sgu fic: Uncertain Terms (Yuletide reveal...)
I'm going to go ahead and post my Yuletide fic here, just for organization's sake. I like having things in one place. :)
Title: Uncertain Terms
Author: philote_auctor
Fandom: Stargate Universe
Rating: PG
Character/Pairing: Nicholas Rush and Everett Young
Disclaimer: The characters and situations of Stargate Universe do not belong to me. I make no money from this story. Please don’t sue.
Author’s Notes: Written for Hecate in Yuletide 2009. Possible spoilers through 1x10, some specific and some just implications of things to come. I imagine this set somewhere early in season 1; definitely before “Justice.”
I’ll admit that this ended up being difficult writing for me. This is the first time I’ve written for the fandom, though with it being fairly new and having seen every bit of it I didn’t feel too out of my depth. I was actually thrilled with the prompt. Then I decided to just hold onto my basic ideas and wait until the mid-season finale to avoid canon screwing up my story. Of course, as anyone who’s seen “Justice” can probably imagine, canon pretty much sucker punched me.
I didn’t want to go AU or start theorizing about the back half of the season, so this is set beforehand. I hope I’ve managed to walk the fine line between what I wanted to write-between my earlier impressions of the characters-and what eventually happened in that last episode.
oOo
“Hold up, Rush.”
Nicholas Rush gave a small huff of frustration as he paused, turning back to watch Colonel Everett Young limping around the corner. “Really, Colonel. I’m sure your people are more than capable of overseeing this little venture if you aren’t up to it.”
“I’m up to it,” Young replied in that measured, forcibly patient tone Rush found so infuriating. “I wasn’t asking for my benefit. You can’t just go waltzing into unexplored, unsecured areas without protection.”
Rush looked pointedly at the makeshift crutch. “Yes, I feel much more protected now,” he said dryly. “You and I both know that I am the most qualified person to handle whatever this ship might present.” Point made, he turned to move on. “And, for the record, I never much cared for waltzing.”
Young caught him by the shoulder. He flinched away, startled by the sudden contact. Young eyed him warily, but made no comment on the reaction. “It wasn’t a request.”
“Well then, by all means,” Rush didn’t bother holding back his sneer as he gestured to the corridor ahead. “Colonels first.”
“Thank you.” Young calmly moved ahead, seemingly unperturbed by the whole exchange. Rush was left to cast a frustrated glance back towards the third member of their little exploring party. Eli had apparently moved past the stage where he looked between them uneasily when they bickered; now he simply rolled his eyes. His attention went straight back to the little screen showing him the footage from the kino roaming the corridor ahead of them. He walked blindly after Young, never once looking at where he was going. Rush thought it a small miracle that the boy didn’t wander into walls more often. Shaking his head, he followed.
Today had been devoted to further exploring the ship with scientists and military personnel paired in small groups and fanned out. Young had insisted that he would take Rush and Eli himself. Somehow, Rush didn’t think it was Eli he wanted to keep a closer watch over. He’d never cared to make much effort to be in the man’s good graces, but it was still aggravating.
They made their way deeper into the ship. If he were being honest, the pace wasn’t really slowed that much by Young’s injuries. He’d pushed through the pain without complaint from the start, and now he seemed well on his way to good health again.
They stopped at the first unfamiliar room, the kino zipping in ahead of them and returning images of a curiously furnished but benign-looking little space. True to his word, Young went in first. Rush waited impatiently with Eli until they were waved in.
It wasn’t much bigger than the individual quarters. A good-sized window allowed ambient light in from outside the ship, which was sufficient when coupled with the light spilling in from the hallway. That was good, because no light came on when they entered. Nothing activated at all apart from the initial opening of the door. The only functioning technology in the room seemed to be the kino.
“Um…”
Both of them turned. “Eli?” Young prompted after a pause.
Eli moved back into the fuller light of the doorway, frowning down at the kino controls. “The screen just went dead.”
As if on cue, the nearly imperceptible whir of the kino abruptly ceased. It dropped like a stone, cracking hard into the floor several feet below where it had been hovering. They all stared at it for a comical beat.
“Eli, did you just break a ten thousand-year-old piece of technology?”
“No! I mean…it may be broken, but I didn’t do the breaking.”
“Then the question should be what, if not you, is at fault,” Rush threw in absently, not really concerned with the little camera. Instead he was aiming his flashlight around the room, taking in what resembled little couches sat up near the window and the single console in the center.
“I don’t know yet,” Eli snapped back despite Rush’s obvious lack of attention.
“Maybe it has something to do with the ten thousand-year-old part,” Young mused.
“If that’s the case then we all have very real cause to be concerned. Look around, Colonel. Our entire environment is ten thousand years old.”
As they talked Eli moved to retrieve the kino and retreated into the full light of the hallway with it and the controller. As he fiddled with it, Rush stepped over to the console and peered down. The screen was considerably smaller than the one in the control room and appeared completely blank. But he thought he had caught sight of something from across the room…
There, in the upper right corner; a flashing light. It was not unlike a cursor waiting for input. More curious now, he reached to touch the screen.
His world promptly exploded in a bright flash of white.
oOo
The first thing he was aware of was a familiar voice fading in and out, distant and then uncomfortably close. Something touched his chest, bringing him back to awareness much more quickly. He blindly tried to shift away.
The touch turned into restraint as something else registered in his foggy consciousness-his head felt as if it had been cracked like an egg. “I think he’s waking up,” the voice announced above him. “Open your eyes and look at me, Rush.”
As a general rule he wasn’t much for orders, but this one he tried to follow. He cracked his eyes open, squinting up at Young and grateful for the low light. He was confused initially as he fought to remember where they were and what had happened, but it came back easily enough. When it did, he tried to push himself up.
Young’s hand planted firmly on his chest prevented that. He must have seen the second of confusion because he stated, “There was some kind of explosion.”
Rush tried to push at the hand, strangely uncoordinated. “Really?” he mocked. “And here I thought that was the fireworks for our welcome back to Earth parade.”
Young stared at him for a beat, his expression difficult to read in the limited light. “Right. No personality-altering brain damage, then. Stop trying to get up, Rush.”
