Lightning Strikes, part 7
Hello All!
Thank you for your patience! Here is the long awaited part 7. Hope you enjoy it!
A big thanks goes out to my new beta, nacimynom for her wonderful work on this epic!
Part 7
Sam Carter stepped from the Hammond’s ramp, expecting to see Sheppard and possibly some of his team. John always met her on the pier, usually with Ronon and Teyla in tow. Today, she was met by Major Lorne. That alone told her something bad had happened, she just didn’t know what.
Lorne stepped forward, nodding respectfully. “Colonel Carter, nice to see you.”
Sam returned the nod. “Major. Always glad to be back.” She looked at Lorne’s face. During his time at Cheyenne Mountain and during her tenure in Atlantis, she had learned to read him pretty well. “What happened to John and how badly is he injured?”
Lorne winced. He had forgotten how well Carter could read him. “Ma’am, it’s a long story. Let’s head to the Colonel’s office and I’ll fill you in over coffee.”
Sam Carter was astounded at what Lorne relayed. John surviving being hit by lightning and his increased bond to the city did not surprise her. What surprised her was how much of an ass McKay was being. It was like he had reverted to the old McKay, the one that had wanted to leave Teal’c stuck in a Gate buffer. That McKay didn’t care about people and didn’t have friends, he was more interested in the technology and used people until they were no longer useful. She wondered if it was a residual from his time as a Wraith.
After meeting with Woolsey and going over recent news, Sam headed for the labs. As she reached that part of the city, Sam noticed that the climate had changed. The corridor was slightly cool, but the labs were deserted, literally frozen, ice riming the windows as if windows had been opened to the icy atmosphere outside. She passed Dr Kusanagi’s lab and noticed the diminutive Japanese woman drinking tea and calmly working, wearing her usual clothes. Now more than curious, Sam headed for Zelenka’s lab. Upon entering, she noticed that, just like Dr Kusanagi’s, Radek’s lab was nice and comfortable.
“Dr. Z, how’s everything?” Sam had a smile on her face as she entered the lab and spotted the Czech scientist. She was one of only two people that called him that; the other being John, and he knew that John was in the infirmary right now.
“Ah, Colonel Carter! Good to see you. You are well?” Radek pushed his glasses up his nose as he looked up from his laptop.
“Yes, fine. Saw some interesting phenomena the other day and I’ll tell you about them later, but I have some other things that I want to ask you about.”
Zelenka looked at her and sighed. “You want to know about Colonel and Rodney, yes?”
Sam nodded. “And why the environmentals are so screwed up in this section. Is something broken?”
“You noticed that some labs are not affected, yes?” At her nod, he continued. “Nothing is broken except for Colonel’s trust in Rodney. That” and he waved a hand at the corridor and other labs, “started shortly after the Colonel was injured. Every scientist whose lab Rodney dragged Colonel into is affected. Mine is not because I told Rodney he was being fool. Miko’s is not because she refused. Their quarters are the same. Many are sleeping other places because Atlantis is not affecting public areas.”
Sam was astonished. She knew that the city loved John and would do anything he asked, but this… “You’re telling me that Atlantis is doing this because John is injured?”
Zelenka nodded. “Yes, and because of Rodney.”
Sam spotted a stool and sat down. “Tell me what you witnessed. I’ve talked to Lorne, but there were some things that he could only guess at.”
Over the next hour, Zelenka filled Sam in on the events that Lorne had not witnessed or that weren’t on the cameras.
After leaving Zelenka’s lab, Sam headed for the mess hall. She filled a tray and spotted her XO, Major Franklin and some of the others at a table. Joining them, she made sure that the unloading went smoothly while piecing together what she had discovered. She determined that her next stop needed to be Woolsey again.
Leaving the mess hall, she headed for Woolsey’s office. The man was still there, working on reports.
“Mr. Woolsey, can I ask you something?”
Richard looked up. “Colonel Carter. You may ask me anything.”
Sitting down she framed her thoughts. “What have you put in your report concerning Colonel Sheppard and the lightning?”
“I simply put that he was struck by a weak bolt of lightning and suffered some burns and a few other minor injuries, nothing else.” Richard cleared his throat. “I know where you are going with this. I don’t want him to be a test subject for the IOA either. What has happened here will stay here. Useful information will be trickled back as database translations or experiment results, and I have withdrawn my order to the Colonel for him to assist Dr. McKay. All traces of it have been removed from the servers as well.” Richard looked ashamed. “I should have listened and given his concerns more credence. What I did was wrong.”
Sam nodded, relieved at what she heard. “Yes, it was. You haven’t worked with McKay long enough. The man can become extremely obsessed with Ancient technology and John’s enhanced ability just gave him a massive overdose of obsession. When it comes to McKay, follow Sheppard’s lead. He is the only person that can fully control McKay’s impulses. By putting him in the position as McKay’s assistant, you took the reins out of John’s hands.”
She took a deep breath and plowed ahead. “If he had been allowed to recover fully, John would not have had a problem assisting Rodney, but he wasn’t given that option.”
