Title: The Hunting of the Snark - Part 2

Author: Beth Green

xxxxx

Fortunately for Rodney, the creature that had been contemplating eating him for dinner tasted something that disagreed with its digestion. After a few tentative licks of the begrimed scientist, the animal wandered off, no longer able to walk in a straight line.

xxxxx

Dr. Beckett performed a rapid assessment of Sheppard after the confused man arrived through the gate. Although he was coated in several places with an unknown residue, his vital signs were stable, and he appeared to be in no immediate danger. Therefore, the doctor rearranged his priorities and decided to go off-world with Major Lorne and the search and rescue team.

Thanks to Teyla's assistance as a guide, the team quickly and easily reached the wooded area where Sheppard had been found. They proceeded to follow the same path taken earlier by Ronon. It did not take them long to locate Ronon's unconscious body.

Carson hurried to assist the downed man. A careful assessment allowed the doctor to offer a tentative diagnosis. "It looks like he's suffering from a head injury. I won't know how bad it is until I get him back to the infirmary. If you boys will just bring the stretcher over, we'll get him on his way."

Ronon groaned and flinched as they moved him onto the stretcher. The doctor was encouraged that his patient was showing signs of a return to consciousness. He leaned over the stretcher and tapped his right hand lightly against Ronon's face.

Ronon responded by snapping up a hand and wrapping his fingers around the doctor's neck, choking off the man's precious supply of air. The Satedan rapidly reoriented himself to his surroundings as he looked around in confusion. All the while the marines were trying to get him to release his grip. Once Ronon realized that he was squeezing the doctor's neck, he let his hand fall open.

Carson stepped away and curled in on himself while he took comfort in the fact that he could breathe again. He coughed and rubbed a hand against his sore neck muscles. Once he was able to speak, he straightened up and again approached his patient. His bedside manner was nonexistent in the aftermath of his near-asphyxiation. He scolded, "Are y' daft, man? There was no call t' be doin' that!"

Ronon offered an apology. "Sorry."

The doctor continued, "Do you know who I am?"

"Beckett." The Satedan continued to supply the appropriate one-word answers as Carson completed his assessment. The physician was reassured that his patient was oriented to time, person, and place.

After Carson completed his examination, Lorne took over the questioning. "What happened?"

Ronon's eyes narrowed, whether in pain or anger or a combination of both, no one could tell for certain. "I was following a trail. Something hit me."

Lorne had done a survey of the area while Carson had been tending to Ronon. He shared his findings. "Looks like you walked into a trap. Do you know who set it? Was it meant for you, or for someone else?"

Ronon began to remove himself from the stretcher, despite Carson's protests that he was not well enough to do so. He ignored the doctor and stood up while he answered Lorne's questions: "It was McKay, and he meant it for whoever walked under that tree."

Deciding that no further conversation was necessary, Ronon began scouting the area for signs of his missing teammate. Although he wouldn't confess his weakness to the doctor, his search was hampered by the fact that his vision kept blurring and doubling when he focused on anything for too long. He wanted to rub a hand against his aching head, but did not do so. He knew that it would be unwise to display even that small weakness in front of any members of the team.

As much as he wanted Ronon in the infirmary where he could undergo a complete brain scan, Carson bowed to exigent circumstances and allowed the stubborn man to join the search and rescue team.

For once, Ronon was more than happy to let someone else lead the way. If there were any more traps, he'd just as soon not be the one to find them.

This time, there was no obvious trail to follow. The marines did a spiral search of the area, widening the territory covered until one of them discovered McKay's crushed radio. From that point on, it was once again easy to follow Rodney's trail. Ronon was the first to notice the blood on the rocks. He announced his finding simply, although the word was heavy with meaning: "Blood."

Carson bent down in order to more closely inspect the reddish-brown stain. "Aye, and it hasn't been here very long." The doctor's concern grew with each new stain that they discovered. He couldn't help but say what they all knew: "We've got to find him, and soon."

When they reached the thicket of vegetation, Lorne began to cut his way through. Carson stopped him after the first slice caused the plant to ooze a viscous sap. "Stop! If that's the same sap that was on Colonel Sheppard's clothing, y' dinna want to do that."

Lorne frowned. "Why not?"

Carson stared at the Major's hands, then reached for his medical kit. He ran his scanner quickly over the soldier, then stated, "Son, you need to get that residue off your hands."

