Fic: Scars of Loss (PG)
Title: Scars of Loss
Author: Iocane
Prompt: #21 - "Two years had passed since the day the hand carved coffin had been laid in the ground."
Pairings: Rodney/Radek
Rating: PG
Warnings: Character death
Disclaimer: Not mine. Alas, it is an imperfect world.
Summary: He lost a part of himself in more ways than one.
Notes: Not betaed. Future fic. Also, I haven't seen most of Season two so I apologize for any fractured canon.
(I decided to not wait until I made a decent looking SGA LJ icon and just g'head and post the dern thing ...)
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Two years had passed since the day the hand carved coffin had been laid in the ground.
Radek remembered it like it was yesterday as he stood looking out over the Lantean ocean. He remembered losing him in a flash of light. He flexed the fingers of his left hand, almost convincing himself he could feel the movement of skin and bone and muscle. A glove would have helped the illusion, hiding the silverly sheen of Ancient tech grafted onto living flesh.
It had been a stupid accident, really. A new piece of Ancient hardware from a long abandoned world. He and Rodney had been working on it, speaking in half sentences of jumbled Czech and English with Rodney no longer ignorant of Radek's language. Over the years in Atlantis, they had learned caution. Still, they had approached this new device with the giddyness of schoolboys. From what they could interpret of the notes, it was some sort of ZPM recharger, or it could at least be used that way. It was the best break they had had in years.
Radek smiled at the memory. They had both been so happy, he and Rodney. It was almost like the first time they had made love. Everything was new and wonderful and they knew it would only get better. They hoped it would be the answer to their problems.
They hadn't had any difficulty powering up the device. Both men had the gene now, thanks to improved methods of gene therapy. They hooked it up to a dozen computers, and the Atlantis mainframe, running diagnostic after diagnostic to be sure and double sure of what it did. Everything - tests, notes, calculations - said it was a ZPM recharger.
When it was as ready as they could make it, a fully depleted ZPM was slid into the recharging compartment. Then they waited. All indications were that it would take about a week to recharge.
Two years ago, the week had been unremarkable. The Wraith hadn't bothered them, nor had anyone else. It was almost boring. He and Rodney continued working on their own pet projects, both men taking far too many breaks to check on the recharging ZPM. They still argued over minor points in each other's work but it had long ago become almost a form of foreplay for the two of them. In the evenings they would walk together in the more romantic parts of the city, as much in love then as they had ever been. They counted themselves lucky in that freedom. Even after so many years, the Military in Atlantis was bound by their rules of 'don't ask, don't tell' and it pained Radek to see friends have to hide when he had such freedom.
Two years later, that final week was one of his most bittersweet memories and his eyes stung as he recalled waking up on that last day.
Rodney was already awake, sitting up in bed with his face illuminated only by the light from his laptop. Radek was used to it, and he'd done the same thing to Rodney just as often. He'd stretched under the covers and Rodney had put the laptop away. It was still early - they had five more hours until the charger was done. They made love slowly, as if they had all the time in the world.
If he closed his eyes, Radek could almost recall Rodney's body against his, Rodney's hands and mouth on his skin. The cool ocean breeze dried his few tears before they could get far.
By the time they were ready to remove the ZPM, a crowd had gathered in and around the lab. Radek and Rodney had a friendly argument over who would get to do the honors of removing the ZPM. Radek still wished he'd won that argument, of all the arguments they'd ever had.
Radek was still double checking the notes on removal when Rodney began to power down the machine.
What happened after is one memory Radek doesn't need to close his eyes to relive.
Rodney was seconds away from removing the ZPM when Radek had found a key note on the process. The moment he held out his hand to stop Rodney, the machine had flashed in a silent, blinding explosion.
Radek had lost his arm in the blast, leaving a stump just below the elbow. Several onlookers were rendered permanently blind because of it - Elizabeth included. John and many others regained their sight after a few months. Only the fact that Radek's face was turned away as he read the note had saved his eyesight. Rodney lost his life.
Radek had never seen what remained of his lover, and he was glad of it. He wanted to remember Rodney as he had been before - full of life, happy, eager, even arrogant.
Since the explosion had destroyed the machine, the ZPM and much of the surrounding lab, they never could figure out exactly what happened. Radek only remembered that he had been about to tell Rodney about an extra step in the removal sequence. The explosion itself had been remarkably local, effecting only Radek and Rodney, and Radek only a little. The light had blinded everyone inside the lab.
"Two years, and it still doesn't feel real, does it?" Radek heard Elizabeth behind him and turned as she approached him. Her cane tapped against floor and she stopped gracefully, hands resting on the top of curved railing.
"No, it doesn't. I don't know if it ever will." He gazed at her sightless face, blind eyes laid bare, not hidden today. She usually wore dark glasses, knowing that her blindness was uncomfortable to look at.
To commemorate the day Rodney died, Elizabeth went without glasses, and Radek without gloves, neither hiding the scars of what they had lost.