“Stop trying to stop me,” he shot back childishly. He settled for sitting with his back against the wall for the moment, though that had more to do with the dizzying pounding in his head than any sort of acquiescence to Young. He took in their surroundings, which really looked no worse for wear than they had before. “I take it the blast was fairly contained.”
“More of a flash than a blast, really. It was almost like an electrical short.”
Struck by a sudden realization, Rush sat straighter. “Eli?”
“Out in the hall, remember? He’s fine; the door shut. Unfortunately it seems pretty reluctant to open again.”
The Colonel’s radio crackled to life, Lieutenant Johansen’s voice floating through. “How is he, Colonel?”
Young had to release him with one hand to key the radio. “Alert. Fairly coherent.” Rush took advantage, trying once more to push himself up. Young immediately caught him again with a vice-like grip on each arm. “Stay put, Rush. You were just thrown across a room.”
“It’s not a very big room. Get out of my way; I can fix a door.”
“They’re working on it. You were unconscious for a good fifteen minutes; be still and let me check you over.”
“Wouldn’t it be better if we were out of here and someone with medical training could do that?” he griped, still trying to twist away from the Colonel’s touch.
“I’ve done plenty of first aid in the field. Hold still.”
It took physical effort not to try to push the Colonel away. He was shaking slightly-whether with that or from some medical issue, he didn’t really know. He watched warily and flinched often as Young alternately examined him and answered TJ through the radio. He had difficulty following the conversation.
Eventually they seemed to agree that he was concussed. As soon as Young turned away, Rush was pushing himself up again. Young swore but finally gave in; helping him rather than watching him struggle. As soon as he was upright and not wobbling, Rush shook off the support. “I don’t need help.”
“Of course not. God forbid you might need someone else,” Young muttered.
“Try to keep him calm, Colonel,” was TJ’s last bit of advice.
“You’re advising that I knock him in the head again, then? Because the only time I’ve seen him calm was when he was unconscious.”
Rush turned back to shoot him a nasty look and very nearly fell over. He ignored the ‘I told you so’ look and held his hand out, palm up. “Let me talk to Eli.”
Young hesitated a moment before he handed the radio over. Before keying it Rush turned to study the door on their side, seeking a control panel.
“I tried that,” Young said from behind him. “Couldn’t find anything.”
“There should be a control on this side as well,” Rush insisted, frustrated. “Otherwise…”
“Someone might get locked in?” Young finished, far too calm for Rush’s current mood. “Maybe it’s a cell or something.”
“Or something.” Rush then ignored the Colonel in favor of calling for Eli over the radio.
Eli went on for a bit about everything he was trying, talking about a mile a minute. Rush was fairly certain the litany was making his headache worse. His vision wavered a little and he blinked stubbornly, ignoring it. When he eventually realized that Eli had stopped speaking, he launched into the basics of the door interface and the methods of opening it.
“I just said...I tried all of that.”
Rush frowned. Had he? While he was staring at the door in consternation, Young took the opportunity to liberate his radio. “He’s concussed, Eli. Not exactly on top of his game.”
“My ‘game’ is perfectly fine.”
“I still say we shoot it.” That sounded like Greer. Terrific.
“Yeah, great idea. Damage it irreparably and we might never get them out of there.”
“Something’s already damaged. Even I can tell that.”
“Greer,” Young interjected the second he could get through. “Bullets don’t fix everything. Eli, work the problem and keep us updated. Get whatever help you need.”
“What I need is Rush, out here and un-concussed.” The frustration was thick in his voice. It wasn’t without a little fear mixed in.
Rush reached over and snatched the radio back. “I thought you hated me looking over your shoulder, critiquing you.”
“Well…”
“You know how to do this, Eli.” It wasn’t technically true, perhaps, because Eli didn’t have particular experience with Ancient door interfaces. But he had the capability to do it. “Just think of it as a barrier to the next level of one of your ridiculous little games.”
“I don’t know…” It seemed to be working. The voice was still a bit uncertain, but the fear seemed to have faded. He was sure of it when Eli continued, “How many points are you worth?”
He couldn’t help a smile, which he tried to keep out of his voice as he answered tersely, “All of them.”
“Guess it’s worth it then, huh?” came the cheeky answer. “I’ll get back to you.”
Rush turned away from the door to find Young looking at him curiously. “What?”
“Just observing.”
“I’m fine,” he stated testily, despite all the evidence to the contrary.
“I wasn’t observing that.”
Rush shook his head and immediately regretted it. When the world stopped swaying Young was too close again, hand hovering as if waiting to see if he would need support. Rush took an involuntary step backwards and then sidestepped around him as he tried to focus on the job at hand. “It originated from the console, correct?”
“That was your launching point, yes.”
“Then perhaps that is where the answers lie.”
He headed purposefully back towards the console, only to be brought up short once more by Young getting in his way. “Whoa, just slow down. The thing is clearly dangerous.”
“Only in so much as we don’t understand it. Do I really strike you as the type to be careless with my own life?”
“Your brain is a little scrambled at the moment, and I don’t know how it works on a good day.” He hesitated, then admitted, “But no, you don’t.”
“You don’t want to be stuck in here longer than necessary, do you?” Rush pushed.
With a sigh, Young finally stepped aside. “Just be careful.”
Rush only wobbled a bit as he made his way the short distance back to the screen. He hesitated to touch it again, but the light was gone. It seemed dormant. “Bring me my bag,” he directed shortly as he knelt to find the control panel on the console.
“Yes, Doctor,” Young mocked, but he moved to do it anyway.
Rush fumbled with the tools he normally could have wielded blindfolded. Finally he managed to remove the panel and spent several long minutes staring at it before he dared try to manipulate things. He needn’t have bothered with the caution; no matter what he tried, the console showed no signs of life whatsoever. Eventually he rocked back on his heels in frustration, lost his balance and sat down hard on the cold floor.
“Alright; that’s enough for now. Come sit down and rest for a minute.”
Rush jumped. He hadn’t realized Young was hovering quite so close. “The longer I rest the longer we’re trapped.”
