![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Title: Red Sky At Dawn - Part Nine
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
kellifer_fic
Fandom: Stargate: Atlantis, that is,![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
pegasus_b
Rating: Mature
Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. They come from the SciFi Original Series Stargate:Atlantis. Don't own, don't sue!
Summary - Just when he thought he knew how strong Rodney McKay was, there had been yet another layer peeled back, giving Jack an awareness that strength and courage in this man was without boundaries or borders, vast in its entirety and breathtaking to behold.
Jack had heard Rodney McKay described to him in all sorts of ways. The most common of these was annoying, arrogant and cowardly.
Watching Rodney up in front of a conference room full of people, breaking down the information he was trying to retrieve from his device, nobody would know that only a few scant hours before he had been a shaking mess, having to come to terms with being partly responsible for a young man’s death.
Rodney was his usual snarky, arrogant self on the surface and it was only because Jack had gotten to know the real Rodney beneath the layers of self-importance and derision that he recognized that deep down, Rodney was still wanting to be curled up in a little self-protective ball, grieving. He had snapped out of it and was now all stoic professionalism and Jack was amazed.
Just when he thought he knew how strong Rodney McKay was, there had been yet another layer peeled back, giving Jack an awareness that strength and courage in this man was without boundaries or borders, vast in its entirety and breathtaking to behold.
xxxxxx
“Quit it.”
“What?”
“That, what you were just doing.”
“I wasn’t –“
“You were staring.”
Daniel grimaced and returned to the console in front of him, Ancient scrolling across it while he searched. He could feel John’s gaze on him and flushed. “Okay, I’m sorry, I won’t do it anymore,” he apologized, knowing John was just daring him to look up with his intent gaze. Sometimes Daniel wondered about their connection and how a look from John could feel like a physical thing, heavy and present. He supposed him staring was probably worse.
“I suppose I should get used to it. The whole look, the crazy guy’s coming staring was just about dying down, now I get the look, the freak’s coming staring right on it’s tail.”
“You’re not a freak,” Daniel chided softly. He had been staring, but only in curiosity, knowing that there was something going on under John’s skin and just wondering if there was any physical manifestation of it. He risked another glance and was relieved to see John was now studying his nails. From all appearances, he looked exactly the same as the day they met. He was still tall, but maybe a little leaner and the dark hollows under his eyes were new, but the eyes themselves were the same intense green. He still had the palest skin Daniel had ever seen on a man that claimed to live for surfing and his hair still defied gravity. As if John could sense where Daniel’s eyes were without even looking up, his hand drifted towards his hair and patted at it, if anything making the cowlicks worse.
“Stop it,” John snapped, his eyes still fixed on his own hands and Daniel swallowed and nodded.
“Sorry.”
“Do you know what you’re looking for?” John asked, scooting his chair closer and bumping Daniel’s elbow with his own companiably. He was sitting backwards on a wheeled chair and crossed his arms over the back, resting his chin on them.
“Mentions of Ascension and their research into it. The Ancients, no matter how cool, didn’t just wake up one day and think, hmmm, I’m going to be an energy being today.”
John snorted. “How cool would it be were it that easy?”
“Anyway, I’ve been telling Elizabeth for a while that they must have been researching it for some time. Maybe it was something to escape the Wraith, or maybe it was something that was delayed because of the Wraith.”
“I really don’t think-“
Daniel swiveled his own chair to face John and put his hands on John’s elbows, looking at him patiently. “I can’t think of a better explanation, can you? You healed Teyla, just because you willed it. Come up with another way you could have done that and I’ll stop now.”
John blinked for a few seconds and then scrubbed hands through his hair and then over his face. “I don’t know what the hell is going on. As if my life wasn’t freaky enough, you know?”
Daniel squeezed his shoulder. “I know. There’s no normal for guys like us.”
John smiled and twirled his finger, indicating Daniel should get back to work. Daniel glanced back at him when he’d turned. “Where’s Teyla?”
