A/N - Set in early Season 3

The Crash Repair Centre

Dr Malcolm Brooks stood in the Jumper bay and sighed.

"'Join the expedition to see and research things you have never imagined,'" he grumbled out in recitation of the initial request he had received and answered.

He had given up an excellent research and lecturing post at a highly renowned university on Earth the moment he had signed the Secrets Act and found out exactly what the cryptic message had meant. He had been promised the chance to study highly advanced alien technology in another galaxy and had jumped at the chance.

Now here he was, two years later, still standing next to the spaceships called 'Puddle Jumpers,' which had been interesting at first, but were now almost his sole responsibility to maintain.

Dr Zelenka would help if they needed any upgrades or rapid repairs completed. Every day Brooks had to beat panels flat and reattach them after another marine pilot had been sloppy. He would replace windscreens and replenish drone supplies. The premier team often came back with the wires hanging down in the rear compartment. McKay always had such a way with the power crystals that it took Brooks most of the day to put them back where they belonged and change out the burnt ones.

He would watch the teams landing their Jumpers from behind another of the ships and felt the anger in him when they came out laughing and patting each other on the back. They were alive, yes, but the mess of the ship they had used to escape whatever jolly they had been on would need to be sorted out by him alone.

In fact, the only time Brooks felt valued was when he was allowed to fly the Jumpers using his ATA gene therapy and dip them in the ocean if they came back dirty. Sometimes he was even allowed to run a test flight, but he was not a pilot and that was not what he had signed up for.

He was staring at the most recent wreck to have limped through the gate and wobbled up to land in the Jumper bay. He tilted his head to the side as he studied the outer hull. The windscreen was cracked and one of the drive pods could not fully retract into the hull as it was hanging on by a thread. Numerous dents pockmarked the surface of the metal all over the ship and a large gash in the side tore the outer shell in half as it dragged along the length of the vessel.

Brooks tapped the required work into his tablet and baulked at the estimated labour time to repair the thing in order to get it airborne again.

He was so fed up with having to repair the Jumpers all the time that he had even tried to get reassigned to another department. He had asked Radek first, but he had been talked out of it.

He remembered Radek's words, "You are doing a very good job here, Dr Brooks, but I will see if I can add you to the rotation and ask someone else to take over for a while."

However, there had been no-one to relieve him, no matter who he asked or how hard he pushed, he was always left on Puddle Jumper repair duty. He even went to the head of science with his problem, but McKay had said something about "Sucking it up" and then brushed him off as he had gone back to whatever he was doing.

Brooks had found that people tended to slip through the cracks in McKay's department. His lack of people skills was well known by anyone who had heard of him. He viewed other people as a resource, rather than living, breathing and thinking beings like himself and this only made Brooks more annoyed at him than he ever had been before. He may be a brilliant scientist, but he should not be leading a department on merit alone. It took more than intelligence and in Brooks' opinion, McKay did not have the right to be the chief scientist of Atlantis.

He was so lost in his angry thoughts that he did not hear the other person approaching until a grating voice spoke, "Radek's called in sick today. As a favour he asked me to help out with the Jumpers as you're getting behind." There was a momentary pause before he added, "Again."

Brooks smiled, the culture he had stolen from the biology department and slipped into Zelenka's coffee had worked.

He hid his emotions as he spun round and faced the man he had wanted to help him that day. Everything was playing into his hands. He had finally managed to get McKay on his own and he would now be able to argue his case without interruptions.

Rodney's eyes widened when he caught sight of the Jumper behind Brooks. He said, "Is that even repairable?"

Brooks pursed his lips and said, "Yes, but it's going to take us all day."

He crouched down and opened the toolkit he had been holding and pulled out a long screwdriver. He was glad to be in his element around his department head and able to issue the orders. He said, "Strip off the damaged panels and I'll fix the engine." It also gave him the chance to delegate the worst tasks.

Brooks straightened up and saw that Rodney was looking at his hands and frowning, "And break all my nails? I don't think so!" He folded his arms over his chest and glared.

