Stumbling Around (Underground) by teaphile (PG-13)

[abyssinia4077.livejournal.com]

Rec Category: Rodney McKay
Pairing: Rodney McKay/Daniel Jackson
Category: Rodney McKay, Daniel Jackson, slash, Sam Carter, Jack O'Neill
Warning: none
Author on LJ: teaphile
Author's Website: unknown
Link: Stumbling Around (Underground)

Why This Must Be Read: This is arguably a Daniel story since it's told from his PoV, but I love the perspective it gives us on Rodney. The story places us in Antarctica between SG-1's season 7 and 8 and before the Atlantis expedition, where Daniel is nominally in charge and happily working on translating the Ancient database and Rodney is in charge of the science team trying to figure out how the base works.

Daniel didn't meet Rodney in either of his previous appearances since he was in Russia for "48 hours" and non-corporeal for "Redemption" but he's undoubtedly heard Sam's opinions on the arrogant astrophysicist. In between watching the two of them alternate between joy and frustration at unlocking the mysteries in Antarctica teaphile gives us a great look at Daniel figuring out how Rodney ticks.




McKay relaxed again and smiled back at him, waving the cup. "I think you answered your own question." He finally put the cup down on the table beside him and turned towards Daniel, leaning forward and lifting his hands to talk. "You know that panel in the chair room, the one that flickers when someone with the gene walks past?"

"Ah, no." Daniel didn’t spend much time in that room; the memories that accompanied it were still a bit intense.

McKay blinked a few times, then took a different tack. "The one with the word "given" etched into the glass."

Right. "What about it?"

"It...," McKay hesitated, and looked abashed. "It gave me something. I touched the panel in two places and this," he pulled a cylinder out of his pocket, "just slid out into my hand."

His excitement was infectious, and Daniel hadn’t really realized until then that the hard scientists must be as blown away as he was to be here. Sam was always so composed, even in this place. Daniel looked more closely at the object, completely out of his league. "What is it?"

McKay laughed a little, still somewhat embarrassed-sounding. "I don’t know! I’ve been wandering around all night looking for something else it might fit into."

Daniel knew that feeling well. He reached out and slipped the tube from McKay’s grasp. It was rough, covered in rectangles of various sizes, none of which had any markings. The only thing remotely interesting about it was a lens of some sort on one end. "Well, at least you have a fun new toy to figure out when the power crystal gets boring."

Comments

[teaphile.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the very flattering rec!

[abyssinia4077.livejournal.com]

Thanks for writing such an awesome story!