Chapter 7- Takeover
"Kate, do you have a moment?" Garin stood by her office door early the next morning still in Rodney's body, wearing the khaki outfit with the jacket.
She turned from the shelf, holding a book, "Your appointment is not for another hour Rodney." She sat down at her desk and opened the book.
He moved in further into the room, "This has nothing to do with my appointment, I need you to do me a favor."
She looked at him a little confusedly, "What favor?"
Garin jerked his head towards to door, "You'll see, just come on, I don't have all day."
"I suppose I have time." She stood and followed him out into the hallway.
They walked into the transporter and Garin entered the destination.
Rodney had again woken up when Garin did, and was sitting in front of the Control Balcony's large screen in his own little world. He saw where Garin was taking Kate. 'Oh no, no, no…'
The doors opened and Garin let Kate step out first, guiding his arm behind her. They walked down the hall until Garin stopped, "It's in here." He opened the door to 13B.
"What is?" She looked into the room, not liking this too much, but paying close attention to his behavior.
He walked in, calling behind him, "The device I found. I need you to help me with it."
She stepped in and the door closed behind her. Garin mentally locked it, thankful Rodney had been given Carson's gene therapy, and moved to behind his desk, the computer already on as Garin had made a stop there earlier.
Kate looked around the somewhat small room, "So, where is the device?"
Garin waved her over, "Right here," he pointed to the panel on top of the desk. "I've already activated it, I just need someone to be touching it."
Kate walked closer, "Why me?" Even though she had lived in this city as long as anyone, Ancient technology still bothered her. She and Carson once had a conversation about it, he also being wary of it, but they couldn't really pinpoint why.
Rodney was watching the scene unfold and stood, "No, no, no, no, no, Kate! Get out of there! Run! … Garin, don't do this, it's wrong and you know it!"
No response came and he got the distinct impression that Garin wasn't listening anymore.
Garin was typing away, "Well Major Sheppard has run off somewhere, Carson is busy with patients, and the other scientists refuse to budge from their positions."
It seemed reasonable enough, "Alright." Kate stepped forward again, now right in front of the desk. "What does it do?" She traced the outer edge of it.
"Scans the mind. I thought you would be interested in it." He typed the final instruction.
"Hmm, could it detect abnormalities?"
"It's possible, but we won't know until it's used. So just place your hand on it."
She hovered her hand over the panel.
Rodney was frantically beating the screen with his fists, trying desperately to take control and stop her, "No! KATE! DON'T!"
After a moment she placed her hand firmly on it.
Kate jerked her hand back from an electrical shock that surged through her, "What was that!" She shook her hand and looked at who she still thought was Rodney, who was smirking.
"It's supposed to do that." He fiddled with something in his jacket pocket and moved around to the other side of the desk, next to Kate.
"Well it would have been nice if I was warned." She crossed her arms in anger.
He pulled something out of his pocket and grabbed her arm, she looked down and saw a needle, shock spread across her face.
"Garin!" She struggled from his grasp and felt for her radio, but she had forgotten it. She ran for the door, but Garin came up from behind her and grabbed her waist.
She screamed, "Help!" but Garin promptly put his hand over her mouth and muffled it.
He whispered in her ear, "Shh, screaming is not very nice."
Kate was breathing heavily, her heart racing, not knowing exactly what was going on, except Garin had suddenly surfaced. Then she thought maybe it had been him the whole time.
Rodney could see through Garin's eyes and knew he was holding her still. He saw a flash of a needle pass by his gaze. His eyes were widened with fear and disbelief.
Garin quickly injected the new-and-improved mind suppressant compound into Kate's arm. He returned the needle to his jacket pocket and continued to hold on to her.
He talked in her ear, still holding his hand over her mouth, "Now, I'm going to release you, but you have to promise not to scream. It won't do any good anyway, these walls are soundproof."
Kate nodded, her face showing her fear. Garin let her go slowly, and she quickly backed away from him, eyeing the door.
Garin stood with his hands in his pockets, "Door's locked."
She went over to it, touching the side panel to open it, but it wouldn't budge. She stayed there, "You are Garin?"
"Yes. It's been fun playing the role of Rodney McKay." He saw the look on her face, "Oh, don't look so crushed, I had everyone fooled."
"What did you do to me?"
He looked at his watch, "No time to explain."
After Garin had injected Kate, Rodney sat back down on the chair, staring at the screen. His face was red, his eyes widened. He couldn't believe this was happening, that they were being taken over like this. His eyes started to tear up, not knowing if he would ever get out of this mess, if he could get Kate out of this mess.
Kate's head twitched, and she closed her eyes. When they opened they darted around the room and fell on Garin, in Rodney's body.
Garin took a step closer and almost whispered, "Elana? It's me, Garin."
Her eyes went up and down his body, "Well, don't you look different. Why is that?"
He pulled her in his arms and hugged her, "There were complications."
"Obviously." She pulled away, "What happened?"
"We can't get caught in here." He shut his computer down, like he found it, thought the door open and, waved her out into the hall, "It's been 10,000 years and the others abandoned the city for Earth. Let's go up to your office, I'll explain more there."
"You'd better." She looked at him again, almost not believing this.
They made their way to Kate's office quickly and quietly, passing people Elana never saw before in her life. When Elana Trelio walked in, she gasped, "It's changed! I mean it still looks like my office, but these things aren't mine."
Garin closed the door behind them, "They're Kate's."
Elana turned around, "Who's Kate?"
"The woman whose body you currently reside in."
"What! Garin, what exactly happened?"