Brooks' grip on his tablet and the tool tightened as he felt annoyance flaring in his heart. He said carefully, "Actually, there's something I've been wanting to ask you. I'd like to switch sections to the technology lab."

McKay narrowed his eyes, "And why would you want to do that?"

Brooks floundered then, because his main reason was to alleviate the boredom. He knew he would never get a transfer if he said that to his unsympathetic boss, so he said, "Because I have years of experience in engineering and I've been constantly assigned to this bay for the whole time I've been here."

McKay lowered his arms down from where he had had them folded over himself. He scratched his head as he asked in confusion, "But I thought you were just a grease monkey?"

Brooks suddenly felt two years of anger burst forth like a dam breaking and before he could stop himself he released a long growl in fury and smashed the tablet in his left hand over McKay's head.

Rodney shouted indignantly, "What was that for?" He stumbled drunkenly and held the side of his head where the computer had struck him. He fumbled for his radio to call for help, but it was missing as it had skittered across the floor after the impact.

Brooks' anger intensified at McKay's ignorance and he shouted, "Two years! For two years you've had me doing this crappy job! Scraping muck off these ships and pulling out dents while you give yourself all the most interesting work and take all the credit for the best discoveries!"

Blood was running down the side of McKay's neck from a matted area of his hair and he blinked slowly. He slurred, "But aren't you an engineer? That's what you do."

Brooks lowered his voice and he dropped the broken tablet on the floor as he rounded on McKay. "I have advanced degrees in engineering, yes, but I'm not a car mechanic."

McKay was struggling to remain upright and his voice was weak as he said, "Then this job is perfect for you! These are advanced spaceships, not cars." He winced and asked angrily, "Why the hell did you hit me anyway?"

Brooks ran at him and before he knew what was going on, McKay shrieked and flinched backwards. Brooks brought the screwdriver forward and jabbed Rodney with the sharp end again. It was still not enough to do anything other than bruise, but McKay began fighting back weakly as his head injury drained his strength to practically nothing.

This enraged Brooks even more and he thumped Rodney in the stomach with his free hand. McKay bent over just as Brooks used the screwdriver again. The first two strikes had hit bone and only the third strike to the softer part of McKay's belly finally managed to punch through the thin material of his shirt and then his skin. McKay screamed in agony as Brooks kept driving the tool into him until the implement was well imbedded. He pulled on the handle to try and retrieve it, but it was stuck fast. The blood and tissue around the smooth metal had created a suction and sealed it inside him.

McKay was still standing upright and he was now silent as he looked down at himself and then at Brooks in shock. He reached up a shaking hand to touch his radio.

"Trying to call for help?" Brooks thought angrily, even though McKay's radio had been missing since he had used the tablet. Brooks had lost his weapon so he used his bunched up fist to smack McKay in the face. Rodney's head flew back from the force of the blow and when it returned to the centre, his nose was now bleeding.

His face screwed up in pain and he released a pitiful whimper from his partially opened mouth. His hands went down and curled underneath the handle sticking out of him and he finally had the sense to fold down onto the floor as he collapsed in a heap.

Brooks was still angry, but suddenly his rational mind kicked in and his face fell. His mouth dropped open and his eyes widened as he watched the still figure on the ground. McKay was now unconscious and blood was pooling around his head, but nothing was coming from the stab wound, at least nothing externally.

Brooks continued to watch him and shook his head as he whispered in shock, "What have I done?"

He left his victim where he had fallen and ran from the Jumper Bay in fright.


John sat in the mess hall at lunchtime and frowned. He was supposed to have been meeting Rodney, but he had not yet turned up. He tapped his radio, "Sheppard to McKay?"

There was no reply. John knew that Rodney always got engrossed in his work and sometimes would not answer his radio if he was busy. John grabbed an extra sandwich and walked over to the nearest transporter.

