Conscience by bluejbird
Jul. 28th, 2006 07:49 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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sga_flashficTitle: Conscience
Author: bluejbird
Pairings: McKay/Sheppard
Rating: PG
Word count: ~1500
Summary: Everyone expects Rodney to break under the pain of torture. They’re wrong. It takes less than that.
A/N: Unbetaed. One line shamelessly stolen from Buffy. This is the first challenge fic I’ve written here. Feedback and concrit more than welcome.
Rodney feels a twinge in his left knee as he slowly sinks to the floor, unable to take his eyes from the Hive Queen standing above him.
“Tell me,” she says, her voice echoing through his head. “Tell me how to get to your planet. Tell me how or I will make you feel pain like you have never imagined, show you horrors that-”
“Okay,” Rodney cuts her off, smiling, and wishes he had some way to record the Queen’s expression. It’s such a confusion of emotions- triumph that he has agreed so quickly and disappointment, he thinks, that she was interrupted mid threat. He feels like laughing, just a little.
Her eyes narrow suspiciously. “You think to fool me,” she says. “You will give in without a fight? You will betray your people?”
“I don’t like pain,” Rodney explains, shifting his leg so he is kneeling more comfortably. “And I won’t be betraying my people. I’ll tell you, but there are certain conditions.”
“Conditions?” the Queen makes a noise that he thinks may be the Wraith version of laughter. “You dare to barter with me? I can break you, feed on you, make you tell me what I want to know.”
Rodney smiles. “No,” he says. “No, you really can’t. I don’t respond well to torture. I’d lie. But if you agree to my terms, I’ll tell you how to get there, how to get there fast. I can tell you how to modify your ships. I can tell you where to hit first.”
The Queen reaches out a hand and he represses the urge to flinch away as she gently strokes his cheek, fingernails scratching along his skin.
“You intrigue me,” she whispers, leaning in close. “You are not like others I have fed upon. You would truly hand over your planet-“
“Earth,” Rodney supplies. “It’s called Earth. And there are 6 billion people walking around like Happy Meals with legs.”
She blinked down at him for a moment, then smiled, showing her teeth. “And you would tell us where? You would tell us how?”
”Yes,” Rodney says firmly. “I will tell you. But you must spare Atlantis. You must leave us alone. You must leave the people of the Pegasus Galaxy alone. And the Daedalus- our ship. Those people you cannot touch, cannot have. Feel free to snack on anyone else you come across. We won’t stop you. We won’t be able to stop you. We’ll be too far away.”
The Queen studied his face.
”That is all you ask? You would give us a new feeding ground- one planet with so many lives, and more in the same galaxy? To spare the lives of a few?”
“To spare my people,” Rodney says. “I don’t care about Earth,” he adds, and it’s the truth. He’s never thought of Earth as home, not since he came to Atlantis. He’s been homesick for it, never given it much thought. What had Earth ever given him, really? No recognition, no power, no friends, no home. But here in Pegasus…in Atlantis…he fit. He lived. He loved.
”There’s more,” he continues. “I’m assuming you’re agreeing to this? You’d be completely moronic not to.”
The Queen hisses at him, and he thinks he should probably be scared right now. He should probably been even more scared that he’s not.
“I want you to feed on me,” he says slowly, hesitantly. “Just a little. Enough to turn my hair a bit grey, maybe a few more wrinkles. Enough that it looks like you took the information from my mind. You guys can do that sometimes, can’t you? Steal information with a life?”
The Queen doesn’t reply, and he smiles.
”But it doesn’t always work,” he concludes smugly. “I’m right, aren’t I? You can’t guarantee you’ll get the information you want, before the person dies.”
“You do not want your people to blame you?” the Queen says, making it a question, although the answer is obvious.
”No. No of course I don’t. And if you taking a few years off my life absolves me of any blame, I’m willing to give you that.”
“Is there anything else?” she asks, and it’s almost a sneer, but Rodney is used to those and ignores it.
”Let them rescue me. They’ll try. Soon too, I think, and I’m generally right about most things. All you have to do is let them beam me out. If you hit a certain part of the ship, they won’t be able to follow. And when they’ve made repairs, it’ll be too late. You’ll have reached Earth.” Rodney knows his voice is cool and calm, that it doesn’t really sound like himself.