-omega-
Author: Iocane
Prompt: #21 - "Two years had passed since the day the hand carved coffin had been laid in the ground."
Pairings: Rodney/Radek
Rating: PG
Warnings: Character death
Disclaimer: Not mine. Alas, it is an imperfect world.
Summary: He lost a part of himself in more ways than one.
Notes: Not betaed. Future fic. Also, I haven't seen most of Season two so I apologize for any fractured canon.
(I decided to not wait until I made a decent looking SGA LJ icon and just g'head and post the dern thing ...)
*
**
*
Two years had passed since the day the hand carved coffin had been laid in the ground.
Radek remembered it like it was yesterday as he stood looking out over the Lantean ocean. He remembered losing him in a flash of light. He flexed the fingers of his left hand, almost convincing himself he could feel the movement of skin and bone and muscle. A glove would have helped the illusion, hiding the silverly sheen of Ancient tech grafted onto living flesh.
It had been a stupid accident, really. A new piece of Ancient hardware from a long abandoned world. He and Rodney had been working on it, speaking in half sentences of jumbled Czech and English with Rodney no longer ignorant of Radek's language. Over the years in Atlantis, they had learned caution. Still, they had approached this new device with the giddyness of schoolboys. From what they could interpret of the notes, it was some sort of ZPM recharger, or it could at least be used that way. It was the best break they had had in years.
Radek smiled at the memory. They had both been so happy, he and Rodney. It was almost like the first time they had made love. Everything was new and wonderful and they knew it would only get better. They hoped it would be the answer to their problems.
They hadn't had any difficulty powering up the device. Both men had the gene now, thanks to improved methods of gene therapy. They hooked it up to a dozen computers, and the Atlantis mainframe, running diagnostic after diagnostic to be sure and double sure of what it did. Everything - tests, notes, calculations - said it was a ZPM recharger.
When it was as ready as they could make it, a fully depleted ZPM was slid into the recharging compartment. Then they waited. All indications were that it would take about a week to recharge.
Two years ago, the week had been unremarkable. The Wraith hadn't bothered them, nor had anyone else. It was almost boring. He and Rodney continued working on their own pet projects, both men taking far too many breaks to check on the recharging ZPM. They still argued over minor points in each other's work but it had long ago become almost a form of foreplay for the two of them. In the evenings they would walk together in the more romantic parts of the city, as much in love then as they had ever been. They counted themselves lucky in that freedom. Even after so many years, the Military in Atlantis was bound by their rules of 'don't ask, don't tell' and it pained Radek to see friends have to hide when he had such freedom.
Two years later, that final week was one of his most bittersweet memories and his eyes stung as he recalled waking up on that last day.
Rodney was already awake, sitting up in bed with his face illuminated only by the light from his laptop. Radek was used to it, and he'd done the same thing to Rodney just as often. He'd stretched under the covers and Rodney had put the laptop away. It was still early - they had five more hours until the charger was done. They made love slowly, as if they had all the time in the world.
If he closed his eyes, Radek could almost recall Rodney's body against his, Rodney's hands and mouth on his skin. The cool ocean breeze dried his few tears before they could get far.
By the time they were ready to remove the ZPM, a crowd had gathered in and around the lab. Radek and Rodney had a friendly argument over who would get to do the honors of removing the ZPM. Radek still wished he'd won that argument, of all the arguments they'd ever had.
Radek was still double checking the notes on removal when Rodney began to power down the machine.
What happened after is one memory Radek doesn't need to close his eyes to relive.
Rodney was seconds away from removing the ZPM when Radek had found a key note on the process. The moment he held out his hand to stop Rodney, the machine had flashed in a silent, blinding explosion.
Radek had lost his arm in the blast, leaving a stump just below the elbow. Several onlookers were rendered permanently blind because of it - Elizabeth included. John and many others regained their sight after a few months. Only the fact that Radek's face was turned away as he read the note had saved his eyesight. Rodney lost his life.
Radek had never seen what remained of his lover, and he was glad of it. He wanted to remember Rodney as he had been before - full of life, happy, eager, even arrogant.
Since the explosion had destroyed the machine, the ZPM and much of the surrounding lab, they never could figure out exactly what happened. Radek only remembered that he had been about to tell Rodney about an extra step in the removal sequence. The explosion itself had been remarkably local, effecting only Radek and Rodney, and Radek only a little. The light had blinded everyone inside the lab.
"Two years, and it still doesn't feel real, does it?" Radek heard Elizabeth behind him and turned as she approached him. Her cane tapped against floor and she stopped gracefully, hands resting on the top of curved railing.
"No, it doesn't. I don't know if it ever will." He gazed at her sightless face, blind eyes laid bare, not hidden today. She usually wore dark glasses, knowing that her blindness was uncomfortable to look at.
To commemorate the day Rodney died, Elizabeth went without glasses, and Radek without gloves, neither hiding the scars of what they had lost.
-omega-