Thank you Master :)
Notes: Hey! Only one chapter to go! Woohoo! Thanks a bunch you guys :)
Warning: bad words...again.
Variation
Mira returned with news of Jusyta's imminent arrival and everything was righted. Lokas claimed he had managed to convince the Lopstack to take the man, Jusyta, and others that would come after in exchange for Sheppard and McKay. Just like that, their problems were no more and they were free to return home, provided the rest of their team made it out of the squish.
"Letting them go?" Teyla, who had woken as Sheppard and McKay started their trek to the gate, was sceptical.
Lokas' smile was so wide, it must've stretched his skin painfully. He nodded enthusiastically. "Yes! The severance will no longer be necessary and your companions will be released!"
Utterly unconvinced, Ronon couldn't find it in himself to believe. Neither could Teyla, for she voiced the question that had formed in his mind. "A simple discussion managed to convince them?"
"No, it was a lengthy debate, but the argument on our part was most reasonable and satisfactory."
"How is that possible? Have they not said that Doctor McKay and Colonel Sheppard were the best subjects they had seen in many years?"
"Yes, but they recognise that a constant supply of willing subjects is much more to their advantage."
"You would allow them to use your people?" Teyla said, unable to doubt Lokas' sincerity but knowing she could never allow her people to be forced onto this world, into that infernal Pensey.
Lokas shook his head, his face losing the beaming quality that had been brought upon by the perceived joyous news. "You have seen what the results of a severance can be, Miss Emmagan. Granted, situations such as the one that arose from Oblee's loss of sense are as rare as green sky, but one occurrence of such a thing is one too many."
Ronon could see how living in your own mind would be preferable to living in many others. Had he the choice...he would chose neither of course, but was he forced, would he want his essence, his soul, to be sent away and left in the cares of others? Certainly not. He would rather see his mind be opened and explored as opposed to his soul split and made to find its way back to him. Indeed, the Lopstack were a lesser threat than Oblee had been. After all, death had never been an issue, not truly, not for McKay and Sheppard. There had only been the threat of a false life, a never-ending nightmare.
Teyla nodded after a brief reflexion. "We are fortunate to have encountered you and your people, Lokas."
A sad smile crossed Lokas' mouth. "You are too kind. Had you not encountered Oblee, you would have avoided many days of heartache...that are still continuing, if I am not mistaken." He pointed to the screen where Sheppard and McKay walked up the hill, hurtling venom-coated words at each other.
Teyla listened for some time before returning her attention to their apparent saviour. "It has been a difficult time for us all, but I believe the remaining problems we are facing are of our own doing." She looked at Ronon who nodded. "It will be resolved now that we have seen the errors in our actions."
Lokas nodded knowingly. "An open mind leads to an open heart," he said, his gaze resting on the image of Colonel Sheppard attempting to talk, or shout, some sense in a very stubborn man. Lokas had been more than impressed with John Sheppard; he was quite a remarkable man. It was surely a blessing from the Ancestors that had kept him alive.
Though Lokas' grief for the loss of his sister had barely lifted, he had no choice but to recognise she had been lost the day Banee was severed. Finding these new allies, this new arrangement, made the events leading to her demise that much easier to bear. Such a thing would never occur again; severance was a barbaric practice which they would soon leave behind, if all went according to plan. The High House would surely see this was the best course of action, a natural progression from archaic laws that left many in discontent to new ways that would not only benefit their people, but those on two different worlds: Atlantis and the one presently under their feet. He was taken out of his thoughts by a loud exclamation.
"They are fighting!" Teyla stood next to Ronon and watched in dismay as John Sheppard threw Rodney McKay to the ground.
--- ---
"HEY!" Rodney stands and pushes John right back.
Push turns to shove as two grown men turn into children.
"Bastard!"
Shove
"Stop it!"
Shove.
"No!"
Shove. Shove. Shove. That is how a Colonel cracks.
"Stop it!" Speaking through gritted teeth, Rodney turns, intent on ignoring the bully's childish ways, allowing John to send him plummeting to the ground. His nose meets a small rock and a warm trickle of blood drips down. "OW!" He moves to a sitting position, a hand gingerly touching his nose, glaring at the Colonel.
"What the hell's the matter with you?" Infuriated, John won't let himself care about the wounded look he sees hidden behind the glare.
"ME! What's the matter with you? You don't attack people and insult them without a reason!"
