A/N: Alright, so I'm a day over my predicted updating date thing…but here it is! This and chapter 6 was meant to be the same chapter but I didn't realize how long it would all be together, this chapter alone is quite lengthy. On a side note….Ironically today, I was watching the X-files on the Sci-fi channel and it so happened to be the sideshow episode, Humbug, that I made the joke about in Chapter 6….how crazy is that? Needless to say I was excited. Anyway, enough of that….enjoy!
Chapter Seven: Goa'ulds Have It Easier.
Since the morning started out as a complete disaster: Shampoo in his eye, a sloppy wash-up and not to mention he was sixty-eight percent still damp; Rodney McKay had come to believe that the rest of the day would follow the same shame spiral. With clothes lightly sticking to him, he walked briskly to the mess hall, hoping the wind of his hurried pace would dry the rest of him out. At least he got his hair from sticking in thirty different directions down to just one.
Slipping into the crowded mess hall, McKay kept to the walls, lowering his eyes so he wouldn't catch any of the awkward glances from any of the crew that noticed his arrival. It seemed to him, disclosed word traveled fast and at least every one knew a.) Sheppard was out and out, and b.) something was definitely wrong with the physicist. They just didn't know what; something Rodney was bent on keeping a secret. Though, as the days passed, he was becoming more and more irrational, perhaps it was the stress of it all, high stressful situations being his bane. If he couldn't concentrate, he couldn't be productive and that to Rodney, was worse then death.
But that irrational mind set was causing him to lose his composure, making him act un-accordingly. He could only blame Sheppard really. While Rodney tried to keep their situation a secret, John on more then one occasion had made the physicist confront him aloud. Those occasions becoming more and more frequent. Perhaps, McKay just didn't care any more if he looked crazy to anyone, if he suddenly started talking to a man who wasn't there; like John was some apparition that only he could see.
The only thing Rodney wanted now was a strong cup of coffee, a nice hot breakfast in his empty stomach, and to go the rest of the day without a Sheppard-related incident. Too bad, he remembered with a frown as he crept up behind the crew gathered near the kitchens, that fate was a cruel and contemptuous thing. And John Sheppard being more then enough, was its horseman of apocalypse.
McKay hopped, literally, on the end of the breakfast line, holding his tray firmly, debating the condition of that morning's choices of breakfast. None of which looked truly edible, then again, what did he expect from military cooking. This wasn't some five star restaurant, it was semi-well balanced nutrition that seemed to twitch in its metal bins when you weren't looking.
"Oh it's not that bad, quit being a baby." The horseman road in, beginning his reign of terror as McKay inched his way finally up to one of the cooks standing behind the glass buffet-like bar, complete with one of those handy-dandy sneeze guards. Quaint, but it wouldn't stop McKay from nit-picking every single item up for grabs today.
Ignoring Sheppard, McKay jammed a finger into the glass, leaving a smudgy finger print as he pointed to a row of plates wrapped up in cellophane. "What is that?" He asked hesitantly.
Glancing down to where the physicist was directing, the young cook looked back up with a pleasant smile, as she replied. "It's a Mediterranean omelet sir."
"Looks more old European to me." McKay smiled, trying to be witty with the young lady though the joke seemed to fall short from the cook's understanding. His frown returned soon after, as he turned his attentions back to the food laid out before him, knitting his brows in contemplation.
"Smells good to me, get it." John said lightly, wanting more then anything to get the omlete next to the Mediterranean. It looked insanely appetizing and if Sheppard did have a mouth, it would have been watering by now.
Wrinkling his nose Rodney shook his head."I'm not getting that, it's got bacon in it." He replied to John aloud, not even thinking about the confusion it would create.
The young cook, glanced to the people waiting behind the physicist who seemed to beglaring backimpatiently. "I'm sorry sir, we could maybe make you something without bacon in it." She offered, trying to move McKay along as respectfully as possible.
But John wasn't done arguing. "I thought you Canucks liked the bacon?"
"That's ham, and it's complete different." McKay snapped back, making the cook flinch. Rodney looked up, seeing the confusion on the girl's face and gave her an apologetic wince. Clearing his throat, he made up his mind without further delay. "I'll get scrambled eggs, on the moist sideplease don't dry them out, they tend to get stuck in my throat. Wheat toastnot white, light on the butterI swear you guys hose it on. Ah, three sausages…..and, two flapjacks."
"You want the rest of the cantina to go with that?" The Major quipped, un-amused.
Suddenly feeling like he was making a pig of himself in front of Sheppard and the female cook for that matter, Rodney's constitution melted away and he quickly corrected himself, embarrassed. "Oneflap jack….and no sausage." She nodded and set to work making up a fresh plate for the physicist, relieved to have the strange ordeal over with.
"Get oatmeal." Asked John softly. McKay could in any case let him get one thing for himself, even if technically it was all going in the physicist anyway. At the very least Sheppard could enjoy something he wanted.
"No." McKay replied harshly under his breath, watching the cook preparing a plate for him, silently urging her to go faster so he could get the hell out of there.
But, to Rodney's great annoyance the young cook stopped, still holding the slotted spoon filled with eggs and looked up at him. "Sir?"
Waving a dismissive hand, he chuckled awkwardly. "Oh, no, I was just….uh, thinking about something. Mentaldebate." Lowering his eyes, McKay could only imagine how incredibility weird he must have looked right then.