Woolsey had the grace to look ashamed. “I realize that now. Please convey my apologies to Colonel Sheppard.”
Sam stood. “I will, although he would appreciate it more from you. I’m going to the infirmary to see the Colonel. If you need me, just call.”
As she moved through the Control center, Sam stopped at one of the stations. “Liang, I need you to locate Dr. McKay for me. Do not tell him I am looking for him.”
Liang looked at her. “Is this about the Colonel?” At her nod, he continued. “Good. We did not like seeing him treated like that by a friend and I know you will take care of it.”
Sam nodded again. “I’m trying. Call me when you find him.”
As her son slept in a haze of drugs, Atlantis decided to make those that had caused his pain suffer. She tried to catch the instigator, but he kept hiding in the damaged portions or staying in public places as if he knew that she was after him. She decided that she would have to leave his fate to her son or one of his comrades. Feeling his pain as he drifted towards consciousness, Atlantis tried to mute the song of the devices surrounding him, but she could only turn them down to a certain level. Past a certain point, the devices would cease to function. She regretted that she was causing him pain and vowed to ease his pain any way she could.
Waking was pure torture. Everything hurt. His shoulder and hand were bright flares of pain, but even they were eclipsed by the monumental migraine that he had. John could tell that he was in a darkened room, but the lights from the monitors were piercing his skull through his closed eyelids. The light leaking in from the hall didn’t help either. And the noise…he could hear every single noise: the hum of the machines, their soft beeps, the drip of the IV, footsteps, and the breathing of the person in the room. Worst of all was the noise of the Ancient machinery. It invaded every portion of his brain. He could tell that Atlantis was trying to mute it, but she could only do so much.
“John?”
Teyla’s whisper was barely audible, but it still made him whimper and shift in pain.
*“John, can you hear me?”* This time, she used the bond to whisper into his head. That was bearable.
*”Yes. How long?”*
*”Two days. Are you in much pain?”*
*”Yes, hurts. Too much light. Too many machines.”*
*”I shall let Carson and Jennifer know. They will give you something for the pain.”*
*”Mmmm. Want to go to my room. Quieter. Darker.”*
*”I will let them know. I will be back, my love.”*
*”’kay. Love you.”*
John felt a feather light caress on his cheek then heard soft footsteps leave the room. He drifted for a time, riding the pain as best he could, but he felt like it was a losing battle. After a short time, the soft tread returned and headed for his IV. Almost immediately, a rush of cool relief extinguished the flames in his shoulder and hand, and calmed the pain in his head. He gratefully slipped into the cool darkness.
Thank you for your patience! Here is the long awaited part 7. Hope you enjoy it!
A big thanks goes out to my new beta, nacimynom for her wonderful work on this epic!
Part 7
Sam Carter stepped from the Hammond’s ramp, expecting to see Sheppard and possibly some of his team. John always met her on the pier, usually with Ronon and Teyla in tow. Today, she was met by Major Lorne. That alone told her something bad had happened, she just didn’t know what.
Lorne stepped forward, nodding respectfully. “Colonel Carter, nice to see you.”
Sam returned the nod. “Major. Always glad to be back.” She looked at Lorne’s face. During his time at Cheyenne Mountain and during her tenure in Atlantis, she had learned to read him pretty well. “What happened to John and how badly is he injured?”
Lorne winced. He had forgotten how well Carter could read him. “Ma’am, it’s a long story. Let’s head to the Colonel’s office and I’ll fill you in over coffee.”
Sam Carter was astounded at what Lorne relayed. John surviving being hit by lightning and his increased bond to the city did not surprise her. What surprised her was how much of an ass McKay was being. It was like he had reverted to the old McKay, the one that had wanted to leave Teal’c stuck in a Gate buffer. That McKay didn’t care about people and didn’t have friends, he was more interested in the technology and used people until they were no longer useful. She wondered if it was a residual from his time as a Wraith.
After meeting with Woolsey and going over recent news, Sam headed for the labs. As she reached that part of the city, Sam noticed that the climate had changed. The corridor was slightly cool, but the labs were deserted, literally frozen, ice riming the windows as if windows had been opened to the icy atmosphere outside. She passed Dr Kusanagi’s lab and noticed the diminutive Japanese woman drinking tea and calmly working, wearing her usual clothes. Now more than curious, Sam headed for Zelenka’s lab. Upon entering, she noticed that, just like Dr Kusanagi’s, Radek’s lab was nice and comfortable.
“Dr. Z, how’s everything?” Sam had a smile on her face as she entered the lab and spotted the Czech scientist. She was one of only two people that called him that; the other being John, and he knew that John was in the infirmary right now.
“Ah, Colonel Carter! Good to see you. You are well?” Radek pushed his glasses up his nose as he looked up from his laptop.
“Yes, fine. Saw some interesting phenomena the other day and I’ll tell you about them later, but I have some other things that I want to ask you about.”
Zelenka looked at her and sighed. “You want to know about Colonel and Rodney, yes?”
Sam nodded. “And why the environmentals are so screwed up in this section. Is something broken?”