"You don't make fun of people because they're having a hard time dealing with your sudden resurrection! For fuck's sake! You killed yourself! I've been watching your corpse for days! Now you're back, telling me some coq and bull story about this," he spreads his arms wide, indicating all that surrounds them, "being fake. There are people, Rodney! Guards! They're following us! Want to tell me what the hell is really going on?"
Blue eyes widen and John can see that, finally, the continuing trauma of the past few days registers in Rodney's overcrowded mind. "Oh."
"Yeah, oh!" Such a small, insignificant word, yet it manages to lower John's boiling rage to a simmer.
"Well, guards, yes…" Rodney says, latching on to the safest part of the verbal attack that made him a victim. "Of course you would project guards, it's in your nature to be complicated, but points for thoroughness because I haven't seen anyone in a day or so…" He looks at the ground, nearly digging the toe of his boot in the dirt and blushing furiously, like a boy sharing secrets with his buddy. "And I can see how what you've…" he makes a vague circular motion with his hand, "…experienced, might lead one to be…uh…distraught?"
"Distraught," John confirms. Looking at Rodney, who is still poking at his nose, somehow reminds him that this is some kind of miracle and he really shouldn't ruin it. This whole thing must be good for Rodney's ego; resurrections and miracles taking him further along the god-like path he has set for himself. Not that John will bring it up, of course, must not feed the beast, as they say. He reaches out to pull Rodney's hand away, not overly concerned about the guards because Rodney is remarkably unbothered. John doesn't care about the how and the why at this time. "Let me see."
Rodney takes a step back. "No, it's fine. Now if you'll only believe me, you'll be able to control your environment, apparently you're good at that, Mister I go to Earth and have a party. I had to cancel a date, you know, for work. I cancelled a date…for work." His face falls comically, as he suddenly realises what he did to himself. He is somewhat like a child dropping his ice cream cone; left with disappointment, disbelief and the cruelty of the world.
With his patient air and his patient voice, John is pretty sure he can obtain anything, even from a McKay who has gone on a tangent and is not really paying attention to anything but the overwhelming bitterness of a ruined date. "I'm not going to hurt you. Come on, temper got the better of me. You can relate, can't you?" He serves Rodney his patented infuriating grin.
Rodney huffs without conviction. "It's still not a reason to push me! I don't push people!" He allows John to look at his nose, even if he knows there's nothing wrong with it. Sometimes it's nice to be fussed over.
"It is, and you do. You're an aggravating man, McKay."
"Nobody asked you to –"
John holds a hand up to stop the river of words he feels rushing his way. "But aggravation's a small price to pay." It is said with a careless tone and a shrug as John turns back toward the gate. "Come on, you're fine, let's get home. Assuming you're right about this." He can only hope that Rodney is indeed right. If all of this has been a hallucination, then his mind is a sick and twisted place, more so than he believed.
Pleased by the underlying affection, Rodney smilingly follows, insults and shoves neatly forgotten.
That is when their luck runs out.
More precisely, the Pensey overrides Rodney's will and listens to John's underlying fears. Three men jump out from beyond the hill that holds the gate and scream ridiculously loud. "Chaaaaarge."
"What the hell are they doing? You're not supposed to be here! Go away! GO AWAY!" Rodney makes little shooing motions, believing with all his might that if he just wishes it so, they will recognize his less than manly reaction as a serious threat.
John grabs the back of Rodney's shirt and pulls him away. They take off at a run, Rodney missing a step and tumbling down the hill. The hand still holding Rodney's shirt forces John to follow. They roll to the bottom and end up on their backs, looking up at a…thing.
"Rodney?"
"Yes John?" is the eerily calm reply.
"What's that?" John watches the amorphous green being move and realises he has seen it before. He is being confronted by the Blob, and it makes a strange sort of sense; his life has been a science-fiction movie for more than two years.
"This isn't happening, this isn't happening. It's you, isn't it? You didn't believe me and you did this!" Rodney sits up and points an accusing finger at John.
"I didn't do anything!"
"You must've, because I know for a fact there isn't anything here. We're in the squish, this is all in our minds and I didn't think any of this up! What did you do? And is that the BLOB!"
John sits up as well, his eyes fixed on the Blob. "I might've thought this was too easy," he says, as the guards approach and step right through the green sentient goo, coming out completely unscathed. Not really the Blob then, and isn't that a relief!
"Too easy! Too easy! Are you kidding me! What's been easy about this, uh? The beatings? The devices that won't work? Room seventeen? You disappearing or my apparent death?"
