energyfieldgood | IC Inbox for Apocalypse Now

Dearest Doctor McKay,

It pleases me greatly to have made your acquaintance the other day. To be true, I do not know what I would have done if I'd been left to my own devices and you hadn't swept in to save me. Verily, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I do not say this lightly, but I am most in debt to you.

All the best,
Rue ♥

[It pleases me greatly, they write and this pleases him greatly, too. All of this, the thanks, the acknowledgement, the flattery. Rodney preens at the screen, and well, maybe this is what this world needed all along? Him to fix it? It just makes sense, doesn't it? He pulls up the keyboard to respond...

... Wait, what was their name again? Something really long and French. Oh God, he doesn't remember! A quick glance at the un jogs his memory - what a good thing they wrote to him first.]

You're very welcome, Miss Rue. If there's anything else you need help with, don't hesitate to ask. I mean, let's just be real, I'm going to be a lot faster than these wannabe scientists anyway.

Hope you're settling in okay. I guess I'll see you around.

Dr. R. McKay

[After a moment, another message blips up.]

How are you typing this?

With the talons, I mean.

Is it like a speech to text function?

To the esteemed Doctor McKay,

Just Rue please, my friend. I must insist. I find that most gendered terms to do not fit me in the way they do others. I promise you'll have no offense from me for using my name alone. I have left my previous titles behind with my Court, so I am simply Delloso de la Rue for now.

Again, I must thank you for your generosity. I admit that most of the going-ons of this place are foreign and strange to me, so having someone with your expertise at hand is a boon I'm most grateful for. When - and I do believe it will be when, not if - I find need of your guidance, I will reach out to you.

The answer you seek is this: carefully, my good sir.

Until your next letter,
Rue ♥

[It's a dream again. He knows it's a dream, but he can't wake up--even if he tried.

He's in Atlantis again, but it's all wrong, somehow. It's quiet, too quiet, and he's on the pier, and there's a figure at the end of it.

It's himself. But it's not himself. It's himself but it's a monster, a shadow, something with his face but not, a smile that's too sharp and too big, claws and teeth and glowing, yellow Wraith-eyes and it laughs with his voice. It's also not his voice, and he knows who this is. It's the same thing that made him hunt Misty and Neal, the same thing that whispered to him when he wanted blood.

You know that you can't protect yourself from us, he--it--grins. You can't protect Rodney.

John nearly launches himself at the thing and it seems delighted at this, and he can feel that was a bad choice--but it feels like every choice he makes seems to delight this thing.

What do you want!?

I want what you want. It holds out a clawed, shadowy hand to him. You know what you need to do. And you'll have what you need from me.

The worst part about it, he does. If he agrees to...work with this thing, to accept what it's trying to give him...protection.

He'd do anything to protect Rodney. No matter the cost.

I wish you wouldn't be so happy about it, John mutters, as he reaches for the thing's hand. It closes upon John's wrist and yanks him forward, into the beast, and all he hears is laughter.

He wakes up with a start, terrified and soaked in sweat, realizing he was yelling when he woke up. What was...was that real? Somehow he knows, deep in his soul, that was unfortunately...very real. And there's something else, too, something else he felt in the dream before. Misty's words come back to haunt him...and he knows that he's going to be in so much trouble.

Maybe he can just ignore it. But what if he did get something from an Entity? He won't know if he did until he does something to...to activate it, right? And that means scaring someone. He checks the clock. It's early. It wouldn't be that hard. And he's not doing anything really that bad--a little scare wouldn't hurt anyone, right?

There's a guy heading home from a late shift, maybe a bar, maybe a factory worker. John waits in the morning shadows, wondering if he just jumps out and yells boo, if that'll be enough. But he finds himself starting to simply, well, follow the guy, and the man starts walking faster and faster, realizing that someone was following him. He soon breaks out into a run, and John follows--faster and faster, faster than he's ever ran before, and it's easy to catch up to him--fun, too, and he grins, caught up in it, and he jumps, pouncing on the man. He shrieks, terrified, and John remembers that he probably needs to stop because the last thing he needs is the cops getting involved, or worse, ADI--so he lets go, backing off and running back into the morning shadows.

