10. Poker Face

The City was everywhere. It coursed through John’s blood and assaulted his senses and made his brain buzz in a language that he did not understand. The City was frustrated, as if John’s interface was somehow faulty, making more work for Her.

John couldn’t name Her, even if everyone around him called Her Atlantis. That was not who She really was, or how she thought of Herself, and She let John know with the weight of the sea She floated on that She was old and tired and broken.

But John ignored Her, and instead found the on-going poker game one of the Marine master sergeants ran almost 24/7. The players were a mixed bag of soldiers and scientists, but they played like Vegas pros, fierce and smart and ruthless. John hated the fact that they could not play for money, but the chocolate bars and small bags of coffee were literally worth more than gold; one corporal had thrown his wedding ring into the pot one night and been kicked out of the game for not bringing real currency to table. No one wanted or needed jewelry, gold or diamonds; but fights had broken out over hoarded Twinkies.

John thought it was interesting that despite a regular connection with Earth, the mentality of “abandoned outpost” still reigned, as if everyone expected to be cut off at any moment. He wondered what they knew that he didn’t.

During the day, he jousted with McKay. That was not the official term, but that was a better description. John was relegated to the role of lab rat, touching things and thinking at them, which was weird, but if he concentrated hard enough he could drown Her fussing, although sometimes that caused him to zone himself out.

“It would help if you stayed awake,” McKay snarled, whipping the Ancient doo-dad out of John’s grip. “Are you not getting enough sleep? It’s not like you have a real job here. Go visit Carson, have him give you some pills.”

“Because pills are the answer to everything,” John snapped back, making a grab for the doo-dad. McKay held it up as if playing “keep away,” leaving John the option of giving up or climbing over the table to wrestle for it. His abdominal muscles rebelled at the idea.

“Oh, excuse me, I guess I forgot poker is the answer to everything. Tell me, you still have any of the socks you came here with?” McKay smirked with the expectation that he had pulled one over on him, but John had expected McKay to keep tabs on him. The guy was like a bad case of stalker.

“Actually I managed to win Cadman’s socks. Too bad they don’t fit.” John leaned back in his chair and smirked.

Obviously annoyed that his jab about the poker game fell flat, McKay made a face at the doo-dad. “Trade them to Miko for porn. She scans in all of the really nasty shit whenever she goes home to Japan.”

“You’re such a class act, McKay.”

McKay didn’t answer, looking strangely at the doo-dad.

“McKay?”

McKay blinked and looked up at him. “What?”

“Where were you?” John asked, despite the fact that he told himself he didn’t care.

“I was…nevermind. Lunch?”

John sighed and reached for his cane. McKay was like a bottomless pit when it came to food. As they walked to the mess, McKay gave him a furtive glance. “Do they talk to you?”

“The Marines? Yeah. Despite my tragic background in the USAF.”

“Let me guess: the tragic part is that you were in the Air Force.”

John smirked, because McKay had the Marines nailed. “Pretty much, yeah.”

McKay snorted. “What I meant was the Ancient objects you interface with.”

John wanted to blow the question off, but McKay was like a dog with a fucking bone about some things. Anything Ancient was one of those things.

“Not in words. Ideas; like I thought of it myself, but I know I didn’t.” John had to hustle along on his cane to keep up with McKay, who never bothered to slow down for him. John couldn’t tell if that was McKay being a bastard, or if he was just that oblivious to John’s limitations.

“I want you in the chair,” McKay announced to no one in particular as they got into a transporter.

John stretched his neck and shoulders before answering. “Thought you were going to make me beg first.”

McKay kept looking straight ahead, his expression surprisingly blank. “Careful what you ask for, Sheppard.”

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