A/N: Right, sorry about the update delay but I was inspired to write a later chapter when I needed to have written this one…in the end I couldn't kill the plot bunny and so this took longer to get around to. Thanks again to all my reviewers! I love you guys! Glad to hear you're up for fun, because fun we will have…evil grin returns
Disclaimer: I do not own the tiniest dust speck from Stargate Atlantis, nonetheless an atom of a character. I do someday, however, hope to acquire a SGA tee-shirt…
IOIOIO
"Elizabeth?" Sheppard called from outside Doctor Weir's door. "Elizabeth, can I come in? " he queried, reluctant to enter his boss's quarters without the go-ahead. Never one to prolong the inevitable he shrugged and raised his hand to the doorway.
"Okay, I gave you fair warning, I'm coming in," John said decisively, and, resisting the urge to cover his eyes, swiped the pad and entered the room. Glancing around cautiously, he spoke again.
"You know you're late to your own meeting? Not to mention you turned your comm off, wait till I tell Caldwell on you for that one…Elizabeth?" he asked again, a note of puzzlement creeping into his voice. No reply.
Alert and wary, his hand inched towards his gun as he crept silently across the open living room and towards the adjoining space. After waiting a moment to see if he could hear any movement from within, he swung around the doorway, gun at the ready. Taking a look to make sure the room was secure, he at last approached the woman on the bed.
"Elizabeth," he said quietly, tapping her on the shoulder. "Elizabeth? Time to wake up," he continued, voice louder. He spent another minute in vain trying to revive her before calling for help.
"Beckett? This is Sheppard, we have an emergency in Doctor Weir's quarters, I need you down here A.S.A.P., Doctor Weir is unconscious in a probable coma, I can't seem to revive her" he said quickly, in the firm and slightly icy voice Beckett had come to know as the "danger alert".
"I'll be there right away son, don't try an wake her anymore, it could be harmful. Beckett out," he concluded, wasting no time in lengthy chatter.
Sheppard wasn't done yet, however. "Rodney, Teyla, Ronan, I need you in Doctor Weir's quarters Now! Dr. Weir is unconscious and unresponsive. Beckett's on the way."
Sheppard could hear the sound of Ronan unsheathing several of his knives and Rodney's panic-stricken babbling as Teyla's voice came back to him. "We will be there right away Colonel, Teyla out."
With that done, John sighed and sat in an empty chair close to the bed. What the hell is wrong with her? He thought, frustrated, not knowing that a variation of those thoughts was echoing in the minds of each of his team members. Restless, he stood by the bed and tried to discern a clue as to what had happened. There was no sign of a struggle, no clue as to why Elizabeth lay in a coma.
John's musings came to an end as Carson and his team stormed into the room, worry etched on everyone's face. Moving aside, he allowed Beckett access to Elizabeth's form.
For once, Rodney participated in the hushed silence that had settle over the room as Carson proceeded to check Elizabeth's vitals and physical appearance. "What's this?" he exclaimed quietly during the later exercise, brushing away Elizabeth's hair to get a better look at the skin behind her earlobe.
"What is it?" Came Rodney's nervous question from the back of the room.
"Come and see," Carson invited, moving to allow the team a better view of the patient. Once they were all assembled, he explained his findings.
"Elizabeth's vital are all fine. Her physical appearance is without signs of a fight, and her bloodstream lacks foreign substances. In fact, the only thing out of the ordinary is here," he said, indicating the two red puncture wounds behind her ear.
"It looks like a vampire bite," came Sheppard's observation, to the chagrin of the doctor.
"Yes, one might say that- but it also resembles a snake or spider bite. It's the only clue we have as to why she's like this," he said sadly, gazing at Elizabeth's still form.
"I thought you said there were no traces of poison in her bloodstream?" Teyla said puzzled. "If that is the case, would that not contradict that this is caused by a spider bite or snake bite?"
"Aye lass, that's just the problem," Beckett sighed. "I don't see what connection this could possibly have. As a matter of fact, at the moment, I'm bloody stumped," he said, upset at his inability to discover an explanation. A few minutes passed in silence as they group tried to think of ideas.
"Is there nothing we can do for her?" Teyla said breaking the silence, moving to take a hold of Elizabeth's hand.
"Right now, she appears fine without my interferring. Of course, I'll move her down to the infirmary for observation in a few mom-"
"Hold it!" Rodney interrupted, snapping is fingers.
"Stay here, I'll be right back," he commanded, running out of the room. Five minutes later he returned with Radek and several pieces of Atlantian technology.
"I have an idea," Rodney said as he hovered around Elizabeth nervously. "I remember- well, a few years back at the SGC there was an incident with an alien entity taking over people's bodies. When the entity left, they entered a coma, some even died. If I'm right, and I really, really hope I'm not- then we may have an intruder in the city," he said seriously, voice lacking the normal enthusiasm he showed at solving a mystery.
"You think Dr. Weir has undergone something similar?" Teyla asked, receiving conformation in the form of a nod.
John couldn't contain his curiosity. "And those are for…what exactly?" he said, gesturing at the equipment Radek was assembling.
"A few weeks ago we found this device in one of the abandoned science laboratories. We didn't know what it was at first- we thought it was broken even- until Miko pointed out that it had two life sign detectors, not one. We're still not sure, obviously we've had no way to test it- but Radek and I think it's a second consciousness detector- a way to see if a person is being controlled by an outside source or not. Made me wonder it the goauld used to come here," he added sarcastically, worry making him even more disagreeable.
"Are you ready Rodney?" Zelenka asked quietly, standing on the opposite side of the bed, device at the ready.
"Do it," ordered Rodney after glancing at Sheppard, who nodded. Rodney closed his eyes briefly, praying that this wouldn't harm Elizabeth. If it does, I'm a dead man, he thought, then noted with surprise his lack of concern for himself at the moment. I'd be glad to die if anything happened to her, he realized bitterly. Startled, he brushed the ghost of the words in love with her from his mind as he awaited the machine's verdict.
"Oh my God," exclaimed Radek softly as he looked at the screen.
"What is it?" demanded Rodney, with Carson echoing a few beats behind.
"She's…she has…Rodney?" Radek implored, giving up and gesturing for him to come and look. Bracing himself, Rodney looked at the screen. His face paled as he turned back to their expectant faces.
"There's an alien consciousness inside Elizabeth," he started, unable to keep a slight waver from his voice.
"We can tell because it's emitting very faint life signs that differ radically from a human's, so the brain waves we're receiving must be the entity's." Rodney paused before continuing, his fearful eyes staring into his team's like a mirror into a well.
"But that's not the worst part. Elizabeth's consciousness…it isn't showing up."
Wee! Aren't you all confused now! Or are you? Maybe some clever ones have already figured it out…well, we'll see! Trust me, this is just the beginning of weird…