“You got somewhere to be?” Young asked as he hooked a hand under his arm and tugged him to his feet.
Rush wished the man would stop grabbing him without warning. “I don’t know; anywhere but here?” he snapped as he pulled away once more, stumbling only once before he made it to one of the little couches.
Young settled on the other across from him. They sat in silence, staring out the window. Rush would never admit it, but it was good to feel his heart rate settle back into a less panicked range and his headache recede a little.
He might have lost track of time for a while at that point. The next thing he was aware of was Young standing over him again, practically yelling his name. “Rush!”
“What now?” he returned in kind. Or he tried to at least; it came out rather groggy and rough.
Young backed off the couple of feet to his couch and sat down heavily. “Okay. You have to stay alert. Painful as it may be for both of us; you need to talk to me.”
“I’ll just get back to work instead,” Rush declared, pushing himself upright. He didn’t get far, having to pause to lean over and hold his pounding head in his hands. He felt faintly nauseous.
“You don’t always have to do everything yourself, you know,” Young said. “The science staff is not made up of complete incompetents.”
“Perhaps not all of them,” he grumbled.
Young settled his elbows on his knees, mirroring his position as he and nailed him with a scrutinizing gaze. “Why is it so hard for you to trust someone else?”
Rush let out a snort of humorless laughter. “You’re one to talk, Colonel.”
“I trust the people who’ve earned it.”
Rush met his eyes for a bare moment before looking away. “Fair enough. Well, by that vein, perhaps I’ve yet to have anyone prove themselves worthy.”
Young let the silence stretch again. The pain in Rush’s head receded enough that he decided to chance standing up. As he stood there wavering Young spoke up again. “You’re not entirely terrible with Eli.”
Rush blinked at him. “Is there a compliment in there somewhere?”
“Just wondering why he’s unique.”
He was quiet for so long he was certain Young thought he wasn’t going to answer. Finally he said, “Eli is brilliant. He just hasn’t been able to take advantage of all the opportunity he deserves.”
“And you gave him opportunity, bringing him to Icarus.”
“Yes.”
Young remained seated, but kept pressing. “You brought him out here. Maybe you feel responsible for him?”
“You think I should.”
“Doesn’t matter what I think,” Young shrugged. “You do. But you don’t feel that to anyone else.”
That wasn’t true, not entirely. Rush chose not to dignify it with a response, turning the tables on him instead. “You feel responsible for everyone.”
“Of course I do. I am responsible for everyone.”
“Either you are very committed to your job, Colonel, or you actually feel it.”
“Maybe it’s both.” Rush let out a little snort of disbelief, and Young slowly stood to join him. “Is that so hard to believe?”
“It’s admirable, I suppose. Just unlikely.”
“Oh?”
“Come now. No one is that noble.” He paused. “And, as we both know, you don’t really want to be out here at all.”
Young froze, gaze narrowing ever-so-slightly. “Okay. True enough. Honestly, I would have had no desire to lead this expedition.” He took a step closer. “But I didn’t have an option. I’m here now, and I have an obligation to everyone here with me.”
Rush stood his ground. “Obligation,” he repeated snidely.
“Yes. Obligation and duty. That comes first, but it comes along with genuine care and loyalty to each member of this team.”
“Loyalty, hmm? That’s a bit ironic coming from a man who couldn’t even manage to stay faithful to his wife.”
Too far, and he knew the second it was out that he would regret it. But he still got a certain cold thrill of satisfaction in knowing he’d gotten past Young’s calm, holier-than-thou veneer.
And gotten past it he had. There was a second of shock, because that wasn’t information that he should know. But it faded quickly enough, fury taking its place. The flash of emotion across his face was all the warning Rush got. Young came at him. Before he was quite sure what had happened he was pinned to the nearest wall, one arm twisted above his head and Young’s weight holding him firmly in place.
He’d had a bit of self-defense training, enough to be cleared for offworld travel. But, as was painfully evident now, it was really only enough for him to truly comprehend that he had no chance against a military man like Young.
Both his heart and head were pounding again. He blamed the mix of adrenaline and concussion for his inability to keep his mouth shut, even when it was obviously in his best interests. “If you wanted to waltz so badly, Colonel, you could have just asked.”
Young’s jaw clinched, his eyes flashing. Rush tried to brace himself for the hit he knew was coming.
The radio crackled to life. “Colonel Young?”
There was a long moment of silence punctuated only by their labored breaths. Young stared hard at him and Rush glared right back. All the while he was acutely aware of their positions, of the pressure across his chest where one arm pinned him and the hand on his wrist and the leg pressed up against his.
Eli’s voice filled the room once more, a little nervous now. “Uh…guys? I’m supposed to make sure that you’re both still…okay. Hanging in there?” There was a pregnant pause. “Uh…in one piece?”
Young finally broke the eye contact with a huff of annoyance. He released Rush’s wrist to key the radio, but otherwise didn’t move. “We haven’t killed each other yet, Eli.”
“Good! That’s good.” Relief was evident in the young voice. “Um, I’m actually going to need to hear that from Dr. Rush as well.”
Young rolled his eyes and finally moved back then, releasing him entirely as he detached the radio and held it out for him. Rush recovered his balance and reached to accept it, still glaring. “I’m fine, Eli. Have you figured this out yet?”
Eli laid out the list of things they’d considered, liberally punctuated by comments from the other scientists who’d been enlisted to help him. It sounded like half the ship was clogging the hallway out there. Rush tried to focus on it, really he did. But his head ached and he was still unsteady from the little encounter they’d just had. The only thing he fully registered was Eli’s frustrated conclusion: “It’s almost like the ship just wants you stuck in there.”
Young gave a humorless little smile. “Great. Have they tried asking her nicely to let us out?”
Rush didn’t respond. The possibility of Destiny having some form of sentient component was equal parts fascinating and terrifying. But it wasn’t something he would rule out entirely. There was just so much they didn’t know, so much yet to learn.
“You’re doing fine, Eli. Just...keep at it.”
Young had settled on the floor against the center console and was now watching him again. “What?” he said tersely.
He expected to spark the anger again, so he was surprised when Young just shook his head and sighed. “You’re a lot of work.”