A few minutes later, John was standing in the science lab and a sense of foreboding had started as he could not find Rodney in there either. He spotted Radek as he hunched over a desk, holding his stomach and looking far too pale to be working.

John went over to him and said, "I thought you were sick?"

"I am, but I find it better to keep my mind on other things."

John glanced at the codes scrolling up the screen in front of Radek and shook his head. He said, "Have you seen McKay?"

"No. I asked him to help Dr Brooks with the Jumpers today. He has not been down here since this morning."

John felt a tight knot of worry in his chest so he jogged to the transporter and pressed the screen. He rematerialized and ran into the Jumper Bay. He immediately spotted Rodney on the floor next to a Jumper which appeared to be no more than a piece of scrap metal.

John ran over and knelt down next to the prone form. He tapped his radio, "Medical emergency in the Jumper Bay!"

Rodney was curled around an object protruding from his stomach as he lay on his side. John felt for a pulse and found a very weak and rapid one in Rodney's neck. He frowned when he saw the blood coming from a nasty head injury and took off his jacket and laid it over the wound to try and staunch the flow. He had no idea how long Rodney had been lying there.

"Just a few more minutes, Rodney," he said to his unconscious friend.

He glanced around the bay, but he could not see Rodney's attacker nearby. However, he did spot the toolkit a few metres away and matched the screwdrivers with the object sticking out of McKay. He winced and narrowed his eyes.

The medical team arrived and Carson pushed him aside as they worked and lifted Rodney up onto the gurney. Carson said, "Oh! Who did this to you, Rodney?"

Sheppard said, "Don't worry. We'll find them."

"Aye, make sure you do."

John knew Rodney was now in safe hands, but he tapped his radio anyway, "Ronon, Teyla. Rodney's been attacked, I need you to go to the infirmary and make sure no-one tries to finish what they started."

John went down to the Control Room to speak with Elizabeth and call up the video logs to see what had happened.


Rodney was very weak for several days after the attack. Carson kept him sedated to let the swelling caused by his head injuries go down. Surgery to remove the screwdriver and repair the damage had taken a very long time, but Carson was confident he would make a full recovery.

John sat next to him in the infirmary and frowned at the white bandage wrapped around Rodney's head and the dark circles of bruising around his eyes. He had watched the attack on the video feed, which made it even harder to see Rodney this way.

McKay winced as he narrowly opened his eyes. John gave him a little water and said, "We found him over in the panelling lab on the West Pier."

Rodney croaked, "Brooks?"

John grimaced, "Yes. He stepped into the machine used to flatten and create new panels for the Jumpers. He sealed it and then mentally activated it with his gene."

"Oh!"

Rodney furrowed his brow as he turned his head to the side and tried to move his hands up. He quickly thought better of it and lowered them back down to his sides.

Rodney spoke weakly as he said, "He was bored with his job. I thought people were only joking when they say, 'Bored to death.' I should've paid more attention."

"We know. We did some research after we found him and what he did to you. He's put in thirty separate transfer requests over the past two years. You denied him every time stating he was, 'Perfectly suited to his current role.'"

"I thought he was." Rodney said sadly. His eyes were watering and John called Carson over.

"Why didn't he just go back to Earth?" Rodney asked.

"Maybe he thought if he stayed he could eventually move onto a more interesting role."

John sighed and patted Rodney's arm, "While you're stuck in here and with your permission, I'm going to ask Zelenka to do a shakeup of the science department to make sure no-one else has slipped through the cracks and is about to go psycho on us."

Rodney grimaced and his bruised face was lined with pain as he whispered, "Please do."

Carson injected Rodney's IV line and as he drifted off to sleep his face smoothed out.

John leant in once Carson had gone and said in Rodney's ear, "Consider it done, but Jumper repairs will have to be on rotation now."


A/N - As ed263/ElisaD263 knows, I got quite badly mentally whumped at work recently. So my mind thought up a particularly nasty way to hurt poor Rodney. Finding a story to wrap around it was another matter though… Ouch! I hope you enjoyed it!