- – - -
John was a disoriented and shaking as he let Fordham lead him back up to the conference room. Rodney was waiting at the elevator and shot the Sentinel a dirty look as he took a hold of John and pulled him close. “You should have brought him up sooner.”
“He did well, Dr. McKay. Very well.” Fordham joined the others at the table and left them alone at the elevator.
Rodney took a deep breath. He knew exactly how well John had done on the tests and it worried him only slightly. He’d tested on the high end of level six. There was nothing they could do about that.
“Do we need to give you a few minutes?”
Rodney shook his head at Deacon’s question. “We’re ready.” He led John to the table and prodded him into a seat. “He’s rebuilding his primary shield carefully. We have a flight back after this meeting and the airport will be taxing if he doesn’t.”
Fordham flipped open his folder and cleared his throat. “He tested very high on the scent, touch, taste, and sight tests. The sight tests aren’t much of a surprise due to his training as a pilot. We find that most Sentinels with pilot training have a more highly developed sense of sight with matching high hand coordination. Of all of his senses, I would rate his hearing the lowest at a five. Overall, despite the hearing I rate him on the high end of six. I looked at Dr. McKay’s scores and this makes them practically a perfect match. I’ve never seen scores so close before.”
Deacon smiled, obviously pleased. “Excellent news.”
Fordham closed the folder. “I’d like to keep him for training. He’s only had a standard two year course and he would benefit from a few classes.”
“He’s dealt with his gifts on his own since he was six,” Rodney snapped. “I’ll be able to provide anything he’s missing.”
“Dr. McKay, surely you understand how important a Sentinel of his level is.”
“I understand that he is my Sentinel. And the kind of training you are suggesting is something that is done before bonding not afterward. You’d separate us for several months to teach him things he could learn from me just so you’d have someone of a high level to play with.”
Fordham flushed. “That’s…”
“Don’t deny it,” one of the normally silent Sentinels at the end of the table said with some amusement. “It’s obvious. It’s also obvious that their bond is too new and entirely too deep to suffer that sort of separation. So, I’m afraid, Kevin you’ll simply have to let your shiny new toy go home.”
“We could keep them both. We’ve never studied a bonded pair of their ability obviously.”
“Their bond is sexual,” Deacon interrupted. “You know we can’t ask them to let us observe or study such a thing. This conversation is over Sentinel Fordham.”
“Yes, of course.”
- – - -
John used the plane ride home to sleep. The all Air Force crew moved around the plane as quietly as possible and Rodney found them slightly amusing. He knew it would have probably taken a collision or maybe a crash landing to wake John up from the sleep he’d put him in but it was amusing to watch big men with guns practically tip-toe around the Major.
He woke John shortly before they landed but he could tell that his Sentinel hadn’t gotten enough sleep. The testing had been a little more taxing than anyone had been prepared for and he couldn’t wait to tell Sam what they’d done. He’d only been tested ten years before and they hadn’t used another Sentinel to mind-probe him during it. But he was a Guide and he had no idea what kind of testing Sam had endured over the years.
A half-hour after they landed, he prodded John into the quarters they would be sharing and put him to bed. The Sentinel went without a single complaint and fell into a dreamless state almost immediately. Rodney pushed back the other Guides on the base mentally. He knew they’d been worried about both of them but John was too weak for their thoughts to be that close to him. Too weak by far.
He weaved several thick mental shields around his lover and left him to sleep in their big bed alone. Sam was several floors above him in a lab so Rodney went to talk to her.
“They mind-probed him.”
Sam looked up from her computer. “Excuse me?”
“They used another Sentinel with six senses to probe him during the tests. Did they do that to you?”
“No.” She paled a little. “How did he do?”
“Very high end of the spectrum, level six. It took us both to keep the guy at a distance and even then, it wore John out. He slept the entire trip home and is asleep now.”
“Who did it?”
“Kevin Fordham. He wanted to keep John. In the end, he tried to keep us both so he could study our pair bond. Thank God our bond is sexual or they might have let him.”
Sam smirked. “An added benefit of the sexual bonding method. The Council has no choice to keep their nose out of your bed. How are you?”
“Hungry. Irritated. The entire time it was happening I wanted to stop it but I knew if I did that it would reveal more about both of us than we could afford.”
“The news from the Pentagon came in a few minutes ago.” Sam tilted her head. “Full apology for all ten men sanctioned, General Holland has been asked to retire, Sheppard will receive not one but both of the promotions due him.”
Rodney’s mouth dropped open. “Wow.”
“Yeah, with proactive salary.”
“Well they pay you guys shit until the stars start to appear on the collars but it’s good that they are doing what is right for him and the others. He’ll be pleased by that. I could tell during the meeting today that he was more embarrassed about what his inaction did to the other men in his unit rather than himself. Especially when his circumstances allowed him to lodge a complaint when the others could not.”
“I can’t blame him though. I mean, really. I lived in fear of being removed from my parents most of my teenage years. My gifts were latent until I was almost seventeen, that’s the only thing that spared me being put in a Sentinel school for training until I was ready for college.”
“I heard Sumner was removed from command.”
Sam grimaced. “He did not take the news of your bonding with Sheppard well at all. In fact, the General was left with no choice but to remove him.”
“Unfortunate. He picked most of the men that are currently on the mission.”
“Yes, but it shouldn’t take much for the new CO to work through all of the personnel available for the mission and make any decisions he needs to.”
“Do you know who it’s going to be?”
“Rodney.” Sam stared for a minute. “I told you Sheppard is going to get the promotions due him. He’ll be a full bird colonel when he reports for duty in the morning. They aren’t going to send anyone above that pay grade to another galaxy on what could be a one-way mission. I think it’s pretty obvious it will be Sheppard’s command.”
“Wow. You know he has no clue.”
“He’ll get one soon enough.” Sam grew serious. “It’s what he’s due and everyone knows it. The real story has already made the rounds to the Marines on the base. People are pretty pissed off about how that situation went down and what the Pentagon let Holland get away with. It makes his son sacrifice… it’s a disgrace to his son who died fighting and that hasn’t set well with anyone.”
“You know I don’t get that whole military thing but I understand the disrespect thing. It’s too bad that Holland got so wrapped in revenge for his dead son that he lost sight of the good man he’d raised. The one who volunteered to serve and died for his country.”
“He didn’t volunteer.” They both turned and stared at Jack O’Neill in shock. “His father forced him to join up. Well as much as parent can force their kid.”
“Sucks.” Rodney leaned forward on the counter. “He did well in testing. He’s sleeping.”
“I’ve gotten word from Director Morris. He was pleased with you both and told me I had to take extra special care of you since you’re practically superstars in the Sentinel community already.” O’Neill grimaced. “He’s a kiss ass.”