Rush blinked. “Is that your attempt at another compliment?”
Young gave a dry chuckle. “You would take it that way.” He sounded weary as he asked, “Why do you have to make everything so damn difficult?”
“I suppose I’m just a difficult person.”
“Well I’m not going to argue that point.” Young stared at him unnervingly, making him want to squirm. Finally he continued, “You’re not alone out here, however much you might want to be.”
It wasn’t an altogether unattractive idea. “Unfortunately, that would be impractical.”
“Yes, because you probably would have died within the first week from exhaustion and starvation.”
“I suppose it is good to rely on other people for some small things,” Rush admitted grudgingly.
“Small things like sustenance?” Young shook his head again. “Never mind; not the point. I’m not fishing for some kind of admission; I’m just trying to figure you out. We’re out here for the long haul, together. I’m trying to find some way to make this work. Maybe you could give me an inch every now and again.”
He would have fired something back, possibly something about inches and yards or his lack of desire to make friends (he had more important things to do, after all). But something over the Colonel’s head caught his eye.
Young seemed to realize he’d lost his attention. “What?”
Rush stepped over, an unwelcome sense of déjà vu coming over him. The little cursor on the screen was present again, flashing. “That’s what it was doing before.”
“Before?” Young stood, standing beside him. “As in before the last blinding flash that trapped us in here?”
“Yes,” Rush answered absently, wondering if the activity would mean that he could now access it. Rather than going for the screen again, he knelt once more and reached for the panel.
Young smacked his hand away before he could make contact. “What the hell are you doing? Have you forgotten your little flight across the room?”
“No; I’m trying to do my job and figure this out!” He paused to rub a hand over his eyes. “What’s it doing now?”
Young stubbornly positioned himself such that Rush couldn’t get to the panel. “Flashing still. More quickly now, I think.”
“Oh.”
“Oh? Hell no, Rush.”
Young grabbed him, physically hauling him away from the console. Rush squawked indignantly and argued all the way, insisting that he could only fix it if he could look at the damn thing. Young didn’t much seem to care, absorbing his movements and easily overpowering him. He pushed him into the corner and then knelt on the floor himself and grabbed Rush once again.
Rush tensed, half-expecting to be hit, but this was different from last time. There was no violence in this at all. It took him a long moment of the unexpected closeness to realize that Young had covered him with his own body, protecting him.
Again, there was a flash of bright white light. Rush shut his eyes instinctively and felt Young press against him as he curled in tighter.
And then it was over, like nothing had happened. They unfolded slowly, Young remaining in his space longer than he thought was necessary. He opened his mouth to say so when their eyes locked, still so close they were sharing breath.
Then there was more light and noise and people spilling into the room and whatever spell had fallen was broken. Young was handing him off to TJ and Eli was hovering. Rush’s head was pounding, so he shoved aside all the tumultuous thoughts running through his mind and gave his attention over to handling the pain.
He didn’t really even notice that his attention kept absently drifting to the Colonel, watching as Young eased right back into command of the group as if nothing had happened.
oOo
It was two days later before Rush sensed someone watching him as he worked in the control room. He forced his gaze from the console, unsurprised to find Colonel Young leaning against the door. He gave a resigned sigh and demanded shortly, “Yes?”
“We didn’t finish our conversation.”
“Well, blame that on those pesky soldiers of yours. Be sure to reprimand them for rescuing us at an inconvenient time.”
Young cracked a smile as he came further into the room. “I could do that, but Eli’s saying they didn’t do anything. That the door just suddenly opened again by itself. So I guess that reprimand goes to Destiny.”
“Yes; that’s a mystery we’ll have to solve. In the meantime, I don’t think I’ll be the one to deliver that reprimand. I rather prefer my freedom.” Rush turned back to his console, a little discomfited. “I’m rather busy at the moment, Colonel.”
“You’re always busy. Even in the infirmary, even asleep, you were constantly restless.”
That gave him pause. “That’s…a disturbing observation.”
“I thought so. You’ve already collapsed once; I think we’d all like to skip the encore performance.”
“I was referring to the fact that the observation was made, actually.”
Young was smirking a little as he came around to lean against the console, making it impossible for Rush to ignore him. “Don’t worry; I wasn’t lurking by your bedside. TJ keeps me informed.”
“Good to know confidentiality is alive and well.”
“No such thing here. Not when health or safety is involved. That’s part of my responsibility. All the people on this ship are under my protection…and my care.”
“Very noble,” he dared to say. It dripped with sarcasm.
Young just crossed his arms and studied him again. “You’re not stupid, Rush.”
“You really should work on that complimenting issue of yours.”
“In fact you’re about as far from stupid as they come.”
“That’s not really much better.”
Young continued as if he hadn’t spoken. “Which leads me to believe you’re just willfully ignoring the point.”
“You had a point?”
“All the people on this ship,” he repeated. “That includes you.”
Rush froze, hands hovering over the console. He briefly flashed back to that moment when Young had bodily protected him, a scene he couldn’t seem to shake. For some reason it brought a surge of emotion. It wasn’t anger, not really, but he could still channel it as such. “And what caveat would you like to place on that? Perhaps that I am under your protection until I next piss you off?”
“Oh, you’re pissing me off now. I’d still put my body-or my orders-between you and danger. That’s your right as a part of this crew; unless or until you let me know that you don’t want it.”
Rush tried to stare him down, but he could read nothing but determined sincerity. Still, it was too hard to accept. “So when I disagree with you…”
“I’m not going to misinterpret griping or you being your usual sunny self. I’m talking about no uncertain terms, Rush,” he clarified firmly. “Let me know.”
And that was the bottom line, his cue to say something. That he needed his allotment of rations and access to his people and work, but he didn’t need someone to care for him. But something made him hesitate.
He had no doubt that there would be a time when Young’s protection was worth less than a leader who would listen to reason, would listen to him. But for now…
He finally set his jaw and said nothing.
Young nodded once. “Okay then.” He laid a hand on Rush’s shoulder, squeezing once before he released him and made his way towards the door.
