Fic: From... To... (Gen, PG-13)
Title: From ... To ...
Author: falcon_horus
Recipient: hoktauri
Pairing: none but with a little Aiden Ford & Rodney McKay friendship on the side
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: No expedition members or Pegasus natives were harmed during the writing of this fic.
Author's Notes: Beta'd by Gateworld member MonicaL.
Summary: Tag to Letters From Pegasus. Aiden jumped at the chance to be in charge of the messages, and doesn't regret it.
-o-
"Lieutenant, maybe you'd like to handle this? Give everybody a few minutes on camera to send a personal message to their loved ones."
Aiden had jumped at the chance to be in charge of the video messages. He was quite handy with a camera and really, how hard could it be. All he had to do was put every single one of the expedition members in front of the camera and have them say a few words. It was easy enough to locate most, and those he couldn't, he made sure to highlight on his list for later. Even with the impending doom of the Wraith armada hanging over their heads, most of the expedition members decided on cheerful messages. There were a few who had to take a break before they were able to continue, and seeing grown men break down in tears had been quite the experience. In hindsight, Aiden might have been better not to suggest that Carson tell his mother he loved her and missed her. Perhaps it would have been best not to steer away from his wishes that her petunias were alright, and that the fungus on her toenails was under control. He had apologized afterwards, but the Scotsman had waved it away. He would make sure Carson's message got through, unlike Kavanagh's whining session. Aiden secretly hoped that one would get lost in transit. The nerve that man had.
As far as security clearance went, almost all of the expedition members knew that their messages should contain no elements which would require a high level clearance. He personally was unaware of any family members who were actually given such clearance. When he was watching and listening to Radek record his message in Czech, he could only guess what the scientist was saying. However, given the way he moved his hands and the way he acted, there was a good chance his message would get lost on the SGC's cutting room floor, as they would most likely not want any of the Zelenka family to know about Atlantis just yet. Radek, on the other hand, had seemed quite oblivious about security clearance.
Aiden had been on his way back from recording Doctor Heightmeyer's message, since she was quite busy as of late and had only moments to spare, when he'd bumped into Rodney in the hallway. It seemed like the opportune moment to record his message next, but the scientist had thrust a tape in his hands with the announcement that he'd gotten carried away a little and that there was gold on it. Aiden was surprised the man had managed to fill an entire hour of tape and wondered what exactly Rodney meant by his gold comment. He had a feeling he was going to have a ball watching it, and did he have one.
The moment he hit play on the tape Aiden knew he was in for a treat.
"This is Doctor Rodney McKay speaking to you from my base of operations in the lost city of Atlantis, located deep within the Pegasus galaxy."
He snorted and shook his head more than once as Rodney's speech continued, a speech eligible for best drama performance in a documentary if such an award existed.
Rodney had also not been kidding when he had mentioned it was quite therapeutic, and Aiden briefly considered whether it would be better to turn the tape over to Doctor Heightmeyer instead and let her watch it, and then tell him what minutes to keep and which to lose. Considering her schedule, he ignored the thought and watched for the gold on his own. The ever returning theme of leadership soon had him in stitches, but when Rodney finally seemed to realize he was possibly forgetting the most important part of the message, a word out to his family, Aiden turned his attention towards the screen, facing a side of Rodney he had rarely, if ever, been privy to see before.
"Jeannie? This is your brother, Rodney ... obviously! I wanna s-say, um ... I wanna say something. Uh ... family is important. I-I've come to realize that because the people here have become a sort of a ... kind of a surrogate family to me. Now, I know what you're thinking: I've never really been the poster child for that kind of sentiment but, uh, when ... when one's contemplating one's own demise, one tends to see things more clearly. I really do wish you the best, you know, and I'm sorry we weren't closer. Perhaps, um ... if by chance I make it out of this, perhaps one day we can be, and I would like that."
The tape ran out and Aiden made the cut, keeping Rodney's message to his sister intact. He didn't, however, put Rodney's message last like the scientist had said to, reserving that spot for Kavanagh's whining session, while ensuring that Jeannie would have something to listen to or watch if they didn't need to strip audio from video. Rodney deserved it.
Before the Atlantis mission, Aiden had been a member of a military only team, and as such had little interaction with the scientist-types. They were considered a nuisance, and it was better not to have them on the team as they would question just about everything and everyone. And most of the doctors were people he'd guessed were proud members of the local geek or nerd squads in their high schools; the kind of people he'd made fun of. However, he had changed his mind about them since becoming a member of the expedition. The scientists had saved their lives on more than one occasion so far; without them a lot of the city would probably remain a mystery for all eternity, with most of them no longer alive to see it. He'd come to know them as reliable and Rodney was fast becoming a friend; a peculiar friend, but a friend nonetheless. He trusted Rodney to have his back in times of trouble, and while he would probably not easily admit to it, he did hold a great respect for Rodney, Radek, Miko, and all the other scientists now residing in the city and working towards saving it from the Wraith.
Aiden had dropped the edited messages with Radek for encryption after Teyla and John had returned, and the final messages had been recorded. When he had done so, he walked past the cafeteria to pick up something to eat before returning to duty. He had found Rodney sitting at a table, working on a tablet with a half-eaten sandwich by his side, and decided to let him know that he had finished.
"Evening Rodney."
"Lieutenant Ford," Rodney looked up. "Did you finish the recordings?"
Aiden nodded, "I did."
"Good. Good. I should…" Rodney indicated his tablet and Aiden nodded.
"Of course."
Aiden had started walking away but turned back at the door, watching the man bent over his calculations. He had debated whether to tell him he'd put Kavanagh's last, but decided against it. Rodney was busy saving the city, and his new family.
