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sgareversebang2010-07-11 10:02 am
mashimero) wrote in sgareversebang2010-07-11 10:02 am
Entry tags:
Serve and Protect/Endgame
Artist:
saldemoniumTitle: Serve and Protect
Medium: manip
Pairing(s): McShep, or could be gen
Author:
maverickTitle: Endgame
Wordcount: ~10,000
Rating: PG-13
Pairing(s): McKay/Sheppard
Summary: In the city of Atlantis, Detectives John Sheppard and Rodney McKay take on tough cases that no one else can solve.
Notes: This story is set in a universe where the Ancients never took Atlantis on the joy ride to the Pegasus Galaxy.
Many thanks to
pollitt for handholding and beta. Also, if you would like to see the Wonder Woman costume change that McKay and Sheppard are debating at the beginning of the story, you can go HERE. That's also thanks to pollitt and her comic book geekiness.And to
saldemonium for the awesome and inspiring artwork. And I totally stole the artwork's summary for my fic's summary. And finally... Not my sandbox. For fun, not profit.
Endgame
The first shot hit John in the left shoulder making him stumble backwards, but he was able to regroup and get off several rounds of his own, taking out the two gunmen to his left. The next two shots hit him low and to the right, but he still managed to stay upright even if his hands weren’t as steady as they normally would be. But he learned long ago that the adrenaline would kick in soon and his aim and focus would come back with a vengeance. And just like clockwork, he took down the gunman on his right, unfortunately not before taking two more hits square to the chest. By his count though, that just left Kolya and his protégé, Sora.
It wasn’t supposed to go down this way, but it did. If he had to die to stop Kolya, he’d do it the same way all over again. He steadied his aim and took Sora down with two well-placed shots to her knees. Underneath it all she was just a mixed-up kid, so even though he was fighting for his life, he couldn’t bring himself to kill her.
Kolya was another story.
The two of them faced off like gunfighters at the OK Corral. It was fitting somehow. He opened fire at the same time as Kolya.
His last memory before it all went black was Rodney’s voice, panicked and rough, yelling “Officer down, officer down” into his radio.
Three days earlier…
“Come on McKay. Join the 21st Century. Women have been wearing pants for a long, long time. You going to go in and tell Teyla she can’t wear pants?”
“No, no, and again no. There is no comparison. Wonder Woman without the star-spangled short-shorts is like Superman without the tights and cape. There are certain accoutrements that are iconic and her blue starred shorts are one of them. Next they’ll be removing her gauntlets. She’s not Catwoman, she’s Wonder Woman. The short-shorts are not optional.”
“You’re entitled to your opinion McKay, even if you’re dead wrong.”
It was so easy to wind up Rodney every morning, especially if he hadn’t had his second cup of coffee yet. “Must you always make some sort of death pun when we come into work.”
“We work homicide, McKay. I’ll take my levity where I can get it.” Speaking of which. “Hey Lorne, any leads on the Chaya Sar case?”
Lorne settled on the edge of John’s desk. “Nope. No leads, no trace evidence. Just a whole lot of nothing. Parrish and I will keep working it, but there’s still no real evidence that she’s dead.”
John wasn’t sure she was dead either, but it was just too weird. “People don’t just up and disappear into thin air.”
“Maybe she was tired of you flirting with her, Kirk.”
McKay must have guzzled his second cup of joe when John wasn’t looking if he was making Kirk cracks already. “Very funny, McKay. She understood I was only doing my job.”
McKay snorted. “Hey Lorne, have they updated the job description since I transferred in to say that you should wine and dine murder suspects? It’s not in my handbook. I checked.”
Lorne cracked a smile. “Wine is mandatory. The dinner is optional though.”
Rodney grabbed John’s coffee out of his hand and took a swig. “Everyone’s a comedian.”
“We don’t all have your big brain McKay, so we have to make our fun where we can. Not that I don’t enjoy your morning routine, but I’ve got to go meet Parrish down at the morgue.”
“Tell Zelenka he’s still a hack and will always be a hack.”
Lorne smiled again before rolling his eyes in John’s direction. “Yeah, I’ll be sure to pass that along. Oh, I almost forgot. Teyla want to see you guys ASAP.”
Teyla Emmagan grew up on Atlantis, a diplomat’s daughter who learned her father’s skills at his knee. But she – much like John – chose to use those skills protecting Atlantis. She was the best commanding officer that John had ever had the pleasure of working for. She was a skilled marksman, unparalleled at hand-to-hand combat – and John had the bruises to prove it – but more importantly she could bend the bureaucracy of Atlantis to her will without any of the politicians or bureaucrats having any idea that she just played them. If Teyla were a super hero that would totally be her power.
John knocked on the doorframe of Teyla’s office. “Lorne said you wanted to see us.”
“Yes. I received a most disturbing report this morning. There has been another murder with the same ritualistic markers.”
Rodney sat down. “That makes three in 15 days. I’m surprised the FBI hasn’t tried to take over jurisdiction.”
Teyla smiled serenely. “Never fear, Rodney, your old colleagues have attempted to remove us from the case. I just made them realize that error in judgment.”
As John had said, Teyla rocked. “Remind me never to get on your bad side, Capt.”
“The FBI is an honorable agency.” Teyla ignored Rodney’s snort and continued. “But they do not understand the history or complexity of the lore of the Ancestors. And while I know Rodney will agree that science can solve many cases, I believe that answers to this mystery are steeped in the traditions of the past.”
John kind of loved the fact that Rodney never gave Teyla any grief about honoring the traditions she grew up with. She had recruited Rodney away from the FBI three years ago with the simple promise that she wouldn’t interfere with his methods, so in retrospect, Rodney was just returning the favor. “Who’d they send to try and strong arm you?”
Teyla quirked an eyebrow at Rodney. “I believe it was one of your favorite people, Rodney. Director Ellis.”
John burst out laughing. “Did you get that on tape? I’m quite certain McKay here would pay top dollar to watch you put that bastard in his place.”
“No, I do my best not to leave any incriminating evidence behind. Rodney will just have to take my word that Director Ellis was sufficiently chastised.”
“Oh, I do Capt. I most certainly do. Where’s the latest body?”
