Personal item challenge: Application of Reason by Ev vy
Title: Application of Reason
Author: Ev vy
Rating: G
Wordcount: ca. 1000 words
Summary: Beach is as good a place to meet as any.
Disclaimer: Not mine, just playing.
A/N: Gen. But there are Sheppard and McKay.
Application of Reason
He felt more than just a little bit stupid when he dipped his finger in the water and licked it. Salty, ocean-y. Hearing the crunch of footsteps, he felt a little embarrassed and hoped that he hadn't been seen.
He turned slowly. It was McKay, who took on his crooked smile. "Human taste buds are completely incapable of differentiating between most concentrations of salt in water. You could ask someone from the science team about the chemical composition of the liquid in the so-called ocean, most of it water probably, but it wouldn't tell you much."
"McKay. What do you want?" he asked in exasperation.
"Oh, nothing. I was curious if what I discovered on the city plans was what I thought it was," McKay announced it as if it was obvious.
"And was it?"
McKay shrugged. "It is a beach, isn't it?"
"You came to check if this was a beach?" John was sure he wasn't able to mask the incredulity in his voice.
McKay raised his chin. "Scientific curiosity. At first I thought it quite impossible. I mean, why would the Ancients build an artificial beach--" McKay bent down and grabbed a fistful of sand. "I should have it analysed. It might be artificial; or it might come from the bottom of the ocean; or it might have been brought from the land, if there is any. Anyway, it's probably a question for the social scientists. It's not like the Ancients seem to have had any fancies, but with their level of technology, they could have built anything."
"Why beach? And not a pool, for example?" John was genuinely curious. He hadn't actually thought about the whys, but he might like to know one of the Ancient 'secrets'.
"Well, they don't strike me as likely to indulge in any kind of useless activity, so it might have been built for research."
John sat down on the sand and rubbed his neck. "But it doesn't make sense. What would they research on a beach in the middle of an ocean? It would be more reasonable to set up a laboratory on land, if there is any."
McKay looked at him curiously. "Sometimes you make some sense, Major. The only reason I can come up with--" He sat down next to John. "--is completely unreasonable. But considering that they share something with us, humans, it wouldn't be unthinkable. For all the logic we need in our lives, we seem to be quite illogical. Apart from me, naturally."
"Obviously. Never in your life have you done anything illogical." John said it with a straight face. Barely.
"Of course not. Anything that seemed illogical at the time had a perfectly reasonable explanation."
"Any logic in coming here? To Atlantis."
"Are you kidding me? Oh, I'm sorry. The question comes from someone who tossed a coin to decide if to come here, and who took football tapes as his one and only personal item." McKay brushed the sand off his trousers.
"I managed to smuggle a few more in." John smiled.
"Of course, you would." McKay seemed to accept it easily. John thought that McKay probably considered himself good at reading other people, as he considered himself good at almost anything, and something clicked for him about John. John squashed his resentment before it exploded.
"And what did you bring?" he asked calmly.
"Nothing."
"Nothing? As in: not a single thing?" John stared at McKay.
"Yes, Major. And let me ask you--" At John's nod he continued, "How difficult it was for you to pick those items?"
"Not too difficult. I mean, I couldn't pick just one in the end, but still."
"I thought as much. Your mind is as uncomplicated as a flail's construction. Considering every option, I would have to take a whole truckload of personal items with me."
John blinked. "I think they meant personal, as in, you know, private, special."
"Flail is a compliment, Major. Football tapes are special?" McKay's tone turned unpleasantly sarcastic.
"Well, not very special, but yeah." Well, they were.
"What else do you have? Your favourite dog's photo?"
"Never had a dog." John was beginning to get annoyed.
"Cat? Guinea pig? Rabbit? Fish?"
"No pets."
"So, no photo."
"And you? A photo? Of Sam Carter, for example?" John knew it was a low blow. The gossip about McKay and Carter reached even him, and he had never paid too much attention to gossip. You might hear something you didn't want to.
"I carry my photos in my wallet, and as you see a wallet is something completely useless to have here, so no, I don't have any photos, and if you had been listening you would know that I don't have any, I repeat, any personal items with me."
John raised his hands in defence against the bullet-speed of the words. "Okay, I get the message."
John could almost see the light bulb switch on above McKay's head. "Now I know why you possess the Ancient gene. A straight case of sentimentality. Beckett has a tape of Scottish folk songs. And that Z-Zlinky, for example, took a huge case of pencils. He doesn't have the Ancient gene."
"McKay, aren't you going a bit too far with your conclusions?"
"Doesn't matter, really." He got up. "I saw what I wanted to see. No point in lingering. There's still a lot of work to do. Unlike you, Major, I don't have enough spare time for useless conversations."
"Hey!"
"Don't take it personally. See you around, Major."
And he was gone. John wanted to shout that he forgot to take a sample of the sand, but he thought he might do it himself and tell the lab technicians to give results to McKay. He didn't really want to know himself. It didn't matter. The little scrap of beach with direct access to the ocean was the cool thing. It almost felt like the real land and not a huge, artificial island in the middle of the whole load of water. He preferred air.
