A/N: The muses have the pots heating up on the stove…the bunnies are banging utensils on the table…Hope their deceased little friend tastes like chicken.

Chapter 10

Sunday Always Comes too Late

Now that he knew what to look for it was easy to find the glitch. It was not so much a glitch as a patched and overridden failsafe. Radek was the master of patching and overriding fail-safe. He did it every single day and was a pro. He now knew where to insert the virus in the two remaining chairs. It was a crude worm but would serve its purpose. It would release them…or that is what he told himself.

The medical staff entering the room did not interrupt him. The murmurs and questions did not deter him. Ronon's quiet, menacing threats against Pondo did not slow him down. Pondo squeaking and scuttling across the room into a ticked off Marine did not rate one little glance, quirked eyebrow, or nod. He was the Zen computer master of deleterious programming. He would show this antiquated bucket of bolts who was boss.

The conversations were low, but he eavesdropped without disturbing his flow. He might look like he was not paying attention to anything around him. He was quite adept at being unnoticed.

"Their temperatures are a little low and heart rates are too fast. Whatever stress this machine is putting on them is beginning to show its negative effects."

"Dr. Zelenka! Where are we?" Lorne asked Radek.

Zelenka did not look up but answered with fingers flying, "Closer and closer."

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Faces, names, places, and things flew past them. Rodney and John would find themselves in a helicopter taking an RPG hit, only to blink and be in a car accident on a slippery mountain road, to switch to drowning in a large body of water, burning alive in a building…car…jet…

The roulette wheel of their lives spun and stopped, spun and stopped. They faced memories, scenarios, and fantasies-- all at Atar's whim. He was working towards something though; they both knew it.

They went through their missions on Atlantis. The ones chosen seemed to center around those when they had lost members of the expedition. A satellite blowing up…a manufactured virus creating aneurysms…a Wraith feeding on a scientist in a long abandoned ship…partnered together in a Jumper on Sateda…trapped on a planet with hallucinations. Then, the grand master voyeur picked up on a pain so fresh, a hurt so open, a wound so raw…

The wheel stopped and the ball fell into its slot. Rodney and John woke up in their respective rooms on Atlantis. They sat up in their respective beds. They stood up, walked across their rooms to the doors, and they stepped out into the quiet corridors. It was a much needed day of rest on their fought-for and adopted home. Heightmeyer had wanted everyone to decompress for one day. Rodney and John stood shoulder to shoulder in a corridor on a beautiful, Sunday morning…in Atlantis.

The fact that their rooms were not next to each others did not seem to matter to the players in this act. Ronon walked down the hall from John's left and--

The pair swallowed convulsively as Carson walked down the hall from the opposite direction. "Fishin' today, you and me, Rodney. You ready?" The excitement in the face was so…painful.

Rodney's voice caught in his throat. His mouth opened and nothing came out. He stumbled over the wordless reply. He could not produce a single uttering.

"Sheppard, you ready for golf?" Ronon barked.

John did not even look at him. His total attention remained on Carson-- and Rodney. Throughout this whole experience, they had only short meetings or reminders of Carson. He was a flitting presence in most every scenario. This was a blatant challenge, because here Carson stood face to face with them on the fateful day wanting Rodney to go fishing with him.

"I have to go do this," Rodney turned and faced John as he spoke. "I…I…I can't watch this happen again. I'm going to go pretend I like bugs and bait and hooks, and catch that alien sea trout."

"We have to play this one out as it happened," John knew what he was asking. "To the end, Rodney. We have to give them time…"

"Time, time, time!" Atar stood before them clapping his hands. "All the time in the world. This Carson, you miss…his time is over. This is what I want, what I crave. This is so fresh it still oozes. You fellas sure can deliver the goods." Atar manically grinned. "I have not felt this alive since I was. Since I decided to give up my body and remain permanently in the game. We have a game to play. So let's play."

"You are alive?" Rodney asked agape. "I mean, were?" This made so much more sense than it should. It explained why he came across so much more solid than the other apparitions.

"During the last culling of my people, I hid here. No one survived…would have died anyway so might as well enjoy half-life!"

"But, there are people living on the planet," Rodney protested.

"Not my people, new residents…anyway on with the contest…" and Atar disappeared from sight but was definitely not out of mind. Except that he was out of his mind-- a few drones short of a full arsenal.

John leaned over to Rodney and whispered, "In certain circles, I believe that is what you call tetched in the head."

