THE WHITE ROOM - Part 7
"Rodney, it's Elizabeth , can you hear me?"
Rodney glanced up at the screen and saw Elizabeth , with Ronon and Teyla standing behind her. "Yes, I can hear you now. Ronon, Teyla, it's good to see you guys as well." Rodney swallowed hard, missing his friends and the city now more than ever.
Ronon gave a curt nod, but Teyla smiled and took a half step forward as she peered at the screen in front of her. "It is good to see you too, Rodney. Are you well?"
Rodney sighed and braced himself, wanting to sound as positive as possible, not an easy feat for him. "Not bad. I got the Colonel to eat something besides soup. Well, a few bites anyway."
"Have you found anything in the records there at the SGC?" asked Elizabeth hopefully.
"Sort of. I've been comparing the Colonel's test results and symptoms to what happened to General O'Neill. The general let me read the mission reports and told me everything he could remember. I'm convinced that whatever happened to Sheppard is similar, but somehow not the same."
"Because the effects on John have been different than the ones General O'Neill experienced," said Teyla.
"Yes, that and his test results show some different things as well. But he is speaking some Ancient words, at least the few that I've been able to understand, and we all know Sheppard doesn't speak Ancient. Something had to have put that knowledge in his head. It's almost like an attempt was made to download one of those repositories, but the transmission got screwed up or scrambled or something. And I think there's more to it than just knowledge."
Elizabeth frowned. "Like what?"
Rodney paused and rubbed the side of his face before looking back at the screen. "He . . . sometimes he says stuff, like death and blood and he gets really agitated, almost like he's afraid. I think maybe something besides knowledge has been downloaded into him. Personal accounts from some of the Ancients or maybe actual memories. I don't know exactly what, but there's more here than what happened to O'Neill. It's . . . more complicated."
Elizabeth bowed her head and rubbed her temple, her level of worry going up instead of down. Taking a deep breath, she forced her head up to make eye contact with Rodney. "I'm afraid we aren't having any luck here. We've sent teams to check everywhere John's been for the last few weeks and there is nothing. No unexplained events, no missing time periods, no interaction with unexplained Ancient devices, nothing."
Rodney seemed to think for a few minutes before answering. "How long before the Daedalus gets back to Earth?"
Elizabeth paused for a few moments. "The General can give you a more accurate date, but I'm thinking about four more days. Why?"
"I keep going back to how often we were on the Daedalus the last few days before the Colonel collapsed. And he said his headache started while all that beaming back and forth was going on. I can't help but think there's some kind of connection, although I admit that I don't have a clue what. I need to see the records from the ship and talk to Hermiod."
Elizabeth nodded and looked at the screen a few seconds. "How's John?" she asked softly.
Rodney tried to maintain a relaxed expression and not show on his face how badly his stomach was knotted with fear. "About the same. He's done some new things, but it's not really an improvement. Some strange pacing techniques and what not. Kel wants to do some kind of test on him in a little while. He's combined some kind of Asgard gizmo with some Earth voodoo test equipment. The only problem is . . . "
Elizabeth straightened and Teyla and Ronon stepped closer to the screen, nervous at Rodney's hesitation. "What is it, Rodney?" asked Teyla.
"Kel . . . they said that the test might be a little . . . uncomfortable."
"How uncomfortable?" asked Elizabeth , frowning deeply.
Rodney puffed out a deep breath. "He said it might make his head hurt and interfere with his coordination for a few hours afterward. It's not supposed to be anything bad, but in Sheppard's current state, anything is a big deal. I've worked hard to gain his trust and I don't want to jeopardize it."
"Can't they just knock him out?" asked Ronon.
"No, Kel says he needs to be awake so he can try to get him to react to different kinds of stimuli and then record the brain's response. They're just going to give him something to help him relax. The other thing is that Sheppard has to stay still for the procedure, so they're putting him in restraints. I'm afraid of how he's going to react to all this. I'm . . . I'm afraid I'll lose what little is left of him."
They were all silent for several seconds, wishing there was something more they could do. Rodney finally cleared his throat. "I'd better go. They're due to start that test in a few minutes and I need to keep an eye on things. Dr. Purdie is helping and I don't trust that man as far as I can pick him up and throw him. He treats Sheppard more like a lab experiment than a patient."
"Let us know if there's any change or if we can do anything to help. And Rodney . . . take care of him."
Rodney nodded. "I will. McKay out." He cut the connection and headed for Sheppard's room.
oOo
Voices and sounds, words and emotions swirled around him, losing him in their chaotic dash through his mind. He searched for the familiar voice and touch that was almost always there. When he was afraid, it seemed to soothe him and he wasn't sure why. But he couldn't find it.
There were touches and voices that were making him afraid, pushing and pulling him. Shoving him and then holding him down. He struggled and fought, wanting the familiar voice to make it go away. He couldn't breathe. The noise rushed in his head, the voices of thousands screaming as he choked and gasped for air until suddenly everything was silent and he felt himself slipping away.
oOo
Rodney paused at the observation window, his mouth dropping open. He wasn't sure why he kept being surprised at the things Purdie pulled. They were supposed to wait for him before they even entered the room. Obviously none of them were capable of following directions.