“Still in the infirmary. The Doc’s doing some tests just in case this wasn’t me…” John’s voice trailed away and Daniel turned to see what had attracted his attention. He saw Ronon in the doorway, leaning against the jamb. There was an expression on his face that Daniel couldn’t read, almost a disappointment of sorts.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.” Ronon sighed and turned but John jumped out of his chair and jogged over to the door.
“I was just going, gotta get back to the infirmary,” he squeezed passed Ronon, giving him an assessing look and a nod to the two escorts as he went by.
Ronon seemed torn, standing in the doorway. Daniel smiled and waved him in. “It’s okay,” he waved a dismissive hand at Ronon’s guard who both nodded and stayed outside. Ronon entered the small room and pulled the door closed behind him.
“What is this?”
“One of the smaller reference rooms we set up. It’s got access to a lot of the database and you can work without being disturbed and sitting in the middle of the control room.”
Ronon nodded, that look still on his face. He started prowling around the room in his usual manner but it was smaller than Daniel’s quarters so his wandering brought him up to Daniel’s desk pretty quickly. He stood in front of it for a few seconds, tapping his fingers on the surface. Daniel quirked an eyebrow. “Is there something you needed?”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know, otherwise I wouldn’t have-“ Ronon waved his hand but Daniel had no idea what he was trying to elaborate.
“Didn’t know what?” he said slowly.
Ronon snorted. “Of course you would be… it would be…. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
Daniel steepled his fingers under his chin. “Ah, apart from that eating with cutlery thing and me having to take knives off you… are you going to now torture me by not finishing sentences?”
Ronon jerked his head at the doorway. “Him. I mean, I can see why. I just hadn’t seen it.”
“Him…who? Ronon, you’re going to have to help me out here. At least let me buy a vowel.”
“Vowel?” Ronon’s face had closed down into a frown.
“Right, sorry. Look, I’ve got a lot of Ancient database to pour through to find out what’s going on with John-“ Ronon’s expression closed down at the mention of John’s name and Daniel finally clicked. “Wait, John? What about him?”
“I hadn’t seen you together before but there is a unity there. I hadn’t realized.”
Daniel was watching Ronon carefully and it finally occurred to Daniel what Ronon was driving at. “Oh no, no, no… John’s with Teyla. We’re close and I love him a lot but I’m not with him. He’s like a brother, family.”
“Oh,” Ronon smiled, a feral glint in his eye that Daniel hadn’t seen before. “Good.” He reached across the table and grabbed a handful of the front of Daniel’s shirt, hauling him to his feet and practically across the table in one swift movement. Daniel yelped in surprise, which was muffled when his lips mashed against Ronon’s.
Daniel breathed in the breath that Ronon expelled and something he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding onto was released. Some of the blackness that had taken up residence in his heart was snapped like a cable and Daniel felt warmth flooding his veins, chasing away the coldness he just hadn’t been able to shake.
As the kiss became deeper and less awkward and Ronon grasped Daniel around the lower back with his free arm to haul him the rest of the way over the table, Daniel let go completely, surrendering to the wildness of the moment. He was now on the front edge of the desk with his legs splayed and Ronon between them. The top edge of the table was digging painfully into the back of his thighs but he was beyond caring about small things like that.
Daniel’s hands explored under the tatty shirt Ronon was wearing and rested on something that wasn’t warm skin. Ronon had a blade strapped to him, just under his breastbone. As Daniel’s fingers skipped over the cool metal, he had a flash.
Sawing through a man’s neck, sawing through to get to the snake inside it… blood… so much blood…
Daniel hauled backwards with a cry, scrabbling over the table and managing to upend it and himself, landing roughly on top of the Ancient console and feeling it break beneath him. A piece of the jagged monitor pierced upwards and Daniel moaned, feeling it slide between his ribs. Ronon was around the table and leaning over him when his two guards burst through the door, hearing the commotion.
They took in the upended furniture; Daniel bleeding on the floor and Ronon leaning over him and both brought their weapons up.
“No, don’t-“ Daniel tried to say but his voice came out in a dry whisper and he heard only the first shot before everything went black.
xxxxxxx
“So that’s it then?”
