Misconception parts 1 and 2 [PG-13]
Title: Misconception
Rating: PG-13
Catergory: McKay/Weir Friendship, AU, OFC, Angst
Summary: What if you only agreed to follow the rules, because you thought they'd never apply?
A/N: This first chapter is an introduction of sorts, to a new character, but rest assured we will join the main cast next chapter. I feel the need to give her a proper background, rather then dropping it in a various points in the story; it’s just how I work. I plan to make this story a sort of twist on a very common cliché fic, and it’ll be quiet serious, as I am sure you will figure out as it progresses. Takes place in an AU season 1.
Due to the unique nature of the expedition which includes both civilian and military representatives from all over the world, including several married couples, normal US fraternisation rules will not apply except in the military chain of command. Relationships between civilians, and between civilians and military, are allowed.
However, in the event that the expedition team find them self stranded in the Pegasus galaxy, resources will no doubt be severely limited. As such, a major shipment of contraceptive injections is being sent with the medical supplies, enough to last approximately 3 years. All women who are in or enter into a sexual relationship with a man whilst in Atlantis are required to be on contraceptives. Signing of the contract at the end of the regulations book commits you to keeping this rule. It will also commit any women, though unlikely, who finds herself pregnant, to have a termination. If, after 2 and a half years, there has been no contact from earth, then these regulations may be amended.
***
Dr. Ivana Petrova-Taylor, referred to as Ivana, Ana or Dr. Taylor, depending on your level of acquaintance with her, understood that her main role within the expedition would be to uphold the aforementioned regulations. Those who hired her knew she would be good at the job. There had been many reasons to hire her onto the SGC to carry out pretty much the same role, but she retained the position for only 2 months, as there were many more reasons to send her to Atlantis.
An accomplished endocrinologist, especially in the areas of fertility, Dr Taylor would be able to handle the role of contraception expertly. Those who asked her to go were certain she would ensure that it would be highly unlikely the supply of abortion drugs also being sent would ever be used. She would also make a valuable member of the medical team in general.
But this was not the only reason to send her. As her name might suggest, Ana did not hold a single nationality. Born to a British father and a Russian mother, who worked for the same law firm in the USA, she technically was a national of three countries. Ivana grew up in Boston, speaking two languages - neither with a recognizable accent. When somebody very clever somewhere in the pentagon realized her treble nationality, they informed each country that she would be going as a representative of them. Essentially each believed they had another expedition member, and it actually allowed those picking members of the expedition just a little more choice. Ivana, perfectly aware of the subterfuge surrounding her, chose to wear no flag on her uniform.
A tall woman, with an open nonthreatening air about her and long dark hair that was never seen down, she projected just the right level of professionalism and friendliness that the women of Atlantis did not fear to come and see her. Many the gossip-mongers would have loved her for an ally, for it was true that she knew exactly who was in a relationship with whom, but everybody knew that she would never tell. If she did, she would fail at her job.
Though Ivana seemed to get on well with everyone, nobody could truly claim to be her close friend amongst those in the expedition. The doctor actually got on best with the Athosians. Perhaps because she and Dr. Beckett both shared the role of playing midwife - a job neither of them had expected. Generally Ivana looked after the women during pregnancy, and Doctor Beckett, much more skilled in surgery in case of an emergency caesarian, stepped in to do deliveries where necessary.
Yet this unexpected task was taken on gladly, for Dr. Taylor was not the kind to shrink from a challenge. Pregnancies on the mainland were certainly nowhere as complex as finding her expertise needed to try to figure out the mechanism of Wraith feeding, and though some men may disagree, certainly less disturbing.
And now you know a bit more about her. You might think that this introduction is for a heroine, but you would be wrong. For there are no heroines in this tale, only victims.
Chapter 2: Fertility
Perhaps now would be the opportune time to introduce the “bad guy” in our tale. But, like its lack of a heroine or hero, our story does not follow the usual credentials. Thus, it's hard to define who the enemy is in this tale. Yet, with so many victims, there must be somebody to be held responsible.
