It had been a couple of weeks since their team had gone off-world and John was getting anxious to get out there again. Nothing against the rest of the teams under his command but he preferred being hands on. Still, the stand down had been worth it. Rodney seemed to be doing better and was having fewer nightmares since starting his sessions with Kate, and things between them were solid. John couldn’t remember ever feeling this… safe and secure in a relationship, but he relished it now. Rodney seemed to, as well.
After the nanite debacle, Rodney and his minions had set about securing that part of the city and scouring the database for any more surprises along that vein. They had done some more exploring of the city together, too, and John marveled at everything they had come across. It had mostly been labs of various kinds that Rodney had allocated several of his minions to research.
On the whole, life was pretty great. The Athosians had settled back in after the storm, recouping some of the losses of their crop already. The away teams had had a few run ins with the Wraith but they hadn’t lost any men, so John counted that a win. They’d even managed to gain another trading partner and a couple of potential Alpha sites that needed further investigating. So when Elizabeth suggested that their team get back in the saddle again, John was more than happy to oblige.
Which was how they found themselves in a jumper being chased by darts almost as soon as they got through the gate. There were too many of them to fight off, and they’d been hit seconds after coming through. It must have damaged something, because try as he might, John couldn’t get the weapons to work. Pushing aside the knot of worry that was mostly Rodney, John focused on getting them the hell out of range, but to little avail.
“McKay?” John prodded his mate. If they were to make it out of this with their skin intact, he would need a little help.
“I’m on it,” Rodney said, already getting out of his seat.
Teyla leaned forward. “Where did they come from?”
Rodney called back, “She’s right. Darts are short range fighters. There’s probably a Hive ship around here somewhere.”
“Then we need to get out of here,” Teyla urged.
“Yes, we do,” John agreed. Checking his HUD, he grimaced.
Ford shook his head. “The stargate is the other way, sir, on the other side of the planet.”
Yes, thank you captain obvious, John thought. “Yeah, we’re taking the scenic route. McKay?!”
“I’m almost there.” A pause, which was filled with Ford once again stating the obvious by telling John about the darts on their tail, then Rodney called, “Okay, you should have weapons now.”
John frowned as he attempted to fire. Nothing. “Negative.”
“You sure?”
Rolling his eyes, John snapped, “Positive!” Of course he was sure. Why the hell would Rodney think he would lie about something like that at a time like this?
“Because I’m pretty sure I fixed it.”
“Well obviously, you didn’t,” John grunted, narrowly avoiding another hit. Crap. This wasn’t going well at all. If they didn’t reach the gate soon, they would be blown out of the sky. The jumper shook when they took a hit.
“Perhaps we can lose them in the atmosphere of the planet,” Teyla suggested.
“Two more darts on our two o’clock,” Ford pressed.
Taking a deep breath, John nodded. “McKay,” he pleaded. Come on, baby, he thought. Work some of your magic here and help me get us out of here.
“It’s not like I’m holding back on you,” Rodney groused.
A sudden burst of energy appeared on the HUD, seeming to follow them. John watched in confusion as it overtook the darts, leaving debris in its wake. “Hold on!” John yelled, hoping against hope they would survive this. The ball of energy swept over them, rocking the jumper but leaving it intact. They all stared in shock as it dissipated. John swallowed hard. That had been far too close for comfort to his liking.
“What the hell was that?” Ford asked, sounding as stunned as John felt.
“Some sort of… energy weapon,” Rodney stammered, staggering back to his seat.
“How about we find out?” John suggested, already adjusting course toward the planet. He managed to find a place near to the one village that would make it easy enough to walk to it but made sure the jumper was out of sight in case the people of this world were less than friendly.
None of the readings he was getting from the HUD indicated any weapons or any technology at all, but John had learned that looks could be deceiving. Ford scoffed as he peered through his binoculars, muttering about this being a waste of time as he wasn’t picking up any hints of tech, either.
“You picking up anything, Rodney?”
Rodney huffed. “I’m picking up everything, just nothing worth mentioning.”
“Teyla? Do these people look familiar to you?” he asked automatically.
She shot him an amused look as she reminded him that the planet had a spacegate and that her people therefore never would have been able to visit here. John bit his lips, feeling his cheeks heat. “Right,” he mumbled. He’d known that. Of course he had.
