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sga_flashficTitle: Mark Our Place
by dracostella
Challenge: Blood
Spoilers: Grace Under Pressure
Sheppard, McKay
PG
"You're dead," Rodney said. "I should not be feeling your corporealness in my hallucination right now."
If John were to make a list of things that he hated about off world missions, random attacks by previously friendly folks would definitely be in the top ten. The only thing that John had to be grateful for in this particular mission was that the natives did not have guns or stunners, just projectile rocks.
As John ducked for cover behind a large tree that he hoped to God was not carnivorous or poisonous (Parrish, of all people, was spending two weeks in the infirmary because a tree bit him) it suddenly occurred to him that there was no cursing or whining anywhere near him.
"McKay?" John called out.
"I have not seen him since the Lorians started to attack us," Teyla said from a tree somewhere to John's right.
"Rodney?" John called out louder. The last thing he needed was for his scientist to get kidnapped. John hated getting his scientist kidnapped off world even more than he hated random attacks by aliens.
"I saw McKay walking away from us," Ronon said as he ran past John and positioned himself on the forest ground beneath a fallen tree. "I called after him but he did not respond. He might have been hit."
"What?" John fought the urge to bang his head on the closest tree.
"Why don't you go look for Rodney. Ronon and I will hold them off," Teyla said.
John considered his options. He was pretty certain that Ronon and Teyla had a much better chance of holding off rock throwing natives than Rodney did.
"Rendezvous at the gate in one hour. If I'm not there with McKay, dial Atlantis and get backup," John said.
Ronon nodded his acknowledgment from the ground as he pointed John toward the right direction with his gun. John swallowed a sigh and ran toward that general direction.
While John was going through the forest, he saw traces of blood on the leaves which kind of scared him even though they told him he was going in the right direction. Ronon had said that Rodney might have been hit and it looked like Rodney was hit in the head. That would explain why he wandered away from the group, and location and the quantity of blood on the leaves.
At the very least Rodney seemed to be going toward the stargate so maybe he wasn't completely out of it.
By the time John saw him, Rodney had made it past the forest. He was sitting down in an open field. John almost didn't see him but he could smell the blood. The field was overgrown with lush vegetation and bright red flowers. When the team had walked by this field on their way to contacting the Lorians, Rodney had complained loudly about his allergies and what type of fertilizer the Lorians must have used to get this many flowers to blossom.
"Rodney?" John called out.
"What's with you and tomatoes?" Rodney asked.
"Tomatoes?" John asked as he got closer to Rodney. He could see that Rodney was bleeding pretty profusely from the head.
"Only the Italians thought they were poisonous. Do you think I'm Italian?" Rodney said. He was looking to the empty space beside him.
"Rodney, I'm going to take you back to Atlantis right now," John said as he slowly approached him. Rodney had not even acknowledged his presence and John didn't want to startle him.
"Of course I looked it up. You thought Columbus was Spanish, it stands to reason that the rest of what you said couldn't be trusted," Rodney continued. John touched Rodney on the shoulders first, and when Rodney did not respond, John hoisted him up by both of his arms. Even then, Rodney barely looked at him, his eyes were wide and dilated.
"You're dead," Rodney said. "I should not be feeling your corporealness in my hallucination right now."
"I'm not dead Rodney," John said, keeping his voice even despite his own rising panic at Rodney's condition, "We were just attacked by the Lorians. They have rocks. I have a gun. Several guns. And explosives--"
"Colonel?" Rodney shook himself as he looked at John again.
"Yes," John said as he started to help Rodney walk. He tapped his radio quickly with his hand, "Ronon, Teyla, I've got Rodney. He's injured pretty badly. I'm taking him back to the gate, what is your position?"
"We're fine. We'll be at the gate soon," Teyla said. "Take Rodney back first."
"Report in if the situation changes," John said and tapped his radio again to end transmission.
"I wish I had a ten dollar note right now," Rodney said. "Because I'm sure you're saying that wrong."
"Saying what wrong?" John asked.
"John McCrae did not get his idea from a Spanish ballad! Wait, you are pulling my leg, aren't you?" Rodney said. "Ha ha, very funny. I see that your wit has not improved with your death."
"I'm not dead, Rodney," John said even though he was pretty sure Rodney wasn't talking to him.
"Not everything is about you Colonel!" Rodney said. Then suddenly Rodney sagged, and passed out completely against John.
John cursed and tried to get to the gate faster.
It wasn't until John got Rodney back to Atlantis secured to a stretcher that John realized that Rodney had one of the red flowers in his hand.
"He'll live," Beckett pronounced as he clasped John on the shoulder. "Now get out of my way, lad."
John stepped aside to let Beckett pass by him.
And he tried to remember the words.
***
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly,
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
~ by John McCrae
by dracostella
Challenge: Blood
Spoilers: Grace Under Pressure
Sheppard, McKay
PG
"You're dead," Rodney said. "I should not be feeling your corporealness in my hallucination right now."
If John were to make a list of things that he hated about off world missions, random attacks by previously friendly folks would definitely be in the top ten. The only thing that John had to be grateful for in this particular mission was that the natives did not have guns or stunners, just projectile rocks.