It wasn’t until Young was gone that Rush realized with a bit of consternation that he hadn’t flinched at the contact.
oOo
Title: Uncertain Terms
Author: philote_auctor
Fandom: Stargate Universe
Rating: PG
Character/Pairing: Nicholas Rush and Everett Young
Disclaimer: The characters and situations of Stargate Universe do not belong to me. I make no money from this story. Please don’t sue.
Author’s Notes: Written for Hecate in Yuletide 2009. Possible spoilers through 1x10, some specific and some just implications of things to come. I imagine this set somewhere early in season 1; definitely before “Justice.”
I’ll admit that this ended up being difficult writing for me. This is the first time I’ve written for the fandom, though with it being fairly new and having seen every bit of it I didn’t feel too out of my depth. I was actually thrilled with the prompt. Then I decided to just hold onto my basic ideas and wait until the mid-season finale to avoid canon screwing up my story. Of course, as anyone who’s seen “Justice” can probably imagine, canon pretty much sucker punched me.
I didn’t want to go AU or start theorizing about the back half of the season, so this is set beforehand. I hope I’ve managed to walk the fine line between what I wanted to write-between my earlier impressions of the characters-and what eventually happened in that last episode.
oOo
“Hold up, Rush.”
Nicholas Rush gave a small huff of frustration as he paused, turning back to watch Colonel Everett Young limping around the corner. “Really, Colonel. I’m sure your people are more than capable of overseeing this little venture if you aren’t up to it.”
“I’m up to it,” Young replied in that measured, forcibly patient tone Rush found so infuriating. “I wasn’t asking for my benefit. You can’t just go waltzing into unexplored, unsecured areas without protection.”
Rush looked pointedly at the makeshift crutch. “Yes, I feel much more protected now,” he said dryly. “You and I both know that I am the most qualified person to handle whatever this ship might present.” Point made, he turned to move on. “And, for the record, I never much cared for waltzing.”
Young caught him by the shoulder. He flinched away, startled by the sudden contact. Young eyed him warily, but made no comment on the reaction. “It wasn’t a request.”
“Well then, by all means,” Rush didn’t bother holding back his sneer as he gestured to the corridor ahead. “Colonels first.”
“Thank you.” Young calmly moved ahead, seemingly unperturbed by the whole exchange. Rush was left to cast a frustrated glance back towards the third member of their little exploring party. Eli had apparently moved past the stage where he looked between them uneasily when they bickered; now he simply rolled his eyes. His attention went straight back to the little screen showing him the footage from the kino roaming the corridor ahead of them. He walked blindly after Young, never once looking at where he was going. Rush thought it a small miracle that the boy didn’t wander into walls more often. Shaking his head, he followed.
Today had been devoted to further exploring the ship with scientists and military personnel paired in small groups and fanned out. Young had insisted that he would take Rush and Eli himself. Somehow, Rush didn’t think it was Eli he wanted to keep a closer watch over. He’d never cared to make much effort to be in the man’s good graces, but it was still aggravating.
They made their way deeper into the ship. If he were being honest, the pace wasn’t really slowed that much by Young’s injuries. He’d pushed through the pain without complaint from the start, and now he seemed well on his way to good health again.
They stopped at the first unfamiliar room, the kino zipping in ahead of them and returning images of a curiously furnished but benign-looking little space. True to his word, Young went in first. Rush waited impatiently with Eli until they were waved in.
It wasn’t much bigger than the individual quarters. A good-sized window allowed ambient light in from outside the ship, which was sufficient when coupled with the light spilling in from the hallway. That was good, because no light came on when they entered. Nothing activated at all apart from the initial opening of the door. The only functioning technology in the room seemed to be the kino.
“Um…”
Both of them turned. “Eli?” Young prompted after a pause.
Eli moved back into the fuller light of the doorway, frowning down at the kino controls. “The screen just went dead.”
As if on cue, the nearly imperceptible whir of the kino abruptly ceased. It dropped like a stone, cracking hard into the floor several feet below where it had been hovering. They all stared at it for a comical beat.
“Eli, did you just break a ten thousand-year-old piece of technology?”
“No! I mean…it may be broken, but I didn’t do the breaking.”
“Then the question should be what, if not you, is at fault,” Rush threw in absently, not really concerned with the little camera. Instead he was aiming his flashlight around the room, taking in what resembled little couches sat up near the window and the single console in the center.
“I don’t know yet,” Eli snapped back despite Rush’s obvious lack of attention.
“Maybe it has something to do with the ten thousand-year-old part,” Young mused.
“If that’s the case then we all have very real cause to be concerned. Look around, Colonel. Our entire environment is ten thousand years old.”
As they talked Eli moved to retrieve the kino and retreated into the full light of the hallway with it and the controller. As he fiddled with it, Rush stepped over to the console and peered down. The screen was considerably smaller than the one in the control room and appeared completely blank. But he thought he had caught sight of something from across the room…
There, in the upper right corner; a flashing light. It was not unlike a cursor waiting for input. More curious now, he reached to touch the screen.
His world promptly exploded in a bright flash of white.
oOo
The first thing he was aware of was a familiar voice fading in and out, distant and then uncomfortably close. Something touched his chest, bringing him back to awareness much more quickly. He blindly tried to shift away.
The touch turned into restraint as something else registered in his foggy consciousness-his head felt as if it had been cracked like an egg. “I think he’s waking up,” the voice announced above him. “Open your eyes and look at me, Rush.”
As a general rule he wasn’t much for orders, but this one he tried to follow. He cracked his eyes open, squinting up at Young and grateful for the low light. He was confused initially as he fought to remember where they were and what had happened, but it came back easily enough. When it did, he tried to push himself up.
Young’s hand planted firmly on his chest prevented that. He must have seen the second of confusion because he stated, “There was some kind of explosion.”
Rush tried to push at the hand, strangely uncoordinated. “Really?” he mocked. “And here I thought that was the fireworks for our welcome back to Earth parade.”
Young stared at him for a beat, his expression difficult to read in the limited light. “Right. No personality-altering brain damage, then. Stop trying to get up, Rush.”