“In a temple down by the East Pier. And Rodney, you might want to contact Elizabeth. There is Ancient Scripture on the floor next to the body.”
John could see Rodney visibly tense. Elizabeth was like an albatross of guilt that hung around McKay’s neck, weighing him down. “I’ll have her meet us there.”
“Thank you Rodney. And let me know if you need anything to aid in the investigation.”
Rodney had shut down on the way to the car. John wasn’t used to there being silence in the car with Rodney along for the ride. He complained about it, but secretly he enjoyed the endless stream of words that was Detective Rodney McKay.
“You want me to call Elizabeth for you?”
Rodney just turned and gaped at John. “Thanks, but no. I already texted her. She’ll meet us there.”
Turning his head while they were stopped at a red light, John tried to get a read on Rodney’s state of mind. “You okay with that?”
“Peachy. If she doesn’t blame me for getting her shot when she was my partner, why should I?”
John turned back around to watch the road. “McKay, it wasn’t your fault.”
“Yes, I’m well aware. And Grodin and Griffin. They weren’t my fault either. Just part of the job. The fact that they call me the Grim Reaper is merely a coincidence. Just in case though, you might want to think about putting in for a transfer, Sheppard. We’re getting close to the D-Day of when all my partners end up bleeding out in front of me.”
Jesus Christ. John knew that Rodney blamed himself for what had happened to his partners. It was part of Rodney’s psyche. But he really couldn’t understand how someone so brilliant couldn’t understand that everyone who became a cop understood the risks and walked into harm’s way willingly. So Rodney was no more cursed that he was, and he should remind him of that. “Yeah, I’ll get right on that just as soon as you put in yours. If we’re going to compare records, now’s about the time you should get hooked on drugs and OD like Ford and Sumner.”
Rodney sighed. “Yeah, I guess we deserve each other.”
“We do. And Rodney, Elizabeth doesn’t blame you because it wasn’t your fault. You saved her life. You might want to concentrate on that part of the story.” Especially because there hadn’t been any happy endings in John’s case. Both Sumner and Ford were dead. And those were demons that John had to fight every day.
John never meant to become a homicide detective. Hell, he never meant to join the force in the first place. After his big brother Dave up and joined the Air Force, John did what his father asked and went to law school. He graduated top of his class and then proceeded to throw it all way – his father’s words not his – to become a beat cop on Atlantis.
But Atlantis had called to him from the first time he’d set foot on her shores. She wasn’t like other cites – and not simply because she floated on the ocean and contained advanced technology left over from some long dead civilization. He felt a kinship to her unlike he felt anywhere else on Earth. And because of that, he felt duty bound to protect her and her citizens.
While Atlantis was officially deemed an international asset, her protection fell to the United States, so her laws were under their jurisdiction. John had worked his way up the food chain from beat cop to narcotics. But after he lost Ford, he went a little insane and was ready to turn in his badge, until Teyla found him and gave him a new focus and purpose. Teyla had a thing for strays. It was another reason why she made such a great boss. She saw the potential in everyone.
Turns out he was well suited to homicide. He and Rodney had the highest solve rate in the city. They both had an uncanny knack to see patterns that other people simply overlooked. Rodney said it was his big brain and John’s adequate sized one, which from Rodney was quite the compliment. But John knew it was more. For all Rodney’s bravado, he really was brilliant, but more than that he hated to let the bad guys win. He hurt for every victim and every victim’s family.
John never expected that of Rodney McKay. When he joined homicide, he knew he was being paired with a loudmouth, self-described genius who had transferred over from the FBI after telling his Bureau Chief to go fuck himself and who had very helpfully provided detailed instructions of the physics of how the Chief could do just that.
John was expecting to hate him. In fact he wanted to hate him. He could work with that. After watching his mentor and then his protégé succumb to the allure of Atlantis's special brand of drugs, he hadn’t planned on being chummy with his next partner. But Rodney had worn down his defenses on the first day and had him laughing and spitting coffee onto his computer screen before he could stop him.
And now John couldn’t imagine his life without McKay by his side.
Elizabeth met Rodney with a hug and a smile that lit up her face. She looked over Rodney’s shoulder to John. “He’s not giving you too much grief, is he Sheppard?”
John winked at her. “Nope, whoever worked with him before me must have schooled him well. Must have been a miracle worker, that one.”
Rodney stepped away from Elizabeth, his face slightly flushed. It was a good look on him and the haunted shadows were gone from his eyes. “If the two of you are done maligning my good name, we have a murder to solve.”
Elizabeth patted him on the back. “Never fear, Rodney. I’m sure John and I can do both at the same time.”
The victim was face up, eyes wide open, the pool of his own blood seeping out both sides of his torso and forming a pattern like a set of macabre wings.
“You got time of death yet, Doc?”
Dr. Radek Zelenka met John’s eyes. “Not yet, Detective. Just arrived myself. Did you have to bring him?” he asked looking at McKay. “Too early in the day to have to deal with his ego.”
“Well you could attempt to do your job and then my ego wouldn’t feel the need to crush yours quite so regularly.”
“Strangely I will not be crying in my coffee from your insults. Perhaps if they came from someone with more skill than bombast.”
Both Elizabeth and John had to bite their cheeks to stop from smiling. If you listened to McKay and Zelenka’s insults, one would think they hated each other. But that wasn’t the case. It was a shtick they’d been perfecting for years. In fact, Zelenka left the FBI when Rodney did. John was pretty sure he would never admit it was in solidarity with Rodney, but everyone else knew otherwise. They bantered and bickered, but at the end of the day, they respected each other’s expertise.
John figured it was better to nip it in the bud this morning though. The pattern of the stab wounds -- which looked like an X with a plus sign split through it -- were the same as on the first two victims. So he stated the obvious. “Teyla said this case was connected to the others?”
“Correct. As you can see the stab wounds form the same 15-point pattern across his chest and abdomen. From body temperature and lividity, time of death is between 3 and 6 am. I’ll know more after a full exam.”
Rodney crouched down next to the body. “So the time frame is the same as well. Hands and arms again show a complete lack of defensive wounds. How does someone get stabbed so violently and not react?”