“Yes.” Rodney nodded. “Sam told me the news from the Pentagon.”
“Can you keep it from him until I’ve spoken with him?” Jack asked.
Rodney pursed his lips. “As long as he doesn’t ask me direct questions… probably. I don’t know that I could actively lie to him. I am sorry about Sumner.”
“Don’t be. It was his choice. I gave him an opportunity to learn to deal with it. He chose not to. Of course, he’s in for a rude awakening in a few months.”
“What do you mean?” Sam asked.
Jack looked at her briefly and then smiled. “The President is going to abolish DADT and put anti-discrimination laws in place that will allow gays to serve openly. The new code of military conduct has been in the draft stages for the last six months. It was the first thing he dumped.”
“Huh. Pretty cool.” Rodney walked towards one of the white boards and picked up a marker. “You know this is wrong?”
“Yeah. I haven’t gotten around to fixing…” She laughed. “Go right ahead, McKay, knock your self out.”
He waved at her with the open marker and started to erase things. “In the meantime, how is our relationship going to affect his ability to function as an officer on this base?”
“Failure on the part of any Marine to yield to Sheppard’s authority will earn them a one way ticket out of this facility,” O’Neill responded coolly. “Soldiers that intolerant have no business going through the gate and visiting other races. I can’t have people around that will stare too hard at the Asgard for being naked and stuff.”
“You know,” Rodney turned. “It’s more disturbing that they don’t fuck. The naked thing… well that just highlights the pure lack of genitals. It should really be a rule—any race that gives up the ability to fuck for procreation is automatically circumspect for at least a year.”
Sam burst out laughing and Jack stared for a moment and then started laughing himself. “Christ, McKay, sometimes… you’re a little too much for even me.”
“Of course, little kid Asgard running around would be equally creepy. So maybe the cloning thing is actually quite okay,” Rodney muttered as he wiped out an entire line of the proof in front of him and started to scribble madly. “This is utter crap, you know, who did this?”
“Dr. Lee.”
“He either needs more sleep or to be fired. Or maybe both.”
- – - -
“Well that explains the half-opps-salutes I’ve gotten from four Majors and one Lt. Colonel in the past twenty-five minutes.”
Jack O’Neill started to laugh. “Sorry, the news got out pretty fast. My admin had permission to spread it far and wide because I didn’t want anyone to question the legitimacy of this.”
John glanced towards Rodney, Samantha Carter, and Daniel Jackson. “You knew.”
“Yeah,” they all three said together and then gave him nearly identical smirks.
“I considered doing this in front of the entire base but considering the newness of your bond and the day you had yesterday, Sam convinced me it would be best done in private.” O’Neill met John’s gaze steadily. “The Pentagon would like to extend its full apologies for the misuse of command that lead to your being unduly reprimanded and the four years of bullshit you had to put with after the fact. On July 1, 2004, you were due to be promoted to Lt. Colonel, which you were denied, based on a false reprimand. Two years later, you were up for another promotion and were denied due to the same reprimand. The Pentagon has determined that if you’d been allowed to continue your career path unfettered by dishonesty you would hold the rank of Colonel.”
He paused and carefully removed the gold leafs that adorned John’s collar and then attached the colonel insignia, the silver eagles were bright and polished like mirrors. “It is my privilege to see that rank with all the privileges and responsibilities dropped on you like a very shiny bomb. My apologies if you freak out later.” He stepped back and saluted.
John returned it with a smile. “Thank you, Sir. All freak outs will be in private.”
“Small favors,” Jack said with a grin. “Speaking of, you’re due in the infirmary in an hour. Dr. Beckett owes you a full physical and then wander back up here and we’ll go over your orders, duties, and future headaches with all good speed.”
- – - -
Dr. Carson Beckett was apparently a very good friend of Rodney’s, literally quite tickled to be the primary physician to another bonded pair, and a closet vampire. John dutifully held a cotton ball against his arm and glared after the doctor. He was seriously considering asking for his blood back. It couldn’t be healthy to lose that much at once and for once, it had happened when he wasn’t even shot.
“I’m fully trained to deal with Sentinels so you needn’t worry that you’ll have problems on the mission that I can’t handle.” Carson swung his evil light saber, which he was totally pretending was a penlight, and checked John’s pupil response. “I’ve already added notations to both yours and Rodney’s records indicating your status as a bonded pair and I realize this light is uncomfortable. Just one more.”
John was still seeing little white dots when the light went away. “No problem, doc. You aren’t the first so-called physician that has tried to blind me with the evilness that is a penlight.”
Carson laughed. “Well, I see you’ll have no problem keeping up with Rodney in the smart-ass department.” He sat down on a stool near the bed John was sitting on, and started to make notations on a tablet PC. “Tell me about your physical condition. I understand that you and Dr. McKay are sexually active. He’s a fairly endowed man; do you have any problems with rectal tearing?”
John’s mouth dropped open briefly and then he closed it abruptly. “Huh, Doc, you know – I think we need to spend a little more time together before I can discuss such things with you.”
Carson grinned a little and went back to his notations. “Gonna be doing a prostate exam anyways, lad.”
“Yes, well, I still won’t be talking about it.” John focused on the wall above Carson’s head. “Besides… huh… I’ve only ever topped.”
“Well, won’t that be interesting,” Carson mused as he scrolled through screen after screen. “I understand you want to do a baseline today for your physical abilities.”
“Yes, but just for me personally. I’d rather nothing be written down in my medical records.”
“I’d like to be on hand , but I’ll keep the results out of your official records.”
“Thanks, Doc.” John swung his legs a little and focused on his socks. Within seconds, the individual fibers defined themselves, the weaved pattern of the soft cotton became enthralling, and he slipped under fast. He barely heard Carson’s exclamation of surprise and then nothing.
- – - -
Rodney rushed past a nurse and into the exam room. He’d been in the gateroom nearly ready to make a small trip to P90-3X7 when it happened. He was seriously pissed at himself for even thinking about leaving John so soon after his retest. John had seemed fine and had even encouraged him to go. It would be a good test, he’d said, of their mental connection. “Carson.”
Carson backed away and nearly fell as he encountered Samantha Carter. “He was talking to me and the next second he was gone.”
“They pushed him very hard during testing yesterday,” Sam murmured. “Very hard.”
Rodney ran one hand down John’s face, then leaned forward, and pressed his forehead against his Sentinel’s. The connection between them bloomed hard and fast. Nearly thirty seconds after Rodney laid hands on him; John’s gaze focused and took a deep breath.
“Hey you.” Rodney kissed his mouth softly, relief evident in his body posture.