“Stop trying to stop me,” he shot back childishly. He settled for sitting with his back against the wall for the moment, though that had more to do with the dizzying pounding in his head than any sort of acquiescence to Young. He took in their surroundings, which really looked no worse for wear than they had before. “I take it the blast was fairly contained.”
“More of a flash than a blast, really. It was almost like an electrical short.”
Struck by a sudden realization, Rush sat straighter. “Eli?”
“Out in the hall, remember? He’s fine; the door shut. Unfortunately it seems pretty reluctant to open again.”
The Colonel’s radio crackled to life, Lieutenant Johansen’s voice floating through. “How is he, Colonel?”
Young had to release him with one hand to key the radio. “Alert. Fairly coherent.” Rush took advantage, trying once more to push himself up. Young immediately caught him again with a vice-like grip on each arm. “Stay put, Rush. You were just thrown across a room.”
“It’s not a very big room. Get out of my way; I can fix a door.”
“They’re working on it. You were unconscious for a good fifteen minutes; be still and let me check you over.”
“Wouldn’t it be better if we were out of here and someone with medical training could do that?” he griped, still trying to twist away from the Colonel’s touch.
“I’ve done plenty of first aid in the field. Hold still.”
It took physical effort not to try to push the Colonel away. He was shaking slightly-whether with that or from some medical issue, he didn’t really know. He watched warily and flinched often as Young alternately examined him and answered TJ through the radio. He had difficulty following the conversation.
Eventually they seemed to agree that he was concussed. As soon as Young turned away, Rush was pushing himself up again. Young swore but finally gave in; helping him rather than watching him struggle. As soon as he was upright and not wobbling, Rush shook off the support. “I don’t need help.”
“Of course not. God forbid you might need someone else,” Young muttered.
“Try to keep him calm, Colonel,” was TJ’s last bit of advice.
“You’re advising that I knock him in the head again, then? Because the only time I’ve seen him calm was when he was unconscious.”
Rush turned back to shoot him a nasty look and very nearly fell over. He ignored the ‘I told you so’ look and held his hand out, palm up. “Let me talk to Eli.”
Young hesitated a moment before he handed the radio over. Before keying it Rush turned to study the door on their side, seeking a control panel.
“I tried that,” Young said from behind him. “Couldn’t find anything.”
“There should be a control on this side as well,” Rush insisted, frustrated. “Otherwise…”
“Someone might get locked in?” Young finished, far too calm for Rush’s current mood. “Maybe it’s a cell or something.”
“Or something.” Rush then ignored the Colonel in favor of calling for Eli over the radio.
Eli went on for a bit about everything he was trying, talking about a mile a minute. Rush was fairly certain the litany was making his headache worse. His vision wavered a little and he blinked stubbornly, ignoring it. When he eventually realized that Eli had stopped speaking, he launched into the basics of the door interface and the methods of opening it.
“I just said...I tried all of that.”
Rush frowned. Had he? While he was staring at the door in consternation, Young took the opportunity to liberate his radio. “He’s concussed, Eli. Not exactly on top of his game.”
“My ‘game’ is perfectly fine.”
“I still say we shoot it.” That sounded like Greer. Terrific.
“Yeah, great idea. Damage it irreparably and we might never get them out of there.”
“Something’s already damaged. Even I can tell that.”
“Greer,” Young interjected the second he could get through. “Bullets don’t fix everything. Eli, work the problem and keep us updated. Get whatever help you need.”
“What I need is Rush, out here and un-concussed.” The frustration was thick in his voice. It wasn’t without a little fear mixed in.
Rush reached over and snatched the radio back. “I thought you hated me looking over your shoulder, critiquing you.”
“Well…”
“You know how to do this, Eli.” It wasn’t technically true, perhaps, because Eli didn’t have particular experience with Ancient door interfaces. But he had the capability to do it. “Just think of it as a barrier to the next level of one of your ridiculous little games.”
“I don’t know…” It seemed to be working. The voice was still a bit uncertain, but the fear seemed to have faded. He was sure of it when Eli continued, “How many points are you worth?”
He couldn’t help a smile, which he tried to keep out of his voice as he answered tersely, “All of them.”
“Guess it’s worth it then, huh?” came the cheeky answer. “I’ll get back to you.”
Rush turned away from the door to find Young looking at him curiously. “What?”
“Just observing.”
“I’m fine,” he stated testily, despite all the evidence to the contrary.
“I wasn’t observing that.”
Rush shook his head and immediately regretted it. When the world stopped swaying Young was too close again, hand hovering as if waiting to see if he would need support. Rush took an involuntary step backwards and then sidestepped around him as he tried to focus on the job at hand. “It originated from the console, correct?”
“That was your launching point, yes.”
“Then perhaps that is where the answers lie.”
He headed purposefully back towards the console, only to be brought up short once more by Young getting in his way. “Whoa, just slow down. The thing is clearly dangerous.”
“Only in so much as we don’t understand it. Do I really strike you as the type to be careless with my own life?”
“Your brain is a little scrambled at the moment, and I don’t know how it works on a good day.” He hesitated, then admitted, “But no, you don’t.”
“You don’t want to be stuck in here longer than necessary, do you?” Rush pushed.
With a sigh, Young finally stepped aside. “Just be careful.”
Rush only wobbled a bit as he made his way the short distance back to the screen. He hesitated to touch it again, but the light was gone. It seemed dormant. “Bring me my bag,” he directed shortly as he knelt to find the control panel on the console.
“Yes, Doctor,” Young mocked, but he moved to do it anyway.
Rush fumbled with the tools he normally could have wielded blindfolded. Finally he managed to remove the panel and spent several long minutes staring at it before he dared try to manipulate things. He needn’t have bothered with the caution; no matter what he tried, the console showed no signs of life whatsoever. Eventually he rocked back on his heels in frustration, lost his balance and sat down hard on the cold floor.
“Alright; that’s enough for now. Come sit down and rest for a minute.”
Rush jumped. He hadn’t realized Young was hovering quite so close. “The longer I rest the longer we’re trapped.”
“You got somewhere to be?” Young asked as he hooked a hand under his arm and tugged him to his feet.
