now?”
“Is not beaming technology, Colonel. Ancient transporter is different. But yes, I believe I can. Assuming command sequence is correct.”
“Go ahead. Beam ‘em up, Scotty.” The cocky grin spreading across Sheppard’s countenance and the eyebrow waggle teased the scientist, making him ignore the deliberate ‘beam’.”
Radek pushed a series of buttons on the console, taking the time to make sure he followed the order correctly. As he released the seventh button, a wash of soft, white light filled the room.
*****
“Well, well, well… what do we have here?”
The light levels had returned to normal revealing the missing members of Sheppard’s team.
Rodney started at the sound of Sheppard’s voice, then muttered to himself, “It’snotrealit’snotrealit's-“
“McKay,” Ronon poked Rodney in the arm, “It’s real this time. If you’re seeing Sheppard, Teyla, a bunch of Marines, and ummm… him.”
“Zelenka. His name’s Zelenka…. That’s going to leave a bruise, you know. Why’d you have to poke me so hard?”
A mischievous glint flashed in the former Runner’s eye. “Fun.”
“So I take it everybody’s okay, then?”
“Starving.” Rodney tore into a Power Bar, and continued speaking around the large mouthful, “We were rationing. I thought I’d never eat again.”
“Rationing? You were only gone a few hours! You mean you didn’t eat in all that time?”
“He ate. Some.”
“As Ronon here pointed out, we were trapped, with no idea how long it would take me to find a way out. If we ran out of food before I succeeded, my blood sugar could have dropped dangerously low, and then we never would have gotten out. We were just lucky I managed to solve the problem before things became desperate!”
Zelenka raised his index finger. “Ah, ah. You were lucky I solved problem before it became desperate.”
“You… what did you do?”
“I saved the brilliant McKay from his mistake… again. Is biggest job here in Pegasus Galaxy. I should win Nobel for my efforts. I transported your zadnice back from dream room, and found ZPM. You got trapped.”
“What do you mean ‘transported’? You… you found the ZedPM? Where is it? Let me see!” Rodney scanned the room looking for the rare power source. “Where is it?”
Sheppard moved between the two scientists, standing directly in front of Rodney. “We thought we should get you back first, Rodney. We planned to get the ZPM next. We can do that now, right Dr. Z?”
“I am afraid not, Colonel. There is still much here we do not understand. I fear if we disconnect the ZPM, we will no longer be able to use the transporter function.”
“So? We lose transporter function in a place where we won’t be, and get a ZedPM for Atlantis. Sounds like a good deal to me. Let’s go, Zelenka.” Rodney examined the display trying to discern the right set of commands to get to the room his friend and colleague had indicated held the power source.
“McKay,” the warning in Sheppard’s tone was unmistakable, but that seldom stopped Rodney, and it didn’t now. “Rodney. I think what Dr. Zelenka is saying is that if we take the ZPM, we won’t be able to get back here. From what he told me earlier, the labs are only connected by the transporter. So it’s not like we can walk back.”
“But that makes no sense. The Ancient systems are ‘incredibly redundant’ as Radek here keeps saying. Why would they build a set of labs that you can’t walk to?”
“Maybe for security reasons. Keep people, or other things, from traveling between the labs without someone knowing about it. Who knows? Listen, you’ll think about, figure out a way to keep enough power to work the transporter and then we can come back for the ZPM when you do. It’s not a problem. You’re safe for now, and we should just all head back to Atlantis. I bet Elizabeth is getting frantic by now waiting for news.”
*****
They had been back on Atlantis for three days now, and John Sheppard was beginning to worry. He had hardly seen Rodney since their return, the debriefing and staff meetings the only exceptions. It seemed every time they were in a room together, Rodney suddenly remembered an experiment or repair that needed his immediate and undivided attention.
He decided that the direct approach would fail: best case scenario, Rodney would continue the give him the silent treatment; worse case, Rodney would opt to change his tactics, meaning Sheppard would receive the full dose of McKay’s wrath, whatever was causing it. Subterfuge then, to find out what had Rodney so upset without bearding the lion, and John knew just what to do.
