AN: Party time! Alright, so here's the next one. It has been my favorite so far. Hope you all enjoy as well.

Beta: Big thanks again to Stealth Dragon. The chapter flows a lot better now because of her, and she seemed to understand everything. So, we're good.

Warning: Lot of information in here, so be sure to stay on your toes and pay attention. Important stuff here.

Posting: So, the long weekend is over, and that means I won't have much time to write. The weekdays get very busy. So.. updates will not be as frequent, but rest assured: they will come eventually.

Alright, enjoy.

Rodney walked swiftly through the halls, his mind racing with different details about the device and his next step to figuring it out. Of course, going to the infirmary to tell Beckett and Weir about the information he had gathered so far was not really on his list of things to do. But, shortly after he had called them to his lab, Beckett had called back saying he needed to remain in the infirmary and that Rodney would have to come there.

So there he was, in the hallway to the infirmary for the second time that day. At least this time he had a better idea of what was going on. He came to the door and walked in. In the middle of the room stood Doctors Weir and Beckett, discussing something with great intensity.

"I'm guessing there's a good reason for why you made me leave my lab and stop all my research to come here instead," he announced, his voice quick and irritated.

Beckett nodded. "Yes, Rodney. Teyla just called in and, apparently, the Colonel collapsed, so I'll need to be here when he arrives. Unless you wanted him in your lab."

"Oh. No, no. He would probably knock everything off the shelves and break it all…

"Not nice, Rodney," a muffled voice said from behind him. He didn't need to turn around to know that it came from Sheppard.

"How ya' feeling, lad?" Beckett asked, pushing past Rodney and going directly over to Sheppard.

At first, it looked like Sheppard was about to reply with some sarcastic remark like, fantastic or peachy, but he seemed to catch himself, knowing he would probably get shocked if he said something like that. So instead, he just grimaced, hoping Beckett would get the idea.

He was still just as shaky and unstable as ever, but he was standing on his own two feet, though Teyla and Ronon were on either side of him in case he fell. He looked a little more defeated than the last time Rodney had seen him, which scared him a great deal.

"Right, well the nurse is going to hook you up to an IV. Just try to keep your hand on the IV stand so you don't jerk it out again," Beckett replied, signaling to one of the nurses and to Ronon. The nurse came forward wearing a pleasant smile while Ronon followed them to the other side of the room.

"Ok Rodney, what do you have?" Elizabeth asked, bringing everyone's attention back to him. Rodney had found himself lost in Sheppard's movements again, but managed to pull himself back to the present.

"Right… well I can't do anything right now, but I'm close," Rodney began, not wanting to get their hopes up and make them believe he could make a big difference now. "But I've figured out a lot about the device and, given time, I should be able to slowly turn off his symptoms."

"You mean you will not be able to turn them all off at once?" Teyla asked, voicing all of their questions.

"That's the thing. This device is the most complex one I've seen yet. It's literally like three different devices put together. Maybe even four depending on how you look at it." As usual, Rodney spoke unnaturally fast, which usually resulted in him leaving everyone else behind. The man seemed to have all of his thoughts laid out in his mind, pictures and all, and he just skimmed over them with his words as though everyone else could see into his head.

"And what does that mean, Rodney?" Elizabeth questioned, urging him in a direction that would be more beneficial to the rest of them.

"It means that we will basically be fixing three different devices. That's why none of those simpletons who claim to be world-renowned scientists haven't made any progress. They've been looking at it like one device, when it's really three. Or four," he added, waving his hand in the famous Rodney-way.

They all took in his words, thinking about what he was saying and what it meant for Sheppard.

"Ok, and what do you mean by three or four devices? Wouldn't it be better to know for sure which it is?" Carson asked.

Rodney frowned at this, obviously taking it as some sort of insult. "Why, yes Carson. It would be very nice to know for sure. But since you pulled me out of my lab, I wasn't able to figure that part out completely," he huffed out before actually answering the Doctor's question. "What I mean is that the separate systems correspond with his different symptoms. You see, from what I've been able to gather, there are three different settings, and either one of those settings has an extra feature, or it's a completely different system altogether."

