Rodney
"Alright! Let's give this bad boy a try... Start her up and slowly ease her into it." Radek and I have been working for quite a while on this particular simulation. I'm really tired, so I'm glad these results look promising. The sooner I get Cadman out of my head, the sooner I can sleep without her nagging at me.
"No, no, no, no. It's not ready. Some of these calculations are not right."
"Maybe you just don't understand them." Come on, Radek. The last time I was wrong on a calculation was when I overestimated the amount of plutonium I would need for my sixth-grade atomic bomb. At least it wasn't a working model...
The German scientist at least knows who to listen to. She's starting things up now. Looks good... looks good... looks good... DUCK! Damn explosions.
"Scheiss!" Hey lady, you kiss your mother with that mouth?
"What the hell happened!" Do I have to do everything myself around here?
"We started it up."
"I said slowly ease her into it!" I guess I do need to do everything.
"I was at three percent."
Zelenka's acting like a bureaucrat. "The power requirements are delicate. We should have run more simulations before we ..."
"Yes, yes! Twenty-twenty hindsight." Fine, let him have his moment of triumph.
"You shouldn't be here."
"I'm sorry?" Excuse me, what did you just say? In case you've forgotten, this is my lab and my life we're dealing with! I'm not going to leave either in the hands of underlings! Especially one that's probably dying to get my job.
"We are telling you these calculations are wrong. Having two consciousnesses inside of a single brain must be very taxing."
Why, you crazy Czech bastard. "Listen ..."
He interrupts. "You're making mistakes." Let me see that thing! Oh my God, he's right. How could I have missed that? That result is off by a factor of two! "Now leave it to me, before you do more harm than good."
Fine. Zelenka, I sure as hell hope you're as good as you think you are.
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Laura
Believe it or not, I think I'm actually feeling a bit sorry for McKay right now. If there's a problem, he needs to be doing something about it, not sitting on the sidelines waiting for someone else to try and solve it. He's like me in that way. "Alright! Let's give this bad boy a try... Start her up and slowly ease her into it."
"No, no, no, no. It's not ready. Some of these calculations are not right."
"Maybe you just don't understand them." From some of our earlier interactions, I know McKay really respects Dr. Z., although he'd probably die before admitting it. McKay is scared and trying to hide it.
Unfortunately, it looks like he has a good reason to be scared. They just tried to test the transformer... and it blew up. I like a good explosion as much as the next gal, but not when my life and sanity are at stake! (I'm not sure which is more important at this point.)
"What the hell happened!"
"We started it up." I don't know who that woman is, but I've got to hand it to her. She doesn't look intimidated at all by McKay.
"I said slowly ease her into it!"
"I was at three percent." She's being tactful. She knew this would never work.
Zelenka's more to the point. "The power requirements are delicate. We should have run more simulations before we ..."
"Yes, yes! Twenty-twenty hindsight."
"You shouldn't be here." Wow. That's blunter than I've seen before for Dr. Z. But if you look at him really closely, you can see the concern in his eyes. He respects McKay, too, even though he gives back as good as he gets when they bicker.
"I'm sorry?"
"We are telling you these calculations are wrong. Having two consciousnesses inside of a single brain must be very taxing." You have no idea. It's taxing for both consciousnesses! When this is all over, I'd love to tell Zelenka exactly what it was like in here!
"Listen ..."
"You're making mistakes. Now leave it to me, before you do more harm than good." Remember how I said I can't read McKay's thoughts? I can't, but I can pick up on the physiological responses. His heart rate just jumped at least 40 beats, and he's feeling lightheaded. Despite the snarking, he's more upset than he's letting on. He relies on that brain of his so much; it must be awful to feel like he's losing it.
See? Who needs Heightmeyer when you've got me?
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Rodney
This day was truly from hell, and it's lasted far too long. I can't sleep, though. Too many thoughts running through my head, and not all of them are mine.
"You're up late." Thank you, Colonel Obvious!
I'm not all that comfortable around Sheppard anymore. At first it was probably my lingering guilt about building the atomic bomb that he almost rode straight to hell. Now... I don't know. He's been distant, preoccupied. On P3M-736, he left me hanging in a tree, of all things! This isn't the John Sheppard I used to know; I'm not sure who this new guy is.
Best to keep things on a very superficial level. "Mmm. I couldn't sleep - I was, uh, trying to clear my head."
From the looks of it, he's feeling uncomfortable, too. "I, uh, hear the transformer test didn't go so well."
I wish the rumor mill around here weren't so well developed. "Well, you heard right."
"Uh, listen. I wanted you to know that I gave the command to take the Dart down." Yes, I know. And I know you had to do it, but you could have at least showed more regret about it than you actually did. Did you think at all about the likely horrific deaths that Cadman and I would have as a result?
"Well, much as I'd like to pretend that this is remotely your fault, the thought of what would've happened if you hadn't shot the Dart down is, uh ..."
"So, we're cool." Typical Sheppard. Some of us have a wider vocabulary, though.
"No, you're cool, I'm fine."
"You should get some sleep." Your concern for my wellbeing is touching.