“That is for you to figure out, my friend.” Zelenka looked up at John and Elizabeth. “Once we remove the body, Elizabeth should take a look at the inscription on the floor near his head. It continues under his neck and shoulders. It is in Ancient, and looks to be carved into the stone of the floor itself.”
The thing about working on a city with a living history etched into its very fabric was that it put everything into some strange sphere which doused reality with a fair bit of mysticism. It annoyed the hell out of Rodney, but John thought it was just Atlantis looking after her own. “McKay, there weren’t any markings at the other sites, correct?”
“Nothing Ancient. Just the plaque of the game of 15 on the wall.”
Radek stood up and motioned for his team to come and remove the body. “Stop by the morgue later and I’ll give you my full report.”
“Thanks Doc,” John said as he watched Zelenka wheel the body away.
Rodney looked over at Elizabeth. “You okay with working on this?”
“Yes, Rodney. Blood doesn’t bother me, remember? You’re the one with the weak stomach.”
John knew what Elizabeth was going for and he wanted to hug her. She knew that Rodney was seeing her blood on the ground instead of the latest victim, and she was doing what she could to distract him.
Elizabeth squeezed Rodney’s shoulder as she squatted down beside him. “I know I chose to move from field work to research, but I’ll always have your back when you need me.”
John couldn’t even make himself pick on Rodney for the blush that spread across his face.
“Can you make out what is says?”
“Yes. It reads like a riddle. One cannot protect the whole, but the whole can protect the one.”
“What’s the deal with all the fifteens?” Rodney said as he perched on the corner of John’s desk and looked at the murder board in front of them.
John shook his head. “Haven’t a clue.”
“Three dead in 15 days. Fifteen stab wounds in a jaunty pattern across each chest. Even the inscription that Elizabeth translated has fifteen syllables, in both Ancient and English. Not to mention plaques of a solved game of 15 hanging on the wall. I mean, I’m all for a little game of math to relieve the stress of a bad day, but that’s taking it to the extreme isn’t it?”
John snapped his fingers. “Wait a second. Maybe they’re all members of the Brotherhood of the Fifteen?”
“The whack jobs who think they are the direct descendents of the Ancients and proclaim to protect the very essence of what makes Atlantis the closest thing this planet has to a sentient city?”
John raised an eyebrow. “Whack jobs?”
Rodney rolled his eyes. “Sorry, the highly delusional group of believers. Better?”
“Think about it. You said it yourself. Everything revolves around the number 15 and unless it’s some rogue order of Mensa, it makes the most sense.”
Rodney nodded and turned to look at John. “But who would want to kill members of this society? And who would even know who they are? It’s not like they go around wearing some gaudy ring like the Masons. They take the secret, in secret society, very seriously.”
That was true. And fifteen people in a city of over 6 million were a tiny needle in an enormous haystack. “Better still, what is it that they are supposedly protecting? Is there actually something tangible that they are willing to die to protect?”
“Even if there’s not, someone obviously believes there is. I think it’s time to take Teyla up on her offer to help.”
John had to smile. Rodney loved the technology of Atlantis, but the lore of the Ancestors, not so much. “It kills you to say that, doesn’t it?"
“Not her help per se, but yes the fact that she was right that these murders are linked to something deep in the history of Atlantis creeps me out a bit.”
“It’ll be okay, buddy. The history will wash right off of you with your next shower.”
Rodney just glared at them as they walked to Teyla’s office.
After John and Rodney were seated in Teyla’s office, John dove right in. “What can you tell us about the Brotherhood of the Fifteen?”
“So the case is indeed steeped in the old ways?” Teyla asked as she turned to pull some Ancient texts off her shelf.
“It seems so,” Rodney said. “Is it all fiction?”
Teyla shook her head. “According to my father, the Brotherhood of the Fifteen was founded over 300 hundred years ago. As you know Atlantis was unknown to the rest of the world at that point, so the first Brothers could very well have been descendants of the Ancients, but the records from that time are few and far between.”
Teyla opened a well-worn book to a page showing a man holding some sort of bright colored crystal object toward the sky.
“I thought Atlantis was abandoned over two hundred years ago, so this Brotherhood can’t be directly linked to that one can it?” Rodney asked pointing to the page.
Teyla again shook her head. “It is possible. While it is true that some sort of plague sent people away and the city put itself to sleep, descendents of those Atlantians still exist, scattered throughout the world.”
The reverent look on the Brother’s face made the object he was holding obviously important. “Do you know what the Brotherhood was supposed to be protecting?”
Teyla pointed to the crystal on the page. “You have to understand that we are dealing with lore that has been passed from generation to generation. But according to the stories of the forefathers, the Brotherhood protected some sort of device that could make the city impregnable from attack. More elaborate stories speak of a device that would allow the city to fly.”
“ZedPM,” Rodney said with wide eyes, fingers tapping at the picture. “That’s a ZedPM.”
“What?” John and Teyla asked at the same time.
“ZedPM or Zero Point Module is a device that supposedly extracts vacuum energy from a small artificially-created region of subspace. The control room at the bottom of Atlantis has slots for something that looks remarkably like these drawings.”
Leave it to Rodney to be able to explain how the past had just up and hijacked their case. “So the Brotherhood could be protecting something that’s real.”
Rodney let out a stuttering breath. “If it’s real, it changes everything we know about physics and the universe.”
The awe in Rodney’s voice made John smile. He cupped Rodney on the shoulder. “And you doubted you could learn anything from history. Thank you Teyla. This gives us something to go on.”
Teyla went to close her book.
“Wait,” Rodney said, stopping Teyla mid-action.
“What is it Rodney?”
Rodney pointed to the elaborate script on the page. “The inscription at the bottom. It’s similar to what was at the crime scene. Can we fax that over to Elizabeth?”
Teyla set the book back down. “I can do better than that. She’s coming here to meet me for lunch. She should be here right about now.”
John smiled as he watched Elizabeth walk up to the door of Teyla’s office. “Speak of the devil.”
Elizabeth smirked at him as she entered the office. “Now, John, you shouldn’t speak about Rodney that way when he’s right here in the room. What’s up?”
Rodney brought the book over to Elizabeth as John pulled out his notebook. “Can you translate this passage? It looked similar to the one we found at the temple.”
