No Rest At All In Freedom by Telesilla (Explicit)

[danceswithgary]

Show: SGA

Rec Category: Sheppard/McKay
Characters: Rodney McKay, John Sheppard, Ronon Dex, Teyla Emmagan, Jennifer Keller
Pairings: Sheppard/McKay
Categories: Angst, Wingfic, Established Relationship
Warnings: None
Author on LJ: telesilla
Author's Website:
Link: No Rest At All In Freedom

Why This Must Be Read:
A response to a gorgeous artwork in the SGA Reverse Big Bang Challenge, this story deals with a very changed John - at least outwardly. How it affects his relationship with Rodney, as well as his command, is only part of an long, engaging read with a happy ending.


"You know why we're here, don't you?" Lorne asked quietly. The guy stared back at Lorne for a long moment and there was something off about his expression, as if he was more confused than scared or angry.

"The man asked you a question," Ronon said. He'd been standing on one side of the room with Teyla and Rodney, but now he took a step forward. "You're going to answer it eventually. How many fingers you have left after is up to you."

"But," the man said, looking at his two companions and then back at Lorne. "But...he's The One."

Rodney resisted the urge to sigh. Of course he is. He's always The One in fucking capital letters. I'm gonna give him so much shit about this....

"He's our commander," Lorne said. "Which kind of makes him our One. And we want him back."

"You can't take him back. He's...." The guy trailed off, that same look of incomprehension on his face. "You can't."

"Religious fanatic, maybe?" Rodney whispered to Teyla.

"I believe so," she said. Stepping forward, she addressed the man. "What do you mean by The One?"

"You were there. You saw the light and heard the bell."

"Yes, but we are not from your world. We do not understand."

"It is said that the One will user in a new Era. One of peace and prosperity, where all are safe and no one needs to be afraid." He gestured to a book lectern that had a big, elaborate looking book chained to it. "It is written that as The One is changed, so shall He change the universe."

"Changed?" Rodney blurted out. "What the fuck have you done to him?" He tried to push past Teyla, but she put a hand on his arm.

"He is changed," the man said. "If you are his friends, you should be happy. As indeed, all should be happy. We are at the beginning of a new Era."

Lorne looked over at Teyla. "I'm not sure we're going to get anywhere here."

"We do seem to be talking at cross-purposes, Major."

"Okay," Lorne said. "Will you take us to the Colonel, please?"

"Of course not! He has not revealed Himself yet!" As if he'd finally realized their intent, the guy stood up, hand on the hilt of the elaborate sword he was wearing. "You cannot...."

"Oh, watch us," Lee muttered. "Stunners, sir?"

"Yes, Sergeant."

Stunning the three guys took a second, and then Rodney was heading for the door. "McKay," Lorne said. "Wait."

"Wait? These assholes are...."

"Rodney," Teyla said. "We need a plan."

"Come up with one quick. They could have done anything to him."

"Yeah," Ronon said. "But getting our asses killed won't help him any."

"Fine. So what's the plan?"

The plan was actually pretty simple. Teyla slipped down the hall to check on Hooper and Griffin and their captives. After a few moments that seemed to last forever, she returned with the Marines.

"The two down the hall were two younger officers," she said. "We left them stunned because they knew nothing."

"All right," Lee said. "Let's take the ground floor. Try to use stunners, but be careful; we don't know if they have projectile weapons. And Doctor McKay? Please...."

"I know, I know," Rodney said. "Stay in the back."

"We'll get him back, sir," she said.

"We better," Rodney muttered.

Things got a little messy on the ground floor. The guards, it turned out, did have projectile weapons--crude firearms that weren't very accurate. Hooper took a bullet to his thigh, but that was the only Lantean casualty, and after a few confused moments of stunner bolts and P90 fire, the fight was over.

"You okay, Hoops?" Lee asked, crouching down next to Hooper.