You could say that Artemis Fayre should be the one to blame. But, when Artemis first designed her machine 50,000 years ago and built the prototype, it seems unlikely she ever figured the probing of the Atlantis expedition into her designs. Or that she had anything but the best intentions.
So maybe, for the sake of the clarity that having a bad guy will somewhat provide, we will instead have a bad-machine as our nemesis for this tale. As you maybe able to surmise from the above statement, the machine was Ancient in more than one way, at least in design. It was simple really in terms of Ancient machinery, and had needed very little adaptation in the years since it had been first designed. Of course, the model that sat in a room just off of the infirmary was not that old, but it was basically the same.
The machine was roughly triangular, standing at waist height. It was obviously (well, to those who were studying it at least) meant to be controlled by two people whilst the third stood on a slightly raised platform.
In the two months since arriving in the city, its new settlers had managed to establish a rule. It had taken many breaks, burns, and even the odd explosion but it was now generally conceded that you do not initialise a machine, until you know what it does. If you can’t find out what it does without initialising it, certainly don’t turn it on all the way. But the majority of scientists in Atlantis did not speak Ancient, and the linguists did not really understand the scientists, so this unspoken rule did not always get followed.
So how does Dr. Taylor fit into this tale? Using what they had surmised from the Ancient text that accompanied the machine, they had established it had something to do with fertility and pregnancy. Not exactly the most useful tool as you can imagine, but since they had spent there time figuring that much out, they might as well figure it all out.
***
Dr. Rodney McKay was extremely annoyed that he had to work on this. Really it should be Beckett and Taylor in here; they were doctors of medicine for goodness sake! But Beckett had wriggled out of it by scheduling a whole lot of (probably unnecessary) surgeries. And Weir, who wanted all the machinery catalogued as quickly as possible, had personally asked Rodney to guide Taylor through figuring out its function. She had been a recent recipient of the gene therapy, and Weir flattered him by telling him she might as well learn how to operate and figure out Ancient technology from the best. So here he was. Opposite stood the Taylor women, her arms crossed and her eyebrows raised at him. She’d probably just asked a question when he’d been off in his own little world moaning about the situation he was in...Typical.
The eyes rolled, as if she knew his very thought patterns, “I said, being told this machine has fertility in its name does not mean I can just look at it and surmise what it does. The Ancients really weren’t that obvious with their designs; I’m going to need more to work with!”
He was surprised he’d missed such a long statement the first time.
“Well, I think as long as there is no subject standing, where I think they should stand, it should be pretty safe to turn it on, so I’ll just...well do that...” He went to place his hand on the machine, but stopped suddenly. “No, you do it. Let’s get you using the new gene. Normally touching the machine anywhere will initialise it, so go ahead.”
Taylor looked at him like she was being patronised, but took a step forward none the less, and touched the machine as instructed. It started to glow and hum in the usual way. In addition to the happy humming, an interactive hologram appeared above each control point of the machine - including where they assumed the subject should stand.
McKay really should have paid more attention to what Dr. Taylor was doing, instead of scrutinising the screen in front of him to see if he recognised any of the words. For Taylor, not really having all that much experience with Ancient technology, instinctively moved towards the screen that appeared closest to her. And in doing so, stepped onto the platform.
McKay did not even see what she was doing until she spoke, and he looked up to see her standing on the platform saying, “Maybe we should get somebody a little better at Ancient then us in here...”
He had just opened his mouth to warn her to step away, when the machine’s humming increased several octaves, and she was suddenly surrounded by a bright white translucent barrier. All he could see was her silhouette. Which was standing oddly still...
“Uh, Dr. Taylor? Can you hear me?”
“Yes Dr. McKay, I can. However hearing you and responding is pretty much all I can do! It seems to be holding me in place. Perhaps you should follow through on my original suggestion and get somebody down here who speaks Ancient better then we do?” She sounded calm - annoyed - but calm. She clearly wasn’t worried, Rodney thought he’d be doing a lot more panicking if he was being held completely still by a machine of unknown function. Mind, “fertility” hardly sounded dangerous...
