Fill 2/2: SGA/Dollhouse, mostly John Sheppardnagi_schwarzFebruary 1 2016, 06:00:09 UTC
Ronon wrangled him onto a cot. Keller checked his forehead, checked his breathing. John caught her gaze and held it.
"Please," he said again.
Keller dismissed the rest of the medical staff. It was a miracle there were no other patients.
"Before I explain," John said, "I need you to hook me up to your fancy Ancient scanner and do a scan of my head. Otherwise none of this will make sense."
Woolsey frowned. "You're not making sense right now."
"You should do it," Ceccoli said quietly.
Teyla blinked at him, like she'd forgotten he was with them.
"Does this have something to do with your time in Afghanistan?" Woolsey asked. Of course he'd have been given full access to John's military file - at least, the version of the file Rossum let people see.
"You'll see," John said.
Woolsey hesitated, but Ronon said, "Do it. John doesn't ask for stupid things."
Woolsey nodded at Keller, and Lorne went to help her arrange the machine. John lay back, lay still while Keller ran the scan.
"I'm not showing anything unusual, John," she said. Everyone else peered at the screen, but none of them really knew what they were looking at.
Except Zelenka, who pointed. "What is that?"
"A neural net that neurologists installed to repair the damage John sustained during his helicopter crash in Afghanistan," Keller said. "It's in his file."
The imprints were impressed. That was how Rossum explained state-of-the-art neural tech
Woolsey frowned. "Colonel Sheppard didn't crash in Afghanistan. He disobeyed a direct order trying to rescue a downed comrade, but he escaped unscathed."
It was Jennifer's turn to frown. "But it says -"
"If you scan Ceccoli," John said, "he'll have the same thing." He met Ceccoli's gaze. Ceccoli nodded. The imprints were torn between being relieved and even more nervous than before.
"Because he was injured in Afghanistan too," Keller protested, but Ceccoli submitted himself to a scan with an earnestness that made Teyla and Ronon look at him askance.
Everyone else crowded around the screen of Ceccoli's scan.
"What are the chances that they sustained the exact same kind of injury that would require the same treatment?" Teyla asked.
"Slim," Jennifer said. "Especially since the file says Anthony was caught by a roadside bomb, not a chopper crash."
Woolsey's expression turned pinched. "What's going on, Colonel?"
The law clerk and architect murmured warnings about Woolsey. For all that he was a civilian and mostly a desk-jockey, he had the potential to be incredibly dangerous to John.
"What you're seeing," John said, and it took every ounce of his self-control to keep his voice steady, "is called 'active architecture'. It allows someone with the appropriate technology to imprint other personalities onto my brain."
Woolsey opened his mouth to ask a question, but Rodney said, "Can you explain, from the beginning, what happened to you?"
John reached up and tugged off his wristband. Keller flinched when she saw the scar.
"This used to be a tattoo. We call them birth-marks, so if we ever get wiped and imprinted, other people can know who and what we really are."
Ceccoli tugged off his own wristband. There, in familiar inky cursive, were the words: The Dollhouse is real. My name is Anthony Ceccoli. "We got them when we broke out of the Dollhouse, briefly. Some of us made it all the way away. Some of us didn't."
Re: Fill 2/2: SGA/Dollhouse, mostly John SheppardbrumeierFebruary 1 2016, 14:46:27 UTC
Oh, John! ::hugs him:: That was so hard for him, coming clean with everyone. But he did it, and it's got to be a relief to finally have that out. Not having to hide himself anymore, not from the people who matter.
And such a perfect ending line for this fic, with John revealing his true name.
Re: Fill 2/2: SGA/Dollhouse, mostly John Sheppardnagi_schwarzFebruary 1 2016, 14:49:49 UTC
Thanks you so much! I wrote and rewrote the ending of this, and it just kept dragging on too long, and then I just cut it off, and I reread a bunch of old posts in the 'verse, and i am so, so glad this worked.
I am working on one final part from last week's run of prompts but it is giving me a hell of a lot of trouble, and I also need to get to court. I will probably sneak it in under the wire on the Sunday post when it is done though.