Lorne stared at his hands, suddenly confused. "Huh? What did you say?"

Carson repeated, "You need to wash your hands immediately!"

Lorne remained confused. "What? I'm sorry. Did you need something?"

Carson's, "Oh dear," summed up the situation succinctly. He snapped on a pair of latex gloves and began to clean off the Major's hands.

Lorne looked on in confusion. Instead of the expected anger, he simply kept asking, "What's going on?" as Carson patiently and repeatedly explained. "If what I suspect is true, your body is having some sort of reaction to that plant residue. I've not seen anything similar, except on Colonel Sheppard and his clothing not an hour ago."

With that comment, the doctor began to strip Lorne of his clothing. He spoke of returning to Atlantis for hazmat suits while he worked.

Ronon ignored the doctor and stepped into the thicket. One of the marines noticed, and asked, "Where are you going?"

Ronon called over his shoulder, "Gonna go get McKay." He ignored Beckett's cry of, "Wait!" as he pushed his way through the tangled vines. Unlike Rodney, Ronon was slow and patient. Not only did he not know what lay beyond the dense curtain of vines, but he had no desire to risk breaking one of the vines and getting any of that crap on himself. When he came to the end of the vine wall, he looked down and saw that McKay had managed to walk off of a cliff. The scientist had landed on a rocky outcropping about a dozen feet down the slope. However, it wouldn't take much to send him plummeting the remaining hundred or so feet down the incline. From his current vantage point, Ronon could not tell if McKay was alive or dead. Assuming that it was the former, he called out, "McKay! Don't move! I'll be back!"

He cautiously turned and retraced his steps. The men waiting had heard him shout.

Carson contacted him by radio and asked, "Have you found him? Is he all right?"

Ronon made a brief report. "Fell off a cliff. He's maybe twelve feet down. Between the rocks and the vines, quickest and safest way to get him outta there is by jumper. The thing is, he's on a ledge about six by six. If he moves, it just might be the last move he makes."

Ronon returned to the rescue party as his last words were spoken. He asked, "Anyone got a rope?" Fortunately, they had more than one. After a brief conference, it was decided that two of the marines would head back to the Stargate and arrange for a jumper. One of the other marines would accompany Ronon. The Satedan planned to join Rodney in order to assess his condition and keep him safe until help arrived.

Carson had protested the decision. "You've got a head injury! The last thing I'd be advising you to do would be to climb down a cliff!"

Ronon argued back. "I know exactly where he is, so I can get there the fastest. I'll have my radio with me, so I can direct the jumper to McKay's location. The longer we stand here arguing, the more likely it is that McKay's gonna fall the rest of the way down." With that parting comment, Ronon headed back into the thicket, the marine with the rope following closely behind.

Carson wished him "Good luck," while Lorne helplessly asked, "What's going on?"

xxxxx

It did not take long for Ronon and his marine escort to reach the place where Rodney had made his near-fatal misstep.

The marine was an experienced climber. Much to his disgust, he found that the rock was too brittle to hold an anchor. He cursed. "It's no good. The rock keeps giving way."

Ronon shrugged. "That's okay. Don't need a rope."

The marine ignored Ronon's declaration, and insisted on using his body as an anchor to support the rope tied to the Satedan while he climbed down to Rodney. Both men knew that if Ronon fell and the marine did not let go of the rope, the weight of Ronon's body would cause the marine to fall as well. Fortunately, Ronon made his way safely to Rodney's side.

Ronon was relieved to see that Rodney was still breathing. He reported over his radio: "He's alive." Ronon continued, "He's covered in that crap that Lorne got on his hands."

Carson cursed. "I should ha' thought a' that. If I had, you'd at least have a pair of gloves with you." He added, "It's best for all concerned if you don't touch him."

Rodney woke up to the sound of a voice rumbling in the distance. His mind registered nothing other than the fact that the voice belonged to one of the men who were trying to kill him. He couldn't let that happen. Rodney's next thought was that he hurt everywhere, but especially his left arm. It took him a minute to figure out that his arm was twisted awkwardly beneath his body. He pushed himself off of his side and onto his back, groaning with the effort.

Ronon moved closer when he saw Rodney begin to stir. He was not in time to prevent Rodney's abrupt change of position. However, he was able to push Rodney's leg back onto the ledge after the injured man's movement caused it to dangle freely in the open air. For one terrifying moment Ronon feared that Rodney's entire body would follow after.