“Dr McKay!”
Whoops, gone off into his own thoughts again. He must be having a bad day. He suspected Ford has swapped his coffee for Decaf again...
Clicking on his radio, McKay conjured from the depths of his memory the name of the most fluent translator on the base, “Dr. Rousseau, we could use your help in Infirmary storage 4.”
Unfortunately it was not the French-Canadian tones of Dr. Rousseau who answered Rodney over the radio, but rather the British lilt of Peter, “Dr. Rousseau is currently off world Dr. McKay.”
This was an annoyance to McKay, because Rousseau, as a fellow Canadian, was one of the few artsy non-sciency types on Atlantis he could actually stand. Except of course for...
“Elizabeth!” he said sharply over the radio. “Rousseau is off world and we need somebody very good in translation of Ancient. Dr Petrova-Taylor is currently stuck in the machine. I think you’re probably the most qualified person around to help in this situation.”
He sounded smug, he knew he did. But part of him was glad that if he was stuck here working on this, then so would be the person responsible for him being here.
***
Rodney probably thought he was getting his own back by calling Elizabeth to the scene. But even if Dr. Rousseau had been in the city she would have been there anyway. One of the members of her expedition was stuck in a machine of unknown function, and it was her duty to follow the situation closely.
Grabbing a book of notes from a shelf, Weir took a transporter to the infirmary, and hurried into the storage room to find Rodney glaring at a holographic screen.
“It’s been scanning her,” he said, without even looking up. “The results are up on both screens.” He motioned with one had towards what Weir could only assume to be the other control station for the device.
“Oh, and I am fine by the way!” Said a rather sarcastic tone from inside the white column of light. “I believe the machine is merely keeping me still so that I did not move whilst it was scanning me. It probably is just testing my fertility.”
It did not take Weir long to surmise Dr Taylor was correct. All the screen said was something along the lines of ‘subject fertile, please touch pad to continue’.
“I don’t see an escape button,” McKay muttered across from her. “Why is there no escape button? You think a race as advanced as the ancients would put in an escape button!”
“Perhaps they didn’t need an escape button because they never got themselves into this situation Rodney,” Elizabeth offered. “I think the only thing for it is to press to continue.”
And she did, she reached out and placed her palm flat on the controls. And though she felt a buzzing, almost like she was being scanned herself, the machine failed to release it’s prisoner.
“Rodney you’ll have to try I think it needs the...” Rodney has his hand slapped n the machine before she could utter ‘ATA gene’ and now the device was defiantly up to something. It sounded a bit like a computer searching a floppy disk drive, and considering what an antiquated bit of technology that was in human terms Elizabeth wasn’t so sure that was comforting.
But then, only preceded by an “ouch!” from inside it, the force field fell and Dr. Taylor was now free to step down.
“Are you ok?” Elizabeth asked, concerned, as she walked over to the woman. “You’re bleeding.”
The small amount of blood on Dr. Taylor’s shirt barely qualified as bleeding, but it was still there. Of course, if she had been an Ancient, as its inventor intended, and then there would be no evidence a needle had ever entered her abdomen at all. But she was not an Ancient and was not capable of super fast cellular regeneration. Instead...
“I’ll need a plaster,” Said Taylor. “And I’m fine. I really think it was just scanning me. Probably took blood for further analysis.”
“Still,” Said Elizabeth, always cautious. “Maybe have one of the other doctors give you a quick check over just in case.”
“You’re the boss,” Taylor gave a cheeky mock salute and walked away. Before exiting, she seemed to remember the original reason she had been here and turned back. “Dr. McKay, I’d just classify this as an all-in-one Ancient fertility scanner and shove it to the back of the cupboard if I were you. I doubt we’ll have need of it.”
“You heard her Rodney,” Said Elizabeth with a smile, turning to leave herself.
As she quickly exited the room, she was unable to avoid hearing the mildly outraged, “You don’t expect me to move this myself, do you?”