“It is similar, but it doesn’t follow your pattern of fifteen. It reads more like a warning: To protect the whole, no entrance will be granted to any without the mark of the light.”
John sighed. “Does anyone else feel like we just walked into the middle of a bad Dan Brown novel?”
Rodney snorted as he handed the book back to Teyla. “Well it’s not like there’s ever been a good Dan Brown book. On that note, Sheppard and I will let you two go have your lunch. Thank you both for your help.”
“You’re very welcome, Rodney.”
Zelenka looked up from the body on the slab in front of him. “Ah, I knew it was too quiet in here today. Come to start yelling at me already Rodney?”
John smiled. Those two had their routine down to a science. “I’ll keep him quiet Doc, but we have a strange request.”
Zelenka sighed like someone who had worked with both John and Rodney before. “As long as it doesn’t require me handcuffing myself to the corpse like last time, I am – what is the expression – all ears.”
“Can you line up all three of the bodies and shine them with the light from the ancient scanner.”
“I already did a UV scan on all of them.”
“We’re looking for something that wouldn’t have shown up there. If we’re right, it’s technology that we haven’t mastered.”
“As you wish.” Radek had his assistant bring out the first two bodies and went to retrieve the scanner.
When he got back, he handed John and Rodney each a pair of goggles. “Put these on and no bitching McKay. We don’t know what kind of damage this scanner can do. What are we looking for?”
“A mark of the light,” John and Rodney said together.
“Holy shi…” Across the left palm of each of the victims was an illuminated brand of the same design that had been stabbed into their bodies. The brand showed 15 distinctive points along the design. “Okay, that is officially weird. Any idea how that works Doc?”
Radek turned off the scanner. “I do not know. The body shows no visible scars or elemental traces that would account for those marks. This is not modern science.”
Rodney was clearly uncomfortable with something that couldn’t be explained by science. “I guess it’s safe to assume they were indeed part of the Brotherhood of the Fifteen. Have you finished your report on the latest body, Radek?”
“Yes, Rodney I have. The stab wounds again show a very distinctive attack pattern. Not just a normal in and out motion, there’s a twist motion to it as well. I know I have seen it before, but I will have to do some research. We also received the toxicology back on the first two victims. The wounds showed traces of Synthetic Wraith Enzyme--or as they say on the street, HULK--and a powdered version of tava beans.”
“Kolya.” John and Rodney said in unison.
This could be the break they were looking for, and if John had a nemesis it was Acastus Kolya. He would dance on that bastard’s grave if he was finally able to take him down. “Son of a bitch. That attack pattern you noted Radek. That’s a calling card of Kolya’s men. They call it the butterfly. The twist opens the wound deep and damages the organs so even if the victim survives the attack, they probably won’t live for very long after.”
Radek nodded. “That makes sense. But why would there be traces of HULK and tava in the wounds, but not in the victims’ systems?”
Rodney snapped his fingers. “Because whoever is doing the deed is snorting the HULK off the knife before he kills the victims. That could explain the viciousness of the attack, if not the lack of defensive wounds.”
That made sense. But why would Kolya be mixed up in this? He was a drug kingpin who wasn’t above killing people, but the Brothers didn’t fit his normal MO. They were missing something. “McKay, you stay here with Radek and see if your two big brains can come up with how the Brothers were marked.”
“And what will you be doing Sheppard?” John could tell that Rodney was worried he was going after Kolya by himself.
“I’m gonna go sweet talk a certain ADA into getting us a warrant to search Kolya’s tava bean operation.”
Rodney laughed. “Good luck with that. Tell Ronon, he still owes me $20 from the poker game last week.”
John wasn’t one of those cops who liked to call in favors, but sometimes it was necessary. So he headed downtown to visit Assistant District Attorney, Ronon Dex. They’d met at Stanford when someone assigned John to be Ronon’s mentor. They hit it off right away and Ronon became John’s brother in a way that his own brother Dave never was. So it only seemed fitting that Ronon would follow John to Atlantis--but you know actually use the degree he worked so hard to get.
“I need an ask,” John said as he slumped down in the chair across from Ronon’s desk.
Ronon smirked. “Nice to see you too, Shep. How come you only come down to see me when you need something?”
John shrugged and grabbed a lollipop out of the bowl on Ronon’s desk. The glare that Ronon gave him would make anyone else give it back, but he was immune. “I don’t like the courthouse. It smells.”
“Yes, I’m sure your homicide precinct smells of flowers and springtime.”
John chuckled, unwrapping his lollipop and sticking it his mouth. “Actually, it kind of does. But only because Lorne’s partner Parrish has plants everywhere.”
“I’m assuming you didn’t come here to talk about botany or just to steal my tootsie pops.”
John removed the sucker from his mouth. “That’s why they pay you the big bucks. I need you to get me a search warrant on Kolya.”
Ronon cocked an eyebrow and laughed, full and deep. “You want a pony too?”
John shrugged. “No, the search warrant will be plenty. At least until Christmas.”
“And what probable cause should I present to a judge to have him issue this warrant? Kolya’s a murdering son-of-a-bitch who needs to die doesn’t really cut it.”
“He’s mixed up in the serial case that McKay and I are working.”
Ronon grabbed his own piece of candy. “Mixed up, how?”
“The knife wounds on the victims distinctly bare Kolya’s signature.”
Ronon snorted again. “That’s not good enough Shep and you know it. I hate the fucker. Probably more than you do. I had to put my childhood friends behind bars because they were slinging HULK for him. But we haven’t been able to make anything stick.”
John had watched Ronon struggle through that prosecution. In the 10 years, John had known him, the most background John had ever gotten out of him was, “I’m from Sateda and no, we’re not talking about it.” He knew that with that prosecution, Ronon had lost his last connection to his past and John was acutely aware of how much that sucked. But this was not the time to bring that up. One day, he’d get Ronon drunk enough to spill the beans, but today he needed his warrant.
“There were traces of HULK in the knife wounds.”
Ronon propped his very long legs up on his desk. “Try again, he’s not the only one peddling that garbage.”
“No, but he controls the tava bean supply and there were traces of that in the wounds as well.”
