Anaesthetic Dreams (Gods and Monster Challenge)
Title: Anaesthetic Dreams
Author: scarlet_gryphon
Words: ~3,300
Notes: This is the... third time I've tried to post this story; maybe it'll work now? Anyways, this story is set in my "Rodney as a Tok'ra" 'Verse. All details can be found in the comments section of "Hushabye Mountain". Comment in whatever part you want; I don't really care. I was thinking of maybe doing a Highlander mesh 'verse with Rodney and/or John and Ronon being Immortals (Hey, Ronon's already got the badass sword. Hush.), but thought of this instead. Yeah, I'm a geek. So?
--Part One--
//....I'm floating in a kaleidoscope of lies /
I wanna break free /
‘Cos it’s really scarin’ the hell outta me.../
...You can spin your web of anaesthetic dreams/
But you'll never break me...//
“Blame” by Transluzent
The long, slow ascent into consciousness was accompanied by the sound of whispers coming from all around him, pulling him ever closer to the surface. The thought that it was taking too long to awaken lazily crossed his mind, surprising him. Where had that come from?
‘I think he’s coming around.’ One voice rumbled, deep and slightly rough, like the thunder just after a lightning flash.
‘Good. I’m going to go get Beckett.’ Another replied, also deep, but smoother than the first, more like the far-off roar of a commercial jet engine, just over the horizon. Footsteps, measured and sure, moved away, echoing in the stillness. A hand covered his, small but strong.
‘His hand is warm.’ A third voice said, and this time, it was as if a glissando was being played on a harp. ‘It is strange, that the rest of him should be so cold, but his hands so warm.’
He struggled to open his eyes, but it felt like lead weights were holding the lids down. His efforts didn’t go unnoticed, for the woman who had just spoken made a soft noise of surprise, which somehow managed to sound pleased as well. Suddenly, the measured tread was back, accompanied by a brisk step that stopped next to him, and then gentle, warm hands were checking him over, noting his pulse and temperature.
However, there seemed to be something wrong about all of this. Something felt as though it was missing, some part of him that was so deeply connected to something else that he had barely thought about it when he had it; now that it was gone, whatever it was, it left a void so achingly empty it felt as if there was a never-ending abyss that he was teetering on the edge of, about ready to fall in and never return. Forcing the overwhelming ache of sadness and- loneliness? How odd, and yet, so right at the same time- he cracked open his eyes, his vision blurred until he blinked, and then everything cleared.
Four people surrounded his bed, all looking bone-weary and tired to no end. He recognized all of them, for they were his teammates and friends; here were some of the few that he truly counted as family, blood relation or not.
‘Wha’ happen’d?’ he croaked, his throat suddenly as dry as the Sahara-like desert that suddenly popped up in his memories, though it was strangely filtered, as if he were only an observer and not an active participant in the scene. Again, he had no idea where it had come from, and this disturbed him almost as much as the niggling feeling of loss in the back of his mind.
John looked grim, glanced at the others, and then spoke. ‘We’re not sure, Rodney. One minute the Renasians were ready to trade with us; the next, their high priest was screaming about a “demon being brought into their midst”. The guards caught us wrong-footed and dragged you off somewhere. We tried to follow, but we couldn’t get anywhere. They brought you back after a while, saying the “demon” had been “cast out”, though at the time we didn’t know what they meant.’ He grimaced, and then Carson picked up the thread of the story, and John nodded gratefully at the doctor.
‘You were damn near catatonic when they brought you back, Rodney. It only took one scan to figure out why.’ He paused, and then forged ahead, his eyes full of sorrow and pity. ‘I’m sorry, Rodney, but they took Syresh.’
--Part Two--
//How many times can I break till I shatter?//
“Shattered” by O.A.R.
The negotiations with the Renasians were going along swimmingly when the high priest of Renas suddenly stood and starting shrieking at the top of his lungs, one long, bony finger pointed straight at Rodney. ‘How dare you bring a demon-carrier into the sacred lands of Renas!’ the priest screeched, spittle flying. ‘You come with false words of friendship, claiming to be peaceful, but you ally yourselves with demons! Defiler, you will be cleansed of your demon, and may Renas have mercy on your soul that you are not so far gone as to be clean once more.’
