Author's Note-Hello again. Well here is the routine. I do not own Atlantis or it's characters or in this case the alpha site. I just borrow them from time to time for my own pleasure and hopefully your enjoyment.
-----------------------------------------------------------
It had taken them most of the day to put up more tents for the group evacuees. Even though the Alpha Site was designed as a place to evacuate all of Atlantis in an emergency, they had never thought it would get to that point. Now they not only had practically all of the Atlantis personal, they also had all of the Athosians and all because of a freak storm.
Once the tents were up and the Athosian children were running around camp, the chefs began making dinner. It turned out the most of the chefs were delegated chopping duty while a group of Athosians, biologist, marines and HOG team members did the actual cooking (mainly because they were the ones who knew how to cook over an open flame of the campfire for a large group of people and without burning everything.) The suns were setting the meal was finished cooking. It was serve potluck to groups of people who sat and ate across the grass.
After dinner most of the camp gathered around the large fire that the marines had built not far from the tents. There was s'more making with baked cookies instead of gram crackers, and this strange Athosian sugar thing instead of marshmallows so the only normal part of the s'more was the chocolate. There were ghost stories and it turned out that Zelenka had brought along some of his contraband alcohol. Gradually people drifted back to the tents. First it was the children, and then some of the scientists tired out from setting up tents. Lastly a group of marines left to take their shift protecting the base from any potential enemies. This left the nightshift.
"I am bored." Tim Hendricks said poking a stick at the fire.
"Why don't you do patrols with the marines?" Dr. Rebecca (Bec) Thomason suggest as she nibbled on a cookie.
"Because they are marines." Tim stated as if that explained everything.
"I am bored, too." Zelenka commented looking over his computer. "Laptop is slow compared to the computer core on Atlantis. Simulations take to long here." He clicked the laptop shut.
"What should we do?" A young nurse with honey color hair yawned.
"We have already told ghost stories. Why don't we try telling other types of stories?" This time it was one of the night chefs. His name was Arnold Swenson and he proudly told anyone who would listen to him about the fact he was one of the few Air Force personal on the base.
"Hey that is an idea." Jason Wage, the geologist, said sarcastically.
"It might actually work." Bec said thoughtfully. "All we need to pick is a subject and choose who will be first."
"Why don't you?" Arnold Swenson suggested.
"No clue what to talk about." Bec admitted, "Why don't you try?"
"I think I will?"
---------------------------------------------------------
WHEN HE RUN'S OUT OF COFFEE
The only problem I have with working the nightshift is Dr. Mckay. Now hear me out, usually are job is simple. We make sure the nightshift has their midnight rats. That is midnight rations for all you civilian folks. Now we brew some pots of coffee, make sandwiches, and make a meal for all of you. But we can tell when there is a problem or a big project. For one thing more people come to eat, but the most significant thing that we see is the fact that all the coffee goes away. Normally two or three pots will last the whole night, but when Mckay's, up which he usually is, those two pots go fast and he starts coming to complain. He yells and screams and wants more coffee. Finally we have to relent and give it to him.
----------------------------------------------------------
"Arnold." Albert Johnston, another geologist, spoke up.
"What?"
"That isn't even a story. That is an unorganized complaint letter."
"Do you have a problem with it?"
"Can we stop this? How bout we try something different? I vote that we make a rule all stories from now on must have a plot." Wage got nods of agreement. "Great, that is solved."
"Story or not I didn't enjoy it." Tim said stoking the fire.
"Yeah, you are making Dr. Mckay seem like he is totally cruel." One of the female biologist retorted.
"Well he is." Arnold replied.
"He isn't."
"Well do you have a story to prove your point?"
"Not of off the top of my head but…"
"I do." The honey hair nurse spoke quietly as she stared into the dieing flames.
"Oh, really do tell Sweetheart." Arnold pushed.
"First things I am not your 'Sweetheart' my name is Amy, and Mckay does care. I have seen it." She then launches into her tale.
-------------------------------------------------------
SOMETIMES HE CARES
Dr. Rodney Mckay, perhaps the greatest genius on Atlantis and the person that the medical staff dreads most. He complains, he is a hypochondriac, he constantly manages to get himself severely mangled, but sometimes you get to see a different side of him.
It was a normalish day in the infirmary-meaning that we had done two teams worth of pre-mission physicals, fixed up people who burned or cut themselves in the lab, and now the infirmary was empty and we were bored. To tell you the truth they is only some many times you can do innovatory in a week. Most people were doing research in the medical labs and I was manning the front desk when we got the call from the control room about one of the teams had coming through the gate hot and needing medical assistance.
Well Dr. Beckett was out of his lab, fast then I thought humanly possible. He was trying to figure out what the specifics were, when he ordered two gurneys and a few med staff to follow him. We headed to the closest transporter.
