Mind Meld:
Mind Meld:
Chapter 2
"Oh but I can, McKay. I am finally free to run the science division as it should have been from the start with someone competent at the helm."
What about Atlantis? What if we have an emergency and you can't fix it. Kavanaugh, people's lives are at stake here. I know we've had our differences but you can't risk them. You don't know the things I do. You won't be able to save her in time. This is crazy Kavanaugh.
"But don't you see - that's the beauty of it. You are safely contained so you can't run a mock and do any damage but you can tell me what to do and if I think the risk is fair I can carry out the instructions. When the risk is too great I can just ignore you and try another option."
Oh, like I'm going to tell you anything. Do all the work and let you take all the glory? I don't think so, Kavanaugh. So you may as well just come clean to Colonel Sheppard right now.
"You would keep quite when Atlantis is at stake, McKay." His grin grew wider, "I think not."
The worst thing was he was right. McKay knew he wouldn't be able to keep quiet if Atlantis was at stake. Even if it weakened his position he would still have to say something, still have to save Atlantis. His thoughts reeled from the implications that he would spend eternity in here while his body sat in the infirmary. They would give up eventually and stop keeping his body alive. He would be left in here forever.
But no, if wouldn't be forever. It won't work, Kavanaugh. When me and Cadman shared the same brain it couldn't cope. If we hadn't been able to put Cadman back in her own body when we did, we both would have died. You have to say something eventually or you will die. He could not help the smug feeling that Kavanaugh would have to say something and soon enough he would be on the outside and able to put his plans for Kavanaugh into action.
"You see, McKay. There you go, making wild assumptions again. The A.T. put you here, not the wraith. This is not an accident but a process and therefore it would most likely have been done in such a way that both host and visitor could continue a combined existence indefinitely."
McKay sagged in defeat. Kavanaugh could be right and they wouldn't know till it was too late. Then his original plan came back to him. Why not, he could just wait until Kavanaugh slept.
"You've been jabbering all the way here, McKay. If you are now thinking that you can take control me while I sleep then I should point out a couple of factors. Firstly, this is not like the wraith accident and therefore you may not be able to take control when I sleep as you do not have access now. Yes, I am aware that it may just be a weaker hold and that when I sleep there is a slim chance that you can gain control which is why I have these… just in case." He said as he pulled a bottle of tablets from his pocket.
"Sleeping tablets, McKay and not just any sleeping tablets. These little babies have mental inhibitors in them. When my brain shuts down so do you and, as the host body, my brain should waken before yours just as it did earlier today. You will not be able to take control so the quicker you come to terms with the new arrangements the better."
I am going to get out of here, Kavanaugh. He growled, anger a white heat and his voice like steel, "and when I do there will be no where you can hide. So help me, Kavanaugh, you will rue this day.
Kavanaugh laughed. "Yes, yes of course, McKay. Now, until that day I think I will go to MY lab and start organising MY staff."
Rodney fell silent, nothing left to say. Sadness and helplessness enveloped him as he floated along, trapped in the mind of Kavanaugh. He ran solution after solution with nothing but failure after failure to show for it.
Before they made it to the lab Rodney heard the radio in Kavanaughs radio. "Emergency, Kavanaugh to the Control Room."
Kavanaugh responded, "I'll be there in 5 minutes." He could feel him puff out his chest as he trotted to the Control Room, the self importance oozing from every nasty pore.
I wouldn't bother to hurry. It's not as if you're capable of helping when you get there. In fact the best thing you can do is get yourself lost and let one of the other scientists go. McKay responded.
Kavanaugh growled. McKay would have grinned had he not been in full panic mode. Something was wrong with his city and he wasn't able to do anything. Worse than that, when he figured out what they needed to do he was not sure that Kavanaugh would do it. Today could be the day he dreaded but knew would come. The day he failed, the day he lost Atlantis.
Kavanaugh walked into the control room. "What's the emergency?"
He turned at the Colonel's voice. "We've got a team off world and under fire. The shield seems to have closed automatically and we can't get it to open. Any ideas?"
"I know you are used to McKay, Colonel, but I won't make any wild assumptions without facts. I will give you something after I have looked at the available data."
Yeah, shame you're safe assumptions won't be anymore correct after you've looked at the data you overblown imbecile. You don't have the knowledge or the imagination required. You'll always be just a technical repeater, Kavanaugh. It was one of the biggest insults in McKay's repertoire. Although anyone who had heard it would never realize it was there because it was the one of the few things that had ever reached beyond his numerous walls and cut him so deep and from a piano teacher at that. That was probably why he used it so rarely because if he was honest, he always cut himself a little too when he used it.
