"When Logic Invades The Subconscious" by Eliyes (Not Human Challenge)

[eliyes.livejournal.com]

Title: When Logic Invades The Subconscious
Author: eliyes
Characters: McKay, various others mentioned.
Notes: Not Human challenge; SPOILERS for SGA 4x12 "Spoils of War". We're talking major spoilers in the first four sentences here, people.
Summary: Rodney's prediction comes true, in a way even more unpleasant than he'd anticipated.


"GYAAAH!"

Rodney sat straight up in bed with a shout. His back twinged alarmingly, but a wave of fear-fueled endorphins muted it for now. He flung off his sweat-soaked sheets and scrambled out of bed, frantically urging Atlantis for lightlightLIGHT! The city responded, and he squinted in the sudden brightness.

Fortunately his room looked nothing like the Wraith cloning facility.

After a frantic search, just in case, he collapsed into a chair with a huff of breath and leaned forward, cradling his head in his hands.

"I knew that would give me nightmares," he moaned, running a hand through his sweaty hair with disgust.

And it wasn't as though he could talk about it with someone. No Kate Heightmeyer -- and yes, yes, of course there was a new psychiatrist, but not one who he was comfortable with yet, certainly not enough so to call in the middle of the night about a night terror. No Carson --

He swallowed convulsively, bowing his head and rubbing his neck. Yes, Carson would have been fascinated by what he'd seen, asking question after question until Rodney got too frustrated with him to remember he was freaked out. And Carson could answer the question that he wouldn't dare ask Keller, even if he'd do it with much Scottish scoffing noises from the back of his throat.

He missed that comforting sound.

And his team? He might not pay as much attention to social cues as he did to important things like technology and physics and such, but his well-developed self-preservation instinct warned him against that with flashing red lights and those terrible alarm klaxons they'd had in Russia. There was just no way he'd survive that.

There was nothing for it but to get some work done and come up with some way of not telling, because it would get back to Teyla if he did, and past experience showed that it didn't matter how hard you thought it, Atlantis did not obligingly open pits in the floors and swallow you up to save you from complete mortification. Because that's what he would want to have happen if she ever found out his subconscious had made a connection between "Teyla is pregnant", "Teyla has Wraith DNA" and "Wraith birth is FREAKY". Oh, sure, Carson had said she was no further from human than Sheppard with his super ATA, but given how Ancient/Ascended/Ascending women seemed to be able to spot him right off? Not terribly comforting right now.

Right. Work. Surely he could find something to erase this feeling of being surrounded by... by aliens. He stood, intending to get dressed, and then surprised himself with a bubble of laughter. When he was the "normal human" in a group, things had to be strange.

Comments

[ladyoflisquill.livejournal.com]

Oh wow! Now I'm scared for Teyla too.

[eliyes.livejournal.com]

Me too! Good thing she didn't actually see that, I think she'd be a little traumatized.

[springwoof.livejournal.com]

cool last line! and I feel bad for Rodney, with nobody to confide in...

[eliyes.livejournal.com]

Well, you know, eight or ten years down the road he'll be able to tell someone, "You know, I once had this nightmare" and laugh uneasily about it.

[goddess47]

Poor Rodney.... needing someone to talk to and having no one...... and that last line is perfect! Nice work!

[eliyes.livejournal.com]

Thanks. :3

[leesa_perrie]

That was good. Poor Rodney, he gets picked first (for once in his life!) and now he's the 'normal human' in the team!!!

And nightmares ... *hugs him*

[eliyes.livejournal.com]

Thanks.

Rodney needs hugs. God knows John never seems what to do about them.

[leesa_perrie]

Yeah, Teyla should go hug Rodney - though he'll probably be every bit as uncomfortable with that as John is!!

[eliyes.livejournal.com]

This is the second time we've seen her hug John when she wants comfort. I think she's just learned that he never knows that it's time to hug her. At least we've seen Rodney hug Jeannie like he knows what he's doing.

I don't judge anyone by how they react to a hug from Elizabeth, because a) with her usual composure, it's probably kind of surprising, the first time, and b) BONY.

When Logic Invades The Subconscious - story

[maxinemayer.livejournal.com]

Good look into Rodney's thinking! Thank you for sharing. Love, max

Re: When Logic Invades The Subconscious - story

[eliyes.livejournal.com]

Thanks and you're welcome. ^-^

[xueyie.livejournal.com]

What a cool idea to see that Rodney subconsciously freaked out about Teyla's baby. It must be why we never see Rodney's response on screen. :)

[eliyes.livejournal.com]

Well, I think when he was told he probably was awkwardly accepting, like, "What? Um... Okay." And then made boogly eyes at John and Ronon until someone told him who the dad was.