SGA Fic: Reprogrammed (5/?)

[fathomlessspite]

Title: Reprogrammed Part Five
Rating: PG, Rodney gets very irrate and uses some bad bad language
Character: McKay, Sheppard
Category: General, Angst, Friendship
Summary: Having returned from Lorania and released from the Ancient, Duyell's machine, Sheppard and McKay should be recovering nicely, shouldn't they?  Apparently not, and the promised help to correct the reprogramming the machine did is no where to be seen.  How will Rodney and John deal with the basic changes in their personalities? Will the effects of the change be more harmful than they initially suspected?
Catch Up: --PART 1--, --PART 2--, --PART 3--, --PART 4--
A/N: Sooo, here's part five.  Unfortunately it might be a while until part six is up, as its incomplete and i'm about to start uni again.  I'll try my best though.  For now, hope you enjoy this part :)  

In the likely event you have no recollection of this story.  It's a sequel to the following....
Title: The Program
Rating: All
Character: McKay, Sheppard
Category: General, Action Adventure maybe? Intrigue? Mystery? Oh no, suspense, that fits!
Summary: Meet Doctor Rodney McKay M.D. & Detective John Sheppard. Sheppard ends up in hospital from a gunshot wound on a failed raid with colleagues Lorne&Dex & finds himself under Dr. McKay's care. Both are experiencing strange flashbacks & memories. Not AU

John’s eyes opened to find himself in a courtroom. A strangely bright and sterile feeling courtroom, but a courtroom nonetheless. He glanced down and took in his suit with a frown.

"Sheppard?" a familiar voice asked from by his side.

"Rodney?" he questioned. "Were you there a second ago?" he frowned.

"No, actually, we were both in the briefing room," he replied, an edge of panic in his voice.

"Hmm," John said contemplatively as he surveyed the room. Jury to their right, along with another empty table, presumably for the accused (he hoped, unless they were the accused).

"Hmm? Hmm? A little more concern about this might be warranted," Rodney hissed.

"Let’s try and keep calm for the moment," he replied. "Now, first things first, where are we? And secondly, how did we get here?" Rodney looked at him as if he was crazy.

"Well its quite obvious when you think about it, the Daedalus must have transported us both into an episode of Ally McBeal," he said sarcastically. John ignored him.

"Well, its a courtroom," he said, turning round and looking at the observers in the seats behind them.

"No, really?" Rodney said, looking round in mock surprise. "I would have never….huh," he paused mid-sentence and frowned.

"What?" John asked once it became obvious Rodney wasn’t going to continue.

"Its, err. Huh," he said again.

"What?" John repeated.

"Well, its just, this particular courtroom looks remarkably like the one in which my parents settled their divorce," he said, turning round in his seat. "Me and Jeannie sat at the back, over there," he gestured to the back row near the doors. "This is very odd," he said, turning back round.

"So its like a family court? For custody of kids?" John asked.

"What? No, they were fighting over the assets, not over us. Neither of them were particularly bothered," he said. John frowned and opened his mouth to question that when Rodney spoke again. "Now her I recognise," he said with an air of realisation. John looked up at the willowy brunet who was walking towards them, the suit was a change, but that aside he too recognised her.

"Amaysha," he said as she reached them.

"Colonel Sheppard, Doctor McKay," she nodded to them both and sat down next to John. "Its a pleasure to see you again," she smiled. John felt Rodney tense next to him, and kicked him to stop him from opening his mouth.

"Its been a little longer than we’d hoped," John said with a raised eyebrow.

"Yes," Amaysha nodded looking regretful. "For that I’m deeply sorry. There has been much debate over whether we should help you or not."

"Excuse me?" Rodney said in disbelief.

"Many believe that it is not our responsibility to help, as the harm done to you wasn’t a direct result of our actions," she explained.

"No, just a direct result of your inaction," Rodney said angrily.

