Reflections in the Dark
By Flossy
Disclaimer: The following story is a work of fan fiction, and as such is for fan enjoyment only. All recognizable characters/settings are the property of their respective owners. No copyright infringement is intended, and no profit is made. I've only borrowed them and I am NOT promising to put them back when I've finished playing with them…
Summary: When the boys accidentally activate an Ancient device similar to the Quantum Mirror found by SG-1, their doubles from an alternate reality come through. Everything seems fine to begin with, but when the device is broken, John and Rodney learn that their doppelgangers may not be as benevolent as they first thought…
Central Character(s): John, Rodney, Teyla, Ronon, Elizabeth, Radek, Carson, Lorne.
Category (ies): Drama, Angst, H/C, friendship
Placement: Season Three, sometime after 'McKay and Mrs Miller'
Rating: +15
Spoilers: Biggies for 'McKay and Mrs Miller', little references for 'Before I Sleep', 'Runner',
A/N: I know, I know, it's been ages since I've written anything, but I've had the ever dreaded writer's block and a damn viral chest infection that turned into pneumonia... *shudders in horror*
As a result, I've been performing all manner of voodoo rituals to try and overcome it, but it took the badgers and their dastardly, homicidal ways to kick start my brain. They mauled several stuffed animals and almost decapitated one of my poor little plot bunnies.
And don't get me started on the botched hospital escape attempts while I was out of commission – although, they sparked an idea for a fic...
Again, yet another story adapted from a challenge. This one was from the Wraithbait site – I only adapted it because I don't write Slash fic (Sorry to disappoint, kids, but even though I'll read it, I'm not that kind of gal…). The idea was an awesome one though, so this is my Gen effort.
If y'all like it, then I might try and do a series of AU tales for Dark!Rodney and Dark!John… NO! NAUGHTY PLOT BUNNY!!!
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Chapter 1: Just Another Regular Day in Pegasus…
Of all the people in the world he could have chosen, Dr Rodney McKay would never have guessed that he'd end up best friends with an irritating, cocky air force pilot with a penchant for kamikaze heroics every now and again.
Okay, so the man was loyal, quick witted and actually put up with his rants and neuroses, but still… As much as he respected the man, there were times when Atlantis' CO drove Rodney to the edge of what was left of his precious sanity.
If he thought that today would be any different, McKay was sadly mistaken.
"For the last time, Sheppard, it is NOT a mirror!"
Lt Col John Sheppard grinned. For the last two hours he had been trying to see if he could make Rodney snap and at last, he'd done it. "Are you positive about that?" he asked in his most innocent voice. "Cos from where I'm standing it sure looks like one to me."
McKay let out a strangled growl. It wasn't even as if John couldn't understand the physics behind the object that was stood in front of them – the man was a closet maths geek after all – and Rodney shook his head. He had had to repeat himself constantly for no better reason than to apparently keep Sheppard's head from exploding with boredom. Ever since the pair of them had found the 'device' three days ago, he'd had to explain time and time again why said object was not a mirror.
At least, not in the normal sense.
The Canadian conceded (albeit reluctantly) that the pilot did have a point – the artefact looked for all intents and purposes like an old fashioned full length mirror. It certainly wouldn't have been out of place in a Victorian period manor or country house, with its elegantly crafted sides and shaped frame. The only differences were that the frame was not made from oak or any other exotic timber – it was a similar alloy to that of the walls and doors in Atlantis – and that the carvings were not a floral design but Ancient symbols.
As for the mirror part itself – well that was a different matter entirely.
The surface was not made of glass, despite the fact that it resembled said element. Even with Zelenka's help, that particular fact was all that McKay had been able to determine after a series of tests. Scans and trace had determined that there was no evidence of any kind of explosive substance and X-rays had proved to be a waste of time – as soon as Carson had turned the machine on, it shorted out along with half of the lights in the city. Rodney had said something about it emitting an energy that interfered with the Earth equipment, but had been talking at a million miles an hour at the time, so John had tuned most of the explanation out.
Truth be told, all they'd been able to figure out after a lot of arguing was a long list of what the material was not – and they were no closer to discovery.