Rodney showed no gratitude for Ronon's timely intervention. Instead, he increased his efforts to escape from the security of Ronon's grip, threatening to send them both plummeting over the edge.

Ronon had no choice. He used the weight of his entire body to keep Rodney from moving.

Rodney screamed when his attacker covered his body with his own. The action caused every injury Rodney had to announce itself by sending pain signals racing along his nerve endings. The injured man felt his consciousness blessedly fading with the awareness that his left arm was well and truly broken. He could feel the misplaced bones grating against each other. The pain was excruciating. He did not mind leaving it behind, any way that he could.

Ronon had been ignoring the frantic cries of, "What happened? What's going on?" coming over his radio while he struggled with McKay. Once Rodney passed out again, Ronon rested his aching head in his hands. It was then that he realized that Rodney was not the only one now covered in vine sap. Ronon had enough time to mutter, "Shit!" before he ceased to care about the little voice chirping in his ear. Tired of the noise, he replied, "Shut up!" and turned off the radio.

He frowned at the man sharing his perch. McKay was a smart guy. He should be able to figure out some way to get them off of this ledge. He poked his finger at his companion's nearest shoulder. "Hey, McKay!" poke, poke, "Wake up!"

Rodney groaned as Ronon continued to poke and prod. He reluctantly came to the realization that he would be allowed no peace in the presence of his tormentor, so forced his eyes open. They widened at the sight of the man looming over him.

Ronon smiled. There was nothing pleasant about the smile. That was fine, as Ronon was not feeling particularly sociable at the moment. "That's better."

Rodney disagreed. "There is nothing 'better' about this. In fact, I can't think of anything worse."

Ronon nodded sagely. "I can."

Rodney's paranoia was well in force as he responded, "Of course you can! You're trying to kill me."

Ronon snorted in derision. "If I was trying to kill you, you'd be dead."

The more Rodney observed his companion, the more he came to believe in the absolute certainty of his words. "Yes, well I'd appreciate it very much if you'd do something else, like go away."

"Can't do anything else."

"Oh, come on, how hard would it be for you to simply leave?"

Ronon decided it'd be easier to show Rodney than to tell him. He ignored the man's moans and the litany of painful sounds he made as his injured body was forced into a seated position. He twisted a hand securely into McKay's shirt, then forced the man's head to bend until he was looking over the edge of their small ledge.

Rodney chanted "No-no-no-no-no" as he got a good look at the very long way he would fall if the man beside him decided to force him off of their precarious perch.

Ronon was really getting tired of listening to Rodney's objections. He debated whether or not to simply shove Rodney off of the ledge. His hand loosened on McKay's shirt before he remembered: "Damn it, I'm supposed to be rescuing you!" He pulled Rodney back to a more secure spot on the ledge, and keyed on his radio. "That jumper better get here sooner rather than later, or we might not be here."

Ronon did not want to listen to the frantic replies that greeted his statement. He again turned off the radio.

Rodney continued to complain, declaring, "You tried to kill me!"

Knowing that it was the truth did not stop the words from bothering Ronon. He leaned toward McKay and yelled in his face, "Shut the fuck up!"

Rodney decided that his best course of action under the current circumstances was to do nothing to antagonize the crazy man. He shut up.

Fortunately for all concerned, less than fifteen minutes later the jumper arrived.

Rodney was too tired and in too much pain to fight with his rescuers, despite the fact that he was pretty sure they wanted to kill him.

Ronon decided that once Rodney was off the ledge, there was no reason not to stay and enjoy the peace and quiet. It took one man distracting him while another injected him with a quick-acting sedative to convince Ronon otherwise.

Rodney applauded the action when Ronon collapsed, then passed out when the man was hauled into the jumper beside him.

xxxxx

Sheppard woke up to the familiar sights and sounds of the infirmary.

Carson hurried over, exclaiming, "Ah, you're awake. Do you remember what happened?"

John's eyes wanted to close so that he could return to the rest his body was telling him that it desperately needed. However, he had the feeling that this was not the first time Carson had asked him the question. His thoughts were sluggish as he searched his memory for the required information. "We were in a field. Me and Rodney. He fell, and was having a little trouble getting up. I went over to help."

His thoughts a bit clearer, he remembered hurrying up to his teammate:

"McKay!" He attempted to pull Rodney to his feet, but something green and rope-like appeared to be holding his friend down.