“That is all you ask?”
“That, and for you to believe that if you break our agreement, if you come back and hurt any of my people, I am smart enough, and dangerous enough to destroy you. It may take me some time, but I can do it. I have enough confidence in my own ability to know that.”
“Yes,” the Queen says, thoughtfully. “I believe that.”
For a long moment she says nothing, and then Rodney feels a thrill of fear run through him as she slams her hand to his chest and begins to feed.
~~~
They stare at the open ‘gate, listening to the last message broadcasted by the SGC.
“…evacuating through the Stargate…can no longer hold the base…attacked here first…can’t…help…oh God, they’re here…” the crackly transmission hisses with static then breaks off. The ‘gate shuts down with a sigh, and they turn to look at each other.
Elizabeth’s face is pale and drawn.
“We need to go and help,” Sheppard says, fidgeting as if he’s eager to get to the armoury and load up. “Some of us will go through the gate, and we can send more on the Daedalus.”
“No,” Elizabeth says, shaking her head. “We stay here. We’ve been preparing for this for months. Protocol was set in place, should Earth be compromised. We’ve stockpiled food and supplies and weapons. Everything we need to become a real colony.”
“You can’t be serious,” Sheppard exclaims, staring at her like she was insane. “They’re culling our people, Elizabeth! We can’t sit here and do nothing.”
“I’m sorry John,” she says, looking away, but her face is set, stubborn. “It was made very clear- if Earth was invaded, we were to maintain Atlantis as an outpost. Any survivors may try to reach us. Besides,” she says, turning back to face him, “we won’t be doing nothing. We are to continue the human race as best we can here in the Pegasus galaxy.”
“No,” Sheppard says, anger colouring his face as he stares at her in disbelief. “No. We have to go back. This is- McKay, tell her! We can go back, we can help! We can’t let them pay for what we’ve done!”
Rodney stares at Sheppard for a long moment, then he turns and walks away.
“Rodney!” Sheppard calls after him. “Rodney, I didn’t-“
Rodney walks back to his quarters. He toes off his shoes and un-straps his thigh holster, and moves towards the bed.
“Rodney,” Sheppard steps into his room. “Oh, God, Rodney, I didn’t mean to-“
Rodney shakes his head, and Sheppard wraps his arms around him, holds him tight.
Rodney presses his face into the warmth of Sheppard’s chest. He inhales deeply, closing his eyes at the familiar scent and smiles, his shoulders shaking slightly.
”Shh,” Sheppard says, pushing him back towards the bed. “Don’t cry.”
“I’m not,” Rodney says, honestly, although Sheppard can’t see his face and continues to rub soothing circles on his back.
“I’m sorry I didn’t get to you earlier,” Sheppard says. “Maybe if I had…maybe they wouldn’t have been able to steal that information from your mind. But…I’m so proud of you for not breaking. So proud. I always knew you wouldn’t.”
Rodney pulls back and smiles at him. “No you didn’t,” he says. “But thanks.”
Sheppard sighs. “I just wish I’d-“
Rodney puts a finger to Sheppard’s lips. “It’s not your fault,” he says earnestly and Sheppard’s shoulders slump a little.
“No,” he says after a moment. “No, I guess not. But it’s not your fault either,” he leans in and murmurs into Rodney’s hair, now streaked with grey and receding even more than it was before.
”I know,” Rodney says, believing his words. “We’re safe here. We’re all safe here now.”
Sheppard frowns a little. “I guess you’re right,” he says slowly. “They have no reason to come back. I never thought about it like that.”
”I did,” Rodney lifts his chin to press a kiss to Sheppard’s lips. The Colonel looks at him in surprise for a moment then smiles a little and gives a small nod, returning the kiss gently.
That night Rodney sleeps better than he’s done since he was a kid. Before he drifts off, arms wrapped around Sheppard’s warm form, he wonders if his conscience should be pricking him, if it should twinge like his wrenched knee still does. He wonders if he should feel guilty.
The next few days when things start to change in the Colony of Atlantis, when they learn Earth is empty, when old laws are rewritten, when new ones are drafted, Rodney finally starts to feel really safe as he wanders the corridors. His people are protected, they are secure here. The Terrans may have been culled, but the Lanteans will survive, will thrive here in the floating city.
He feels no remorse. It was worth the cost. His conscience is clear.