Rolling his eyes, John ignored the lieutenant’s continued grouching and headed toward the village. As soon as they were within sight, he plastered on his most ‘hey-I’m-friendly-and-harmless’ smile and was shocked when the first person to see him actually bolted off with a look of fear in his eyes. Well, that couldn’t be good. They were soon met by what seemed to be the leader of the village, which turned out to be Zara, an abbot of Proculus, which was apparently the name of this planet.
Well, he seemed friendly enough, John supposed as they sat down to talk. The man appeared genuinely surprised to find they had come from another world and that they had been saved by a weapon originating from his planet. When the abbot mentioned never having heard of the Wraith, John stared at Teyla who looked elated.
As soon as the abbot excused himself, she leaned forward and whispered, “I have never known a world not ravaged by the Wraith. If this is true, then this planet would make a wonderful sanctuary for many people.”
John couldn’t agree more. As far as Alpha sites went, Proculus sounded like an ideal spot if the Wraith truly could not get to it. The abbot returned shortly and promised to take them to meet Chaya, their head priestess, so they could discuss their situation. The walk to Chaya’s residence was long and Rodney bitched the entire way, but John simply tuned him out. There was a feeling of peace here that seemed to wash over him and he knew that Rodney was mostly just spouting his usual bluster.
Just before they entered the monastery, John reminded Rodney to be on his best behavior. He knew the man had become better at curbing his tongue, but when there was a ZPM involved, Rodney still tended to speak before thinking, and John really wanted to try to make some sort of arrangement happen.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
There was something very off about this place, Rodney decided. Everyone was too happy and oblivious, and he was not at all sure whether they were for real or not. He was certain the energy ball that had saved them had come from a weapon on this planet, but the abbot seemed completely ignorant of anything. If there was one thing Rodney hated, it was not knowing something. The only thing worse was someone not wanting to know. And he really wanted to know.
The second they stepped inside the monastery, the hairs on the back of his neck wanted to stand up. The feeling only got worse when a beautifully exotic woman – even more so than Teyla, and in his book that was saying something – walked up to them and took John’s hand in both of hers. Rodney didn’t even hear her words, too distracted by the suddenly stunted sensation that was his soul bond with John. What the hell was that all about?
“You must be tired after your long journey, shall I make us some tea?” the woman – Chaya, he dug up from the recesses of his mind – asked, her eyes focused intently on his major. Rodney didn’t like it one bit, but of course, John just grinned and said, “I was hoping you would say just that.” Of course he did. Rodney crossed his arms, scowling at them. Something wasn’t right.
As they sat around a fire, sipping their tea, they talked of the Wraith. By all appearances, Chaya seemed truly puzzled and horrified by their existence, but something was setting Rodney’s alarm bells off. He just couldn’t put his finger on what. It was annoying the crap out of him. Like it was something he should know, that was just out of his reach if only he could get a little closer. Another thing that bothered him was that she still seemed to insist there were no weapons on Proculus.
When Rodney tried to argue with her, John shot him a disapproving look and told him off. “Best. Behavior, Rodney,” he reminded him.
Rodney blinked in shock. John had never talked to him quite like that before, not even when Rodney had caused them to get shot at. “This is as good as it gets, Major,” he retorted, slightly hurt by John’s reaction. Not to mention, he hated being lied to and he was one hundred percent certain Chaya was lying through her teeth.
John ignored him – ignored him! – and began to plead their case with Chaya, which of course would lead nowhere, Rodney was sure. When she excused herself to ‘talk with Athar’, Rodney rolled his eyes and scoffed. “So, pay no attention to the man behind the curtain, huh?”
He glared at John who seemed the picture of ease as he laid back on the bench Chaya had been sitting on. “Exactly,” the man replied, closing his eyes. Grumbling, Rodney sat back down to wait, eyeing John worriedly. The longer they were in this place, the worse that stunted feeling seemed to get and he didn’t care for it at all. He had no idea what had caused it or how to fix it, or even if it was just something he was experiencing or if John felt it, too. He supposed he could have asked his mate, but a tiny voice in the back of his mind warned him now was not the time.