"I'm not listening," Rodney shot back with an evil glower – or 'death glare number 25' as Sheppard liked to call it.
John smirked, earning an eye roll from the scientist. Rodney knew damn well that 'McKay-baiting', as the Air Force man was wont to calling it, was one of Sheppard's all-time favourite methods of stress relief and today was no exception. "When do you ever?"
"Shut up." Not his finest comeback, but efficient and to the point.
"I'm just saying…"
"La, la, la, not listening." McKay stuck his fingers in his ears and hummed part of a Chopin piano study loudly.
From what he could see, it took all of Sheppard's self control not to burst out laughing. Instead, he nudged his team-mate in the ribs with an elbow. "Found anything out yet?"
Still scowling, Rodney ceased his impression of his four year old niece, Madison, and sighed. "Not yet. Radek's still looking through the Ancient database, but so far…"
"No luck?"
"No luck." He returned his attention to the laptop in front of him. He had set up a scanner to try and glean more information, but it was proving to be as frustrating as everything else to do with the artefact. The infernal machine kept insisting that the material didn't exist.
'To paraphrase the Colonel, bullshit,' Rodney thought. The Ancients may have been advanced but he doubted that even they could invent elements out of thin air.
"So if it's not a normal mirror, what is it?"
McKay continued typing, not looking up. "I'm not entirely sure, but I think it's the Ancient version of a Quantum Mirror."
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Sheppard's forehead crease in confusion for a second before the alarm bells apparently decided to sound. "Whoa, whoa, whoa! You mean the thing that sent Daniel Jackson to an alternate reality? The one that was sent to Area 51 for study?" He thought for a moment and then added, "And didn't an alternate version of Carter come through it?"
"How the hell did you know that?" Rodney asked, raising his head to give his team-mate an incredulous look.
"What?" asked John, looking genuinely affronted. "I do actually read SG-1's old mission reports you know."
"Then you should know how dangerous the Quantum Mirror was!" McKay snapped. "So, no touching that! The last thing we want is to end up in a parallel universe where the Goa'uld, Wraith or Replicators are in control!"
"Look, it's been two weeks!" John moaned. "Two weeks, and you still don't know what this thing actually does!"
"That's not only untrue, but woefully inaccurate," Rodney shot back, eyeing his coffee cup with disdain. He glanced at the carafe in the corner and growled when he saw it was empty. That meant he'd have to go next door to steal (or rather 'borrow without asking') some of Zelenka's.
"But…"
"For the last time, Sheppard, no! It's a simple enough word that I'm sure even one of your dumber jarheads can understand!"
"I know what the word means, Rodney," Sheppard sighed.
Rodney ploughed on, mainly to try and irritate the pilot. "An interjection used to indicate a negative response in order to refuse, deny or disagree with something – or in this case, some one."
John gave the physicist another one of his well cultivated innocent looks… and was met with a glower that could melt ice. "Aw, c'mon, Rodney! What harm could it do? It's just a mirror."
Unfortunately, that just set McKay off on a colossal rant.
"Did you even listen to what I just said? Am I speaking Genii or something? The last time I checked, no means no! As in never, under any circumstances whatsoever! And don't even think about giving me the puppy dog look! It has never and will never work." Rodney counted to ten under his breath, trying to resist the urge to cause bodily harm to the pilot. He reasoned that if he went all 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' on Sheppard's ass, he'd only have to clean up the blood.
His eyes narrowed dangerously and the next words he spoke came out in a low, menacing growl – a nifty trick that he'd picked up from Ronon. "I mean it, Sheppard. I know what you and your genes are like. Stay well away from it, d'you hear me? And no thinking 'on' or anything equally stupid!"
"Okay, okay, McKay!" the Colonel said, taking a step back with his hands raised. "I get it. Mirror bad, no touching." He waited for a moment before asking, "Why don't you turn it on?" The question was deliberate jibe: John already knew why that would be an incredibly stupid thing to do.
"Have you forgotten what happened last time?!"
Sheppard bit back a grin. 'Last time' was about three months ago when Rodney activated a different artefact without trying to find out more first. It had taken the scientist the better part of two weeks to get his voice back. "I'll never forget," he baited. "No moaning, no ranting, no terrorising your staff… Hell, it was two weeks of pure bliss."
