Carson helped load John onto a gurney, he made sure that he was comfortable before nodding towards the nurses who promptly wheeled John away towards the infirmary.

When he had made sure that his charge had been taken away he turned to Elizabeth, a frown crossing his face.

"What happened?" he asked simply,

"Major Sheppard came in holding Rodney in front of him, then he came down to the gate room. He took out the security team I sent in there, then Major Lorne and his team came, they tried to subdue him but Rodney just…he just… shot him. Lieutenant Ford went towards John but Rodney pushed him out of the way, there was a flash of light and he was just lying there." Elizabeth watched the still figure of Rodney as he was wheeled towards the infirmary behind John, when he had disappeared she turned her gaze to Carson. Her eyes were burning with tears, but she couldn't let them fall not yet.

Carson's gaze softened as he saw her eyes fill slowly with tears, he moved closer to her and put a hand on her shoulder,

"Dinnae worry lass, they'll be ok. I promise." Elizabeth smiled at him for a moment before turning and walking away towards the control tower. Carson watched her go; he knew that she had lots of work to do.

"Ah well." He said as he turned towards the rest of the gate room, no one else seemed to be injured.

'Well that's a first.' He thought before he followed John and Rodney's gurneys out of the room and towards the infirmary.

XXXXXXXXX

' "WHAT? WHY AM I HERE? LET ME GO!" the woman's screams echoed around the long, white hall. Rodney paced around her slowly, it was his turn now to inflict the pain that she had made him endure for so long. He had imprisoned her in a small cage, about the size as the one in the Atlantis brig, this time she wasn't escaping until Carson came up with some way to extract her from his body and his mind.

'Which he will.' Thought Rodney trying to convince himself that he was going to be ok, that after all this he was going to be able to get back to his lab and bicker with that scientist, Zeleplenka? No, no Zelenka, that was it, yeah to go back and enjoy the life of Atlantis. He realised his mind was wandering and he quickly brought it back to the matter at hand.

"Why should I let you go? I mean come on…" he paused for a moment his eyes slightly out of focus, "Hey, I don't even know your name!" he said finally, the woman stared at him through the bars of her small prison.

"Why should I tell you my name, you pathetic human?" she spat, Rodney's eyebrows raised slightly

"Because you're in there and I'm out here, I'm in control here. You answer my questions!" She glared at him, but spoke all the same

"Very well, my name is Torrela."

"Torrela?"

"Yes, is there something wrong with the name?"

"What? Oh no, it's just. Strange, I'm sure I've heard that name somewhere before." Rodney looked away from her for a moment, where had he heard the name before?

"So, Doctor McKay how does it feel to have finally won?" she asked, she could feel the bars loosening slowly his control was failing, this was her chance.

"You have finally conquered me and my people, you shall surely be rewarded by your people." Rodney looked at her a look of curiosity and suspicion on his face,

"Why are you being nice?" he knew it sounded lame but it had to be asked, she was behaving … well for want of a better word nice.

"I am simply acknowledging my defeat, and to such a worthy opponent." She smiled at him, he backed away slowly.

"Okay…about an hour ago you were telling me that I was an unworthy body to be in, and now you're admitting defeat. What's happened?" Her smile widened as she managed to move some of the bars in her cage. Rodney seemed oblivious of this fact even though he was staring right at her,

"Nothing has happened Doctor McKay, surely you have made many enemies tremble?

'Stupid human' she thought as she continued to push the bars further apart, she would escape this time.

Rodney's cheeks reddened slightly, but he continued to stare at her

"Well you know, I wouldn't exactly say tremble, maybe a slight…HEY!" He had finally realised what she was doing, he moved forwards trying to concentrate harder, trying to force those bars to close but it was too late. She lunged from the cage, through the bars and straight at him.

XXXXXXXXX

John woke slowly from his drug-induced sleep; he opened his eyes hesitantly and immediately shut them against the glare from the lights. He could hear the usual sounds of the infirmary around him, footsteps as doctors and visitors came to check on patients, the steady beeping of heart monitors and whispered conversations.

He tried once more to open his eyes, this time he squinted until the light of the infirmary had become bearable and he finally managed to look around.

He lifted his head off the pillows as he saw a familiar figure lying on a bed next to him, Rodney's eyes were closed and a hear monitor was beeping next to him. John managed to force one of his legs to move out from under the covers on his bed and onto the cold floor before he heard footsteps coming towards him.

"What in blazes do you think you're doing lad?" John put his foot back into the bed guiltily, he watched Carson stop at the end of his bed.

"Just…wanted to check on McKay." Carson's frown faded slightly as he also turned his head towards the figure in the bed.

"Ah, he'll be fine lad don't worry. We've got the best of the best working here, we'll figure out how to help him." Carson turned back to John, wearing a slightly fake smile. John nodded letting his head fall back onto the pillows, he felt so tired, as if the simple effort of getting his leg out of bed and onto the cold floor had drained him of all energy. Carson noticed the Major's movements becoming slower,

"You'd better get some sleep Major." John nodded once more; he could hear Carson moving off towards another bed,

'So goddamned tired! I'll just rest my eyes for a couple of minutes. Only a few minutes'

Carson smiled as he heard the familiar sound of the Major's rumbling snores, he knew that the Major wanted to check on his teammates but he needed his rest.

As he made his way towards Rodney he began to think about the times when Rodney had come in here complaining about a broken fingernail or a paper cut, and now he was in here completely unconscious and they had no idea how to treat him.

He reached his friend's side, the man's face was paler then normal and Carson noticed sweat trickling down the scientists face. Carson reached out a hand to see if Rodney had a temperature (which could indicate a fever), he was inches away from Rodney's skin before he remembered what the Major had said:

"Carson don't touch Rodney! Get someone without the ancient gene to do all the work!"

He withdrew his hand quickly, he didn't know why he couldn't touch Rodney but he trusted the Major.

"Doctor Hodge I need you over here now." He called across the infirmary to his ancientgeneless colleague; Hodge was a tall man with a thick crop of black hair. He walked towards Carson swiftly,

"I think he's getting a fever, I need you to run some tests." Carson said quickly as he moved aside.

XXXXXXXXX

'A small boy sat in the middle of a field, he was lying in the grass staring up at the cloudless sky. He couldn't have been any older then 8 but his eyes held wisdom beyond his years.

"Rodney? Rodney?" a female voice was calling from a distant house, the boy Rodney lifted his head but did not stand.

"Rodney!" the voice was becoming more insistent, the boy groaned as he slowly got to his feet. He had left a small Rodney shaped dent in the grass, he looked at this for a few seconds before he turned and ran towards the voice.

The wind was whipping against his face, the smell of flowers was making his hay fever worse then ever but he didn't care, it felt great to be outside instead of cooped up inside.

He climbed over the gate, and continued to run over more fields towards the small house. Soon he had reached the door and looked up into the kind face of his Aunt, she was the only person in his family who treated him like a normal person and not some freak of nature.

"There you are Rodney, I was getting so worried. You know you shouldn't run off like that, someone could have kidnapped you!" Rodney smiled slightly as she said this; it felt nice to smile properly. "Anyway come in, I've baked some cookies." Rodney's smile widened as he eagerly stepped over the threshold; he wiped his feet on the mat just beyond the door and hurried towards the kitchen.

"Smells great!" he said happily as he sat down at the wooden table that was situated in the middle of the small, cosy kitchen.

"Glad you think so Roddy." His aunt's pet name for him was slightly frustrating but if she was going to give him cookies then he supposed he could get used to it.

Soon a plate of freshly baked cookies was sitting in the middle of the table, he reached out a podgy hand eagerly and grabbed a cookie. They were pleasantly warm; he crammed it unceremoniously into his mouth before picking up another, his aunt's cooking was the best.

"So Roddy, what have you been up to over the summer?" his aunt asked as she watched him eat the cookies with surprising speed.

"Nothing much." Rodney managed to say through the mouthful of cookie he had.

"Aw, that's a pity." Rodney shrugged as he picked up another cookie.

Suddenly the bang of a car door shattered the cosy, comfortable silence in the kitchen. Rodney's eyes widened with fear as he heard the familiar loud voice of his father, he put the cookie down quickly and got up from his chair. His aunt moved towards the front door just as someone knocked heavily on it, she undid the lock with trembling fingers. The door was pushed open immediately and Rodney's father came storming into the house, his face was deep red and his eyes looked as if they were about to pop out of their sockets.

He soon noticed Rodney who was standing in the doorway to the kitchen, he started towards his son

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING HERE?" he screamed at the small boy, Rodney stepped backwards into the kitchen.

"WELL? ANSWER ME BOY!"

"Simon, I asked him to come over." Rodney's father turned to stare at his sister-in-law, he seemed stunned that she wanted to see her nephew.

"Why?" he asked

"Because he's my nephew! I'm allowed to see him aren't I?" She replied stubbornly, but her brother-in-law began to walk towards her now and she took a step backwards, nearly knocking over a coat stand that was right behind her.

"How many times have I told you? You are not to see my SON!"

Rodney watched the two adults, he wanted to help his aunt but he couldn't move and even if he could he'd never be able to stop his father.

"Simon, please think about this."

"NO TORRELA! I'M NOT LETTING YOU ANYWHERE NEAR MY SON!" His father screamed at her, Rodney had never heard his aunt's first name before. He had to admit it was quite a strange name.

"Oh para el motivo Simon de los cielos!" His aunt shouted, his father stared at her in confusion.

Rodney took a nervous step forward but this movement seemed to reawaken his father to his presence, Simon turned to his son and literally dragged him from the house.

"NO! NO! NO! LET ME GO" Rodney cried as he thrashed against his father's grip, but his father wouldn't let him go until he was safely in the car.

"You're never seeing that woman again!" he said bluntly as he reversed the car out of the drive, Rodney stared out of the rear windscreen and saw his aunt's house get smaller and smaller before it disappeared altogether.'

' "Interesting past, Doctor" Rodney opened his eyes, his head was throbbing again.

"You're kidding me!" he groaned as he saw bars rising from the ground all around him.

"Sorry Doctor McKay, but that idea was brilliant. I decided to use it, it must seem a bit old now." Rodney raised his head to look at Torrela, he wondered if that was her real name, or whether she had just got that name from his memory.

'Why me?' he thought as he put his head back onto the cool, white floor 'Why is it always me?'

Oh para el motivo Simon de los cielos! Oh for heavens sake Simon!

Hope you like this chapter.