‘Wha-? But- Hey, get your hands off of me!’ Rodney yelped, trying to pull away from the two burly guards that had suddenly attached themselves to him, one to each arm. He looked wildly around at his teammates, but they had been herded into a corner by six other guards, crammed so close together that they couldn’t draw or fire their weapons without severely injuring themselves or each other.
‘Take the demon-carrier to the Crucible, where he shall be cleansed and set free of his burden.’ The priest declared dramatically, looking as imperious as possible in canary yellow robes. The only thing Rodney could think of was that he was doing a damn good job of it, and Syresh laughed almost hysterically in her corner of their shared mind.
God, Rodney, the things you think of when we’re in mortal danger. She said, her “voice” a mid-range alto, though it was tight with worry and quite a bit of panic.
~Well, when we came here, I thought we’d be fine, since there weren’t any Goa’uld or anyone- at least, as far as we knew - to be able to sense you.~ Rodney replied as he was bodily hauled out of the room and down a long passageway that was hewn out of the living rock of the mountain that the Renasians claimed as their home. The astrophysicist wasn’t making things easy for the guards, who made their displeasure clear in the amount of pressure applied to his arms. Rodney was sure there’d be bruises, if not serious straining of the muscles when this was all over. The thought that Syresh would take care of it barely began to enter his mind before the guards stopped in front of a thick metal door. The man holding his right arm let go to open it, needing all of his considerable strength to do so, and Rodney took the opportunity to try and twist out of the remaining guard’s grip. He didn’t even come close to breaking it, and only got a face full of wall for his troubles. Rodney could’ve sworn he felt something give that wasn’t supposed to, and not just in his face. His ribs felt as though they were on fire, and he was relatively sure that one or more of them was broken.
Syresh worked as quickly as she could to dull the pain, but didn’t get very far before Rodney was being dragged forwards once more, no care taken to mind his injuries. He was forced face-down onto a slab of granite that jutted up from the centre of the floor, his wrists and ankles restrained with heavy straps. He struggled, Syresh adding her strength behind his. Even with Tok’ra-enhanced muscles, Rodney could barely move an inch either way. His fear heightened, even more so when the Renasians brought out a strange looking machine that they placed unerringly near the back of his neck. He couldn’t see what was going on, but a sudden wave of fiery agony that made him scream loud and long made him aware that something was going on, something that needed to be stopped before anything truly bad happened. Thankfully, he passed out soon afterwards, the darkness swallowing him entirely. The last thing Rodney remembered was a whispered Goodbye, Rodney. from Syresh, and then he fell.
--Part Three-
//If I smile and don't believe/
Soon I know I'll wake from this dream//
“Hello” by Evanescence
Rodney stared at him in shock, the reality of what Carson was saying crashing down around him. ‘Bu-Wha-’ He lapsed into stunned silence, words failing him for once. Syresh was gone? But how? How had the Renasians known about her? It wasn’t as if Rodney had loudly proclaimed “Yes, I’m the smartest man in two galaxies, and oh, by the way, I have a Tok’ra symbiote that lives in my brain and can talk to me. Don’t worry, she isn’t evil.” when the team had introduced themselves.
‘How would they even know she was there?’ he finally asked, his gaze focusing on his teammates.
‘Best guess, the priest could sense the naquada in your blood, or something like that.’ John said with a shrug. ‘He wasn’t one for much explaining.’
‘Did lots of shouting, though.’ Ronon observed.
‘We’ve got to go back.’ Rodney said, a desperate note creeping into his voice. ‘Who knows what the hell they’ve done to her. She’s probably stuck in a tank somewhere, or God forbid, dead and-’
‘Rodney, calm down.’ Teyla said, trying to stem the flow of words. ‘We will be returning to Renas soon; that is, John, Ronon, and I.’
‘I’m coming too.’ Rodney replied instantly, earning a snort from Ronon that was echoed by Carson.
‘Please, you can barely move, let alone walk.’ Ronon said, poking him in the shoulder.
‘Not to mention that I’m not going to be letting you out of my sight until this is all over.’ Carson added, crossing his arms over his chest. ‘You’re staying right there, Rodney. No ifs, ands, or buts.’
Rodney opened his mouth to start protesting, but Carson merely raised an eyebrow at him, clearly daring him to try and convince him otherwise. Giving an annoyed huff, Rodney let his head fall back on the pillow, closing his eyes and listening to the others move away from his bed, leaving him to the aching emptiness in his mind where once his closest confidante and near-soul-mate had resided.
