Title: "Valence Effects"
Author:Kristen999
Word Count: 4177
Rating: K/ Gen
Characters: Rodney, Sheppard, Teyla, Ronon
Spoilers: None
Summary: Rodney should have picked up on the danger when the welcome committee of one greeted them. Team Fic. Written for the flashfic 'comfort challenge'.

Notes: Written Comfort Challenge. Special thanks to mahoni. I took a tiny sliver from a dream she discussed on her LJ and went wild with it. Thought after "Unshackled" this would be a nice switch.

Major thanks to Wildcat88 for an amazing and swift beta.

He didn't know what they were doing at some bombed out observatory hidden behind the shadow of a moon. The building needed to be bulldozed and scrapped for safety hazards. It was amazing the gigantic dome hadn't collapsed by now; the girders and scaffolding were rusted and falling apart. Maybe they should have rethought bringing their EVA suits.

And what exactly was this place? Rodney stared overhead at the dome, the lifeless planet glaring back from orbit. He wondered what happened to the long-gone atmosphere.

Rodney should have picked up on the danger when the welcoming committee of one greeted them. He was the paranoid one after all, but then again, weren't his other three teammates trained for such things?

"It is so wonderful to have new guests. It has been years, so many years. I am Etho, the leader of my people."

Yeah, sure he was. Etho, with the tiny crystal in the center of his massive forehead that Rodney's eyes kept drifting towards. Because seriously, it was piece of shiny jewelry, and the guy's skull was a size too big, and his clothes were made of silver robes. And hello, strange looking aliens made him nervous, especially when they insisted on shaking hands with everyone more than once.

And the gaudy prism thing was so darn distracting, turning colors and blinking like a ridiculous toy. Sheppard poked him in the ribs, and Rodney squawked. "Yes, nice to meet you," he said, feeling strangely happy and excited all of a sudden.

In fact everyone was all smiles and giddy faces. Teyla radiated warmth, Sheppard bounced on his heels, and even Ronon was beaming.

Rodney shook his head, mind floaty-feeling and his limbs a second off their reaction time. It took the flashing blip on his LSD to snap him out of the rolling cloud of cotton candy.

Oh, yeah. Strange energy signatures in an even stranger facility. Gray walls that illumined for seconds then faded into darkness. On, off, on, off – switching, humming away on dying batteries.

"Come, now, you must be hungry, thirsty." Etho gestured with fingers a few inches too large, little sparkling crystals in the center of his massive palms. "Everyone can't wait to meet you."

There were other people here?

Instead of caution and hesitation, there was a skip to Rodney's step. An ache goaded in his temples, but Rodney didn't complain. Sheppard must have felt it, too, because the lines around his eyes were pinched and doubled.

The halls were dimly lit, the lights overhead flickering and casting odd shadows on the walls. The place smelled like a factory, musty and old. Machinery ground away in the background too far away to pinpoint the direction it came from.

"How long since you've had visitors?" Sheppard asked.

"Too long, too, too long. We've been waiting many, many years," their host responded, voice echoing off all the metal.

Of course, because a mysterious facility hidden on a desolate moon base was a hot spot for tourist attractions. Rodney opened his mouth, bitter remarks on the tip of his tongue, but all of a sudden he felt the need to hold their host's hand.

Teyla was already wrapping an arm around Etho's shoulder, talking softly like she would to Torren. Rodney felt the urge to go to the alien's other side and mutter nonsensical sympathetic reassurances.

Ronon patted the smooth tunic of the alien's back like a timid pet. Sheppard's eyes had that faraway look in them, expressing in volumes what he was unable to with words. Rodney's computer started beeping, long waves of reds and orange spikes scrolling across the screen. The increased activity begged his attention, but he was too busy fighting the urge to hug each one of teammates. To touch and pet their hair and tell them things that only tumbled through his head at certain death and instant regret.

The five of them walked huddled together. Etho guided a wayward Sheppard by an elbow to a table and chairs. "Sit my friends, sit."

The alien doted on each of them while relieving them of their weapons. "They must be so heavy," he said, patting each of them on the head. "I'll store these somewhere safe," he said, holding them easily under a massive arm. The silky garments of his robes shifted, revealing a large muscled man underneath.

Rodney blinked, wiping at his eyes, trying to rid the heavy feeling of his lids. Etho busied himself trying to fix parts of Sheppard's unruly hair. "So strange." The alien continued to press down on the spikes, his other palm splayed out in front of the pilot with a grin that grew larger. The jewel on his forehead glowed green, matching the hue of his eyes.

"Huh," Rodney said out loud. That was interesting; he thought they were blue earlier.