He feels...almost high. He feels almost like he did when he was suffering from the retrovirus.

Dangerous. Monstrous. That makes him stop.

The claws sticking out of his fingers when he looks down also make him stop.]

Oh, crap.

[He texts Rodney with some difficulty a few minutes later.]

Are you up yet?

You better be up.

Wake up.

Now.

I need to talk to you.

[He's up but he's not up, having falling asleep over his laptop and work project like he is prone to do. Sheppard's messages chime in the penumbra of the room and he jolts away, one hand coming up to wipe at some drool that found its way down his chin and probably on his keyboard.

Ugh.

He stares at the screen blearily, rubbing at his eyes before hacking out some curt replies.]

I'm up.

I wasn't planning on being up so this had better be an emergency.

What do you want.

Are you drinking blood again.

It's something.

I need to talk to you in person. Privately.

No.

Wait, why is that the first thing you thought of?

Fine.

I'm coming over.

I don't know, it's the last thing that happened to you? Maybe some of it lingered.

Or you really are a vampire.

If this is a ruse and you bite me, I won't talk to you for a month.

Great. Don’t knock, I’ll unlock the door.

I mean maybe but you just seem kind of convinced that I’m really a vampire.

Listen if I was really gonna bite you I’d put you under some mesmerizing spell first. You wouldn’t even know it happened until you woke up with bite marks.

Right, and then I'd think oh, I wonder where these BITE MARKS are coming from, it can't possibly be the guy implicating hinself.

You're not helping your case, Lestat.

Make coffee.

[He's already on his way, yawning a jaw-aching yawn of bad posture and less-than-ideal desk sleep.]

Edited 2022-12-02 08:22 (UTC)

Could be from some other vampire.

Circumstantial at best.

Aren’t you worried I only drink blood now and therefore have no coffee?

[True to his word, though, the door will be unlocked and open, and there’ll be a fresh pot of coffee steaming, filling the place with a refreshing scent.

And no blood.]

If there's no coffee, I'll bite YOU.

[Luckily for both of them, there is.

Rodney rubs his eyes again as he walks inside but the scent placates him. He immediately moves over to the counter to help himself to a mug before actually acknowledging Sheppard.]

All right, let's hear it. What's the big emergency?

[There’s no annoyance, only an easy familiarity from knowing the man for long enough that he isn’t bothered by him needing coffee before speaking to him first. He’d have poured himself one but he’s wired enough already, still jazzed by that…

…that hunt.]

So I think an Entity gave me superpowers.

[He’s just gonna come right out and say it. No sense in being coy about it. He puts his hands on the counter—

—and flexes his fingers, making the claws come out. They’re small but sharp, about an inch long, and almost identical to a cat’s claws. When retracted, they stick out just a little, where his nails should be, but aren’t, replaced by the claws.]

[Never mind Rodney, he'll just take a few sips and smush his face against the mug with a tired hum. Maybe he can just go back to sleep for a few minutes until the caffeine kicks in... At least, until Sheppard's words register and he had a second to process them.]

What?

[The effect is immediate, him sitting up straight and staring at him, fully awake and alert now.]

What do you mean? What kind of superpowers?

[When John presents his claws, he leans forward and inspects them.]

Oh, that's just great. You couldn't leave it at vampirism, could you? What, they just show up like that?

[He reaches out, one finger poking at one of the claws.]

Yeah. I had a dream about it, and I just knew…it was kinda like those other dreams we had awhile back. But I had to…

[He drops his voice, just in case.]

Scare someone to make it work. Plus I don’t think it’s just this. I was fast, really fast, I meant to just scare this poor guy but I ended up wanting to chase him and it was really fun, then I pounced on him…

[The little claw flexes a little when he pokes at it.]