What felt like hours later, Chaya and the abbots returned. John jumped to his feet – a little too eagerly in Rodney’s opinion – and looked hopefully at her. She inclined her head. “We have conveyed your request to our divine mother, and although she does not doubt the righteousness of your mission, I’m afraid she cannot countenance any other people but hers settling here.”
John looked devastated. Rodney, who had remained seated, sighed and shook his head, feeling disgusted. “And you really had to chant all this time to come up with that?”
“McKay,” John ground out, glowering at him like it was all his fault.
Teyla got to her feet, pleading. “Is there any way to have Athar reconsider?”
Chaya turned to her, shaking her head. “Athar understands and sympathizes. The Wraith are a scourge among our stars, but she has to place the lives of her people first.”
Standing up, Rodney scowled, wishing he could figure out what the hell was really going on. “Well, I think we both knew what you were going to say long before you went in there.”
She looked away, unable to meet his eyes which just cinched the deal for him. “We prayed for Athar’s guidance,” she said quietly.
“And what did Athar say?” Rodney retorted, tired of playing this game. Why were they wasting their time with this insanity? “You’re hiding behind your religion to justify your complete and utter selfishness,” he accused.
“Rodney!” John exclaimed angrily.
He pressed on, in part because he knew he was right and also because that bundle of sensation that was John had just dimmed to nearly non-existent, and it scared the crap out of Rodney. “If Athar existed she would be ashamed of herself.” And that was a big ‘if’, if you asked him. How could any people be so selfish when people throughout this galaxy were being hunted by the Wraith?
Zara bristled. “We ask only to be left alone and in peace.”
Rodney squared his shoulders. Oh, how it galled him that they were hiding behind their so-called deity. And people thought him selfish? “So untold thousands, possibly even millions of people will die out there when they could have been saved, all in the name of Athar. How very, very peaceful of you,” he said, making no attempt to hide his scorn.
“You should be grateful to Athar,” Chaya chided, her voice breaking. She still wasn’t looking at him. Ashamed, no doubt, as well she should be!
Taking a deep breath, Rodney said, “This is a waste of time.” They could be out there trying to find the weapon or go visit another planet or something. These people wouldn’t help them no matter what they did to try to convince them otherwise. He shifted his shoulders uneasily, trying to shake that dulling sensation. The quicker they were out of here, the better.
“Athar regrets that she cannot help you,” she murmured to John.
Rodney rolled his eyes. “And I’m sure those were her exact words to you.”
John rounded on Rodney, glaring daggers at him. “That’s enough!” he barked.
Rodney gaped. He had never seen John like this before. Ever. What was happening here? Why was he behaving like this and why was the soul bond feeling like it was fading?
“Head back to the jumper,” John ordered, sending Ford to make sure Rodney did as told. Rodney felt sick as they walked to the jumper, his mind racing as he tried to make sense of everything and getting nowhere fast.
~*~*~*~*~*~
“Carson! I’d like you to meet Chaya,” John said jovially. “She’s visiting us for a while.”
Carson looked up from his computer and blinked. “What’s this then?” he asked as he got to his feet. He glanced at John, wondering about how eager he seemed as he introduced them. “Chaya, it’s a pleasure to meet you, lass.”
John turned to her and grinned. “Carson’s going to see to your tests. You’ll be in great hands. Won’t she, Carson?”
Amused, if slightly puzzled, Carson smiled warmly at her. “Aye, of course. If you’ll come right over here, lass, we’ll get you started. Mac’ll take care of John while we’re at it.”
Mac, hearing his name, turned his head. “John, why don’t you have a seat over there,” he said, jerking his head to an empty bed. “I’ll be with you in just a minute.”
John seemed reluctant to leave Chaya’s side. Carson wondered what that was about. And where was Rodney anyway? He and the rest of their team would need to go through their own tests, too. Putting a gentle hand on Chaya’s elbow, Carson guided her over to a bed on the other side of the infirmary and pulled a curtain around it for privacy. “Right. Here we are then.”
He explained briefly what would be happening, and when she consented to the various tests, Carson set to work, keeping up a steady conversation as he did. When she told him of her planet and her being a priestess, Carson couldn’t help wondering why she was here. She’d made it obvious her people would not help them.
