Forgotten Lives (*)
Shep/ Mckay slash
Warning: none so far
Incomplete! Chapters 4
Chapter 1- a room somewhere
"Ugh…" I must have been really drunk last night he thought. Head pounding, stomach lurching he opened his eyes.
"Fuck me!" he couldn't remember ever feeling such intense pain, his eyes felt like some sadistic bastard had poured acid into them. He rolled on to his front rubbing his poor eyes as he went. When he was eventually able to open his eyes, without crying like a two year old, he sat up on his knees and took in the view.
Hideous flowered wallpaper stared back in shades of green, a musty old carpet and an old overstuffed three piece suit.
"nice." he said out loud. He turned his head, a little too quickly and felt a rush of blood as he looked around.
"Shit!" he noticed a man's body lying on the floor, he stood, trying not to fall back down and knelt at the side of the other man. After checking for a pulse he tried to wake him. The man wore jeans and a checked shirt and had brown short hair, a cute innocent looking face, deciding the man must be in his late thirty's he tried again to wake him.
"Oh God…. That's just not good" He watched as checked shirt went through the same pain he had upon waking.
"Where am I?" checked shirt asked it was almost a demand.
"Erm… well to be honest I don't know… looks like someone's living room" he answered not having a clue and wondering where he could get something to eat.
"Oh really! That helps. And who are you anyway?" Checked shirt obviously had a short fuse.
And then it dawned on him, he'd not thought before, I mean its not like you ask yourself all the time now is it, but he realised when checked shirt asked him… he did not know who he was, a look of fear creeping onto his handsome features.
"Err… that's a really good question and one I would love to answer right now."
"What are you talking about? What don't you know who you are? Cause that's just…"
From the look on checked shirts face he was having trouble remembering who he was too.
"But how? It's just absurd, how can a perfectly healthy person just not remember who they are?"
"Its doesn't seam possible does it?"
"Well apparently it is because oh look at the proof!" checked shirt was waving his hands around now, there was something familiar in the action. He thought it best to get back to the original question
"I don't know how this happened, sure wish I did. I kinda recognise you though" he was having a deep moment and somehow he felt he knew this man, this checked shirted grumpy, confused and rather rude individual.
"You know me? Well who am I do I have a name?" Checked shirt was clearly staring to panic so he tried his best to calm him whilst trying not panicking himself, running about like a headless chicken was not going to help anyone, He just needed to figure it out.
"I don't know your name, I don't know my name, I just sort of recognise you, that's all. Look why don't we take a look around and see if we remember anything."
Its strange he though I don't know who I am, yet I appear to have a personality an instinct to sort this out as quickly as possibly, he had to get back to somewhere, somewhere important he just knew it, and taking charge of the situation seamed to come naturally to him, so that's what he did.
Chapter 2- you are?
The two men were still sitting in the same room they had woke in. now he had really taken the situation in he noticed that he was wearing the same god awful outfit as checked shirt, he wondered where his clothes were surely he hadn't really put this outfit on by choice!
"They're obviously technically advanced" checked shirt had apparently decided to change the subject.
"Who?"
"Whoever brought us here." He saw checked shirt roll his eyes in a duh-obviously-way.
"I mean its not exactly the set of braveheart is it?" he continued.
Checked shirt was really starting to confuse him, "what's braveheart?"
"Huh. I don't actually remember. Look all I'm saying is, well look at the place, carpet, wallpaper sure signs of advancement, thought perhaps not in style or design. Add to that someone must have brought us here its utterly improbable for two guys to wake up on the floor in the same room and neither of them to have any idea who they are!" finally he drew breath.
Checked shirt was getting irate again so he thought it best for them to concentrate on something else. He stood, his muscles aching with the effort, he walked to wards the door and was extremely surprised to find it opened easily. "Huh."
"What?"
"Nothing its just I figured we were prisoners but I guess not."
He went first, instinct dictating his movements. Aware of checked shirt behind him, protector instinct kicking in. he wondered what sort of person he might be as he looked around the new room checking for possible threats.
"It's a kitchen" checked shirt emerged behind him, a note of glee in his voice.
"Yes, very astute" he couldn't help himself.
The other man opened his mouth to reply but instead looked rather like a fish having decided it best not to piss off his new companion too much.
"It seams safe enough", he exclaimed hardly believing his luck, his stomach growled as he took in the sight. A small window over a sink, a few cupboards, what looked like a cooker and a table and two chairs.
"Oh yes, very astute" his companion retorted. He rolled his eyes I deserved that he supposed.
He saw an envelope on the table next to an empty fruit bowl and walked towards it. He turned the envelope over in his hand and opened it whilst checked shirt looked over his shoulder looking quizzical.
He unfolded the letter read it twice and handed it over, "Read it", he said.
Chapter 3- the note
McKay snatched the paper from his hand Rodney McKay his name is Rodney McKay so I must be the other guy in the note, John Sheppard. He knew he was right, he felt it as he saw those names and he remember which was his. McKay read out loud a small squeak as he tried to take it all in, then he read aloud,
"Dear,
Mr Rodney McKay and Mr John Sheppard,
On behalf of the Arubian Government I welcome you to Statar Penal Colony.
You have been sent here for you crimes against the Arubian people and as part of your punishment memories of your crime have been removed from your minds to prevent further criminal activity.
For your protection the only way on and of the planet Statar is by government prisoner transports which are heavily guarded, so it is advisable that you accept this punishment graciously and begin building a new life for yourselves and your fellow offenders.
Thank you for your cooperation, Good Luck and beware the wraith.
Your sincerely
Governor Aimon Tarkton"
Rodney choked out the last few words "GOOD LUCK! GOOD FUCKING LUCK!"
