Waking
Rodney stepped onto the outcropping that had no business being in D.C. He sat down next to Sheppard who promptly offered him some candy.
"Jujube?" He popped one into his mouth and held the box in front of Rodney.
"Hello, citric acid," emphasized Rodney, mortified.
"Doesn't matter here; go on take it."
Rodney shook his head as a Wraith dart screeched over head.
"President thought he was safe in his bunker. Little did he know the Wraith mysteriously obtained Asgard beam technology." Sheppard gave a sly smile at his companion. "Wasn't me though."
Rodney watched as another person was scooped up in a dart.
"I know who you are."
Sheppard ignored him and continued commenting on the scene below. "Been watching that man over there. He dodges from building to building. Wanna take bets on how long he can evade them?"
A dart screamed by and scooped the man up.
"Whoops, never mind."
"You aren't the Colonel."
"Sing a song of sixpence; look in Sheppard's eye…" Sheppard pulled his lower eye lid down with his pointer finger. The green morphed into a yellow, reptilian, Wraith eye.
"You're a liar."
"Well now really?" Sheppard laughed. "But who's been lying to whom?"
His dark hair turned white and lengthened past his shoulders. His complexion turned sallow and then to a sicklier blue-green. His teeth sharpened and became fangs.
"Is this better?" He said as spittle hit Rodney in the face.
"I've been lying to myself. I'm not afraid of you…well I am…but not nearly as much as who is underneath."
Rodney grabbed the Wraith's face and dug his fingers in to the skin. He pulled the skin away. Blue eyes peeked back at him through the gore. He gave them a sad sigh.
"I'm such a liar. You're not even here." He waved his arm through the manifestation and it disappeared. "Kate didn't understand, I can't let myself do any of this," he said staring out at the devastated city.
Rodney stood and stepped up to the edge of the escarpment. He placed his back to the city and his toes on the edge of the cliff. He opened his arms wide and closed his eyes. He leaned back.
"What the fuck McKay!"
Rodney's descent was halted by a hand gripping his shirt.
"I come here to help and find you doing the Nestea plunge!"
McKay opened his eyes to the insane fury of Col. John Sheppard.
"Once again I ask what the fuck McKay?"
This Sheppard was different than the other. He was mad and in more ways than one. He even looked different.
Sheppard pulled him back onto the outcropping and let go. McKay smoothed the wrinkles on his shirt and stammered, "Wha…Who…What?"
Sheppard gave that self-righteous smirk, "Hi honey, we're home."
McKay did not know if this was real, imagined or…
Sheppard interrupted his confusion. "What are you doing? Hiding or just giving up?" He stepped up to the edge of the cliff and looked out. "While you were here so afraid of your shadow and entertaining your demented little fantasies, we were living the dream. I've been mostly dead all week, killed a woman, had another one's face blown off in front of me and destroyed the rear of one of the Jumpers. What've you been up to?"
McKay became defensive, "I'm protecting the rest of you from the menace that is Rodney McKay. Look at what I could do. Kolya made me talk. What makes you think I couldn't do this if the Wraith captured me? I might even like it."
"Please McKay, like we'd let you," he said gesturing around him to no one.
"We? Who are you talking about? There's no one else here."
"Sorry, I'm in two places at once. I see you and I see the infirmary. It's a long story and one I'd like to tell you." He closed his eyes and looked like he was fighting for something. "You think this is evil; you think you're evil…" He giggled as he reopened his eyes.
Rodney did not like the giggle. Sheppard did not giggle. Sheppard scoffed; he chortled; he guffawed; he did not giggle.
Before McKay could move Sheppard had a hold of his wrist. "This is the blackness of evil McKay. This is what evil feels like."
He felt any happiness, love or friendly notions drain from him. It sucked him into a spiral of greed, hate, selfishness, perverse desires and enjoyment of causing others pain and terror. All very familiar. It left as abruptly as it had begun.
The difference between that and what he had been dreaming was the ever present conflict in the back of his mind. He would wake up knowing the difference between right and wrong. This had no such distinction.
He frowned and studied Sheppard. He looked bad- not quite right.
"If you want to talk to me, Teyla or Ronon, you have to wake up right now. We're running out of time. Or I can reach my cold dead hand into your chest, grab your heart and squeeze it until it squishes through my fingers like Play-doh. You won't have to worry about any of this anymore. Up to you McKay."
Just like that, he was gone.
And so was McKay.