“When John told me of your city, I was curious,” Chaya explained, “He offered to show me around. I’ve never been away from my people before.”
He nodded absently as he carefully noted all her stats, took her blood, and then had her go through an MRI. They had to do this twice as the first time he tried to run the scan, she moved around too much. “Now, lass, I need you to lay very still for a bit or this won’t work,” he scolded gently as he reset the MRI and ran it again.
“Just a minute more,” he assured her, scanning the readouts with a slight frown. Well, this was odd. Her scan was showing none of the things it usually picked up with humans. “Well my dear, it seems you’re just as lovely on the inside as you are on the outside.” As odd as that was. He smiled warmly at her. “If health is synonymous with beauty…” Chaya began to sit up, looking curiously around her. “You can get up now,” Carson assured.
“How does this device do what you say it does?”
“It creates images of the tissues inside your body,” he explained, glancing down at the screen. “And they are picture perfect.” He had to school his expression to hide his concern. He had never before seen anyone have results like this, it was unheard of.
“Did you bring these machines back from your world?” She gazed at him with such intent it made Carson feel slightly uncomfortable.
“Some,” he acknowledged, stuffing his hands in his pockets. “Others are Lantean technology that we’re learning to use, and a few I haven’t the vaguest idea of what they do,” he confessed, earning him a secretive smile. He wondered what that was about. He had the funny feeling there was more to this lass than met the eye. “Hopefully one day I’ll meet an Ancient and ask them myself.”
They talked for a while about the Ancients, which she seemed very curious about. Even while they were talking, he was trying to figure out what her scans meant. “Are all the people of your world as healthy as you?” he asked suddenly.
“Yes,” she acknowledged.
Frowning, he shook his head. “No disease? Ailments? No one ever breaks a leg?”
“Such things are rare, but my people heal quite rapidly.” Carson blinked at her in astonishment.
Just then, John popped his head around the corner, looking almost shy and hopeful. “Are we done?”
Chaya turned to Carson. “Are we?”
Carson grinned. “Healthiest patient I’ve ever had. Off you go, love.” She hopped off the table and all but skipped over to John. Carson shook his head in amazement when John held out his arm to her and they walked out of the infirmary arm in arm. “Well,” Carson muttered under his breath, “this is new.”
Mac stepped up behind him. “Did John seem… weird, to you?” he asked quietly, his eyes on where the two had left.
Glancing at his colleague, Carson nodded. “Aye, just a wee bit. Did anything show up on the initial tests?”
“No,” Mac hummed. “I was about to start his bloodwork. I’ll run hers as well, if you like.”
“Thanks, lad. I’d like to take a closer look at her MRI. Something doesn’t seem quite right to me. Hopefully between the two of us, we’ll find some answers.”
Clasping a hand on his shoulder, Mac nodded and left to tend to his work.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“Bloodwork shows no viral, bacterial, or parasitic infections,” Carson explained as Rodney and Elizabeth stared at Chaya’s charts. “MRI reveals no tumors or cancers. No heart defects of any kind. Blood pressure one-thirty over seventy.” Carson glanced sideways at them. “Total cholesterol, one-oh-seven. She’s in perfect health.”
Rodney scowled at the screen. Everything Carson was saying just added to his suspicions. Chaya was bad news, not that he was any closer to understanding why or how. Elizabeth tilted her head in confusion. “I’m… happy for her? But why did we need to see this?”
Carson raised an eyebrow at her. “Because, Doctor, she’s too healthy.”
Wait, what? “What does that mean?” Rodney asked, confused.
“There’s no trace of any diseases or congenital conditions that you typically find in pre-technological societies.”
Rodney’s mind started racing as Carson continued to explain. “But she is human?”
Carson nodded. “Aye.”
Crossing his arms tight around his chest, Rodney glared at the screen again. Okay, so human. That was no help. Damnit all, there had to be a reason why he was so convinced there was something wrong with the woman, if only he could figure out what! Elizabeth left without him being aware of it. Not until Carson put a hand on his shoulder did Rodney become aware of it. “Are you alright, lad?”
“No,” he blurted before he could think better of it. “I’m not.”
