Rodney sat in the chair a few feet from Sheppard's bed with his arms crossed and his hand over his mouth. Although the body of his friend was obscured by equipment and nurses and doctors, Rodney kept seeing flashes of John lying on the 'gateroom floor in a puddle of red, his shirt, vest and pants soaked with dark wetness. Once John had passed out, Carter and Ronon had rolled him onto his back and torn off his vest, looking for a wound or bullet hole or...anything to explain the sudden, massive bleeding. And there had been nothing. Just a huge, nearly perfect semi-circle of damaged flesh that seemed to have sprung a leak.
Finally unable to sit still with nothing to occupy his mind, Rodney leaped from his seat and raced for the doors. "McKay? Hold up a minute."
Rodney stopped with a reluctant lurch and closed his eyes briefly. Pulling himself together as much as he could, he finally turned to face Sam Carter.
"What is it, Sam? I really need to get to my lab and start analyzing that device - "
"That's what I want you to do. After Dr. Keller gives us an update on John, I need you to figure out what that thing did, does, and/or was supposed to do." Rodney was startled by the anger seething in Sam's voice, and he finally, really, looked at her long enough to see an all-too-familiar rage burning behind her eyes. She went on, "More importantly, we need to know where Michael got it, and how we can prevent him from ever getting another one. Ever."
Rodney nodded, his eyes wide, and turned towards the exit. "I'll go now. I'll figure it out, I promise." Sam smiled slightly, held out a hand to touch his arm, holding him back.
"After we talk to Jennifer," she said.
Rodney sighed then nodded again. It was only a few minutes later that Keller called them together into her office. Ronon and Teyla appeared from somewhere nearby. The group stood in a loose circle, every eye intent upon the doctor. Jennifer took a deep breath and flashed Rodney a small smile that was reassuring, even though he understood she meant no promises by it.
"Colonel Sheppard is stable for the moment, but he's fighting for his life in there. We are having to pump massive amounts of fluids and plasma into him to compensate for the bleeding in the radiated area that we have only been able to suppress, not stop."
"Radiated area?" Rodney interrupted. "Are you certain that the damage we saw on John's body is caused by radiation?" Jennifer shook her head sharply.
"I'm calling it radiation because I don't know what else to call it. The cell damage on the dermal layer looks very similar to severe radiation burns, but it isn't presenting like normal radiation cases I've studied. I'm hoping you'll be able to tell me more about what did actually hit him." She looked at Rodney hopefully.
"Zelenka is setting up containment and research procedures on the device Sheppard carried back. We'll know more after I get a look it."
"Keep me in the loop. In the meantime, we're watching the Colonel very closely for developing internal damage and aggressively treating him to prevent infection. For now, that's all we can do." Jennifer's voice grew soft, and she held Teyla's arm in a supportive way. "John is still unconscious, and that's probably a good thing. I can't imagine how painful his injuries must be. But - I'm sure he would appreciate a visit. Even unconscious, he'll know you're nearby. I'm certain of it."
"Thank you, Doctor," Carter said. "Keep us in the loop, too, please."
"Absolutely."
Teyla and Ronon followed Keller towards John's bed and Carter waved goodbye, returning to her duties in the control room. Rodney watched the group heading back into the infirmary and considered for a moment going with them. Keller had said John would know they were there. It was however unlikely that the unconscious, badly wounded, bleeding-to-death, damn him for not getting out of the way, John Sheppard would realize that Rodney was NOT there. He turned on his heel and shouldered his way through the infirmary entrance, then set his feet towards his labs. He would be much more useful to his friend there, anyway, Rodney decided.
The image of John on the 'gateroom floor flashed past his memory again, and Rodney scrubbed his eyes with a furious swipe. A few minutes later he reached the room where Zelenka was fiddling with the device that now sat within a large, clear containment box. Rodney clapped his hands and rubbed them together, startling Zelenka with the abrupt sound.
"Let's get this figured out," he announced, realizing he sounded angry. For an instant, he let the anger surge and it felt good. Rodney picked up a screwdriver. "I'm going to really enjoy dismantling that thing..."
"Colonel Carter? Dr. McKay?"