“Hey,” John whispered. He reached out and covered Rodney’s hand with his own. “How long?”
“Just a few minutes. I hadn’t left, yet. Thank God… I don’t know…”
“There are other Guides here. Someone would have been able to help me until you returned,” John closed his eyes and Rodney felt him seeking his mental focus.
“It’s no wonder, really, you’re very tired. That bastard Fordham battered on your shields yesterday like a berserker. I’d like to punch him in his smug face.”
John shook his head. “That’s not why.”
“Then why?”
“I had to fight so hard not to hurt him, not to lash out and fuck him up for what he was doing to me. He was so vain and full of himself. He didn’t even bother to reinforce his own shields.”
“So not only were you fending him off, you were fending off his unshielded thoughts, emotions, trying to keep from over testing, and preventing yourself from lashing out at him.” Rodney closed his eyes briefly and then opened them. “Okay, this is what we’re going to do…”
“Those people on that planet need you right? Their shield generator is damaged? It’s making them sick?”
“Yes.”
“Then you have to go.”
“I can’t leave you like this.”
“You can if you force me to sleep.”
Rodney’s mouth firmed up and pressed into a thin line. “I’d rather not, John. It’s one thing when I’m here… it’s another when I’m going to be on another planet.”
“You know you can do it. Have Jackson and the Guide on the fifth floor, he’s strong, come up here to watch me. They’ll keep me centered until you return.”
“It would work, Rodney,” Sam murmured. “I would stay as well and make sure nothing happens while you’re gone. You know I’d go in your place but I know nothing about their system. It could take me days and those people don’t have days. Radiation sickness has already killed over a hundred of them.”
“Okay.” Rodney swallowed. “Get Dr. Parrish down here. He’s never bonded but he has the skills needed to back of Jackson.”
He concentrated on John, weaving shield after shield around his tired mind until John’s eyes fluttered close and he relaxed on the hospital bed. It was against every single fiber in his body to leave his Sentinel in such an a state. But his choices were limited. John’s emotional state was tenuous and he feared his own gifts. They both knew he had reason to. John was far more powerful than either of them ever wanted to say out loud. A deep sleep was worse than a fugue state – because most Sentinels could eventually pull out of a zone-out by themselves even if it took hours. This was different because John would be unable to wake up on his own. It would require a high level Guide to pull him out.
“Daniel, you first.”
Daniel crossed to the other side of the bed and after a nod from Rodney touched Sheppard. The blood fell from his face and he closed his eyes. “The two of you are… huh… okay I see.”
David Parrish entered at that point, took in the situation with a sweep of his gaze, and swallowed hard. “Dr. McKay?”
“David. Come here.” Rodney carefully pulled his hands from John and fisted them when they shook a little. “This is my Sentinel, Colonel John Sheppard. I’ve forced him into a deep sleep. You and Dr. Jackson are going to keep him centered on the mental focal point I’ve given him until I can return. I’ll be back as quickly as I can.”
Parrish hesitated. “I’ve never…”
“He requested you specifically, David. John said you were strong enough to do this.” Rodney pinned the younger man with a hard gaze. “I’m trusting you and Dr. Jackson with the most important person in my life.”
David relaxed marginally after he glanced at Daniel Jackson, obviously relieved he wasn’t doing this on his own. “I’ve only done this during training.”
“Daniel has experience with it. Just relax and let him lead. He’ll need your help shoring up John’s shields… without the two of you he will be defenseless against his unconscious and the emotional states of all of the people on this base. I’m going through the gate and we haven’t even tested how far apart we can be before our connection breaks but I think fifty or so million light years is going to be pushing it a little.”
Parrish nodded and reached out and touched John’s hand. He flushed a little and then chuckled. “Excellent focal point. Though I’m not sure I ever wanted to know that much about my boss.”
Rodney felt himself laughing and then he relaxed. These were his friends, colleagues – people he could count on to keep John safe. “Okay, just keep that shit to yourself. I’ll be back in two hours at the latest.”
“One question.”
“Sure.”
Daniel and David shared a look and Daniel asked, “Is this a memory or a fantasy?”
“I’ll leave you two to decide,” Rodney said with a small laugh.
Minutes later Rodney stepped through the gate. Once it closed, he stood still for a second and swallowed hard at the overwhelming loss. He staggered briefly.
“McKay!” Sergeant Stackhouse grabbed him by the arm. “Are you okay?”
“Yes. It’s just the first time we’ve been too far apart.” He closed his eyes. “Okay, get me where I need to go so I can go the fuck home. This is very unsettling.”
“Understood.” Stackhouse kept his hand on McKay’s arm as they walked down the stairs from the gate together. “The Colonel will be fine.”
“Yeah. Fine.”
- – - -
“Rodney!” John woke with a start, jerking loose from the near coma state McKay had left him in like it was a nap. “Fuck. Fuck.”
Daniel Jackson was there, pushing him back onto the bed. “Okay, John, take a deep breath. He went through the Stargate. He’ll be back in two hours.”
John shuddered. “He was supposed to put me in a deep sleep.”
“He did. I’ve never seen a forced sleep so deep and strong.”
John turned to the sound of the voice and frowned. “The other Guide?”
“Yes. Dr. David Parrish.” Parrish offered his hand and smiled when John took it immediately.
“I didn’t hurt either of you?” John asked softly.
“No.” Parrish shook his head. “Of course not, Colonel, Dr. Jackson and I are fine.”
“I’ll get up to the control room and call McKay back.” Carter started to leave but John shook his head.
“No, you said those people were dying. I can deal with this for two hours. I’ve been without a Guide my whole life until a two days ago… I can do this.”
“Okay, John, since deep sleep isn’t going to help you and, tell us what we can do for you.”
“Too many… too many normal people. Their emotions are…” John took a deep breath. “There is a woman on the tenth floor, she’s arguing with her husband on the phone and is practically psychotic. She needs to go somewhere else. Somewhere far from me. I can hear her, feel her… fuck.” He looked toward Sam, her eyes went blank for a minute, and she winced.
“Okay, wow, I can barely hear her. I’ll go take care of it.” She paused. “Anyone else?”
“The General.” John swallowed hard. “The General needs to go home. I can’t take… I can’t listen to that gun go off in his head over and over again. He touched me earlier when he was giving me… and Christ, I almost lost it.” John closed his eyes. “Charlie. God, that’s so fucked.”
Sam paled. “I—okay. John. Okay.” She left the room at a near run.
- – - -
Rodney was half-way down the gate ramp when it hit him. He fell to his knees in shock at the pain rolling over John’s mind and Stackhouse was there picking him up. “Goddamn it.”
“Infirmary?”