“It’s not working exactly the way I’d want yet but yes, that’s it. They sent a transmission out to the closest ship with a huge package of information. They seemed to have seen the gate address that was dialed or know a way to retrieve it that we haven’t figured out yet. In any case, they know we’re here.”
Rodney was standing in a room crowded with scientists and military personnel but his eyes only flicked between Elizabeth and Jack, dismissing the rest of the attendants. He had learned to read the ebb and flow of the city from these two people and if John had been there, he would have been searching his face as well.
“We can’t hide again, can we?” Elizabeth hazarded, her expression closed down, something Rodney recognized from when she was really worried and didn’t want to show it.
“We depleted the ZPM we had from our last little jaunt. We’ve been lucky twice now. It looks like third time’s the charm.”
“That can’t be it. There’s got to be –“
“Unless you have another ZPM in your pocket, I’d say we’re out of options.” Rodney overrode Jack, who blinked at him.
“We still have the device. Maybe a few Naquadah generators hooked up would do it.” Someone piped up from the back.
Rodney sighed. “There’s no way there’d be enough power, and even if there was, do you really think the Wraith would buy it a second time? They know we’re here and when they get here and find us magically gone, they’re going to know something’s up and wait, just in case.”
“So?” Jack prompted.
“I think we don’t have a choice this time. We’re going to have to evacuate.”
There was a cacophony of voices that greeted this news but through them all, clear as a bell even though said quietly, was one voice that simply said,
“No.”
All eyes turned to Elizabeth who stood up, pushing her chair back with a hand.
“No, we’re not going to run. We’ve been through too much, and call it what you will Rodney but I don’t think we’ve survived this long by luck. Every man and woman who died at the hands of the Goa’uld and the Wraith after them would expect us to make a stand, here and now. I have the most brilliant minds from Earth, all in one city.”
Elizabeth made her way to the door, only turning back to throw over her shoulder.
“Figure something out.”
Part Ten
Author:
kellifer_ficFandom: Stargate: Atlantis, that is,
pegasus_bRating: Mature
Disclaimer: I don't own any of these characters. They come from the SciFi Original Series Stargate:Atlantis. Don't own, don't sue!
Summary - Just when he thought he knew how strong Rodney McKay was, there had been yet another layer peeled back, giving Jack an awareness that strength and courage in this man was without boundaries or borders, vast in its entirety and breathtaking to behold.
Jack had heard Rodney McKay described to him in all sorts of ways. The most common of these was annoying, arrogant and cowardly.
Watching Rodney up in front of a conference room full of people, breaking down the information he was trying to retrieve from his device, nobody would know that only a few scant hours before he had been a shaking mess, having to come to terms with being partly responsible for a young man’s death.
Rodney was his usual snarky, arrogant self on the surface and it was only because Jack had gotten to know the real Rodney beneath the layers of self-importance and derision that he recognized that deep down, Rodney was still wanting to be curled up in a little self-protective ball, grieving. He had snapped out of it and was now all stoic professionalism and Jack was amazed.
Just when he thought he knew how strong Rodney McKay was, there had been yet another layer peeled back, giving Jack an awareness that strength and courage in this man was without boundaries or borders, vast in its entirety and breathtaking to behold.
xxxxxx
“Quit it.”
“What?”
“That, what you were just doing.”
“I wasn’t –“
“You were staring.”
Daniel grimaced and returned to the console in front of him, Ancient scrolling across it while he searched. He could feel John’s gaze on him and flushed. “Okay, I’m sorry, I won’t do it anymore,” he apologized, knowing John was just daring him to look up with his intent gaze. Sometimes Daniel wondered about their connection and how a look from John could feel like a physical thing, heavy and present. He supposed him staring was probably worse.
“I suppose I should get used to it. The whole look, the crazy guy’s coming staring was just about dying down, now I get the look, the freak’s coming staring right on it’s tail.”