When we got to the Gateroom I was shocked at how much blood there was. Apparently they had been negotiating with a village when another warring village attacked. They had come through the gate with a hail of arrows following them. Lt. Ford and Major Sheppard were both supporting each other, while Dr. Mckay was carrying Ms. Teyla. Teyla and Ford were quickly loaded onto the gurneys while Dr. Beckett loaded Sheppard into a wheelchair. Three of us (Marten, Karri, and I) were left to make sure Mckay made it to the infirmary.
Now normally no one would want this job. Mckay would spend the entire trip telling you how he was going to die or how you never gave him the good drugs. This time was different. He seemed quiet and distant and kept asking if he team was okay. As we walked we kept on telling that as soon as we got to the infirmary that he could see that his team was okay. Unfortunately, he didn't make it that far. He stumbled and then fainted in the hallway leading to the infirmary.
We called for a gurney and he was quickly wheeled into the infirmary. Dr. Beckett immediately took charge of Dr. Mckay's case. It turned out that the rest of the team wasn't too bad off. Ms. Teyla had gotten herself a bad concussion but was awake now. Lt. Ford and Major Sheppard had been grazed by arrows which appeared to have a mild paralyzing agent, but there was nothing that we could do until their lab work had been completed. We had no clue what was wrong with Dr. Mckay. It only appeared that he had been scratched by some tree branches, but we still collected blood so we could determine if he had been poisoned as well.
It was Dr. Beckett that finally figured out what was going on. He called for a blood sugar test and discovered that Dr. Mckay's blood sugar levels were dangerously low. We started him a dextrose drip immediately, and then all we could do was wait for the blood work to be finished.
It turned out that the 'poison' that Lt. Ford and Major Sheppard had been infected with was very similar to local anesthetics that we use and it wore of relatively quickly, but we still kept them for overnight observation to make sure there were no complications. Ms. Teyla would be our guest for at least the next 48 hours to check her neurological functions, but we were not extremely worried because the brain scans showed not indication of brain swelling. It turned out that Dr. Mckay was our only critical care patient, but now that his blood chemistry was starting to even out he should begin to wake up.
And he did the next day. It was about the time that Lt. Ford and Major Sheppard were released from the infirmary. To say the least Major Sheppard rushed over and we finally had to shoo him away to allow Mckay to drift off to sleep. Honestly he needed it. Mckay tends to come into the infirmary sleep deprived. Sometimes Dr. Beckett will vent that the only times he sleeps is when we keep him in bed.
My nightshift replacement was out with a cold that day so I agreed to take a double shift seeing I was off the next day. Well I was about to do my walk through of the infirmary that evening when I saw Dr. Beckett looking into the room were Ms. Teyla was sleeping. He put his finger to his lips to indicate I should be quiet. I wanted to ask why, but he just motioned for me to look. I was surprised by what I saw. Dr. Mckay sitting was next to Ms. Teyla. He was holding her hand and talking to her softly. We watched as Teyla dropped off to sleep. Once Mckay was sure she was a sleep, he moved a few stray pieces of hair out of her faces and went back to his own bed.
Dr. Beckett explained to me what I had seen later. Apparently Teyla had woken up through the night and needed a drink. Mckay had hear her whispers and gotten her a glass of water. They had talked for a short while. Dr. Beckett explained that it happened a lot with our flagship team and he let them to a point. He had learned that the team that the members of the team would never rest until they knew that their teammates were okay.
-------------------------------------------------------
"Yeah, I have seen Major Sheppard do that. He wouldn't leave until he had been able to check on his team." Eric Cooper commented after Amy had stopped talking.
"When was this?" Bec looked at him confused. "Usually you tell me about things like this."
"Um." Eric tried to find the right words.
"Well what he is trying to say is the fact, it was at the same time we were trying to see you." Tim Hendricks commented quickly.
"Yeah. It was the same time you got the scar." Eric nervously pointed at her wrist in the braces.
"Oh, that time." Bec said mildly annoyed. "So does anyone have any good Sheppard stories?"
"Um, I guess I do?" Dr. Radek Zelenka adjusted his glasses.
"That is great Radek, go ahead and share it." Bec added.
"Um, well I wasn't actually there, but I ended up talking to Dr. Mckay, Major Sheppard and Teyla about it so I think I have gotten it mostly straight. Yes, Mckay and Sheppard distorted the truth, Teyla stayed with the middle ground in most places, so I think…" Zelenka continued to speak.
"Dr. Z?" Jason Wage interrupted.
"What?"
"Just tell the story." And with that encouragement Zelenka started talking.
----------------------------------------------------------
IN BETWEEN A ROCK
Like most of our stories it begins like any other day. SGA-1 was prepping to go through the gate. That meant Sheppard was scheduling a jumper and Mckay was yelling at the scientists.