Author: bluejbird
Pairings: McKay/Sheppard
Rating: PG
Word count: ~1500
Summary: Everyone expects Rodney to break under the pain of torture. They’re wrong. It takes less than that.
A/N: Unbetaed. One line shamelessly stolen from Buffy. This is the first challenge fic I’ve written here. Feedback and concrit more than welcome.
Rodney feels a twinge in his left knee as he slowly sinks to the floor, unable to take his eyes from the Hive Queen standing above him.
“Tell me,” she says, her voice echoing through his head. “Tell me how to get to your planet. Tell me how or I will make you feel pain like you have never imagined, show you horrors that-”
“Okay,” Rodney cuts her off, smiling, and wishes he had some way to record the Queen’s expression. It’s such a confusion of emotions- triumph that he has agreed so quickly and disappointment, he thinks, that she was interrupted mid threat. He feels like laughing, just a little.
Her eyes narrow suspiciously. “You think to fool me,” she says. “You will give in without a fight? You will betray your people?”
“I don’t like pain,” Rodney explains, shifting his leg so he is kneeling more comfortably. “And I won’t be betraying my people. I’ll tell you, but there are certain conditions.”
“Conditions?” the Queen makes a noise that he thinks may be the Wraith version of laughter. “You dare to barter with me? I can break you, feed on you, make you tell me what I want to know.”
Rodney smiles. “No,” he says. “No, you really can’t. I don’t respond well to torture. I’d lie. But if you agree to my terms, I’ll tell you how to get there, how to get there fast. I can tell you how to modify your ships. I can tell you where to hit first.”
The Queen reaches out a hand and he represses the urge to flinch away as she gently strokes his cheek, fingernails scratching along his skin.
“You intrigue me,” she whispers, leaning in close. “You are not like others I have fed upon. You would truly hand over your planet-“
“Earth,” Rodney supplies. “It’s called Earth. And there are 6 billion people walking around like Happy Meals with legs.”
She blinked down at him for a moment, then smiled, showing her teeth. “And you would tell us where? You would tell us how?”
”Yes,” Rodney says firmly. “I will tell you. But you must spare Atlantis. You must leave us alone. You must leave the people of the Pegasus Galaxy alone. And the Daedalus- our ship. Those people you cannot touch, cannot have. Feel free to snack on anyone else you come across. We won’t stop you. We won’t be able to stop you. We’ll be too far away.”
The Queen studied his face.
”That is all you ask? You would give us a new feeding ground- one planet with so many lives, and more in the same galaxy? To spare the lives of a few?”
“To spare my people,” Rodney says. “I don’t care about Earth,” he adds, and it’s the truth. He’s never thought of Earth as home, not since he came to Atlantis. He’s been homesick for it, never given it much thought. What had Earth ever given him, really? No recognition, no power, no friends, no home. But here in Pegasus…in Atlantis…he fit. He lived. He loved.
”There’s more,” he continues. “I’m assuming you’re agreeing to this? You’d be completely moronic not to.”
The Queen hisses at him, and he thinks he should probably be scared right now. He should probably been even more scared that he’s not.
“I want you to feed on me,” he says slowly, hesitantly. “Just a little. Enough to turn my hair a bit grey, maybe a few more wrinkles. Enough that it looks like you took the information from my mind. You guys can do that sometimes, can’t you? Steal information with a life?”
The Queen doesn’t reply, and he smiles.
”But it doesn’t always work,” he concludes smugly. “I’m right, aren’t I? You can’t guarantee you’ll get the information you want, before the person dies.”
“You do not want your people to blame you?” the Queen says, making it a question, although the answer is obvious.
”No. No of course I don’t. And if you taking a few years off my life absolves me of any blame, I’m willing to give you that.”
“Is there anything else?” she asks, and it’s almost a sneer, but Rodney is used to those and ignores it.
”Let them rescue me. They’ll try. Soon too, I think, and I’m generally right about most things. All you have to do is let them beam me out. If you hit a certain part of the ship, they won’t be able to follow. And when they’ve made repairs, it’ll be too late. You’ll have reached Earth.” Rodney knows his voice is cool and calm, that it doesn’t really sound like himself.
“That is all you ask?”
