sga_flashfic | Fics: Chevron-8 Encoded (GEN) & Solitaire (GEN)

Title: Chevron-8 Encoded
Author: Gemmi999
Rating: PG
Warnings: Character death
Word Count: 500 words
Characters: McKay, Weir
Disclaimer: not mine.

SUMMARY: Atlantis falls silent.

Rodney looked around the gate room one final time, trying to memorize every detail of Atlantis that was still questionable in his own mind. The lights were dim, crates were piled up along the side of the walls, and the remaining staff was standing in the hallways, unsure of what to say or do. Nobody thought anything like this would have happened—McKay still couldn’t believe that he was being forced to leave the city of his dreams.

He reached out and tentatively ran a hand along a nearby wall, wishing he had the skill necessary to understand what Atlantis was undoubtedly trying to say. Instead, he felt small vibrations and knew that yet another part of Atlantis was shutting down, perhaps permanently.

“It’s not your fault, Rodney.” Elizabeth walked up to the scientist and placed a hand gently on his shoulder.

“Yes, it is.” McKay didn’t turn away from the wall. “I should have known what it all meant. I should have known when Teyla, when Sheppard—“

Elizabeth pressed on Rodney’s shoulder and tried to forcibly turn his around. “It’s NOT your fault, Rodney.”

Rodney didn’t bother responding this time. Instead, he leaned his forehead against the wall in an attempt to convey to Atlantis the depth of his feelings. Everything had gotten so jumbled, so confused since the Hive Ship, since Michael. He hadn’t even taken the time to notice that Atlantis was slowly shutting down.

Nobody had noticed until Teyla failed to appear at a morning briefing. When a search party was sent to find out what happened to the Athosian, and they found her dead in her quarters—then the pieces began to fall into place. A room that suddenly lost all it’s oxygen; transporters that failed to move (or let people out); broken lights; puddlejumper crashes mid-flight. Within a matter of weeks people were scared to walk down the hallway, unsure of what the ancient city would do to them in punishment.

Which was why Rodney now leaned against a sidewall, waiting for the Stargate to send them back to Earth. It was taking nearly all of the ZPM’s considerable power to force Atlantis to open up a wormhole. The Stargate had fallen still nearly two weeks previously, and to force it to operate one more had been the last challenge McKay would solve for the Atlantis expedition.

“It’s time to go.” Elizabeth looked at Rodney carefully once more. “This will work, and we’ll be back home before you know it. We’ve survived worse than this and lived to tell about it.”

Rodney sighed: “Not all of us survived.”

“No,” Elizabeth shook her head. “You’re not supposed to think like that. This isn’t a conditional surrender, this is a victory. We traveled to another galaxy, Rodney! We found things beyond our imagination, things that I never thought were possible. Things that shouldn’t be possible, that shouldn’t exist. We came, and we fought, and we won as much as we were able to. And now…”

“Chevron-8 encoded.”

Title: Solitaire
Author: Gemmi999
Rating: PG
Warnings: none
Word Count: 405 words
Characters: McKay, Weir, Sheppard
Disclaimer: not mine.

SUMMARY:
Rodney moved another card with his pen before glancing up at the empty table. No Sheppard equaled no briefing, which meant he had another thirty seconds at least to try and shut-down Radek’s superior attitude (black queen on red jack, left corner).

Rodney sat patiently at the briefing table, tablet laid out in front of him as he enjoyed a rousing game of Solitaire. Best-Thing-Ever (interfacing the Atlantis database with Earth-based computers)—Radek and McKay had been playing games against each other ever since. And McKay would beat Radek’s high score on Solitaire, it was only a matter of time.

“Dr. McKay,” Elizabeth greeted the scientist as she entered the briefing room. Rodney didn’t even bother looking up from his game: instead he absently waved a hand in her general direction and continued by moving the red Three onto the black four, clearing an entire line out.

More time passed: Rodney glued to his computer, Elizabeth staring at the scientist in helpless uncertainty. It wasn’t time to start the meeting, but he wasn’t even talking. Normally she couldn’t get him to shut up.

Rodney moved another card with his pen before glancing up at the empty table. No Sheppard equaled no briefing, which meant he had another thirty seconds at least to try and shut-down Radek’s superior attitude (black queen on red jack, left corner).

Elizabeth sighed and began to pantomime banging her head on the conference table—she’d known that once the computers were up and running people would be more likely to take breaks by playing those silly games, but she’d never imagined it would drive her Chief Scientist absolutely insane!

Hollow footsteps walked into the briefing room and came to a rest beside Rodney. Sheppard leaned over the scientist’s shoulder and grinned, sharply. “If you move that three on the right, you can get to the four and it needs to go up here,” Sheppard tapped the top of the screen where the aces piled up.

Seconds passed. Rodney turned to look at Sheppard with an incredulous look on his face. The tablet was set down and forgotten.

Rodney didn’t say a word, however. He stared at Sheppard and then turned toward Elizabeth and indicated he was ready for the meeting to begin.

John smiled and sat down next to Elizabeth, leaning over and whispering in her ear—“nobody can help him when he’s playing, if someone does Radek considers it cheating and the score doesn’t count.”

Elizabeth sighed at the antics of her staff before starting the briefing. At least she knew how to get Rodney to pay attention now, even if he was mentally eviscerating Sheppard. Eh—at least he was being quiet.