"I could actually use some rest, Rodney."
Well, you're the reason I haven't been able to sleep! "She says she's tired."
"Goodnight." Heh. He can't get out of here fast enough. Run away from the crazy man, why don't you.
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Laura
McKay isn't the only one who can't sleep. As he haunts the corridors, I'm having trouble resting, too. I'm starting to feel really strange, like I'm losing my hold on reality. Maybe that's par for the course when you don't have a body, but who knows?
"You're up late." Part of me tries to snap to attention before I realize that I don't have hands to salute with! And I think that McKay would be pissed if I made him salute the colonel -- doubtless the two of them would bicker about it for days.
"Mmm. I couldn't sleep - I was, uh, trying to clear my head."
"I, uh, hear the transformer test didn't go so well." Don't think of it that way, sir. After all, it only blew up part of the lab.
"Well, you heard right."
"Uh, listen. I wanted you to know that I gave the command to take the Dart down." I hadn't been sure, but I figured it was him. I know I would have done exactly the same thing in his position. Letting the Wraith know that the city hadn't been destroyed would have been the ultimate disaster. They'd come back and lay siege again, and we would be hopelessly outgunned.
I understand this, but I'm not sure McKay does.
"Well, much as I'd like to pretend that this is remotely your fault, the thought of what would've happened if you hadn't shot the Dart down is, uh ..." Well, well. Sometimes he surprises me. He does get it. Guess the selfish bastard act is partly for show.
"So, we're cool."
"No, you're cool, I'm fine." However, he still doesn't always play well with others.
"You should get some sleep."
Thank you, sir! "I could actually use some rest, Rodney."
"She says she's tired."
"Goodnight." Don't look so disturbed, Colonel. I really am in here. McKay's not making this one up. (He isn't that imaginative.)
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Rodney
All right. Back in my quarters. Maybe this time I will be able to sleep. Ahhh. Nice prescription mattress. Glad I made them haul it over here on the Daedalus...
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Laura
Finally! It sure took this guy long enough to fall asleep. But he's out now, and it's time to see if Dr. Heightmeyer's theory about control was correct.
All right! I can open my eyes. McKay isn't complaining, so I'm betting that his consciousness is still asleep. (Did that sentence even make sense?) Anyway, I've got the body. Now what am I going to do with it? Just staying in his quarters and resting is boring.
Hmm. How am I going to find an excuse to go to the infirmary? Dr. Beckett seems like someone who stays up late at night. Maybe as McKay, I can find out more about what he thinks of me. (Okay, that sentence didn't even remotely make sense. Screw it.) Let me just pull the zipper at my throat down for effect, and... show time.
Walking to the infirmary now. Need to act casual in case anyone sees me... us. Ah, here we are. Sure enough, the good doctor is hunched over his computer, drinking coffee. And doesn't he look fine in that black sweater of his! Just give me a minute to enjoy the view...
He's looking up at me now. "Busy?"
"No, no. Come in. How're you feeling?" That's so sweet of him. Really, I'm fine, though. I'm just here to see the doctor... as a precaution. Yeah, that's it.
"Fine."
Why are you looking surprised? Oh yeah, probably because McKay's a hypochondriac. "Really?"
Ooh. Here's my chance. "Hmm. Merely because of Cadman. She's calming, you know? Between you and me, I am damned lucky it was her." That wasn't laying it on too thick, was it?
"Should you, uh ...?"
"Oh, she's asleep - can't hear a thing." Come on, talk to me, doc.
"Oh. Well, yes, then, she seems like a lovely lady."
YES! If... when we get out of this, I'm going to buy you a drink. Then you're going to buy me one, and we'll see what happens from there. "Oh! That is so nice!" I pat his hand, then leave mine on top of it. He's got nice hands... strong, competent...
Oops, gotta be careful. Dr. Beckett doesn't know it's me controlling our body. He's just going to think it's McKay being even nuttier than usual. "Oh, um, you wanna, uh, do me a favor? You know, you wanna, uh, ride shotgun on this date tomorrow night?"
"With Dr. Brown?"
"Katie." She doesn't really like to be called Dr. Brown. She says it sounds like the cream soda.
"You're going through with it?" He doesn't look like he thinks its a good idea. To be honest, I have some doubts, too, but it's such a good opportunity to teach McKay about the female mind. Katie's my friend, and I don't want him to hurt her by acting like a jerk.
"Well, I've cancelled on her so many times. I don't wanna mess this up." It's probably too late for that, but at least we can try.
"But what d'you want me to do?" Nothing. Just sit there and let me stare at you. Oops, I meant to say that you should give me a hand.
"Listen - I don't think it's any big secret that I am terrible with women..."
"Ha!"
"...having someone there to cut me off when I start making a fool of myself would be a great help." I'm so bad. If someone were to actually do that, McKay would never get a word in edgewise. "I'd consider it a personal favor."
"OK, Rodney, fine."
"Great!" Oh, yeah. While McKay and Katie are having their fun, I can have some of my own. It's only fair. Before I can stop myself, I pat Dr. Beckett on the shoulders. "And, thanks!"
TBC