“You’re not a freak,” Daniel chided softly. He had been staring, but only in curiosity, knowing that there was something going on under John’s skin and just wondering if there was any physical manifestation of it. He risked another glance and was relieved to see John was now studying his nails. From all appearances, he looked exactly the same as the day they met. He was still tall, but maybe a little leaner and the dark hollows under his eyes were new, but the eyes themselves were the same intense green. He still had the palest skin Daniel had ever seen on a man that claimed to live for surfing and his hair still defied gravity. As if John could sense where Daniel’s eyes were without even looking up, his hand drifted towards his hair and patted at it, if anything making the cowlicks worse.
“Stop it,” John snapped, his eyes still fixed on his own hands and Daniel swallowed and nodded.
“Sorry.”
“Do you know what you’re looking for?” John asked, scooting his chair closer and bumping Daniel’s elbow with his own companiably. He was sitting backwards on a wheeled chair and crossed his arms over the back, resting his chin on them.
“Mentions of Ascension and their research into it. The Ancients, no matter how cool, didn’t just wake up one day and think, hmmm, I’m going to be an energy being today.”
John snorted. “How cool would it be were it that easy?”
“Anyway, I’ve been telling Elizabeth for a while that they must have been researching it for some time. Maybe it was something to escape the Wraith, or maybe it was something that was delayed because of the Wraith.”
“I really don’t think-“
Daniel swiveled his own chair to face John and put his hands on John’s elbows, looking at him patiently. “I can’t think of a better explanation, can you? You healed Teyla, just because you willed it. Come up with another way you could have done that and I’ll stop now.”
John blinked for a few seconds and then scrubbed hands through his hair and then over his face. “I don’t know what the hell is going on. As if my life wasn’t freaky enough, you know?”
Daniel squeezed his shoulder. “I know. There’s no normal for guys like us.”
John smiled and twirled his finger, indicating Daniel should get back to work. Daniel glanced back at him when he’d turned. “Where’s Teyla?”
“Still in the infirmary. The Doc’s doing some tests just in case this wasn’t me…” John’s voice trailed away and Daniel turned to see what had attracted his attention. He saw Ronon in the doorway, leaning against the jamb. There was an expression on his face that Daniel couldn’t read, almost a disappointment of sorts.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt.” Ronon sighed and turned but John jumped out of his chair and jogged over to the door.
“I was just going, gotta get back to the infirmary,” he squeezed passed Ronon, giving him an assessing look and a nod to the two escorts as he went by.
Ronon seemed torn, standing in the doorway. Daniel smiled and waved him in. “It’s okay,” he waved a dismissive hand at Ronon’s guard who both nodded and stayed outside. Ronon entered the small room and pulled the door closed behind him.
“What is this?”
“One of the smaller reference rooms we set up. It’s got access to a lot of the database and you can work without being disturbed and sitting in the middle of the control room.”
Ronon nodded, that look still on his face. He started prowling around the room in his usual manner but it was smaller than Daniel’s quarters so his wandering brought him up to Daniel’s desk pretty quickly. He stood in front of it for a few seconds, tapping his fingers on the surface. Daniel quirked an eyebrow. “Is there something you needed?”
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know, otherwise I wouldn’t have-“ Ronon waved his hand but Daniel had no idea what he was trying to elaborate.
“Didn’t know what?” he said slowly.
Ronon snorted. “Of course you would be… it would be…. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
Daniel steepled his fingers under his chin. “Ah, apart from that eating with cutlery thing and me having to take knives off you… are you going to now torture me by not finishing sentences?”
Ronon jerked his head at the doorway. “Him. I mean, I can see why. I just hadn’t seen it.”
“Him…who? Ronon, you’re going to have to help me out here. At least let me buy a vowel.”
“Vowel?” Ronon’s face had closed down into a frown.
“Right, sorry. Look, I’ve got a lot of Ancient database to pour through to find out what’s going on with John-“ Ronon’s expression closed down at the mention of John’s name and Daniel finally clicked. “Wait, John? What about him?”
“I hadn’t seen you together before but there is a unity there. I hadn’t realized.”