"No kidding, we're so screwed…he's not going to let us go…he's having too much fun. Our only hope is Dr. Fumbles McStupid…"

"McKay! Don't wig out on me now! We have to play this one out, on the off chance that he does let us go or when Radek gets us out."

"Sheppard, golf?" Ronon barked for a second time, waiting impatiently for a reply.

John swallowed and looked at McKay as he answered, "Coming, big guy. You're gonna love it."

"Rodney? Fishing? Ringing any bells?"

Loud and clear, thought Rodney morosely. "Carson, I'll meet up with you at lunch, I have to go talk with someone first."

"See you at lunch!" The sheer joy…painful.

Rodney frowned at the retreating back of Carson. He still hated fishing, but damn he wished he had gone. Teyla or the others might not have had a chance with Carson gone…but…BUT…BUT…

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"I'm almost ready!" Zelenka called out to the room of people. "I have the worm ready to upload. The way it works it will seek out objects for the Colonel and Rodney to use as weapons against the intelligence keeping them in the game."

"This Atar is very clever," Teyla added. "He knew everything we knew and any attempts you made to assist us, he detected, Radek."

"Yes, so the virus must look like it belongs. Ordinary everyday things. From what you said, he had problems replicating objects from our world. Maybe I can use that to give them hints."

Radek put the final touches on his little pet. Lorne stood behind Dr. Cole as she took another round of vitals. Her pinched look did not ease any of his fears. The team was looking peaked when the medical personnel got here. They were looking completely unhealthy when Ronon and Teyla were released. The Colonel and Dr. McKay were looking down right nightmarish now.

"Carson…Dr. Beckett told him he had better make at least three a day…it's pretty apparent he didn't," Dr. Cole said mainly to herself about John. "Ever since…the Colonel has been overseeing all of the repairs along with Dr. McKay. They both have been running themselves ragged."

"Yeah, Doc. Whenever you turn around, one of them's there. Guess that'll change once we get them out of there." Lorne stepped back. "Last chance, Pondo. Anything we need to know? Anything you can think of to get them out of there?"

Pondo gave a quick glance towards a very menacing Ronon before shaking his head 'no'.

"All yours, Dr. Zelenka."

Radek straightened himself up and pressed 'Enter'.

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John had spent his day as closely as he could have to that Sunday. He hit balls at the driving range. He got thoroughly pummeled in that absolutely ridiculous and made up game of Ronon's. He sat in his room drinking beer and listening to the Man in Black. He hoped that Rodney was going about his day as closely as well. He half-heartedly spoke with Ronon about things better left forgotten when it happened. The sound was muffled by the levels between them. At least this time it would not be his Teyla that had a shard sticking out of her.

He followed the path laid out for him by previous experience. He stood there as Carson rushed Teyla past him to the infirmary. He listlessly chatted with Zelenka as he explained it was not a bomb as they knew it. He followed Zelenka down to speak with Rodney. Rodney looked pale and shaken as he described the information he already knew.

As they went over the day, a voice spoke in John's ear. "Now Sheppard. Go get him."

It was Ronon's baritone whispering to him from somewhere else. As the voice finished speaking, the wall behind Rodney's computer sparkled and slithered. It beckoned them to follow it. After they stared at one another for a moment, Sheppard broke the silence. "Did you just hear Ronon…our Ronon?"

"No, but let's follow that thing…I may owe Radek a big apology for my previous thoughts on his skills." They exited the lab and followed the ribbon of sparkly light as it maneuvered along the walls. It was a tapeworm in the bowels of Atlantis and it led them straight to the operating room and Carson.

The worm glanced across a few operating instruments, sliming them with sparkly goop. Carson looked up from his doomed patient and snarled, "Your friend does not give up…we had a deal! But even this pathetic little attempt will not help you!"

The worm continued to glide across surfaces leaving its gift across many movable objects until it stopped. It targeted Carson and lunged.

"It's a virus and it's attacking Atar…by the way, you aren't fit to wear that face!" Rodney grabbed a scalpel and lunged at Carson.

A furious Atar repelled Rodney and flung him through the O.R. wall. The ribbon of code slithered closer only for Atar to step on it and squash it under his boot. Without wasting another second, John tackled Atar and held him down. "Now McKay! Use that thing now!"

Rodney stumbled through the wall and grabbed what looked like a saw. He ran towards Carson and Sheppard, readying his strike.

"Pity, I had wanted to play with two," Atar, still in Carson's body, inverted as he had done with Ronon and looked straight at John. "I guess it's just you and me."

Mid-lunge, Rodney shattered into a million little pieces leaving John quite alone.

TBC…