He and Ronon were about a quarter of the way through their morning run when Sheppard put his plan into action. He chose the spot carefully, far enough from the main traffic areas to maintain some privacy, but not so far along their trail that he would be struggling to keep up with the larger man.
“We haven’t really talked about what happened on P3B-172.”
“I thought that’s what the debriefing was for.”
“Well, yeah, but sometimes more goes on that what gets mentioned at the conference table. I just wondered if there was something more you could tell me than what I can read in the mission report.”
“Nope.”
“Look, I know you and Rodney don’t spend a whole lot of time together outside of missions, and a few hours is more time than most people can stand to spend with him on one of his good days. I just thought that maybe there was something I should know.”
Ronon stopped, turning to look at the man behind him. He shrugged, then without a word, resumed his previous pace. Disappointed, Sheppard followed his friend before trying a new tack.
“So you and McKay are all right, then?”
“Dr. Beckett cleared us.” The pace Ronon set picked up a little speed, although Sheppard could not decide whether that was anything other than the competitiveness they so often shared on these runs.
“That’s not what I meant. I wanted to make sure you two were still getting along well enough to work together when we’re off-world.” Suddenly this wasn’t seeming as easy as Sheppard had thought it would be. Maybe the direct approach wasn’t such a bad idea after all.
“I’m not going to kill him, if that’s what you mean.”
“Ronon, stop. I want to talk about this.”
The two men had been crossing one of the many catwalks over the city, and now they stood leaning against the railing. Sheppard passed a water bottle over after taking a sip himself.
“I didn’t think you would, but always good to know. It’s not like I haven’t contemplated it more than once myself. What about McKay, does he have any reason – in his mind – to be complaining more about you than usual?”
“You’d have to ask him. I don’t think so.”
A pained look crossed Sheppard’s face. “Oh great. He’s getting along fine with Teyla. It’s status quo for the two of you. That means it’s just me he’s pissed at. Of course, I have no idea why, but as he’s not talking to me, and you can’t or won’t tell me what happened while the two of you were trapped in that lab, I guess I’m not going to find out.”
“Did he say he was pissed?”
Sheppard was pretty good at reading his team. He had to be if he was going to be a good leader. He’d found this to be especially true when dealing with Ronon, who rarely spoke if he could convey his message without it. It was obvious Ronon telling him more than his mere words suggested. The only question was what?
“He won’t stay in the same room with me. He isn’t talking… not that that’s all bad, but still. You know, I think he’s eating MRE’s in his room rather than risk running into me in the mess hall. He’s definitely something, and pissed tops my list of choices.”
“And it bothers you.”
It wasn’t exactly a question, more like a gentle nudge, but Sheppard still didn’t know what the other man was getting at.
“Yeah, it bothers me. He’s… he’s part of my team. It’s my job to take care of him, of all of you. I can’t do that if I don’t know what’s wrong! Besides, he’s taking it out on the science team; they’re all walking on pins and needles around here, and that’s not good for anybody. I saw Simpson leave the lab in tears the yesterday from all his bullying.”
Sheppard ran his hand through his hair mussing it even more than usual, so it mirrored his mood. Ronon wondered if it might be a physical barometer for his leader’s mental and emotional state. He had yet to see the man with his hair neatly combed like so many of the Earthlings wore theirs, but then, few of them had the responsibilities of the colonel. Sheppard could mask his expression most of the time, putting on and discarding faces to suit his needs; maybe the hair was the key to understanding the man beneath the mask.
Another mask slid into place, the one that said, “I’m not saying this is an order, but it’s an order. The one reserved for Marines just of the Daedelus for the first time. The one designed to show them that while things appeared to be a little more laid back in the Pegasus Galaxy, there was still a chain of command, and life would be a whole lot simpler if everyone did things Lt. Col. Sheppard’s way.
“Look, all of this started when we got back from 172. I need to know what happened. There was nothing in his report that would tell me what upset him, and I need to know. I’m not sure we can go off-world unless I know we can trust each other.”
“I didn’t see what he saw.”