Author: Ev vy
Rating: G
Wordcount: ca. 1000 words
Summary: Beach is as good a place to meet as any.
Disclaimer: Not mine, just playing.
A/N: Gen. But there are Sheppard and McKay.
Application of Reason
He felt more than just a little bit stupid when he dipped his finger in the water and licked it. Salty, ocean-y. Hearing the crunch of footsteps, he felt a little embarrassed and hoped that he hadn't been seen.
He turned slowly. It was McKay, who took on his crooked smile. "Human taste buds are completely incapable of differentiating between most concentrations of salt in water. You could ask someone from the science team about the chemical composition of the liquid in the so-called ocean, most of it water probably, but it wouldn't tell you much."
"McKay. What do you want?" he asked in exasperation.
"Oh, nothing. I was curious if what I discovered on the city plans was what I thought it was," McKay announced it as if it was obvious.
"And was it?"
McKay shrugged. "It is a beach, isn't it?"
"You came to check if this was a beach?" John was sure he wasn't able to mask the incredulity in his voice.
McKay raised his chin. "Scientific curiosity. At first I thought it quite impossible. I mean, why would the Ancients build an artificial beach--" McKay bent down and grabbed a fistful of sand. "I should have it analysed. It might be artificial; or it might come from the bottom of the ocean; or it might have been brought from the land, if there is any. Anyway, it's probably a question for the social scientists. It's not like the Ancients seem to have had any fancies, but with their level of technology, they could have built anything."
"Why beach? And not a pool, for example?" John was genuinely curious. He hadn't actually thought about the whys, but he might like to know one of the Ancient 'secrets'.
"Well, they don't strike me as likely to indulge in any kind of useless activity, so it might have been built for research."
John sat down on the sand and rubbed his neck. "But it doesn't make sense. What would they research on a beach in the middle of an ocean? It would be more reasonable to set up a laboratory on land, if there is any."
McKay looked at him curiously. "Sometimes you make some sense, Major. The only reason I can come up with--" He sat down next to John. "--is completely unreasonable. But considering that they share something with us, humans, it wouldn't be unthinkable. For all the logic we need in our lives, we seem to be quite illogical. Apart from me, naturally."
"Obviously. Never in your life have you done anything illogical." John said it with a straight face. Barely.
"Of course not. Anything that seemed illogical at the time had a perfectly reasonable explanation."
"Any logic in coming here? To Atlantis."
"Are you kidding me? Oh, I'm sorry. The question comes from someone who tossed a coin to decide if to come here, and who took football tapes as his one and only personal item." McKay brushed the sand off his trousers.
"I managed to smuggle a few more in." John smiled.
"Of course, you would." McKay seemed to accept it easily. John thought that McKay probably considered himself good at reading other people, as he considered himself good at almost anything, and something clicked for him about John. John squashed his resentment before it exploded.
"And what did you bring?" he asked calmly.
"Nothing."
"Nothing? As in: not a single thing?" John stared at McKay.
"Yes, Major. And let me ask you--" At John's nod he continued, "How difficult it was for you to pick those items?"
"Not too difficult. I mean, I couldn't pick just one in the end, but still."
"I thought as much. Your mind is as uncomplicated as a flail's construction. Considering every option, I would have to take a whole truckload of personal items with me."
John blinked. "I think they meant personal, as in, you know, private, special."
"Flail is a compliment, Major. Football tapes are special?" McKay's tone turned unpleasantly sarcastic.
"Well, not very special, but yeah." Well, they were.
"What else do you have? Your favourite dog's photo?"
"Never had a dog." John was beginning to get annoyed.
"Cat? Guinea pig? Rabbit? Fish?"
"No pets."
"So, no photo."
"And you? A photo? Of Sam Carter, for example?" John knew it was a low blow. The gossip about McKay and Carter reached even him, and he had never paid too much attention to gossip. You might hear something you didn't want to.
"I carry my photos in my wallet, and as you see a wallet is something completely useless to have here, so no, I don't have any photos, and if you had been listening you would know that I don't have any, I repeat, any personal items with me."
John raised his hands in defence against the bullet-speed of the words. "Okay, I get the message."
John could almost see the light bulb switch on above McKay's head. "Now I know why you possess the Ancient gene. A straight case of sentimentality. Beckett has a tape of Scottish folk songs. And that Z-Zlinky, for example, took a huge case of pencils. He doesn't have the Ancient gene."
"McKay, aren't you going a bit too far with your conclusions?"
"Doesn't matter, really." He got up. "I saw what I wanted to see. No point in lingering. There's still a lot of work to do. Unlike you, Major, I don't have enough spare time for useless conversations."
"Hey!"
"Don't take it personally. See you around, Major."
And he was gone. John wanted to shout that he forgot to take a sample of the sand, but he thought he might do it himself and tell the lab technicians to give results to McKay. He didn't really want to know himself. It didn't matter. The little scrap of beach with direct access to the ocean was the cool thing. It almost felt like the real land and not a huge, artificial island in the middle of the whole load of water. He preferred air.