A/N: Hey everyone! Sorry for the long wait. I've had a bit of writer's block. There were a bunch of ways I wanted to take this fic and it was difficult to get it out but enough complaining by me, 'cuz here it is. Hope you enjoy. any critique is appreciated.

P.S.- to anyone that's reading Searching for Eden, don't worry. It shouldn't be too much longer. Again, sorry for the wait. Anyway, on with the fic. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Stargate or Cyborg 009.


Almost Human

ch.4

"Penny for your thoughts?"

Albert jumped at the voice coming from right next to him. 'Damn.' He'd been so in his own head, he hadn't even noticed Francois's approach. He shook his head. "I'm not really interested in sharing."

Francois sighed, resigned to settle in for the long haul on this one. It was the only way to get anywhere with the withdrawn German. She was thankful that the others had given them as much room as the small cargo plane would allow. They were all inconspicuously busy doing random small jobs or re-checking supplies. She turned her attention back to the closed off cyborg next to her. Knowing Albert wouldn't come right out and say what was bothering him, Francois decided to try a different route. "It's nice to see everyone again, isn't it?"

Albert shrugged. "Yeah, I guess." He wasn't going to make this easy.

"Come on. You have to admit you missed us…" She held up her thumb and forefinger, putting them close together and creating a small space. "…at least a little bit." This earned her a smile that was more of a slight curling at the corner of his lips, but a smile was a smile and a victory was a victory, no matter how small. She decided to continue along the same thread. "I can't wait to see Joe again." Unfortunately, this seemed to be the wrong thing to say. The small smile vanished.

"Rodney."

"What?" Francois frowned in confusion.

"His name is Rodney now."

She wasn't quite sure where he was going with this, but sensed it would lead to the current reason for Albert's brooding. "Okay, Rodney then."

Albert was silent for a moment, as if gathering his thoughts. "We're ruining his life…" He glanced at her. "…again."

"Why would you say that?"

He stared into her eyes in earnest. "Think about it. His life was ruined the first time when he was turned into a cyborg, and we just pulled him further into the chaos. Now…now he finally is living a normal life, a life that he had stolen from him. Is it really fair that we pull him back into this world?"

Francois wasn't really sure what to say to that. Albert had a point. Could they really tear Joe, 'no, it's Rodney', away from his new life. Fortunately, she didn't have to answer; Ivan spoke up from his carrier seat on the co-pilot's chair. "His life has already been irrevocably changed. If he truly has been reactivated, then he reverted back to his true form. He is most likely confused. People around him won't understand what is happening. If we don't go retrieve him, we could potentially be leaving him in danger."

Albert sighed, resigned but not happy. "Guess we have no choice."


Two weeks.

It was strange how two little, innocuous words could fill the minds of Atlantis's senior staff with dread.

After Elizabeth gave the deadline, silence permeated the room. Everyone's brains were too busy being rebooted after the systematic shutdown that the statement had brought upon them. Surprisingly, it was Rodney who was the first to recover from the initial shock.

Standing, Rodney swept up his laptop. "Well, if there's nothing more to discuss, I have work to do." They watched as he all but ran from the room before any of them could even think to move.

……

'Shit. Shit. Shit.' Rodney struggled not to hyperventilate as he moved through the halls of Atlantis, passing the labs instead of getting to work like he said. 'Two weeks.' The words kept running through his head like a broken record. Two weeks until everything went up in flames. Two weeks until the last little bit of his life was ruined and he ended up on a dissection table in some underground bunker back on earth.

Rodney broke into a full run when he reached the edge of Atlantis's inhabited area, only stopping when he reached the south pier. It was his favorite place to be alone on the nights he couldn't sleep but didn't want to work in the labs. It was the perfect place. The normal path had been damaged during the storm, and most of the city's residents didn't know the alternate route. Rodney had stumbled upon it purely by accident the first time. Over time the south pier became his haven when things were at their worst.

He sighed as he sat down on the end of the pier, legs dangling over the edge. He didn't know what he was going to do when the Daedalus arrived. There was no doubt in his mind about what was going to happen when the day came. They might try to come up with a plan to explain his sudden de-aging, but it would get out sooner or later. Then he'd have a one way ticket back to earth and the table.

