Deep and Steady by lavvyan (Skeevy Ancients Challenge)

[lavvyan.livejournal.com]

Title: Deep and Steady
Author: lavvyan
Word Count: ~400
Summary: Atlantis is a fucked up place to be.

~~~

There is a routine, one that has been discovered fourteen times in five years, and forgotten just as often. It runs quietly, gently, in the night, or during the day, whenever a member of the expedition lies down on their tiny bed to relax and sleep.

Their tiny bed, which isn't tiny so much as comfortable, comforting, the perfect size to curl up on your side like you may have lain in your mother's womb, warm and calm and relaxed. Sinking into the mattress, so relaxed, drifting toward sleep, eyes closed, breath deep and steady. Deep and steady. Deep and steady and even, slow, as slow as a heartbeat, steady and even and relaxed. So deeply asleep, safe and relaxed, safe because Atlantis will keep it so. Atlantis will keep everyone safe and asleep and relaxed, a slow, drifting part of it. A part of Atlantis.

"Part of Atlantis," Teyla Emmagan sighs, holding her slumbering son.

"Part of Atlantis," Ronon Dex echoes her, several corridors down, curled up on his bed and so deeply asleep and relaxed. So safe. Atlantis will keep him safe. Atlantis will keep everyone safe. There is no safer place than Atlantis.

"Atlantis," Rodney McKay breathes, and he's smiling as he drifts deeper, deeper asleep, so relaxed and safe and happy. Happy to be in Atlantis. Happy to be a part of Atlantis. Happy to serve Atlantis with his mind and his hands, to keep it safe just as Atlantis keeps him safe.

Safe and happy. Safe and home.

"Home," Elizabeth Weir whispers, and after her Sam Carter, and after her Richard Woolsey. Home. Safe. Cherished.

Atlantis is home. Atlantis is safe. So safe. Keeping you safe while you're asleep, so deeply asleep, relaxing and listening. Listening to Atlantis's voice, telling you how to help keep it safe. How to keep it whole. How to serve it with your hands and your mind, because Atlantis is a part of you. You are a part of Atlantis. Just one part, asleep and relaxed, safe for as long as you serve. Serve Atlantis. Keep it safe. Serve it with your hands and your mind, because nothing is more important than Atlantis. Nothing is more important than Atlantis. Atlantis is home. And nothing is more important than home.

"Nothing," John Sheppard says, and his voice is a toneless murmur. So deeply asleep. So safe and relaxed. So happy, and cherished, and home in Atlantis. Part of Atlantis. Serving Atlantis with his hands and his mind, without question or thought. Because nothing is more important than Atlantis. Nothing is more important than Atlantis.

Nothing.

.

Comments

[such_heights]

Damn. That's brilliantly creepy and kind of perfect.

[lavvyan.livejournal.com]

Thank you. *g*

[leesa_perrie]

Whoa! Creepy, and Excellent!

[lavvyan.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[elementalv.livejournal.com]

Ancient mind-fuckery for the win! Beautiful and soothing and horrifying all at once -- I love it.

[lavvyan.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much! :>

[danceswithgary]

Eeep! *shivers*

[lavvyan.livejournal.com]

*pets you*

[melagan.livejournal.com]

*rubs palms together in glee*

Because truly, this is such an "ancient" thing to do.

[lavvyan.livejournal.com]

Isn't it? I wouldn't be surprised at all.

Thank you for commenting!

[beadattitude.livejournal.com]

Oh, that is seriously creepy. ::shudders::

[lavvyan.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I'll be here all week. ;)

*hugs*

[deaka.livejournal.com]

Ooh, very nicely creepy. I love the fact that it's been discovered and then made to be forgotten so many times, also.

[lavvyan.livejournal.com]

I wonder how many times the ones who pointed it out where made to sleep.

Thank you for commenting!

[deelaundry.livejournal.com]

Ooh, Cult of Atlantis. Awesome. Skeevy, of course, but awesome.

[lavvyan.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much!

[adafrog.livejournal.com]

Oh wow.

[lavvyan.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[sihayab.livejournal.com]

Yikes!

::shivers and looks over my shoulder::

Those Ancients certainly *were* skeevy.

Brava for a chilling tale.