He let Carson guide him to his office and into a chair while the man leaned against his desk. “What’s going on, Rodney?”
Scrubbing his face, he sighed. “I wish I knew, Carson. All I know for sure is that something is… blocking the bond with John. It’s been feeling stunted ever since we met Chaya and I have no idea why. John’s been acting strange, too, and won’t listen to me. Hell, he’s acting like he doesn’t know me anymore. At least, not the way he does if that makes sense,” he babbled.
“Wait. Your bond feels stunted?” Carson asked, straightening up.
“That’s what I said, isn’t it?” Rodney groused, frowning up at his friend as he walked around his desk.
Carson tapped his comms. “Mac? Could you do me a favor and run a DNA test on Major Sheppard? On Rodney, too.” He paused, listening. “Aye, need it done stat, if you would. And make sure to give the results only to me, don’t tell anyone you’re running them.”
Tilting his head, Rodney thought for a moment. It made sense to run the tests again, since that had been how they had discovered the gene to begin with. “You’ll let me know if you find anything?” he asked quietly. He wasn’t sure whether he wanted Mac to find something wrong with their bond or not.
Carson nodded, smiling reassuringly. “Of course, lad. The minute we have anything, I promise.”
Rubbing his hands on his thighs, Rodney sighed. “Thanks, Carson.”
“Rodney? If you have a moment, I’d like you to see something, please,” Peter called over the radio.
“I’m on my way.” He tapped his comms and got to his feet.
Before he had gotten to the door, Carson said quietly, “We’ll figure this out, lad. Don’t you worry.”
Rodney really hoped his friend was right because he was starting to feel a little lost, and that wasn’t an experience he enjoyed. When he got to the control room, Rodney got a little of his bounce back. “You got it working?” he asked Peter who was hunched over the console they had found in another part of the city. “What is it?”
Peter glanced up, indicating the console. “It appears to be some sort of internal/external biometric sensor array.”
Rodney chuffed. “See now, sadly, I understood that. Where did all those Saturday nights go?” he said sarcastically.
Rolling his eyes, Peter pointed at his screen. “These seem to be the biosignatures of everyone on Atlantis.”
Huh. He frowned, tilting his head as he tried to follow the readings. “How can you tell?” Seriously, why did the Ancients have to use so much gibberish and superfluous code? What was the point? It wasn’t even pretty code, either. “I can’t make heads or tails of that mess.”
Peter chuckled, nodding agreement. “I’ve been working on deciphering the Ancient algorithms. I suspect that this was designed primarily as an early warning system.”
As Peter continued to expand on his findings, one thing caught his attention. “Wait, hold up. You said this thing turned on after our visitor touched it?” Too healthy? And now this? That couldn’t be a coincidence.
Peter shrugged. “Which must mean she has the Ancient gene.”
That’s one hypothesis, Rodney thought. But no, that didn’t feel right. And how incredibly irksome was this whole working on a ‘feeling’ thing? He was a man of science, damnit, not emotion, but it was all he had to go on for the time being. “Or it was initialized already and only activated because it was detecting her.”
Peter shot him an incredulous look. Rodney didn’t care if he sounded paranoid. His gut told him he was right and if there was one thing he was learning from his major, it was to listen to his gut. “She could be some kind of alien and this thing knows more about her than we’ve been able to decypher,” he pressed on. Straightening, he stared straight ahead. “Someone should be keeping an eye on her,” he mused.
“Oh, Major Sheppard is,” Peter assured him calmly.
Rodney rolled his eyes. “Of course he is.” John was his, dammit, and for all that they were soulmates, he seemed to be falling all over this woman. It was almost as if he was trying to play Kirk, which really annoyed him.
Peter huffed, casting a sly look his way. “Not entirely for the reasons you think. Dr. Weir asked him to.”
“I’m sure she has,” Rodney said dryly. Anything to try to sweet talk the natives, she would do, as far as Rodney could tell. Well, anything short of becoming an arms dealer, which she had already proven resistant to. But he wouldn’t put it past her to whore someone out. Rodney flushed slightly, embarrassed that the thought had even crossed his mind. He knew he was just being bitter and was taking out his anxiety on her, even if only in his head. He knew Elizabeth would never ask anyone to do anything untoward just to further the mission.
