Tried to improve over the weekend but when I came into work I seem to have developed a bug on my flash drive. I've put in what changes I remember and this will have to do. Hope you enjoy.
Mind Meld:
Chapter Four:
Sheppard left the labs and started walking towards the mess hall to meet with Ronon. He had found himself looking at Kavanaugh's hands and yeah it was pretty weird how tightly they were gripping the seat but it was still that niggling feeling that he should have seen something. Something should have clicked. He walked into the Mess and got his dinner, joining Ronon who was already making his way through the high pile of food on his tray.
Ronon glanced up at him. "How's McKay."
"Same"
"You'll fix it., Sheppard."
Sheppard stared at him, and then sighed. "Yeah. Nothing yet but we'll find a way."
Ronon nodded and returned to his dinner.
Sheppard took a deep breath and stared at his dinner.
"You should eat."
Sheppard looked up at Ronon's voice and found him looking at him intently. Sheppard gave a tight smile and nodded. "Yeah, I should."
He dug his fork into his dinner and put it in his mouth, chewing slowly. He realised he was watching Ronon's hand. There was something about hands today. He let his mind wander, trying to put all the facts together. He went back over his conversation with Keller, a chemical imbalance that matched 'the omen' incident as McKay referred to it. A fly landed on Ronon's thumb and he saw him jerk it to scare the fly away.
John took another forkful and lifted it too his mouth.
An epiphany occurred.
John dropped his fork onto his plate and looked at Ronon in a shocked daze. He couldn't believe it. He replayed the day again, except this time everything fell into place. Everything that struck him as strange today suddenly had its place.
"Whats up?" Ronon growled.
"We need to go, we need to go now." Sheppard said, anger starting to bleed into his voice as certainty set in.
"I'm eating," Ronon stated.
"McKay needs us now, Ronon. Come back later and start again." Sheppard said as he yanked the fork out of Ronon's hand and threw it on his plate. "Come on!"
Ronon sighed and stood up to follow Sheppard out who was ordering a detail to detain Kavanaugh and take him to the cells via his radio. They were making their way to the holding cells.
"Isn't McKay in the infirmary?" asked Ronon, nodding in the other direction.
"His body is. McKay is inside Kavanaugh's head. Like when he and Cadman were sharing the same brain."
"How come Kavanaugh didn't know he was there? Shouldn't you have ordered him taken to the infirmary?"
"No," John bit out. "He's known from the start but he's not saying anything. I have an idea but I don't know for sure if it will work."
They made their way to the holding cells as Sheppard explained the situation to Ronon and what he wanted him to do.
They arrived, two guards out side. "Is Kavanaugh in there yet?" Sheppard queried, his body tense as anger stretched his back bone taut. The soldiers nodded. "I want everyone out."
"Sir?" the soldier queried and although John didn't want to explain himself a part of him was pleased and ultimately proud that his shoulders were strong enough, good enough to question such an order. "I need him to be alone. We won't do anything to him but I don't want him to know that."
The soldier nodded and commanded his detail to leave the vicinity. Ronon and Sheppard strolled into the holding cell, eyes hard, movement's predatory.
McKay stopped singing the Smurf song. Oh, I am so going to enjoy this. Hit him Ronon, hit him hard. Beat him to a pulp,"
"Colonel? What's going on? Why have the soldiers left?" Kavanaugh all but squealed. He straightened himself up tall, "You can't interrogate me without a prison detail. I know my rights."
"I know," Sheppard stated. The voice was flat, dangerous. "I know where McKay is."
Ho, ho, ho. You are so gonna get it, Kavanaugh. McKay started doing 'the old one two' punches mentally. Hit him hard and don't stop, Ronon.
The force field disappeared and Ronon slinked slowly into the cell as he pulled an evil looking knife from behind his back and advanced as it glinted in the light. His mouth set in a feral grin. Well, I guess this is as close to method number one as we're gonna get. Kavanaugh flinched and started backing away. McKay grinned, that is until a thought occurred to him.
Hey! I'm gonna get it too. That's not fair. Damn it, Nooooo!
McKay mentally tried to retract from the oncoming violence, tried to curl up into a ball. Which is why when Kavanaugh fainted, leaving no one in the driver seat per say, the body crumpled to the floor – in the foetal position.
"McKay?" Sheppard's voice was quiet and hesitant.
"McKay?" He repeated a little louder.
McKay realised a little later that nothing had happened. He looked up at Ronon. "You damn Neanderthal! If you hurt him, you're gonna hurt me! My god, I am surrounded by idiots. I wouldn't be surprised if this was his idea." He said as he flung an arm out in Sheppard's direction who was raising an eyebrow as a smirk started to spread across his face. His gaze flew to his arm. "Hey, his arm just did what I did." He rotated the arm, brought it in slowly and then back out again.
"Damn, McKay, but it's good to hear you." Sheppard said, grinning from ear to ear.
"Wait you can hear me?" McKay stated, shocked. "Oh, thank god," he sighed heavily. Then he backtracked over what he had said. He threw a nervous look at Ronon. "You know Neanderthal is meant as a term of endearment, right?"
Ronon gave one of his half smiles, which could easily be mistaken for an evil grin. He reached down and grasped McKay's forearm and pulled him to his feet, using his other hand to steady him. Once he was steady he gave him a brief hug and stepped back.
"Well, good. Erm… what happened?" McKay asked tentatively.
"Well, you were working on an A.T. in the lab when Kavanaugh…"
"Yes, yes… Free bus ride for that trip, thankyou," Rodney interrupted while pointing at Kavanaugh's head. "I meant how did you give me control of his body?"
"Oh, that." Sheppard grinned, an evil smirk. "I remembered that Ronon tends to make Kavanaugh faint and I figured if it was like Cadman then maybe you would get control of his body if I put him out of commission." Sheppard's smirk morphed into a wide grin.
"What?! But he could wake up at any time." McKay's thumb twitched against his forefinger. He continued in a rush. Pointing a finger at Sheppard, "Erm, right… you were right. Get the piece of A.T. and we both touch it, simultaneously. It should put me back where I belong and then I'm gonna kick his arse." He stopped suddenly and turned a worried look to Sheppard. "How long do you think we've got?"
Sheppard shrugged, "Could be anytime now." He grinned widely, "I could make a guess but I know how much you hate arbitrary numbers."
"Well, what are we doing standing around here talking then." McKay started to move forward and his leg crumpled under him. Sheppard rushed in, stopping as Ronon stepped in to catch Rodney and bring him upright.
TBC