City Exploration Challenge: Heaven In Ordinary by Brighid
Challenge: City Exploration
Title: Heaven in Ordinary.
Spoilers: None, really
Rating: G
Author: Brighid
Summary: Field trips are educational.
Note: Title from a George Herbert poem. If you don't know him, you should.
Heaven in Ordinary
By Brighid
Teyla watched quietly as Dr. McKay's hands flew around his head, like birds, she thought with a slight smile. Major Sheppard was smiling, too, but his expression came from some other place, somewhere closed and a little lost. She thought, sometimes, that she knew that place, caught glimpses of it when they sparred. But only now, as he was walking beside Dr. McKay and gently mocking his enthusiasm did she even begin to truly grasp it.
"What's so funny?" Lieutenant Ford asked, leaning in. "And why are we coming here, again?"
"Because Dr. McKay requested us," she replied. "And I'm smiling because it is good to be walk in the sunshine with my friends and not fear the Wraith or anyone else for a day." She stretched her hands up, palms facing the bright gold sun that beat down over the open walkway. It would be too hot, really, if not for the ocean breeze.
"Good enough. Though I'd still rather spend my downtime playing foosball," he said, his mouth twitching wryly. "Peters has some chocolate he needs to lose."
Teyla laughed out loud, and Dr. McKay paused and turned to her, smiling broadly. "Exactly. That's just what I did when I heard about the whole carbon dust theory."
Major Sheppard snorted. "Yeah, we all had a good belly laugh over that one, I'm sure. Now, I get that this is the best thing since the last best thing, I get that it's a theoretical model of the start of this universe, and yeah, very cool. What I don't get is why it's the hell and gone down by the public gardens and speaking hall, and not by the Science's wing."
Doctor McKay shrugged, a little irritably. "Details. Maybe it's their version of a planetarium. Hordes of Ancient children coming every other day to do their astrophysics right before heading over to the garden to learn their botany. What the hell does it matter?"
"Because it's cool, right?" Major Sheppard said, and his mouth twitched, and he rolled his eyes at Teyla who smothered her responding laugh in a cough.
"Very cool." Doctor McKay asserted, undeterred. He twisted to look at Lieutenant Ford. "You're being very quiet. I haven't heard you say the word "geek" yet."
Lieutenant Ford shrugged. "I always liked the planetarium back home," he said. "My grandparents took me every few months for the seasonal show, and I had at least four birthday parties there."
Doctor McKay's mouth quirked upwards in a slightly lopsided smile. "Well, Lieutenant, there's hope for you yet. And this place? Makes the average planetarium look like one of those spinning light toys you put in a kid's room. It's incredible." The walkway ended and they were back in closed corridors. "It's just down over here," he pointed, and when Major Sheppard reached the door ahead of him he indicated that he should open it. "Go on, go on! Really, seriously cool. Uh," he paused, "you are familiar with the big bang theory, right?"
"That involves the back seat of a Ford Mustang, right?" Major Sheppard said, eyebrow arched, and McKay rolled his eyes.
"I was talking to Teyla," he said. "Big bang?"
Teyla nodded. "Doctor Zelenka was discussing it over breakfast last month. I found it very interesting." She did not add that she found it rather dry and spiritless, but that was her own personal bias, and perhaps this experience would explain to her where some of Doctor McKay's passion came from.
"Good! Good!" and then he was ducking through the door, an impatient "Come on!" floating back to them. Major Sheppard arched his eyebrow again.
"Seriously cool," he said, leaning in closely so that Doctor McKay could not hear it.
"It might well be. And you could always have said no," she replied.
Major Sheppard did not answer her, but that in itself was an answer.
*0*
The seats were very comfortable, and reclined to point that she was almost supine. Once they were all in place the lights dimmed gradually, and then suddenly her eyes were dazzled with a bright flash, and there was colour and fury and music everywhere.
"Personally, I would have gone for Pink Floyd," Major Sheppard said before Doctor McKay hushed him.
In the centre of the room there was ... an immensity, swelling, filled with bubbles splitting and twisting and writhing.
"That looks like cell meiosis from my Biology classes," Lieutenant Ford said, and McKay didn't hush him, just said, "huh!" thoughtfully.
The bubbles continued to swell and multiply and expand before their eyes. "They're full of space-time," Doctor McKay said, almost reverentially, and then suddenly her eyes were dazzled as everything cascaded out in a chaotic display.
They watched the universe being born.