Part Two
Author: scarlet_gryphon
Words: ~3,300
Notes: This is the... third time I've tried to post this story; maybe it'll work now? Anyways, this story is set in my "Rodney as a Tok'ra" 'Verse. All details can be found in the comments section of "Hushabye Mountain". Comment in whatever part you want; I don't really care. I was thinking of maybe doing a Highlander mesh 'verse with Rodney and/or John and Ronon being Immortals (Hey, Ronon's already got the badass sword. Hush.), but thought of this instead. Yeah, I'm a geek. So?
--Part One--
//....I'm floating in a kaleidoscope of lies /
I wanna break free /
‘Cos it’s really scarin’ the hell outta me.../
...You can spin your web of anaesthetic dreams/
But you'll never break me...//
“Blame” by Transluzent
The long, slow ascent into consciousness was accompanied by the sound of whispers coming from all around him, pulling him ever closer to the surface. The thought that it was taking too long to awaken lazily crossed his mind, surprising him. Where had that come from?
‘I think he’s coming around.’ One voice rumbled, deep and slightly rough, like the thunder just after a lightning flash.
‘Good. I’m going to go get Beckett.’ Another replied, also deep, but smoother than the first, more like the far-off roar of a commercial jet engine, just over the horizon. Footsteps, measured and sure, moved away, echoing in the stillness. A hand covered his, small but strong.
‘His hand is warm.’ A third voice said, and this time, it was as if a glissando was being played on a harp. ‘It is strange, that the rest of him should be so cold, but his hands so warm.’
He struggled to open his eyes, but it felt like lead weights were holding the lids down. His efforts didn’t go unnoticed, for the woman who had just spoken made a soft noise of surprise, which somehow managed to sound pleased as well. Suddenly, the measured tread was back, accompanied by a brisk step that stopped next to him, and then gentle, warm hands were checking him over, noting his pulse and temperature.
However, there seemed to be something wrong about all of this. Something felt as though it was missing, some part of him that was so deeply connected to something else that he had barely thought about it when he had it; now that it was gone, whatever it was, it left a void so achingly empty it felt as if there was a never-ending abyss that he was teetering on the edge of, about ready to fall in and never return. Forcing the overwhelming ache of sadness and- loneliness? How odd, and yet, so right at the same time- he cracked open his eyes, his vision blurred until he blinked, and then everything cleared.
Four people surrounded his bed, all looking bone-weary and tired to no end. He recognized all of them, for they were his teammates and friends; here were some of the few that he truly counted as family, blood relation or not.
‘Wha’ happen’d?’ he croaked, his throat suddenly as dry as the Sahara-like desert that suddenly popped up in his memories, though it was strangely filtered, as if he were only an observer and not an active participant in the scene. Again, he had no idea where it had come from, and this disturbed him almost as much as the niggling feeling of loss in the back of his mind.
John looked grim, glanced at the others, and then spoke. ‘We’re not sure, Rodney. One minute the Renasians were ready to trade with us; the next, their high priest was screaming about a “demon being brought into their midst”. The guards caught us wrong-footed and dragged you off somewhere. We tried to follow, but we couldn’t get anywhere. They brought you back after a while, saying the “demon” had been “cast out”, though at the time we didn’t know what they meant.’ He grimaced, and then Carson picked up the thread of the story, and John nodded gratefully at the doctor.
‘You were damn near catatonic when they brought you back, Rodney. It only took one scan to figure out why.’ He paused, and then forged ahead, his eyes full of sorrow and pity. ‘I’m sorry, Rodney, but they took Syresh.’
--Part Two--
//How many times can I break till I shatter?//
“Shattered” by O.A.R.
The negotiations with the Renasians were going along swimmingly when the high priest of Renas suddenly stood and starting shrieking at the top of his lungs, one long, bony finger pointed straight at Rodney. ‘How dare you bring a demon-carrier into the sacred lands of Renas!’ the priest screeched, spittle flying. ‘You come with false words of friendship, claiming to be peaceful, but you ally yourselves with demons! Defiler, you will be cleansed of your demon, and may Renas have mercy on your soul that you are not so far gone as to be clean once more.’
‘Wha-? But- Hey, get your hands off of me!’ Rodney yelped, trying to pull away from the two burly guards that had suddenly attached themselves to him, one to each arm. He looked wildly around at his teammates, but they had been herded into a corner by six other guards, crammed so close together that they couldn’t draw or fire their weapons without severely injuring themselves or each other.
