![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
annon-of-rhi.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
sga_flashficTitle: Alopecia is Contagious?
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
annon_of_rhi
Rating: PG
Pairing: None
Characters: John, Rodney, Elizabeth, Radek
Words: 1078
Disclaimer: Not mine. Oh how I wish… but no, not mine.
Author’s Note: Okay. *deep breath*. This is my first fic, ever. No beta, so all mistakes are mine. In my head, it’s set sometime season 3, but before Sunday. No spoilers. Written for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
sga_flashfic’s Sickness Challenge.
Summary: “It’s not like it’s the end of the world, after all…”
“Rodney, come on… open up.”
“No!”
“It’s not like it’s the end of the world, after all…”
Passers-by swore they heard actual growling come through the shut and locked door.
“I’m sure it’ll grow back… Carson’s probably whipping up an antidote right now.”
“Then he can give it to me in here!”
“Cry baby,” John muttered.
The door cracked open an inch, and Rodney’s blue eyes, brilliant in their anger and indignation, could be seen from within his room. How the hell did Rodney hear me? John wondered.
“Have you given any thought, Colonel, to the fact that everyone on that planet was bald? Even the women and children! They said that ‘No, they did not tend to their hair, the divine Ancestors willed it to be so.’ Willed it to be so! Clearly, Ancient technology gone wrong AGAIN. And since I was the one who went into the ‘sacred chamber of the Ancestors, where their will is made true’, and since I’m the one who has less hair on his body than an armadillo – and they don’t even have hair! - I think I deserve the right to be a little upset!”
“Of course you do, Rodney, no one is saying you don’t,” Elizabeth broke in smoothly, coming up and standing beside John.
“Oh yeah? Tell that to Colonel ‘Don’t Be A Cry-Baby’ Sheppard.” With that, Rodney’s door shoomed shut, and John was left in the hallway. With Elizabeth. And her scary eyebrows.
“John?” Elizabeth asked, her aforementioned eyebrows speaking volumes.
“I didn’t think he would hear me,” John hastily explained, but clearly that wasn’t the answer Elizabeth was looking for.
“Right. Well, since Rodney doesn’t seem to be coming out of his room any time soon, maybe you would like to see if Dr Zelenka needs any help on the lower levels? I hear the sewerage converters are on the fritz again.”
“Yeah. Okay, I’ll go there – now?”
“Yes. You will.” There were the eyebrows again, John thought.
“Okay. I will. Go there – to the… sewerage convert– hey, look, it’s Carson!!” Thank god…
“Hello Colonel, Dr Weir. Now, where is Rodney?” Carson’s voice was slightly muffled through the red – containment suit?
“He’s in his room - Carson? What’s going on? Why are you in a containment suit? Should I announce a lockdown?” Alarm was evident in Elizabeth’s tone.
“No no, Dr Weir, everythin’ is fine – well you are, anyway. Colonel Sheppard, you might want to head on down t’ the mess.”
“Um, why? Why can Elizabeth stay, but not me?”
“Well, I completed my blood tests on the Palsonian’s, and it appears that they all, to some extent, have the ATA gene.”
“All of them?” Elizabeth asked, surprised.
“Yes, all of them. Very, very slight, mind you, but enough that the Ancient device Rodney found in the chamber, has had an effect.”
“An effect, you say?” John resisted the sudden urge to touch his head.
“Yes. It seems – though I have no idea why – that the machine causes hair loss in all those that have the ATA gene. Also, upon further study of the blood you brought back, it turns out that the, well - infected, for lack of a better word - cells are actually emitting a small amount of radiation when they come in contact with another cell that has the gene, furthering the effects of the device. This explains why those in the settlement you found a few kilometres away from the machine were also bald. Just being in contact with one person who has been infected by the device, for longer than a few hours could start a chain reaction. It’s basically a highly contagious disease. I’m surprised tha- Colonel?”
“Sorry!” John shouted over his shoulder, as he walked - not running, I’m not running - down the hallway. “Emergency on the lower levels. Radek needs my help desperately! For the good of the expedition!”
Rodney once again cracked his door open, and snorted, seeing the Colonel fleeing down the corridor. “Right. The expedition. Sure!” He turned back to Elizabeth and Carson. “Well? What about me? What happens to me?”
“As I was telling Dr Weir, Rodney, the cells are emitting small amounts of radiation. So small, in fact, that if we bundle you up in one of these containment suits, you should effectively nullify the radiation escaping from your body. My test showed that if the cells have nothing to react to, they eventually stopped emitting the radiation. Probably a safety feature if someone from the village moved to another planet. Your hair should grow back within one to two weeks of you wearing the suit.”
“One to two weeks?! Are you crazy? Do you know how hot those things are?” Rodney shouted.
Elizabeth smiled, and excused herself from the escalating argument. Taking the nearest transporter down to the lower levels, she soon caught up with John and Dr Zelenka. “Well, you’ll be happy to hear that Dr Beckett is confident he’ll get Rodney’s hair back to normal within the next few weeks. I don’t think Rodney was too happy with that estimation, but at least his hair will grow back.”
