SGA-fic: Ten Thousand Years of Solitude, pt 2 (PG-13)

[zinnith]

 Title: Ten Thousand Years of Solitude
Author: Zinnith
Rating/Category: PG-13/pre-slash
Pairings: John/Rodney
Spoilers: Takes place between Epiphany and Critical Mass
Word count: ~12 000
Disclaimer: All I own is junk. SGA is not junk. Ergo: I do not own SGA
Notes:
Originally meant for the  sga_flashfic  challenge 'Man and Machine', but it grew and grew until it wasn't a flashfic anymore. Also fits my  sg_15_fics  prompt 008: Alone

The title is a reference to Gabriel Garcia Marquez' A Hunded Years of Solitude. It's a great novel. Read it.

Love and cookies for  the_cephalopod  without whom this story would be significantly less good. She also writes great fic. Read it.
 
Summary: Rodney wished it could be just as easy to find out what was wrong with Sheppard. Just open him up and discover what makes him tick. Find the glitch and fix it. People were so complicated. No logic, no way to anticipate their reactions. It was so much easier with technology. Push a certain button and you knew you would get a certain response. With people, you never knew what to expect.

Part 1

Closing the door is easy, but the other one is too knowledgeable. He needs to be taught a lesson, she thinks, and creates a minor power surge in the control panel. Not enough to kill him. Just enough to keep him from meddling with things that are not his business.

 

She almost regrets it when she feels the worry of the one who is of her kind. He has the other one lying flat on his back, blowing breath into his mouth. She finds it difficult to understand why. It would be much easier if the other one shed the clumsy body he inhabits. It would be easier to get the one who is of her kind to follow.

 

Then they can be together here. Forever.

 

* * * 

 

Sheppard’s voice brought him back. Rodney found himself lying on his back on the floor, his feet resting on something soft. He felt kind of numb, except for his right hand, which was pure agony. He decided to keep his eyes closed. Nothing that hurt that much could be worth looking at. Through it all, Sheppard was mumbling in a low, intense voice. Rodney could only hear about half of it. “…scared the hell out of me, you stupid… can’t take you anywhere… gonna lock you in your lab when we get back…”

 

Rodney’s first thought was, Huh, I guess you do care a little after all. After that, his attention was turned to the excruciating pain in his hand. Whatever Sheppard was doing to it hurt, more than anything he could remember. He decided to inform Sheppard about this, but all that came out of his mouth was a weak, “Ow.”  

 

That seemed to catch Sheppard’s attention though, because soon Rodney could feel Sheppard’s hands on his face and hear Sheppard’s voice more clearly now. “Rodney? You awake? Come on buddy, open those baby blues for me.”

 

Okay, he could do that. Probably. It took a little while, but Rodney finally managed to work his eyes open. There was Sheppard’s face, stubbly and pale and with hair that defied all laws of gravity. He looked worried, Rodney thought. Whatever it was that had just happened, it must’ve been something bad.

 

“Whu?” he said. Okay, that was just annoying. He had meant to ask what he was doing on the floor, and why Sheppard seemed intent on stripping all the skin from his hand. At least that was what it felt like.     

 

“You got shocked, Rodney,” Sheppard said. His voice was surprisingly gentle and that worried Rodney more than anything else. “Do you remember the control panel? You must’ve touched something you shouldn’t have, because you flew a couple of feet, knocked me over, and then decided to stop breathing.”

 

“Oh.” Electric shock. That explained why he was feeling so weird. “My hand?”  

 

Sheppard’s face fell. “You got a pretty bad burn there, buddy. Second degree at least. I’ve wrapped it in gauze, but that’s all I can do until we get out of here.”

 

“Burn?” Rodney tried to sit up, but was promptly pressed down again by Sheppard. He raised his right hand and found it loosely wrapped in white gauze, just like the Colonel had said. “It hurts.”

 

“Yeah, I know.” Sheppard dug into his pocket. “I’ve got some Tylenol here, it should help with the worst of the pain.”

