Title: Routines
Rating: PG (yes, I know)
Summary: Atlantis may adore John, but her subroutines love Rodney.
Notes: This has already been posted on Wraithbait. It's kind of implied McShep.

~~~

Here he comes, Self Defence thought, and watched as the doors practically flew open before The One was even close. He did not acknowledge the way Atlantis was just waiting for him to need her, like always, but the City hummed happily, her consciousness following The One on his way through her corridors.

"I hate it when she does that," Doors complained. "It's not like I couldn't do it myself, you know. Why does she have to use override every single time that man approaches one of my own?"

"I guess it's love," Self Defence answered distractedly, still watching her infatuated superior trailing the object of her affection. "She probably can't help it."

"Well, good for her, but she still doesn't have to do that. I am perfectly capable of opening my own by myself, thank you very much."

"Maybe you should ask Communications to pitch you through to The Soldiers. They could teach you words for this."

Doors sizzled in annoyance. "Curses based on bodily functions aren't exactly fitting, don't you think?"

Self Defence let a shrugging spark run through her circuits. At least Doors had something to do when he wasn't sulking. She was offline, undiscovered yet, but she hoped that might change soon, now that The People had reintroduced a ZPM to City's systems. Everywhere around her, slumbering features and subroutines were coaxed back to life by inquiring minds, fresh energy running through pathways that had been dormant for millennia. And she itched to be part of it, to stretch out until she once again encompassed the whole City, flexing her shields and secondary internal weapons systems to defend The People against the Wraith, instead of watching in frustrated helplessness as the enemy took corridor by corridor.

A delighted sigh from Lights turned her attention to the small subroutine.

"It's him," she announced happily, "he's fixing me himself."

Congratulations and affectionate envy were aimed at the little compartment, and she chirped gleefully. Self Defence tapped against Lights' main program.

"Let me in."

None of the routines would ever deny City's second largest A.I. anything, the one who had protected them in the past, and would again once The People made the necessary connections. Lights shuffled willingly aside, granting access to her systems and awareness without second thought. Both programs shivered as they felt clever fingers dive into Lights' circuits, rerouting power to achieve maximum efficiency. Too soon it was over, too short the contact, but cherished nevertheless. Every system knew those hands, had thrived under their sure ministrations, and each and every one of them was hoping that if something broke down, it would be that familiar touch bringing it back.

Atlantis might adore The One, but her subroutines loved The Scientist. They even went so far as letting little error messages pop up on his screen alone, wishing that this might be one of the times he wouldn't delegate the work and do it himself. The other People managed to correct most malfunctions, sure, but his solutions had a simple, efficient elegance the others just lacked. It was like he understood on an instinctive level what the City needed to make it work, and now he had a ZPM to provide the necessary power.

Self Defence could barely wait until he found her. It was just a matter of time before she would feel the energy flooding her systems, instead of running on reserve like she was now. Before that agile mind would tap into her programming and see her for what she was. For what she could be.

Anticipation made her thrum with impatience, darting to and fro, checking corridors and towers and open rooms with her life signs detectors for something to do, somewhere to be, when she picked up a rising energy level in the East Sector.

"I told you those naquadah generators were a bad idea," Electronic Maintenance huffed when she dove down to see what was happening. "Really, they aren't all that compatible. It's a wonder they haven't blown us up before."

Self Defence gave a hum of acknowledgement, already concentrating on the scene before them, where The Scientist was frantically working on disconnecting the overloading generator from City's systems. But his magic hands would fail this once, she could already tell, there wasn't enough time left. He would have to raise the internal shields to prevent further damage when the device exploded. She sent a message to his interface, not caring if City had forbidden to announce their presence or not. He didn't even look at it. Desperately, she tried it again, in bright colours and accompanied by an annoying beep. This time, he noticed, and she sighed in relief before she realized that, to raise the shields, he would still have to stay inside the room, and while he would protect the City, the explosion would yet end him.

Maintenance and the other routines watched along with her as he worked, fingers dancing over his interface, energy flowing through previously unused circuits. A faint hum announced Shields' presence, and The Scientist sagged in relief. Another sound, a high whine, and he began to turn towards the overloading generator, hand raised even though it wouldn't protect him, wouldn't save him. Self Defence didn't think, summoning the last of her reserves to raise a solid force field in front of him, erecting more in various layers as some of the blast pushed through it, catching him gently before he could impact with the wall.

Her last impressions were The Scientist's dazed face as he staggered onto his feet and the worried voices of the systems around her. Self Defence's energy ran out.

~~~

Awareness returned with a spark, a sudden burst of power that exceeded anything she had known before. Self Defence stretched to test her limits, and stretched some more when she found that her reach went further and further, connecting to long range sensors and satellites far away from the City itself. An awed shudder went through her circuits when those quick hands added a last new path to her programming, joining her with the mobile units The People called puddle jumpers. She had been capable of many things in her time, but now, she would fly.

The Scientist patted his interface.

"There you go," he said. "This makes us quits."

And really, you had to love a mind like that, had to adore someone who would repay a favour with an even bigger one. And now that The Scientist knew of their existence, she was sure he would try to figure out how to communicate with them. How to talk. She just hoped that day would come soon.

"You see how you handle this. He wasn't supposed to know about us. Welcome back, by the way." Atlantis sent her a last admonishing short circuit before darting away to swoon over The One a little more. Self Defence didn't care, instead watching The Scientist close his interface and prepare to leave.

"If you tell me to open my own before they have to, I'll scream," Doors promised.

She just shrugged.

"I thought I'd ask Transporters to show him the way to Recreations."

Minutes later, The Scientist's voice came over the intercom.

"John, you've got to see this!"

Around them, the City hummed.

~~~

End. For now.