Daniel was watching Ronon carefully and it finally occurred to Daniel what Ronon was driving at. “Oh no, no, no… John’s with Teyla. We’re close and I love him a lot but I’m not with him. He’s like a brother, family.”
“Oh,” Ronon smiled, a feral glint in his eye that Daniel hadn’t seen before. “Good.” He reached across the table and grabbed a handful of the front of Daniel’s shirt, hauling him to his feet and practically across the table in one swift movement. Daniel yelped in surprise, which was muffled when his lips mashed against Ronon’s.
Daniel breathed in the breath that Ronon expelled and something he hadn’t even realized he’d been holding onto was released. Some of the blackness that had taken up residence in his heart was snapped like a cable and Daniel felt warmth flooding his veins, chasing away the coldness he just hadn’t been able to shake.
As the kiss became deeper and less awkward and Ronon grasped Daniel around the lower back with his free arm to haul him the rest of the way over the table, Daniel let go completely, surrendering to the wildness of the moment. He was now on the front edge of the desk with his legs splayed and Ronon between them. The top edge of the table was digging painfully into the back of his thighs but he was beyond caring about small things like that.
Daniel’s hands explored under the tatty shirt Ronon was wearing and rested on something that wasn’t warm skin. Ronon had a blade strapped to him, just under his breastbone. As Daniel’s fingers skipped over the cool metal, he had a flash.
Sawing through a man’s neck, sawing through to get to the snake inside it… blood… so much blood…
Daniel hauled backwards with a cry, scrabbling over the table and managing to upend it and himself, landing roughly on top of the Ancient console and feeling it break beneath him. A piece of the jagged monitor pierced upwards and Daniel moaned, feeling it slide between his ribs. Ronon was around the table and leaning over him when his two guards burst through the door, hearing the commotion.
They took in the upended furniture; Daniel bleeding on the floor and Ronon leaning over him and both brought their weapons up.
“No, don’t-“ Daniel tried to say but his voice came out in a dry whisper and he heard only the first shot before everything went black.
xxxxxxx
“So that’s it then?”
“It’s not working exactly the way I’d want yet but yes, that’s it. They sent a transmission out to the closest ship with a huge package of information. They seemed to have seen the gate address that was dialed or know a way to retrieve it that we haven’t figured out yet. In any case, they know we’re here.”
Rodney was standing in a room crowded with scientists and military personnel but his eyes only flicked between Elizabeth and Jack, dismissing the rest of the attendants. He had learned to read the ebb and flow of the city from these two people and if John had been there, he would have been searching his face as well.
“We can’t hide again, can we?” Elizabeth hazarded, her expression closed down, something Rodney recognized from when she was really worried and didn’t want to show it.
“We depleted the ZPM we had from our last little jaunt. We’ve been lucky twice now. It looks like third time’s the charm.”
“That can’t be it. There’s got to be –“
“Unless you have another ZPM in your pocket, I’d say we’re out of options.” Rodney overrode Jack, who blinked at him.
“We still have the device. Maybe a few Naquadah generators hooked up would do it.” Someone piped up from the back.
Rodney sighed. “There’s no way there’d be enough power, and even if there was, do you really think the Wraith would buy it a second time? They know we’re here and when they get here and find us magically gone, they’re going to know something’s up and wait, just in case.”
“So?” Jack prompted.
“I think we don’t have a choice this time. We’re going to have to evacuate.”
There was a cacophony of voices that greeted this news but through them all, clear as a bell even though said quietly, was one voice that simply said,
“No.”
All eyes turned to Elizabeth who stood up, pushing her chair back with a hand.
“No, we’re not going to run. We’ve been through too much, and call it what you will Rodney but I don’t think we’ve survived this long by luck. Every man and woman who died at the hands of the Goa’uld and the Wraith after them would expect us to make a stand, here and now. I have the most brilliant minds from Earth, all in one city.”
Elizabeth made her way to the door, only turning back to throw over her shoulder.
“Figure something out.”
Part Ten