"Yeah," he said as Griffin knelt next to him and started looking his leg over. "Hurts like a sonuvabitch but I'm pretty sure it's just muscle."

"Griffin, stay with him."

"Sarge," Hooper said. "I'm okay. The colonel might need Griff more than I do."

"Is he really all right?" Lee asked.

Griffin pulled his knife out and slit the leg of Hooper's pants before he checked the wound. It didn't look too bad to Rodney, and he couldn't help wondering when he'd gone from almost passing out when he saw blood to someone who could make an educated guess about an injury.

"It tore a bit of a hole in his leg," Griffin said, pulling a field bandage out of his kit. "He'll need stitches, but as long as he stays still until we can get him to the jumper, he'll be good."

"Rolch?"

"Sarge?"

"Stay with him." Lee turned to Rodney. "So, where's this stair?"

The trapdoor over the stair was locked, but Ronon's gun took care of the lock easily. Rodney wanted to be the first down the stairs, but he knew better; just because there were no life signs aside from John's down in the cellar or basement or whatever it was that was down there didn't mean it was safe.

The stair was narrow and the shaft it was cut into was small; Rodney concentrated on his life signs detector and fought to keep his claustrophobia at bay. As they went further down, the stone that made up the walls changed from the dark gray of the building above to light brown. The stone looked older and the stairs showed signs of wear. Trading his life signs detector for a scanner, Rodney checked the energy signatures from the room below. They were still unfamiliar; maybe once they got down there, he'd recognize the hardware. He hated dealing with new tech in tense situations.

Finally they reached the bottom of the stairs. "All clear," Lee said.

"Jesus Christ," someone muttered.

"Let me through," Rodney said, pushing past people.

The room was more like a cave than a building. It was filled with thick, ropy vines and several dead looking tree trunks, but Rodney hardly noticed anything. His attention was on a series of organic looking pods in the middle of the room. They were green and were supported by more of those ropy vines.

And there, in the front pod, was John, naked and curled up, floating in some kind of pale green liquid.

Changed, the guy upstairs had said. Rodney didn't even know what he'd expected, but this wasn't it. For a moment, he was frozen, taking in the sweep of the black wings floating just behind John in the pod. Changed.

"Is he...can we get him out of there?" Lorne asked. "He's breathing that stuff; do you think he can breathe air?"

Rodney was moving forward, scanner in hand, when the vines began to pull away from the pod, startling him so much he almost dropped the scanner. John started moving, slowly at first and then his hands were pressing against the inside of the pod with increasing urgency.

"We've got to get him," Rodney began, but the pod was already splitting. It peeled open like a banana--four sections detaching from the top--and the strange looking liquid drained out of it in a rush.

Without the support of the pod or the liquid, John sagged forward, and Rodney and Ronon almost collided as they both moved to support him. Ronon got there first, catching John just before he hit the ground.

"John?" Rodney said, as John coughed and gasped.

"'Scuse me, Doc." Griffin pushed past Rodney to thump down on his knees next to John and Ronon. Taking a shaky breath, Rodney stepped back and watched as Griffin wiped John face off with a field bandage and then reached down to take his pulse. "Colonel?"

"Huh?" John's voice was rough and when he coughed again, he sounded like a pneumonia patient. "Gah," he added, turning his head and spitting.

"Sheppard?" Ronon asked. "You with us?"

"Think so." He pulled away from Ronon and sat on the damp ground. The wings spread behind him, stretching out and up as if he were getting ready to fly.

Tearing his gaze away from the wings, Rodney looked at John. He'd taken the field bandage from Griffin and was mopping his face with it, utterly unconcerned that he seemed to have acquired a set of black, leathery bat wings. Even as they fluttered behind him, he stretched his arms--both motions looked totally unconscious.

"John," Rodney said and then trailed off. He hated feeling so helpless, but he had absolutely no idea what to say here.

John turned and grinned at him. "Hey, Rodney. Knew you'd come for me."