“So they’re using tava to cut the HULK. That’s kinda sick, but we might be able to use it to get your warrant. You’re gonna owe me, pal.”
John knew he should have picked up Rodney once he’d gotten the warrant, but he didn’t want Rodney there to watch the exchange. He brought Lorne along for backup – both of them wired for sound--because he planned on baiting Kolya into making a move. He really didn’t need Rodney physically there with him because he was in John’s head yelling at him in great detail about what a stupid move this was. It might be stupid but it could also get them the answers they needed.
John entered the warehouse waving the warrant, Lorne a few steps behind him. “Detective Sheppard. I would say your presence was a pleasant surprise, but let’s do our best to keep it honest.”
If you’re going to bait the line, you needed to provide a nice juicy tidbit for them to bite on. “What are you trying to gain, Kolya. That’s what I don’t get. I seriously doubt the Brotherhood of the Fifteen were trying to take over your drug business, so what’s the angle?”
Kolya shrugged his shoulders, his blown pupils the only visible sign that he was getting ready to lie. “Brotherhood of what? I have no idea what you’re talking about Sheppard. How many times do I have to tell you, I run a legitimate business. I have no need for illegal dealings. Tava beans are very profitable now that it’s been cleared as an alternate fuel source.”
“Come on Kolya, I thought you said we were going to keep this honest.”
Kolya walked up into John’s space and leaned in. “Why’d you bring along this one? Where’s that partner of yours? He hasn’t developed a HULK problem like your last one, has he? No, he’s too smart for that. Of course that doesn’t mean something else couldn’t happen to him, now does it?”
For a moment, John thought that maybe somehow Kolya has slipped him a hit of HULK because all he could see was red. He grabbed Kolya by his shoulders and shoved him away so hard he landed on the ground.
Kolya’s men all pulled out their guns, as did Lorne.
Kolya laughed and stood up. He waved off his goons. John motioned for Lorne to stow his as well.
“Hit a little close to home did I? You might want to review our track record detective. I win and you lose.”
John walked over to where Kolya was standing, getting into his space as Kolya had just done to him. “That’s the great thing about probability, Kolya. The numbers are actually in my favor. Oh and if anything happens to McKay, I will kill you myself.”
Kolya laughed and turned to walk away. “I’ll leave you to your search now. Do say goodbye before you leave detective. I do so love our talks.”
Lorne looked at John like he’d grown a second head. “When you asked for backup, I didn’t realize you were going to play a game of chicken with the biggest crime boss on Atlantis.”
“I got what I wanted.”
“A target on McKay’s back?”
John shuddered. “Hell no. Kolya now knows that we’ve made the connection to the Brotherhood. He’s gonna up his game.”
“You do realize, McKay is gonna be pissed when he finds out about this.”
John sighed. “Oh yeah, as soon as he hears the tapes, I’m toast.”
“Well, goading a psychopathic criminal into coming after my partner is not exactly a game that Parrish and I play, but you and McKay have always been special.”
John laughed. “Oh, that’s not what McKay’s gonna be pissed about. I just made him the damsel in distress.”
Lorne smiled. “Oh fuck, you’re right. You think Teyla would give me the next few days off?”
“Never fear Lorne. He won’t come after you. His wrath will fall squarely on me.”
Lorne put his hand out for John to shake. “It’s been nice knowing you Sheppard. I’ll make sure and say something nice about you at your funeral.”
Three times a week, John got up at the asscrack of dawn to workout with Ronon.
They had just finished getting warmed up on the heavy bag before Ronon sprung it on him.
“You ever gonna tell him?”
He should have seen it coming, but some days he just never did. John threatening to kill Kolya if he even thought of laying a hand on McKay had made the rounds at the courthouse obviously.
Ronon always had a way of reading John’s mind. But that didn’t mean he wanted to talk about it. If he couldn’t bring up Ronon’s friends, then Ronon could damn well leave Rodney alone. So John went with the tried and true method. Ignorance. “That I do math problems to relax? McKay already knows.”
Ronon rolled his eyes. The thing about having such a good friend was that they didn’t feel obligated to put up with your bullshit. “The way you feel about him.”
Well fuck. Leave it to Ronon not to pull any punches. “We don’t. I don’t. It’s just…”
Ronon put his hand on John’s shoulder. “You should, John. I’m pretty damn sure he feels the same way. Hell you’re the only person on the planet that he doesn’t insult every minute of every day.”
John thought it best not to argue that point. Rodney insulted him plenty, but even he knew it was without the venom that McKay unleashed on the rest of the population. But that didn’t mean anything. And it certainly didn’t mean he was going to fuck up their working relationship. “He’s my partner.”
Ronon snorted. “You keep telling yourself that Shep and you might just start believing it yourself.”
Okay, that was enough. “Are we gonna talk or are we gonna spar?”
Ronon smiled wide and predatory. It was the smile that scared the crap out of defense attorneys and defendants alike. John was pretty sure that one day he’d hear about Ronon getting someone to plead out with just one look from him. “Me kicking your ass isn’t going to make it any less true.”
Of course, Ronon wasn’t just a pretty face. His mind was nearly as sharp at Rodney’s. “I kinda hate you sometimes.”
Ronon laughed as he swept John’s legs out from under him in a move that John had never found a defense too even after years of trying. “Yeah, remember that the next time you want me to pull a warrant out of my ass.”
There was that. John took Ronon’s hand to help him up off the mat. “Why do I do this to myself every week?”
“Because you need someone to beat some sense into you. It might as well be me. Besides, once McKay finds out you tried to defend his honor, any damage I do here today will seem like nothing.”
Yeah that was not a conversation John was looking forward to having.
Rodney was waiting in John’s hallway when he got back from his workout with Ronon. He at least waited until John had opened the door before his pushed him through it. Rodney backed John up to the couch before shoving him down on it. John went willingly, he figured he owed Rodney at least that much.
“I built a nuclear bomb in grade six – a non-working model mind you – for my science fair. Did you know that?”
John shook his head no. He had no idea where this conversation was going, but he was a smart guy so he kept quiet and let Rodney go on.