Sheppard and the others might try to help him, but they'd abandon him in the end. They'd realize he wasn't worth their time. And why should they try and help him? He pulled off the bandage covering his damaged shoulder, exposing the circuitry underneath. 'Why would they? I'm not even human.'

……

Ronon picked up speed and passed Teyla and Sheppard as they left the conference room to search for McKay. "We shouldn't have let him leave."

"I know, but it's not like we knew he'd run away like that." Sheppard answered.

Teyla frowned. "We should have anticipated it."

"McKay runs when he is in pain. If we don't find him, he won't come out on his own." No one spoke as they ran past the main lab without even checking for the missing scientist. They knew Rodney well enough to know he didn't go back to work like he had said. Ronon had hit the nail on the head. There was no way that Rodney was as calm about this as he had pretended in the conference room.

The first place that they checked was Rodney's quarter, but all they found were bits and pieces of different technology and rumpled bedding. Their team balcony proved to be just as fruitless. Teyla and Sheppard paused after checking the rec area and commissary, but Ronon had a flash of memory and took off toward the city's south side.

He couldn't stand it.

He tried to remind himself that they were just concerned about him, but if one more person came up to him and told him how sorry they were that he had to go through everything a second time.

It was only a few days since the others had rescued him from Sateda and removed the second tracker from his back, but it seemed like an eternity. Everyone in the city was walking on eggshells around him, was being so careful, like they thought he would break if they said the wrong thing.

The coddling had forced him to find escape, which led to his current predicament. He knew where he was when he began running but as he ran on, Ronon had fallen into a trance of sorts. The end result was him wandering around lost in an unexplored part of the city. It seemed like he was going to have to radio someone to help him, but for now he would try to find his own way for a little longer.

Coming to a door, he activated the panel and watched as it opened sluggishly. He was surprised when he was met with a light, salty breeze instead of more dank, recycled air. He took a deep breath as he walked down the pier, instantly calmed by the peaceful surroundings.

There was a small tower at the end of the pier and Ronon made his way towards it. It wasn't until he had rounded the structure that the Satedan found out that he wasn't alone.

Asleep at the base of the structure was McKay, lying on his stomach. He almost turned left, but decided to go ahead and make sure the scientist really was just sleeping and okay.

He purposely made noise as he approached, causing McKay to jerk awake.

"Huh, Wha-?" Like usual, it took Rodney a moment to fully wake up and realize who was standing over him. "Jeeze, Conan! Try to give a little warning next time."

Ronon huffed out a laugh, ignoring McKay's change of his name, as he lowered himself to the ground next to McKay, who remained on his stomach. Ronon remembered that he had been hit in the ass with an arrow. McKay was also the only one who was treating him the same, the only one that acted normally. Ronon remembered what Beckett had told him, that McKay had insisted on coming with the rescue team despite his injury.

"What are you doing out here?"

The scientist shifted uneasily, mentally debating before finally deciding to answer. "I was sick of all the cracks I was getting for being shot in the ass with an arrow, so I came out here. Most people don't know how to get here, so it's a good place to be alone." He gestured towards Ronon. "What about you?"

"Tired of people being careful around me."

Rodney nodded in understanding.

……..

Not human.

Rodney grimaced and stood, staring at the ocean.

'Why would they want to help you?' The nasty little voice spoke in his head. 'You're not even human. You're a monster. A weapon. All you can bring them is pain and trouble.' His thoughts carried on in this manner as he watched the dark waves lap the sides of the pier. It wasn't fair to the others to make them try and protect him.

He continued to stare at the water. 'Things would be better if you took yourself out of the picture.' The insidious voice at the back of his mind spoke again. 'It's so easy. Just one step off the pier and you're gone.' Rodney shook his head trying to clear the dark thoughts, but they persisted.

He picked up one foot, preparing to take the final step off the edge. 'Just one step.' It could all be over.

Rodney closed his eyes.

He was on the cliff again.

The rain splattered against his face and plastered his hair to his face. He could hear the yells of the crowd behind him.

Turning his back to the cliff edge, Rodney faced them but found that the people from that dark memory were gone. Others had taken their place. Instead of the townspeople, the inhabitants of Atlantis surrounded him. Like the memory, they jeered and yelled at him. Threw profanities and called for his blood.