“What he saw? Right, the hallucinations, visions, whatever they were. According to your reports you both had them, right? Zelenka said that made sense from what he read in the Ancient logs.”
“We both saw things, but we didn’t share them. Other than that, I can’t tell you anything about why McKay’d be upset.”
*****
“We have been over this a dozen times, McKay,” Dr. Zelenka looked more frazzled than usual when arguing with the Chief Science Advisor, if that was possible. “I need to know exactly what happened while you were in dream room on P3B-172 if I am to reconstruct the code properly.”
“And I’m telling you we don’t need that code. Think! I was there. There was no scientific, military, or cultural purpose for that room… nothing redeeming anyway. Leave it and move on to something more useful!” Rodney turned back to the laptop in front of him, staring unseeing at results from a previous experiment. His mind was back in the lab, replaying the illusion for the millionth time – give or take a few hundred.
Rodney had been on a rampage in the labs ever since his return from P3B-172, so most of the scientists had decided to make themselves busy elsewhere. Those working in the labs found it was time for a coffee break, a meal, or that they had a question for someone that could not wait when they heard McKay and Zelenka warming up for another argument. The threat to innocent bystanders was just too high these days.
“There was problem with database. You know this, saw it for yourself. In order to determine what data go where, I must know what can be eliminated as part of the program running while you were trapped. Only way to do that is for you to tell me.”
“Doesn’t that mean you need to talk to Ronon too? Talk to him first.”
“I did,” Zelenka smiled like a cat offered cream as he relished the anticipation of McKay’s response to what he would say next. “Believe me, given choice between warrior with huge muscles who could kill me with one hand tied behind his back, or you -- biggest mouth in two galaxies -- I chose him. Was only intelligent choice. He claimed to be like small boy in Sixth Sense, he-“
“Don’t tell me! I still haven’t seen the whole thing.”
“So, now tell me. What did you experience?”
“Porn! Alright? I saw porn! That’s right, the Ancients were a bunch of sex crazed, hormonal, gate-building aliens. They made a whole room in the middle of their labs just so they could look at porn in the off hours.”
“Porn? Interesting, but not enough. I need to know specifics, please.” Radek wondered if he were up to the challenge he had set for himself. Rodney McKay was a very stubborn man, and yet the plan would not work if he would not even admit his feelings for the sake of science, let alone for love. Tricking a genius like Rodney into revealing the nature of his visions in the dream room would not be easy.
“That’s sick, Radek. Really sick. And I am not going to submit to any more of your stupid questions just so you can get your jollies!”
“According to database and Mr. Dex’ experiences, room was not just for porn. Therefore if you saw porn, must be a reason why. I need more data to formulate viable hypothesis.”
“I have work to do. Important work. I’m not just going to stand around here and let you tell me something I already know.”
“Tell you. Yes, good idea. I tell you what you saw. What kind of ‘porn’ you saw. Maybe that will help. The room shows those in it their deepest desires. If you had bothered to unscramble more of the log before pushing buttons willy-nilly, you would have known that. You saw Col. Sheppard. Maybe felt him too? Now you do not speak to him, run from room when he comes in. You are like teenage girl, or angry wife. You are angry at yourself, so do not speak to one who would make it better.” Radek, while several inches shorter than McKay, seemed to grow in stature as he spoke, then turned away, confident that his shots had hit home. When the explosion sounded, he knew he was right.
“WHAT??!!!” I did no such thing! Have you been in the moonshine again? I swear if I find a still in one of the labs, I’m going to confiscate it, and have Sheppard give it to his Marines!”
“Ah, you are speaking to him again? Perhaps I should build still just to allow you to do so. Should not be difficult. I build nuclear weapons, distillation device should be easy. Then you’ll talk to Col. Sheppard and all will be right in the world… for a few seconds, until you say all the wrong things, or don’t say the right thing. Then it will all go ka-plooie.” Zelenka mimed an explosion with his hands in emphasis, smiling all the time. He had worked with Rodney McKay long enough to know the right way to manipulate him into doing something, at least more often than not.
“Everybody knows your intelligence is no near rival of my own, but still, if you’re so smart what is this mysterious ‘right thing’ you think I should be saying to Col. Sheppard? Not that I’m planning to talk to him any time soon, but if I did?”