"When you put it that way…" The guards stop a few steps away and stay unmoving until John thinks that Rodney can't be here, it's not possible, and the guards will take him down any second now, because that is what guards do.
That is exactly what they do. They surround him and push him to the ground, like the schoolyard bully he was impersonating only moments before.
"Damn it, John! Stop it! It's you who's doing this!"
John's jaw is too busy being pounded by a fist to answer, but he does wonder why Rodney is not being detained, why he is the only one being beaten and why the Blob is there but not doing anything, much less taking their life force. Damn, everyone's after their life force! Every single person in this galaxy wants John's life, his essence, his soul, whatever they call it! He's sick. Of. It. SICK OF IT!
"Why are you doing this? We're almost there! Christ! You are a pain in the ass!"
John is dragged away by the guards and Rodney follows in continued berating. "You are such a jerk! You just want me to fail! Can't stand the idea of me saving you! You're little hero complex is annoying! You want to be the big man, loved and honoured by all? Fine! You beat them up, you beat them up now!"
"Rodney, just go away!"
"Oh my GOD! You still think you're making me up, don't you? You idiot! Fine! You asked for it! I'm going to kick some ass!" Rodney hopes he is creative enough to give himself some great moves. Knowing the whole environment, including the guards, is not real is incredibly freeing. There is no need for fear; this is Rodney's mind and it is as powerful as anything John can imagine. He will not stop them because he has trust and insanity issues, Rodney will not allow it!
John watches in amazement as Rodney grabs one guard by the arm and pulls him away. He spins him around so they are standing face to face and lands one beautiful left-hook on his delicate bone structure. With a satisfied smile he turns to the other guards, repeats the process and lets out a smug, "Ha!" as he watches them tumble to the ground and roll down the hill, cackling gleefully. He turns back to John who stands in transfixed astonishment, speaking in a hushed and reverent tone, "What did you do!"
"I kicked their asses, that's what!" He turns away, facing in the gate's direction where the Blob remains. "Now I'm going to deal with you, good for nothing sci-fi icon." He takes a few menacing steps, touches the Blob and amazes John, all in less than a minute.
Brushing off frozen green bits of used to be sentient goo off his face, John thinks he would never have figured Rodney capable of such things, though he should have known the man could kill things with his brain. He has no time to contemplate this unsettling concept as he is grabbed by the collar of his shirt and dragged to the gate.
"You will NOT think of anything, got it? I won't be fighting any more guards today! You will go through the gate and be grateful that you know a genius such as me! Grateful!" The rest is a whiney grumbling. "My fists hurt."
John nods, in a slightly dazed state, Rodney frowns and they reach the DHD.
--- ---
Teyla wore a similar incredulous expression as she thought that they had truly ignored Rodney's potential. Watching them wait for the wormhole to form, she believed all that was left to do was put two and two together.
It happened much faster than she had expected. As she watched Sheppard and McKay step through their illusionary gate, she heard a lurching sound. The squish split in two parts and bodies stumbled out.
Ronon was first to reach them. He couldn't help thinking that it was never this easy, but was not going to frown at their good fortune; they were overdue.
Sheppard groaned as he struggled to open his eyes. He heard a very similar sound coming from his left and all the blood he contained was replaced by relief. Any thoughts he might have generated were pushed aside for random words such as alive, sane, out, home, and… "Rodney?"
"Uhn…"
"Very articulate." John felt hands on his arms and he was pulled off the ground. He encountered Ronon's gaze. "Hey."
"Sheppard." Ronon smiled.
Teyla was at Rodney's side, soothing his numerous woes. "All is right, Rodney, we will be going home shortly."
"Really?"
"Yes. You did very well. We are proud of you…Ronon and I think it would be wise to train with you, you seem to have natural abilities."
He smiled. This was turning into quite a good day, despite the many aches and the concerning fact of their gelatine detainment. He welcomed the assisting hands that eased his rise off the ground and was soon standing upright, facing a smiling Sheppard.
"Hey Rodney. How you doing?"
"Good, much better. My fists are not throbbing and my nose doesn't hurt." He eyed Sheppard pointedly but was undone by the wide grin he found upon his face. "You?"
"Good, pretty damn good." Oh yeah, this was the life. Live friends, a complete team, and hey! Lokas!
They grinned inanely, under the amused gazes of Teyla, Ronon and Lokas. All that was left to do was wait for Jusyta and hope they would be freed. It seemed that, for once, all they needed were ruby slippers. If they happened to come in the shape of a tall redheaded man, who were they to complain?