The Best of the Bad Ideas (part 4)
Title: The Best of the Bad Ideas
Author: Shenandoah Risu
Rating: PG-13
Content Flags: some bad language
Spoilers: Season 1 up to "Divided"
Word Count: around 18,910
Summary: It shocks her to the core when she sees the sadness in his eyes, which suddenly don’t seem so alien any more.
Characters: Everett Young, Tamara Johansen, the Destiny crew
Author's Notes: Written for the LJ Comm syfybigbang
Disclaimer: I don't own SGU. I wouldn't know what to do with it. Now, Young... Young I'd know what to do with. ;-)
Thanks for reading! Feedback = Love. ;-)
( part 1)
( part 2)
( part 3)
( part 5)
( part 6)
The Best of the Bad Ideas (part 4)
He sits on a bed in front of her. She listens to his heart on his back, his chest. She checks the injury on the back of his head, now well on its way to healing. He looks straight ahead as she shines her penlight in one eye, then the other. He watches her put the light back into her kit.
“You are so beautiful,” he says.
She gives him a stern look.
“Don’t,” she warns him and reaches for his wrist to check his pulse.
He turns his hand over and takes hers.
“I’m sorry. I never mean to hurt you,” he says softly.
He watches her struggle with herself, fighting an impulse to run, to give in, and then she looks at him, tears in her eyes.
She reaches for his shoulder and pulls him towards her as she touches her lips to his.
He moans as she deepens the kiss, holding his head, stroking his back.
The world shifts, and he opens his eyes.
He looks up into her face, and he knows it’s the most beautiful sight he’s ever seen.
She smiles at him, touching his cheek.
And then she places a gentle kiss on his forehead.
He closes his eyes again.
***
Eli sets up his laptop in front of Kyrrtik.
“Got a little slideshow for you, Blueberry,” he points at the screen. “Ms Wray wants to know more about your kind, so Chloe came up with this idea.”
He hits the enter key and the screen shows a deciduous forest. Eli points at it.
“This look familiar?”
Kyrrtik snarls and pulls on his restraints.
“How about this?” A desert view.
Kyrrtik somehow manages to look annoyed and angry as Eli steps through his slideshow: a major city, a swamp, a small village, a jungle, a savannah view, mountains, a volcano, a glacier, a sunset over the ocean.
The alien makes a soft cooing noise and tilts his head.
“Ocean? You guys are aquatic?”
Eli quickly selects another folder with beaches and ocean views.
Kyrrtik gets very quiet and just looks at the images.
“I think we have a winner,” Eli mutters. He points at the screen again.
The alien stares openmouthed.
It makes Eli sad.
***
Young sleeps for several hours. TJ stays with him, having gently lowered him to the floor. Lisa hands her the cushion for his head and sneaks out again to find a blanket.
He’s dreaming, TJ can tell. His head rolls from side to side, arms and legs twitching erratically. Soft moans escape his throat, and TJ lets it run its course, keeping the feeder lines safe.
Suddenly he jerks awake, panting hard.
“It’s okay,” she says, placing a hand on his chest. He raises his left hand, then drops it again. TJ smiles sadly. “Yep - still trapped in there. I’m so sorry. We still have no idea what to do. So far everything we tried has done exactly nothing. But at least you got some sleep.”
He turns his head and points at the chair.
She helps him up, puts the cushion down and settles him carefully. He plucks at the fabric with a soft purr.
“Lisa made that for you. It should help with the sores.”
He points at the straps with one clawed finger.
“You’re right. I better tie you up again.”
He watches her as she cinches the straps around his legs, chest and left arm. She looks at him and he reaches for her face, then stops and turns his hand, touching her cheek with the back of his fingers. Her eyes fill with tears at the tender gesture, and she puts her hand in his and kisses his claws.
He sits very still as she puts his arm back down and tightens the strap.
She gets up and checks the hoses and bags.
“I gotta go,” she whispers.
He watches her leave.
***
Vanessa is feeding Kyrrtik. He’s been subdued since Eli’s slideshow, clearly sulking and perhaps even sad. She’s grateful that he doesn’t put up a fight and spit the food back out like he’s done plenty of times before; it’s Dr. Inman’s artificial banana flavor today, and Kyrrtik seems to like it better than the plain stuff. She changes the bucket under the chair and checks his bottom for sores.
“I’ll ask Lisa to make one of those pillows for you,” she tells him. “We can probably accommodate this shape. Like a donut cushion.”
She squats down in front of him.
“I broke my tailbone when I was ten. I sat on a life preserver for months, and man, did I ever feel stupid, but it was the only way to sit. They do work, trust me.”
Kyrrtik turns his face away from her.
She adjusts the sheets covering him, then begins to wash him with a wet cloth. He seems to enjoy that, and he holds relatively still for her. Chloe arrives to help and together they make quick work of cleaning him up.
Chloe contemplates the beard he’s grown.
“I wonder whether we should try to shave him,” she says. Vanessa shakes her head.
“Too dangerous. He would probably think we’re trying to hurt him. This is too long for an electric razor, so that means a blade, and we could do some serious damage.”