"Yes, yes, you will do," the alien whispered around the colonel, completely transfixed by the pilot.

Wrong, wrong, wrong.

Sheppard stared dazedly at the ceiling, not bothered at all at the violation of personal space. Rodney wanted to jump up and point out how freaking insane this whole situation had become, but the boil of rage was quickly washed away by a wave of calm.

"Relax my friends. Relax. I will bring food and drink. We are thrilled to have you here. I cannot wait to tell the others. Stay, think happy thoughts. Nothing but happy thoughts."

Ronon leaned back in his seat, eyes vacant, mouth curved contently. Teyla hummed, braiding her hair, hands pausing only to giggle every once in a while. Rodney couldn't recall a time when physics and math gelled together for him so vividly. Pulling out his laptop, he typed feverishly even though something in the back of his head prodded and poked at him to stop.

Teyla stilled weaved long strands of hair together, smiling. "Kanaan likes it when my hair is...Hmmmmmm."

Rodney felt his skin glow warm and sensitive, his body tingling all over. Whoa...WHOA. He snapped his head towards Teyla. "What exactly are you thinking about? Because I know those are not my thoughts," he squeaked indignantly.

Ronon grinned devilishly.

"Um..." Sheppard's cheeks blushed, eyes flicking towards Teyla then away...far, far away.

Her smile vanished in embarrassment. "I don't know why...I mean... I can't believe..."

Rodney felt his own face grow hot, all of their cheeks matching shades of red. They fueled each other's discomfort which was a clue to something. A pattern, but he was too busy wanting to hide behind a corner or wait for the floor to swallow him whole.

Ronon wouldn't glance up from a fascinating spot on the floor, and the colonel kept clearing his throat nervously. "I think we should," Sheppard spoke, words failing, eyes darting all over the room. "Maybe we should--"

"Leave?" Ronon asked, almost hopeful but still slouched and unmoving.

"Leave?" Teyla echoed, puzzled.

"This doesn't feel...I mean, this feels strange." The colonel swallowed, blinking, and zoned out again.

"Awww, here we are my friends," Etho boomed. "I have drinks for all of you. Then we shall eat soon."

Sheppard's expression clearly struggled. "Thanks for the hospitality, but I think..."

"Stay!" the alien commanded.

Rodney's heart skipped a beat; his head spiked in pain. The colonel flinched.

"Please, stay." Etho spoke softer, sweeter. "I had to carry this tray of drinks over all by myself."

"Let me help," Rodney said, moving to take the heavy thing. Ronon and Sheppard were quicker, taking the tray away, and Teyla joined them to place the glasses on the table.

The lights sputtered, and Rodney realized half the walls were blasted away, cindered remains of gutted equipment lay all around them. "What happened here?" And really, hadn't the halls appeared the same? Desolate, eroding, missing whole panels.

His breath caught in his throat; every vein pulsed hot; his hands clenched into fists. Ronon growled, loud and low in his throat. Rodney found it difficult to turn his head; the muscles of his neck spasmed.

"We were attacked. Over and over again," Etho grit out, voice steel and iron.

Sheppard pulled out his knife, gripping the handle until his knuckles popped. His face went hooded, eyes black but not as black as their host's. The alien's pupils were so large they almost bulged out.

"Who? Where?" Ronon snarled, shaking, his entire body vibrating.

Etho's eyes twitched. "From the planet. They were relentless."

Rodney bit his lip, tasted blood, calculating bombs schematics and other ways to blow up the world that the moon orbited.

No, no, no. He pinched the bridge of his nose.

"Don't worry, we will have our revenge. Soon, very soon." The alien placed a hand on Sheppard's arm. "Put that down. No worries, friend."

Sheppard blinked, and their host slipped the Gerber out his hand, his eyes shining dark blue. "Drink, please. We all must drink."

"Does it have citrus?" Rodney asked but drank from the glass before smelling it. Sweet honey swirled down his throat; the others gulped furiously while something deep inside made him take fewer sips.

Years of avoiding allergic reactions were hard to break after all.

He swayed with giddiness, drunk but not from the drink. He burst out in laughter, gleeful and ravenous in excitement. Then he shivered, feeling predatory, his mind filled with great secrets.

The rest of the team slumped in their chairs. Ronon fell to the floor. Teyla's cheeks rested on the table. Their host petted Sheppard's hair, his smile manic. "You will do," Etho crooned.

Etho grabbed Sheppard without a struggle. Rodney couldn't move or scream. He slid sideways, his body taffy, the drugged drink sloshing in his system. "Where...where are you taking him?"