"I want oatmeal." Sheppard's voice upped in tone, contending with McKay.
Rodney rolled his eyes, taking the first plate handed to him rather roughly from the cook. "I don't care if you want it. I personally don't care for oatmeal so….I'm not getting it." He could feel the eyes of judgment on him, if people weren't looking then, they sure as hell were now.
"McKay…you might control your mouth and your stomach and the rest of your body, but I can be a pretty damn persistent pain in the ass too. Don't test me."
"Is that it sir?" The young cook carefully handed the last plate over the glass counter to McKay, hoping she had prepared everything the man's extreme specifics. McKay was a legend for sending things back.
"Humm?" Rodney ignored John once more, taking the plate less violently this time, giving the disturbed cook a thankful grin. He had to get out of here, crawl to some dark corner of the mess hall and eat like the schizophrenic monster he had become. There was no amount of damage control, no amount of explaining that could save him now. Besides that, Weir had specifically told him to keep the situation under wraps.
The Major growled, making Rodney's body suddenly tense up. "McKay……..I'm warning you."
"Yeah that's it, thank you." McKay gave out a choking laugh, clutching his tray to the metal railing the trays ran along and was about to slide it down and away to safety when suddenly, there was a great inhale from the Major, then singing in his head. Screaming and completely off-key.
"OOOOOOOOOOOH….MY BOLOGNA HAS A FIRST NAME, IT'S O-S-C-A-R, MY BOLOGNA HAS A SECOND NAME IT'S M-E-Y-E-R, CAUSE OSCAR MEYER HAS A WAY WITH…."
Sheppard's ballad made the physicist squeeze his eyes shut, trying to tune it out. This display turned the attention back on him as the cook and everyone else, noticed the line wasn't moving anymore. "Dr. McKay, are, are you alright?" She asked cautiously.
"B-O-L-O-G-N-A…..OOOOOOOOOOOOH MY BOLOGNA HAS A FIRST NAME, IT'S R-O-D-N-E-Y, MY BOLOGNA HAS A SECOND NAME IT'S M-C-K-A-Y…..CAUSE RODNEY MCKAY HAS A WAY TO….P-I-S-U-O-F-F!" "OOOOOOOOH..." John crooned over and over again, adding this last stanza with extra emphasis.
"GHA! Alright, alright!" McKay found himself suddenly shouting at the top of lungs to hear himself over the Major. The mess hall suddenly grew deathly quiet. Rodney slunk down into himself, wanting more then anything to melt away in the floor as he gave wayward glances to the cook. "I'd like a bowl of oatmeal too." He panted, thankful that the singing had stopped.
"Pssst….get raisins in it." Sheppard whispered.
One of Rodney's eyes twitched as he tried to compose himself, clearing his throat and speaking as pleasantly as he could to the cook. "With raisins please."
The young female solider nodded slowly, a look of pure fear on her face as she grasped for a bowl and filled it, handing it timidly to the physicist. He took it, carefully, straighten himself out by standing tall, and placed it on the tray. With a dignified nod he picked up his breakfast, and slowly turned to then scamper off into the busy mess hall. A spontaneous roof collapse right on top of him couldn't come at a better time. But, sadly….it didn't.
McKay ducked his head down, and shuffled along the rows of long tables, glancing up periodically for an empty seat somewhere far, far away from anything with two cents to rub together about him. He spotted Ford, thankful to find a familiar face who at least knew his plight. Quickly he whipped round the table and walked up to the opposite sideof where Aiden was experimentally forking his hash browns.
"Ford, you're looking well today." McKay spoke up pleasantly, setting his tray down and exhaustingly plopping down right after it. He looked up atthe young lieutenant as he ripped open the tab on his coffee cup and took a long burning swig.
"About average. How are you and the Major?" Ford asked, watching Rodneymake a pleasurable wince as he lowered his cup. Aiden hadn't seen the physicist in the flesh for the past few days, wondering how he was holding up, having Sheppard as a enforced roommate.
"Peachy." McKay replied sourly, picking up his fork and waving it about as he spoke. "You ever have those days where you want to take a thousand pencils, shove their backs in a sheet of drywall, and then run yourself into it. Repeatedly if possible?"
Ford chuckled lightly. "Can't say I have." As he shoveled a mix of eggs and browns in his mouth, chewing thoughtfully.
Reaching across the table, Rodney wrapped his fingers around the salt shaker and brought it over his plate, sprinkling his eggs as he continued. "Well let me tell you something lieutenant…not eventhedevilcould inspire you enough to do it. No, a demise like that takes a special kind of manipulation. One only I think the military can provide." He paused in his salting, looking off and nodding as he agreed with himself.
"Glad I could be of service and I wouldn't stop a pencils Skippy, trust me.." Sheppard threatened with a smile in his voice as he watched Rodney's hand continually tap up and down, shaker still in hand.
"Some eggs with your salt McKay?"
Slamming the salt shaker down, McKay held his fork upright towards his face, shouting. "That's it….If you don't shut up in the next two seconds I'm going to shove this fork so far up my nose I'll strike brainand I will find you!" He snarled.
"Major's wear'n you thin?" Ford asked gently, his mouth packed with toast. He did feel bad for the physicist. John was a great guy, Aiden could admit that, but being stuck with the man on a twenty-four hour basis for how ever many days it had been now was a challenge even he couldn't see himself doing.