McKay was getting hysterical and shouting at nothing in particular. Sheppard reached out and put his hands on Rodney's shoulders, he felt them quiver beneath his touch.
"Its ok, we'll figure this out", he spoke reassuringly but he was having a hard time accepting this too.
"IT'S OK? We're criminals! Me a criminal! What crime did we commit, huh? This is, this is, this is barbaric I don't remember if we had a trial, hell, I don't even remember which one of these stupid names is mine! AND WHAT THE FUCK IS A WRAITH WHEN IT'S AT HOME?"
His face contorted with anger as he spat out the last words, Sheppard looked into his eyes wanting to offer comfort, he squeezed Rodney's shoulder in a comforting-sort-of-way which did seam to calm him.
His own mind was reeling from this new information; it stirred something in the back of his mind a feeling when he thought about his name, John Sheppard. It almost felt like there was something missing, a middle name perhaps.
So I'm a criminal called john, well at least I remembered my own name, fan-fucking-tastic he thought as he sighed.
"Your name is Rodney McKay" he said, simply, watching the other man racking his brains to remember his own name, god this sucks!
"And how do you know that?" came the bite-back.
"I remembered my name when I saw it"
"Well I don't think I'm a Rodney! It's a stupid name. No, I want to be a John, a good old plain name"
"No, you are Rodney McKay I don't know how I know, I just do, ok?" he hadn't meant to sound so aggressive, he guessed the stress was getting to him. He removed his hands from Rodney's shoulders, missing the warmth and put them in his pockets.
"Fine. John's a boring name anyway, you can keep it. At least Rodney has some imagination to it, almost regal when you think about it." He knew he'd just hurt Rodney's feeling so he let the jibe at his name go without comment. For some reason it felt natural to be bickering with this man, maybe they were friends.
"Hey, maybe we were partners in crime?" he asked to keep the other guy from going off the deep end again.
"Oh yes, yes, and we road around on horses drinking bad whisky, shooting at targets and sleeping with whores!"
"Or not."
"So what now Mr John Sheppard?" he spoke with authority and john guessed that he was the leader of their little criminal duet.
"Well escape is pretty much off the cards, unless we manage to get on one of these 'prisoner transports', which will probably be impossible. You got any ideas?"
"Lunch". Sheppard chuckled a little, this relationship whatever it was, felt so right.
"Lunch? Is that all you can think about Rodney?"
"Hey! A man's gotta eat, you look like you could do with a good meal anyway, your all skin and bones". John felt his face drop as McKay's words dawned on him, he hadn't though of that before. He had no idea what he looked like.
Sheppard stood there, realisation dawning on his face, unconsciously he raised a hand to feel his face. He felt stubble under his fingers on his jaw line, his nose, his eyebrows, and smooth skin on his cheeks. He turned and went to the window McKay followed also keen to see his reflection. Hazel eyes looked back, soulful and warm, he ran a hand through his hair dark brown and sticking up in every direction.
"Not to bad, I'm younger than I feel" said McKay next to him, his own hands running through his neat(er) hair.
John knew exactly what he meant, looking into his own eyes he saw depth but he couldn't remember the events that shaped his eyes so. He turned to face McKay their eyes locking in mutual confusion and anger. John saw the first glimpse of a tear in Rodney's eye, a pained look on his attractive face. John said nothing but pulled his friend into a tight embrace feeling his warmth and enjoying the touch of another.
McKay put his arms on Sheppard's back his head resting on his chest and allowed John to comfort him, wanting to comfort John in return,
"Its just so barbaric, to steal someone's memories" he chocked through tear.
John held him tight until he stopped shaking. Truth be told he needed a hug as much as Rodney did and he was grateful that Rodney embraced him too. He pulled back, wiping a tear from Rodney's soft cheek with his finger.
"Come on, lets get some food and then we can explore this place. Alright?" he said.
Rodney nodded in agreement and they both hunted the kitchen for food.
Chapter 4 – in brief
She watched as Ronin and Teyla emerged through the shimmering veil of the stargate, to be greeted by marines with P90's pointed at them. She ran down the stair from the control room, and signalled for the weapons to be lowered with her hand.
"What happened? Where are Cornel Sheppard and Dr McKay?" her voice etched with worry and concern for her friends.
"They were taken prisoner". Ronin stated, a defiant look his face. She felt he mouth open in shock and looked to Teyla for reassurance but none came as the athosian looked to the floor.
"What! How?" a note of fear clear in her voice, I can't get all emotional they'll be ok, she needed to master her emotions quickly, there was work to be done.
"Apparently cornel Sheppard and Dr McKay were involved in a fight whilst exploring the city. They were apprehended and punished before we could help them. We do not know where they are now." Teyla paused as she remembered how helpless she had felt when they had taken Sheppard and McKay away. She remembered the look of strength in Sheppard's eyes and the barely concealed panic in McKay's.
"Ronin and I were 'asked' to leave." She continued.
Elizabeth noticed Ronin's fist tighten on his gun at Teyla's words, she understood how angry he must be. "I see". They could be dead, tortured, anything! She felt anger rise inside herself at the though of anyone hurting her two best guys, he two best friends.
"Thank you Teyla, you and Ronin should get to the infirmary". She managed to say calmly. To her one of the marines, Bates, piped up,
"My men and I can be ready within half an hour m'am". He proclaimed. Of course the marine would want to go in, guns blazing on a rescue mission, she nearly agreed with him but the Arubian's could be great allies against the Wraith.
"Thank you Bates, but I think this will need an element of diplomacy. I will go and speak to the Governor, myself."
"m'am, I agree but me and a few guy should join you for protection." His concern for her welfare was touching, and she reached out and touched his shoulder.
"Yes, thank you Bates. Be ready in half an hour."