All the King's Horses by wraithkeeper (Amnesty 2007/Scars challenge)

[wraithkeeper.livejournal.com]

Title: All the King's Horses
Author: wraithkeeper
Word Count: ~500
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: I don't own them
Summary: The worst scars aren't physical.
A/N: Takes place after Common Ground, because you can never have to many CG tags

This was the first time John had been alone – really alone – since he’d returned to Atlantis. In the infirmary there had always been nurses or other patients around to keep his mind off things. But here he was all alone, and his thoughts kept returning to his imprisonment at the hands of the Genii.

 

Every time John closed his eyes, he’d lie still listening for the sound of the guards. Waiting for them to come take him again. At first he thought he heard the guards’ keys clinking as they walked, but when he listened carefully he realized it was only the sound of the clock hands moving. John scolded himself, knowing that the clock sounded nothing like the guards’ keys, but as soon as he closed his eyes again the sound morphed into that of the keys. With a curse, John finally got out of bed and stalked over to the clock. He tore it off the wall and pulled out the batteries, then tossed it all onto his desk. John crawled back into bed, and he lay there still unable to turn his mind off.

 

John snapped his eyes open when he heard a sound from outside his window. He knew it was just a storm brewing, but the howl of the wind sounded like the way the wraith had moaned while it fed. John jerked his head to the side, expecting to find himself back in the cell next to the wraith. John Jumped up and walked over to his desk where he opened his laptop and slid in a CD. He turned up the volume of the speakers and crawled back into bed. Now all the other sounds were drowned out by Johnny Cash’s deep voice.

 

Suddenly, the pounding rhythm of the bass guitar became the pounding footfalls of the guards, echoing off the prison walls. John jumped out of bed and slammed the laptop shut, hurling it against the wall. He stared at the cracked case of his laptop that lay broken on the floor. The music silenced, John collapsed back into bed again and drew his shaking hand across his eyes. He drew in deep, ragged breaths as he tried to get himself under control.

 

He couldn’t sleep. He couldn’t even be alone without having a panic attack. This was what John had been afraid of, what he’d feared had happened. Kolya had broken him.

 

John had experienced plenty of other bad things in the past, but he’d always bounced right back. This time that wasn’t happening. John feared he wouldn’t be able to do his job anymore. He feared that he would be sent back to Earth, forced away from his friends and his home. He couldn’t let that happen.

 

Lying alone in the dark, he couldn’t help it when a line from an old nursery rhyme crept into his thoughts unbidden. He mulled it over in his head before speaking the words aloud.

 

“All the King’s horses, and all the King’s men,” John whispered into the empty room, “Couldn’t put John Sheppard together again.”

FIN

Comments

[diamond-raven.livejournal.com]

So there's going to be a sequel? Right? Right? Uh hu, I thought so. So you're writing it right now, right? You know, the one where Rodney comes by, picks up the pieces of the laptop, scolds John for breaking valuable equipment and then takes him back to his room. Then Rodney opens the window so John can listen to the waves which calms him down and then Rodney gets into bed too and John can sleep.

Seriously, this was awesome! I've read quite a few CG tags, but most of them have focused on John fearing anybody touching him and not really on any other panic enducing triggers. I loved how you managed to turn the most innocent sound into something that John would connect with his captivity.

So, about that sequel....:) :) :)

[wraithkeeper.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the compliments!

And about that sequel... I just wrote it and it will be ready to post tomorrow :) didn't take much convincing, huh?

[diamond-raven.livejournal.com]

*cackles evilly* I knew you would cave in to pressure! And here I was preparing the heavy artillery and sad puppy eyes! I can now tuck those away for another day.

Seriously, I'm so excited to see the sequel! You're so darn quick, you know that? I can't believe you'll have it up tomorrow. Of course, I'm not complaining! *does a little jig* I can't wait!!

[adafrog.livejournal.com]

Oh John. *hugs him*

[xueyie.livejournal.com]

You are right. There will never be enough CG tags and I like your take.