“Some genius you are. Tell him how you feel. It is obvious to me, but he’s just as blind as you are. Funny… I thought pilots needed to have good eyesight and some intelligence, and I know it is the job of scientists to observe. And you do not see. Is shameful. Shameful, Rodney. Perhaps you should borrow my glasses, but then again, how would I see mistakes in your work if you had my glasses?” Zelenka removed his wire-rims and held them out for a moment before returning them to his face.
“Very funny. You’re a regular comedian. Let me guess, your diploma was written in invisible ink, right? It’s a fake. ‘Tell him’? You sound like Ronon now. ‘You shou-“
“So Ronon knows. Hm. He did not mention to me when we spoke. Perhaps I should speak with him again. Maybe he knows way to make people talk. I hear ripping off arms can be effective incentive for many people. No. Is no good. When he rips off your arm I will have to do more work. All the work. A leg maybe….”
Zelenka obviously didn’t care if Rodney heard the rest of his empty threats, his voice trailing off as he moved into and down the hallway.
“Yeah, yeah. Talk all you want. He won’t tell you anything, ‘cause there’s nothing to tell.” But deep inside Rodney was scared. If only he knew whether he was more frightened of Sheppard finding out how he felt, or of him never knowing.
*****
“McKay.”
Rodney glanced up at the sound of the gravely rumble that was Ronon’s voice. The man stood, filling the doorway.
“I need your help.”
Calculating probabilities quickly, Rodney decided Zelenka had been quiet too long. It looked like the back-stabbing Czech had found a way to recruit the Runner after all. But the first step to avoiding a trap is to know it exists, and I do. So, now the trick is to spring it without getting caught in it. Better go see what they have planned. I can always outwit them later, once I know what they’re up to. Confident in his own abilities, Rodney played along.
“What kind of help? You broke something, right? And now you expect me to fix it. Just like all the military around here.”
Ronon interrupted what he knew from experience was likely to be a long tirade of the military versus science variety. “The laptop Dr. Weir gave me to find out more about Earth stopped working. The screen went blue, and it said I killed it.”
“You ‘killed it’. I don’t think…,” thinking about what Ronon had said, and remembering that he wasn’t used to Earth computers, Rodney realized what had probably happened. “Wait. Did it say, ‘Fatal Exception Error’ by any chance?”
“Yeah. That’s it. So I need you to fix it.”
“Well hand it over, and I’ll take a look at it. When I get a chance. I have better things to do than play Tech Support. Better yet, have somebody else fix it.”
“It’s in my quarters. Come on. You spend too much time cooped up in here anyway.”
And there’s the bait. Get me to come to his quarters, and... and what? Let’s see how far they’re willing to go to get me there. “It’s a laptop. You can bring it to me.”
“Did I mention I’ve got a couple of those meatloaf MRE's you like so much? They’re in my room too. Come fix my computer and we’ll talk about the food.”
They were teammates. Ronon had seen how McKay was when it came to food. Any food. They were alike in that. It was probably the best, and most likely, bribe he could use on the ever-hungry scientist.
“With the chocolate cake?” Rodney knew it was a trap, and now he knew the Ronon and Zelenka were serious about it. Ronon sharing food when he didn’t need to, highly unlikely, and the warrior liked the chocolate cake as much as McKay. At the man’s nod, Rodney rose from his chair and followed Ronon to his room.
*****
“Ah, Colonel. So glad to run into you.” Too bad I had to search half the city to do so. “I have message for you. Ronon said for you to meet him at his room instead of the gym tonight. He wishes you to have talk before training.”
“Okaaay… Did he say why?” John Sheppard thought he could smell a rat. Maybe two. Why else would Ronon send a message through Zelenka of all people when he could just use the comms? Still… maybe Ronon had decided to continue their conversation from the other day. Was he finally willing to talk about what had upset Rodney so?
“He told me nothing else. Just that you were to meet at his room.”
Sheppard turned around, heading for Ronon’s quarters. He stepped lightly, hurried even; eager to hear what the usually silent man had to say.