Rodney looked up from the monitor that was either going blurry, or Rodney was losing his eyesight from staring at it for so long. Beside him, Sam stretched and also turned towards Jennifer Keller who stood in the doorway to Rodney's lab. She took a step closer, entering the room proper, then shoved her hands into the pockets of the white lab coat she was still wearing. When neither Sam nor Rodney could muster the energy to say anything, she shrugged and spoke for herself. She looked as tired as Rodney felt.
"I'm glad I found you both together. I need to update you on Colonel Sheppard's condition, and it's not good news."
Rodney stiffened and looked away. He was glad Sam was there when she replied, "Go ahead, doctor. We'll take any news we can get." Jennifer smiled slightly.
"Sheppard is still losing blood, and there are signs that some internal bleeding may have started on the most severely affected side. He's developed a minor infection that we are treating with massive antibiotics." Carter shook her head in horror and Jennifer took a quick step closer, suddenly intense in her urgency. "The thing is, that's not the worst part. Over the past 24 hours I've been taking blood samples hourly, to check for infection, that sort of thing. A few hours ago I got to looking closer. Something is causing Sheppard's DNA to mutate. Just slightly, but enough to create the buildup of a byproduct protein that is, essentially, toxic. And here's the real kicker: It's the ATA gene that is being targeted. The mutation essentially turns 'off' the ATA gene, abandoning the protein that would normally be used up with the ATA's normal functioning."
Sam and Rodney looked at each other. Rodney started snapping his fingers as an explosion of understanding jolted him out of his slump. "Michael," was all he managed to blurt out.
"He's trying to get rid of everyone with the ATA gene," Sam said.
"So that none of us can use Ancient technology against him, and he'll have it easier taking over the galaxy next time," Rodney added. "The device is some sort of genetic manipulator, probably like the one here on Atlantis that evolves DNA to help humans ascend. I knew these readings looked familiar somehow, but I hadn't made the connection. Michael programmed an ascension device to attack one specific gene."
"But did he intend to kill everyone with ATA, or just shut the gene off?"
"Does it matter? It's killing Sheppard."
"You're right of course. So, how do we stop the mutation?"
The two scientists stopped their rapid-fire conversation and turned as one to fix Keller with excited, expectant looks. Jennifer just stood there with her mouth open for a second or two, trying to catch up. "Well, Michael meant the beam to be diffused through the Stargate and spread across entire planets. Anyone affected that way would have just found themselves experiencing nerve damage and neurological troubles weeks, possibly even months, after the event," she said.
"But Sheppard must have come into the beam directly," McKay said.
"Exactly. The concentrated blast completely destroyed the ATA it came in contact with, and a few other parts of the cells along with it, causing the bleeding you saw. It's also causing much faster mutation of the surviving ATA. In Sheppard's case, there is so much destruction, and the ATA is being mutated so aggressively, that the toxic proteins are building up very quickly. The more ATA he loses, the greater the risk that he'll suffer pulmonary distress and cardiac arrest as the toxin interferes with normal body function."
"Would reprogramming the device to turn Sheppard's ATA gene back on fix him?" Rodney asked in a rush, almost turning back to his screen in his eagerness to get back to work. Jennifer thought about it for a moment.
"I suppose, if it stops the mutation process as well. How long would that take?"
Carter suddenly turned on Rodney and looked stern. He spluttered for a moment, wondering what the obvious warning was all about then said, "If we compare Michael's device to the one we have here on base, then I might be able to do it in a few hours. A couple of days, tops."
"McKay." This time Carter's voice was stern and her eyes were shooting daggers.
"Well, it might actually take a couple of days, a week tops." Rodney grew suddenly nervous under Carter's glare and began to babble, "If the two units are anything like each other and we don't have to reverse engineer Michael's code completely from scratch..."
Jennifer jerked her head sharply, "Sheppard doesn't have that long. He might not even have two days if I can't find a treatment that will slow the mutation, neutralize the protein, or somehow boost his ATA. I'm preparing a course of treatments to try, but honestly, I think his best chance will be blood transfusions; whole blood, and lots of it. If we can flood his system with fresh ATA, even if it's only in his blood supply, perhaps that will be enough to neutralize some of the protein and hold off the life-threatening side effects."
"Will it work?" The words came out softly, and Rodney realized he was asking as a friend, not as a scientist. Jennifer was looking at her feet, and Rodney suddenly saw Carter fix the 'let's be honest, now' glare on the doctor. Jennifer met the gaze at last, took a deep breath as if preparing herself for a battle.