Rush wished the man would stop grabbing him without warning. “I don’t know; anywhere but here?” he snapped as he pulled away once more, stumbling only once before he made it to one of the little couches.
Young settled on the other across from him. They sat in silence, staring out the window. Rush would never admit it, but it was good to feel his heart rate settle back into a less panicked range and his headache recede a little.
He might have lost track of time for a while at that point. The next thing he was aware of was Young standing over him again, practically yelling his name. “Rush!”
“What now?” he returned in kind. Or he tried to at least; it came out rather groggy and rough.
Young backed off the couple of feet to his couch and sat down heavily. “Okay. You have to stay alert. Painful as it may be for both of us; you need to talk to me.”
“I’ll just get back to work instead,” Rush declared, pushing himself upright. He didn’t get far, having to pause to lean over and hold his pounding head in his hands. He felt faintly nauseous.
“You don’t always have to do everything yourself, you know,” Young said. “The science staff is not made up of complete incompetents.”
“Perhaps not all of them,” he grumbled.
Young settled his elbows on his knees, mirroring his position as he and nailed him with a scrutinizing gaze. “Why is it so hard for you to trust someone else?”
Rush let out a snort of humorless laughter. “You’re one to talk, Colonel.”
“I trust the people who’ve earned it.”
Rush met his eyes for a bare moment before looking away. “Fair enough. Well, by that vein, perhaps I’ve yet to have anyone prove themselves worthy.”
Young let the silence stretch again. The pain in Rush’s head receded enough that he decided to chance standing up. As he stood there wavering Young spoke up again. “You’re not entirely terrible with Eli.”
Rush blinked at him. “Is there a compliment in there somewhere?”
“Just wondering why he’s unique.”
He was quiet for so long he was certain Young thought he wasn’t going to answer. Finally he said, “Eli is brilliant. He just hasn’t been able to take advantage of all the opportunity he deserves.”
“And you gave him opportunity, bringing him to Icarus.”
“Yes.”
Young remained seated, but kept pressing. “You brought him out here. Maybe you feel responsible for him?”
“You think I should.”
“Doesn’t matter what I think,” Young shrugged. “You do. But you don’t feel that to anyone else.”
That wasn’t true, not entirely. Rush chose not to dignify it with a response, turning the tables on him instead. “You feel responsible for everyone.”
“Of course I do. I am responsible for everyone.”
“Either you are very committed to your job, Colonel, or you actually feel it.”
“Maybe it’s both.” Rush let out a little snort of disbelief, and Young slowly stood to join him. “Is that so hard to believe?”
“It’s admirable, I suppose. Just unlikely.”
“Oh?”
“Come now. No one is that noble.” He paused. “And, as we both know, you don’t really want to be out here at all.”
Young froze, gaze narrowing ever-so-slightly. “Okay. True enough. Honestly, I would have had no desire to lead this expedition.” He took a step closer. “But I didn’t have an option. I’m here now, and I have an obligation to everyone here with me.”
Rush stood his ground. “Obligation,” he repeated snidely.
“Yes. Obligation and duty. That comes first, but it comes along with genuine care and loyalty to each member of this team.”
“Loyalty, hmm? That’s a bit ironic coming from a man who couldn’t even manage to stay faithful to his wife.”
Too far, and he knew the second it was out that he would regret it. But he still got a certain cold thrill of satisfaction in knowing he’d gotten past Young’s calm, holier-than-thou veneer.
And gotten past it he had. There was a second of shock, because that wasn’t information that he should know. But it faded quickly enough, fury taking its place. The flash of emotion across his face was all the warning Rush got. Young came at him. Before he was quite sure what had happened he was pinned to the nearest wall, one arm twisted above his head and Young’s weight holding him firmly in place.
He’d had a bit of self-defense training, enough to be cleared for offworld travel. But, as was painfully evident now, it was really only enough for him to truly comprehend that he had no chance against a military man like Young.
Both his heart and head were pounding again. He blamed the mix of adrenaline and concussion for his inability to keep his mouth shut, even when it was obviously in his best interests. “If you wanted to waltz so badly, Colonel, you could have just asked.”
Young’s jaw clinched, his eyes flashing. Rush tried to brace himself for the hit he knew was coming.
The radio crackled to life. “Colonel Young?”
There was a long moment of silence punctuated only by their labored breaths. Young stared hard at him and Rush glared right back. All the while he was acutely aware of their positions, of the pressure across his chest where one arm pinned him and the hand on his wrist and the leg pressed up against his.
Eli’s voice filled the room once more, a little nervous now. “Uh…guys? I’m supposed to make sure that you’re both still…okay. Hanging in there?” There was a pregnant pause. “Uh…in one piece?”
Young finally broke the eye contact with a huff of annoyance. He released Rush’s wrist to key the radio, but otherwise didn’t move. “We haven’t killed each other yet, Eli.”
“Good! That’s good.” Relief was evident in the young voice. “Um, I’m actually going to need to hear that from Dr. Rush as well.”
Young rolled his eyes and finally moved back then, releasing him entirely as he detached the radio and held it out for him. Rush recovered his balance and reached to accept it, still glaring. “I’m fine, Eli. Have you figured this out yet?”
Eli laid out the list of things they’d considered, liberally punctuated by comments from the other scientists who’d been enlisted to help him. It sounded like half the ship was clogging the hallway out there. Rush tried to focus on it, really he did. But his head ached and he was still unsteady from the little encounter they’d just had. The only thing he fully registered was Eli’s frustrated conclusion: “It’s almost like the ship just wants you stuck in there.”
Young gave a humorless little smile. “Great. Have they tried asking her nicely to let us out?”
Rush didn’t respond. The possibility of Destiny having some form of sentient component was equal parts fascinating and terrifying. But it wasn’t something he would rule out entirely. There was just so much they didn’t know, so much yet to learn.
“You’re doing fine, Eli. Just...keep at it.”
Young had settled on the floor against the center console and was now watching him again. “What?” he said tersely.
He expected to spark the anger again, so he was surprised when Young just shook his head and sighed. “You’re a lot of work.”
Rush blinked. “Is that your attempt at another compliment?”