“If it is all right, I will walk with you for a way. I am headed in that direction myself. Something about a broken laptop. I promised to help with it.”
Zelenka smiled to himself at Sheppard’s nod of agreement, and moved into step with him.
They walked silently for a time. Occasionally nodding in greeting to those they met in the halls. Both men looked happier than would be expected for someone just going about his business, but any happiness was welcome in Atlantis, and those who saw them smiled in return. Sheppard slowed as he reached Ronon’s room, while Zelenka kept going around the corner.
A strange sight greeted him as he entered the room. There was a table set in the middle of the stark space. On it were two plates with… yep, looked like MRE meatloaf to Sheppard. A pitcher of water and a jug of Athosian wine sat near two mugs. Candles lit the room, spaced so as to provide sufficient light while maintaining a certain unmistakable ambiance.
Oh, this could be really bad, thought John, Ronon’s a great guy. I’m glad he’s at my side and on my team, but how do I tell him that’s all I’m interested in from him? I guess that’s what all the questions about ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ were all about the other day. No wonder he didn’t like it. Oh boy...
It wasn’t long before Sheppard could hear Ronon’s voice as he came down the hall. Determined to get this over with as quickly as possible, John moved to meet him at the door. It was hard to tell who was more surprised to see the other as John and Rodney saw each other across the threshold.
Zelenka was headed back around the corner from where he had hidden, and as soon as Ronon pushed his leader and his scientist into the room, the Czech tapped the door closed and disconnected the circuit to the control. Both men knew it wouldn’t hold the two for long; John Sheppard was Atlantis’ favorite son able to bend the city to his slightest whim, and Rodney, well Rodney knew more about the technology which ran the Ancient city than any man. Still the co-conspirators hoped the act of throwing the two men together would be enough for them to find what the others had seen with no trouble.
*****
“I can’t believe those two! And I fell for it! I should have known they would… Is that meatloaf?” Gluttony won out over wrath, and Rodney stepped over to the table. “Well, he said he had two meatloaf dinners; I guess he didn’t lie about that. But if they think locking me in here with food, and you, is going to make a difference, they are shit out of luck.”
“Make a difference with what, Rodney?” As soon as he had seen McKay with Ronon, Sheppard began to hope he had been wrong in his assumptions of why he had been brought to the other man’s quarters. When he saw Zelenka, he knew he had been wrong. And when he found himself locked, however temporarily, in a room with Rodney McKay, a candlelight dinner set before them, he thanked whatever god, or fate, or luck… or friends, had conspired to arrange this concurrence of events.
Looking fondly at the man already sitting at the table, fork halfway to his mouth, Sheppard sat in the chair opposite.
“We need to talk.”
fin
A/N 2: I hope you liked this. It turned out to be more difficult to write Rodney than I expected, and my internal narrator decided to take a long Christmas holiday, so it’s more dialogue heavy than I would like. Still it was a lot of fun to do, and I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed the challenge of writing it. Many blessings!
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Date: 2005-12-24 12:46 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-01-03 04:27 pm (UTC)meredevachon aka napaisti
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Date: 2005-12-24 04:14 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-01-03 04:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-24 08:50 am (UTC)*evil author grin*
Date: 2005-12-24 02:59 pm (UTC)Re: *evil author grin*
Date: 2005-12-24 08:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-12-25 05:09 am (UTC)*hugs story*
Thankyou very much, kind santa! :)
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Date: 2006-01-03 04:35 pm (UTC)meredevachon aka na paisti
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Date: 2005-12-26 07:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-01-03 04:37 pm (UTC)meredevachon aka na paisti
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Date: 2005-12-26 11:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-01-03 04:40 pm (UTC)meredevachon aka na paisti
a last reveal
Date: 2006-01-03 04:31 pm (UTC)I plan to respond to all the wonderful comments left to me, but wanted to post a general thank you as well. This was my first SGA fic, and my first attempt at something slashy. You all have no idea how nervous I was about posting it. All the kind words and positive feedback have been very much appreciated.
Many thanks,
meredevachon aka na paisti