“Yes. Yes.” Rodney shrugged off his workbag, dropped it on the iron ramp without even thinking about it, and passed his P-90 to a soldier at the door.
The infirmary was a short walk and Carson met him at the door. “He woke the near second the wormhole closed but wouldn’t let us call you back.”
Rodney stopped. “He woke up?”
Carson nodded. “Yes. Immediately. I’ve gathered all the Guides that were on the base.”
Rodney nodded. There were three Sentinel/Guide pairs in the SGC, including him and John and David Parrish was the only unbonded Guide. O’Neill had a habit of collecting Sentinels and Guides and since he’d saved the planet a few times, most everyone let him have his way.
Carson stopped him when he started forward. “He had us send people home, Rodney, in the end close to twenty people were asked to leave the base because they were in so much emotional pain that he couldn’t take it. I’ve never known a Sentinel with a empathic sense before.”
“It’s rare and the Council doesn’t know about it.”
“They won’t learn from me.”
Rodney unbuckled his tac-vest as he entered the room and shrugged out of it. John’s gaze immediately zeroed in on him. “Hey you.”
“Hey.” Rodney glanced around the room and found Lt. Laura Cadman there as well. She was a low-level bonded Sentinel and her Guide, Lt. Aidan Ford, had been hovering near John’s bed. “I see you met our own personal Sentinel sewing circle.”
“Yeah, they are all a barrel of laughs.” John sucked in a deep breath as Rodney thread his fingers with his. “I hate this.”
“Well it’s what we get for letting an asshole like Fordham skip around in your head with his best invading Viking imitation.” He carded one hand through John’s hair and pushed off guilt. He knew he’d had no choice but to leave. “So we can safely say that light years can separate us.”
“Fifty million,” John murmured. “Parrish says you’re the smartest man in the galaxy but even you have limits.”
“If Parrish keeps discussing my limits I’m going to fire him.”
Everyone laughed and one by one the others left until only Daniel and Sam remained.
“Parrish has an unhealthy fascination with plants,” John confided in a whisper.
“He’s a botanist. We try not to hold it against him,” Rodney returned in the same loud whisper. “It’s a soft science, you know, but there is an off chance he’s going to find the cure for cancer on some planet one day.”
“Daniel tried to teach me Ancient. Apparently, he thinks I’m going to need it.” John sent Daniel a look. “It was worse than Korean and that took me months.”
“You learned Korean in a few months?”
“Yeah.” John nodded. “Three or four.”
“Then I don’t think Ancient will be too much of a problem for you,” Rodney murmured. “I’m going to start building you a buffer, alright?”
“Yeah.” John nodded. “I haven’t had a problem keeping mundanes out since I was a kid.”
“The entire base is under a great deal of stress,” Rodney admitted. “That makes emotional responses run high and fast. With what you expended yesterday, protecting yourself from Fordham… it just wore down your shields. We’ll get them back up and it won’t be a problem.”
John nodded. “It’s why I never wanted to be tested again.” He swallowed hard. “It hurt so much the first time. I thought I could handle it this time.”
“This happened your first time testing?”
“Yes, it wasn’t a mental probe but it wore me out—hiding so much.” John closed his eyes; he was already drifting into the buffer Rodney was providing. “No Guide. I screamed for two days. My mother had to take me into the mountains… hours from everyone. It was too much. Life is pain, Rodney. You know that, right? Life is pain.”
“It’s more,” Rodney whispered. He placed a soft kiss on John’s forehead. “It’s love, it’s a really good piano, it’s an ocean breeze, it’s hitting the perfect wave on your favorite surf board, it’s a space walk with the Earth at your feet, it’s making love like it’s your last chance ever.”
“It’s a three hundred year old book written in Old English,” Daniel murmured. “It’s the perfect sunset, it’s making out on the beach, it’s the Great Pyramid at midday, it’s a library overflowing with knowledge, it’s hearing a dead language spoken for the first time in a thousand years.”
“It’s a supernova,” Sam continued. “It’s going a hundred miles an hour on a Harley, it’s a really good beer on tap, it’s the yellow brick road, it’s children laughing, it’s swinging so high on the swing set you know you can fly and letting go to prove it.”
“Ferris wheels,” John whispered. “It’s Ferris wheels.”
- – - -
John paused at the foot of a set of stairs and met his CO’s gaze over the porch railing. “Sir.”
Jack O’Neill tipped back his beer and motioned towards the grill. “I’ve got steaks on, John, figured we’d make a meal of it.”
“I wanted to apologize for yesterday.”
Jack shook his head. “I should apologize to you. I had no idea…” He cleared his throat. “I had no idea that touching you would give you that.”
“Under normal circumstances it wouldn’t.” John shoved his hands into his jeans and looked away. “Yesterday wasn’t a normal day. In fact, it’s been a pretty messed up week.”
Jack laughed ruefully. “Yes. Still, I would never have wanted you to know what it feels like to lose a child. There is no pain like it.”
“No.” John agreed. “None like it at all and for the record—the touching just made it stronger and harder to ignore. I was so shattered yesterday that I would have probably caught it regardless. It’s a powerful and wretched memory to have.”
“Daniel offered to soften it for me once… to mute it in my mind so it wouldn’t be so powerful. I don’t know that I ever want to let go of it like that. You can’t learn from the mistakes you forget.” Jack shook his head. “Beer?”
“Water, please. Beer makes…” He waved his hand around. “Alcohol makes things fuzzy. I just got back on an even keel this morning, no reason to tempt fate.”
Jack motioned him up the steps. “Get comfortable then.”
John slid into the porch swing as O’Neill disappeared into the house. It wasn’t exactly how he’d imagined a meeting with a Major General to go, but he was more than capable of going with the flow. He hoped the week had proven that. Jack came out and handled him a bottle of spring water.
“Thank you.”
Jack nodded. “Director Morris has called me several times; he’s very upset about what happened yesterday. Sam downplayed it a lot but that doesn’t change the circumstances and didn’t mention the full extent of your problems. He does know you had to be isolated and that most of the floor you were on had to be evacuated. He promised a full evaluation of how Sentinels are tested and Fordham may face a review of his own. Apparently they had no idea he was that invasive during testing.”
John snorted and Jack laughed.
“Well, that’s what he said.” Jack walked over to the grill and turned the steaks over. “You do realize that Fordham was probably onto the fact that you were hiding something from him.”
“Yeah. He knows but he has no proof and I’ll never consent to be testing again. Not ever.” John looked out over the lake that spread out beautiful and blue behind O’Neill’s house. “You’ve got a nice place, Sir.”
“It’s good to have a place away from the base to crash when things get to be too much. Perhaps you can talk McKay into getting an apartment or a house—something because he hasn’t lived off base in years.”
