FanFic100: #078 Where?
“No, that’s not gonna work.” Is that Major Lorne’s voice coming out of the room with the surveillance equipment? What is he doing th…
“Yes, it is. Or it would, if you would just let me do some actual work.” And what is Lieutenant Cadman doing in there with him? Because ever since he saw first Cadman come out of the shooting range, dressed in something not even these crazy Earth people would call standard attire for their female soldiers and then a little while later Major Lorne with a flak vest in his hands and looking a little disheveled he hasn’t seen them interacting even once.
His instincts tell him he might get a little insight into this puzzle - or rather… have his suspicions confirmed because he already has a fairly good idea what might have happened on the shooting range - if he waits a little with actually barging in full force and so he positions himself in front of the surveillance room and keeps listening in. “What? I’m just…”
“You’re leaning over me and practically breathing down my neck.” Mh. Cadman does not sound pleased… or wait, was there an undertone in her voice that sounded rather… excited?
“I like your neck.” Okay, Lorne doesn’t do much to hide his excitement about Cadman.
“Evan!” And Cadman calls him by his first name. Not standard procedure between Earth COs and soldiers, that much he knows. He frowns… because after that he doesn’t hear anything besides a squeal from Cadman for a little while.
However, a moment before he starts contemplating screwing it all and barging into the room anyway, just to see Lorne’s and Cadman’s faces when he catches them at something that could get them into a lot of trouble, he hears Cadman say a in a voice that’s a little irritated, “You’re just damn lucky I deactivated this room’s cameras before I even sat down here.”
There’s a huff from Major Lorne and then, “Fine. Have it your way. As long as you can work some of that mojo all you physics majors have to save our asses…” Ah. He starts to get a inkling what this is about. If this is the surveillance room and Cadman is supposed to save their hides by working on something… it’s probably about a surveillance tape. This really is getting better and better.
“I can and I would if - and I really don’t like to sound redundant but I obviously have to - you would stop hovering around here.” Cadman does sound a little like she’s just this short of blasting Lorne out of the room. Maybe, if he hangs around a little longer he will actually get to see… “And keep your hands off my… oh, that’s nice.” No, maybe not. “Not really helping but… nice. Just a little higher, would you?” There’s another sound coming from Cadman… and it doesn’t indicate anything about throwing Lorne out of the room. “Okay, you can keep doing that. Now, about this stupid console…”
Okay, he thinks, good moment to barge in and get his fill of embarrassed Earth officers… even though he regrets a little not having brought a camera. The blackmailing possibilities are almost endless. Cadman letting him play around with her little explosive toys, Lorne volunteering to team up with Rodney for at least three missions in a row… But yeah, better act now.
Wearing a smirk, he saunters into the room and… is a little disappointed. He’d hoped for something spectacular which would have probably secured him supreme access to all kinds of explosives from Cadman or Lorne letting him beat up as many Marines as he likes. Instead he just gets Lorne massaging Cadman’s shoulders - that’s not even enough for a little fireworks - while Cadman frets over the console not doing what she wants it to do. “Damn, I really wish it would take this command…”
Well, at least that gives him a good opening, “Or I could just shoot it.”
Immediately, Lorne lets go off Cadman’s shoulders and actually jumps away from her a little, as if burned. The expression on Lorne’s face makes him wish all the more he’d brought a camera because he’s pretty sure he’ll never see that look again from Lorne - terrified and horribly guilty all in the same moment. Cadman makes a good impression of what the Earth people like to call “deer in headlights” and again that’s something some people would refuse to believe she’s even capable off. And to top it all, both are blushing heavily.
Lorne is the first to regain his ability to speak. After clearing his throat, he manages to say, “We… uh… we were just… It’s not… um…” Sheppard’s no-nonsense bone-dry second in command Major Evan Lorne tongue-tied. He never thought he’d see that.
Amused he raises an eyebrow. “What it looks like?”
Lorne and Cadman look at each other and it’s Cadman’s turn now. “Uh… yeah. Exactly. Totally not what it looked like. Well… whatever it did look like.” Were these two always that bad at lying? Even if he hadn't heard the conversation preceding his barging in he’d thought that this was exactly what it looked like.
Yeah, well… whatever. “Care to tell me what you are doing here then?” For a moment Lorne looks like telling him that this is none of his goddamn business but Cadman seems to have seen - or sensed? - that before it was too late.
“Trying to save someone’s ass by erasing compromising video footage.” And now Lorne looks like he’s ready to strangle Cadman… or kiss her to shut her up? Mh… this begs for some deeper digging. “A friend of mine, I mean. She… got herself into some trouble and I asked Major Lorne to help me get access to the surveillance room and everything.”
Uh-huh. Right. And he agreed to breach protocol and risk his job for some friend of Cadman’s who couldn’t keep it in his or her pants. Do they really think he believes this ruse to cover up that they couldn’t keep it in their pants? Oh well… Earth people. What can you do? “Sure. Need any further help?”