"Gee, how did you guess?" Rodney snapped instinctively, regretting it afterwards. It wasn't Ford's fault. "I'm sorry. It's just….it's like Jimmy Norbal breathing down my neck again." Mememories flooded back in to the physicist's mind, painful, ridiculous memories that had no place being there at the time except to compare to the implausible situation he was living.
"Jimmy Norbal?" Aiden asked, generally interested as always.
McKay let go a small shutter, recalling his youth. "Yeah. High school bully. Use to rub my face in his armpit then shove me into my locker if I didn't give him my chemistry notes."
Ford sat back, tensing up like the eggs in his mouth had suddenly just turned rancid. "Oh man that's just wrong!" He dropped his fork, shaking his head in distain. "You mean he actually, stuck your head…" Aiden couldn't even finish the thought, opting to mimic it on himself; lifting his arm and making the motion.
Nodding, McKay went on. "Mmm….He never really used deodorant either. Point is Ford, may you never know the traumatizing power of a toilet-swirly."
"Man." Aiden sighed, feeling his appetite slowly come back to him. What he couldn't tell the physicist was that he and a few buds back at the military academy had more then accumulated their swirlies with the younger, easily lift-ablecadets.
Rodney continued, looking out into the mess hall dramatically. "I still have nightmares about it, in fact I'm living in one right now. Except, usually I'm naked and asked to recite the laws of quantum physics to which I've completely forgotten at that moment. Yet somehowthis seems worse." His eyes fell back on Ford who was laughing softly.
"Oh please." John chimed up suddenly. He could only stand McKay's complaining when there was a logical reason for it. Most of the time, the physicist's best ideas came out of him going off about something. But Sheppard knew perfectly well, Rodney had no reason for it this time…..factoring in something the Major wasn't sure why he knew,but hejust did. "Look where all those purple-nurples got you. You're leading a historical cross-galaxy mission and old Jimmy is a custodian at the same high school it took him like, eight years to graduate from. I think came out on top." Though after he said it, Johnfroze up, feeling the oncoming can-of-worms he just opened.
Rodney stopped his melodramatic prose and turned his eyes up to the mess hall ceiling, speaking halfly to it then back down at the table. " Well someone up there must like meyou waited a whole what, four minutes to comment about something….I'm so proud of you" The words though cut short as Rodney suddenly replayed what Sheppard had actually said just a second before. "wait, how did you know Norbal's main joy in life now is pushing brooms? I've never told anyone about that."
John was greeted then by another on-slot of memories, one in particular of McKay giving a lecture at his old high school and passing Norbal on the way to the auditorium, the once mighty juggernaut of a boy was now just a bent back and balding shell of his former self. "Ah…well. You remember how I can kinda read off your feelings…"
Rodney dropped his forkbouncing it off the plate, but at that point he didn't much care as he began openly accusing the empty seat next to Aiden, as if Sheppard were sitting there. "Areare you snooping in onmy memories!"
"Can he do that?" Ford watched the half-aloud debate between McKay and an empty chair with a slight amusement. He went so far as to glance to his right at the thin air. Aiden had to admit, most of the time he rooted for his commanding officer, but having someone be able to practically read your mind was not cool at all.
"Evidently." Rodney mumbled, snatching up his fork and violently stabbing at his pancake pretending it was the Major.
Sheppard sighed in frustration. There just seemed no way to make the physicist understand it wasn't his fault. "McKay I wasn't snooping. They just, pop up when you remember them, I can't help but see it too. It must have something to do with my mind's wave whatevers getting stronger."
"Well I can't read your thoughts!" McKay barked, making the people eating around him jump slightly and turn around to see what all the commotion was about. Rodney sent whoever he made eye contact with, an evil glare before slinking down in his seat. Great, he'd done it again.
"Theoretically, you are."
Clenching his lips tightly together, McKay held back the things he really wanted to say, though at this point Sheppard was more likely to just read them off him regardless. He pointed his fork up towards the ceiling once more, proclaiming. "Uh, you invaded my private memories, I don't think technicalities are the issue here. Quit peeking over my shoulder!"
Ford looked around, taking note to just how many people were watching Rodney's display of insanity and suddenly feeling sorry for him. He didn't want to add to the physicist's sense of exile by all the 'normal' people in the city, but even the young lieutenant was starting to feel weirded-out. He had a hard time being around McKay now, a lot of people did just naturally, but now….there was a blaring reason other then the man's complete lack of social ability. And for this Ford felt guilty, but, he just had to get away from him…them.
Inwardly, John continued the debate, trying to reason with his host. "And I just told you I can't help it. You think so many random thoughts in one minute then the average man thinks in an hour. So really, you should stop over-analyzing everything."
McKay at first coughed on his words, finding the Major's reasoning to be completely ridiculous. He was so bent on making his point, neither Rodney nor Sheppard noticed how uncomfortable Ford was getting in his seat. "Over-analyzeIf you didn't notice, John, that's my job!" McKay exclaimed.
Aiden, had enough. He lifted a thumb behind him, much like he had early that week back in the temple, taking hold of his unfinished breakfast with the other hand. "I'm ah….gonna go. See you laterguys." McKay shut up then, watching the lieutenant leave with a small wave before he could tell him to stay or even more so to apologize.
"See! You drove Ford off; again! He's not going to want to hang out with us anymore if you keep this up." John whined considerably, trying to make the physicist feel ashamed.
