Kindred 2 Tag
A Stargate Atlantis snippet by Deana Lisi
Tag to 'Kindred Part 2'
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Rodney stared at Carson--frozen in stasis--his mind a total blank. He couldn't think; for the first time that he could remember.
His mind was in a state of turmoil.
He didn't hear when people started leaving the room. He didn't feel the hand that rested on his shoulder for a minute before Colonel Sheppard reluctantly left, sensing that Rodney would want to be alone for a while.
Rodney had no idea how long he stood in front of the stasis chamber, staring at his best friend.
Or, rather, the clone of his best friend.
It was so...so sci-fi. This clone was so like Carson...he was Carson, in every way.
But he wasn't Carson.
The real Carson was dead.
Rodney closed his eyes against a sudden well of tears. Carson is dead...but we have another Carson. A clone is better than no Carson at all!
Rodney suddenly wondered what the real Carson was thinking at that moment, wherever he was in the afterlife. He knew that Carson would be happy for him; glad for all of them to have this chance. If we can get his clone out of stasis, that is...
With a sigh, Rodney reopened his eyes, looking once more at the clone of his friend.
It seemed like Carson was staring right back...his eyes still open in his freaky state of hibernation.
With a sudden shudder, Rodney turned around, rubbing his arms as if he was cold. How am I supposed to sleep, walk around, carry on life, knowing that Carson's clone is in this pod! And he might never come out! Were these past few days all that we had? Are we going to fail in finding the cure?
What if the pod itself failed?
Rodney's heart skipped a beat and he turned around, placing his palm on the glass. "Nononono," he said, nervously. "There's gotta be a way to prevent that...gotta be a way...don't worry, Carson, that can't happen...!" He turned and went back over to the control panel, quickly bringing up the pod's programming file.
Mumbling to himself, he entered a string of code and saved it. Looking at Carson and back to the console again to make sure it didn't complain of an error, he walked back to the pod and touched the glass again.
"Um, I did it; you don't have to worry now. If the pod failed for some reason...if...then I set it to, uh, defrost you. Yeah. You'd just wake up and we can put you in another pod. Well, you might not really wake up...especially since it would only take a few minutes to move you...but you'd be, um, no longer in stasis for that length of time."
Of course, Carson gave no reaction to his rambling.
With another sigh, Rodney turned around and slid down the glass to sit on the floor. Looking up at Carson, he felt like Captain Kirk in Star Trek 2, when Spock was inside the anti-matter chamber...dying.
Nononono.
"You're not gonna die, Carson, you know that, right?" Rodney said. "You're just sleeping until we find your cure. When we do, and wake you up, it'll seem like only moments passed!"
Looking down at the floor, Rodney sighed. "Lucky you."
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The next morning, scientists and doctors filled the conference room, to discuss how to go about developing the necessary drug to save Carson's life.
Rodney didn't show up. John had a feeling where he was, and so did Ronon.
They were right.
Entering the room that held Carson's stasis pod, they found exactly what they expected.
Rodney was sitting on the floor, fast asleep against the glass.
John and Ronon looked at each other, torn. They didn't want to wake him...they'd both slept badly the night before, too, after all the recent crazy events...but the sooner they began working on Carson's dilemma, the sooner they could get him out of the pod.
Sheppard walked over to their friend, and knelt. "Rodney?"
All they heard in response was a mumble.
"Rodney," said John, shaking his shoulder. "Wake up."
The scientist's eyes popped open, and he looked around wildly. Seeing the two men in front of him, Rodney looked up at the pod, as if unsure of what he'd find.
Carson still stood motionless, in a state of artificial hibernation.
Rodney sighed and looked back down at the floor.
John frowned, realizing that the scientist must've had some kind of dream. Whether it was a good one, or a bad one, he couldn't tell. "Come on, Rodney. You're late for the meeting."
Rodney perked up again. "Late?" He pushed himself to his feet, groaning at the stiffness caused by his unhealthy sleeping position.
John turned to go, but he and Ronon both couldn't resist hesitating a minute to look at Carson's clone before they left.
Rodney hung back, waiting until they were out the door before he turned to the pod again. "Um, I don't know if you can actually hear me, like people in comas can, but I just want to tell you not to worry, you won't be in there long," he said.
Feeling a bit more optimistic...didn't things always look better in the morning?...Rodney smiled at him and left the room.
Every day after that, Rodney returned and talked to his friend through the pod. On the day that they finally brought Carson out of stasis and administered the cure, the first thing that Carson said to him was...