Elizabeth had taken the place of the police officer. Behind her, stood all of his friends.

He was wrong, this wasn't like the memory.

It was worse.

"Why don't you just jump?" Elizabeth's question was met with murmurs of agreement from his team, Carson, Radek, and Katie too.

"You don't deserve our friendship."

"Monster."

"Abomination." Katie's look of disgust cut deep.

"Not human."

Rodney faced the cliff. Maybe they were right. One step was all it took. He wouldn't survive this one. Then they'd be rid of him. He'd no longer be such a nuisance.

Before he could step off though, strong arms encircled Rodney and hauled him away from the end.

"McKay, what the hell!"

"Let me go!" He broke free from Ronon's tight hold after a moment's struggle, thanks to his mechanically enhanced muscles. "I wasn't going to do anything." Rodney tried to defend himself.

Sheppard wouldn't hear any of it. "Like hell you weren't! You were about to jump into the ocean! What were you thinking?"

"I wasn't doing anything!"

Ronon growled. "Don't lie."

Rodney had finally reached his limits. He seemed to break in front of them. "I'ts better this way."

Teyla frowned. "What way?"

"If I jump, there won't be any more problem. You won't have to worry."

The statement was met with shocked disbelief. "Why the hell would you think something like that, McKay?"

John couldn't believe what he was hearing. The person in front of him wasn't the Rodney McKay they all knew. This wasn't the arrogant, hypochondriac, that despite all his whining and fears was a loyal and honest friend. This wasn't the confident king-of-the-geeks that ruled the science labs with an iron fist. This person wasn't even recognizable.

"I'm not worth it. All I'm doing is bringing trouble to you all. You shouldn't have to defend me."

"Of course you're worth it. You're my best friend. You're our family. Everyone is gonna do everything they can to keep you from being someone's science project back on earth. We have Elizabeth, Carson, and Radek helping us, not to mention Lorne, Cadman, Dr. Brown and Kusanagi. There are others too."

Teyla and Ronon nodded in agreement as they stepped towards him, relaxing slighlty, confident that he wouldn't try to jump again. "We will not let them take you Rodney."

It seemed like the message was finally getting through but Rodney still shook his head in disbelief, not wanting to get his hopes up. "Why? I'm not even human." He sat down, shoulders slumping.

The others joined him on the ground. Ronon shook his head. "It doesn't matter."

"Yeah, you're human enough."


"Is everyone ready?"

They all nodded but before they could leave the clearing that the plane was in, Francois stopped them. "Wait!" She blushed slightly under their combined attention, hugging a package to her chest. "I made these a while ago, just in case we ever needed them." She opened the package to reveal a set of black uniforms.

Silence met her statement and Francois held her breath. No one was quite sure what to say. The uniforms seemed to bring home the real reason they were all there. It wasn't just a reunion. After what seemed like an eternity to Francois but in actuality lasted no more than a few seconds, it was broken.

Surprisingly, it was Albert who spoke first. He gently pulled a uniform out of the package and held it up, studying it. It was much like their old ones but without the retro flare. The red and yellow were gone. The uniform was made of supple, yet strong, black leather with deep red inlays in places. "It's beautiful craftsmanship. Thank you." He met her surprised look and smiled slightly when the others took their own uniforms and went off to change.

As they gathered again, now in uniform, and started towards the Cheyenne Mountain base, Francois found herself walking next to Albert.

"Thank you."

Francois's words caused him to glance at her. "It wasn't a big deal. I should be thanking you."

"For what?"

"For earlier. You helped pull me out of my head."

Before she could reply, something caught her eye. She called out to the others. "We're coming up to the base perimeter. There's a sentry station and the motor pool is just past it."

"That is to be expected. A base like this will have numerous checkpoints, even after we get inside." 001's brow creased. "There is something interfering with my telepathy but I can sense a large number of minds in the complex. Our best chance would be to infiltrate the base at night when most people are gone. The sun sets in six hours. This gives us plenty of time to finalize our plan."

They gathered closer as the final plans were laid.


007, also known as G.B., smiled as he drove the car the nice archeologist had so graciously let them borrow up to the sentry post. He rolled down the window as the car came to a stop.

The guard looked at him questioningly. "Can I help you?"