"Us!" Rodney shouted, quickly forgetting Aiden as he was whipped back to their fight. "If you hadn't noticed…" He then dropped his voice, realizing how many people were staring at him. McKay dropped his eyes and lowered his head, digging at his now chilled breakfast as he mumbled to his plate. "If you hadn't noticed Major this little predicament we're in is primarily who's fault? Oh yes….YOURS!" Rodney snarled through clenched teeth, though the sound traveled to the other tables around him quite easily.
Sheppard thought then if he could just get up and leave, most of this fighting, the embarrassment he was now feeling welling up in McKay never would have happened. It was easy before, when the two men had enough of each other, one would just concede and go. But now, such a simple gesture was impossible, making their as Rodney called it 'predicament' all the more difficult.
The Major decided to concede the only way he could now and lowered his tone to a more pleading and understanding one. "Just eat your breakfast, you're scaring people. Oh, and oatmeal next, before it gets all crusty."
About to rebut, Rodney realized that the man was right, he was even beginning to scare himself. So, swallowing his pride, McKay managed to swallow down his food, finding it bland and unsatisfying as he slid a blind hand for the bowl of raisin filled glory.
That day, and the next two after that replayed about just the same except for the fact that as the days drew closer to Sheppard's 'due' date, the Major grew quieter, less abrasive and more cooperative. In fact, to McKay's great surprise, John would go silent for long spells of time. Rodney was thankful for the chance to think clearly on solving their problem, but it also worried him quite a bit.
John wasn't one for not putting in his opinion about things, one of the characteristics Rodney liked most about him. It was all the verbal battles they had, since he finally had someone equal to him; at least in arguing capacity. Perhaps the Major wasn't as smart as him, but he sure could hold his own in a McKay onslaught.
But now, for the past three days, bringing them to the middle of the final week, John had become nearly absent from Rodney's day. The physicist, on breaks from his round the clock research in the labs went down to the infirmary, Beckett's orders, to have himself and Sheppard checked up on. Though these days Rodney had a hard time doing it since John's body was undeniably breaking down; covered in lesions and bruises now over forty-five percent of his body. They kept Sheppard's bodyunder a plastic tent, to keep his skin from getting further infected, and the sight of him was just plain horrible.
So, Rodney and Carson, did their best to keep away from that section of the infirmary, favoring running tests and scans on the opposite side of the room. McKay felt in someway, that John was thankful for that.
As Beckett expected, McKay's EEGs were changing drastically everyday now. Thus putting more unwanted stress on a already stressful situation. McKay often left the area more depressed then when he'd came in. But he had to wear his stone and unfazed face when back in the lab. He'd been running his selected team of scientists into the ground along with himself. They'd been up to all hours of the night, working restlessly on different theories, scenarios, anything that directly compared to the experience McKay had now described a million times. But with every ray of light, every possible answer, there came the brick wall of defeat. A calculation didn't fit or, the energy output wasn't enough of a comparison.
For all the equipment both known and unknown to Rodney and his staff, nothing seemed to help. He needed that machine back on the planet. McKay knew that, hell even the Major knew that. But what could you accomplish with your hands tied behind your back?
There was only one man who could do something, Rodney thought sadly as he made his way back to the labs early afternoon on the fifth day, after another depressing visit to the infirmary. One man and he….didn't even seem to be there anymore. McKay knew he was, becausesomehow he could feel him there, almost standing next to him all the time, moving as he moved, breathing as he breathed. But Sheppard was almost becoming like his shadow, and though he hated to admit it…Rodney missed John's constant commentary, ridicule, but mostly; his presence.
McKay was about to round the corner to the corridor his lab was located on when he heard a whispered conversation. What really stopped him dead in his tracks was the mention of his own name. The physicist stepped carefully up to the edge of the corner, peeking round to see the back of his most unfavorable person, his ridiculous pony tail hanging limply on his neck, conniving and vindictive voice filling the hallway. Kavanagh was speaking to one of McKay's lab assistance a young man Rodney thought was named…Englewich….wad…worth, whatever he was bad with names. It didn't matter, what did matter was what he was now overhearing coming straight out of Kavanagh's mouth.
"Did you know he didn't even mention my name to be on his precious research team?" He snarled, waving a convicting hand towards the lab assistant. "Well, it's not like they're ever going to find a thing here that's going to even relate to the device McKay's been bantering about."
Kavanagh whispered harshly. "I bet it doesn't even exist, I bet he made the whole damn thing up because they did something down there on that planet. Something got screwed up. Besides, it's not like Sheppard lost anything more then what wasn't up there already." He laughed….making McKay's stomach turn.
Rodney leaned in further, fingers gripping so hard into the wall he thought he might just bust them right through the metal. And thenwhat Kavanagh said next made the physicist see red, pure red.
Licking his lips, Kavanagh smiled viciously. Commenting as if it were something so light and meaningless. "Doesn't matter, they've got a week and a half left? Might as well just get it over with, right? There's enough meat-heads around here, to replace him. I mean come on, I'll even pull the plug myself."
Suddenly, Rodney felt something take over, he began moving round the corner against his will, stalking up behind Kavanagh and standing there, seeming to loom though the other scientist was well over his height. The lab assistant's eyes went wide, looking at the face just beyond Kavanagh's shoulder.
Without further thought, McKay raised his hand, lightly tapping Kavanagh on the back with a more then up beat. "Excuse me."
