Category: Horror

Season/Episode: Sometime after 'The Defiant One' and 'Hot Zone'

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Disclaimer: Stargate: Atlantis does not belong to me and I make no material profit from this story.

Spoilers: 'The Defiant One', 'Hot Zone'

Warnings: Some bad language, but nothing you wouldn't hear on network TV; mild violence.

Summary: Sheppard's behavior becomes increasingly strange after their return from the tower.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The disappearance of Anders Hessling had made a long day even longer, and Elizabeth was at the point where she didn't much care what condition the man was found in, as long as he was found. She was disturbed by the way the scientist had just wandered off alone without telling anyone where he was going. Too much of Atlantis remained unexplored, and the incident with the nanovirus had proven how dangerous the city could be to them.

Sheppard's team, on a tip from one of Hessling's colleagues based on a half-remembered conversation, had gone to check the lofty Northwest Tower. There had been plenty of speculation about the tallest spire in the city: the purpose of it's great height, almost half-again as high as any of the other towers; it's odd location out on one of the city's starfish arms when the other tall structures were clustered at the center; the lack of windows anywhere on it's dizzying length. But while McKay could, and often did, on occasion, eagerly bypass protocols and procedures in pursuit of knowledge and technology, he remained steadfast in his insistence that exploring the city be done an organized fashion.

Movement caught Elizabeth's eye, and she looked up to see Sheppard's team heading toward her office. They'd found something, that was clear from the vociferous discussion in which Sheppard and McKay were engaged. It couldn't be anything good, because the missing scientist was not with them and they hadn't contacted her on the radio. Ford and Teyla looked shaken and worried, and Sheppard had an almost manic edge to his expression. Rodney looked furious and distinctly ill. His face was gray, his eyes were red-rimmed as if he'd been crying, and he moved like every muscle in his body ached.

Elizabeth had seen John and Rodney argue before, but there seemed to be an edge to this that hadn't been there previously. They stopped on the balcony outside her office, Rodney leaning heavily against the railing and not meeting Sheppard's eyes. The major grew more agitated, head thrust forward aggressively, moving into Rodney's personal space.

As she left her office, she head Sheppard insist, "We have to go back, McKay. We can't just leave him there…or leave the tower unexplored."

"You're a fool, Sheppard," McKay rasped painfully, his voice gravelly and hoarse. "Tell Elizabeth whatever you want. But if you go back there, none of the scientists are going with you. And I'll make sure Carson examines you very closely when you come back." He shoved the major out of the way and stalked off, throwing back over his shoulder, "If you come back."

Elizabeth didn't miss the glance that passed between Ford and Teyla, or that Teyla followed McKay out of the Control Room.

"Major?" she ventured hesitantly. Slowly, his fists uncurled and the uncharacteristic sneer left his face.

"I need – I need to put together another team to go back to the tower." His tone was oddly uncertain.

"You found Hessling?"

"I don't – I'm not sure. It was – strange."

"Rodney seemed to think it's a bad idea."

The hostile look returned. "He's just scared because –" John broke off abruptly. "We have to go back there," he insisted doggedly.

Elizabeth had learned years ago to listen to her intuition, and right now it was telling her that something was very wrong. Sheppard and McKay were both behaving strangely. She knew that Teyla and Ford must also aware of it, since the Athosian leader had gone after Rodney and Ford was casting anxious glances at his CO.

"It's been a long day, John. Get some rest and we'll see about organizing a return trip in the morning," she said carefully.

"We should go now –" John started, fidgeting with his P-90. Ford stepped up and lifted it unnoticed out of his hands.

"In the morning, sir. It can wait," the young main said gently, leading the distracted soldier away. Behind the major's back, Ford turned his head to stare at her and mouth 'talk to McKay!'

That, more than anything else she'd witnessed, really worried her. If Ford was referring her to Rodney rather than his own CO, whatever had happened in the Northwest Tower must have been very strange indeed.

She headed for the door McKay and Teyla had exited, and almost tripped over Rodney. He sat on the floor, head in his hands, while Teyla knelt beside him with a comforting hand on his shoulder.

"Doctor Beckett has sent a nurse," the young woman informed her quietly.

"I think my blood sugar bottomed out," Rodney ground out without lifting his head. "I jus' need a minute –"

"You need to go to the infirmary," Teyla told him firmly. "We still do not know what happened to you in the tower."

"Doesn't matter. We need to –" he broke off to cough painfully, and gave up trying to speak. An eloquent glance at Teyla prompted her to speak for him.

"I do not understand what happened, only that Major Sheppard seemed to be drawn to climb the steps to the top of the tower, and every time he did so, Doctor McKay was overcome with great pain. He said he could hear a voice calling the Major, and it was the voice which was hurting him, but Lieutenant Ford and I could hear nothing. I do not believe Major Sheppard heard the voice either – or does not remember hearing it."

"And Doctor Hessling?"

"The door showed signs of a recent disturbance," Teyla admitted, "but I saw nothing else to indicate that Doctor Hessling had been there."

"The voice I heard," Rodney croaked, "sounded like Hessling. Sounded like – but wasn't."

"It sounded like Hessling, but it wasn't him?" Elizabeth clarified. "How could you tell?"

The look he gave her combined irritation, impatience, and an undercurrent of fear he couldn't quite hide. "Sheppard –" he rasped, closing his eyes and massaging his temples.