John nodded. “I’ll work on it. Honestly, I may require it eventually. I’ve never enjoyed living on a base – the emotions run so high all the time. And with a place like the SGC…” His words trailed off knowingly.
“Well, apparently I’m to thank you and McKay for everyone being in an excellent mood on Wednesday.” Jack wiggled his eyebrows and laughed when John blushed. “So it has its benefits as well. Good for morale, you know.”
“I’ll keep it in mind.”
“So, let’s discuss you.”
“You know I’ve had many conversations that started that way and really they haven’t always been great, Sir.”
“You do realize that tacking ‘sir’ on the end of an insulting sentence doesn’t make it okay, right?” Jack asked with a small laugh. “I’ll keep it painless, Sheppard.” He sat down in the chair he’d abandoned earlier and propped his bare feet up on the porch railing. “You’re the CO for the Atlantis Expedition. You’ll share power equally with Dr. McKay.”
“Dr. Weir?”
“Is a diplomatic advisor and her role on the expedition will be to deal with circumstances that pop up like – meeting non-Earth humans or Ancients. That sort of thing. There was some talk of making her the expedition leader but frankly, I don’t like that. I don’t like a civilian being in charge out in the middle of another galaxy and neither did Sumner.”
“Except Rodney is a civilian.”
“Rodney is a Guide and he’s worked with us for years; since he graduated from college really. It helps that he’s your Guide. I honestly didn’t know how it was going to work with Sumner, and frankly the man wasn’t thrilled with the thought of working with a scientist.”
“You’re close to Carter and Jackson.”
“We were on the same team for years before I let myself get promoted to a desk. I trust them; more importantly, I understand their dynamic. It makes you and McKay perfect to lead the expedition.”
“Weir agrees?”
“Weir is a politician,” Jack answered. “A good one. She’s a strong diplomat with amazing people skills but she also has a wide focus and can often fail to see the details in the big picture.”
“Like suggesting that you prevent Rodney and me from bonding.”
“Yeah, exactly like that. It simply didn’t occur to her what that might do to either of you. She just saw Atlantis potentially losing the only man who will probably understand what the fuck is out there.” Jack waved his hand at the sky. “So, there you go. You and McKay. You’ll have fifty scientists and one hundred Marines and twenty-five support staff including Weir and her diplomatic corp. Total expedition count 177.”
“I take it I don’t get Carter and Jackson?”
Jack laughed. “Hell no.”
“Are you sure?”
“Very sure. Currently there is one other Sentinel/Guide team on the mission. I think you probably met them yesterday.”
“Lt. Aidan Ford and Lt. Laura Cadman.”
“Yes, they’ve been together since they were teenagers. Went through college and basic together. There really is no separating them. They are a handy pair to have around. They both like to blow things up, they have several degrees – Chemistry and Engineering—, and he’s very slick with a sniper rifle.”
“Good to know.” John frowned. “I want to vet each marine going with me personally. I realize that’s a logistics nightmare and something of a bitch but…”
“No need, John. After Sumner’s attitude I understand it perfectly.”
- – - -
Rodney was sitting in front of John’s desk watching him work while he tapped away on his laptop. They both stopped working in the same moment and their gazes connected. “Huh.”
John grinned. “Well, he’s interesting. Do you know who it is?”
“No. We have some new personnel coming in and I know Jack pulled in a squadron of X-302 pilots for an introduction to the SGC to see if any of them want to play with us full time. They’ve found several with the ATA gene in the program.”
John let his mind flow out a little and connected with the new Sentinel. He was strong, at least a level five, and unbonded. He was startled at the loneliness he felt in the man. “Did I feel that way?”
“Yes, worse actually. Much worse, at least to me.” Rodney set aside his laptop. “Let’s go Sentinel hunting.”
John nodded his agreement. “Yes, let’s.”
They were on level four when they encountered Sam and Daniel, obvious on a Sentinel hunt as well. They all four grinned each other as they stood outside the large conference room. After a few minutes, the door opened and Jack O’Neill tilted his head. “Colonels and Doctors. Should I be concerned about your loitering?”
Daniel grinned. “Come on, Jack, let him come out to play. You know we’ll give a better tour than whatever staff person you have assigned.”
“Besides, the debriefing is driving him batshit, Sir.” John tucked his hands in his BDU’s.
“The last time I let an unbonded Sentinel mosey around my facility I ended up having to put off my whole schedule while he bonded for a full day with my Chief Scientist.” There was startled laughter from inside the room and then Jack sighed. “All right, Major Lorne, you’ve been sprung.” Jack stepped back and let a man pass through the door. “No wandering around meeting Guides and having all day sex bonding, please. I’ve had my fill of that for the month.”
“No promises,” Evan grinned. “Thank you, General.”
Jack shut the door.
Evan saluted. “Colonels.”
“He’s got a very nice form,” Rodney said approvingly. “We should keep him.”
“You only get one Sentinel, Rodney,” John responded fondly. “Doesn’t mean we can’t keep him, though.” He motioned to Sam and Daniel. “Lt. Colonel Samantha Carter, Dr. Daniel Jackson. I’m Colonel John Sheppard and this is my Guide, Dr. Rodney McKay.”
“It’s a pleasure.” Evan offered Daniel and then Rodney his hand. “Your reputations precede you both. I was very surprised to hear that you had bonded, Dr. McKay.”
Rodney frowned. “I didn’t tell you no did I? You’re high enough… but you don’t look familiar.”
“No, actually my Sentinel gifts were latent until two years ago. I’ve never approached the Council for a Guide. I figured I owed it to myself to learn to deal with what I became before I involved anyone.”
“Wise, but difficult choice.” John jerked his head. “Let’s walk, Major. Sam will tell you all about how awesome the place is and I’m going to watch, and speculate about you the whole time. I’ll probably ask a few horribly invasive questions, too.”
“Sounds like a good time, Sir.”
Two hours later, Evan Lorne was staring at the Stargate like it was the best thing on Earth when John asked him the last question he had for the day. “So, how would you like to step through that and go to another galaxy, maybe we find Atlantis, and some space ships? Meet new people, find new technology, romance alien princesses, participate in kinky alien sex rituals, and stuff.”
Evan turned to him. “You had me at space ships, Sir.”
- – - -
“Carson Beckett just quit.”
“What?” John frowned. “Quit?”
Rodney threw his hands in the air and started to pace. “Well not quit but damn it… it’s a near thing. He comes and tells me his mother is gravely ill and he has to go to Scotland. He’ll doubt he’ll return until she is thoroughly recovered or she passes. Well, she has cancer… so he’s not coming back, right? Who can blame him? I wouldn’t leave Earth with my mother sick like that. Well, I would because I can’t stand my mother. But, if I loved her the way Carson loves his—I sure wouldn’t leave.”