“You noticed that some labs are not affected, yes?” At her nod, he continued. “Nothing is broken except for Colonel’s trust in Rodney. That” and he waved a hand at the corridor and other labs, “started shortly after the Colonel was injured. Every scientist whose lab Rodney dragged Colonel into is affected. Mine is not because I told Rodney he was being fool. Miko’s is not because she refused. Their quarters are the same. Many are sleeping other places because Atlantis is not affecting public areas.”
Sam was astonished. She knew that the city loved John and would do anything he asked, but this… “You’re telling me that Atlantis is doing this because John is injured?”
Zelenka nodded. “Yes, and because of Rodney.”
Sam spotted a stool and sat down. “Tell me what you witnessed. I’ve talked to Lorne, but there were some things that he could only guess at.”
Over the next hour, Zelenka filled Sam in on the events that Lorne had not witnessed or that weren’t on the cameras.
After leaving Zelenka’s lab, Sam headed for the mess hall. She filled a tray and spotted her XO, Major Franklin and some of the others at a table. Joining them, she made sure that the unloading went smoothly while piecing together what she had discovered. She determined that her next stop needed to be Woolsey again.
Leaving the mess hall, she headed for Woolsey’s office. The man was still there, working on reports.
“Mr. Woolsey, can I ask you something?”
Richard looked up. “Colonel Carter. You may ask me anything.”
Sitting down she framed her thoughts. “What have you put in your report concerning Colonel Sheppard and the lightning?”
“I simply put that he was struck by a weak bolt of lightning and suffered some burns and a few other minor injuries, nothing else.” Richard cleared his throat. “I know where you are going with this. I don’t want him to be a test subject for the IOA either. What has happened here will stay here. Useful information will be trickled back as database translations or experiment results, and I have withdrawn my order to the Colonel for him to assist Dr. McKay. All traces of it have been removed from the servers as well.” Richard looked ashamed. “I should have listened and given his concerns more credence. What I did was wrong.”
Sam nodded, relieved at what she heard. “Yes, it was. You haven’t worked with McKay long enough. The man can become extremely obsessed with Ancient technology and John’s enhanced ability just gave him a massive overdose of obsession. When it comes to McKay, follow Sheppard’s lead. He is the only person that can fully control McKay’s impulses. By putting him in the position as McKay’s assistant, you took the reins out of John’s hands.”
She took a deep breath and plowed ahead. “If he had been allowed to recover fully, John would not have had a problem assisting Rodney, but he wasn’t given that option.”
Woolsey had the grace to look ashamed. “I realize that now. Please convey my apologies to Colonel Sheppard.”
Sam stood. “I will, although he would appreciate it more from you. I’m going to the infirmary to see the Colonel. If you need me, just call.”
As she moved through the Control center, Sam stopped at one of the stations. “Liang, I need you to locate Dr. McKay for me. Do not tell him I am looking for him.”
Liang looked at her. “Is this about the Colonel?” At her nod, he continued. “Good. We did not like seeing him treated like that by a friend and I know you will take care of it.”
Sam nodded again. “I’m trying. Call me when you find him.”
As her son slept in a haze of drugs, Atlantis decided to make those that had caused his pain suffer. She tried to catch the instigator, but he kept hiding in the damaged portions or staying in public places as if he knew that she was after him. She decided that she would have to leave his fate to her son or one of his comrades. Feeling his pain as he drifted towards consciousness, Atlantis tried to mute the song of the devices surrounding him, but she could only turn them down to a certain level. Past a certain point, the devices would cease to function. She regretted that she was causing him pain and vowed to ease his pain any way she could.
Waking was pure torture. Everything hurt. His shoulder and hand were bright flares of pain, but even they were eclipsed by the monumental migraine that he had. John could tell that he was in a darkened room, but the lights from the monitors were piercing his skull through his closed eyelids. The light leaking in from the hall didn’t help either. And the noise…he could hear every single noise: the hum of the machines, their soft beeps, the drip of the IV, footsteps, and the breathing of the person in the room. Worst of all was the noise of the Ancient machinery. It invaded every portion of his brain. He could tell that Atlantis was trying to mute it, but she could only do so much.
“John?”
Teyla’s whisper was barely audible, but it still made him whimper and shift in pain.
*“John, can you hear me?”* This time, she used the bond to whisper into his head. That was bearable.
*”Yes. How long?”*
*”Two days. Are you in much pain?”*
*”Yes, hurts. Too much light. Too many machines.”*
*”I shall let Carson and Jennifer know. They will give you something for the pain.”*
*”Mmmm. Want to go to my room. Quieter. Darker.”*
*”I will let them know. I will be back, my love.”*
*”’kay. Love you.”*
John felt a feather light caress on his cheek then heard soft footsteps leave the room. He drifted for a time, riding the pain as best he could, but he felt like it was a losing battle. After a short time, the soft tread returned and headed for his IV. Almost immediately, a rush of cool relief extinguished the flames in his shoulder and hand, and calmed the pain in his head. He gratefully slipped into the cool darkness.