“Yeah, I guess so.”
And at the same moment there is a heavy impact that nearly throws her off her feet.
They’re back again.
***
It happens regular as clockwork: they drop out of FTL, Scott dispatches the offworld team, the aliens show up, they recall the team and hunker down until Destiny jumps back into FTL.
Rush is strangely absent from the daily happenings. People see him whittling in various places all over the ship. He has never been much for socializing, but now he’s truly gone hermit on them.
Chloe talks with him sometimes.
The others just leave him alone.
***
TJ is examining Young’s body while Kyrrtik squirms and struggles.
She grasps his chin firmly and gives him a stern look.
“Listen,” she says kindly, “I’ve never hurt you, and I’m not going to now. But we want you back in your own body, and this one isn’t yours, so we need to take care of it.” She places a finger across his lips and nods.
Kyrrtik flexes his fingers but then he calms down.
She checks his blood pressure. It’s a little on the high side, but that could simply be stress.
“How is he?”
She nearly jumps at hearing Rush’s voice, and Kyrrtik turns and stares at him. Then he snarls angrily and resumes his struggling.
She puts herself into his line of sight, sighing deeply.
“High blood pressure, a slight fever, and he’s malnourished, like the rest of us.”
She motions at him to wait and turns back to Kyrrtik.
“I know you’re upset, and you can’t help us solve this either. But you need to try to stay calm. Camile will be here in a few minutes with a new slideshow that Eli made for you. Wacky sea creatures from SpongeBob SquarePants, or something like that - I think you’ll like it. Now try to be good, okay?”
He hisses softly and looks away.
She sighs and ushers Rush from the room.
“I want to see him,” Rush says without preamble as they meet up in the corridor.
“You just did. He’s scared of you.”
Rush blows out a breath. “Not the alien. Colonel Young. I want to see him.”
TJ steps in his path and stops him.
“I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” she worries. “You’ve been severely traumatized by these creatures.”
“I’m a grown man, TJ, I think I can handle it.”
She crosses her arms.
“You never did let me check you over thoroughly when you came back. I’m concerned about you, that’s all.”
“Yeah, well, I appreciate that,” he rumbles, clearly not meaning it. “I have a problem with people manipulating my body right now.”
She feels chastised by his honesty and nods. “Okay, I can understand that. But at some point I really do need to get you checked out properly.”
“Yes, yes,” he dismisses her evasively. “Now. May I please see Colonel Young?”
She relents and accompanies him to Young’s cell.
***
They are sitting around the communication stones platform like scouts around a campfire.
“Recharging was a bust.”
“Different genetic signatures was a bust.”
“Checking the switch was a bust - it’s fine.”
“None of the stones were busted, so that was a bust, too.”
A long silence.
“We could of course just try it and see where we end up.”
“Out of the question - we can’t risk anyone else getting trapped. We can barely cope as is.”
Another long silence.
Eli raises his hand. “So we tried everything we could on our end. Think about it. What haven’t we checked in this equation?”
“Oh!” Lisa exclaims. “The stone on the other end!”
Eli bows to her. The others groan.
Eli shushes them. “Guys, we know Rush took a stone with him. The Blueberries must have found it on him and fired it up.”
“Well, crap,” Brody mutters. “We’ll never get to it now.”
They resume staring at the device.
***
Young chirps as TJ enters his cell. She smiles. “Hey yourself,” she says.
She checks the hoses, then bends down close to his face, her expressions serious.
“Rush is waiting outside. He wants to see you. Are you okay with that?”
Young sighs and taps on the armrest once.
“Want me to stay?”
Two taps.
“All right. I’ll be right outside the door.”
She waves and the door cycles open, admitting Rush, and TJ briefly touches his shoulder as she passes him.
Rush waits until the door is closed, then pulls up a chair and sits down in front of Young.
“Well, I never thought you were all that good-looking, Colonel, but these days you’re downright homely,” Rush grins.
Young just looks at him calmly.
“I thought we should have a little chat. Just so we know where we stand. See, I don’t even have to be nice to you - it’s not like we were ever friends.”
Young tilts his head to the left.
“I know you never told anyone that I framed you for Spencer’s death. Just so you know, I never told anyone about what really happened near the downed ship. How you knocked me out and left me behind.”
Young reaches for the keyboard.
SORRY
Rush scoffs. “Yeah, I bet you are. But you know what? That’s neither here nor there. For what it’s worth, I’m sorry you got stuck in this body. I don’t know what to do about that. You’re so much less fun now, if that’s even possible.”
Young purrs softly.
Rush pulls out his knife and wood piece and begins to whittle.
“Nobody’s fighting me now. Nobody nips at my heels and annoys me. And it’s only a matter of time before the aliens find a way to clobber us for good.”
WHY
“I had a lot of neural contact with that alien creature. I’m pretty sure they planted a tracking device on the Destiny.”
REMOVE
“I agree, it needs to go. The next time we drop out of FTL I’ll have them fly a few kinos in a search pattern. If you could tell Scott to fly the shuttle he can zap the beacon.”
One tap.
“With a little luck it’ll all be done before the next attack.”
One tap.
