Three Wise Men
Author’s Note: Written For The Ancient Obsessions Advent Challenge – December 8 (Three Wise Men)
Drs. Rodney McKay, Radek Zelenka, and Bill Lee sat in frustrated silence.
Zelenka’s mop of brown hair fell over his eyes. He idly fidgeted with it as he stared at the tablet in front of him.
Lee ran a hand over his balding brow and grumbled incoherently under his breath.
McKay leaned back in his chair and merely stared at the screen in front of him.
Finally, McKay broke the silence in the small lab.
“I just don’t get it. It should work. Why doesn’t it work?”
Lee sighed. “I don’t know. You’re right. It should work.”
“Of course I’m right,” groused McKay.
Radek sighed. “Don’t encourage him. Obviously, we’ve made an error somewhere along the way. I say we go back and start over again… perhaps we will find the mistake that way.”
Lee wisely stayed silent as McKay groaned. “That will take hours, Radek! It’s got to be here. We should be seeing it!”
“Well, we’re not, Rodney, so I say we start again!”
“You know, he might have a point, Rodney,” agreed Lee.
Rodney lanced Lee with eyes that could’ve melted steel. “You two want to start over, fine, but I’m going to make this work.”
Radek heaved a huge sigh and threw his arms up in the air as he stood and began to pace the lab. A stream of what could only be profanities flowed from his mouth in his native tongue. Lee grinned behind one hand and pretended to still be working as Rodney’s gaze returned to his monitor.
Suddenly, a door opened. A cool breath of air from the outside hallway whooshed into the overly warm lab as Samantha Carter entered. She waved half-heartedly to the three men as she passed them. They all looked at her expectantly, wondering what she needed from them.
Sam noticed and smiled. “Oh, sorry, boys. Didn’t mean to interrupt. Just needed this.”
She picked up a small, unused laptop from the far counter of the lab and turned to leave.
As she crossed back through the lab, her eyes fell upon a projection of Rodney’s monitor that was displayed on one wall of the lab that was serving as a virtual blackboard.
Sam kept walking, but her brow wrinkled ever so slightly as she did.
When she reached the door, she turned and spoke to the three men in the lab again.
“By the way, you missed a negative.”
A small upward tug quirked Sam’s lips and she left. As the door shut behind her, a curse from inside the lab turned her little grin into a full fledged, face splitting smile.
Rodney McKay’s voice rang out, clear as a bell.
“Son of a bitch!”
Sam didn’t laugh or break her professional demeanor in any way. She just kept walking,.
But her steps were definitely a tad lighter than they’d been before.
The End