“I started working for your country’s CIA soon after. I have four separate doctorates in Astrophysics, Quantum Mechanics, Computer Engineering and Criminology. I started working for the FBI when I was 18, and told them to go to hell when they tried to steal my profiling program and claim it as their property. I had made enough money by the time I was 25 to never have to work again.”
John knew that Rodney was a genius, but Christ, four doctorates? Who did that?
“I have buried two partners,” Rodney’s voice broke a bit. “Two friends and watched another one fight her way back from a career ending injury. So what the hell gives you the right to assume that I need protecting from anyone. I fight my own battles, John. And if you can’t respect that, than I’ll find a partner who will.”
Well that wasn’t how John imagined Rodney would use his first name for the first time. “McKay. Rodney. I know you can protect yourself. But I couldn’t let that slide with Kolya. He killed Aiden. You know it and I know it. And he took that kid’s life to taunt me.”
Rodney placed his hands on his hips. “Your guilt doesn’t give you the right to play some kind of misguided hero for my benefit.”
That one hurt like a punch to the gut. “I know. And I’m sorry. I fucked up.”
“You did. And if you pull another stunt like that again, I will transfer out John. I have worked long and hard to establish myself. I will not allow you or anyone to take that away from me.”
“Christ Rodney, it’s not like anyone could. You are feared far and wide. My fuck up isn’t going to change that.”
Rodney sighed and sat down on the couch next to John. “It’d better not, Sheppard, or I will do something diabolical to your plumbing in retaliation.”
John put his hands up in surrender. “I will live in fear.”
“As well you should.”
They sat there in silence for several minutes and then Rodney spoke again. “I listened to the tape. You really lost it. I think if Lorne hadn’t been there, you would have killed him. And not because of Ford. Tell me why. You owe me that much.”
John swallowed hard. He wasn’t a coward. He could do this. “The thought of him hurting you. I just couldn’t bear it. Something just snapped inside of me. I remember thinking at the time that maybe Kolya had somehow slipped me some HULK because I wanted to kill him with my bare hands. I think you’re right, if Lorne hadn’t been there, I would have killed him. And I don’t think I would have regretted it.”
Rodney turned to face John. “Why?”
John’s heart began beating fast and his breath became shallow. This was it. This was it. The moment of truth. “Because I can’t bear the thought of you not in my life.”
“Oh, thank God,” Rodney said before closing his mouth over John’s.
John wrapped his arms around Rodney and pulled him so that Rodney was straddling his lap. John was pretty sure Rodney had lied about the number of doctorates he had because Rodney must have another one in kissing too because John had never been so thoroughly and expertly kissed. Rodney’s tongue was as agile when kissing as when Rodney was talking and John couldn’t get enough of it. When they finally broke for air, John couldn’t stop himself from laughing.
“What?” Rodney said with the most adorable scowl on his face.
“It’s just that I never imagined that you reaming me out would lead to this.”
Rodney smiled and slid off John’s lap to his feet. “Never fear, I have a myriad of ways to make my points. Genius here. I just figure we’ve been stupid enough for now. I can always yell at you more later.” He held out his hand to John and pulled him up off the couch. “Now I have other plans for my mouth.”
John just smiled and let Rodney lead the way.
Even though Teyla was the best boss ever, John still felt like a little kid called to the principal’s office when she made him come meet with her.
“I need to know if you are okay working this case John. Kolya is the man who got Ford hooked on drugs. I know you believe that Aiden’s death wasn’t an overdose but rather an execution by one of Kolya’s men. And he taunted you with that knowledge, and you took the bait.”
John couldn’t tell her what had really set him off. Of course, knowing Teyla she probably already knew. “It won’t happen again, Teyla. You have my word.”
Teyla rose and walked over to John, placing her hand on his shoulder. “That’s good enough for me. And John, just remember that Rodney is not Aiden. Not only can he take care of himself, he is smarter than Kolya and all his men combined.”
“And he gets really cranky when you try to treat him like a damsel in distress.” Of course that had led to happy things for John, but he wasn’t about to share that with Teyla.
Teyla smiled wryly. “There is that too. I believe this case may be the one to finally bring Kolya down. But for that to happen, both you and Rodney need to be at the top of your game.”
“John?”
John couldn’t help smiling. Sure they had to keep the change in their relationship on the down low at work, but he got a thrill when Rodney actually called him John. “Yeah?”
“Why has your apparently not dead, not-girlfriend-but-still-a-murder-suspect Chaya sent me a package?”
Okay, that certainly wasn’t what John was expecting. “Haven’t a clue. Want me to call the bomb squad?”
Rodney snorted. “Like I couldn’t defuse it quicker than them with one hand behind my back.” Rodney pulled out his pocketknife and slid open the top of the box. “No bomb and no dead bunnies, so we’ll call today a win.”
John blushed. “McKay.”
Rodney winked at him and pulled out the orb from inside the box. “I’m thinking it’s not a paperweight.”
“Probably not.” Ancient technology seemed to take a shine to John more than anyone else, so he held his hand out to McKay. “Want me to try and activate it.”
“Yes, but not here. It could be a bomb. Let’s take it to one of the interrogation rooms.”
“Because if it’s a bomb, our guts will look more pretty splattered against the fake mirror?”
Rodney shoved John along. “You are not funny. Let’s see what your glowy friend has sent you.”
“It was addressed to you McKay. Perhaps, she’s been after you all along.”
Rodney leaned back against the fake mirror and smirked. “She’d be smart too, but I’m rather taken at the moment.”
John let himself smile. “Glad to hear it. Now toss that thing to me.” As soon as John touched it, the orb came to life revealing a hologram, not unlike the one of Princess Leia in Star Wars. And that was way fucking cool. The little hop that Rodney made showed John that he thought so too.
“If you are viewing this, John and Rodney, you have uncovered the plot to annihilate the Brotherhood of the Fifteen. I know you don’t believe in the lore of the Ancestors, Rodney, but I must tell you there are wonders on Atlantis that cannot be explained and you are one of the only few who could understand the power I am talking about. The Brotherhood is honor bound to protect those wonders. And it is my stead to watch over them. Sadly, I have failed in my mission. I will leave this map to both of you to unravel the rest of the mystery. The answers are already there. You just need to find them.”
