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sga_flashficTitle: Sacraments
Author: Koanju
Summary: Even scientists believe. Some of them, at least. Sheppard, McKay, gen. PG. 550 words.
Challenge: Enclosed spaces
Spoilers through The Siege I and II.
It had been one of the scientists's ideas; John wasn't sure whom yet. He thought it was one of the structural engineers, Johnson, maybe, but it could have been one of the systems analysts. For all he knew, Grodin had started it before he'd died two weeks ago.
Atlantis had its very first confession booth.
True, it couldn’t be a real confession booth without a priest’s absolution after the confession and penance occurred but that didn’t seem to matter to the people who had turned a small storage room in between the residential and lab sections of the city into a confessional. They’d even build a divider in the middle of the room to separate it. “Gives it authenticity,” he’d heard one of the erstwhile construction workers say as he walked past for the fourth time.
It had been Rodney, of course, that had noticed. If Ford and Teyla hadn’t been confined to the infirmary, John was sure it would have been one of them. If the confessional hadn’t been closer to the labs. If Rodney hadn’t ventured out to, John assumed, forage for food on his sixth walk-by.
“Major.”
“Rodney.” They nodded at each other pleasantly. All missions have been suspended, since the Daedalus had arrived. It would give Caldwell time to take over, get the new men integrated and adjust to Atlantis. Frankly, it just made John nervous. Caldwell and Elizabeth had been having meetings together with every one of the department heads over the last week, save Bates who was still in the infirmary sleeping through it all and John himself.
“What are you doing here?”
He stuck his hands in his pockets and projected nonchalance. He was good at that. “Scrounging for parts to build a Ferris wheel. Or some go carts.”
“That’s ridiculous, Major.” Rodney started walking toward, as John had figured, the cafeteria. “You could never find the parts for it here. And even if that weren’t a concern, you wouldn’t have the time to enjoy either activity. These incompetents won’t even have the time to enjoy whatever asinine thing they’re doing,” Rodney waved vaguely toward the people working and dragging chairs into the storage room. “What are they doing?”
“They’re building a confessional,” John told him slowly.
“They’re wasting their time with what?”
“A confessional. It’s a Catholic thing.”
“I know what a confessional is,” Rodney snapped. “Wait – are you Catholic?”
John shrugged a little. “I never said that.”
“But you knew what this was. You are, aren’t you?”
“I’m not.” He wasn’t in the mood to get into this with Rodney.
“You do realize religion is just simply an excuse for a small number of people to continue to hold as much power over the masses as possible and that it’s all a sham? Anyone who has ever worked at the SGC should know that by now.”
“I’m not a Catholic and I never worked at the SGC, Rodney.” John ignored the tightening in his stomach and picked up his pace, leaving Rodney behind.
“Major!”
John ignored him and kept walking. Rodney’s beliefs, or lack of thereof, were his own problem. Maybe one of the scientists finishing up the building could enlighten him.
“Radek –“ John held back a smile as he rounded the corner and heard Rodney find another victim.
Author: Koanju
Summary: Even scientists believe. Some of them, at least. Sheppard, McKay, gen. PG. 550 words.
Challenge: Enclosed spaces
Spoilers through The Siege I and II.
It had been one of the scientists's ideas; John wasn't sure whom yet. He thought it was one of the structural engineers, Johnson, maybe, but it could have been one of the systems analysts. For all he knew, Grodin had started it before he'd died two weeks ago.
Atlantis had its very first confession booth.
True, it couldn’t be a real confession booth without a priest’s absolution after the confession and penance occurred but that didn’t seem to matter to the people who had turned a small storage room in between the residential and lab sections of the city into a confessional. They’d even build a divider in the middle of the room to separate it. “Gives it authenticity,” he’d heard one of the erstwhile construction workers say as he walked past for the fourth time.
It had been Rodney, of course, that had noticed. If Ford and Teyla hadn’t been confined to the infirmary, John was sure it would have been one of them. If the confessional hadn’t been closer to the labs. If Rodney hadn’t ventured out to, John assumed, forage for food on his sixth walk-by.
“Major.”
“Rodney.” They nodded at each other pleasantly. All missions have been suspended, since the Daedalus had arrived. It would give Caldwell time to take over, get the new men integrated and adjust to Atlantis. Frankly, it just made John nervous. Caldwell and Elizabeth had been having meetings together with every one of the department heads over the last week, save Bates who was still in the infirmary sleeping through it all and John himself.
“What are you doing here?”
He stuck his hands in his pockets and projected nonchalance. He was good at that. “Scrounging for parts to build a Ferris wheel. Or some go carts.”
“That’s ridiculous, Major.” Rodney started walking toward, as John had figured, the cafeteria. “You could never find the parts for it here. And even if that weren’t a concern, you wouldn’t have the time to enjoy either activity. These incompetents won’t even have the time to enjoy whatever asinine thing they’re doing,” Rodney waved vaguely toward the people working and dragging chairs into the storage room. “What are they doing?”
“They’re building a confessional,” John told him slowly.
“They’re wasting their time with what?”
“A confessional. It’s a Catholic thing.”
“I know what a confessional is,” Rodney snapped. “Wait – are you Catholic?”
John shrugged a little. “I never said that.”
“But you knew what this was. You are, aren’t you?”
“I’m not.” He wasn’t in the mood to get into this with Rodney.
“You do realize religion is just simply an excuse for a small number of people to continue to hold as much power over the masses as possible and that it’s all a sham? Anyone who has ever worked at the SGC should know that by now.”
“I’m not a Catholic and I never worked at the SGC, Rodney.” John ignored the tightening in his stomach and picked up his pace, leaving Rodney behind.
“Major!”
John ignored him and kept walking. Rodney’s beliefs, or lack of thereof, were his own problem. Maybe one of the scientists finishing up the building could enlighten him.
“Radek –“ John held back a smile as he rounded the corner and heard Rodney find another victim.
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ADMIN: spoiler warning please!
Date: 2005-03-09 03:48 pm (UTC)Re: ADMIN: spoiler warning please!
Date: 2005-03-09 06:15 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-03-11 02:12 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-03-13 10:20 pm (UTC)Nicely done.