Elizabeth rushed into the 'gate room as soon as she heard the klaxons go off. She was there when AT-1's signal came through, and felt most of the tension that had been building within her dissipate. It was still there though, as she knew there had to be some reason for them to have been out of contact for so long.
Images of torture and Wraith attacks filled her mind as it took an agonizingly long five seconds for the flagship team to come through the wormhole. And when they did she was not thrilled to find that she had been at least partially right.
Teyla stepped through first, then turned to give the John and Aiden a hand as they nearly fell over from the weight of whatever they were carrying between them. Elizabeth stared at the 'gate for a long moment after it disengaged before she realized that Rodney was what the two men were carrying, and not trapped on the planet.
"Get a medical team to the 'gate room, immediately," she called as she rushed down the steps to meet the travelors.
As she came closer, she noticed that Rodney was wearing nothing but Sheppard's jacket, which was wrapped around his midriff, and that, though he was unconscious, he was struggling against the two soldiers' grip and crying out with pain. Elizabeth, however, could see no visible reason for his pain, though she cringed inside at the desparation on the man's face, and she glanced at John for clarification.
"We don't know," the major gritted out as he tried to keep his hold on the flailing scientist, "he...wasn't doing this til...damn he keeps saying...noise. Shut those alarms off!"
The loud klaxon went blissfully silent, and a few seconds later, Rodney ceased his struggling. Ford wasn't expecting it, and nearly dropped the man in his surprise, but Sheppard, who appeared to have known that would be the reaction all along, was ready for it and steadied the lieutenant.
"What's going on, here Major?" Elizabeth asked, frowning in concern as she took in Rodney's pale countenance.
"I'm not real sure, Doc," Sheppard answered. Rodney twitched, and his brow creased into a frown. Sheppard lowered his voice, "It's a long story."
Rodney twitched again.
"His ears appear to be sensitive to any sort of sound other than our breathing. He has been doing this the whole way here," Teyla whispered softly.
"No...it...too much..." Rodney moaned.
Elizabeth winced and tried to keep her tone as low as possible. "The medical team should be here shortly. Once he's been taken, I want you to get yourselves checked over and then report to the briefing room."
She glanced quickly at Rodney, but his face had assumed a more relaxed expression. She frowned.
"That's odd," John muttered, "I wonder if..." his voice trailed off as Rodney's face tighted once more into a grimace of pain, though not as pronounced as before, almost as if he were not as aware of it.
"Must be how close you are to him," Elizabeth murmured, just as the medical team arrived.
She didn't stop watching until he was out of sight as they took him to the infirmary. Then she turned to Sheppard who was also watching the departing gurney, and raised an eyebrow.
"Twenty minutes," John said, "We'll be there in twenty minutes."
It was about that time that she noticed that his arm was encased in a cast. Guilt washed over her, but she pushed it aside. Rodney's condition had been the more pressing, and she couldn't start second guessing herself now. "Twenty-minutes," she agreed.
Carson muttered to himself as he stared at the patient in front of him, then back at the bloodwork he'd just taken. This was impossible.
He sighed and layed it aside, bringing his right thumb and forefinger up to pinch the bridge of his nose.
He had placed thick towels around Rodney's head, to help keep any extraneous noise from reaching the now-sensitive ears of the physicist. That was only one of a plethora of things that shouldn't be possible.
And the DNA of the man was the last straw.
It was like nothing he had seen before, in this galaxy or his own. Every scan he took, it changed. From human DNA to something that was very definitely not human. Only that couldn't be possible, shouldn't be possible. And yet he'd run these tests several times, each time coming up with the same results.
A sound from the bed brought his attention to it, and Carson found himself gaping at the sight. Talk about not possible.
In the place where Rodney McKay should have been sitting was the strangest looking cat he'd ever seen. It was the size of a lion, and had a thick silvery-white coat, with two horns coming out of its skull. The silver eyes were glazed over, and Carson knew a sick creature when he saw it. Obviously the sensitivety was still present in the transformed state.
He walked carefully towards it, but stopped when it bared its rather large and intimidating fangs. "Easy now..." the ears lay flat against its head..."I'm just goin' ta..."
Before he could finish his sentence, the cat who used to be McKay jumped off the bed and tore off out of the infirmary and down a corridor.
"Holy crap," Carson breathed, before he called an alarm.
Pain was still present, but he ignored it now...he had to find that voice...the one that he had heard in his dreams. The one that had made the other noises stop. He paused in the strange hallway to listen and to scent the air. But he didn't hear it, and didn't know her smell.
Loud sounds were coming his way. They hurt his ears. He ran and ran until he came upon a tiny alcove that was at the end of the hallway and ducked inside to escape the sounds. He caught a scent and looked up warily at the human in the room, baring his fangs in warning. The sounds were coming closer, and it seemed to be safer here.
"Rodney?"
The voice was soft, soothing on his jangled nerves and sensitive ears. It was the voice he'd heard! He gave a soft mewling sound and walked over to the human, taking in her scent and buried his head into her stomach, relaxing. The bad sounds couldn't hurt him now...
Rodney hugged Elizabeth tightly and looked up at her in desparation.
"What? What's happening to me..." he whispered.