Kavanaugh had moved over to the console. McKay watched the available data. God, how he itched to get his hands on the data, to have to move at this slow speed was intolerable. He wanted to get his hands on the keyboard, move faster, knowing that every second could mean a man's life on the other side of that gate.
He got distracted as Sheppard moved closer, but when he glanced at him he notice the Colonel was looking at his hand, not the screen. He saw Kavanaugh follow his gaze down to his hands. No, no, no. Damn it! How am I supposed to save the day if you can't concentrate for longer than the average four year-old! Kavanaugh's vision rested on his own hands, in particular the left hand, as it hovered over console keys.
Huh.
Kavanaugh's hand was twitching and twitching in a definite McKay twitch. He did not know where he had picked it up but somewhere along the way his thumb and forefinger had picked up the habit of tapping out his thoughts. It often reminded him of a pianist's metronome, setting his pace and giving him a focus.
It must have been the strength of his desire coupled with Kavanaugh being distracted. He tried to speak but nothing happened. They were all staring at his hand. He glanced up at Sheppard, or as much as he could see of him with Kavanaugh staring at his own hand. Come on, John. Figure it out for god's sake figure it out.
"Picking up some of McKay's habits, Kavanaugh?" Sheppard drawled, with a tight smile. And yet again, it seems I have over estimated your intellect, McKay stated bitterly.
Rodney felt Kavanaugh jump and glance up into Sheppard's face before he managed to steady himself and answer him. "You'll be glad to know, Colonel, that's the only one I have." Then he turned back to the screen and just in time as McKay saw the data at fault.
God how he wanted to make Kavanaugh squirm but there were lives at stake. It's there, Kavanaugh. His voice tired, resigned.
Kavanaugh was going backwards and forwards over the same piece of data. Oh for gods sake. You want a neon sign and a GPS as well? How about idiot cards? Very apt if you ask me. He sighed heavily at the stupidity. The safety protocols for the shield have been switched to automatic. When the team came under a fire a projectile must have come though the gate, the automatic systems detected it and initiated the shield. We need to cancel out the safety protocols, bring the team home and then we can do a full fix and find out how the system got switched to automatic.
He heard Kavanaugh relay everything to Sheppard and oh how it burned. He watched him override the safety protocols oh so very slowly. Where did you learn to type? My god, my niece can type faster than this… hell, I think my cat can type faster than this. Back, back. You missed a five out there – it won't work and you will have to start again. You are aware that people might be dying on the other side of that gate aren't you? No wonder you don't get much work done if this is your work speed. Right, that's it. Now initiate it. What are you waiting for? Fireworks? Speech from the President? Fanfare? The Shield deactivated and the team fell through. The gate was shut down immediately and the medical team swooped in to tend them as Sheppard flew down the stairs to his men.
Always has to see their okay for himself. McKay found himself saying as Kavanaugh watched Sheppard move amongst the soldiers. Then he realized he was making conversation with the enemy and stopped abruptly.
Everyone came up, slapping Kavanaugh's back and saying how well he had done. Thank you, thank you. Of course, it would have been done faster if this imbecile could actually type and you know, if he wasn't actually in the room.
Kavanaugh got up and walked out of the control room. On his way to the lab he called into a bathroom on the way. After making sure it was empty he turned to the mirror with a huge grin. "Say what you want McKay. Everyone just saw ME fix the problem while you were lying around in the infirmary after making yet another mistake. Don't worry. I don't suspect you'll be lying around there much longer."
You know, I figure I have been procrastinating. I mean, why should I wait till I get out to plan your death. You know what? I think I'm gonna start right now. And I will get out of here Kavanaugh and you will wish you had taken the easy way out. Now, where shall we start? Hmmm, I'm thinking Ronon and erm…
He watched the smile fall from Kavanaughs face along with all the available blood as it paled. McKay had been expecting a reaction, but nothing quite so expressive, nothing so exquisite. Kavanaugh tried to put the smile back but was finding it impossible. McKay laughed, Okay then. Ronon it is. Now, with what in the where shall I kill you, Proffessor Plum?
McKay carried on. He may not have a plan to get out of here yet but if Sheppard had taught him anything it was never give up, to hold on till something turned up… and to be as insolent as possible in the meantime. In the end a paler, shakier Kavanaugh left the bathroom and carried on to the labs.
TBC