Fic: Newcomers: AR-27 (SGA; Sheppard, OCs; PG)
Title: Newcomers: AR-27
Rating: PG
Character: Sheppard, OCs
Disclaimer: Not mine (except the mistakes), no harm meant.
Summary: It's about the blood split, not on a distant world by an unknown enemy, but in this room. It's about Collins, and Rodriguez, and Wright, and Gibson.
A/N: Tenth in the Newcomers series, after Situation Normal. The end, but also a beginning. :)
AR-27
Collins is still watching Rodriguez, his face almost - but not quite - as expressionless as in the infirmary. He's obviously in pain, breath coming in fits and starts. He makes a desultory attempt to stop the blood flowing from his nose, hisses at the pain (John can hear that above the thump and crack of the fight). When Dr Gibson starts to clean his bloodied hands and bind the cuts, Collins pulls away, but Gibson ignores this, tugging at his right hand. Collins lets him, and takes the cotton wool that Gibson offers, holding it to his nose with his free hand.
John can see the shake in that hand.
Collins looks up again, watching Rodriguez fight. There's a sharp crack, and Ronon swears, and Rodriguez gives a little whoop of satisfaction. And for a split second, Collins smiles. He's still holding the cotton wool to his nose, so all John can see is the way his eyes light up, just for that moment.
John realises that he no longer knows what's going on.
He turns back to the fight just in time to see Wright fall to the ground for, what, the third time in a row? Teyla, who's responsible, takes a swift step back. "Ronon," she says, and he turns the move he was about to use on Rodriguez into an improbably elegant turn out of the center of the sparring room.
They bow to Rodriguez, who returns the gesture a little shakily. Then she pulls Wright to his feet, and it's not 'til then that she registers her audience. She looks around a little wildly, and it's almost funny.
But not so funny. She stops when she sees him, just as Rodney blurts out "Is this some grunt thing I'm not going to understand?" And like that, Rodriguez closes up.
John can't tell Rodney that no, he wouldn't understand - he doesn't understand it himself. But he's beginning to realise that's not the point. This isn't about him. It might not even be about M8L-554, any more. He understands why Rodney won't accept that - they've both lost good people today.
"Everybody screws up," says Ronon, which shuts Rodney up.
John catches Ronon's eye, and is surprised to see him looking defiant. This is important to Ronon, too. It isn't about M8L-554, it's about Collins, and a code that John's spent most of his career cherry-picking from. A code that was simpler in Sateda, and that he knows Ronon adheres to more strongly.
The Marines watching silently from the sidelines understand that. Lorne understands it. Teyla understands, but she doesn't think in the same way. Rodney doesn't understand. John - is trying to.
Rodriguez understands, but he doubts that she knows that.
It isn't about M8L-554, or the other mistakes that Collins has made. It's about a man's worth, and what it takes to save him. It's about whether or not he's worth saving, and who decides that. Which means it's about Rodriguez, and the defiance she's showing her CO. It's about Wright, and the way the kid stepped up to fight a seasoned Satedan warrior. It's about Gibson, and the wrath he's risking from his boss simply by binding the cuts on Collins' hands.
Everybody screws up.
"In ever more diverse ways," says John, and turns to Rodriguez. "I guess you have your team."
She stares at him, and John nods towards her teammates.
"My-" She looks at them, realisation dawning, then turns back to him, suddenly at attention. "Yessir." She's scared, but there's a light in her eyes.
"You're sure?"
"Sir, yessir."
God, he wishes he could have that certainty. He nods to her, and turns to leave, grabbing Rodney as he passes, because he's been fidgeting, on the verge of saying something John will regret.
"Sheppard..." he starts, and John pulls him into the corridor, shaking his head and willing Rodney to keep his mouth shut, just this once. "What..." Rodney's sour expression wavers, breaking into confusion.
"Just, just - leave it, will you?" hisses John. "Not now, okay?" He can hear the Marines starting to leave, and deliberately, casually, turns away. They edge along the corridor in the opposite direction.
Rodney watches him, and John can hear his brain working away furiously. He may not understand, but he still tries to work it out. John admires that, because for a long time John would simply have ignored all of this. He stoops to pick up a bottle that's been left by the door, the better to avoid his friend's gaze.