“Yeah, lucky…” John trailed off, looking agitated.
“John? Are you ok?”
The Colonel turned to her, with a panicked look on his face, hands picking at his head. “Have I always receded at the corners here? I definitely don’t remember receding at the corners here. Does my hair look thinner to you? It feels thinner to me. What do you think?” He turned sharply, and started heading back to the transporter. “I’m going to go see Dr Beckett.” He continued on, muttering to himself.
Elizabeth shared an amused smile with Dr Zelenka.
“Who would have thought the Colonel was that protective of his hair?” Radek asked, as they too walked back towards the transporter.
“Oh, you didn’t see him after PSJ-336,” Elizabeth laughed. “Instead of the normal throwing of rocks and sticks, the natives threw mud and slime. He didn’t come out of the shower for over two hours.”
Radek grinned. “Do you remember that time when Colonel Sheppard was ‘ritually baptised’? The paint didn’t come off for a week!”
“Or when Rodney was accidentally married to the ‘most honoured and sacred daughter of the tribe’?”
“I can see his face now – “Who claims a goat as a daughter?””
Laughter rang out as Elizabeth and Radek entered the transporter, still sharing memorable John and Rodney stories as the doors closed.
~The End~
Author Notes (again): Okay, as I said, this was my first fic ever. Any helpful comments or constructive criticism is most welcome. Also, I hope I fit the ‘Sickness Challenge’ well enough. It kinda got away from me at the end there…
The title, ‘Alopecia is Contagious?’ is a reference to the technical term for baldness. And no, in the real world, alopecia is not contagious.
Author:
annon_of_rhiRating: PG
Pairing: None
Characters: John, Rodney, Elizabeth, Radek
Words: 1078
Disclaimer: Not mine. Oh how I wish… but no, not mine.
Author’s Note: Okay. *deep breath*. This is my first fic, ever. No beta, so all mistakes are mine. In my head, it’s set sometime season 3, but before Sunday. No spoilers. Written for
sga_flashfic’s Sickness Challenge.Summary: “It’s not like it’s the end of the world, after all…”
“Rodney, come on… open up.”
“No!”
“It’s not like it’s the end of the world, after all…”
Passers-by swore they heard actual growling come through the shut and locked door.
“I’m sure it’ll grow back… Carson’s probably whipping up an antidote right now.”
“Then he can give it to me in here!”
“Cry baby,” John muttered.
The door cracked open an inch, and Rodney’s blue eyes, brilliant in their anger and indignation, could be seen from within his room. How the hell did Rodney hear me? John wondered.
“Have you given any thought, Colonel, to the fact that everyone on that planet was bald? Even the women and children! They said that ‘No, they did not tend to their hair, the divine Ancestors willed it to be so.’ Willed it to be so! Clearly, Ancient technology gone wrong AGAIN. And since I was the one who went into the ‘sacred chamber of the Ancestors, where their will is made true’, and since I’m the one who has less hair on his body than an armadillo – and they don’t even have hair! - I think I deserve the right to be a little upset!”
“Of course you do, Rodney, no one is saying you don’t,” Elizabeth broke in smoothly, coming up and standing beside John.
“Oh yeah? Tell that to Colonel ‘Don’t Be A Cry-Baby’ Sheppard.” With that, Rodney’s door shoomed shut, and John was left in the hallway. With Elizabeth. And her scary eyebrows.
“John?” Elizabeth asked, her aforementioned eyebrows speaking volumes.
“I didn’t think he would hear me,” John hastily explained, but clearly that wasn’t the answer Elizabeth was looking for.
“Right. Well, since Rodney doesn’t seem to be coming out of his room any time soon, maybe you would like to see if Dr Zelenka needs any help on the lower levels? I hear the sewerage converters are on the fritz again.”
“Yeah. Okay, I’ll go there – now?”
“Yes. You will.” There were the eyebrows again, John thought.
“Okay. I will. Go there – to the… sewerage convert– hey, look, it’s Carson!!” Thank god…
“Hello Colonel, Dr Weir. Now, where is Rodney?” Carson’s voice was slightly muffled through the red – containment suit?
“He’s in his room - Carson? What’s going on? Why are you in a containment suit? Should I announce a lockdown?” Alarm was evident in Elizabeth’s tone.
“No no, Dr Weir, everythin’ is fine – well you are, anyway. Colonel Sheppard, you might want to head on down t’ the mess.”
“Um, why? Why can Elizabeth stay, but not me?”
“Well, I completed my blood tests on the Palsonian’s, and it appears that they all, to some extent, have the ATA gene.”
“All of them?” Elizabeth asked, surprised.
“Yes, all of them. Very, very slight, mind you, but enough that the Ancient device Rodney found in the chamber, has had an effect.”
“An effect, you say?” John resisted the sudden urge to touch his head.
