stargateficrec | Infinity by Wintertime (PG-13)

Rec Category: Rodney McKay
Pairing: None
Category: Angst, Drama
Warning: None
Author on LJ: unknown
Author's Website: Wraithbait account
Link: Infinity

Why This Must Be Read:

Wintertime's writing is... incredible. Just, so sparse and atmospheric, which can create some truly creepy stories. Infinity is one of those stories whose idea, but more importantly, whose mood stays with you for a long while. There is very little emotion in the writing itself but the detached point of view only emphasizes the horror of the situation. Both of these statements also apply to another story by Wintertime, Deus Ex Machina, which I strongly urge anyone looking for a good Rodney-darkfic to read. Truthfully, Infinity is not so much about Rodney as a character as it is about the effects of the event. What happens in this story could happen to any other character, and be applied in a similar way, but I think that the fact that it happens to Rodney - who treasures knowledge above all else - increases the impact of the story.

The first chapter is rather straightforward (in as much as Wintertime's stories can be considered simple), but the idea alone keeps it interesting with the writing supporting it. The second chapter (but really more of a sequel) is far more convoluted, but as a result has an even more interesting writing style and sentence structure. I could go on forever about the language used in this story, but I won't; suffice it to say, this is beautiful. Even after reading the sequel over many times, I still don't completely understand it - but that, I suppose, is the nature of infinity.

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Zelenka comes on the third day, his glasses even more askew than usual and his eyes red-rimmed. Rodney can barely hear what he’s saying through the clamor of voices in his head. Somewhere, somewhen, Zelenka presses the softness of the pillow to Rodney’s face in a brief and terrible act of mercy. Rodney sees it and wishes, wishes, his head thrashing from side-to-side. Somewhere, somewhen, he’s breathing huge gasps of hypoallergenic fabric while Zelenka prays in Czech that sounds in musical.

“It is the quantum mirrors, yes?”

Zelenka must know better than to wait for an answer. Rodney lost his voice on the first day, screaming. With the last of it, he whispered to John: “I have infinity in my head.”

Zelenka crosses the room and grasps his hand. “Is fine,” he says gently. “We will fix it. You are priority, Rodney.”

He closes his eyes, but the pictures don’t stop.

“The mirrors,” Zelenka says, as if it’s a conversation. “We will concentrate on those.”

He squeezes each of Rodney’s fingertips, one by one, which is what the other Zelenka does for the other Rodney when his pulse has finally gone silent and still. Parallel connections, probability factors, and sameness of soul. When Zelenka lifts his hand and the warmth from the brief connection is still on Rodney’s skin, there’s a moment of inactivity that feels almost, almost like peace.

But maybe that’s only the other Rodney dying.