"You think you're so funny…"
"Hey, I don't think, I am."
The Canadian gave him one of his patented death glares. "I'm going to get some coffee," he stated, picking up his mug. "In fact, I'll rephrase that. I'm going next door for a couple of minutes. Don't touch anything."
"As if I would," John said, doing his best impression of wounded and put-upon.
"Yeah, and I once met a Wraith called Bambi," Rodney snorted. "I mean it, Colonel. Do. Not. Touch. Anything. Until. I. Get. Back." He punctuated every word with a small poke to John's chest.
"Okay, already! Jeez, Rodney, you're such an old woman!" Sheppard held his hands up in compliance and backed away from the work bench.
Apparently satisfied, McKay raised an eyebrow then nodded and trotted out of the lab in search of caffeine.
As soon as the doors slid closed, John stepped closer to the 'not-mirror'. Although he would never admit it out loud, he was intrigued – the machine was stunning in every sense of the word and he found it hard to comply with McKay's order. As much as it rattled him that Rodney refused to activate the damn thing, he understood his friend's reluctance. McKay had only lost his voice, but it could have been much worse. Even that had been pretty scary – somehow 'silent Rodney' was far more intimidating than 'bellowing Rodney' and by the end of the two weeks, John had decided that he preferred the second.
"Hey! I told you not to touch anything!" Rodney yelled, stepping back into the lab, hot coffee in his hands.
"I wasn't!" John protested, hastily taking several steps back. "I only looked at it!"
McKay rolled his eyes and returned his attention to the computer, fully convinced that the words of warning had gone in one ear and out the other without so much as a courtesy call on John's woefully neglected brain.
Still, the Colonel was giving him the 'I'm really interested and think this is cool' look, so Rodney forgave his friend and elaborated. "It seems to be different to the Milky Way version of the Quantum Mirror, you know."
"Really?" John asked, suddenly curious. "How so?"
"Well for a start, the Quantum Mirror that Jackson stumbled across lead to a variety of alternate realities. That much was proved when Sam's double came through with an alternate Major Kawalsky. This one doesn't do that..."
"So what's it for then?" John cut in impatiently.
"Just listen to me for more than thirty seconds at a time! As I was saying, this… 'mirror', for lack of a better word, only seems to go to one reality."
Sheppard stared at his reflection intently. "What's the point in that? I mean, I admit it'd be cool to see how different things are in another dimension, but why only one?"
"That's the question." Rodney typed away on his laptop. "As soon as I've finished the translations of the inscriptions, I should be able to answer it, but until then, your guess is as good as mine."
He continued to half watch Sheppard as he worked – Rule number one from the Geek's Survival Guide was to always keep an eye on your Goon… at all times. The moment you looked away, McKay could guarantee that they would end up doing something incredibly stupid.
John's attention returned to the reflection in the mirror. He looked up at his hair and fiddled with it for a couple of minutes, nodding as he achieved the desired 'just got out of bed' look that he claimed had been eluding him all morning.
Personally, Rodney thought he'd have done a better job if he'd stuck a finger in a live socket. The results would have been the same. Without realising what John was doing, McKay continued to type, oblivious to the up and coming disaster that was about to happen.
Unfortunately, he completely failed to notice that the surface of the 'not-glass' was rippling slightly – and that John had leaned in closer to take a look.
He also missed the fact that his team-mate's reflection seemed to be changing.
"Uh, Rodney…?"
"Busy."
"I really think you should look at this…"
Rodney's head snapped up just in time to see John's fingers brush the suddenly shimmering surface. He jumped to his feet and ran across to his insane and possibly suicidal friend, intent on pulling him away. "No!"
The warning came too late – the mirror hummed with an ear-splittingly shrill tone and a bright flash filled the lab. The resulting shock wave threw them both to the floor.
When their eyes began working again, they were convinced that either they were both hallucinating or they'd finally flipped.
In front of them were another Sheppard and McKay.
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What's going on? And when's Rodney gonna get whumped?
(Don't ask me. I'm just the writer… ^-^)
Next chapter (and some answers) coming up soon – but only if you're all good.