The entire team had been escorted to the infirmary. Sgt. Stackhouse had snitched on Teyla's zone out. Of course, the pesky little fact, that they were essentially electrocuted, bolstered Carson's logic. They would be guests for a little while.
"Have you had any side effects that you know of Rodney?" Carson quizzed him. "Any light headedness or lost time?"
"No. No. No." McKay retorted pointing his finger at each question. "I'm feeling fine. Not even a headache from having my brain uncoiled. That's what it felt like you know." He looked Carson in the eyes. "All my fantabulous knowledge slurped out through a bendy straw."
Weir stealthily entered the med bay, sans tissues. She stood back for a moment and surveyed the room. Ford and Teyla were sitting on the cots with legs dangling over looking no worse for the wear. McKay was being checked out by Carson and griping loudly. Sheppard, to her eternal regret, was sending a machine into a dither of wailing and chirping. The bed was shaking so hard from its occupant, the hinges were creaking. Carson's team surrounded him and waited until his convulsions ceased.
"We have an hour and fifteen before he starts again," said Carson to his team. "Tracy stay with him."
Beckett immediately spotted her. "Where is your Kleenex box?"
She immediately dropped her eyes to the fascinating shoestrings on her boots. "Carson, I already feel guilty enough. How was I to know he would stumble into the ceremony from hell?" How ironic, if she had gone, they would not be in this mess now; all of this because of that tricky little gene. "You know, you are not as pure as the driven snow."
"Aye, that I do Doctor. Well, at least let me update you. In their four hours of being back, the Major has suffered no less than 7 tonic-clonic seizures. He has yet to regain consciousness . It seems he is also in a perpetual state of Absence seizures as well. But not really."
She stared vacantly at him.
"Sorry, the total body seizures are more commonly known as Grand mal. The other is commonly known as petit mal. But again not really."
"What do you mean not really?" She once again looked confused.
"They present themselves like seizures but I don't think they really are. I'm not sure what they are yet. I'm doing work-ups on the rest of the team. They are exhibiting the same symptoms just not the tonic-clonic." Carson shook his head. "We did finally bring the Major's seizures under control but he still has one every hour and fifteen minutes. It's some sort of cycle. Give me a couple hours and I can tell you more."
"Well, keep me inform Carson." She walked over to Rodney. "How are you Rodney?"
"I'M FINE!" he shouted directing it toward Beckett.
"Keep your voice down ya daft bugger!" said Beckett peering at him from Aiden's bed. "Or I'll find the extra big needles and a near sighted nurse."
Rodney scowled. "Anyway, you need to change the security codes and IDC codes Elizabeth. That psychotic, brain untangling, harpy of a machine ripped everything it could from us."
"Including everything to do with Atlantis," she deduced.
"And Earth." He said it with such finality; it took her aback. She already had an idea- but when he was so succinct- it was a bad sign.
"We will need to inspect the temple again. We have no idea if the data was saved or destroyed when it released us."
"We'll take care of it Rodney." She turned to walk over to Teyla and Ford when he grabbed her arm.
"It's not totally your fault. I think we can all share a little blame."
She smiled, gave a quick nod, and then made her rounds.
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Major John Sheppard, United States Air Force, Serial Number 142...
"Halling where is my father?" A panicked female voice filled his head.
He could see, hear, touch, taste and smell the memory.
"I do not know. He was with Charron before the culling…"
He was Teyla.
The scene switched.
"I am sorry Teyla Emmagan, daughter of Tagon. They took him. You, my child, are the new leader of the Athosian people."
Charron held her tightly as they sank down to the ground together. Utter and complete sorrow absorbed him- no her.
The channel switched again.
"What can we expect?" Col. Sumner faced him/her. The scene played out, one of her people was taken away. When the Wraith came for the poor guy, a strange sensation overtook him/her."They do not need to explain themselves."
He was but wasn't. He could feel the anger, fear, grief and sorrow. Not his- hers. He felt lost; self-awareness was such a tenuous thread.
The channel switched yet again.
"Like a knife in the eye." This time the jumper came into view through four different perspectives. A cacophony of sensory stimuli disoriented him like a wave knocking him off his board. Everything was topsy-turvy.
"Water."
No, no, no, this was going to suck on so many levels.
He felt the soul sucking arachnid dig in deeper. He felt his horrific reaction filled to the brim with icy hot life draining pain. He felt Ford's panicked, oh-shit-what-the-fuck-have-we done, emotional barrage. He felt Teyla's sorrow filled concern. He felt Rodney's anxiety riddled guilt complex. All of it crashing down on him, making him scream until he could scream no more. His individuality blurring and trying to escape.
Another switch.
A flash of cold radiated out of him for an instant.
A minuscule electrical explosion trickled across his brain and he lost control. He could feel his own body thrashing around and then he hazily saw a face…
Carson?
Then it started all over again and he needed to remember…
Major John Sheppard, United States Air Force, Serial Number 142...
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"It's weird Doc. I'm talking to you and then I see a totally different place or person. I don't even think it's my memory. I'm pretty damn sure it's Teyla's, because I sure as hell don't ever remember being a little girl lost in an alien marketplace." Ford was attempting to describe what he had just seen in his mind's eye.
The EEG wailed again. Beckett crossed the infirmary to console, encourage and/or soothe Sheppard. When the Major finally calmed, Beckett stood straight up, startled.
"Major?" No answer came.
"Doc?" Aiden sat up in his bed.
"I could swear he saw me for a second." Beckett checked the readouts from the machine. There it was, a regular brainwave pattern for a split second. It looked like a glitch. Then it returned to the constant irregular pattern.
"Hang on Major, we're trying to help." All Carson could do was pat him on the arm.
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"Visions."
"You think he's having reality bending visions?" Weir just shook her head.
"Yes. The entire team is having them. They are experiencing each other's, as well as their own, memories. Except Teyla, she apparently was on the end of the data stream. Only her memories are presenting themselves in living color in her head." Beckett motioned Weir over to Sheppard's bed.
"Is he crying?" She touched the end of the bed lightly.
"He runs through a list of facial and emotional expressions. Just wait, here comes one of the silent screams. Those are the most unnatural and are frankly downright creepy." He motioned for the nurse to keep an eye on him.
"Is he still in the cycle? The medication is keeping the seizures under control?" asked Weir still watching the Major.
"Amazingly enough, yes."
She continued watching with detached fascination. It was like a silent movie without the organ music. Creepy was unquestionably an accurate description.
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A/N: Thanks for all the encouragement. Once again feel free to review.