When Rodney entered the infirmary this time, he met both Woolsey and Lorne walking through the door to join him. The three exchanged murmurs of greeting and stopped a respectful distance from where Jennifer was again hovering over the sick Sergeant Hicks. There was more stuff hanging off the IV pole. And more equipment pushed up around the man's bed. It didn't look good to Rodney.
Like before, Jennifer pulled them into her office, but she closed the door, and spent a moment looking to see if anyone was paying attention to their conversation. Seemingly satisfied at last, she turned to Woolsey first, but seemed hesitant to begin.
"You said you've discovered the source of the pathogen that is making Sgt. Hicks ill, doctor?" Woolsey prompted.
"Yes. And it is no ordinary bacteria."
"You already knew that," Lorne interrupted. "That's why we spent all afternoon scanning half the city and all the laundry on base. It wasn't on any of the other uniforms, or gear."
"But it was on one other team member from that mission, Major. Colonel Sheppard left his ruined uniform shirt here and walked home in his T-shirt. The bacteria were all over the sleeve where the Colonel suffered a bullet graze."
"John's been infected?" Rodney blurted out.
"I think that's highly likely. We need to alert the SGC immediately and have them bring him in for testing."
"He had to sit quarantine. Surely if he was infected, then they will have spotted it already?" Woolsey was looking alarmed, as if surprised by the idea that the procedures they had in place could have failed.
"Not necessarily. Hicks didn't start running a fever for a full 48 hours after being wounded. In any case, that's not the worst of it."
"How can that not be the worst?" Rodney snapped. He had a sudden vision of John lying in the bed next to Hicks with all that stuff hanging around him. He remembered John standing in his room half chatty from exhaustion. If the man was infected, it was guaranteed that his resistance was already low.
"The worst is why I've shut that door. Richard, our analysis strongly indicates that we're not dealing with a naturally occurring pathogen here. This is not some random Pegasus bug. This is Staphylococcus aureus on steroids. An Earth bacteria that has been genetically modified to be resistant to antibiotics. To every antibiotic."
"You're saying this bacteria was created? On purpose? For what end?" Rodney interrupted. Each revelation was more alarming than the last.
Jennifer took a deep breath, looked nervously through the window again, then pulled out a tactical vest that had been lying on the chair behind her desk.
"Once we confirmed that only Sheppard and Hicks had any of the bacteria on their clothing, I went back over both of their uniforms and vests with a fine tooth comb. Literally. We looked at every inch under the microscope and scanners."
Jennifer suddenly turned to her workstation and pulled up an image of something under high magnification. "I still didn't find the bacteria anywhere but around the areas of clothing that had been saturated with blood from the suspect wounds. But I found this," she pointed to the image, "on Sheppard's vest."
"What is that?" Rodney asked, impatient with the details. As far as he was concerned, finding Sheppard and the cure were the only important items that needed attending to.
"It's a delivery system. The mutated bacteria are suspended in a microscopic, granulated compound that dissolves upon contact with blood. Blood specifically, mind you. Once the compound dissolves, the bacterium is exposed to do its dirty work. The scans didn't pick it up because the bacteria are dormant when encapsulated."
Jennifer crossed her arms and looked at each of them with something almost like fear. "Considering the evidence, I believe we're dealing with a biological weapon here. One intended to target individuals or small groups, rather than large populations. Thank God for that at least."
"It makes sense," Lorne agreed slowly. "In a disturbing kind of way. The delivery mechanism provides a way to place the pathogen in a target's path without detection, and protects the user from accidental exposure himself."
Rodney felt pieces falling into place with nearly audible clicks. "Target! Sheppard was the target! He's the one with the price on his head, and half the galaxy trying to cash it in. You said you found this on Sheppard's vest."
"In the first aid pocket. Two field compresses had been used during the mission. I examined the remaining bandage. It's covered with the stuff."
"How better to expose the bacteria to blood than on a bandage," Woolsey said, disgust evident in every syllable.
Jennifer went suddenly from fearful to angry, "I talked to Walker – he's still here with a broken ankle. He says that Sheppard got to Hicks first after they were both injured by the Genii bullet. John must have used a compress from his vest on Hicks, then wrapped up his own arm with the second tainted bandage. I remember cutting one off while he was asleep."
"Jennifer, you realize what you're saying?" Rodney pressed, equally angry, though not at her. She nodded solemnly.
"I'm saying that someone contaminated Colonel Sheppard's field compresses with a drug resistant super bug. Someone on Atlantis. This is no coincidence, this is attempted murder. By one of our own."
"Jennifer…" Rodney didn't know how to finish.
"And if we don't find a treatment," she looked through the office window towards Hicks, "the attempt will succeed."
The knot of people gathered in the control room was quiet with the kind of stillness that masked deep unease. Ronon stood motionless in what Rodney called his "Conan statue" pose. Teyla was leaning close to the monitor, soaking in every word that was being exchanged between Jennifer and the SGC doctors.
