(no title) (original) (raw)
Title: Ante Animus Part 3/4
Rating: All
Character: Rodney McKay
Category: Angst
Summary: Details of part of Rodney's past that he'd rather forget come to light, details that he's afraid will ruin the tentative friendships he's made in Atlantis. Brendan Gaul lends him a helping hand.
A/N: I meant to post this sooner...oops, it's here now though!
Ante Animus - Part Three
“Hey Radek,” Rodney greeted his fellow scientist, who was half ensconced in the ‘Gateroom floor.
“Rodney,” Zelenka sat up and glanced at Rodney as he shoved his hands in his pockets.
“Want a hand?” Rodney asked, inspecting the toes of his boots.
“Yes, was wondering where you had gone when Doctor Weir requested my assistance. Especially as you were quite vocal about not allowing other people near repairs,” he answered with a curious look.
“You know, around. I’m an important man I’ll have you know,” Rodney responded as he sat down on the floor.
“Yes, yes, or course. Should have known,” Radek said, as he rooted around under the floor. “Ah ha!” he exclaimed, and pulled out - “The conduits interface. You repair, I will connect when you finish,” he said and handed it to Rodney.
“Right,” Rodney said as he began working on the component.
“Soo…” Radek said a few minutes later.
“No,” Rodney cut him off.
“No?”
“No.”
“How do you even no what I was to say?”
“You were working on the encryption. I’m not stupid, I doubt anyone else would have been able to break it as fast,” he said without looking up.
“Thank you,” Radek said and looked at Rodney contemplatively. “Whatever this newly revealed information in your file details, it cannot take away from your achievements since arriving in Atlantis.”
“You didn’t read it then,” Rodney said with an self depreciating smile.
“Rodney…”
“Yes, yes Radek. Thank you for the sentiment, I doubt it will prove to be true but I appreciate it nonetheless.”
“You are welcome,” Radek said with a smile.
“Now get back to work,” Rodney snapped half-heartedly.
* * *
By the end of the first semester Rodney was a financial and physical wreck as a result of months spent in Jason’s company. He made his way bleary eyed through his lectures, seminars and life in general.
Now Rodney wasn’t stupid. He’d realised by now that spending the evening being irritated by Gaul was better than he’s nights spent getting high with Jason at great expense to his pocket and his health. Especially considering that he didn’t know exactly what went into the crap Jason sold him, meaning it could possibly send him into anaphylactic shock and kill him.
But for all the complaining, moaning and bitching Rodney did about his various ailments, his concern was as superficial as most of them were. Even for things such as his citrus allergy, which could mean a quick and painful death. This general apathy when concerning his life (or death as the case may be) added to the fact that he was completely hooked by this point, meant that escaping Jason wasn’t on the cards for the near future.
When Christmas break came and Jason as well as Brendan went home for the holidays, Rodney found himself at a loss. Without Gaul to avoid, and Jason to hang out with he managed to complete three research papers in the first week.
By that time he was getting a little irritable without Jason and his on tap supply of illegal substances. He’d taken to spending all of his mornings, and often afternoons in the on campus coffee shop.
One afternoon one of the waitresses completely threw him by sitting down opposite him at his booth.
“Hi Rodney,” she said with a smile. Rodney frowned, did he know her? She did seem familiar, maybe he’d seen her around campus?
“Hello,” he glanced at his name tag, “Cathy. Is there something I can help you with?”
“No, just wanted to say hi,” she grinned, flashing pearly white teeth at him. She had a pretty face with short blonde hair framing it. As he recalled (from when she had served him his coffee) she was quite petite and nicely proportioned. All things considered she shouldn’t have been sitting at his table.
“Have we met?” he asked cautiously, not wanting to offend her if they had. But then again chances were if he’d forgotten her she wasn’t worth remembering.
“Not as such. I’m in Jason Cooper’s English Lit class, and I’m friends with Brendan Gaul,” she told him.
“Oh,” he said, not quite sure what else to say. If she was friends with Brendan then it was likely she wasn’t friends with Jason, so she had that going for her.
“Well I’ve seen you around, and Brendan has nothing but good things to say about you…” Rodney snorted into his coffee.
“Look, Cathy, Brendan’s a little…” he trailed off as various pieces of information in his mind fell into place. “Hang on, Cathy Richards?”
“Yeah,” she nodded with a smile, obviously pleased he knew her name. Unfortunately he only knew her name because Jason had recently set his sights on her, and was using his Christmas break to perfect his ‘ensnarement plan’. And now it looked like she was hitting on Rodney, a phenomenon which in itself rarely occurred. Typical.