 

Rodney stared up at the ceiling. They were still in the corridor, not far from the stubbornly closed door. He could see the control panel from here, blackened and still smoking a little. How long had he been out? The smell of burnt out circuitry was heavy in the enclosed space, and he was trying his best not to think about his hand. His hand. Oh god, what Sheppard was just making light of it? What if there was nerve damage? What if it was so bad Carson wouldn’t be able to save it? It was his hand, his right hand. He needed that hand.

 

Rodney hadn’t even noticed that he was beginning to hyperventilate until Sheppard placed a firm hand on his chest and said, “Rodney, calm down. I called Teyla and Ronon on the radio. They’ve gone back to Atlantis for help. We’ll get out of here, don’t worry.” Sheppard had taken out a small packet of Tylenol and began to unwrap the pills. “Here, take these. Do you think you can sit up?”

 

Rodney nodded, and Sheppard helped him up into a sitting position, fed him the pills, and then held a canteen to his lips so he could wash them down with a mouthful of lukewarm, plastic-tasting water. One of Sheppard’s hands rested on his back, warm and comforting. It was too early for the Tylenol to have any effect yet, but Sheppard’s mere presence seemed to do more for his peace of mind than any painkiller could. Strange. When had that happened?

 

“Better?” Sheppard asked, still with that tinge of worry in his voice. Worry, and something else…fear? No, that couldn’t be it. Sheppard was never frightened. Rodney closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Time to pull himself together and get back to work. They were still trapped inside the complex and while Teyla and Ronon could probably move faster on their own, it had to be dark outside by now. Five hours back to the gate. Add to that the time it would take to organize a rescue team and get back here, and they would be well into tomorrow. Besides, the most brilliant mind in Atlantis was trapped in here with Sheppard. If Rodney couldn’t get them out, who could?

 

Rodney put his uninjured hand to the floor and began to push himself up. The corridor swam in front of him and he must’ve wobbled, because Sheppard was trying to pull him down onto the floor again, saying, “Hey! Take it easy! You shouldn’t be moving around.”

 

There it was again, that worry. Was it just something he imagined, or was it a little bit more than just ‘my teammate just got himself electrocuted’ worry? Rodney shook his head and the world righted itself. “I have to get us out of here,” he said. And why was that again? Right. The not-quite-voice Sheppard had heard. That Rodney himself had heard.

 

“All right,” Sheppard said slowly, getting to his feet to support Rodney. “Okay, that sounds good to me. Any idea how you’re going to do that, because the last time you tried, she almost killed you.”

 

“Well,” Rodney said. “I thought I’d begin with… wait, did you just say she tried to kill me? Who exactly are you talking about, Colonel?”     

 

Sheppard ducked his head, looking very uncomfortable. “This probably sounds nuts,” he murmured. “But that… that thing I heard before? It was a woman. It sounded like a woman. You heard it to, didn’t you? Just before the door closed?”

 

“I did,” Rodney admitted. God, it was hard to think. He was still feeling numb and disconnected, but the Tylenol was beginning to take the edge off the pain in his hand. He held up the gauze-covered appendage and watched it more closely. It didn’t look so bad. No blood or anything. That was good, wasn’t it? 

 

Sheppard reached over and took Rodney’s wrist in a gentle grip, raising his injured hand to shoulder-level. “You should keep it elevated. Reduces swelling.”

 

That made sense, even if it felt stupid to stand here with his hand in the air like he was trying to get his teacher’s attention. Rodney made an effort to get his brain back on track. “Okay, back up a little. You said it was a woman? How can you be so sure? I didn’t hear any woman!”

 

“It’s like…” Sheppard trailed off, as if searching for the right words. “I can’t explain it,” he said finally. “It’s like I know Atlantis is a woman, but I don’t know how I can know it. She just is.”

 

“Yes, but Atlantis is an AI and probably programmed to…” Rodney nearly slapped himself, before he remembered his burned hand. Of course! Electrocution didn’t make you stupid, did it? “Atlantis is an AI,” he said.

 

“Yes,” Sheppard agreed, clearly not following. “And?”

 

“And, if you had listened at the pre-mission briefing instead of playing table hockey with Ronon, you would know that Ey… Eny… Eiyana something, the Ancient scientist who created this place, had a particular interest in artificial intelligence.” It became more and more clear as Rodney continued, “This entire place must be run by an AI! And somewhere in the programming, there must be a glitch, so the system can allow people to enter the compound, but not to leave. So all I have to do is to find the glitch, correct it, and we’re out of here!”