Rating: PG-13
Catergory: McKay/Weir Friendship, AU, OFC, Angst
Summary: What if you only agreed to follow the rules, because you thought they'd never apply?
A/N: This first chapter is an introduction of sorts, to a new character, but rest assured we will join the main cast next chapter. I feel the need to give her a proper background, rather then dropping it in a various points in the story; it’s just how I work. I plan to make this story a sort of twist on a very common cliché fic, and it’ll be quiet serious, as I am sure you will figure out as it progresses. Takes place in an AU season 1.
Due to the unique nature of the expedition which includes both civilian and military representatives from all over the world, including several married couples, normal US fraternisation rules will not apply except in the military chain of command. Relationships between civilians, and between civilians and military, are allowed.
However, in the event that the expedition team find them self stranded in the Pegasus galaxy, resources will no doubt be severely limited. As such, a major shipment of contraceptive injections is being sent with the medical supplies, enough to last approximately 3 years. All women who are in or enter into a sexual relationship with a man whilst in Atlantis are required to be on contraceptives. Signing of the contract at the end of the regulations book commits you to keeping this rule. It will also commit any women, though unlikely, who finds herself pregnant, to have a termination. If, after 2 and a half years, there has been no contact from earth, then these regulations may be amended.
***
Dr. Ivana Petrova-Taylor, referred to as Ivana, Ana or Dr. Taylor, depending on your level of acquaintance with her, understood that her main role within the expedition would be to uphold the aforementioned regulations. Those who hired her knew she would be good at the job. There had been many reasons to hire her onto the SGC to carry out pretty much the same role, but she retained the position for only 2 months, as there were many more reasons to send her to Atlantis.
An accomplished endocrinologist, especially in the areas of fertility, Dr Taylor would be able to handle the role of contraception expertly. Those who asked her to go were certain she would ensure that it would be highly unlikely the supply of abortion drugs also being sent would ever be used. She would also make a valuable member of the medical team in general.
But this was not the only reason to send her. As her name might suggest, Ana did not hold a single nationality. Born to a British father and a Russian mother, who worked for the same law firm in the USA, she technically was a national of three countries. Ivana grew up in Boston, speaking two languages - neither with a recognizable accent. When somebody very clever somewhere in the pentagon realized her treble nationality, they informed each country that she would be going as a representative of them. Essentially each believed they had another expedition member, and it actually allowed those picking members of the expedition just a little more choice. Ivana, perfectly aware of the subterfuge surrounding her, chose to wear no flag on her uniform.
A tall woman, with an open nonthreatening air about her and long dark hair that was never seen down, she projected just the right level of professionalism and friendliness that the women of Atlantis did not fear to come and see her. Many the gossip-mongers would have loved her for an ally, for it was true that she knew exactly who was in a relationship with whom, but everybody knew that she would never tell. If she did, she would fail at her job.
Though Ivana seemed to get on well with everyone, nobody could truly claim to be her close friend amongst those in the expedition. The doctor actually got on best with the Athosians. Perhaps because she and Dr. Beckett both shared the role of playing midwife - a job neither of them had expected. Generally Ivana looked after the women during pregnancy, and Doctor Beckett, much more skilled in surgery in case of an emergency caesarian, stepped in to do deliveries where necessary.
Yet this unexpected task was taken on gladly, for Dr. Taylor was not the kind to shrink from a challenge. Pregnancies on the mainland were certainly nowhere as complex as finding her expertise needed to try to figure out the mechanism of Wraith feeding, and though some men may disagree, certainly less disturbing.
And now you know a bit more about her. You might think that this introduction is for a heroine, but you would be wrong. For there are no heroines in this tale, only victims.
Chapter 2: Fertility
Perhaps now would be the opportune time to introduce the “bad guy” in our tale. But, like its lack of a heroine or hero, our story does not follow the usual credentials. Thus, it's hard to define who the enemy is in this tale. Yet, with so many victims, there must be somebody to be held responsible.
