Ficlet: Fever
Now with title!
Fever, SGA, G, Gen, Crack. Like I need to tell you that.
**
Two days later, they had all come down with the sniffles, and Rodney found himself pacing back and forth in his quarters.
Keller said it wasn't anything to worry about. "Teyla said it's a form of illness that comes around every so often--it'll make you restless, and then it'll work itself out pretty quickly. We'll keep an eye on you guys so we can make sure it doesn't develop into anything more serious."
Right. Because not being able to lie down and sleep was nothing serious.
Within a week, half the city had what Teyla called the Walking Sickness; Rodney hadn't had a good night's sleep in--okay, he hadn't technically had a good night's sleep in several years, but this was getting ridiculous. Sheppard looked like hell, as did Lorne, and their necessary meetings were being held in very abbreviated form.
Rodney stumbled out of the briefing room and wandered aimlessly into the gate room. And--oh, great. Now his right shoulder was twitching.
"Do you hear that?" he asked Sheppard. "Sort of a bass note? Thump-thump . . . thump-thump."
They were twitching in unison, and about a dozen other people around them were starting to do the same, congregating on the gate room floor.
Sheppard frowned. His shoulder was twitching too. "Yeah, and it's--Rodney, what the hell is going on?" He had one arm stretched out in front of him, one behind, and he was stepping sideways. Rodney found himself following.
"Oh, my god," he said, and shimmied to the side. "I have no idea. I--I don't think I can stop."
"Me neither," Sheppard said, and they did a complicated clapping-side-step-head-waggling thing. At least Sheppard was built for this. Rodney didn't really think he was made for shimmying.
Rodney swung his hands up and stepped past Lorne and Carles and two unhappy marines who had been on gate room duty. "Somebody call Radek," he yelled to the room in general, "I think it's the city!"
Pivot, pivot, pivot, pivot, clap, shuffle foward, and oh god, now there was footwork and suddenly Rodney knew what was going on.
One of the marines in the back was humming, and Rodney decided that he hated the Pegasus galaxy. "Figured it out, did you?" he said under his breath.
"Feel sorry for the Colonel," Lorne said from somewhere behind him, and yes, that was right, Sheppard was in front of their flying-wedge formation, and any minute now--Rodney crouched down and Sheppard executed a neat double spin and slammed to a stop to balance on the toes of his boots. "ARGH," said Sheppard.
"Feel sorry for us, Major," Rodney snapped as they jumped in place, and Radek came rushing down.
He stared at the group for a moment, then fell into line beside Rodney.
"I think it's Atlantis," Rodney said to him as they strutted and jumped and crouched down again. "It's trying to sweat the flu out of us by making us move more. Only this is the--" he trailed off as they executed a move that his hips were not happy about. "Wait. You don't have the gene."
"No," said Radek as they paraded side-to side again with their hands in the air, clawlike, "It just seemed easier."
"I hate you."
They started to pivot again. "Our only option is to cut power to the entire city," Radek said. "Otherwise, I suggest simply waiting to see if the compulsion ends when the dance does."
Rodney considered this. "If we start to do the Macarena--" he started, but suddenly they were all frozen in place--just a moment, and then whatever was controlling them stopped and Rodney fell gratefully to the floor. They all did.
There was a moment of blessed silence, and then the applause started.
Fever, SGA, G, Gen, Crack. Like I need to tell you that.
**
Two days later, they had all come down with the sniffles, and Rodney found himself pacing back and forth in his quarters.
Keller said it wasn't anything to worry about. "Teyla said it's a form of illness that comes around every so often--it'll make you restless, and then it'll work itself out pretty quickly. We'll keep an eye on you guys so we can make sure it doesn't develop into anything more serious."
Right. Because not being able to lie down and sleep was nothing serious.
Within a week, half the city had what Teyla called the Walking Sickness; Rodney hadn't had a good night's sleep in--okay, he hadn't technically had a good night's sleep in several years, but this was getting ridiculous. Sheppard looked like hell, as did Lorne, and their necessary meetings were being held in very abbreviated form.
Rodney stumbled out of the briefing room and wandered aimlessly into the gate room. And--oh, great. Now his right shoulder was twitching.
"Do you hear that?" he asked Sheppard. "Sort of a bass note? Thump-thump . . . thump-thump."
They were twitching in unison, and about a dozen other people around them were starting to do the same, congregating on the gate room floor.
Sheppard frowned. His shoulder was twitching too. "Yeah, and it's--Rodney, what the hell is going on?" He had one arm stretched out in front of him, one behind, and he was stepping sideways. Rodney found himself following.
"Oh, my god," he said, and shimmied to the side. "I have no idea. I--I don't think I can stop."
"Me neither," Sheppard said, and they did a complicated clapping-side-step-head-waggling thing. At least Sheppard was built for this. Rodney didn't really think he was made for shimmying.
Rodney swung his hands up and stepped past Lorne and Carles and two unhappy marines who had been on gate room duty. "Somebody call Radek," he yelled to the room in general, "I think it's the city!"
Pivot, pivot, pivot, pivot, clap, shuffle foward, and oh god, now there was footwork and suddenly Rodney knew what was going on.
One of the marines in the back was humming, and Rodney decided that he hated the Pegasus galaxy. "Figured it out, did you?" he said under his breath.
"Feel sorry for the Colonel," Lorne said from somewhere behind him, and yes, that was right, Sheppard was in front of their flying-wedge formation, and any minute now--Rodney crouched down and Sheppard executed a neat double spin and slammed to a stop to balance on the toes of his boots. "ARGH," said Sheppard.
"Feel sorry for us, Major," Rodney snapped as they jumped in place, and Radek came rushing down.
He stared at the group for a moment, then fell into line beside Rodney.
"I think it's Atlantis," Rodney said to him as they strutted and jumped and crouched down again. "It's trying to sweat the flu out of us by making us move more. Only this is the--" he trailed off as they executed a move that his hips were not happy about. "Wait. You don't have the gene."
"No," said Radek as they paraded side-to side again with their hands in the air, clawlike, "It just seemed easier."
"I hate you."
They started to pivot again. "Our only option is to cut power to the entire city," Radek said. "Otherwise, I suggest simply waiting to see if the compulsion ends when the dance does."
Rodney considered this. "If we start to do the Macarena--" he started, but suddenly they were all frozen in place--just a moment, and then whatever was controlling them stopped and Rodney fell gratefully to the floor. They all did.
There was a moment of blessed silence, and then the applause started.