Rolling his eyes at being interrupted, Kavanagh turned round glancing down. "Yeah, what?" The rest of his sentence was cut short as he turned round, McKay found himself pulling an arm back like a drawn bow string, fist clenched so tightly that when it flew back, it struck Kavanagh right across the jaw, making the scientist spin back round. His glasses flew off onto the floor where they were soon met by the resttheir ownerin a crumpled and unconscious heap.
The lab assistant, Engle….what's-his-face mumbled a shocked sentence, though Rodney couldn't hear it through the blood pounding in his ears, and took off towards the lab to get some help.
As quickly as the madness came about it melted away. Rodney stood, flabbergasted at the sight of Kavanagh sprawled out on the ground. McKay raised the offending hand, looking at it as if it wasn't his own.
Several scientists flooded the hallway, gasping and commenting. Rodney looked up at the huddled group in surprise. His face pale, hand still up in front of him. "II—I" He manage to stutter.
"Dr. McKay…what did you do?" One female scientist spoke up, looking equally astonished.
"II" He repeated like a broken record, waving his aching hand in the air at them. "IDIDN'T DO IT!"
And then, deep within Rodney's head, after more then three days of complete silence he finally made a peep. Save it was more of a devilish laugh. "Now thatfelt so good."
"Heh-heh-heh" John let out a villainous snicker as he and McKay found themselves back, in the infirmary. Rodney was slumped on a cot, holding his inflamed hand and gently rubbing it. All the while he was shaking his head in total and rightfully deserved disgust.
"Well I hope you're pleased with yourself." He reprimanded softly, believing that thered color of his injured hand would never go away.
John laughed again, this time sounding more genuine. "Eh. I would have preferred Kavanagh wizzing in his shorts. But I'll deal. Come on, don't tell me somewhere deep down that didn't feel pretty damn satisfying."
Just then, arm slung around the shoulder of Englewhatever, Kavanagh passed by, his eyes turning towards where McKay sat.
Without thought, Rodney's injured hand suddenly rose up and wiggled its fingers to the scientist."Boo." Sheppard teased from within.
Kavanagh's eyes went wide through his crooked glasses as he screamed. "KkeepKeep him away from me!" A hand clamped around his swollen jaw as he was dragged away.
McKay watched the offending hand with shock and quickly snatched at his wrist, slamming his right hand to the bed and pinning it down with the other, where it proceeded to struggle back up against him.
"Knock it off!" Rodney shouted at it. His right hand relaxed then and he released it, testing his own control of it with a few shakes and finger squeezes. The pain returned in a wave making McKay regret moving it so much.
"You didn't have to hit him." He muttered then, fully aware now that this was all Sheppard's doing.
And to this John if not openly, admitted doing so. Replying with a defending. "After what he said about us? Guy had it coming."
"Yes John but not when you're using my body to do it. I have to work closely with those people on a daily basis, you don't. Now they all think I'm a nut-job." McKay contested.
"Nah McKay, they already knew you were nutsnow they know you're violently insane."
"Oh, goody for me, A promotion in rank. I REALLY APRECIATE THAT!" Rodney screamed, causing Kavanagh across the room, to groan with fear, a nurse trying to keep him from fleeing the bed.
Rodney watch as she settled the scientist back down with a sigh. For a few moments there was a blissful stretch of silence. He couldn't believe he actually missed this crap. The physicist then saw Carson come flying into the room, called from wherever he was before because of the little 'incident' John had caused. He took one look at Kavanagh, then a brief and reproachful one at McKay, making the man feel horrible for something he didn't even do.
"Did you see the look on old Kav's face before you decked him?" The Major chimed in.
Rodney paused his massaging to raise a finger of his good hand to no one. "Correction, before you decked him." He went on then again rubbingwith his injury, a small smile spreading across his face. "Andyes, it was priceless. He hit the ground like a sack of hammers. I don't think he knew what hit him."
Sheppard cooed knowingly. "See, you liked. I knew you did. You knocked him into next Tuesday, did you see the lift on his glasses? Man those things flew!" He said through a steady stream of laughter.
A snort shot through McKay and burst from his mouth to which he clapped his good hand on, trying to muffle his laugh. He did have to admit it really was quite hilarious how quickly Kavenaugh went down. Rodney calmed himselfto reply matter-of-factly.
"Well…he did, essentially call me stupid. Not to mention that 'plug' comment." "And…he did threaten Liz that one time, plus being a general pustule on the face of humanity I suppose if you really think about it……we did him a favor." His smile broadened.
"I'm the best of the meat-head clan around here, I don't know what the hell he's talking about."
Just then a very, very angry Scottish doctor walked up, tossing an ice pack at McKay. Theimpactmade the physicist yelp as he took the pack and placed it on his hand, trying to ignore Beckett's death glare. "So Rodney….you mind lettin' me in on why I shouldn't restrain you? What where you thinkin' layin' him out like that?"
"He's a dickwad, that's why." John interjected.
Rodney though, decided to be a bit less abrasive in his reply then Sheppard. "Being the marvel Kavanagh is, he made a few, colorful comments about me and the MajorJohn decided to make it clear he didn't like them." McKay then turned his head to the side, so that Beckett knew he was speaking to John and not him. "Which brings me to an important point….why are you able to control my arm?"
The Major was quiet for a second, recalling the moments up to the altercation. "I don't know….I heard what Kavanagh was saying about you and me ,and it pissed me off. I just, acted like I would have. I guess I really wanted to punch him, so I imagined doing it."