"Aye, Rodney, I could hear ya."
THE END
Tag to 'Kindred Part 2'
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Rodney stared at Carson--frozen in stasis--his mind a total blank. He couldn't think; for the first time that he could remember.
His mind was in a state of turmoil.
He didn't hear when people started leaving the room. He didn't feel the hand that rested on his shoulder for a minute before Colonel Sheppard reluctantly left, sensing that Rodney would want to be alone for a while.
Rodney had no idea how long he stood in front of the stasis chamber, staring at his best friend.
Or, rather, the clone of his best friend.
It was so...so sci-fi. This clone was so like Carson...he was Carson, in every way.
But he wasn't Carson.
The real Carson was dead.
Rodney closed his eyes against a sudden well of tears. Carson is dead...but we have another Carson. A clone is better than no Carson at all!
Rodney suddenly wondered what the real Carson was thinking at that moment, wherever he was in the afterlife. He knew that Carson would be happy for him; glad for all of them to have this chance. If we can get his clone out of stasis, that is...
With a sigh, Rodney reopened his eyes, looking once more at the clone of his friend.
It seemed like Carson was staring right back...his eyes still open in his freaky state of hibernation.
With a sudden shudder, Rodney turned around, rubbing his arms as if he was cold. How am I supposed to sleep, walk around, carry on life, knowing that Carson's clone is in this pod! And he might never come out! Were these past few days all that we had? Are we going to fail in finding the cure?
What if the pod itself failed?
Rodney's heart skipped a beat and he turned around, placing his palm on the glass. "Nononono," he said, nervously. "There's gotta be a way to prevent that...gotta be a way...don't worry, Carson, that can't happen...!" He turned and went back over to the control panel, quickly bringing up the pod's programming file.
Mumbling to himself, he entered a string of code and saved it. Looking at Carson and back to the console again to make sure it didn't complain of an error, he walked back to the pod and touched the glass again.
"Um, I did it; you don't have to worry now. If the pod failed for some reason...if...then I set it to, uh, defrost you. Yeah. You'd just wake up and we can put you in another pod. Well, you might not really wake up...especially since it would only take a few minutes to move you...but you'd be, um, no longer in stasis for that length of time."
Of course, Carson gave no reaction to his rambling.
With another sigh, Rodney turned around and slid down the glass to sit on the floor. Looking up at Carson, he felt like Captain Kirk in Star Trek 2, when Spock was inside the anti-matter chamber...dying.
Nononono.
"You're not gonna die, Carson, you know that, right?" Rodney said. "You're just sleeping until we find your cure. When we do, and wake you up, it'll seem like only moments passed!"
Looking down at the floor, Rodney sighed. "Lucky you."
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The next morning, scientists and doctors filled the conference room, to discuss how to go about developing the necessary drug to save Carson's life.
Rodney didn't show up. John had a feeling where he was, and so did Ronon.
They were right.
Entering the room that held Carson's stasis pod, they found exactly what they expected.
Rodney was sitting on the floor, fast asleep against the glass.
John and Ronon looked at each other, torn. They didn't want to wake him...they'd both slept badly the night before, too, after all the recent crazy events...but the sooner they began working on Carson's dilemma, the sooner they could get him out of the pod.
Sheppard walked over to their friend, and knelt. "Rodney?"
All they heard in response was a mumble.
"Rodney," said John, shaking his shoulder. "Wake up."
The scientist's eyes popped open, and he looked around wildly. Seeing the two men in front of him, Rodney looked up at the pod, as if unsure of what he'd find.
Carson still stood motionless, in a state of artificial hibernation.
Rodney sighed and looked back down at the floor.
John frowned, realizing that the scientist must've had some kind of dream. Whether it was a good one, or a bad one, he couldn't tell. "Come on, Rodney. You're late for the meeting."
Rodney perked up again. "Late?" He pushed himself to his feet, groaning at the stiffness caused by his unhealthy sleeping position.
John turned to go, but he and Ronon both couldn't resist hesitating a minute to look at Carson's clone before they left.
Rodney hung back, waiting until they were out the door before he turned to the pod again. "Um, I don't know if you can actually hear me, like people in comas can, but I just want to tell you not to worry, you won't be in there long," he said.
Feeling a bit more optimistic...didn't things always look better in the morning?...Rodney smiled at him and left the room.
Every day after that, Rodney returned and talked to his friend through the pod. On the day that they finally brought Carson out of stasis and administered the cure, the first thing that Carson said to him was...
"Aye, Rodney, I could hear ya."
THE END