Sheppard was already loaded in the bed, restraints around his wrists and ankles as he pulled weakly against them. Someone had started an IV in the back of his right hand and his eyes were glassy and drugged, his head gently lolling to one side. Kel stood talking to Purdie beside some strange looking machine on a cart sitting at the head of Sheppard's bed. Rodney clenched his fists and tried to tell himself to be calm as he stormed into the room.
"What the hell are you doing? You were supposed to wait for me."
Purdie sighed and looked like he wanted to roll his eyes, but was restraining himself. "All we did was get him prepped. We were waiting for you to begin the actual test."
Rodney stood at Sheppard's bedside, looking down at the man. His eyes were at half-mast and he kept blinking and rolling them as if trying to focus on his surroundings. Rodney's eyes were drawn to the arm with the IV. The skin was reddened in several places and it took a few seconds for Rodney to see that some of the red blotches were in the shape of fingers that had gripped the arm. Rodney reached out to touch John's arm, causing the colonel to flinch back and whimper, pulling on the restraints to get away.
"What did you do to him? Have you seen these marks?"
Purdie sighed in exasperation while Kel worked on the machine next to the bed. "We needed to start the IV to administer the drugs and he fought us. We had to hold him down to keep him from injuring himself further. I assure you that no more force than necessary was used."
"If you had waited for me, I probably could have calmed him down so you didn't have to manhandle him like this. His arm will be bruised from this." Rodney turned back to the Colonel, looking at the confusion and fear in the face of his friend, even in his drugged state. And then he saw the colonel's neck. More reddened marks on his neck. He thought he could see fingermarks there as well, but they weren't as clear and he couldn't be sure.
"Purdie . . . I thought your goons were fired."
"They were not goons. And they were fired after you complained to General O'Neill."
"So who helped you restrain the Colonel, because it looks to me like they tried to strangle him." Rodney was barely keeping his anger in check, hoping there was a reasonable explanation.
"I had my clinic send over two of my assistants that have been with me for years. I was with them the whole time and I assure you that the Colonel was not held down with any more force than was needed. No one tried to strangle him. He fought rather hard at first, so it is possible that one of them may have inadvertently made contact with his neck while holding him." Purdie slammed down the file that he had been holding and stalked over to help Kel.
Rodney snorted as he continued to stare at Sheppard. He could guess what had happened. Someone who knew what they were doing had applied enough pressure to the Colonel's neck to cut off his oxygen until he passed out. He'd seen it done before. It was easier than trying to hold a struggling patient. Rodney closed his eyes and gripped the bedrail until he thought surely it would snap in two. There was no way he could prove what he knew and if he kept complaining about Purdie's helpers abusing Sheppard, they would probably stop listening to him. He would just have to do a better job of keeping an eye on Sheppard.
"I'm here, Colonel," he said softly, once again touching John on the arm. This time the Colonel didn't flinch away. "I'm here now. I'll keep them from hurting you any more." Rodney hoped he could keep that promise.
"We are ready," said Kel, who had come around to stand beside Rodney.
Rodney looked down at the tiny alien. "Do you think this will really help him?"
"I believe that it will provide information that will help us understand what is happening to Colonel Sheppard. Once we understand what is causing this, we have a much better chance of helping him."
Rodney nodded slowly, not wanting to subject his friend to any more pain and stress, but needing to do what was best for him. "Okay, do it."
Rodney watched carefully as Purdie connected two pads to Sheppard's forehead and one to each temple. He then clipped wires from the machine to each one. Kel watched from his position beside the machine. When Purdie had finished he nodded to the Asgard. "Okay, he's ready."
"Dr. McKay, you should step away from the Colonel," instructed Kel.
Rodney complied reluctantly, taking three steps back from the bed while trying to watch Sheppard, Kel, and Purdie all at the same time. When Kel pushed the button to turn on the machine, Sheppard visibly flinched, pulling both arms up against the restraints. Grunting so low Rodney barely heard him, the Colonel squeezed his eyes shut, his body going rigid.
"You're hurting him," said Rodney breathlessly, forcing himself not to rush forward and yank the electrodes off Sheppard's head.
"It is only a minor discomfort," said Purdie in a patronizing voice. "He is fine."
"Minor discomfort for who?" asked Rodney, wishing he'd never agreed to the test.
oOo
The pain was intense, cutting through the crowd of voices and images overloading John's mind. It was so clear that he almost welcomed it as the only thing he'd understood in a long time. It seemed to make his brain vibrate in his skull. After a while it seemed to radiate down his neck and into his chest. There was no way to fight it, no way to escape it. He could only concentrate on it and wish for it to end. But it didn't end. It seemed to go on forever.