Lorne stops behind him. "Sir."
"Major." Lorne looks dog tired, but the tension John saw earlier has eased.
John owes him an apology. He opens his mouth to say something foolish, but stops when he sees Lorne's mouth twitch with a suppressed, bitter smile. "Yeah," he says instead. Lorne owes him a story, because one of the files he couldn't read about Collins had Lorne's name on it.
Lorne nods. "Colonel, Dr McKay."
John watches Lorne walk away.
"I'm really not going to understand, am I?"
John absently unscrews the bottle, trying to hear what Ronon is saying to Rodriguez. "I'm not sure I do," he says, quietly. Whatever's in the bottle doesn't smell of anything much, save alcohol. Atlantis blend.
Rodney huffs annoyance, but his expression is softer as he snags the bottle from John's hand. "Let me know when you work it out. I'll copy your working." He takes a swig. "Good God, that's dreadful stuff." He takes another swig before passing it back.
"Yeah." It makes his eyes water, burns his throat. It's probably not lethal, but he sometimes wonders if it wouldn't be worthwhile letting the bootleggers a little leeway at the expense of the distillers.
Teyla and Ronon join them, Teyla serious, Ronon grinning despite his bloodied face. He catches the bottle when John throws it to him, and tips back his head to drink. Teyla rolls her eyes, shaking her head when Ronon offers her the bottle.
"You will need to watch them," she says.
"I will," says John. He will.
"So, what, we're putting crazy people on gate teams now?"
"That's not news, Rodney," says Ronon, and Rodney snorts. Ronon passes him the bottle.
As they pass the door, it closes, but he catches a glimpse of Rodriguez as she slides down the wall beside Collins and Gibson and Wright. She looks tired and bruised, and proud.
~~~
Lorne! What happened?
So, yeah, I have that story to write, and AR-27 to be unleashed on Pegasus, and the prequel (no!) to, and continuation of, The City is an Island, because Janel is heading towards AR-27 and won't take any of their bullshit.
There's other stuff in my brain, too, some most of which should probably stay there. It's not as if SGA is my only fandom...
Rating: PG
Character: Sheppard, OCs
Disclaimer: Not mine (except the mistakes), no harm meant.
Summary: It's about the blood split, not on a distant world by an unknown enemy, but in this room. It's about Collins, and Rodriguez, and Wright, and Gibson.
A/N: Tenth in the Newcomers series, after Situation Normal. The end, but also a beginning. :)
AR-27
Collins is still watching Rodriguez, his face almost - but not quite - as expressionless as in the infirmary. He's obviously in pain, breath coming in fits and starts. He makes a desultory attempt to stop the blood flowing from his nose, hisses at the pain (John can hear that above the thump and crack of the fight). When Dr Gibson starts to clean his bloodied hands and bind the cuts, Collins pulls away, but Gibson ignores this, tugging at his right hand. Collins lets him, and takes the cotton wool that Gibson offers, holding it to his nose with his free hand.
John can see the shake in that hand.
Collins looks up again, watching Rodriguez fight. There's a sharp crack, and Ronon swears, and Rodriguez gives a little whoop of satisfaction. And for a split second, Collins smiles. He's still holding the cotton wool to his nose, so all John can see is the way his eyes light up, just for that moment.
John realises that he no longer knows what's going on.
He turns back to the fight just in time to see Wright fall to the ground for, what, the third time in a row? Teyla, who's responsible, takes a swift step back. "Ronon," she says, and he turns the move he was about to use on Rodriguez into an improbably elegant turn out of the center of the sparring room.
They bow to Rodriguez, who returns the gesture a little shakily. Then she pulls Wright to his feet, and it's not 'til then that she registers her audience. She looks around a little wildly, and it's almost funny.
But not so funny. She stops when she sees him, just as Rodney blurts out "Is this some grunt thing I'm not going to understand?" And like that, Rodriguez closes up.
John can't tell Rodney that no, he wouldn't understand - he doesn't understand it himself. But he's beginning to realise that's not the point. This isn't about him. It might not even be about M8L-554, any more. He understands why Rodney won't accept that - they've both lost good people today.