It was getting a little confusing at this point, and Rodney could see that they were losing his train of thought, unsurprisingly, so he broke it down a little further.

"Apparently, with this device, you had the option of starving your prisoner, shocking them when they lied, and shocking them when they went to sleep. And there is a different system for each one of those, which are like three different devices." He attempted to speak a little slower for them and, upon looking into their eyes, he determined they were following enough to continue.

"Wait, it will shock him if he tries to sleep?" Carson asked suddenly as his brain caught up with Rodney's words.

Rodney nodded. "Of course now it wouldn't make much of a difference because he can't even stand still, which was my next point. The possible fourth setting, which is the inability to sit still, may be an addition to the "no sleep" setting, or another system altogether. If that's the case, we are actually fixing four different devices. And, the way they set the device up, it allowed the Ancients to pick and choose which forms of torture they wanted. I'm guessing when it broke, it went into some sort of default mode, which turned them all on full blast."

"Ok so, what you're saying is, this device is like three, or four, different ones jammed together into one, and you will have to turn them off one at a time," Elizabeth said very clearly, trying to sum up Rodney's long and complicated speech.

"That's exactly what I'm saying," he replied. "And I think I'm close to figuring out one."

"Well, then make it the one that won't let him sit still," Carson said in his professional tone of voice.

Rodney winced. "I'm not sure if I'll be able to distinguish which is which."

"Well, it would not do him much good to give him his ability to sleep if he is unable to sit down," Teyla added.

"I know that. Which is why I need to be in my lab, working to turn as many of them off as I possibly can. And maybe I'll even find a way to tell which is which."

They stood quiet for a moment or so, knowing that they would like to question him further. But, finally, Elizabeth nodded.

"Right. Get back to work Rodney, but right when you get one figured out, I want to know immediately. Or, tell Carson first," she added as she noticed Beckett getting restless at that last comment. "I think it would be best to turn them off as soon as possible, even if it is only one at a time. Do you agree?" she asked, turning to Carson.

"Aye. That may be our only chance. As long as you know you're turning them off, and not turning them higher, or something."

Rodney rolled his eyes, not appreciating Beckett's doubts in his abilities. "You wound me, Carson."

"What is it?" Sheppard asked, making his unsteady way over to them holding firmly to an IV stand, Ronon on the other side.

Rodney looked at him and felt his stomach turn uncomfortably. He hated feeling that way towards Sheppard, but this was so unusual. He then looked to the others with an expression he hoped they would understand, and when they all nodded, Rodney knew he could leave.

"They'll fill you in. You know, you look like a druggie going through withdrawal," Rodney said, knowing that his comment was replacing what was meant to be a reassuring tone.

"Thanks, Rodney," Sheppard replied sarcastically, though he knew very well that it was Rodney's way of saying he's doing everything he can and that he cared about what was happening to him.

"No problem," Rodney replied before giving them all a small nod to say goodbye, then turned and left the infirmary.

"He's figuring it out, Colonel," Beckett said softly. "It seems as though your symptoms will be turned off one by one, but its something."

Sheppard nodded. He had forced himself not to pace, but instead rocked side to side, shifting on his feet. It didn't give him the satisfaction that pacing did, but it made him feel slightly less idiotic. The truth was, he was feeling worse by the second, and he could feel himself slowly losing strength. He wanted so desperately to sit down and could feel the muscles in his legs being pushed to the limit. There had been very few times when he had felt more helpless than this, and he hated it because he was in the one place he had always felt most comfortable. At least for the last couple of years.

"When will he be done?" Ronon asked, his voice lower than normal.

"We are unsure, Ronon. But I believe Dr. McKay will be able to relieve John of at least one symptom very soon," Teyla answered, her voice full of hope and optimism. And whether it was all authentic or not did not matter, as it was what they all needed to hear.

"I've got to get back," Elizabeth stated to them all, though mostly looking at Sheppard. "But I'm only a short call away if I'm needed. And you'll let me know if anything else comes up," she added, directing the last part to Beckett.