“That, and for you to believe that if you break our agreement, if you come back and hurt any of my people, I am smart enough, and dangerous enough to destroy you. It may take me some time, but I can do it. I have enough confidence in my own ability to know that.”
“Yes,” the Queen says, thoughtfully. “I believe that.”
For a long moment she says nothing, and then Rodney feels a thrill of fear run through him as she slams her hand to his chest and begins to feed.
~~~
They stare at the open ‘gate, listening to the last message broadcasted by the SGC.
“…evacuating through the Stargate…can no longer hold the base…attacked here first…can’t…help…oh God, they’re here…” the crackly transmission hisses with static then breaks off. The ‘gate shuts down with a sigh, and they turn to look at each other.
Elizabeth’s face is pale and drawn.
“We need to go and help,” Sheppard says, fidgeting as if he’s eager to get to the armoury and load up. “Some of us will go through the gate, and we can send more on the Daedalus.”
“No,” Elizabeth says, shaking her head. “We stay here. We’ve been preparing for this for months. Protocol was set in place, should Earth be compromised. We’ve stockpiled food and supplies and weapons. Everything we need to become a real colony.”
“You can’t be serious,” Sheppard exclaims, staring at her like she was insane. “They’re culling our people, Elizabeth! We can’t sit here and do nothing.”
“I’m sorry John,” she says, looking away, but her face is set, stubborn. “It was made very clear- if Earth was invaded, we were to maintain Atlantis as an outpost. Any survivors may try to reach us. Besides,” she says, turning back to face him, “we won’t be doing nothing. We are to continue the human race as best we can here in the Pegasus galaxy.”
“No,” Sheppard says, anger colouring his face as he stares at her in disbelief. “No. We have to go back. This is- McKay, tell her! We can go back, we can help! We can’t let them pay for what we’ve done!”
Rodney stares at Sheppard for a long moment, then he turns and walks away.
“Rodney!” Sheppard calls after him. “Rodney, I didn’t-“
Rodney walks back to his quarters. He toes off his shoes and un-straps his thigh holster, and moves towards the bed.
“Rodney,” Sheppard steps into his room. “Oh, God, Rodney, I didn’t mean to-“
Rodney shakes his head, and Sheppard wraps his arms around him, holds him tight.
Rodney presses his face into the warmth of Sheppard’s chest. He inhales deeply, closing his eyes at the familiar scent and smiles, his shoulders shaking slightly.
”Shh,” Sheppard says, pushing him back towards the bed. “Don’t cry.”
“I’m not,” Rodney says, honestly, although Sheppard can’t see his face and continues to rub soothing circles on his back.
“I’m sorry I didn’t get to you earlier,” Sheppard says. “Maybe if I had…maybe they wouldn’t have been able to steal that information from your mind. But…I’m so proud of you for not breaking. So proud. I always knew you wouldn’t.”
Rodney pulls back and smiles at him. “No you didn’t,” he says. “But thanks.”
Sheppard sighs. “I just wish I’d-“
Rodney puts a finger to Sheppard’s lips. “It’s not your fault,” he says earnestly and Sheppard’s shoulders slump a little.
“No,” he says after a moment. “No, I guess not. But it’s not your fault either,” he leans in and murmurs into Rodney’s hair, now streaked with grey and receding even more than it was before.
”I know,” Rodney says, believing his words. “We’re safe here. We’re all safe here now.”
Sheppard frowns a little. “I guess you’re right,” he says slowly. “They have no reason to come back. I never thought about it like that.”
”I did,” Rodney lifts his chin to press a kiss to Sheppard’s lips. The Colonel looks at him in surprise for a moment then smiles a little and gives a small nod, returning the kiss gently.
That night Rodney sleeps better than he’s done since he was a kid. Before he drifts off, arms wrapped around Sheppard’s warm form, he wonders if his conscience should be pricking him, if it should twinge like his wrenched knee still does. He wonders if he should feel guilty.
The next few days when things start to change in the Colony of Atlantis, when they learn Earth is empty, when old laws are rewritten, when new ones are drafted, Rodney finally starts to feel really safe as he wanders the corridors. His people are protected, they are secure here. The Terrans may have been culled, but the Lanteans will survive, will thrive here in the floating city.
He feels no remorse. It was worth the cost. His conscience is clear.
(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-29 04:43 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2006-07-31 07:13 pm (UTC)