Upgrades, by elenariel (crossing challenge)
Title: Upgrades
Author: elenariel
Rating: PG
Word Count: 602
Disclaimer: Don't own anything, unfortunatly.
A/N: This is kind of a sequel to the first ficlet I wrote for the five things challenge (edit: here), but no prior knowledge of that is needed. Crossover with Iron Man, after the movie but anytime before the last episode of Atlantis.
Tony sat on the edge of one of Atlantis’ piers, staring out over the ocean. There was something inherently different about this one; you could almost tell just by looking at it that it went on for damn near forever, even without the foreknowledge of the fact. He’d flown right out across the Pacific more than once in the suit, but even that didn’t quite compare to this.
Idly he wondered if there were some steps or something around. The day was hot and he wouldn’t mind going for a swim, but given the height of the wharf it wouldn’t be advisable without some way to get back out again. Almost immediately a small panel popped up out the floor and lit up.
A semi-sentient AI that read even subconscious thoughts because of some freaky alien gene was still something he had to get used to. He reached for the panel just as Rodney McKay’s voice drifted over from somewhere behind him.
“…just this last thing and then we can go for all the blue jello you want.”
“I don’t want all the blue jello, I just want to get there before Ronon does.” Colonel John Sheppard, Rodney’s usual partner in crime, returned easily.
“Well if you just let me finish - oh it’s you.” The last part, directed at Tony’s back, might as well have been an accusation the way the words left Rodney’s mouth.
Tony twisted from his seated position, hand still on the mysterious panel.
“Have you been in the labs? Have you been in my lab?” Rodney glared at him as though offended by his presence. Which he probably was - Tony didn’t think he’d quite forgiven Samantha Carter for bringing him in however temporarily, nor for apparently having a naturally occurring ATA gene.
“No. Why?” He said instead.
Rodney frowned at a device he held in his hands and tapped it a few times as though it had betrayed him.
“Come on, McKay. I came here to consult, so give me something to consult on.”
Rodney continued to stare at the object in his hands as though Tony hadn’t said anything at all.
“He’s trying to find a power source that’s appeared on the city’s sensors.” Sheppard interjected when Rodney failed to reply.
“A power source?” Tony asked, heart sinking if it could. “Like, since I arrived?”
That got Rodney’s attention. “What did you do? Did you bring something you weren’t supposed to?”
“No! Well…” He tried thinking back. He couldn’t recall anyone mentioning anything that the arc reactor came under that he shouldn’t take into the SGC or Atlantis. Besides, he’d read all the work on wormholes and such and hadn’t seen anything himself that suggested the technology shouldn’t be taken into one. Other energy sources were taken through all the time after all, and far more unstable objects than the reactor embedded in his chest.
“Well?” Rodney demanded.
Tony sighed. He’d rather hoped to get through the week and back to Earth without anyone finding out; clearly not going to happen, so he stood up and turned around, the soft glow of the arc reactor easily visible through the thin material of his shirt. Rodney and Sheppard, quite predictably, stared.
“What the hell is that?” Sheppard broke the silence.
“Is it what I think it is?” Rodney’s casual tone belied the expression that said he’d love to get a proper look at it, before something clicked in his mind. “Wait a minute - why is it there?”
“This,” Tony glanced down at it, “is a Type III Arc Reactor, and is in fact what is keeping me alive.”
Author: elenariel
Rating: PG
Word Count: 602
Disclaimer: Don't own anything, unfortunatly.
A/N: This is kind of a sequel to the first ficlet I wrote for the five things challenge (edit: here), but no prior knowledge of that is needed. Crossover with Iron Man, after the movie but anytime before the last episode of Atlantis.
Tony sat on the edge of one of Atlantis’ piers, staring out over the ocean. There was something inherently different about this one; you could almost tell just by looking at it that it went on for damn near forever, even without the foreknowledge of the fact. He’d flown right out across the Pacific more than once in the suit, but even that didn’t quite compare to this.
Idly he wondered if there were some steps or something around. The day was hot and he wouldn’t mind going for a swim, but given the height of the wharf it wouldn’t be advisable without some way to get back out again. Almost immediately a small panel popped up out the floor and lit up.
A semi-sentient AI that read even subconscious thoughts because of some freaky alien gene was still something he had to get used to. He reached for the panel just as Rodney McKay’s voice drifted over from somewhere behind him.
“…just this last thing and then we can go for all the blue jello you want.”
“I don’t want all the blue jello, I just want to get there before Ronon does.” Colonel John Sheppard, Rodney’s usual partner in crime, returned easily.
“Well if you just let me finish - oh it’s you.” The last part, directed at Tony’s back, might as well have been an accusation the way the words left Rodney’s mouth.
Tony twisted from his seated position, hand still on the mysterious panel.
“Have you been in the labs? Have you been in my lab?” Rodney glared at him as though offended by his presence. Which he probably was - Tony didn’t think he’d quite forgiven Samantha Carter for bringing him in however temporarily, nor for apparently having a naturally occurring ATA gene.
“No. Why?” He said instead.
Rodney frowned at a device he held in his hands and tapped it a few times as though it had betrayed him.
“Come on, McKay. I came here to consult, so give me something to consult on.”
Rodney continued to stare at the object in his hands as though Tony hadn’t said anything at all.
“He’s trying to find a power source that’s appeared on the city’s sensors.” Sheppard interjected when Rodney failed to reply.
“A power source?” Tony asked, heart sinking if it could. “Like, since I arrived?”
That got Rodney’s attention. “What did you do? Did you bring something you weren’t supposed to?”
“No! Well…” He tried thinking back. He couldn’t recall anyone mentioning anything that the arc reactor came under that he shouldn’t take into the SGC or Atlantis. Besides, he’d read all the work on wormholes and such and hadn’t seen anything himself that suggested the technology shouldn’t be taken into one. Other energy sources were taken through all the time after all, and far more unstable objects than the reactor embedded in his chest.
“Well?” Rodney demanded.
Tony sighed. He’d rather hoped to get through the week and back to Earth without anyone finding out; clearly not going to happen, so he stood up and turned around, the soft glow of the arc reactor easily visible through the thin material of his shirt. Rodney and Sheppard, quite predictably, stared.
“What the hell is that?” Sheppard broke the silence.
“Is it what I think it is?” Rodney’s casual tone belied the expression that said he’d love to get a proper look at it, before something clicked in his mind. “Wait a minute - why is it there?”
“This,” Tony glanced down at it, “is a Type III Arc Reactor, and is in fact what is keeping me alive.”