“So,” she smiled. She really needed to stop doing that if he was going to be able to say no. “Do you want to get coffee sometime?” she asked. He smirked and gestured with his hand around the shop. “Right,” she laughed, and wasn’t that just even worse than the smiling? “I finish in twenty minutes, how ‘bout I bring us over some coffee and we can talk then?”
Rodney was entirely ready to make up an excuse, he really was. Because obstructing Jason’s plan would most likely have consequences, unpleasant ones. Which was why he was completely bewildered when he found himself agreeing.
* * *
Elizabeth walked slowly back to her office once she had finished her lunch; her thoughts focused on the current problem that was Rodney McKay. She had realised that it probably hadn’t been the best of ideas to confront him when she was still in shock, it might have gone a little better if she’d allowed herself some time to let the information to sink in. Perhaps talking to him alone might have also been better, rather than ganging up on him.
She sighed tiredly. But what had been done couldn’t be undone. The issue now was what to do with the information. Rodney’s parting statements this morning had undoubtedly been correct. Learning of something that occurred in the past, doesn’t alter the present, just our perception of it. If she’d known, would she have even brought him along in the first place, she wondered. There was no doubt that if she had chosen not to include him on the expedition that there would have been more casualties. The city itself might not even be here.
His past, no matter how colourful, didn’t change his actions here. Rodney McKay was still not only one of the bravest and the most intelligent members of the expedition, but also one of the bravest and smartest people she’d ever met.
Feelings settled on the matter, Elizabeth’s thoughts gravitated towards what kind of disciplinary action she should take. He had after all encrypted a large portion of his file, preventing his superior from seeing it. The only problem was that she couldn’t think of anything… she’d have to think on that one for a while.
As she crossed the walkway to her office, her gaze drifted down to the ‘Gateroom and focused in on two scientists who appeared to be taking apart the entire floor. She momentarily thought about calling Rodney up to her office, but decided against it. He had likely been upset by the days revelations, and however strange it seemed to her, something methodical such as repairing some Ancient wiring would probably help him relax.
He looked up just as she was about to enter her office and caught her gaze. She smiled at him and nodded, his eyes widened for a moment before he nodded back and returned to his work.
Elizabeth smiled to herself as she entered her office.
* * *
Rodney frowned down at the now repaired interface and glanced back up at Weir’s office, to which to door was now closed, but he could see her sitting at her desk, back to him.
What had that been about? Did this mean he wasn’t in trouble? Surely she wouldn’t smile at him if she was contemplating getting rid of him as soon as possible? No, that would be spiteful, and Elizabeth was definitely not spiteful.
Rodney smiled to himself and his spirits lifted slightly.
“Radek,” he called, the scientist’s head popped up out of the Atlantis floor moments later. “I’ve finished,” he said, indicating the interface sitting on the floor in front of him.
“Good. I have just finished repairing and replacing damaged wiring,” he said. “Pass interface please.”
Rodney passed him the piece of equipment and watched as he disappeared again into the flooring. A few minutes later Radek called out that he had connected the component.
“Chuck,” Rodeny tapped his radio, and the technician looked down on them from the control centre. “We’re ready,” he told him.
“Wait! Wait, wait, wait!” Radek exclaimed as he scrambled out of the floor and glared at Rodney as they both got to their feet. “Are you intending to electrocute me?” he asked angrily.
“Sorry,” Rodney replied with a smile. “Chuck?”
“Initialising all consoles,” he told them. After a few moments he spoke again, “Everything’s working perfectly,” he said. “Well done.”
“Thank you,” Rodney and Radek said at the same time.
“Right, I’m going to get something to eat, I never got to finish my lunch earlier,” Rodney said before heading towards a transporter.
“Do not worry,” Zelenka called after him sarcastically. “I will tidy everything up and patch up giant hole in gateroom floor!”
Rodney smiled to himself as he exited the ‘Gateroom.
* * *
“Doctor Weir,” Chuck greeted her and stood in the doorway to her office, holding a laptop under his arm.
“Yes?” she questioned him.
“We’ve discovered another hidden portion in Doctor McKay’s file,” he told her with raised eyebrows.
“What!” she exclaimed, having already decided to forgive Rodney and put his past in the past. In fact she’d scheduled a meeting with him, as well as Colonel Sheppard and Doctor Becket, that was to occur in less than an hour in which she planned to apologise to him for the way she had approached the matter.
It irked her that after being found out he hadn’t confessed to this additional deception.
“Here,” the gate tech. said, opening the laptop he was carrying and sitting it upon her desk. “I’ll leave you to it,” he said with a nod as he left her office, closing the door behind him.
With a sigh Elizabeth let her eyes fall upon the text on the screen, and they widened with surprise at what they saw.