Spoilers for 'Irresistible'
What happened on that next scouting mission?
"Sheppard! What are you doing?" Rodney McKay was thoroughly disgusted. "You are sneezing all over the control boards!"
John Sheppard closed his eyes briefly. On top of the headache he now had, he couldn't breathe. Indeed, the scouting missions would have been a lot more fun without a stupid cold, and McKay's constant whining about contagion. "Well, sorry, Rodney. You think I want to be out here right now?" Even with his eyes closed, the 'jumper gave him all the information he needed to fly the ship. No, he couldn't do it in his sleep, – at least he didn't think so – but he didn't need his eyes open. Besides, it always unnerved McKay, and that was the point.
"Would you stop that? One of these days, a giant asteroid or some space-related object is going to hit us, and how are you going to explain that to Elizabeth? 'I didn't see that black hole, Doctor Weir, 'cause I decided to fly the ship with my eyes closed.'"
A muffled snort came from the pilot. "I do not talk like that!" Sheppard cut his eyes in his companion's direction.
"Oh? All right then, Colonel Flyboy. What would you say after the 'jumper was destroyed? 'I'm such a damn good pilot, what do I need eyes for?' Please."
"First of all, I would not allow that to happen. Second," Sheppard's response was cut short by a hacking cough. "Second, the sensors are more reliable than your eyes, McKay. And," he added quietly, "I wouldn't tell her about the eyes closed thing."
"Hmph. I didn't think so." McKay paused, and thoughtfully looked over at the colonel. He was slightly pale, and he definitely looked tired. He would have pressed the issue further, but another question came to mind. "So, why did you agree to go on this mission?"
An easy smile came to the pilot's lips. "Why else?" Glancing over at his co-pilot, his smile became a grin. "Sure, I'd rather be in my nice warm bed, sleeping, eating soup... and did I mention sleeping?" He turned his eyes forward; they had lost some of their luster. "But this is important, and we need a better solution to our current problem. If we can take the burden off SGC, reserve energy used by the ZPM, and find a way to travel to Earth faster, I'll do whatever it takes."
Suddenly, he felt a cool hand on his forehead. "McKay!" The 'jumper lurched slightly as the pilot flinched, breaking his concentration. "What the hell are you doing?"
"I'm checking for a fever."
"I don't have a fever, Rodney!"
Leaning back, the scientist shrugged. "It was either that, or you think my plan is a good one." He crossed his arms tightly, eying the colonel with suspicious eyes.
The colonel shook his head, conjuring up another smile. "Yes, Doctor McKay. I do believe you may be onto something. Whether it works in our lifetime, is another matter. But, yes, it is quite genius, and you are a wise and kind man."
"Oh, now you're mocking me?" McKay gave an exasperated sigh. "That guy was kinda creepy, wasn't he?"
Sheppard's expression sobered. "I'm not gonna disagree with you there." He absently rubbed his temple as they flew back to the gate. "There's something definitely wrong in that little village."
"Hmmm. Yes. I wonder how Carson is handling it."
"I guess we'll find out soon enough." Another sneeze and cough wracked Sheppard's tired body. He hoped all was well just for once so he could get some sleep.
"I'm gonna mark that last planet as a possible –"
"No, you're not."
"Why not? It was one tiny village on a big empty planet! We can relocate them." McKay set his mouth in a firm line.
"Uh, no, Rodney. Our agreement was –"
"I know what the agreement was, Colonel, but it was one little village. We could send them to a nicer planet."
"They depended on the gate for trading. We can't tell them to move just so we can get home faster."
McKay sighed loudly. "Yes, yes, yes. We could at least ask them if –"
"No, Rodney! Could we drop this for now?" Again, he stopped to cough and rub his temple.
"I'd fly us home, but..." the hypochondriac man indicated the contaminated controls.
"Whatever, McKay. Dial the gate. You know," the colonel said matter-of-factly. "By being in my presence, you may have already caught my cold." Sheppard let a satisfied smile split his face. It was soon followed by cough and a sniff.
They landed in silence. Mostly because Sheppard could not get out a full sentence anymore without sneezing or coughing, so they both gave up on conversation.
McKay made a mental note to get disinfectant wipes for every jumper.
The End.
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I thought that episode needed some things, but all in all it was ok. Definitely not as bad as I thought it was gonna be, so I'm very glad of that. Looking forward to Lucius' return later in the season. Please R&R!