Around them the music swelled, rich and textured, like stars slowly gathering their mantles, their mass, the fires they needed to burn. Here, she thought, here was the passion that Doctor Zelenka's words lacked. This was beauty, this was birth and life and death and as real as dirt and bread and sweat. It made her whole body sing.
Eventually stars were winking down at her, and then a world, blue and shining and awash with oceans. And then a pulse, a measured beat and she recognized her body on the screen, all their bodies, moving backward, twisting, shrinking, sliding slowly back into cells. And there it was again, a heaving mass of spinning globules, cells straining back together with the same passionate intensity as the universe had pulled apart.
And then the lights came back, and Doctor McKay said, "That last bit wasn't there before," and his voice was a little lost.
"Perhaps it wasn't part of your understanding, before. It hadn't occurred to you or probably any of the other scientists," Teyla replied finally. "It was all astrophysicists in here, correct?" When Doctor McKay nodded she said, "We are not astrophysicists, we see differently."
"So this isn't a planetarium?" Lieutenant Ford asked.
"I don't think so, no," Teyla replied. She shifted, and her chair shifted with her, and she looked over to see Doctor McKay sitting upright beside her. "Thank-you very kindly for this. I had not understood how you saw this, conceived it. To share this with us is a great gift." She left her seat, crouched down in front of him and touched her forehead to his. He just looked back at her, pale eyes wide with something almost like understanding.
"What the hell?" Major Sheppard asked, shifting so that the chair brought him to standing. "If this isn't a planetarium, then what is it?"
"A church," Doctor McKay said finally. "Teyla thinks it's a church." His fingers were moving through the air, echoing the movements of the universe that still moved behind his eyes.
"Oh," said Major Sheppard. He looked like he wanted to say more, but he didn't.
"Well. Cool. At least nobody told me I'm going to hell," Lieutenant Ford said at last.
"Is it so strange to hold reverence for the act of creation?" she said to them, and they both just shook their heads. Doctor McKay still sat with his head tilted back, eyes flickering back and forth in deep thought, and Major Sheppard had to tug on his arm to get him moving back towards home.
The sun was still shining when they reached the open walkway and Teyla allowed herself a moment to stretch, to breathe deeply, to truly feel the sun on her face. For the first time in a very long time she felt the inherent sacredness of it. This was worth living for, every bit as much as dying for. She had forgotten this, of late. She would not do so again.
*0*
End
Title: Heaven in Ordinary.
Spoilers: None, really
Rating: G
Author: Brighid
Summary: Field trips are educational.
Note: Title from a George Herbert poem. If you don't know him, you should.
Heaven in Ordinary
By Brighid
Teyla watched quietly as Dr. McKay's hands flew around his head, like birds, she thought with a slight smile. Major Sheppard was smiling, too, but his expression came from some other place, somewhere closed and a little lost. She thought, sometimes, that she knew that place, caught glimpses of it when they sparred. But only now, as he was walking beside Dr. McKay and gently mocking his enthusiasm did she even begin to truly grasp it.
"What's so funny?" Lieutenant Ford asked, leaning in. "And why are we coming here, again?"
"Because Dr. McKay requested us," she replied. "And I'm smiling because it is good to be walk in the sunshine with my friends and not fear the Wraith or anyone else for a day." She stretched her hands up, palms facing the bright gold sun that beat down over the open walkway. It would be too hot, really, if not for the ocean breeze.
"Good enough. Though I'd still rather spend my downtime playing foosball," he said, his mouth twitching wryly. "Peters has some chocolate he needs to lose."
Teyla laughed out loud, and Dr. McKay paused and turned to her, smiling broadly. "Exactly. That's just what I did when I heard about the whole carbon dust theory."
Major Sheppard snorted. "Yeah, we all had a good belly laugh over that one, I'm sure. Now, I get that this is the best thing since the last best thing, I get that it's a theoretical model of the start of this universe, and yeah, very cool. What I don't get is why it's the hell and gone down by the public gardens and speaking hall, and not by the Science's wing."
Doctor McKay shrugged, a little irritably. "Details. Maybe it's their version of a planetarium. Hordes of Ancient children coming every other day to do their astrophysics right before heading over to the garden to learn their botany. What the hell does it matter?"
"Because it's cool, right?" Major Sheppard said, and his mouth twitched, and he rolled his eyes at Teyla who smothered her responding laugh in a cough.
"Very cool." Doctor McKay asserted, undeterred. He twisted to look at Lieutenant Ford. "You're being very quiet. I haven't heard you say the word "geek" yet."