"You are, how would you say, ‘preaching to the choir’? Doctor McKay," she said with a smile. "I have been arguing in your favour since the discussion began."

"Well, thank you ," Rodney said. "Maybe you wouldn’t mind telling us what’s going on now then?" he asked.

"I, and some others, believed you should be given the right to add your opinion to the discussion. This was the environment chosen from your memories in which to do so," she told them.

"A courtroom?" John asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, it doesn’t inspire me with confidence either," Rodney muttered.

"Do not worry, you will not have to speak yet," Amaysha told them. "You are here to listen to the various speakers, then we will take the time to deliberate on our responses, which will close the meeting. We will then vote on the appropriate course of action," she explained.

"You do realise this is going to kill us if you don’t do anything?" John asked.

"I am very aware of that Colonel Sheppard, as are the others. Unfortunately some aren’t as concerned as I," she said.

"Lovely," Rodney said, sitting back and crossing his arms.

"Are all the speakers ready?" the person seated at the front behind the bench asked the room. There was a murmur of agreement. "Good. Lets begin."

* * *

 

Two hours after they’d disappeared, Rodney McKay and John Sheppard materialised in the briefing room. No one was in there at the time, but the loud voices emanating from the room clued them in.

"I mean seriously," Rodney demanded, pacing the room. "What have we ever done to them? Nothing!" he exclaimed, stopping and pointing at Sheppard. "But what have they done to us? They’ve let a crazy member of their ascended club fry our brains, that’s what!"

Sheppard watched for a moment, before sitting down at the table and resting his head on his arms, then continued watching.

"So what do we do now? We stand by and let the people we’ve subjected to extensive amounts of pain and emotional stress die! What kind of screwed up logic is that?" he demanded.

"Maybe that’s the way logic works on their plane of existence," Sheppard said. Rodney laughed, a tad hysterically, Sheppard noticed with slight concern.

"Probably."

"Rodney? John?" Elizabeth questioned from the doorway once there appeared to a lull in the ranting.

"Hey Elizabeth!" Sheppard said, raising a hand to wave at her. Teyla and Ronon were standing behind her, Carson to her side. "Look Rodney, everyone’s here to help us," he said with a smile.

"You heard what those morally deficient f-," he paused. "What they said."

"Come on," Sheppard protested.

"We have to present our thoughts and arguments ourselves, without the input or influence of outside sources," Rodney said with an air of resignation.

"Present? What’s going on?" Carson asked.

"Oh we just found out that we have to defend our right to live to the council of the Ancients. How have you been Carson, you doing okay?" Rodney asked.

"No need for the sarcasm," Carson replied.

"The council of the Ancients?" Elizabeth questioned.

"Is that not what he just said?" Sheppard asked, glancing at the others for confirmation.

"It’s just, that’s…" Elizabeth trailed off.

"Not all it’s cracked up to be when you’re focusing on your own impending death," Rodney said.

"No," Teyla agreed, as they all sat down round the briefing room table. "They do not wish to help you then?" she asked.

"Some of them. Others spoke in our defence, or on our behalf, whatever," Rodney said.

"Once we’ve spoken they’re going to put it to a vote," Sheppard explained.

"Any idea what you’re gonna’ say?" Ronon asked.

"Not a clue," Sheppard shrugged.

"I was thinking of getting on my knees and begging for mercy," Rodney said wistfully.

"If all else fails that sounds like a plan," Sheppard agreed.

"I doubt they’d be impressed with that approach," Elizabeth said sceptically.

"Well no, but I also doubt they’re going to vote in our favour, so every little helps now, doesn’t it?" Sheppard said wearily.

"Their responses did not look good?" Teyla asked. Rodney snorted.

"The phrase expressionless had never been more apt," he muttered.

"They didn’t exactly give much away," Sheppard. "But there wasn’t much said in our favour," he added.

"Well, they’ve left that to us, haven’t they?" Rodney said.

"Right," Sheppard laughed humourlessly.