When the message faded away, John and Rodney just stared at each other. Rodney spoke first. “I know we are in the middle of a serial case and this is a very important clue, but I have to say that is the coolest thing EVER.”
John laughed. “It only could have been better if she had said, Help me Obi Wan Kenobi, you’re my only hope.”
“Let’s get this transcribed and bring it to the team, so we can figure out what the hell is going on.”
Once Rodney had figured out Chaya’s cryptic message, clarity came out of chaos. It wasn’t a vendetta against the Brotherhood at all. It was a systematic annihilation to uncover what their order had been protecting. “That’s it. That’s the answer. Kolya’s searching for the ZPM.”
Lorne raised an eyebrow. “So he can make the city fly?”
John could see that Rodney got it as well. The tumblers were falling into place. “No,” McKay said, shaking his head. “So he can use it for blackmail or leverage. If he has the ZedPM, he thinks he’ll be in control.”
John stifled a laugh as Lorne cocked an eyebrow at Rodney’s pronunciation. John figured he’d better nip that in the bud. “He’s Canadian. Z equals Zed.
Lorne nodded. “This seems nuts.”
“Listen, we’re not crazy. The ZedPM is what the Brotherhood of the Fifteen has been protecting, right?
Again, Lorne nodded. “Right.”
It was all so clear now. John was a little annoyed that it had taken them this long to figure it all out. “Each Brother only moves within his allotted area. And when one of them activates their signal or rather when one of them doesn’t activate it, it shifts the ZPM somewhere in the matrix set up hundred of years ago like the empty space in a game of 15.”
Bingo. McKay had worked it out as well. It was why they made an unstoppable team. “Oh my God, that’s it. So each Brother moves independently and on their own timeline, none of them knowing how their movement affects the matrix. It resets the parameters and the ZPM moves along some predetermined line but not in a way that one Brother could predict where it was at any given time. It’s brilliant. Completely untraceable.”
That’s the problem. And apparently, it’s not a problem that Kolya has realized yet. John would be very happy when that bastard was dead. “Exactly, but what Kolya doesn’t realize is that by him systematically offing the Brothers, he has no endgame. Another Brother will take the place of the fallen, and the ZPM will shift again.”
Lorne seemed to be coming around. John always liked that about him. Give him a set of facts, however far-fetched, and he’d back their play, every time. “Okay, so how to we figure out where Kolya is going to strike next?”
“PSO.”
Fuck, sometimes John forgot just how damn brilliant Rodney was – which really shouldn’t have been possible as McKay made sure to remind him of it every day. “Could it be that simple?”
Lorne sighed the sigh of a man who had spent way too many nights following along on a McKay and Sheppard flight of fancy. John would have to buy him and Parrish a really good bottle of scotch when this was done. Well, scotch for Lorne, maybe a nice cactus for Parrish. “Share with the class, you two. Not all of us are math geeks.”
John loved it when Rodney got all excited about math, or really when Rodney got excited about anything. He wasn’t quite ready to share that with the class just yet though, so he let McKay field Lorne’s question.
“Particle swarm optimization or PSO is a method for performing numerical optimization without explicit knowledge of the gradient of the problem to be optimized,” Rodney said without taking a single breath.
Lorne looked to John. “Is he talking English?”
McKay continued. “PSO optimizes a problem by maintaining a population of candidate solutions called particles and moving these particles around in the search-space according to simple formulae. The movements of the particles are guided by the best found positions in the search-space, which are continually updated as better positions are found by the particles.”
John had to stop himself from smiling at Lorne’s ‘what the fuck’ face. “What McKay is saying is that we systematically sweep the grid, street by street. We know the general area that Kolya will be searching for the next Brother from this map that Chaya left us. We just find the Brother first using math.”
“You can do that?”
“There’s nothing you can’t do with math,” John and Rodney said in unison. John didn’t comment on Lorne’s laughter at that fact.
It didn’t take them long to find the next Brother on the list and move him to safety. They’d set out together just like any other case, but John knew this one was different. He could feel it in his bones. It was a suicide mission.
Going one-on-one with Kolya was very likely going to end with him dead. But there was no way in hell he was going to let Rodney come along to watch him die. He was sure Rodney would hate him for a while, but it was the right thing to do. “You ready?” he asked leaning over to Rodney, whose hand was still on the steering wheel.
“Of course,” Rodney said as John snapped the handcuffs around Rodney’s wrist and the steering wheel.
Rodney’s eyes went wide. And he was stunned into silence. Under any other circumstances, John would find it amusing. But not today. There was so much he wanted to say to Rodney. To let him know how much he meant to him, how he’d brought John back from the brink. How happy he was that they finally stopped dancing around each other and admitted how they felt. But he couldn’t. Because if he admitted any of it, he’d never be able to go through with his plan. So he leaned in and kissed Rodney fast and hard on the lips and then slipped out the car with a simple, “So long, McKay.”
“Sheppard. Don’t you fucking do it. Sheppard. John.”
He could hear Rodney yelling and thrashing as he closed in on the warehouse. Yeah, Rodney was gonna hate him, but at least he would be safe.
”Officer down, officer down. Oh shit, John. No. You don’t get to do this to me. You don’t. ”
When John awoke it was to Rodney ranting somewhere above him. It was music to his ears.
“I don’t care if you were sure it would make the vest even more impenetrable. You don’t play with Ancient equipment without authorization, Cadman. How many times do we have to have this conversation? You could have given him exploding tumors or something.”
John reached over and pulled on Rodney’s pant leg. “Exploding tumors? What have I said about you watching bad late night sci-fi McKay? And in Cadman’s defense, I made her and I’m pretty sure that extra juice is what saved me. Kolya and his crew were using hollow point bullets. ”
Rodney knelt down beside him. “You’re awake. And an idiot. But awake. You idiot.”
John smiled. “I love you too, McKay.”
Rodney flushed red at that. “You are damn lucky to be alive.”
Which hopefully meant…“Kolya? Did I get him?”
Rodney sat down on the ground beside him, all the fight clearly out of him. “We got him. You brought him down and I finished him off.”
“How?”
“Shot to the head.”
John closed his eyes and smiled. He slid his hand over to rest on Rodney’s knee. “Always a good choice.”