Beckett's temper cooled quickly, beginning to understand that perhaps it wasn't McKay doing the action, but John working through him. Carson's face drew very serious, believing his previous fears were becoming reality. Nodding, he replied shortly to both men, in a sense.
"I think it's time for another scan."
Night came without further incident to which Weir was more then thankful for as she made her way towards the infirmary, stopping in the doorway to see the area quiet and dark, a small light was lit on Beckett's desk where the doctor was currently sitting; looking over some sort of documents.
"I've just managed to overt Rodney getting lynched by half the research team." Elizabeth said as she walked up to Carson's desk, standing in front of it as she crossed her arms to her chest, less then pleased. "Where is he?"
Beckett looked up at her, nodding his head to the left. "They're..." Carson corrected. "…on the balcony. And I think that's the furthest thing on his mind right now Dr. Weir." Carson replied sadly, still holding the documents as he stood up and came round the desk, leaning on the edge. He plopped the papers back down on the desk and ran a hand through his rustled hair.
Sensing the man's worry, Weir lightened her tone. "What's wrong? Is it John?" She looked then across the room to the foggy plastic tent that was covering Sheppard's upper half, she could barely see the red stained bandages that covered up his face.
Beckett sighed, replying softly. "Yes actually. While you were defusing Kavanagh, I ran several EEG scans on McKay's brain over the pass few hours." He leaned sideways, tiredly grazing his fingers over a long printed read-out on his desk, drawing it up and handing the paper to Elizabeth. "Seems John's wave has by now, slipped up to a few inches away from Rodney's. The Major is beginnin' to gain control momentarily over his body and in a few days time….well."
Weir looked the lines over, seeing the blue pitching line that was supposedly Sheppard's was now a thick dark one, only a few ticks away from the now lightening grey line of McKay's "So it was John who hit Kavanagh, not Rodney." She asked, trying to comprehend it all.
The doctor nodded as Weir handed the papers back to him."As far as I can tell, yes. You see, John's personality is very strong and survivin' in character on a daily basis. Where as Rodney's a bit more meek when it comes to get up and go. One's a natural born fighter while the other is a natural born thinker. Not that I'm calling Sheppard ignorant…..but his will's a lot stronger then Rodney's in a long shot." Carson cleared his throat, talking softer so as only Elizabeth would hear the next parts. "Theoretically, since this whole thing started both brain waves have been battling over the same space, dominance over the host, McKay's body."
"And John's winning." The realization hit Weir like a stone.
"Looks so." Beckett looked to her with darkening expression.
She glanced off then to the row of doors leading out to the balcony, wondering if she should perhaps go and have a talk withRodney but then decidedagainst it perhaps he needed his time alone right now. Her eyes then fell to John's comatose body, or what was left of it. "Is there anything we can do?"
Hugging himself lightly, Beckett conjectured. "I've heard of repressin' multiple personalities with drugs and therapy, but the Major isn't just somethin' up in Rodney's head. He's playin' survival of the fittest completely in his nature, beyond his control. Soon, John's not goin' to be the one trapped anymore…..it'll be McKay instead."
Hearing this, Elizabeth turned her sights back to the doctor. "I'll try to get a communication going with the A'vokien government with the address Dran left us."
Carson raised a hand, motioning for her to wait, interjecting in all seriousness. "Elizabeth…what I'm saying is….in a few days time. It's not goin' to matter whether or not the A'voks give us the green light. The deterioration rate of John's body is increasing every day and even if Rodney does figure something out before he's lost control of himself, I don't think John could survive being back in his own body, even now."
Weir looked at him with a startled fear she contained in a frown. At a lost for words she tightened her jaw, fully resolved. "I have to try something doctor. For both their sakes."
Out on the balcony thewind blew shrilly, breaking the cool pleasant air for brief chilled moments. McKay proceeded to zip his jacket up, bearing the cold with a scowl. He'd been out there for some time now, at least an hour or two, enough to see the sun set. The ache in his hand had long dulled to an itching tingle as Rodney easily gripped the balcony's metal railing. This latest development had been the straw to break the physicist's back, so to speak. What was the point of him figuring out a way to separate him and John, if Sheppard couldn't even live in his own body anymore. And now it seemed Rodney was being even further punished for his failure by the threat of him being doomed to the same fate as the Major, except reverse. Trapped like a prisoner in his own body for the rest of his life.
"You're not a failure." Sheppard said sternly.
"What did we talk about? Humm? About the reading of thethoughts?"
"Sorry."
McKay clucked his tongue, he knew deep down John wasn't doing it on purpose. "Oh, it's not your fault John, well actually for the initial incident, yeah it is all your fault but for this…… I'm the weak one apparently." Rodney bent down then, taking a seat and dangling his legs off the side of the balcony, resting his forehead on the cool metal of the railing with a sigh. "I suppose, things can't get much worse can they? I mean, your body's going to be a puddle of scabby ooze in a few daysand you'll have mine to putter about in." He felt bad about saying it to John like that, but McKay at that point couldn't help but be bitter.
"Not much of a trade in." Sheppard joked; at that point, he couldn't help doing that instead.
"Thanks." McKay let out a shaken laugh. "I'm being kicked out of my own body and….I really do appreciate your humor now. God I'm going to miss being me." He shut his eyes as the wind picked up, the crash of waves below were almost hypnotizing.