He could suddenly see white flashing lights and the pain intensified to the point he thought his head might explode. It rippled through him, sending shudders down his entire form as the agony peaked with a rush of voices and images before fading to silent blackness.
oOo
Rodney had endured the test for over an hour. Even though all he was doing was watching, he was so tense and scared that he felt like he'd run a marathon. Kel monitored the machine as he adjusted settings and took readings. He periodically had Purdie talk to Sheppard or touch him in various spots. He had him apply cold and heat, as well as prick his hand with a pin.
Rodney got nervous when Purdie injected something into Sheppard's IV about forty minutes into the test, assuring Rodney it was just part of the test and that the Colonel was fine. After an hour, Sheppard had developed fine tremors that seemed to be getting slowly worse. Rodney had decided to give it ten more minutes and then he was calling a halt to their little science project.
When he looked back on it, he almost remembered the events in slow motion. Kel flipped a switch on the machine and then pushed a red button. Sheppard's body tensed even more than it already was, sending warning bells off in Rodney's head. He opened his mouth to ask what they were doing when Kel began turning a dial, all the time watching the monitor screen of the device. Motion in his peripheral vision caught Rodney's attention, causing him to turn around in time to see Sheppard arch his back and begin to have a seizure.
"Shut it off!" Rodney screamed as he moved toward Sheppard. Several minutes of chaos ensued as they got the machine turned off and disconnected. The seizure only lasted a few seconds, but it was enough to completely unravel Rodney. He paced nervously as Purdie checked Sheppard over. All he could think of was that he wished Carson was here because Sheppard was in trouble and the only thing they had was apparently a real witchdoctor.
"He's fine, Dr. McKay," said Purdie after taking Sheppard's vital signs and doing the penlight thing with his eyes. "It was a mild seizure and no damage was done. He just needs to rest for a bit. I think I'll leave the IV in for now, just in case any problems develop."
Rodney turned on the doctor, his eyes flashing hate. "He's anything but fine. Just what kind of problems do you expect, because with you around I figure he'll develop them."
Purdie smiled as if talking to a small child. "There's no need to get nasty, Dr. McKay. As I've informed you, no harm was done. Perhaps Kel has gained valuable information that can be used to help the Colonel. Now, I'm going to check with him so we can go over the test results. Maybe you should stay with the Colonel, so he'll have someone familiar with him when he wakes up. We'll discuss our findings later."
Rodney was pretty sure his blood was boiling as he watched Purdie leave. It was time for another talk with O'Neill. He needed to get the information from the Daedalus as soon as possible so he could figure this whole thing out. He needed to get Sheppard out of here before they "helped" him any more.
oOo
Purdie entered the lab that had been set aside for him and Kel to work and closed the door. Walking across the room to where Kel worked, he grabbed a chair and sat down beside the alien. "So, did you get anything useful?"
Kel turned to look at him with his large eyes, giving Purdie a case of the creeps. "I see why the downloading process did not work properly. By loading it in increments, it has become intertwined with the Colonel's own memories and emotions. The information also included personal memories of hundreds of people that have nothing to do with useful information. That material should have been filtered out before the process was begun. The useful knowledge has become entangled with the memories and the Colonel's own experiences to the point I do not believe they can be separated."
Purdie frowned, disappointment showing on his face. "So Sheppard's not any good to us. He can't access or use any of the knowledge."
The Asgard shook his head. "No, he cannot. And we cannot undo what has been done. We must hope they do not figure out how this happened."
"Are you sure we can't just put Sheppard back like he was? Maybe they would be so glad, they'd just drop it and go home."
"I am certain. I made a brief try to extract just a small part and that is what triggered the seizure. If I had tried to remove a large portion of what was downloaded, it would have killed him."
Purdie sighed loudly. "That McKay is making me nervous. He's like a guard dog around Sheppard. I'm afraid he might eventually figure out how it happened. He's asked for records from the Daedalus when it returns."
"He will not find anything," said Kel. "We were very careful."
Purdie did not look convinced. "I don't know, he's pretty smart from what I hear. Maybe Sheppard could develop complications and die. Then McKay would have no reason to stay."
"I do not like the idea of killing any one if we do not have to. It makes matters more complicated."
"Part of me would like to do away with Dr. McKay. He's so smug and he talks down to me like I'm an idiot. I wouldn't mind cooking his goose just a little," murmured Purdie.
Kel shook his head. "We do not kill unless we have no other choice. For now, we will watch and wait. McKay already suspects that knowledge has been downloaded into the Colonel's brain, he just does not know how. I will confirm that this is so and tell him my findings about the information being mixed up the with Colonel's memories and experiences. Then I will tell him that it will not be possible to restore the Colonel."
Purdie sighed, but nodded. "All right, we'll try it your way. Maybe if he knows the Colonel can't be fixed, he'll find some kind of permanent care facility for the man and go back to Atlantis. I hate it that our little project didn't work."
"We will analyze the information we have and attempt to make the process better. Then we will find another subject and try it again."
Purdie stood and shook his head. "That's not as easy as it sounds. I don't know where we'll find another subject as good as Sheppard."
TBC