"Of course."

"Good." She turned to John again, and grabbed his trembling shoulder. "Hang in there, alright?"

He simply nodded, but his narrative eyes told her everything she needed to know, as usual, and she felt confident that he would do everything he could to follow her order. And while she would prefer to stay here and help get him through this, she had a responsibility as expedition leader and she needed to get to it. But thanks to John's eyes, she felt comfortable enough to leave.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The last thirty minutes were honestly a blur to him. He had been doing so much at once, and was thankfully making progress with it. But now, things were slowing down. He realized how close he was to fixing one of the systems in the device, he just wished he knew which one.

For the first time in a while, he decided to stop and just look at the device, hoping something would pop out at him. It really was complicated. There were so many multicolored wires crisscrossing through it in a tangled heap, and the device wasn't even that big. Looking, however, was getting him nowhere. He still didn't understand the device anymore than he did before, and he still wasn't any closer to fixing it, so he went back to work.

Stopping and looking did tell him one thing, though; How tired and hungry he was. He had gotten sleep back on the planet, but it wasn't exactly sound. Not only had he been without his prescription mattress, he also never found it easy to sleep in an unknown world, with no one there that he knew, and a wild storm raging just outside.

And as for being hungry, well, he had eaten plenty on the planet and had also eaten since getting back to Atlantis, but he was hungry again.
While normally he would probably take a break to eat, maybe sleep, he couldn't even imagine it right now. That was simply because Sheppard couldn't do either, and hadn't done either in over a day.

Rodney suddenly slammed his fist on the table in frustration. He needed to figure this out. For Sheppard and for all of them. He knew that as long as Sheppard was experiencing these symptoms, at least one person would stay up with him when they should be sleeping. And Rodney knew he, too, would be unable to sleep until he got the device figured out. Or at least enough that Sheppard was no longer in serious trouble.

He knew that if he could only get the shaking system off, and then the sleeping one, Sheppard would be much better off. Sure, he wouldn't be able to eat still, but he knew Sheppard. He had accidentally read Sheppard's files upon first meeting him, and knew that he had been tortured before, which probably meant no food. Bottom line, Sheppard could deal without food long enough for Rodney to fix the rest of the device. And lying... well, Sheppard deserved the shocks for lying to them all so many times.

"Rodney, this is Dr. Beckett. Please respond."

Rodney smiled very quickly, thinking it was funny how Beckett felt he needed to clarify who he was even though he was the only man on Atlantis with such a thick Scottish accent.

"Yeah, I'm here," Rodney responded, his hands still dancing over the device, then over to the computer.

"Good, good. Um, how's it coming? Are you close?"

While he would normally resent being rushed, he could hear the added anxiety in the doctor's voice, and could tell something was up.

"Yeah, actually. Should be done with this one pretty soon," Rodney answered truthfully. "What happened?"

There was a pause from Beckett, which made Rodney's stomach even more upset.

"Well, we've got it under control now, but the Colonel collapsed again. Came much closer to losing consciousness and got one hell of a shock for being too still. He's walking in the hall right now, but he can't do it on his own anymore. I… I just don't think he will last much longer like this. Something's gotta give. And when I say 'something' I mean he needs to be able to lie down."

It was Rodney's turn to pause now. Part of him wanted to inquire further on the Colonel, but the scientist in him had other plans. Things were getting bad, and while he was thankful he was making a significant amount of progress, he knew that it may not help Sheppard much if it was one of the less-important systems.

"Carson… I've already told you. I don't know which system I'm fixing yet," he replied. His voice was not harsh, nor was it in any way condescending. It just displayed how worried and tired Rodney was, and Beckett could hear it.

"Aye, son. I know. What I mean is, you should get whatever you do have done down here as soon as possible. At least then, if it's the wrong one, you can get started on the next one right away. Maybe it will even go a little faster."