They sat down in Kate's little session area, opposite each other. "After I copied your consciousness and you… died from the effects of being fed upon, I attempted to use cells from your body for a clone, but it wouldn't work. The stress had been too great. I then began research on a suppressant and planned on using another body, but the Council found out so I copied myself."
"And the man you reside in…"
"Touched the panel a few days ago. Dr. Rodney McKay."
"Doctor?"
"Astrophysicist."
"This isn't right Garin. It violates all codes of ethics I abide by."
He took her hands, "Just try it for me. I want you to take a breath, close your eyes, and focus on her memories."
Elana did just that, her eyes moving back and forth under her eyelids. After a few moments she opened them. "Kate Heightmeyer, psychologist. And you Garin played an awfully mean trick on her, pretending to have a disorder."
He shrugged, "I had to cover. My suppressant wasn't the same as I used for you. It was weaker."
"I still do not approve of this. These are people we are in! They have lives and minds of their own." Elana leaned back and pried her hands from his.
"I thought you would be pleased."
"It is quite interesting how you assumed an astrophysicist's life and found me a psychologist so I would be quite comfortable, but I can't do this."
"Please Elana, I love you." He took her hands again, "If it doesn't work, I'll reverse it."
She looked into her husband's new eyes, "You promise?"
"Yes." He leaned in and kissed her gently and then progressed, wrapping his arms around her.
She broke it, "I have clients to attend to, and a meeting with Dr. Weir about Rodney, well, you."
"See, back to normal already. You throw me out because you have patients and meetings." He stood, "I'll see you later?
She suggested, "Lunch?"
"Sounds good. Meet you there." He started heading to the door, she stood, and he ran back and kissed her again, "One for the road."
She laughed, "Out with you doctor."
Rodney put his hands over his eyes and started swearing violently. This wasn't good, not good at all. Garin had succeeded in his plan, and in the process eliminated the resident psychologist who the others would turn to for reassurance that 'he' was back to normal.
Xxx
Garin walked into the mess hall for lunch and looked around the room for Elana. Sure enough she was sitting in the corner, by the window, at the table where they had always eaten. He quickly grabbed some food and sat down across from her.
Smiling he greeted her, "Hi… Kate."
"Hi Rodney. That sounds so bizarre." She took a bite of her food.
"Yes, it does. How was your morning?"
"Amazingly like they always were. See patients, meet my husband for lunch…"
He took a sip of his drink, "You make it sound boring."
"Only when I'm not off-world treating…" She let the sentence trail off at the look in Garin's eyes. She reached over the table touching his hand, "I'm sorry, I forgot."
"How could you forget! For you it was literally two days ago!"
She whispered sternly looking around at the room, "Keep your voice down."
"You're right. We don't want to draw unwanted attention."
"And we shouldn't act…married in public. Rodney and Kate aren't together."
"I know that, you insult my intelligence." He teased.
"I would never do that," She teased back. "This food is… interesting…" She looked at a tava been on her fork.
"Interesting is not the word for it. It's only likely this galaxy's humans developed different tastes and foods in 10,000 years." He eyed some of his food inquisitively.
"Maybe I'll sneak the cooks some of my recipes, anonymously." She smiled a little.
"I wish you would, I'm starting to go crazy eating this." They both laughed.
"It's amazing how little they know of this city isn't it?" She picked up her glass and took a drink as she looked out the window at the city.
"Yes. I work in the lab and I'm amazed. Though they are very curious about us." He took another bite.
"We never thought that would happen. We just… lived, tried to make the universe better."
"Overlooking the Wraith until it was too late." Garin looked down at his tray.
"They will come here, and in force. At least one armada. They had us under siege for years." Elana also looked at her tray.
Garin sighed and looked up, "Let's not dwell. For now we have a chance at life again."
Elana smiled unsure, "I suppose we do."
Xxx xxx
Radek and Peter again snuck away to 13B to work on hacking into the computer. It was already past six, it was hard to pry themselves away from their actual jobs, this being done under the radar. They were sitting there, trying to bypass the code.
Radek pressed a few keys on his laptop and started swearing in Czech.
"What is it Radek?"
"This should have worked." He pointed to the Ancient computer's monitor.
Peter agreed, "Yes it should have." He took a closer look, "No, wait here." He typed a few things directly into the computer.
Radek read it, "Of course." He continued typing and entered it.
The screen changed to Ancient lettering, in a sequence that didn't make any sense.
"It is encrypted. You and Rodney were right."
"Progress?"
Peter and Radek practically jumped out of their chairs but saw it was only Major Sheppard.
"Care to warn us before you come in here?" Peter said.
"Oh, sorry."
"We're in." Radek said as he pushed up his glasses.
John smiled, "You are! That's great, what does it say?" Maybe they would finally get some answers.
Peter explained, "We still need to decrypt it."
John's hopes fell, "Oh, how long will that take?"
"Awhile." The two scientists said in unison.
John stayed as the two men worked into the late hours, hoping they would be able to decipher this Ancient's computer soon. He knew on the mission to the savannah-like planet with the ruins it was Garin. But something had just been bothering him about McKay since Kate and Carson let him go back to work, and even a little before that, at the training session. At those times he was supposed to be Rodney, but John just had his reservations.
Xxx
Rodney was still in his private world, and for the first time the screen was off, not that Rodney had been watching it since the scene in Kate's office anyway. He just couldn't.
He was lying on his still ridiculously orange couch, eyes closed, trying to come up with a plan to assert control. It was his body, he should be the stronger consciousness, but he was emotionally drained from the experience and it was hard to even just exist. That suppressant was certainly did its job.
He wondered if Kate was experiencing the same thing as he was, and hoped for her sake she wasn't.
TBC…
