Lightning Strikes, part 4
Title: Lightning Strikes
Author: Amycat8733
Rating: T
Pairing(s): John/Teyla
Characters: John, Teyla, Rodney, Ronon, Keller, Lorne, Woolsey
Warning(s): sentient Atlantis
Length:
Disclaimer: The characters and locales of SGA don't belong to me. For fun, not profit. I just swim in the pool. No borrowed OCs were harmed during this production.
Summary: A lightning bolt brings change to John Sheppard. His bond with the city deepens, bringing its own hazards. Friendship is tested as Rodney and John clash over his new strength.
Part 4
After Keller chased McKay and Zelenka out, she gave her patient a thorough checkup. She could tell that he still had a headache, which was why she chased the two scientists out. Since John was awake, he rolled onto his left side with a grunt so she could check his back. Removing the bandages, she examined the area carefully. The skin was still red, but there was no inflammation of either the burns or the shrapnel wounds, so she liberally smeared his back with the Lidocaine ointment Teyla had applied the previous day. She could feel the tension leave the Colonel’s muscles as the ointment soothed the burn and numbed the other wounds. As she reached over and coated his chest, she remembered Teyla’s reaction to the Colonel’s temporary lack of chest hair and blushed slightly, having to redirect her thoughts before she started doing more than medicating his torso. Shaking her head, Keller finished applying the ointment and helped John sit up so she could rewrap his chest.
“Hey, Doc, have you seen my tags?”
John’s question startled her. “No, I haven’t. Come to think of it, I don’t remember seeing them when we undressed you. Did you lose them on the planet?”
Sheppard gently shook his head. “No. I remember feeling them thump against my chest as I dove through the gate.”
Jennifer looked at him. “It’s possible that the lightning vaporized them. I’ve heard of that happening to metal objects, and it’s pretty likely considering what happened to your pistol.” Finished with his torso, she moved to his leg, carefully unwrapping the thick bandage.
As she worked, she looked at the Colonel. There were still a few faint pain lines around his eyes and mouth, but for all of that, he still looked so young. His hazel eyes were staring off into the distance, something clearly bothering him. “Penny for your thoughts, Colonel?”
“Huh, don’t know if they’re worth that much.” He stared off into the distance again. “It’s this new ability. I’ve always been able to feel Atlantis in the back of my head, and that hum has helped on many occasions, although sometimes I couldn’t figure out what she was trying to tell me until afterwards.” His voice trailed off for a moment. “Now, I can talk to her as easy as I can you. There’s so…much stuff coming at me that I have to block it out. She’s helping, but, just like anything else, there’s a learning curve.”
Keller continued with checking his leg. The wounds looked good - no excessive redness, heat or swelling. As she applied more Lidocaine, he started talking again.
“That’s why Rodney got mad earlier. He wants me to follow him around and tell him what every room and device in this city does or was used for to the exclusion of everything else.”
Jennifer looked at him in surprise. “You’re serious?”
John shifted a little, grunting with the pain. “I am. He told me that it would save him a lot of time if I dropped everything to be his assistant, that anything else I might want or need to do, including my duties, was inconsequential.”
Keller mulled this over as she wrapped his leg. “I would say that that doesn’t sound like him, but it does. Give him a few days - he’ll come around.”
John sighed. “I hope so.”
“Well, Colonel, as much as I love our visits, I am kicking you loose.” She leaned over and disconnected the IV, placing a small bandage over the small wound. “Your test results have come back clean and there’s no sign of infection. I’ll get you something for the headaches, and a mild painkiller. Keep the bandages dry. Your back only needs them a couple more days, but keep the shrapnel wounds covered until the stitches come out. Get one of your team to anoint your back or come here and get one of the nurses to do it. If you don’t keep the burns and the stitches moist, they will pull and could get infected.” Keller glared at the lanky pilot. “No running or sparring until I say so. You are off duty for today and the next two. After that, you are on light duty until I clear you.”
Keller smiled at the pilot as the doors behind her opened. “And, unless I miss my guess, your escort is right on time. Get dressed and get out of here. Go eat then go rest.” Looking at Teyla and Ronon, standing in the doorway, she smiled. “He’s all yours.” With that, she left the room.
John was sitting on the edge of the bed by the time Teyla and Ronon reached him, the Satedan tossing a loose bundle onto the bed beside him. John unfolded it to find his sneakers, a pair of faded BDU pants, a black t-shirt and a long-sleeved blue shirt along with a parka.
“Figured the BDU’s would work better with that leg.”
John looked up as he dressed. “Yeah, they do. Thanks, Ronon.”
Once he was dressed, Teyla pulled a bag off her shoulder. “Here is the rest of your outfit.” She opened the bag and pulled out a web belt and a new thigh holster. As John fastened the belt, Ronon knelt and took care of adjusting and fastening the thigh straps so John would not have to bend too much. Belt secure, Teyla pulled out his .45. “Sgt Chambers finally found the repair kit you ordered. Major Lorne was kind enough to complete the repairs for you.” Reaching back into the bag, she pulled out a length of silver chain. “One of the Marines in the Gateroom found the remains of your tags. One was gone, the other partially melted, so Major Lone made you a new set.” She leaned over and draped the chain around John’s neck.
John picked up the tags, reading what was stamped there, verifying that all was correct, before he tucked them inside his shirt. Truth be told, he had felt a bit lost without them. He looked up at Teyla and Ronon as he slipped into his parka, grateful for their thoughtfulness and smiled. “Let’s go eat.”