After a moment, the Major spoke up, talking fondly. "You know what I miss. Other then eating and breathing and my own body of course. The moon…I miss being able to look up in the sky on the right nights and see the moon there." He sighed. "The sky's so black here."
"Yeah." Rodney agreed looking up to the dark ocean sky, splattered with unknown and foreign stars. "You know what I missmallomars and watching MST3k." He said honestly, smiling after a moment as he played with the zipper on his jacket's side pocket, zipping it up and down, enjoying the sound. He realized then that it was a very Sheppard thing to do. And so he stopped.
"Didn't they cancel that show?" The Major apparently hadn't noticed the zipper thing and continued on with the conversation.
McKay nodded laying back on the balcony so they could both stare up at the sky….his head was beginning to hurt again. "Yeah, but sometimes they run episodes of it early Saturday morning on that Sci-fi channel."
"Ah yes. Good channel, good show." John replied softly. At a loss for words.
"Yeah, yeah it was." McKay agreed, deciding to go off on his own little tangent of self-pitying memories, forcefully dragging John along for the ride. "And I miss spending weekends in Toronto. There's this one little mom and pop grocery store I'd go into every morning. I use to think the girl at the register had a thing for me; she'd give me her discount sometimes." Rodney recalled warmheartedly.
Sheppard gave a fake growl. "Oh you animal."
Amused, McKay shook his head, sobering after a moment. "Yeah, yeah, yeah. It would have been nice to go there one more time."
"You know…now that I think about it. Maybe I did jinx myself." Major admitted after a lengthy moment. The subject causing the physicist to suddenly flinch.
"You're such and jackass you know that! I told you not to touch that damn machine but you had to be all high and mighty leader and now……sorry, sorry." He let out a long drawn-out breath, shutting his eyes and taking on a more appropriate tone. "I suppose there's no point in beating the subject to death when we're in the same boat anyway."
"I miss my boat."
"You had a boat?" McKay cracked one eye open, looking about.
"Yeah, took it sailing all the time when I had leave, well before I got shipped out to the frozen asshole of the earth." Sheppard really did love the thing. Best investment he ever made, and about the only one he didn't regret. He remembered going days and days sailing from port to port, getting quite good at surviving out in the middle of the ocean fairly quickly. If there was ever the perfect place to escape, the sea was it.
"Did it have a name? Your boat I mean." McKay asked after a while, wondering just then why Sheppard had suddenly stopped talking. He figured the man was thinking on something and felt a bit bad interrupting. But John seemed happy to go on about it.
"Avius Filiusitsit...it's Latin for…"
"Wandering Son." McKay replied quickly with the translation as it popped into his head.
Sheppard laughed. "Very good. I uh, named it because of something my mom once said to me." As the Major spoke, his words sounded loving, far more gentler then Rodney had ever heard him speak as a deep feeling of longing swelled up in the physicist's heart. McKay didn't really know that much about John's family but from the way he was feeling right now John must have missed her greatly. "She said "Johnny, sometimes I don't think you belong here. You always seem to be somewhere else, even when you're right here. I'll never tell you not to go, wherever it is you go….but just…don't wander off too far."
"That's sweet." Rodney smiled, though suddenly that fond feeling was replaced by something his own mother said to him. He replied dejectedly. "On the other hand, my mom once told me that if I didn't succeed in anything not to worry, because her and my father were still young enough to try again to get it right." The physicist frowned deeply, for a moment focused on his own miserable childhood. "She was always the encouraging one." Just then he realized what he had done, wincing. "Sorrysorry, I didn't mean to ruin your fuzzy nostalgic moment."
"Hey, quit apologizing…." Sheppard replied, disregarding it as McKay being McKay. But soon after Rodney spoke up, interrupting him.
"John?"
"Yeah?"
McKay pulled himself up with a grunt, looking back out into the ocean. He wasn't one for waiting around, he knew John wasn't either but the overwhelming feeling of failure wouldn't leave him alone. And if anyone knew what to do, well John was always the one to go to for strategic situations. Things were so out of control now. "What are we supposed to do?" "I mean, the guys in the lab are running on fumes and all the comparable devices aren't comparable enough. AmI supposed to just, sit back in the infirmary and watch you turn to goo before kissing my physical reality good-bye?" He laughed bitterly. It figured…put the smartest man and the strongest man together and you get…..zip.
"Well, I wasn't going to suggest it." John snickered. "See I figured with you in here, I could finally make some sense out of War and Peace."
Rubbing a hand over his face, Rodney let out a low, frustraited growlin his palm, snorting the air. With all the things happening, all thelooming doom in the horizon, he was surprisingly calm. "I have to admit though we're taking this awfully well." He felt proud, perhaps some of John's survival skills were finally rubbing off on him.
"Sorry to break this to you Skip, but the only reason you're taking this so well is because I'm taking this so well. My sensibilities are overwriting yours, according to Beckett, that being the more watered down version of what he said." Sheppard responded bluntly. "I'm clam, ergo…you're calm."
"So this is what it feels like to have proper stress management." The physicist nodded, impressed. "It's…not so bad"
"Yeah, you get good enough at it and a catastrophe comes along….pfft….piece of cake."