The lights twinkled. The alien loomed like a giant, the colonel a helpless sack of potatoes slung over his shoulder. "We've waited and waited. And now he'll join my people. You'll see...you'll meet them soon."

He woke up with a little man banging a really loud gong behind his ears. The room spun around on its axis until Rodney slammed his hands down to stop it. He glared at the floor and prayed for his bed and an ice pack. Unfortunately his memories were still intact and so was his ability to reach panic mode in two-point-two seconds.

Sheppard. That gypsy alien had him.

"Up," he groaned out loud.

The more circulation returned to his limbs, the worse Rodney felt. It didn't help that the brightness of the room was like a knife to his eyes and he had to hold his hand out to avoid the glare.

When had the electric bill been paid?

This was very bad.

The room radiated in intensity. Then dimmed back into darkness.

"Come on, come on." Rodney poked and prodded his teammates. "We don't have time for this. "Hey, you guys have to wake up!"

And what the hell was that noise? A low whirring rumble steadily grew louder. Like a...

"Will you please get up!" Rodney shouted at Ronon, shaking a stick at the sleeping lion. He pinched the man's ear. "Sheppard's in trouble!"

"Let go... or I'll break your fingers."

Rodney actually breathed a sigh of relief. "Come on, you can deal with your hangover later. Now help me with Teyla."

"Are you sure this is the correct way?" Teyla asked.

Not at all, but the strange energy surges were in this direction. "Yes," Rodney lied, because telling the truth would only cause more problems.

One moment he contemplated exactly how long it would take to choke the life out of their host and in the next his heart stumbled against his ribcage, too heavy to beat properly.

Ronon's rage. Teyla's worry. Each alternated as pinpricks and bullhorns inside his head. Making him sweat and shake and want to throw up.

"Why was he taken?"

"I'm not sure," Rodney replied tersely, balling his fists again.

Ronon didn't seem to hear him. "I shouldn't have...I allowed..."

"We all did," Teyla added. "I want to...I want to...I do not understand these thoughts in my head."

"My heart wants to explode," Ronon confided, huffing for air from lungs that normally didn't struggle with panic.

That would be his fault. Rodney didn't utter a word, still vying for some bit of self control, battling the bombardment from his teammates.

The halls rattled, filling with an intense hum. The group doubled their efforts, and the multitude of theories and ideas behind the noise only made Rodney stumble over his feet. Teyla grabbed him. "We must hurry," she insisted with one breath. "But...but I don't know why," she said in the other.

They had to run, paranoia and fear fueling them onward.

The three of them came across an entrance; the noise behind it practically vibrated the doors loose. "In here," Rodney shouted, eyes glued to his detector. He still wasn't sure if his readings would even lead them to Sheppard. But he had to try, had to do something.

Ronon and Teyla pried at the doors as he searched for an electronic way to open them. His entire being swelled with the urge to break the metal barrier down with his bare hands. He blamed Conan for that one, but looking at the way Teyla was attacking the barrier, he wasn't sure.

His teammates went through first. Teyla gasped, and her shock rippled through Rodney's belly. Oh, God. He was going to be sick. He staggered inside and choked the bile back down his throat.

The room was filled with people, if you could call them that.

"Are they alive?"

Rodney wearily went towards the nearest bed, eyes drifting from row to row. How many were there? He studied the poor bastard, his toothpick limbs immobilized by restraints, tubes snaking out from under the thin sheet of the emaciated body.

Rodney analyzed the equipment around the zombie. "They're more dead than alive." He swallowed, the churning doubling.

Ronon groaned, holding his belly while checking every gurney for Sheppard.

"What is the purpose of all this?" Teyla asked, pulling away strands of wispy, gray hair away from the man's face.

"Their bodies are being kept alive with nutrients, but brain activity is at coma levels," Rodney said, shaking his head.

He could feel the demand for answers, pressing down, and the lack of an explanation feeding the beast of fear. Rodney blinked away the intruding need for the things he didn't freaking have.

It was a tug-of-war between hearts and minds - and it was so hard to think with such worry and anger. Not to mention the growing power buildup all around them. Rodney's skin had tingled since he woke up, but now every hair on his body stood straight up with the static charge in the air.

His computer spat out figures and readings faster than he could process them. And oh no...no, no, no. Not this again. Rodney switched off his life sign's detector and slid it between brittle fingers that snapped and popped from not bending for many years.

"They have the gene!" Rodney exclaimed, still fighting nausea at touching living corpses. "I think they're powering this place, and from the looks of things, there's not much juice left."

"Is John?" Teyla's face reflected horror.

