John stood in the shadows. As two marines came around the corner, he shifted slightly from shadow to full darkness. He had the funny thought that he was like a shadow. Dark, with just enough light to see, but any shift could bring full darkness or sunshine. It was almost funny.
Almost, but not quite, because he was afraid to stand in that darkness for too long. He knew everyone thought that the crystal energy thing had simply used his face, but the truth, well, John knew the truth. That creature, the one people referred to as 'Doppelganger' hadn't simply mimicked his physical appearance. John knew that even if no one else did.
The Doppelganger had taken the most repulsive part of John and made it real. He'd stolen into John's mind, weeding out the nice parts and taking the worst. John had looked at it in the dream and known that he was seeing himself stripped bare. Stripped to the basic elements of himself. The parts he tried so hard to ignore.
His trembling hands rested on the wall and he let his head rest between them. Of all the suffering the creature had caused, almost killing Rodney was the worst. He felt bad about Kate, felt sorry for the fear and nightmares everyone else had suffered. But Rodney...
If the creature had managed to kill his friend- permanently, that is- John didn't know what he'd do. What he'd allow himself to do. Look at what he'd done to the Genii. What he would be willing to do to anyone who harmed his friend. Not just any friend, but Rodney.
The rage, the absolute boiling rage he'd felt when he'd learned the thing was inside Rodney... There were no words in any language to describe what he'd felt.
And the worst part? He knew that the creature would do it, would kill. Maybe it would even enjoy it. The creature could do it because John could do it. Could kill without a second thought. Not Rodney, of course, but anyone else in his way. Not that anyone else would believe that, because he was good at deception.
Nearly twenty years in the Air Force had taught him to control that part of himself. He'd looked at the Army, the Marines. He had looked and feared that instead of controlling the darkness, he'd be trained to let it overtake him. So, Air Force it had been. And hey, cool, he could fly planes.
But Rodney was beyond twenty years of discipline. He was John's friend, his brother, his child, his colleague, all rolled into one. Everything. Different from everyone else. More than anyone else was, could ever be.
He drew a deep breath as he heard the voices he'd been waiting for. Two scientists came into view. One short, thin, his wispy hair and glasses making him look much more delicate than he was, the other Rodney.
The sun from one of the many windows washed over Rodney, bathing him in light, and John stepped out to join him.