COUNT DOWN

By Enola Jones



He was silent.

SIX

A silent Rodney McKay was never a good thing.

FIVE

A silent Rodney McKay that was frantically clipping wires and entering commands on ten-thousand-year-old consoles was a triple not-such-a-good-thing.

FOUR

A low rumble started and Rodney looked up.

THREE

Ronon and Teyla burst in. "John!" she gasped, and I gained my feet.

"Right! Rodney--"

He was already gathering his things. Everything that he could afford to leave, he left.

I felt pride detonate in my chest.

TWO

As one unit, we evacuated the building.

ONE

Our feet just cleared the courtyard --

ZERO

--When the building began to implode.

"Keep going!" Rodney gasped.

We didn't argue. We just kept moving.

The implosion abruptly reversed, turning into a huge explosion that devastated the area and knocked us from our feet.

When it was over, Rodney rolled onto his back, gazed up at the sky, and swore at great volume and length.

"Hey," Ronon said as he gained his feet. "We're alive."

"Yeah," Rodney groused as he stood, "but that ZedPM was nearly full and now it's—"

"—in my pack," Teyla said.

We all looked at her and she nodded, opening the flaps.

The familiar amber crystal shimmered merrily at us. "How?" I gasped, as neither she nor Ronon had the gene.

"Sheer desperation," she smiled.

I found myself laughing, and Ronon joined in.

Rodney just stared at the ZPM, then at Teyla. Then he grabbed her and planted a kiss onto her forehead. "I think I love you, Teyla!"

"Then you will join me in the gym in the morning?" she asked with a grin.

Rodney raised an eyebrow. "I don't love you that much."

And we all laughed as we headed home.

THE END




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