Re: Fill 2/2: SGA/Dollhouse, mostly John SheppardbrumeierFebruary 1 2016, 14:52:25 UTC
How have you even had time for work, with all the writing you've been doing? LOL! You've been ruling these prompts!
You ended it in just the right spot. I didn't feel that it was at all draggy. I know for myself, when I try to end a fic I end up with a LOTR ending - like four or five endings before I get to the real one. It's a problem. ::grins::
"Please," he said again.
Keller dismissed the rest of the medical staff. It was a miracle there were no other patients.
"Before I explain," John said, "I need you to hook me up to your fancy Ancient scanner and do a scan of my head. Otherwise none of this will make sense."
Woolsey frowned. "You're not making sense right now."
"You should do it," Ceccoli said quietly.
Teyla blinked at him, like she'd forgotten he was with them.
"Does this have something to do with your time in Afghanistan?" Woolsey asked. Of course he'd have been given full access to John's military file - at least, the version of the file Rossum let people see.
"You'll see," John said.
Woolsey hesitated, but Ronon said, "Do it. John doesn't ask for stupid things."
Woolsey nodded at Keller, and Lorne went to help her arrange the machine. John lay back, lay still while Keller ran the scan.
"I'm not showing anything unusual, John," she said. Everyone else peered at the screen, but none of them really knew what they were looking at.
Except Zelenka, who pointed. "What is that?"
"A neural net that neurologists installed to repair the damage John sustained during his helicopter crash in Afghanistan," Keller said. "It's in his file."
The imprints were impressed. That was how Rossum explained state-of-the-art neural tech
Woolsey frowned. "Colonel Sheppard didn't crash in Afghanistan. He disobeyed a direct order trying to rescue a downed comrade, but he escaped unscathed."
It was Jennifer's turn to frown. "But it says -"
"If you scan Ceccoli," John said, "he'll have the same thing." He met Ceccoli's gaze. Ceccoli nodded. The imprints were torn between being relieved and even more nervous than before.
"Because he was injured in Afghanistan too," Keller protested, but Ceccoli submitted himself to a scan with an earnestness that made Teyla and Ronon look at him askance.
Everyone else crowded around the screen of Ceccoli's scan.
"What are the chances that they sustained the exact same kind of injury that would require the same treatment?" Teyla asked.
"Slim," Jennifer said. "Especially since the file says Anthony was caught by a roadside bomb, not a chopper crash."
Woolsey's expression turned pinched. "What's going on, Colonel?"
The law clerk and architect murmured warnings about Woolsey. For all that he was a civilian and mostly a desk-jockey, he had the potential to be incredibly dangerous to John.
"What you're seeing," John said, and it took every ounce of his self-control to keep his voice steady, "is called 'active architecture'. It allows someone with the appropriate technology to imprint other personalities onto my brain."
Woolsey opened his mouth to ask a question, but Rodney said, "Can you explain, from the beginning, what happened to you?"
John reached up and tugged off his wristband. Keller flinched when she saw the scar.
"This used to be a tattoo. We call them birth-marks, so if we ever get wiped and imprinted, other people can know who and what we really are."
Ceccoli tugged off his own wristband. There, in familiar inky cursive, were the words: The Dollhouse is real. My name is Anthony Ceccoli. "We got them when we broke out of the Dollhouse, briefly. Some of us made it all the way away. Some of us didn't."
"What did yours say?" Teyla asked.
John's voice caught in his throat.
It's time, the imprints said.
"The Dollhouse is real. My name is Joe Flanigan."
Reply
And such a perfect ending line for this fic, with John revealing his true name.
Love it, love it, love it!
Reply
I am working on one final part from last week's run of prompts but it is giving me a hell of a lot of trouble, and I also need to get to court. I will probably sneak it in under the wire on the Sunday post when it is done though.
Reply
You ended it in just the right spot. I didn't feel that it was at all draggy. I know for myself, when I try to end a fic I end up with a LOTR ending - like four or five endings before I get to the real one. It's a problem. ::grins::
Reply
Reply
Reply
Leave a comment