Rodney leaned in close and let his hand cup the top of John’s head. “I thought you were dead, you fucker. And you handcuffed me to the steering wheel.” And apparently all the fight wasn’t gone. “I should have known there was a reason you let me drive.”
It was John’s turn to blush. “Sorry about that. I couldn’t let you watch while you lost another partner.” Which didn’t explain how Rodney had gotten loose in time to save John. “How’d you get free?”
Rodney rolled his eyes like that was the dumbest question he had ever heard. “I took apart the steering column with my pocket knife.”
“You can do that?”
“I can strip a car bare in under an hour. A steering column was child’s play.”
Rodney would never cease to amaze him. “How pissed is Teyla at my antics?”
“Like I told her what you did.”
“You didn’t have to do that. I would have paid the consequences.”
“Yes, and then I would be without a partner. I get why you did it Sheppard, but if you ever pull a stunt like that again, I will kill you myself.”
“I didn’t want you to be hurt.”
“Yes, because you dying without me there to save you would have been so much better for me than us working as partners.”
John realized he’d fucked up. Big Time. Hopefully, Rodney would give him another chance. Now that this thing between them had become *a thing*, he really didn’t want to lose it. Or Rodney. “Okay, so I didn’t think it through.”
“We’ve already established you are an idiot. Now are you ready to get up off the ground or are we going to stay here all day.”
John looked Rodney straight in the eye and smiled. “I don’t know, I kinda like the view from here.”
After spending what seemed like a lifetime getting checked out at the hospital, John was happy to gingerly walk back into the squad room. He might only be bruised and busted a bit, but his chest still hurt like hell. “I’m sorry John, but the Commissioner requires you and Rodney at the press conference.”
“Hell, no.”
It looked like John had his own bulldog now. He guessed turnabout was fair play. “McKay.”
Rodney folded his arms across his chest and stared down at Teyla, blocking her view of John. “The Commissioner is aware that he’s been shot, right? Multiple times. So maybe being paraded at the dog and pony show is not what he should be doing right now.”
John stepped to the side. “It’s fine, McKay. I’m fine. Bulletproof vest, remember. We’ll be there Teyla.”
“Thank you, John. I’ll go and tell Commissioner Caldwell to expect the both of you shortly.”
As soon as Teyla had left, Rodney pointed to the chair and glared at John until he sat down. “Three broken ribs, and your entire chest looking like a hairy Rorschach test. So not fine by any definition. You almost died.”
Not to belabor the point but… “Bulletproof vest.”
“Oh I’m sorry, the fact that you were wearing a layer of Kevlar juiced up with some Ancient magic does not change the fact that Kolya and his crew emptied nearly an entire clip into your chest.”
“Be happy, he didn’t go for a head shot.”
Rodney tensed and his hands balled up into fists. Okay so that was the wrong tactic to take. But in John’s defense, it had been a really long day. “Bad joke. Sorry.”
“You know normally I appreciate your gallows sense of humor, but not when I thought you were dead less than three hours ago.”
“But I’m not dead. I’m pretty damn great in fact. And as soon as we finish up here, I’ll be even better. We just brought down the biggest crime boss in the history of Atlantis, so we’re going to have to face the reporters some time. I’d rather get it over with now instead of later.”
Rodney let himself cup the back of John’s neck with his hand, his thumb sweeping gently at the base of his skull. It almost shocked John how right is all felt. Like this was as inevitable as Atlantis herself. “I hate it when you use logic on me.”
John smiled and leaned back into Rodney’s touch. “No, you don’t. It’s second only to me doing math for you.”
Sighing, Rodney sat down beside John and looked him square in the eye. “I can do the press conference by myself.”
John couldn’t help but smile. “Yeah, like that’s gonna happen. You’re not exactly a people person, McKay.”
Rodney removed his hand and John actually shivered at the loss. “Oh and you are?”
Shaking his head, he took Rodney’s hand in his. “Nope, but I’m a better liar than you are. Your face gives you away.”
Rodney frowned. “You say that like it’s a bad thing.”
“No Rodney. It’s a great thing.”
“Really?”
John leaned over and kissed Rodney’s temple. “Yep. Let’s get this over with and I’ll show you how great it is.”
“Not until you’re fully healed, you won’t.”
John stood up and pulled Rodney with him. “Don’t you worry McKay, I’ll make you do all the work.”
John managed to not laugh at the way Rodney sputtered and spun out of the room, his face a bright shade of crimson.
Later that night when they were curled up in John’s bed, Rodney’s legs entangled with his own like they’ve been doing this forever, John let his mind wander. “Do you think they’ll ever find it?”
Rodney propped his head on his bended arm and looked into John’s eyes. “The ZedPM?”
“Yeah.”
Rodney shrugged. “It’s a moot point either way. Even if they do, it’s not like anyone on this city knows how to use it.”
John reached out and let himself run his thumb along Rodney’s jaw. “They could figure it out. You could.”
Rodney smiled. “You’re right, I probably could. Why are you asking?”
John smiled back. “I always wanted to fly.”
Rodney’s eyes blew wide and not in the sexy way they had done earlier in the evening. “So you thought you’d start with a city?”
Laughing, John leaned in for a kiss. “I like to aim big.”
Rodney kissed him back, and then shook his head. “There’s big and then there’s insane. I’m telling Carson to lower your meds.”
John dropped his hand to Rodney’s shoulder and squeezed. “I’d take you with me.”
“You’d better. We’re in this together John. And don’t you forget it.”
It felt good to know Rodney would always have his back, even when John was an idiot who tried to prevent it. “I won’t. I promise.”
“Go to sleep.”
“Yes, mom.”
Rodney shook his head like he was trying to clear that image. “I won’t even go into how disturbing that is after what we just did together.”
John pulled him closer. “Sshh, sleeping here.”
He was almost asleep when he heard Rodney’s whisper. “Where would you fly her?”
“You said the ZPM would provide almost endless power, so across the galaxy and beyond.”
Rodney swept his thumb across the shell of John’s ear. “I think I’d like that.”
“Me too, Rodney. Me too.”
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Incredible story - how much squee do I have for a side order of Lorne and Parrish and Zelenka! utter brilliance.
Well done the both of you!
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