 

Sheppard looked both skeptical and hopeful at Rodney’s statement. Rodney looked around for his laptop, eager to get started. He would have them out of here and back to Atlantis in time for breakfast. Besides, if he kept himself busy with this problem, he could keep the other little problem, the prospect of never being able to use his hand again, at bay.

 

* * *

 

The other one is awake again, awake and moving. Already his brain is working, ticking like a machine. She feels a strange kinship with the other one, thinks she can come to like him with time. The one who is of her kind follows the other one closely, watching his every step. She has tried talking to him, connecting with him again, but he keeps his beautiful mind closed to her. Too occupied with the other one, she assumes.

 

Maybe she will have to choose between them? Maybe they are too closely linked to each other to be able to let her in? Maybe she will have to break that link? If that is the case, she does not know which one of them she will choose.

 

* * *

 

Sheppard just watched as Rodney fumbled his laptop out of its case. It was difficult to do it one-handed, and Sheppard didn’t offer him any help. Seriously, what was wrong with him today? Sheppard hadn’t been acting quite like himself ever since they had stepped through the ‘Gate. Sick or not, something was definitely off.

 

“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Sheppard asked suddenly, still not lifting a hand to help Rodney. It wasn’t as if he didn’t have two functional ones and would have to live the rest of his life as a cripple and probably get sent back to Earth the next time the Daedalus arrived because what good could anyone do on Atlantis with just one hand, and okay, it was probably time to stop thinking about that right now because, panicking? Bad thing.

 

Rodney collected himself and gave Sheppard a glare. “Do you have a better one?”

   

“I’m just saying,” Sheppard drawled. “If messing with the door made her electrocute you, what do you think messing with her programming will do?”

 

“Will you stop calling it ‘her’?” Rodney had finally gotten the laptop up and running, no thanks to Sheppard. “It’s not like it’s a person we’re talking about here. Besides, she… it didn’t do anything the last time, so why would it now?” A wire here and there and, voila, he was in. “There, see, nothing happened! Satisfied, Lieutenant Colonel Worrywart?”

 

Sheppard sighed and turned around. Even his back looked sullen. Rodney let him sulk and turned his attention back to the screen.

 

He had only had time for a quick overview the last time, but from what Rodney could see, nothing had changed. The energy output was the same. There were no life-signs other than his and Sheppard’s. Okay, time to take a look at the programming code and see if he could find what was wrong with the place.

 

Rodney wished it could be just as easy to find out what was wrong with Sheppard. Just open him up and discover what makes him tick. Find the glitch and fix it. People were so complicated. No logic, no way to anticipate their reactions. It was so much easier with technology. Push a certain button and you knew you would get a certain response. With people, you never knew what to expect.      

 

Sheppard still had his back turned and wasn’t talking. It made Rodney uneasy, like he was just about to do something wrong, even though he knew this was the right thing to do. It certainly beat sitting around waiting to be rescued and gave both of them something else to think about, but Rodney needed Sheppard with him in this, and Sheppard wasn’t. The Colonel hadn’t been himself since they stepped through the gate, and seemed to be acting more and more strange the longer they were on this planet. Rodney thought back to the Gate room the same morning and remembered that Sheppard had been his old smirking self before they departed. Something on this world must be setting him off. Could you be allergic to a planet? Rodney decided to ask Carson when they got back to Atlantis. If he could only get them out of here.  

 

It proved to be difficult. Rodney tapped away on the keyboard, slower than usual as he could only use his left hand. For some stupid reason, he just couldn’t get to the code. He tried again and again, but the system wouldn’t let him in.    

 

“I told you, she wasn’t gonna let you do it,” Sheppard said, still with his back turned.

 

Rodney looked up, puzzled. “What? How did you…” There was no way Sheppard could have known that. Then he realized that there was something off with Sheppard’s voice. It was vague and just a tiny bit slurred. “Hey, what’s going on with you?”