Young makes a clicking noise.
“Ssesss,” he manages to utter.
Rush looks up.
Young points a clawed finger at him. “Ssesss,” he says again.
Rush holds up the piece he’s been whittling.
“You play?”
One tap.
PLEASE
Rush can’t help but smile a little. “All right - I’ll come by when it’s done.”
And much to his surprise he’s looking forward to it.
“You’ll see - I’ll kick your skinny little blue bottom.”
Young looks up at him and squints a little.
MAYBE
Rush nods and leaves.
***
Chloe is having another nightmare. They happen every time she closes her eyes, and it’s gotten to the point where she’s afraid to go to sleep. She roams the ship at all hours of the day, and the only thing she still enjoys is her weekly yoga class. It’s been quite a while since she’s had her whole group - somebody always needs to be with Kyrrtik and Young. So she’s offering several sessions now, to accommodate the necessary shifts.
It helps, taking care of others.
Her nightmares are all variations of a theme: being drawn into the blinding light and dropped into the water tank. The feeling of utter helplessness. The inability to communicate.
Caring for Young’s body with the alien consciousness still creeps her out, but it gives her something to do, and she’s never alone around him.
She’s grateful for Vanessa’s company - the two of them have partnered up in a shift to keep the Colonel’s body clean, and against all her expectations the act has become entirely routine, like doing laundry or washing the dishes.
“…so sometimes I wish I could take some of that alien venom, just to knock me out for a while, and not have those dreams.”
Vanessa nods.
“I know what you mean. But that wouldn’t really solve anything, would it?”
Chloe peels the top sheet off Young’s body and begins to scrub down his chest.
“No, probably not. I’m just so tired. I just want to rest.”
Vanessa reaches out for another wet cloth, and she hands it to her.
“Maybe you need to confront this head-on. You know, like they do with venom. You take a tiny bit at a time until your body has enough to fight it on its own.”
“What - just short little nightmares?”
Vanessa chuckles.
“Well, not exactly. Maybe you should visit Colonel Young in his cell.”
Chloe stares at her, open-mouthed, and Kyrrtik hisses, evidently annoyed that she has stopped her scrubbing which he undeniably does enjoy.
“I could never do that.”
“How could it possibly get any worse than what you’re already suffering? Maybe your subconscious needs you to cancel out the whole trauma somehow. And trust me, the Colonel is the friendliest Blueberry you’ll ever meet.”
“I know that, intellectually. I mean, he was the one who came after me, and he found Rush instead and then they both got me.”
“So there you go. Maybe you need to start by focusing on that thought. An alien that helped you escape.”
“Aww, I don’t know,” Chloe mutters and resumes her ministrations.
“He has a keyboard, so you can actually have sort of a conversation with him. And he’s learning to talk, just a little bit. Names. Simple words. If you listen closely.”
“Let me think about it,” Chloe whispers.
The sheer thought of it strikes terror in her heart.
But maybe Vanessa is on to something here.
Deep down she has a morbid desire to take her revenge on the aliens, even if it’s just to show no fear.
***
Riley and Greer are cleaning up Young’s alien body. They try very hard to keep the mood light, and Riley has a seemingly endless supply of funny stories about life on a farm. From pigs that got into leftover grapes from wine-making and getting roaring drunk in the process, to chickens with odd laying habits to horses that like to bite people’s behinds - Riley knows it all.
Greer is breathless with laughter, and Young holds perfectly still as they wipe down his face, arms and legs. They change all the bags according to TJ’s instructions and fluff up Lisa’s bean bag cushion, and Young reaches for the keyboard.
THANKS
“You’re welcome, Sir,” Greer says, suddenly serious as he kneels down next to him.
“I wish there was something more I could do.”
“We’re all flummoxed about the stones,” Riley interjects.
SHOOT ME
The two men stare at each other.
“Sir?”
BURDEN
Riley bends down and lays his hand on Young’s shoulder.
“You’re not serious, Sir?”
Young hesitates, then taps the armrest twice.
Riley lets out a breath he wasn’t aware of holding, but Greer nods.
“If you ever get to that point, Sir, you let me know. I hate to see you like this. I would have bled myself a long time ago.”
NOT YET
“Are you really considering this?” Riley is stunned.
Young tilts his head to one side and doesn’t respond.
***
Destiny is dropping out of FTL and Brody, Volker and Dr. Inman, who turned out to be the best kino pilot of them all, are flying their respective kinos in a search pattern across Destiny’s hull.
“Oh my god, there it is!” Eli points at the screen with the feed from Inman’s kino.
It shows a sizeable globe with red lights that is quite distinctly different from Destiny’s surface material.
“Careful,” Rush warns them. “Back up slowly. It might have defensive capabilities.”
The kino retreats and Inman flies it in a wide curve around the device.
Minutes later the alien ships drop into normal space near them and they hurry to get the kinos safely inside before the bombardment begins again.
“Next time we do this we hit that sucker from the shuttle,” Scott swears. “That should keep them from finding us again.”
Rush turns away.
“Maybe,” he says softly.
***
( part 1)
( part 2)
( part 3)
( part 5)
( part 6)