Weir could hear him singing as she exited the transporter. Teyla and Beckett met her as soon as she stepped out.
"He is physically fine. Mentally, well, I'll need to run tests of course. I'll coordinate with security and check him out more thoroughly. I'll update you later. I will have to wait for power to come back on." Beckett stepped into the transporter visibly shaken.
"Thank you doctor." Weir turned and started her walk down the hallway with Teyla next to her.
It was a dirge. A dirge disguised as a nursery rhyme. The surreal melody wafted down the hall and pricked at her ears.
"Ring around the Rosie,
Pocket full of Posies,
Ashes, ashes, we all fall down."
She needed to marshal everything to face the singer.
Seeing the apprehension on Weir's face, Teyla spoke in a low voice. "He is not the same. He has been changed. I can feel it." Teyla paused while trying form into words what she was feeling. "Mentally, he is neither human nor Wraith, but both."
As she finished talking, they came to the door of the brig. The dirge flowed on.
"Ring around the Rosie,
Pocket full of Posies,
Ashes, ashes, we all fall down."
Weir nodded to the guard and he opened the door for her and Teyla. They walked straight in and stood before the cell. He sat on the floor in scrubs, knees up, arms draped loosely over them. He changed his song.
"Elizabeth, Elspeth, Betsy and Bess,
They all went together to seek a bird's;
They found a bird's nest with five eggs in,
They all took one, and left four in."
"Hello Elizabeth, hello Teyla. How are you?" He gave a Cheshire cat smile. "Any problems we can help you with?"
"You know there are…" She could not bring herself to call this person Rodney. "What should we call you?"
The Cheshire cat smile erupted again. "Dr. Rodney the Wraith, divine messenger of death, deliverer of the new feeding grounds- 6 billion strong, I believe. All of them are just waiting to be harvested."
She waited for the maniacal bad guy laugh, but he did not oblige. At least not yet.
"What have you done to the Gate and the ZPM?" She did not really expect an answer.
"Bye Baby Bunting,
Father's gone a-hunting,
Mother's gone a-milking,
Sister's gone a-silking,
And brother's gone to buy a skin,
To wrap the baby bunting in."
"What happened on Parcini?"
"Jack Sprat could eat no fat,
His wife could eat no lean,
So betwixt them both you see,
They licked the platter clean."
"I believe that is my favorite so far. Hunger is so despicable." He just sat with dark eyes and leered at the two women.
"Where are Col. Sheppard and the rest of your team?" Anger, anxiety, loathing and fear welled up within her. Somehow, she kept her outward composure calm.
"Solomon Grundy,
Born on Monday,
Christened on Tuesday,
Married on Wednesday,
Took ill on Thursday,
Worse on Friday,
DIED on Saturday,
BURIED on Sunday,
This is the end Of Solomon Grundy."
Now he laughed, because the punch line was oh so funny- right?
-------------
She and Teyla had left the brig soon after the nursery rhyme solos. They sounded even darker than she remembered. He was enjoying using children's standards to impress the graveness of their situation. The fact that he sang them to imply he had either killed the team or left the team to die was just unsettling. She just stood there in command feeling useless.
"Incoming wormhole, it's Sgt. Stackhouse's IDC."
"Dr. Weir, we have not found them yet."
"We know. Sergeant, we are compromised. Dr. McKay was overpowered by a Wraith mind. We think Col. Sheppard, Pvt. Ryals and Pvt. Burns never left the lab. You are going to need two scientists. Take Dr. Kusinagi and Dr. Simpson with you. Anyone who needs to gate back needs to go to the Alpha Site. Major Lorne is there; please inform him of our predicament. Atlantis is vulnerable and powerless."
"Understood Ma'am."
--------------
The Stargate shut down. Stackhouse looked at the marine stationed at the Gate. "Call the Alpha Site and apprise them of the situation." He tapped his radio. "Dr. Kusinagi and Dr. Simpson."
"Yes."
"Yes."
"We need your help." He started walking briskly towards the Archive. "Meet us outside the Archive in 15 minutes. We have a mission."
"We have a mission? I don't go on missions," replied Simpson.
"You do now." Stackhouse clicked off and started to jog.
It had been about 30 minutes since the contact with Atlantis. After they called the Alpha Site, all nonessential personnel evacuated to there. The few remaining were keeping watch on the diagnostic program. One military escort assigned to each scientist.
As soon as they left for the facility, Specialist Dex picked up the trail.
"Four sets of prints heading out. One set came back." He scowled at Stackhouse, "McKay was the only one to leave that building and travel this way."
They continued on in silence, until they reached the facility.
"We need this door open." Stackhouse looked at the two women with him.
"OK Miko, let's get to it." Dr. Simpson and Dr. Kusinagi connected their equipment and started working.
Ten minutes later they stood in the reception area. All the gear from Sheppard's team was piled neatly against the wall where McKay had left it. Blood was spattered on the entryway wall and was smeared across the floor leading to the defunct transporter.
"This isn't looking good," commented Stackhouse.
Dex made a guttural sound in agreement.
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A/N: Alrighty then, hold on John! Good thing they put Rodney in the brig, he needed a time out. Let him know what you think of his high jinks-Please review.