“So, we have to find a new CMO for the expedition that is both a good surgeon, a competent general practitioner, and has experience with the Sentinel genome.”
Rodney grimaced. “He recommended someone. A child prodigy, and a Guide herself, actually. She’s twenty-six, now, so not so much a child anymore but still a prodigy.”
“You were a child prodigy.”
“Yeah, so?” Rodney demanded.
“So stop staying prodigy like it’s a dirty word,” John said with a small laugh when Rodney tossed himself in his favorite chair and crossed his arms over his chest. “Why do you hate your mother?”
“Because she started it.” Rodney looked down at his feet spread out in front of him shrugged. “She never liked me. I was an accident and even when I was little, I knew she didn’t like touching me. We would have both been very happy if Canada had decided to treat the gifted kids the way the US did. They would have taken me and raised me and I wouldn’t have grown up with a snotty little sister who didn’t get the Guide gene and a set of parents who were continually stunned that I lived with them.”
John winced. “Okay. So, your parents are permanently off the table for discussion. We might revisit your sister at a later date.”
Rodney waved one hand as if he agreed. “So, the prodigy is going to be here in a week but Carson is leaving now. I’m all concerned for him and stuff but really I just broke him in and now I’ve only got six months to break in the prodigy before we leave on the mission.”
“Does she have a name?”
Rodney pursed his lips. “Dr. Jennifer Keller. She’s a prominent trauma surgeon, a gifted but unbonded Guide, level five if you care, and apparently she might look like a professional cheerleader.”
John laughed. “Great. I’ll have Marines getting injured on purpose. Is she aware of what the mission is?”
“Yes, she was debriefed this morning. Apparently, Carson has known for two bloody days but chose not to tell me!”
“Well, considering how you’re reacting I can see why. Besides, we were all a little busy the past several days.”
“I’m a shitty friend.”
“You are not. You’ve just been a very busy friend. You met your Sentinel after thirty-two years of being alone, bonded, flew to Seattle, saved a whole planet from radiation poisoning, and helped me steal an X-302 pilot from Area 51.”
Rodney chuckled. “Was General Landry pissed?”
“That we stole one of his squadron leaders? Yeah. Apparently, livid is a better term, but he knew the risks when he sent the man here so O’Neill kept our asses out of the line of fire on that front. Lorne will be back in a day to settle in. I’m going to make him help vet the Marines Sumner had chosen.”
“So, hmm, where is Sumner?”
“He got his choice of postings. He’s in the Middle East being a Marine.”
“Good for him.”
John checked his watch. “Teal’c is going to meet me in the gym to help me with my baseline. Are you game?”
“Yeah.” Rodney inclined his head. “Good choice. He’s likely to kick your ass, you know.”
“Yeah, I know.”
- – - -
“Dr. Jackson tells me I should expect a challenge out of you.” Teal’c hefted a wooden staff. “I do not.”
John grinned. “I like to be a surprise.”
He really didn’t appreciate surprises , so he was a little miffed to discover that half the Marines on the base had found some reason to be in the gym during his first session with Teal’c. He glanced towards Sam who grinned. He hadn’t let go himself physically in a long time and that was a little scary.
“Relax, John, you aren’t going to hurt him.” Rodney pulled out his laptop. “I’ll be dragging you to the infirmary inside of an hour.”
By the end of the first ten minutes, the only sound in the gym was the thud of staff meeting staff. Sam and Laura Cadman had wandered in and were sitting behind Rodney on a set of bleachers. Teal’c was strong, lithe, and very graceful. John didn’t think for an instant he could take the man in hand to hand. After all, the alien had nearly fifty years of combat experience on him.
He knew they were approaching the back wall of the gym and his body was responding quickly to being cornered; very suddenly, he had a lot of energy to expel. He turned, took the wall at a leap, ran up it, and flipped over Teal’c, landing on his feet five feet behind him.
Teal’c stopped and stared. “You surprised me.”
John laughed suddenly. “I surprised myself.”
“It’s an adrenalin response, a very big one.” Rodney set aside his laptop. “We should get some monitors on you for the next session so we can see what your output is and what it does to your heart.”
- – - -
Rodney shuddered and spread his legs wide as John slipped on top of him. “I wonder how many of the mundanes have figured out that our sex life is putting them in such a good mood?”
John laughed. “Not many or certainly we’d get better food in the cafeteria at least and someone would stop leaving the coffee pot empty in the officer’s lounge.” He buried his face against Rodney’s neck and groaned. “Fuck, the way you smell drives me insane.”
“For some, a smell they can’t imagine living without is a sign they’ve met their Guide.” Rodney ran a hand down John’s back and sighed when he started to move. “I love your cock rubbing against me. So hard and hot.”
“Do you want to fuck me?” John questioned in a whisper as he trailed his lips along his jaw. “Do you want to put that gorgeous cock of yours in my ass?”
“You’re a dirty, dirty man.” Rodney accused as he lifted his hips against John’s body as he drifted gently over him. “I know you’ve never bottomed before.”
“That doesn’t mean I don’t want it with you.” John sat up a little and met his gaze. “I always figured it would too much… too much input and until you there was never anyone I trusted enough with that.”
“You know you’re going to make me crazy.”
“I like crazy,” John admitted a little smug at the desperation he heard in McKay’s voice. That he could make a man like him lose it a little was something of an ego trip. “And I want you to fuck me.”
Rodney nodded. “I’ll make it perfect for you.”
“It’s always perfect with you.” John rolled onto this back and stretched out leisurely.
“You…” Rodney shook his head. “God, seriously, do you have any idea how hot you are? I mean I know I’ve said it before and I’ll probably say it a lot in the future.”
John laughed. “I don’t doubt it.”
“I’d think it was just me and the bond but I see the way people on the base look at you. It would piss me off if you weren’t mine.” Rodney nuzzled against the defined muscles of John’s stomach and sighed. “Yeah, I’d probably walk around in a perpetual bad mood. Base morale would go down. Everyone would suffer if you weren’t mine.”
“I know I would,” he whispered as Rodney moved down and sucked his cock in deep without warning. “Damn, Rodney, God you’re mouth is the best thing in the universe. Best thing ever. I swear.”
Rodney was shaking by the time he ran his hand through the covers of their bed and found the tube of lube they’d used and promptly lost in the bedding only an hour before. He slicked up his fingers and sought John’s entrance with ease. John’s inherent trust of him made entry easy—his body immediately relaxed against the invasion and after a few tentative thrusts of his finger, he added a second then a third finger. By the time Rodney was twisting three fingers and bumping against his prostate, John was lifting his hips and rocking back against the finger fucking. His breathy moans filled the room.