 

Sheppard didn’t answer. Rodney looked at his screen again. Still no luck, and he had a feeling their time was starting to run out. He left the laptop and walked over to Sheppard, putting a hand on his shoulder, just like Teyla had done earlier. It didn’t get him any reaction. Now that he was close, Rodney could see that Sheppard’s face had gone strangely blank, and he had a vacant look in his eyes.

 

“Colonel?”

 

Still no response. Rodney shook Sheppard’s shoulder. “Sheppard? You’re beginning to freak me out. You don’t want that, do you? I’ve already been electrocuted and burned and we’re locked into an Ancient compound with a rampant AI, and I swear the air is already getting stuffy in here and I… I can’t do this alone! Colonel, are you even listening to me?”

 

Sheppard blinked. His hazel eyes slowly focused on Rodney. The Colonel looked disoriented, like he’d just woken up from a deep sleep, and he was even more pale now. “What?” he asked.

 

“What?!” Rodney knew he was breathing too fast, but he couldn’t seem to calm down. “You just completely zoned out, that’s what! What’s wrong with you! How did you know I couldn’t get into the system? There’s something you’re not telling me, and I want to know what it is, before she gets us both killed!”

 

“I thought you said she wasn’t a she,” Sheppard said, and then, “Are you okay? You look like you need to sit down.”

 

“Am I okay? I’m not the one who was completely unresponsive a moment ago! And just for your information, I’m not okay! My hand hurts and I’m sore all over and I can’t get to the damn code and you’re acting all weird and I… I don’t want to die in here!”

 

Breathing far too fast, Rodney could hear the blood pounding in his ears. When Sheppard’s hands grabbed his upper arms, he was surprised to find that his knees were so weak that it took all his strength just to stay upright.

 

“Rodney, come on. Don’t panic, we’re gonna be fine.” Sheppard’s voice seemed to come from far away. “Why don’t we just sit down here for a little while, all right? You shouldn’t even be up yet. Come here, sit down. Head between your knees.”        

 

Sheppard’s hands guided him down to sit with his back against a console and urged him to slow down his breathing. After a few moments black spots were no longer dancing in front of his eyes and he looked up.

 

“There you go. Better now?” Sheppard asked. He was hunched down in front of Rodney, seemingly all there again, eyes bright, alert and very concerned. He was still too pale though, with dark circles like bruises around his eyes. Something’s wrong with him and he won’t tell me because he’s too worried about me. Rodney sighed and leaned his head back against the console. God, he was exhausted.    

 

“I’ll be fine,” he said tiredly. The near-panic attack seemed to have taken everything out of him, and he couldn’t find the energy to argue with Sheppard. “Get me the laptop?”

 

Sheppard hesitated, but then he reached up for the laptop and handed it to Rodney. “How’s your hand?” he asked.

 

Rodney grimaced. “It hurts.” Did Sheppard really have to remind him of that? Part of him wanted to unwind the gauze and get a good look at it, to see if the burn was as bad as it felt. The rest of him just wanted to try to forget about it. He turned his attention back to the laptop.

 

Sheppard sat down beside him and look at the screen. “Any luck?” he asked.

 

Rodney shook his head. “Not yet.” He’d tried again and again, without success. “You know, statistically, for every time I don’t make it, I have a better chance the next time,” he said, with a side-glance to Sheppard. The Colonel didn’t look hopeful. Weird. Usually, Rodney was the one with the doubts and Sheppard the one trying to make him feel better.     

 

Sheppard just rubbed his temples and sighed. He sounded about as tired as Rodney felt. No more than a couple of hours had passed since they had been locked in, but it already felt like a lifetime.

 

* * *

 

The one who is of her kind will not talk to her. She managed to connect with him for a moment, but the other one broke their link. They are afraid, she can feel it. They don’t know what to make of her. The one who is of her kind has a notion of what she is. The other one will find out, given time.

 

She wonders if it would help if they were to learn her story? Maybe it would make them understand? If they know what she is, perhaps they will not be so afraid anymore? They have to understand that this is better. How limited they are in their current state of being.

 

She decides to tell them. After all, it has been a very long time since anyone knew her. These two will be her chosen ones.  

Part 3

Part 4