Limping through the corridors, John noticed the unobtrusive stares, but did his best to ignore them. Ronon and Teyla were on either side of him, keeping an eye on him and keeping the curious away. They entered the mess hall and grabbed food, but instead of opting for their usual table by one of the windows, John led the way onto one of the balconies. They didn’t eat outside when Rodney was with them because he complained about insects and airborne diseases. After he ruined everyone else’s meal one afternoon by describing in detail the effects of some of the more vicious airborne bacteria, they started eating indoors all the time and being on an ice planet made it even less likely that they would eat outside.
As they stepped onto the balcony, a warm breeze met them. They had both wondered why John had not fastened his coat and why they would eat on the balcony. It was enclosed but still cold. They both realized that it was Atlantis giving John a sanctuary.
As they sat down, John got a faraway look in his eyes for a few moments before he picked up his fork and started eating. His reason became clear just a few moments later as a trio of scientists practically ran into the door and each other.
Without looking up from his food, John smirked as one of them tried to ‘pick the lock’ on the door. “It won’t do them any good.”
Teyla turned to see what he was talking about and saw the group of scientists. As she watched, four more came to join the first three.
“I locked it and the door behind me that leads to the residential area and nothing they can do will get through that door until I release it. Atlantis is ignoring all input from that door. Right now, to her, that door doesn’t exist.”
Teyla turned back to John and her food, a question in her eyes.
John saw the question. “I want to eat in peace. Five of those scientists have small devices in their pockets and the others have various hand scanners; one even has a biological sample kit.”
They ate in silence, letting John have some peace and just enjoying being together. As he was almost done with his food, John muttered an oath. “Dammit. This is McKay’s fault.”
“Do you want me to stun him?” Ronon sounded eager.
“No”. John sighed then propped his elbows on the table, chin resting on his interlaced fingers. “If I thought it would do any good, I’d have you do it in a heartbeat. They are acting like that because of him and his damn obsession. D’you know, he told me earlier that he wants me to drop everything, including my duties as Military Commander, to follow him around and be his personal assistant, which in this case means lackey and slave?”
Ronon and Teyla looked shocked, but not surprised.
Without changing position, John continued. “When I told him no, you’d have thought that I told him he was being sent back to Earth and was being kicked out of the Stargate Program.”
“Will he make trouble for you over this?” Teyla, being diplomatic as always.
“Probably, actually, I can pretty much guarantee it.” John grimaced in disgust. “He’s so obsessed with this that he can’t see the forest for the trees.” As he said it, John thought wryly that that was one Earth saying that needed no translation or explanation. Ever since they got Rodney back from the Wraith, his interpersonal skills had been sorely lacking on occasion.
The trio finished their meals, each lost in thought. As they stood, John assumed that faraway look again. “The doors are unlocked again. I’m going to my quarters for a nap. See you later.” With that, John headed for the far door, his ground-eating strides carrying him away rapidly.
John made it to his quarters without being accosted by using his enhanced connection to keep all of the doors along his route closed until he was far past them. Upon reaching his quarters, he toed off his sneakers and sat down on his bed in order to undo his holster. Pistol on his side table and holster on the floor, he considered taking a shower, but decided to skip it as it wasn’t worth the trip back to the infirmary to get rebandaged. After changing from the BDU’s to sweat pants, he took the pills Keller had given him for the headache, crawled into his mound of covers and was asleep shortly thereafter.
The next morning, while eating breakfast, John received a call from Woolsey, requesting that he come to his office. Acknowledging the request, John finished his food, but an uneasy feeling was taking up residence in his stomach. As he reached Woolsey’s office, he was not surprised to find McKay already there and looking smug.
“Colonel Sheppard, I have spoken to Dr Keller concerning your condition. I have also read the incident reports from Drs McKay, Zelenka and Miller as well as the reports from your men. I am glad that you were able to act in time and that lives were saved.” Woolsey stopped and cleared his throat. “Dr McKay tells me that he wants you to use your enhanced abilities to assist him, and I agree that you should.”
John’s eyes narrowed - now he knew why McKay looked so smug. “While Dr McKay was telling you that I refused to help him, did he tell you why I refused?” At Woolsey’s negative, John continued. “He told me that it was my duty to assist him, that any other duty or desire was inconsequential, including protecting this city. I am not even allowed to take the time I need for my body to heal and to get used to these new abilities.” Here, John’s voice turned cold. “According to him, protecting Atlantis is not as important as protecting him and being his personal database slave.”
Woolsey tugged his jacket down. “I find that hard to believe. I know that you are still recovering and are probably reading more into this than is actually present.”
John narrowed his eyes, voice deep and cold. “You think that I’m overreacting? I have a witness - Zelenka was there, plus Atlantis recorded it. I could play it for you, if you’d like.”
Rodney looked frightened at that suggestion. “You can’t…um…the recording may be altered to make it sound like I said that! Plus, you have to keep the others away. They’ll only get in the way.”
Woolsey looked at the two men: Sheppard - cool, calm, with hot anger seething below the surface; McKay - excited, condescending, smug, but with a bit of fear as well. “As much as it disturbs me, I am afraid that I am going to overrule your objections, Colonel, and request that you assist Dr McKay.” At McKay’s triumphant shout, he continued “However, this is only for two days - today and tomorrow. Your assistance ends at midnight tomorrow unless you extend it by choice.”
As Sheppard stood, he looked down at Woolsey. “Fat fucking chance of that. I am lodging a formal complaint over this, and I want it noted that I am doing this under protest.” As he headed for the door and the impatient McKay, Sheppard stopped and looked over his shoulder at Woolsey. “This is a mistake. He’s already painted you such a pretty picture that you can’t see his obsession. The last time he obsessed over a piece of Ancient tech, he destroyed a solar system and almost got us killed.”
Woolsey tugged his jacket again. “Be that as it may, my decision stands.”
“I just hope we live to regret it.” John muttered as he walked through the door.
*on to part 5*