Rodney's struggles seemed to cause the odd-looking strands of a vine to wrap more tightly around his body. John put a hand on his friend's chest, trying to still the frantic movements. "Rodney! Rodney, hold still!"

Rodney panted, the grip of the vine impeding his efforts to draw a deep breath. He argued, "And let this thing squeeze me to death? I don't think so!"

John pulled out his knife with his free hand and held it out for McKay to see.

Rodney's eyes widened in understanding. "Oh, okay, yes yes yes, try to avoid stabbing me while you slice and dice the man-eating plant."

John cautioned, "I won't stab you if you can lie still for a minute." John grunted with the effort of cutting through the tough, sinewy vine. He paused repeatedly to wipe his knife against the material of his BDUs, as every cut caused the plant to ooze a sticky, odorous sap. Most of the sap ended up coating McKay, but John couldn't help but get a little on himself as well.

He concluded sharing his recalled memories with the doctor. "I really don't remember anything after that."

Carson nodded. "I'm not surprised. I am impressed that you remember as much as you do, as well as how you and Rodney came to be affected."

"I do? We became what?" John frowned at the headache that made itself known with his return to lucidity. He admitted, "I think I need you to explain it to me."

The doctor sighed. "Actually, I've told you already, and more than once. Maybe this time you'll be able to retain the information. When Teyla brought you back through the Stargate, you were covered in sap. My analysis showed that the substance contains a mind-altering chemical that acts on the synapses of the brain. I'm still trying, but I haven't been able to come up with an effective counteragent. Fortunately, your latest blood sample shows that your body seems to have purged itself of the chemical. I expect the fact that you had a bath and a change of clothing to limit your physical contact, plus the fact that you were given a significant amount of IV fluids to flush the chemicals out of your body, contributed to your recovery. I don't believe that there will be any lingering aftereffects."

After listening to the doctor's explanation, John wasn't surprised that he hadn't bothered to remember most of the medical details previously. Trying to absorb the information now resulted in an increase in his headache, so he stopped trying to figure out what had just been said in favor of finding out the answer to the question uppermost in his mind. "What happened to Rodney?"

"Well, I'm afraid his case is a bit more complex. In addition to his prolonged chemical exposure, he managed to fall down a cliff. Not only did he break his arm and a couple of ribs, but he sustained a concussion as well. I've no way t' tell if his odd behavior is from the head injury or from the hallucinogen. More than likely, it's a combination of the two."

Carson sighed. "I'm hoping when the effects wear off, he'll be back to his old self."

It was not until Ronon spoke up from the next bed that John realized that he and Rodney were not the only ones in the infirmary. "I dunno. I'm hoping he'll be a little nicer."

John turned and waved to his teammate. "Ronon. How'd you end up here?"

Ronon pointed toward the bed occupied by their unconscious teammate. "McKay." He seemed to think that no further explanation was required.

John leaned back into the comfort of his pillows. He decided that he wasn't up for further debriefing, and allowed his eyes to close as he drifted off to sleep.

Some time later, his rest was disturbed by the intrusion of a familiar voice.

"Ow-ow-ow-ow-ow! Injured man here! Whatever happened to comforting the sick?"

John opened his eyes and saw Carson leaning over Rodney. The doctor explained, "Rodney, it's not possible to perform a complete physical examination unless I actually touch you."

Rodney whined, "How about a little pain medication first?"

Carson continued his examination. "I've told you already, you've been clear off your head for better than twenty-four hours. I'll not risk giving you something that could cause your condition to deteriorate."

Rodney was not pacified. "I don't see how leaving someone to suffer in excruciating pain is in any way part of the Hippocratic Oath."

Carson stepped back, declaring, "I've found nothing to indicate any neurological damage. I just need to do a brain scan, and if you pass that test, I'll give you something stronger for pain."

Rodney's eyes widened at Carson's words. "Brain damage? You think I might have brain damage?" He raised a hand tentatively and tapped two fingers against the the right side of his aching head. His memories were a mix of fact and fantasy, but somewhere within them he recalled a device that may have been a source of the neurological damage that Carson mentioned.

Rodney waited and suffered in silence until Carson performed the brain scan. The doctor reassured his patient, "I don't see anything out of the ordinary." Carson was concerned when Rodney remained atypically silent. He told Rodney, "I'll get you that pain medication now."