"Zelenka don't let the scientist touch any of the new ancient devices until I have gotten back and deemed it safe." He chattered. The rest of the conversation was about normal things like preventing Kavanagh from blowing up the lab. Then he went to meet with his team in the infirmary for their usually pre-mission check up.
They finally got released an hour later because Teyla was running late, and together the headed up to the jumper bay. They were going to a planet in the data base that Teyla had never been to and that mad everyone a bit jittery. Mckay was hoping that maybe there would be a new ancient devise just waiting to be discovered. Sheppard on the other hand was wondering if they had anything that would compare with turkeys, cause the mess had just run out of turkey slices. Ford, well I don't know what Ford was thinking because I didn't talk to him about it.
Well they got to the planet and didn't find anyone, but they did find an energy spike which meant Mckay insisted on finding out what it was about. This meant they had to land the Jumper and walk through the forest. When Mckay is preoccupied he stops complaining and Sheppard could tell it was important because Mckay kept on telling him to speed up.
Well they quickly found this mountain. To Sheppard great annoyances they energy sign was up the mountain. Mckay at this point was absorbed with following the signal that he didn't notice, he just when heading up the mountain. As they continued the path became more and more rocky until they were starting to climb over boulders. Soon they came to this cave thing, which was carved out of the rocks.
"We need to go in there." Mckay said pointing at the hole in the mountain. No one but Mckay wanted to go in the cave because the ceiling didn't look all that steady. So Sheppard finally followed Mckay in because it was probably the only way they were going get him back down the mountain. It turns out that the team was sort of right. The ceiling was perfectly steady until Mckay picked up the small glowing ancient devices. The ceiling started to collapse around them. They didn't make it out in time.
"Dr. Mckay, Major Sheppard. Are you alright?" Teyla called over the radio.
"Yes we are fine. We are just trapped." Sheppard replied.
"Just stay put we will go get help." Teyla replied.
Well they waited, and waited, and waited. In fact they sat in the cave, with Rodney convinced that they were going suffocate, even though there was a small breathe of breeze. Rodney was also convinced that he was going to die from starvation. This was also unlikely because they had to packs full of stuff, with a lot of food in them. But many the sat arguing. Eventually, to Sheppard's great relief, Mckay fell asleep and Sheppard wasn't far behind.
That is were I came in. Forty-eight hours later Dr. Weir decided that Sheppard was late. They sent another jumper to try to figure out what was going on. We found Teyla and Ford halfway between the mountain and the Stargate. We picked them and headed to the mountain. It didn't take us that long to find the cave, but Sheppard and Mckay were not answering us so we started digging. We found the two of them fast asleep in the hole. It turns out they were fine.
----------------------------------------------------------
"I thought you where not in this story?" Wage questioned eyes narrowing.
"Well, I was only in the end." Zelenka commented.
"That was interesting." Tim commented as he opened a power bar.
"Yes, that was very informative." Bec yawned and stretched. "But I think I want to get some sleep."
A few more of the scientist decided to also get some sleep and the kitchen staff started heating water for coffee. The sun started to peak over the horizon, dying the clouds pinks and purples. The day staff tried to pass the time, and the next night the nightshift scientists gathered around the fire, but they were interrupted by the stargate spiraling into life. The storm was over and it was time to start repairing their Atlantis.
----------------------------------------------------------
Author's Note-Here is the Ask Bec questions of the story. Today we have two questions.
Nwfairy-Boxers or briefs?
Bec-(slightly stunned silences) Um, well. I am not quite sure what to say to that. I can tell you the trends that I have noticed while doing the officer wash. Most guys on Atlantis wear boxer. The last officer using briefs just switch over. It is a very interesting story. It involves Dr. Kavanagh getting really grumpy at Mckay and him 'accidentally' putting Mckay's underwear and Dr. Weir shirts. Well Weir's shirts are red and Mckay's underwear was white. Long story, short Mckay got stuck wearing pink briefs for close to six months. As soon as we got communication to Earth he ordered boxers with dark prints. He also started doing his own laundry. What is the other question?
Padme4000-Do you believe in the supernatural?
Bec-Sort of. When you live in Pegasus Galaxy you leave things open. After all there is the whole ascension thing, which changes how you view death. And there are strange creatures like that dark cloud thing which eats energy. Maybe that kind of stuff gives the scientific explication for the things people usually call supernatural. Anything else, cause we are scheduled to dive today.
Cap10-No, that is it Bec. I would like to thank Nwfairy, and Padme4000 for asking questions. If you are interested in asking Bec or any member of the HOG team a question please include it your review or send me a PM. The next Ask Bec questions will be appearing in my next short story.