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Title: Think Invisible
Series: Second in the Moments series (First can be found here: Hot Hair)
Author: Zander
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Now you see him, now you don't
Notes: Missing scene in the second half of Rising.

Note: Blbecek – Little idiot, according to the Czech Insult Monger
If I have the word or the connotation wrong, feel free to correct me and/or send me to a more appropriate site.

“Come with me, Major,” McKay said, turning around and walking out of the room. It took a moment for Sheppard to catch up with him.

“Where are we going, McKay? I don’t have the time to deal with…”

“Ships.” The one word stopped Sheppard both literally and figuratively. McKay continued walking and, after a moment, Sheppard followed.

“Ships?” Sheppard asked.

“Yes, Major, ships,” McKay said, sarcasm tainting the words. “Ships that are small enough to go through the gate. Ships that might allow you to go off on your heroic rescue mission.”

“And do these so-called ships,” Sheppard said, his tone mirroring McKay’s, “actually work?”

“How am I supposed to know? The men who found the ships didn’t have the gene. They couldn’t tell if they worked or didn’t. For all I know, they could just be large paperweights. But I’m sure it’s worth five minutes out of your time to find out, Major.”

A frown was Sheppard’s only response and they continued in silence. Eventually, they came to a large, open room partially filled with a small handful of cylindrical objects.

“These are supposed to be the ships?” Sheppard asked, disbelief clear in his voice.

”Supposed to be, yes,” McKay said.

“They don’t look like much, do they?”

McKay turned and glared at Sheppard. “You’re right. They’re not pretty. Since their not pretty, obviously they can’t be useful pieces of equipment. I like your logic.”

“Fine. I get it.”

“I’m thrilled for you. Shall we put that gene of yours to work? After you, Major,” McKay said, gesturing towards the nearest ship.

They walked in the ship slowly, pausing as each step they took brought another set of lights on, until Sheppard was in the very front of the ship. He touched what appeared to be the main console and it powered up.

“Think you can fly it?” McKay asked.

“What do you say we find out?” Sheppard answered, sitting down. McKay entered further into the cockpit and sat in the other chair. “So, what am I supposed to do?”

“How should I know? Think ‘flying’.” Sheppard closed his eyes and McKay heard a steady hum.

“I think it’s working. It’s on.”

”We’re not going anywhere, though. Not up, down, left, or right. What’s wrong?”

“Again with the ‘I don’t know’, Major.”

Sheppard shot him a look. “I thought you were supposed to be the resident genius?”

“How kind of you to notice. My field is astrophysics, not parapsychology. What do those things do?” he asked, pointing to two joystick-like instruments directly in front of Sheppard. Shrugging, Sheppard grabbed hold of them and they lifted off the ground.

“Good,” McKay said. “You can fly it. Stay here. I’m going to go find Dr. Weir and bring her in here. She needs to see this.”

“Fine, fine,” Sheppard muttered, staring down at the various controls. McKay walked to the back of the ship and then loudly cleared his throat.

“Major? You might want to let me down.” He paused and waited for a response. Getting none, he tried louder. “Major!”

“Hmm?” Sheppard mumbled vaguely, finally looking up. “Oh. Down. Yes. I wonder….”

As soon as the ship touched the ground, McKay headed off in the direction of Operations. In his hurry, he ran straight into another man in the hallway.

“Hey, watch it,” McKay said, standing up and brushing the imaginary dirt off his uniform.

“Very sorry, Dr. McKay” the man said, standing up himself and straightening the glasses on his face. “I’ll be more careful, next time.”

McKay looked suspiciously at the man for a moment and then shook his head and headed in his original destination. Stopping suddenly, he turned around.

“Wait. I know you. Zaloonko.”

The man sighed heavily and turned around.

“Zelenka.”

“Yes, yes. Down that hall and to your right there’s some sort of ship storage area. Major Sheppard’s there trying to fly one of the ships. Go down and make sure he doesn’t break something.”

“But, I…” Zelenka started to say, but he stopped. McKay had already turned the corner and was out of earshot. “Blbecek! How I am going to put up with that man, I do not know.”

Groaning and muttering McKay-related curses, Zelenka headed in the direction that McKay had pointed. Upon arriving, he noticed two dark ships. He checked those, but didn’t see anyone.

“Major?” he called, looking around. “If McKay sent me here as practical joke….”

“Who’re you?”

Zelenka whirled around in the direction the voice had come from, but saw nothing. “Major?” he called again.

“Yes. I’m right here. Who’re you?”

“Uh…I am Dr. Zelenka. Dr. McKay sent me to…check on you.”

“To make sure I didn’t hurt his precious machinery, you mean.”

“Yes, well… Where are you, Major?”

“What do you mean, where am I? I’m in the big floating ship right in front of you.”

Zelenka looked around, disbelieving. “This is a joke, then, correct?”

“I have men taken by the Wraith, doctor. This is no joke. Seriously, you can’t see me?”

“Not a bit, Major,” Zelenka said, walking forward. It wasn’t long before he was flat on the floor, tentatively feeling at a soon-to-be bruise on his forehead.

“See? You walked right into me.”

“I walked into something, Major. I just cannot see what.” Zelenka glared in the general direction of the invisible object that had caused his unfortunate spill. “Maybe you will make the ship visible, yes? Please?”

A moment later, a contrite looking Sheppard was looking at him from behind the front of the ship.

“You okay?”

“Fine, fine. I think you have things under control. You turn on, you turn off. McKay can’t want more and I have other things to do.” He paused a moment. “Just make sure off when McKay comes? Give him a scare.” The two shared a wicked smirk before Zelenka turned and left.

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