Annoyed, he walked off, running various scenarios through his head as he went in search of Elizabeth. Maybe he could convince her to send Chaya back to Proculus. He didn’t dare radio her, not wanting to risk anyone overhearing – and by anyone, he meant John.
He ran into Teyla who gave him a peculiar look which immediately made his stomach turn. He had no idea what she was about to say, but everything in him told him he really didn’t want to hear it. Still, she was his friend, so he stopped to talk to her.
“Dr. McKay,” she said sympathetically, placing her hand on his arm. “Have you seen Major Sheppard recently?”
He squirmed. He had glimpsed him a couple of times as John gave Chaya the grand tour of Atlantis, but it had felt as if the man was actively avoiding running into him and that hurt. So he did what he did best and tried to push the pain aside. Opening his mouth to answer, his throat became too dry to speak when Teyla mentioned seeing him carrying a picnic basket. “He said something about being an ambassador and having a diplomatic picnic with Chaya out on the pier.”
Rodney’s heart skipped a couple of beats, his chest tightening as he rasped, “When?”
Teyla tilted her head, watching him closely. “About half an hour ago.”
Mental images of John and Chaya played out in his mind’s eye faster than he could keep up, which was a blessing. He tried to touch on the soul bond but where it used to be, there now was emptiness. “Thanks,” he managed, pushing past her in his hurry to find Elizabeth. He had to convince her, had to make her see.
When he finally located her, Rodney was disappointed to find her unwilling to see his view of things. She was outright dismissive of his concerns, even going so far as to suggest he was having a breakdown of some sort and he was imagining the soul bond being gone. After all, the Ancient database had said that a bond was for life and the Ancients surely could not be wrong. It was an attitude he had come across among his minions and it was one that he abhorred. After all the fiascos they had already faced, he no longer held those dratted ascended assholes up on the pedestal most people did. After a lot of talking – okay, maybe it had more been him having a bitchfest of near-epic proportions – she finally relented to at least let him sit in on their next meeting so he could monitor her. He fervently hoped that he would get something out of that, because he had the distinct impression that if he messed up this time, he would be in for it with Elizabeth. And no doubt John would have a thing or two to say about it, too.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Biting his lip, John replayed the last few moments over and over as he headed toward the transporter. He had kissed Chaya and it had been amazing. It had been a little weird at first because he couldn’t stop thinking about the fact she was an alien, but once they started… it had felt so right. Hadn’t it? Frowning, he pushed aside the tiny voice that wanted to argue and that sounded suspiciously like McKay.
Speaking of McKay, John thought as the man called after him. John stopped and turned around, feigning innocence. “Hello, Rodney. What are you doing up so late?” Why was he suddenly feeling guilty? He had done nothing wrong, he was a grown ass major, after all.
Rodney frowned, glancing over his shoulder to where John had just come from before looking at him again. “I was just, ummm,” he paused, a flash of hurt in his eyes as he changed tact. “I couldn’t sleep so I was just on my way to the control room to do a little, err, research. How about you?” he tacked on sarcastically.
John bristled, but played dumb. “No thanks.”
Crossing his arms, Rodney tilted his head. “No, I meant, what are you doing up this late?”
“I’m always up this late, Rodney,” he rebuked, not sure why he was having to explain himself to the scientist.
Shifting so his arms were clasped behind his back, Rodney seemed to steel himself. “Word of caution? The whole Captain Kirk routine is problematic, to say the least.” Was that jealousy in the man’s voice? John’s eyes tightened, trying to make sense of things, which was a lot harder than it should have been, if he were completely honest with himself.
“What ‘Kirk’ routine?” John asked harshly, getting his back up.
Rodney jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “The whole ‘romancing the alien priestess’ thing? It’s very nineteen sixty seven of you,” he said scathingly. “Actually, I’m surprised that you-”
John cut him off. “If and when anything I do becomes your business-” What the hell was McKay’s problem? And where did he get off trying to dress John down like this?
“It becomes my business,” Rodney said, his voice hard and his expression closed. “When an alien woman who clearly is not who she claims to be has the ranking military officer wrapped around her little finger!”