"Everybody screws up," says Ronon, which shuts Rodney up.
John catches Ronon's eye, and is surprised to see him looking defiant. This is important to Ronon, too. It isn't about M8L-554, it's about Collins, and a code that John's spent most of his career cherry-picking from. A code that was simpler in Sateda, and that he knows Ronon adheres to more strongly.
The Marines watching silently from the sidelines understand that. Lorne understands it. Teyla understands, but she doesn't think in the same way. Rodney doesn't understand. John - is trying to.
Rodriguez understands, but he doubts that she knows that.
It isn't about M8L-554, or the other mistakes that Collins has made. It's about a man's worth, and what it takes to save him. It's about whether or not he's worth saving, and who decides that. Which means it's about Rodriguez, and the defiance she's showing her CO. It's about Wright, and the way the kid stepped up to fight a seasoned Satedan warrior. It's about Gibson, and the wrath he's risking from his boss simply by binding the cuts on Collins' hands.
Everybody screws up.
"In ever more diverse ways," says John, and turns to Rodriguez. "I guess you have your team."
She stares at him, and John nods towards her teammates.
"My-" She looks at them, realisation dawning, then turns back to him, suddenly at attention. "Yessir." She's scared, but there's a light in her eyes.
"You're sure?"
"Sir, yessir."
God, he wishes he could have that certainty. He nods to her, and turns to leave, grabbing Rodney as he passes, because he's been fidgeting, on the verge of saying something John will regret.
"Sheppard..." he starts, and John pulls him into the corridor, shaking his head and willing Rodney to keep his mouth shut, just this once. "What..." Rodney's sour expression wavers, breaking into confusion.
"Just, just - leave it, will you?" hisses John. "Not now, okay?" He can hear the Marines starting to leave, and deliberately, casually, turns away. They edge along the corridor in the opposite direction.
Rodney watches him, and John can hear his brain working away furiously. He may not understand, but he still tries to work it out. John admires that, because for a long time John would simply have ignored all of this. He stoops to pick up a bottle that's been left by the door, the better to avoid his friend's gaze.
Lorne stops behind him. "Sir."
"Major." Lorne looks dog tired, but the tension John saw earlier has eased.
John owes him an apology. He opens his mouth to say something foolish, but stops when he sees Lorne's mouth twitch with a suppressed, bitter smile. "Yeah," he says instead. Lorne owes him a story, because one of the files he couldn't read about Collins had Lorne's name on it.
Lorne nods. "Colonel, Dr McKay."
John watches Lorne walk away.
"I'm really not going to understand, am I?"
John absently unscrews the bottle, trying to hear what Ronon is saying to Rodriguez. "I'm not sure I do," he says, quietly. Whatever's in the bottle doesn't smell of anything much, save alcohol. Atlantis blend.
Rodney huffs annoyance, but his expression is softer as he snags the bottle from John's hand. "Let me know when you work it out. I'll copy your working." He takes a swig. "Good God, that's dreadful stuff." He takes another swig before passing it back.
"Yeah." It makes his eyes water, burns his throat. It's probably not lethal, but he sometimes wonders if it wouldn't be worthwhile letting the bootleggers a little leeway at the expense of the distillers.
Teyla and Ronon join them, Teyla serious, Ronon grinning despite his bloodied face. He catches the bottle when John throws it to him, and tips back his head to drink. Teyla rolls her eyes, shaking her head when Ronon offers her the bottle.
"You will need to watch them," she says.
"I will," says John. He will.
"So, what, we're putting crazy people on gate teams now?"
"That's not news, Rodney," says Ronon, and Rodney snorts. Ronon passes him the bottle.
As they pass the door, it closes, but he catches a glimpse of Rodriguez as she slides down the wall beside Collins and Gibson and Wright. She looks tired and bruised, and proud.
~~~
Lorne! What happened?
So, yeah, I have that story to write, and AR-27 to be unleashed on Pegasus, and the prequel (no!) to, and continuation of, The City is an Island, because Janel is heading towards AR-27 and won't take any of their bullshit.
There's other stuff in my brain, too, some most of which should probably stay there. It's not as if SGA is my only fandom...