“You are really going to love this,” Rodney promised.
“More,” John demanded. “More.”
“I’ll give you everything. Everything I have.” He moved over him and pressed the head of his cock against John’s opening with deliberate pressure. “You can have everything I was, everything I am, and everything I will be. All of it is yours, John. All of it.”
John arched his back and twisted in shocked pleasure as Rodney slid deep and thick into him. “Yes, mine. All of you belongs to me.” He caught McKay’s hands and thread their fingers together into a tight grip. “Mine.”
“You’re safe with me, John. Every desire, every secret, every ambition – all that you’ve ever been and all that you ever will be—is apart of me and I want for nothing. You filled all my dark and empty places.” Rodney shuddered as he started to move; the sensation of working his cock in and out of John’s body was overwhelming. Each thrust was as if he was reaching out into a downpour of pleasure and getting drenched with it.
- – - -
John circled around Major Lorne, the man was stripped to the waist his own staff weapon swinging easily. Teal’c had been training them both all week and the effect on both men was clear. Their gifts had bloomed under the Jaffa’s instruction and they moved with astounding speed and accuracy. In fact, they had become something of a show for the Marines on base.
“So the I hear the new doctor is coming today.”
John nodded. “Yeah, she should be landing any time now. They are flying her in from Chicago.”
“And she’s going to just pick up and go to another galaxy with us?”
John laughed. “You’re going!”
“I was seduced by space ships. I can’t be held accountable for my decision.” Several Marines who were close enough to hear the Major’s response laughed.
John laughed. “She’s young, she has the ATA gene like Beckett, and Rodney says she’s a genius. Maybe she grew up on Star Trek like the rest of us and is hoping to encounter some hot alien guy.”
Rodney snorted from the bleachers. “Leave us all out of your adolescent fantasies, Colonel!”
“Don’t even, McKay, I bet you had a poster of Spock on your bedroom wall. Admit it.”
Rodney sniffed. “I was actually more of a Next Generation fan.”
“Patrick Stewart then.” John called as he jumped back and the Major missed him. Evan swore.
“Of course, bald is beautiful.” Rodney grinned. “Isn’t that right, Teal’c?”
“You are the smartest man in the galaxy, Dr. McKay,” Teal’s said in his most serious tone as he ran one hand over his own bald head and everyone around them laughed. “Major, you are telegraphing with your left shoulder. Alter your behavior.”
Lorne shot the Jaffa a practiced glare, which earned him the butt end of John’s staff in the gut. “I surrender!”
John laughed and backed off. “Anyone else want to play?” Every Marine in the room shook their head no. “Oh, come on!”
“The last Marine that got in front of you and that staff ended up in the infirmary,” Rodney called out. “I told you if broke one that none of them would want to play with you. It’s your own fault, Colonel.”
“Fine. Fine. Everyone pair up and start practicing. Remember gentlemen, we are going to another fucking galaxy. It would be a real shame to run out of bullets and discover you can’t fight with whatever you can pick up.”
- – - -
Dr. Jennifer Keller did, in fact, look like she might be a professional cheerleader. Blonde, pretty, curvy little figure, and a bright cheerful smile. It was a fucking disaster. John actually sighed when he met her. “Wow, I can’t take you to another galaxy with me.”’
Jennifer frowned. “Excuse me, Colonel?”
John turned to Jack O’Neill. “Seriously, Sir.”
Jack started laughing. “John, be nice and say hello to your new Chief Medical Officer.”
“Colonel, I realize I’m young but I hope you don’t intend to hold that against me. I’m very qualified for this mission.”
She was still frowning at him. It was not unlike having a Dr. Barbie being mad at him. “Yes, I understand you were a child prodigy.”
“But I grew up.”
“Yes, and now you’re a beautiful genius,” John responded helplessly. “I’m traveling to another galaxy with ninety-five men and seventy-eight women including you.”
Her mouth dropped open. “Oh. You think I’m too attractive? Well, isn’t that odd?” She blushed. “I can’t get ugly, Colonel, so you’re just going to have to figure something out.”
Rodney started laughing and stuck out his hand. “I’m Dr. Rodney McKay, his Guide, and the Chief Scientific Officer of the Atlantis expedition. Welcome on board.”
Jennifer took his hand. “Yes, I heard about your recent bonding. Congratulations. There is a large topic on the two of you on the Sentinel forum. Lots of speculation and a few pictures.” She eyed the Colonel. “And I must say, Colonel Sheppard, if I’m too pretty to cross the galaxy through a wormhole you’re probably too pretty to even be here on the base.”
Jack O’Neill started laughing. “You know, John, I think she’ll be fine.”
John eyed her wearily and nodded. “The attitude will scare off a lot of the younger Marines. They can’t handle a woman who talks back.”
“The medical degree and the abnormally large needles will scare off the rest,” Jennifer promised as she finally offered John her hand. “I understand you’re a very gifted Sentinel. I won’t be offended if you do not wish to touch.”
John took the hand she offered. “A Guide of your skill level is rarely a threat to me unless they intend to be.” He released her hand and inclined his head. “This is a one way mission, Dr. Keller, we aren’t even sure if we’ll ever come back. Are you sure you want to miss a chance to bond?”
“I’ve met the majority of the Sentinels in my age group, Colonel. As with many Guides, I’ve come to believe I will not bond and I’m content to use my gifts in my role as a doctor. I’m capable of offering a great deal of comfort to mundanes and as a doctor that is a very valuable skill.” She paused. “I’m not the only unbonded Guide on the mission, right?”
“No, there is a botanist on the expedition. He’s never been inclined to seek a bonding,” Rodney explained softly. “I think Sentinels intimidate him a little.”
“I’ve encountered many who have felt that way in the past…” She frowned and turned to look at the door as Major Evan Lorne entered. The color drained from her face and he stopped moving completely.
John turned and looked at Evan and then back to the doctor. All of his concerns about the too-pretty doctor slipped away.
“Huh.” Rodney tilted his head. “Should I make introductions?”
Jennifer nodded mutely.
“Dr. Jennifer Keller meet Major Evan Lorne.” Rodney looked at the still non-moving pilot. “Major, be a good flyboy and haul ass over here. She’s waiting for you.”
Evan shot McKay a look but walked slowly to stand by Sheppard. “Dr. Keller.” He looked down at the hand she instantly offered him. “I’m not sure we should do that, yet, Doc. I have a feeling my reaction is going to be pretty strong.”
Jennifer flushed and her eyes darkened. She nodded.
