Chapter 4: Lessons in Being Human Allie's POV
I was hiding in my favorite little corner of the Atlantis central computer, trying very hard to stop crying. I was so tired of the effort everything took to do because of the damage that Atlantis had recently sustained. Every time the virus had caused another system to short circuit and I was around, it hurt. Then, the funny doctor, Mr. Zelenka, had finally gotten rid of the pesky thing, and the repairs had a long last begun. Everything had actually seemed to be going quite well, then he had started to yell. I don't like him, even if he is a member of SGA-1, and a good friend of John's. He's rude, obnoxious, mean to everyone around him, and thinks he knows everything. I had tried really hard to be nice, too, 'cause John said I should, but he's just a mean old man. I found a story in one of the computers that fit Dr. Smartypants exactly. He was a Grinch! I just wish I could figure out how to make him grow a heart. There must be something in the Database somewhere...
What if he was right, though? What if I really was hurting John? I had heard the doctor worrying about the effects that I had on him when I lost control before. I couldn't stand it if I kept hurting him, so here I was, hiding. It was actually pretty easy to do at the moment, since so many systems were still down. Instead of hearing bits and pieces from everywhere, I could only focus on one pathway at a time, hearing and seeing the activity in a very limited section of the city. That made it simple for me to just stay here and ignore everyone.
I love him, I don't want to go back to being alone!
Tears sliding down my cheeks again, I buried my face into my knees, biting back a scream of anger. Why did this have to be so hard! All I wanted was to be loved, to be human. Instead, everybody was so suspicious, so angry! I heard Dr. Weir say she didn't really know if they could trust me! My sobs just came harder and harder.
"Why don't they... they like me!" I wailed, a little surprised by the sound of my own voice, strangled and hoarse. "What if I really am hurting him!"
I knew, then, what I had to do, what John would do if he were in my place. He had taught me... so when I heard him calling me, pleading with me to answer him, I sent only one word.
"No."
I have to do this, I have to... Friends, family, don't hurt each other, that's what he said. They do what they have to, even when its really scary and hurts lots.
Slowly, painfully, piece by piece, I put up a wall between us. I didn't want to. It just wasn't fair! Angry now, I sat down against my wall with a pout.
Maybe I should shut the door to his bathroom in his face the next time he has to go? No, too easy...
Crash his computer? Nope, I'd already turned all the power off to his lab. Meany.
Ooh...I knew. Give Mr. Zelenka some help with whatever they were working on, then make sure Dr. Smartypants' computer had the wrong data! He'd look pretty stupid! Now, how could I-
I felt it then, the power surging through Atlantis wildly, a massive burst headed straight for my isolated little corner of the core. With horror, I jolted to my feet, but I knew I was already too late. Pain ran through me, and as I began to black out, I saw the power go straight through my carefully built wall and down the connection from me to John.
Rodney's POV...
With one last glance at the computer sitting dark on John's desk, I headed after my team mates, only to be stopped by a soft beep. Turning sharply, I looked around, but nothing had changed. Maybe I was hearing things now?
"Rodney!" Teyla's impatient summons started me out of the room once again-
Only to have the door shut in my face. Now I was beyond angry.
"Are you playing games with me, you little spoiled rotten excuse for a sentient life form!" I screamed at the ceiling. "Sheppard's missing and you're fooling around!"
My radio clicked. "Rodney? What just happened?" Elizabeth.
"Something slammed the door to Sheppard's quarters in my face!" With that sarcastic snarl, I punched at the door release, only to have the thing remain stubbornly in place. "I can't open it from this side!"
I could hear the frustration in Elizabeth's voice as she calmly replied. "All right, hang on. It won't respond from this side either."
With a resigned sigh, I turned to the desk, intending to grab Sheppard's laptop to begin working on the door, only to stop dead in my tracks. Words were slowly forming on the screen, disjointed, flickering.
'No. P. ow. ERSU rg e. jOhn. HeLP.'
Pow Ersu? What the-! No, that can't be right... First word, power. Power surge?
"Power surge? Oh, no, this is not good! So not good!"
Frantically, I tapped my radio. "Elizabeth! The power surge yesterday! The one those two fumble fingered morons set off in Zelenka's lab! That's what's wrong! I got it, Allie, now open the damn door! We have to find him!"
With a soft sigh, the door slid open and I darted through, crashing headlong into a Satedan road block. Did I ever mention how solid that man is? Someday, I'm going to have to run molecular tests because no human can be that dense! Well, in other parts then the head, anyway... At the moment, I simply bounced off, glaring at him, then at the others standing there staring at me uselessly.
"What are you all standing around here for? We need to find Sheppard, remember? If a power surge went through Allie into him, he could be dead by now! Ronon! You're so good at tracking, why aren't you finding him?"
I couldn't help it, I was yelling at them when I really wanted to be chewing myself out. I knew that the kid could be hurt by the uncontrolled surges set off yesterday, but I had been too mad at her to bother checking to make sure she was okay. If I had, I might have noticed something was wrong sooner. Some genius I was, leaving my friend God knew where in what horrible condition because I wouldn't look beyond my own nose! Carson was right, I was an idiot with the personal skills of a rattlesnake. Someone got too close and I bit them. Why, oh why couldn't people be like computers, nice and predictable? Dealing with human emotions was so...messy. Why would a nice computer like Allie ever want to take on humanity? It just didn't make any sense.
TBC Sooner than this last segment, I promise! All I can say is RL got REAL messy for awhile! To all who've faithfully been reading, my heartfelt thanks and apologies! Pyro.