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McKay opened his eyes with a start. This time he was not joined by his usual self-loathing. He felt all right. He still was not totally healthy, but closer. He looked right at and through Sheppard, Teyla and Ronon.
"I see dead…"
"Don't you even finish that sentence McKay. You need to finish the movie if you want to make a joke." Again Sheppard closed his eyes and appeared to be fighting himself. "Good choice by the way."
"You'd better keep your cold dead hands to yourself Sheppard."
"Ronon! We need to get you over hear lad," called out Beckett interrupting the tender moment.
Everyone moved out of the curtained off area and over to Ronon's body. The curtain pulled wide, McKay saw his teammate for the first time since his little excursion to the land of the dead.
He sat up and moved to get off the bed. Elizabeth caught his arm. "Rodney, this is not going to be pretty. We're forcing their souls back into their bodies. The abbot said it could be violent and it could kill them." She fixed him with a serious glare. "This was done one other time and the young man made it just barely. He didn't have any injuries and they're in bad shape Rodney. Are you ready for this?"
"No, but I'm not leaving them."
He walked slowly guiding his IV pole over to stand next to Sheppard.
"I'm going to watch Ronon but I've got to get back in the cube. It's close to being depleted." He giggled again. "Conserve power, conserve power." He shot a mischievous glance at McKay.
"Alright here we go," said Carson. All the necessary equipment was standing by. Three teams waited for their patients. He gave the nod to Trece. She returned Ronon to the cube.
The Venerable took the Aeble and inserted it into the bottom of the cube. The added mechanism beeped and he withdrew it. The cube turned a dull red. He said a few words under his breath as he walked slowly to Ronon's body.
He carefully placed the scepter onto the man's abdomen and with a powerful downward thrust the seven blades penetrated Ronon's flesh. He depressed a button to send Ronon home.
Ronon's eyes snapped open and he took in a long strangled breath. He shook and grimaced and moaned as the scepter was removed. His eyes blinked rapidly and he grinned. Then the machines started their protestations and he went slack on the bed.
"We knew this might happen, he's in shock. Get him over here and let's get him stable," directed Beckett.
A flurry of activity surrounded his bed as IV's were started and catheters inserted. He was moved to the diagnostic bed.
Rodney looked at Teyla and Sheppard who stared at their own bodies dejectedly.
"From what Elizabeth said, the young man survived and he didn't even have access to Carson's innate grasp of medical hocus pocus."
Sheppard caught his gaze and smirked, "S'pose. Well, time to put Edwina back in bowl. See ya later." He gave one last, quick, beleaguered look and quietly blinked out of sight.
Teyla looked at Rodney, "It is good we have him." She watched the medical staff wheel herself over. She too was recalled for a brief and final stay in the Jell-O mold.
The Venerable repeated the procedure and Teyla repeated Ronon's reaction. Beckett's team repeated their actions.
Carson stood next to Rodney. "He's not going to be able to talk to you for a while. Anything you want to say to him?"
"We're good Carson. You just shake your rattle and bring on the juju."
Carson rolled his eyes and let out an exasperated snort.
After a few moments, the Venerable held the Aeble over Sheppard's stomach and thrusted it home.
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And on the seventh day, Sheppard woke up from his unrestful stint as the dearly departed.
His eyes shot open and he drew in his first breath. Those seven days had been less than idyllic . His brain reconnected with his body. The body was not happy. And when the body isn't happy, ain't nothing happy. It started sending in detailed and painful reports of his injuries.
The brain made a list and checked it twice. Everything was naughty and nothing was nice. Everything from back to chest to legs to head hurt so much that he could not even yell. His lungs let out the first intake and did not want to repeat the procedure. They did it reluctantly.
He jerked when the seven pronged fork was pulled out of his stomach.
A rapturous smile spread across his face. The pain might have been excruciating but, Goddamn, it felt good. He had nerve endings again, muscles again, bones again- he mentally performed a small happy dance for his previously expired self. And holy crap they all hurt.
Then his lungs mutinied. His heart decided what the hell and followed.
Behind the roar in his ears, the wailing of the machines grew dimmer along with the clipped voices.
Ah shit, he thought. He was going to die for the second time this week. If it happened right now, it would be alright. At least this time he was home and surrounded by friends. No more lonely, motherfucking, Kool-aid filled, Rubik's cubes of damnation.
He kept the grin for as long as he could until all features on his face slackened and he exhaled contently.
The last sound that filtered through was McKay's voice and boy was he pissed.
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A/N: Well here we are. Rodney glad you're back, now patience while your team is on the road to... recovery.