Young gave a dry chuckle. “You would take it that way.” He sounded weary as he asked, “Why do you have to make everything so damn difficult?”
“I suppose I’m just a difficult person.”
“Well I’m not going to argue that point.” Young stared at him unnervingly, making him want to squirm. Finally he continued, “You’re not alone out here, however much you might want to be.”
It wasn’t an altogether unattractive idea. “Unfortunately, that would be impractical.”
“Yes, because you probably would have died within the first week from exhaustion and starvation.”
“I suppose it is good to rely on other people for some small things,” Rush admitted grudgingly.
“Small things like sustenance?” Young shook his head again. “Never mind; not the point. I’m not fishing for some kind of admission; I’m just trying to figure you out. We’re out here for the long haul, together. I’m trying to find some way to make this work. Maybe you could give me an inch every now and again.”
He would have fired something back, possibly something about inches and yards or his lack of desire to make friends (he had more important things to do, after all). But something over the Colonel’s head caught his eye.
Young seemed to realize he’d lost his attention. “What?”
Rush stepped over, an unwelcome sense of déjà vu coming over him. The little cursor on the screen was present again, flashing. “That’s what it was doing before.”
“Before?” Young stood, standing beside him. “As in before the last blinding flash that trapped us in here?”
“Yes,” Rush answered absently, wondering if the activity would mean that he could now access it. Rather than going for the screen again, he knelt once more and reached for the panel.
Young smacked his hand away before he could make contact. “What the hell are you doing? Have you forgotten your little flight across the room?”
“No; I’m trying to do my job and figure this out!” He paused to rub a hand over his eyes. “What’s it doing now?”
Young stubbornly positioned himself such that Rush couldn’t get to the panel. “Flashing still. More quickly now, I think.”
“Oh.”
“Oh? Hell no, Rush.”
Young grabbed him, physically hauling him away from the console. Rush squawked indignantly and argued all the way, insisting that he could only fix it if he could look at the damn thing. Young didn’t much seem to care, absorbing his movements and easily overpowering him. He pushed him into the corner and then knelt on the floor himself and grabbed Rush once again.
Rush tensed, half-expecting to be hit, but this was different from last time. There was no violence in this at all. It took him a long moment of the unexpected closeness to realize that Young had covered him with his own body, protecting him.
Again, there was a flash of bright white light. Rush shut his eyes instinctively and felt Young press against him as he curled in tighter.
And then it was over, like nothing had happened. They unfolded slowly, Young remaining in his space longer than he thought was necessary. He opened his mouth to say so when their eyes locked, still so close they were sharing breath.
Then there was more light and noise and people spilling into the room and whatever spell had fallen was broken. Young was handing him off to TJ and Eli was hovering. Rush’s head was pounding, so he shoved aside all the tumultuous thoughts running through his mind and gave his attention over to handling the pain.
He didn’t really even notice that his attention kept absently drifting to the Colonel, watching as Young eased right back into command of the group as if nothing had happened.
oOo
It was two days later before Rush sensed someone watching him as he worked in the control room. He forced his gaze from the console, unsurprised to find Colonel Young leaning against the door. He gave a resigned sigh and demanded shortly, “Yes?”
“We didn’t finish our conversation.”
“Well, blame that on those pesky soldiers of yours. Be sure to reprimand them for rescuing us at an inconvenient time.”
Young cracked a smile as he came further into the room. “I could do that, but Eli’s saying they didn’t do anything. That the door just suddenly opened again by itself. So I guess that reprimand goes to Destiny.”
“Yes; that’s a mystery we’ll have to solve. In the meantime, I don’t think I’ll be the one to deliver that reprimand. I rather prefer my freedom.” Rush turned back to his console, a little discomfited. “I’m rather busy at the moment, Colonel.”
“You’re always busy. Even in the infirmary, even asleep, you were constantly restless.”
That gave him pause. “That’s…a disturbing observation.”
“I thought so. You’ve already collapsed once; I think we’d all like to skip the encore performance.”
“I was referring to the fact that the observation was made, actually.”
Young was smirking a little as he came around to lean against the console, making it impossible for Rush to ignore him. “Don’t worry; I wasn’t lurking by your bedside. TJ keeps me informed.”
“Good to know confidentiality is alive and well.”
“No such thing here. Not when health or safety is involved. That’s part of my responsibility. All the people on this ship are under my protection…and my care.”
“Very noble,” he dared to say. It dripped with sarcasm.
Young just crossed his arms and studied him again. “You’re not stupid, Rush.”
“You really should work on that complimenting issue of yours.”
“In fact you’re about as far from stupid as they come.”
“That’s not really much better.”
Young continued as if he hadn’t spoken. “Which leads me to believe you’re just willfully ignoring the point.”
“You had a point?”
“All the people on this ship,” he repeated. “That includes you.”
Rush froze, hands hovering over the console. He briefly flashed back to that moment when Young had bodily protected him, a scene he couldn’t seem to shake. For some reason it brought a surge of emotion. It wasn’t anger, not really, but he could still channel it as such. “And what caveat would you like to place on that? Perhaps that I am under your protection until I next piss you off?”
“Oh, you’re pissing me off now. I’d still put my body-or my orders-between you and danger. That’s your right as a part of this crew; unless or until you let me know that you don’t want it.”
Rush tried to stare him down, but he could read nothing but determined sincerity. Still, it was too hard to accept. “So when I disagree with you…”
“I’m not going to misinterpret griping or you being your usual sunny self. I’m talking about no uncertain terms, Rush,” he clarified firmly. “Let me know.”
And that was the bottom line, his cue to say something. That he needed his allotment of rations and access to his people and work, but he didn’t need someone to care for him. But something made him hesitate.
He had no doubt that there would be a time when Young’s protection was worth less than a leader who would listen to reason, would listen to him. But for now…
He finally set his jaw and said nothing.
Young nodded once. “Okay then.” He laid a hand on Rush’s shoulder, squeezing once before he released him and made his way towards the door.
It wasn’t until Young was gone that Rush realized with a bit of consternation that he hadn’t flinched at the contact.
oOo