‘Take the demon-carrier to the Crucible, where he shall be cleansed and set free of his burden.’ The priest declared dramatically, looking as imperious as possible in canary yellow robes. The only thing Rodney could think of was that he was doing a damn good job of it, and Syresh laughed almost hysterically in her corner of their shared mind.
God, Rodney, the things you think of when we’re in mortal danger. She said, her “voice” a mid-range alto, though it was tight with worry and quite a bit of panic.
~Well, when we came here, I thought we’d be fine, since there weren’t any Goa’uld or anyone- at least, as far as we knew - to be able to sense you.~ Rodney replied as he was bodily hauled out of the room and down a long passageway that was hewn out of the living rock of the mountain that the Renasians claimed as their home. The astrophysicist wasn’t making things easy for the guards, who made their displeasure clear in the amount of pressure applied to his arms. Rodney was sure there’d be bruises, if not serious straining of the muscles when this was all over. The thought that Syresh would take care of it barely began to enter his mind before the guards stopped in front of a thick metal door. The man holding his right arm let go to open it, needing all of his considerable strength to do so, and Rodney took the opportunity to try and twist out of the remaining guard’s grip. He didn’t even come close to breaking it, and only got a face full of wall for his troubles. Rodney could’ve sworn he felt something give that wasn’t supposed to, and not just in his face. His ribs felt as though they were on fire, and he was relatively sure that one or more of them was broken.
Syresh worked as quickly as she could to dull the pain, but didn’t get very far before Rodney was being dragged forwards once more, no care taken to mind his injuries. He was forced face-down onto a slab of granite that jutted up from the centre of the floor, his wrists and ankles restrained with heavy straps. He struggled, Syresh adding her strength behind his. Even with Tok’ra-enhanced muscles, Rodney could barely move an inch either way. His fear heightened, even more so when the Renasians brought out a strange looking machine that they placed unerringly near the back of his neck. He couldn’t see what was going on, but a sudden wave of fiery agony that made him scream loud and long made him aware that something was going on, something that needed to be stopped before anything truly bad happened. Thankfully, he passed out soon afterwards, the darkness swallowing him entirely. The last thing Rodney remembered was a whispered Goodbye, Rodney. from Syresh, and then he fell.
--Part Three-
//If I smile and don't believe/
Soon I know I'll wake from this dream//
“Hello” by Evanescence
Rodney stared at him in shock, the reality of what Carson was saying crashing down around him. ‘Bu-Wha-’ He lapsed into stunned silence, words failing him for once. Syresh was gone? But how? How had the Renasians known about her? It wasn’t as if Rodney had loudly proclaimed “Yes, I’m the smartest man in two galaxies, and oh, by the way, I have a Tok’ra symbiote that lives in my brain and can talk to me. Don’t worry, she isn’t evil.” when the team had introduced themselves.
‘How would they even know she was there?’ he finally asked, his gaze focusing on his teammates.
‘Best guess, the priest could sense the naquada in your blood, or something like that.’ John said with a shrug. ‘He wasn’t one for much explaining.’
‘Did lots of shouting, though.’ Ronon observed.
‘We’ve got to go back.’ Rodney said, a desperate note creeping into his voice. ‘Who knows what the hell they’ve done to her. She’s probably stuck in a tank somewhere, or God forbid, dead and-’
‘Rodney, calm down.’ Teyla said, trying to stem the flow of words. ‘We will be returning to Renas soon; that is, John, Ronon, and I.’
‘I’m coming too.’ Rodney replied instantly, earning a snort from Ronon that was echoed by Carson.
‘Please, you can barely move, let alone walk.’ Ronon said, poking him in the shoulder.
‘Not to mention that I’m not going to be letting you out of my sight until this is all over.’ Carson added, crossing his arms over his chest. ‘You’re staying right there, Rodney. No ifs, ands, or buts.’
Rodney opened his mouth to start protesting, but Carson merely raised an eyebrow at him, clearly daring him to try and convince him otherwise. Giving an annoyed huff, Rodney let his head fall back on the pillow, closing his eyes and listening to the others move away from his bed, leaving him to the aching emptiness in his mind where once his closest confidante and near-soul-mate had resided.
Part Two