"We have to find him," Ronon growled, but there was a tremor to his voice that was never there before.

It sounded eerily familiar.

"Can you feel that?" Rodney gasped, his skin trying to crawl away from his bones. His head pounded, and the walls were beginning to glow. "This way!"

They followed him as he stumbled toward another door. "In here!"

Ronon stormed inside. "Where's Sheppard!"

Etho's oversized head seemed smaller with a hand wrapped around his throat.

"He wanted...to help us," their host gasped, prying at Ronon's fingers. "He was happy to."

"Us?" Rodney snapped. "You mean the people you've turned into biological power sources?" While his lips spat words of outrage, his eyes widened at the large weapon's platform before him. "What is that?"

He stormed over, taking in energy grids and computer readouts that were off the charts. If he had just looked up, perhaps the glass window in the dome would have been the first clue.

It was a gigantic laser.

"Oh no," Rodney breathed.

"What is it?" Teyla demanded.

"You needed someone with a strong natural gene, didn't you?"

The alien sputtered for air, but his eyes were pure liquid fire. Red irises glittered, and a manic grin only got wider. "He…is...helping us."

Ronon slammed the massive head against the brick. "Where is he?"

Milky white fingers pointed towards another sealed door. A second later, the Satedan plowed the alien's skull into the wall, his body slumping to the ground.

Teyla was the fastest, palming the sensor and revealing a tiny room. Rodney was instantly beside her and wished he was anywhere else.

Sheppard was bound to something similar to the control chair.

"John!" Teyla stepped as close as she dared, a rippling energy field in her way. "Colonel!" she shouted, her fingers repelled by the barrier.

Ronon squeezed his way past Rodney and froze in indecision. "McKay!"

Rodney felt paralyzed, the oppressive weight of impotence rooting him to the floor. "I...I...don't know what to do."

"We must do something!" Teyla growled uncharacteristically. Her eyes reflected thunder.

Ronon paced, hands twitching by his sides.

Rodney moved by sheer force of will. He studied Sheppard's ashen face, his heaving chest and all the muscles bulging and popping underneath his skin. Rodney's eyes traced the restraints keeping the colonel's hands in place, noticed how the chair lit up brighter than a Christmas tree.

"It's killing him," Rodney breathed, running towards the force field. "There's no way he can feed such a large machine."

"Then turn it off!" Ronon commanded.

There wasn't a way, no conduit, no interface, not even a mechanism to hack. Everything was on the inside, cables running from the nearest console to the back of the chair. "It's Sheppard; he's powering the barrier!"

Ronon pounded on the wall. Teyla shouted.

Rodney watched in horror as the chair illumined brighter, Sheppard's complexion draining away with it.

"Today we will be avenged," Etho exhaled, staggering inside and hanging onto the door jamb.

"Your enemies are dead! That planet has been abandoned for thousands of years!" Rodney shouted.

"We've waited so long," Etho repeated over and over again.

Rodney couldn't believe his ears. "This is pointless! He's dying!"

Ronon ran into the force field and was knocked down.

Teyla rounded on Etho. "Turn it off now!"

"It is too late," the alien said.

An alarm blared, and the entire complex shook. A gigantic energy burst was released by the weapon's platform, emitting a large blue laser that struck the nearby planet. Sheppard's body seized as the beam radiated destruction.

The blue ray grew brighter and stronger, zapping Sheppard more and more.

Rodney struck the door panel with his fist, unable to hold back any longer. He pressed his head into the unforgiving metal, never tearing his gaze away from his friend.

Sparks flew from all the weapon's consoles, smoke pluming from fired circuit boards. The beam died away, and Sheppard's face went slack, head lolling to his chest.

The force field dropped, and all three of them rushed inside. Ronon ripped away the restraints from the colonel's wrists, chest, and legs. He gathered the limp form and lowered it to the ground.

Without hesitation Rodney touched Sheppard's face. They all did.

"His skin is so cold," Teyla breathed.

"No," Rodney hissed. He couldn't find a pulse. "John!"

It didn't matter. This wasn't happening.

Rodney did chest compressions. Teyla breathed in air. They all took turns when one of them got tired.

Ronon willed Sheppard's heart to beat; Rodney forced lungs to expand.

Seconds turned into minutes, and minutes into a lifetime. But they wouldn't stop; they wouldn't give up.

"Come on, John!" Teyla pleaded.

"Fight, Sheppard!" Ronon ordered.

Nothing. After longer than any possible chance for recovery, they were met with silence.