John glared at the man. “Don’t go there, McKay,” he warned. He wasn’t entirely sure why he was suddenly as pissed off as he was, other than the scientist seemed to be pushing all his buttons just in that moment. That, and that completely random feeling of guilt that he couldn’t place set him on edge. And there was the whole accusing his Chaya of basically being evil incarnate, if McKay’s words and demeanor were anything to go by.
Rodney looked away, blinking furiously. His voice broke when he met John’s gaze again. “I’m sorry. I know I’m not normally Mr. Sensitive, but you have got to believe me when I say there is something seriously wrong with that woman. I know it’s intangible, but I can feel it-”
John stepped into McKay’s space, looming over him as he snapped, “I said, don’t. Go. There.”
Rodney took a shaky breath, stubbornly pressing on. “It’s just a matter of time before-” he stopped and both men looked up when the door behind Rodney opened and Chaya stepped out. She took one look at them before turning around and heading back with an unreadable expression on her face.
John glowered at McKay, showing him the contempt he felt for his accusations. The other man opened his mouth to plead his case again, but John stalked away, feeling disgusted. Though the further he got, the more confused the jumble of emotions inside of him became. Maybe a run would help clear his head, he thought as he set off toward his favorite path.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Rodney only half paid attention to the farce that was the negotiation meeting with Chaya. What little he could tell, things were going as badly as he had expected them to, so he focused most of his attention on the tests he was running and growing more irritated by the second. Chaya’s suddenly calling him out on what he was doing startled him enough that he admitted he was getting nothing useful.
John was irate, glaring daggers at Rodney which he could have sworn he actually felt pierce his heart. Meanwhile, Elizabeth was apologizing profusely. It all became too much for Rodney and he stood, shoving his chair back in disgust. “Oh stop apologizing, Elizabeth,” he snapped. When all eyes were on him, he challenged, “How did she know?”
“McKay!”
Sadness washed over Rodney as he looked at his mate. It was almost as if he were someone else entirely, someone he didn’t know anymore and that hurt. More than he’d ever willingly let on. “She’s an Ancient,” he said quietly, turning to Chaya again. “I’m right, aren’t I? The perfect health, the energy weapon, the fact that she has the Ancient gene,” and God knew what else, Rodney added silently. “It’s the only logical explanation.”
“What the hell are you talking about?” John asked, sounding confused.
Rodney ignored him, his focus completely on Chaya. “I just don’t understand the act. I mean, you must know that we would give anything to talk to you, to learn from you. I mean, what is it? Were you just checking us out?”
The sudden look of guilt on Chaya’s face made Rodney’s stomach turn. Had she done something to interfere with his bond with John? His knees buckled when Chaya told John that she had come to the city for him, and he sat heavily back in his chair. His head was buzzing as he listened to her explanation of why she had come here. How could she possibly have done anything to their bond? How was that even possible? That had to be it, though, right? What else could explain the sudden change? But it had to be more than that. More than merely tinkering with the bond because John had genuinely appeared unaware of their relationship.
Before he could voice any of his concerns or theories, however, Chaya walked out of the room, John hot on her heels. It took Rodney a few precious seconds to recover from the shock of seeing him so eagerly give chase after that woman, and when he finally caught up to them, it was only just in time to see Chaya turn into a glowy being and disappear through the gate.
John ran towards the hanger, heedless of the fact that both Rodney and Elizabeth called after him to stop. He tried to go after him but Carson caught his arm and he turned in surprise. “Carson, what-?”
“Lad, you need to see this for yourself,” Carson urged quietly, shoving a laptop into his hands. The non-networked laptop he had given the man, Rodney thought idly as he powered it on. Scanning the information on the screen, Rodney nearly dropped the computer, his body suddenly feeling numb with shock. He had been right. Chaya had done something to their bond. The markers that had shown their soul bond were no longer the same. Instead, John now shared a marker with someone else.
Chaya.
Rodney looked up at the sound of the gate activating and the jumper lowering itself for take off. Shoving the laptop back at Carson, he hurried to the balcony, tapping his comms. “John! You can’t go! John! Please!”
He watched in horror as the jumper slipped through the event horizon without so much as a word from John. “John, please don’t leave me,” he whispered hoarsely as he watched the gate wink out.
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