Lieutenant Ford shrugged. "I always liked the planetarium back home," he said. "My grandparents took me every few months for the seasonal show, and I had at least four birthday parties there."
Doctor McKay's mouth quirked upwards in a slightly lopsided smile. "Well, Lieutenant, there's hope for you yet. And this place? Makes the average planetarium look like one of those spinning light toys you put in a kid's room. It's incredible." The walkway ended and they were back in closed corridors. "It's just down over here," he pointed, and when Major Sheppard reached the door ahead of him he indicated that he should open it. "Go on, go on! Really, seriously cool. Uh," he paused, "you are familiar with the big bang theory, right?"
"That involves the back seat of a Ford Mustang, right?" Major Sheppard said, eyebrow arched, and McKay rolled his eyes.
"I was talking to Teyla," he said. "Big bang?"
Teyla nodded. "Doctor Zelenka was discussing it over breakfast last month. I found it very interesting." She did not add that she found it rather dry and spiritless, but that was her own personal bias, and perhaps this experience would explain to her where some of Doctor McKay's passion came from.
"Good! Good!" and then he was ducking through the door, an impatient "Come on!" floating back to them. Major Sheppard arched his eyebrow again.
"Seriously cool," he said, leaning in closely so that Doctor McKay could not hear it.
"It might well be. And you could always have said no," she replied.
Major Sheppard did not answer her, but that in itself was an answer.
*0*
The seats were very comfortable, and reclined to point that she was almost supine. Once they were all in place the lights dimmed gradually, and then suddenly her eyes were dazzled with a bright flash, and there was colour and fury and music everywhere.
"Personally, I would have gone for Pink Floyd," Major Sheppard said before Doctor McKay hushed him.
In the centre of the room there was ... an immensity, swelling, filled with bubbles splitting and twisting and writhing.
"That looks like cell meiosis from my Biology classes," Lieutenant Ford said, and McKay didn't hush him, just said, "huh!" thoughtfully.
The bubbles continued to swell and multiply and expand before their eyes. "They're full of space-time," Doctor McKay said, almost reverentially, and then suddenly her eyes were dazzled as everything cascaded out in a chaotic display.
They watched the universe being born.
Around them the music swelled, rich and textured, like stars slowly gathering their mantles, their mass, the fires they needed to burn. Here, she thought, here was the passion that Doctor Zelenka's words lacked. This was beauty, this was birth and life and death and as real as dirt and bread and sweat. It made her whole body sing.
Eventually stars were winking down at her, and then a world, blue and shining and awash with oceans. And then a pulse, a measured beat and she recognized her body on the screen, all their bodies, moving backward, twisting, shrinking, sliding slowly back into cells. And there it was again, a heaving mass of spinning globules, cells straining back together with the same passionate intensity as the universe had pulled apart.
And then the lights came back, and Doctor McKay said, "That last bit wasn't there before," and his voice was a little lost.
"Perhaps it wasn't part of your understanding, before. It hadn't occurred to you or probably any of the other scientists," Teyla replied finally. "It was all astrophysicists in here, correct?" When Doctor McKay nodded she said, "We are not astrophysicists, we see differently."
"So this isn't a planetarium?" Lieutenant Ford asked.
"I don't think so, no," Teyla replied. She shifted, and her chair shifted with her, and she looked over to see Doctor McKay sitting upright beside her. "Thank-you very kindly for this. I had not understood how you saw this, conceived it. To share this with us is a great gift." She left her seat, crouched down in front of him and touched her forehead to his. He just looked back at her, pale eyes wide with something almost like understanding.
"What the hell?" Major Sheppard asked, shifting so that the chair brought him to standing. "If this isn't a planetarium, then what is it?"
"A church," Doctor McKay said finally. "Teyla thinks it's a church." His fingers were moving through the air, echoing the movements of the universe that still moved behind his eyes.
"Oh," said Major Sheppard. He looked like he wanted to say more, but he didn't.
"Well. Cool. At least nobody told me I'm going to hell," Lieutenant Ford said at last.
"Is it so strange to hold reverence for the act of creation?" she said to them, and they both just shook their heads. Doctor McKay still sat with his head tilted back, eyes flickering back and forth in deep thought, and Major Sheppard had to tug on his arm to get him moving back towards home.
The sun was still shining when they reached the open walkway and Teyla allowed herself a moment to stretch, to breathe deeply, to truly feel the sun on her face. For the first time in a very long time she felt the inherent sacredness of it. This was worth living for, every bit as much as dying for. She had forgotten this, of late. She would not do so again.
*0*
End