You could say that Artemis Fayre should be the one to blame. But, when Artemis first designed her machine 50,000 years ago and built the prototype, it seems unlikely she ever figured the probing of the Atlantis expedition into her designs. Or that she had anything but the best intentions.
So maybe, for the sake of the clarity that having a bad guy will somewhat provide, we will instead have a bad-machine as our nemesis for this tale. As you maybe able to surmise from the above statement, the machine was Ancient in more than one way, at least in design. It was simple really in terms of Ancient machinery, and had needed very little adaptation in the years since it had been first designed. Of course, the model that sat in a room just off of the infirmary was not that old, but it was basically the same.
The machine was roughly triangular, standing at waist height. It was obviously (well, to those who were studying it at least) meant to be controlled by two people whilst the third stood on a slightly raised platform.
In the two months since arriving in the city, its new settlers had managed to establish a rule. It had taken many breaks, burns, and even the odd explosion but it was now generally conceded that you do not initialise a machine, until you know what it does. If you can’t find out what it does without initialising it, certainly don’t turn it on all the way. But the majority of scientists in Atlantis did not speak Ancient, and the linguists did not really understand the scientists, so this unspoken rule did not always get followed.
So how does Dr. Taylor fit into this tale? Using what they had surmised from the Ancient text that accompanied the machine, they had established it had something to do with fertility and pregnancy. Not exactly the most useful tool as you can imagine, but since they had spent there time figuring that much out, they might as well figure it all out.
***
Dr. Rodney McKay was extremely annoyed that he had to work on this. Really it should be Beckett and Taylor in here; they were doctors of medicine for goodness sake! But Beckett had wriggled out of it by scheduling a whole lot of (probably unnecessary) surgeries. And Weir, who wanted all the machinery catalogued as quickly as possible, had personally asked Rodney to guide Taylor through figuring out its function. She had been a recent recipient of the gene therapy, and Weir flattered him by telling him she might as well learn how to operate and figure out Ancient technology from the best. So here he was. Opposite stood the Taylor women, her arms crossed and her eyebrows raised at him. She’d probably just asked a question when he’d been off in his own little world moaning about the situation he was in...Typical.
The eyes rolled, as if she knew his very thought patterns, “I said, being told this machine has fertility in its name does not mean I can just look at it and surmise what it does. The Ancients really weren’t that obvious with their designs; I’m going to need more to work with!”
He was surprised he’d missed such a long statement the first time.
“Well, I think as long as there is no subject standing, where I think they should stand, it should be pretty safe to turn it on, so I’ll just...well do that...” He went to place his hand on the machine, but stopped suddenly. “No, you do it. Let’s get you using the new gene. Normally touching the machine anywhere will initialise it, so go ahead.”
Taylor looked at him like she was being patronised, but took a step forward none the less, and touched the machine as instructed. It started to glow and hum in the usual way. In addition to the happy humming, an interactive hologram appeared above each control point of the machine - including where they assumed the subject should stand.
McKay really should have paid more attention to what Dr. Taylor was doing, instead of scrutinising the screen in front of him to see if he recognised any of the words. For Taylor, not really having all that much experience with Ancient technology, instinctively moved towards the screen that appeared closest to her. And in doing so, stepped onto the platform.
McKay did not even see what she was doing until she spoke, and he looked up to see her standing on the platform saying, “Maybe we should get somebody a little better at Ancient then us in here...”
He had just opened his mouth to warn her to step away, when the machine’s humming increased several octaves, and she was suddenly surrounded by a bright white translucent barrier. All he could see was her silhouette. Which was standing oddly still...
“Uh, Dr. Taylor? Can you hear me?”
“Yes Dr. McKay, I can. However hearing you and responding is pretty much all I can do! It seems to be holding me in place. Perhaps you should follow through on my original suggestion and get somebody down here who speaks Ancient better then we do?” She sounded calm - annoyed - but calm. She clearly wasn’t worried, Rodney thought he’d be doing a lot more panicking if he was being held completely still by a machine of unknown function. Mind, “fertility” hardly sounded dangerous...