It was kinda like the same feeling I got, when I was turned into a bug?

[Man, he hopes this isn’t what’s happening here. The claws are different though, and there’s no sign of blue, so that’s probably good?]

You pounced on him?

[Rodney draws his hand back, trying to sort through John's rambling and all the information he's being presented with here.

He grabs the mug and takes a long sip.]

The last time you turned into a bug you lost your mind. So I'd say that's probably not good.

Yeah. It was definitely a pounce.

[Not even a proper jump, he literally crouched down and leapt at him.]

Definitely not good.

[Except.]

Thing is, aren't you tired of not being able to fight back against any of this stuff? I mean, at least with the Wraith, they're physical beings you can bring down. Entities, magic...whatever is actually going on here, we can't fight against it.

[He flexes his claws, a little proud of them now that the shock has worn off. He will make all the Wolverine references now. Or maybe Sabertooth.]

If this really is a superpower? With speed and jumping and all that stuff? At least it gives us some advantage. Some protection.

[A beat.]

Also assuming I don't lose my mind.

[Rodney drinks his coffee as he listens - okay, the revelations are horrifying and he's horrified, he really is, an Entity potentially influencing Sheppard is awful but he also really needs this and it's about to get cold - frowning at the explanations and reasoning.]

Okay, but you didn't fight back against any of this stuff. You pounced a man. Who, I presume, had nothing to do with any of it.

[He's just going to. Keep pointing that out.

And then his frown deepens and he looks up sharply.]

Did you kill him?

Edited 2022-12-03 07:43 (UTC)

…well, yeah? If it gives us an advantage, why wouldn’t I take it? And I just scared him. He’s fine.

[He grabs a tissue from a box on the counter and starts shredding it with his claws.

It’s unclear if he’s doing it on purpose or just got distracted.]

What?! Of course I didn’t—why is that the first thing you thought of? You coulda asked first if I injured him, at least!

Edited 2022-12-03 08:10 (UTC)

Well, excuse me for not having more faith in your Entity-jacked clawface when you're literally going around terrorizing people!

[Rodney scowls but watches the paper shredding with a curious tilt of his head. It reminds him of his cat - man, he hasn't thought of his cat in so long - and gives one of the tissues John is working on a playful tug.]

Did anyone see you?

…okay, you have a point there.

[His exuberance fades a little when he remembered why he called Rodney over in the first place.

About how he was feeling—

—good about what he did.]

No. Nobody did. I made sure, okay?

[He absently starts clawing at the tissue, focusing on it intently.

He likes the way it moves.]

Good. ... Unless 'making sure' means you killed someone, in that case, not good. Don't do that.

[Well, that's... familiar.

A little disturbing.

Rodney watches him closely as he starts moving the tissue in a zigzag pattern.]

I’m not gonna do that!

[He trails off, his annoyance fading into focus.

A zig-zag pattern?! Even better!

He seems to light up, his eyes widening, pupils dilating, pawing at the tissue like a—

—well, exactly like a cat.

Can you do that some more? Please?]

[Rodney stares at the changes in him and it really is just like a--]

Oh my God, you're a cat.

[He just blurts it out like that, playing with the tissue some more.]

The Entities turned you into a cat!

What?!

[It’s enough to break him of the trance.]

I’m not a cat!

[Or not, because he focuses on the tissue again, batting at it. It’s his! He’s killing it dead and he’s the greatest hunter that ever lived!

…

…oh.

He looks back up to Rodney.]

They turned me into a cat?!

I... guess it beats being a bug?

[Is this helping?

Rodney stares, then narrows his eyes at him.]

... Do you have a tail?

IC Inbox for Apocalypse Now

[text, 11/13, un:rue]

no subject

no subject

Text un: Pegasus - cw: stalking, body horror, blood, violence, altered mental state/being high

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

[text -> action]

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject