Chapter 7:
A/N: Small drug reference warning. I don't condone drug use, but this (if you understand it, weird bio humor) was a joke in an earlier lab. Anyone remember VH-1's Pop-up Video?
"Carson, wake-up! I think the Ken doll is trying to put the moves on your girlfriend," hissed Rodney, staring at Dr. Randall working on a laptop propped up on her knees. Several cans of Red Bull and various energy bars were stacked on a nearby table.
"S'okay," murmured Dr. Beckett groggily.
"Great, just great," muttered Rodney to himself. Dr. Mason rubbed him the wrong way, but there was more to it than that. Though he'd never publicly admit it, Dr. McKay looked out for the scientists under his supervision. Some he actually cared for, Dr. Randall being one of them. She seemed to 'get him' and she seemed to know just how to annoy Kavanaugh, while appearing completely innocent. She wasn't quite in same category – yet- as Colonel Sheppard and Dr. Beckett, though. Those two had recently spent more time sleeping than awake, a fact that alarmed him, although the infirmary staff tried to reassure him, that for the two, fighting the virus was simply very draining for them. Dr. Mason had appeared to take over Kyte's care, frequently discussing various points with her. She appeared feverish, but bright-eyed and animated. Rodney suspected it had something to do with the drugs he kept spiking her IV with, and though he wasn't a medical doctor, something about that made him very uncomfortable. He tried to tell himself that they were probably just stimulants, but that still gnawed at him for some reason.
"What?" she snapped at him, briefly meeting his eyes, when she felt him staring. "Can't you see I'm busy?" she looked back down at the laptop.
"I just wanted to make sure you were ok, you've been going at this pretty intently," he responded, almost apologetically.
"Well, I've got a killer headache, partly from this damn virus and the drugs keeping me breathing, and partly from trying to figure this friggin' thing out," she shot back harshly.
"I'm sure Dr. Mason and Dr. Biro and the rest of the research teams are working hard as well."
"They're amateurs. Leave this up to them, and we're all dead. I have to hand it to the Wraith, they designed one insidious virus, it's what I would have done." She noticed him shudder slightly. "Face it, McKay. Biologists are so much scarier than physicists now."
"Yeah right," he snarked back, having the odd feeling this is what he sounded like, when he got defensive.
"Admit it, society doesn't trust us. We're getting better at extending life and coming very close to creating it. Stem cells, cloning, and evolution. Just yell those words in a crowded room and see how people react. Not to mention government agencies and religious groups. We're way scarier."
"We still have the Big Bang theory."
"Which the Catholic Church accepts," shot back Dr. Randall.
Colonel Sheppard, interrupted the two. Normally he would have enjoyed a good 'geek fight,' but not now. "You're not helping the headache," he said, trying to massage his temples.
'Sorry, sir," apologized Dr. Randall, looking embarrassed, her attitude doing a complete 180. Rodney realized that she was definitely under the influence of something and a certain someone, which Carson, if he were in charge would not be too happy about. He wondered what Dr. Mason had said to her, how reluctant she had been to participate in this little endeavor, given her previous outburst. No matter. What he was giving her couldn't be good for her in their present condition, despite the attempts from both them to camouflage the effects. She looked up when Dr. Mason entered the room. "I'm struggling with this," she said.
'You can do it. You were the best, are still the best. Grotsky was nuts, should never have done what he did to you."
"No, I was wrong. I should have trusted him. I handled the whole situation badly, I should never have gone to the school officials. You were right that night I stormed out of the restaurant."
"I never did get the wine out of that shirt, but I was more hurt that you had to pick a particularly good Pinot Noir to waste." He paused for a moment. "When this is all over, maybe I can put in a good word for you, get you transferred back to virology. It'll be like old times."
"Yes," she said wistfully. "By the way, did Ben ever get his little side project going? The one where he was trying to get Acidophilus to produce THC?"
"No, he tried, but decided it entailed too complex a pathway," answered Dr. Mason with a small grin. "Viruses are just simpler, more elegant.
"Speaking of simplicity, this thing isn't simple. It looks like the Wraith modified several animal flu viruses, stuff that could leap species, you know like the avian or swine varieties back on earth. I just need to figure out which receptors on it are keyed for the ATA sequences." Despite her best efforts, she yawned.
"Well, rest now, I'll be back in a few hours," soothed Dr. Mason, noticing the fatigue setting in and taking note of a few other vitals.
"Well, ain't he just the bees' knees," asked Rodney in his best Southern drawl.
"Yeah, and you're feeling as useful as a box of hair," muttered Dr. Randall, trying to find a comfortable position.
"What sweet nothings has he been whispering in your ear? You've certainly had a rapid change of heart," demanded McKay.
"You know Superman is the only superhero who has to limit himself and become a mere mortal. You ever think how tiring that must be?"
Rodney was silent for a moment and was about to counter when he realized she was asleep. Something still didn't sit well with him. Time to call in a few favors. He scrawled out a note and handed it to the next person who came in to check on everyone. The doctor stared at the note dubiously. "Just irradiate it or whatever you have to do, just deliver it to Lt. Cadman."
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Lt. Cadman picked up her tray in the mess hall and looked around the mess hall, until she spotted Dr. Mason. Yes, Rodney's description of a Ken doll was accurate, he was just a little too bland good-looking. "Is this seat taken?" she asked as she placed her tray down across from his. She was dressed in civilian clothing –jeans and a tank top- and his eyes gave her a quick appraisal, before he nodded. "Jerk," she thought, sitting down. "I'm Laura. You must be Dr. Mason," she said cheerfully, then noticed his alarm at her recognition, "Don't worry, it's a small place. News travels fast," she shrugged. "I heard you got here in the nick of time," she added, trying to flatter him. It worked, she could almost see him puff out his chest. He smiled at her.
"Just doing my job, but I guess you could say you've got the best. The military could use more thinkers like me, a brain to go with the brawn. I think though, that brilliance will eventually replace the usse of brute force." He didn't notice Cadman's dirty looks. "Actually, I'm glad Kyte's here. I know she wasn't on the crew roster, but Dr. Weir filled me in on the unusual circumstances of her presence. She's been through a lot. Glad she finally has a familiar face."
"You know her?" asked Laura, playing dumb. "From what Rodney said, she didn't really want to see him, at least initially," she thought.
Dr. Mason seemed to warm to her, a storyteller who now had an audience. "I met her when she was finishing up college. She was in a microbiology lab section I was TAing. She was leaps and bounds ahead of everyone, a natural. Mozart to everyone else's Salieri. There was a lot of slack in her rope. I felt it was my responsibility to channel her talent. I helped recruit her for the lab. We had a small difference of opinion, but she's matured, sees the error of her ways," he explained.
"Probably clouded her judgment, according to Rodney," thought Lt. Cadman. "Hello, Dr. Weir," she greeted the expeditionary leader.
"Dr. Mason, Laura," spoke a worried-looking Dr. Weir, catching the silent message telegraphed by Cadman. "How are things, Dr. Mason?"
"We're racing against time, this virus is quite persistent. I'm confident, however, we'll find a solution. Once that's done, I think there exists a good possibility we could reverse engineer the virus, make it a weapon against the Wraith," he finished excitedly.
"That could be … useful." Dr. Weir searched for the right word. "However, I'm more concerned with getting my people healthy, first, and preventing any subsequent outbreaks."
"I understand, Dr. Weir. Now, if you'll excuse me, I should be getting back to the infirmary." Dr. Mason stood up. "Nice to meet you, Laura," he added, ever the gentleman.
"What was that about," asked Dr. Weir curiously, after Dr. Mason left.
"Rodney's worried. Doesn't trust they guy completely." She noticed the skeptical look on Dr. Weir's face. I know, but I know how Rodney's mind works, quite literally, and I have to agree. This guy has an ego and something to prove. He's more than a little possessive and I don't like his 'Did I leave my boots under your bed,' attitude," finished Laura.
"I didn't know he knew Dr. Randall before he came here, but their lab did have problems, probably blames her for betraying him and the lab. Still, he came highly recommended, both from academic and military sources. Curiously, there was no mention of any of the incident in Dr. Randall's files and she switched fields of study. Given out current circumstances, I'm inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt."
You're entitled to your opinion, ma'am. I just hope Rodney's wrong." Both women knew the odds of that.
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Rodney stared at Colonel Sheppard and Dr. Beckett, both of whom were awake, but suffering the full force of the virus, despite drugs and oxygen. He hated seeing them like this unwilling patients, trying to fight off efforts to help as well as the disease. If the situation wasn't quite so serious he might have laughed at the look on Carson's face, when someone suggested the nasal cannula. Colonel Sheppard, having been logged more time in the infirmary than most, still seemed more willing to fight a Wraith unarmed. People were starting use phrases like last ditch effort, last resort and a few other scarier ones. He'd heard that Capt. Richards and Dr. Kusanagi had both entered the second phase of the disease. Miko was in pretty bad shape, and he briefly felt bad for how critical he had been of her. "Death bed confessions," he thought morbidly. He felt sick, certainly, but he was far better shape than Miko, Sheppard, or Beckett. The same he heard, could be said of Capt. Richards, sick, but not knocking on death's door. He left Dr. Randall with her chemically manipulated condition out of the equation. "Why aren't Capt. Richards and I as sick," he suddenly demanded. He looked at Dr. Randall, she was busy with her laptop. He certainly hoped she wasn't playing Solitaire. Carson looked at him steadily for a moment. He could almost see the Scotsman willing the neurons to fire.
"Gene therapy," he croaked.
"That's it! The Wraith used the ATA sequence and the DNA sequences surrounding it to trigger the virus. With the gene therapy, the ATA gene randomly inserts, so the virus provokes a weaker response, since the surrounding code is missing. I think I can figure out a way to disable and confuse the virus," Dr. Randall looked at Carson, then at Rodney, an impish grin spreading across her face. "Carson, I could kiss you, unless Rodney's going to fight me for that privilege."
TBC
A/N: Thanks to Dr. Dredd, drufan, ddoskocil, and others who left advice. Don't worry this isn't over yet. The superman line is from a scene in Kill Bill Vol.2.