Jack O’Neill sighed. “Great, there goes another day lost to all day sex bonding and everyone walking around like they are stoned and very happy about it.”
Evan inclined his head. “Are you okay?”
“I’m not sure,” she started and then swallowed hard. “I didn’t expect this. I wasn’t told there was an unbonded Sentinel on the base.”
“I’ve been here about a week.” Evan moved toward her and then stopped. “We have a problem, Doc.”
“Yes,” Jennifer agreed. “Just be glad we didn’t meet in a room full of other Guides and Sentinels at one of the mixers. I’ve seen the pairs that meet that way – they always look so distressed and uncomfortable. They couldn’t hide anything from anyone in the room in those first few minutes.”
“We’re among friends; people we can trust.”
“It makes a big difference,” Jennifer agreed.
“I’m in trouble here,” the Major admitted.
Immediately, she moved and reached for him. Her fingers curled around his wrist and Evan pulled her close with a shudder. He inhaled and whispered her name in a shocked tone.
“Okay, yeah, we need privacy,” Jennifer admitted as she pulled the shaking Sentinel close. “He wasn’t kidding about the strength of his reaction.”
- – - -
John tossed his pen across the room. “Seriously, that’s her all by herself right? He’s not projecting at all?”
“Not at all.” Rodney chuckled. “He must be the fuck of the century.”
“Nah, you’re definitely the fuck of the century.” John spun around his chair and stopped at the sight of O’Neill leaning against the door that connected their offices. “Sorry, Sir, I can’t believe I didn’t hear you coming or that I said that in front of you.”
“Considering the circumstances, Colonel, I’m surprised anyone can do anything. This is as nearly as bad when the two of you bonded. I had to send half the staff home that day.” He checked his watch. “It’s been seven hours, you know.”
“He’s twenty-seven and she’s twenty-six.” John smirked a little. “I could go all weekend when I was in my twenties.”
Rodney snorted. “You can go all weekend now, John.”
“Yeah, but my knees didn’t hurt afterward when I was in my twenties.” John sighed and Jack started laughing.
“Let me know how you feel when you start hitting the backside of forty like a bottle of good scotch, Colonel.” Jack pulled the door shut with a muttered comment about going home to escape over-sexed Sentinels.
- – - -
Evan Lorne paused in the entryway to Sheppard’s office and waited for his commanding officer to look up before he moved into the room. The Colonel raised his head and raised one eyebrow at him. “Good morning Major, we were beginning to think we’d have to plan an emergency evacuation for one of the two of you.”
“It was a surprise, Sir.”
“I can understand completely. I certainly didn’t come here looking for a Guide. That makes you and me very lucky men.” He motioned to a chair in front of him. “Sit, I’ve been working on the list you gave me.”
Evan did as instructed and accepted a tablet PC when the Colonel offered. “Most of the Marines seem to be okay with the officer staff changes, there are a few who aren’t taking it well at all, but they came with Colonel Sumner and would have preferred to leave with him.”
John nodded. “The General and I have already discussed those men. They’ll be given the option of leaving the Stargate program but that doesn’t mean they’ll be returned to Sumner. The Marine Corp will send them where ever they are needed most.”
“Good because I really didn’t relish taking men to another galaxy who think answering to a man in an Air Force uniform is beneath them.”
“Are you and Dr. Keller in a good place in your bond to work separately? Dr. Weir would like Keller to join her at the Ancient Outpost in Antarctica. I told her it would depend on you.”
Evan moved around in his chair. He was clearly uncomfortable with the idea of his Guide leaving him. “We’ll do what is necessary, Sir.”
“We’ll give it a week.” John shot him a look. “Then if you still find it uncomfortable, we’ll see about both of you going to the Outpost periodically.”
Evan relaxed. “I didn’t realize I would be so…”
“Possessive? Obsessed? Jealous?” John laughed. “Neither did I. They really don’t discuss that part of the equation in the bond. Maybe it’s a by-product of how we chose to bond with our Guides. I haven’t noticed it in Carter and Jackson.”
“I don’t understand how they can be in each other’s heads and not want to touch each other,” Evan admitted softly. “I don’t know that I could have kept my hands off of Jennifer even if we’d chosen to bond with the platonic ceremony. I’m so deep in her head that I know when she stubs her toe.”
” Speaking of which,” John started. He pulled a folder off his top drawer and opened it. “I need you to sign a confidentiality agreement related to her job with the expedition and the private medical information you’ll inadvertently get from your Guide.” He handed a stapled packet to him. “Read it, sign it, and bring it back to me. Discuss it with her if necessary.”
“She mentioned this last night. I’ll apparently have to sign several of these for the American Medical Association as well. They are very particular about how licensed doctors and their Sentinels function. She’s in the process of registering our bond with them now.”
“Understood.” John leaned back in his chair. “The Council passes on their congratulations but feels no need to interview or test either of you since you’ve both been there separately in the last eighteen months. Morris made a joke about the General being a Sentinel matchmaker and suggested they hold the next social mixer for unbonded Guides here.”
Evan laughed. “Wow. The Pentagon would never approve.”
“Yeah.” John paused, his body growing very still. Rodney had been a state of anxiety all morning; snarking at his staff left and right but it had just ramped up into what he could only call full-blown panic. He stood. “Excuse me, Major.”
He knew McKay had dismissed his staff and was working alone in Lab 3; he took the two flights of stairs that separated them at a dead run and the moment he entered the hall way panic bled away to anger and then surprise and physical pain. John didn’t even notice that Lorne was only a few steps behind him as he entered the lab.
“Rodney, what the fuck is going on here?”
Rodney was several feet away from a large Marine; his expression stunned, one hand clutched to his chest. “Sergeant Cole was expressing his displeasure over being under the command of a ‘fucking fag’.”
“It was a misunderstanding.” Cole crossed his arms over his chest. “Dr. McKay took something I said the wrong way.”
“What is wrong with your hand?”
“I think I broke it on his stupid face,” Rodney admitted. “It hurts a lot.”
John almost laughed; but he was very angry and he was trying very hard not to kill Cole for even being in the same room with his Guide. “Sergeant Cole, you’re ignorant of the strength of a Sentinel/Guide bond; that’s obvious. Because if you understood it, if you understood me, you would know that I’m a hair away from killing you for even assuming you had the right to be in the same room with him, much less vent your considerable temper at him.” He looked at Cole then. “Leave this room and don’t ever come near him or any of the other Guides on this base. Pack your things because you are leaving.”
“I’ve earned my place on the Atlantis Expedition.”
“And you just earned yourself a one way ticket out of the mountain,” Evan jerked his head. “Come with me, Sergeant.”