Rather than say what Carson expected, something along the lines of, 'It's about time,' Rodney turned to the doctor with an expression of gratitude. His gentle, "Thank you, Carson," concerned the doctor more than any scornful or mocking comment would have. He vowed to continue to closely monitor Rodney's neurological status, as he followed through on his promise to provide better pain relief.

Rodney's pain had begun to ease the moment that Carson reported the results of the brain scan. When Rodney was able to let go of the tension that had gripped him with the words 'brain damage', half of his pain disappeared. The pain medication allowed him to ignore the lingering ache in favor of sleep.

The next day Rodney and his teammates were discharged from the infirmary. None of them showed any lingering adverse physical effects from their inadvertent chemical exposure. Their emotional recovery was not as uncomplicated.

The first few times it happened, John shrugged it off as coincidence. Rodney or Ronon would be in a room, and the other would enter and quickly exit upon finding his teammate already present. It soon became apparent that Rodney and Ronon were actively avoiding each other. When John subsequently confronted each man separately, they both denied that any problem existed. John knew better. As team leader, he decided that he needed to do something about it.

John enlisted Teyla's help. While she kept Ronon occupied in the mess hall, John went to drag Rodney away from his latest lab experiment. "Hey, McKay, guess what?"

Rodney did not look away from his computer terminal. His typing was hampered by the fact that he had to do it one-handed. His broken left arm was casted and supported by a sling. "I'm a busy man. Take your guessing games elsewhere."

John chose not to obey the directive. He continued, "Today's special is meatloaf."

Rodney looked up, work abruptly forgotten in favor of his desire for food. John was cheered by his friend's look of enthusiasm. To push Rodney into taking action, John offered an additional tidbit of information. "I think I might've heard something about chocolate cake for dessert."

Rodney made quick work of shutting down his workstation. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to take a well-deserved break."

John patted Rodney on the back as he hurried past, with a few encouraging words to speed him on his way. "That's the spirit!" John followed behind, assuring that McKay reached his destination.

Rodney arrived at the mess hall and headed for the self-serve cafeteria line. He immediately stopped when he saw Ronon and Teyla seated at a nearby table. He attempted to leave, but John was right behind him. He insisted, "McKay, you've got to eat."

Rodney argued, "No, no, there's something I forgot to do."

John ignored Rodney's protest and led him toward the table. "I'll even get your tray for you." He used his hands on Rodney's shoulders to emphasize his order: "Sit."

Rodney gave a sickly smile in Ronon's direction. "Hello."

Ronon grunted but did not bother to look up.

Teyla stood and stepped away from the table, stating, "I believe you two have something that you need to discuss."

Rodney replied, "I don't think so."

John confronted his friends with the evidence of his observations. "You two have been avoiding each other ever since you got out of the infirmary. It stops, now."

John walked away from the table, but remained standing close enough that he could prevent either man from leaving, if the need arose.

Ronon and Rodney sat, neither man saying a word.

Predictably, Rodney was the first to break the uncomfortable silence. "I'm sorry."

For the first time in days, Ronon looked up to stare at Rodney face-to-face. He asked, "For what?"

Rodney fumbled for words as he confessed, "Back on the planet, when I was . . . under the influence, so to speak, I . . . Well, I . . . for a brief moment, I actually thought that I might shoot you."

Ronon gave a huff of breath that might have been laughter, and replied, "Glad you didn't."

Rodney relaxed for the first time in days. "I'm glad I didn't, too."

Ronon decided to make his own confession. "McKay, just so there's no hard feelings, I thought about killing you, too."

Rodney's eyes widened in surprise. "You did?"

Ronon nodded. "Just for a minute, when we were both stuck on that cliff, and you wouldn't shut up."

Rodney snapped his fingers. "Yes, yes, yes! I thought it was just my drug-tainted memories, but I swear I remember dangling from the ledge after having been forced into that painful position by you!"

Ronon responded with less sincerity than Rodney may have wished. "Sorry about that."

Rodney repeated, "Sorry? You're sorry? I'd think you would be." He voice rose to an indignant squawk as he stated, "You tried to kill me!"

Ronon turned a hand palm upward and replied, "So? You tried to kill me."

"Well yes, but I didn't!"

"And I didn't kill you!"

John smiled as his teammates continued to bicker, happy that things were finally back to normal. His smile brightened as he recalled the appropriate military analogy: SNAFU. Situation Normal: All Fucked Up.

xxxxx

end