Rivets Aberrant: StarGate Atlantis - [SGA] Private Paul Rivets

[Adrian Moss]

Background: Not really relevant. He's 'that guy'. Most people who went to school with him can't remember his name. Those who remember his name can't recall either his first name or last name. Out of High School, he went into the Army. Not the Rangers, or the Special Forces, but the Army Infantry. He served well, but not spectacularly. All his fitness reports read as "Acceptable" or "Adequate". He never screwed up, got into fights, or missed a roll-call.

He was liked by those who served with him. He was an agreeable guy. Nice, pleasant, easy to get along with, first to pull you out of a bar when you were too drunk to drive. Last guy to volunteer.

Why be on Atlantis? Partly, it was a mistake. He scored high on the ATA genome search, and he was on a list of alternates (a very long list). He was in fact on the bottom of that list.

What happened? There was a computer glitch. The final roster of recruits for the Atlantis mission was being prepared and they had one fewer than they needed for the project. One project manager scrambled to 'remember' the last name ... and suddenly remembered Rivets. Paul Rivets (finally, someone remembered). He made the final list.

Now Paul is on Atlantis, the lowest of the low. More than one person privy to the personnel records has tried to figure whey he is 'really' here. Is he some kind of mole? A plant by some other government agency?

The problem is, Rivets is a good soldier. Not stunning, but good. He follows orders, does his job, and never complains (out loud). He's 'that guy' you see standing around with a gun until some minor task needs to be done.

"Hey you ... (reads his name tag) Rivets. Communications out. Get down to medical and have them get a team up here, stat."

"God damn it (looking down at the spilled coffee). Hey you. Get a mop and clean this up, but get me a fresh cup of coffee - two creams and one sugar - first."

"Rivets? (pause for thought) Oh, yeah. He's the guy that ... hmmm ... no, that's Donaldson ... wait, he looks like ... yeah, that's the one. Didn't know his name, but he's down in storage room 33C. They are moving things over from the lower flight bay. Needed some strong backs. At least I think that's him."

"Coming off of Teagulus 3,we were jumped by three Wraiths. I took a spike and went down right away. Sgt. Lopez took over the team. Yelled at this guy - Rivets I think his name was - to get me to safety. Guy picked me up and ran me over to the 'Jumper'. All hell was breaking loose."

"Put me down slowly then said he would be right back. That guy ran right back into the firefight. Came back around, in about, I guess - toxins were working me over pretty bad - thirty seconds screaming for the pilot to take off. That's when I passed out."

"When I came to, I was back here. My first question was to ask about my team. One other guy made it back, she told me. Then she handed my a Mission Patch. There was blood on it. It was Sgt. Lopez's. It was clutched in my hand, she said."

"Yeah, I think that guy who saved my life's name was Rivets."