Author: falcon_horus
Recipient: hoktauri
Pairing: none but with a little Aiden Ford & Rodney McKay friendship on the side
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: No expedition members or Pegasus natives were harmed during the writing of this fic.
Author's Notes: Beta'd by Gateworld member MonicaL.
Summary: Tag to Letters From Pegasus. Aiden jumped at the chance to be in charge of the messages, and doesn't regret it.
-o-
"Lieutenant, maybe you'd like to handle this? Give everybody a few minutes on camera to send a personal message to their loved ones."
Aiden had jumped at the chance to be in charge of the video messages. He was quite handy with a camera and really, how hard could it be. All he had to do was put every single one of the expedition members in front of the camera and have them say a few words. It was easy enough to locate most, and those he couldn't, he made sure to highlight on his list for later. Even with the impending doom of the Wraith armada hanging over their heads, most of the expedition members decided on cheerful messages. There were a few who had to take a break before they were able to continue, and seeing grown men break down in tears had been quite the experience. In hindsight, Aiden might have been better not to suggest that Carson tell his mother he loved her and missed her. Perhaps it would have been best not to steer away from his wishes that her petunias were alright, and that the fungus on her toenails was under control. He had apologized afterwards, but the Scotsman had waved it away. He would make sure Carson's message got through, unlike Kavanagh's whining session. Aiden secretly hoped that one would get lost in transit. The nerve that man had.
As far as security clearance went, almost all of the expedition members knew that their messages should contain no elements which would require a high level clearance. He personally was unaware of any family members who were actually given such clearance. When he was watching and listening to Radek record his message in Czech, he could only guess what the scientist was saying. However, given the way he moved his hands and the way he acted, there was a good chance his message would get lost on the SGC's cutting room floor, as they would most likely not want any of the Zelenka family to know about Atlantis just yet. Radek, on the other hand, had seemed quite oblivious about security clearance.
Aiden had been on his way back from recording Doctor Heightmeyer's message, since she was quite busy as of late and had only moments to spare, when he'd bumped into Rodney in the hallway. It seemed like the opportune moment to record his message next, but the scientist had thrust a tape in his hands with the announcement that he'd gotten carried away a little and that there was gold on it. Aiden was surprised the man had managed to fill an entire hour of tape and wondered what exactly Rodney meant by his gold comment. He had a feeling he was going to have a ball watching it, and did he have one.
The moment he hit play on the tape Aiden knew he was in for a treat.
"This is Doctor Rodney McKay speaking to you from my base of operations in the lost city of Atlantis, located deep within the Pegasus galaxy."
He snorted and shook his head more than once as Rodney's speech continued, a speech eligible for best drama performance in a documentary if such an award existed.
Rodney had also not been kidding when he had mentioned it was quite therapeutic, and Aiden briefly considered whether it would be better to turn the tape over to Doctor Heightmeyer instead and let her watch it, and then tell him what minutes to keep and which to lose. Considering her schedule, he ignored the thought and watched for the gold on his own. The ever returning theme of leadership soon had him in stitches, but when Rodney finally seemed to realize he was possibly forgetting the most important part of the message, a word out to his family, Aiden turned his attention towards the screen, facing a side of Rodney he had rarely, if ever, been privy to see before.
"Jeannie? This is your brother, Rodney ... obviously! I wanna s-say, um ... I wanna say something. Uh ... family is important. I-I've come to realize that because the people here have become a sort of a ... kind of a surrogate family to me. Now, I know what you're thinking: I've never really been the poster child for that kind of sentiment but, uh, when ... when one's contemplating one's own demise, one tends to see things more clearly. I really do wish you the best, you know, and I'm sorry we weren't closer. Perhaps, um ... if by chance I make it out of this, perhaps one day we can be, and I would like that."
The tape ran out and Aiden made the cut, keeping Rodney's message to his sister intact. He didn't, however, put Rodney's message last like the scientist had said to, reserving that spot for Kavanagh's whining session, while ensuring that Jeannie would have something to listen to or watch if they didn't need to strip audio from video. Rodney deserved it.
Before the Atlantis mission, Aiden had been a member of a military only team, and as such had little interaction with the scientist-types. They were considered a nuisance, and it was better not to have them on the team as they would question just about everything and everyone. And most of the doctors were people he'd guessed were proud members of the local geek or nerd squads in their high schools; the kind of people he'd made fun of. However, he had changed his mind about them since becoming a member of the expedition. The scientists had saved their lives on more than one occasion so far; without them a lot of the city would probably remain a mystery for all eternity, with most of them no longer alive to see it. He'd come to know them as reliable and Rodney was fast becoming a friend; a peculiar friend, but a friend nonetheless. He trusted Rodney to have his back in times of trouble, and while he would probably not easily admit to it, he did hold a great respect for Rodney, Radek, Miko, and all the other scientists now residing in the city and working towards saving it from the Wraith.
Aiden had dropped the edited messages with Radek for encryption after Teyla and John had returned, and the final messages had been recorded. When he had done so, he walked past the cafeteria to pick up something to eat before returning to duty. He had found Rodney sitting at a table, working on a tablet with a half-eaten sandwich by his side, and decided to let him know that he had finished.
"Evening Rodney."
"Lieutenant Ford," Rodney looked up. "Did you finish the recordings?"
Aiden nodded, "I did."
"Good. Good. I should…" Rodney indicated his tablet and Aiden nodded.
"Of course."
Aiden had started walking away but turned back at the door, watching the man bent over his calculations. He had debated whether to tell him he'd put Kavanagh's last, but decided against it. Rodney was busy saving the city, and his new family.