MF Luder (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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crack_van2011-11-10 06:12 pm
mf_luder_xf) wrote in crack_van2011-11-10 06:12 pm
Entry tags:
The Experiment by Luna (NC-17)
Fandom: Stargate: Atlantis
Pairing: John/Rodney
Length: ~22,200
Author on LJ: lunasky on Dreamwidth
Author Website: Perchance to Dream
This is one creepy fic. Rodney and John end up in a room that treats them like mice in a psychologist's maze and from there it develops into a brilliant character piece about John that speaks to the Sartre quote "Hell is other people," but Hell for John is also John himself. Luna writes this story in such a terrifying, wonderful way that it leaves me panicked when McKay is, worried when John is...even after multiple readings. And the reveal is even more chilling, less because of the who and more the implications of it all.
Pokepokepokepoke.
From the depths of his unconsciousness, John feels something pulling him back, out of the dreamless sleep that's surrounding him. The pull is relentless, tearing him away from the nice warm nothingness he's enjoying, poking through the peace he's been lolling about in.
A groan escapes his throat as he finally finds the strength to raise his hand and swat away the thing that's poking him in the chest.
"Okay, okay. Stop it," he waves his arm at the person pestering him. "What?"
Sitting up, he puts his hands to his eyes and rubs them around, feeling his eyeballs under his lids, and everything feels more or less normal except for the piercing pain in his skull. His eyes are so dry it almost hurts to open them.
Cracking his eyes open, the room starts to come into focus and when he sees Rodney waving his arms around, he finally notices that the flailing is being accompanied by some rather vigorous shouting. "Rodney. What's going on?"
"About time! Was that a good nap? Feel well rested, now? Do you have any idea how much shit we're in?"
John closes his eyes again and rubs his head. Rodney isn't helping his headache at all.
From what little he could tell when he opened his eyes, they aren't in Atlantis, and judging from Rodney's panic, they're obviously in some kind of trouble—probably life threatening. Which usually means capture. That's nothing that hasn't happened before. He opens his eyes again risking a small peak. Rodney's calmed down some, but only to the extent that he's no longer threatening to pierce John's eardrum. "Deep breath, Rodney. Deep breath. Calm down and talk to me."
At first Rodney sputters, as if trying to get too many words out at once, but then he seems to take in what John just said because he actually takes a deep breath before starting over. "Well, we've been captured."
"Thanks. I figured that out on my own. Any idea what happened? My head is killing me."
Rodney shakes his head. "I was hoping you'd remember."
John thinks about it for a minute but he comes up with nothing. He has vague memories of being on Atlantis, working with his team, visiting the Athosians, going back to Earth, but it's hard to tell if the memories are in order and he certainly doesn't remember what lead up to their current predicament. "So what's going on? Have you figured out where we are?"
"Nothing's going on," Rodney says, expanding his arms to encompass the whole room. "And nothing is going to go on either. That's the problem. There's absolutely nothing in here."
John raises his eyebrow and gives the room a quick once-over. Sure enough, they're just in an empty grey room. "I don't see the problem. You're freaking out on me because we've been captured and you're a little bit bored?"
The withering look Rodney gives him almost makes him feel bad, but not quite.
"Well, do you know who captured us?"
"No. I haven't seen anyone. And if you'd been listening instead of mocking me, you'd already know what the problem is."
John sighs and bites back the retort that's ready on his lips. Fighting with Rodney never gets him anywhere and his head hurts too much to do it just for fun. Instead, he lets the silence carry on, watching Rodney's face. Obviously Rodney's waiting for him to ask exactly what the problem is but John knows if he waits long enough Rodney will just tell him. Rodney's never been good at biting his tongue.
Almost on cue, Rodney throws his hands up in the air again and then gestures around the room. "Notice anything odd?"
John looks around again and sees nothing. The room reminds him of being in an odd grey box, but that's about it. There's a ball on the ceiling that he figures is a light; but it's dark and opaque. John shrugs it off. He's seen stranger things since coming to the Pegasus galaxy.
It's only when Rodney keeps looking at him like he's an idiot that he notices how quiet it is. There's no hum of lights or computers, not even the sound of ventilation moving air along. The room is perfectly quiet.