Rodney sat nearby at his usual workstation and pretended to work, but he was also listening carefully to Jennifer. He idly hit another sequence of keys, starting a maintenance cycle on the communications array, then got distracted again as Jennifer began to wrap up her conversation.
The group from the meeting earlier had decided to keep the investigation into who had contaminated John's field compresses under tight security. Jennifer was adamant that the bacteria and the delivery mechanism were Earth based, so she had zipped up a file of her research to send to Dr. Lam privately at the SGC. All public conversation was limited to what could be expected had they not yet discovered the pathogen's origins.
"Thank you, doctor," Jennifer was saying when Rodney began eavesdropping again, "You need to recall Colonel Sheppard immediately based on this new information. We have Sgt. Hicks on a regimen of massive, broad spectrum antibiotics which doesn't seem to be stopping the bacteria, but may at least be slowing it down a bit."
"What is your prognosis, Jennifer?" the dark haired woman on the screen sounded casual, and Rodney frowned.
"Septic shock in twelve to twenty four hours. I may have to put him in stasis, Carolyn. It's not a good idea, but it might buy us some time to develop an antibody that works." Jennifer sounded equally casual, but Rodney suddenly suspected that the tone was a coping mechanism for both women to maintain their professional objectivity.
"But that won't help Colonel Sheppard. The Antarctic stasis pod needs a ZPM to power it."
"And it's a two week trip back to Atlantis. I know." Jennifer's detachment suddenly faltered and she looked away for a moment to hold back the despair Rodney saw on her face. "Let me know what you think about that research, I've sent you," she added at last.
"Of course. Lam out."
The connection closed, and the Stargate that had been flickering peacefully during the conversation gurgled as the wormhole collapsed. Jennifer stood staring at the screen for a long moment, then turned to Rodney who gave up pretending to work. Teyla and Ronon moved closer, too.
"What did she say?" Rodney asked, as if he hadn't been eavesdropping.
"That Sheppard passed quarantine, but there was a comment about a slight infection in the gunshot graze. He left the SGC for his leave several hours ago. They have his cell number and can track him by his transmitter if they need to."
"Hicks and Sheppard were infected at the same time. How could Sheppard still be on his feet, even as of a few hours ago?" Rodney realized he was grasping at the small hope that this insignificant detail would somehow mean John was safe. Jennifer just shook her head.
"John's wound was much less significant. It simply is taking longer for the bacteria to get a firm hold and go systemic. But it will." She looked around at John's friends, but seemed to find nothing reassuring to say. "I should get back to the lab."
Rodney watched her go and sighed as Teyla and Ronon drew close. The team stood in worried silence for a moment before Ronon raised a fist to beat at the air.
"Who would do this?!" he spat, frustration evident in every short syllable. Rodney made quick shushing gestures, and led his team into Woolsey's office where they could speak privately.
"We have to assume whoever has offered a reward for John's death is to blame," Teyla suggested, thinking the problem through out loud once they'd reached privacy.
Ronon was shaking his head. "I meant, who would doctor up a stupid germ to make an enemy sick. It's cowardly. At least the Genii had the guts to look Sheppard in the eye before they tried to kill him."
"Yeah, well, bioweapons may be cowardly, but they're frighteningly efficient. Seems like the more efficient we become at killing, the less honorable we become at using that technology."
"It is a troubling truth," Teyla agreed. "But I'm most concerned about John right now. Discovering who has done this will not help him get well."
"I'm going to Earth," Ronon stated suddenly. Rodney looked at him in surprise and the tough man who could probably claim John as his closest friend seemed uncharacteristically worried. Ronon got mad or…mad. It was disturbingly unusual to see him simply concerned. When no one said anything, Ronon lifted his chin. "If Sheppard's sick, he shouldn't be lying around by himself back there."
Teyla looked suddenly determined as well, "You are right. I will join you. I will speak to Richard immediately and arrange our travel."
They both looked at Rodney who felt his heart sink.
"I'd really like to go. Really. John's been there for me when -. Well, in a way I'll never be able to repay. But I think I can help him more if I stay and work with Jennifer on a cure."
Teyla rested her hand gently on Rodney's arm, then nodded Ronon out of the room without another word. Rodney wandered back to his workstation, trying to gather his thoughts around the research he'd need to start. He would also help Lorne on the investigation because Teyla was wrong about one thing: If they found the coward who had done this, they might be able to force information out of him about how to kill the modified bacteria before it killed John.
He sat down at his computer and reached out to start a new program. His hand hesitated as he skimmed the information that was already blinking across the screen. He poked a button. Looked closer. Then he looked nervously around the control room before touching the radio transmitter in his ear.
"Richard, this is McKay, come in."
"Go ahead, doctor." Woolsey's voice crackled into Rodney's ear.
"Please come to the control room. I think… Well, I think I've found something."