"We know that ATA is a genetic trait passed on through families. There are inherited factors that we don't really begin to understand yet, but they definitely impact the strength and usability of ATA."
"Such as how Sheppard's able to use Ancient technology without thinking about it and the rest of us have to concentrate to get anything done." Rodney found himself only a little bitter about the strength of John's gene at that particular moment.
"Yes. It may be that a family member, a close family member, who carries the ATA would be the best possible donor to keep John fighting until you find a way to reverse the mutations."
Carter and Rodney looked at each other. "I know John's father just recently passed away - " Carter started, looking resigned.
"Sheppard has a brother."
"Really? I didn't know that," Carter said curiously.
"He doesn't talk about him. Ronon even had to tell me after they got back from the funeral. He could donate."
"Rodney, even if John's brother does have the ATA gene, you're talking about a civilian here."
"So?"
"I'm assuming that John can't be moved, much less go through the Stargate, so that means - "
"His brother will have to come here. Again, I ask: so?"
"Do you realize the security implications?"
"Sheppard's brother is some kind of...of business, CEO, corporate type. Ronon told me. Get him to sign an NDA and he'll know exactly what that means. Non Disclosure Agreements are industry standard."
"Even if the IOA agreed to that - "
"Sam!" Rodney interrupted, hearing the anger back in his voice. "This is Sheppard we're talking about. If Sheppard needs his brother to come to Atlantis to donate blood, then that's what's going to happen."
Carter smiled, a hint of pride in her eyes that Rodney didn't quite understand. "I'll contact Stargate Command, get them started on finding contact info for John's brother. That way, if it comes down to it, we'll have a head start."
"Thank you," Rodney whispered. Jennifer slapped her hands lightly on her coat.
"In the meantime, Colonel Carter, could you also prepare a list of everyone on base who has the ATA gene and ask them to volunteer for blood donation?" she said. Rodney hopped off his stool and began to roll up his sleeve. Keller reached out to lightly touch his arm . "I'll put you at the end of the list, Rodney. You need to work on the device."
"Oh. Ok." Rodney hesitantly held up his own hand to touch Jennifer's still resting on his arm. "Make it work, Jennifer."
"Will do!" she replied, sounding hopeful. Rodney almost believed her.
"It's not working."
Rodney looked up from where he'd been dozing in the chair next to Sheppard's bed. He felt woozy from the amount of blood he'd given in the last hour and realized he probably shouldn't have lied to Keller about when he'd eaten last. Maybe he could ask her to bring him a sandwich...
"What's not working?" he answered groggily.
Keller sat down in the chair next to him, fiddled with the tube coming out of Rodney's arm, then slumped backwards against the seat.
"The transfusions. It's frustrating because it almost works. I see slight improvement after each transfusion, but John's body just isn't accepting the foreign ATA enough to help him turn the tide. He needs a better match. He needs his brother."
"Zelenka's making progress on the device. We should have some working code in a couple more days. And Carter called Landry a while ago and told him to make contact. If Doug - or is it Don? - whatever. If Sheppard's brother has the ATA gene, he could be here within the day."
"I just hope it's soon enough," Jennifer whispered. Rodney had no answer. He dropped his head back into his hand, idly following with his eyes the tube that snaked from his own arm into a blood pump, then continued on to a bag on the IV pole over Sheppard's motionless form. He'd never known until today that he was a donor type match for Sheppard. Sometimes Rodney was surprised at how similar people could be deep down when on the surface they seemed so different. It had taken a long time for Rodney to figure that out about Sheppard.
They sat in supportive silence for a long time. Around midnight, Carter walked into the infirmary, looking agitated. Jennifer stretched and stood, waving the Colonel over. Rodney saw Sam's eyes flick over John as she drew near, and her jaw clenched even tighter. Rodney sat up stiffly. Something was wrong.
"I just heard from General Landry at the SGC," she started. Her voice was strained, as if she was finding it hard to speak. "Landry made contact with David Sheppard personally and asked him to go to Cheyenne Mountain where we were hoping to test him for the ATA gene and get him to sign off on security clearance."
"Were hoping?" Rodney asked pointedly, picking up on her disturbing choice of words. "Where will he be tested instead and when will he be here?"
"That's just it," Sam suddenly blew out an angry sigh and walked over the step or two to the bed. She rested her hand on John's arm.
"He's not coming," she said.