"Rodney, wake up!"
"Ungh?" Dr. McKay blinked, trying to avoid the glare from an overhead light. Why am I staring at a light? he wondered, Oh my God, am I dead?
"No, you're not dead," chuckled Radek.
"Did I just say that out loud?" the Canadian groaned.
Radek grinned. "You did, yes. And you have fainted yet again."
"I do not faint; I pass out, got it?"
"I believe the American phrase 'whatever' would be appropriate in this situation. Now come on, get on your feet, I'm taking you to Dr. Beckett."
"But…"
"Do not argue! I do not believe that you are thinking straight, Rodney."
The colour drained out of Rodney McKay's face. "You think I'm mad?"
"Of course not!"
Radek's answer was entirely too quick for Rodney's liking.
"Radek, earlier today I had a brainwave. I was so excited, I was acting on autopilot; I would not have done what I did under normal circumstances, I accept that. But I'm not crazy either; I was just very, very happy. Unusual, I know, but there it is. There is no need to take me to see Carson, because he'll only refer me to Kate Heightmeyer, and I really don't want that," he pleaded, giving Radek the 'puppy eyes' for good measure.
Radek Zelenka peered at his friend and co-worker intently. True, Rodney had been acting out of character, but he was sure that if Rodney was delusional, then Rodney would be the last person in two galaxies to admit it.
"I will accept that. Yet I must ask… what was your brainwave?"
Rodney grinned. "It's partly your brainwave too. You said that maybe I should allow other people to come up with good ideas. Well, why not? But not just the science staff; I want everyone to have a go."
"So you're just going to ask the population of Atlantis for ideas?"
"Exactly!" said McKay, "I'm going to put up a big notice in the Mess Hall. All anyone has to do is write their idea on it. It could be anonymous or signed, it doesn't matter. If we – that's you, me and Elizabeth - think the ideas have any potential, then we give them a go."
"I thought you said we'd just get crazy ideas."
"That's the point."
Radek just shook his head. Rodney noticed.
"Trust me; if you'd ever worked with Colonel Carter, you'd know that crazy ideas have an annoying habit of turning out to be brilliant. After all, if a stupid idea works, then it isn't stupid."
"Ok people, listen up!" bellowed Rodney, cutting across the chatter in the Mess Hall. Silence ensued fairly rapidly.
"Right then, I want you all to know about a little scheme that I'm trying out. I'm going to put this notice," he waved a large sheet of paper at his audience, "On the wall here. What I want you to do is to write on it any ideas that you have that you think would be beneficial to the city and it's inhabitants, no matter how insane or stupid you think they may be. If Dr. Zelenka, Dr. Weir and myself believe that the ideas are worth a shot, we'll give them a go, got it?"
Major Lorne acted as the unofficial spokesperson. "Uh, sure Dr. McKay. We'll give it a go."
Rodney nodded in response, turned, and tacked up the notice he'd been carrying.
It was only when Dr. McKay left the Mess did Lorne realise that there was a heading on the paper. It read 'The Sam Carter List.'