“Dr McKay!”
Whoops, gone off into his own thoughts again. He must be having a bad day. He suspected Ford has swapped his coffee for Decaf again...
Clicking on his radio, McKay conjured from the depths of his memory the name of the most fluent translator on the base, “Dr. Rousseau, we could use your help in Infirmary storage 4.”
Unfortunately it was not the French-Canadian tones of Dr. Rousseau who answered Rodney over the radio, but rather the British lilt of Peter, “Dr. Rousseau is currently off world Dr. McKay.”
This was an annoyance to McKay, because Rousseau, as a fellow Canadian, was one of the few artsy non-sciency types on Atlantis he could actually stand. Except of course for...
“Elizabeth!” he said sharply over the radio. “Rousseau is off world and we need somebody very good in translation of Ancient. Dr Petrova-Taylor is currently stuck in the machine. I think you’re probably the most qualified person around to help in this situation.”
He sounded smug, he knew he did. But part of him was glad that if he was stuck here working on this, then so would be the person responsible for him being here.
***
Rodney probably thought he was getting his own back by calling Elizabeth to the scene. But even if Dr. Rousseau had been in the city she would have been there anyway. One of the members of her expedition was stuck in a machine of unknown function, and it was her duty to follow the situation closely.
Grabbing a book of notes from a shelf, Weir took a transporter to the infirmary, and hurried into the storage room to find Rodney glaring at a holographic screen.
“It’s been scanning her,” he said, without even looking up. “The results are up on both screens.” He motioned with one had towards what Weir could only assume to be the other control station for the device.
“Oh, and I am fine by the way!” Said a rather sarcastic tone from inside the white column of light. “I believe the machine is merely keeping me still so that I did not move whilst it was scanning me. It probably is just testing my fertility.”
It did not take Weir long to surmise Dr Taylor was correct. All the screen said was something along the lines of ‘subject fertile, please touch pad to continue’.
“I don’t see an escape button,” McKay muttered across from her. “Why is there no escape button? You think a race as advanced as the ancients would put in an escape button!”
“Perhaps they didn’t need an escape button because they never got themselves into this situation Rodney,” Elizabeth offered. “I think the only thing for it is to press to continue.”
And she did, she reached out and placed her palm flat on the controls. And though she felt a buzzing, almost like she was being scanned herself, the machine failed to release it’s prisoner.
“Rodney you’ll have to try I think it needs the...” Rodney has his hand slapped n the machine before she could utter ‘ATA gene’ and now the device was defiantly up to something. It sounded a bit like a computer searching a floppy disk drive, and considering what an antiquated bit of technology that was in human terms Elizabeth wasn’t so sure that was comforting.
But then, only preceded by an “ouch!” from inside it, the force field fell and Dr. Taylor was now free to step down.
“Are you ok?” Elizabeth asked, concerned, as she walked over to the woman. “You’re bleeding.”
The small amount of blood on Dr. Taylor’s shirt barely qualified as bleeding, but it was still there. Of course, if she had been an Ancient, as its inventor intended, and then there would be no evidence a needle had ever entered her abdomen at all. But she was not an Ancient and was not capable of super fast cellular regeneration. Instead...
“I’ll need a plaster,” Said Taylor. “And I’m fine. I really think it was just scanning me. Probably took blood for further analysis.”
“Still,” Said Elizabeth, always cautious. “Maybe have one of the other doctors give you a quick check over just in case.”
“You’re the boss,” Taylor gave a cheeky mock salute and walked away. Before exiting, she seemed to remember the original reason she had been here and turned back. “Dr. McKay, I’d just classify this as an all-in-one Ancient fertility scanner and shove it to the back of the cupboard if I were you. I doubt we’ll have need of it.”
“You heard her Rodney,” Said Elizabeth with a smile, turning to leave herself.
As she quickly exited the room, she was unable to avoid hearing the mildly outraged, “You don’t expect me to move this myself, do you?”