They laughed for a while, until both men grew silent. They enjoyed the breeze, the crash of the rough ocean waves against the side of the city even with the occasional kick up of sea spray from below. For the first time in a long time, McKay felt….alive. Though the thought of it did little good for him now. That brief sense of calm faded into the lingering regret that always seemed to float just beneath the surface in the physicist. Failure, in his family meant more then just screwing up, even if the problem was no fault of your own. That nagging sense that, there was nothing he could do to save them both. Perhaps that's what Rodney sought redemption for the most.
"I tried John, I really did." He said then brokenly.
"I know, hell I was there. I can't blame you since I was a witness to the trying. There was trying." Though no matter how much the Major joked, Rodney was far from it now.
"If only I could figure out the right mechanics of it. I mean, I've gone over what happened, even factored in all the events of the day even up to that point and nothing works."
"That's because you're trying to work a miracle out of nothing McKay. You said it yourself, and I humbly agree if we could only get back to that POS in that temple, we'd have a better chance, and maybe it wouldn't be too late." "I still say we could take a Jumper, go in covert and get in and out before Dran and the rest of his asinine legion get a whiff of us." John reassured him.
"But." McKay began.
"But, Weir would have a fit, and I can't risk anything happening to you…if I was in my own body. Maybe. But not now." And He would have….had the situation been different. Sheppard would have laid his cards down then and there to solve the problem. Perhaps rolling in with guns blazing was a bit overdramatic but if it got the job done then so be it. It was about survival, he seemed to understand that more then anyone, except perhaps maybe Ford. Aiden knew what you had to do to survive, but then again they were military, McKay, thoughJohn didn't want to admit he was anything compaired tojust that, was still just a civilian. And it was that survival instinct that was dooming them both. John laughed to himself, even when he wasn't trying, just being John Sheppard was trouble enough.
"So, you're the team leader…what the hell do we do now?" McKay continued on, taking the Major's silence as a chance for him to reflect.
"Well I suppose as my last and final order….we wait." The Major replied, sounding down hearted. What a crappy last order.
"I hate waiting." McKay mumbled, picking up a piece of loose metal and chucking it toward the ocean. It missed, pinging off the railing and nearly hitting the physicist in the head. He moved quickly, dodging the chunk. He had to admit, at least John was giving him better reflexes.
Ignoring his host's obvious blunder, John replied. "Me too Rodney…me too."
They sat there again….lost in a silence of memory and dissatisfaction of being at a loss for something to do other then wait, thatboth men nearly missed the sudden sound blearing just underneath the cry of the wind. McKay perked up, rotating his torso towards the balcony's doors, hearing an alarm. At first a streak of panic shot through him as he thought it might be the life support equipment connected to the Major's body, until he listened more carefully, getting up on his feet.
Concentrating hard through McKay's ears, John instantly recognized the noise. "I might be mistaken Dr. McKay, but that there sounds like an incoming traveler."
Taking a few steps closer to the doors, Rodney licked his lips. "Think Dran's changed his mind?"
"I was thinking when hell froze over, but…who knows…things happen."
"Good enough for me." McKay quickly shot towards the doors and back into the infirmary to find it completely empty. It seemed that Beckett, and toMcKay's unknowingness Weir, also had heard the alarm long before and had left for the gate room already. Jogging through the infirmary, Rodney took a quick glance at John's body, wishing he was here in a better form then just in the physicist's head. If it was something other then Dran, something worse, say a Wraith attack, at least they'd have a better chance. Now their defenses were running one man short.
As quickly as he could, Rodney made his way through the corridors towards the gate room, finding the trip surprisingly easy. He had the Major to thank for that. And in no time McKay was jutting through the doorway to the upper deck of the control room and up to were Weir stood. She seemed at first shocked to see him.
"What's going on?" McKay asked, enjoying the fact that he wasn't immensely out of breath.
Grodin was sitting at the gate control console, looking the information over as it came streaming in, shrugging to Elizabeth. "I don't' know, the address isn't in the database."
"Could be anyone for all we know." Beckett, who was standing on the opposite side of Weir watched as the defense team was rushed in, covering the area with raised guns.
Nodding, Weir replied to Peter. "Raise the shield and open a com-channel."
Grodin pressed a few of the symbol etched buttons on the Ancient consol then a few key strokes later he gave Elizabeth a nod to go ahead.
Clearing her throat, Weir addressed the waving event-horizon of the Stargate. "This is Doctor Elizabeth Weir, please identify yourself."
There then came the crackle of static over the speakers of the laptop resting on the gate controls. Suddenly though through the static came a voice, sounding to them, very young yet unexpectedly official. "I am Keffis of the Yu'set Contingent; I mean you no harm and am currently unarmed." The voice continued after a moment. "I believe, you have something we want."
"Lower the shield." John replied quickly from inside McKay.
Weir looked from Grodin, to Carson, then to Rodney who simple shrugged, looking about as astonished as she felt at the moment. McKay shook his head replying logically.
"I don't know about you but I'm up for hearing something from a race supposedly extinct for centuries." "Besides, the Major wants us to do it."
Grodinglanced up to Elizabeth, his finger above the button to lower the only thing keeping them secure. "Dr. Weir?"
Elizabeth considered a moment, trying to weight the possible situations this could get them in. What if it was all the trick, what if it wasn't. She looked to Rodney then, considering what he had said John wanted. If Sheppard thought it was worth the risk…so did she. Weir swallowed hard. "Drop the shield, let's meet this Keffis."
TBC: Wooooo!
Things are about to get hectic, stay tuned for more! The next chapter will be full of much needed answers!