G.B. gave and embarrassed smile. "I left my work folder on my desk. I just wanted to grab it."

"I.D.?"

He handed over the plastic card, trying not to let his amusement show on his face as the guard scrutinized the picture, then him. There was no chance that he would realize the truth. 007 could change at the cellular level, making himself an exact replica of the archeologist that was currently sleeping soundly behind some bushes a few miles down the road.

He was handed back the I.D. as the gate opened. "Here ya go Dr. Rothman."

'Thanks." He allowed himself a smile as parked, heading to the access elevator into the base. 'Game on.'

The first part of the plan all rested on him. It was his job to disable the security system. Francois had mapped out the layout of the upper levels of the base during their wait, so he knew roughly were the controls for surveillance were. The only problem was that Robert Rothman would be out of place anywhere other than the archeology department. He needed to find somewhere to shift before he could go on.

Unfortunately he didn't get far before he ran into someone.

……..

Daniel Jackson stifled a yawn as he walked through the halls toward the mess for more coffee. Usually he'd use the coffee maker in his office but it was unfortunately empty.

The corridors were empty except for the military personnel on the night shift and the few scientists that were burning the midnight oil like him. Due to this, he was surprised when he found himself lying on the floor after running into Dr. Rothman while turning a corner.

The other man offered a hand up, apologizing. "Sorry. I didn't see you there."

Daniel picked up his coffee mug. "Don't worry about it Robert. What are you doing here anyway? I thought you had headed home already."

Rothman shrugged sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Forgot something in my office."

Daniel nodded but something didn't seem right. This definitely looked like Rothman, but something about him was just a little skewed. He just couldn't put his finger on it. "Okay. I was just gonna get some coffee. Did you want to get some for the ride home? I was just translating that artifact brought back from P3X-872. It seems to be a slight variation of Mayan. I think you'd be interested."

Rothman hesitated, which seemed strange to Daniel. The Robert Rothman he knew would jump at the opportunity to see the artifact. "Sorry but I really got to get going." Daniel watched as he quickly headed down the opposite corridor, frowning. 'That isn't the way to his office.'

Abandoning his search for coffee, Daniel instead, careful not to be seen, followed Rothman down the hall.

…...

Ducking into a restroom, G.B. quickly changed. He watched in the mirror as his face distorted from Rothman's to a bland one that would easily be forgotten. A buzz cut and fatigues finished off the ensemble.

He grinned. This was what he was born to do. He was an actor at heart and his cyborg modification took that to the next level. Quickly, he exited and head down the hall, easily finding the path to the surveillance room.

Daniel watched silently as someone came out of the restroom. He frowned, seeing that it wasn't Rothman but one of the military personnel.

He briefly checked the bathroom, but found it empty. Now truly worried, Daniel quickly made his way towards General Landry's office.

……..

Only one person was manning the station when 007 walked in. The corporal looked up when he spoke.

"I'm here to relieve you."

This earned a raised eyebrow. "Little early aren't you…" he glanced at 007's nametag. "…lieutenant Smith?"

"What are you complaining about, corporal?"

"Absolutely nothing, sir." He hurried out of the room, relieved to be receiving a break from the normally long hours of the SGC graveyard shift.

Sitting down, G.B. quickly sat and hacked into the system, easily shutting down the cameras throughout and outside the base. '001, can you hear me?'

He waited for a second, unsure if the telepath would be able to pick up his thoughts with whatever was interfering with his power.

"We're on our way in."

...

"003, can you see him anywhere."

Francois shook her head. "No, he's not in the first ten levels."

They split up, checking level after level but to no avail. The few personnel that they ran into were easily rendered unconscious but otherwise unhurt.

"007, do you see 009 anywhere on the surveillance system?"

'No, but I'll keep looking.' G.B. was just starting to really sift through the system when everything went haywire. One by one, the screens fuzzed then blacked out. 'Uh, Ivan, we have a problem.'

"What's wrong?" But there was no answer.

In the surveillance room, 007 was trying to reenter the system. Before he could do that or answer the question, a grim voice sounded behind him, accompanied by the noise of gun safeties releasing.

"I suggest you step away from the console, now."


Continue? Please review.

A/N: Bit of a cliffie, I know. please tell me what you think.