They look at each other again and it’s Lorne’s turn. “Well… uh… Lieutenant… is there anything Ronon could help us with?” Was Lorne close to calling Cadman by her first name in the presence of someone else right now?
Cadman bites her lip and he notices that Cadman has nice lips… which Lorne also noticed, as much as he wants to hide it. Well then, this Atlantis woman is obviously taken, even if she doesn’t know it yet. “Nah, I think I’m fine. If I could just…” She looks at him and suddenly her eyes light up, as if she just had an epiphany. Huh? “Oh… oh, I think I have an idea. I’d need Rodney’s password though. It used to be… oh right!” He’s not quite sure if it’s a good thing that she looks at him and has an idea that has to do something with Rodney.
Lorne seems to have noticed something else that’s strange about this. “Wait. How the hell do you know what Rodney’s password used to be?”
For that, Cadman gives him a look. “Got stuck in his head once, remember?”
It’s interesting to see that the look actually has an effect on Lorne of all people. “Oh… oh right.”
He’s pretty sure that Cadman is just this short of rolling her eyes at Lorne but to his surprise she can hold herself off. “Anyway… what was it… 16431879…“ Biting her lip again, obviously truly not sure of how to finish it, so he decides to help her out.
“196842.” A smirk from him meets Cadman’s and Lorne’s slightly disbelieving faces. What? That Rodney likes to call him “caveman” doesn’t mean he actually is one. “There’s something great about people constantly underestimating you.”
Cadman grins back at him, knowing exactly what he means. “Yeah, you can say that.” But then she looks a little disgruntled. “Anyway… I don’t think it’s gonna work.”
Lorne shrugs. “Try anyway.” She looks at him with her eyebrows raised and he rolls his eyes. “What? It’s the best shot we have.”
Still not really convinced she turns back to the console, shaking her head. “Right… okay… Holy crap. I don’t believe it. It’s been two years since that mind merge from hell and he still hasn’t changed his password?” She doesn’t seem to expect an answer from them, though, because she just waves dismissively at them and adds without even looking at them, “Now go and do… guy things in some corner while I do some real work.”
For a moment, Lorne looks like he’s about to contradict that but then the same resignation he sometimes sees in Lorne when he can’t convince Sheppard to abandon a totally, as the Earth people say, harebrained scheme and Lorne indicates to him to step back a little from where Cadman is sitting with a jerk of his head.
Lorne throws another look at Cadman who seems to be typing away kind of… happily and then looks back at him, rubbing his neck a little sheepishly. “Look… Ronon… could you… keep quiet about this?”
Determined to take a few digs at Lorne, he looks at him with raised eyebrows. “Concerned about your career?”
A soundless sigh escapes Lorne. “Yeah…a bit.” And then he adds something that does surprise him a little, “But… I’m also concerned about Lieutenant Cadman’s career.”
He takes a moment to study Lorne. The way he keeps sneaking Cadman looks, the way he blushed a little when he admitted being concerned for her career, the way he wants to protect her… he’s seen it before, often enough. “You care about her.” It’s a statement, not a question because it’s pretty obvious anyway.
After an almost double-take, Lorne takes a deep breath. “Well…”
But before he can answer, Cadman makes herself known again. “Hey, guys, I’ve got it!” She makes a gesture of triumph. “Yeah, baby. Call me genius Cadman! Or maybe Laura The Great! Or Super Jarhead! Or…”
“Lieutenant Loudmouth?” Yeah, that’s the bone dry Lorne he’s used to. However… there’s a… twinkling in his eyes he has never noticed before when Lorne’s wit was aimed at someone. Huh?
Cadman… Cadman actually sticks out her tongue at Lorne and if he hadn't guessed it already, now he’d be positive there’s something going on between the two that goes by the name of fraternization. Should he tell Sheppard? “You do realize I just saved both our asses, right?” And then Cadman adds smugly, “By the way… you might want to lower your voices next time you talk about me. These ears? Always well protected during explosions.”
If Lorne was blushing very, very lightly before… he’s red as a ni’katar plant right now. Someone hasn’t told Cadman yet how he feels about her? If he was Lorne… he’d do so the very moment he’s out of the room, no matter if Earth law says it’s forbidden or not. Cadman and Lorne… they do make a great couple. Although… there’s something he’d like to advise Lorne first, “I’d say you better brush up on your C4 skills, Major. Got the feeling you’re gonna need them in the future.”
With that he’s out of the room, not missing Lorne growing even redder and Cadman looking like that “deer in headlights” again and he just can’t stop chuckling again and again on his way to the workout room. They made his day with those looks on their faces and just for that… he’ll not tell Sheppard anything. If it’s something serious - and he just has the feeling that it is or will be in a little while - they’ll tell him anyway and they deserve the chance to do so without someone ratting them out. No need for him telling Sheppard anyway.