“Yes. It seems – though I have no idea why – that the machine causes hair loss in all those that have the ATA gene. Also, upon further study of the blood you brought back, it turns out that the, well - infected, for lack of a better word - cells are actually emitting a small amount of radiation when they come in contact with another cell that has the gene, furthering the effects of the device. This explains why those in the settlement you found a few kilometres away from the machine were also bald. Just being in contact with one person who has been infected by the device, for longer than a few hours could start a chain reaction. It’s basically a highly contagious disease. I’m surprised tha- Colonel?”
“Sorry!” John shouted over his shoulder, as he walked - not running, I’m not running - down the hallway. “Emergency on the lower levels. Radek needs my help desperately! For the good of the expedition!”
Rodney once again cracked his door open, and snorted, seeing the Colonel fleeing down the corridor. “Right. The expedition. Sure!” He turned back to Elizabeth and Carson. “Well? What about me? What happens to me?”
“As I was telling Dr Weir, Rodney, the cells are emitting small amounts of radiation. So small, in fact, that if we bundle you up in one of these containment suits, you should effectively nullify the radiation escaping from your body. My test showed that if the cells have nothing to react to, they eventually stopped emitting the radiation. Probably a safety feature if someone from the village moved to another planet. Your hair should grow back within one to two weeks of you wearing the suit.”
“One to two weeks?! Are you crazy? Do you know how hot those things are?” Rodney shouted.
Elizabeth smiled, and excused herself from the escalating argument. Taking the nearest transporter down to the lower levels, she soon caught up with John and Dr Zelenka. “Well, you’ll be happy to hear that Dr Beckett is confident he’ll get Rodney’s hair back to normal within the next few weeks. I don’t think Rodney was too happy with that estimation, but at least his hair will grow back.”
“Yeah, lucky…” John trailed off, looking agitated.
“John? Are you ok?”
The Colonel turned to her, with a panicked look on his face, hands picking at his head. “Have I always receded at the corners here? I definitely don’t remember receding at the corners here. Does my hair look thinner to you? It feels thinner to me. What do you think?” He turned sharply, and started heading back to the transporter. “I’m going to go see Dr Beckett.” He continued on, muttering to himself.
Elizabeth shared an amused smile with Dr Zelenka.
“Who would have thought the Colonel was that protective of his hair?” Radek asked, as they too walked back towards the transporter.
“Oh, you didn’t see him after PSJ-336,” Elizabeth laughed. “Instead of the normal throwing of rocks and sticks, the natives threw mud and slime. He didn’t come out of the shower for over two hours.”
Radek grinned. “Do you remember that time when Colonel Sheppard was ‘ritually baptised’? The paint didn’t come off for a week!”
“Or when Rodney was accidentally married to the ‘most honoured and sacred daughter of the tribe’?”
“I can see his face now – “Who claims a goat as a daughter?””
Laughter rang out as Elizabeth and Radek entered the transporter, still sharing memorable John and Rodney stories as the doors closed.
~The End~
Author Notes (again): Okay, as I said, this was my first fic ever. Any helpful comments or constructive criticism is most welcome. Also, I hope I fit the ‘Sickness Challenge’ well enough. It kinda got away from me at the end there…
The title, ‘Alopecia is Contagious?’ is a reference to the technical term for baldness. And no, in the real world, alopecia is not contagious.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-08 06:59 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-08 11:32 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-08 07:20 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-08 11:34 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-08 08:52 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-08 11:40 am (UTC)Thank you for commenting!
(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-08 11:39 am (UTC)Thanks for commenting!
(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-08 02:10 pm (UTC)WP
(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-08 09:19 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-08 10:31 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-08 10:20 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-08 09:16 pm (UTC)John's reaction at the end was very cute.
One typo: when Elizabeth says "maybe you would like to see is Dr Zelenka needs any help on the lower levels," I think you want "if" instead of "is".
Great interpretation of the theme ^_^.
(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-08 10:30 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-10 05:48 am (UTC)And it's less scary the second time, and the third... There will be a second and there, won't there?
(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-10 05:49 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-10 10:47 am (UTC)I hope there's going to be a second and third time. I've been wanting to write a fic for some time now, but I can never get past 200 words or so. This was quite an achievement, trust me! Hopefully another prompt will strike a spark in me or something. I mean, I saw the challenge, and was like: "Hmmm. What would be something both Rodney and John would be upset about? I know! Male pattern baldness!"
Wish me luck for next time!
(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-08 10:24 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-08 10:34 pm (UTC)Isn't it rad? (Woah, did I just say 'rad'? *checks sentence* Yep, I did. Oh well.) I got it off
Thanks for commenting!
(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-10 10:11 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-11 02:18 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-17 08:03 am (UTC)Hee! Adorable!
(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-17 12:03 pm (UTC)Also, your icon is awesome! Would you mind if I borrowed it? I'll credit, I promise!
(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-17 03:55 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-19 06:39 am (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2007-02-19 11:40 am (UTC)