As John ducked for cover behind a large tree that he hoped to God was not carnivorous or poisonous (Parrish, of all people, was spending two weeks in the infirmary because a tree bit him) it suddenly occurred to him that there was no cursing or whining anywhere near him.
"McKay?" John called out.
"I have not seen him since the Lorians started to attack us," Teyla said from a tree somewhere to John's right.
"Rodney?" John called out louder. The last thing he needed was for his scientist to get kidnapped. John hated getting his scientist kidnapped off world even more than he hated random attacks by aliens.
"I saw McKay walking away from us," Ronon said as he ran past John and positioned himself on the forest ground beneath a fallen tree. "I called after him but he did not respond. He might have been hit."
"What?" John fought the urge to bang his head on the closest tree.
"Why don't you go look for Rodney. Ronon and I will hold them off," Teyla said.
John considered his options. He was pretty certain that Ronon and Teyla had a much better chance of holding off rock throwing natives than Rodney did.
"Rendezvous at the gate in one hour. If I'm not there with McKay, dial Atlantis and get backup," John said.
Ronon nodded his acknowledgment from the ground as he pointed John toward the right direction with his gun. John swallowed a sigh and ran toward that general direction.
While John was going through the forest, he saw traces of blood on the leaves which kind of scared him even though they told him he was going in the right direction. Ronon had said that Rodney might have been hit and it looked like Rodney was hit in the head. That would explain why he wandered away from the group, and location and the quantity of blood on the leaves.
At the very least Rodney seemed to be going toward the stargate so maybe he wasn't completely out of it.
By the time John saw him, Rodney had made it past the forest. He was sitting down in an open field. John almost didn't see him but he could smell the blood. The field was overgrown with lush vegetation and bright red flowers. When the team had walked by this field on their way to contacting the Lorians, Rodney had complained loudly about his allergies and what type of fertilizer the Lorians must have used to get this many flowers to blossom.
"Rodney?" John called out.
"What's with you and tomatoes?" Rodney asked.
"Tomatoes?" John asked as he got closer to Rodney. He could see that Rodney was bleeding pretty profusely from the head.
"Only the Italians thought they were poisonous. Do you think I'm Italian?" Rodney said. He was looking to the empty space beside him.
"Rodney, I'm going to take you back to Atlantis right now," John said as he slowly approached him. Rodney had not even acknowledged his presence and John didn't want to startle him.
"Of course I looked it up. You thought Columbus was Spanish, it stands to reason that the rest of what you said couldn't be trusted," Rodney continued. John touched Rodney on the shoulders first, and when Rodney did not respond, John hoisted him up by both of his arms. Even then, Rodney barely looked at him, his eyes were wide and dilated.
"You're dead," Rodney said. "I should not be feeling your corporealness in my hallucination right now."
"I'm not dead Rodney," John said, keeping his voice even despite his own rising panic at Rodney's condition, "We were just attacked by the Lorians. They have rocks. I have a gun. Several guns. And explosives--"
"Colonel?" Rodney shook himself as he looked at John again.
"Yes," John said as he started to help Rodney walk. He tapped his radio quickly with his hand, "Ronon, Teyla, I've got Rodney. He's injured pretty badly. I'm taking him back to the gate, what is your position?"
"We're fine. We'll be at the gate soon," Teyla said. "Take Rodney back first."
"Report in if the situation changes," John said and tapped his radio again to end transmission.
"I wish I had a ten dollar note right now," Rodney said. "Because I'm sure you're saying that wrong."
"Saying what wrong?" John asked.
"John McCrae did not get his idea from a Spanish ballad! Wait, you are pulling my leg, aren't you?" Rodney said. "Ha ha, very funny. I see that your wit has not improved with your death."
"I'm not dead, Rodney," John said even though he was pretty sure Rodney wasn't talking to him.
"Not everything is about you Colonel!" Rodney said. Then suddenly Rodney sagged, and passed out completely against John.
John cursed and tried to get to the gate faster.
It wasn't until John got Rodney back to Atlantis secured to a stretcher that John realized that Rodney had one of the red flowers in his hand.
"He'll live," Beckett pronounced as he clasped John on the shoulder. "Now get out of my way, lad."
John stepped aside to let Beckett pass by him.
And he tried to remember the words.
***
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly,
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved, and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
~ by John McCrae
(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-18 02:05 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-18 06:18 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-18 07:00 pm (UTC)Because yes, this was so bound to happen. I mean, Griffin gave his life for Rodney, who heard him die. It was bound to come to a head *no pun intended* sooner or later.
And you wrote so damn good!
(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-18 07:35 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-18 08:40 pm (UTC):-) xx
(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-18 08:43 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-18 09:06 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-18 10:51 pm (UTC)Review
Date: 2006-01-18 11:10 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-18 11:57 pm (UTC)mark our place
Date: 2006-01-19 05:35 pm (UTC)Beta moment: "As John docked for cover behind a large tree" - I think you want ducked.
Re: mark our place
Date: 2006-01-19 08:51 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-01-30 02:44 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2010-06-10 02:06 pm (UTC)Reminds me of the field in the very last scene of Blackadder Goes Forth.
All those people still haunting Rodney.