Rodney thought about this. Technically, he could be done in a matter of minutes. But that was also the estimated time, not including test runs or simulations. On the one hand, he would never risk using the device on Sheppard if he hadn't run enough tests, but on the other hand, he was sure that the device couldn't make it any worse on Sheppard.

"Okay, okay, okay. Just, give me five minutes," Rodney said quickly, his mind still racing. "I can be done by then, but that's without testing the thing first."

"Are you sure it won't escalate his symptoms?"

Rodney considered this question and its possible answers before replying. "Yeah, I know it won't make them worse, but…"

"Then we take that risk."

The firmness in Carson's voice left Rodney speechless. He knew Beckett would never take a risk like that unless things were really bad. He guessed that Beckett knew Sheppard could pass out at anytime, which would be bad. Probably.

"Alright. Give me five minutes and I'll be down there. Have him ready."

"Aye, good luck."

Five minutes.

That wasn't a whole lot of time. He knew he could finish it by then, but a part of him never wanted that five minutes to be up. He knew any number of things could go wrong, and could result in making the Colonel worse, or even…. Well, he wouldn't think about that.

As one more wire was twisted into place, the device emitted a quiet hum, telling Rodney that it was time.

"Dulane. Rossom. You're coming with me," Rodney said suddenly. It hadn't really been something he was planning on, but it seemed like a good idea now. Not only were they the only ones who had actually used the thing so far, he would also want them to be there in case something went wrong. It was their faults, and he wanted them to be there to see what that had done, and was still doing.

He saw the utter fear in their eyes as they got closer to him, but he couldn't quite place it. He was too nervous himself to really be all that scary to them. Yet when he thought about it, they probably hadn't seen the Colonel since it happened, and while Rodney liked to think of himself as fierce, he had nothing on Sheppard. Ronon would be there too.. Okay, so they had plenty reason to be scared. And that only made the decision more appealing to Rodney.

They walked through the halls without a sound, arriving at the infirmary quicker than Rodney really wanted. Yeah, he knew time was of the essence, but he was so nervous about using the device on Sheppard.

When they walked in, they found Beckett, Teyla, and Elizabeth grouped together facing who Rodney knew was Sheppard and Ronon. They walked further into the room, confirming Rodney's theory as he saw Sheppard standing more unsteady than he had ever seen him, and Ronon holding onto his shoulder. The knot in Rodney's stomach tightened.

"Rodney," Elizabeth said gravely, apparently knowing how badly this could end up. He nodded to her in return, then turned to Rossom and Dulane, who seemed to know what he was asking.

"The rest of the device is on the back of his head," Dulane started, though both his and Rossom's eyes were staring at Sheppard looking like they were going to be sick. "You… you have to put them together before pushing the button."

Rodney frowned at this. He was nervous enough about standing a few feet away from Sheppard as he pressed the button, but being right behind him? That was even worse. Rodney nodded, knowing it would have to be him to do it, mostly for Sheppard's sake. The Colonel probably wouldn't trust Rossom or Dulane to do it.

He stepped closer to Sheppard, and noticed how out-of-it he seemed. His eyes were looking in Rodney's direction, Yet it didn't look like he was actually seeing Rodney.

He could see the intense look in everyone else's face as he got closer to Sheppard. Rodney walked behind the man, thinking how cruel it was for the device to be in the back where the prisoner couldn't see or know what was happening. He knew every soldier feared things being done behind their back, simply because they felt the need to see what was going on at all times.

Rodney wondered briefly how he was going to do this since Sheppard was swaying so much, but he knew he could manage. He gently put the device against the piece attached to Sheppard's head, and before pressing the button, Rodney found himself whispering into Sheppard's ear.

"Trust me."

To his surprise, Sheppard slowed his swaying and his shivering calmed enough for Rodney to fill confident about the device's placement. For some reason, Rodney's doubt disappeared and knew something good was about to happen.

With that encouraging feeling, he pressed the button.

EN: Hope you liked it! Oh, and I realized I've been saying "Happy Labor Day" when its really Veteran's Day.. haha, I'm a fool. It's funny though... I'll update when I can. Goodnight, all!