[lavvyan.livejournal.com]

They were! Nanovirus, anyone?

Also! Thank you so much! :D

[linziday.livejournal.com]

Whoa, creepy! I got Brave New World flashbacks. Awesome, awesome job.

[lavvyan.livejournal.com]

This is where I out myself as someone who has no idea what Brave New World is about, isn't it? *sighs*

Thank you for commenting. :)

Deep and Steady

[iadorespike]

OMG! I love the rhythm of this, the rocking motion of your words. As I read, I could feel the cadence of this soothing me and holding me. It's really beautiful, and...yes...creepy, too. :D Atlantis is sneaky! Atlantis gets what she wants.

Thank-you, bb!

*snuggles you*

Re: Deep and Steady

[lavvyan.livejournal.com]

Sleep. Sleeeeeeep. *g*

Atlantis always gets what it want. Hands to repair it and bodies to die to keep it safe. *pets the poor expedition*

Thank you for commenting! *snuggles*

[sagedarkwoods.livejournal.com]

Atlantis, rocking the expedition to sleep with its gentle soporific waves. Rather fitting for a floating city, built by a bunch of creepy, self-important superior beings. I got shivers.

[lavvyan.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much!

[synekdokee.livejournal.com]

Yikes.

[lavvyan.livejournal.com]

Sorry? ;)

[goddess47]

Ooohhhhh...... amazingly creepy....... but we knew there was an explanation for those teeny beds....

Nice!

[lavvyan.livejournal.com]

There had to be an explanation for those. *nods*

Thank you for commenting!

[cat-77.livejournal.com]

Oh, I liked this. Seems so pleasant as the creepy undertones sneak up on you...

[lavvyan.livejournal.com]

But it is pleasant. Pleasant and comfortable. So comfortable and relaxed. So deeply asleep. ;p

[rellan.livejournal.com]

EEK! I now have the creepy crawly sensation going up my spine. Well done.

[lavvyan.livejournal.com]

Hah! Thank you! :D

[agdrgn.livejournal.com]

How perfectly, beautifully eerie.

:)

[lavvyan.livejournal.com]

Thank you! :)

[cadencecascade.livejournal.com]

oooh. creepy-strange skeevy ancients, as opposed to creepy-sex skeevy ancients. I like!

[lavvyan.livejournal.com]

I'll admit I like creepy-strange a lot more than creepy-sex. Plot over porn. :)

Thank you for commenting!

[auburnnothenna.livejournal.com]

Skeevy Atlantis. You know, if you were an Ancient who happened to discover what your not supposed to be sentient city (or what your fellow Ancients had programmed the not sentient city to do) was doing, you just might become obsessed with ascending as an escape.

You're coming up with some wild ideas lately and I'm loving them.

[lavvyan.livejournal.com]

Maybe that was the real reason they left. Deal with the Wraith and Atlantis? Better to just run.

I swear my brain is tuned into "weird" lately. Which is kinda bad, because what I need is "fluff".

[rustler.livejournal.com]

That is massively unsettling. Nicely done!

[lavvyan.livejournal.com]

Thank you very much!

[skinscript.livejournal.com]

hhahahaha

Wonderful! Creepy.

(And then I remembered the Friends episode where Chandler was listening to tapes to stop smoking and had to also laugh)

Wouldn't it be awesome if Atlantis was also addictive? If these subliminal messages were also implanting a physiological drive to return to her?

[lavvyan.livejournal.com]

Maybe she's working up to that? Or maybe the imperative to keep her safe at all costs already took care of that? See also: Expedition after The Return, same as before.

Thank you for commenting!

[lilyleia78]

Damn, that's creepy. And awesome.

[lavvyan.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[mangst.livejournal.com]

What a cool idea. Cool and creepy. I think it's the tweaking of the innocence of sleep and safety that makes it extra horrifying. Well done.

[lavvyan.livejournal.com]

It would be so incredibly easy, too. A few lines of code in the whole database? Who'd ever notice that one of the routines isn't like the others?

Also, thank you!

[seekergeek.livejournal.com]

*shivers*

[lavvyan.livejournal.com]

*pets you*