Shaking the creepy feeling suddenly crawling up his back, John looks around again and notices that there's nothing different about each of the walls. They all look perfectly the same and if he stares at any corner long enough, it starts to form an optical illusion where the walls are coming toward him instead of going back into the corner. Then it hits him. No windows or doors. "Shit. "
The Experiment
Pairing: John/Rodney
Length: ~22,200
Author on LJ: lunasky on Dreamwidth
Author Website: Perchance to Dream
This is one creepy fic. Rodney and John end up in a room that treats them like mice in a psychologist's maze and from there it develops into a brilliant character piece about John that speaks to the Sartre quote "Hell is other people," but Hell for John is also John himself. Luna writes this story in such a terrifying, wonderful way that it leaves me panicked when McKay is, worried when John is...even after multiple readings. And the reveal is even more chilling, less because of the who and more the implications of it all.
Pokepokepokepoke.
From the depths of his unconsciousness, John feels something pulling him back, out of the dreamless sleep that's surrounding him. The pull is relentless, tearing him away from the nice warm nothingness he's enjoying, poking through the peace he's been lolling about in.
A groan escapes his throat as he finally finds the strength to raise his hand and swat away the thing that's poking him in the chest.
"Okay, okay. Stop it," he waves his arm at the person pestering him. "What?"
Sitting up, he puts his hands to his eyes and rubs them around, feeling his eyeballs under his lids, and everything feels more or less normal except for the piercing pain in his skull. His eyes are so dry it almost hurts to open them.
Cracking his eyes open, the room starts to come into focus and when he sees Rodney waving his arms around, he finally notices that the flailing is being accompanied by some rather vigorous shouting. "Rodney. What's going on?"
"About time! Was that a good nap? Feel well rested, now? Do you have any idea how much shit we're in?"
John closes his eyes again and rubs his head. Rodney isn't helping his headache at all.
From what little he could tell when he opened his eyes, they aren't in Atlantis, and judging from Rodney's panic, they're obviously in some kind of trouble—probably life threatening. Which usually means capture. That's nothing that hasn't happened before. He opens his eyes again risking a small peak. Rodney's calmed down some, but only to the extent that he's no longer threatening to pierce John's eardrum. "Deep breath, Rodney. Deep breath. Calm down and talk to me."
At first Rodney sputters, as if trying to get too many words out at once, but then he seems to take in what John just said because he actually takes a deep breath before starting over. "Well, we've been captured."
"Thanks. I figured that out on my own. Any idea what happened? My head is killing me."
Rodney shakes his head. "I was hoping you'd remember."
John thinks about it for a minute but he comes up with nothing. He has vague memories of being on Atlantis, working with his team, visiting the Athosians, going back to Earth, but it's hard to tell if the memories are in order and he certainly doesn't remember what lead up to their current predicament. "So what's going on? Have you figured out where we are?"
"Nothing's going on," Rodney says, expanding his arms to encompass the whole room. "And nothing is going to go on either. That's the problem. There's absolutely nothing in here."
John raises his eyebrow and gives the room a quick once-over. Sure enough, they're just in an empty grey room. "I don't see the problem. You're freaking out on me because we've been captured and you're a little bit bored?"
The withering look Rodney gives him almost makes him feel bad, but not quite.
"Well, do you know who captured us?"
"No. I haven't seen anyone. And if you'd been listening instead of mocking me, you'd already know what the problem is."
John sighs and bites back the retort that's ready on his lips. Fighting with Rodney never gets him anywhere and his head hurts too much to do it just for fun. Instead, he lets the silence carry on, watching Rodney's face. Obviously Rodney's waiting for him to ask exactly what the problem is but John knows if he waits long enough Rodney will just tell him. Rodney's never been good at biting his tongue.
Almost on cue, Rodney throws his hands up in the air again and then gestures around the room. "Notice anything odd?"
John looks around again and sees nothing. The room reminds him of being in an odd grey box, but that's about it. There's a ball on the ceiling that he figures is a light; but it's dark and opaque. John shrugs it off. He's seen stranger things since coming to the Pegasus galaxy.
It's only when Rodney keeps looking at him like he's an idiot that he notices how quiet it is. There's no hum of lights or computers, not even the sound of ventilation moving air along. The room is perfectly quiet.
Shaking the creepy feeling suddenly crawling up his back, John looks around again and notices that there's nothing different about each of the walls. They all look perfectly the same and if he stares at any corner long enough, it starts to form an optical illusion where the walls are coming toward him instead of going back into the corner. Then it hits him. No windows or doors. "Shit. "
The Experiment