Rodney's arms folded in on him during one last compression, and he collapsed onto of Sheppard's unmoving form. He buried his face into his friend's t-shirt, releasing a long held back sob. "Don't quit, you asshole," he breathed, body trembling.

Ronon wrapped his arms around both of them. Teyla's tears were fat and warm along Rodney's skin. She laid her head along Sheppard's other shoulder, stroking the colonel's hair with her fingers.

The three them huddled around John, embracing him, unwilling to let him go.

Rodney's heart filled with warmth, his chest hitching with overwhelming emotion. He squeezed his eyes tightly and curled his arms around the body under him even harder. He basked in this moment, claiming and memorizing it.

Then he heard a tiny beat. Felt the flutter go from his ear and down his spine. Then another.

"Sheppard?" Rodney gulped, voice hoarse.

He was answered by another wonderful thump.

"John!" He lifted his head, reaching for the colonel's neck, his fingers rewarded by a faint response. "He's alive!"

Ronon pressed his hand over Sheppard's heart, his face reflective of what it felt there. Teyla shifted positions, cradling the colonel's head in her lap. "How is this possible?"

Rodney's head was swirling with hope and exaltation. He couldn't stand, boneless on the floor in their collective huddle. Was he dreaming?

He listened to Sheppard's shallow breathing, each inhalation resounding proof that this was real.

"What is this?" Ronon lifted up one of Sheppard's hands.

There was a small crystal embedded in the pilot's palm. Rodney grabbed Sheppard's other hand to see an identical one, a rainbow of colors swirling within the depths.

"Those were the contact points. Sheppard had to be physically linked to the tech for it to work," Rodney spoke. Then it clicked. "It's us!"

"What is?"

He glanced at Teyla then Ronon. "The crystals. They're some kind of amplifier! I don't know how, and right now I don't care. But it explains why we've been feeling each others emotions and how that gypsy manipulated us!"

"I don't understand."

Rodney shook his head at Ronon. "There's something about this place, about how things work here. It's all about transference, and I think…I mean when Sheppard died...all three of us had this outpouring of feelings, and we um...I mean I don't how, but we..."

"We healed him," Teyla stated.

"Yes." Rodney blinked, his mind battling over the insanity of the whole thing. "Maybe our loony alien friend figured out how to extract energy from emotion. He's had long enough to go bat shit insane and well... how else has he lived so long? Not that you guys would know about Qi and Chi and all that other therapeutic crap."

Did they really bring John Sheppard back to life with feelings?

But it wasn't over. Rodney peered down, his heart racing. Sheppard was far from well, skin icy and chalk white, lips that had no color at all.

Rodney noted the bands of bruises around each wrist. Ronon tensed behind him, noticing the black and blue marks, too. They weren't from the restraints but from those freakishly massive hands that held Sheppard down while he was strapped into the death chair.

To be used up like a battery.

Rodney was engulfed by tenderness, drawing it from Teyla and allowing his walls to drop just this once. He took Sheppard's hand gently into his, squeezing it and giving back what was stripped away.

Ronon gripped Sheppard's other hand, and he pulled the three of them closer. It was like being hugged by a giant stuffed bear. Rodney was mortified at first, but soon those negative thoughts were tossed aside for later.

Right now was about the energy between them all, doubling and tripling into a huge gleaming ball of affection. He whispered things to Sheppard while Teyla kissed the colonel's brow, his cheeks. Ronon leaned closer, snaking a hand to knead the knots in Sheppard's shoulders.

Pulse points merged, limbs twisted up into single knots, and they breathed as one.

Heat returned to Sheppard's skin, muscles twitched in his arms and legs. His heart beat stronger and stronger.

After an eternity they lost themselves, and the team floated away in living bubble.

"Guys?" Sheppard whispered.

"Shhhhhh," Rodney breathed and nestled closer.

Sheppard squirmed for a few seconds, but soon his body relaxed, and he joined in the puddle. He curled up his feet, breathed out a heavy, contented sigh, and Rodney felt him melt back against them.

Later when they all woke up in the infirmary after a rescue none of them could remember, Rodney looked over at the adjoining bed. Sheppard was sleeping. Safe and alive.

None of the staff said anything when he parked his bed so both rails touched. And as Ronon and Teyla woke up from their overdose of endorphins and emotion, they too pushed their gurneys over.

Tomorrow they could learn all about mad aliens, the effects of the observatory and crazy properties of the mood crystals. Tomorrow Rodney knew he would be grouchy and that Sheppard would avoid looking any of them in the eye for weeks.

But today...today Rodney reached out and gave Sheppard's shoulder a squeeze and kept it there for a minute or two. Then he fell asleep easily to the collective sounds of his team.