Teyla spoke for him again. "We believe you should not allow Major Sheppard to return to the Northwest Tower. He has not been – himself – since we left there."

Elizabeth met the Athosian's earnest gaze and nodded. "I'll order John to report to Carson. Perhaps something will show up on a medical exam. I'll stall him, for now, on the subject of a return trip."

The nurse arrived with a wheelchair at that moment. Rodney looked at the chair with pointed disgust but sat in it without vocal complaint and allowed himself to be wheeled away.

Elizabeth turned to Teyla. "Would you come back to my office and tell me everything that happened today? In detail."

Teyla nodded graciously.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Rodney lounged comfortably in the wheelchair, downing his second glass of sweetened juice and feeling markedly better when Sheppard stalked into the infirmary, his face twisted with fury.

"You spoke to Elizabeth, you bastard. What the hell did you say? How did you convince her not to let me go back to the tower?"

Beckett stopped in the doorway of his office and stared as the soldier sneered at the scientist.

"If you're scared, McKay, you can hide out here in the infirmary and whine about your so-called hypoglycemia. Leave the work to the real men. Or maybe there's something you're trying to hide."

Rodney glanced up, but swiftly averted his gaze from John's face. He stood and asked quietly, "Why are you so eager to go back there, Major?"

This seemed to further enrage Sheppard. "What are you hiding, McKay? What did you do to Hessling?"

"Do to –" McKay was surprised enough to look directly at Sheppard, and Carson saw him flinch slightly, as if something he saw frightened or disgusted him. But apart from the ugly expression of anger and suspicion, John's face seemed perfectly normal to Carson. "I didn't do anything to Hessling. What are you talking about?"

"You know what I'm talking about. You got rid of him, didn't you? You lured him out to the tower to get him out of your way. Did he figure out your big secret? He found out you're just making it up as you go along, aren't you? You don't care how many people get hurt, as long as the great Rodney McKay get all the glory."

Rodney was speechless, mouth hanging open and blue eyes wide. Carson himself was similarly struck, too shocked to make a move to defend his friend from this completely unexpected and unjustified attack.

"You've been deliberately sabotaging us this whole time. In fact, I bet you even pulled the trigger on Brendan Gall. Couldn't stand the competition, huh?"

The color drained from Rodney's face, and he turned blindly away from John, who grabbed him roughly by the arm.

"Don't you turn your back on me, McKay!" he shouted, throwing a wild, uncontrolled punch that caught the scientist on the mouth and sent him sprawling over the wheelchair, the forgotten glass in his hand clattering to the floor and spilling juice all over.

"You can't stop me from going back there," John hissed at him before turning away.

He was halfway to the door when Rodney extricated himself from the wheelchair and hit him with a clumsy but effective flying tackle. McKay's heavier frame was enough to pin Sheppard momentarily, long enough for Rodney to gasp, "Carson!"

The doctor finally shook off his astonishment and fumbled for a syringe and an appropriate sedative. Rodney managed to grasp one of John's arms and twist it behind him, a knee in the middle of Sheppard's back keeping him down while the soldier ground out a variety of vicious epithets. Beckett slid the needle home and added his own weight to the struggling man until the cursing slowed, then faded, then stopped altogether.

The two scientists cautiously moved back, then let out identical sighs of relief when Sheppard didn't move.

"Help me get him on a bed and then I'll take a look at your mouth," Carson said.

"My mouth?" Rodney asked breathlessly, touching his lips with shaking fingers. They came away with blood from the split lip. "I didn't even feel that. Ow," he continued, "okay, now I feel it. Thanks for the help, Carson, though you left it a little late. And I didn't exactly hear you piping up to defend me, either."

"Sorry. It was just so…"

"Unexpected? Out of character? Insane? Yes, I noticed that." He grunted with the effort of lifting Sheppard up onto the bed.

"Elizabeth already informed me that she wants a full workup on Major Sheppard – and on you, too, Rodney. No arguments," Carson forestalled the indignant scientist. "She had Teyla tell me all about your episode in the tower, and after your little hypoglycemic reaction, there's no way you'll get out of it."

Rodney rolled his eyes and sighed. "Look, why don't you examine Sheppard first, while he's out for the count? I need to talk to Elizabeth, tell her about Sheppard and make sure she understands that the best thing to do about the Northwest Tower is to weld the damn door shut. I'll come right back so you can perfect your torture techniques under the guise of practicing medicine."

It didn't take Elizabeth long to gather Sergeant Bates, Teyla, and Ford in the conference room, along with Rodney, to discuss the possibility of sending a team in HAZMAT suits to investigate the tower – a scheme with which Rodney vehemently disapproved – or simply weld the door shut, as Rodney first suggested, then demanded.

The meeting was interrupted when Beckett radioed to inform them that Sheppard was missing from the infirmary.

"He just walked out when I wasn't looking. He should have been unconscious for hours yet," the doctor sounded bewildered.

"Do you know how long he's been gone?" Elizabeth asked.

"Forty-five minutes at most. I was running his blood work. I've checked his quarters, he's not there."

"No," Rodney stood, his face gone white, eyes focused inward. His lips stretched back from his teeth in a mirthless grin. "He's at the tower, of course," he said softly. "He's opened the door."

TBC…